When the chief had done questioning us, we were taken below, and placed
under the platform I have described, with a guard to watch us, though
there was no possibility of our escaping. The Malay was, however, kept
on deck, for the purpose, we concluded, of being further interrogated.
No further attention was paid to us, and the pirates seemed to consider
that we were totally beneath their notice. Towards the evening a little
boiled maize was handed us by our guards, as they were aware that
without food we should soon become of no value to them. For the same
reason, they gave us a little dirty water to drink; and so thirsty were
we, that, foul as it was, we were grateful for it, though we remembered
that it was a piece of unnecessary cruelty, as we had provisions and an
abundance of water in our own boats.
My greatest consolation was in the society of Fairburn, for we were
allowed to sit down on the deck close together, and to converse without
interruption--not that at first we could bring ourselves to talk much,
for our spirits were too depressed at our change of fortune. The rest
of the crew were in still worse spirits, and sat brooding over their
fate in total silence.
"Well, Fairburn," I at last exclaimed, with a sigh, "our prospects seem
bad enough now, at all events."
"Oh, they might have been worse," he answered, smiling in spite of our
situation. "You know the gentlemen might have cut our throats, or made
us walk the plank, or stripped us of our clothes, or lashed us to
different parts of the vessel apart from each other, or they might have
amused themselves by beating us, or we might have been sent to work at
the oars. Then, perhaps, our Malay is persuading the chief that he will
make more of us by ransoming us, and, as we are still alive, we may find
a chance of escaping. Oh, depend upon it, things might be much worse
than they are; and we should be grateful."
"I like your philosophy; but it is difficult to follow," I observed.
"No, not at all," he replied. "Only get accustomed to believe that
everything is ordered for the best, and you will find it very easy. We
cannot tell what misfortunes we may have escaped by the adventure which
has befallen us. We should always compare our present state with what
it might have been under still more adverse circumstances, not with what
we wish it to have been."
"Then you mean to say, that if we had remained in the boats, some
greater misfortune might have happened to us?" said I.
"Exactly so," he answered. "The boats might have sprung leaks, and have
gone down, or might have run on some coral bank in the night, and have
been lost; or a storm might have arisen and overwhelmed them, or some
other casualties might have occurred. My firm belief is that God is
everywhere, he orders everything for the best. We cannot too often
repeat this for we may even forget the greatest truths at times when
they are most needed. If we could but always remember this one, we
should be saved the guilt of much impious repining and despondency."
"True; true; I was almost forgetting this," I exclaimed. "Thanks,
Fairburn, for reminding me."
I can assure my young friends that the perfect confidence I felt in
God's kind providence enabled me to bear up wonderfully against the
misfortunes which had overtaken me; and I am sure that, in similar
cases, if they put their trust in God, He will equally support them.
While we had been speaking I had observed a young Malay lad pass
constantly, and put his head in to look at us. There appeared to be a
look of peculiar intelligence on his countenance, and as if he wished to
draw our attention to himself. When he came again, I pointed him out to
Fairburn, whose back had been towards him. He looked at him
attentively. The lad, however, did not attempt to speak; and when he
saw that no one was observing him, he put his finger to his lips, the
universal sign all over the world of imposing silence.
"What can he mean?" I asked of Fairburn, when the lad had again
disappeared.
"I think I recollect his features--I must have met him somewhere," he
said. "Oh! now I know. He must be a lad whose life I once saved from a
party of savages on the coast of New Guinea. He belonged to a small
trading vessel from Ceram, or one of the neighbouring islands, which are
accustomed to visit that coast to barter fire-arms, calico, and
ironwork, for slaves, nutmegs, trepang, tortoise-shell, and edible
birds' nests. She had been driven out of her course by a gale, and
found herself on a part of the coast with which no one on board was
acquainted. Before she could make good her retreat, she was perceived
by some of the inhabitants. The inhabitants of New Guinea are called
Papuans. They are negroes, with very ugly features, and are composed of
two races--the hill and the coast Papuans; the latter being very fierce
and barbarous, and keeping the former in subjection. The people of whom
I am now particularly speaking are said to be cannibals. They possess a
number of small vessels, which they send out on piratical excursions to
a very considerable distance from their homes. Their mode of warfare is
rude in the extreme, their weapons consisting only of bows, arrows, and
spears. They are said to devour the prisoners they make during these
excursions. They may do so sometimes but I think it more probable that
they preserve their lives to sell them as slaves. Well, as soon as the
strange prahu was seen, a number of these war-boats put out of a
harbour, the entrance of which was concealed by trees, and, before she
could escape, surrounded her. The Malays fought bravely, but they were
not prepared for war, and after several of their number were killed they
were overpowered. I, at that time, was serving on board a whaler, which
had put into a bay near where this took place. I was away in one of the
hosts, when, rounding a point, I saw what was going forward. The
Papuans, having rifled the vessel, and taken all the people out of her,
set her on fire, and were making the best of their way to the shore.
Having heard of the barbarities they practise, and my boat's crew being
well armed, and having a gun in the bows of the boat, I determined to
rescue some of the victims. My men gave way with a will, and we dashed
after the pirates. They had had experience of the effects of our
fire-arms and when they saw us in chase they suspected our intentions,
and did their utmost to reach the shore. All escaped except two. We
sent a shot through the bows of the first, and the people on board,
finding her sinking, leaped into the water, and endeavoured to escape by
swimming; the other we ran alongside. The crew fought very bravely. We
saw three prisoners among them. Before we could prevent them, they cut
the throats of two of the unhappy men. One of their chiefs was going to
treat the third, a young lad, in the same way, when I shot the rascal
dead. The rest of the people then jumped overboard and swam on shore.
"If there were any prisoners on board the vessel which sunk, they must
have gone down in her, for we could find none, and they would certainly
have swam towards us had their hands been free. It afterwards struck me
that I had no right to interfere as I did. I certainly caused of great
loss of life, and the preservation of the lad was the only result.
However, I had no time for consideration, and could not help it; indeed,
I should probably act exactly in the same way if I were placed in a
similar situation again. The lad was very grateful, and became very
much attached to me. I took him on board the whaler, and he very soon
got into our ways; but as we were bound to the southward, I was afraid
the cold would kill him, accustomed as he was to a torrid zone, so put
him on board a vessel we fell in with, sailing to Borneo, to which
country I understood he belonged. I managed to explain to him, with
some difficulty, my reasons for parting with him. When he comprehended
them, he appeared very grateful, and shed many tears as he went over the
side. I certainly never expected to see him again."
"If, as I think, you did rightly, by attempting to save the lives of
some fellow-creatures, from the hands of cannibals, you see you are
likely to benefit by the deed; for I have no doubt that this young lad
will do his best to be of service to us. He tries to show us his good
wishes," I said.
"I am sure he will. I know that I intended to do right when I saved his
life," remarked Fairburn.
He then continued, after a long silence: "I wonder how it is God allows
cannibals and suchlike savages to exist. Does he punish them as he
would us if we committed the like acts, do you think?"
"I have been taught to think that we ought not to attempt to account for
many of the divine ordinances, otherwise than by believing that they are
a part of one great and beneficent system. As God is just, we cannot
suppose that he would consider ignorant savages equally guilty with
educated men, who know and disobey his laws. I have an idea that
savages exist to employ the energies of Christian men in converting them
to the truth, and civilising them. We have the poor to feed and clothe,
the ignorant to educate, the turbulent to discipline: why should we not
believe that, situated as Great Britain is, with more extensive
influence than any other nation on the earth, she has the duty committed
to her of civilising the numberless savage tribes, with whom her
commerce brings her in contact?"
Night came on, and we began to suffer from the pangs of hunger, but more
especially from thirst, and our barbarous captors turned a deaf ear to
all our petitions for a little water. At last, hopeless of relief, we
stretched ourselves on the deck, in the expectation of recruiting our
strength by sleep. We, at all events, were better off than the slaves
in the hold of a slave-vessel, for they have not room to stretch their
legs, or to rest their weary backs. I had managed to fall asleep, when
I was awoke by a voice saying, "Eh; glad me see massa. Want drink?" I
guessed it was that of Hassan, the young Malay. I awoke Fairburn, who
sat up. The lad took his hand, and kissed it over and over again, but
was afraid of speaking. He then showed us that he had brought us a jug
of water, that we afterwards found he had taken from our own stock in
the boat. He also brought a pannikin to drink from. We passed it round
to our companions, and when we had exhausted our supply, he took away
the jar with the same caution and silence as before. Here, against all
probability, was a friend who might be useful to us now, and ultimately
might serve us greatly.
Somewhere towards the evening of the next day we found, by the noises
around us, that we were in the middle of the fleet, which had formed one
compact mass. Gongs were struck as signals, arms were clashed, and the
chiefs were continually calling to each other, as if holding
consultation as to some important proceeding. Some time after dark, we
could feel, from the perfect calmness, and the want of that heaving
motion which is nearly always experienced at sea, that we had entered a
deep bay, or a gulf, or the mouth of some large river. We glided
noiselessly on for some time, the only sound heard being that of the
oars as they dipped into the water, till the anchors were let go and the
vessels remained stationary.