For two days we had been at sea, steering to the southward of east, for
the purpose of making the coast of Celebes should we not fall in with
the _Fraulein_, or some Bugis trader, which might carry us to Singapore.
The water providentially continued smooth, and the wind was light and
favourable; but as we had no sail, that was of little service to us, and
we made, therefore, but slow progress. We had all begun to suffer much
from fatigue, so we agreed that two should row while the other two
stretched themselves at the bottom of the canoe to rest. Kalong and I
took one watch, while Hassan and Blount took the other, Eva and Nutmeg
acting as look-outs. Eva was very anxious to take a paddle to assist;
but her strength was not great, and I feared it would only uselessly
exhaust her; but Little Nutmeg did not wait for permission, and as soon
as Blount laid down his paddle she seized it, and showed that she could
make use of it to very good effect. Kalong and I were paddling, and Eva
was scanning the horizon in every direction, in the hopes of seeing the
_Fraulein_, when she cried out:--
"Look there--look there, brother Mark! I see either an island or a huge
whale, or the hull of a ship; but I cannot make out exactly what it is."
I looked in the direction, she pointed at to leeward, and a little on
our larboard bow, and though I kept my eyes fixed on the spot
attentively, I was unable to determine what the object was. We could
not tell why we had not before seen it; but we supposed this was owing
to the different direction, in which the rays of the sun struck it. It
was stationary, for as we paddled on we neared it.
"Me know what it is," said Kalong. "Chinese junk without masts."
We found he was right; and as we drew near, a very curious appearance
she presented. Her masts were gone, though she seemed in every other
respect to be uninjured; but not a living person could we discover on
board. She was a merchant vessel, and might have measured some two
hundred tons. Her head and stern rose considerably above the waist. At
the after part were a succession of poop decks, one above another,
narrowing towards the top, so that the highest was very small. It
sloped very much from the stern, and on it was a windlass used to lift
the huge rudder. On either side of the next deck were two cabins, with
a roof in front of them made of bits of mother-of-pearl instead of
glass. What is called the nettings ran from aft round the greater part
of the vessel. The beams of the deck projected beyond the sides, and
each butt-end was ornamented with an ugly face carved and painted.
Every face was different, and ugly as the others. Some were of beasts,
and some like human beings, and others of monsters which have no
existence. The bow was perfectly flat, the stem scarcely coming out of
the water. There was a topgallant forecastle, and on it rested two
enormous anchors made of wood of a heavy nature, which sinks like metal.
Above the forecastle was a narrow gallery, with a flight of steps
leading to it. On the top of the bulwarks were arranged a row of
jingalls, or swivel guns of very rough manufacture, and a number of
shields made of straw, which, though they might ward off a spear, would
be treated with little ceremony by a bullet. In the racks against the
forecastle were a number of spears, and an instrument with a spear in
the centre, and a sort of half-moon, the points turning out, which
serves to thrust as well as to ward off a blow. In the centre of the
poop, right aft, was a little shrine, in which sat ensconced a very
ugly-looking deity, surpassing the other on deck in size and ugliness.
The rudder was one of the things most remarkable about the vessel. It
was in shape like that of a common barge; it was hung so that it could
be raised or let down by means of the windlass, as required; and it was
secured below by two ropes, which led along the keel forward, and being
brought on to the forecastle, were hove tight by means of another
windlass placed there. The crew slept in cabins under the forecastle;
their caboose, or cooking-house, was on one side of the deck. There was
a stove of brick, and some large pots for boiling. On one side was a
tank for water, and above it lockers for stowing provisions and mess
utensils.
We ran alongside and got on board. Blount suggested that the people
might all have died of plague; and for a moment he persuaded me from
moving from the spot where I stood; but as we saw no dead person, we
soon got over our fears on that score.
A flight of steps led into the main cabin, which was completely open at
one end, so that a sea coming on board would have swamped her. On going
below, and examining the lockers, we discovered a store of provisions,
and, what was of the greatest consequence, an abundance of good water in
the tank. We had little doubt how she came to have no crew on board,
for the hold had been completely ransacked, the work, evidently, of
pirates, who had doubtlessly carried them off as slaves. She had, we
concluded, come thus far south to collect a cargo of edible birds'
nests, _trepang_, and other articles, for the Chinese market.
It is extraordinary how far away from land these unwieldy craft will
venture, and how they contrive to live in a heavy sea, which one would
suppose would inevitably swamp them. The Malays had cut away her masts,
probably to employ in some of their own craft.
"Now we are here, let us try and make ourselves comfortable," exclaimed
Blount, walking about the deck. "Let us have a good dinner, a sound
sleep, and let us stretch our legs, and then we will consider what is
next to be done."
His suggestion was so good, that it was adopted. Hassan was a fair
cook, and he made a very nutritious basin of soup with some of the
birds' nests we found on board. We had all gone through so many
adventures that it scarcely appeared strange to find ourselves floating
about on the Indian Ocean in a Chinese junk. It was so much more
pleasant, indeed, than being cramped up in a canoe, that we felt no
inclination to leave her; and no one seemed more delighted than Ungka,
who scrambled about and poked his nose into every hole and corner.
However, at a cabinet council which I called, consisting of the whole of
our party, including Ungka, who, though he said nothing, looked very
wise, it was resolved, that although it might be very pleasant living on
board the junk, yet as she had no sails, and did not move, we might
never get to the end of our voyage, we should, after a night's rest,
again take to our canoe, and endeavour to reach the coast of Celebes.
Before night we hauled up the canoe on deck, and endeavoured rather
better to fit her for sea, by heightening and strengthening her sides,
and by nailing matting over the bow and stern.
The main cabin was devoted to Eva and Nutmeg. Blount and I took up our
berths in the two little cabins on the highest part of the poop, and
Hassan and Kalong went forward. We divided ourselves into four watches.
It was prudent to have one person awake, in case anything should
happen; at the same time, that one was sufficient. The night came on,
and we retired to our respective sleeping-places. Each of us was to
watch for about four hours. Blount took the first watch, Kalong took
the next, and I was called about midnight.
The reader will recollect how, in the early part of my history, Eva and
I, when infants, were rescued from the shattered boat, just before the
storm which overwhelmed it came on. As I walked the deck, I was
thinking of the account I had heard of that circumstance, and of the
many extraordinary events of my life, when I had been so providentially
preserved from the dangers which threatened me. "Yes, indeed," I
uttered aloud, "God has been merciful to me. He truly is everywhere."
A deep whispering voice seemed to come across the dark ocean--"And will
protect to the end those who trust in Him," were the words I fancied I
heard. While I kept my watch, the wind began to rise in fitful gusts,
and the uneasy rolling of the unwieldy junk showed that the sea was
getting up. Thick gathering clouds obscured the sky; and the waves,
like huge monsters from the deep, began to leap up on every side. I
watched for some time, not liking to disturb the rest of the party
unnecessarily. At last the junk gave a roll more violent than before,
and nearly threw me off my legs. "Hillo! what's the matter now,
shipmates?" I heard Blount exclaiming, as he merged from his lofty
berth, roused up by the jerk.
"Why, Seaworth, we must get her before the wind, or we shall have the
seas tumbling on board us without leave."
Accordingly we turned up the hands, except Eva and her attendant, whom I
begged to remain quietly below. The stump of the foremast remained, and
to it we lashed some spars we found on deck, and with a quantity of
matting we discovered below, we manufactured a sail, which we managed to
set. The helm was then put up, and to our great satisfaction the junk
paid off before the wind. It was now daylight; a heavy gale was
blowing, and the sea was running very high. As the sun rose, a break in
the sky, through which he appeared, showed us the direction in which we
were going; for we had no compass, and we found that our course was
somewhat to the northward of east, which we calculated would carry us
free of the coast of Celebes. The question then was, where should we be
blown to? I believe none of us had any fears about the matter. How
could we, when we had been so signally preserved? for we felt, had we
remained in the canoe, in all probability we should have been engulfed
by the waves. Every moment they rose higher and higher, and as the junk
was rolled and pitched by them in her onward course, they seemed to
follow after, as if eager to overwhelm her. We had to hold on to keep
the deck, though, notwithstanding the way she tumbled about, no seas
actually came on board the vessel. Eva took her post in front of one of
the cabins on the raised deck, and there she sat like a true heroine,
watching the raging ocean without a feeling approaching to fear.
"It may appear extraordinary, my dear Mark," she said, smiling, when I
went up to her; "but having you with me, and being once more at liberty,
I feel far happier than I have ever done in my life."
We sighted the land on the starboard hand, which we judged was that of
Celebes; but we could not have hauled in for it, had not even the risk
of shipwreck been too great to allow us to do so.
The whole day we ran on; the night at length came without any change in
the weather, except that the wind shifted rather to the west, which
compelled us to steer a more easterly course; for it must be understood
that, with any regard for our safety, we could only keep directly before
the wind. The tempest increased; and it was truly awful, as we felt
that without chart or compass we were steering in almost total darkness
through an unknown sea. We kept a look-out ahead, but to little
purpose; while the tempest raged, we could do nothing but fly on before
it. As I strained my eyes to try and pierce the obscurity, I fancied
that I could see objects on either side of us, and sometimes land ahead;
but still on we went, and I suspected that my imagination had deceived
me. Eva had retired at dark to the cabin. Blount was at the helm,
assisted by Hassan. We were almost worn out by steering, for the
exertion was very great. I went aft to relieve him.
"Don't you feel rather a different motion in the craft?" he said. "It
may be fancy; but I cannot help thinking that she does not go along as
lively as before. Take the helm, and I will go and see if my suspicions
are correct."
Saying this, he left me, and I took his place. In about five minutes he
returned.
"Seaworth," he said, "you must be prepared for bad news; it is as I
suspected. The junk, with all this straining, has sprung a leak, and
her hold is already half full of water. She may swim for some time
longer; but I doubt if we shall ever again see the daylight."
This was indeed sad news.
"We will do our best," I answered. "We have the canoe, and we must make
a raft."
"Neither would be of any use in this sea," he observed.
As he gave me the information, I instantly thought of Eva; and before
forming any plan, I rushed below to bring her on deck, so that, should
the junk sink, she might have a chance of escaping. I found her
sleeping on a sofa in the cabin, in spite of the rolling of the vessel,
while the little black girl lay on a mat below her. My sweet sister
looked so calm and happy, as the light from the lantern, which hung from
above, fell on her countenance, that I could scarcely bring myself to
awake her to a consciousness of the danger which threatened her. At
last I knelt down by her side and kissed her cheek to arouse her. She
smiled, and looking up, asked me if I was come to take her on shore.
"I was dreaming, dear Mark, that we had arrived at a green and beautiful
country, and that you told me it was England, and that all our dangers
were over."