"Snakes and alligators, mister!" exclaimed Mr Lathrope when the whole
party were gathered together on the shore of Hillsborough Bay, united
once more after the boat-carriage had been lugged over its final
portage, and the boat itself had accomplished its last separate short
trip before adventuring again on the open waters of the sea--"I guess
your fifteen miles has come to a considerable sight more'n fifty, you
bet."
"Oh! please be a little more moderate in your estimate," laughed Mr
Meldrum. "I confess I somewhat understated the probable distance; but
really, now, fifty miles is a little too much."
"Wa-al, then, let us call it five-and-twenty," said the American with a
genial grin over his sharp-cut features, which were almost as elongated
as his legs. "You can't grumble at that anyway, I reckon, boss!"
"That's pretty much like the story of the five hundred cats which came
down, I believe, to two, if I'm not mistaken," slily put in Miss Kate,
smiling.
"Now, don't you be too rough on a feller, missy," said Mr Lathrope,
pretending to be very serious over the matter, in his humorous way. "I
cave in to the fifty, that's a fact, as I kinder wanted to pile on the
agony; but when I took my stand to be euchred on twenty-five miles, I
meant the distance we've tramped over, and nary a bit of the water
passage, for my old boots hev got busted up, I guess, and the sooner I
git a noo pair the better for this child."
"Bedad, that's the same case wid mysilf," interposed Mr McCarthy,
exhibiting the articles he wore as he spoke, which, from their repeated
patchings and general state of dilapidation, would certainly have
carried off the prize at a curiosity show. "Sure, and it's walkin' on
my fut I've bin the last foor days entirely."
"You'd have ben a smart coon to have done the contrary, I guess, mister,
anyhow," said the American drily.
"Sure, an' it's the sole of me fut I mane, sorr," explained the first-
mate in Hibernian fashion.
"Jest so," said Mr Lathrope, laughing at the blunder; "and it would
puzzle you to walk different, I kalkerlate, that is onless you tried the
sole of your head!"
"Well, here we are, no matter what distance we have travelled," said Mr
Meldrum, going back to business; while Frank and Kate, who had not been
able to get much conversation together of late, were having a very
interesting little _tete-a-tete_ confabulation in a corner, out of ear-
shot of the rest. "We shall, however, soon have to separate our forces
again, for we must make the next start on our journey by water, which
will now be our travelling medium all the way."
"Be jabers, and it's glad I am to hear that same!" exclaimed Mr
McCarthy, interrupting the speaker in his jubilation at not being forced
to walk any more, a means of locomotion to which, from his long life at
sea, the first-mate was strangely averse.
"As I was saying," continued Mr Meldrum, "we must now make up our minds
for a short separation, the rest of our journey having to be performed
by water. I'll tell you what I think will be the best plan, if you will
listen:-- From here to Betsy Cove, the harbour I have mentioned where
the whalers call every year, is in a bee-line just about thirty-five
miles right ahead across the stretch of sea there; but as we may have to
make a detour in order to avoid reefs and any rocks or islands which may
come within this straight line, we'd better call it fifty miles."
"Better say a hundred, mister, while you're at it," said Mr Lathrope,
with a wink to the others; "you kinder forget the fifteen miles you made
it across the isthmus 'fore we started, hey?"
"There's no fear of my making that mistake here," replied Mr Meldrum.
"This is all plain sailing, with correct latitude and longitude to go
by! It won't be more than fifty, indeed, even if we have to creep round
the coast of the bay all the way, instead of shaping a course right
across it, as I intend doing. Well, all things considered, it will be
best for the boat first to take half of us this distance to Betsy Cove,
going all the way in the one trip; and then to return for the other
portion of the party. We have lightened her considerably of the
provisions during the last ten days, and being able to carry twelve or
fourteen hands ordinarily, she will now easily take us across the bay in
two trips--that is, if some of you don't mind a little squeezing."
"Will--will--it be quite safe?" said Mrs Major Negus in a hesitating
way, looking at the bright, frisking little wavelets which covered the
blue sea of the bay with some slight alarm. She had imbibed a perfect
horror of the water and all pertaining to it ever since the wreck.
"Quite," answered Mr Meldrum. "We've had peril enough without my
seeking to endanger your safety now! I suppose," continued he, going on
to explain the arrangements, "the boat will take a day, say, in getting
to Betsy Cove, and another day coming back on the return voyage for the
rest.--We'll call it three days, to allow for contingencies; so that, we
shall not be apart more than four days at the outside, allowing due time
for the boat reaching the Cove again after her second trip hither."
"Fancy!" whispered Frank to Kate. "Four whole days that I may not be
able to see you! I know it will be just my luck that I shall have to
stay behind at the camp; for, your father will most probably take all
the ladies with him in the first trip, as he did at setting out."
"Oh, dear!" said Kate smiling, "that will be a terribly long separation,
won't it?"
"You darling tease!" exclaimed he; "I don't believe you care for me half
as much as I do for you!"
"Don't I!" she said softly; and her melting blue eyes would have
disclosed a secret if Frank had been looking into them at the moment--
which very probably he was!
However, the sad eventuality he had conjectured did not occur. Mr
Meldrum, knowing the condition of matters between the lovers, did not
have the heart to separate the two, even temporarily; and so Frank had
the supreme and unexpected felicity of accompanying Kate in the first
trip the jolly-boat took across the bay to Betsy Cove--Mrs Major Negus
and Maurice, Mr Meldrum and Florry, Mr Adams and Captain Dinks, of
course, besides six of the seamen, being their fellow-passengers.
Mr Lathrope remained at the head of the inlet, with Mr McCarthy, in
charge of the camp and the remaining hands until the jolly-boat came
back to fetch them; and it really seemed, from the many earnest "good-
byes" exchanged between those starting off and the ones left behind as
if the castaways were parting for ever, the separation seemed to cause
such a wrench after they had been so long together!
Thanks to the fine fresh breeze, and the fact of their being almost in
the open sea now--for the sides of the bay diverged so greatly after a
time that the opposite coasts could not be seen--the boat was under sail
instead of being pulled along; and the motion was ever so much more
pleasant than when it was oscillated to and fro by the sharp jerky
strokes of the rowers.
The weather still continued fine and clear, with the sun shining on the
water and a bright blue sky overhead; and as the boat glided along,
heeling over to the wind every now and then and tossing the spray from
her bows as she came down with a flop on the crest of some little wave
which got in her way, Frank wished that he and Kate could glide on so
for ever. Everything seemed so delightful around them after the dreary
winter they had so recently passed through.
Nature herself was smiling again upon them in the bright summer dawn!
Even the penguins seemed to enjoy the change of season, for they raced
after the boat as she pursued her way, moving through the water like a
shoal of albacore, and rarely showing more than their heads above the
surface for a little while. Then, all of a sudden, as if playing a game
of leapfrog amongst themselves, they would spring out of the sea in long
lines, one after another, showing their steel-grey backs and silvery
sides, so that Kate could hardly believe they were not fishes jumping up
in sport, like as she had frequently seen the bonito do when off the
African coast in the Atlantic.
The jolly-boat had such a spanking breeze from the north-west all the
way with her, right abaft the beam, that she accomplished the distance
between the head of the inlet and Betsy Cove before nightfall, Mr
Meldrum shaping her course so well by the old chart he had that she
fetched the harbour in a bee-line almost from their point of departure,
steering east by south.
There was no mistaking the place.
Betsy Cove was a second bay within a larger one, called "Accessible Bay"
on the chart and marked by a curious isolated mountain-peak which raised
itself on the very extremity of a low spit of land that ran out into the
sea, a long way out from the main shore.
On the beach were several old wooden huts and a large iron boiler that
had evidently been used for "trying out" seal and whale oil from the
blubber; while further up the shore was a small graveyard, a rather
melancholy-looking spot with a few wooden crosses and piles scattered
about it bearing dreary legends relating to the untimely end of
different seamen who had either died there on shore, or had lost their
lives at sea in the immediate vicinity. However, the most important
point to our little party, was the fact that there were no signs of any
vessels having recently visited the place; and, consequently, Mr
Meldrum had carried out his original plan to the letter, having
evidently arrived there in time before the annual coming of the whalers.
Early the next morning the jolly-boat was sent back to fetch the others,
and towards the evening of the day following the whole of the party were
once more together.
A week passed by without any event of note happening, during which
period the little community did not suffer from any want of food or
other necessaries, for they found a store of provisions in one of the
huts that had evidently been placed there in case of need similar to
their own; so, things jogged on evenly enough. Still, all were in a
state of high-strung suspense, looking out eagerly from morning till
night for the promised vessel that every one expected was coming to
deliver them.
"I guess they'd better look alive, mister, if they're coming," said Mr
Lathrope, "or else the summer'll be gone afore we git away, and then we
shall have to go back to Penguin Castle for another winter. I'd sooner
a durned sight be thar than haar if it comed on to blow!"
"Patience, my friend!" replied Mr Meldrum. "Don't you recollect that
old French proverb, `Everything comes to him who waits!'"
"Don't reckon I dew, mister," answered the other. "I guess, though, it
warn't a waiter at one of them hotels that said that, hey?"
"Perhaps not," said Mr Meldrum, smiling at the American's hit; "but
I've no doubt we shall be rescued this year, even if we have to wait."
He was not disappointed.
On the Monday morning of the following week the look out man--for they
had set up another signal station here at the head of the harbour the
same as at Penguin Castle--sang out the welcome call--"Sail ho!"
And, soon after, a large fore-and-aft rigged schooner was seen entering
the bay.
She proved to be the _Matilda Ann_ of New London. She was engaged in
the whale and seal fishery between Kerguelen Land and the neighbouring
Heard Islands; and as she was empty, having transferred her oil to a
homeward-bound whaler belonging to the same owners, her captain readily
accepted the offer made him by Mr Meldrum on behalf of Captain Dinks,
to charter the schooner to convey the survivors of the passengers and
crew of the _Nancy Bell_ to the Cape of Good Hope, whence they would
easily be able to get a passage back to England or to their original
destination in New Zealand.
"I guess that air prime," said Mr Lathrope; "but I've hed enuff v'yging
fur a spell, and I kinder kalkerlate I'll make tracks to hum. I don't
mind either, darkey, if I take you along o' me! I've got a fust-rate
brown-stone front in Philadelphy, and I'll chuck you in as cook, if you
like, hey?"
"Golly, massa, you don't mean dat, suah!"
"Guess I dew," said the American deliberately.
"Tank you, massa; den you ken take down de bill, I ain't no longer to
let--I'm on, yah, yah!" shouted Snowball, giving way to the most
obstreperous merriment, in order to testify his satisfaction at Mr
Lathrope's engaging him in his service, the darkey having always had a
hankering after the American from his thorough appreciation of his
cookery.
Mrs Major Negus was true to the last.
"What an extremely fishy smell!" she exclaimed as she went on board the
whaler which had so opportunely come to rescue them from the solitude of
Desolation Island. "I'm sure I wish Captain Dinks had secured a passage
for us in a more respectable ship after choosing to cast away his own!"
But little more remains to be added.
The whaling schooner reached Table Bay in safety, without encountering
any storms similar to that which had led to the loss of the _Nancy
Bell_, and all the rescued castaways were shortly afterwards landed at
Cape Town. Here, Captain Dinks, who had recovered much from his wound
since he was taken off the island, secured a passage home to England for
himself and officers and such of the passengers of the lost ship as
desired to go back thither, sending on to New Zealand, at the owners'
expense, those who preferred proceeding to their original destination.
Amongst these latter was Mrs Major Negus and her son, "the Major" being
extremely anxious to join her husband at Waikatoo as soon as possible.
Mr Meldrum and his family also went on; the ex-commander in the Royal
Navy having sold out the little property he had at home and capitalised
his pension with the object of settling in New Zealand, had now no
desire to return to England, or the means to live there if he had such a
wish.
Frank did not forget his engagement with Kate, however.
Although he was obliged to accompany Captain Dinks back to England, it
was not long after his arrival in London before he passed the Trinity
House Board, obtaining a certificate licensing him to act as chief mate,
in which capacity he went out to New Zealand on his very next voyage.
This will not be his last trip to the Antipodes either, for rumour has
it that, not improbably, Frank Harness, promoted to the rank of a master
in the mercantile marine, will proceed shortly again to Otago in command
of a ship of his own, when, possibly, he will have one especial item of
human freight to bring home with him on his own account!