The _Falcon_ proceeded on her voyage to India. Though she was refitted
as thoroughly as was possible in a foreign port, her commander had no
wish to encounter another enemy with so large a proportion of his crew
untried and inexperienced. He did his utmost, however, to get them into
efficient order, and every day that the weather permitted they were
exercised at the guns, as well as at making and shortening sail, and
taught the use of the small arms.
Ralph Michelmore was fully occupied, and had but little time to think of
his bitter disappointment at not returning home in the _Eagle_. By the
time the _Falcon_ reached the Hoogly, the crew had been brought into
excellent order, and were highly complimented by the admiral on the
station. There being no post-captain to supersede him, Mr Handsel
received an acting order to continue in the command. The _Falcon_ was
allowed just time to take on board a fresh supply of powder, shot, and
other stores and provisions, when she was ordered to proceed in search
of an enemy's cruiser, said to have captured several English merchantmen
in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. She was supposed to be a
heavy frigate, equal, if not superior, in force to the _Falcon_, but
neither Captain Handsel nor any of his ship's company had the slightest
doubt as to what would be the result of an action should they be
fortunate enough to fall in with her.
A sharp look-out was kept, and the ocean traversed in all directions for
several weeks, but no traces of her could be discovered, till at length
a prize she had taken only two days before was re-captured. Her
probable whereabouts having been ascertained from the prisoners, the
prize being sent on to Calcutta, the _Falcon_ under all sail steered in
the direction where it was hoped the enemy would be found. The stormy
season was approaching. The weather, indeed, had already changed for
the worse; but still Captain Handsel was unwilling to return to port,
when on the point, as he hoped, of meeting the long looked-for foe.
A strong breeze was blowing from the northeast, and the frigate was
steering south, under all the canvas she could bear. The crew had just
been piped to breakfast.
"A sail on the lee bow," shouted the look-out at the mast-head.
Ralph was sent aloft to examine the stranger. She was standing
close-hauled to the northward. From the squareness of her yards, he had
little doubt, seen even at that distance, that she was a man-of-war, but
as the two ships were rapidly nearing each other, the matter would soon
be decided. The course of the _Falcon_ was altered so as to intercept
the stranger. Suddenly, however, the latter was seen to wear ship, and,
setting more sail, to stand away before the wind. The _Falcon_ was
already carrying as much as she could well stagger under; still, eager
to overtake the fugitive the captain ordered the topgallant sails to be
loosed, and on flew the _Falcon_, like the bird from which she took her
name, in chase of her expected prey. A stern chase is proverbially a
long chase. It seemed doubtful, after the lapse of several hours,
whether she was gaining ground on the stranger. The evening was drawing
on: the gale was increasing.
"Hand the topgallant sails!" shouted the captain. The crew were going
aloft when there came a loud crash. The fore and main topgallant masts
were carried away. Two poor fellows were struck--one fell dead on the
deck, the other was knocked overboard. To heave-to was impossible. The
wreck of the masts was cleared away, and two reefs taken in the
topsails, and the courses brailed up. The frigate flew on at her utmost
speed. It was now almost night, and it was feared that the chase would
escape in the darkness. Still it was possible, with the heavy gale
blowing, that she might continue on the course she was steering.
When darkness came down over the ocean the chase could still be seen
through the night-glasses, standing as before. As night, however, drew
on, clouds gathered thickly in the sky, the obscurity became greater,
the gale heavier, and after a tremendous squall, which struck the
frigate, had passed over, those on the look-out could nowhere discern
the chase.
The captain, however, did not believe that she had hauled her wind, and
hoped to come up with her perhaps with her masts gone. The master,
after speaking with the captain, had gone below to examine the chart,
but even that could not be relied on, as the part of the ocean they were
then in, was, in those days, but imperfectly known, and prudence
dictated that they should heave-to till daylight.
The captain, in the meantime, expecting every instant again to sight the
chase, kept the ship on her course. Ralph was standing aft with his two
young messmates, Chandos and Dickenson, who had become much attached to
him.
"What do you think of it, Michelmore? I don't like running into the
darkness as we are doing," observed the former.
"The darkness will not hurt us, and provided there are no rocks or
shoals in our course we may run on as safely as in the daytime,"
answered Ralph. "I examined the chart, and the nearest islands marked
on it are, if they are correctly laid down, full fifty leagues to the
south of us, though there are some shoals rather nearer."
The master, who had been below, returned hurriedly on deck, and spoke to
the captain.
"If so, we'll heave the ship to," was the answer.
Scarcely had the order been given to "Put the helm a-lee," than the
look-out forward shouted "Breakers ahead!" and the next instant a
fearful crashing sound was heard. The ship quivered from stem to stern,
the tall masts rocked, and those on deck, unable to hold on to the
bulwarks, were thrown off their feet. It was a moment of intense
suspense. The head-sheets had been let fly. Would the ship answer her
helm? No. A tremendous sea met her bows, sweeping over her deck, and
carrying several men in its relentless grasp into the raging surf to
leeward. Again she struck, with greater violence than before; the next
sea hove her on her beam ends. The carpenter reported twelve feet of
water in the hold, and rapidly increasing--a rock had gone through her.
The captain ordered the masts to be cut away. He had abandoned all
hopes of saving the ship, and his only thought now was how to preserve
the lives of his people. A party of the crew, led by Ralph and other
officers, with gleaming axes quickly severed the weather rigging, and a
few strokes were sufficient to send the tall masts, with their spars,
crashing over to leeward. The furious seas in quick succession struck
the devoted ship, carrying away her bulwarks, and destroying several of
her boats. The officers and crew were collected on the quarter-deck,
for the stern of the ship having swung round it was least exposed to the
assaults of the waves. Ralph had sought out his two young friends,
Chandos and Dickenson, wishing to help them if he could. Looking over
the larboard quarter, he observed that the water in that direction was
less broken than elsewhere, and he felt sure that he saw the land rising
to a considerable height at no great distance. He told the captain that
he thought he might reach the shore, and, if it was inhabited, bring
assistance to the ship. A small boat hung at the after-davits capable
of carrying four or five people.
"You can try it," said the captain; "choose any two of the men on whom
you can rely to accompany you, and take these two youngsters," touching
Chandos and Dickenson on the shoulders, "there will be less risk for
them than by their remaining on board, I fear. Remember, Michelmore, if
you escape, that I was in chase of an enemy when the ship was lost, and
that there was an error in the chart. Heaven bless and preserve you!"
he wrung Ralph's hand as he spoke.
The two young midshipmen were placed in the boat, which was carefully
lowered, with Jacob Crane, and another man, Ned Hawkins, whom Ralph
selected, he himself following. He put Jacob at the helm, confident of
the old man's judgment, and got out an oar, the rest doing the same.
Sheltered by the wreck, the boat at first floated in comparatively
smooth water, but scarcely had her head been got round than she was in
the foaming waves, which rolled in towards the shore. They, however,
did not break as they did at the fore part of the ship, and Ralph knew
from this that she had struck on the extreme point of a reef, and he
hoped that, could the remaining boats or rafts be launched, his
shipmates might yet be saved. Anxious to communicate this information,
he directed Jacob to steer back to the ship, but after pulling for some
time they found that they had made no progress, and it became evident
that a strong current was sweeping round the point, and that their
utmost efforts would be in vain. The boat's head was therefore once
more turned towards the shore. The current, however, swept them at a
rapid rate to the westward, so that they soon lost sight of the ship.
Not a glimpse either of the land could be obtained, and they began to
fear that they should be carried out to sea.
"Never say die if we are," observed Jacob; "it may be better for us than
having to run through the surf with the chance of being rolled over and
over in it."
The storm raged with greater fury than before. Jacob advised, as the
only hope of preserving their lives, that they should keep the boat's
head to the sea, and allow her to drift on till daylight, when they
might discover some spot where they could attempt to land with a
prospect of success. In spite of all their efforts the seas continually
washed into the boat, and compelled the two midshipmen to work hard at
baling out the water, while Ralph and Ned Hawkins, with their two oars,
kept the boat in a right position. Their anxiety about the fate of
their shipmates prevented them from contemplating as much as they would
otherwise have done the perils of their own situation. To return to the
wreck was impossible; to land in safety seemed equally so. At any
moment a raging sea might overwhelm them, and it required their utmost
strength and skill to avert the catastrophe. Now and then, as the boat
rose to the summit of a billow, Ralph fancied that he could distinguish
through the darkness the dim outline of the coast, and as its form had
changed since first seen, he was convinced that they were still drifting
along it. He feared that, unless the direction of the current changed,
they might be carried far away out to sea, when death from hunger and
thirst must be their lot; still, trusting in God's mercy, he did his
utmost to keep up the courage of his companions. The midshipmen behaved
as became them, not a word of complaint escaping their lips, while every
time a sea broke on board, Chandos cried out, "Hurrah, here's more work
for us; bale away, Dickenson; we must clear her before the next comes."
It seemed, indeed, wonderful that so small a boat could live in such a
sea. Thus the night wore on.
At dawn of day Ralph discovered, less than half a mile to the
south-west, a rocky point, the extreme eastern end, he supposed, of a
somewhat elevated island, along the northern coast of which they had
been drifting during the night. The light rapidly increased, while the
clouds cleared away, and the wind abated. As far as the eye could reach
to the westward appeared an unbroken line of raging surf, into which,
had the boat been carried, her destruction would have been certain. He
pointed out to his companions how mercifully they had hitherto been
preserved; "and if we can get round yonder point we shall be in smooth
water, under the lee of the island, and shall probably without
difficulty get on shore," he added.
Once more he cast an anxious look westward, but not a trace of the wreck
could be seen. Had the _Falcon_ and her gallant crew been totally
engulfed by the waves?
"I fear that it's all over with them," said Jacob; "I don't think we
could have come so far as to lose sight of the wreck altogether if she
still hung together."
The boat's head was now cautiously got round, and the midshipmen
resuming their oars, they pulled away in a direction which would enable
them to round the point clear of the surf. They were round it at last,
but a fringe of black rocks, over which the sea leaped and foamed,
warned them to keep at a distance. On and on they rowed. The coast was
uninviting. No trees were to be seen; no signs of human habitation. At
length a small sandy bay appeared, with high rocks on either side of it,
while beyond was a valley, its sides clothed with trees and green
herbage. No spot could be more desirable. Pulling in, they landed, and
hauled up their boat on the beach.
"We are not ashamed, I hope, of thanking Him who preserved us through
the dangers of the last dark night, and asking Him to take care of us
for the future," said Jacob.
"No, indeed," answered Ralph and the midshipmen, and at once they knelt
down on the sand, and, led by the old man, together offered up their
prayers to the All Merciful One, to Whom they acknowledged their safety
was alone due; for vain would have been all their efforts and skill
without His aid. Rising from their knees, they set off in search of
water, and their eyes were soon gladdened by the sight of a clear stream
running down the valley. Having quenched their thirst, they looked
about for food.
They had not gone far when, to their surprise, they saw close under the
hill, shaded by trees, a well-built hut, evidently not the habitation of
a savage. They hurried towards it, expecting to find the occupant
within. No one appeared. The door was open. They entered. There was
a bedstead with the clothes still on it, a fireplace built of rough
stone, the ashes of a recently burning fire within it. Hung against the
wall were several cooking utensils, and on some shelves were arranged
some plates and dishes and cups and knives and forks. In the centre of
the hut was a cabin table, and placed round it were three chests, which
had apparently served as seats. They contained only a few old shoes and
worn-out clothes. No books or writing materials were found, or anything
to show who had been the occupants of the hut. If it had contained any
articles of value, they had been carried away. Both Ralph and Jacob
were of the opinion, from the workmanship of the chests and table, that
they were French. As no food was found in the hut, they were eager to
continue their search for some. At a short distance off was a small
garden, but it had lately been dug up, and all the vegetables and roots
it had contained had been carried off.
"It's my opinion that there were three people who messed together in the
hut. One lived in it--either the captain or another officer--and the
other two slept elsewhere," observed Jacob. "We shall find their
roosting place not far off. One thing seems certain, that they are not
here now, and there's little doubt that a vessel visited the place
lately, and that they and everything of value were carried away by her,
as well as the produce of the garden."
Ralph and the rest thought that Jacob was probably right in his
conjectures.
"Well, I can't make it out at all," exclaimed Jacob, who had gone ahead
of his companions. He pointed, as they came up, to three long, narrow,
grass-covered mounds on a level spot at some distance from the hut.
They were evidently graves.
"If the poor fellows lie there they can't have got away; but, then, how
could the last have managed to bury himself?"
Chandos remarked that perhaps there were four people, and that a
survivor had performed that office for the rest; but the old man was
positive that there were only three, as he had counted that number of
plates and knives and forks, and had, moreover, found three worn-out
pairs of shoes. Their hunger put a speedy end to the discussion, and
made them continue their search for food. Birds flitted by them, but
they had no fowling-pieces, and in vain they tried to knock some down.
Berries and some larger fruits hung temptingly on the trees out of reach
above their heads.
"Those birds do not live upon nothing," observed Chandos. "If we cannot
catch them, we may at all events eat the fruit they live on."
"A bright idea," exclaimed Dickenson. "I see a big fellow pecking away
at a yellow, juicy-looking fruit up there. Depend on it, he finds it
ripe. Now, if you and Ned will give me a hoist, I can manage to reach
the lowest branch, and though the boughs might break with the weight of
a heavier man, they will bear me--if not, look out and catch me."
Dickenson, with the aid of Chandos and Ned--the first of whom mounted on
the others' shoulders--soon clambered up the tree, and though the
branches bent with his weight, he managed to throw down several ripe
fruit. Having put two or three in his pocket, he retired to the inner
end of a branch to stop the cravings of hunger, while Chandos and Ned
were employed in the same way below. The fruit had stones in the
centre, and was more mealy and much richer than a pear.
Ralph and Jacob had in the meantime gone down to the beach to collect
mussels or other shell-fish. Chandos shouted to them, but as they did
not hear him, he set off with a supply of the fruit in his pockets.
They had found shell-fish in abundance, and had collected as many as
they could require. Having no means of lighting a fire, they were
obliged to eat them uncooked; but notwithstanding this, with the aid of
the fruit, they contrived to make a hearty meal. Having thus somewhat
recruited their strength, although they would gladly have thrown
themselves on the ground and gone to sleep, they determined at once to
set out in search of any of their shipmates who might have escaped from
the wreck. The distance, Ralph feared, would, however, prove
considerable, and tax their strength to the utmost. He proposed,
therefore, that the midshipmen should remain behind, and, after taking
the rest they required, employ themselves in searching for food.
"No! no! we'll hold out as well as any of you," exclaimed Chandos. "If
our friends require help, the more there are to give it the better."
As Ralph could not object to this he agreed that they should come.
The bay in which they had landed looked towards the rising sun, and was
thus near one end of the island, while the wreck had occurred, Ralph
calculated, close to the other. They would have probably ravines to
cross, hills to ascend, and other impediments to encounter. Having
collected as many shell-fish and fruit as they could carry, they--
notwithstanding their expected difficulties--set out with sturdy hearts,
determined to overcome them.
The country was generally rocky and barren. Bleak hills destitute of
vegetation, narrow ravines, and savage gorges appeared on every side.
Often it seemed impossible that they could make any further progress;
but after several hours spent in climbing and scrambling they at length
reached the point for which they had been directing their course, on the
north-western shore. As they approached it they observed a few spots of
a more fertile character, and below them on level ground, forming the
shores of a small bay, waved several cocoa-nut and other tropical trees.
As no other huts were seen, or any plantations, they were convinced
that the island was uninhabited. Their chief attention was, however,
directed seaward in search of the wreck. Though the wind had gone down,
the surf still beat furiously along the whole line of coast, so that no
boats or rafts could have reached the shore in safety. About half a
mile off rose, from amid a mass of foam, the black rugged points of a
reef, now for a minute in sight, now concealed by the heavy rollers
which dashed over them and came rushing on with an angry roar towards
the cliffs which formed that end of the island.
"That must be the reef on which the frigate struck," said Ralph, with a
deep sigh, and tears of manly sorrow sprang to his eyes. "Poor fellows!
Not one can have escaped."
"It's too likely," said Jacob, gazing at the spot; "the ship must have
fallen off the reef, and the current would have swept her and all on
board away."
The rest of the party shared Ralph's grief, but they had no time to
indulge in it. He was anxious to examine the coast on the bare
possibility of any one having been washed on shore alive, and they then
would have to search for water and some sheltered spot where they might
pass the night. With some difficulty they descended the cliffs to the
first line of beach they could discover, which extended for some
distance towards the east. Here and there lighter pieces of the wreck
strewed the shore, but the heavier fragments had been carried away by
the current. The wreck would serve for fire-wood, but then they had no
means of lighting a fire, and none of the pieces were large enough to be
of use towards building a hut. They did not therefore stop to collect
them, but pushed on, still not without some faint hopes that one or more
of their shipmates might have reached the shore alive on planks or
spars. The midshipmen, though their spirits kept them up, were,
however, much fatigued, and were longing to find a sheltered spot where
they might stop and rest.
An object in the surf now caught their sight, some way ahead, at a spot
free from rocks. Hastening forward they found that it was a cask, and
after several efforts, at the risk of being carried off by the sea, they
succeeded in rolling it upon the beach. It was full of beef, which,
though they were compelled to eat it raw, greatly restored their
strength. Further on a tangled mass of rigging had already been thrown
on the shore. Perhaps a human being might be found among it. They ran
on, eager to examine it. It consisted of spars and ropes and torn
canvas. The latter might assist to form a roof for a hut, if not large
enough for a tent. They were cutting it clear, when Chandos discovered
the stock of a musket, with part of the barrel broken off, rolled up in
its folds.
"That will not be of much use as we have no powder or shot," observed
Dickenson.
"No, but see, the lock and flint are still on it," answered Chandos.
"Hurrah! We shall now have the means of lighting a fire."
This success encouraged them to make further search. Several casks of
pork, and flour, and other provisions, an invaluable iron saucepan with
the lid tightly jammed on, as well as two sea-chests, with clothing and
numerous useful articles, rewarded their labours. The wide bay they had
before seen was reached at last. The extent of fertile ground was
smaller than they had supposed, and but few cocoa-nut trees grew on it.
Still, as the evening was advancing, and a sheltered nook near a rill of
water was discovered, they settled to go no further. While Ralph with
Jacob and Ned were putting up a rough hut the midshipmen collected some
dry grass and broken branches. As they were hunting about they
discovered several fungi growing near the roots of the trees.
"This stuff looks very like tinder," said Chandos. "Let us try if it
will take a spark."
He produced the flint from the lock of the musket. In a few minutes, by
dint of blowing and puffing, they had a blazing fire, and the iron pot
with a piece of beef in it was put on to boil. The flour, though
damaged by the salt water, supplied them with cakes cooked under the
ashes. They had now no longer the fear of suffering from starvation.
After an ample meal they lay down to rest, and it was broad daylight
before any of the party awoke. The next day they resumed their search
along the shore. More casks of beef and pork were secured, and numerous
other articles. Among the things in one of the chests was a Bible,
which being enclosed in a leathern case had escaped injury. The owner
had apparently but seldom opened it. To Ralph and his companions it was
of unspeakable value. Though he had been accustomed to read the
Scriptures on a Sunday on board ship he had seldom gone to them for
guidance and strength on other days in the week. Now morning and
evening he read aloud from the precious volume, which from henceforth
became the source of comfort and support to the castaways. Several days
were spent in collecting whatever the sea had thrown on the shore from
the wreck, but not a human body was found. Probably the ship had broken
suddenly up, and all on board had been engulfed together. Having dried
the contents of the chests, and stored them and their provisions in the
hut, they returned to the bay in which they had landed. Its attractions
being far greater than those of any other part of the coast, in addition
to its possessing a well-built abode, they resolved to settle there.
The direct distance across the island was less than three miles, and by
a bird's-eye survey from the highest point in the centre, they
calculated that the most practicable path would be about five miles. By
this they at once set about removing their goods; carrying them in some
parts on their shoulders, and in others dragging them on a truck, built
out of wreck timber. The whole north shore presented no safe
landing-place, or could they have taken them round by sea much labour
would have been saved. One of the most welcome prizes was a bundle of
fish-hooks, found in the boatswain's chest. Lines were easily
manufactured, and less than an hour's fishing gave them food for the
day. Birds were frequently caught in snares; and roots and fruits were
not wanting. Thus, sterile as the island at first appeared, they had
reason to be thankful that it supplied them with everything absolutely
necessary for sustaining life.
The end of three months found them settled in the hut, following an
almost regular routine of labour. Men-of-war's men, from their
training, dislike idleness; and the three young officers and the two men
cut out ample employment for themselves during every hour of the day.
They did not fail, however, to discuss every possible means of escaping.
The midshipmen and Ned proposed to raise the sides of their small boat
and to put to sea in her in the hopes of reaching India, or of finding
some inhabited island at which ships were likely to touch, so that they
might ultimately find their way home.
To this proposal Jacob Crane strongly objected, though Ralph was at
first rather inclined to favour it, desperate as it appeared.
"Nothing we can do to the boat can make her fit for a long voyage, even
if the weather should prove fine," observed Jacob. "To my mind, we
ought to be thankful at being as well off as we are. God has mercifully
saved our lives and placed us here, and here we should be content to
remain and make the best use of our time till He thinks fit to send us
relief. If we were likely to be starved, or if there were savages
threatening to kill us, the case would be different. It then would be
perfectly right for us to put off in our boat, and we might trust to Him
for protection. If we had been supplied with tools, it might then have
been our duty to try and build a vessel large enough for the voyage to
India or the Cape of Good Hope; but we haven't got them, and there isn't
a shipwright among us. Perhaps some vessel may be wrecked on the coast,
and we may be the means of saving the lives of the people aboard her.
Depend on it God has always got a purpose in all that He does or allows,
though we don't see it--that's my firm belief--therefore I say again,
let us be content with the blessings God has sent us, and be resigned to
His will."
Jacob's argument decided Ralph, and won over the rest of the party.
Though their boat was not large enough for a voyage, they made frequent
trips in her along the coast, and were by her means able to catch many
more fish than they could have caught from the rocks.
A few seeds were found in the hut, and several plants which had been
left in the ground sprang up, so that they were able to restore the
garden, which had been destroyed, and also greatly to increase its size.
The discovery of some strong fibre enabled them to manufacture twine,
which served not only for fishing-lines, but as they improved in the art
of making it, they produced a fishing-net of fair size. With this they
caught at times far more fish than they could consume, so they pickled
the remainder with salt collected from the hollows of the rocks, and had
consequently a supply during stormy weather.
Happily in one of the chests were a couple of books on navigation, and
three or four others of an interesting character. By means of the first
Ralph was able to give instruction to the midshipmen in the science so
necessary to them in their professional career. He also made the model
of a ship's deck and rigging, which, while it afforded a source of
amusement, gave them a more thorough knowledge than they possessed of
seamanship, while the other books were read till nearly got by heart.
Thus the youngsters' time, which might otherwise have been utterly lost,
was usefully employed.
Flagstaffs were erected on high points at the northern and southern
sides of the island: and a board was nailed to the former, with a
direction carved on it to their cove. They were constantly on the
look-out; but months and months went by and not even a distant sail was
seen, to give them hopes that deliverance was near. At length, even
Ralph began to fear that they were doomed to a life-long imprisonment on
that unknown islet.