We had what might prove a long and dangerous voyage before us, while we
were almost overwhelmed with the anxiety we felt about the fate of the
schooner. We could see the first island we intended to visit just
rising out of the water, blue and indistinct, and as it was calm we had
to depend upon our oars to reach it, but we hoped before long to get a
favourable breeze which would send us on our way. The sun struck down
on our heads with intense force, but we were too anxious to think about
it. I proposed that we should relieve each other at the oars, so that
we might continue pulling, if necessary, all day. Jack Lizard, Potts,
and Tubb declared that they would not allow us to do that.
"If you like to change places now and again with Dick, and his brother
takes a turn with the oar, it is all very well; but we are born to it,
as it were, and it makes no difference to us if we pull on all day,"
said Jack.
Fortunately, after we had pulled a couple of hours and the island of
Mota was fading in the distance, a breeze sprang up, and we were able to
stand on under sail. At length, towards evening, we got near the shore,
and seeing a number of natives on the beach, we hoped that we might
obtain information from them as to what had become of the schooner; for,
had she been driven past the island, they must have seen her.
"We take care," said Tubb, the New Zealander. "I not like dere looks;
dey not friends."
The people had hitherto been quiet enough, and I had observed no signs
of hostility; no sooner, however, did we approach the shore than they
assumed a warlike attitude, dancing and gesticulating in the wildest
manner, while they yelled and brandished their weapons as a sign to us
that we were to come no nearer. As it would have been madness to have
attempted landing in the face of such hostile demonstrations, we put the
boat partly round, and pulled on parallel with the shore, but at a
respectful distance. As we did so, we saw the natives running along the
beach, every now and then making threatening gestures as a warning to us
not to land.
"They may be savages," observed Charlie; "but they cannot be called
treacherous ones, or they would have allowed us to land and afterwards
murdered us."
We continued along the coast, hoping to come to the mouth of some
harbour in which we might find the missing schooner. No harbour
appeared, and everywhere, whenever we stood in closer than before to the
beach, the natives, gathering in numbers, ordered us to keep off. We
had now no choice but to remain at sea during the night, for we could
not hope to reach the next island within several hours. We therefore
stood away from Inhospitable Island, as we called it.
Fortunately the weather remained fine, and the coolness of the night was
pleasanter than the heat of day. A distant volcano, which threw up a
continuous column of flame, enabled us to steer a direct course, and, as
the breeze was very light, we did not expect to reach Aurora Island,
which we intended next to visit, till morning. Jack Lizard and I took
it by turns to steer, for I was rather afraid of trusting Charlie Dick
Tilston, lest a sudden squall might strike the boat and send us over.
Our minds were too much occupied with the thoughts of the schooner, or
rather of those on board her, to enable us to talk on any other subject
Charlie Tilston every now and then tried to get up a lively
conversation, but found that he could not succeed. All night long we
glided smoothly on.
"I hope that we shall be treated in a more hospitable way by the
inhabitants of the next island we visit," he observed.
"We cannot be very certain about that, sir," observed Sam Pest. "I have
been up and down these islands, and I have seen the way white men have
treated the blacks. No wonder they ain't friendly, for there's not a
village scarcely where some of the natives have not been carried off,
while others have been fired on and the people killed. We must make
them understand that we come as friends, or we shall have no chance of
getting anything out of them."
By daylight we were close up to Aurora Island. The inhabitants had seen
our boat approaching, and had gathered on the beach to receive us. They
probably thought that our vessel was not far off, round a point to the
westward.
"Come, I think we have a chance of a friendly intercourse with these
people," observed Charlie; "and if you like, I will land and try to have
a talk with them by signs. Neither Tubb nor Potts seem to understand
their language better than we do."
Although the natives waved no green boughs, and kept a short distance
back on some high ground above the beach, yet, as their women and
children were with them, and as they made no hostile demonstrations, we
concluded that we might safely land. We therefore ran the boat on to
the beach, and Charlie, stepping out, moved a few paces from them, and
sat down on a rock. In a short time six or seven persons came down to
where he was sitting, apparently inclined to hold a palaver, Sam Pest
all the time watching them narrowly.
"Take care, sir," he shouted, "or they'll play you some foul trick."
The next instant he added, "Jump up! Run for your life down to the
boat!"
As he spoke I seized a musket, and old Sam took up another and presented
it at the natives, to cover Charlie and enable him to get back to the
boat. Just as he sprang up, I saw a young native in the act of lifting
a club as if about to strike him; but the suddenness with which Charlie
started up and retreated to the boat prevented the savage from dealing
the intended blow. Charlie springing on board, we shoved off, and lay
on our oars at a safe distance from the beach. This was a bad
commencement, and there seemed but little chance of our obtaining any
information from them. When the natives saw our guns pointed at them,
they quickly retreated, and though we did not fire, and made signs to
them to return, nothing would induce them to trust themselves near us.
"I am afraid, from what Sam says, that we can expect no better reception
wherever we go. But we must not complain of the poor natives," observed
Charlie; "they are thorough savages, it is true, but would probably have
received white men with gladness, if the white men had from the first
treated them properly, and tried to win their regard."
"That may be so," I remarked. "But we must not forget how the far less
savage inhabitants of the Friendly Islands treated the shipmates of
Mariner, and would, it is said, have treated Captain Cook and his
companions, if they had had the opportunity. Their conduct, in some
instances, is owing to debased human nature, rather than to a spirit of
revenge, though undoubtedly in many the white men have been the
aggressors."
Finding that we were not likely to establish a friendly intercourse with
the natives, or to gain any information about the schooner, we pulled
away from the beach, and steered before the wind for another island
which we saw to the westward. Although our hearts were full of anxiety,
and our thoughts were occupied with the task in which we were engaged,
we could not help admiring the beauty of the islands amid which we were
sailing. We found the water very deep round the beach, from which the
hills rose abruptly, clothed with a dense vegetation. Cocoanut trees
grew in the greatest profusion, not only on the shores, but frequently
up the sides of the hills, and were seen in clusters at the bottom of
the valleys running inland. There were also many other fine timber
trees, while graceful ferns and flowering shrubs formed a dense
undergrowth over all the uncultivated parts of the country. The water
was so transparent that we could see the fish swimming about as we
looked over the side of the boat. We had, fortunately, some hooks and
lines, and as nearly anything served for bait, we were able to catch as
many as we could possibly eat. The difficulty was to cook them, as we
could not venture to land on any spot where there were natives. Our
fear also was that we might run short of water; thus, although in the
midst of abundance, we might perish of thirst, or by the hands of the
savages.
"We must manage to land somewhere," cried Dick. "Perhaps if we were to
pull in to the shore towards evening, we might escape detection, and
have time to cook our fish and find water before the natives are down
upon us."
"Although there may be some risk, I do not see what else we can do,"
said Charlie. "We must, however, keep a strict watch while we are
cooking our food, and not attempt to sleep on shore. We shall probably
be able to obtain some cocoanuts in addition to the water, so that we
may keep at sea, without the necessity of landing again, for several
days."
As this plan seemed feasible, we determined to adopt it.
"The island out there, for which we are steering, is of considerable
size, and there must surely be some parts uninhabited," observed
Charlie.
"I hope so," I said. "As there are a good many missionaries scattered
about, we may drop upon some island where one is established; and, if
so, we shall be better off than we should if we landed at an uninhabited
part; besides which, we may possibly gain tidings of the schooner."
The breeze was light, but yet sufficient to enable us to run on under
sail. We had miscalculated the distance to the island, for, the hills
being high, it appeared nearer than it really was. We were still some
way off the shore when the sun set; the wind also fell, and we had to
lower the sail and take to our oars. This, however, was the best thing
we could do, as we had less chance of being seen, should there be any
people on the shore. The moon rose as we neared the land, and gave us
sufficient light to distinguish objects, so that we might pick out a
place into which we could run the boat. Seeing no fires or lights, we
began to hope that we should not meet with natives; we therefore pulled
in, placing Tubb ahead to look out for rocks. The part we first made
appeared too rugged to allow us to venture on; we therefore rowed along
the shore for some way, till a small sandy bay, just suited to our
purpose, appeared. We accordingly steered in for it, keeping, as
before, a careful look-out ahead. The ground rose abruptly almost
immediately beyond the beach, on which no surf was breaking; but I
fancied that I heard a rushing sound of water falling probably over the
cliffs close at hand, though a thick grove of tall trees concealed it
from our sight.
"We could not have discovered a better place," said Charlie, in a
cheerful tone. "We may here remain securely till morning, and get some
sleep without being cramped up in the boat. I should not be surprised
either if those are cocoanut trees, and, if so, we may get a good
supply."
We now rowed into the bay, Tom Tubb feeling the way with the boat-hook,
so that we might not run the risk of staving in the bows of the boat.
At length our keel grated on the smooth sand, and jumping out, we
quickly hauled up the boat. Tubb and Sam Pest then went on, the latter
carrying a musket, to survey the neighbourhood, and to ascertain if
there was any path by which an enemy might come suddenly down and
surprise us; they were also to look out for water. We meantime
collected driftwood and dry branches from under the trees to make a
fire. We placed a pile some way up the beach close to the grove of
trees, so that the flames might be concealed by the overhanging cliffs
and hills on either side, and thus, although there might be natives in
the neighbourhood, we might escape being seen. We had got our wood
ready to light when Sam and his companion came back.
"There's only one part, away to the left, where anybody, unless they've
got wings, can come down," said Sam. "We must keep a look-out on it,
and we shall have time, if many of the savages appear, to get the boat
into the water and shove off before they can reach us. One of us had
better keep guard there, and we shall be safe enough."
They had also discovered a waterfall, which came down over the rock at
an easily accessible spot, where we could fill the kettle we had brought
with us. We accordingly spitted the fish which we had caught in the
morning, though already they were not as fresh as we should have liked,
and put on the kettle to boil, to make some tea which the missionary had
given us. Following Sam's advice, we at once placed Jack Lizard on the
look-out at the spot he had mentioned; we then cooked and ate our
supper, and sent Tubb to relieve Jack. This done, we spread the boat's
sail on the oars and boat-hook, to make an awning under which we could
sleep; the sand was hot and dry enough so that we required no other
bedding. It was arranged that we should relieve each other every two
hours, and thus all might get a good spell of sleep. Had it not been
for our anxiety about the schooner, we should have enjoyed our
adventure. We had scarcely given a thought about ourselves, or what we
should do, should we not find her. Our only idea had been to return to
Mota; but from that island we were already at a considerable distance,
and bad weather might come on before we could reach it. A few years
before this, however, we should have been in much greater peril, for
there would have been no place for which we could steer with any
certainty of meeting with a friendly reception. It was sad to think
that generation after generation had passed away, during which these
beautiful islands had been inhabited by savages, to whom no one had
carried the light of the Gospel; and that, even now, only on a few
isolated spots were missionaries established, few of whom, owing to the
numerous difficulties in their way, had made much progress.
As we had all been awake during the previous night, scarcely had we
thrown ourselves on the sand than most of us were fast asleep. It
appeared to me that I had scarcely closed my eyes when I was summoned by
Charlie to keep my watch. Although I might have excused myself, as
being in charge of the boat, I did not wish to do that. He told me that
he had heard no sounds to indicate that any savages were in the
neighbourhood. I took the musket which he handed me, and kept pacing up
and down on the top of a bare mound, beyond which the ground sloped
upwards towards the interior, as far as I could make out in the
darkness. I thought it prudent, however, to cast my eye towards the
other side of the bay, for it seemed to me that there was a way along
under the cliffs at low water. It was arranged that should the sentry
see any one coming, he was to shout to the rest of the party, who were
to launch the boat, while he made the best of his way to join them.
This might appear a very timid proceeding, but, considering the savage
character of the natives, it was the only safe mode of showing them that
we had no hostile intentions. We might thus also the better be able to
gain their friendship.
Day broke while I was still on watch, and I could now distinguish the
nature of the country. It was thickly wooded in all directions, with
hills, or mountains, indeed, rising to a considerable elevation; and I
was thankful, on looking at the grove, to see that the trees were loaded
with cocoanuts. However, I would not quit my post till I was relieved,
as it was far more important to keep a look-out now than it was during
the night. Looking towards our camp, I saw Charlie on his feet,
arousing the rest, and Dick soon joined me. I, of course, charged him
to keep a vigilant look-out, but on no account to fire, even although
the natives might appear with arms in their hands, and make threatening
gestures when they saw him.
When I got back to the camp, Charlie proposed that we should push off
and catch some fresh fish for breakfast, as the remainder of those we
brought with us were no longer fit to eat. The boat accordingly shoved
off with the four men and Charlie, while I remained on shore with the
other musket in my hand, that I might be ready to assist Dick if
necessary. Much sooner than I expected, the boat returned with a
sufficient number of mullet and bream to afford us food for the whole
day. As we were all very hungry and I had made up the fire, we quickly
cooked them, and I was just about to send Jack Lizard to relieve Dick,
when the latter shouted--
"Here come some people; but there are only three or four fellows, and I
cannot make out exactly who they are."
I quickly joined him, when I saw four men coming down the valley. Three
of them were undoubtedly savages, but the fourth had some clothing on,
and was taller and bigger than the others. He carried a huge knotted
club in one hand, and a spear in the other. The rest of the men were
also armed with spears. The first, from his dress and ornaments, was
apparently a chief, but I was puzzled at his general appearance. On his
getting nearer, though his skin was brown enough, I observed that it was
very much lighter than that of his companions. Dick and I stood with
the butts of our muskets on the ground, while we shook our handkerchiefs
with our other hands. As the strangers got nearer, to my surprise the
apparent chief shouted out--
"Hilloa! Who are you? What brings you here?"
"We came in to get water and fresh provisions," I answered. "And now
I'd ask who you are."
"Why, as to that, I'm Prime Minister, High Priest, and Doctor
Extraordinary to the king of this 'ere country," answered the man, who I
now saw had been a white man, though certainly I could not call him so
now.
"Very glad to meet you, friend; for some of the people in these parts
are not very hospitable to strangers, and we have found it difficult to
land to cook our food and stretch our legs, without the risk of being
knocked on the head."
"Couldn't say, if I had not been with them, but what my people here
might have treated you in the same way," answered the stranger,
"Howsomedever, I will come and have a palaver with you, and hear the
news, for I have not set eyes on any white chaps for I don't know how
long."
Of course we told our new friend that we should be glad of his company,
and he, followed by the blacks, went with us towards the boat.
"You don't happen to have any liquor aboard?" he asked. "It is a mighty
long time since I have tasted a drop."
I was obliged to confess that we had no spirits, though we had still
some of the tea the missionaries had given us. He looked much
disappointed, and made a remark about the missionaries which I need not
repeat. They were evidently not in his good graces.
He and his companions had seated themselves before the fire, when we
gave them some tea sweetened with sugar, which seemed to their taste.
They also condescended to eat the remainder of our fish, though the
white man told us they were precious badly cooked. I saw Sam Pest
looking at him while he was eating. At last Sam, seating himself by his
side, said--
"Well, Dan Hogan, you seem to have forgotten me."
"No, I haven't, now you speak, though I do not know what I might have
done if you had not opened your lips."
Though the two were old shipmates, they did not even shake hands, but
sat eagerly talking together for some time, regardless of the rest of
us. I could scarcely make out what they said. Sam, at last getting up,
came towards me, and said--
"This 'ere old shipmate of mine has given me some news which you will be
glad to hear for one thing, though not for another. The schooner has
got safe into port, and is not far off from this."
"Safe!" I exclaimed, my heart bounding with joy, and I shouted the news
to Charlie and the rest.
"Safe into port, but I did not say she was safe," said Sam. "In the
first place, from what he tells me, she's carried away her mainmast, and
seeing that she cannot put to sea, some of his black friends have made a
plot to get hold of her, and if they do, they'll not leave any of those
aboard alive. The captain, I know, keeps a sharp look-out; but they're
cunning rascals, and will try, if they can, to circumvent him."
"How far off is she? How soon can we get there?" I asked eagerly. I
could feel my heart beating as I spoke.
"He says about thirty miles, more or less, round the coast, though it is
little more than a quarter of that distance across country."
"Then couldn't we go over land, and warn my brother?" I asked
anxiously.
"Why, bless you, we should be knocked on the head by the first black
fellows we might meet," answered Sam. "Our only chance is to go round
by water, and I hope we may get there before any mischief is done."
"Then we have not a moment to lose," I exclaimed. "But we must ask your
friend to exert himself, and try to save them. Perhaps, when they hear
that we are engaged in honest trading, they may be induced to abandon
their design."
I spoke to Hogan, who, however, shook his head, as if he thought the
attempt would be useless, though he promised to do what he could.
"You will understand, friend, that we shall be happy to reward you for
any service you can render us, and you must point out to the natives
that, should they commit any act of violence, they will be sure before
long to be punished. British men-of-war are about to cruise in these
parts for that very purpose, though, perhaps, the natives have never
seen or heard of them as yet."
Hogan looked greatly astonished at hearing this, and exhibited some
alarm himself. He promised, however, to tell the people, though he
tried to persuade us that he could not be answerable for what they might
do.
As every moment might be of importance, I wished him good-bye, and
ordered the men to launch the boat. I observed that Sam parted from his
old shipmate in a remarkably cold manner, as before, not even shaking
hands with him. We immediately shoved off, Hogan and his companions
standing on the beach, and watching us as we pulled out of the little
bay, and soon afterwards I saw them going back by the way they had come.
Hogan, I should have said, had minutely described the harbour in which
the schooner lay, so that I had no fear about finding the place, if we
could reach it before dark.