"And there are the canoes!" cried Jack Lizard. "But we'll be alongside
her before they're up with us."
Harry, who was on deck, saw us coming, and presently Mary and Fanny came
up, and Nat, and waved to us. We were quickly on board, and rapidly
exchanging accounts with each other. Harry had been as anxious about us
as we had been about him, for, as he could not tell whether we had put
off from Mota before squall came on, he feared that we might have been
exposed to its fury.
The canoes, seeing us safe on board, turned aside and paddled for the
shore. Whether or not they had had any intention of attacking the boat,
this showed us that they believed the schooner was able to defend us.
Harry said that he had been compelled to be very strict with them,
although he had hitherto remained on good terms. He had held to his
rule of allowing only a few men to come on board at a time, and he had
made these leave their arms in the canoes, while, as soon as evening
drew on, he compelled all on board to return to the shore. When I told
him of the warning Hogan had given us, he replied that he had brought
the natives into such good order that he did not think they would
attempt any act of treachery.
"That is just what Sam was afraid of," I observed. "Their object, by
pretending to be quiet and friendly, is to throw us off our guard.
However, now that the schooner's crew is strengthened by our arrival,
perhaps they'll abandon their designs."
He told me that he had been arranging with a chief for leave to cut down
a tree from which to make a mainmast. "It will take some time," he
continued, "but it must be done, and as the natives cannot cut down the
tree, we must manage to do it ourselves. It did occur to me that, while
we were thus engaged, they might think it a favourable opportunity to
attack us, unless we are on our guard."
"From what Hogan told Sam, we were much afraid that they might attempt
to cut you off even before our arrival," I observed. "The old sailor
had, by some means or other, gained intelligence of their designs,
although he acknowledged that he was very uncertain whether he should be
able to put you on your guard in time to save you."
"One thing is positive, that we cannot leave this harbour till we have
obtained a mast. And we must have it, therefore, at all risks," said
Harry.
"I advise that we should get hold of a chief, or some other person of
influence, and keep him as a hostage on board, while our people are
working on shore," said Charlie Tilston. "The wildest savages know what
that means, and will not venture to attack us while we have a chief in
our power."
"A capital idea!" said Harry; "but the question is, how are we to bell
the cat, or rather, get hold of a chief?"
"I will go on shore with Sam Pest, and try to induce one of them to come
off," said Charlie. "It would be useless to take either the New
Zealander or the Sandwich Island man, as neither of them speak a word of
the language of these people, but Sam can make himself understood."
Harry thought that there was much risk in the undertaking, but Sam, when
told of the plan, was ready enough to go, and I begged that I might
accompany Charlie, as I did not like the idea of his going alone. We
were all to be well armed, and to be on the watch to prevent any savage
from getting behind us--this, should they have any treacherous
intentions, they were sure to attempt doing. Charlie proposed carrying
a few articles to present to the chief, with the promise of others, in
exchange for provisions and such things as we should require, if he
would come to receive them. This was considered more politic than
carrying on the trading first, and promising the presents afterwards, as
the chief might doubt whether they would be delivered. From what we
gleaned from Sam, they had more than once before been tricked by white
men, who had come into their harbour, and were therefore likely to be
suspicious of our intentions.
As soon as the plan was arranged, Charlie and I, with Sam, Jack Lizard,
and two other men, shoved off and pulled for the shore. As we
approached, we found a number of savages armed with clubs, collected on
the beach. We pulled slowly, looking out for one who, from the
ornaments he wore, and his general appearance, might prove to be a
chief.
"That's the fellow we want," said Charlie, pointing out a man who wore
an ornamented head-dress and breastplate, with a necklace and rings
round his arms. We waved, and made signs to him to approach, and we
steered the boat directly towards where he stood. Charlie then held up
several articles he had brought. The chief seemed to understand our
object, and ordering his people to stand back, he advanced without
hesitation. We accordingly ran in the boat; Charlie and Sam stepped on
shore, while Jack Lizard and I sat with our muskets in our hands, ready
to cover them should they be attacked. Charlie then presented first one
article and then another, and Sam tried to explain, as far as his
knowledge of the language would allow him, our object to the chief, who
seemed highly pleased, and stepping back, exhibited the gifts he had
received to his attendants. Sam then gave him to understand that we had
many more of the same description on board. At first, I was afraid that
he would not consent to accompany us; but at length his cupidity
overcame his fears, and Sam, advising him to come lest others should
obtain the goods we had to dispose of, he stepped into the boat.
As it was evident that she could not well carry more than one person
besides ourselves, Sam made signs to the others that we could not take
them on board, and at once pulled away from the beach. This showed the
savages that we had not come for the purpose of kidnapping them. The
chief, however, looked somewhat nervous, and I was afraid might, after
all, jump overboard, and swim back to the shore. I told Charlie,
therefore, to try and occupy his attention by showing him some of the
other articles which we had brought. What interested him most was a
telescope, through which, having adjusted the focus, we made him look at
his friends. He almost let it drop in his astonishment at seeing them
so near, and had not Charlie held it, it would have fallen overboard.
He looked through it again and again, each time expressing by signs his
wonder, and of course utterly unable to comprehend how the objects he
saw through it were brought so near. I was very glad when we got him
safe alongside.
Stepping on deck, he gazed about him with almost as much astonishment as
he had exhibited when looking through the telescope. Harry stood ready
to receive him, and told Sam to say how happy he was to have him come on
board. We then showed him some of the articles which we had brought for
trading, and gave him to understand that a certain number of them should
be his, as soon as the mast was ready. Sam also was told to explain to
him that till then he must remain on board, and that, should his
countrymen offer any violence to our people, he would be the sufferer.
He seemed to understand this perfectly well. The difficulty, however,
was to let the natives know why we had carried him off, as we could not
allow him to return to tell them so. The only way of accomplishing our
object was to bring off one or two more natives, who might convey any
message he desired to send. After some persuasion, we induced him to go
down to a spare space in the hold, when some food likely to suit his
taste was placed before him, and the mate and Dick sat down to eat with
him.
As soon as they were thus engaged, Charlie and I shoved off, and pulled
for the shore. At first the natives, though they had been eager to
accompany their chief, seemed unwilling to embark; but at last we
persuaded two to trust themselves with us. On pulling back we amused
them as we had the chief, and as soon as they got on board we conducted
them down below. We placed some food before them, and when their meal
was over, we got Sam to try and explain to them that we intended to keep
their chief as a hostage, while our people were on shore cutting down
the tree; that he would be well treated, and ample payment made to him.
They seemed to understand this clearly, and after they had had a
conversation with the chief, we told them that we would convey them back
to the shore. They appeared to be in no way dissatisfied with the
arrangement, and willingly got into the boat, leaving their chief on
board.
"Please, sir, we must keep a sharp look-out on that chap," observed Sam,
"or maybe he'll jump overboard and swim ashore."
"He'll lose the goods we promised him if he does," said Harry.
"But he does not think so; for he knows the schooner cannot get away,
and he expects to take her some dark night, then to get hold of
everything on board."
"We will not stand on any ceremony with him, then, but keep him safely
under hatches till we get the mast aboard," said Harry.
We at once landed the two natives, who explained to the rest our object
in keeping the chief. This did not appear to surprise them, nor did
they show any unfriendly feeling towards us, but continued to bring down
fresh provisions, till we gave them to understand that we had as much as
we wanted. As there was no time to be lost, the carpenter, and men to
assist him, at once went on shore to cut down the tree. Charlie and I
accompanied them to superintend the operation. Notwithstanding the
pacific behaviour of the natives, we considered it prudent to go well
armed, and to keep a vigilant watch all the time on their movements. As
the tree we required was not a large one, it was quickly cut down, and
the branches and bark being chopped off, we commenced dragging it
towards the water. None of the natives, however, offered to assist us.
We had got to within about a hundred yards of the beach, when we saw a
number of natives collecting on either side, with clubs and spears in
their hands; and at the same time we observed, to our dismay, a fleet of
canoes paddling towards the schooner. We had too much reason to fear
that a simultaneous attack was to be made on us and her.
Providentially, our boat, which lay hauled up on the beach, had not been
touched, and we determined therefore to make a rush for her, and to try
and reach the schooner before the canoes could get alongside, as, if
once on board, we might hope to defend her against any number of
assailants.
"Whatever we do, let us keep together," cried Charlie.
Presenting our muskets at the natives, we ordered them to keep back, and
while he and I retreated with our faces towards them, the men rushed on
to launch the boat. Still the savages well knew that after we had
discharged our pieces we should be defenceless. They hesitated,
however, no one wishing to be shot, and we were able to get the boat off
and to leap into her. Still it seemed very doubtful whether we could
gain the schooner before the canoes. Scarcely, however, had we shoved
off from the shore, when I caught sight of a white sail appearing over
the point which formed the southern entrance to the harbour, and almost
immediately afterwards a large vessel appeared, steering directly for
it. The natives saw her; her appearance evidently disconcerted them,
for, instead of continuing their course towards the schooner, they
paddled away for the shore.
The breeze being fair, the stranger came rapidly on, and, shortening
sail, brought up a short distance outside where the _Dainty_ lay. Harry
immediately sent me alongside to tell her captain what had occurred. I
found that she was a whaler, which had put in for fresh provisions and
water. As she carried four guns and a numerous crew, the captain said
that he had no fear of the natives; besides which, he well knew how to
deal them, though he confessed that he might have been deceived had we
not warned him of their treacherous conduct. The first thing to be done
was to get off the spar intended for our mast. He accordingly sent a
couple of boats well armed to assist us, and lent us his carpenters, who
quickly shaped it as it was required. Our captive chief, on being told
of the meditated attack of his countrymen, looked very much alarmed,
believing that we should in consequence put him to death. We gave him
to understand that we had no intention of doing so, and that, as we had
obtained the spar, we would pay him and send him on shore, hoping that
he would induce his countrymen to behave in a friendly way to white men
in future. This, as far as we could understand, he promised faithfully
to do. Landing him on the beach, we shook hands, and let him go his way
with the goods he had obtained. Next morning, he and a number of his
people appeared, loaded with provisions of all sorts, and before the day
was over the whaler obtained as much as she required. The natives kept
at a respectful distance during the time her boats crews were filling
the casks with water. With the assistance of the captain of the whaler
we got our mast stepped and rigged, and both vessels sailed together.
We heard nothing more during our stay of Hogan, or what had become of
him. Probably he fell a victim to the jealousy of the natives--a common
fate of so many white men who have abandoned themselves to a savage
life. Parting from the whaler, we made the best of our way to Sydney,
where Harry immediately gave information to the authorities of the
piratical cruise of the _Wasp_.
Having disposed of our cargo, we returned to Brisbane, where we found
that everything had been going on in a satisfactory manner.
Charles Tilston, instead of going home, resolved to settle there, and,
as I had long suspected would be the case, made an offer to Fanny Amiel,
who accepted him.
Dick and I, with old Tom Platt and Jack Lizard, made several successful
trips in the _Dainty_; but our sisters-in-law agreed that interesting as
had been their voyage, they did not wish ever to make another. I need
not say the adventures we met with have often since served us as
subjects of conversation, and I hope that we were all grateful for our
preservation from the many dangers we encountered.
I must confess, before I conclude, that I was induced to write the
narrative of our voyage, not merely to amuse my readers, but to interest
them in the dark-skinned inhabitants of the almost countless beautiful
islands spread over the Pacific, and to induce them to give their warm
support to the missionary efforts now making to convey the blessed light
of the gospel to those savage races so long plunged in the utter
darkness of heathenism. A wonderful work has already been accomplished.
Thousands and tens of thousands of the Pacific Islanders have become
civilised and enlightened; but much--very much--remains to be done, and
I would remind my readers that they should consider it a privilege to
help with their subscriptions to send men forth who are willing to
engage in the noble and glorious undertaking.