"He must have been my brother Jack," I exclaimed. "Do tell me what has
become of him, for I heard he was lost out in the Indian seas."
"That's just where he and I were nearly lost. We were coming home when
a boat was sent away, and we, with six more men and an officer, went in
her, to visit an island on some business or other, I forget what, and I
didn't know it's name.
"There are wild sorts of chaps out in those parts, who go pirating in
their proas, as they call them. While we were just shoving off, a dozen
or more of these proas came round us. We knew if the pirates got hold
of us we should all be knocked on the head, so we began blazing away to
keep them at a distance. We kept on at it till we hadn't a charge left
for our muskets. Two of our men were killed, and our officer badly
wounded. The pirates then came nearer and fired their gingalls into us.
Just then one of their proas caught fire, and sent up such clouds of
smoke that for some time, as we were near her, we could not be seen.
"`Now, lads,' said the officer, `those among you who are not wounded try
and swim to shore. It's your only chance. The rest of us must die like
men.'
"Our oars, you see, were shattered, and by this time all hands except
Jack and me were more or less hurt. We followed our brave officer's
advice, and leaping overboard reached the beach before we were seen by
the pirates. Some gingalls were fired at us, but we got away among the
bushes, and ran as hard as our legs could carry us in shore. We did not
know where we were going, or what sort of people we should meet.
Whether the pirates landed or not we did not stop to learn, but as we
ran for three or four hours there was not much chance of being
overtaken.
"We saw at last a river before us, and as it was too broad to cross, and
we were afraid, should we attempt to swim over, that we might be picked
off by one of those big scaly beasts they call crocodiles, we kept down
along the bank, as we knew that it must lead us to the opposite side of
the island to where we had landed.
"`Cheer up,' said Jack to me. `Maybe our ship will come round there and
take us off. Our fellows are sure to be searching round the coast on
the chance of finding us.'
"`I hope you're right, Jack,' said I, `for it will be a bad job for us
if we can't get away, as how we are to find food is more than I can
tell, and it's very clear we can't live without it.'
"There were plenty of trees growing on the bank, though not so thickly
but that we could manage to make our way between them.
"Says Jack to me, `If those cut-throat fellows come after us, we must
climb up one of these and hide ourselves among the branches.'
"`I don't think they will take the trouble to follow us so far,' I
answered. `But it's a good idea of yours, and it will give us a chance
of saving our lives.'
"We of course could not run as fast as we had been going in the open
country. Sometimes we came across fallen trees, over which we had to
climb, and at others we had to go round thick bushes which we could not
get through. Still, what stopped us would stop our enemies. On and on
we went, till just as we got out of a wood we saw before us a village of
curious-looking houses, built on stout piles, many of them right in the
water.
"`Hadn't we better go back?' I said to Jack; `the people who live there
may be the same sort of cut-throats as those we have got away from.
They'll be for knocking us on the head when they see us.'
"Jack agreed with me that it would be better to stay in the wood till it
was dark, and we might then make our way clear of the village down to
the sea. We were just going back, when a woman came out on a sort of
verandah in front of the house nearest to us, and we knew by the way she
was looking that we were seen. Then she turned round and called to
another woman, who also came out.
"`Come,' said Jack, `we had better go on boldly and ask those
dark-skinned ladies to give us their protection. They are sure to do
that if we look humble enough, and show them that we want to be friends,
for to my mind women are alike all the world over.'
"So we moved on, kissing our hands, and then holding them up clasped
before us. The women did not run away, or seem a bit frightened; and as
we got nearer one of them came down the ladder and held out both her
hands, which we took and put on our heads. She then beckoned us up the
steps, and made signs to us to sit down on mats inside the house. As we
were both very hungry by this time, we pointed to our mouths to show
that we wanted something to eat and drink. The younger girl went to
another part of the house and brought back some fish and yams, and a
bowl with some liquor in it. There was not much to be said for the
taste, but we were too thirsty after our long run to be particular. We
tried to make the women understand that there were enemies coming after
us, and that we wanted to hide away, so when we had finished our meal
they beckoned us to come into another room, and, placing some mats on
the ground, they told us that we might sleep there safely--at least,
that's what we made out.
"Night came on, and Jack and I, agreeing that we had got into good
quarters, went to sleep. There was no bell striking, and no bo'sun's
mate to rouse us up, and so we slept on till it was broad daylight. We
got up and looked out from the verandah, or platform, which went round
the house, when we saw three men talking together. As soon as they
caught sight of us they came towards the house, and one of them mounted
the ladder. He looked at us with surprise, and seemed to be asking who
we were. We told him as well as we could by signs that we had come
across from the other side of the island, and wanted to get off to our
ship, which would soon be round to take us aboard. This did not seem to
satisfy him. Presently in came the women, and they had a talk about the
matter, but what they said we could not make out. The first man then
called the other two, and after more palavering they began to look
savage, and gave us to understand that we were to be their slaves, and
work for them.
"`Well,' says Jack to me, `all we've got to do is to grin and bear it.
Maybe, as we are near the sea, we shall have a chance of making our
escape.'
"This was one comfort; so we nodded, as much as to say we were ready to
do what they bid us, for, you see, we were in their power and couldn't
help ourselves. After we had gone into the house and sat down, waiting
to see what would next happen, the women--bless them for their
kindness!--brought us some more food for breakfast, and a capital one we
made. Bad as was our lot, yet it was better than being knocked on the
head or having our throats cut. A number of people now came out of
their houses, and there was great rejoicing among them to think that
they had got two white men as slaves. We found that we had plenty of
work to do to cut wood and fetch water, and to hoe in their fields,
which were some way from the village, or to go out fishing with them.
"This we liked better than anything else. If it had not been for the
women our lot would have been worse, for they took care to give us food
every day, which I don't think the men would have troubled themselves
about doing, for they were regular savages.
"Day after day went by; we were getting accustomed to our life, and as
yet had had no chance of escaping. A precious sharp look-out was at all
times kept over us, and I don't think even the women would have wished
us to go, for we had to do a good deal of the work which would have
otherwise fallen to their lot. Though we were, as I was saying, used to
the life we led, we both wanted to get away.
"I've an old father down in Dorsetshire, and there's a bright young girl
who lives with him whom I would give something to see again; and Jack
sighed to go home, as he said, to see his father and mother, and a young
brother and sister. He used to talk much to me about you all, and it
seemed to me as if I knew you long before we ever met.
"We found that we were much farther from the sea than we had at first
supposed, for although we went a good way down the river we never
reached its mouth.
"The people in the village didn't lead quiet lives, for they were always
on the watch, fearing that they might be attacked by enemies. At night
they made fast their boats under their houses, and had their goods all
ready for a start into the woods, while they had men on the look-out
night and day to give notice should any strange vessels come up the
river.
"Jack and I agreed that if any enemies should come in the night we might
have a good chance of escaping, but from what we had seen of the fellows
who had attacked our boat we had no wish to fall into the hands of such
characters. We thought that we might manage to slip into a boat and
pull up the river and hide ourselves until the pirates had gone away.
"You must know that we did not wish any ill to our masters, for though
we were their slaves we had taken a liking to them, as they did not
ill-treat us, and gave us a good deal of time to ourselves.
"Weeks and months went by. We began to think that no enemy would come,
and that we must try to get off by some other means than that we had
first thought of. At last we saw the men sharpening their long knives
and polishing their spears, and new painting their shields.
"`Depend upon it there's something in the wind,' said Jack to me. `They
are going on a war expedition.'
"`No doubt about the matter,' I said, `and they'll want us to go with
them.'
"`Then we must take care not to go,' said Jack. `I for one won't be for
killing men, women, and children, as these fellows are likely to do. We
must pretend to be sick, or that we do not understand what they want of
us, and get off somehow or other.'
"Whether or not it was talking about being sick I don't know, but the
very next night I was struck down with fever. Our masters saw that I
was not shamming. The women also stood our friends, and declared that I
was not fit to get up and work, while Jack was allowed to stay at home
and nurse me. I was very bad, and I believe he thought that I should
die.
"If he had been my own mother's son he couldn't have looked after me
better than he did; night and day he was always by my side, ready to
give me what I wanted. One day I heard a loud shouting and singing, and
Jack, who had gone out, came back and said that the men had all started
with their spears and shields. They had wanted to make him go, but the
women said he must stop behind, though he had a hard matter to escape
from the men. I was already getting better, and this news made me feel
better still.
"`It will be a bad return to run off with one of their boats,' said
Jack, `but there seems no help for it, and it may be our only chance,
for the men will be back again in a day or two.'
"That very night, while Jack and I were sitting up talking, we heard
shrieks and cries in the distance; and presently, looking out, Jack said
he saw the houses lower down the river burning.
"Then depend upon it the pirates have taken the place, I said.
"`No doubt about it,' exclaimed Jack, `and now is our chance. If we
could defend the poor women and children we would, but we cannot do
that. They'll know where to fly to, and so, I hope, escape.'
"Suddenly I felt my strength come back, and I was able to follow Jack
down the ladder, at the bottom of which the boat was kept moored. To
cut the painter by which she was made fast didn't take us a moment, and
springing into her we paddled across the stream. As we looked down the
river we could see all the houses in a blaze, and here and there people
running off into the woods, while we made out half a score or more of
the dark proas stealing up along the shore."
Just as Miles Soper had got thus far in his history I was summoned on
deck, and eager as I was to hear how he and Jack had fared, I was
obliged to attend to my duty.