"Hurrah! They have gone about, and are steering for the land."
Just as the sun set they disappeared, and we had no longer any fear of
being followed. The mate now set a regular watch;--the rest of us lay
down as we best could along the thwarts, or at the bottom of the boat,
with some of Jack's matting for pillows. We were rather crowded, to be
sure, but we were thankful to have escaped our enemies, and hoped, in
spite of its length, that we should have a prosperous voyage.
Day after day we sailed on. Mr Griffiths maintained good discipline
among us. Everything was done with as much regularity as if we were
aboard ship. He got us to spin yarns and sing songs. I thus heard more
of Jack's adventures than I ever since have been able to get out of him.
He corroborated all that Miles Soper had told me, and added much more.
Sam Coal told us how he had once been a slave in the Southern States of
America, and made his escape, and being followed, was nearly caught, and
how a kind Quaker sheltered him, at the risk of his own life, and got
him away on board a ship, where he found that he had not changed much
for the better in some respects; but then, as he said--
"Dis nigger feel dat he was a free man, and dat make up for all de
rest."
The wind was fair and the sea calm. Our chief fear was that we might
run short of water, so Mr Griffiths thought it wise to put us upon an
allowance at once. Several times flying-fish fell aboard, which we
didn't despise, although we had to eat them raw, or rather dried in the
sun. If we had had fuel we might have managed to make a fire and cook
them, but in our hurry to get off we had come away without any spare
wood.
"Never mind, lads," said the mate; "we'll get some at the Pellew
Islands, and after that we'll have a hot meal every other day at least."
Brown was always on the look-out with his harpoon, ready to strike any
large fish which might come near us, but they seemed to know what we
were about, and kept at a respectful distance. Now and then a shark
would come up and have a look at us, and the men would call him all
manner of names. One day, as we were running along at the rate of about
five knots an hour, we saw a black fin coming up astern; it sheered off
under the counter and then floated up abreast of us, just coming near
enough to show us its wicked eye. It kept too far off, however, for
Brown to strike it, or it might have paid dearly for its curiosity. At
last, cocking its eye, it gave a turn of its tail, and off it went like
a shot, followed by our roars of laughter.
"Tend on it, Jack Shark find dat we not going to make dinner for him dis
day!" cried Sam Coal, "so he tink better go look out sumber else."
Such were the trifling incidents which afforded us amusement and
assisted to keep up our spirits. It was trying work, thus to sit all
day and day after day in an open boat with nothing to do, and unable to
move about freely. We were very thankful, however, to be favoured by
such fine weather.
At last Mr Griffiths stood up in the stern-sheets, and, after shading
his eyes for some time--for the sun had already passed the zenith, said
quietly, "Lads, we have made a good landfall. I'm much mistaken if we
have not the Pellew Islands in sight. I make out a dozen or more blue
hillocks rising above the horizon. Sit quiet, however, for you won't
see them just yet. We shall have to heave-to to-night outside the reef
which surrounds them, but I hope we shall get ashore in the morning."
This news cheered us up, for we were beginning to get somewhat downcast,
and some of us thought that we must have passed the islands altogether,
and might make no other land till we reached the Philippines. We ran on
till dark, by which time we could make out one large island and a number
of smaller ones, some to the northward and some to the southward, with a
reef marked by a line of white foam surrounding them. As it would be
dangerous to attempt looking for a passage through the reef except in
daylight, we hove-to, and the watch below lay down--or "turned in," as
we used to call it--rejoicing in the hope of setting our feet on dry
ground the next morning, and getting a plentiful supply of provisions.
I had to keep the middle watch with Jim. I took good care not to let my
eyes close, for we were at no great distance from the reef, and I knew
the danger of being drifted on it. Now I looked to windward to make
sure that no vessel was approaching to run us down, now at the reef to
find out whether we were drifting nearer it than was safe. After a long
silence Jim spoke to me.
"There's something on my mind, Peter," he said. "I'm afraid that now
you have found your brother Jack you'll not be caring for me as you used
to do, for the whole of the last day you have not opened your lips to
me, while you have been talking away to him."
"Don't let such an idea rest on your mind, Jim," I answered. "I very
naturally talked to Jack, for of course I wanted to hear everything he
had been about since he first went to sea, and it's only lately I have
been able to get him to say much. I don't think that anything will make
me forget your affection for me. Though Jack is my brother, you've been
more than a brother, and as brothers we shall remain till the end of
life."
In this way I did my best to satisfy Jim's mind. It hadn't before
occurred to me that there was any spice of jealousy in him, and I
determined in future to do my best to prevent him having any such
feeling. We talked on just as we used to do after that.
The wind was light, and except a slight swell coming from the eastward,
the sea was perfectly smooth. If it hadn't been for the talking I
should have found it a hard matter to keep my eyes open. After I lay
down, I had been for some time asleep, as I fancied, when I heard the
mate cry--
"Out oars, lads! Pull for your lives!"