"I have then seen him," said Philip, after he had lain down on the sofa
in the cabin for some minutes to recover himself while Amine bent over
him. "I have at last seen him, Amine! Can you doubt now?"
"No, Philip, I have now no doubt," replied Amine, mournfully; "but take
courage, Philip."
"For myself, I want not courage--but for you, Amine--you know that his
appearance portends a mischief that will surely come."
"Let it come," replied Amine, calmly; "I have long been prepared for it,
and so have you."
"Yes, for my self; but not for you."
"You have been wrecked often, and have been saved--then why should not
I?"
"But the sufferings!"
"Those suffer least who have most courage to bear up against them. I am
but a woman weak and frail in body, but I trust I have that within me
which will not make you feel ashamed of Amine. No, Philip, you will
have no wailing; no expression of despair from Amine's lips; if she can
console you she will; if she can assist you she will; but come what may,
if she cannot serve you, at least she will prove no burden to you."
"Your presence in misfortune would unnerve me, Amine."
"It shall not; it shall add to your resolution. Let fate do its worst."
"Depend upon it, Amine, that will be ere long."
"Be it so," replied Amine; "but Philip, it were as well you showed
yourself on deck; the men are frightened, and your absence will be
observed."
"You are right," said Philip; and rising and embracing her, he left the
cabin.
"It is but too true, then," thought Amine. "Now to prepare for disaster
and death; the warning has come. I would I could know more. Oh!
mother, mother, look down upon thy child, and in a dream reveal the
mystic arts which I have forgotten,--then should I know more; but I have
promised Philip, that unless separated--yes, that idea is worse than
death, and I have a sad foreboding; my courage fails me only when I
think of that!"
Philip, on his return to the deck, found the crew of the vessel in great
consternation. Krantz himself appeared bewildered--he had not forgotten
the appearance of the Phantom Ship off Desolation Harbour, and the
vessels following her their destruction. This second appearance, more
awful than the former, quite unmanned him; and when Philip came out of
the cabin he was leaning in gloomy silence against the weather-bulkhead.
"We shall never reach port again, sir," said he to Philip, as he came up
to him.
"Silence, silence; the men may hear you."
"It matters not; they think the same," replied Krantz.
"But they are wrong," replied Philip, turning to the seamen. "My lads!
that some disaster may happen to us, after the appearance of this vessel
is most probable; I have seen her before more than once, and disasters
did then happen; but here I am, alive and well, therefore it does not
prove that we cannot escape as I have before done. We must do our best,
and trust in Heaven. The gale is breaking fast, and in a few hours we
shall have fine weather. I have met this Phantom Ship before, and care
not how often I meet it again. Mr Krantz, get up the spirits--the men
have had hard work, and must be fatigued."
The very prospect of obtaining liquor appeared to give courage to the
men; they hastened to obey the order, and the quantity served out was
sufficient to give courage to the most tearful, and induce others to
defy old Vanderdecken and his whole crew of imps. The next morning the
weather was fine, the sea smooth, and the Utrecht went gaily on her
voyage.
Many days of gentle breezes and favouring winds gradually wore off the
panic occasioned by the supernatural appearance; and, if not forgotten,
it was referred to either in jest or with indifference, he now had run
through the straits of Malacca, and entered the Polynesian archipelago.
Philip's orders were to refresh and call for instructions at the small
island of Boton, then in possession of the Dutch. They arrived there in
safety, and after remaining two days, again sailed on their voyage,
intending to make their passage between the Celebes and the island of
Galago. The weather was still clear and the wind light; they proceeded
cautiously, on account of the reefs and currents, and with a careful
watch for the piratical vessels, which have for centuries infested those
seas; but they were not molested, and had gained well up among the
islands to the north of Galago, when it fell calm, and the vessel was
borne to the eastward of it by the current. The calm lasted several
days, and they could procure no anchorage; at last they found themselves
among the cluster of islands near to the northern coast of New Guinea.
The anchor was dropped, and the sails furled for the night; a drizzling
small rain came on, the weather was thick, and watches were stationed in
every part of the ship, that they might not be surprised by the pirate
proas, for the current ran past the ship at the rate of eight or nine
miles per hour, and these vessels, if hid among the islands, might sweep
down upon them unperceived.
It was twelve o'clock at night, when Philip, who was in bed, was
awakened by a shock; he thought it might be a proa running alongside,
and he started from his bed and ran out. He found Krantz, who had been
awakened by the same cause, running up undressed. Another shock
succeeded, and the ship careened to port. Philip then knew that the
ship was on shore.
The thickness of the night prevented them from ascertaining where the
were, but the lead was thrown over the side, and they found that they
were lying on shore on a sandbank, with not more than fourteen feet
water on the deepest side, and that they were broadside on with a strong
current pressing them further up on the bank; indeed the current ran
like a mill-race, and each minute they were swept into shallow water.
On examination they found that the ship had dragged her anchor which,
with the cable, was still taut from the starboard bow, but this did not
appear to prevent the vessel from being swept further up on the bank.
It was supposed that the anchor had parted at the shank, and another
anchor was let go.
Nothing more could be done till daybreak, and impatiently did they wait
till the next morning. As the sun rose, the mist cleared away, and they
discovered that they were on shore on a sandbank, a small portion of
which was above water, and round which the current ran with great
impetuosity. About three miles from them was a cluster of small islands
with cocoa-trees growing on them, but with no appearance of inhabitants.
"I fear we have little chance," observed Krantz to Philip. "If we
lighten the vessel the anchor may not hold, and we shall be swept
further on, and it is impossible to lay out an anchor against the force
of this current."
"At all events we must try; but I grant that our situation is anything
but satisfactory. Send all the hands aft."
The men came aft, gloomy and dispirited.
"My lads!" said Philip, "why are you disheartened?"
"We are doomed, sir; we knew it would be so."
"I thought it probable that the ship would be lost--I told you so; but
the loss of the ship does not involve that of the ship's company--nay,
it does not follow that the ship is to be lost, although she may be in
great difficulty, as she is at present. What fear is there for us, my
men?--the water is smooth--we have plenty of time before us--we can make
a raft and take to our boats--it never blows among these islands, and we
have land close under our lee. Let us first try what we can do with the
ship; if we fail we must then take care of ourselves."
The men caught at the idea and went to work willingly; the water-casks
were started, the pumps set going, and everything that could be spared
was thrown over to lighten the ship; but the anchor still dragged, from
the strength of the current and bad holding-ground; and Philip and
Krantz perceived that they were swept further on the bank.
Night came on before they quitted their toil, and then a fresh breeze
sprung up and created a swell, which occasioned the vessel to heat on
the hard sand; thus did they continue until the next morning. At
daylight the men resumed their labours, and the pumps were again manned
to clear the vessel of the water which had been started, but after a
time they pumped up sand. This told them that a plank had started and
that their labours were useless; the men left their work, but Philip
again encouraged them and pointed out that they could easily save
themselves, and all that they had to do was to construct a raft which
would hold provisions for them, and receive that portion of the crew who
could not be taken into the boats.
After some repose the men again set to work; the top-sails were struck,
the yards lowered down, and the raft was commenced under the lee of the
vessel, where the strong current was checked. Philip, recollecting his
former disaster took great pains in the construction of this raft, and
aware that as the water and provisions were expended there would be no
occasion to tow so heavy a mass, he constructed it in two parts, which
might easily be severed, and thus the boats would have less to tow, as
soon as circumstances would enable them to part with one of them.
Night again terminated their labours, and the men retired to rest the
weather continuing fine, with very little wind. By noon the next day
the raft was complete; water and provisions were safely stowed on board;
a secure and dry place was fitted up for Amine in the centre of one
portion; spare robes, sails, and everything which could prove useful in
case of their being forced on shore, were put in. Muskets and
ammunition were also provided, and everything was ready, when the men
came aft and pointed out to Philip that there was plenty of money on
board, which it was folly to leave, and that they wished to carry as
much as they could away with them. As this intimation was given in a
way that made it evident they intended that it should be complied with,
Philip did not refuse; but resolved, in his own mind, that when they
arrived at a place where he could exercise his authority, the money
should be reclaimed for the Company to whom it belonged. The men went
down below, and while Philip was making arrangements with Amine, handed
the casks of dollars out of the hold, broke them open and helped
themselves--quarrelling with each other for the first possession, as
each cask was opened. At last every man had obtained as much as he
could carry, and had placed his spoil on the raft with his baggage, or
in the boat to which he had been appointed. All was now ready--Amine
was lowered down, and took her station--the boats took in tow the raft
which was cast off from the vessel, and away they went with the current,
pulling with all their strength to avoid being stranded upon that part
of the sandbank which appeared above water. This was the great danger
which they had to encounter, and which they very narrowly escaped.
They numbered eighty-six souls in all: in the boats there were
thirty-two; the rest were on the raft, which, being well-built and full
of timber, floated high out of the water, now that the sea was so
smooth. It had been agreed upon by Philip and Krantz, that one of them
should remain on the raft and the other in one of the boats; but at the
time the raft quitted the ship, they were both on the raft, as they
wished to consult, as soon as they discovered the direction of the
current, which would be the most advisable course for them to pursue.
It appeared, that as soon as the current had passed the bank, it took a
more southerly direction towards New Guinea. It was then debated
between them whether they should or should not land on that island, the
natives of which were known to be pusillanimous, yet treacherous. A
long debate ensued, which ended, however, in their resolve not to decide
as yet, but wait and see what might occur. In the mean time, the boats
pulled to the westward, while the current set them fast down in a
southerly direction.
Night came on and the boats dropped the grapnels with which they had
been provided; and Philip was glad to find that the current was not near
so strong, and the grapnels held both boats and raft. Covering
themselves up with the spare sails with which they had provided
themselves, and setting a watch, the tired seamen were soon fast asleep.
"Had I not better remain in one of the boats?" observed Krantz.
"Suppose, to save themselves, the boats were to leave the raft."
"I have thought of that," replied Philip, "and have, therefore, not
allowed any provisions or water in the boats; they will not leave us for
that reason."
"True, I had forgotten that."
Krantz remained on watch, and Philip retired to the repose which he so
much needed. Amine met him with open arms.
"I have no fear, Philip," said she; "I rather like this wild,
adventurous change. We will go on shore and build our hut beneath the
cocoa-trees, and I shall repine when the day comes which brings succour,
and releases us from our desert isle. What do I require but you?"
"We are in the hands of One above, dear, who will act with us as He
pleases. We have to be thankful that it is no worse," replied Philip.
"But now to rest, for I shall soon be obliged to watch."
The morning dawned with a smooth sea and a bright blue sky; the raft had
been borne to leeward of the cluster of uninhabited islands of which we
spoke, and was now without hopes of reaching them; but to the westward
were to be seen on the horizon the refracted heads and trunks of
cocoa-nut trees, and in that direction it was resolved that they should
tow the raft. The breakfast had been served out, and the men had taken
to the oars, when they discovered a proa, full of men, sweeping after
them from one of the islands to windward. That it was a pirate vessel
there could be no doubt; but Philip and Krantz considered that their
force was more than sufficient to repel them, should an attack be made.
This was pointed out to the men; arms were distributed to all in the
boats, as well as to those on the raft; and that the seamen might not be
fatigued, they were ordered to lie on their oars, and await the coming
up of the vessel.
As soon as the pirate was within range, having reconnoitred her
antagonists, she ceased pulling, and commenced firing from a small piece
of cannon, which was mounted on her bows. The grape and langridge which
she poured upon, them wounded several of the men, although Philip had
ordered them to lie down flat on the raft and in the boats. The pirate
advanced nearer, and her fire became more destructive, without any
opportunity of returning it by the Utrecht's people. At last it was
proposed, as the only chance of escape, that the boats should attack the
pirate. This was agreed to by Philip; more men were sent in the boats;
Krantz took the command; the raft was cast off, and the boats pulled
away. But scarcely had they cleared the raft, when, as by one sudden
thought, they turned round, and pulled away in the opposite direction.
Krantz's voice was heard by Philip, and his sword was seen to sash
through the air; a moment afterwards he lunged into the sea, and swam to
the raft. It appeared that the people in the boats, anxious to preserve
the money which they had possession of, had agreed among themselves to
pull away and leave the raft to its fate. The proposal for attacking
the pirate had been suggested with that view, and as soon as they were
clear of the raft, they put their intentions into execution. In vain
had Krantz expostulated and threatened; they would have taken his life;
and when he found that his efforts were of no avail he leaped from the
boat. "Then are we lost, I fear," said Philip. "Our numbers are so
reduced, that we cannot hope to hold out long. What think you,
Schriften?" ventured Philip addressing the pilot who stood near to him.
"Lost--but not lost by the pirates--no harm there! He! he!"
The remark of Schriften was correct. The pirates, imagining that in
taking to their boats the people had carried with them everything that
was valuable, instead of firing at the raft immediately gave chase to
the boats. The sweeps were now out and the proa flew over the smooth
water, like a sea-bird, passed the raft, and was at first evidently
gaining on the boats but their speed soon slackened, and as the day
passed, the boats and then the pirate vessel disappeared in the
southward; the distance between them being apparently much the same as
at the commencement of the chase.
The raft being now at the mercy of the wind and waves Philip and Krantz
collected the carpenter's tools which had been brought from the ship,
and selecting two spars from the raft, they made every preparation for
stepping a mast and setting sail by the next morning.
The morning dawned, and the first objects that met their view were the
boats pulling back towards the raft, followed closely by the pirate.
The men had pulled the whole night, and were worn out with fatigue It
was presumed that a consultation had been held, in which it was agreed
that they should make a sweep, so as to return to the raft, as, if they
gained it, they would be able to defend themselves, and moreover obtain
provisions and water, which they had not on board at the time of their
desertion. But it was fated otherwise; gradually the men dropped from
their oars, exhausted, into the bottom of the boat and the pirate vessel
followed them with renewed ardour. The boats were captured one by one;
the booty found was more than the pirates anticipated, and it hardly
need be said that not one man was spared. All this took place within
three miles of the raft, and Philip anticipated that the next movement
of the vessel would be towards them, but he was mistaken. Satisfied
with their booty, and imagining that there could be no more on the raft,
the pirate pulled away to the eastward, towards the islands from amongst
which she had first made her appearance. Thus were those who expected
to escape, and who had deserted their companions, deservedly punished;
whilst those who anticipated every disaster from this desertion
discovered that it was the cause of their being saved.
The remaining people on board the raft amounted to about forty-five;
Philip, Krantz, Schriften, Amine, the two mates, sixteen seamen, and
twenty-four soldiers, who had been embarked at Amsterdam. Of provisions
they had sufficient for three or four weeks; but of water they were very
short, already not having sufficient for more than three days at the
usual allowance. As soon as the mast had been stepped and rigged, and
the sails set (although there was hardly a breath of wind), Philip
explained to the men the necessity of reducing the quantity of water,
and it was agreed that it should be served out so as to extend the
supply to twelve days, the allowance being reduced to half a pint per
day.
There was a debate at this time, as the raft was in two parts, whether
it would not be better to cast off the smaller one and put all the
people on board the other; but this proposal was overruled, as, in the
first place, although the boats had deserted them, the number on the
raft had not much diminished, and moreover, the raft would steer much
better under sail, now that it had length, than it would do if they
reduced its dimensions and altered its shape to a square mass of
floating wood.
For three days it was a calm, the sun poured down his hot beams upon
them, and the want of water was severely felt; those who continued to
drink spirits suffered the most.
On the fourth day the breeze sprung up favourably, and the sail was
filled; it was a relief to their burning brows and blistered backs; and
as the raft sailed on at the rate of four miles an hour, the men were
gay and full of hope. The land below the cocoa-nut trees was now
distinguishable, and they anticipated that the next day they could land
and procure the water which they now so craved for. All night they
carried sail, but the next morning they discovered that the current was
strong against them, and that what they gained when the breeze was
fresh, they lost from the adverse current as soon as it went down; the
breeze was always fresh in Use morning, but it fell calm in the evening.
Thus did they continue for four days more, every noon being not ten
miles from the land, but the next morning swept away to a distance, and
having their ground to retrace. Eight days had now passed, and the men,
worn out with the exposure to the burning sun, became discontented and
mutinous. At one time they insisted that the raft should be divided,
that they might gain the land with the other half; at another, that the
provisions which they could no longer eat should be thrown overboard to
lighten the raft. The difficulty under which they lay was the having no
anchor or grapnel to the raft, the boats having carried away with them
all that had been taken from the ship. Philip then proposed to the men
that, as everyone of them had such a quantity of dollars, the money
should be sewed up in canvas bags, each man's property separate; and
that with this weight to the ropes they would probably be enabled to
hold the raft against the current for one night, when they would be able
the next day to gain shore; but this was refused--they would not risk
their money. No, no--fools! they would sooner part with their lives by
the most miserable of all deaths. Again and again was this proposed to
them by Philip and Krantz, but without success.
In the mean time Amine had kept up her courage and her spirits, proving
to Philip a valuable adviser and a comforter in his misfortunes. "Cheer
up, Philip," would she say; "we shall yet build our cottage under the
shade of those cocoa-nut trees, and pass a portion, if not the remainder
of our lives in peace; for who indeed is there who would think to find
us in these desolate and untrodden regions?"
Schriften was quiet and well-behaved; talked much with Amine, but with
nobody else. Indeed, he appeared to have a stronger feeling in favour
of Amine than he had ever shown before. He watched over her and
attended her; and Amine would often look up after being silent and
perceive Schriften's face wear an air of pity and melancholy which she
had believed it impossible that he could have exhibited.
Another day passed; again they neared the land, and again did the breeze
die away, and they were swept back by the current. The men now arose,
and in spite of the endeavours of Philip and Krantz, they rolled into
the sea all the provisions and stores, everything but one cask of
spirits and the remaining stock of water; they then sat down at the
upper end of the raft with gloomy, threatening looks and in close
consultation.
Another night closed in; Philip was full of anxiety. Again he urged
them to anchor with their money, but in vain; they ordered him away, and
he returned to the after part of the raft, upon which Amine's secure
retreat had been erected; he leant on it in deep thought and melancholy,
for he imagined that Amine was asleep.
"What disturbs you, Philip?"
"What disturbs me? The avarice and folly of these men. They will die,
rather than risk their hateful money. They have the means of saving
themselves and us, and they will not. There is weight enough in bullion
on the fore part of the raft to hold a dozen floating masses such as
this, yet they will not risk it. Cursed love of gold, it makes men
fools, madmen, villains! We have now but two days' water--doled out as
it is drop by drop. Look at their emaciated, broken-down, wasted forms,
and yet see how they cling to money, which probably they will never have
occasion for, even if they gain the land. I am distracted!"
"You suffer, Philip, you suffer from privation, but I have been careful;
I thought that this would come; I have saved both water and biscuit--I
have here four bottles;--drink, Philip, and it will relieve you."
Philip drank; it did relieve him, for the excitement of the day had
pressed heavily on him.
"Thanks, Amine--thanks, dearest! I feel better now.--Good Heaven! are
they such fools as to value the dross of metal above one drop of water
in a time of suffering and privation such as this?"
The night closed in as before; the stars shone bright, but there was no
moon. Philip had risen at midnight to relieve Krantz from the steerage
of the raft. Usually the men had lain about in every part of the raft,
but this night the majority of them remained forward. Philip was
communing with his own bitter thoughts, when he heard a scuffle forward?
and the voice of Krantz crying out to him for help, he quitted the helm,
and seizing his cutlass ran forward, where he found Krantz down, and the
men securing him. He fought his way to him, but was himself seized and
disarmed. "Cut away--cut away," was called out by those who held him;
and, in a few seconds, Philip had the misery to behold the after part of
the raft, with Amine upon it, drifted apart from the one on which he
stood.
"For mercy's sake! my wife--my Amine--for Heaven's sake, save her!"
cried Philip, struggling in vain to disengage himself. Amine also, who
had run to the side of the raft held out her arms--it was in vain--they
were separated more than a cable's length. Philip made one more
desperate struggle, and then fell down deprived of sense and motion.