The four boys, upon gaining the Pacha's deck, were taken below; and
after drink and food had been given them, were called to the
captain's cabin. He spoke to them gravely, and inquired how it was
that they had all got adrift, together. They told him the
circumstances, and said that they thought there was no chance of
any mishap occurring; the knot was well fastened, the night was
calm, and though they regretted much the pains and trouble which
they had given, and the delay to which they had put the fleet, yet
it did not appear to them, they said frankly, that they had been so
very much to blame, as they could hardly have believed that the
boat would have broken afloat; and indeed, Ned said plainly, they
believed that it was not the result of chance, but that an enemy
had done them an evil turn.
"Why think you so?" Captain Drake said sharply. "How can boys like
you have an enemy?"
Gerald then detailed the account of their trouble with Master
Taunton.
"He is a rough man," Captain Drake said, "and a violent man, maybe,
but he is useful and brave. However, I will have reason with him.
Of course it is a mere suspicion, but I will speak to my brother."
When the boat had first come in sight, the Pacha had made the
signal to the Swanne that the boys were found, and that she was to
keep her course, drawing gradually alongside. Before dark the
vessels were within hailing distance, and Captain Drake, lowering a
boat, went himself on board the Swanne with the four lads. Captain
John was at the top of the ladder, and was about to rate them
soundly.
Captain Francis said, "Let us talk together, John, first;" and he
repaired with him to his cabin, while the crew swarmed round the
boys, to gather an account of how they got adrift.
Then Captain John appeared at the door of his cabin, and called for
Master Taunton, who went in and remained, for some time, in
converse with the two captains. Then he came out, looking surly and
black, and Captain Francis soon after issued out with his brother,
walked round the ship, said a few cheery words to all the crew;
and, with a parting laugh and word of advice to the boys, to be
more careful where they slept in future, descended the side and
went off to his ship again.
Opinions were much mingled, on board the Swanne, as to whether the
slipping of the knot had been the effect of accident or of an evil
turn; however, the boys said little about it, and endeavored, so
far as might be, to let it pass as an accident. They felt that the
matter between themselves and Master Taunton had already gone too
far for their safety and comfort. They doubted not that he had been
reprimanded by the admiral, as well as by Captain John, and that
they had earned his hatred; which, although it might slumber for a
while, was likely to show itself again, when a chance might occur.
Not wishing to inflame farther his fury against them, they
abstained from giving such a complexion to their tale as might seem
to cast a suspicion upon him. Nevertheless there was a strong
feeling, amongst many of the crew, that Master Taunton must have
had a hand in the casting adrift of the boys; or that if he did not
himself do it, it had been done by one of the party who always
worked with him.
Whatever the feelings of Giles Taunton might be, he kept them to
himself. He now never interfered with the boys, by word or deed,
working sullenly and quietly at his craft as armorer The boys felt
their lives much lightened thereby, and now thoroughly enjoyed the
voyage.
Although as boys it was not a part of their duty to go aloft, which
was done by the regular sailors who were hired for the purpose, yet
they spent no small part of their time, when not engaged--and their
duties truly were but nominal--in going aloft, sliding down the
ropes, and learning to be thoroughly at home among the sails.
Every day, too, there would be practices with arms. It was of the
utmost importance that each man should be able to use sword and axe
with the greatest skill; and on board each ship those who were best
skilled would exercise and give lessons to those who were less
practiced with their arms; and, using wooden clubs in place of
boarding axes, they would much belabor each other, to the amusement
of the lookers on. The boys were most assiduous at this kind of
work. It was their highest ambition to become good swordsmen, and
to have a chance of distinguishing themselves against the
Spaniards; and so they practiced diligently, with point and edge.
The knowledge of singlestick and quarterstaff still lingered, in
the country parts of England. They had all already some skill with
these, and picked up fast the use of the heavier, and more manly
arms.
It was the end of July before they sighted land. Great was the
delight of all; for, cooped up in what were after all but narrow
quarters, they longed for a sight of the green and beautiful
forests, of which they had heard so much. They were still far from
the destination which the admiral had marked as his base of
operations. They cruised along for days, with the land often in
sight, but keeping for the most part a long distance out; for they
feared that the knowledge of their coming might be carried, by the
natives, to the Spaniards in the towns; and that such preparations
might be made as would render their journey fruitless.
Near, however, to some of the smaller islands, which were known to
be uninhabited by Spaniards, the vessels went closely, and one day
dropped anchor in a bay. They observed some natives on the shore,
but the white men had so bad a name, caused by the cruelty of the
Spaniards, that these withdrew hastily from sight. The captain,
however, had a boat lowered; which, pulling towards shore, and
waving a white flag in token of amity, met with no resistance.
There were on board some who could speak Spanish, and one of these
shouted aloud to the Indians to have no fear, for that they were
friends, and haters of the Spaniards; whereupon the natives came
out from the woods, and greeted them.
They were a fine race of men, but gentle and timid in their
demeanor They were copper in color, and wore headdresses of bright
feathers, but the men had but little other clothing; of which,
indeed, in such a climate, there is but slight necessity.
In exchange for some trifles from the ship they brought many
baskets of fruits, such as none of those who had fresh come from
England had ever before seen. Great was the joy on board ship,
especially among the four boys, at the profusion of strange fruits;
and they were seen, seated together, eating pineapples, bananas,
and many other things of which they knew not so much as the name,
but which they found delicious, indeed, after so long a voyage upon
salted food.
Then, sailing on, they dropped anchor in the bay which Captain
Drake had himself christened, during his last voyage, Port
Pheasant; for they had killed many of this kind of bird there. Here
the admiral purposed waiting for a while, to refresh the crews and
to put the pinnaces together. Accordingly the anchors were put out,
and all was made snug.
A boat's crew was sent on shore to see that all was safe, for there
was no saying where the Spaniards might be lurking. They returned
with a great plate of lead, which they had found fastened to a
tree, close to the water's edge. Upon it were these words:
"Captain Drake, if it is your fortune to come into this part, make
haste away; for the Spaniards which were with you here, last year,
have betrayed the place; and taken away all that you left here. I
departed hence on this present 7th July, 1572. Your very loving
friend, John Garrett."
"I would I had been here a few days earlier," Captain Drake said,
when he read this notice, "for John Garrett would assuredly have
joined us, and his aid would have been no slight assistance in the
matter in which we are about to engage. However, it will not do to
despise his caution; therefore, lest we be attacked while on shore
by the Spaniards, we will even make a fort; and we shall be able to
unload our stores, and put our pinnaces together, without fear of
interruption."
The crew were now landed; and set to work, with hatchet and bill,
to clear a plot of ground. Three quarters of an acre was, after
three days' work, cleared; and the trees were cast outwards, and
piled together in such form as to make a sort of wall, 30 feet
high, round it. This hard work done, most of the crew were allowed
a little liberty; the carpenters, and experienced artificers, being
engaged in putting the three pinnaces together.
The boys, in pairs, for all could never obtain leave together,
rambled in the woods, full of admiration for the beauties of
nature. Huge butterflies flitted about upon the brilliant flowers.
Long trailing creepers, rich with blossom, hung on the trees. Here
and there, as they passed along, snakes slipped away among the
undergrowth; and these, in truth, the boys were as ready to leave
alone as the reptiles were to avoid them, for they were told that
it was certain death to be bitten by these creatures. Most of all
the boys admired the little birds, which indeed it was hard for
them to believe not to be butterflies, so small were they, so rapid
their movements, and so brilliant their color.
On the 7th day from landing the pinnaces were finished; and, the
vessels being anchored near the shore, the crews went on board for
the last time, preparatory to making their start the next day.
There was one tall and bright-faced sailor with whom the boys had
struck up a great friendship. He had sailed before with Captain
Drake; and as the evening was cool, and there was naught to do,
they begged him to tell them of his former visits in the Caribbean
Seas.
"My first," he said, "was the worst, and might well have been my
last. Captain John Hawkins was our captain, a bold man and a good
sailor; but not gentle as well as brave, as is our good Captain
Francis. Our fleet was a strong one. The admiral's ship, the Jesus,
of Lubeck, was 700 tons. Then there were the smaller craft; the
Minion, Captain Hampton, in which I myself sailed; the William and
John of Captain Boulton; the Judith with Captain Francis Drake; and
two little ships, besides. We sailed later in the year. It was the
2nd October, five years back; that is, 1567. We started badly, for
a storm struck us off Finisterre, the ships separated, and some
boats were lost.
"We came together at Cape de Verde, and there we tried to get
slaves; for it was part of the object of our voyage to buy slaves
on the coast of Africa, and sell them to the Spaniards, here. It
was a traffic for which I myself had but little mind; for though it
be true that these black fellows are a pernicious race, given to
murder, and to fightings of all kinds among themselves, yet are
they human beings; and it is, methinks, cruel to send them beyond
the seas into slavery, so far from their homes and people. But it
was not for me, a simple mariner, to argue the question with our
admirals and captains; and I have heard many worshipful merchants
are engaged in the traffic.
"However that be, methinks that our good Captain Francis did,
likewise, turn himself against this kind of traffic in human flesh;
for although he has been three times, since, in these regions, he
has never again taken a hand in it.
"With much to do at Cape de Verde, we succeeded in getting a
hundred and fifty men; but not without much resistance from the
natives, who shot their arrows at us, and wounded many; and most of
those who were wounded did die of lock-jaw, for the arrows had been
smeared in some poisonous stuff. Then we went farther down the
coast, and took in two hundred more.
"Coasting still farther down, to Saint Jorge de Mina, we landed;
and Captain Hawkins found that the negro king there was at war with
an enemy, a little farther inland. He besought our assistance, and
promised us plenty of slaves, if we would go there and storm the
place with him. Captain Hawkins agreed, cheerfully enough; and set
off, with a portion of his crews, to assist the king.
"The enemy fought well, and it was only after a very hard fight on
our part, and a loss of many men, that we took the town. Methinks
the two hundred and fifty slaves which we took there were dearly
paid for; and there was much grumbling, among the ships, at the
reckless way in which our admiral had risked our lives, for meager
gain. It is true that these slaves would sell at a high price, yet
none of us looked upon money, gained in that way, quite as we do
upon treasure taken in fair fight. In the one case we traffic with
the Spaniards, who are our natural enemies; and it is repugnant, to
a Christian man, to hand over even these poor negroes to such
willful masters as these; in the other we are fighting for our
queen and country. The Spaniards are the natural enemies of all
good Protestants, and every ship we see, and every treasure bag we
capture, does something to pare the nails of that fierce and
haughty power.
"Having filled up our hold with the slaves which we had captured at
Saint Jorge de Mina, we turned our back upon the African coast, and
sailed to the West Indies. At Rio de Hacha, the first port at which
we touched, the people did not wish to trade with us; but the
admiral was not the man to allow people to indulge in fancies of
this kind. We soon forced them to buy, or to sell, that which we
chose; and not what they had a fancy for.
"Sailing along, we were caught in a storm; and in searching for the
port of Saint Juan d'Ulloa, where we hoped to refit, we captured
three ships. In the port we found twelve other small craft, but
these we released; and sent some of them to Mexico, to ask that
victuals and stores might be sent.
"The next day thirteen great ships appeared off the harbor In them
was the Viceroy of Mexico. We had then only the Jesus, the Minion
of 100 tons, and the Judith of 50 tons, and this big fleet was
large enough to have eaten us; but Captain Hawkins put a good face
on it, and sailed out to meet them, waiting at the mouth of the
harbor Here he told them haughtily that he should not allow their
fleet to enter, save on his terms. I doubt not that Hawkins would
have been glad enough to have made off, if he could have done so;
for what with the sale of the slaves, and the vessels we had
captured, we had now 1,800,000 pounds, in silver and gold, on board
of the ships. The Spanish admiral accepted the terms which Captain
Hawkins laid down, and most solemnly swore to observe them.
"So with colors flying, both fleets sailed into the harbor
together. It is true, however, that the man who places faith in a
Spaniard is a fool, and so it proved to us. No sooner had they
reached the port than they began to plot, secretly among
themselves, how to fall upon us. Even then, though they had
thirteen big ships, the smallest of which was larger than the
Jesus, they feared to attack us openly.
"Numbers of men were set to work by them on the shore, secretly, to
get up batteries by which they might fire into us; while a great
ship, having 500 men on board, was moored close alongside the
Minion.
"I remember well talking the matter over with Jack Boscowan, who
was boatswain on board; and we agreed that this time we had run
into an ugly trap, and that we did not see our way out of it.
Englishmen can, as all the world knows, lick the Spaniards when
they are but as one to five; but when there are twenty of the Dons
to one of us, it is clear that the task is a hard one.
"What made it worse was that we were in harbor At sea, our
quickness in handling our ships would have made us a match for the
Spanish fleet; but at anchor, and with the guns of the port
commanding us, we did not truly see how we were to get out of it.
"The fight began by the Spaniards letting their big ship drift
alongside the Minion; when, suddenly, 500 men leapt out on our
decks. We were beaten below in no time, for we were scarce prepared
for so sudden an onslaught. There, however, we defended ourselves
stoutly, firing into the hull of the ship alongside, and defending
our ports and entrances from the Spaniards.
"For a while our case seemed desperate. The Jesus was hard at work,
too; and when she had sunk the ship of the Spanish admiral, she
came up, and gave a broadside into the ship alongside of us. Her
crew ran swiftly back to her; and we, with much rejoicing, poured
on deck again, and began to pay them hotly for their sudden attack
upon us.
"It was a great fight, and one that would have done your heart
good, to see the three English ships, two of them so small as to be
little more than boats, surrounded by a whole fleet of Spaniards,
while from on shore the guns of the forts played upon us. Had it
not been for those forts, I verily believe that we should have
destroyed the Spanish fleet. Already another large vessel had
followed the example of their admiral's ship, and had gone to the
bottom. Over 540 of their sailors we had, as they have themselves
admitted, slain outright.
"We were faring well, and had begun to hope that we might get to
find our way out of the toils, when a cry came from the lookout,
who said that the Jesus was hoisting signals of distress, and that
he feared she was sinking.
"Close as she was lying to a battery, and surrounded by enemies,
our bold captain did not hesitate a minute; but sailed the Minion,
through a crowd of enemies, close to the Jesus. You should have
heard the cheer that the two crews gave each other. It rose above
all the noise of the battle, and would assuredly have done your
heart good. The Jesus was sinking fast, and it was as much as they
could do to tumble into the boats, and to row hastily to our side.
We should have saved them all, but the Spaniards, who dared not lay
us aboard, and who were in no slight degree troubled by the bravery
with which we had fought, set two of their great ships on fire, and
launched them down upon us, preferring to lose two of their own
ships for the sake of capturing or destroying our little bark. The
sight of the ships coming down, in flames, shook the hearts of our
men more than all the fury of the Spaniards had been able to do;
and without waiting for orders, they turned the ship's head for the
mouth of the port.
"The admiral, who had just come on board, cursed and shouted when
he saw what was being done; but the panic of the fire ships got the
better of the men, and we made off, firing broadsides at the
Spaniards' fleet as we passed through them; and aided by the little
Judith, which stuck to us through the whole of the fight.
"When we cooled down and came to think of it, we were in no slight
degree ashamed of our desertion of our comrades in the Jesus.
Fortunately the number so left behind was not large; but we knew
that, according to their custom, the Spaniards would put all to
death, and so indeed it afterwards turned out, many of them being
dispatched with horrible tortures.
"This terrible treatment of the prisoners caused, when it was
known, great indignation; and although Queen Elizabeth did not
declare war with Spain, from that time she gave every countenance
she could to the adventurers who waged war, on their own account,
against her.
"The Minion suffered severely, packed close as she was with all her
own crew, and a great part of that of the Jesus, vast numbers of
whom were wounded. However, at length a hundred were, at their own
request, landed and left to shift for themselves, preferring to run
the risk of Indians, or even of Spaniards, to continue any longer
amid the horrors on board the ship. I myself, boys, was not one of
that number, and came back to England in her.
"Truly it was the worst voyage that I ever made, for though fortune
was for a time good to us, and we collected much money; yet in the
end we lost all, and hardly escaped with our lives. It has seemed
to me that this bad fortune was sent as a punishment upon us, for
carrying off the negroes into slavery. Many others thought the
same, and methinks that that was also the opinion of our present
good admiral."
"Did you come out with him, in his further voyages here?" Ned
asked.
"I was with him in the Dragon, two years ago, when with the Swanne
she came here. Last year I sailed with him in the Swanne, alone."
"You did not have any very stirring adventures?"
"No, we were mainly bent on exploring; but for all that we carried
off many prizes, and might, had we been pilgrims, have bought farms
in Devonshire, and settled down on our share of the prize money;
but there, that is not the way with sailors. Quick come, quick go,
and not one in a hundred that I have ever heard of, however much he
may have taken as his share of prizes, has ever kept it, or
prospered greatly therefrom."
It was now evening, and many of the men had betaken themselves to
the water, for a swim. The heat had been great all day, and as it
was their last, they had been pressed at work to get the stores,
which had been landed, again on board ship; and to finish all up,
ready for the division of the party, next day.
"I do not care for bathing here," Ned said, in reply to a sailor,
who asked him why he too did not join in the sport. "I confess that
I have a dread of those horrible sharks, of which we have heard so
much, and whose black fins we see from time to time."
"I should have thought," said the harsh, sneering voice of Giles
Taunton, "that an Otter would have been a match for a shark. The
swimmers of the South Isles, and indeed the natives here, attack
the sharks without fear. I should have thought that anyone who
prides himself, as you do, upon swimming, would have been equally
willing to encounter them."
"I do not know that I do pride myself on my swimming, Giles
Taunton," Ned said composedly; "at any rate, no one has ever heard
me speak of such abilities as I may have in that way. As to the
natives, they have seen each other fight with sharks, and know how
the matter is gone about. If I were to be present a few times, when
such strife takes place, it may be that I should not shirk from
joining in the sport; but knowing nothing whatever of the method
pursued, or of the manner of attack, I should be worse than a fool,
were I to propose to venture my life in such a sport."
Many sailors who were standing round approved of what Ned said.
"Aye, aye, lad," one said, "no one would think of making his first
jump across the spot where he might be dashed to pieces. Let a man
learn to jump on level ground; and then, when he knows his powers,
he may go across a deep chasm."
By this time a good many of the men were out of the water, when
suddenly there arose the cry of, "Shark!" from the lookout on the
poop. There was a great rush for the ship, and the excitement on
board was nearly as great as that in the water. Ned quietly dropped
off his jacket and his shoes and, seizing a short boarding pike,
waited to see what would come of it.
It chanced that his friends, the other boys, were farther out than
the men; having, with the ardor of youth, engaged themselves in
races, regardless of the admonition that had frequently been given
them to keep near the ship; for the terror of these water beasts
was very great.
The men all gained the ship in safety, but the shark, which had
come up from a direction in which it would cut them off, was
clearly likely to arrive before the boys could gain the side. At
first it seemed, indeed, that their fate was sealed; but the shark,
who in many respects resembles a cat with a mouse, and seems to
prefer to trifle with its victim to the last, allowed them to get
close to the ship; although, by rapid swimming, it could easily
have seized them before.
The nearest to it, as it approached the ship, was Tom Tressilis,
who was not so good a swimmer as the others; but he had swum
lustily, and with good heart, though his white face showed how
great the effect of the danger was upon him. He had not spoken a
word, since the shark first made its appearance. As he struck
despairingly to gain the ship, from which the sailors were already
casting him ropes, his eye caught that of Ned, who cried to him
cheerily:
"Keep up your spirits, Tom. I will be with you."
As the huge fish swept along, at a distance of some four yards from
the side of the ship, and was already turning on its back, opening
its huge mouth to seize its victim, Ned dived head foremost from
the ship onto him. So great was the force and impetus with which he
struck the creature, that it was fairly driven sideways from its
course, missing by the nearest shave the leg of Tom Tressilis. Ned
himself was half stunned by the force with which his head had
struck the fish, for a shark is not so soft a creature to jump
against as he had imagined; however, he retained consciousness
enough to grasp at the fin of the shark, to which he held on for
half a minute.
By this time the shark was recovering from the effects of the
sudden blow, and Ned was beginning to be able to reflect. In a
moment he plunged the half pike deep into the creature's stomach.
Again and again he repeated the stroke; until the shark, rolling
over in his agony, and striking furiously with his tail, shook Ned
from his hold. He instantly dived beneath the water, and came up at
a short distance. The shark was still striking the water furiously,
the sailors on board were throwing down upon him shot, pieces of
iron, and all sorts of missiles, and some of the best archers were
hastily bringing their bows to the side.
The shark caught sight of his opponent, and instantly rushed at
him. Ned again dived, just before the creature reached him; and,
rising under him, inflicted some more stabs with the pike; then he
again swam off, for he was in no slight fear that he might be
struck by his friends on board ship, of whose missiles, indeed, he
was more in dread than of the shark himself.
When he rose, at a short distance from the shark, he was again
prepared for a rush on the part of his enemy; but the great fish
had now had enough of it. He was still striking the water, but his
movements were becoming slower, for he was weakened by the loss of
blood from the stabs he had received from below, and from the
arrows, many of which were now buried to the goose quill in him. In
a minute or two he gradually turned on one side, and floated, with
his white belly in the air.
A shout broke from the crew of the Swanne, and also of the Pacha,
who had been attracted to the side by the cries. When he saw that
the battle was over, and that the enemy had been vanquished without
loss of life, or hurt to any, Ned speedily seized one of the ropes,
and climbed up the side of the ship; where he was, you may be sure,
received with great cheering, and shouts of joy and approval.
"You are a fine lad," Captain John Drake said, "and your name of
Otter has indeed been well bestowed. You have saved the life of
your comrade; and I know that my old friend, Mr. Frank Tressilis,
his father, will feel indebted indeed to you, when he comes to
learn how gallantly you risked your life to preserve that of his
son."
Ned said that he saw no credit in the action, and that he was
mightily glad to have had an opportunity of learning to do that
which the negroes thought nothing of; for that it shamed him to
think that these heathens would venture their lives boldly against
sharks, while he, an English boy, although a good swimmer, and not,
he hoped, wanting in courage, was yet afraid to encounter these
fierce brutes.
This incident acted, as might be expected, as a fresh bond between
the boys; and as it also secured for Ned the cordial goodwill of
the sailors, they were, in future, free from any persecution at the
hands of Master Taunton, or of his fellows.