When order and tranquility were perfectly restored, the admiral
ordered a boat to be lowered and soundings to be taken, intending
to put out the anchors ahead, and to get her off by working upon
them with the windlass. It was found, however, that under the
forefoot of the vessel the water deepened so rapidly that, at a
distance of a few fathoms, no soundings could be obtained. This
plan, therefore, was abandoned.
The prospect seemed dark, indeed. The ship's boats would, at most,
only carry half the men on board; and if the ship had to be
abandoned, the whole of her treasures must be lost, as well as many
lives.
"There is an island far away to the south," the admiral said. "If
the worst come, we must seek refuge on that. It will be well to
send a boat to examine it, and see what capabilities it offers for
the purpose. Then if the weather holds fair we can make several
trips, and land our men, and a portion at least of our valuables."
"Will you let me go, sir, with my three friends?" Ned asked. "The
canoe which we took from our last halting place will carry the four
of us and, as she paddles swiftly, we may be back before many
hours."
"The idea is a good one," Captain Drake said. "Make for the island.
It is, I should say, fifteen miles off. When you have reached it,
see if there be water, fuel, and other necessaries, and whether the
landing be good. If you should come upon any natives, parley with
them. Take a few articles as presents, and explain to them, if they
will come out here with their canoes and aid to bring the things
ashore, we will give them presents, which will make them wealthy
beyond their grandest dreams.
"Be careful, my boys. I know that you will be brave, if necessary;
but care and caution are the great things, and remember that our
safety depends upon yours."
The young men speedily lowered the canoe, under the shelter of the
lee side of the ship, took some beads, calicoes, and other
articles, and then, seating themselves in the boat, paddled rapidly
away. At first they felt a little awkward in using the paddles, in
which they had had no practice, whatever. But being powerful men,
and accustomed to the use of oars, they soon fell into regular
stroke, and the light boat danced rapidly over the waters. The
distance was further than Captain Drake had imagined, the clearness
of the air making the land appear nearer than it really was; and it
was only after three hours of hard work that they neared it.
It turned out to be an island of about a mile in length, so far as
they could judge. A reef of coral ran round it. The center of the
island was somewhat elevated, and was covered with coconut trees;
and it was this, alone, which had enabled it to be seen, from so
great a distance, from the deck of the Golden Hind.
Paddling round the reef, they came to an opening and, entering
this, found themselves in perfectly smooth water, and were soon on
shore.
"Our best way to look for water," Ned said, "will be to follow the
beach all round the island. If there is any stream, we must then
come upon it. We had better take our arms, and haul up the canoe."
Ned, although the youngest of the party, being an officer of the
ship, was naturally in command.
"It will be hard," Reuben said, "if we do not meet with some
adventure. This is the first time that I have been out with you,
Ned. The others have had their share, and it will be hard upon me
if, when I get home, I have not some tale to tell my friends."
"I hope that it will not be so," Ned said, "for more than story
telling depends upon our success. I fear the Golden Hind is fixed
fast, and that all the fruits of our expedition are lost, even if
our lives be saved. Everything depends upon the report we may make
when we return; and anything that should occur to delay us, or to
prevent our bearing back tidings of this place to the admiral,
would be bad fortune, indeed."
"I don't mean," Reuben said, "anything that would prevent our
returning. But we might do something, and yet return safely."
A walk round the island showed no signs of water; nor, although
they searched for some hours, walking backwards and forwards across
it, could they find any sign of a pool. It was clear that there
were no fresh-water springs on the island, and that the vegetation
depended entirely upon the rain that fell in the regular season.
But they discovered, from the top of the island, another and much
larger one; lying, still again, some fifteen miles to the south.
After much deliberation, they determined to make for this; as it
was of importance that they should have some news, of a place to
which the goods could be transported, to carry back to the ship.
This island was much higher, and there appeared every probability
that water, and all they required, would be found there.
Accordingly, taking their place in the canoe, they again paddled
out through the entrance to the reef, and steered their course for
their new discovery.
This was a large island, measuring at least, as they judged from
the view of the one side, twenty miles round. The shores were
steep, and they rowed for some time before they succeeded in
finding a place where a landing could be effected. Then a deep bay
suddenly opened out, and into this they rowed.
Scarcely had they fairly entered it when, from some bushes near the
shore, two large war canoes, crowded with natives, shot out and
made towards them. The lads at first grasped their muskets, but Ned
said:
"Let the arms be. We are here to make peace with the natives, and
must take our chance."
They stood up in the canoe, holding up their arms in token of
amity. The canoes came alongside at racing pace, the natives
uttering yells of joy. The canoe had evidently been seen
approaching the island, and preparations had been made to seize it,
immediately on its arrival.
Ned held up in his hands the beads and pieces of cloth. But the
natives were too excited for pause or negotiation. In an instant
the boys were seized and placed on board the canoes, two in each.
They were tenderly handled, and were clearly objects of veneration
rather than of hostility. The moment that they were on board, the
contents of the canoe were transferred to the large boat; and it
was then cast adrift, and the two war boats, at full speed, made
out through the passage.
Ned endeavored, in vain, to attract the attention of the leaders of
the savages to his gestures; and to explain to them that there was
a vessel, from which he had come, at a short distance off; and
that, if they would accompany him thither, they would obtain large
quantities of the beads and cloth which he showed them. The
natives, however, were too much excited to pay any attention to his
efforts; and with a sigh of despair he sat down by the side of
Reuben, who was in the same boat with him; as the canoes, on
emerging from the bay, turned their heads to the southwest, and
paddled steadily and rapidly away from the island.
"Whither can they be going to take us?" Reuben said.
"They must belong to some other island," Ned answered, "and be a
war party, which has come on plundering purposes here. What a
misfortune! What terribly bad luck! They have clearly never seen
white men before, and regard us as superior beings; and so far as
we are concerned, it is probable that our lives are safe. But what
will the admiral think, when night comes on and we do not return?
What will become of our comrades?"
And at the thought of their messmates, left without help in so
perilous a position, Ned fairly broke down and cried.
For some hours the natives continued their course without
intermission, and gradually an island, which had at first seemed
like a low cloud on the horizon, loomed up nearer and nearer; and
at last, just as night fell, they landed upon its shores. Here in a
bay a village of huts, constructed of the boughs of trees, had been
raised; and the arrival of the war canoes was greeted, with wild
and prolonged cries, by the women and children. All prostrated
themselves in wonder and astonishment when the white men, in their
strange attire, were brought on shore; and Ned saw that his
suspicions were correct, and that they were regarded by their
captors as gods. Further proof was given of this when they were
escorted to a large shed, composed of a roof of thatch supported on
four upright posts, which stood in the center of the village.
Under this were placed some of the hideous effigies which the South
Sea Islanders worship, and which are affixed to the prow of their
boats; and may be seen in the British Museum, and in other places
where collections of Indian curiosities are exhibited. These
effigies were carved in the shape of human beings, with enormous
goggle eyes, splashes of bright paint, and strange and immense
headdresses of brilliant colors.
Here the lads were motioned to sit down, and the natives brought
them offerings of cocoas, and other fruits. The boys could hardly
help laughing at their strange position, surrounded by these
hideous idols.
"You wanted an adventure, Reuben, and you have got one, indeed,"
Ned said. "You are translated into a heathen god and, if you ever
get home, will have your story to tell, which will astonish the
quiet firesides in Devonshire."
"Ought we not to refuse to accept this horrid worship?" Gerald
said.
"I think not," Ned replied. "It can do no harm; and we are, at
least, better than these wooden idols. So long at least as we are
taken for gods, our lives are safe. But I would not say as much if
they once became convinced, by our actions, that we are men like
themselves."
"But we cannot sit here, all our lives, among these idols," Reuben
said.
"I agree with you there, Reuben; but patience does wonders, and I
am not troubled in the least about ourselves. Sooner or later, a
way of escape will present itself; and when it does, be assured
that we will use it. Patience is all that we require, now. It is of
our poor shipmates that I am thinking."
As night fell, great bonfires were lighted. The natives indulged in
wild dances round them, and feasting and festivities were kept up
all through the night. Four watches were stationed, one at each
post of the temple; and the boys saw that, for the present, at
least, all thought of escape was out of the question. And
therefore, stretching themselves at full length on the sand, they
were speedily asleep.
For some days, the position remained unchanged. The boys were well
fed, and cared for. Offerings of fruit, fish, and other eatables
were duly presented. A perfumed wood which, according to the native
ideas, personified incense, was burned in large quantities round
the temple, and nearly choked the boys with its smoke.
Upon the fifth day, it was clear that some expedition was being
prepared. Four large war canoes were dragged down and placed in the
water; and the great idols, which stood in the bow of each, were
removed and carried up to the temple, and placed there in position.
Then the boys were motioned to come down to the beach.
"I do believe," said Tom, bursting into a shout of laughter, "that
they are going to put us in the bows of their canoes, in place of
their old gods."
The others joined in the laughter, for to act as the figurehead of
a canoe was indeed a comical, if an unpleasant situation.
When they reached the boats, the boys saw that their suspicions
were correct, and that the natives were preparing to lash them to
the lofty prows; which rose, some twelve feet above the water, in a
sweep inwards.
"This will never do," Tom said. "If we are fastened like that, our
weight will cut us horribly. Let us show them how to do it."
Whereupon, with great gravity he took a large piece of flat wood,
and motioned to the savages to lash this in front of the bow of one
of the boats, at a height of three feet above the water, so as to
afford a little platform upon which he could stand. The natives at
once perceived the drift of what he was doing, and were delighted
that their new deities should evince such readiness to fall in with
their plans. The additions were made at once to the four canoes;
but while this was being done, some of the leading chiefs, with
every mark of deference, approached the boys with colored paints;
and motioned, to them, that they would permit them to deck them in
this way.
Again the boys indulged in a hearty laugh and, stripping off their
upper garments, to the immense admiration of the natives. They
themselves applied paint in rings, zigzags, and other forms to
their white shirts; painted a large saucer-like circle round the
eyes with vermilion, so as to give themselves something the
appearance of the great idols; and having thus transmogrified
themselves, each gravely took his place upon his perch; where,
leaning back against the prow behind them, they were by no means
uncomfortable.
"If these fellows are going, as I expect, upon a war expedition,"
Ned shouted to his friends, as the boats, keeping regularly
abreast, rowed off from the island; amidst a perfect chaos of
sounds, of yells, beatings of rough drums made of skins stretched
across hollow trunks of trees, and of the blowing of conch shells;
"our position will be an unpleasant one. But we must trust to
circumstances to do the best. At any rate, we must wish that our
friends conquer; for the next party, if we fall into their hands,
might take it into their heads that we are devils instead of gods,
and it might fare worse with us."
It was manifest, as soon as they started, that the object of the
expedition was not the island upon which they had been captured,
but one lying away to the south. It was a row of several hours
before they approached it. As they did so, they saw columns of
smoke rise from several points of the shore, and knew that their
coming there was observed by the islanders.
Presently six canoes, equally large with their own and crowded with
men, were observed pulling out, and yells of defiance came across
the water.
"It is clear," Tom said, "that this island is stronger than our
own; and that it is only on the strength of our miraculous presence
that the islanders expect to conquer their foes; for they would
never, with four canoes, venture to attack a place of superior
force, unless they deemed that their victory was certain."
With wild yells, which were answered boldly from their own canoes,
the enemy approached, and the combat began with a general discharge
of arrows. Then the canoes rowed into each other, and a general and
desperate hand-to-hand combat commenced. The enthusiasm with which
the inmates of the boys' canoes were animated at first gave them
the superiority, and they not only beat back the attacks of their
foes but, leaping into their enemy's boats, succeeded in clearing
two of them of their occupants. Numbers, however, told; and the
enemy were, with very heavy clubs and spears, pointed with sharp
shells, gradually forcing the adventurers back; when Ned saw that a
little supernatural interference was desirable, to bring matters
straight again. Giving the word to his friends, he stood up on his
perch and, swinging himself round, alighted in the boat; giving as
he did so a loud British cheer, which was answered by that of his
comrades. Then, with his arms erect, he began to move along the
benches of the canoe, towards the conflict which was raging on
either side.
The sudden interference of the four deities, at the head of the
boat, was received with a yell of terror by the natives who were
attacking them; which was increased when the boys, each seizing a
club from the hands of a native, jumped into the enemy's canoes,
and began to lay about them with all their strength. This was,
however, required but for a moment. The sight of so terrible and
unexampled an apparition appalled the islanders; who, springing
overboard with yells of despair, swam rapidly towards land, leaving
their boats in the hands of the victors.
These indulged in wild yells of triumph, knelt before their good
geniuses, and then, taking their places, paddled towards the shore.
Before they had reached it, however, the defeated savages had
landed and, running up to their village, had borne the news of the
terrible apparitions which had taken part against them.
The conquerors, on reaching the village, found it deserted;
plundered it of a few valuables; carried down all their enemy's
gods in triumph into the canoes; and then, having fired the huts,
started again, with the ten canoes, towards their own island.
Their triumphant arrival at the village was received with frantic
excitement and enthusiasm. The sight of six canoes towed in, by the
four belonging to the place, was greeted with something of the same
feeling which, in Nelson's time, Portsmouth more than once
experienced upon an English vessel arriving with two captured
French frigates, of size superior to herself. And when the warriors
informed their relatives of the interposition of the white gods in
their favor, the latter rose to an even higher estimation in public
opinion than before. They were escorted to their shrine with wild
dancing and gesticulation, and great heaps of fruit, fish, and
other luxuries were offered to them, in token of the gratitude of
the people.
But this was not all. A few hours later a solemn council was held
on the seashore, and after a time a great hurrying to and fro was
visible in the village. Then, to the sound of their wild music,
with dancing, brandishing of spears, and the emission of many wild
yells, the whole population moved up towards the shrine.
"What can they be going to do now?" Tom said. "Some fresh piece of
homage, I should guess. I do wish they would leave us alone. It is
annoying enough to be treated as a god, without being disturbed by
these constant worshippings."
When the crowd arrived before the shed they separated, and in the
midst were discovered four girls. On their heads were wreaths of
flowers, and their necks and arms were loaded with necklaces, and
shells, and other ornaments.
"Don't laugh, you fellows," said Ned. "I do believe that they have
brought us four wives, in token of their gratitude."
The lads had the greatest difficulty in restraining themselves from
marring the effect of the solemnity by ill-timed laughter. But they
put a great restraint upon themselves, and listened gravely while
the chief made them a long harangue, and pointed to the four
damsels; who, elated at the honor of being selected, but somewhat
shy at being the center of the public gaze, evidently understood
that the village had chosen them to be the wives of the gods.
Although the boys could not understand the words of the speaker,
there was no question as to his meaning, and they consulted
together as to the best steps to be taken, under the circumstances.
"We must temporize," said Tom. "It would never do for them to
consider themselves slighted."
After a short consultation, they again took their places in a
solemn row, in front of the shed. Reuben, who was the tallest and
most imposing of the set, and who was evidently considered by the
villagers to be the leading deity, then addressed a long harangue
to the chief and villagers. He beckoned to the four girls, who
timidly advanced, and one knelt at the feet of each of the whites.
Then Reuben motioned that a hut must be built, close to the shrine;
and, pointing to the sun, he traced its way across the sky, and
made a mark upon the ground. This he repeated fourteen times,
signifying that the girls must be shut up in the hut and guarded
safely for that time, after which the nuptials would take place.
"You are quite sure, Ned," he said, pausing and turning round to
his friend, "that we shall be able to make our attempt to escape
before the end of the fourteen days? Because it would be fearful,
indeed, if we were to fail, and to find ourselves compelled to
marry these four heathen women."
"We will certainly try before the fourteen days are up, Reuben; but
with what success, of course we cannot say. But if we lay our plans
well, we ought to manage to get off."
The villagers readily understood the harangue of Reuben, and
without delay the whole scattered into the wood and, returning with
bundles of palm leaves and some strong posts, at once began to
erect the hut. Fires were lighted as the evening came on, and
before they ceased their labor the hut was finished.
During this time the girls had remained sitting patiently in front
of the shrine. The lads now offered them their hand, and escorted
them with grave ceremony to the hut. The palm leaves which did
service as a door were placed before it, and the boys proceeded to
dance, one after the other in solemn order, fourteen times round
the hut.
They then signified to the natives that provisions, fruit, and
water must be daily brought for the use of their future wives; and
having made another harangue, thanking the natives for their
exertions, and signifying future protection and benefits, they
retired under the shelter of the shed, and the village subsided to
its ordinary state of tranquility.
"There are two difficulties in the way of making our escape," Ned
said. "In the first place, it is useless to think of leaving this
island, until we have a sufficient stock, of provisions and water
to put in a canoe, to last us until we can get back to Ternate. Did
we put into any island on the way, our position might be ten times
as bad as it now is. Here at least we are well treated and honored
and, did we choose, could no doubt live here in a sort of heathen
comfort, for the rest of our lives; just as many white sailors on
the western isles have turned natives, and given up all thought of
ever returning to their own country.
"The Golden Hind was four days on her journey from Ternate to the
place where she refitted; another two to the spot where she went on
the reef. The wind was very light, and her speed was not above five
knots an hour. We should be able to paddle back in the course of
ten days, and must take provisions sufficient for that time.
"The first point, of course, will be to find whether the old ship
is still on the reef. If she is not there she may have succeeded in
getting off, or she may have gone to pieces. I trust however that
the admiral, who is full of resource, has managed to get her off in
safety. He will, no doubt, have spent a day or two in looking for
us; but finding no signs of us, in the island to which we were
sent, or in the other lying in sight to the southward, he will have
shaped his way for the Cape.
"The first difficulty, then, is to procure sufficient provisions.
The next is to make our escape unseen. The four natives who, night
and day, watch at the corners of this shed, mean it as a great
honor, no doubt; but, like many other honors, it is an unpleasant
one. Our only plan will be to seize and gag them suddenly, each
pouncing upon one.
"Then there is the fear that the natives, who are, I must say, the
most restless sleepers I ever saw, may in their wanderings up to
look at us find that we have gone, before we are fairly beyond
reach of pursuit; for one of their great canoes will travel at
least two feet to our one.
"Hitherto we have only taken such provisions, from the piles they
have offered us, as were sufficient for our day's wants, and left
the rest for them to take away again next morning. In future we had
best, each day, abstract a considerable quantity; and place it
conspicuously in the center of this shed. The people will perhaps
wonder, but will probably conclude that we are laying it by, to
make a great feast upon our wedding day.
"As to water, we must do with the calabashes which they bring the
day before, and with the milk which the cocoas contain, and which
is to the full as quenching as water. With a good number of cocoas,
we ought to be able to shift for some days without other food; and
there is, indeed, an abundance of juice in many of the other fruits
which they offer us."
This programme was carried out. Every morning the lads danced in
solemn procession round the hut, lessening their rounds by one each
day. Daily the heap of fruit, dried fish, and vegetables under the
shed increased; and the natives, who believed that their new
deities were intent upon the thoughts of marriage, had no suspicion
whatever of any desire, on their part, to escape.
Having settled how to prevent their escape being detected before
morning, they accustomed themselves to go to sleep with the cloths,
woven of the fiber of the palm with which the natives had supplied
them, pulled over their heads.
Seven days after the fight with the other islanders, the lads
judged that the pile of provisions was sufficiently large for their
purpose, and determined upon making the attempt that night. A canoe
of about the size that they desired, which had been used during the
day for fishing, lay on the shore close to the water's edge.
They waited until the village was fairly hushed in sleep. An hour
later they believed that the four guards--or worshipers, for it
struck them that their attendants partook partly of both
characters--were beginning to feel drowsy; and each of the boys,
having furnished himself with a rope of twisted coconut fiber,
stole quietly up to one of these men.
To place their hands over their mouths, to seize and throw them
upon their faces, was but the work of a moment; and was
accomplished without the least noise, the natives being paralyzed
by the sudden and unexpected assault. A piece of wood was shoved
into the mouth of each, as a gag; and secured by a string, passing
round the back of the head, and holding it in its place. Their arms
and legs were tied, and they were set up against the posts, in the
same position they had before occupied.
Four of the great effigies were then taken from their places, and
laid down upon the ground and covered over with the mats, so that
to any casual observer they presented exactly the same appearance
as the boys, sleeping there.
Then, loading themselves with provisions, the boys stole backwards
and forwards, quietly, to the boat. Once they had to pause, as a
sleepless native came out from his hut, walked up to the shrine,
and bowed himself repeatedly before the supposed deities.
Fortunately he perceived nothing suspicious, and did not notice the
constrained attitude of the four guardians. When he retired the
boys continued their work, and soon had the whole of the store of
cocoas and other provisions in the canoe, together with some
calabashes of water.
Then with some difficulty they launched the boat and, taking their
places, paddled quietly away from the island. Once fairly beyond
the bay, they laid themselves to their work, and the light boat
sped rapidly across the waters. In order that they might be sure of
striking the point where they had left the ship, they made first
for the island where they had been captured, and when day broke
were close beside it. They then shaped their course northwards, and
after two hours' paddling were in sight of the low island, which
they had first visited. By noon they reached the spot where, as
they judged, the Golden Hind had gone on the reef; but no sign
whatever of her was to be discovered. By the position in which the
island they had left lay they were sure that, although they might
be two or three miles out in their direction, they must be within
sight of the vessel, were she still remaining as they had left her.
There had been no great storm since she had grounded; and it was
unlikely, therefore, that she could have gone entirely to pieces.
This afforded them great ground for hope that she had beaten off
the reef, and proceeded on her voyage. Hitherto they had been
buoyed up with the expectation of again meeting their friends; but
they now felt a truly unselfish pleasure, at the thought that their
comrades and admiral had escaped the peril which threatened the
downfall of their hopes, and the termination of an enterprise
fairly and successfully carried out, so far.
There was nothing now for them but to make for Ternate. They found
no difficulty whatever in doing without water, their thirst being
amply quenched by the milk of the cocoas, and the juice of the
guavas and other fruits. They paddled for two days longer, working
steadily all day and far into the night, and passed one or two
islands.
In the course of the next day's passage they went within a short
distance of another, and were horrified at seeing, from the narrow
bay, a large war canoe put out, and make rapidly towards them.
They had already talked over what would be their best course in
such a contingency, and proceeded at once to put their plans into
execution. They had, at starting, taken with them a supply of the
paints used in their decoration; and with these they proceeded to
touch up the coloring on their faces and white shirts, and on the
strange ornaments which had been affixed to their heads. Two of
them now took their place, one at the stern and the other at the
bow of the canoe. The other two stood up, and paddled very quietly
and slowly along; and as the canoe approached rapidly, the four
broke into a song--one of the old Devonshire catches, which they
had often sung together on board ship.
The war canoe, as it approached, gradually ceased paddling. The
aspect of this small boat, paddling quietly along and taking no
heed of their presence, filled its occupants with surprise. But
when the way on their canoe drifted them close to it, and they were
enabled to see the strange character of the freight, a panic of
astonishment and alarm seized them. That a boat, navigated by four
gods, should be seen proceeding calmly along the ocean, alone, was
a sight for which Indian legend gave them no precedent whatever;
and after gazing for a while, in superstitious dread at the strange
spectacle, they turned their boats' head and paddled rapidly back
to shore.
For an hour or two the boys continued their course, in the same
leisurely manner; but when once convinced that they were out of
sight of their late visitors, they again sat down, and the four
stretched themselves to their work.
On the evening of that day there was a heavy mist upon the water.
The stars were with difficulty seen through it, and the lads were
all convinced that a change of weather was at hand. Before
nightfall had set in, an island had been seen at a short distance
to the north, and they decided at once to make for this; as, if
caught in mid ocean by a storm, they had little hope of weathering
it in a craft like that in which they were placed; although the
natives, habituated to them, were able to keep the sea in very
rough weather in these little craft; which, to an English eye,
appeared no safer than cockleshells.
The boys rowed with all their strength in the direction in which
the island lay, but before they reached it sharp puffs of wind
struck the water, and the steerage of the canoe became extremely
difficult. Presently, however, they heard the sound of a dull roar,
and knew that this was caused by the slow heaving swell, of which
they were already sensible, breaking upon a beach.
Ten minutes later they were close to the shore. Had it been
daylight, they would have coasted round the island to search for a
convenient spot for landing; but the wind was already rising, so
fast that they deemed it better to risk breaking up their canoe,
than to run the hazard of being longer upon the sea.
Waiting, therefore, for a wave, they sped forward, with all their
strength. There was a crash, and then they all leaped out together
and, seizing the canoe, ran her up on the beach, before the next
wave arrived.
"I fear she has knocked a great hole in her bottom," Reuben said.
"Never mind," Ned replied. "We shall be able to make a shift to
mend it. The great point, now, is to drag it up so high among the
bushes, that it will not be noticed in the morning by any natives
who may happen to be about. Until this storm is over, at any rate,
we have got to shelter here."
The canoe, laden as she still was with provisions, was too heavy to
drag up; but the boys, emptying her out, lifted her on their
shoulders and carried her inland; until, at a distance of some
sixty or seventy yards, they entered a grove of coconut trees. Here
they laid her down, and made two journeys back to the beach to
fetch up their provisions, and then took refuge in the grove;
thankful that they had escaped on shore in time, for scarcely had
they landed when the hurricane, which had been brewing, burst with
terrific force.
Seas of immense height came rolling in upon the shore. The trees of
the grove waved to and fro before it, and shook the heavy nuts
down, with such force that the boys were glad to leave it and to
lie down on the open beach, rather than to run the risk of having
their skulls fractured by these missiles from above. The sound of
the wind deadened their voices, and even by shouting they could not
make themselves heard. Now and then, above the din of the storm,
was heard the crash of some falling tree; and even as they lay,
they were sometimes almost lifted from the ground by the force of
the wind.
For twenty-four hours the hurricane continued, and then cleared as
suddenly as it had commenced. The lads crept back to the grove,
refreshed themselves with the contents of two or three cocoas
apiece, and then, lying down under the canoe, which they had taken
the precaution of turning bottom upwards, enjoyed a peaceful sleep
till morning.