“No, no,” was the answer, “A wounded man would only be in the way, you
have already paid dearly enough for your visit without getting another
taste of bamboo.”
As the cutter drew away I noticed that all the Malays had accompanied
Chapman, leaving me to guard the house. At one end of the platform, on
which the house was built, rested a medium sized canoe, made from a
single log. The cutter soon swept around the point and was lost to view.
I listened attentively for half an hour, then there floated across the
head-land a faint echo of firearms, the battle had evidently begun.
Fainter and fainter grew the sounds and after five minutes they died
away in the distance. I watched for the return of the victors but they
never came. That night I did not close my eyes but sat peering out upon
the sea. The following day was full of dread and anxiety. Every instant
I expected to see the canoes of the savages sweep around the point and
swoop down upon me. Several rifles had been left behind. These I loaded
and made ready for the foe. When the second night came I gave myself up
as lost. It was utterly impossible for me to keep awake. At first I only
slept a minute or two, then suddenly awoke and sprang to my feet. I
heard the dip of paddles, the stealthy creep of naked feet on the
platform at my side and saw the gleam of savage eyes. Nature at last
succumbed and I forgot the horrors of the situation. When I awoke the
sun was creeping, up, the sea was calm and not a sign of man white,
black or brown was to be seen. The house was the only place of safety
and yet such was my anxiety to ascertain the fate of Chapman and his
companions that it was with the greatest difficulty I restrained myself
in going in quest of them. On the third day I could endure the suspense
no longer, I lowered the canoe to the water, loaded all the guns, took
on board the balance of the ammunition and a supply of provisions and
sailed away around the point. I was not long in suspense. In the little
bay, where I had been washed ashore, lay the wreck of the cutter. Over
the gunwale hung the corpse of a Malay, with a spear run completely
through his body. Whether Chapman and the remainder of the party had
been killed or had made their escape to the woods I was unable to
decide. Only the dead Malay remained, the sail and the oars of the
cutter were gone. I paddled to the cutter and listened, not a sound
smote my ears save the ripple of the water on the beach. Finally I
decided to visit the small house where I had taken refuge from the
natives. I crept cautiously through the underbush: the house was
standing but the door had been battered down, the fragments of the
engine and other appliances were scattered over the ground. When I
retraced my steps to the beach I noticed on the sand a number of fine
copper wires in a tangled mass, mechanically I stooped down and took one
of the wires in my hand, then I saw that it ran into the bay.
“All that remains of Chapman’s wonderful dreams,” I said to myself.
The spirit of curiosity, which had been so keen in the past, was
aroused. I would ascertain what was at the end of the wire. I brought
the canoe around to that point, and keeping the wire in one hand, gently
paddled out. When reached a point where the water was about four fathoms
in depth I came to a bamboo pole which had been driven into the bottom
of the bay the top of the pole was only a few inches under the surface
of the water and the wire ran up to and over the top. Putting my hand
down and grasping the end of the pole I was surprised to find that a
small pulley had been fitted into the top of the pole, through which the
wire ran and then dropped perpendicularly. I carefully drew up the wire
and imagine my astonishment when I saw attached to its end an immense
pearl oyster. I landed the oyster and broke off the wire and then
returned to the shore. I was very curious to ascertain what the oyster
contained and proceeded to open it, a feat I accomplished with the
greatest difficulty. Carefully removing the meat of the oyster, I saw at
a little distance from where the wire entered the shell a faint blue
circle and in the circle, one enormous pearl and three small ones. My
heart nearly ceased to beat. The great pearl was pear shaped and in
beauty of tint and exquisite coloring, far exceeded any pearl which I
had ever seen. I knew that it was worth a very large sum, but its size
was so great that I was unable to estimate its market value. The three
small pearls were very fine, but were completely overshadowed by their
magnificent sister. In my exultation I forgot the fate of Chapman and my
own immediate danger. I hurriedly went ashore and from the tangle of
wire traced another wire, which ran into the water. This wire I followed
with the same result, it terminated in an oyster. In the second oyster
was the same blue ring, in which lay a great black pearl with two small
pearls of the same color. These pearls differed from those first found
in that they were perfectly round. Again I went ashore and once more I
was rewarded with one immense pearl and two small ones, the largest
being the most beautiful in my collection. A careful search proved that
all of the remaining wires had been broken and I was not able to make
any other finds.
Then a great fear fell upon me. I had intended to return to the perch,
and wait for a few days, but possessed of the treasures of the deep, I
resolved to make my escape. I hoisted the sail and steered south. Five
hours out I sighted a steamer and half an hour later I was on board one
of the British India line bound for Brisbane. On my arrival at that port
I immediately communicated with the authorities and the Colonial
Secretary despatched a full account of the tragedy to the High
Commissioner at Thursday Island.
Six months later I read in the Melbourne _Argus_ that the murder of
Captain Chapman had been avenged by sending H.M.S. Tiger to New Guinea,
where she shelled several native villages, and drove the savages into
the interior. I kept the finding of the pearls a secret as the ends of
justice would not be aided by making my discovery public.
After reflecting upon the facts I decided that Chapman had discovered a
process by which, with the aid of electricity, he had been able to
stimulate the growth of pearls to an abnormal size and also to develop
them with greater rapidity than under normal conditions. I recalled his
statement at the Queensland Club and no doubt remained in my mind that
he had selected the New Guinea coast as the place where he was least
liable to be disturbed by white men, owing to the hostile character of
the natives. I also found that the scientists had concluded that pearls
were formed by some extraneous substance getting inside of the oyster,
thus setting up an irritation and giving rise to the term, “The tears of
the oyster.”
There was but one market in the world where my three great pearls would
find purchasers at their full value and that was London. I therefore
took passage a few months later on the Orient steamer, Orizaba, and a
jeweler in Regent street paid me a very handsome sum for my find, but he
informed me that he would willingly have given double the amount if I
had been able to produce two that would match.
An old friend, whom I had not seen for years, invited me down to his box
in the country for a weeks’ shooting. One day as we were standing before
the Crown Arms, a carriage rolled up to the door. I gave a great start.
Leonard Chapman hurriedly alighted and went inside.
“Who is that man?” I asked the moment I recovered my voice.
“The young Earl. He only came into the estate a few months since. His
life has been quite a romance. The Black Earl, his father, quarreled
with him some ten years since and turned him out of the Hall. The
trouble arose over the Vicar’s daughter, whom the young man wished to
marry. For nine years not a word was heard from the son. The Black Earl
had lived a fast life, but after the quarrel he redoubled his pace and
when he died everything was mortgaged to its full value. After his death
the Jews swarmed down like the plagues of Egypt. Three months later the
heir suddenly appeared. The debts were paid and what is still better, he
married the girl, though it is said he never wrote her a line during his
absence.”
I entered the Arms and found the Earl speaking to a game keeper. As he
turned to leave the room, I said: “Permit me to congratulate you, Mr.
Chapman, I felt certain that the natives had turned you over to the
great majority.”
He raised his eye-glass and gave me a well-bred stare.
“Chapman you say? I am the Earl of Ibster.”
“So I am informed, but in New Guinea you were Mr. Leonard Chapman.”
“How many cases of mistaken identity are constantly occurring,” he said,
“the Tichborne case being one in point. Excuse me, sir, I trust that you
will yet be able to find your New Guinea friend, Mr. Chapman.” He raised
his hat, bowed, entered the carriage and was driven leisurely away.
PRINTED FOR THE PUBLISHER BY
H. B. DONLY, SIMCOE, ONT.
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Transcriber's note:
Printer errors and mismatched quotation marks have been corrected.
Spelling retained as written by the author.