THE PEARL PEOPLE
“This is a terrible experience,” said De Jiminez in a gloomy voice. “A
nation’s fate has been decided by a South Sea typhoon!”
“All is not lost,” replied Little Jim, attempting to console him. “The
ship is high on the rocks yonder, and all the arms and ammunition may
yet be saved. Perhaps the natives of this island are civilized and
friendly, and will care for us until we can find another ship to take us
to Colombia.”
His father shook his head disconsolately.
“I doubt if any people at all live on these rocks,” he said. “The place
seems absolutely barren.”
“Why, there is a grove of big trees a quarter of a mile back,” declared
Alfonso, “and the island is surely big enough to support many
inhabitants. Wherever there are trees we are likely to find fields of
grain and fruits. Come; let us go inland and explore the place.”
During this conversation the three women had huddled under their wet
cloaks, terrified and trembling. To them this adventure was a dreadful
thing. To be shipwrecked upon a barren island is not wholly unknown to
mankind but may well be regarded at all times with foreboding and
horror.
“Come, then,” said the elder De Jiminez; “let us walk to the forest
yonder. We shall find better shelter there, if nothing more.”
“Wait a moment, please!” I exclaimed, for I had been watching Bryonia
and Nux, who stood apart eagerly conversing together.
“Why should we wait?” demanded Alfonso, annoyed at my interference.
“Because these blacks are natives of the South Seas,” I replied, “and
they think they recognize this island. Let us therefore counsel with
them before we act.”
“Bah! Any of these islands is safe enough,” persisted the boy.
“I am not sure of that,” I responded. “We are far from the usual path of
ships as we have been blown from our course by the gale. This island is
not marked upon any chart, I am sure, which means that there is no
record of a white man having ever visited it.”
This statement had its influence upon our passengers, for they cast
uneasy glances around and I am sure De Jiminez had no desire to risk the
safety of the women by acting recklessly.
Presently our blacks came toward us with grave faces. Bryonia approached
my father and said:
“We pretty sure this Faytan Island, the home of the cruel Pearl People.
If that is so, we no safe here, and better go away.”
“What, and leave the _Seagull_!” exclaimed my father.
“If no go away,” returned Bry in solemn tones, “we soon be dead.”
“Why?”
“Pearl People never let people come to their island. If people come,
they kill ’em quick. Nux and I, we once live on island near here. Twice
the young men of my people make a war party to conquer Pearl People. The
first time none ever came back. The second time Nux and I we go with
them. We have many hundred fighting men—warriors. We come to other side
of island, where is big city. Pearl People see us and send many hundred
boats to meet us on the water. We make brave fight. All our warriors
die. Nux and me, we bound and put in bottom of canoe. Pearl People king
say he take us to city and kill us with fire to honor his great Pearl
God, who win him the fight. But sudden storm come up; very bad storm;
our boat break away and drift out to sea; we nearly die from thirst and
pain when you pick us up and save us. That the story of the Pearl
People. They very bad, cruel blacks.”
Bry’s dramatic recital gave us all food for thought, as may well be
imagined. The sailors and passengers formed an eager group around him
and listened intently to the tale; but there was little of comfort in it
for anyone.
Uncle Naboth, my father and I, Joe and Ned Britton, went a little apart
from the others and held a council. After considering the situation we
favored Joe’s advice, which was to cut across the end of the island to
where the _Seagull_ was perched upon the rocks, enter the ship and take
possession of it before our enemies did. We could be more comfortable
there than elsewhere on this bleak shore. Our supplies were there,
probably uninjured; moreover, we could use it as a fort and defend it
successfully against a horde if attacked.
If Bry and Nux were correct about this being Faytan, then this was the
safest plan we could adopt. If our blacks were wrong we would soon
discover the fact and could later decide on a definite plan of action.
It would be impossible to launch the boats again and return around the
point to the ship, for the sea was yet in fearful turmoil; so we decided
to leave the boats where they were, and try to find our way across the
rocks.
Our passengers, when this was explained to them, readily agreed to the
plan, provided the ship proved to be in a safe position and we were able
to get aboard. Of course our crew, all old and tried men, were ready to
obey any orders they received, so we lost no time in making the start
and our promptness doubtless saved our lives.
There was a gloomy sky and the wind howled mournfully among the rocks.
We appointed two men to assist Madam de Jiminez and two others to aid
Madam de Alcantara who, since a real calamity had befallen us, had
ceased to wail and settled into a state of helpless stupor. Alfonso and
Joe walked with Lucia, but the girl was fully as active as they were and
could climb the rocks like a mountain goat.
There was a fairly level country between the forest and the cove, but in
order to reach the ship we had to clamber over a mass of jagged rocks
that proved exceedingly difficult. There were high peaks with deep
ravines between them, for the point we were crossing was of volcanic
formation and some eruption had tossed the huge stones helter-skelter in
a confused mass. At one time we were high enough to see the ocean—still
rolling wildly—and at its feet the dear old _Seagull_ perched like a
monument on the rocks. Then we got tangled up with the ravines again and
when next we emerged we were across the point, and only a hundred rods
or so from the jagged coast where the ship was.
It was a marvelous thing, this high beaching of the _Seagull_. The wave
that carried her ashore must have been a monster, for the ship stood at
least twenty feet above the water level and she had been gently placed
between two huge rocks in a cavity that seemed especially made to
receive her. She stood level as a die, stern to the island and bow to
the sea—the sea that she was likely never to sail again; for no human
agency could ever launch her from that altitude, with a double row of
sharp reefs between her and the deep water. As a seagoing vessel we
admitted that the career of the _Seagull_ was ended; but as a place of
refuge—a residence and a fort—the ship in its present location would
prove invaluable to us as long as we were obliged to remain upon the
island.
We found the rocks that supported her so steep and difficult to climb
that we sent Joe and Ned Britton ahead, they being as sure-footed as
cats. On reaching the ship they found only a loose rope hanging over the
side to enable them to get aboard; but Joe managed to mount by this
means and at once let down a ladder. A few minutes sufficed to gather
ropes enough for their purpose, which was to furnish something to assist
us in mounting to the ship. It was not easy to get the two ladies up,
but Lucia was as active as a boy and assisted her mother even better
than we could.
Soon we were all aboard, and to us who had always trod the decks when
the _Seagull_ lay upon the bosom of the water it was a peculiar
experience to find her stationary and wedged tight between two big
rocks. There was more or less disorder on board, as was natural when you
consider we had deserted the ship in a panic of fear; but there seemed
no especial damage of any port and the men set to work and quickly put
things to rights again.
The sea was falling rapidly. After we reached the ship there was no wave
of sufficient magnitude to dash the spray over her side, and few that
even wetted her. The passengers at once sought their staterooms and put
them in order for further occupancy. De Jiminez was delighted at the
thought that he had saved his precious cargo, although what good the
guns and truck could do the revolution in Colombia was a mystery to the
rest of us. Little Jim was in a sullen, silent mood and seemed to think
fate was playing him a sorry trick. Perhaps she was; but my opinion is
we were lucky to come out of the typhoon as well as we did. It was
assuredly the worst storm I have ever experienced.
So far we had seen no natives at all, and Uncle Naboth said to Bryonia:
“Perhaps you’re mistaken about this being the island of the Pearl
People. For if them natives you’ve described are as careful as you say
they are about guarding their coast, they would have been after us long
before this.”
“We quite sure we right,” answered Bry. “But you see, in such storm as
this they think no natives of other islands can come here to attack, so
they stay at home in their big city. To-morrow they come here, plenty of
them; and then we must fight hard.”
This set my father thinking. He turned to Ned Britton and said:
“Do you s’pose we could get the boats around to-night? The sea’s easier
now and if we wait till to-morrow we may have the natives on us. We
can’t very well afford to lose the boats, for without ’em we’d have no
way to leave this island.”
Ned cast a look over the water and then nodded.
“All right, Cap’n,” he said. “We’ll try it.”
He went away to pick his men, and Bry returned to the kitchen galley and
started dinner. Fortunately the _Seagull_ was well provisioned and we
had enough supplies to last our party for several months.
As Nux was laying the cabin table for the noonday meal I said to him:
“Why are the natives of Faytan called the Pearl People—and why should
your tribe make such a desperate effort to conquer them?”
“’Roun’ dis island, Mars Sam,” said he, “is de fines’ pearls in all de
world. Dey grow in a certain sort o’ clamshell what can’t be foun’
anywhere else. An’ de Faytan natives dey jus’ crazy ’bout dem pearls,
an’ fish fer ’em all de time. But dey won’t sell none nor give ’em away;
dey jus’ keeps ’em all heaped up in de Pearl City, an’ wears ’em on
deyre bodies fer orn’ments. Dey worship de pearls in de great temple an’
believes dey gives ’em strength an’ health an’ makes ’em defeat all
deyre enemies. If any boat comes here an’ sends anyone ashore dey kill
’em quick. Sometimes de tribes of other islands come in big numbers to
try to get de pearls; but Faytans always too strong for ’em an’ kill ’em
all.”
“Then how do you know about the pearls, and the Pearl City, and the
Pearl Temple, and all that?” I inquired.
“How we know?”
“Yes. If no one ever gets away alive, how did you find out about these
people?”
“I tell you,” said Nux. “Bry’s father he great chief of our people—what
you call king. One day when he go with many canoe to fight the Grinto
Islanders, a storm come up an’ drive him far away. All de canoe keep
together with lines, an’ lay still on de water all night, floatin’
wherever de wind drive ’em. When day break in mornin’ he find two canoe
from Faytan have drift in among ’em. When Faytan people see our canoe
dey go fast to escape; but our warriors go faster. Dey catch Faytan
canoe an’ de Pearl People fight us. Dey kill twenty-two of our warriors
an’ we kill six Faytan people an’ make two prisoners. The prisoners we
carry back home. Dey big fellows an’ don’t talk much; but dey brag of de
Pearl People an’ say they rich an’ strong, an’ nobody can ever conquer
dem an’ get de pearls. Sometimes dey tell us all about de Pearl City an’
de great temple, an’ all dat; an’ our chief ask ’em to show de way to
Faytan an’ he prove he can conquer de Pearl People. Dey tell chief dey
hate us so bad dey will show de way. So many young men of our tribe go
in canoe, an’ de two Faytan natives go an’ show dem de way. I guess
’bout four hundred went, but only seven came back. All de res’ was
murdered by de Pearl People. De prisoners try to escape in de fight an’
get to land; but our chief he kill ’em both an’ den escape himself an’
come home with six others.”
“That was hard luck,” I remarked.
“My father,” said Nux, “was kill in dat fight.”
“But you tried it again?”
“Many years after. Chief he old, den, an’ his son grow up an’ want to go
to Faytan. De chief’s son is Bry. He my cousin. We hear much talk about
Pearl People, an’ Bry—his right name Louiki—he beg chief to go. So we
get a thousan’ warriors with spear, ax an’ bow ’n’ arrow, and go in many
canoe to Faytan. Bry told you what happen. I think we two the only ones
that escape.”
I thought over this story with much care.
“Do you believe all that rubbish about the pearls, Nux?” I asked.
“Why not, Mars Sam? I see de Pearl People when I fight ’em. All have
their bodies covered wid strings of fine pearls. Big pearls. Some white,
some blue, some pink. I see de pearls. Why do I not believe?”
“Did you see the big city?”
“I see part of it from de sea. We couldn’t get on shore. It mighty fine
city, Mars Sam—over on de odder side dis island.”
“Then how did you happen to recognize the back end of the island where
we are now?”
“Before we fight we come close, in de night, to see if we can land here
an’ not be seen. We think if we can fight on land we beat de Faytans,
who fight best on water. But when we row up an’ down dis coast we find
we cannot land. We try de little cove; but dey on watch. Dey on watch
all aroun’ de island; so we go bold to de front an’ fight in sight of de
city.”
“Seems to me, Nux,” I observed, turning this over in my mind, “we’re
likely to have some lively times with these natives.”
The black nodded very soberly.
“Pearl People very big; very dang’rous,” he replied. “They thick as
leaves on the trees. If we go ’way alive, Mars Sam, it’s cause we have a
ship full o’ guns an’ ca’tridges, which shoot better than bow ’n’ arrow
can.”
“Yes, indeed,” I said, smiling; “it is certainly fortunate we have such
a cargo. And the ship, cast ashore in this place, is a splendid fort. We
won’t despair yet, Nux.”
The ladies did not appear at dinner, all three having gone to bed to
rest after their dreadful night. Nux carried coffee and toast to them,
and the rest of us dined at the cabin table in rather solemn fashion.
There was little in the situation to cheer any of us.
Toward evening Ned and his men left the ship and began their tedious
climb over the rocky point to the cove where we had left the boats. I
saw that all of them were well armed and warned them of the warlike
disposition of the natives. The sea was now smooth enough to render the
journey around by boat practical, and as we had seen no sign of any
inhabitants, so far, we hoped we were as yet unobserved. But that thick
forest ahead of us might be harboring a hundred watching eyes.
They failed to discover themselves, in that case, then or afterward. It
grew dark quickly and I feared our boys would not reach the boats until
long after nightfall. But the sky was clearing, in patches, and in
places we could see thousands of stars glittering dimly.
We had established a good watch on deck and drawn up all the ladders, so
that a surprise was well-nigh impossible. Joe and I paced up and down in
the dusk, for we were careful not to show any lights, and talked about
the queer stories we had heard of the Pearl People.
“If half these tales are true, Joe,” said I, “I mean to have a try at
some of those pearls before we leave here.”
“Of course,” he returned. “It would be foolish for us not to land such a
rare treasure when it’s right at hand—hunting for us, so to speak. But
what interests me most, Sam, is the Pearl City, with its palaces and
temples. That might be worth seeing.”
“Nux says the natives number many thousands, and they have decreed death
to all strangers. But who knows, Joe? We may see the city after all.”
As he was about to reply we heard the far-off crack of rifles—a regular
volley—and knew the sound came from the cove. After that there was deep
silence.
The struggle had begun.