"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 myself; 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 un-nerve 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 to 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 fearful, 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. They 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 they
were, but the lead was thrown over the side, and they found that they
were lying on shore on a sand bank, 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
shallower 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 sand bank, 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 beat
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 topsails 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 ropes, 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 sand bank 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
resolving not to decide as yet, but wait and see what might occur. In
the meantime, 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 flash through the air--a moment
afterwards he plunged 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 boat, 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 winds 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 the 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 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 every one 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 the 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 meantime, 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
perceived 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
rose, 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
there 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.