ON BOARD THE "CHAMPION"--MUTINY--FIRE BREAKS OUT--THE CREW, WITH THE
DOCTOR AND TIDY, ESCAPE ON A RAFT--RUM, AND ITS EFFECTS--MEN LOST--STEER
AWAY FROM THE DEAD WHALE--RUM CAUSES THE DEATH OF MOST OF THE PARTY--A
MURDER--THE SURVIVORS RECEIVED ON BOARD THE BOAT.
We must now go back in the order of events, and return to the
_Champion_. After the boats had gone away on the expedition which was
to end so disastrously, Mr Lawrie, the surgeon, was walking the deck,
meditating on the responsibility he had undertaken, when Dan Tidy came
up to him and whispered,--"Hist, sir! things are not going on altogether
straight below, I'm after thinking; and if we don't keep a bright
lookout, we shall have the boatswain and the Frenchmen running away with
the ship, and leaving the captain and the rest of the people in the
boats to get back to her if they can. The only chance is that they come
to loggerheads together; for they have been quarrelling away for the
last hour, though what about, for the life of me I cannot make out."
"Then, Tidy, call the true men aft, and I will arm them, and be ready
for whatever may happen," said the surgeon quietly.
Tidy did as directed; and the man at the helm being one who could be
trusted, a cutlass and a brace of pistols were given to him. Scarcely
had these arrangements been made when a number of men came rushing up
the fore-hatchway, some shouting in English and others in French,--
showing the surgeon that, although they might before have been
quarrelling, they were now united for one common object. He guessed
that their intention was to get possession of the helm, as he saw some
of them squaring away the fore-yards.
"If a man advances abaft the mainmast, or touches a brace, we fire!" he
cried out.
"Knock him over!" cried out a voice, which he recognised as that of the
boatswain. "Do as I told you."
"You, my brave fellows, who are resolved to stand faithful to the
captain, be ready with your firearms," cried the surgeon. The boatswain
and the others with him on this uttered loud shouts of derision, and
several shots were fired at the surgeon and his supporters. He was
compelled now to give the order to fire in return. Two of his men had
been wounded; and three or four of the mutineers fell from the steady
fire poured in on them. The rest, led on by the boatswain, now made a
fierce onslaught on the surgeon--he and Tidy being knocked over; but his
party, standing firm, drove back their assailants, and he was able to
recover his feet. A second attack was about to be made, when loud cries
of "Fire! fire!" arose from below, and smoke and flames were seen
issuing up the fore-hatchway. The danger threatening had the effect of
calming the fury of the mutineers, while Mr Lawrie's earnest appeals
induced them to exert themselves in putting out the flames. Indeed, had
not the explosion which has been described taken place, they might
possibly have succeeded. For a few moments they stood aghast; but the
boatswain, who had already shown his courage, rallied the survivors
around him, and urged them to assist him in building a raft. "It's our
only chance of saving our lives," he shouted; "and the sooner we set
about it the better." Most of the men, obeying him, began cutting loose
such spars as could be most easily got at, and launching them overboard.
They then, with axes, cut away the bulwarks and other materials for
forming a raft; while Mr Lawrie and his party still made desperate
efforts to extinguish the fire. The boatswain showed himself a thorough
seaman, by the skilful way in which he put the raft together; and he had
finished it before the flames had gained the mastery--thanks to the
labours of the surgeon and his party, who, though they could not
extinguish it, had kept down the fire. Mr Lawrie, who had not
forgotten Alice, was hurrying aft with the intention of trying to save
her, when some of the mutineers caught him. "Come along, sir!--come
along!" they shouted; "we want a doctor among us, and cannot leave you
behind;" and, in spite of his struggles, he was dragged to the side and
lowered down on the raft. Dan had made a dash into the cabin, but only
in time to see Nub and Alice floating away on a raft from the wreck.
Notwithstanding the bruises he had received, he rushed forward in the
hope of saving his life, and, unseen by the mutineers, he lowered
himself down among them.
Mr Lawrie's first inquiry on being placed on the raft, and just as they
were shoving off, was whether they had brought any provisions. "If we
leave the ship without any, we shall only be seeking a more lingering
death than we should have found on board," he exclaimed.
The cry arose from those near him, who saw the sense of his
remark,--"What provisions have we got?" Search was made, when it was
found that they were actually leaving the ship without a particle of
food or a drop of water!
"This will not do," cried the boatswain. "Who will volunteer to go back
and get what we want? I'll lead the way!" Saying this, he sprang up
the side, followed by several of the more daring of the crew. They made
their way to the after-hold. A cask of beef was got up; but the men,
breaking into the spirit-room, insisted on having some rum. One of
them, wiser than his companions, managed to lower down a couple of
breakers of water, while the rest were occupied in getting up three
casks of rum; precious time, which should have been employed in
searching for more provisions, being thus wasted in procuring what would
too likely prove their destruction. The spirit-casks had just been
lowered down, when the flames, bursting out with greater fury, made them
dread another explosion.
"Shove off!--shove off!" was the general cry; and the men who had been
labouring on the deck for the good of the others had barely time to
spring on to the raft, when the ropes which held it to the ship were
cut, and they shoved away from the side.
By this time a strong breeze had sprung up; the sail was hoisted, and
the raft, passing under the stern, glided rapidly away from the ship.
Though it was large enough to support the people on it, they found it
necessary that each man should keep a certain place in order to balance
it properly. The boatswain took the command, and insisted that all the
rest should obey him. His own people seemed willing to do so; but the
Frenchmen, who equalled them in numbers, from the first showed an
evident inclination to dispute his authority, under the leadership of
their own boatswain, a man not dissimilar to him in character. Capstick
had sense enough to know that he must assert his authority, and keep the
Frenchmen in check, or they would very probably take the raft from him.
"I see what these fellows are after, Mr Lawrie," he said to the
surgeon, who was seated near him. "You will stick by me, I know; for it
will come to a fight before long, when, if we don't gain the upper hand,
we shall all be hove overboard."
"Then I would advise you to get rid of the rum-casks at once," said the
surgeon. "I see that your people are already eyeing one of them as if
they were about to broach it; and if they get drunk, which they
certainly will, we shall be in the Frenchmen's power."
"I believe that you are right, sir; but I would not like to lose so much
good rum," answered the boatswain, who was himself much too fond of
liquor. "I will see what I can do, though."
"Avast there, lads," he shouted to the men. "If we wish to save our
lives, all hands must be put on a limited allowance of provisions and
spirits. I cannot say how far off we are from the land; but it may be
many a long day before we get there."
"We will think about that to-morrow," answered one of the men. "We are
thirsty now, after the hard work we have been doing, and we want a glass
of grog or two to give us a little strength."
The boatswain expostulated; but he himself longed to have a glass of
rum, and his opposition grew weaker. The cask was broached, and a
cupful--a large allowance--was served out to each Englishman, including
the doctor and Tidy. Mr Lawrie, however, managed to throw some of his
away, and to fill it up with water from a breaker which he had secured,
and on which he was sitting--treating Tidy's in the same way. The
Frenchmen, on seeing what was going forward, clamoured loudly for rum;
for French sailors, and especially under the circumstances in which
these were placed, generally show as strong an inclination for spirits
as do Englishmen.
"Well, you shall have it if you obey orders," answered the boatswain;
the grog he had taken making him more inclined to be good-humoured than
before, as well as to forget his suspicions. The seamen were also
willing enough to share their treasure with their companions in
misfortune. The quantity they had taken at first produced no apparent
ill effects, though it tended to raise their spirits and make them
forget the dangerous position in which they were placed. Some became
loquacious, others sang songs; and both parties shook hands, and vowed
that they regarded each other as brothers and friends.
The next day, however, a change had come over their spirits. The French
boatswain declared that, as he had assisted to build the raft, he had as
much right to the command as Capstick, as well as to half the rum and
provisions. To this the latter would not agree; but the Frenchmen,
after remaining quiet for some little time, suddenly sprang up, made a
dash at one of the casks of rum, and capturing it, carried it in among
them.
"Let them have their way," said Mr Lawrie. "Keep your own people
sober, and if the Frenchmen get drunk, you will the more easily master
them."
This advice, however, was not followed; some even of the better men
making such frequent visits to the cask that several of them were
utterly stupified. The Frenchmen meantime having broached their cask,
many of them were soon in the same condition. The raft, however, was
tumbling about too much to allow them to move,--this more than anything
else preventing the two parties from coming to blows on the subjects of
dispute which frequently arose. Those who had retained their senses had
become hungry, and now demanded food. The doctor and Tidy had managed
to knock off the head of the beef-cask, and they served out a portion to
each man. It was, however, salt and hard, and tended to increase their
thirst.
Thus the day wore on, and Mr Lawrie could not help looking with serious
apprehensions to the future. As yet the two parties had not come to
actual blows, but it was evident that they would do so on a very slight
provocation. The only person over whom he could assert any beneficial
influence was Tidy, who, notwithstanding an Irishman's proverbial
affection for a "dhrop of the crater," willingly followed his advice,
and took only a small quantity of spirits with his share of water. Tidy
had fortunately filled his pockets with biscuit when he went into the
cabin to look for Alice. This he shared with the doctor, thus
preventing the beef from producing the thirst which it did in the
others, who ate it by itself. The Frenchmen had complained that smaller
rations were served out to them than the Englishmen took for themselves,
and, watching their opportunity, they suddenly rushed towards the
beef-cask. Capstick and his party defended it, and soon drove them back
again. Though no knives were drawn on the occasion, blows were
inflicted, and two of the combatants struggling together fell
overboard,--when, locked in a deadly embrace, they sank before their
companions could rescue them. Their fate for a time had the effect of
sobering the rest; and the doctor, in the hope of keeping them at peace,
advised that the two boatswains should together serve out the beef, and
see that their countrymen had equal shares.
We cannot follow the history of the unhappy men from day to day. Their
provisions had now come nearly to an end. One cask of rum and a portion
only of a breaker of water remained; and had not the doctor and Tidy
exerted themselves, this also would have been exhausted. Several men
were lying on the raft, and the doctor knew that they were dying, but he
could do nothing for them. He warned the rest; but they only laughed at
him, declaring that the men had only a little too much grog aboard, and
would soon come round.
They had made some progress to the westward, sometimes becalmed, and
sometimes considerably tossed about, when, soon after daybreak one
morning, they caught sight of a dead whale floating on the surface. The
boatswain steered towards it, intending, as he said, to get some
blubber, which would help out their beef. But perceiving a fire on its
back as he got nearer, he at once declared his conviction that the
captain and his boat's crew, and perhaps those of the other boats, must
be there; so he vowed that nothing should induce him to place himself in
his power, telling his own people that if the captain were to take the
command of the raft, he would stop their grog, and eat up the remainder
of the provisions. He called on them, therefore, to stand by him while
he kept the raft on a course which would carry her some distance from
the whale. The Frenchmen, in the meantime, seeing the flag on the
whale, and the fire burning, and believing that boats must be alongside,
frantically stretched out their hands, and shouted at the top of their
voices, not recollecting that they were too far off to be heard. They
shrieked and shouted, and danced about, every now and then turning with
violent gestures towards the boatswain, telling him to steer for the
whale. He, however, took no heed of their entreaties, but, feeling
dependence on the men about him, continued his course till the raft had
got considerably to leeward of the whale, when it was impossible to get
up to it--all the oars which had been on board, with the exception of
the one by which he steered, having been lost during the frequent
struggles which had taken place. The Frenchmen, finding their shouts
disregarded, then returned to their seats, talking together, and casting
threatening looks at the whaler's crew. The boatswain and his
companions laughed at their threats.
Hunger and thirst were by this time assailing them, when one of the men
proposed to broach the remaining cask of spirits. In vain the doctor
endeavoured to dissuade them from touching it; the boatswain offered but
a slight resistance. They dragged it from the spot in the after part of
the raft, where it had been stowed, and were soon engaged in drinking
its contents.
"A short life and a merry one," cried the party, as they passed the cup
rapidly round. The liquor soon began to take effect on their already
exhausted frames. They shouted and sang songs, but their voices sounded
hollow and cracked; and several rolled over, laughing idiotically at
their own condition. The Frenchmen, who had been watching these
proceedings, and waiting their opportunity, now rushed aft, and knocking
over those who opposed them, seized the cask, and carried it off in
triumph. The French boatswain endeavoured to persuade them to take only
a small quantity; but they laughed at his warnings, and were soon in the
same condition as the Englishmen. Some sang and shrieked; and others,
getting up, attempted to dance, till one unhappy man in his gyrations
tumbled overboard. Some of his companions attempting to catch hold of
him, nearly fell in likewise. Their efforts were of no avail, and he
sank almost within arm's length. The accident partly sobered some of
them. Capstick, calling on the Englishmen, who were still sober enough
to move, then endeavoured to regain possession of the cask, when in the
struggle the bung-hole was turned downwards, and the greater portion of
the contents ran out. A general fight ensued, both parties accusing
each other of being the cause of the loss. Knives were drawn, and
wounds inflicted. The Englishmen, however, secured the prize, and had
to continue the fight to preserve it. The two boatswains stood aloof
encouraging their respective parties; while the doctor and Tidy, who
attempted to act the part of pacificators, were knocked over, the
Irishman narrowly escaping being thrown into the sea. The fight
continued for some time, till the combatants, many of them badly
wounded, sank down utterly exhausted. The doctor, notwithstanding the
hurts he had received, wished to do his duty, and went among them to
examine their hurts. His sorrow was great when he found that no less
than five were dead,--chiefly, he believed, from the effects of the
spirits they had drunk; while several more were in a state which showed
him that, even should help speedily come, they were too far gone to
recover. Before the sun rose next morning, not a dozen people remained
alive on the raft.
The doctor and Tidy had agreed to keep watch and watch, to protect each
other, and they were thus able to preserve a little of the water and a
small piece of beef which remained in the cask. It might be supposed
that the fearful results of the drink would have been a warning to the
survivors; but their desire for liquor was as strong as ever; and as
soon as they awoke, they insisted on again attacking the rum-cask. A
common misfortune seemed at length to have united the two parties; but
their leaders stood aloof from each other. The men, however, began
sharing the rum out equally among themselves. This went on for some
time, till, the liquor running short, they commenced quarrelling as
before. The doctor urged Tidy to take no part in any dispute. "Our
countrymen are as much to blame as the Frenchmen," he observed. "If we
assist our boatswain, we shall be guilty of their death." Tidy's Irish
spirit, however, would hardly allow him to follow the doctor's advice.
It had now fallen perfectly calm. Mr Lawrie, overcome by the heat, had
fallen fast asleep, and Tidy, who had undertaken to keep watch, was
dozing by his side. Most of the party were by this time reduced to such
a state of weakness that very few appeared likely to survive much
longer. Evening was rapidly approaching, when suddenly the doctor was
awakened by hearing the Irishman exclaim, "Faith, sir, they are at it
again; and if they are not stopped, one or both of them will get the
worst of it." The doctor started up, when he saw the two boatswains
standing facing each other at the further end of the raft. Each had a
drawn knife in his hand. The Frenchman was at the outer end of the
raft, while two of his countrymen, the only men among them able to exert
themselves, were standing near him. "Hold! What murderous work are you
about?" shouted the doctor. But his voice came too late; the combatants
closed as he spoke, stabbing each other with their weapons. The next
moment the Frenchman, driven back by the English boatswain, was hurled
bleeding into the water. His two countrymen, who had hitherto remained
looking on, sprang to his assistance. One of them, losing his balance,
fell overboard; while the boatswain, seizing the other by the throat,
stabbed him to the heart. Then turning round with fury in his eyes, he
shrieked out, "I will treat every man in the same way who interferes
with me!" No one, however, appeared inclined to do so. The sun,
already dipping, disappeared beneath the horizon as the scene of blood
was concluded; and the boatswain, who seemed suddenly to have been
excited into savage fury, sank down exhausted on the raft.
Some more hours passed away, when Mr Lawrie, Tidy, and the boatswain
alone remained alive of all those who had lately peopled the raft. The
surgeon did his utmost to restore the wretched boatswain, binding up his
wounds, and pouring a little of the remaining spirits and water down his
throat. It seemed surprising, considering the injuries he had received,
that he had not succumbed as the others had done. He evidently
possessed no ordinary amount of vitality. A few scraps of beef remained
in the cask, of which the surgeon gave him a portion. He ate it
eagerly. His continual cry, however, was for water.
As the night advanced, the sea got up, tumbling the raft fearfully
about. Mr Lawrie and Tidy dragged the boatswain to the centre of the
raft, and it was only by great exertions they held themselves and him
on. The dark, foam-crested seas came rolling up, threatening every
instant to break aboard and sweep them away. The boatswain had
sufficient consciousness to be well aware of his danger; and fearful
must have been the sensations of that bold bad man, his hands red with
the blood of his fellow-creatures, as he contemplated a speedy death and
the judgment to come. He groaned and shrieked out, yet not daring to
ask for mercy. The surgeon would thankfully have shut out those fearful
cries from his ears. Like a true man, he resolved to struggle to the
last to preserve his own life and the lives of his companions.
Thus hour after hour went slowly by, till the grey light of morning
appeared above the horizon, broken by the rising and falling seas. Mr
Lawrie found his own strength going, and Dan was in a still worse
condition. They had no food, and not a drop of water remaining, and no
land in sight. Stout-hearted as they both were, they could not help
feeling that ere long they must yield, and share the fate of those who
were already buried beneath the waves. The doctor knew, however, that
it was his duty to struggle to the last, and he did his utmost to
encourage poor Dan.
"Shure, Mr Lawrie, it's myself has no wish to become food for the
fishes, if it can be helped at all at all, and as long as I can I'll
hold fast for dear life to the planks," he said in answer to Mr
Lawrie's exhortations. "Maybe a ship will come and pick us up. Just
look out there, sir! What do you see? If my eyes don't decave me,
there is a boat; and she's pulling towards us."
Mr Lawrie looked, as Dan told him; and there, sure enough, he saw a
boat approaching the raft, but very slowly. Now she was hidden by
intervening seas, and now again she came into sight on the crest of a
wave.
"Shure, can it be the captain's boat, or one of the other boats which
have been looking for us since the ship went down?" exclaimed Dan.
On hearing the word "captain," the boatswain lifted up his head and
tried to get a glimpse of the approaching boat. "It may be one of our
boats; but if it is the captain's, just heave me overboard at once, for
he will hear all that's happened."
"Rest assured that if the captain is in yonder boat he will pity your
condition, and not call your deeds to account," said the surgeon,
anxious to soothe the mind of the dying man.
The boat got nearer and nearer, when the surgeon recognised Walter
steering, with Alice by his side, and the mate and Nub pulling. They
were soon near enough to hail him.
"Thankful to fall in with you," shouted Mr Shobbrok, who just then made
out the surgeon and Tidy though he could not distinguish the boatswain.
"Who's that with you?"
The surgeon told him.
"Where are the rest?" was the next question.
"Gone! all gone!" was the answer.
"Heave us a rope, and we will hold on under your lee till the water is
calm enough to take you on board," cried the mate.
Tidy unrove the halliards, and made several attempts to heave the end on
board the boat. At length she came in nearer, when he succeeded; and
the rope being made fast, the boat floated back to a safe distance.
Questions were now put and answered between them, but they could offer
little consolation to each other. The surgeon had to acknowledge that
they were without food and water. "If you can manage to send us a
little, we shall be thankful," he shouted out.
"We have scarcely enough for another day for ourselves," was the
alarming answer; "though we will share what we have when we get you on
board."
It was nearly noon before Mr Shobbrok thought it safe to haul up to the
raft, when the surgeon and Tidy, exerting all their strength, and with
the mate and Nub's assistance, lifted the boatswain into the boat.