To con a ship into and along a narrow winding channel, with no
possibility of return, and with the certain knowledge that the slightest
mistake, the smallest error of judgment, meant the destruction of the
vessel, and the drowning of every individual on board her, was nervous
work for a lad of my years. As I stood there on the royal yard, with my
arm round the masthead to steady myself upon my somewhat precarious
perch, and my gaze concentrated upon the thin line of unbroken water
that twisted hither and thither through the seething turmoil of yeasty
froth, swirling and boiling on either hand, I burst into a drenching
perspiration. For it must be remembered that I had assumed the enormous
responsibility of plunging the ship into the inextricable situation
which I have indicated upon the impulse of a moment, generated by a
conviction that in no other manner could we hope to escape from the
labyrinth of shoals in which we had become involved. Furthermore, I had
been spurred to the act by the hope, rather than the certainty, that the
channel along which we were now sweeping with what, to my
apprehensiveness, seemed headlong speed, offered us an unobstructed
passage to open water. Yet now, when retreat was impossible, I began to
fear that I had been fatally mistaken; for at a certain spot in the
channel along which I proposed to take the ship I saw that the water,
which happened to have been unbroken at the instant when I arrived at my
momentous decision, was now all aboil with foam for a space of three or
four ship's-lengths, as though an impassable obstruction existed there.
If this were the case, but one slender hope remained for us, the hope
that before that obstruction should be reached we might find a part of
the channel wide enough to permit the ship to round-to and anchor, thus
giving us time to make a more deliberate search for a way of escape.
This hope, however, was an exceedingly slender one, for the channel
which we were traversing was appallingly narrow, averaging very little
more than a couple of lengths of the ship, which was considerably less
than half the minimum space that I required for the contemplated
manoeuvre. But while I was anxiously searching the channel ahead, on
the lookout for such a spot, I suddenly caught sight of another channel,
branching out of the one which we were then traversing, which
unquestionably ran without a break into the small patch of open water of
which I have already spoken, and from which a good channel led into the
open sea. The only question was whether there was room enough to allow
the ship to take the sweep out of the one channel into the other without
going ashore upon the reef; for the new channel branched off at a very
acute angle, and there appeared to be even less width than usual at the
junction of the two channels.
Here was another momentous question for me to decide, unaided, in the
space of a few seconds--for there was not time enough to permit of my
summoning the boatswain aloft and consulting him upon the matter. I had
to make up my mind whether to continue along the channel which the ship
was then in, trusting that the appearance indicative of an obstruction
was illusory, or whether I would take the risk of wrecking the ship on
the reef in an endeavour to pass round a very acute angle into the
newly-discovered channel, which I was by this time able to see would
certainly enable us to reach open water. It was difficult to determine
which of the two alternatives was the more desperate; but as the ship
went driving along toward the point, once past which a choice would no
longer be possible, I fancied that the prospect of being able to turn
into the new channel looked a trifle less hopeless than it did a few
minutes earlier, while the appearance of an obstruction in the original
channel was still as menacing as ever, I therefore determined to put all
to the hazard of the die and make the attempt to get into the new
channel. This decision arrived at, I hailed Polson to send all hands to
their stations in readiness to brace round the yards smartly at the word
of command, and for the helmsman to respond instantly to my signals for
the manipulation of the wheel. Then, as we rushed down toward the
turning-point, I caused the ship to be edged gradually up to windward,
until her weather side was all but scraping the coral of the reef, in
order to secure every possible inch of turning-space, at the same time
narrowly watching the channel ahead that I might be able to determine
accurately the precise moment when to shift the helm. Twice or thrice
in as many seconds did my courage fail me and all but determine me to
take the risk of keeping straight head, but when the critical moment
arrived I was once more master of myself and was able to give the order:
"Hard up with your helm! Brail in the spanker, and shiver the mizen
topsail!"
Polson, recognising the necessity for prompt action at the helm, had
sent a second hand to the wheel, and at the first sound of my voice
these two men sent the wheel spinning hard over with all their united
strength, while at the same moment the men tending the after braces had
relieved the ship of the pressure of the whole of the canvas upon her
mizenmast, the craft accordingly swerved away from the wind with almost
the alacrity of a living thing, and the next moment she was swirling
round, as though upon a pivot, shaving the obstructive angle of the reef
by a hairbreadth, and coming to with the wind over the starboard
quarter, when the rounding of her port bow was actually dashing aside
the white water, while I clung to my masthead in fear and trembling,
waiting for the shock which should tell me that she had struck. As a
matter of fact, she actually did, very slightly, graze the coral for a
few feet of her length, just beneath the port main chains, for I
afterwards saw the marks upon her sheathing; but it was the merest
touch, the shock of which was scarcely perceptible, and the next moment
she had luffed fair into the centre of the new channel, and was speeding
away to the northward and eastward. This new channel was so exceedingly
narrow and tortuous that the vessel still needed the most careful
watching; but, compared with that sharp turn, the remaining portion of
the navigation was simple, and a trifle over two hours later I had the
extreme satisfaction of seeing the _Mercury_ sweep clear of the edge of
the reef into blue water, and to feel her once more rising and falling
upon the swell of the open ocean. Then I made my way down on deck and,
having given the officer of the watch the course, retired to the cabin
to enjoy a good breakfast, before lying down to recover some of my
arrears of rest.
At noon on the fifth day after this exceedingly awkward adventure, our
latitude, as computed from the meridian altitude of the sun, showed that
we had fairly cleared the Molucca Passage and had reached the waters,
wherein our search for the ideal island pictured by Wilde's vivid
imagination was to begin. I therefore gave orders for the ship to be
brought to the wind on the starboard tack, and we plunged into the vast
North Pacific Ocean, shortly afterward sighting the Tulur Islands on our
lee beam.
In the course of the next day we sighted and passed two groups of
islands within twenty miles of each other, standing in close enough to
each to enable us to form a pretty accurate idea of their character; but
they were altogether too small and insignificant to meet with Wilde's
approval, so we left them without even taking the trouble to land and
give them an overhaul.
On the following day, the ship still heading to the northward, we
sighted a couple of junks, about a mile apart, steering south. They
were made out from the forecastle-head, about three points on the lee
bow, at four bells of the forenoon watch; and the emigrants, who were
all on deck, manifested much interest in the quaint appearance of the
craft, as they approached us close-hauled. There was only a very
moderate breeze blowing--we were carrying all three of our royals--and
there was no sea to speak of, yet, despite these favourable conditions,
I must confess that I was not a little astonished to see how nimbly
those two unwieldy-looking craft moved over the water, and how close to
the wind they contrived to lie--this last, of course, being due to the
almost absolutely flat set of their mat sails. The weathermost of the
two looked as though she might cross our stern, at a distance of not
much more than a quarter of a mile. I got up the glass and had a look
at them when they were about two miles distant, but found nothing very
interesting about them, after I had noted their strangeness of model and
rig, and the quaint, decorative painting of their hulls, the bows of
each especially being painted to represent a human face with great,
staring goggle eyes, and of most diabolically ferocious aspect. Grace
Hartley was standing near me; and when, having completed my inspection
of the junks, I was about to return the telescope to its beckets, she
asked me if she might be permitted to use it. Of course I at once
handed the instrument to her, and then walked away to attend to some
business of the ship, returning to the poop when the leading junk was
within half a mile of us, with her two masts in line.
"What singular-looking vessels, are they not, Mr Troubridge?" exclaimed
the girl, withdrawing the instrument from her eye for a moment to speak
to me. "Of course," she continued, "I have seen pictures of Chinese
junks; but one really needs to see the vessels themselves, sailing as
those are, to get the complete idea of their quaintness of appearance.
And what an extraordinary number of men they carry! Is it because of
the peculiarity of their rig and the large size of their sails that they
require so many men?"
"N-o," said I doubtfully, "I think not. I am not aware that a junk
needs an exceptionally strong crew. Do you consider that those vessels
are very heavily manned?"
"Well, are they not?" she asked. "Of course I have no idea how many men
a junk requires to manage it, but I have been looking at those two--and
especially the nearest one--through the glass, and it struck me that
they must each have at least a hundred men on board!"
"A hundred men!" I repeated incredulously. "Oh, surely not! You must
be mistaken. Twenty, or perhaps twenty-five at the utmost, would be
much nearer the mark."
"Oh, but I am certain there are far more than that on board each of
those vessels! It was one of the peculiarities that particularly
impressed me in connection with them," answered the girl.
"Are you quite sure? Kindly let me have the glass a moment," said I,
taking the instrument from her and levelling it at the nearest junk.
The junk, however, was by this time settling away broad on our lee beam,
as we drew ahead, and was showing her weather side to us. It was
therefore difficult for me to get a view of her decks, the more so as
her bulwarks seemed to be unusually high. One thing, however, I
noticed, namely, that she carried eight brass guns--apparently about
twelve-pounders--of a side; and as I got a glimpse through the wide
ports out of which these weapons grinned, it seemed to me that there
were men stationed at them!
In a flash my thoughts reverted to the _Braave_, the Dutch barque that
we had fallen in with a week ago, with her cargo plundered and her
murdered crew cumbering her decks; and I sang out for Tudsbery to come
aft, that individual being at the moment busy upon some job on the
forecastle, as was frequently the case during his watch, if I happened
to be on the poop.
"Tudsbery," said I, as he joined me on the poop, "I think I remember
having heard you say that you have seen service in the China trade. I
want you to take a good look at those two junks--if you have not yet
done so--and give me your opinion of them."
"I've had a squint at 'em, of course, Mr Troubridge," he answered, as I
handed him the glass; "but I haven't noticed anything extra partic'lar
about 'em, so far." And he applied the instrument to his eye.
"You don't imagine, for instance, that they are cruising in company; or
that they are other than honest trading junks?" I asked.
"Well, I dunno," he replied, working away at them with the glass.
"Perhaps it is a bit strange, seein' two of 'em out here so close
together, and both of 'em steerin' exactly the same course. Yes, and,
by George, now I comes to look at 'em through the glass, I sees that
they are both of 'em armed--this here nearest one mounts eight barkers
of a side, and I'll be hanged if I don't believe her people are a-
trainin' of 'em upon us! Yes; dash me if they ain't! You'd better look
out, sir; they mean to slap a broadside into us in another minute, or
I'm a Dutchman!"
I turned and faced forward. "Go below, all of you!" I shouted. "Down
with you at once! That junk is going to fire upon us, and some of you
may be hurt. Miss Hartley," turning to the girl, who was standing close
beside us, "go down off the poop and get under cover at once, if you
please--"
Bang! crash! Eight jets of flame and smoke leapt from the port battery
of the nearest junk, which had by this time drawn down broad on our lee
quarter, some three cable-lengths distant, and the next instant the air
all round us seemed thick with humming missiles, many of which struck
the hull and bulwarks of the ship, making the splinters fly, while
others passed through our lower canvas, perforating it in two or three
dozen places, and providing a nice little repairing job for the hands in
some of their future spare moments. A hurried glance along the decks,
however, assured me that nobody had been hurt, although there was a good
deal of screaming among the women, while several of the children, in the
process of being hustled below by their parents, started crying
vigorously. Meanwhile Miss Hartley, after pausing a moment to stare in
astonishment at the splintered bulwarks and the riddled sails, calmly
descended the poop ladder and made her way into the cabin.
"Well," exclaimed Chips, "swamp me if that ain't the rummiest go as ever
I seen! That junk's a pirate junk, Mr Troubridge, neither more nor
less; and in my opinion t'other one's no better. Look at that, sir;
there she goes in stays! Tell ye what, sir, they means to get us in
between 'em if they can!"
"Upon my word, Chips, I believe you are right!" said I, as the more
distant of the two junks swept up into the wind, preparatory to going
round on the other tack. "And if they should succeed it will be a
pretty poor lookout for all hands aboard this ship! Have we any arms of
any description, do you know, with which to defend ourselves?"
"I'm sure I don't know, Mr Troubridge," answered the carpenter in tones
of great concern. "I haven't seen none. But there may be a few
muskets, or some'at of that sort, stowed away somewheres down below, for
all that I knows. If there is, I dare say the bosun'll know where to
lay his hands upon 'em."
"Then the best thing that you can do will be to go down and call the
boatswain, and put the question to-- ah, here he is!" as Polson's head
showed above the poop ladder. "Come up here, Polson!" I exclaimed;
"you are just the man we want. That junk astern of us has just treated
us to a broadside of langrage, and Chips's opinion of the pair of them
is that they are a couple of piratical craft. Have we any firearms of
any kind aboard with which to defend the ship, or must we run for it?"
"I believe that there's a case of two dozen muskets and some ammunition
down in a little bit of a magazine abaft the lazarette," answered
Polson; "and I fancies that there's a few round shot for them two six-
pounders of ours. Shall I go down and have a look, Mr Troubridge?"
"Yes, certainly," said I; "and be quick about it too, Polson. To be
perfectly frank with you, I don't half like the look of things. That
junk that has just tacked is looking up a good point higher than we are,
and unless we happen to have the heels of her, I fancy that we are in
for a warm time."
The boatswain waited to hear no more, but scuttled away off the poop
again with more alacrity than I had seen him exhibit since I had joined
the _Mercury_. Meanwhile the watch below, awakened by the racket, had
come on deck, and were having the situation explained to them with much
gesticulation and lurid language by their comrades, the watch on deck,
all of whom had knocked off the work upon which they happened to have
been engaged, and were now talking excitedly, casting occasional glances
from us on the poop to the junk away down on the lee bow. Presently the
junk which had fired into us, having drawn up fair into our wake,
distant about half a mile, tacked and stood after us.
After an absence of some ten minutes, the boatswain reappeared with the
news that he had found and opened the case of muskets, which were of the
new-fashioned percussion pattern, and also a generous supply of
ammunition for the same, together with some fifty round shot and
cartridges for the six-pounders.
"Good!" I exclaimed. "Take some hands below, Polson, and bring up that
case of muskets, together with some ammunition; also a few rounds for
the six-pounders. If appearances go for anything, we shall need them
all before long!"
A few minutes later the muskets, each of which had been carefully
wrapped in well-oiled cloths, were brought on deck, taken out of their
wrappings, well wiped, the nipples carefully tested with a pin, and
loaded, the powder being measured out from a powder horn, a wad rammed
down on top of it, with a bullet on top of that, and then another wad on
top of all to keep the bullet in its place. Then the brass six-pounders
were loaded and primed, and two pieces of slow match were cut off, ready
for lighting.
I must confess that I looked forward to the prospect of a fight with a
considerable amount of trepidation, for, in the first place, the odds
were exceedingly heavy against us--thirty of a crew, of whom only
twenty-four could be armed, against, probably, two hundred. Moreover,
our lads knew nothing about fighting, and, as I could see, had not much
stomach for it, while the crews of the junks were undoubtedly fighters
by trade. Still it was clear that we were in a fix, out of which there
was no escape without a fight; and that fact, which was patent to all
hands, might perhaps influence them to do their best. But probably
there were some among them who had never handled a musket in their
lives; it would obviously be useless to put weapons into the hands of
such men, and my first business must be to ascertain how many men were
capable of using firearms. I therefore directed the boatswain to call
all hands aft to the quarter-deck, where I addressed them.
"My lads," said I, "your leader's plans, and your own folly in abetting
them, have brought us into perilous waters, as you may see, for the two
junks which are endeavouring to close with us are undoubtedly pirate
craft. Unfortunately, none of us suspected their character until it was
too late; and now we are in a trap from which we can only escape by
fighting. And we must not only fight--we must also beat them off; for,
as I suppose you all know, if we permit ourselves to fall into their
hands, our fate will be similar to that of the unfortunate crew of the
Dutch barque with which we fell in the other day. Now we have here two
dozen muskets, with plenty of ammunition, and also a few rounds for the
six-pounders; so we are not badly off for weapons if we only have men
enough who know how to use them. Let as many of you as know how to use
a musket step to the front. And if any of you know anything about
working guns, step forward too."
Exactly twenty men stepped to the front, sixteen of whom declared that
they could use a musket, while the remaining four announced that they
were capable of loading and firing cannon.
"Very well," said I, "we must all do our utmost; for fight we must.
Those of you who are unable to fight must act as sail-trimmers. Polson
and Tudsbery, you must take charge of the guns. Steward, go below and
tell the emigrants that I want eight volunteers capable of handling
muskets; and they must preferably be single men. Polson, you may serve
out ammunition to the musketry men; and, hark ye, lads, when the time to
shoot arrives, do not blaze away at random, but select a mark, and do
your best to hit it! Now range yourselves along the lee rail, and do
not fire until I give the word."