I FALL INTO THE HANDS OF PIRATES--HOW THEY TREATED ME, AND WHAT I SAID
TO THEM--THE RESULT OF THE WHOLE ENDING IN A MELANCHOLY SEPARATION AND
IN A MOST UNEXPECTED GIFT.
My heart seemed to leap into my throat at the words; and turning round,
I beheld a man of immense stature and fierce aspect regarding me with a
smile of contempt. He was a white man--that is to say, he was a man of
European blood, though his face, from long exposure to the weather, was
deeply bronzed. His dress was that of a common seaman, except that he
had on a Greek skull-cap, and wore a broad shawl of the richest silk
round his waist. In this shawl were placed two pairs of pistols and a
heavy cutlass. He wore a beard and moustache, which, like the locks on
his head, were short, curly, and sprinkled with grey hairs.
"So, youngster," he said with a sardonic smile, while I felt his grasp
tighten on my shoulder, "the villains have been balked of their prey,
have they? We shall see--we shall see. Now, you whelp, look yonder!"
As he spoke, the pirate uttered a shrill whistle. In a second or two it
was answered, and the pirate boat rowed round the point at the Water
Garden and came rapidly towards us. "Now, go make a fire on that point;
and hark'ee, youngster, if you try to run away I'll send a quick and
sure messenger after you," and he pointed significantly at his pistols.
I obeyed in silence; and as I happened to have the burning-glass in my
pocket, a fire was speedily kindled, and a thick smoke ascended into the
air. It had scarcely appeared for two minutes when the boom of a gun
rolled over the sea, and looking up, I saw that the schooner was making
for the island again. It now flashed across me that this was a ruse on
the part of the pirates, and that they had sent their vessel away,
knowing that it would lead us to suppose that they had left altogether.
But there was no use of regret now. I was completely in their power; so
I stood helplessly beside the pirate, watching the crew of the boat as
they landed on the beach. For an instant I contemplated rushing over
the cliff into the sea; but this, I saw, I could not now accomplish, as
some of the men were already between me and the water.
There was a good deal of jesting at the success of their scheme, as the
crew ascended the rocks and addressed the man who had captured me by the
title of "Captain". They were a ferocious set of men, with shaggy
beards and scowling brows. All of them were armed with cutlasses and
pistols, and their costumes were, with trifling variations, similar to
that of the captain. As I looked from one to the other, and observed
the low, scowling brows that never unbent even when the men laughed, and
the mean, rascally expression that sat on each face, I felt that my life
hung by a hair.
"But where are the other cubs?" cried one of the men with an oath that
made me shudder. "I'll swear to it there were three at least, if not
more."
"You hear what he says, whelp: where are the other dogs?" said the
captain.
"If you mean my companions," said I in a low voice, "I won't tell you."
A loud laugh burst from the crew at this answer.
The pirate captain looked at me in surprise. Then drawing a pistol from
his belt, he cocked it and said, "Now, youngster, listen to me. I've no
time to waste here. If you don't tell me all you know, I'll blow your
brains out! Where are your comrades?"
For an instant I hesitated, not knowing what to do in this extremity.
Suddenly a thought occurred to me.
"Villain," said I, shaking my clenched fist in his face, "to blow my
brains out would make short work of me, and be soon over; death by
drowning is as sure, and the agony prolonged. Yet I tell you to your
face, if you were to toss me over yonder cliff into the sea, I would not
tell you where my companions are; and I dare you to try me!"
The pirate captain grew white with rage as I spoke. "Say you so?" cried
he, uttering a fierce oath.--"Here, lads, take him by the legs and heave
him in--quick!"
The men, who were utterly silenced with surprise at my audacity,
advanced and seized me; and as they carried me towards the cliff, I
congratulated myself not a little on the success of my scheme, for I
knew that once in the water I should be safe, and could rejoin Jack and
Peterkin in the cave. But my hopes were suddenly blasted by the captain
crying out, "Hold on, lads, hold on! We'll give him a taste of the
thumb-screws before throwing him to the sharks. Away with him into the
boat. Look alive! the breeze is freshening."
The men instantly raised me shoulder-high, and hurrying down the rocks,
tossed me into the bottom of the boat, where I lay for some time stunned
with the violence of my fall.
On recovering sufficiently to raise myself on my elbow, I perceived that
we were already outside the coral reef and close alongside the schooner,
which was of small size and clipper-built. I had only time to observe
this much when I received a severe kick on the side from one of the men,
who ordered me, in a rough voice, to jump aboard. Rising hastily, I
clambered up the side. In a few minutes the boat was hoisted on deck,
the vessel's head put close to the wind, and the Coral Island dropped
slowly astern as we beat up against a head sea.
Immediately after coming aboard, the crew were too busily engaged in
working the ship and getting in the boat to attend to me; so I remained
leaning against the bulwarks close to the gangway, watching their
operations. I was surprised to find that there were no guns or
carronades of any kind in the vessel, which had more the appearance of a
fast-sailing trader than a pirate. But I was struck with the neatness
of everything. The brass-work of the binnacle and about the tiller, as
well as the copper belaying-pins, were as brightly polished as if they
had just come from the foundry. The decks were pure white and smooth.
The masts were clean-scraped and varnished, except at the cross-trees
and truck, which were painted black. The standing and running rigging
was in the most perfect order, and the sails white as snow. In short,
everything, from the single narrow red stripe on her low, black hull to
the trucks on her tapering masts, evinced an amount of care and strict
discipline that would have done credit to a ship of the Royal Navy.
There was nothing lumbering or unseemly about the vessel, excepting,
perhaps, a boat, which lay on the deck with its keel up between the fore
and main masts. It seemed disproportionately large for the schooner;
but when I saw that the crew amounted to between thirty and forty men, I
concluded that this boat was held in reserve in case of any accident
compelling the crew to desert the vessel.
As I have before said, the costumes of the men were similar to that of
the captain. But in head-gear they differed, not only from him, but
from each other--some wearing the ordinary straw hat of the merchant
service, while others wore cloth caps and red worsted nightcaps. I
observed that all their arms were sent below, the captain only retaining
his cutlass and a single pistol in the folds of his shawl. Although the
captain was the tallest and most powerful man in the ship, he did not
strikingly excel many of his men in this respect; and the only
difference that an ordinary observer would have noticed was a certain
degree of open candour, straightforward daring, in the bold, ferocious
expression of his face, which rendered him less repulsive than his
low-browed associates, but did not by any means induce the belief that
he was a hero. This look was, however, the indication of that spirit
which gave him the pre-eminence among the crew of desperadoes who called
him captain. He was a lion-like villain, totally devoid of personal
fear, and utterly reckless of consequences, and therefore a terror to
his men, who individually hated him, but unitedly felt it to be to their
advantage to have him at their head.
But my thoughts soon reverted to the dear companions whom I had left on
shore; and as I turned towards the Coral Island, which was now far away
to leeward, I sighed deeply, and the tears rolled slowly down my cheeks
as I thought that I might never see them more.
"So you're blubbering, are you, you obstinate whelp?" said the deep
voice of the captain as he came up and gave me a box on the ear that
nearly felled me to the deck. "I don't allow any such weakness aboard
o' this ship. So clap a stopper on your eyes, or I'll give you
something to cry for."
I flushed with indignation at this rough and cruel treatment, but felt
that giving way to anger would only make matters worse; so I made no
reply, but took out my handkerchief and dried my eyes.
"I thought you were made of better stuff," continued the captain
angrily. "I'd rather have a mad bulldog aboard than a water-eyed puppy.
But I'll cure you, lad, or introduce you to the sharks before long.
Now go below, and stay there till I call you."
As I walked forward to obey, my eye fell on a small keg standing by the
side of the mainmast, on which the word _gunpowder_ was written in
pencil. It immediately flashed across me that as we were beating up
against the wind, anything floating in the sea would be driven on the
reef encircling the Coral Island. I also recollected--for thought is
more rapid than the lightning--that my old companions had a pistol.
Without a moment's hesitation, therefore, I lifted the keg from the deck
and tossed it into the sea! An exclamation of surprise burst from the
captain and some of the men who witnessed this act of mine.
Striding up to me, and uttering fearful imprecations, the captain raised
his hand to strike me, while he shouted, "Boy! whelp! what mean you by
that?"
"If you lower your hand," said I in a loud voice, while I felt the blood
rush to my temples, "I'll tell you. Until you do so, I'm dumb."
The captain stepped back and regarded me with a look of amazement.
"Now," continued I, "I threw that keg into the sea because the wind and
waves will carry it to my friends on the Coral Island, who happen to
have a pistol but no powder. I hope that it will reach them soon; and
my only regret is that the keg was not a bigger one. Moreover, pirate,
you said just now that you thought I was made of better stuff. I don't
know what stuff I am made of--I never thought much about that subject;
but I'm quite certain of this--that I am made of such stuff as the like
of you shall never tame, though you should do your worst!"
To my surprise, the captain, instead of flying into a rage, smiled, and
thrusting his hand into the voluminous shawl that encircled his waist,
turned on his heel and walked aft, while I went below.
Here, instead of being rudely handled, as I had expected, the men
received me with a shout of laughter; and one of them, patting me on the
back, said, "Well done, lad! You're a brick, and I have no doubt will
turn out a rare cove. Bloody Bill there was just such a fellow as you
are, and he's now the biggest cut-throat of us all."
"Take a can of beer, lad," cried another, "and wet your whistle after
that speech o' your'n to the captain. If any one o' us had made it,
youngster, he would have had no whistle to wet by this time."
"Stop your clapper, Jack!" vociferated a third. "Give the boy a junk o'
meat. Don't you see he's a'most goin' to kick the bucket?"
"And no wonder," said the first speaker with an oath, "after the tumble
you gave him into the boat! I guess it would have broke your neck if
you had got it."
I did indeed feel somewhat faint, which was owing, doubtless, to the
combined effects of ill-usage and hunger; for it will be recollected
that I had dived out of the cave that morning before breakfast, and it
was now near midday. I therefore gladly accepted a plate of boiled pork
and a yam, which were handed to me by one of the men from the locker on
which some of the crew were seated eating their dinner. But I must add
that the zest with which I ate my meal was much abated in consequence of
the frightful oaths and the terrible language that flowed from the lips
of these godless men, even in the midst of their hilarity and
good-humour. The man who had been alluded to as Bloody Bill was seated
near me, and I could not help wondering at the moody silence he
maintained among his comrades. He did indeed reply to their questions
in a careless, off-hand tone, but he never volunteered a remark. The
only difference between him and the others was his taciturnity and his
size, for he was nearly, if not quite, as large a man as the captain.
During the remainder of the afternoon I was left to my own reflections,
which were anything but agreeable; for I could not banish from my mind
the threat about the thumbscrews, of the nature and use of which I had a
vague but terrible conception. I was still meditating on my unhappy
fate when, just after nightfall, one of the watch on deck called down
the hatchway:
"Hallo, there! One o' you tumble up and light the cabin lamp, and send
that boy aft to the captain--sharp!"
"Now, then, do you hear, youngster? the captain wants you. Look alive!"
said Bloody Bill, raising his huge frame from the locker on which he had
been asleep for the last two hours. He sprang up the ladder, and I
instantly followed him, and going aft, was shown into the cabin by one
of the men, who closed the door after me.
A small silver lamp which hung from a beam threw a dim, soft light over
the cabin, which was a small apartment, and comfortably but plainly
furnished. Seated on a camp-stool at the table, and busily engaged in
examining a chart of the Pacific, was the captain, who looked up as I
entered, and in a quiet voice bade me be seated, while he threw down his
pencil, and rising from the table, stretched himself on a sofa at the
upper end of the cabin.
"Boy," said he, looking me full in the face, "what is your name?"
"Ralph Rover," I replied.
"Where did you come from, and how came you to be on that island? How
many companions had you on it? Answer me, now, and mind you tell no
lies."
"I never tell lies," said I firmly.
The captain received this reply with a cold, sarcastic smile, and bade
me answer his questions.
I then told him the history of myself and my companions from the time we
sailed till the day of his visit to the island--taking care, however, to
make no mention of the Diamond Cave. After I had concluded, he was
silent for a few minutes; then looking up, he said, "Boy, I believe
you."
I was surprised at this remark, for I could not imagine why he should
not believe me. However, I made no reply.
"And what," continued the captain, "makes you think that this schooner
is a pirate?"
"The black flag," said I, "showed me what you are; and if any further
proof were wanting, I have had it in the brutal treatment I have
received at your hands."
The captain frowned as I spoke; but, subduing his anger, he continued,
"Boy, you are too bold. I admit that we treated you roughly, but that
was because you made us lose time and gave us a good deal of trouble.
As to the black flag, that is merely a joke that my fellows play off
upon people sometimes in order to frighten them. It is their humour,
and does no harm. I am no pirate, boy, but a lawful trader--a rough
one, I grant you; but one can't help that in these seas, where there are
so many pirates on the water and such murderous blackguards on the land.
I carry on a trade in sandal-wood with the Feejee Islands; and if you
choose, Ralph, to behave yourself and be a good boy, I'll take you along
with me and give you a good share of the profits. You see, I'm in want
of an honest boy like you to look after the cabin, and keep the log, and
superintend the traffic on shore sometimes. What say you, Ralph: would
you like to become a sandal-wood trader?"
I was much surprised by this explanation, and a good deal relieved to
find that the vessel, after all, was not a pirate; but instead of
replying, I said, "If it be as you state, then why did you take me from
my island, and why do you not now take me back?"
The captain smiled as he replied, "I took you off in anger, boy, and I'm
sorry for it. I would even now take you back, but we are too far away
from it. See, there it is," he added, laying his finger on the chart;
"and we are now here--fifty miles, at least. It would not be fair to my
men to put about now, for they have all an interest in the trade."
I could make no reply to this; so, after a little more conversation, I
agreed to become one of the crew--at least, until we could reach some
civilised island where I might be put ashore. The captain assented to
this proposition; and after thanking him for the promise, I left the
cabin and went on deck with feelings that ought to have been lighter,
but which were, I could not tell why, marvellously heavy and
uncomfortable still.