remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, and I do not think that they
will supply you, unless you are starving, or have scurvy for want of
vegetables, and then I am certain that they will give you all you
require,' answered the missionary, who then spoke to several of the
people; and a young native came forward, and in very good English told
the mate that he was the interpreter, and would be glad to attend him.
The mate thought that he could manage him, and was very much surprised
to find that no trading could be allowed that day.
"`But our people may go on shore and amuse themselves?' said the mate.
"`No,' answered the young native. `Too often the crews of whalers have
come on shore, and have set a bad example to our people, who think a
great deal about white men. We allow no strangers to wander about our
island on the Sabbath.'
"`Then your people will come off to us, as they do at other islands!'
said the mate.
"`No, no, no,' answered the young native, with a grave look. `Such
things were, but they were very bad; we have learned better now.'
"On hearing this, the mate came away, abusing the missionaries for
having taught the natives such things. It is fair to say, however,
that, as he was leaving the beach to come on board, a number of natives
appeared with baskets of cooked vegetables and fruits, enough for the
dinner of the whole crew. All the families near had given up some from
their own store. I was in a hurry to be off, and sent on shore in the
evening, offering to pay double for what we wanted; but the people were
still obstinate.
"`To-morrow morning we will trade gladly,' was the answer.
"From every cottage came the sound of prayer, or voices singing hymns or
psalms. Certainly these people, little better than savages as they are,
do keep the Sunday very strictly. I never saw it kept like that
elsewhere. Some people who care about those things might say that they
put us to shame.
"The next morning, when we stood in at daybreak, the vessel was soon
surrounded by canoes, full of all the provisions we wanted; and we were
told that, if we required, men would be ready to help us fill our
water-casks. Still, I don't like to be put out as we have been, and I
shall go when next we want fresh provisions to one of the islands where
things are carried on in the old-fashioned way."
Captain Judson had come on board to get some lime-juice, the best thing
to prevent scurvy. He said that he had bought a good supply of what was
called lime-juice; but, when the surgeon examined it, which he did when,
in spite of the men using it, the scurvy appeared among them, he found
that it was some common acid, of no use whatever. How horribly wicked
were the manufacturers who could thus, in their greed for grain,
knowingly destroy the health and lives of seamen who depended on their
useless mixtures for preserving them from one of the most terrible
maladies to which those who make long voyages are subject! Whether or
not the owners of the Grand Turk had paid less for this mixture than
they would have done for good lime-juice is difficult to say; but it
might certainly have cost the whole crew their lives, and it certainly
cost them the loss of some hundreds of pounds while the ship was sailing
away to procure vegetables, with a third of her crew on the sick-list,
instead of catching whales.
Captain Judson obtained the lime-juice for which he had come; indeed,
the Ajax had brought out a quantity on purpose to supply ships which
might require it. He then took his departure, and, whatever he might
have thought, the rest of the crew continued to grumble greatly at not
having been allowed to go on shore and amuse themselves, as they called
it, and expressed a hope that it was the last missionary island they
should touch at in their voyage.
The captain of the other whaler afterwards came on board. He was a
wiser man than Captain Judson. He said that he made a point of visiting
those islands where missionaries were established, as he was certain
that he could then trust the people, whereas among the heathen islands
he lived always in dread of having his boats' crews cut off, as had
happened to many others to his knowledge.
On leaving Raratonga, the Ajax bore away for Savage Island, or Niue.
Captain Cook describes the inhabitants as among the most savage of those
he encountered. As his boat drew near to the shore, they rushed down
towards him with the ferocity of wild boars to drive him away. In
consequence of the behaviour of the natives, he gave it the name of
Savage Island. Subsequent visitors, for many years after that, fully
confirmed the account he gave of the people.
The Ajax came off the island about five days after leaving Raratonga.
The two islands are about of an equal size, but in other respects are
very unlike each other, as the highest part of Savage Island is not more
than a hundred feet above the level of the sea. Instead of the savages
Captain Cook encountered, and those who, as late as 1846, would have
been on the coast, several canoes, with well-dressed, quiet-looking
natives, came off to the ship. They all wore sad countenances, for they
had indeed a tale of woe to tell. Captain Bertram inquired what had
happened to them.
"Sad, sad," answered the interpreter. "Early one morning a strange ship
appeared off the coast. We thought nothing of that, as many have come
and gone and brought missionaries to us, and others have called for
vegetables and other produce, for which they have paid. This one had no
flag to tell us whence she came, or what was her object in coming. As
soon as we had finished our usual morning prayer, several canoes put off
with fruits and vegetables to take to the strangers, and to learn what
else they required. Among those who went off were some of our leading
men, the lawmakers and law-enforcers of our island. There were thirty
or more church members, a deacon, and many candidates, most of them
among our most promising young men. They were at once welcomed on
board, and treated with great attention. Suddenly the white crew rushed
in among them with clubs, knocked down all on deck, and then they fired
their guns at those attempting to escape in their canoes. Several of
the people in them were shot or drowned when the canoes were destroyed.
The people in most of the canoes were so astonished that they did not
even attempt to escape. Instantly they were ordered on board the
strange ship, which continued firing at the retreating canoes. Three
only of these got away, and one of them conveyed the corpse of Simeon, a
church member, shot through the head. The stranger, finding that no
other canoes would go off from this part of our island, sailed away,
with our fathers and brothers, and our other Christian friends, on
board. Our hearts were bowed down with grief; but we prayed earnestly
that we might forgive our enemies, and that God, in His great mercy,
would change their hearts. (A fact.) We would not curse them, we would
not pray that God would wreak His vengeance on their heads; for are we
not told that, as we forgive our enemies, so alone can we ask God to
forgive us?"
The slaver, it appeared, had sailed along the coast, the natives being
decoyed on board wherever met with, and then she had gone off to other
islands to pursue the same nefarious system. Captain Bertram went on
shore to make further inquiries. He found that all the inhabitants had
professed Christianity, and that, though not so advanced as the natives
of Raratonga, who have been so much longer tinder instruction, they were
making fair progress in Christian, as well as in secular, knowledge and
civilisation. As no time was to be lost, the Ajax again sailed in
pursuit of the slaver. She first stood across to Samoa, in the
direction of which the slaver had been seen to steer. She looked in at
several of the ports of that fine group of islands, and here also gained
information of the transactions of the slavers, for several had
appeared, and succeeded in kidnapping many natives. It was supposed
that some of these slave-ships had sailed to the north-east, purposing
to visit the groups of islands lying on either side of the equator.
Many islands were touched at, and inquiries made. A sharp look-out too
was kept, for all were eager, from the captain to the youngest boy on
board, to catch the miscreants who were outraging all laws, human and
divine, in thus carrying off the innocent natives into slavery.
CHAPTER TWELVE.
THE FRIGATE IN DANGER.
One day, a sail was sighted, becalmed. The frigate carried the breeze
up to her. At first it was hoped that she was a slaver. She proved,
however, to be a whaler, the Grand Turk, whose captain had come on board
the Ajax off Raratonga. As Captain Bertram wished to make inquiries of
Captain Judson respecting the slavers, he invited him on board. The
captain of the whaler seemed very much out of spirits. Before he went
away, Mr Martin had a long talk with him, and inquired what was the
matter.
"Why, Martin, I am afraid that I have been a very sinful and foolish
man," he answered. "You shall hear what has occurred. You know how I
used to abuse the missionaries, and say that they spoilt all the people
they got among, and that I would never visit another missionary island
if I could help it. Wishing to get more vegetables, we made for an
island known to be heathen. We anchored in a sheltered bay, where I
knew that the people would give us all we wanted for a mere song. We
had soon plenty of natives on board, men and women. They danced and
sang, and drank as much rum as our men would give them. I need not
describe the scenes which took place. I must confess, what I now see to
be the truth, that we have no business to call ourselves Christians, or
civilised people, while we allow such things to occur. Yet they were
not worse than have been carried on at many islands, ever since our
whalers came to these seas.
"The next day a quantity of provisions were brought down to the beach,
and, thinking the people so inclined to be friendly, I let a number of
our men go on shore. I was in my cabin when I heard a shot. I ran on
deck, and saw our men running towards the boats. Now and then they
stopped and fired at a large band of natives, who were following them
with clubs and spears. Another body of natives were rushing down on one
side to try and cut off our men, and great numbers of others were
launching canoes in all directions. I had very little hope that our men
would escape, but to help them I had an anchor and cable carried out
astern, by hauling on which we brought our broadside to bear on the
boats. Our guns were then fired at the second party of natives of which
I have spoken. This stopped them, or the whole of our men would have
been cut off. We could not go to their assistance, as we had to remain
on board to defend the ship from the canoes, which were now coming
towards her. Two of our men had been killed before our eyes; the
greater number were shoving off the boats. They had just got them
afloat, when the savages, gaining courage, charged them. Two more of
our poor fellows were knocked on the head. The rest jumped into the
boats and pulled off from the beach. They had no time to fire. The
canoes made chase after them. All we could do was to fire at the canoes
with our big guns and muskets as they came on, hotly chasing the boats
till they got alongside. The men climbed up the sides by the ropes we
hove to them. We had barely time to hoist in the boats when the savages
in vast numbers came round us, uttering the most fearful shrieks and
cries. While some of my men kept them off with lances, and by firing
down on them, others hove up the anchor and went aloft to loose sails.
There was fortunately a fresh breeze off shore; our topsails filled, and
we stood out of the bay, while the savages kept close round us, hoping,
no doubt, that we should strike on a reef and become their easy prey.
We had to fly here and there to keep them from gaining the deck, for as
soon as one was driven back another took his place. Not till we were
well outside the reef did they give up the attempt to take the ship.
Not only had we lost the four men killed on the beach, but two others
had been cut off in the boats, and several of those who got on board
were badly wounded. I suspect that the savages had from the first
intended to take the ship, for I could not make out that our men had
given them any special cause of quarrel. I was thankful when we were
well free of them, and I must confess to you, Martin, that you were
right when you advised me to visit a Christian island instead of a
heathen one. I cannot get over the loss of those poor fellows. It has
been a severe lesson to me, and I am, I believe, a wiser man."
"I am very sorry for the loss of your people, Mr Judson, and yet God
will rule the event for your good if you continue to see it in the light
you now do," observed Mr Martin. "The example which our so-called
Christian seamen have set to the natives of these islands has been
fearful. Their behaviour has created one of the chief difficulties to
the progress of the gospel with which the missionaries have had to
contend. It is, humanly speaking, surprising that they have made any
progress at all. Were it not indeed that God's hand has been in the
work through the agency of the Holy Spirit, it is impossible that they
could have succeeded."
Captain Judson did not, perhaps, clearly comprehend the meaning of all
Mr Martin said; but he thanked him cordially for his remarks, and
returned on board his ship with several religious and other books for
his crew, and among them a Bible, which he confessed that he had not
before got on board.
"What!" exclaimed Ben, when he heard this from Mr Martin; "a ship go to
sea without a Bible! How can the people get on? how can they do their
duty? I am afraid they must forget to say their prayers."
"You are right, Ben," observed Mr Martin; "there are very many ships
that go to sea without Bibles, and the crews very often forget their
duty to God and man. In my younger days, indeed, there were very few
which took Bibles, and the exception was to find one. A praying,
Bible-reading captain and ship's company was a thing almost unknown."
Ben, who had carefully preserved his Bible, prized it sincerely, and
read it every day, was surprised to hear this. There were a good many
men also on board the Ajax who had Bibles, and read them frequently.
Sometimes some of the other boys had laughed at Ben when they found him
reading his Bible, but he did not mind them, and went on reading
steadily as before.
The account of the cruel way in which the natives had been kidnapped by
the Peruvian slavers made everybody on board the Ajax eager to catch
some of them. Night and day bright eyes were ever on the watch in
different parts of the ship. This was especially necessary in those
seas, where rocks and reefs abound; and though they are far better known
than in Lord Anson's days, yet there are many parts but imperfectly
explored.
Wherever the ship touched, Ben made his usual anxious inquiries for Ned.
He, as before, frequently heard of Englishmen living with the savages;
but they did not answer to the description of his brother. Still he had
hopes that he should find him. Ben remembered his father's advice, and
acted up to it: "Do right, whatever comes of it." By so doing he had
gained the favour of his captain and all the officers of the ship.
Everybody said, "Ben Hadden is a trustworthy fellow; whatever he
undertakes to do he does with all his heart, as well as he possibly
can."
Ben had consequently plenty to do; but then he reaped the reward of his
doing. Sailors are often paid in a glass of grog for any work they do,
and they are satisfied; but it was generally known that Ben had a
widowed mother, to whom he wished to send home money; and therefore Ben
was always paid in coin, and no one grudged it to him, knowing how well
it would be employed.
A sailor's life is often a very rough one; but when people are thrown
together for a cruise of four years, as were the crew of the Ajax,
provided always they have a good captain and judicious officers, they
wonderfully rub the rough edges off each other, and a kind and brotherly
feeling springs up among them, which often lasts to the end of their
lives. Such was the feeling which existed among the officers and ship's
company of the Ajax. The officers treated the men with kindness and
consideration, and the men obeyed their officers with alacrity.
Hitherto, the Pacific appeared deserving of the name bestowed on it.
For many months the Ajax had experienced only fine weather.
Undoubtedly, gales had blown, and heavy rains had fallen, during that
period; but the ship had sailed across to the west, while they occurred
on the eastern part; and afterwards, when she went back towards the
American coast, the rains fell and the gales blew on the west. This
was, however, not always to be so. One morning, when Ben went on deck
to keep his watch, he found the sails hanging down against the masts,
and the sea without the slightest ripple to break its mirror-like
surface. Every now and then, however, it seemed slowly to rise like the
bosom of some huge monster breathing in its sleep, and a smooth low wave
heaved up under the ship's keel, and glided slowly away, to be followed
at long intervals by other waves of the same character. As they passed,
the ship rolled from side to side, or pitched gently into the water, and
the sails, hitherto so motionless, flapped loudly against the masts with
a sound like that of musketry. The heat was very great; the seamen,
overcome by it, went about their various duties with much less than
their usual alacrity. The smoke curled slowly up from the
galley-funnel, wreathing itself in festoons about the fore-rigging,
where it hung, unable, it seemed, to rise higher. Eight bells struck in
the forenoon watch, the boatswain's whistle piped to dinner, and the
mess-men were seen lazily moving along the deck, with their kids, to the
galley-fire, to receive their portions of dinner from the black cook,
who, with face shining doubly from the heat which none but a black cook
or a German sugar-baker could have endured, was busily employed in
serving it out to them. The smell of the good boiled beef or pork--very
different from what our sailors once had--seemed to give them appetites,
for they hastened back with the smoking viands to their mess-tables
slung from the deck above. Here the men sat in rows, with their
brightly-polished mess utensils before them, and soon gave proof that
the heat had had no serious effect on their health.
It is usual to send all the men below at dinner-time, except those
absolutely required to steer and look out, unless the weather is bad,
and it is probable that any sudden change may be required to be made in
the sails. Most of the officers on this occasion were on deck, slowly
walking up and down in the shadow of the sails. Ben and Tom were at
their mess-table, laughing and talking and enjoying themselves as boys
do in an ordinarily happy ship.
"This is jolly!" observed Tom. "I like a calm, there's so little to do;
and it's fair that the sails should have a holiday now and then. They
must get tired of sending us along, month after month, as they have to
do."
"I do not think they get much rest, after all, even now," said Ben.
"Listen how they are flapping against the masts! If they had to do much
of that sort of thing, they would soon wear themselves out. What a loud
noise they make!"
"Oh yes; but that is only now and then, you see, just to show us that
they have not gone to sleep as the wind has done, and are ready for use
when we want them," remarked Tom, who had always a ready answer for any
observation made by Ben; too ready sometimes, for he thus turned aside
many a piece of good advice which his friend gave him. "At all events,
the ship can't be getting into any mischief while she is floating all
alone out here, away from the land," he added. "If I was the captain, I
would turn in and go to sleep till the wind begins to blow again."
Tom did not know how little sleep the captain of a large ship, with the
lives of some hundred men confided to him, ventures to take.
Captain Bertram was on deck, walking with Mr Charlton. He stopped, and
earnestly looked towards the north-east His keen eye had detected a
peculiar colour in the water extending across the horizon in that
direction. He pointed it out to Mr Charlton. "What does it seem to
you like!" he asked.
"A coral reef, sir. If so, we have been drifting towards it; I should
otherwise have seen it in the morning," answered the first lieutenant.
"I will, however, go aloft, and make sure what it is."
In spite of the intense heat, Mr Charlton climbed up to the masthead.
He carefully scanned the horizon in every direction, and then speedily
returned on deck.
"We are nearer to the reef than I had supposed, sir," he said. "We may
keep the boats ahead, and somewhat hinder the ship driving so rapidly
towards it; but it is evident that a strong current sets in that
direction. Had it been at night, we should have struck before we could
have seen it."
"Pipe the hands on deck, then, Mr Charlton," answered the captain
calmly. "If towing is to serve us, there is no time to be lost."
Mr Martin was sent for, and his shrill whistle soon brought the whole
of the crew tumbling up from below, the landsmen and idlers only
remaining to stow away the mess things.
The boats were soon lowered and manned, and sent ahead. The hot sun
shone down on the men in the boats as they toiled away to keep the
ship's head off the reef. It seemed, however, that they rowed to little
purpose; for the undulations appeared at shorter intervals, and seemed
to send the frigate towards the threatening rocks, on which a surf, not
at first perceived, now began to break, forming a white streak across
the horizon.
The sails were brailed up, but not furled, in order that they might
again be at once set, should a breeze spring up to fill them.
Mr Charlton stood on the forecastle, directing the boats how to pull.
Every now and then he cast an anxious eye astern towards the breakers,
which continued to rise higher and higher. A cast of the deep-sea lead
was taken, but no bottom was found. To anchor was, therefore,
impossible. Everybody on board saw the fearful danger in which the
frigate was placed. One thing only, it seemed, could save her--a breeze
from the direction towards which she was drifting. All eyes, not
otherwise employed, were glancing anxiously round the horizon, looking
out for the wished-for breeze. Ben and Tom were as active as usual.
They remained on board, as only the strongest men were sent into the
boats; it was trying even for men. They continued rowing, and,
encouraged by their officers, as hard as they had ever before rowed.
Suddenly, without a moment's warning, the captain ordered them to return
on board.
"Hoist in the boats!" he shouted. "Be smart now, my lads!"
As the boats were being hoisted in, the spoon-drift began to fly across
the surface of the hitherto calm ocean, hissing along like sand on the
desert. The hitherto smooth undulations now quickly broke up into small
waves, increasing rapidly in size and length, with crests of foam
crowning their summits.
Directly the boats were secured, the captain shouted, "Hands shorten
sail!" The men with alacrity sprang into the rigging and lay out on the
yard. The three topsails were closely reefed; all the other square
sails were furled. There was a gravity in the look of the captain and
officers which, showed that they considered the position in which the
ship was placed very dangerous.