The reason, I believe, why sailors in a well-regulated ship are
generally so happy, is, that they are never allowed to have an idle
moment. Mr Renshaw was always finding something for the people to do;
and when that work was finished, there was something else of equal
importance to be done. The picture our deck presented on one day will
serve for that seen on most days in fine weather: on one side the
spun-yarn winches were going, manufacturing spun-yarn out of old junk--a
never-ending source of employment; Mr Pincott and his mates were busily
at work building a boat on the other; the sail-maker and his gang were
repairing some of the sails, and making light ones for the gentle
breezes of the Pacific; while Fleming and his crew were laying up rope,
and the rest of the watch were knotting yarns, making sinnet, wad-bags,
wads, chafing gear of all descriptions, such as worming, parcelling,
roundings, spun-yarn, rope-yarn, marline, seizing, stuffs, and service
of all kinds; the names of which things alone are, I suspect, sufficient
to puzzle a landsman, so I will say no more about them. Aft were
Captain Frankland, with one of the mates and Gerard and I, taking
observations of the sun,--an employment in which, as I began to
understand it, I felt great interest. It struck me that, as far as I
saw, Captain Frankland took very little concern about the ship. He
seldom spoke a word to any of the crew, and only occasionally on points
of duty while on deck, to the mates. I soon found, however, that no man
could more effectually exert himself, when his exertions were required.
Hitherto there had been nothing to call forth his energies. With light
winds and calm seas, he had better employment in his cabin. That very
day a change came over the even tenor of our lives; scarcely were our
sextants stowed away, when, as the captain was walking the deck, I saw
him frequently turn his glance to the westward. There, over the land,
in a moment it seemed, arose a bank of clouds, which every instant grew
denser and denser, and came rushing toward us across the sky.
"All hands shorten sail!" shouted Captain Frankland, stopping suddenly
in his walk. Quick as the word, the work in which everybody was engaged
was stowed away, and up jumped the crew, all life and activity. Away
they flew aloft--royals were sent down, top-gallant-sails were furled,
and the yards were braced so as to take the wind on the starboard-tack.
We had had the wind from the north-east, but it now fell almost a dead
calm, and the lower sails began to flap idly against the masts; and
under our topsails we waited the coming of the squall. It did not long
delay; on it came in its majestic fury. On one side of us the whole sky
was covered with a dense mass of threatening clouds, while the sea below
appeared torn up into sheets of hissing foam; on the other, the sky was
blue, and the water smooth as a polished mirror. There was not a breath
of air where the ship lay. Then down on us came the fierce squall with
its utmost fury--rain, hail, and wind united--over heeled the stout ship
as if she had been a mere cockleshell, till her gunwale was buried in
the water. I thought she would never rise again, but I kept my eye on
Captain Frankland, who seemed as cool and collected as if nothing
unusual was happening. With speaking-trumpet in hand, and holding on by
the weather-rail, he ordered the mizen-topsail to be furled. The lee
maintopsail braces were then slackened, to shiver the maintopsail; and
the wind being taken out of it, the whole pressure was thrown on the
headsail; the helm was then put a-starboard, and her bow paying off,
righting herself, away flew the ship rapidly before the gale on an even
keel. The foaming seas, rising every moment higher and higher, coursed
each other up under our stern, as if angry at our escaping their power.
Dark clouds were above us; dark hissing seas on every side; the thunder
roared, the lightning flashed brightly: so terrific did the scene appear
to me, that I thought at times that we must be hurrying to destruction.
I concealed my feelings, for Gerard took the matter very coolly, and he
was not likely to spare me if I expressed any unwarrantable alarm.
After we had run on before the gale for some time, it began to moderate.
We had all the time been going out of our course; so, to avoid losing
more ground, the captain gave the order to heave the ship to. I had
never before seen this operation performed. The fore-topsail was first
furled, and the maintopsail, which was closely reefed, and the
fore-topmast staysail were the only sails set. "Brace up the main
yard!" was the next order given. "Now, down with the helm!" cried the
captain, watching a favourable opportunity when a heavy sea had passed
us. The ship felt the influence of the wind, and came up with her head
to the westward; and then she rode, rising easily to the tops of the
seas, and gliding slowly down into the valleys--their wild, foaming,
hissing crests rushing furiously by her, but not a drop of water coming
on board. I had never pictured to myself a scene so awfully grand as
that which I now beheld in perfect security. On one side the waters
rose in a wall high above the deck, and looked as if about to overwhelm
us; while the next instant we were looking down into a vale of waters of
depth so great, that it seemed, if we slipped into it, we should never
again struggle upwards. When summoned to dinner, I went below with the
expectation that I should be unable to have a mouthful; instead of
which, there appeared to be very little more motion than usual, so
easily rode the ship; and I could scarcely persuade myself that I had
but just left a scene of such wild confusion on deck. The gale did not
last more than twelve hours, and the ship was then once more put on her
proper course for the Falkland Islands.
"Land ho! land ho!" was shouted one forenoon from aloft, with the usual
prolonged cry. The Falkland Islands were in sight, and the land seen as
we drew nearer, I found, was that about Cape Bougainville. We stood on,
and next we made out the rugged hills above Berkley Sound, and then got
close to the dark brown cliffs of Macbride's Head, with hundreds of
seals lying on the sands and rocks below them. We could hear the roar
of the beasts as they looked up at us, indignant, I thought, at being
disturbed by our approach; but Mr Brand told me that, fierce as they
looked, they are a very harmless race, and easily captured. On the
downs above were numerous cattle feeding, which gave us the idea that we
were approaching some civilised part of the world. Passing Berkley
Sound with a stiff breeze, which rushed out of it, we stood on for Mount
Low, and then beat up Port William, which has a line of sand hills on
one side of it, and Stanley Harbour at the end. Although the day was
fine, the appearance of the country was not very attractive; for there
are no trees--rocks, and sand hills, and tussac grass, and barren
heights, being the chief features. We dropped anchor opposite Stanley,
the capital of the settlement. Above a line of piers and quays appeared
a double row of neat white cottages, inhabited by the pensioners who
were sent out to assist in founding the colony. Round and about them
are other houses and cottages, extending along the shores of the bay,
and sprinkled on the sides of a gentle slope. They are generally of
light tints, which contrast well with the dark background of the hill
beyond, and give the place a pretty appearance. Further up is the
church, not a very ecclesiastical-looking building; and beyond again,
the cemetery, which has a neat chapel attached to it. The Government
House is a long, low cottage edifice, which looks well from the harbour;
and on the east of the town are some extensive stores, belonging to the
Falkland Island Company, with their small fleet of vessels in front of
it. On the west of the town is the Government Dock-yard, with
block-house, workshops, guard-house, and stores, all neatly railed in.
The surrounding country consisting of slight elevations, either rocky or
covered with tussac grass, is not attractive. I could not help looking
at the place with great interest, as the first infant British settlement
I had seen; and I thought less of what it then was than of what it might
become, under good management. The last idea was suggested to me, I
must own, by Mr Brand.
The chief promenade in Stanley is called Ross Road, running right and
left of the principal street for about two miles. On one side of it are
built a number of houses facing the water, and among them are two or
more hotels, of some pretensions. Behind this road are some smaller
streets, inhabited by labouring people, Spanish Gauchos, and others.
There are, perhaps, rather more than a hundred houses in the town, and
between 400 and 500 inhabitants, including boatmen, stray sailors,
Gauchos, and other wanderers. Several of the houses have gardens which
produce a fair supply of vegetables, and beef is to be had in abundance;
but as the colony produces very little else in the way of food, the
inhabitants are somewhat hard up in that respect. The islands
alternately belonged to England and Spain, till, in 1774, they were
finally evacuated by the latter power, though it is only of late years
that they have been systematically colonised by England. The first
governor, Lieutenant Moody, arrived there in 1842, when the site of the
intended town was changed from Port Louis to Port Stanley. As a proof
of the value of the islands, Mr Lafosse, a British merchant at Monte
Video, paid 60,000 pounds to have the right over all cattle of every
description to be found on the East Falklands, for six years and a half.
From what I heard, the climate is very healthy. It is at times windy,
but in summer it is as mild and dry as the south of England. In winter
the cold is never severe, and only at intervals of several years does
snow fall to any depth, so as to risk the destruction of cattle. The
most remarkable production is the tussac, a gigantic species of grass,
which grows to the height of ten feet, and is capable of sheltering and
concealing herds of cattle and horses. The core of this grass is of so
nutritious a nature, that people have been known to live for months on
it, and to retain their health. From this cause the animals on the
islands grow to a great size, and their flesh is of a particularly fine
flavour. The great object for which the settlement was founded, was to
afford a place where ships might repair, and to supply those going round
Cape Horn, or returning home that way, with fresh provisions. It is
also under contemplation to make it a penal settlement, for which it is
in many respects particularly adapted, if sufficient employment for the
convicts can be found.
Gerard and I were very anxious to get on shore to enjoy some of the
sport we had heard so much about. "Wouldn't it be fine to kill a fat
bull, who would make nothing of tossing one twelve feet up in the air if
he could but catch a fellow on the tip of his horns?" said he, rubbing
his hands.
I agreed with him; but we had little hopes of having our wishes
gratified, when a gentleman from the shore offered to give us a trip
round in one of the Company's schooners to the West Falklands, where she
was going to procure cattle. As the ship was to remain here some days
to have one or two slight defects made good, and to take in a supply of
beef, fresh and salt, Captain Frankland allowed us to accept the offer,
Mr Brand going to look after us. Away dashed the little schooner, the
_Sword-Fish_, having a fine fresh breeze, with as merry a party on board
as ever put to sea. There was our friend Mr Nathaniel Burkett, and his
friend Mr Jonathan Kilby, both keen sportsmen, and up to all sorts of
fun; and Gerard and I, and the master of the vessel, Tom Cribb by name,
who, though not a good shot, seeing that he had but one eye, and that
had a terrific squint, knew every inch of the coast, and exactly where
we were likely to find sport; and then there was Cousin Silas, who was a
first-rate shot, though he did not throw away his words by talking about
the matter. Pleasant as our trip promised to be, many a gale has to be
encountered off those wild islands, and dangers not a few. We, however,
instead of standing out to sea and going round all, took a course,
well-known to our skipper, among the numerous isles and islets grouped
round the larger Falkland. Their names I cannot pretend to remember.
At last we dropped anchor in a snug cove where we were to remain for the
night. We, the sportsmen, were to have a boat left us, and we were to
land, while the schooner ran on to a station some way further. We had
one dog with us, Old Surley by name, belonging to Mr Kilby--as brave an
animal as ever flew at a bull's neck, for he feared neither bull nor
beast of any sort. With our guns, plenty of ammunition, and a stock of
provisions, we pulled up a creek where we could leave the boat in
safety, and landed. We first climbed a rock on the shore, whence we
could look about us and take a survey of the island. It was of
considerable size. We saw that we should have no difficulty in
penetrating across it, through the high tussac grass which almost
entirely covered the ground. We first advanced together. We soon came
to some curious green mounds, covered with a velvety moss, about two
feet high and nine in circumference. I happened to sit down on one to
tie my shoe, and it made a most comfortable seat.
"Do you know what that is?" said Mr Burkett, giving it a blow with the
butt end of his gun, which broke the moss to pieces as if it had been a
huge toadstool. The mossy coat was an inch and a half in thickness, and
the whole interior appeared filled with wide-spreading miniature
fir-trees. Every stalk, of which there were a great number, was edged
with diminutive leaves like those of the fir; and the tops were
sprinkled with little pieces of resin, brown outside and white within,
some not larger than a pin's-head, and others half the size of a
filbert. We afterwards came to some mounds where the plants had pushed
through the green moss, and their leaves having slightly expanded, they
looked like miniature myrtles. Instead of going directly inland, we
made our way along the shore among the penguin grass. This grows to the
height of ten feet, on the top of clumps of decayed vegetable matter,
forming large hillocks, which made the shore look as if it had been
covered with a coppice of underwood. We took our way through it, often
being hid from each other by the high grass, and had not gone far when a
loud roar saluted our ears. Jerry and I were together, but we had lost
sight of the rest of the party. I instinctively drew back, and he
looked very much as if he would have run away, had he known where to run
to. He says he felt very brave though.
"What's that?" I exclaimed.
"A lion!" replied Jerry, looking uncomfortable.
"A wild boar," said I; "there are no lions here."
"A big bull, perhaps," cried my companion. "I hope his horns are not
sharp!"
Our guns were loaded only with small shot, so that we could hope to make
but little impression on the body of a wild animal. The roar was
repeated, and there was a loud rustling among the penguin grass on a
mound near us. The grass moved rapidly. We looked towards it.
Presently the huge head of a ferocious-looking animal appeared glaring
at us from among the grass. We shouted lustily for help to our friends.
"Let's run, it is a lion--I told you so," cried Jerry; "no time to lose,
if we don't wish to be eaten up!" Suiting the action to the word, Jerry
turned round, and, in attempting to escape, tumbled over some of the
tangled stalks, and lay sprawling on the ground, while I endeavoured to
lift him up. The huge monster all the time came roaring towards us,
Jerry and I shouting out,--"Help, help, help! a lion, a lion!" In
another moment I expected to feel his claws on my shoulder.
"A sea-lion, my lads!" cried Mr Jonathan Kilby, who at that moment
appeared close to us from among the high grass. "Jump up and attack
him."
The beast having no legs, and being able only to make progress with his
fins, had not advanced so far as we expected. Our friend, having in the
meantime drawn the small shot from his gun, and put a ball instead,
fired at the head of the beast. The ball entered and stopped his
further progress, and there he lay, helplessly floundering about, and
roaring more lustily than ever. This gave Jerry and me time to recover
ourselves, and to put bullets into our guns, with which we soon put an
end to the sufferings of the poor beast. He was, we found, a species of
seal, about eight feet long, of a yellowish-brown colour, and with a
large mane, covering his neck and shoulders. He looked as if he would
prove an ugly customer in the water; but as he had only flappers for
front legs, with very small nails on them, and only a tail instead of
hind-legs, a person on shore could very easily keep out of his way, and
Jerry and I felt rather foolish at the fright he had put us into. We
had achieved our victory before Mr Brand and Mr Burkett found their
way up to us. As he lay not far from the boat, we settled to take his
skin on our return. Going on, we reached a lake of some size, from
which vast numbers of teal got up. Jerry and I shot several, which made
us very proud; and the rest of the party tagged thirty or more between
them, so that they were pretty well loaded. Before long, we again
managed to get separated from the rest, but we had grown so satisfied
with our prowess that we were indifferent to consequences. We felt that
we were not likely to starve even if we lost our way. I was just going
to fire at a teal, when Jerry pulled my arm, and pointing to an opening
in the distance among the clumps of grass, I saw the head of a huge bull
not fifty yards from us, and, as it seemed, fast asleep. Now was the
time to show what we could do, so we withdrew our small shot and loaded
with ball. Like North American Indians on a war-trail, we crawled
stealthily towards him. We halted, and resting our guns on a bank,
fired together.
"I am certain I hit him," cried Jerry.
"So am I," I added--though I was surprised that the beast did not move.
"We've killed him!" cried Jerry, as on we rushed, expecting to find a
rich prize. He was lying down when we hit him, we saw that. We kept
him in sight for some way, then we found our further progress somewhat
impeded by the bogginess of the ground. At last we were brought to a
stand-still about ten paces from our victim. Jerry gave a blank look at
me, and I looked at him, and burst out laughing. The poor beast was not
alive, certainly, but we were innocent of his death. He had evidently
got into the bog in wet weather, and in vain struggling to free himself,
had died of starvation. His head was stretched out, as if hopelessly
longing for the rich food he saw growing not thirty yards from him,
which yet he could not reach. All around the morass were the hoof-marks
of his comrades, as if they had been watching him in his dying
struggles, scampering round and round, perhaps with terror, or perhaps
thinking how they might help him.
"At all events," exclaimed Jerry, "we may say we hit a huge bull and
left him as dead as mutton; and there's no great harm if the rest go
back to look for him. We can easily point them out the place by the
side of the lake."
A little further on we reached a smaller lake which was swarming with
birds--geese, ducks, divers, and other wild-fowl. Among them were
several swans, beautifully white, with black necks, which kept swimming
gracefully about like the great lords of the feathered population among
whom they moved. Jerry and I were very hungry, so we sat ourselves down
to take a nibble at our biscuit and cheese, not wishing to disturb them
till our friends should come up to help us to slaughter them. We had
sat a little while, and opened our wallet, when, what was our surprise
to see the birds swimming together, and landing in numbers below our
feet! Slowly some advanced, as if to reconnoitre us, and then others
came on, till some hundreds were within thirty yards of us, evidently
wondering what strange animals we could be. Then they began to talk to
each other in a most strange discordant cackle, their voices growing
louder and louder, as if they were disputing on the subject, and could
not settle it to their satisfaction. We lay back and watched them,
highly diverted. Nearer and nearer they approached, talking away
furiously all the time in tones of wonder and surprise, more than in
those of anger.
"I know what they are saying," whispered Jerry. "Well, these are two
strange beings! How could they have come here? They are not seals,
that's certain, for they have legs; but they don't look as if they could
swim with those long, thin projections instead of flappers; and
assuredly they can't fly, for they have no wings. How can they feed
themselves, for they have no bills? and see what great ugly round things
they've got for heads. Evidently they cannot dive or live under water.
They are not fish, then, nor birds; for if those are feathers growing on
their backs, they are very rugged and dirty. Well, we pity them; for
they are strange beasts, that's a fact." This quaint notion of Jerry's
tickled my fancy so much that I burst into a loud fit of laughter, which
somewhat startled our flock of visitors; while Jerry, sitting up, hove a
stick he had carried all day made fast to his side in among them. The
missile did not, however, make them turn tail; but, instead, they
clustered thickly round it, and, as if it had been some impertinent
intruder, began pecking at it furiously. As we could not carry the
birds away, with a praiseworthy self-denial we abstained from firing.
When, however, we jumped suddenly up and clapped our hands, away they
scuttled at a great rate, chattering and quacking louder than ever. We
hoped, however, to reward ourselves for our present self-denial, by
returning with all the party to have a shot at them in the evening.
After this we walked on for a mile, and had begun to wonder what had
become of our companions, and to be a little anxious at having missed
them, when we were startled at hearing a loud roar not three hundred
yards from us. It was very different from that of the sea-lion, and we
too soon recognised it as the voice of an angry bull. Again the bull
bellowed, and this time several other bulls lent their voices to the
terror-inspiring chorus. We ran to the top of the highest mound near
us, and thence we made out five or six bulls, with their tails up in the
air, rushing towards us, following one whose voice we first heard. The
spot on which we stood afforded us no protection, for the beasts would
have rushed up it in a moment, but a couple of hundred yards on was a
rock with steep sides, just rising above the grass; and our only chance
of safety was to climb it before the horns of the first bull had reached
our backs. Had he come directly on, as fast as his legs could carry
him, this we should have had no chance of doing; but instead of that, he
every now and then stuck his sharp ugly-looking horns into the grass,
and tossed it above his head, as if to show how he intended to treat us
when he caught us. We rushed on with our eyes fixed on the rock, not
venturing to look behind, and expecting every moment to feel his horns
at our backs. We kept a tight hold of our guns, but unfortunately
dropped our wallets and the game we had shot. On we ran and on came the
bull; the rock was a dozen yards before us, and he was not much further
off in our rear. We sprang on; Jerry tripped over a lump of decayed
grass, but he picked himself up, and, crying to me not to stop, followed
me. The face of the rock was too perpendicular directly in front to
allow me to get up it, but a little to the right it was more broken. I
sprang towards the place, and scrambled up. Jerry reached the foot of
the rock; the bull was making for the right side, where he had seen me
climb up. In another moment he would have pinned Jerry to the rock, or
tossed him up to me.
"Help me! help me, Harry!" he sung out, with good reason dreadfully
alarmed. I had just time to throw myself down at full length, and, by
loaning over the rock, to seize his hand, before the bull, seeing him,
with a terrific bellow made a full butt at him. With a strength I did
not think myself capable of exerting, I hauled him up to me, the bull's
horns actually passing between his feet! In his hurry, however, he
dropped his gun at the foot of the rock, and the bull vented his rage
and disappointment by giving it several butts as it lay on the ground;
and I was in great hopes that he would strike the lock and make it go
off--it would have astonished him not a little. Jerry almost fainted
with the fright the brute had given him, but he very speedily recovered,
and then we looked round to see what sort of a place we were on. We
found that it was, fortunately, inaccessible on all sides; so we
returned with much greater composure to watch the proceedings of our
bovine enemies. The other bulls had now come up, with their tails in
the air, bellowing at the top of their voices, and tearing the ground up
on all sides, and throwing the grass over their heads. They appeared
for some reason to be fearfully enraged against us. There were seven
bulls altogether. Placed in the convenient position we were, we agreed
that we could easily shoot them, and thus raise the siege; but on
examining the contents of our pockets, we found that we had only got
five bullets between us. Now, supposing every bullet to have had in
this case its billet, and to have mortally wounded an animal, that would
have left two unprovided for; and even with two we had no desire to
contend on the level ground. Still we determined to do what we could;
so I loaded and took a steady aim at the beast which had led on the
attack. The bullet struck him on the head; but his skull was thick, and
though it wounded him severely, it did not enter his brain. The pain
made him tear up the ground more furiously, and bellow louder than
before. Jerry said he would try the next time; so I loaded, and he took
the gun. I thought he was going to make a good shot, but he was
nervous, and the bullet only struck the beast's shoulder, nor did it
increase the sweetness of his temper. We had thus only three bullets,
and all our enemies as vicious as ever. The most important thing we
agreed to be done was to get rid of the leader; so I took the gun again,
and carefully loading, waited till he made a tilt right up to the face
of the rock, really looking as if he had been going to try and leap up
at us. I tried to be perfectly cool, and fired. The bullet struck him,
I was certain of that, but it did not kill him, so I supposed that it
had glanced off over his head.
"I won't miss again," I cried, loading as rapidly as I could. "One of
our last two bullets must do the deed."
Our enemy, on receiving his last wound, turned off and made a rapid
circuit round the rock, to discover, we concluded, if there was any
place by which he could get up at us. Finding none, he returned. As
soon as he appeared, I took a steady aim, resting the barrel on a lump
of rock--I fired. Roaring with fury, he bounded along towards the rock.
I thought he would almost have reached us. Suddenly he stopped--down
went his head, and over he rolled close under the rock, and there he lay
stone dead! We both of us simultaneously raised a loud shout of
victory; but, as Jerry remarked, we began to crow rather too soon, for
the other six bulls, no way daunted at the fall of their leader,
continued raging round about us as furiously as ever. We had only one
bullet left, and with that we could scarcely hope even to settle one of
them. We sat ourselves down watching our enemies, hoping that they
would grow tired of waiting for us and go away; but they seemed by no
means disposed to move. Never did a beleaguering army watch more
pertinaciously round a hard pressed garrison than did our formidable
enemies watch to toss us in the air. In vain we stood up and looked
around on every side for our friends, as far as our somewhat limited
range of vision extended. There was not a sign of them. They, too,
would have become not a little anxious about us, except Cousin Silas
thought we were still with Mr Kilby, and the latter gentleman supposed
we had joined our other friends. If so, unless they met they would
probably not come to look for us. As we had taken but a light luncheon,
we began to feel very hungry, and to cast longing glances at our
satchels and the teal, which lay at some distance from the rock, but
which we dared not attempt to got. Not ten feet below where we sat was
the bull. Jerry looked over the rock--
"I should so like to have a juicy beef-steak out of you, old fellow!"
said he, addressing the dead animal. "I say, Harry, don't you think we
could manage to get it? The other brutes will certainly grow hungry
before long; and, as they don't want to eat us, while they are picking
up their dinners I shall have plenty of time to get down and cut out a
few slices. I have my knife, and I sharpened it only yesterday."
I had mine also; and, as I highly approved of his suggestion, we
resolved to wait a favourable opportunity for our exploit. Raw meat was
not, however, to our taste; so we agreed to try and light a fire and
cook our steaks. There was plenty of dry moss and grass on the rock, so
we set to work and collected all that we could find, so that we soon had
a famous heap of it, sufficient almost to roast the whole animal. As we
expected, the bulls, after looking at us for some time, feeling the
calls of hunger, began to lower their tails, and putting their heads to
the ground, commenced to munch the tender grass.
"Now, if these beasts had been lions and tigers, the more hungry they
grew the more anxious they would have been to get at us. It's lucky all
animals are not carnivorous."
Having delivered himself of this sagacious remark, Jerry said he was
ready to turn butcher. We waited, however, till the bulls had got a
little further off, and then he descended on the carcass of our victim,
while I bent over the rock, as before, to help him up should they appear
inclined to tilt at him. Enough steaks were cut to dine half-a-dozen
men; and then, as the bulls did not observe him, grown brave from
impunity, he went on further and picked up his gun. This he handed up
to me, and it was not much the worse for the butting it had got. The
bulls were still feeding quietly, apparently having forgot all about us.
"I say, Harry, I think some biscuits, and rum and water, would not be
bad things with our steaks, not to speak of the teal," said he, looking
up at me. "What do you advise? May I venture to run for the satchels
and some of the game?"
I agreed with him that it would be very desirable to have them, and
offered to accompany him.
"No, no," he answered, with a knowledge of generalship for which I had
not given him credit; "do you load the gun, and stand by to cover me if
I am pursued; you will be ready also to help me up the rock as before.
If I were to take your place with the gun up there, the chances are that
I should shoot you instead of the bull, and that would not do. I'll go,
never fear." Jerry, as will be seen, was a creature of impulse. He was
as brave as any one when he had time for reflection, and saw the
necessity for coolness. As soon as I had loaded the gun and got ready,
keeping his eyes on the bulls, he cautiously advanced towards our
satchels. If a bull lifted his head, he stopped, and crouched down to
the ground. Then he advanced again on all-fours; and so by slow degrees
he worked himself up to the spot at which he aimed. He seized the
things, and began to return as slowly as before. It would have been
well if he had continued his caution, but when he had got about half way
on his return, he took it into his head to run, laughing loudly at the
success of his exploit. His figure moving alone, and his voice, roused
the bulls. Up went their tails, and a terrific bellow made his laughter
cease in a moment. I shouted to him to run faster. On he scampered,
shouting loudly, "Fire, Harry, if you see one of them going to butt!" I
was all ready, and he bravely held fast our property. The bull nearest
to him, wildly whisking his tail and bellowing louder than ever, was
close to him. I was in doubt whether or not to fire, lest I should
still more infuriate the animal should I wound without killing him. In
another moment I saw that there was no alternative. His horns were
close to Jerry's back, and in an instant he would have had him high up
in the air. I shouted to Jerry to jump on one side. He followed my
advice with wonderful coolness. I fired. My bullet hit the bull in the
right eye. Down went his head, tearing into the ground. He rushed on
almost close up to the rock, bellowing furiously, ploughing up the earth
with his horns; and then, as if he had been making a voluntary
summerset, he rolled right over, and was dead. It was indeed a triumph.
I had no time to think about it then. On rushed Jerry, for the other
bulls were coming up fast. Throwing aside my gun, I helped Jerry up the
rock with the things he had so courageously recovered at the moment the
other beasts were up to him.
"Bravo, Harry!" he sung out; "you've saved my life and shot the bull;
you are a capital fellow!"
I proposed that we would not compliment each other till we had lighted
our fire and cooked our steaks. As we had now some teal, we added a
couple to our repast. We had some lucifers, so we soon made a glorious
fire. Having plucked our teal, we poked them under the ashes, while, in
true sportsman fashion, we toasted the steaks at the end of our ramrod.
Having also pepper and salt, we had every reason to be satisfied with
our repast.
"I say, I wish those other fellows were here," said Jerry. "It would be
great fun if they would come, thinking we were stuck in a bog, or spiked
on the horns of bulls, and find us so jollily eating away up here.
Here's to your health, Harry. May you always make as good shots as you
did just now, when you saved me from the butt of that beast's head!
Hillo! have a bit of your brother?" cried he, holding a piece of the
steak at the end of his ramrod down towards one of the bulls, which came
snuffing up towards us.
Thus we went on laughing and joking, perfectly contented, and thinking
only of the present moment. We forgot that our fuel would soon be
expended; that the position we occupied would be a very unpleasant one
on which to pass a cold and perhaps rainy night; and that our friends
would become really alarmed should we not make our appearance at the
boat. These considerations did not begin to weigh with us till we had
finished our dinner. When, however, we had time for reflection, we were
not quite so well contented with ourselves.
"This is very good fun," I remarked, "but I should like to know how we
are to get away unless these beasts of bulls choose to raise the siege."
"They'll not do that in a hurry," answered Jerry. "We must wait till
night-time, when they can't see us, and then make a run for it."
"But how are we to find our way to the boat in the dark?" I asked. "I
scarcely know whereabouts she lies."
"To the westward, then, I think," said he. "If the sky is clear we may
steer by the stars, and we shall manage to find our way."
I cannot say that I felt as hopeful as my friend professed to do, still
there appeared to be no other means of escaping the bulls, and getting
back to the boat. Should we wait till the morning the brutes would
probably espy us, and run a tilt at us as before. We had provisions to
last us for many days, but we had no liquid, with the exception of a
little rum and water, which, although we had carefully husbanded it, was
very low in the flask. A breeze had sprung up from the east, and it was
already rather cold on the top of the rock; so, making up our fire, we
sat down by it. We were amused at the way in which the bulls
occasionally came and had a look at us; as much as, Jerry said, to ask,
"Well, when are you coming down to let us give you a toss? We don't
intend to go away till we've tried it on. We are at home here, you
know, so we are in no hurry." Provoked, as he declared, at their
impudence, he at last seized a bundle of burning grass which, he had
twisted into a torch, and when a bull came near he hove it at his head.
The flaming mass caught on his horns, and certainly had the effect of
making him turn tail, and rush bellowing off from the rock; but it had
another effect, and a most disastrous one, on which we had not
calculated. Galloping on, the animal very soon freed himself from his
burning head-dress by sending it into the middle of a large clump of
tussac grass.
"Hurrah! the brute has made a famous bonfire!" exclaimed Jerry, clapping
his hands as he saw the bright flames burst out from the easily ignited
grass.
"Larger than we may bargain for," I remarked, as in another instant,
fanned by the wind, the fire began to run along the ground, and a
neighbouring clump broke forth into a furious blaze.
"Well, that is a bonfire!" cried Jerry, still not comprehending the
extent of the mischief he had commenced; but it was not long before he
also saw with me what was going to occur. On went the fire, running
along the ground as if it had been strewed with gunpowder--then for an
instant playing round some tall clump, out of which directly afterwards
forked flames darted forth, and quickly reduced it to ashes, while thick
volumes of smoke curled upwards to the sky. No sooner did the bulls
scent the smoke than up went their tails, and with loud bellows they
dashed off through the grass, trampling it down in their fright.
"Now is our time!" I exclaimed; "the siege is raised; let us make the
best of our way to the boat."
Following the impulse of the moment, we seized our guns and the birds we
had shot, and leaping off the rock, began to run in an opposite
direction to that which the bulls had taken.
"Hurrah! the bulls are off. There they go like mad things, with their
tails up in the air!" exclaimed Jerry, as we ran on.
"I did it finely--didn't I? That bonfire was a capital idea. We've
killed two, and the rest won't be in such a hurry to butt at people in
future."
On we scampered, but we had not gone twenty paces before I seized
Jerry's arm and came to a stand-still, looking with dismay at the scene
before us. The flames, blown by the wind, had caught the neighbouring
clumps of tall grass. Dry as tinder, they were blazing up furiously.
Our further progress was completely barred by the fierce flames which
were rapidly extending on every side, and even then running along the
ground towards us. We had already passed over a quantity of dry grass
which, in another moment, might be on fire, and then all hope of escape
would be lost.
"Back, back!" I exclaimed--"to the rock, to the rock! It is our only
place of safety."
With frantic speed we rushed back, the fierce flames, like hissing
serpents, close on our heels. Hotter and hotter became the air--more
dense and suffocating the smoke. Blinded and confused by it, we could
scarcely find our way. A trip over the tangled grass-stalks we knew
would be fatal. The flames were already scorching our backs. On either
side we saw them leaping upwards round the tall tufts of dry herbage.
We shrieked with pain and terror. The rock was reached, but to scale
its steep sides seemed beyond our power. With a strength I did not
believe myself to possess, I seized Jerry and hoisted him up. Grasping
the clumps of grass and rugged lumps of rock, he scrambled to the top,
and then leaning over, lent me his hand, and dragged me after him.
Horror of what might be my fate enabled me to do what I otherwise could
not have accomplished. At the same moment that I reached the top of the
rock, the whole surrounding surface of the ground below became a sea of
raging fire--leaping, tossing, hissing, roaring, the flames blown here
and there by the wind; it was like the ocean in a storm. The devouring
element came circling round us, the bright flames darting up like the
tongues of huge serpents, eager to make us their prey. Bewildered by
the scorching heat and black circles of smoke, we were nearly falling
back into the fiery sea. I felt that I could not much longer retain my
senses. I seized Jerry's arm, and dragging him back, we retreated
towards the centre of the rock. Even there the heat was so intense, and
the smoke so suffocating, that it was with difficulty we could breathe.
"This is dreadful!" he exclaimed faintly. "Harry, I cannot stand it--I
am going to die." Saying this, he sunk gasping to the ground. At the
same time I felt an agonising sensation in my chest, and fully believing
that the same fate as his was about to overtake me also, I dropped down
senseless by his side.