blazed down with even greater power than it had done before, I had
another cheer up; for, as I rose on the send of the sea I could faintly
discover the tops of two trees in the distance standing out amidst the
waste of waters. This put additional pluck into me, and made me exert
myself to the utmost, as before then I could not see any sign of land at
all; but, after swimming on for some time I began to lose heart again
and became assailed by all manner of miserable fancies that almost made
me despair!
"I thought it was strange that I could not see Magellan, if he were
still in front of me, in the same way that I could observe the two
trees. He must have gone down at last and got drowned like the others,
I said to myself; or else a shark has snapped him up and made an end of
him, so that I alone was left out of all the thirteen of the pinnace's
crew. What was I reserved for?--a worse fate perhaps than the others--
possibly to reach a desolate shore, where I would starve to death in
solitude without a single soul to share my misery! The idea of sharks,
however, haunted me more than any other thought, for I knew that there
were plenty of these sea monsters in the Mozambique Channel, and I
dreaded more being caught by one of them than the mere fear of drowning,
which now seemed to lose all its terrors, although I still swam on
mechanically. Every time a wave broke over me, or when I splashed up
the water with my own feet, the haunting horror seized me that the wide
capacious maw and gaping saw-like teeth of a shark were ready to close
upon me, paralysing my heart nerves, and making my blood run cold right
through me. I never wish to pass through such a terrible time again,
sir--not for the mere peril I was in from the sea and the long distance
of water I had to traverse before I could hope to reach the end, so much
as from the thought that my shipmates were all drowned, and the nervous
dread I suffered on account of those devils of the deep, although all
the while I actually never saw one. This was fortunate for me, as I'm
sure only the sight of one in my then state of mind would have taken all
the fight out of me and made me an easy prey!
"My fear of the sharks indeed grew so strong upon me that I absolutely
tried to drown myself, but I could not keep myself down below the
surface of the water long enough to carry out my intention. The
attempt, however, did one good thing for me, as, seeing that I could not
sink, try as hard as I could, it appeared to me that I wasn't born to be
drowned--sailors,--you know, are rather superstitious sometimes--so,
thinking this, and assured that I was certain now to get to land, if
only the sharks left me alone, I struck again towards the direction of
the two trees that I saw every now and then to encourage me as I rose up
on the crest of each alternate wave, determined to persevere to the last
as long as the breath was left in me.
"Why, sir, it was a swim that beat poor Captain Webb's exploit in
crossing the Channel, for the pinnace had gone down soon after daybreak,
and I had been swimming ever since, while now the sun was sinking in the
west, looking as if it were going to dip in another hour at the most.
Yet, I seemed as far off from the land as ever, those two trees that I
watched so earnestly, and shaped my course by never appearing to rise
out of the water or come nearer to me than two miles off--for, whether
the tide had turned or there was a current carrying me along in a
parallel direction with the shore, or some other cause, for ever so long
a time I never got any closer than that. It was very hard, I thought,
with the land so near to me now, and I unable to reach it, strive how I
may! Perhaps, I fancied, those trees are a mere fanciful dream like the
fairy-like mirage of the desert that tortures poor lost wanderers with
pictures of cool lakes and rivers, while they are really in the middle
of burning sandy plains. I began to doubt they were real trees at all,
for I should have got up to them long since; and so, harassed again with
despair, I tried a second time to drown myself, clenching my hands
tightly to my side and making no effort to swim--but it was all in vain,
I could not keep down. I must have been delirious I think then, and
perhaps imagined it all, going out of my senses as poor Russell had done
previously, and wandering in my mind, for I can recollect perfectly
seeing the faces of people I knew in England--my father and mother and
my young wife--beckoning to me and holding out their hands to drag me
out of the water, when I knew all the while that I saw them that I was
swimming for my life in the Mozambique Channel, and that they were safe
at home in the old country! I suppose in my delirium two different
trains of thought were running through my head?
"After that, I forget what happened. I must have become insensible, for
I don't remember what occurred between. I seemed to wake up to
consciousness all at once, and then I found myself lying on a low sandy
beach, where I must have been washed up and left by the retreating tide.
"Although the sun had now set--which showed that I must have been
unconscious for some time, as the last thing I recollected was its
scorching my back, for of course as I was swimming in an easterly
direction towards Madagascar, as it sank down the horizon it got behind
me,--it was still light; and, looking about me, I perceived that I was
on a small island or sand-bank, some distance still off the mainland,
from which it was separated by a wide channel of water. I tried to get
up on my feet to notice better how wide this channel-way was; but I was
so weak from my long immersion in the sea, having stopped all
circulation, that I fell back again flat on my back like a dead man.
The exertion of trying to rise, however, made me bring up a considerable
quantity of sea-water, some two gallons or more, which I must have
swallowed when insensible, for I certainly never took down half that
quantity while swimming, having carefully avoided letting any get into
my mouth for fear of its increasing my thirst; but, however it got into
me, the emetic did me good, and I felt much better after thus disgorging
it from my inside.
"Resting a bit, stretched out on the sand-bank, I could not help
thanking the merciful Providence that had thus preserved my life when I
had abandoned myself to despair, and had been powerless to aid myself;
and I wondered whether any of my comrades had been saved too, or if I
were the sole survivor of the ill-fated boat's crew?
"The evening growing darker my mind was soon brought back to thoughts of
action, especially as the tide rising on the beach where I was lying
began to lap against my body. Crawling on my hands and knees, for I was
still unable to rise to my feet and walk, my limbs being perfectly numb
from the thighs downward, I managed to get out of the way of the water
for a while; but as it yet continued to rise, and I thought it might
possibly cover the whole sand-bank at high tide, I determined to attempt
to swim across the intervening channel that lay between the little islet
I was on and the main coast--although the latter in the evening gloom
seemed more than a mile away, and I felt utterly feeble and worn out.
But, I had to do it somehow or other, so I nerved myself up for the
task.
"Strange to say, however, the moment I rolled myself into the water
again, for I cannot say I walked in, I found I could use my arms and
legs again as freely as ever when swimming, albeit so cramped and
powerless when I tried to move them ashore; and so, striking out again
for the last time with all my remaining strength, I crossed the little
channel that separated me from the Madagascar coast in much less time
than I had calculated on, the haze having made it appear wider than it
really was.
"It was dark, however, when I grounded on the other side, where the land
fortunately shelved down into the water gradually--for if there had been
any steep bank or cliff to climb I could never have succeeded in
surmounting it, the last exertion of swimming the channel having
exhausted all my energies. Now, completely prostrated with all I had
gone through, as soon as I had crawled up far enough to be out of reach
of the tide, I laid down under the trunks of the two trees that had been
my beacon guides to safety, and which grew close together out of a clump
of sand on the shore, falling asleep at once. I was so utterly worn out
that I was not only powerless to proceed any further, but I had no dread
of the savage country I was in, or any fear of being attacked by wild
beasts!"
VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER FIVE.
HUNGER AND THIRST.
"When day broke next morning," Ben went on to say, "there I found myself
under the shade of the two cocoa-nut palms, as I discovered my beacon
trees to be, lying on the warm sandy bed covered over with leaves which
I had accidentally selected for my night's couch--being the first
comfortable spot I came to on crawling up from the beach. I felt
thoroughly rested and restored to my old self, although still somewhat
stiff and sore all over, as if somebody had given me a good thrashing--
which of course was owing to my long exposure to the waves and the
beating about they gave me; but, I was able to stand on my feet now and
work my limbs more freely than I could on first landing, which was
decidedly a point to the good, as I had thought I was paralysed.
"Looking about me, I noticed that I had managed to fetch a low curving
bay or arm of the sea considerably to the south of Cape Tangan, which I
could recognise stretching away to the northward. The shore was of fine
white sand; and in the background was a dense bush of jungle and forest
trees, principally palms and such like tall upright trunks, that had no
branches, all their foliage being on the top in a cluster like a lady's
parasol.
"My two cocoa-nut trees were evidently the outlying sentinels, or
advance-guards of these; for they stood alone on the beach a hundred
yards or more in front of the jungle and brushwood, which extended back
from the shore in a mass of green that stood well out, in pleasant
relief to the gleaming sand, as far away as the eye could reach,
clothing the slopes of the high mountains which rose up in the centre of
the island running like a backbone or rocky spine all along its length
from its extreme nor'-easterly point down far away to the south.
"This forest belt of green encircles the whole coast of Madagascar, I've
been told, beginning close almost to the water's edge in some places and
extending back inland until the higher levels are reached; and it is of
a uniform width of some fifteen miles across, except where, of course,
it has been cleared away at the different settlements and colonies at
the heads of the various bays with which the coast is indented. I know,
at all events, that this jungle seemed endless and impenetrable; for I
had quite enough to do with it in the following ten days that I was thus
brought face to face with it, as I can tell you!
"As soon as I woke up, the first thought that crossed my mind was, where
could I find water? I was so parched with thirst that my tongue seemed
glued to the roof of my palate, and I believe it was feeling this that
roused me; so, naturally, I turned about, hunting for some brook or
streamlet where I could get a drink, as rivers mostly run to the shores
of the majority of islands I ever heard of. However, there were none
close in sight that I could see from the beach, and all the water there
was salt; and, as I argued to myself that all the green jungle must have
been produced and kept alive by moisture of some sort, I abandoned the
sea-shore as hopeless and directed my steps towards the bush, with the
expectation of finding there the object of my quest. I didn't go with
any lagging steps either, for by this time my thirst was almost
unbearable, becoming the more intense the longer I waited for water.
"I proceeded after getting into the bush to where the ground sloped down
into a sort of valley, fancying that such would be the likeliest place
for a river; but I had not got very far through the rough thicket, which
scratched my exposed skin pretty sorely by the way, when, as I emerged
again into the open, I saw before me a group of men in front amongst
some detached trees. Two or three were moving about, while the rest
were lying on the ground; so, taking them to be natives, and knowing
that the Sakalavas who inhabited this part of the coast were, unlike the
Hovas, friendly to foreigners, many Hindoo families and Portuguese being
settled amongst them, besides a few stray Frenchmen and Americans, I at
once made towards the group. Judge of my surprise, however, on coming
up to the men, to find that they were none other than Magellan and four
others of the pinnace's crew, whom I had supposed to be lost, but who
had managed to get ashore safely long before myself!
"Well, what a hand-shaking there was that went round them--why, it was
like meeting chaps that had been dead and buried over again! We none of
us could say anything for some time, the emotion of seeing each other
again being too much, for I was a pretty good favourite with all the
hands, and Magellan had told the rest about his having passed me
swimming ashore early in the day they all got to land; and then, through
my not turning up, of course they all believed I had gone down to Davy
Jones! One thing was now certain, however; and that was, that we were
the whole number that were saved; for, if you will recollect, five out
of the thirteen comprising the crew of the boat had gone down with her
when she filled and sank, leaving eight only struggling in the water.
Of these remaining eight, six of us were now together on the Madagascar
coast, and the other two, Bellamy and Russell, I had myself seen drown
when they tumbled off the raft on which I had left them in that last
deadly embrace of theirs.
"I was so knocked of a heap at meeting my old shipmates so unexpectedly
that I declare to you I forgot all about my raging thirst for the
moment; but as soon as the excitement had calmed down and all sorts of
questions and answers had been asked and replied to, with much
palavering and congratulating of one another, the intense feeling
returned to me worse than ever--my tongue being so swollen up that it
seemed to fill my mouth!
"`Have you got any water?' says I to Magellan; `I'm dying with thirst!'
"`Bless you, my hearty!' replied he, `why didn't you say that afore?
But mind now, you must go gingerly. This is all we've got till we find
some more, and we've agreed to allowance ourselves. Half a pint is all
you can have, shipmate, now, and if you drinks it all you'll get no more
to-day. I advise you to rinse your mouth out with it, for that'll make
it go further, bo!'
"So saying, Magellan hands me a pannikin into which he had drawn off the
quantity of water he had said was the allowance out of the barrico,
which I told you contained some when the pinnace was wrecked. It had
floated ashore all right, fortunately for us all; and Magellan, picking
it up, had had the good sense to economise it for the advantage of the
lot. I can't tell you how it felt as I drank it down! Nothing that I
ever tasted before or since all the world over ever came up to that
drink of water. It was like the nectar as I've read of that the old
Greek gods used to drink on Mount Olympus, for it was sweeter than any
wine or liquor that ever crossed my lips before I learnt to wear the
blue ribbon!
"I took Magellan's advice and drank it sparingly, washing my mouth out
to make it go further before I swallowed it and spinning it out as long
as I could, giving a great gasp of satisfaction as I drained down the
last drop. I never thought such a chap as Magellan would have had the
sense to lay hands on the barrico as he did and serve it out on
allowance--considering the little amount of water there was, and how all
must have been pretty nigh as thirsty as myself; but, I suppose the
peril he had been in and the fact of his not seeing any river near
taught him caution!
"Now, on seeing me drink, the others wanted the pannikin passed round;
but Jem Magellan said `No,' putting the barrico back under some leaves
alongside of where he had been sitting when I came up, which was the
reason I hadn't noticed it as I was certain to have done; and I, taking
command of the party again, as I was entitled to do as senior petty
officer, endorsed his authority, saying that it was for the good of all
that some restriction should be placed on the water so as to make it
last out till we got more. I daresay, sir, as how you must have thought
it strange that Captain Wilson should have put me in charge of the
pinnace, instead of a warrant officer or middy?"
"Yes, I must say I have been wondering at that," I replied to Ben's
question.
"Well, it seems rather queer," said Ben; "but you must know that when
the _Dolphin_ captured the dhow that time, the only officers on board
fit for duty that weren't down in the sick bay with fever were the first
and second lieutenants, one middy and the boatswain, besides Chips the
carpenter, who couldn't be spared from the ship; and in boarding the
_Fatima_, the first swab, as I told you, got an ugly scrape in the leg
that prevented him from moving; so when the second lieutenant was put in
charge of the dhow to take her up to Zanzibar, I was the only
responsible man the captain could think of to send cruising with the
pinnace, as the middy was a harum-scarum youngster, who hadn't got
thought enough, and neither the boatswain nor Chips could be taken away
from their duties without perhaps the ship suffering. Besides, I had a
very good character, standing on the books for promotion, with three
good-conduct badges; and being at the time well acquainted with the
coast and the ways of the slave-dhows I was just the man to be put in
charge of the boat as `jaunty,' as we say in the service."
"All right, I've no doubt the captain selected you as a fit person for
so responsible a post," said I. "Fire away with the yarn."
"Very good, sir," said Ben, continuing his narrative now that he had
given this explanation. "I was in command of the party anyway, though I
must say I wasn't very much like an officer in appearance, for I hadn't
a rag of clothing on. Indeed, most of us were in the same condition;
for, only Magellan and one other chap had trousers, the remaining three
being, like myself, as naked as when they were born! However, that did
not trouble us much then, as we were under the shade of the trees, and
in those parts of the world the less you have on the more comfortable
you are; although, when exposed directly to the sun it soon raises
blisters on a bare skin.
"Before doing anything else, as soon as I resumed my proper post as
headman of the crew, I thought the best thing was to organise a proper
search for water, that being our principal necessity for the moment;
and, accordingly, directing the lot to separate, each going a different
way so as to properly overhaul the ground, but not keeping too far apart
to be out of hail of one another lest we might get lost, we dispersed
through the bush--I taking the beach line for my course, and telling the
rest to keep the two cocoa-nut trees in sight for a general rendezvous
and report progress in an hour's time or thereabouts if they had not
found water before. If they found it, of course they were to sing out
at once.
"Our courage was pretty well up then, for we had yet only seen the
beginning, so to speak, of our trials, and the men went off laughing and
skylarking; one calling out as how he'd soon be piping us down to a real
good feed, with lashings of grog; and another saying he'd look in and
ask the Queen of Madagascar to send down a carriage and fetch us to the
palace. Bless you! you know what light-hearted chaps sailors are, even
in the midst of danger. As for myself, I was more serious like; for,
besides having the responsibility of the whole party on my shoulders and
wishing to do the best for all, I couldn't help thinking we were in a
very sorry mess altogether. I knew what the coast was, you see; for it
was a wide extent of savage country all the way from Cape Tangan to
Majunga, with only some little native settlement here and there between,
all of which were separated by this endless belt of jungle I've
mentioned, and wide lagoons and rivers, in addition to high mountains in
many places--that would have been tough climbing at the best of times,
without the heavy brushwood and tangled thickets that ran up from their
bases to their summits, and the deep crevices and gorges in which they
abruptly ended, making one come to a dead stop on the edge of some awful
abyss, over which one step further would precipitate you. I knew all
this, sir, from my own past acquaintance with the coast, as well as from
what I had learned from others who had seen more of it than I had; so, I
did not see quite such a satisfactory end to our difficulties as all the
rest did, with the exception of Magellan, who had been shipwrecked
before, on the coast of China, and knew it wasn't child's play. But, as
for the other poor fellows, they had to learn the reality in bitter
earnestness. Now that they had succeeded in getting ashore such
distance from where the pinnace had sunk under us, they believed they
had passed through the worst peril they could possibly have to contend
against and that thenceforth all was plain sailing for them. Ah! before
that first day of their experiences in Madagascar was over they would
have a very different tale to tell, as you'll see.
"So thinking, and, as luck would have it, anticipating exactly what
happened, though perhaps this was more owing to the melancholy frame of
mind I was in than any pretence of being able to foretell the future, as
some folks set up for doing, I went from the little clearing in the
bush, where we had been assembled, down to the sea, the glimmer and
shimmering of which, from the sun shining on it, could be seen through
the openings in the foliage of the trees--first directing my footsteps,
being now able to walk easily and well, to the bank at the foot of the
twin cocoa-nut trees where I had rested for the night, and from thence
to the place where I had crawled ashore; for, I could trace my way
without any difficulty by the tracks and marks I had made in the clear
white sand, which being above high-water mark had not been washed out by
the tide, as would otherwise have been the case.
"From this spot, I followed along the beach the whole curve of the bay,
a good two mile or more, to where it ended in a precipitous cliff,
without finding the mouth of any stream or river emptying itself into
the sea; but I found one thing of some service, for, attached to an oar,
which must have formed part of the raft I had made and abandoned to
Russell and Bellamy, was the comforter that I had taken off my neck and
bound the spars together with. It came in now even handier than ever;
as, wrapping it round my loins I converted the old comforter into a sort
of petticoat that did duty for my missing `unmentionables,' as delicate
people call them, and I confess I felt more comfortable with this
apology on, even though I was in those savage wilds with but my own
messmates to see me.
"Only the oar had been cast up by the waves; neither the pork breaker,
which had contained one or two junks of meat that might have been useful
to us, nor the stern-sheet grating, which I had lashed together with it,
being observable anywhere on the strand, so they must have been carried
by the current round the cape.
"I retraced my way sadly to our meeting-place; for, as I argued, if I
couldn't see the mouth of any river there they wouldn't find one in the
bush, as the ground shelved down gradually towards the sea in the
neighbourhood, so if there was any water stream, it was bound to find
its way there, not being able to run uphill!
"During all this time I could hear our chaps hollering and calling out
to each other, sometimes the voices being far away and then again close
at hand; but when I had got up to the cocoa-nut trees there they all
were once more, with the same story of an unsuccessful search. Diving
beneath the brushwood and jungle they had peeped and peered into every
likely spot they came across, without finding a trace of water, nor even
the empty bed of what had been a stream in the rainy season. It was
evident that the valley we were in was too northerly for the rivers that
I had heard entered the sea mostly on the west side of the island; and
that to come to such we would have to make our way over one of the
intervening chains of hilly land lying between.