One thought the stranger was a cabin passenger--another, an officer of
the ship--another, a seaman; and Mary observed, that supposing he was a
steerage passenger without a farthing in the world, it was equally our
duty to take the best care we could of him.
"I hope that he isn't quite a gentleman," said Susan, "because, if he
is, he'll be thinking himself above us."
"Not if he has right feeling," remarked Mary. "I cannot see why we
should fancy that people are always considering whether they are above
or below each other, or better or worse than one another. I know that
the Bible tells us to consider each person better than ourselves, and,
in another place, not to mind high things, but to condescend to men of
low estate. If people obeyed that rule, there wouldn't be the disputes
and quarrels there are between neighbours. I wonder if we shall find
that sort of thing out in Australia."
"I am afraid that a voyage half round the world won't change people's
hearts," said I; "the only difference is, that people have so much to do
and think of, they have no time to attend to the private concerns of
others; and so I hope that they keep on good terms at all events with
their neighbours."
"Do you think, father, that a voyage quite round the world, or twice
round, would change a man's heart?" asked John; "I should think it
ought."
"No, John, I am very certain that it would not," remarked his mother,
now first joining in the conversation; "there is but one way by which a
man's heart can change, and that is through God's Holy Spirit, to be
obtained through His grace by earnest prayer."
My wife knew the truth, and showed that she did, not only by her words
but by her life.
"Well, sisters, to relieve your minds about the young stranger whom I
hauled out of the water," said Peter; "I'm pretty certain that he is a
gentleman, judging by a few words he uttered as I caught hold of him.
His first object seemed to be to thank me for the risk I was running to
save him. However, we shall see."
The young stranger recovered sufficiently to talk without risk before
the gale was over, and he then told us that his name was Charles White,
that he was fourth officer of the ship we had seen go down--a homeward
bound Indiaman--that he was an orphan, with very few friends in England
or anywhere else; "Indeed," he added, "had I shared the fate of my
shipmates, there would have been but a small quantity of salt tears shed
or crape worn for me; but I am wrong,--there is one who would have
mourned for me; oh, if you knew her, such a good creature--Aunt
Priscilla; she was my mother's aunt; she has never married; Miss Beamish
she is called. I believe that I am the only human male-being she cares
for, except two tom cats and a dog, and one of them isn't a tom; at
least, it had kittens, and they are not human either. Whenever I go
home, I always go and see Aunt Priscilla, and carry her all sorts of
things, and feed the cats, and take the little dog out to walk; but when
I went, I never intended to stay there long, because, you see, she and I
are not much of companions to each other, and yet, somehow or other,
what with telling her my adventures, and reading to her, and playing
backgammon and such like things, we used to get on wonderfully well
together. Then my coming was always a signal for her to give a series
of tea-parties; they were not very large ones, because her room wouldn't
hold many people at a time, and then I used to have to tell my stories
to each set of guests. Aunt Priscilla was never tired of listening to
them, and I found out by the way she corrected me if I made the
slightest variation. I had, therefore, to be very particular the first
time I told a story, so that I might not afterwards be caught tripping.
Yes; dear, good Aunt Priscilla, I am sure that she will be anxious when
she finds that the old tea-chest hasn't arrived at the time expected.
There's one comfort, I shall be able to give her notice of my safety
before she hears positively of the fate of the ship."
Though Charley White did not talk of himself, I was able to form a very
fair judgment of his character from the way he spoke of the old lady,
and I found afterwards that I was correct. We found him a very pleasant
addition to our family party on board, and I soon got to look on him
like one of my own sons; he was, besides, of great assistance to us in
navigating the little schooner. The gale at length ceased, and we stood
for Table Bay. I was afraid of venturing the run across the Indian
Ocean without landing at Cape Town, lest we might get short of water; a
want, which besides exposing us to suffering, would have caused the
destruction of all our sheep. We remained but a few days at Cape Town.
Charley White wrote home an account of the loss of the ship, and sent a
letter to his Aunt Priscilla assuring her of his safety. I expected,
and thought of it with much regret, that he would here leave us. I
invited him, however, to cast in his fortunes with ours, and without
hesitation, much to the satisfaction of all our party, he accepted my
offer. "You know," he said, "when we get settled, I can send home for
Aunt Priscilla, or go and fetch her, and I think that she would like the
life. It would be much more satisfactory than her round of tea-parties,
and give her something to think of besides her cats and dog, and I am
sure that you would all like her."
We of course said that we had no doubt we should, though Susan remarked
afterwards, that a real lady, as she supposed she was, from her giving
tea-parties and having two cats and a poodle, would scarcely like to
come out and live in the bush with such homely people as we were. I
will tell you by and by what came of it.
The people at the Cape, when they saw the size of the _May Flower_ and
the way she was laden, were surprised at our having come so far in
safety, and some chose to declare that we should never reach the end of
our voyage. I replied that they did not know the qualities of the
little craft; that many a big ship had gone down when small ones had
floated; that it was not so much the size of a vessel as the way she was
put together, and the quality of her gear, which made her safe or
unsafe, and moreover, that the same Providence which had protected us
hitherto was not sleeping. That was the feeling which kept me up from
first to last throughout our undertaking.
We heard at the Cape some news which gave me more concern than anything
else. It was, that war was again about to break out between England and
France, and that as many other nations were likely to be leagued with
France in arms against our country, we should have no small number of
enemies among whom to run the gauntlet. My chief hope was that we
should arrive at our destination before the news of the actual
commencement of hostilities could reach the enemy's cruisers in the
Eastern seas. One thing, however, I remembered; it was, that bad news
travels fast, and I have come to the conclusion that no news is worse
than that which tells of two civilised nations going to war.
Earthquakes, fires, floods, disasters at sea, are very bad; but war
means that thousands of the flowers of manhood are to be cut down in
their prime, or maimed, or wounded; that numbers of children are to be
made orphans; wives are to become widows; and fruitful lands laid
desolate. Such is war; ah! such is war.
I had made up my mind to go on to Australia, though I had many tempting
offers to remain at the Cape. I daresay that we should have found a
happy home there, and it is a fine colony; but I have reason to be
thankful that we persevered. My children enjoyed their visit to the
shore, and the fresh bread and butter, and the fruit and vegetables; but
after all, they said that there was nothing like home (meaning the
little schooner), and they were glad to get back to her, thus showing
that they were not tired of the voyage. Our old dog, Steadfast, made
himself particularly happy, frisking and scampering about in every
conceivable manner, till he looked, the children said, as if he would
tumble to pieces in the exuberance of his spirits. They tried to induce
our cat, the Duchess, to accompany them, but she had learned to look on
the schooner as her home and wouldn't go. Whenever they tried to catch
her, she ran up the rigging, though on other occasions she allowed them
to handle her as much as they liked. Curious as it may seem, the
circumstance had a great effect on Bob Hunt and Dick Nailor, who were,
like many seamen, very superstitious.
"She knows it's all right aboard here, and that we shan't come to no
harm," observed Bob to his mate.
"Oh, course," answered Dick; "I never knowed a cat stick to a ship, if
she could get away, which was to go down. They are wonderful wise
creatures, and knows all sorts of things as is going to happen. To be
sure they can scratch a bit when they fancies."
Cats will certainly stick to vessels whether they are to be wrecked or
not. I remember falling in with an abandoned ship, the only living
thing on board being a cat; we took her off, and the vessel soon
afterwards went to pieces.
Once more we were at sea. A westerly wind, which I was afraid we might
lose if we stood to the southward, induced me to run along the coast
closer in than I might otherwise have ventured. The weather had
hitherto been very fine, and I persuaded myself that there was no risk.
I was wrong. Suddenly, the wind shifted to the southwest of west, and
blowing strong, and though we hauled up immediately, before we got a
good offing it blew a strong gale from the southward directly on shore,
and a heavy rolling sea came tumbling in. We could not venture to heave
to, and yet there was more sea and wind than the little craft could well
bear. All we could do was to keep sail on her, and to steer as close to
the wind as she would lie. I watched the coast with deep anxiety, and
couldn't help feeling that the foaming, raging waters, which now dashed
impetuously against it, might prove my grave and that of all dear to me.
Of course my son and Charley White and the two seamen saw our danger as
clearly as I did, but we did not communicate our ideas to each other,
and I was anxious not to alarm my dear wife and daughters. The little
craft looked up bravely however, and my hopes revived; again they sank,
for the gale came down stronger than ever on us, and I saw that we were
driving closer and closer towards the shore. A large ship might
possibly, by cutting away her masts have ridden out the gale at her
anchors; we, had we made the attempt, should have foundered. My wife
and Mary and Susan had one after the other appeared at the companion
hatch, and with pale faces, as they saw the state of things, had gone
below again. I hadn't the heart even to tell them my fears. Bob Hunt
and Dick Nailor took matters very coolly.
"The Duchess don't think anything will come of it," observed Bob to
Dick, pointing to the cat who was sitting on a coil of rope on the head
of a water cask lashed to the weather bulwarks.
"May be not, but she may be mistaken once in a way, Bob," answered Dick,
who, seeing the imminent danger in which we were placed, lost his
confidence in the fore-knowledge of the cat.
From what may sound ridiculous, but was not really so, I must turn to a
more serious matter. I suspected that my wife and daughters knew our
danger, though I had not told them of it.
We had driven still nearer to the land, and wishing to ascertain exactly
on what part of the coast we were, that I might, if possible, run the
vessel on shore on some spot where we might have a chance of saving our
lives I went below to examine the chart.