THE WRECK OF THE MACQUARIE.
The next day the travelers were installed on board the Macquarie.
Will Halley had not offered the ladies his cabin, which was not to be
regretted, as the lair was only fit for the brute.
At noon they made ready to take the flood-tide. The anchor was weighed.
A moderate breeze blew from the southwest. The sails were gradually
set, but the five men worked slowly. At last, incited by the oaths
of the skipper, they accomplished their task. But in spite of her
spread of canvas the brig scarcely advanced. Yet, however poorly she
sailed, in five or six days they hoped to reach the harbor of Auckland.
At seven o'clock in the evening they lost sight of the shores of
Australia, and the lighthouse at Eden. The sea was rough, and the
vessel labored heavily in the trough of the waves. The passengers found
their situation very uncomfortable; but, as they could not remain on
deck, they were forced to submit to confinement.
[Illustration: But on the next day seven canoes of the islanders
attacked it most violently and suddenly, causing it to capsize.]
That evening conversation very naturally turned upon the land to which
they were now sailing, its discovery and colonization; and just as
naturally all turned to Paganel as to a bookcase, for some information
thereon. It was very readily accessible, although evidently to the
geographer's mind there was something of a painful character connected
with the name, the impression, and the very thoughts of New Zealand and
its Maori inhabitants.
"Monsieur Paganel," said Lady Helena, "have your friends, the English,
been the only ones to search out this island?"
"By no means, madam," was the prompt reply. "On the contrary, they
have come second, nay, third, in the race; only," and he looked half
roguishly and half maliciously, "_they stayed when they came_."
And then he told them of its first discovery by Abel Tasman, the Dutch
navigator, in 1642; that, when first he landed, there seemed to be
amicable feelings expressed by the islanders toward himself, a number
of them coming back to his ship, and being apparently well pleased to
cultivate intercourse. But on the next day, as he sent his boat to
find good anchorage nearer to the shore, seven canoes of the islanders
attacked it most violently and suddenly, causing it to capsize, and so
vigorously assailing its occupants with their pikes that it was with
difficulty any of them were able to swim back to their ship, leaving
those of their companions who were not drowned to be butchered by the
natives.
[Sidenote: A SADDENING HISTORY.]
Of course he did not forget to mention that a French navigator,
Surville by name, was the next to visit the shores, and that his
visit likewise was the cause of bloodshed and misery. But he gave
them a more lengthy and extended narrative of Captain Cook's voyages,
which were the most important in their results as well as the most
interesting and tragic in many of their incidents. It was on the 6th
of October, 1769, that this navigator first landed on the shores which
he visited twice afterwards, and each time added greatly to the stock
of previous knowledge concerning these islands, their productions, and
their inhabitants. By him it was first ascertained that cannibalism was
practiced by some, if not all, of the tribes at that time; and it was
very evident, from the manner of Paganel's narration, that hereabout
lay the extremely sensitive point of the worthy geographer's fears and
forebodings. However, he was not deterred from rehearsing how one and
another not merely visited, but began to settle, on the island, so that
in the treaty of 1814 it was formally recognized as belonging to Great
Britain, and twenty years after was important enough to have a separate
official and governmental establishment.
Paganel also told, at great length, the tales of many of the sad
incidents which from time to time have marked even the commercial
intercourse between the European and the Maori; as, for instance, the
sad tale of conflict and bloodshed connected with the death of Captain
Marion, a French navigator, in 1772. He had landed near the spot where
Surville had ill-treated some of the natives and traitorously seized
a son of the chief, Takouri, who yet appeared to welcome this next
French visitant, though remembering none the less the terrible duty of
vengeance which is felt by the Maori to be so binding.
[Illustration: It was on the sixth of October, 1769, that this
navigator (Captain Cook) first landed on the shores.]
For a long time the cloak of friendship was worn by the natives, the
more thoroughly to lull the suspicions of the whites, and to entice a
larger number on shore; in which endeavor they succeeded only too well.
The French ships being greatly out of repair, Marion was induced to
fell timber at some distance in the interior, and to establish in this
occupation a great number of his men, going frequently to them, and
remaining with them and the apparently friendly chiefs. On one of these
occasions the Maoris fulfilled their revengeful project with a terrible
satisfaction to themselves. Only one man, of all those in the interior,
managed to escape, the commander himself falling a prey to their
vengeance. They then endeavored to kill the second in command, who,
with several others, was nearer to the shore. These, of course, at once
started for their boats; breathless, they reached them, hotly pursued
to the water's edge by the insatiate savages. Then, safe themselves,
the French marksmen picked off the chief, and the previous exultation
of the aborigines was, even in the hour of their triumph, turned to
lamentation, coupled with wonder at the terrible power of the white
man's fire-barrel.
[Illustration: Safe themselves, the French marksmen picked off the
chief.]
All this and much more did the geographer narrate; but it must be
confessed that he neither spoke, nor did they listen, with the
complacency evinced in his previous tales. Besides, their surroundings
were at the time uncomfortable, and the first prognostications of a
speedy passage were not likely to be verified.
Unfortunately, this painful voyage was prolonged. Six days after her
departure, the Macquarie had not descried the shores of Auckland.
The wind was fair, however, and still blew from the southwest; but
nevertheless the brig did not make much headway. The sea was rough, the
rigging creaked, the ribs cracked, and the vessel rode the waves with
difficulty.
Fortunately, Will Halley, like a man who was in no hurry, did not crowd
on sail, or his masts would inevitably have snapped. Captain Mangles
hoped, therefore, that this clumsy craft would reach its destination
in safety; still, he was pained to see his companions on board in such
miserable quarters.
[Sidenote: PERSISTENT GRIEF.]
But neither Lady Helena nor Mary Grant complained, although the
continual rain kept them confined, and the want of air and rolling of
the ship seriously incommoded them. Their friends sought to divert
them, and Paganel strove to while the time with his stories, but did
not succeed so well as previously.
Of all the passengers, the one most to be pitied was Lord Glenarvan.
They rarely saw him below; he could not keep still. His nervous and
excitable nature would not submit to an imprisonment between four
wooden walls. Day and night, heedless of the torrents of rain and the
dashing spray of the sea, he remained on deck, sometimes bending over
the rail, sometimes pacing up and down with feverish agitation. His
eyes gazed continually into space, and, during the brief lulls, his
glass persistently surveyed the horizon. He seemed to question the mute
waves; the mist that veiled the sky, the masses of vapor, he would have
penetrated with a glance; he could not be resigned, and his countenance
betokened an acute grief. The power and hopefulness of this man,
hitherto so energetic and courageous, had suddenly failed.
Captain Mangles seldom left him, but at his side endured the severity
of the storm. That day, Glenarvan, wherever there was an opening in
the mist, scanned the horizon with the utmost persistency. The young
captain approached him.
"Is your lordship looking for land?" he asked.
Glenarvan shook his head.
"It will yet be some time before we leave the brig. We ought to have
sighted Auckland light thirty-six hours ago."
Glenarvan did not answer. He still gazed, and for a moment his glass
was pointed towards the horizon to windward of the vessel.
"The land is not on that side," said Captain Mangles. "Your lordship
should look towards the starboard."
"Why, John?" replied Glenarvan. "It is not the land that I am seeking."
"What is it, my lord?"
[Sidenote: A COURAGEOUS CAPTAIN.]
"My yacht, my Duncan! She must be here, in these regions, plowing
these seas, in that dreadful employment of a pirate. She is here, I
tell you, John, on this course between Australia and New Zealand! I
have a presentiment that we shall meet her!"
[Illustration: Day and night, heedless of the torrents of rain and the
dashing spray of the sea, he remained on deck.]
"God preserve us from such a meeting, my lord!"
"Why, John?"
"Your lordship forgets our situation. What could we do on this brig, if
the Duncan should give us chase? We could not escape."
"Escape, John?"
"Yes, my lord. We should try in vain. We should be captured, at the
mercy of the wretches. Ben Joyce has shown that he does not hesitate at
a crime. I should sell my life dearly. We would defend ourselves to the
last extremity. Well! But, then, think of Lady Helena and Mary Grant!"
"Poor women!" murmured Glenarvan. "John, my heart is broken, and
sometimes I feel as if despair had invaded it. It seems to me as if
new calamities awaited us, as if Heaven had decreed against us! I am
afraid!"
"You, my lord?"
"Not for myself, John, but for those whom I love, and whom you love
also."
"Take courage, my lord," replied the young captain. "We need no longer
fear. The Macquarie is a poor sailer, but still she sails. Will Halley
is a brutish creature; but I am here, and if the approach to the land
seems to me dangerous I shall take the ship to sea again. Therefore
from this quarter there is little or no danger. But as for meeting the
Duncan, God preserve us, and enable us to escape!"
Captain Mangles was right. To encounter the Duncan would be fatal to
the Macquarie, and this misfortune was to be feared in these retired
seas, where pirates could roam without danger. However, that day, at
least, the Duncan did not appear, and the sixth night since their
departure from Twofold Bay arrived without Captain Mangles's fears
being realized.
But that night was destined to be one of terror. Darkness set in almost
instantaneously towards evening; the sky was very threatening. Even
Will Halley, whose sense of danger was superior to the brutishness of
intoxication, was startled by these warning signs. He left his cabin,
rubbing his eyes and shaking his great red head. Then he drew a long
breath, and examined the masts. The wind was fresh, and was blowing
strong towards the New Zealand coast.
Captain Halley summoned his men, with many oaths, and ordered them to
reef the top-sails. Captain Mangles approved in silence. He had given
up remonstrating with this coarse seaman; but neither he nor Glenarvan
left the deck.
Two hours passed. The sea grew more tempestuous, and the vessel
received such severe shocks that it seemed as if her keel were grating
on the sand. There was no unusual roughness, but yet this clumsy craft
labored heavily, and the deck was deluged by the huge waves. The boat
that hung in the larboard davits was swept overboard by a rising billow.
Captain Mangles could not help being anxious. Any other vessel would
have mocked these surges; but with this heavy hulk they might well fear
foundering, for the deck was flooded with every plunge, and the masses
of water, not finding sufficient outlet by the scuppers, might submerge
the ship. It would have been wise, as a preparation for any emergency,
to cut away the waistcloth to facilitate the egress of the water; but
Will Halley refused to take this precaution.
[Sidenote: A NAUTICAL COUP D'ETAT.]
However, a greater danger threatened the Macquarie, and probably there
was no longer time to prevent it. About half-past eleven Captain
Mangles and Wilson, who were standing on the leeward side, were
startled by an unusual sound. Their nautical instincts were roused,
and the captain seized the sailor's hand.
"The surf!" said he.
"Yes," replied Wilson. "The sea is breaking on the reefs."
"Not more than two cable-lengths distant."
"Not more! The shore is here!"
Captain Mangles leaned over the railing, gazed at the dark waves, and
cried:
"The sounding-lead, Wilson!"
The skipper, who was in the forecastle, did not seem to suspect his
situation. Wilson grasped the sounding-line, which lay coiled in its
pail, and rushed into the port-shrouds. He cast the lead; the rope
slipped between his fingers; at the third knot it stopped.
"Three fathoms!" cried Wilson.
"We are on the breakers!" shouted the sober captain to the stupefied
one.
Whether the former saw Halley shrug his shoulders or not is of little
consequence. At all events, he rushed towards the wheel and crowded
the helm hard alee, while Wilson, letting go the line, hauled upon the
top-sail yard-arms to luff the ship. The sailor who was steering, and
had been forcibly pushed aside, did not at all understand this sudden
attack.
"To the port-yards! let loose the sails!" cried the young captain,
managing so as to escape the reefs.
For half a minute, the starboard side of the brig grazed the rocks,
and, in spite of the darkness, John perceived a roaring line of
breakers that foamed a few yards from the ship.
[Sidenote: VERY CRITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES.]
At this moment Will Halley, becoming conscious of the imminent danger,
lost his presence of mind. His sailors, who were scarcely sober,
could not comprehend his orders. Moreover, his incoherent words and
contradictory commands showed that this stupid drunkard's coolness
had failed. He was surprised by the nearness of the land, which was
only eight miles off, when he thought it thirty or forty. The currents
had taken him unawares, and thrown him out of his ordinary course.
[Illustration: The sailor who was steering, and had been forcibly
pushed aside, did not at all understand this sudden attack.]
However, Captain Mangles's prompt management had rescued the brig from
her peril; but he did not know his position. Perhaps he was inclosed by
a chain of reefs. The wind blew fresh from the east, and at every pitch
they might strike bottom.
The roar of the surf was soon redoubled, and it was necessary to luff
still more. John crowded the helm down and braced farther to leeward.
The breakers multiplied beneath the prow of the ship, and they were
obliged to tack so as to put to sea. Would this manoeuvre succeed with
such an unsteady vessel, and under such reduced sail? It was uncertain,
but as their only chance they must venture it.
"Hard alee!" cried Captain Mangles to Wilson.
The Macquarie began to approach the new line of reefs. Soon the
water foamed above the submerged rocks. It was a moment of torturing
suspense. The spray glittered on the crests of the waves. You would
have thought a phosphorescent glow had suddenly illumined the water.
Wilson and Mulready forced down the wheel with their whole weight.
Suddenly a shock was felt. The vessel had struck upon a rock. The
bob-stays broke, and nearly overthrew the mainmast. Could they come
about without any other injury? No; for all at once there was a calm,
and the ship veered to windward again, and her movements suddenly
ceased. A lofty wave seized and bore her forward towards the reefs,
while she rolled heavily. The mainmast went by the board with all its
rigging, the brig heaved twice and was motionless, leaning over to
starboard. The pump-lights were shattered in pieces, and the passengers
rushed to the deck; but the waves were sweeping it from one end to
the other, and they could not remain without danger. Captain Mangles,
knowing that the ship was firmly imbedded in the sand, besought them
for their own sakes to go below again.
"The truth, John?" asked Glenarvan, faintly.
"The truth, my lord, is that we shall not founder. As for being
destroyed by the sea, that is another question; but we have time to
take counsel."
"Is it midnight?"
"Yes, my lord, and we must wait for daylight."
"Can we not put to sea in the boat?"
"In this storm and darkness it is impossible. And, moreover, where
should we strike land?"
"Well, John, let us remain here till morning."
Meantime Will Halley was running about the deck like a madman. His
sailors, who had recovered from their stupor, stove in a brandy-barrel
and began to drink. Mangles foresaw that their drunkenness would lead
to terrible scenes. The captain could not be relied upon to restrain
them; the miserable man tore his hair and wrung his hands; he thought
only of his cargo, which was not insured.
"I am ruined! I am lost!" cried he, running to and fro.
Captain Mangles scarcely thought of consoling him. He armed his
companions, and all stood ready to repel the sailors, who were filling
themselves with brandy, and cursing frightfully.
"The first of these wretches who approaches," said the major calmly, "I
will shoot like a dog."
The sailors doubtless saw that the passengers were determined to keep
them at bay, for, after a few attempts at plunder, they disappeared.
Captain Mangles paid no more attention to these drunken men, but waited
impatiently for day.
[Sidenote: SLEEPING IN A SAND-CRADLE.]
The ship was now absolutely immovable. The sea grew gradually calm,
and the wind subsided. The hull could, therefore, hold out a few hours
longer. At sunrise they would examine the shore. If it seemed easy to
land, the yawl, now the only boat on board, would serve to transport
the crew and passengers. It would require three trips, at least, to
accomplish this, for there was room for only four persons. As for the
gig, it had been swept overboard, during the storm, as before mentioned.
While reflecting on the dangers of his situation, the young captain,
leaning against the binnacle, listened to the roar of the surf. He
strove to pierce the dense darkness, and estimate how far he was from
that desired yet dreaded coast. Breakers are frequently heard several
leagues at sea. Could the frail cutter weather so long a voyage in her
present shattered state?
While he was thinking thus, and longing for a little light in the
gloomy sky, the ladies, relying upon his words, were reposing in their
berths. The steadiness of the brig secured them several hours of rest.
Glenarvan and the others, no longer hearing the cries of the drunken
crew, refreshed themselves also by a hasty sleep, and, early in the
morning, deep silence reigned on board this vessel, which had sunk to
rest, as it were, upon her bed of sand.
About four o'clock the first light appeared in the east. The clouds
were delicately tinged by the pale rays of the dawn. Captain Mangles
came on deck. Along the horizon extended a curtain of mist. A few
vague outlines floated in the vapors of the morning. A gentle swell
still agitated the sea, and the outer waves were lost in the dense,
motionless fog.
He waited. The light gradually brightened, and the horizon glowed with
crimson hues. The misty curtain gradually enveloped the vast vault of
the firmament. Black rocks emerged from the water. Then, a line was
defined along a border of foam, and a luminous point kindled like a
lighthouse at the summit of a peak against the still invisible disk of
the rising sun.
"Land!" cried Captain Mangles.
[Illustration: The mainmast went by the board with all its rigging, the
brig heaved twice and was motionless, leaning over to starboard.]
[Illustration: As the Macquarie lay over on her starboard beams, her
opposite side was raised, and the defective seams were out of water.]
His companions, awakened by his voice, rushed on deck, and gazed in
silence at the coast that was seen on the horizon. Whether hospitable
or fatal, it was to be their place of refuge.
"Where is that Halley?" asked Glenarvan.
"I do not know, my lord," replied Captain Mangles.
"And his sailors?"
"Disappeared, like himself."
"And like himself, doubtless, drunk," added MacNabb.
"Let us search for them," said Glenarvan; "we cannot abandon them on
this vessel."
Mulready and Wilson went down to the bunks in the forecastle. The place
was empty. They then visited between-decks, and the hold, but found
neither Halley nor his sailors.
"What! nobody?" said Glenarvan.
"Have they fallen into the sea?" asked Paganel.
"Anything is possible," replied Captain Mangles, who cared little for
their disappearance.
Then, turning towards the stern, he said,--
"To the boat!"
Wilson and Mulready followed, to assist in lowering it.
The yawl was gone!