It was shortly after noon, on our fifth day out from Moulmein, and we
were just within the Malacca Strait, when the wind began to fail us; and
by two bells in the first dog-watch it had fallen stark calm, and the
yacht's head was slowly boxing the compass. We were close enough in
with the land to see from the deck the ridge of the mountain range that
forms the backbone, as it were, of the Malay Peninsula, though not the
coast line itself; but there were quite a number of islands in sight,
some of which were of respectable size, while there were others that
could not have had an area of more than a few acres--some of them indeed
being scarcely more than rocks. Most of them, however, seemed
inhabited, for even on some of the smallest we were able, with the help
of our telescopes, to distinguish one or more ramshackle huts, some
perched on the top of long, stilt-like poles; also there were at least a
hundred small fishing craft in sight, as well as a few proas, probably
coasting craft, becalmed like ourselves.
"Now," said Mrs Vansittart, addressing herself to Kennedy and me as we
sat upon the poop rail, longing for the sun to go down and leave us the
comparative coolness of the night, "here is just where we miss our
propeller. If it had not been for that accident I guess we could have
started the engine; and we should at least have had the draught caused
by the ship's passage through the water to cool us; whereas we shall
have to wait where we are and just simmer until a breeze springs up
again. And I guess I see no sign of one as yet, while the glass stands
very high. Mr Leigh, do you happen to know whether there is such a
thing as a dry dock at Singapore?"
"I have never been to Singapore," I replied, "so I cannot say for
certain; but I seem to recollect having heard such a thing mentioned.
Does not the Directory say anything about it?"
"There now! I declare to goodness that I never thought to look,"
exclaimed the lady. "But," she continued, "I'll go and do so now; and
if there happens to be a dock there big enough to take in this vessel, I
guess I will have the _Stella Maris_ docked and cleaned and another
propeller fixed. We've got a spare one down below; and I guess
Mackenzie is man enough to fit it, once we get into harbour, even if
there is no dock--though I hope there will be one. I'll turn up the
Directory now, and see what it says;" and therewith she descended to the
chart-room, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan as she went.
As soon as Mrs Vansittart was fairly out of earshot, Kennedy turned to
me and said:
"Ever been through here before?"
"No," I replied. "The nearest I have ever been to it was two passages
through Sunda on a voyage to and from Canton."
"M-m!" returned Kennedy. "Did annything out of the common happen to ye
that voyage?"
"N-o, I think not," said I, trying to remember precisely what, if
anything, had happened. "Why do you ask?"
"Well," replied my companion, "chiefly, I think, because yonder's the
Malay coast, and here we are, a valuable ship, becalmed, and helpless
because we've lost the blades of our propeller."
"Oh! but that is sheer nonsense," I said. "You are thinking about
pirates, I suppose. But, my dear chap, with the incoming of steam,
piracy went out, because it no longer paid to be a pirate. You never
hear of such a thing in these days."
"Not very often, I admit," agreed Kennedy. "Yet it was only about a
week before we sailed from New York that I read in the _Herald_ a story
of a ship being picked up derelict, in this same Strait; and when she
was boarded, her crew, consisting of twenty-seven men, were found lying
about her decks, murdered; while her main-hatchway was open, and the
signs that she had been plundered were as plain as large print."
"Indeed!" I said. "I do not remember hearing anything of that case.
Anyhow, it only happens once in a blue moon. And I don't think that,
with our pretty double row of teeth and our Maxims and Hotchkisses for
close-quarter fighting, we need be very greatly afraid."
"No," agreed Kennedy, with a laugh. "I guess ye're right there, me lad.
Wid those guns, and hands enough to fight them, I calculate we are well
fixed, and could beat off a whole fleet of proas. But I'm rale sorry
that the skipper didn't think of havin' them mounted before, so that the
men might have had a chance to practise the workin' of them a bit. An'
there's another thing--But here comes the skipper; I guess I'll spake to
her about it."
At that moment Mrs Vansittart returned to the poop with the information
that, according to the Directory, Singapore possessed a dry dock capable
of taking in the _Stella Maris_; and, that being the case, she would
have the ship docked and the spare propeller fitted as soon as possible
after our arrival.
"And a very wise thing, too, ma'am," agreed Kennedy. "I am only sorry
that we haven't got it shipped this very minute."
"Are you?" returned Mrs Vansittart, looking up sharply as she detected
the serious tone of the first mate's voice. "Why? Any reason in
particular?"
"Sure!" answered Kennedy. "As I was sayin' to Leigh a minute ago,
yonder is the Malay coast, and here are we, becalmed and unable to move.
Now, I don't want to raise a scare, there's no need for it, but I hold
that it's better to be ready for a thing, even if it doesn't happen,
than to be caught unprepared. No doubt ye're well aware, ma'am, that
the Malays have the name of bein' always ready to undertake a piratical
job if they think there's half a chance of ut bein' successful; and I
wouldn't be a bit surprised if anybody was to tell me that hundreds of
eyes have been watchin' us all this afternoon and their owners
speculatin' as to the sort of reception they'd meet with if a few
hundred were to come off to us some time durin' the small hours of the
mornin'. Av coorse we may not be here then; a breeze may spring up and
carry us far enough away. But then again, it mayn't, and in my opinion
the bettin' is against it; therefore, if I may be allowed to offer a
suggestion, it would be somethin' like this.
"I'd recommend ye to send for Bledsoe, the gunner, and ordher him to
tell off crews to every one of these guns. Then let him explain to the
captain of each gun how the thing works; and afther he has done that,
send him down to the magazine and let him sort out a few rounds of
ammunition for each gun and have them handy to send up on deck. Also
let each gun be loaded, ready in case of need. If not needed, the
charges can easily be withdrawn and sent below again to-morrow, while,
if they are, they'll be ready. Also, it might be quite worth while to
have the small arms ready for servin' out at a moment's notice."
"My!" exclaimed Mrs Vansittart, "are you quite serious, Mr Kennedy?
Because, if you are, it sounds as though we might be in for a real big
fight. What do you think, Mr Leigh?"
"I fully agree with Mr Kennedy, madam," said I; "not so much because I
anticipate an attack upon the ship, as that I clearly see the force of
his argument as to the advantage of preparedness."
"Yes," agreed Mrs Vansittart; "I guess you are both right, and I will
act upon your advice, Mr Kennedy. Please send for the gunner and tell
him what to do. I had something of this sort in my mind when I gave the
order for those guns to be put on board."
By the promptitude with which Kennedy sent for the gunner, and, when he
arrived, mustered the crew, I could clearly see that the good man was
distinctly anxious, although I did not believe he had much cause to be
so. Still, I quite agreed with him that the wise and proper thing was
to be prepared for every possible contingency, and I cheerfully did my
share of the work. Fortunately, Bledsoe was an ex-man-o'-war's-man, and
had held a gunner's warrant in the United States navy; he therefore knew
his business from A to Z, and gave us all the help that we needed.
First, all hands were mustered and paraded; then a crew was told off to
each gun, including the Hotchkisses and Maxims--Kennedy undertaking the
supervision of the Hotchkisses, and I that of the Maxims. Bledsoe next
took each gun's crew separately in hand, showed one how to work their
weapon, and left them to practise the movements of loading, sighting,
firing, and sponging, while he passed on to the next, until both
batteries were assiduously engaged in repeating the several motions time
after time. Finally he worked his way round to me, explained the
mechanism of the Maxim, and showed how the belts of cartridges were
fixed and the gun was handled. It was very simple, and I picked the
whole thing up in a few minutes, the weapon being to so large an extent
automatic. Finally every piece was loaded, ten rounds for each were
brought on deck, the covers were put on, and the hands were piped down.
It was my eight hours in that night; and by this time it had come to be
a regular custom and a recognised thing for me to dine in the saloon on
such occasions, that is to say, every other night, the arrangement with
regard to Kennedy being similar, so that he and I dined in the saloon on
alternate nights, the doctor, the purser, and the two engineers forming
the other guests. Thus as soon as our exercise with the guns was over I
rushed off below, took a tepid bath, and then dressed for dinner,
completing my preparations just in time to respond to the second bugle
call. There was some disposition to make merry over Kennedy's "scare",
as the boy Julius would persist in designating it; but as the lad was
the only one who seemed to regard the matter purely from the jocular
point of view, the conversation was soon steered in another and more
agreeable direction, and we spent a very pleasant evening, breaking up
shortly after ten o'clock.
Before retiring to my cabin I went up on deck to take a look round. It
was a most glorious night, still a breathless calm, the heavens
perfectly clear, save for a low cloud bank hanging over the land, the
stars shining brilliantly, and a half-moon shedding a soft, mysterious
radiance upon the scene powerful enough to enable us to distinguish with
tolerable clearness the nearer islands and some half a dozen craft lying
becalmed within two miles of us, inshore. The moon would set about
midnight; yet even then we should still have the stars, if the night
remained clear.
Kennedy was seated in a deck chair, with a powerful night glass reposing
upon his knees, when I went up on the poop; and he informed me that
although he had been keeping a careful watch upon matters inshore, he
had seen nothing whatever of a suspicious character.
"But then," he explained, "I didn't expect to. If those Malays are as
'cute as I take them to be, and are cherishing designs against us, you
may bet your bottom dollar that they'll be careful not to do anything
that would appear to us in the least suspicious. I may be a fool, but
things look almost too quiet, ashore there, to be wholly satisfactory to
me. I would rather see a little more movement, a fishing boat or two
coming out, or something like that. Why, I've known cases where, a ship
bein' becalmed as we are, widin a few miles of the shore, the natives
have come off in scores wid fruit and fish and curios to sell; but those
chaps ashore there have kept most religiously away from us. Ah, well!
that cloud yonder is risin'--slowly, I admit, still it's risin', and I
hope it'll bring a breeze wid it, if it's only enough to give us
steerage way. I don't like things as they are, not the least little
bit."
"Why, man," I exclaimed, "what is the matter with you to-night? If I
didn't know better I should be almost inclined to think you were
afraid!"
"Afraid, is ut?" he laughed. "Begorra! what would I be afraid of, in
such a ship as this, wid all those beautiful guns and what not to
purtect us? No, Leigh, it's not afraid I am, as you know well; and yet
I have a curious feelin'--I can't describe ut, but it's a sort of
feelin' of--Howly Sailor!--what in the nation is that? Did ye hear it,
boy?"
Hear it? I should think so; and so had every other individual on deck,
if one might judge by the sudden silence that fell upon the men grouped
about the fore deck, followed by an equally sudden fusillade of low,
quick ejaculations and the swift rush of bare feet to the rails. It
began as a low, weird moan, which rose rapidly to a sort of sobbing wail
and culminated in a sharp, unearthly scream that sent cold shivers
running down my spine and caused the hairs of my head to bristle upon my
scalp. It seemed to come from the water almost immediately under our
bows. I saw a little crowd of men spring up the ladder leading to the
topgallant forecastle, rush to the rail, and peer eagerly down into the
black water. Then one of them straightened up suddenly and hailed:
"Poop, there! did ye hear that strange cry, sir?"
"Ay, ay," answered Kennedy, "I heard it right enough. D'ye suppose I'm
deaf? What is ut, anyway, that's makin' it?"
There was a brief but animated confab on the forecastle, and then the
voice that had hailed came back:
"Can't see anything anywhere, sir; but the sound seemed to come from
away yonder, on the starboard bow."
Instantly there arose a hubbub of protesting voices, one of which,
louder than the rest, could be heard exclaiming:
"You chump! what d'ye mean by sayin' that? Don't ye know the difference
between starboard and port? It was away off here to port that the sound
came from."
But this assertion in turn was contradicted by the first speaker and his
adherents, so that in less than a minute a strenuous argument was
proceeding on the forecastle, both parties to which, it seemed to me,
were in the wrong.
"Ay, ay, there ye are," commented Kennedy. "Nobody knows where the
sound came from. 'Twas the _banshee_, me bhoy, that's what ut was; and
some Oirishman aboard this good ship is goin' to lose the number of his
mess shortly."
"Oh, nonsense!" I exclaimed. "You surely do not believe that--"
I had got so far with my protest when again the blood-curdling cry rang
out over the dark water, this time sounding more distant than before.
Once more a clamorous dispute arose on the forecastle as to the
direction from which the sound proceeded, for, curiously enough, no two
individuals seemed quite agreed upon the point, while even I felt it
impossible to make an authoritative statement as to whether the cry
arose from ahead or astern. And, in the midst of the discussion, up
came the saloon party, _en masse_, to enquire what was the matter.
I was, for some not very definite reason, glad that Kennedy did not
again assert his _banshee_ theory; he merely stated the facts of the
case, leaving the others to draw their own conclusions. The boy,
Julius, no sooner heard the chief mate's statement than he was ready
with an explanation. In a high-pitched tone of voice, which could be
distinctly heard from one end of the ship to the other, he positively
asserted that the cries were those of a sea bird, although I had never
in my life heard a sea bird utter such terrible sounds, nor had the men
forward, if one might judge by the low, contemptuous laughter from the
forecastle with which the assertion was greeted. But although Kennedy
demurred, the boy insisted that he was right; he knew all about it, and
finally rushed off to his cabin for some book, a certain passage in
which, he declared, would support his contention. And I seized the
opportunity thus afforded to retire in good order to my own cabin.
When I went on deck again, at eight bells, the moon was just on the
point of ruddily setting, while the cloud bank which I had noticed
earlier in the evening hanging low over the land had risen until its
upper edge was almost over our mast-heads, blotting out about half the
stars. It was now so dark away to the eastward that nothing whatever
could be seen, not even the faintest loom of the nearest islands; while,
if it had not been for a faintly glimmering light here and there, we
could not have told that there were any craft of any kind in our
neighbourhood. There had been no repetition of those strange, weird
sounds that had startled us all earlier in the night, so Kennedy
informed me; but he was still firmly convinced that they had emanated
from the banshee, and when I laughingly tried to argue him out of his
conviction he took me up rather sharply with the assertion that, had I
been of Irish birth or extraction, I would know better than to make
light of the matter. To my amazement, he seemed quite depressed and
low-spirited at the mere mention of it, so I quickly dropped the subject
and asked him if during his watch he had observed anything to confirm
his earlier suspicion that we might possibly be attacked. He admitted
that he had not, but added:
"I niver expected to see annything so long as the light lasted. It's
now that they'll be beginnin' to make a musther if those ginks mane
comin' off to us at all, so for the love o' Mike keep your eyes skinned
and your ears wide open all through your watch. We can keep them off
aisily, if we only get warnin' enough; but if by anny chance they can
conthrive to creep up close enough to take us unawares and lay us
aboard, they may take the ship through sheer force av numbers."
"Why," said I, "you talk as though you felt absolutely certain that an
attack will be made upon the ship! I can't understand you a bit
to-night, and that's a fact."
"Faith, boy, I cannot undherstand mesilf," replied Kennedy, seriously.
"I've never before felt as I do this blessed night; but somehow I _know_
that something's goin' to happen. And then, there's the banshee--"
"Oh," I interrupted, "banshee be hanged! I thought you were much too
sensible a fellow to be moved by superstitions of any kind. Now, take
my advice--you've got a touch of the sun. Go down to the doc, get him
to give you a good stiff dose of quinine, and turn in. You'll feel a
different man when you are roused at eight bells and find that the ship
is all right. And as to anything creeping up and taking us unawares,
you may trust me to see that nothing of that sort happens. I will keep
a bright look-out, never fear."
"Well, I hope ye will, that's all," returned Kennedy, as he stepped
toward the head of the poop ladder on his way below. "And, by the by,
there's one precaution ye may as well take. Unship the side lights and
stow them somewhere handy but where their gleam will not show. They're
quite useless, since we're becalmed, unless a steamer should happen
along, and if she does ye'll see her lights and hear her propeller in
plenty of time to show her where ye are. And mask the skylights, too.
Then, maybe, if annybody comes lookin' for us wid evil intentions,
they'll not find us. Good night--and keep a bright look-out."
With this final caution the first mate took himself off, much to my
relief; for, truth to tell, his undisguised anxiety and uneasiness were
beginning to get a bit upon my nerves. As soon as he was out of the way
I went forward and, in obedience to what I took to be his order, caused
the red and green side lights to be unshipped and placed inboard, just
inside the topgallant forecastle door, at the same time cautioning the
look-outs to keep their eyes skinned, as we were in somewhat dangerous
waters. Then I went aft, masked the skylights, and slipped into the
saloon for a moment to extinguish all the lights save one, and draw the
blinds across the open ports.
This task took me less than a couple of minutes, and then I returned to
the poop and took a good look round. But I could see nothing except
four dim glimmers of light spaced at irregular intervals, which I took
to be the lights of the becalmed craft which we had seen inshore of us
earlier in the evening. And as for sound, there was nothing to be heard
save an occasional faint gurgle of water under the counter when the ship
lifted to the almost invisible swell, accompanied by a low flap of
canvas aloft, a gentle patter of reef points, or the slight creak of a
parral or block sheave; but so breathlessly still was the night that
these sounds, faint as they really were, sounded almost appallingly
loud. There was not the smallest murmur of subdued talk for'ard, for
the watch had curled themselves up in the most comfortable places they
could find in order to steal a "caulk", and I did not attempt to disturb
them, knowing that at my first call they would be upon their feet in a
moment.
To keep myself awake I proceeded to pace the poop to and fro in my
rubber-soled shoes, taking care to avoid passing over that portion of
the deck which formed the roof of our lady skipper's stateroom; and
while I was thus engaged I nearly collided with a ghostly figure which
proved, upon investigation, to be that of Monroe, the tutor parson, in
pyjamas and slippers. He explained that he found it too hot to sleep
below, so had come up on deck in the hope of being able to cool off a
bit prior to having another try. He fell into step alongside me, and
began to talk in a low voice, presently turning the conversation to
Kennedy and the queerness of his seemingly rooted conviction that we
should be attacked. I let him talk on until he appeared to have said
all that he had to say upon the subject and was about to go below again,
when I said to him:
"I am glad that you came up on deck, because it affords me an
opportunity to say something that Kennedy's queer talk has rather forced
upon my mind. It is this. If by any chance we should be attacked, will
you undertake to see that Mrs Vansittart, her daughter, and the boy
are, any or all of them, prevented from coming on deck? Their presence
here under such circumstances could be of no possible assistance to us;
on the contrary, it would be a distinct hindrance."
"Yes," acknowledged Monroe; "I see what you mean. But suppose that any
of them should take it into their heads to come on deck, how am I to
prevent them? I have no authority over them, not even over the boy."
"You must bring your moral suasion to bear upon her, if need be," I
said. "Point out to her that the beating off of a piratical attack--Oh!
hang it, what bosh I am talking, to be sure; as though there was the
least likelihood of such a thing! The talk of that ass Kennedy seems to
have hypnotised me as well as himself! But to return to what I was
saying--_if_ such an utterly improbable thing should happen, point out
to her that fighting is men's work, and that the presence of women and
children would be worse than useless at such a time. Let her remain
below herself, and exercise her authority over that boy of hers to make
him stay below also. I don't suppose that Miss Anthea would need any
persuading."
"No," agreed Monroe; "she is all right, and on the whole a very sensible
girl, despite her foolish pride. But let me give you a hint, Leigh. In
the event of, as you say, such an exceedingly unlikely thing as an
attack occurring, don't trust too much to my powers of persuasion, but
act upon your own responsibility. Lock the door of the drawing-room,
and Mrs Vansittart will be unable to get out on deck, however anxious
she may be; and then slip down below and lock Master Julius into his
cabin; that is all you will need to do. There will probably be a row
afterward, but I will back you up by saying that what you did was done
by my advice. And now, good night! I feel a trifle cooler than I did,
and hope I shall be able to--Hallo! Listen! Did you hear anything?"