"Hassan," I said to our guide as he rested before us in the shade of the
tent, "what was it those coolies lying under the trees yonder told you
about Formosa?"
"The sahib shall hear," replied the Arab. "They wish to persuade the
Englishmen to hire their junk to visit the island, for they learnt from
me that we have met with many strange experiences during our wanderings.
They declare that what may be seen in one part of it is almost beyond
belief."
"Never mind what they say," I expostulated, "go on and tell us about the
island. There ought to be some story concerning it to interest us,
considering that the Spaniards, the Dutch, and the Chinese have all
possessed it in turn. It is quite notorious for the shipwrecks on its
coast, not to mention the pirates who have held it at different times,
and the savage tribes said to inhabit its wildest parts."
"Ye shall hear the story, strange indeed as it is," responded the Arab;
"and, besides, it partly concerns a Feringhee sailor."
"Well, go on with your yarn, Hassan," said Denviers. "What a nigger you
are for trying to excite our interest before you really tell us
anything."
"The sahib does not give his slave a chance to continue, but makes
always a most indifferent listener," replied the Arab gravely; "and yet
the great Mahomet has said that he who is impatient----"
"The story!" I interposed. "Go on, Hassan, you can tell us about Mahomet
some other day." Thus abjured, the Arab, after being silent for a few
minutes, related to us the strange events which followed the quest of
the lost galleon.
Soon after our adventure with the Hunted Tribe of Three Hundred Peaks we
left Siam, and sailing through the China Sea made for Hong Kong. Thence
we set out to traverse a part of the coast of China, and at this time
our tent was pitched not far from Swatow. There Hassan held a
conversation with some coolies, when, from the various excited
exclamations and gestures both of them and the Arab, my interest was
roused sufficiently to question our guide, as narrated. As it afterwards
transpired, the coolies had moved away a little only to await our
decision, and were resting patiently meanwhile under the shade of a huge
umbrella in addition to that afforded by the pine clump.
[Illustration: "THE SPANISH GALLEON."]
"Many years ago," began Hassan, "when the far-off people of Spain ruled
a great continent, a galleon laden heavily with treasure wrung from the
natives set out to return with its great store under the command of Don
Luego, a grandee, whose name was a terror to all those who came under
the Spaniard's sway. The riches which the vessel carried were almost
incredible, yet Don Luego had no word of praise or thanks for the
sailors who toiled to convey it home across the stormy seas.
"More than one brave sailor was hung at the yard-arm for venturing to
utter incautious expressions against the Spaniard's despotic rule, but
at last some of the crew grew strangely silent, and took to watching
Luego and conspiring together under the hatches. Among these men was one
who had been put in chains several times, and whom the constant fear of
death nerved on to lead his disaffected comrades against the commander.
"One morning all hands were piped on deck to witness the execution of a
seaman, and José, the leader of the discontented part of the crew, was
told off to assist. With a stern-set countenance he stepped forward,
pulled the rope from his comrade's neck, and struck the fell Spaniard
full in the face with it.
[Illustration: "MUTINY!"]
"'Mutiny!' gasped the astonished Don Luego; then, turning to the other
seamen, he cried, 'Seize him and swing the two together from the
yard-arm!'
"A number of the sailors ran forward, eager to gain favour with their
commander by obeying his orders, while the rest hurriedly gathered round
the doomed men, and, drawing their keen knives, prepared to defend them.
Don Luego unsheathed his sword and rushed forward with a fierce cry,
while the mutineers fought hand-to-hand with the other seamen. It was a
desperate fray, for the men who had revolted knew their fate if once
they became overpowered. On the mutineers pressed over the slippery
decks, until at last their disheartened opponents ceased fighting and
surrendered.
"Deserted by his men, Don Luego stood alone with his blood-red sword
still gripped in his hand, for he expected no mercy from the sailors
whom he had driven into rebellion. The chief mutineers gathered in a
group and eagerly discussed the fate to be awarded to their defeated
commander. Most of them were in favour of putting him to death in the
same manner in which he had doomed his seamen; but José, who now headed
them, proposed another plan, which eventually was agreed upon. A
quantity of provisions and water were got ready, and then Don Luego was
seized and disarmed in spite of his struggles. The seamen lowered him in
a boat over the side of the galleon, and then, cutting the ropes, cast
the fierce commander adrift at the mercy of wind and wave. They watched
him as the boat was seen to rise at times on the crest of a huge wave,
and saw that he shook at them threateningly his disarmed hand. At last
they lost sight of him, and gathered together once more to consider
their own plans and what to do with the treasure of the galleon.
"José, who seemed to be above the lust for gold which sprang up in the
hearts of the other sailors, assumed the command, and bade the men
prepare to return to Spain. He thought it best to throw himself and his
crew on the mercy of the King, and, delivering up the treasure, to tell
of the cruelties of Don Luego. With some reluctance the seamen agreed,
and so they took their course homeward. Three days afterwards a sailor
on the look-out descried several Spanish caracks to leeward, to which
they signalled, and having joined company sailed on together. All the
vessels carried bombards and cannons, yet within a week the whole of
them, save one, had struck their colours, and nailed to the mast of each
was the flag of the capturing enemy, who belonged to the sahibs' nation.
The single vessel not taken was the galleon which José commanded, and
after it, as it fled through the waves with every stitch of canvas
spread, went one of the Feringhee ships.
"It was a long stern chase, for the enemy was determined to capture the
galleon, yet so well were the vessels matched in speed that they swept
on without any perceptible difference being made in the distance which
separated them. Through all their course nothing seemed to hinder the
relentless pursuit of the treasure-ship. Many times José cried out to
his men to turn the vessel about to grapple with the other for the
mastery, but they would not obey, for the Spaniards knew too well how
the Feringhees could fight. A violent storm came on in which both ships
were partly disabled, but still they went on as best they could before a
driving wind, until they were carried from west to east and then driven
north into a sea which none of them had seen before.
"Then the Spanish galleon began to slacken and the English ship to draw
nearer and nearer by degrees, until one stormy evening the towering
crests of the volcanic range which runs through Formosa were visible,
although the sailors knew not what the land was named. José called upon
his men to run the vessel towards it, and as the pursuers drew still
closer in the gloom he determined to be revenged, even at the cost of
every Spaniard's life, for the dogged way in which the enemy had hunted
him down. He chose, as well as he could distinguish it, that part of the
coast which seemed the most rock-bound, and then, slackening his
vessel's speed, lured on the other for a time, then suddenly sped ahead
as though making for a known harbour. Deceived by this, the ship which
chased him followed on, and before even José himself was aware of the
outlying reefs of coral, they struck almost together. The next minute
Spaniard and Feringhee were struggling for their lives, while tremendous
seas were sweeping over the two ill-fated vessels.
[Illustration: "ONLY A SOLITARY SAILOR WAS LEFT."]
"The English ship went down, leaving only part of her mast to be seen,
to which for a time a few seamen clung until one by one the waves swept
them off, and out of the entire crew only a solitary sailor was left
there. The Spanish galleon struck nearer to the coast, and at low water
its hull could long afterwards be seen, but not a man aboard was saved.
The Feringhee sailor clung to the mast all through that dreary night.
Next morning, seizing a floating spar, he struck out for the shore and
battled with the seething waters until, almost unconscious, he was flung
high on the coral beach. Towards sunset the seaman rose, and struggling
forward to the entrance of one of the caves before him, he flung himself
down to sleep.
"The coolies say that the sailor afterwards explored a part of the
roast and then set about making his presence known to any vessel which
might chance to pass the island. Getting possession of part of the
broken mast of one of the ships, he raised it on the beach, and hoisted
to the top of it the tattered flag of the English vessel, which chanced
to be flung up by the waves. For weeks and months his signal passed
unnoticed; and meanwhile the sailor made a raft, and at low water
reached the hulk of the Spanish ship several times, from which by
degrees he carried away the treasure. This he hid in the cave which he
occupied, hoping that one day he would be rescued. He found arms and
ammunition in the galleon in abundance, and well it was for him that he
secured them and made them serviceable in case of need.
"Lying before the cave one day he saw the dusky forms of several savages
appear, at which the sailor immediately seized the nearest Spanish
musket and prepared to defend himself. In a moment they discovered him
and cast a shower of spears towards the entrance of the cave. The
Feringhee shouldered his loaded muskets in turn and picked the savages
off one at a time in quick succession, and despite their onsets he
managed for a time to keep them at bay. At last they gathered together
and made a desperate attack upon the cave, while the undaunted sailor
clubbed them with the butt of a musket as fast as they came upon him.
Then they withdrew and left him to pass the night watching and waiting
for the assault to be renewed, but this was not attempted. Next day one
of the savages appeared alone and unarmed, making signs which indicated
that the tribe desired peace.
"Not only was this goodwill maintained, but the chief of the fierce
islanders, full of admiration for the sailor's bravery, treated him with
marked respect, and when more than a year had passed, during which no
vessel apparently sighted the fluttering flag at the top of the broken
mast, the seaman became almost reconciled to his strange fate, and took
the chief's daughter as his wife. Watching from the beach one day, long
after this, the sailor saw a vessel, and climbing up the mast seized the
flag and raised frantic cries for rescue; for on seeing a ship once more
his old longing to leave the island at once returned. Anxiously he
watched, and then saw a flag run up to the mast of the ship, which told
him that his signal had been observed--then the dull roar of cannon rang
out over the waters. The vessel tacked and soon bore down towards the
island, the sailor madly waving the tattered flag and uttering
exclamations of delight, for he was almost beside himself at the near
prospect of rescue.
"The vessel was brought to at some little distance from the island and a
boat sent out, which was carefully steered through the breakers.
Forgetting the treasure which he had concealed in the cave, and the
friendly treatment which he had so long received from the tribe who knew
of its whereabouts, the sailor rushed into the surf, and throwing
himself into the boat bade the men pull back to the ship. When he was
standing on the deck of the latter he recognised fully his own position.
Above him floated the Spanish flag, fierce glances of hatred from all
the crew were turned upon him, and to complete his discomfiture the
commander who came forward to meet him was none other than Don Luego, of
whom every Feringhee sailor had heard.
"Cast adrift by the crew of the galleon which he had commanded, Don
Luego had been rescued and carried to Spain by a trading vessel, by
which he chanced to be observed after suffering terrible privations at
sea. He made his way into the King's presence, told his own tale of the
mutiny of his sailors, and persuaded the monarch to put him in command
of a fast vessel with which to return and, hunting them down, to restore
the great treasure to the Spanish coffers. Strange rumours were heard by
him when again in the southern seas of the galleon having been seen
flying before the wind with another vessel pursuing it. After cruising
about for a considerable time he had quite unknowingly come within sight
of the island where the English vessel and the Spanish galleon had both
been wrecked.
"Pretending that hostilities had long ceased between the two nations,
Don Luego endeavoured to get the rescued man to relate the story of his
shipwreck; but the seaman, conscious of his danger, gave evasive
answers, and asked to be landed upon the island once more. The
Spaniard's suspicions were aroused, and he determined to keep the sailor
on board as his prisoner while a number of men were sent ashore to see
if anything could be discovered. They soon come back and reported that
upon the beach they had seen portions of wreckage which had evidently
formed part of a Spanish galleon. The Feringhee seaman was strictly
questioned by the commander, but at first would say nothing. Stung at
length by Don Luego's taunts, he pointed towards the tattered flag which
still floated from the broken mast, and declared that it waved over a
treasure belonging no longer to Spain but to him.
[Illustration: "CUTTING HIS WAY THROUGH THE SPANIARDS."]
"Don Luego responded by threatening the hardy sailor with death unless
he pointed out where the contents of the lost galleon were concealed.
The seaman suddenly sprang forward, wrenched the sword from his
interrogator's hand, and, cutting a way through the surprised Spaniards,
flung himself headlong from the vessel's side, and struck out for the
shore.
"'Shoot him, men!' cried Don Luego, as the sailor's head emerged for a
minute from the water, and instantly a volley from a hundred muskets
whistled round the swimmer's head. He dived at once and swam under
water, only coming up to take breath occasionally. A second and a third
time the muskets were discharged, and then the savages--who had
meanwhile gathered in a threatening band at the water's edge, on hearing
the strange reports ring out--saw the sailor flung upon the coral beach.
They bent over him, then raised a wild cry for vengeance, for the waves
had cast at their feet the blood-stained body of the lifeless seaman.
"Landing from their boats, the Spaniards tried to force the natives from
the shore, but were driven back time after time at the point of the
savages' spears, till disheartened they leapt into their boats again and
made for the vessel. Foremost among the wild horde which fought so
desperately to avenge the murdered sailor was the daughter of the
chief--for among this tribe the women fight in battle no less than the
men. Her spear it was which pierced the traitorous Don Luego through as
he led on the Spaniards.
"Soon after the ship sailed away the savages took up their dead, and
carrying the sailor's body away they placed it in some secret spot,
whither also they conveyed the treasure which he had hidden near the
shore. There it is said to remain still, for though many daring
explorers have set out to find it, none have ever returned to speak of
their success, so the coolies say. Yet they would gladly convey the
sahibs to the island and help them to overcome the savage tribe still
living there, for they are bold seamen, and do not fear fighting
whatever enemies may appear."
"I daresay," commented Denviers, with a glance of amusement at the
coolies still shading themselves with the umbrella, "they would
willingly go with us until the first savage appeared, then they would
jump into the junk and make off, leaving us to defend ourselves as best
we knew how. I have not the slightest objection to setting out for
Formosa, but we will see to the craft ourselves and not trust to them.
What is your opinion, Harold?"
"Let us go, by all means," I answered. "Between us we can manage the
junk very well, and if we act cautiously we may come across this
strangely hidden treasure; at all events, we might try."
Hassan was accordingly dispatched to the coolies to tell them what
course we had decided to follow, and after some bargaining the junk was
placed at our disposal. Before many hours had passed we were on our way
to Formosa, little knowing what a strange adventure was in store for us,
or how perilous a task we had so lightly undertaken. Before commencing
our journey we carefully questioned the coolies as to where it was
rumoured the treasure had been secreted, and, learning this, provided
ourselves with everything we thought necessary for the enterprise. Our
tent and possessions were left in charge of a wealthy mandarin, whom we
fortunately met at Swatow, while we looked to the state of our weapons,
for we fully expected to need them in the adventure before us.