I
“Am I to have no privacy at all?” demanded the Governor irritably as
the orderly again tapped at the open door and announced another visitor.
“Who is he and what does he want?”
“Mr. John Corwell, your Excellency, master of the cutter _Ceres_, from
the South Seas.”
The Governor's brows relaxed somewhat. “Let him come in in ten minutes,
Cleary, but tell him at the same time that I am very tired--too tired to
listen unless he has something of importance to say.”
The day had indeed been a most tiring one to the worthy Governor of the
colony of New South Wales, just then struggling weakly in its infancy,
and only emerging from the horrors of actual starvation, caused by the
utter neglect of the Home authorities to send out further supplies of
provisions. Prisoners of both sexes came in plenty, but brought nothing
to eat with them; the military officers who should have helped him in
his arduous labours were secretly plotting against him, and their
spare time--and they had plenty--was devoted to writing letters home
to highly-placed personages imploring them to induce the Government
to break up the settlement and not “waste the health and lives of even
these abandoned convicts in trying to found a colony in the most awful
and hideous desert the eye of man had ever seen, a place which can never
be useful to man and is accursed by God.” But the Governor took no heed.
Mutiny and discontent he had fought in his silent, determined way as
he fought grim famine, sparing himself nothing, toiling from dawn till
dark, listening to complaints, remedying abuses, punishing with swift
severity those who deserved it, and yet always preserving the same cold,
unbending dignity of manner which covered a highly-sensitive and deeply
sympathetic nature.
But on this particular day, fatigue, the intense heat, which had
prevailed, a violent quarrel between the intriguing major commanding
the marines, and many other lesser worries, had been almost more than
he could bear, so it may well be imagined that he was more inclined for
rest than talk.
Ten, twenty minutes, and then the thin, spare figure raised itself
wearily from the rude sofa. He must see his visitor. He had promised to
do so, and the sooner it was over the better. He called to the orderly.
“Tell Mr.--Corwell you said?--to come in.”
A heavy step sounded on the bare floor, and one ot the finest specimens
of manhood Governor Arthur Phillip had ever seen in all his long naval
career stood before him and saluted. There was something so pleasant and
yet so manly in the handsome, cleanshaven and deeply-bronzed face, that
the Governor was at once attracted to him.
“Be seated, Mr. Corwell,” he said in his low, yet clear tones. “I am
very tired, so you must not keep me long.”
“Certainly not, your Excellency. But I thought, sir, that you would
prefer to hear the report of my voyage personally. I have discovered a
magnificent harbour north of the Solomon Islands, and----”
“Ha! And so you came to me. Very sensible, very sensible of you. I am
obliged to you, sir. Tell me all about it.”
“Certainly, your Excellency; but I regret I have intruded on you this
evening. Perhaps, sir, you will permit me to call again to-morrow?”
“No, no, not at all,” was the energetic reply. I am always ready to hear
anything of this nature.
“I knew that, sir, for the masters of the _Breckenbridge_ and another
transport told me that you were most anxious to learn of any discoveries
in the Pacific Islands.”
“Very true, sir. I am looking forward to hear from them and from the
masters of other transports which I am inducing to follow the whale
fishery on their return voyage to England _via_ Batavia. But so far I
have heard nothing from any one of them.”
Encouraged and pleased at the Governor's manner, the master of the
_Ceres_ at once produced a roughly executed plan and a detailed written
description of the harbour, which, he asserted with confidence, was one
of the finest in that part of the Pacific. A broad, deep stream of water
ran from the lofty range of mountains which traversed the island north
and south and fell into a spacious bay, on the shores of which was a
large and populous native village, whose inhabitants had treated Cornell
and the few men of his ship's company with considerable kindness,
furnishing them not only with wood and water, but an ample supply of
fresh provisions as well.
During the two weeks that the _Ceres_ lay at anchor, Corwell and two or
three of his hands unhesitatingly trusted themselves among the natives,
who escorted them inland and around the coast. Everywhere was evidence
of the extraordinary fertility of the island, which, in the vicinity
of the seashore, was highly cultivated, each family's plantation being
enclosed by stone fences, while their houses were strongly built and
neatly constructed. The broad belt of the slopes of the mountains were
covered with magnificent timber, which Corwell believed to be teak,
equal in quality to any he had seen in the East Indies, and which he
said could be easily brought down to the seashore for shipment owing to
there being several other large streams beside the one on whose banks
the principal village was built.
The Governor was much interested, and complimented the young seaman on
the manner in which he had written out his description of the place and
his observations on the character and customs of the inhabitants.
“Such information as you have given me, Mr. Corwell, is always valuable,
and I give you my best thanks. I wish I could do more; and had I the
means, men, and money to spare I should send a vessel there and to other
islands in the vicinity to make further examination, for I believe
that from those islands to the northward we can obtain invaluable food
supplies in the future. The winds are more favourable for making a quick
voyage there and back than they are to those groups to the eastward;
but,” and here he sighed, “our condition is such that I fear it will be
many years ere His Majesty will consent to such an undertaking. But much
may be done at private cost--perhaps in the near future.”
The young man remained silent for a moment or two; then with some
hesitation he said, as he took a small paper packet from his coat pocket
and handed it to the Governor, “Will your Excellency look at this and
tell me what it is. I--I imagine it is pure gold, sir.”
“Gold, gold!” and something like a frown contracted the Governor's pale
brows; “ever since the settlement was formed I've been pestered with
tales of gold, and a pretty expense it has run me into sending parties
out to search for it. Why, only six months ago a rascally prisoner
gulled one of my officers into letting him lead an expedition into the
bush--the fellow had filed down a brass bolt--” he looked up and caught
sight of the dark flush which had suddenly suffused his visitor's
face--“but I do not for a moment imagine you are playing upon my
credulity, Mr. Corwell.”
He untied the string and opened the packet, and in an instant an
exclamation of astonishment and pleasure escaped as he saw that the
folds of paper held quite three ounces of bright and flaky water-worn
gold.
“This certainly _is_ gold, sir. May I ask where you obtained it?”
“I made the voyage to Sydney Cove to tell your Excellency of two
discoveries--one was of the fine harbour, the other was of this gold,
which my wife (who is a native of Ternate) and myself ourselves washed
out of the bed of a small stream; the natives helped us, but attached
not the slightest value to our discovery. In fact, sir, they assured us
as well as they could that much more was to be had in every river on the
island.”
“Your wife was it, then, or yourself, who first recognised what it was?”
“She did, sir. She has seen much of it in the hands of the Bugis and
Arab traders in her native country.”
The Governor moved his slender forefinger to and fro amid the shining,
heavy particles, then he pondered deeply for some minutes.
“Tell me frankly, Mr. Corwell--why did you make a long voyage to this
settlement to tell _me_ of your discovery?”
“In the hope, sir, that you would advise and perhaps assist me. My crew
are Malays and Chinese and would have murdered me if they knew what I
knew. Will your Excellency tell me the proper course to pursue so that I
may be protected in my discovery? I am a poor man, though my ship is my
own, but she is old and leaky and must undergo heavy repairs before she
leaves Sydney Cove again; my present crew I wish to replace by half a
dozen respectable Englishmen, and----”
The Governor shook his head. “I will do all I can to help you, but I
cannot provide you with men. The island which you have visited may
have been discovered and taken possession of by France, two of whose
exploring ships were in these seas a few years ago, and even if that is
not the case I could not take possession of them for His Majesty, as I
have no commissioned officer to spare to undertake such a duty. Yet, if
such an officer were available, Mr. Corwell, I would be strongly tempted
to send him with you, hoist the British flag, and then urge the Home
Government to confirm my action and secure to you the right, subject
to the King's royalties, to work these gold deposits. But I am
powerless--much as I wish to aid you.”
A look of disappointment clouded the young captain's handsome features.
“Would your Excellency permit me to endeavour to find three or four
seamen myself? There is a transport ready to sail for England, and I may
be able to get some men from her.”
“I doubt it. Unless you revealed the object of your voyage--which would
be exceedingly foolish of you--you could not induce them to make a
voyage in such a small vessel as yours to islands inhabited mostly
by ferocious savages. But this much I can and will do for you. I will
direct Captain Hunter of the _Sirius_, the only King's ship I have here,
to set his carpenters to work on your vessel as soon as ever you careen
her; I will supply you at my own private cost with arms and ammunition
and a new suit of sails. Provisions I cannot give you--God knows we
want them badly enough ourselves, although we are not now in such a bad
plight as we were ten months ago. Yet for all that I may be able to get
you a cask or two of beef.”
“That is most generous of you, sir. I will not, however, take the beef,
your Excellency. But for the sails and the repairs to my poor little
vessel I thank you, sir, most heartily and sincerely. And I pledge you
my word of honour, as well as giving you my written bond, that I will
redeem my obligations to you.”
“And if you fail I shall be content, for I well know that it will be no
fault of yours. But stay, Mr. Corwell; I must have one condition.”
“Name it, sir.”
“You too must pledge me your honour that you will not reveal the secret
of your discovery of gold to any one in the settlement. This I do not
demand--I ask it as a favour.”
Then the Governor took him, guardedly enough, into his confidence. With
a thousand convicts, most of them utter ruffians, guarded by a scanty
force or marines, the news of gold having been found would, he was
sure, have a disastrous effect, and lead to open revolt. The few small
merchant ships which were in port were partly manned by convict
seamen, and there was every likelihood of them being seized by gangs of
desperate criminals, fired with the idea of reaching the golden island.
Already a party of convicts had escaped with the mad idea of walking to
China, which they believed was only separated from Australia by a
large river which existed a few hundred miles to the northward of the
settlement. Some of them died of thirst, others were slaughtered by the
blacks, and the wounded and exhausted survivors were glad to make their
way back again to their gaolers.
Cornell listened intently, and gave his promise readily. Then he rose to
go, and the Governor held out his hand.
“Good evening, Mr. Cornell. I must see you again before you sail.”