by G. A. Henty
When order and tranquility were perfectly restored, the admiralordered a boat to be lowered and soundings to be taken, intendingto put out the anchors ahead, and to get her off by working uponthem with the windlass. It was found, however, that under theforefoot of the vessel the water deepened so rapidly that, at adistance of a few fathoms, no soundings could be obtained. Thisplan, therefore, was abandoned.
The prospect seemed dark, indeed. The ship's boats would, at most,only carry half the men on board; and if the ship had to beabandoned, the whole of her treasures must be lost, as well as manylives.
"There is an island far away to the south," the admiral said. "Ifthe worst come, we must seek refuge on that. It will be well tosend a boat to examine it, and see what capabilities it offers forthe purpose. Then if the weather holds fair we can make severaltrips, and land our men, and a portion at least of our valuables."
"Will you let me go, sir, with my three friends?" Ned asked. "Thecanoe which we took from our last halting place will carry the fourof us and, as she paddles swiftly, we may be back before manyhours."
"The idea is a good one," Captain Drake said. "Make for the island.It is, I should say, fifteen miles off. When you have reached it,see if there be water, fuel, and other necessaries, and whether thelanding be good. If you should come upon any natives, parley withthem. Take a few articles as presents, and explain to them, if theywill come out here with their canoes and aid to bring the thingsashore, we will give them presents, which will make them wealthybeyond their grandest dreams.
"Be careful, my boys. I know that you will be brave, if necessary;but care and caution are the great things, and remember that oursafety depends upon yours."
The young men speedily lowered the canoe, under the shelter of thelee side of the ship, took some beads, calicoes, and otherarticles, and then, seating themselves in the boat, paddled rapidlyaway. At first they felt a little awkward in using the paddles, inwhich they had had no practice, whatever. But being powerful men,and accustomed to the use of oars, they soon fell into regularstroke, and the light boat danced rapidly over the waters. Thedistance was further than Captain Drake had imagined, the clearnessof the air making the land appear nearer than it really was; and itwas only after three hours of hard work that they neared it.
It turned out to be an island of about a mile in length, so far asthey could judge. A reef of coral ran round it. The center of theisland was somewhat elevated, and was covered with coconut trees;and it was this, alone, which had enabled it to be seen, from sogreat a distance, from the deck of the Golden Hind.
Paddling round the reef, they came to an opening and, enteringthis, found themselves in perfectly smooth water, and were soon onshore.
"Our best way to look for water," Ned said, "will be to follow thebeach all round the island. If there is any stream, we must thencome upon it. We had better take our arms, and haul up the canoe."
Ned, although the youngest of the party, being an officer of theship, was naturally in command.
"It will be hard," Reuben said, "if we do not meet with someadventure. This is the first time that I have been out with you,Ned. The others have had their share, and it will be hard upon meif, when I get home, I have not some tale to tell my friends."
"I hope that it will not be so," Ned said, "for more than storytelling depends upon our success. I fear the Golden Hind is fixedfast, and that all the fruits of our expedition are lost, even ifour lives be saved. Everything depends upon the report we may makewhen we return; and anything that should occur to delay us, or toprevent our bearing back tidings of this place to the admiral,would be bad fortune, indeed."
"I don't mean," Reuben said, "anything that would prevent ourreturning. But we might do something, and yet return safely."
A walk round the island showed no signs of water; nor, althoughthey searched for some hours, walking backwards and forwards acrossit, could they find any sign of a pool. It was clear that therewere no fresh-water springs on the island, and that the vegetationdepended entirely upon the rain that fell in the regular season.But they discovered, from the top of the island, another and muchlarger one; lying, still again, some fifteen miles to the south.
After much deliberation, they determined to make for this; as itwas of importance that they should have some news, of a place towhich the goods could be transported, to carry back to the ship.This island was much higher, and there appeared every probabilitythat water, and all they required, would be found there.Accordingly, taking their place in the canoe, they again paddledout through the entrance to the reef, and steered their course fortheir new discovery.
This was a large island, measuring at least, as they judged fromthe view of the one side, twenty miles round. The shores weresteep, and they rowed for some time before they succeeded infinding a place where a landing could be effected. Then a deep baysuddenly opened out, and into this they rowed.
Scarcely had they fairly entered it when, from some bushes near theshore, two large war canoes, crowded with natives, shot out andmade towards them. The lads at first grasped their muskets, but Nedsaid:
"Let the arms be. We are here to make peace with the natives, andmust take our chance."
They stood up in the canoe, holding up their arms in token ofamity. The canoes came alongside at racing pace, the nativesuttering yells of joy. The canoe had evidently been seenapproaching the island, and preparations had been made to seize it,immediately on its arrival.
Ned held up in his hands the beads and pieces of cloth. But thenatives were too excited for pause or negotiation. In an instantthe boys were seized and placed on board the canoes, two in each.They were tenderly handled, and were clearly objects of venerationrather than of hostility. The moment that they were on board, thecontents of the canoe were transferred to the large boat; and itwas then cast adrift, and the two war boats, at full speed, madeout through the passage.
Ned endeavored, in vain, to attract the attention of the leaders ofthe savages to his gestures; and to explain to them that there wasa vessel, from which he had come, at a short distance off; andthat, if they would accompany him thither, they would obtain largequantities of the beads and cloth which he showed them. Thenatives, however, were too much excited to pay any attention to hisefforts; and with a sigh of despair he sat down by the side ofReuben, who was in the same boat with him; as the canoes, onemerging from the bay, turned their heads to the southwest, andpaddled steadily and rapidly away from the island.
"Whither can they be going to take us?" Reuben said.
"They must belong to some other island," Ned answered, "and be awar party, which has come on plundering purposes here. What amisfortune! What terribly bad luck! They have clearly never seenwhite men before, and regard us as superior beings; and so far aswe are concerned, it is probable that our lives are safe. But whatwill the admiral think, when night comes on and we do not return?What will become of our comrades?"
And at the thought of their messmates, left without help in soperilous a position, Ned fairly broke down and cried.
For some hours the natives continued their course withoutintermission, and gradually an island, which had at first seemedlike a low cloud on the horizon, loomed up nearer and nearer; andat last, just as night fell, they landed upon its shores. Here in abay a village of huts, constructed of the boughs of trees, had beenraised; and the arrival of the war canoes was greeted, with wildand prolonged cries, by the women and children. All prostratedthemselves in wonder and astonishment when the white men, in theirstrange attire, were brought on shore; and Ned saw that hissuspicions were correct, and that they were regarded by theircaptors as gods. Further proof was given of this when they wereescorted to a large shed, composed of a roof of thatch supported onfour upright posts, which stood in the center of the village.
Under this were placed some of the hideous effigies which the SouthSea Islanders worship, and which are affixed to the prow of theirboats; and may be seen in the British Museum, and in other placeswhere collections of Indian curiosities are
exhibited. Theseeffigies were carved in the shape of human beings, with enormousgoggle eyes, splashes of bright paint, and strange and immenseheaddresses of brilliant colors.
Here the lads were motioned to sit down, and the natives broughtthem offerings of cocoas, and other fruits. The boys could hardlyhelp laughing at their strange position, surrounded by thesehideous idols.
"You wanted an adventure, Reuben, and you have got one, indeed,"Ned said. "You are translated into a heathen god and, if you everget home, will have your story to tell, which will astonish thequiet firesides in Devonshire."
"Ought we not to refuse to accept this horrid worship?" Geraldsaid.
"I think not," Ned replied. "It can do no harm; and we are, atleast, better than these wooden idols. So long at least as we aretaken for gods, our lives are safe. But I would not say as much ifthey once became convinced, by our actions, that we are men likethemselves."
"But we cannot sit here, all our lives, among these idols," Reubensaid.
"I agree with you there, Reuben; but patience does wonders, and Iam not troubled in the least about ourselves. Sooner or later, away of escape will present itself; and when it does, be assuredthat we will use it. Patience is all that we require, now. It is ofour poor shipmates that I am thinking."
As night fell, great bonfires were lighted. The natives indulged inwild dances round them, and feasting and festivities were kept upall through the night. Four watches were stationed, one at eachpost of the temple; and the boys saw that, for the present, atleast, all thought of escape was out of the question. Andtherefore, stretching themselves at full length on the sand, theywere speedily asleep.
For some days, the position remained unchanged. The boys were wellfed, and cared for. Offerings of fruit, fish, and other eatableswere duly presented. A perfumed wood which, according to the nativeideas, personified incense, was burned in large quantities roundthe temple, and nearly choked the boys with its smoke.
Upon the fifth day, it was clear that some expedition was beingprepared. Four large war canoes were dragged down and placed in thewater; and the great idols, which stood in the bow of each, wereremoved and carried up to the temple, and placed there in position.Then the boys were motioned to come down to the beach.
"I do believe," said Tom, bursting into a shout of laughter, "thatthey are going to put us in the bows of their canoes, in place oftheir old gods."
The others joined in the laughter, for to act as the figurehead ofa canoe was indeed a comical, if an unpleasant situation.
When they reached the boats, the boys saw that their suspicionswere correct, and that the natives were preparing to lash them tothe lofty prows; which rose, some twelve feet above the water, in asweep inwards.
"This will never do," Tom said. "If we are fastened like that, ourweight will cut us horribly. Let us show them how to do it."
Whereupon, with great gravity he took a large piece of flat wood,and motioned to the savages to lash this in front of the bow of oneof the boats, at a height of three feet above the water, so as toafford a little platform upon which he could stand. The natives atonce perceived the drift of what he was doing, and were delightedthat their new deities should evince such readiness to fall in withtheir plans. The additions were made at once to the four canoes;but while this was being done, some of the leading chiefs, withevery mark of deference, approached the boys with colored paints;and motioned, to them, that they would permit them to deck them inthis way.
Again the boys indulged in a hearty laugh and, stripping off theirupper garments, to the immense admiration of the natives. Theythemselves applied paint in rings, zigzags, and other forms totheir white shirts; painted a large saucer-like circle round theeyes with vermilion, so as to give themselves something theappearance of the great idols; and having thus transmogrifiedthemselves, each gravely took his place upon his perch; where,leaning back against the prow behind them, they were by no meansuncomfortable.
"If these fellows are going, as I expect, upon a war expedition,"Ned shouted to his friends, as the boats, keeping regularlyabreast, rowed off from the island; amidst a perfect chaos ofsounds, of yells, beatings of rough drums made of skins stretchedacross hollow trunks of trees, and of the blowing of conch shells;"our position will be an unpleasant one. But we must trust tocircumstances to do the best. At any rate, we must wish that ourfriends conquer; for the next party, if we fall into their hands,might take it into their heads that we are devils instead of gods,and it might fare worse with us."
It was manifest, as soon as they started, that the object of theexpedition was not the island upon which they had been captured,but one lying away to the south. It was a row of several hoursbefore they approached it. As they did so, they saw columns ofsmoke rise from several points of the shore, and knew that theircoming there was observed by the islanders.
Presently six canoes, equally large with their own and crowded withmen, were observed pulling out, and yells of defiance came acrossthe water.
"It is clear," Tom said, "that this island is stronger than ourown; and that it is only on the strength of our miraculous presencethat the islanders expect to conquer their foes; for they wouldnever, with four canoes, venture to attack a place of superiorforce, unless they deemed that their victory was certain."
With wild yells, which were answered boldly from their own canoes,the enemy approached, and the combat began with a general dischargeof arrows. Then the canoes rowed into each other, and a general anddesperate hand-to-hand combat commenced. The enthusiasm with whichthe inmates of the boys' canoes were animated at first gave themthe superiority, and they not only beat back the attacks of theirfoes but, leaping into their enemy's boats, succeeded in clearingtwo of them of their occupants. Numbers, however, told; and theenemy were, with very heavy clubs and spears, pointed with sharpshells, gradually forcing the adventurers back; when Ned saw that alittle supernatural interference was desirable, to bring mattersstraight again. Giving the word to his friends, he stood up on hisperch and, swinging himself round, alighted in the boat; giving ashe did so a loud British cheer, which was answered by that of hiscomrades. Then, with his arms erect, he began to move along thebenches of the canoe, towards the conflict which was raging oneither side.
The sudden interference of the four deities, at the head of theboat, was received with a yell of terror by the natives who wereattacking them; which was increased when the boys, each seizing aclub from the hands of a native, jumped into the enemy's canoes,and began to lay about them with all their strength. This was,however, required but for a moment. The sight of so terrible andunexampled an apparition appalled the islanders; who, springingoverboard with yells of despair, swam rapidly towards land, leavingtheir boats in the hands of the victors.
These indulged in wild yells of triumph, knelt before their goodgeniuses, and then, taking their places, paddled towards the shore.Before they had reached it, however, the defeated savages hadlanded and, running up to their village, had borne the news of theterrible apparitions which had taken part against them.
The conquerors, on reaching the village, found it deserted;plundered it of a few valuables; carried down all their enemy'sgods in triumph into the canoes; and then, having fired the huts,started again, with the ten canoes, towards their own island.
Their triumphant arrival at the village was received with franticexcitement and enthusiasm. The sight of six canoes towed in, by thefour belonging to the place, was greeted with something of the samefeeling which, in Nelson's time, Portsmouth more than onceexperienced upon an English vessel arriving with two capturedFrench frigates, of size superior to herself. And when the warriorsinformed their relatives of the interposition of the white gods intheir favor, the latter rose to an even higher estimation in publicopinion than before. They were escorted to their shrine with wilddancing and gesticulation, and great heaps of fruit, fish, andother luxuries were offered to them, in token of the gratitude ofthe people.
But this was not all. A few hours later a solemn council was heldon the seashor
e, and after a time a great hurrying to and fro wasvisible in the village. Then, to the sound of their wild music,with dancing, brandishing of spears, and the emission of many wildyells, the whole population moved up towards the shrine.
"What can they be going to do now?" Tom said. "Some fresh piece ofhomage, I should guess. I do wish they would leave us alone. It isannoying enough to be treated as a god, without being disturbed bythese constant worshippings."
When the crowd arrived before the shed they separated, and in themidst were discovered four girls. On their heads were wreaths offlowers, and their necks and arms were loaded with necklaces, andshells, and other ornaments.
"Don't laugh, you fellows," said Ned. "I do believe that they havebrought us four wives, in token of their gratitude."
The lads had the greatest difficulty in restraining themselves frommarring the effect of the solemnity by ill-timed laughter. But theyput a great restraint upon themselves, and listened gravely whilethe chief made them a long harangue, and pointed to the fourdamsels; who, elated at the honor of being selected, but somewhatshy at being the center of the public gaze, evidently understoodthat the village had chosen them to be the wives of the gods.
Although the boys could not understand the words of the speaker,there was no question as to his meaning, and they consultedtogether as to the best steps to be taken, under the circumstances.
"We must temporize," said Tom. "It would never do for them toconsider themselves slighted."
After a short consultation, they again took their places in asolemn row, in front of the shed. Reuben, who was the tallest andmost imposing of the set, and who was evidently considered by thevillagers to be the leading deity, then addressed a long harangueto the chief and villagers. He beckoned to the four girls, whotimidly advanced, and one knelt at the feet of each of the whites.
Then Reuben motioned that a hut must be built, close to the shrine;and, pointing to the sun, he traced its way across the sky, andmade a mark upon the ground. This he repeated fourteen times,signifying that the girls must be shut up in the hut and guardedsafely for that time, after which the nuptials would take place.
"You are quite sure, Ned," he said, pausing and turning round tohis friend, "that we shall be able to make our attempt to escapebefore the end of the fourteen days? Because it would be fearful,indeed, if we were to fail, and to find ourselves compelled tomarry these four heathen women."
"We will certainly try before the fourteen days are up, Reuben; butwith what success, of course we cannot say. But if we lay our planswell, we ought to manage to get off."
The villagers readily understood the harangue of Reuben, andwithout delay the whole scattered into the wood and, returning withbundles of palm leaves and some strong posts, at once began toerect the hut. Fires were lighted as the evening came on, andbefore they ceased their labor the hut was finished.
During this time the girls had remained sitting patiently in frontof the shrine. The lads now offered them their hand, and escortedthem with grave ceremony to the hut. The palm leaves which didservice as a door were placed before it, and the boys proceeded todance, one after the other in solemn order, fourteen times roundthe hut.
They then signified to the natives that provisions, fruit, andwater must be daily brought for the use of their future wives; andhaving made another harangue, thanking the natives for theirexertions, and signifying future protection and benefits, theyretired under the shelter of the shed, and the village subsided toits ordinary state of tranquility.
"There are two difficulties in the way of making our escape," Nedsaid. "In the first place, it is useless to think of leaving thisisland, until we have a sufficient stock, of provisions and waterto put in a canoe, to last us until we can get back to Ternate. Didwe put into any island on the way, our position might be ten timesas bad as it now is. Here at least we are well treated and honoredand, did we choose, could no doubt live here in a sort of heathencomfort, for the rest of our lives; just as many white sailors onthe western isles have turned natives, and given up all thought ofever returning to their own country.
"The Golden Hind was four days on her journey from Ternate to theplace where she refitted; another two to the spot where she went onthe reef. The wind was very light, and her speed was not above fiveknots an hour. We should be able to paddle back in the course often days, and must take provisions sufficient for that time.
"The first point, of course, will be to find whether the old shipis still on the reef. If she is not there she may have succeeded ingetting off, or she may have gone to pieces. I trust however thatthe admiral, who is full of resource, has managed to get her off insafety. He will, no doubt, have spent a day or two in looking forus; but finding no signs of us, in the island to which we weresent, or in the other lying in sight to the southward, he will haveshaped his way for the Cape.
"The first difficulty, then, is to procure sufficient provisions.The next is to make our escape unseen. The four natives who, nightand day, watch at the corners of this shed, mean it as a greathonor, no doubt; but, like many other honors, it is an unpleasantone. Our only plan will be to seize and gag them suddenly, eachpouncing upon one.
"Then there is the fear that the natives, who are, I must say, themost restless sleepers I ever saw, may in their wanderings up tolook at us find that we have gone, before we are fairly beyondreach of pursuit; for one of their great canoes will travel atleast two feet to our one.
"Hitherto we have only taken such provisions, from the piles theyhave offered us, as were sufficient for our day's wants, and leftthe rest for them to take away again next morning. In future we hadbest, each day, abstract a considerable quantity; and place itconspicuously in the center of this shed. The people will perhapswonder, but will probably conclude that we are laying it by, tomake a great feast upon our wedding day.
"As to water, we must do with the calabashes which they bring theday before, and with the milk which the cocoas contain, and whichis to the full as quenching as water. With a good number of cocoas,we ought to be able to shift for some days without other food; andthere is, indeed, an abundance of juice in many of the other fruitswhich they offer us."
This programme was carried out. Every morning the lads danced insolemn procession round the hut, lessening their rounds by one eachday. Daily the heap of fruit, dried fish, and vegetables under theshed increased; and the natives, who believed that their newdeities were intent upon the thoughts of marriage, had no suspicionwhatever of any desire, on their part, to escape.
Having settled how to prevent their escape being detected beforemorning, they accustomed themselves to go to sleep with the cloths,woven of the fiber of the palm with which the natives had suppliedthem, pulled over their heads.
Seven days after the fight with the other islanders, the ladsjudged that the pile of provisions was sufficiently large for theirpurpose, and determined upon making the attempt that night. A canoeof about the size that they desired, which had been used during theday for fishing, lay on the shore close to the water's edge.
They waited until the village was fairly hushed in sleep. An hourlater they believed that the four guards--or worshipers, for itstruck them that their attendants partook partly of bothcharacters--were beginning to feel drowsy; and each of the boys,having furnished himself with a rope of twisted coconut fiber,stole quietly up to one of these men.
To place their hands over their mouths, to seize and throw themupon their faces, was but the work of a moment; and wasaccomplished without the least noise, the natives being paralyzedby the sudden and unexpected assault. A piece of wood was shovedinto the mouth of each, as a gag; and secured by a string, passinground the back of the head, and holding it in its place. Their armsand legs were tied, and they were set up against the posts, in thesame position they had before occupied.
Four of the great effigies were then taken from their places, andlaid down upon the ground and covered over with the mats, so thatto any casual observer they presented exactly the same appearanceas the boys, sleeping
there.
Then, loading themselves with provisions, the boys stole backwardsand forwards, quietly, to the boat. Once they had to pause, as asleepless native came out from his hut, walked up to the shrine,and bowed himself repeatedly before the supposed deities.Fortunately he perceived nothing suspicious, and did not notice theconstrained attitude of the four guardians. When he retired theboys continued their work, and soon had the whole of the store ofcocoas and other provisions in the canoe, together with somecalabashes of water.
Then with some difficulty they launched the boat and, taking theirplaces, paddled quietly away from the island. Once fairly beyondthe bay, they laid themselves to their work, and the light boatsped rapidly across the waters. In order that they might be sure ofstriking the point where they had left the ship, they made firstfor the island where they had been captured, and when day brokewere close beside it. They then shaped their course northwards, andafter two hours' paddling were in sight of the low island, whichthey had first visited. By noon they reached the spot where, asthey judged, the Golden Hind had gone on the reef; but no signwhatever of her was to be discovered. By the position in which theisland they had left lay they were sure that, although they mightbe two or three miles out in their direction, they must be withinsight of the vessel, were she still remaining as they had left her.
There had been no great storm since she had grounded; and it wasunlikely, therefore, that she could have gone entirely to pieces.This afforded them great ground for hope that she had beaten offthe reef, and proceeded on her voyage. Hitherto they had beenbuoyed up with the expectation of again meeting their friends; butthey now felt a truly unselfish pleasure, at the thought that theircomrades and admiral had escaped the peril which threatened thedownfall of their hopes, and the termination of an enterprisefairly and successfully carried out, so far.
There was nothing now for them but to make for Ternate. They foundno difficulty whatever in doing without water, their thirst beingamply quenched by the milk of the cocoas, and the juice of theguavas and other fruits. They paddled for two days longer, workingsteadily all day and far into the night, and passed one or twoislands.
In the course of the next day's passage they went within a shortdistance of another, and were horrified at seeing, from the narrowbay, a large war canoe put out, and make rapidly towards them.
They had already talked over what would be their best course insuch a contingency, and proceeded at once to put their plans intoexecution. They had, at starting, taken with them a supply of thepaints used in their decoration; and with these they proceeded totouch up the coloring on their faces and white shirts, and on thestrange ornaments which had been affixed to their heads. Two ofthem now took their place, one at the stern and the other at thebow of the canoe. The other two stood up, and paddled very quietlyand slowly along; and as the canoe approached rapidly, the fourbroke into a song--one of the old Devonshire catches, which theyhad often sung together on board ship.
The war canoe, as it approached, gradually ceased paddling. Theaspect of this small boat, paddling quietly along and taking noheed of their presence, filled its occupants with surprise. Butwhen the way on their canoe drifted them close to it, and they wereenabled to see the strange character of the freight, a panic ofastonishment and alarm seized them. That a boat, navigated by fourgods, should be seen proceeding calmly along the ocean, alone, wasa sight for which Indian legend gave them no precedent whatever;and after gazing for a while, in superstitious dread at the strangespectacle, they turned their boats' head and paddled rapidly backto shore.
For an hour or two the boys continued their course, in the sameleisurely manner; but when once convinced that they were out ofsight of their late visitors, they again sat down, and the fourstretched themselves to their work.
On the evening of that day there was a heavy mist upon the water.The stars were with difficulty seen through it, and the lads wereall convinced that a change of weather was at hand. Beforenightfall had set in, an island had been seen at a short distanceto the north, and they decided at once to make for this; as, ifcaught in mid ocean by a storm, they had little hope of weatheringit in a craft like that in which they were placed; although thenatives, habituated to them, were able to keep the sea in veryrough weather in these little craft; which, to an English eye,appeared no safer than cockleshells.
The boys rowed with all their strength in the direction in whichthe island lay, but before they reached it sharp puffs of windstruck the water, and the steerage of the canoe became extremelydifficult. Presently, however, they heard the sound of a dull roar,and knew that this was caused by the slow heaving swell, of whichthey were already sensible, breaking upon a beach.
Ten minutes later they were close to the shore. Had it beendaylight, they would have coasted round the island to search for aconvenient spot for landing; but the wind was already rising, sofast that they deemed it better to risk breaking up their canoe,than to run the hazard of being longer upon the sea.
Waiting, therefore, for a wave, they sped forward, with all theirstrength. There was a crash, and then they all leaped out togetherand, seizing the canoe, ran her up on the beach, before the nextwave arrived.
"I fear she has knocked a great hole in her bottom," Reuben said.
"Never mind," Ned replied. "We shall be able to make a shift tomend it. The great point, now, is to drag it up so high among thebushes, that it will not be noticed in the morning by any nativeswho may happen to be about. Until this storm is over, at any rate,we have got to shelter here."
The canoe, laden as she still was with provisions, was too heavy todrag up; but the boys, emptying her out, lifted her on theirshoulders and carried her inland; until, at a distance of somesixty or seventy yards, they entered a grove of coconut trees. Herethey laid her down, and made two journeys back to the beach tofetch up their provisions, and then took refuge in the grove;thankful that they had escaped on shore in time, for scarcely hadthey landed when the hurricane, which had been brewing, burst withterrific force.
Seas of immense height came rolling in upon the shore. The trees ofthe grove waved to and fro before it, and shook the heavy nutsdown, with such force that the boys were glad to leave it and tolie down on the open beach, rather than to run the risk of havingtheir skulls fractured by these missiles from above. The sound ofthe wind deadened their voices, and even by shouting they could notmake themselves heard. Now and then, above the din of the storm,was heard the crash of some falling tree; and even as they lay,they were sometimes almost lifted from the ground by the force ofthe wind.
For twenty-four hours the hurricane continued, and then cleared assuddenly as it had commenced. The lads crept back to the grove,refreshed themselves with the contents of two or three cocoasapiece, and then, lying down under the canoe, which they had takenthe precaution of turning bottom upwards, enjoyed a peaceful sleeptill morning.
Chapter 20: A Portuguese Settlement.