by G. A. Henty
That day and the three which followed passed without adventure. Thenatives were seen ravaging the fields, destroying the plantations,and doing terrible damage, to the intense exasperation of thePortuguese governor. But they did not show any signs of anintention to attack the castle.
"I believe," Ned said on the fourth day, "that they have determinedto starve us out. They must know that, however large our stock ofprovisions, they will not last forever; and indeed they will havelearned, from the men who bore them in, something of the amount ofstock which we have. It will last, you say, for two months; whichwould be little enough, were it not that we are expecting the shipyou spoke of. If that comes shortly we shall, with the additionalforce which it is bringing; and the crew, who will no doubt aid; beable to attack them in the open. But were it not for that, ourposition would be a bad one."
"I fear," Tom said, "that even when the ship arrives, evil may comeof it."
"How is that, Tom?" Ned asked.
"The captain will know nothing of what is passing on shore; and ifhe lands his men incautiously upon the beach, and advances in thisdirection, the natives will fall upon them and, taking them bysurprise, cut them to pieces; and our last hope will then be gone."
"But we might sally out and effect a diversion," Reuben said.
"Yes," Tom replied; "but, unfortunately, we should not know of thearrival of the ship until all is over."
It was clear to all that Tom's view was the correct one, and thatthe position was much more serious than they had anticipated. Forsome time the governor and the four young men looked at each other,blankly. The destruction of the reinforcements, which would befollowed no doubt by the capture of the ship by the war canoes, andthe massacre of all on board, would indeed be fatal to their hopes.After what they had seen of the determination with which the enemyhad come up to attack the gate, they were sure that they wouldfight valiantly, outside.
The question of sallying forth was again discussed, and all were ofopinion that, unequal as the fight would be, it were better toattempt to defeat the enemy than to remain quiet, and allow them totriumph over the coming reinforcements.
"Upon what day do you think the ship will arrive?" Ned said, afterconsiderable thought.
"I cannot say to a day," the governor replied; "but she should behere this week. There is no exact time, because she has to touch atseveral other islands. She leaves Goa always on a certain day; butshe takes many weeks on her voyage, even if the wind be favorableShe might have been here a week since. She may not be here foranother fortnight. But unless something unforeseen has occurred,she should be here by that time; for the winds are steady in theseregions, and the rate of sailing regular."
"The one chance appears to me," Ned said, after thinking for sometime, "is to give them warning of what is happening here."
"But how is that to be done?" asked the governor.
"The only possible plan," Ned said, "would be for one of us--and Ishould be ready to accept the duty, knowing more perhaps of theways of natives than the others--to steal forth from the castle, tomake for the shore, and to lie concealed among the woods until thevessel is in sight. If then I could find a canoe, to seize it andpaddle off to the ship; if not, to swim."
The other lads eagerly volunteered to undertake the work; but Nedinsisted that he was better suited to it, not only from hisknowledge of the natives, but from his superior powers in swimming.
"I may have," he said, "to keep myself up in the water for a longtime, and perhaps to swim for my life, if the natives see me. It iseven desirable, above all things, that whosoever undertakes thework should be a good swimmer; and although you have long ago givenup calling me The Otter, I do not suppose that my powers in thewater have diminished."
After long consultation, it was agreed that this plan offered morechances of success than any other.
"It would be most desirable," Gerald said, "that we should havesome notice, here, of the ship being in sight; in order that wemight sally out, and lend a hand to our friends on their arrival. Iwill, therefore, if you will allow me, go with Ned; and when theship is in sight, I will make my way back here, while he goes offto the vessel."
"But it will be impossible," Ned said, "to make your way back herein the daytime. I can steal out at night, but to return unnoticedwould be difficult, indeed."
"But when you see the ship, Ned, and get on board, you might warnthem to delay their landing until the next morning; and in thenight I might enter here with the news, and we might sally out atdaybreak."
This plan appeared to offer more advantages than any other; and itwas agreed, at last, that the two lads should, having darkenedtheir skins and put on Indian dress, steal out that night from thecastle and make for the shore. Tom and Reuben regretted much thatthey could not take part in the enterprise; but the governorassured them that, even were it desirable that four shouldundertake the mission, they could not be spared, since theirpresence would be greatly needed in the castle should the natives,before the arrival of the ship, make an attack upon it.
That night Ned and Gerald, according to the arrangement, stole outfrom the castle. Their skins had been darkened from head to foot.Round their waists they wore short petticoats, reaching to theirknees, of native stuff. They had sandals on their feet; for, as Nedsaid, if they were seen close by the natives they were sure to bedetected in any case, and sandals would not show at a shortdistance, while they would enable them to run at full speed, whichthey certainly could not do barefooted. They took with them a bagof provisions, and each carried a sword. Reuben had pressed uponthem to take pistols also; but Ned said that, if cut off anddetected, pistols would be of no use, as nothing but running wouldcarry them through; while should a pistol be fired inadvertently,it would call such a number of assailants upon them that theirescape would be impossible. A thrust with a sword did its worksilently, and just as well as a pistol bullet.
The natives apparently had no fear of any attempt at a sally fromthe castle, for there was nothing like a watch set round it;although near the entrance a few men were stationed, to givewarning should the garrison sally out to make a sudden attack uponthe invaders. The natives were, for the most part, scattered aboutin small parties, and once or twice the lads nearly fell in withthese; but by dint of keeping their ears and eyes open they steeredthrough the dangers, and arrived safely upon the coast, at a pointtwo miles to the west of the landing place.
Here the cliff had nearly sloped away, the height being only sometwenty or thirty feet above the water, and being practicable inmany cases for descent; while behind lay a large wood in whichconcealment was easy, except in the case of an organized search, ofwhich they had no fear, whatever.
The next morning they made along the shore as far as the pointwhere the native war canoes had been pulled up, in hopes of findingsome canoe small enough for Ned to use for rowing off to the ship.But none of them rowed less than twelve or fourteen paddles, and socumbrous a boat as this would be overtaken in a very short time,should it be seen making out from shore. Ned therefore determinedto swim out, especially as they observed that a watch was kept,both day and night, near the canoes.
Five days passed in concealment. The coconuts afforded them bothfood and drink. Occasionally they heard the boom of the culverinsat the castle, and knew that the natives were showing within range;but as these shots were only heard at times, they were assured thatno persistent attack was being made.
It was late in the afternoon of the fifth day that the ladsobserved a sail in the distance. It was indeed so far away that, asthe light was fading, they could not say with absolute certaintythat it was the longed-for ship. They both felt convinced, however,that they had seen a sail; and watched intently, as night darkened,for some sign of its passage.
It was four hours later when they saw, passing along at a distanceof about half a mile, a light on the ocean which could be no otherthan that on board a ship.
"Now is the time," Ned said. "I will keep along the shore, underthe cliff, until I get nearly to the
landing; and will then strikeout. Do you make for the castle, and tell them that the ship hasarrived, and that we will attack tomorrow; but not at daybreak, aswe proposed, but at noon."
As Ned proceeded on his way along the shore, he saw suddenly blazeup, far ahead at the landing place, a small bonfire.
"Ah!" he muttered to himself. "The natives have seen the ship, too;and are following the usual custom, here, of making a fire to showthem where to land. I trust that they will not fall into thesnare."
When, however, he had reached within a quarter of a mile of thelanding, he saw a small boat come suddenly within its range oflight, and two white men step out of it. They were received,apparently, with much respect by the natives assembled there, andat once advanced up the road; while the boat, putting off,disappeared in the darkness.
"They will be murdered," Ned said to himself, "before they havegone a hundred yards. The natives were crafty enough to allow themto land without hindrance, in order that no suspicion might ariseamong those on board ship."
In the stillness of the night he thought that he heard a distantcry. But he was not sure that his ears had not deceived him. Farout he could see a faint light and, knowing that this marked theplace where the ship was moored, he prepared to strike out for it.
It was a long swim, and further than he had expected; for in thedarkness the captain, unable to see the land, had prudentlyanchored at a considerable distance from it. Even, however, had itbeen several times as far, Ned could have swum the distance withoutdifficulty; but the whole way he could not forget that those seasswarmed with sharks, and that any moment he might have to encounterone of those hideous monsters. He had left his sword behind him,but carried a dagger and, as he swam, kept his eyes in alldirections, in order that he should not be attacked unprepared.
The ocean was however, fortunately, at that time deserted by thesebeasts; or if they were in the neighborhood, the quiet, steady,noiseless stroke of the swimmer did not reach their ears.
As he neared the ship his heart rose, and he sang out blithely,"Ship ahoy!"
"Hullo!" was the reply. "Where are you? I cannot see your boat."
"I am swimming," Ned answered. "Throw me a rope, to climb up theside. I have a message from the governor for the captain of theship."
A minute later Ned stood upon the deck of the Portuguese vessel,the soldiers and sailors looking on wonderingly at him, his bodybeing white, but his face still colored by the preparation.
The captain himself soon appeared.
"I am the bearer of a message to you, senor, from the governor,"Ned said. "It is here in this hollow reed. He gives you but fewparticulars, but I believe tells you that you may place everyconfidence in me, and that I have detailed instructions from him."
The captain split open the little reed which Ned handed to him, andtaking out a paper coiled within it, opened it, and by the light ofa lantern read:
"We are in a very critical position, and it will need at oncecourage and prudence to come out of it. I have sent my friend DonEduardo Hearne, an English gentleman of repute, to warn you againstthe danger which threatens, and to advise you on your furtherproceedings. He will give you all particulars."
The captain invited Ned to follow him to his cabin and, calling inthe officers, asked for an explanation of this singular visit. Nedbriefly entered into an account of the landing of the natives ofTernate, and of the present situation; and the captain rejoiced atthe escape, which he had had, from falling into an ambuscade. Thishe would assuredly have done, had he landed the troops in themorning as he had intended, and marched them inland, fearing nodanger, and unprepared for attack.
Ned explained that the plan was that the troops on board the shipshould land, and fight their way into the interior; and that,simultaneously, the garrison should sally out and attack thenatives in the rear; and fight their way towards each other, untilthey effected a junction. They could then retire into the castle,where their future plans could be arranged.
"I have, however," Ned said, "ventured to modify that plan, andhave sent word to the governor that we shall not attack until noon,instead of landing at daybreak, as before arranged. We have beenexamining the position where the canoes are lying. They are allhauled up on the beach, in a compact body. It is in a quiet creek,whose mouth you would sail past without suspecting its existence. Icannot say, of course, the depth of water; but these creeks aregenerally deep, and I should think that there would be enough waterfor the ship to float. At any rate, should you not like to venturethis, your pinnace might row in, carrying a gun in her bow, andmight play havoc among the canoes. Or, better still, if you couldsend two boat loads of men there, tonight, and could manage to landand destroy a portion of the canoes, and launch and tow out theothers, I think that we should have a fair chance of getting peace.The natives would be terrified at the loss of their canoes, andwould be likely to make any terms which would ensure their returnto their island."
The captain at once agreed to the proposition. The three boats ofthe ship were lowered, and the sailors and soldiers took theirplaces; only two or three being left on board ship, as there was nofear, whatever, of an attack from the shore during the night. Nedtook his place in the leading boat of the captain, and acted asguide. They coasted along at a short distance from the land, untilNed told them to cease rowing.
"We must," he said, "be close to the spot now; but it is needfulthat one boat should go forward, and find the exact entrance to thecreek."
Rowing very quietly, the boat in which he was advanced, untilwithin a few yards of the shore; and then proceeded quietly along,for a distance of a few hundred yards, when the black line of shoredisappeared, and a streak of water was seen stretching inland.Quietly they rowed back to the other two boats, and the threeadvancing, entered the creek together.
Before starting, each officer had been assigned his work. The crewof one of the boats, consisting principally of soldiers, were toland, to advance a short distance inland, and to repulse anyattacks that the natives might make upon them. Another party wereto stave in all the small canoes and, this done, they were toassist the third boat's crew in launching the war canoes into thewater.
As they approached the spot they were hailed, in the Indian tongue,by someone on shore. No reply was given, and the hail was repeatedlouder. Then, as the boats rowed rapidly up to the place where thecanoes were hauled up, a shrill yell of alarm was given, which wasre-echoed in several directions near; and could be heard, growingfainter and fainter, as it was caught up by men inland.
The moment the boats touched the shore the men leaped out. Thesoldiers advanced, and took up the position assigned to them todefend the working parties; while the rest set to, vigorously, tocarry out their portion of the work. The war canoes were heavy, andeach required the efforts of the whole of the crew to launch herinto the water. It was, therefore, a work of considerable time toget fifteen of them afloat; and long ere this had been done, thenatives, called together by the alarm, were flocking down in greatnumbers.
They were, however, in entire ignorance as to the number of theirassailants; and the fire which the soldiers opened, with theirarquebuses, checked them in their advance. Feeling sure that theircanoes were being destroyed, they filled the air with yells oflamentation and rage; discharging such volleys of arrows at random,in the direction of the Portuguese, that a great number of thesewere wounded. Indeed, the natives pressed on with such audacitythat a considerable portion of the workers had to go forward, toassist the soldiers in holding them at bay.
At last, however, the whole of the canoes were in the water, andevery other boat disabled. The canoes were tied together, fiveabreast, and one of the boats towed these out of the harbor, whilethe crews of the others remained, keeping the natives at bay; forit was felt that if the whole were to embark at once, while stillencumbered with the canoes, they would be able to get out of thecreek but slowly; and would, for the most part, be destroyed by thearrows of the natives.
When the boat had towed the canoes well out t
o sea, it cast themadrift and returned up the creek. Then, covered by the muskets ofthe soldiers, the others took their places, in good order andregularity, until at last all were in the boats. The soldiers wereordered to stand up, and to keep up a steady fire upon the shore;while the sailors laid to, with a hearty goodwill.
The natives rushed down to the shore in great numbers, and althoughmany of them must have fallen under the fire of the soldiers, theyyet waded into the water, in their anxiety to seize the boats, andpoured large numbers of arrows into them.
When the three boats gained the open sea there were few, indeed, ofthe Portuguese who had not received wounds, more or less severe, bythe arrows; and several had been killed, in addition to others whohad fallen on shore. The soldiers had suffered much less severelythan the sailors; for although they had been more hotly engaged,their breast pieces and steel caps had protected them, and theywere principally wounded in the limbs.
The canoes were now picked up, and with these in tow the partyreturned to the ship. Here their wounds were dressed, by a priestwho accompanied the vessel in her voyages, landing at the differentstations, and ministering to the garrisons of the islands. He hadsome knowledge of the healing art, and poured soothing oils intothe wounds inflicted by the arrows. The men were much alarmed lestthese arrows should be poisoned, but Ned assured them that none ofthose who had been wounded, during the attacks on shore, had diedfrom the effects; and that, although it was the custom in many ofthese islands to use poisoned weapons, the people of Ternate, atleast, did not practice this barbarous usage.
Morning was just breaking as the party gained the ship, and thecaptain was glad that Ned had postponed the landing until midday;as it gave the tired men time to rest, and prepare themselves forfresh labors.
As soon as the shore could be seen, it was evident that thedestruction and carrying off of the canoes had created an immenseimpression. The cliff was lined with natives, whose gesticulations,as they saw their canoes fastened to the stern of the ship, werewild and vehement.
A little before noon the boats were hauled up alongside, thesoldiers took their places in them with loaded arquebuses, and asmany sailors as could be spared also entered, to assist in theiradvance. The ship carried several pieces of artillery, and thesewere loaded, so as to open fire before the landing was effected, inorder to clear the shore of the enemy. This was soon accomplished,and the natives who had assembled on the beach were seen, streamingup the road through the cliff.
This was the most dangerous part that the advancing party wouldhave to traverse, as they would be exposed to a heavy fire, fromthose standing above them, on both flanks. They would havesuffered, indeed, very severely, had not the captain turned hisguns upon the masses gathered on the high ground and, by one or twolucky shots plumped into the middle of them, created such an effectthat the fire of arrows kept up upon the troops, as they advanced,was wild and confused.
Several of the sailors were severely wounded, but the soldiers,well sheltered by their mail, pressed on and gained the levelground; their blood being fired, as they went, by the spectacle ofthe dead bodies of their first officer and supercargo, who hadlanded the night before.
Here the natives were assembled in great force and, as they werenow out of sight of those on board ship, the guns could no longerrender assistance to the little party. These showed a good front asthe masses of the enemy approached them, and charged boldly atthem.
The natives, however, maddened by the loss of their canoes, andfeeling that their only hope was in annihilating their enemies,came on with such force, wielding heavy clubs, that the array ofthe Portuguese was broken, and in a short time each was fightingdesperately for himself. Several had been stricken down and,although large numbers of the natives had been killed, it was plainthat the victory would in a few minutes be decided; when suddenly agreat shout was heard, and a volley of musketry was poured into therear of the natives.
The hard-pressed whites gave a cheer, for they knew that assistancehad arrived from the castle. The natives, whose attention had beendirected to the attack in front, were taken completely by surprise;and as both the parties of whites simultaneously charged, largenumbers were unable to escape and were cut down, while the restfled precipitately from the spot.
Very hearty were the congratulations of the Portuguese, as theforces came together. Gerald had safely reached the castle, aftersome narrow escapes. He, having fallen among some sleeping natives,had been attacked and forced to trust to his speed.
After a short consultation it was decided to press the enemy, andto leave them no time to recover from the demoralization caused bythe loss of their boats, and the junction of the two parties ofwhite men. The forces were, therefore, divided into two equalparts, and these started in different directions. Clump after clumpof trees was searched, and the enemy driven from them. At firstsome resistance was made; but gradually the natives becamecompletely panic stricken, and fled without striking a blow.
Until nightfall the two parties continued to hunt, and shoot down,a large number of the natives. Then they returned to the castle.They now had a consultation as to the terms which they should grantthe natives; for they had no doubt that victory had declareditself, finally, in their favor Some were for continuing the strifeuntil the enemy were exterminated; but the governor of the islandwas opposed to this.
"In the first place," he said, "mixed up with the Ternate peopleare all the natives of this island, and to exterminate them wouldbe to leave us without labor, and to ruin the island. In the nextplace, the havoc which has been already wrought in our plantationsis such that it will take years to repair; and the longer thisfighting goes on, the more complete will be the destruction. Ithink, then, that we should grant them the easiest terms possible.They will be only too glad to escape, and to get back to their ownland, and will be long before they invade us again."
"I think," the officer who had arrived with the reinforcements ofsoldiers said, "it would be well, senor, if you were to consultwith the priest who is on board. He is a man who has the ear of thecouncil at Goa. He was but recently arrived, and knows but littleof the natives; but he is full of zeal, and it would be well, Ithink, were we to make an arrangement of which he would perfectlyapprove; so that his report, when he reached Goa, should bealtogether favorable"
The governor agreed to this proposal, and decided to send a partydown to the shore, in the morning, to bring the priest up to thecastle.
Early in the morning, a large crowd of natives were seen at a shortdistance. In their hands they held boughs of trees, and waved themto express their desire to enter into negotiations. The governor,however, fired two or three shots over their heads, as a signal tothem to keep farther away, as their advances would not be received.Then, while a party went down to the shore to fetch the priest, heagain sallied out and drove the natives before him.
When the holy father arrived another council was held, and he wasinformed that the people were ready to treat, and asked what, inhis opinion, should be the terms imposed upon them. He heard thearguments of the governor, in favor of allowing them to return totheir island, but he said:
"In my opinion it is essential, above all things, that they shouldbe forced to accept Christianity."
At this the Englishmen, and indeed the two Portuguese officers,could with difficulty repress a smile; but the governor at once sawthat a wholesale conversion of this sort would do him much goodwith the authorities at Goa, and he therefore willingly fell intothe priest's views.
The next morning the natives again appeared with their greenboughs; and the governor, with the officer, the priest, and a bodyof ten soldiers, went out to meet them. The King of Ternateadvanced, and bowed himself submissively to the ground, andexpressed his submission; and craved for pardon, and for permissionto return with his people to Ternate, promising solemnly that neveragain would they meddle with the Portuguese settlement.
The governor, who spoke the language fluently, having been therefor some years, uttered an harangue reproaching hi
m with his folly,and wickedness, in wantonly declaring war against the Portuguese.He pointed to the destroyed plantations, and asked if anypunishment could be too great for the ruin caused.
The king and his councilors offered to pay large tributes,annually, of spice and other products, until the ruined plantationswere again in bearing.
"This will not repay us for the losses we have suffered, and forthe evil spirit which you have introduced into this island.
"We have, however," the governor said, "only your interests atheart; and therefore we have decided to pardon you, and to allowyou to return to your island, upon the condition that you and allyour people embrace Christianity, and pay such a tribute as we mayimpose."
The king had no understanding of the meaning of what was proposedto him, and the governor said that he and his people were, in themorning, to assemble before the castle, and that the holy father,who had been sent on purpose to turn them from the wickedness oftheir ways, would then explain the doctrines of Christianity tothem; that if they accepted and believed what he said, pardon wouldbe theirs; if not, they would be hunted down until all weredestroyed.
Next morning the assembly took place in front of the castle gate.The King of Ternate, surrounded by all his principal councilors andwarriors, took his place, while the fighting men stood around him.The priest mounted on the platform of the wall, the governorstanding beside him to interpret.
The Englishmen, much amused at the ceremony, stood at a shortdistance off. They did not wish to be recognized by any of thepeople of Ternate, as it was possible that some English vesselsmight again come into these seas, and they did not desire that thepleasant remembrance of the visit of the Golden Hind should beobliterated, by the sight of some of its crew in alliance with thePortuguese.
The priest began an elaborate explanation of the Christianreligion, which he continued for the space of two hours; to thesurprise and astonishment of the natives, who could not, of course,comprehend a single word that he said. Then he paused, and turningto the governor said:
"Will you translate this, for the benefit of these benightedheathens?"
"I fear," said the governor, "that it will be impossible for me todo full justice to your eloquent words; and, indeed, that thesepoor wretches would scarcely take in so much learning and wisdomall at once; but in a few words I will give them the sense of whatyou have been telling them."
Then, lifting up his voice, he addressed the king.
"There is only one God. These idols of yours are helpless, anduseless. We have brought ashore those from your war canoes, whichmy men will now proceed to burn, and you will see that your godswill be unable to help themselves. Indeed, they are not gods, andhave no power. God is good, and hates wickedness. All men arewicked. Therefore He would hate all men; but He has sent His Sondown, and for His sake pardons all who believe in Him.
"Now, if you believe in Him, as I tell you, you will be pardonedboth by us and by God. If you do not believe, we shall kill youall, and you will be punished eternally. Now you have the choicewhat to do."
The matter, thus pithily put, did not require much consideration.After a short consultation between the chiefs, the king demandedwhat ceremonies would have to be gone through, to becomeChristians; and was informed, by the governor, that the onlyceremony would be that he would have to declare himself aChristian; that the priest would make upon him the sign of a crosswith his finger, and would sprinkle him with water; and that, whenthis was done, he would be a Christian.
Much relieved to find that the entry into this new religion was soeasy, the king and his people at once agreed to accept Christianity.The governor informed them that the priest thought that they werehardly yet prepared, but that on the morrow the ceremony should takeplace, after a further explanation.
The next day a great altar was erected outside the walls of thecastle, gay with banners and wax lights. Before this the King ofTernate and his people assembled, the gunners on the wallsstanding, with lighted matches, by their cannon in case of trouble.The priest then made another long oration, which was again brieflyand emphatically translated by the governor. The king and all hispeople then knelt and, according to the instruction of the priest,made the sign of the cross. The priest then went along between thelines of the people, sprinkling them with holy water, and thisbeing done the ceremony was declared complete, and the King ofTernate and his people were received into the bosom of the Church.Then, escorted by the soldier, they were taken down to theseashore.
The two white men were permitted to depart with them. The governorhad, at first, insisted that these should be put to death. Theypleaded, however, that they had acted under force; and, Nedinterceding for them, their lives were granted on the conditionthat they should, on reaching Ternate, at once embark for someother island, and never return to Ternate.
The canoes were brought alongside and, there being now no fear ofany attempt at resistance, as the entire body of invaders had givenup their arms, they were allowed to enter the canoes, and to paddleaway to their own island; with numbers greatly diminished fromthose which had landed, to the attack of Tidore, a week before.
The governor and the priest were, alike, delighted at thetermination of the war; the former because he was really anxiousfor the good of the colony which had been entrusted to him, andbelieved that it would now progress peaceably, and withoutdisturbance. He believed, too, that his successful resistance, toso large a body of enemies, would insure him the approval of theviceroy at Goa; and that the report of the priest would also obtainfor him the valuable protection and patronage of the ecclesiastics,whose power in the eastern seas was even greater than it was athome.
Tidore was the furthest of the Portuguese settlements, and theship, having now made her round, was to return direct to Goa. Thepriest hesitated whether to remain, or to return in her. He hadmade it one of the conditions of peace with Ternate that amissionary should be received there, a place of worship erected,and that he should be allowed to open schools, and to teach thetenets of his religion to all; and he hesitated whether he would,himself, at once take up that post, or whether he would report thematter at Goa, where perhaps it might be decided to send a priestwho had acquired something of the language of the Southern Seas. Hefinally decided upon the latter course.
The governor furnished the lads with letters, recommending themmost warmly to the viceroy, and stating the great services whichthey had rendered to him in the defense of the island; saying,indeed, that had it not been for their prudence, and valor, it wasprobable that the natives would have succeeded in destroying thesmall body of Portuguese, and in massacring the reinforcementslanded from the vessel. The priest also, while viewing the youngmen with the natural horror of a Portuguese ecclesiastic forheretics, was yet impressed with the services that they hadrendered; and considered their own shortcomings to be, in a greatmeasure, atoned for by the wholesale conversion which had, to someextent, been effected by their means.
Bidding a hearty adieu to the governor, they took their places onboard ship and sailed for Goa. It was a six weeks' voyage, but thevessel was well furnished with provisions and, after theirhardships, the boys greatly enjoyed the rest and tranquility onboard. In due time they found themselves lying off the mouth of theriver up which, at a short distance from its mouth, the capital ofPortuguese India was situated.
Chapter 22: Home.