CHAPTER SEVEN.
SURVEY OUR CAMPING-PLACE--CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE CLIFF--RETURN TO THEBRIG--FRUITLESS ATTEMPTS TO GET HER OFF--STORES LANDED--VISITED BY ANATIVE AND HIS FAMILY--PADDY MAKES PULLINGO'S ACQUAINTANCE--A RAFTBUILT--A STORM--BRIG GOES TO PIECES--DISAFFECTION OF THE CREW--I SAVEMUDGE FROM A SNAKE--CRUISE IN THE BOATS TO RECOVER CARGO--CASE OF SEEDSFOUND--HOUSE BUILT--THE MATES AND PART OF THE CREW SAIL FOR SYDNEY INTHE LONG-BOAT--DUTIES ON SHORE--EXPEDITION WITH EDITH IN THEJOLLY-BOAT--EDITH TAKEN ILL--A GALE--CROSS THE BAR--A MERCIFUL ESCAPE.
The spot on which we had landed was well chosen. There was ample levelspace on which to erect our tents; indeed, a whole village might havebeen built on it under such shade as the trees afforded; though that,owing to the way the leaves grew with their edges upwards and downwards,was but slight. It was joined to the mainland by a narrow neck, whichcould be easily defended, should there be any natives in theneighbourhood inclined to attack us; while a bend of the shore on theupper side of the neck afforded a secure harbour for the boats. Thecliffs, which extended along the coast, and apparently ran some way upthe river, rose but a short distance from the bank; and as the treesgrew widely apart along the shore, no enemy, we supposed, could approachwithout being discovered.
As soon as we had landed, my mother begged Mudge to ascertain, as far ashe could, whether there were any natives in the neighbourhood; and if hewas satisfied that there were none, to send the boat back to the brig--which was not visible from where we were, being hidden by the mangroveson the point at the northern side of the entrance to the river.
"The best way to ascertain that will be to climb to the top of thecliffs, as from thence I doubt not but I shall get a good view all overthe country," answered Mudge.
I begged to accompany him; and he giving directions to the men to landthe stores and provisions, we set off.
When we reached the foot of the cliffs we found that it would be no easymatter to mount them; indeed, just above the landing-place they werealmost perpendicular. By going westward--that is to say, up thestream--we found that they were more broken; and at length we discovereda part where, by means of the shrubs which projected from the crevices,we had hopes of being able to climb up to the top. I don't know whatlandsmen might have done, but we, not to be deterred by difficulties orthe fear of breaking our necks, commenced the ascent.
Up we went, now scrambling over the rocks, now swinging ourselves up bymeans of the shrubs, till we got to a break in the ground--probably inlong ages past a water-course, when the ocean was flowing off theground; now presenting a surface of undulating downs. The sides slopinggradually, we easily made our way among the bushes growing on them, tillwe stood on the downs I have just spoken of, on the top of the cliff.By proceeding back to the sea we reached the highest part, just abovethe landing-place.
Before leaving the vessel, Mudge had thoughtfully slung his telescopeover his shoulder, and was thus able to take a wide survey of thecountry in every direction. We first looked towards the brig, which layabout a mile and a half to the north-east, in the position in which wehad left her; the boat was alongside, and as far as we could make out,no effort was being made to get the vessel off.
"I doubt if any power will move her; or, if she were to be hauled offthe rocks, whether she will keep afloat long enough to bring her intothe harbour," said Mudge, with a sigh. "It can't be helped; and weshould be thankful to have reached the shore with our lives, and to havea prospect of making our way in time to the settlements."
"I am afraid that my father will be dreadfully cut up at the loss of thebrig and so much of his property, even although we may manage to landthe stores and part of the cargo," I observed.
"He would have been more cut up had your mother and sister and you boyslost your lives, or been compelled to make a long voyage in the boats,--which might have been our fate had we not got so close inshore,"answered Mudge. "Again I say, let us be thankful for the mercies shownus, and make the best of our position."
Mudge, while he was speaking, was sweeping his glass round from thecoast-line to the northward, towards the interior of the country. Imeantime was looking down on the party below the cliff, who were allbusily employed in carrying the things up from the boat, and placingthem close to the spot Mudge had already selected for pitching thetent--in the centre of the little peninsula. Though they were, Iconcluded, within musket-shot, they were too far off for an arrow toreach them; so that, even should the natives possess such weapons, ourencampment could not be assailed from the top of the cliff. This wassatisfactory, as it made the position we had chosen a very secure one.
The spot was about a quarter of a mile from the mouth of the river. Theopposite shore was, as I have said, much lower than that on which westood. Close to the sea it was flat and level, with a few sand-hillsscattered over it. Farther on, the ground was undulating and thinlycovered with trees. On our side, the high ground extended as far as theeye could reach along the bank of the river, as it did also along theshore southward. Altogether, it appeared to me a very fine country,such as we had reason to be thankful we had landed on.
"I can see no huts or cottages, or signs of people, though it seemsstrange that so fertile a region should be uninhabited. All I cansuppose is, that the people live either underground, or in the same sortof wretched hovels I have seen some of the South Sea Islanders dwellingin," said Mudge; "and if so, I might have been unable to distinguishthem, even although at no great distance. Do you, Godfrey, take theglass, and tell me what you can make out."
I did as he bade me, examining every hill-side and hollow from north tosouth of our position, without discovering anything like a hut. To thewest and south-west I observed a range of blue mountains, but thecountry to the southward was either level or undulating, and coveredwith trees growing widely apart; so that should we decide on making ourway overland to the settlements, we should for some distance at allevents find no obstruction to our progress.
Having finished our survey, we went along the top of the cliff to thewestward, and by proceeding on a little farther we got down by asomewhat easier way than that by which we had climbed up.
In consequence of the report Mudge gave my mother, she begged that hewould go back to the brig.
"That I may not do," he answered, "as I promised the captain to remainhere to protect you: and though my belief is that there are no nativeshereabouts, I cannot be certain; and I should never forgive myself, ifthey were to come and do you an injury while I had neglected orders andgone away."
"Then let me go off," I said, "with three of the men,--they will besufficient to pull the boat that short distance; and you, Paddy Doyle,and the boys, will be well able to keep any savages at bay till we comeback."
To this Mudge agreed, as my mother seemed to wish it; and everythinghaving been landed from the boat, the men and I jumped into her, and,shoving off, pulled away for the brig.
By the time we arrived alongside, the tide was as high as it was likelyto rise. My father was glad to see me back, and to hear thesatisfactory report which I gave him. We had no time for conversation,however, as the men had just manned the capstan to make another effortto heave the vessel off. But in vain they laboured; not an inch wouldshe move.
"I am afraid, sir, that our only chance of floating her will be, eitherto land the cargo, or to heave it overboard," observed the first mate.
"I have arrived at the same conclusion," said my father; "but we willnot lose the cargo if it can be helped. We will land what we can in theboats; and if the weather continues moderate, we will form a raft, andconvey as much as it can carry,--by which we shall be enabled, I hope,to save the larger portion."
"Let's have another heave first, sir," cried the men, who thus showedtheir regard for their commander, and the interest they felt in hiswelfare, as they all knew that he would be the chief sufferer by theloss of the brig. Again they hove, pressing against the capstan-bars asif nothing could resist them.
"It's all of no use," exclaimed the car
penter, who had been below; "it'smy belief that the coral rock has gone through the planking, and thatunless we can get the cargo out of her, and every pig of ballast, nopower will float her or get her off."
My father, on hearing this, also went below; and on his return hedirected the mate, with some of the crew, to load the boats, while heand others set to work to build a raft. As soon as the two boats wereloaded, he ordered me to pilot the way in the jolly-boat; saying that heintended to remain on board, with the hands not required in the boats,to complete the raft.
"But won't you leave the mates, father, to do that?" I asked.
"No, Godfrey," he answered, somewhat sternly; "I intend to be the lastman to quit the vessel. As soon as the boats are unloaded, they are toreturn, unless Mr Mudge thinks it necessary to detain the jolly-boat.Tell him what I say; and assure your mother that she need be under noapprehensions on my account."
Of course, all I had to do was to obey my father; but I could not helpfeeling anxious about him, as I had no doubt my mother would be,notwithstanding the message I was to give her. Jumping into thejolly-boat, then, I told the men to give way, as I wished to reach theshore as soon as possible. The water was tolerably smooth; and thoughour boats were heavily laden, we crossed the bar without difficulty, itbeing now high-water, and soon reached the landing-place.
As we approached it, we saw three strange figures standing at thefarther end of the neck of land, apparently watching the proceedings ofour friends. They were perfectly black, having on the smallest possibleamount of clothing, with bushy heads of hair; and one of them had athick beard, moustache, and whiskers. Two of them had long spears intheir hands, but the other, whom as we got nearer we saw to be a woman,was unarmed.
Mudge hailed us. "Take no notice of the natives," he sang out; "they'vebeen there for the last half-hour, and are puzzled to make us out. Thebest way to manage them is to let them alone; and by-and-by, depend onit, they'll come and try to make friends with us."
I at once gave Mudge my father's message. He replied that there was notthe slightest necessity for our remaining, and desired me, as soon asthe boats were unloaded, to pull back again to the brig. "Paddy Doyleand I can easily manage our black friends; and it is far more importantthat the boats should be employed in bringing the stores on shore," heobserved. "The only advice I have to give is, that you should cross thebar with the raft while the tide is flowing, and pretty near high-water.It will be better to wait for high tide than to attempt it as yet; andI hope your father will secure the raft alongside, and come on shore inthe last trip the boats make this evening."
My mother sent a similar message, entreating my father not to remain.
The crew quickly unloaded the boats, and piled up their cargoes, withthe other things before landed, in the centre of the camp.
I observed that Paddy Doyle, instead of working with us, was employed inwatching the natives; though he pretended all the time not to be takingany notice of them, but to be amusing himself by playing a number ofstrange antics calculated to excite their curiosity. This, after atime, he succeeded in doing. The man, having directed his companions toretire to a distance,--for the purpose, as we supposed, of placing themout of danger,--advanced several paces nearer, and stood regarding uswith fixed attention. Though he was no beauty according to our notions,he was, as he stood motionless as a statue, with his bundle of fivelances, their sharp points polished and serrated, in his left hand,really a fine-looking savage. Stuck in his bushy hair, and fixed in hisear, he wore a heron's feather; and round his waist was a broad beltwhich served to keep up his very tight kilt, composed of opossum skins.In this belt was stuck a knife or dagger of bone or stone; while at hisback was slung a small stone axe. His right hand was, however, kept inreadiness at any moment to hurl one of his lances at us. His figure wastall; and his limbs, though covered with dirt, remarkably clean, as faras form was concerned--showing that he was capable of great activity.
Paddy now pretended to have discovered him for the first time, andadvancing a few paces, took off his hat and made him a profound bow.Though in all likelihood the savage had never before been so saluted, heseemed to understand that the white stranger wished to become betteracquainted with him, and pointing to himself, he uttered the word"Pullingo."
"The top of the morning to ye, Mr Pullingo! I'm after hoping you'repretty well. And how's Mistress Pullingo, and Master Pullingo, and anyother pledges of mutual affection you happen to possess?" cried Paddy.
The savage uttered some words in a not unmusical tone, but what theywere intended to express it was impossible to say, nor could we becertain that he had mentioned his own name; but, as may be supposed,Paddy at once dubbed him Pullingo, which cognomen he was likely toretain ever afterwards.
"Exactly so," said Paddy, as if he had understood every word that hadbeen uttered. "And my name's Patrick Doyle, at your service; and it'smyself and my friends there have come to spend a few weeks in yourcountry, or maybe longer; and we hope by-and-by to have the pleasure ofyour better acquaintance."
The tone of Paddy's voice, as well as his gestures, seemed to giveconfidence to the savage, and to assure him that we had no hostileintentions. But after Doyle and he had thus stood looking at each otherfor some minutes, he began slowly to retreat, always keeping his facetowards us, till he had rejoined the woman and boy, when he sat down andheld a conversation with them. They then all three rose and made theirway up the bank of the river, till they were hidden from sight behind arock.
I was, however, but a short time on shore, for as soon as the boats wereunloaded we pulled away to the brig. By the time we got back to her theraft was nearly completed. As, however, the tide was running out of theriver, my father, following Mudge's advice, determined not to send it onshore, but to secure it alongside for the night. The boats weretherefore again loaded; and as long as daylight lasted they were keptplying backwards and forwards.
With great unwillingness my father consented to come on shore with therest of the crew in the last trip. "I should have no fears aboutremaining," he observed, "as I feel confident that the brig will holdtogether, even though we may not succeed in getting her off."
We had landed provisions sufficient to last us, with economy, forseveral months; all our arms and ammunition, most of our own clothingand that of the ship's company, as well as our bedding and a fewarticles of furniture for my mother's use; our cooking utensils and thecabin dinner and tea service; the carpenter's tool-chest; several spadesand pick-axes, and other agricultural implements; and some bales of newcanvas, as well as several of the ship's sails and a number ofmiscellaneous articles. Altogether, we had reason to be satisfied thatwe had saved so much. Several tents had been put up before dark toaccommodate all the party. The most complete was that for the use of mymother and Edith; the others were formed simply by stretching a rope,over which a sail was thrown, between two trees, the edges of the sailbeing secured by pegs to the ground on either side.
As soon as my father landed he summoned several of the men, and orderedthem to cut down all the grass which grew on the isthmus, as well asthat surrounding our tents.
"I take a hint from Captain Cook," he observed; "for I remember thenarrow escape he and his men had from destruction, when the savages, ina sudden fit of anger, set fire to the grass surrounding his encampment,from which his powder and more valuable articles had only just beforebeen removed. The savages hereabouts may be disposed to be friendlywith us; but it will not do to trust them, as we cannot tell from whatcause they may take offence."
We had hitherto been too busy to eat anything, with the exception ofsome biscuit and wine. The fire was now lighted, the tea-kettle put on,and a pot to boil some of the provisions we had brought with us. Nannyafforded some milk for tea, and with the herbage she would now obtainshe would, it was hoped, give us an abundant supply.
My father, not trusting to the natives, placed a sentry on the neck ofland, as also two others to watch the shore in case they should pay us avis
it by water during the night. We all then retired to our tents; andhaving been up during the previous night and hard at work all day, wevery quickly fell asleep.
How long a time had passed I knew not, when I was awakened by a rattlingpeal of thunder, which sounded directly above my head. Starting up andrushing out of the tent, I found my father and the officers, as well asmost of the men, on foot; the rain was coming down in torrents, and thewind was blowing furiously, dashing the water against the bank, andmaking the tall trees bend before it. My fear at first was that theywould be blown down upon us; but when I recollected the shape of theirleaves and their scanty foliage, I saw that there was not much danger ofthat. How thankful I felt that my father had not remained on board thebrig, for she, I could not help fearing, would go to pieces, and all hercargo be lost.
My father's first object was to secure the boats, which lay in the bay Ihave already described, above our encampment. As soon as this was done,he in a calm voice advised those who had not to keep watch to turn inagain. "We need not fear for our lives," he observed; "and as for thebrig, we can do nothing till daylight. Should the weather thenmoderate, and she still hold together, we may get off to her; but ifnot, Heaven's will be done. We should be thankful that our lives havebeen preserved, and that we have secured so many necessaries."
I was only half awake as it was; so, following my father's advice, Icrept back into the tent, and in spite of the storm was quickly asleep.Day had broken for some time when I awoke; the rain had ceased, thoughthe sky was still cloudy. I found the men trying to light a fire withthe damp wood and leaves they had collected, but it was a somewhatdifficult task. My father, accompanied by Mudge, had gone up to the topof the cliff to look out for the brig, but from the loud roar of thebreakers on the bar and along the coast I had but little hope that theywould see her. The storm, however, quickly passed away, the sunbreaking out from amid the clouds which rolled off to the southward. Iawoke my younger companions, who had slept through the whole of it, andwere very much astonished to find the ground wet and the sea stillroaring in a voice of thunder.
My mother's tent having been securely put up, had withstood the wind, ashad the others; indeed, constructed as they were, they could not beblown down or disturbed unless the pegs had been drawn out of theground.
I found my mother and Edith sitting just inside their tent, waiting formy father's return.
"The utter destruction of the brig will be a sore trial to him," sheobserved; "and he has no hope that she can have escaped; so we must doour best to keep up his spirits, and to show him that we are contentedwith our lot. I feel such unbounded gratitude to Heaven for his havingbeen induced to come on shore last night, that the destruction of thevessel appears to me a mere trifle; and I am sure that you and Piercewill do your best to induce the rest to obey his directions."
"That we will, mother; and so, I am sure, will Harry," said Pierce, whowas with me; "so will Tommy Peck and Dicky Popo: and if they don't,we'll make them."
The men had succeeded in lighting a fire; and just as breakfast wasready my father and Mudge came in sight. They shook their heads as theydrew near.
"Not a vestige of the brig remains," said my father, with a sigh. "Itrust that, if we can get to Sydney, we shall recover our insurance; butI had hoped till the last to save her and the cargo. We have happilysecured a good store of provisions and ammunition; and I propose forminga settlement in this neighbourhood, and, having become acquainted withits inhabitants, the nature of the country, and the wild animals whichmay afford us food, ultimately to send an expedition overland to Sydney.When we have gained experience, we shall have but comparatively littledifficulty in travelling to the British settlements in the south."
My mother was perfectly ready to agree to my father's proposal; indeed,she saw the wisdom of remaining where we were until we had becomeacquainted with the country, and she dreaded the long overland journeyalmost as much as she did a voyage in the boats. All the party,however, I found, were not of this opinion, though they did not at firstexpress themselves openly on the subject. The seamen, as is too oftenthe case when a vessel has been wrecked, now that they had got on shoredid not consider themselves any longer under naval discipline; andthough they were not actually disrespectful to my father, they took butlittle pains to carry out his orders. He, having been brought up onboard a man-of-war, was not accustomed to the ways of merchant-seamen,and considered that they were as much bound to obey him now as before.The mates, it was evident from their manner, sided with the men, so thatMudge was the only officer on whom my father could depend for support.They two on all occasions consulted together. The first point they hadto decide was the position of the proposed settlement, supposing thatthe men would willingly assist in forming it. When my father spoke tothe mates on the subject, however, they at once declared that they hadno intention of remaining where they were.
"You see, Captain Rayner, you have your wife and family with you; butwith us it is very different," observed the first mate. "We want to getback to our families and to civilised life, and see no reason why weshould remain here when we have got a stout boat in which we can easilymake the passage to Sydney. If you'll give us the boat, we've made upour minds to go in her as soon as we've stretched our legs on shore alittle."
My father replied that he would consider the matter; on which the matemuttered something which did not reach our ears.
I was shortly afterwards talking over the matter with Mudge. "It can'tbe helped, though, I fear," he observed. "If we can't persuade them tostay, they must go; for we certainly have no power to compel them to dowhat they don't wish, and we must therefore depend upon ourselves. I amvery certain that Tommy Peck and Harry will remain faithful; and so, Ihope, will the boatswain and Paddy Doyle, who seems much attached tous."
"I can answer for Ned Burton," I said; "and, I think, two or three moreof the men."
"Then, whether or not any of the rest stay with us, we shall manage todo very well," he said in a cheerful tone. "Now, after the experienceof last night, I am anxious at once to build a cottage for your motherand Edith, in which they will be more comfortable than in a tent. Itold your father, who said he should be much obliged if I would do so;and to show the men that we are independent of them, I proposed that weshould set about it at once. The timber about here is too large for thepurpose, but I saw some near the mouth of the river which will servewell for uprights and rafters; and if we can get Doyle to accompany us,we will set off at once with our axes and begin to cut it. Tell theother boys; and they can bring the logs here which we cut down, whenyour father and Burton will set them up. Perhaps we shall shame some ofthe other men into offering their assistance."
Harry and Tom were well-pleased to have something to do, and agreed thatthe two of them could easily carry a log the distance these had to come,unless it was unusually heavy. The men saw us setting off, butcontinued sitting round the fire smoking their pipes, without inquiringwhere we were going or what we were about to do.
We soon reached the spot, where, a short distance from the beach belowthe cliffs, grew a number of small palm-trees with straight, cleanstems, exactly suited for our purpose. We soon cut down two; with whichthe boys trotted off, one at each end, telling us to be ready with acouple more by the time they came back. The heat under the cliff wasvery great, and had there not been a sea-breeze we could not, I think,have endured it. Mudge threw off his jacket, and tucking up his shirtsleeves, set manfully to work. Doyle did the same; and each had cutdown two trees before I had felled one. Doyle then went on towards sometrees which he saw farther off, leaving me at work a little distancefrom Mudge.
I was chopping away, when I heard Mudge give an extraordinary shriek;and looking towards him, what was my horror to see him on the groundencircled in the folds of a huge serpent, whose head was raised high inthe air as if about to dart its fangs into him! His axe had fallen tothe ground, so that he was unable to defend himself. I sprang towardshim with my axe uplifted; and I
must have attracted the serpent'sattention, for instead of striking its prisoner it turned its headtowards me. Should I miss, I might be bitten as well as my friend.There was not a moment even for thought; with all my might I aimed ablow at the serpent's head. My axe, providentially, had been latelysharpened, and with one stroke I cut off the creature's head, whichfell, in the act of uttering a hiss, close to my friend's side. Thebody still held him fast, and I had to exert some force to unwind it;after which I helped him to get on his feet.
Many a person would have fainted under such circumstances; Mudge merelyshook himself to ascertain that no bones were broken; then, havingpicked up his axe, he said,--"Most heartily I thank you, Godfrey; youhave, I verily believe, by your courage and presence of mind, saved mylife, for in another instant that creature's fangs would have been intome. I only hope there are not many more in the neighbourhood, or weshall find it unpleasant."
When Doyle and the boys came near, they would scarcely credit what hadoccurred, till they had seen the body of the serpent with its head cutoff.
Before again setting to work, we hunted about in all directions toascertain that there were no more serpents of the same description nearat hand. We could find no traces of any other; and I had afterwardsreason to believe that the one I had killed was unusually large: indeed,I never saw one of the same size in the country,--although there arenumerous snakes, many of them of an exceedingly venomous description,while there are others of large size perfectly harmless.
Satisfied at length that we might continue our work on the spot withoutmolestation, we once more began cutting down the trees, which ourcompanions carried to the encampment as fast as we could fell them. Wewarned them not to tell my mother and Edith what had occurred, lest theyshould take alarm, under the belief that the country was infested withsnakes. As we improved by experience as woodsmen, we gained upon thecarriers, and by the evening had cut down a good many more trees thanthey were able to convey to the encampment.
When we arrived there we found some of the seamen assisting my fatherand Burton, who were engaged in shaping and putting up the timbers; butthe rest were taking it easy, and enjoying themselves, as they calledit. Had my father allowed it, they would have got possession of the rumand wine, and would probably have been quickly drunk; but, knowing theevil consequences which would have ensued, he was very firm on thesubject, and had told Edith to keep an eye on the stores, and to callhim should any of the seamen come too near the casks and cases, whichwere piled up together.
The wind was still blowing strongly from the sea, creating aconsiderable surf on the bar; and this had prevented the boats fromgoing out to search for any part of the cargo which might have beenthrown up on the coast. The seamen also saw that they could notcommence their projected voyage to Sydney.
Neither Pullingo nor any other natives had been seen; and we thereforeconcluded that the country was but thinly populated. Still, my fatherconsidered it wise to place sentries at night to guard against surprise.Some of the men grumbled at being ordered to keep watch, and my fatherand Mudge had to be awake all night to see that they did their duty. Itwas strange that men who had behaved so well during the voyage shouldhave changed so much; but so it was. Probably they were disappointed atnot getting to Sydney, where they had expected to enjoy themselves aftertheir own coarse fashion. The better-educated men, we found, were thebest-behaved.
By the next morning the wind had gone down, the ocean sparkled brightlyin the rays of the sun, and the bar was perfectly smooth. The mates nowasked my father to allow them to take their departure in the long-boat,with such of the men as wished to go. They were respectful in theirmanner, but determined, it was evident, to carry out their purpose. Myfather pointed out to them the danger they would incur, ignorant as theywere of the coast, should such a gale as had just ceased to blowovertake them; and he advised them to raise the gunwale of the boat, soas to make her more sea-worthy. This, however, would take time, theysaid, and they were anxious to be off at once. He then begged that theywould make an excursion along the coast to the northward, to ascertainwhat had become of the wreck, and whether any of the cargo had beenthrown up on the shore. To this the first mate consented, provided myfather or Mudge would accompany them.
"Let me go, Captain Rayner," said Mudge, "while you remain with MrsRayner on shore, and superintend the building of the house."
I begged that I might accompany Mudge, who intended to take thejolly-boat; while the first mate, with six hands, went in the long-boat.We had three of the men; the remainder, who were in better humour sincemy father had promised to allow them to take the long-boat, agreed tostay behind and help him.
We first pulled for the rock on which the brig had been cast, and soongot close up to it. Nothing was visible. We then saw through the clearwater a few timbers rising up from the keel. We had no need to examinethe spot more nearly; these told what had been the fate of theunfortunate _Violet_.
"I am very glad that your father did not come," said Mudge; "it wouldhave been a sore trial to him. And now we'll look along the shore;though I doubt much whether the cargo will have been carried thus far."
We pulled in for the shore, and then along outside the surf--which stillbroke on it for a couple of miles or so to the northward--but for sometime could discover only a few shattered fragments of wreck. Thelong-boat, however, got hold of some planks which were still washingabout; and the mate seemed to think that they would be useful in raisingthe boat, as my father had advised.
We were about to turn back, when I caught sight of a box floatinglightly on the water. At first I thought it must be empty; but Mudgeobserving that it would at all events be worth having, we pulled towardsit. It was a case of some size; and when we got it on board I observedthe word "Seeds" painted on it.
"They may be of the greatest value, if they are not spoiled by the saltwater," observed Mudge. "Your father evidently brought them out to sowin his garden."
This encouraged us to pull on still farther; and we picked up threeother small cases of different descriptions, and a cask of beer. Themate also got hold of two casks and some cases. After pulling a mile onto the northward, however, and finding nothing, we agreed that it wouldbe useless to go farther. Accordingly, the boats being put about, wereturned to the river.
Mudge made his report to my father.
"I knew it too well," he remarked, with a sigh; "but I had some hopesthat part of the cargo might have been washed on shore. However, wemust be thankful for the things which we have recovered. The seeds areindeed valuable; and as they are soldered up in a tin case inside thewooden one, there is no fear of their being damaged."
One of the cases contained preserved fruits, and another dried tongues,which were not much the worse for being wetted. Another was a chest oftea, also in a tin case; and this was a welcome addition to our stores.The beer was not to be despised, and would prove useful provided it wastaken in moderation. The cases the mate had picked up also containedprovisions. He had, however, got a small cask of rum. My father saidthat he was welcome to the provisions for his voyage; but warned him ofthe danger of taking the rum, in case the crew should insist on havingmore than a proper allowance.
"I have no fear about that," answered the mate. "I shall be able tokeep them in order when once we get away. It is only at present, whilethey are on shore, that they are a little insubordinate."
"I hope that you may," said my father; "but I should warn you to becareful."
The crew, when they found that my father not only did not wish to detainthem, but was ready to assist them in every way in preparing thelong-boat for sea, behaved very well. And as we had a supply of toolsfor the purpose, the carpenter and his mate were not long in adding anupper streak to the long-boat, and in decking her partly over forward:they also fitted her with a couple of masts, two lugs, and a jib. Wediscovered a fine spring of water issuing out of the rock, not far upthe river; but the difficulty was to find casks to carry a sufficientsupply for the voyage.
My father gave up two breakers, and advised themate to start the rum and fill up the cask with water.
"No, thank you," he answered. "We can put in to any river we come to,and are sure to be able to replenish our stock; while the men will bemore contented if I can serve them out their allowance of spirits."
My father and Mudge took great pains to see that the boat was wellfitted out, and supplied with everything necessary for the voyage. Healso gave the mates his chart, a compass, a spy-glass, and a quadrant,in case they might be driven off the land, and required to ascertaintheir position. He also wrote a letter to the merchant to whom he hadconsigned the brig, requesting him, should the journey overland bedeemed impracticable, to send a vessel within three months to bring himand his family to Sydney: saying that he would wait her arrival for thattime; should she not then appear, he would consider that it was theopinion of those who knew the country that he might without dangerundertake the journey by land.
"You may depend on me, sir, that I will deliver the letter," said thefirst mate, when he received it; while the second mate promised to comeback in the vessel.
The two mates and ten men belonging to the brig embarked in thelong-boat, leaving the boatswain and two others, one of whom was thecarpenter's mate.
We parted on friendly terms from our late shipmates, praying that theymight have a prosperous voyage. As we watched them standing down theriver with a light breeze from the northward, Mudge, from what he said,could not help regretting, I suspect, that he had not been able toaccompany them; for it was certainly his duty, as it was mine andTommy's, to try and get on board our ship again. But, on the otherhand, he could not bring himself to desert my father; and, of course, itwas still more my duty to remain with him.
All this time we had been getting on with the house, which was nownearly completed; and Dick Joint, the carpenter's mate, was making asash for the window of my mother's room, and had also undertaken to makevarious articles of furniture. We had brought on shore the cabin-table,with three folding-chairs; as also two cots, for my mother and Edith.
I have, by-the-by, said nothing about them. They were always busilyemployed; but Edith suffered much from the heat, which was veryconsiderable under the cliff, satisfactory as the situation was in otherrespects. My father sometimes spoke of moving on to the downs: but theobjections to this were, that we should be at a distance from the water;that we should have a difficulty in carrying up our heavy goods; andthat we should be more exposed in the event of our being attacked byhostile natives; while at times the heat was greater on the downs thanclose to the water.
Edith thought that she should feel better if she could take a row on theriver; so, of course, Harry and I, and Pierce and Tommy, offered to takeher out whenever she wished to go. The boat being a light one, even twoof us could manage it with perfect ease; and we thus daily, andsometimes twice a day, made a trip to the mouth of the river. Toshelter her from the sun, we formed an awning over the stern of theboat; and carried a cushion on which she could recline.
Nanny the goat, whenever she saw her mistress embarking, leaped onboard; and seemed, indeed, to consider herself part of the crew. Tomdeclared that he thought she would soon learn to row with her horns; butto this, when he made the attempt to teach her, she decidedly objected,and preferred lying down quietly by the side of Edith.
We had found a supply of fishing-hooks, and having fitted up some lines,were sometimes very successful in catching fish. We were, however,generally busy on shore; and our only idle time was when we were away onsuch expeditions. Not that it was altogether spent in idleness; forwhile engaged in fishing, Harry always took his books, that Edith mightinstruct him; and under her tuition he made more rapid progress than hehad done on board the _Heroine_.
One very calm, fine day, Harry, Tommy, and I started with Edith; Pierce,who was somewhat unwell, remaining in the house. Having reached thebar, we found the sea so smooth that we agreed to pull out some distancetowards a reef, near which we had before caught some fine fish. Withoutconsidering the difficulty of getting it up again, we dropped our anchorin somewhat deep water; a hempen cable being secured to the end of twoor three fathoms of iron chain, which was shackled to the stem of theboat. We had caught several fish; and Edith, who was helping to pullthem up, seemed to enjoy the fun as much as we did, when she complainedof faintness, and lay down on her cushion in the stern of the boat.
"I shall soon be well again," she said; "so go on, and don't mind me."
We all three accordingly let down our lines, and caught several morefish. Harry had just pulled up a peculiarly beautiful one, and wasturning round to show it to Edith, when we heard him utter a cry.
"Oh, Godfrey! see, see!--is she dead?" he exclaimed. "Oh, how pale sheis!"
I sprang to the after part of the boat, and taking her hand, bent overher. Her hand was warm, and she still breathed: thus I knew she hadonly fainted; but she looked dreadfully ill.
"We must get back as soon as possible," I exclaimed. "Harry, do you fanher, while Tom and I get up the anchor."
I jumped forward again, and Tommy and I began to haul away; but thoughexerting all our strength, the anchor did not yield. Harry, leavingEdith for a moment, came and helped us; but we tugged and tugged invain.
"We must cut it somehow or other," I exclaimed. Then recollecting thatwe had an axe in the boat, I seized it, and, while Harry went back toattend to Edith, began chopping away at the portion of the chain whichwent over the gunwale.
"A breeze is springing up, and we shall not be long in getting in,"observed Tommy.
"It will be more than a breeze, I suspect," I answered, looking seaward,where a dark cloud had risen, gradually extending along the horizon; "weare going to have a thunderstorm. Perhaps that was the cause of Edith'sfainting."
Already the water was foaming and bubbling round the bows of the boat.In my eagerness I made a deep gash on the gunwale: this taught me to bemore cautious in future. Fortunately the axe was a good one, or Ishould have broken it. I had made some impression on one of the linksof the chain; my object was to strike again in the same place.
"Is it nearly through?" asked Harry, looking round.
"No; not far yet," I answered.
"Then let me try," he said; "perhaps I can do it."
I willingly yielded the axe to him, for I was too anxious to have thechain cut through to feel jealous should he show superior skill. Heeyed the place which I had been cutting--I having made several jaggednotches--and then brought down the axe with apparently less force than Ihad used. It was exactly in the centre of the cut. Each time he liftedthe axe he struck the same place, and in less than a minute the chainwas severed. We soon prised out the other half of the link. I thensprang aft to the helm; Tommy got out an oar, and pulled the boat's headround; while Harry hoisted the sail, bringing the sheet aft to me; andon we flew before the fast-rising wind. Scarcely were we away when itcame with redoubled force; and had we remained at anchor many minuteslonger, I believe the boat must have filled and gone down.
I felt very thankful that we had cleared the chain; but we had still thebar to cross. Edith, too, remained in the same fainting state. I wasin hope that the fresh breeze would revive her; but as we were runningbefore it, she did not feel it much. I looked anxiously towards thebar; some rollers were coming in, but they were not very high, nor didthey break much as they reached it. We might, therefore, venture tocross; indeed, we had no choice, for I knew how anxious our father wouldfeel when he saw the wind rising.
As we neared the bar Tommy exclaimed,--"O Godfrey! look at theserollers! Shall we be able to cross it, do you think?"
"We must," I said; "get the oars out, to prevent her from broaching-toin case we should be becalmed."
I now held the tiller firmly in my hand, and kept my eye fixed on apoint of the cliff which would guide me directly up the centre of thechannel. We rose to the top of a roller. "Give way! give way!" Ishouted. Tom and Harry pulled with all their might. We sank int
o thewatery valley, and began to ascend the next height. Another roller camehissing on. If it caught us, we should be swamped; but the sail keptfull, and the two pulled right lustily.
Just then I glanced down on Edith's face for an instant: her eyes wereopen; she was looking round with astonishment.
"Thank Heaven, you are better," I said. "Keep quiet; we shall be all torights directly."
She heard me, and did not move. I held my breath, for we were on theworst part of the bar. Another roller came on, and I thought it wouldoverwhelm us. It lifted the stern of the boat, and we were shot amidsta mass of foaming waves, till we glided down into the smooth water ofthe river.
We now quickly ran up the river, and rounding to, shot up to thelanding-place, where my father and mother stood ready to receive us. Asmy mother's eye fell on Edith's pale face she uttered a cry of alarm.
"She is getting better now, mother," I said; "and under your care she'llsoon be well again."
As I spoke, Harry and I were preparing to lift Edith out of the boat.My father came to assist us, and carried her in his arms to the cottage.I was thankful to find that in a short time she was herself again.Possibly her sudden illness may have been the means of saving our lives.Scarcely had we landed when the storm burst with great fury, though itlasted but a short time; after which the sun again came out, and all wasbright and beautiful as before.
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