In the Eastern Seas

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER NINE.

  THE MOLUCCAS.

  Wonderful was the change which I found had taken place when I returnedon deck. The sun was shining brightly, the wind had fallen to amoderate breeze. The sea, though heaving and dancing, sparklingbrightly in the sunbeams, had gone down considerably, but still blewfrom the same quarter as before. The ship was standing to the east.

  "We have passed through the Straits of Banca, and are crossing theMolucca passage," said Mr Thudicumb, of whom I asked whereabouts wewere. "The captain proposes making for Ternate, which belongs to theDutch. We may hope there to get new masts--at all events, it is thenearest place which we can reach with the wind as it is at present, andhave any hope of getting the ship put to rights."

  All day long we were busily employed in repairing damages as far as wecould. I had but little time to exchange a word with Emily. I wasthankful to find, however, that she and Grace had quite recovered theirspirits, though they owned that they had been greatly frightened duringthe hurricane.

  "Still it is a comfort, Walter, to know that there is One who alwayswatches over us, and does everything for the best. If he had thoughtfit to allow the ship to founder, I am very sure he would have had goodreason for so doing. Still, as I know he wishes us to pray forblessings, I was praying all the time that we might be preserved, andespecially that no accident might happen to you, my dear brother. Oh,how I thought of you when you were on deck, and the storm was blowingand the masts being cut away, knowing the fearful danger to which youwere exposed."

  It was soon after sunrise one morning, when, a light mist clearing away,before us appeared, at some distance from each other, several loftyconical mountains rising as it were directly out of the sea, whilebeyond them was seen a line of blue land, extending north and south asfar as the eye could reach.

  "You see that peak ahead, Walter," said Captain Davenport to me. "Thatis the island of Ternate, to which we are bound. To the right of it isTidore. All those peaks are volcanic; and some of them, I believe,occasionally throw up flames. The land we see beyond is the largeisland of Gilolo--a strange land, I believe, but very little is knownabout it."

  A light breeze carried us on over the calm blue sea; when at length,entering between the two islands I have mentioned, the town of Ternateappeared in sight, stretching along the shores at the very base of themountain.

  "This is indeed beautiful!" exclaimed Emily, who just then came on deck,as she gazed up at the rugged promontories and the lofty volcanic coneof Tidore on one side, with the high mountain of Ternate on the other,while numerous other peaks rose on the neighbouring islands, as well ason the larger island in the distance. Immediately behind the townappeared thick groves of forest trees; indeed, vegetation was seenrising to the very summit of the cone, and it was difficult to believethat, from that calm and beautiful mountain, occasionally lava, streamsburst forth; and produced destruction on every side.

  A large amount of sago, massoi bark, tortoise-shell, tripang, andparadise birds are brought over from Papua, and shipped at Ternate. Atax, however, is placed on the exportation of paradise birds, which ispaid to the Sultan of Tidore, whose predecessors ruled these islands.The paradise birds are chiefly sent to China, where they are highlyvalued. Above our heads, as we looked up, we saw the lofty summit ofthe mountain of Ternate, from whence, amid the luxuriant vegetationwhich surrounds its sides, columns of smoke are for ever rising towardsthe blue sky above--indeed, the whole island is simply a lofty volcano,the base of which is beneath the ocean. Its circumference at the shoreline is about six miles, and its height 5400 feet. Several severe anddestructive eruptions have taken place at different times. The lastoccurred only a short time before we were there. The lava poured forthand flowed down its sides into the sea, loud thunders were heard, smokeand ashes rose up, and hot stones fell like hail on every side, settingfire to the dead wood which, after so long a rest, had completely grownover the ground, and causing it at night to assume the appearance of onevast mountain of flame. For fifteen hours the solid ground rolled likea wave of the sea. Fort Orange, which had withstood numberlessearthquakes for two centuries and a quarter, was almost overwhelmed.The people betook themselves to their boats, for the ocean and landseemed to have exchanged natures; the water being calm, while the landwas heaving and gaping like a stormy sea.

  Captain Davenport had been unwell for some time. He was acquainted witha wealthy Dutch merchant in the place, who invited him and his wife anddaughter to take up their residence at his country house while the shipremained in the harbour. They of course said they could not leaveEmily, who therefore accompanied them. Mr Hooker also went on shore,but engaged a house at a little distance from the town, where he couldpursue his researches in natural history more uninterruptedly than inthe town. He lost no time in sending out hunters in all directions toprocure specimens. The various specimens which he already possessedwere landed, that he might also re-arrange them. I paid him one or twovisits, and found him enjoying his existence excessively. His house hadof course only one floor: the walls for five feet were of stone; theroof was supported above them on strong squared posts, the intervalbeing filled in with the leaf-stems of the sago-palm fitted in woodenframings. The ceilings were of the same material. The floor was ofstucco. There was a centre hall, with three rooms opening off it on oneside and one on the other; while on two other sides were broadverandahs, serving as cool drawing-rooms, or sleeping-places, perhaps,in the hotter months.

  This island was at one time in possession of the Portuguese, who weresaid to have tyrannised over the natives. They were driven out by theDutch, who are themselves accused of not being over careful of thewell-being of the people they conquered. This island and several in aline to the south of it are known as the Moluccas, or Spice Islands. Itwas the original country of the clove, and here alone it was cultivated.Although the early visitors procured nutmegs and mace from theinhabitants, these were brought over from New Guinea, and theneighbouring islands, where they grew wild. The early voyagers madesuch enormous profits by their cargoes of spices from these regions,that they were able to give in exchange, jewels, gold, and the richestmanufactures, which they brought from Europe or India. When, however,the Dutch took possession of the country they determined to confine theproduction to one or two islands, over which they could keep a strictwatch, in order completely to confine the monopoly to themselves. Theychose the island of Banda for the cultivation of nutmegs, and fixed onAmboyna for the production of the clove. The cultivation of the nutmegin Banda has been eminently successful, but that of the clove in Amboynahas scarcely paid its expenses; the soil and climate of that island notsuiting it as well as the regions where it was first found. The objectof the Dutch has been to keep the monopoly of the sale of spices intheir own hands, and thus to raise the price. They have thereforecompelled the native chiefs to destroy the spice trees growing in theirterritories wherever they have been able to do so. To induce them to dothis, they paid to each a fixed subsidy, the chiefs indeed beingtherefore somewhat the gainers. Formerly their sultan kept the tradesolely in his own hands, and he was far more tyrannical than thePortuguese or Dutch. When our own circumnavigator Drake visited theseislands, he purchased his cargo from the sultan, not from the nativecultivators. As I walked about Ternate I felt satisfied that I shouldnot at all wish to take up my abode there, for in every direction wereseen the ruins of massive stone or brick buildings of every descriptionwhich had been overwhelmed by earthquakes; indeed, considering thefrequency of their occurrence, it is surprising that people should bewilling to remain in the island. I, of course, was not able to see muchof the country, as I was compelled to be on board, the more so asseveral of the crew were ill, and had been removed on shore, where themerchant I spoke of had them kindly looked after. We had greatdifficulty in getting a mast of sufficient size to replace the mainmastwe had lost. At length, however, we got both our lower masts in, and wehoped, in the course of a week, should Captain Davenport and the rest
ofthe crew be sufficiently recovered, to continue our voyage.

  One evening when work was over, Mr Thudicumb, with the second mate andseveral of the men, went on shore, leaving the ship under charge of theboatswain, with about a dozen Englishmen and the Lascars. I, havingbeen on shore several times, agreed also to remain to assist Mr Tarbox.The weather had for some time been threatening, but the clouds hadpassed away, and the sky again become serene. That evening the sameappearances occurred. I should say that at Ternate a number of peopleof different nations are collected together. The most numerous,probably, are the Chinese, and their curious little boats are seenskimming about in all directions. There are traders from all parts ofthe East, so that the harbour at times presents a very animatedappearance. I was on deck with Mr Tarbox, when looking out we saw athick mass of clouds come rolling up suddenly on every side of themountains.

  "I wish Mr Thudicumb and the mate were on board," he said to me; "Idon't like the look of things. We must veer away more cable and getanother anchor over the bows. See, the Chinamen begin to think there issomething in it."

  As he spoke, a number of Chinese and other boats were seen pulling infor the land; before, however, they could reach it, a loud roaring soundwas heard, and in an instant the whole ocean seemed torn up by somemighty power, and a fierce blast broke down upon us. The vessels in theharbour were seen endeavouring to secure themselves as well as theycould; but in a few minutes numbers were driven together, grinding andstriking against each other, while they were sent by the fury of the seatowards the shore. The boats, tossed like cockle-shells, appeared everyinstant as if about to be overwhelmed by the ocean; many were capsizedclose to us, but we could render no assistance. Every instant the searose higher and higher, till we could scarcely see the shore beyond it.The ship, however, held well to her anchors. It was fortunate for us wehad no top gear aloft, or the case might have been different.

  "I only hope Mr Thudicumb and the rest are safe on shore," I observedto Dick Tarbox.

  "They will not attempt to come off while this gale is blowing."

  In a short time, a fearful havoc was made with the various craft in theharbour. Around us wrecks strewed the sea in every direction; here andthere poor fellows swimming for their lives, some holding on to piecesof planks and spars. Many sank before our eyes. Boat after boat wasupset. Some, however, rode over the seas in gallant style, the men onboard pulling bravely. The fury of the gale increased. We veered outmore cable. Night at length coming on, added to the wild horrors of thescene. Now, as a vessel drove past us, we could hear the shrieks andcries of the unhappy crew as they were carried to destruction. Such, inspite of the size of our stout ship, might be our fate should theanchors not hold.

  Suddenly the wind dropped; still the sea continued to leap and foamaround us.

  "It will be all right, I hope," I said to Mr Tarbox. "These hurricanesseldom last long, I fancy."

  "Not quite so certain of that, Walter," he observed. "I don't like thelook of the sky even now." Once more examining the cables, he walkedwith me aft, from whence we could better see the shore.

  "Hark! what is that roaring?" I said. It seemed as if a blast wassweeping over the land, hurling down trees and buildings and allimpediments in its course. "Can it be an earthquake? Oh! what willbecome of my sister and those on shore?"

  "No, it is no earthquake," answered the boatswain; "it is the hurricaneshifting its quarter."

  As he spoke, the wind struck the ship with redoubled force. She swunground before it; still, knowing that our anchors had been holding, andour cables strong, we had little fear of receiving damage, as the sea,at all events, with the change of wind, would subside instead of beingincreased. Suddenly, however, a peculiar sound was heard, as of a chainrunning out. The boatswain rushed forward, and I followed him; but wewere only just in time to see the end of the chain cables flying throughthe hawse-holes, and away the ship drifted out of the harbour.

  "That did not happen by chance," exclaimed Tarbox; "it is the work ofthose Lascars. Quick, lads, for your lives!" shouted the boatswain."Range our spare cable! Get the second bower-anchor from the hold!--Nowyou, Ali Tomba, see that your men work," he added, turning to theserang.

  The English seamen worked away energetically; but in the dark it was adifficult business to get up the heavy anchor and chain cable. TheLascars were apparently assisting as zealously as the rest of the crew.Some accident or other was, however, continually occurring; and beforethe anchor could be got up and the cable ranged, the ship was in thecentre of the channel, driving away at a rapid rate out to sea. Atlength the anchor was got ready for letting go. Scarcely, however, hadit been got over the bows than with a loud splash it fell into the waterfree of the chain.

  "Ali Tomba, you or your people have played us that trick!" exclaimed theboatswain.

  The serang made no answer, but a cry of mocking laughter was heard fromseveral quarters. Roger Trew, lead in hand, flew to the chains. Hegave one heave. "No bottom," he cried. "We cannot bring up even if wewish!"

  I asked the boatswain what he proposed doing. "We ought to punish thoseLascars, for they have played us that trick," I observed.

  "Little use to attempt to do that, Walter," he answered. "If I was anavigator I might know more about it, but my only notion is to let theship drive. When the hurricane is over, we must try to do our best toregain the harbour."

  "I am not much of a navigator yet," I observed, "but I will look at thecaptain's chart, and see whereabouts we are going. We shall, at allevents, better know then what to do."

  "Ah, there's nothing like learning," observed Tarbox; "I wish I had moreof it. What a seaman can do I will do, and with your help, Walter, wemay still weather this gale."

  I hurried into the cabin, and soon found the chart. It afforded me butlittle satisfaction, however. We were driving to the southward, butseveral islands were in our course. We might escape them, but if drivenagainst them, our destruction would be certain. With sails unbent, andshort-handed as we were, we could scarcely hope to be able to get underthe lee of one of the islands.

  "We must try it, though," said Tarbox. "We have another anchor andcable, and that will hold us well enough in a moderate breeze with landto windward, unless these Lascar fellows play us another trick. Ishould like to clap them all in irons at once."

  I agreed with him, but as we only mustered twelve men besides ourselves,and they numbered eleven, it would be no easy matter to do so,especially as they would probably be prepared for an attack. I,however, advised the boatswain to keep all our people together, that incase the Lascars purposed our destruction, we might not, at all events,be cut off in detail. He agreed to the wisdom of this caution, and sentRoger Trew to get the people together.

  Our position was indeed a very fearful one. The hurricane seemed ratherto increase in strength than to cease. On, on we drove. The helm wasput up, and we scudded before it, the dark seas rising on either handhissing and foaming, and every moment seeming about to overwhelm us. Icould not help feeling also great anxiety about those we had left onshore. Even should they have escaped injury, I felt how anxious CaptainDavenport would be when he found that the ship had disappeared; andEmily, too, how great would be her grief at the thought that I wasprobably lost. What the Lascars were about, I could not tell. Ourpeople remained aft, while they kept forward. I have gone through manytrying scenes, but that was decidedly one of the most trying. We feltit the more because we were personally safe. We could walk about andtake our food, but at the same time we were every moment expectingdestruction. I was soon to be in a far more dangerous position, butthen I was looking out, hoping to be saved.

  The morning at length broke. We saw the Lascars clustered forward.What they were about to do we could not tell. Still we drove on. Landappeared on either hand in the far distance. It was evident that wewere between two islands. The chart showed me that one was Gilolo, andthe other the island of Batchian. The want of sails prevented ourtaki
ng the ship into some sheltered place which we might hope to find onone side or the other.

  "We must either compel the Lascars to assist us in bending sails andgetting the anchor ready, or attack them and drive them overboard," saidthe boatswain to me.

  "That cannot be done without bloodshed, I fear," I answered, "for theyare armed as well as we are."

  Thus the two parties remained watching each other. Our men were eagerto make a dash forward and attack the Lascars, but the boatswainrestrained them.

  "Wait a bit, lads," he said; "maybe they will attack us, and then, if webeat them, as I am very sure we shall, we shall not have their blood onour hands. Depend upon it, if they slipped the cables--and I am verysure they did--they did not expect the hurricane to continue so long asit has done. They wish it over as much as we do; and, like many othervillains, in attempting to work us injury they are likely enough tobring destruction on their own heads."

  Hour after hour passed by, and once more the land seemed to recede fromus, and we were in the open sea. The wind had slightly gone down, butstill it blew with fearful violence. Again darkness was stealing overus. Our deck presented a strange appearance--a very sad one, in truth.The small number of human beings there collected, instead of helpingeach other, stood prepared for a desperate fight. Possibly, if it hadnot been for the Lascars, we might long since have been anchored insafety. I saw by the chart that several small islands, rocks, andshoals lay ahead. Should we escape them? There was the question.Several times the boatswain, or Roger Trew, or one of the other men, hadascended the main rigging to look ahead in search of land. However, sohigh did the sea run, that we might be close upon an island, unless itwas a high one, without discovering it.

  The increasing darkness now prevented us seeing beyond the bowsprit.All we could do, therefore, was to steer as we had hitherto done beforethe sea, to escape its breaking on board us. We had scarcely eatenanything for some hours, when the boatswain advised us to take somefood. "Whatever happens, we have work before us; and we must keep thestrength in our bodies," he observed. Fortunately there was a goodsupply in the cabin, and half our party went down at a time to sup,leaving the others on guard on deck. All hands had just taken a heartymeal, when, as we were collected together on the quarter-deck, justbelow the poop, the sound a seaman most dreads--the roar of breakers--struck our ears. We all listened attentively. There could be no doubtabout it. It was far deeper and louder than the roaring of the seaagainst our sides. I held my breath; so I suspect did every one roundme.

  "What is it, Mr Walter?" asked Oliver, who was standing close to me.

  "Some of us will meet with watery graves before many minutes are over,"said the boatswain, "unless Providence works a miracle to save theship."

  Scarcely had he spoken when we felt the ship rising to a heavy sea, thendown she came with a crash which made every timber in her quiver andshake.

  "To the main rigging!" cried the boatswain, seizing me by the collar. Isaw Roger Trew seize Oliver in the same way. "Quick, quick, lads! orthe next sea will wash you off the deck," cried the boatswain.

  We sprang into the shrouds, and climbed up, up, up into the pitchydarkness. Scarcely were we off the deck than a huge sea came rollingup, sweeping everything before it. The Lascars had done as we had setthem the example, and numbers of dark forms were seen swarming up therigging into the fore-top. Another and another sea followed. No longercould we distinguish the deck below us, so completely overwhelmed was itby the raging waters. Higher and higher they rose. The masts swayedabout as if on the point of falling. Fearful, indeed, was the scene.The boatswain, getting into the top, helped me up, and I found myselfseated with Oliver by my side. We could just distinguish the foremastthrough the gloom, the sea rising almost to cover the top to which theLascars were clinging, curling over them as if to drag them from theirperches.

  Perilous as was our position, a cry escaped our men as we saw theforemast begin to totter. Another sea came and over it went, carryingthe shrieking wretches clinging to it away in its embrace. Though goodswimmers, in vain they attempted to reach the mainmast. The next seaswept them away to leeward. Their fate might be ours, however, anymoment. We all knew that very well. With what desperate energy did wecling to that lone mast in the midst of the raging ocean. As we lookedround our eyes could not pierce the thick gloom, nor ascertain whetherany land was near. Oliver Farwell was clinging on next to me. Theother men had secured themselves round the mast, others to the top. Noone spoke; indeed it seemed to all of us that our last moments hadarrived. Every instant we expected to be hurled off from our unstableresting-place, as the seas dashed with redoubled fury against the wreck.We could hear the vessel breaking up below us, and we all well knewthat in a short time the mast itself must go for want of support.

  Scarcely had one roaring wave passed under us than another followed.Above our heads was a dark, murky sky, below and around the foaming sea.Even the best manned life-boat could scarcely have lived amid thatfoaming mass of water.

  "It is very terrible!" I could not help exclaiming.

  "Trust in God," said a voice near me.

  Oliver Farwell spoke.

  "I do, Oliver, I do," I answered.

  "Right, Mr Walter," he said. "If he thinks fit he can find a way forus to escape."

  "Hold on, lads, even though the mast gives way!" shouted the boatswain."The mast will float us, and maybe carry us to some pleasant shore.Daylight will come in time, and show us whereabouts we are. Never fear,lads."

  "Ay, ay," answered several voices. "We will cling to the mast as longas our fingers can gripe hold of it."

  "Hold on, Oliver, hold on!" I said. "Don't you feel as if the mast wasgoing?"

  Scarcely had I uttered the words when another sea came rolling up. Itstruck the shattered wreck like a huge hammer. In an instant it seemedas if all her timbers had parted. A cry rose from many of the sturdymen on the top. Over bent the mast. Now it swayed on one side, now onthe other, and then with a crash down it sunk into the boiling ocean. Ithought that I had been holding on securely, but at that instant a seaswept by, catching the end to which I clung. I felt myself torn from mygrasp, and was carried far away off amid the seething waters.