Antony Waymouth; Or, The Gentlemen Adventurers
Page 10
CHAPTER TEN.
The sorely-battered Lion pursued her course across the wide Pacific.The island of the black savages was soon lost sight of.
"It was the wretches' skins made them so fierce and savage," observedDick Lizard to a messmate in the minister's hearing.
"White or black thou wilt find it the same, Dick," he remarked. "Theskin is in no way to blame. It is the heart of man which is by natureso desperately wicked. Maybe we shall fall in with some white savagesand find them no wise better than the black who have destroyed our lateshipmates and from whom we have escaped."
The health of the survivors of the once-gallant company of officers andmen of the stout ship became worse and worse. Scarcely one but showedsome signs of the dreadful disease which had attacked them. It appearedtoo probable that the fears of those who predicted that they and theirship would rot away in that mighty ocean--their fate unknown--would berealised. Again scarce a drop of water remained, but when the last dropwas gone, clouds gathered and grateful showers gave them a supply for afew days longer.
"Were those showers sent without design?" asked Master Walker. "Surelynot; let us hope on, still trusting in the Lord."
On, on they glided, sometimes becalmed if driven west, always regainingtheir lost ground and advancing to the east. Once more their waterfailed. With parched mouths they began to wish for death to end theirsufferings. There was a shout from those on the lookout on deck--"Land!land!" Nearer they drew: they could not miss it. An island with hillsand groves of trees; pure water must be there. Some spoke of savages tooppose their landing. As they advanced, a reef was seen over which thesea broke. Were all their hopes to be disappointed? A passage appearedthrough the reef, wide enough, it was hoped, for the ship to pass.Could she be taken through? Anxiously all watched her progress. Atemporary steering apparatus, which in smooth water partly served thepurpose of a rudder, had been rigged. It required, however, the unitedstrength of all on board who could be spared to work it. Thus no onewas idle. Raymond was stationed at the bowsprit end to watch for theappearance of sunken rocks or reefs and to give timely notice toWaymouth, who stood aft to direct the steering and to manage the sails.The land looked more and more beautiful as the Lion approached; greaterwould be the disappointment to the suffering mariners should they beunable to land. Before them rose the land as if just painted by thehand of Nature. There were the glittering sands, the palm-trees ladenwith refreshing fruit, the shady groves beneath which the cool breezeplayed wantonly, fertile valleys, hills of fantastic shapes covered witha rich verdure, rugged rocks projecting from their sides, and amid themsparkling waterfalls leaping downwards and sending up wreaths of snowyfoam as they reached some crystal pools or rushing streamlets at theirbase. What rest, what quiet, what luxury might be theirs if they couldbut reach that lovely land! No natives were seen to impede theirlanding or to interrupt their enjoyment. That dreadful reef of hardcoral was still before them, the sea, elsewhere so calm and blue,dashing against it with fury as if enraged at the barrier it offered toits approach. Still there was that one narrow passage clearly defined,and within they hoped to find a calm lagoon where the ship at lengthmight be brought to an anchor if they could pass through it in safety.
The breeze increased, driving the Lion either to safety or to utterdestruction. Raymond stood pointing right ahead, with his hand nowdiverging slightly on one side, now on the other.
"Haul away, lads, haul away!" shouted Waymouth. "Now steady! steady!"
The foam rose high on either side, curling over and falling in showerson the inside of the reef, the wind blowing it here and there, and, asthe ship plunged onward amid it, almost concealing Raymond, who,however, made no sign of alarm. The ship pitched violently, thebreakers roared, the foam flew around her, and then gliding, on, hercrew perceived that she floated in a tranquil lagoon shelteredcompletely from the howling gales or raging seas. A cheer burst fromtheir throats--very different from the battle-shouts of former dayswhich were wont to make the Portugals tremble in their shoes. The sailswere furled, the anchor let go.
"Brethren, let us, as is becoming, offer our humble thanks to a mercifulHeaven, which has brought us into this haven of safety," exclaimedMaster Walker, and all joined heartily in the good minister's prayer.
Those were days when men were not ashamed to worship together and toacknowledge the loving Providence which guarded them from danger. Boatswere lowered, and while one-half of the remnant of the once-gallant crewremained on board to guard the ship in case of surprise, the other, wellarmed, proceeded on shore to explore the island, and to procure, withoutdelay, the much-longed-for fruit and water. The party in the boats, ledby Waymouth, proceeded cautiously. They had had evidence of thetreachery of the natives in those regions, and they every momentexpected to see a band of savages rush out from among the rocks andtrees to attack them. All was silent. Eagerly they stepped on shore.Waymouth posted a few men on the lookout, while the rest proceeded toknock down the cocoa-nuts and to suck out the delicious juice, notforgetting to take some to their comrades on guard. Then they hurriedon to the nearest fountain, which gushed forth from the rocky side of ahill. Here filling their water-casks, they rolled them down to theboats, one of which, laden with them and cocoa-nuts, forthwith returnedto the ship. Waymouth, with his small band, next proceeded to examinethe island. He could scarcely believe that so lovely a spot shouldremain uninhabited, yet so it seemed--no sign of life, at all events,was there. The whole circuit of the island was made, and not a humanbeing was seen. On their return, however, Ap Reece, who was exploringin a sheltered bay hitherto unvisited, shouted to Waymouth and the restto come to him. They descended, and a spectacle met their view whichtold too clearly the sad history of those who had once inhabited thatlovely island. Scattered about above high-water mark lay the fleshlessbones of numbers of men, the spears and arrows or darts which haddeprived them of life still remaining. They were warriors, for the bonyfingers of some still grasped the spears or clubs with which they had invain attempted to defend their native shore. But where were the womenand children? They had undoubtedly been carried off by the conquerors.It was a melancholy scene, on which, probably, from the day of thebattle no human eye had rested--no tear had been dropped for their fate.A stricter search was now instituted. Fields were observed in whichroots and various plants were cultivated. On ascending the hills, insheltered nooks, and always in some picturesque situation, habitationswere discovered of curious and neat workmanship, apparently not longdeserted. Ap Reece declared it as his opinion that the island was ofvolcanic origin, and that probably a burning mountain would be found init. They continued their explorations, and on reaching the summit ofone of the highest hills in the island they observed in the distanthorizon what looked like faint blue clouds resting on the water, butwhich Waymouth pronounced positively to be land. It was, therefore,probable that, although the island on which they were was uninhabited,they had neighbours from whom a hostile visit might some day beexpected.
"Lest they should come we must be prepared for them," said Waymouth.
"What we have seen, dear friends, proves that, lovely as is this earth,wherever man is found there a paradise does not exist," observed MasterWalker. "Those who search for such a spot search in vain, believe me."
Many of those who heard Master Walker's remarks might at other timeshave refused to acknowledge their justice, but suffering had tamed thepride of all, and all were inclined to agree with one who had ever shownhimself a true friend and counsellor. One thing was certain, that theisland would afford them ample means for refreshment, and a delightfulabode; the land was evidently fertile in the extreme, the scenerylovely, and the climate delicious. Having come to this conclusion, theyreturned on board to take the place of their comrades, who had beenpanting to put foot on shore.
Waymouth had a consultation with his officers, and it was agreed thattheir first work should be to land the guns, and stores, and freight,and to heave down the ship that h
er damages might be examined, and, ifpossible, repaired. Short-handed as they were, this was a work of time.The freight was very great, and although the mutineers had carried offmuch gold, still a vast quantity of immense value remained. There wasgold and silver in bars and coins, and in numberless utensils, andfigures, and crucifixes, and candlesticks, and there were preciousstones, and silks, and spices, and all sorts of rare and richcommodities; but as their owners hoisted them with aching arms out ofthe hold, and conveyed them to the shore, they sighed as they thoughthow utterly valueless they were to them now, and how, too, probably theymight never reach England, where they could be enjoyed. Huts were builtin which all these valuables were stored, even before the adventurerserected habitations for themselves. Those were warlike times, and,accustomed to fighting as they were, their next care was to dig trenchesand to place their guns in position, so that they might defendthemselves and their property should any foes attack their island. Aconsiderable time was consumed in these labours, though, Waymouthsetting the example, the officers worked as hard as the men. Often,indeed, so unequal at first was their strength to the task they hadundertaken, that even the strongest fell fainting to the ground fromtheir exertions. Gradually, however, with the pure air and water, andthe ample vegetable diet they enjoyed, they regained their health andstrength, even though the rest they so much required was denied them.Having completely emptied their ship and dismantled her, even herballast being got out, they waited till a high tide, and placed her onshore. It was with anxious eyes that they watched the carpenter as hemade an examination of her hull. With auger and mallet in hand he wentover every part of the ship. He then desired to speak to the captainalone. It was some time before Antony Waymouth again appeared amongthem.
"Friends, hear me," he said in a firm voice. "You are brave men, andwill dare all that men can dare, but it is the opinion of our carpenter(and you know that his judgment is good) that our once stout ship is notin a fit condition to continue our voyage. Had we the means ofrepairing her we might do so, but they do not exist, and we must becontent to abide our time here, or to proceed by such other means asProvidence may send us."
This address of the captain was warmly received, and his spirit appearedto be infused into theirs. Raymond probably heard the announcement withmore pain than any one else. His hopes of returning home seemed forevercut off. Should he ever again see his beloved Beatrice? Whatprobability was there of a ship visiting that island? In building theboat carried off by the mutineers they had exhausted so large a portionof the remnant of their stores that they had not sufficient to buildanother. One thing he was determined to do. He would cherish his lovefor Beatrice to the last gasp of life, and would make every effort whichstrength and means would afford to return to Old England. Waymouthhighly applauded his resolution.
"Beshrew me, dear coz," he said, "it was a cruel wrong that Iunwillingly did thee when I induced thee by my persuasions to come outto these savage regions; yet I did it for love of thee, and with goodintentions, and thus I know that thou harbourest no ill-will towards mein consequence. But keep up thy heart, Ned; we know not what happy turnfortune may take. Perchance, after all, we may patch up the old Lion sothat she may perform the remainder of the voyage across this widePacific. We have well-nigh performed half of it already. Then courage,Ned, courage. Let us live on in hope."
"Thanks, dear captain. I neither blame thee nor allow hope and my heartto part company," answered Raymond. "I know not how it may happen, butstill I hope to see the white cliffs of England before I die."
"So, marry, do I," exclaimed Waymouth, his own spirits rising as hetalked with his friend. "We'll make the old Lion swim. There are treesfor planks and spars; we must set our saws to work, and try what can bedone. It may take time, but what matters that, provided we succeed inthe end?"
The people generally, however, made no complaint of their lot, and asWaymouth kept them constantly employed without over-exerting them, theyhad no time to contemplate the future.
The most important question which arose was how they should supportexistence after the provisions which they had brought in the ship wereexhausted. Fish might be caught, and there were roots, and fruits, andherbs which Ap Reece and Master Walker pronounced to be nutritive andgood when properly cooked, but such diet would scarcely suit thestomachs and support the strength of Englishmen accustomed to the meatdiet of their native land. There were no beasts on which they couldfeed, and the birds, which were mostly water-fowl, could only beobtained by being shot. Now although there was no want of fire-arms,nor of lead for bullets and small shot, there was only powder enoughleft to enable them to discharge the great guns once, or fire a fewrounds of musketry. This matter caused the officers considerableconcern. Should they repair the ship or build another craft, they musthave provisions, and powder for their defence and for procuringprovisions; crossbows, to be sure, might be manufactured, but they wereinefficient weapons compared to fire-arms, though several on board werewell accustomed to their use.
There was a great probability, also, that they would be attacked someday by the natives of the islands they saw in the distance, and althoughvictory would be certain if they could use their fire-arms, without themthey might be overwhelmed by numbers and conquered. Still they went onstrengthening their fort, improving their dwelling-houses, and makingexperiments in the cultivation of the various roots and fruit-bearingplants and shrubs they found in the island, as if they fully expected toremain, at all events, some time on the spot. They then beganfashioning planks and spars for the ship, setting up a forge for theiron-work, and, as their canvas had been almost exhausted, in convertingsome of their rich silks--damaged, however, by the water--into sails bysewing many folded together, thus making them far stronger than anyordinary canvas. All these were works which must of necessity occupy alength of time. There was but one carpenter and one artificer whounderstood the blacksmith's craft. All the others had to be instructedbefore they could render any efficient aid, but as all were anxious forthe result they laboured willingly and learned rapidly.
On examining the stores which had been landed, four well-secured caskswere discovered which had been taken out of one of the last prizescaptured. The contents were not known till one day Ap Reece, searchingfor a chest of drugs, examined one of them, and pronounced them tocontain saltpetre.
"Ah! that villainous drug of which Will Shakespeare speaks," exclaimedWaymouth. "To us it might be precious if combined with charcoal andsulphur; but whence is the latter to be procured?"
"We'll see; perchance it may not be so hard to find as my noble captainsupposes," answered Ap Reece.
On hearing this Waymouth cheered up greatly.
"Many are the obligations we are under to you already, my good friend,and a still greater debt shall we owe to you if you discover the meansof thus supplying our chief wants. Sulphur, I know, is brought home inships from Italy, but in what other parts of the world it is found Iknow not," answered Waymouth, who made no profession of scientificknowledge.
"In a few days I hope to prove that I am right in my conjectures,"answered the surgeon. "At all events, I pray thee have the saltpetrecarefully guarded. I will set forth at break of day to-morrow in searchof this article we so much covet."
When Master Walker heard of the search for sulphur, he shook his head,exclaiming--
"Alack! alack! but the other day we were all pronouncing this isle to bea paradise on earth, and now are eagerly seeking for the means ofdestroying life. Believe me, no paradise can exist where the shafts ofdeath can reach."
Ap Reece was right in his conjectures. After searching for severaldays, he not only discovered a large amount of sulphur, but the craterof a volcano whence it had proceeded. Charcoal was next to be made, andwhen that was produced the surgeon commenced his preparation ofgunpowder. Great was the disappointment, however, when the resultappeared to be a complete failure. A black powder was produced, whichburnt, but its explosive qualities were very imperfect.
Nothing daunted, however, he again set to work. Numberless experimentswere made, and at length success crowned his efforts. The powder waspronounced as good as that in the small cask they had remaining.Months, however, had rolled on from the time of their first landing tillthe powder was produced. Though all had worked hard, the repairs of thebig ship had made no great progress. Want of skill and want of toolswas the cause of this. They had now, however, forged tools, and weregaining skill. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. Those whohad never before handled axe or hammer were becoming fair carpenters andsmiths. Sometimes as they examined the old Lion, and timber aftertimber and the whole lower part of the planking was found to be rotten,they were almost in despair. Some even declared that it would beuseless to continue the work, till Waymouth's cheerful voice arousedthem.
"Look at those noble trees, lads! Cannot they be made to produce asgood timbers and planks as those that are rotten, think ye?" heexclaimed. "See the planks we have already formed! All we want istime. What we may not effect in six months we surely can in twelve.Cheer up, brave lads! cheer up!"
Such were the encouraging words he was wont to address to his men, andthey had their effect. Two canoes had been formed; they were merelytrunks of trees hollowed out, but they served the purpose for which theywere intended--to fish from in the calm lagoons round the coast. Sincea supply of powder had been obtained they were used for shooting wildfowls, whose haunts could be approached by their means on the water farmore easily than by land.
Such was the state of affairs when one day Edward and Carlingford, withthe two young cabin-boys, Dick Lizard, and another man, had gone out inthe canoes prepared either to shoot birds or to fish. The weather beingcalm, and they also being on the lee side of the island, they venturedoutside the reef to a greater distance than was their custom in order tovisit a rock some little way off on which they expected to find anabundance of birds. They reached the rock in safety, and found not onlybirds but eggs in vast quantities, which would afford a healthful andpleasant change of diet. Well pleased with thus obtaining an amplesupply of food with little trouble--for the eggs were to be had for thepicking up, and the birds by knocking them down with sticks withoutfiring a shot--they at once began to fill their canoes. They hadwell-nigh completed their cargoes, when, on looking seaward, Edward'seye fell on an object on the water seemingly approaching them. Theysoon discovered it to be a large double canoe. They had had proof ofthe treacherous nature of the savages of those regions. They soon cameto the conclusion that unless they wished to engage in a sanguinarycontest with the people on board the big canoe it would be wiser toreturn forthwith to the mainland. By the aid of their fire-arms theymight undoubtedly come off victorious, but not without killing many ofthe savages, and this Edward was most anxious to avoid doing. All thescenes of battle and bloodshed through which he had gone had nothardened his heart, and he longed for the time when he might sheathe hissword and never draw it more.
The Englishmen took their seats in their small skiffs, and the savagesin their large vessel approached the rock. They had come probably forthe purpose also of collecting eggs and birds. The canoes had got abouthalf way to the main island when they landed on the rock. They couldnot have been long there before they must have discovered that it hadbeen visited, and their eyes being directed towards the island, theymust have discovered the canoes.
Although the large double canoes of those seas sail at a prodigious ratewhen once launched, they are so heavy that they cannot with ease bepushed off from the land. Before this was accomplished the wind hadrisen, blowing from the island towards the rock. Edward and hiscompanions paddled on with all their might. Their fire-arms would availthem nothing if the strangers were to attempt to run them down. It waswith great satisfaction, therefore, that they saw the breeze rise, whichas they drew near the shore offered no opposition to their light canoes.
"Very probably those savages are some of the people who destroyed theinhabitants of this island," said Carlingford. "They will havediscovered our traces on the rock, and will fancy that some of theirenemies must have escaped them."
"Whatever they think, we may expect a visit from them ere long,"answered Edward. "We must be prepared for them, and as maybe there isno time for delay and we cannot afford to lose these birds and eggs, wemust load ourselves with them and carry them across the island."
Drawing their canoes out of the water and concealing them in the bushes,they loaded themselves with the birds, carrying the eggs in baskets, andhurried on, leaving Mr Carlingford to watch the proceedings of thestrangers.
On receiving the information brought by Edward, Waymouth summoned hisfollowers from all directions into the fort and made arrangements fortheir defence. The canoes which had pursued them must have each carrieda hundred men or more, and as they did not muster altogether more thanthirty souls, they could not expect without some difficulty to drive offtheir assailants. All their preparations were completed when thelieutenant brought word that the strange canoes had sailed away towardsthe land in the north-east. This incident showed them more than everthe necessity of being on their guard against surprise, and consequentlylookouts were stationed on two high points in different parts of theisland to give notice of the approach of any strange canoes.
Fortunate was it for the adventurers that they had a leader possessed ofso much judgment and discretion as well as bravery. Some had begun togrumble at having two persons taken off every day from the importantwork of repairing the ship, when, ten days after the circumstance abovementioned, one of the watchmen came hurrying in to announce theappearance of a large fleet of double canoes--there might be fifteen ormore, but it was difficult at the distance they were off to count them.The other lookout-man having been sent for, the first, with Lizard, wentout to watch the proceedings of the strangers. Waymouth, urged byMaster Walker and Raymond, resolved, if possible, to treat them asfriends, and to avoid bloodshed as long as he could. One of the chiefobjects in building the fort was to defend the ship, and some of theguns were so placed as to play upon all approaching her.
Every possible precaution had been taken, when, in the evening, Lizardarrived, bringing the information that the enemy had landed, andappeared to be making preparations to encamp on the shore. He computedthat there could not be much fewer than a thousand of them. There wereno women or children; and as they were all armed, and decked out withpaint and feathers, there could be no doubt that they had come with somehostile intention. Night came on, and the savages did not approach. Itwas possible that they might not be aware of the presence of the whitemen; or if they had by any means discovered the erection of the fort,they might purpose to attack it during the night. At all events, it wasnecessary for the adventurers to keep a vigilant watch.
The hours of darkness passed away. No foes had appeared. It waspossible, however, that they might be watching in ambush in theneighbourhood to rush into the fort as soon as the little garrison wereoff their guard. Waymouth was not a commander to be thus taken bysurprise. As soon as dawn had broke he sent out scouts to examine thethickets around. No foes were there concealed; they therefore advancedfarther and farther. Gaining a height which commanded a valley alongwhich the savages would probably approach, a party of them were seenadvancing along it and examining the country on either side; some goingfirst were evidently scouts, and tracing out the track made by theadventurers as they crossed the island. The savages were seen to halt,and they remained stationary till they were joined by a considerablylarger body. The English scouts hurried back to the fort. They had notlong reached it when the scouts of the enemy were seen emerging from thevalley. They drew back when they caught sight of the fort, andevidently understood its object. One thing, however, it was veryevident that they did not understand--the power of the guns mountedwithin it--for in a short time their whole army collected within range,so that it would have been in the power of the English to have destroyeda large number without giving them warning.
Another effort was to be made. Edward and Carlingford advanced, makingsigns of amity, but it seemed that they were not understood, forsuddenly some hundreds of the savages, with fearful yells, rushedforward, with clubs uplifted as if to destroy them. Such evidently wastheir intention. Waymouth saw that there was but one way to save thelives of his friends, and he gave the order to the arquebusiers to opentheir fire to the right and left of the English and over their heads,while at the same time the great guns belched forth flame and shot onthe advancing masses. The effect was magical. Numbers fell to theground overpowered by fear rather than by wounds, some fled, othersstood still, but none advanced. Before any had recovered from theirpanic, Edward and his companion were in the fort. The savages, after ashort time regaining courage, collected in vast numbers on the land sideof the fort, gazing with wonder at it, and at the ship, of which theycould obtain a good view. The artillery had not done sufficientexecution to show them its power; and once more flourishing their clubs,and leaping and shouting, they advanced towards the fort.
This was no time for trifling. Should they persevere in the face of thefire-arms, they might by their numbers alone overwhelm the littlegarrison. Waymouth ordered the guns to be fired this time directly atthe foe. The effect exhibited when the smoke cleared off was indeedlike the work of magic; the space lately filled with leaping, shoutingbeings was entirely emptied, except here and there a few dark formswhich lay writhing or stretched at length and motionless on the ground.Not another savage was to be seen.
A shout was bursting from the lips of the adventurers at this speedyrepulse of their foes, when there was a burst of flame, a terrific roar,the earth shook under their feet, earth, and rafters, and clods of grasscame showering down on their heads, and the cries and groans of woundedmen struck the ears of the rest with alarm. Their magazine hadexploded, and every grain of powder, except such as was in the gunsturned seaward and in the pouches of the arquebusiers, was destroyed.Two of their number had been killed by the explosion, and several werewounded by the falling fragments of the building. Even the bravestbegan to despair, and to believe that they were about to be slaughteredby the savages. The voice of Waymouth once more restored theirconfidence.
"What, lads I are we, who have for years past fought and conqueredcountless numbers of Portugals, Turks, and infidels of all sorts, to bedowncast because a few casks of gunpowder blow up and a few score ofnaked savages are shrieking away in front of us?" he exclaimed. "Cheerup! What has happened is but the fortune of war. Probably the savages,having had a specimen of our prowess, will not venture again to molestus, and if they do we have still some powder and sharp swords with whichto defend ourselves."
These words had the effect intended. Ap Reece attended to the wounded.The two poor fellows who had been killed bringing out the powder wereburied, and the adventurers waited with calmness for the return of thesavages, should they again venture on an attack. Waymouth was certainthat they still remained in the neighbourhood, as now and then a personcould be seen passing in the far distance, and he was loath to send outa scout lest he might be set on by any natives lying in ambush andcarried off.
Darkness returned. Strict watch was kept, and few of the adventurersclosed their eyes in sleep. Long and dreary seemed the night. Wouldthe savages pluck up courage and return to the attack? If they were ofthe same character as those who had destroyed the mutineers, moreferocious savages it would be hard to find. Sounds were heard duringthe night, but the stars were obscured by clouds and mist, and no objectcould be discerned at any distance from the fort.
Morning at length returned, and by the light of day it was discoveredthat both the dead and the wounded had been carried off. It wasimportant to ascertain whether the enemy still lurked in theneighbourhood. Several of the party volunteered to go out for thisobject. Waymouth accepted the offer of Carlingford and young Martin.Their progress was anxiously watched from the fort. They at lengthdisappeared among the trees. Their friends trembled lest the savagesmight set on them. Now two objects were seen moving on a hill in thedistance: it might be them. Two hours passed away. They did notappear. Either the enemy having taken their departure, they hadproceeded across the island, or they had been set upon and destroyed.Several wished to go out to search for their friends, but this Waymouthwould not allow. Their fears were, however, banished when their lostfriends were seen approaching. They brought the intelligence that thesavages had embarked in their large canoes and had sailed away. Thiswas satisfactory news.
In vain, however, did they endeavour to manufacture some powder insteadof that which had been destroyed. Without saltpetre they could donothing. For some time, also, they could make no progress with theship. The carpenter and smith had both been injured by the explosion,and the two men killed had been among the best artificers. Often asWaymouth and Edward examined the work, they agreed that it might havebeen wiser to have built a new vessel altogether of much smallerdimensions. Still, notwithstanding all their disappointments anddifficulties, they proved themselves to be true men by perseveringlylabouring on. One error was allowed to be committed. When all fears ofthe return of the savages had subsided, the desire to obtain birds wasso great that the powder was expended to shoot them, those on the rockhaving been mostly frightened away. Many more months passed away. Hadit not been for good Master Walker, who ever reminded them of theSabbath, and exhorted them on that day to refrain from work, they wouldhave lost all note of time.
The hull was at length almost completed; the sails were manufactured,and a supply of cordage; the masts had next to be formed and got in, asalso the spars. The larger trees best suited for the purpose were onthe opposite side of the island, and a party had gone across to selectsome for the purpose required, when, after a time, they were seenhurrying back with looks of consternation. They had cause for alarm. Afleet of canoes twice as numerous as that of their former visitors wasseen approaching the island, and would soon be on shore. Signals weremade to recall all those at a distance into the fort. Every means whichcould be thought of was taken to strengthen the fortifications. Anexamination was made of the remaining powder. The error which had beencommitted was evident; there was not enough to load all the great guns,leaving none for the smaller pieces, and of that little which remained aconsiderable portion was damp, and would require to be dried before itcould be used.
Waymouth, in this emergency, endeavoured as before to inspire hisfollowers with courage. He ordered three guns to be loaded pointing inthe direction by which it was expected the savages would approach iftheir purpose was to attack the fort. The rest was divided among thearquebusiers, who were charged not to throw a shot away. There were afew crossbows which were eagerly brought into requisition, and every manhad besides a pike, battle-axe, and sword, so that, compared to thesavages, they were well armed. Still it was fearful odds for eight andtwenty men to contend against a thousand. The night was approaching.The sun went down in an angry mood, and the wind began to blow strongly,and went on increasing till it raged fearfully among the tallpalm-trees, which bent like willow wands before its fury. Fiercer andfiercer it blew.
Sentinels were posted round the fort, for it was conjectured that thesavages might make their approach during the darkness, in the hopes oftaking the garrison by surprise. The grey dawn appeared. No foe was insight. Just, however, before the sun should arise--for his
beams couldnot penetrate through the dark canopy of clouds overhead--suddenly fromevery quarter on the land side appeared from among the trees largebodies of savages dressed with their war ornaments, and wildlyflourishing their weapons, while, as they rushed on, they uttered themost fearful shrieks. Nearer they approached. At a signal fromWaymouth the guns opened on them; but though many were laid low, thisdid not stop the rest. The guns no longer roared. The foe came on asbefore; like ants they swarmed round the fort. The arquebusiersreserved their fire till the enemy was close upon them. Now began thefierce strife. As the savages rushed on they were driven back with thebullets which hailed on them, with thrusts of pikes and blows ofbattle-axes. Still more came on. These were no ordinary savages. Itwas evident that they were well accustomed to scenes of bloodshed: theyfought more like demons than men. They were driven back only to returnwith greater fury, like the waves of the stormy ocean.
Three of the adventurers lay dead, several more were wounded; still thebrave band encouraged each other to persevere. They mostly fought withdesperation, not expecting to escape, but resolved to sell their livesdearly. More savages were coming on, when suddenly they paused. Thosewho were fighting drew back with astonishment in their countenances.Waymouth, who was everywhere, rushing here and there to aid those themost hard pressed, turned his eyes seaward, and there he beheld a fineship with her tacks aboard, endeavouring to beat off the island, whichit was evident she had discovered at daybreak, when too late, closeunder her lee. She might escape the most dangerous reef, but there wasa point of land on which he judged that she must inevitably strike. Allthe canvas she could carry was set, and heeling over to the gale sheplunged furiously through the foaming seas. He shuddered to think whatwould be the fate of her crew should they fall into the hands of thesavages, and he longed to be able to hurry to their assistance. Thesavages, meantime, it seemed, believed that she was some being sent tothe assistance of those with whom they were fighting, and, callingloudly to each other, they sprang back out of the conflict, and thewhole body rushed away into the cocoa-nut grove, and were soon hid fromview.