by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VI.
PUTTING IN THE REFIT.
The boat rowed steadily in the course that was believed would take themstraight out to sea, the mate listening attentively for the sound of thedistant guns. The reports came up every two or three minutes, theirsound muffled by the fog. "Sure it's mighty difficult to tell where thesound comes from, but I think it is well over there on our beam. Do notyou think so?" the mate asked Mr. Atherton.
"I think so; yes, I feel sure that we are rowing nearly due south. Evenwithout the sound of the guns I should feel sure that we cannot atpresent be far out of that course. I noticed that as we came along youhardly had to use any helm, and that the strength on both sides was veryevenly balanced. So that starting out as we did from the shore, we mustbe travelling pretty straight. Of course in the long run we should besure to sweep round one way or the other and lose our bearingsaltogether were it not for the guns. Wilfrid, we will appoint youtime-keeper."
"What am I to keep time of, Mr. Atherton?"
"You are to keep time of the guns. I think they are firing about everythree minutes, but you had better time the first two or three. If youfind them three minutes apart, it will be your duty a quarter of aminute before the gun is due to say in a loud voice 'Stop,' then allconversation is to cease till we hear the report. Unless we are allsilent and listening, it is very difficult to judge the exactdirection from which the sound comes, and it is important to keep asstraight a line as we can. There is the gun now, begin to count."
A DOZEN SPEARS STRUCK THE WATER ROUND HER
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"I think we can turn our head in that direction now," the mate said. "Itis just twenty minutes since we left the shore, and we ought to be fullya mile out beyond the headland."
"I quite agree with you. We have certainly a clear course now to theship if we do not make any blunder in keeping it."
The mate put the tiller a-starboard.
"I wonder how long I am to keep it over?" he said. "It is a queersensation steering without having an idea which way you are going."
"The next gun will tell us whether we have gone too far round or not farenough," Mr. Atherton observed.
"Well, we will try that," the mate said after a short pause. "I shouldthink we ought to have made half a turn now."
"Stop!" Wilfrid exclaimed a minute later. "Easy rowing, lads, and listenfor the gun."
The mate ordered silence in the boat. Half a minute later the report ofthe gun was again heard. There was a general exclamation of surprise,for instead of coming, as they expected, from a point somewhere ahead,it seemed to them all that the sound was almost astern of them.
"Now, who would have thought that?" the mate said. "I had no idea shehad gone round so far. Well, we must try again, and go to work moregently this time. Row on, men!"
The tiller was put slightly a-port, and the boat continued her way. Thetalk that had gone on among the passengers was now hushed. Mr. Athertonhad been chatting gaily with the girls from the time the fog came on,and except at the moment when they went ashore and were attacked by thenatives, no uneasiness had been felt, for the sound of the guns hadseemed to all an assurance that there could be no difficulty inrejoining the ship. The discovery that for a moment they had beenactually going away from the ship had, for the first time since theyrowed away from the shore, caused a feeling of real uneasiness, and whenWilfrid again gave notice that the report would soon be heard, alllistened intently, and there was a general exclamation of satisfactionwhen the sound was heard nearly ahead.
"We have got it now," the mate said. "Row on, lads; a long steady strokeand we shall be in before dinner is cold yet."
The conversation now recommenced.
"Is it any use my stopping here any longer?" Jim Allen cried from thebow; "because if not I will come aft to you. It is a good deal warmersitting together than it is out here by myself."
"Yes, you may as well come aft," the mate replied. "As long as we keepthe guns ahead we know that we are clear of rocks. It certainly has comeon bitterly cold." There was a general chorus of assent.
"I should think it would be a good thing, Ryan, to get the sail aft andunlash it from the gaff and put it over our legs, it will make a lot ofdifference in the warmth."
"I think that that is a very good idea," the mate assented. "Lay in youroar for a minute, Johnson, and get that sail aft."
The sail was passed aft, unlashed from the yard, and spread out, addingconsiderably to the comfort of all those sitting astern; and now thatthe ship's guns were booming ahead, and they had become accustomed tothe thick curtain of cloud hanging round them, the feeling of uneasinessthat the girls had felt was entirely dissipated, and Mr. Atherton had nolonger any occasion to use his best efforts to keep up their spirits.All laughed and chatted over their adventure, which, as they said, farexceeded in interest anything they had been promised when they startedfrom the ship. The only drawback, as they all agreed, was the cold,which was indeed really severe.
"We do not seem to come up to the guns as we ought to," Mr. Athertonsaid to the mate after the boat had been rowing for some time.
"That is just what I was thinking," Mr. Ryan replied. "I fancy we musthave got a strong current out here against us."
"I expect we have. Ryan, I tell you what. The men have been rowing forsome hours now since they left the ship, I think it would be a goodthing if our youngsters were to relieve some of them for a spell. Whatdo you say, lads?"
Wilfrid, the Allens, Hardy, and Wilson all exclaimed that they should bedelighted to take a turn, as it would warm their blood. "We shall beable to give them all a spell," Mr. Atherton said, "for there are justsix of us."
"I am certainly not going to let you pull, and you scarcely out of thedoctor's hand," the mate said bluntly. "Why, you must be mad to think ofsuch a thing! Here, do you take the tiller and I will row thestroke-oar. Easy all, lads; put on your jackets. Four of you come aft,and the other two go into the bows."
"I wish we could row," Marion said regretfully, as the new crew bent totheir oars. "I have done a lot of rowing at home, Mr. Atherton, and theysay I row very fairly."
"I am afraid you would not be of much assistance here, young lady," Mr.Atherton said. "It's one thing to work a light well-balanced oar such asyou use in a gig up the river, but it is a very different one to tugaway at one of these heavy oars in a sea-going boat like this with tensitters in her. We shall want all our strength to get back, you may besure. There must be a strong current against us, and there is littlechance of our being back, as we hoped, by dinner-time."
After the men had had half an hour's rest Mr. Ryan told them to taketheir seats and double bank the oars.
"We shall travel all the faster," he said to Mr. Atherton, "and now thatthey have got their wind again it is far better that they should berowing than sitting still. The guns are a good deal nearer now. I do notthink that the ship can be more than a mile or a mile and a half away."
"I do not suppose she is," Mr. Atherton replied. "I think I will fireoff my rifle two or three times. They ought to be able to hear it now,and it will relieve their minds."
He discharged his rifle four or five times, and they fancied that theyheard shots in return.
"Hullo!" Mr. Atherton exclaimed suddenly. "Easy all! Hold her up hardall!" Although the order was entirely unexpected it was given so sharplythat it was instantly obeyed, and the boat was brought to a stand-stillbefore she had advanced another length. Then the rowers looked round tosee what had been the occasion of the sudden order. In front of them,scarce ten feet away, towered up a dark mass of rock. They could onlysee it ahead of the boat, and how high it was or how far it extended oneither side they knew not.
"Why, what is this?" the mate said in astonishment. "We did not noticeany islands as we came along. It has been a narrow escape, for at therate at which we were going through the water we should have stove inour bow had we run on it."
"We have had a narrower escape than we deserve," Mr. Atherton said. "Icannot th
ink how we can have been so foolish."
"What do you mean?" the mate asked.
"Why we have been steering straight for the guns, have we not?"
"Of course we have."
"Well, we ought not to have done so. If the ship had been lying well outfrom the land it would have been all right; but she is lying in a deepbay, and of course a straight course to her from the point we startedfrom would take us just where we are, that is ashore, on the other sideof the headland."
"Of course it would. We ought to have kept well to seaward of the gunstill they bore right on our beam, and then headed in to her. Well,fortunately no harm has been done, but we have had a mighty narrowescape. If the fog had been as thick as it was when it first came downupon us we should have gone right into it before we saw it."
The boat was turned and rowed out to sea for some distance, then theyagain headed her in the direction in which they wished to go, butkeeping the guns well in shore of them until they judged by the soundthat they were nearly opposite to her, then they rowed straight towardsher. The sound of their oars was heard, and a loud hail informed them ofthe exact position of the ship, and two or three minutes later a darkimage loomed up in front of the boat.
"All well, Mr. Ryan?" the captain shouted.
"All well, sir."
"You have given us a great fright," the captain went on. "We expectedyou back at least two hours ago, thinking of course you would havereturned when the fog set in, even if you had not done so before."
"We had turned, sir, before the fog rolled in; but what with losing ourway, and the difficulty of keeping our course in the fog, and the factthat there is, we think, a strong current that was running against usfurther out, we have been a long time coming back. So, you see, we havedouble banked all the oars."
By this time they were lying by the gangway. It was found that the girlsin spite of their wraps were so stiff with the cold that they had to beassisted up the gangway to the deck. Exercise warmed the blood of therest, and they were soon on deck. Mr. Atherton, who alone of the menhad not been rowing, had some little difficulty in getting up, although,as he said, he had no more right to feel cold than a walrus, protectedas he was by nature.
There had been much anxiety on board until the shots fired by Mr.Atherton were heard. The captain had ordered plenty of hot soup to begot ready, and the girls soon felt in a comfortable glow. Mr. Athertongave a comical account of their adventures, but he did not conceal thefact that at one time their position had been really a perilous one, andthat if they had not been pretty vigilant they might have fallen intothe hands of the natives.
"Well, all is well that ends well," Mr. Renshaw said, "but I think wewill have no more boat excursions as long as we are in the neighbourhoodof cannibals. Of course no one could have foreseen the fog coming on sosuddenly, but you have evidently all had a narrow escape."
Those who had taken part in the adventure, however, were highly pleasedwith their share in it, and agreed that although perhaps at the time itwas unpleasant it was very exciting, and was an incident that theyshould never forget all their lives.
The fog continued for three days, at the end of which time an easterlywind set in and the air cleared, and the _Flying Scud_ weighed heranchor and proceeded on her voyage. Ten days later a gale set in fromthe south. The cold was intense, and the spray as it flew from her bowscased her fore-rigging and deck with ice. The wind increased hourly infury, and the captain decided to run before it. "We have plenty ofsea-room," he said, "and shall get out of this bitter cold as we getfurther north. It will not last long, I daresay."
Day after day, however, the gale continued, seeming to increase ratherthan diminish in force. On the morning of the sixth day after it hadbegun the passengers heard a tremendous crash on deck. Wilfrid ran upthe companion and looked out, and reported that the mainmast and thefore-top-mast had gone overboard. Fortunately the gust that had done thisdamage proved to be the climax of the gale; by nightfall its force hadsensibly abated, and two days later it fell to a calm, and all hands setto work to repair damages.
"I have no spar that will be of any use for a mainmast," the captainsaid. "We must content ourselves with getting up a fore-top-mast andthen under what sail we can set upon that and the mizzen make for one ofthe islands and try to get a good-sized spar for the mainmast. I reckonthat we are not more than two hundred and fifty miles from the AustralGroup. We have been blown nearly twenty degrees north."
Three days later land was seen ahead, and this the captain, after takingan observation, declared to be Malayta, one of the largest islands ofthe group.
"I would rather have gone on under this reduced sail," he said to Mr.Atherton, in whom he had great confidence, "if we had been sure of fineweather; but that we cannot reckon upon at this time of year, and Ishould not like to be caught in another gale in this crippled state sonear the islands. So of the two evils I consider it the least to go inand try and get a spar that will do for our purpose."
"What is the evil of going in?" Mr. Atherton asked.
"The natives," the captain replied shortly. "They are a treacherous lotin all these islands; but the Australs bear a particularly badreputation, and we shall have to be very careful in our dealings withthem."
"Well, as we are forewarned they are not likely to take us by surprise,captain; and as with the crew and passengers we can muster a prettystrong force, we ought to be able to beat off any open attack."
"Yes, I think we could do that," the captain agreed. "If I did not thinkso I would not put in, but would take the chance of our making our way,crippled as we are, to New Zealand. The thing we shall have to guardagainst is a sudden and treacherous onslaught; the crews of many shipshave been massacred owing to carelessness and over-confidence. However,we will not be caught napping, and I therefore hope to get offunscathed."
As they neared the land the passengers were delighted with the aspect ofthe shore. Groves of trees came down to the very edge of the water; inthe interior the land was high, but was covered to the summit of thehills with foliage. As they approached, and the captain gave orders toprepare for anchoring, they could see a number of natives gathered onthe narrow strip of sands close to the water. They were waving boughs oftrees in token of friendship, and were, as far as could be seen by theaid of a telescope, unarmed.
"They look friendly, mother," Marion said after watching them throughthe glass. "Won't it be nice to land and take a walk among thosefeathery-looking trees. There will be no fear of fogs or cold here, thetemperature is quite perfect."
"You will not land, I can assure you, young lady," the captain, who waspassing by and overheard her, said. "Those fellows look friendly enough,I agree, but there are no more treacherous rascals among the islandersof the Pacific. I shall give them as wide a berth as I can, and get themif possible to cut a spar and tow it out to us, instead of sending aparty on shore to fetch it. No one will leave this ship with mypermission, unless it be a boat's party armed to the teeth to fetchwater. These fellows are as treacherous as the natives of Tierra delFuego, and vastly more warlike and dangerous."
"Are they cannibals, captain?" Mrs. Renshaw asked.
"That I cannot tell you for certain, Mrs. Renshaw. They are thieves andmurderers, but whether they eat human flesh is more than I can tell. Itdoes not concern me greatly whether if they kill me they eat meafterwards or not; but I do not mean to give them the chance of killingme or any of us, I can assure you."
"After the character you have given me of them I have no longer theslightest inclination to land, captain."
As soon as the vessel came to an anchor a number of canoes put out,laden with yams, cocoa-nuts, and other vegetables and fruit forexchange. Had they been allowed they would have come alongside andclimbed up to the deck, but the captain would not permit them to comewithin thirty or forty yards. Although there was no one on board whocould speak their language, his emphatic gestures were understood bythe natives, and were sufficient to show them that he was not to betrifled with. Two boats onl
y were allowed to approach at a time, and aguard of six sailors with muskets were placed on deck with orders toprevent anyone coming up, and to cover those who descended the gangway.The younger passengers thought that the captain was unnecessarily timid;but ready as he was to oblige them on ordinary occasions, they saw thatthis time it would be no use to try to change his determination thatnone should go on shore. Going down the gangway they bargained with thenatives, giving little articles in exchange for fruit.
Mr. Atherton was evidently of the captain's opinion as to the necessityfor prudence, and had stationed himself with his rifle near the gangway.
"They look quite peaceful and cheerful," Marion Renshaw said to him. "Doyou think there is really any use in all these precautions, Mr.Atherton?"
"I do indeed, Miss Renshaw. I do not think one can be too careful whendealing with people who are notoriously so treacherous."
"Are you a good shot with a rifle, Mr. Atherton?"
"Yes; although I say it myself, I am an exceptionally good shot. I havepractised a great deal with the rifle, and have, I suppose, a naturalaptitude for it; for when I fire I am morally certain of hitting mymark, though I am hardly conscious of taking aim."
When the contents of a few boats had been taken on board the captainmade signs that he required no more, and the natives, with looks ofevident discontent, paddled back to the shore.
"We shall have some chiefs off in the morning," the captain said."To-day they have kept in the background, but seeing that we are waryand on our guard they will probably come off to-morrow to view mattersfor themselves. I shall let them perceive that I am well prepared, andit may be when they see this they will be inclined to do a little honesttrading, and to bring off a strong spar with which we can at anyratemake a shift for our mainmast. We will keep watch and watch as if wewere at sea. It is as likely as not some of their canoes may be comingout in the night to see if we are to be caught napping."
"It is horrid," Kate Mitford said, as she with her sister, Marion, andseveral of the younger passengers stood together that evening on thepoop looking towards the shore. The young moon was sinking in the west,the stars shone with great brilliancy, and the water was as smooth asglass. The outline of the palms could be made out against the sky, andin several places the light of fires could be perceived, and thestillness of the evening was broken by the hum of distant voices. "It isreally a shame that we cannot go ashore. I am sure the savages lookedcivil and friendly, and it would be delightful to wander about in such awood as that."
Two or three voices were raised in assent.
"Have you heard the little story of the spider and the fly, Miss Kate?"Mr. Atherton said, moving across from the other side of the deck, wherehe was smoking a cigar. "In that case, you know, it was the prettiestlittle bower that ever you did espy, and perhaps the fly admired it justas much as you admire that grove ashore. The result of a visit would beidentical in both cases. Those on board other ships have been taken inby the peaceful appearance of the natives and the loveliness of theislands, and the result was fatal to them. Personally, I should feelmuch more comfortable if I saw those savages putting out in a body intheir canoes to attack the ship than I do now while they are keeping upthis pretence of friendliness. An open danger one can meet, but when youknow that treachery is intended, but have no idea what form it will takeor when the mask of friendship will be thrown off, it is trying to thenerves. Fortunately we know their character, and may hope to be readywhen the danger comes. Still the waiting is trying."
"And you really feel that, Mr. Atherton?" Marion Renshaw asked.
"I do indeed, Miss Renshaw. We may get away without trouble; but if so,it will be solely because the natives see that we are prepared for themand are not to be taken by surprise. Seeing our crippled state, my ownopinion is, that the natives will not let us go off without making atleast one attempt to surprise us."
Mr. Atherton spoke strongly, for he thought that it was possible thatsome of the youngsters might, unless thoroughly roused to a sense ofdanger, do something foolish and rash. His words had the effect desired.His share in the affair at Rio had caused him to be regarded withrespect and admiration by the young men on board, and they felt that ifin his opinion the danger was grave it was not for them to doubt itsreality. A vigilant watch was kept all night, and loaded muskets wereserved out to the watch on deck. The guns had been loaded before theyanchored, and the spare muskets were placed so as to be handy for thewatch below should they be suddenly called up. After the moon went downa light mist rose on the surface of the sea. Several times during thenight faint sounds were heard near the ship, but immediately the officerof the watch challenged, silence reigned for a considerable time.
"How has the night passed, Ryan?" Mr. Atherton asked the first officeras soon as he came on deck, just as daylight was breaking.
"There have been some of them near us all night," Mr. Ryan replied. "Ido not think they were in force, but they wanted to see whether we kepta sharp watch; and I think we have satisfied them as to that, foreverytime the slightest noise was heard we hailed at once. I should liketo have sent a musket-ball in the direction of the sound, but as we mustget a spar, if possible, and shall be all the better for a score or twocasks of fresh water, it won't do to begin to quarrel with them. Once weget what we want on board the beggars may attack us as soon as theylike. It would do them a world of good to get handsomely thrashed, andto be taught that vessels are not to be plundered with impunity."
"As you say, it might do them good, but I hope there will be no trouble.I have no doubt whatever that we should beat them off, but we might losesome lives in doing it; besides, we have ladies on board."
"I hope so too; and, prepared as we are, I should feel quite safe if itwas not for that mast being gone. They know that we are comparativecripples, and no doubt looked upon us as lawful booty when they saw usmaking in; and I do not think they will let themselves be balked oftheir prey without an effort."
"That is just my view of the matter, and I mean to keep a sharp look-outwhile we are here. You will all have your hands full, and I will get twoor three of the young fellows to join with me in keeping a sharp watchover their doings."
"That is a good plan," the mate agreed. "There will, as you say, beplenty for us to do, and it worries one to have to attend to work and tokeep one's eyes at the back of one's head at the same time. Of course weshall always have a watch set whatever we are doing, still I have morefaith in your look-out than in that of half a dozen fo'castle hands."
When the two Allens and Wilfrid came on deck Mr. Atherton drew themaside. "Look here, lads," he began. "You heard what I said last night. Imeant it, and I am sure I was not wrong, for there have been canoeshovering about us all night. Now, in a short time the officers and crewwill be seeing about getting water on board, and if the natives bringout a spar that will do as a jury mainmast there will be the work oftrimming it, getting it into its place, and rigging it. My own opinionis, that now the natives see we are suspicious and on the watch theywill for some time make a show of being extremely friendly so as tothrow us off our guard, and as the officers and sailors will be busythey may possibly relax their precautions a little. Now I propose thatyou and I shall constitute an amateur watch from sunrise to dark. Afterthat the men's work will be done, and there will be no fear of theirbeing taken by surprise. The real danger is, I think, in the daytime.Wilfrid and I will take the second-mate's watch, and do you two take thefirst-mate's--that is, if you agree to my proposal."
The three young fellows at once expressed their willingness to do as hedirected them.
"During our respective watches," Mr. Atherton went on, "we must keep ourattention directed solely to the natives. There must be no watching whatis going on on board, no talking and laughing with the other passengers;we must consider ourselves as if on duty. One of us must take his placeon the fo'castle, the other in the waist. The natives are sure to hanground the ship in their canoes watching what we are doing, and offeringthings for sale. It will be
our duty to keep a vigilant eye upon them,to watch every movement, to give instant warning if their number is atany time larger than usual, and, in fact, to prevent the possibility oftheir closing suddenly in upon us and taking us by surprise. Remember,it is a case of absolute duty; I have volunteered to the first officerto undertake it, and he will, relying upon our vigilance, give hisattention to his work."
"Shall we be armed, Mr. Atherton?" James Allen asked.
"Yes, James, I think that it will be as well to have our guns beside uswhile on duty. Of course there is no occasion to have them on ourshoulders like sentries, but it will be well to have them always withinreach of the hand in case of sudden danger. The report of a musket wouldgive the alarm far quicker and more effectually than a shout would do,especially if men are at work on deck and making a noise. Well, as youagree, we will begin after breakfast."
"How about meals, sir?" Tom Allen asked. "If they mean to make an attackI should think they would be likely to choose meal-time, when thepassengers are all below and the deck will be comparatively deserted."
"We must keep watch then also," Mr. Atherton said decidedly. "I willspeak to Mr. Ryan and ask him to tell the steward that two of us willrequire something put on the table for them after the others have done.I do not think that he himself is likely to leave the deck when thecaptain is below, and the two of us who happen to be on duty can haveour meals when he does. Of course whenever those on duty come down forthis purpose the others will take their places until they return. Wewill change about each day. This is supposed to be your watch, Allen,from four to eight. Wilfrid and I will begin the work at that hour. Youwill relieve us at twelve, and we shall take the watch from four toeight. To-morrow we will take the early watch, and so on."
"I will tell the Grimstones," Wilfrid, who had always gone for a dailychat with the men forward, said; "they will be glad to join us in thewatch, and I should think the other men forward would do so too. I knowthey all find it very hard work to get through the day."
The Grimstones at once agreed to keep watch, as did the other three menwho occupied the fore cabin with them. Mr. Atherton got muskets andammunition for them from Mr. Ryan, and the two Grimstones wereappointed to his watch, the other men to that of the Allens.
At seven bells most of the passengers came on deck to enjoy the freshmorning air for an hour before breakfast.
"You are not going to enjoy the pleasure of Wilfrid's or my company atbreakfast, Mrs. Renshaw," Mr. Atherton said, smiling, to that lady asshe stood with the three girls round her on the poop.
"Why not, Mr. Atherton?" she asked in surprise.
"He and the Allens and myself are going to do amateur sentry work aslong as we lie here, Mrs Renshaw. The crew will be all busy refittingthe ship, and so I have volunteered to undertake, with their assistance,the duty of keeping a sharp eye on those tricky gentlemen ashore."
"Are you in earnest, Mr. Atherton?"
"Quite in earnest that we are going to do so, Mrs. Renshaw. There may beno absolute occasion for it, but there is nothing like keeping on thesafe side; and as we cannot go ashore, and one cannot talk continuouslyfor fifteen or sixteen hours, we may just as well pass a portion of ourtime in playing at sentinels."
"But when will you get breakfast?" Marion asked. "Shall I bring it up toyou, Mr. Atherton?"
"No, thank you, Miss Renshaw. We have arranged to have it with Mr. Ryanafterwards. I am much obliged to you for your offer just the same. It isa very kind one, especially since you will, for once, particularly enjoyyour breakfast, as you will have room for your elbows."
"You are laughing at me again, Mr. Atherton. One would really thinkthat you take me to be about ten years old."
"I think a little teasing does you good, Miss Renshaw. It is one of theprivileges of us old fellows to try to do good to our young friends; andgirls of your age lord it so over their brothers and their brothers'friends, that it is good for them to be teased a little by theirelders."
"Would not you think, mother," Marion appealed, "that Mr. Atherton byhis talk was somewhere about eighty and that I was quite a child?"
"I agree with him that it is rather a good thing for girls of your age,Marion, to be snubbed a little occasionally; especially on a voyage likethis, when there are several young fellows on board who have nothingbetter to do than to wait upon you and humour your whims."
There was a general laugh. Before a fresh subject was started thebreakfast bell rang and the passengers went below. Mr. Atherton fetchedhis rifle from his cabin, and Wilfrid was going to unpack hisdouble-barrelled gun when his friend said: "I should not bother aboutthat now, Wilfrid; take one of the ship's muskets. It will make just asmuch noise if you have to fire it, and you will not be alarming thepassengers by bringing your gun backwards and forwards from your cabin.I am going to hang up my rifle when I come off guard in Ryan's cabin ondeck, where it will be handy. You take the fo'castle, your two men canbe in the waist, one on each side, and I will take the poop. Just atpresent our duty will be a nominal one, as the canoes have not put out,but I expect they will be here before long."
Before breakfast was over, indeed, a large canoe was brought down fromthe woods and placed in the water, and a number of natives appeared onthe shore. The first officer at once summoned the captain on deck.
"Tell all the men to have their arms handy, Mr. Ryan," the captain saidas he looked at the gathering on shore. "I do not suppose they mean toattack us in this open way, still we may as well be upon our guard.Order the men not to show their arms, but to go about their work asusual. We do not wish to appear afraid of them, or to take up a positionof hostility. I hope the chiefs are coming off for a friendly palaver."
In a few minutes the canoes put off from the shore. First came the greatcanoe, which was paddled by thirty men. In the bow and stern werehideous images. Four natives, evidently of superior rank, were seatednear the stern, and in the bow stood a man beating his hands in time tothe stroke of the paddles and singing a song, which was responded to bya deep exclamation from the rowers at every stroke. Another man stood bythe side of the singer waving a green bough. Behind this great canoefollowed a score of smaller ones.
"We will receive them in state, Mr. Ryan. Evidently they intend to keepup an appearance of friendliness at present. We will meet them in thesame spirit. Fasten the signal flags on to the halyards and run them upto the masthead, let half a dozen men with cutlasses take their place atthe gangway as a sort of guard of honour, let the rest go on with theirwork but keep their arms handy for action."
When the great canoe approached the vessel the men stopped paddling,and one of the chiefs standing up made an address to the captain, whowas standing at the top of the gangway. Not a word that he said wasunderstood, but the address seemed to be of a friendly nature, and thechief held up some cocoa-nuts and yams as if to show his desire totrade. When he had finished the captain took off his hat and also spoke,and by gestures invited the chiefs to come on board. By this time allthe passengers had come on deck, and were watching the proceedings withgreat interest.
"Do you think it safe to let them on board?" the first officer asked Mr.Atherton, who was intently watching the natives in the smaller canoes.
"Quite safe," he replied. "So long as only a few of their followers comewith them there is no fear of their attempting anything. While thechiefs are in our hands they act, as it were, as hostages for the goodconduct of their people. So far their intentions are clearly peaceful.Whether that will last will depend upon whether they think there is achance of success or not. At present all we have to do is to takeadvantage of it, and to get what we want on board."
By this time the canoe was approaching the side of the ship. The fourchiefs ascended the ladder, followed by four or five of lower rank whohad been seated near them. As they reached the deck the principal chiefturned round and shouted an order in a loud voice. Its effect wasimmediate. The canoe in which they had arrived at once paddled away to ashort distance, while the smaller craft, which had before been drif
tingslowly towards the vessel, also retired and lay huddled behind the largecanoe.