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ILLUSTRATED, NEW YORK JOHN W. LOVELL COMPANY 142 TO 150 Worth Street ''«^fettbijibiL'-i# LP • CONTENTS. CHAP. FACB I. MY EARLY DAYS AT HOME . . ^ • I II. HOW A TRUE FRIEND WAS GAINED • . lO III. A SAD CHAPTFR IN MY LIFE . . • • 23 IV. A FEARFUL CATASTROPHE . . • .33 V. A FRIEND LOST AND A FRIEND GAINED . . 42 VI. TURNED OUT OF HOUSE AND HOME , • 5* VII. HELP COMES WHEN LEAST EXPECTED . . 60 VIII. MY FIRST VOYAGE •73 IX. I EXPERIENCE THE PERILS OF THE SEA . 86 X. ALONE ON THE OCEAN 98 XI. DANGERS MULTIPLY 1 10 XII. PORT REACHED IN AN UNEXPECTED MANNER. 121 XIII. A DISASTROUS VOYAGE I32 XIV. JIM AND I CARRIED OFF AGAINST OUR WILL. I44 XV. THE VOYAGE OF TH'?, " INTREPID " BEGUN . I55 XVI. WE CROSS THE LINE AND ATTEMPT TO ROUND CAPE HORN . . . . . . 166 XVII. ROUNDING CAPE HORN . . , . . 178 XVIII. OUR FIRST WHALES CAUGHT — I HEAR NEWS OF JACK . 189 XIX. MILES SOPER's NARRATIVE CONCLUDED . , 200 XX « A MUTINY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES « .212 lOiiGSH- .j^^ w'i i a i 'oy, sir," hat man power to le mate, ve given lid have 1 reason d on to ir black 3, sharp :h side. in me a \ Page 7. My Early Dgys at Home, 7 bright shilling in addition, helped the doctor, who wasn't very well able to help himself, up on deck, and we then, shoving off, stood for the man-of-war brig. Jack almost broke down as we approached her. Not that he was. unwilling to go away, but that he was very sorry to part from father and me, and I know that we were very sorry to part with him. "Jack, my son," said father, and his voice wasn't as firm as usual, " we may never meet again on this side the grave. You may be taken or I may be taken. What I want to say to you is this, and they may be well-nigh the last words you will ever hear me speak. Ever remember that God's eye is upon you, and so live that you may be prepared at any moment to die. I can't say more than that, my boy. Bless you. God bless you." '♦ 1 will, father, I will," answered Jack, and he passed the back of his hand across his eyes. We were soon up to the brig. He gave me a hug and a kiss, and then, having made fast the end of the rope hove to us, he griped father's hand, and sprang up the side of the brig. His bag was hoisted up after him by an old shipmate of father's, who sang out, "All right, Trawl, I'll look after your boy ! " We had at once to shove off, for the brig was rolling considerably, and there was a risk of the wherry being swamped alongside. As we stood away I looked astern. Jack had climbed into the fore-rigging and was waving to us. We soon lost sight of him. When, if ever, should we see him again ? Having the wind and tide with us, we quickly ran back into the harbour. For reasons which will appear by-and-by I ought to say a few words respect! n;^ my frimily, though I don't flatter mvself the world in general will be much con- cerned about the matter. Some people are said to be born \ ^ 8 Peter. TrawL with silver spoons in their mouths; if that means, as I suppose it does, that from their earUest days they enjoy all the luxuries of life, then I may say when I first saw" the light I must have had a very rough wooden one between my toothless gums. However, as IVe often since thought, it isn't so much what a man is bom to which signifies, as what he becomes by his honesty, steadiness, perseverance, and above all by his earnest desire to do right in the sight of (iod. My father^ Jack Trawl (as he spelt his name, or, rather, as others spelt it for him, he being no great hand with a pen), was an old man-of-war's-man. I well remember hear- ing him say that his father, who had been mate of a merchantman, and had been lost at sea when he himself was a boy, ^^s a Shetlander; and in an old Testament which had belonged to his mother, and which he had treasured as the only relic of either of his parents, I found the name written Troil. The ink was very faint, but I made out the words clearly, " Margaret Troil, given to lier by her husband Angus." This confirmed me in the idea I had formed, that both my father's parents had come from the far off island of Shetland. My father being a sober, steady man, having saved more of his pay and prize-money than had most of his shipmates, when he left the service bought a wherry, hired and furnished a house, and married my mother, Polly Treherne, the daughter of a bumboat woman who plied her trade in Portsmouth Harbour. I have no cause to be ashamed of my grandmother, for every one who knew her said, and I am sure of it, that she was as worthy a woman in her line of life as ever lived. She gave good measure and charged honest prices, whether she was dealing in soft tack, fruit, vegetables, cheese, herrings, or any of the other miscellaneous articles with My Early Days at Hotne, 9 which she supplied the seamen of His Majesty's ships ; and her daughter Polly, who assisted her, was acknowledged by all to be as good and kind-hearted as she was pretty. No wonder, then, that she won the heart of my brave father when she visited the ship in which he had just come home, or that, knowing his worth, although she had many suitors, she consented to marry him. For some time all went well, but what happened is a proof that honest, industrious persons may be overtaken by misfortunes as well as other people. Father had no inten- tion that his wife should follow her mother's calling, as he could make enough to keep the pot boiling ; but after they had been married a few years, and several children had been born, all of whom died in their infancy, except my eldest brother Jack, and me and Mary, the two youngest, bad times came. .\ CHAPTER II. HOW A TRUE FRIEND WAS GAINED. JUST before we two entered this world of troubles, the bank in which my father had deposited his savings broke, and all were lost. The sails of his wherry were worn out, and he had been about to buy a new suit, which he now couldn't do ; the wherry herself was getting crazy, and required repairs, and he himself met with an accident which laid him up for several weeks. Grandmother also, • who had lost nearly her all by the failure of the bank, though she had hitherto been hale and hearty, now began to talk of feeling the approach of old age. One evening, while father was laid up, she looked in on us. *' Polly, my girl, there's no use trying to beat up in the teeth of a gale with a five-knot current against one," she exclaimed, as, dropping down into our big arm-chair and undoing her bonnet-strings and the red handkerchief she wore round her neck, she threw her bonnet over the back of her head. " I'm dead beat with to-day's work, and shall be worse to-morrow. Now, my dear, what I've got to say is this, I want you to help me. You know the trade as well as I do. It will be a good thing for you as well as for me ; for look you, my dear, if anything should happen to your Jack, it will help you to keep the wolf from the door." This last argument, with her desire to help the good old lady, made moiaer say that if father was agreeable she would How a True Friend was Gained. n do as grandmother wished. She forthwith went upstairs, where father was lying in bed, scarcely able to move for the pain his hurt caused him. They talked the matter over, and he, knowing that something must be done for the sup- port of the family, gave, though unwillingly, his consent. Thus it happened that my mother again took to bumming. Trade, however, wasn't like what it used to be in the war time, I heard grandmother say. Then seamen would have their pockets fille i with five-pound notes and golden guineas, which they were eager to spend ; now they rarely had more than a few shillings or a handful of coppers jingling in them. Still there was an honest livelihood to be made, and grand- mother and mother contrived to make it. Poor grand- mother, however, before long fell ill, as she said she should, and then all the work fell on mother. Father got better, and was able sometimes to go out with the wherry, but grandmother got worse and worse, and mother had to attend on her till she died. When she and father were away from home, Mary and t were left to the care of our brother Jack. He did his best to look after us, but not being skilled as a nursemaid, while he was tending Mary, who, being a girl — she was my twin sister, I should have said — required most of his care, he could not always manage to prevent me from getting into trouble. Fortunately nothing very serious happened. ' Dear, kind Jack ! I was very fond of him, and generally obeyed him willingly. It would not be true to say that I always did so. He was very fond of Mary and me too, of that I am sure, and he used to show his fondness by spend- ing for our benefit any coppers he picked up by running on errands or doing odd jobs for neighbours. As his purchases were usually brandy-balls, rock, and other sweets, it was perhaps fortunate for us that he had not many to spend. By diligently pursuing her trade, mother, in course of time, \ 12 Peter TrawL saved money enough to enable father to get the wherry repaired, and to buy a new suit of sails, and when he got plenty of employment he bade mother stay at home and look after Mary and me, while Jack went with him. As, however, it would not have been prudent to give up her business altogether, she hired a girl, Nancy Fidget, to take her place, as Jack had done, when she was from home. I don't remember that anything of importance happened after grandmother's death till Jack went to sea. We missed him very much, and Mary was always asking after him, wondering when he would come back. Still, if I had gone away, she would, I think, have fretted still more. Perhaps it was because we were twins that we were so fond of each other. We were, however, not much alike. She was a fair, blue-eyed little maiden, with flaxen hair and a rosy blush on her cheeks, aind I was a broad-shouldered, strongly-built chap, the hue on my cheeks and the colour of my hair soon becoming deepened by my being constantly out of doors, while my eyes were, I fancy, of a far darker tint than my sister's. After Jack went mother seemed to concentrate all her affections on us two. I don't think, however, that any woman could have a warmer or larger heart than hers, although many may have a wider scope for the exercise of their feelings. She never turned a beggar away from her door without some relief even in the worst of times, and when any of the neighbours were in distress, she always did her best to help them. Often when she had been out bumming for the best part of the day, and had been attending to household matters for the remainder, she would sit up the whole night with a sick acquaintance who was too poor to fiire a nurse, and had only thanks to give her, and perhaps of that not very liberally. I have said that my mother had as warm and generous a How a True Friend was Gained, 13 lenerous a heart as ever beat in woman's bosom. I repeat it. I might give numerous instances to prove the truth of my assertion, and to show that I have reason to be proud of being her son, whatever the world may think about the matter. One will suffice. It had an important effect on my destinies, although at the time no one would have supposed that p^ch would be the case. One evening, as my mother was return- ing home off the water after dark, she found a female fallen down close to our door, in what seemed to be a fit Some of the neighbours had seen the poor creature, but had let her lie there, and gone induors, and several persons passing showed by their remarks what they thought of her character; but mother, not stopping to consider who she was or what she was, lifting her up in her strong arms, carried her into the house, and placed her on the bed which used to be Jack's. Mother now saw by the light of the candle that the unhappy being she had taken charge of was still young, and once had been pretty, but the life she had led had marred her beauty and brought her to her present sad state. After mother had undressed her and given her food and a cordial in which she had great confidence, the girl slightly revived, but it became more evident than before that she was fear- fully ilL She sobbed and groaned, and sometimes shrieked out in a way terrible to hear, but would give no account of herself. At length, mother, mistrusting her own skill, sent Nancy and me off to call Dr. Rolt^ the nearest medical man we knew of He came at once, and shaking his head as soon as he saw the stranger, he advised that she should be removed forthwith to the hospital. " Not to-night, doctor, surely," said mother. " It might be the death of her, poor young creature ! " " She may rapidly grow worse, and it may be still more dangerous to move her afterwards," remarked Dr. Rolt. \ 14 Peter TrawL "Then, please God, I'll keep charge of her till she recovers, or He thinks fit to take her," said mother, in her determined way. " She will never recover, I fear," said the doctor ; " but I will do the best for her I can." Telling mother how to act, and promising to send some medicine, he went away. When father, who had been across to Ryde in the wherry, came home, he approved of what mother had done. " Why, you see, Jack, what I think is this," I heard her say ; *' I've no right to point a finger at her, for if I hadn't had a good mother to show me right and wrong, I might have been just as she is." The next niorning the doctor came again. He looked grave when he left the stranger's room. "You are still resolved to let this poor outcast remain in your house, Mrs. Tr£.wl ? " he asked. " Yes, sir, my good man thinks as I do, that we ought," answered mother, positively. Dr. Rolt returned in the afternoon, accompanied by a gentleman wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a straight-cut broadcloth coat of sombre hue. He smiled pleasantly at mother as he took the seat she offered him without doffing his hat, and beckoning to Mary and me, put his hands on our heads, while he looked into our faces and smiled as he had done to mother. " I have brought Mr. Silas Gray, a member of the Society of Friends, knowing that I should have your leave, Mrs. Trawl, as he desires to see the poor girl you have taken care of," said Dr. Rolt. " Verily, sister, thou hast acted the part of the Good Samaritan towards the hapless one of whom friend Rolt has told me, and I would endeavour to minister to her spiritual necessities, the which I fear are great indeed; also with thy H(m) a True Friend was Gained, 15 leave I will help thee in supplying such creature comforts as she may need," said Mr. Gray. •♦ Thank you kindly, sir," answered mother. " I couldn't say much on the matter of religion, except to tell her that God cares for her as well as He does for the richest lady in the land, and will pardon her sins if she will but turn to Him through Christ; and as to food, kickshaws fit for sick folk are not much in my way, still I'll " "Thou knowest the very gist of the matter, sister," observed Mr. Gray, interrupting her ; " but time is precious. 1 11 go in with friend Rolt and speak to the wandering child." Saying this, Mr. Gray accompanied the doctor into the stranger's room. » He, after this, came again and again— never empty- handed — oltener indeed than the doctor, whose skill failed, as he feared it would, to arrest the poor girl's malady, while Mr. Gray's ministrations were successful in giving her the happy assurance that " though her sins were as scarlet, she had become white as snow," so he assured mother *' Praise the Lord," was her reply. . So the young stranger died — her name, her history, unknown. Mr. Gray paid the expenses of her funeral, and frequently after that came to see us, to inquire, as he said, how we were getting on. We had not heard from brother Jack since he went aboard the Lapunng. Mother thought that he might have got some one to write for him, though he was no great hand with a pen himself. All we knew was that the brig had gone out to the East Indies, which being a long way off would have accounted for our not often getting letters from him ; but just one father hoped he would have contrived to send after he had been a year away ; now nearly three years had passed since then. Had the Lapwing been fitted out at Portsmouth, we should have got news of him from others, i: i6 Peter Trawl, but as none of her crew hailed from our town, there was no one to whom we could go to ask about him. Father had taken lately to talk much about Jack, and sometimes regretted that he had let him go away. " You acted for the best, and so don't be blaming your- self," observed mother, trying to console him. "There's One aloft looking after him better than we can, and He 11 bring our boy back to us if He thinks fit" Mary and I little knew all the trials father and moti er had to go through. Mother's trade was bad, and father w.is often out all day without bringing a shilling home. Your gcr men with more gaily-painted boats — he would not acknow-. ledge that they were better — got fares when he could n.»)t manage to pick up one. Sometimes also he was laid up with the rheunlatics, and was unable to go afloat. One day, while thus suffering, mother fetched Dr. Rolt to see him. Father begged the doctor to get him well as soon as he could, seeing that he wanted to be out in the wherry to gain his livelihood. "All in good time, my man," answered the doctor. ** You'll be about again in a few days, never fear. By-the- bye, I saw our friend Mr. Gray lately, Mrs. Trawl, and he was inquiring for you. He would have come to see your husband had he known that he was ill, but he went away to Lonr^on yesterday, and may, I fear, be absent for some time. Mar/ will miss him should he be long away." Sooner than father expected he was about again. I had gone down with father and mother to the Hard, mother to board a ship which had just come in, and father to look out for a fare, while Mary remained at home with Nancy. It was blowing pretty fresh, and there was a good deal of sea running outside, though in the harbour the water was not rough enough to prevent mother from going off. While she was waiting for old Tom Swatridge, who had been with How a Triu Friend was Gained, 17 grandmother and her for years to bring along her baskets of vegetables from the market, a gentleman came hurrying down the Hard, and seeing father getting the wherry ready, said, ♦'I want you to put me aboard my ship, my man. She's lying out at Spithead ; we must be off at once." *' It's blowing uncommon fresh, sir," said father. " I don't know how you'll like it when we get outside; still there's not a wherry in the harbour that will take you aboard drier than mine, though there's some risk, sir, you'll under- stand." " Will a couple of guineas tempt you ? '* asked the stranger, thinking that father was doubting about the pay- ment he was to receive. •Til ';ake you, sir," answered father. ** Step aboard." I was already in the boat, thinking that 1 was to go, and was much disappointed when father said, " I am not going to take you, Peter, for your mother wants you to help her; but just run up and tell Ned Dore I want him. He's standing by the sentry-box." As I always did as father bade me, I ran up and called Ned, who at once came rolling along down the Hard, glad of a job. When he heard what he was wanted for he stepped aboard. " I hope to be back in a couple of hours, or three at furthest, Polly," father sang out to mother, as he shoved oflf the wherry. "Ciood-bye, lass, and see that Peter makes himself useful." Mother waved her hand. " Though two guineas are not to be picked up every day, I would as lief he had stayed in the harbour this blowing weather," she said to herself more than to me, as on seeing old I'om coming we stepped into her boat. When father first went to sea, Tom Swatridge had been 2 i8 PeUr TrawL ii i i his shipmate, and had done him many a kind turn which he had never forgotten. Old Toii had lost a leg at Trafalgar, of which battle he was fond of talking. He might have borne up for Greenwich, but he preferred his liberty, though he had to work ^or his daily bread, and, I am obliged to say, for his daily quantum of rum, wh: u always kept his pockets empty. He had plenty of intelligence, but he could neither read nor write, and that, with his love of grog, had prevented him from getting on in life as well as his many good qualities would otherwise have enabled him to do. He was a tall gaunt man, with iron-grey hair, and a countenance wrinkled, battered, and bronzed by wind and weather. When he first came ashore he was almost as sober a man as father, and having plenty of prize-money he managed to purchase a srrtall dwelling for himself, which I shall have by-and-by to describe. Old Tom taking the oars, we pulled aboard the Dartmouth, forty-two gun frigate, just come in from the Mediterranean. Several of the men had been shipmates with father, and all those belonging to Portsmouth knew mother. They were very glad to see her, and she had to answer questions of all sorts about their friends on shore. It is the business of a bumboat woman to know everything going forward, what ships are likely to be commissioned, the characters of the captains and officers, when they are to sail, and where they are going to. Among so many friends mother drove a brisker trade than usual, and when the men heard that I was Jack Trawl's son they gave me many a bright shilling and sixpence, and kind pats on the head with their broad palms. ** He's a chip of the old block, no doubt about that, missus," cried one. " He'll make a smart young topman one of these days," said another. Several gave her commissions to execute, and many sent messages to friends on shore. Altogether, when she left the frigate she was m better spirits than she had been for a long time. Hill How a True Friend was Gained, 19 Scarcely had we shoved off, however, when down came the rain in torrents, well-nigh wetting us through. " It's blowing plaguey hard, missus," observed old Tom, as he tugged away at the oars, I helping him while mother steered. " I hope as how we shall find your good man safe ashore when we gets in." On reaching the Hard the wherry was not to be seen. After old Tom had made fast the boat, wet as she was mother waited and waited in the hopes that father would come in. Old Tom remained also. He seemed more than usually anxious. We all stood with our hands shielding our eyes as we looked down the harbour to try and make out the wherry, but the driving rain greatly limtted our view. *' Hast seen anything of Jack Trawl's wherry ? " asked old Tom over and over again of the men in the different boats, as they came in under their mizens and foresails. The same answer was returned by all. '* Maybe he got a fare at Spithead for Gosport and will be coming across soon, or he's gone ashore at the Point with some one's luggage," observed old Tom, trying to keep up mother's spirits ; but that was a hard matter to do, for the wind blew stronger and stronger. A few vessels could be seen, under close-reefed canvas, running up the harbour for shelter, but we could nowhere perceive a single boat under sail. Still old Tom continued to suggest all sorts of reasons why father had not come back. Perhaps he had been detained on board the ship at Spithead to which he took the gentleman, and seeing the heavy weather coming on would remain till it moderated. Mother clung to this notion when hour after hour went by and she had given up all expectation of seeing father that evening. Still she could not tear herself from the Hard. Suddenly she remembered me. " You .nust be getting wet, Peter," she said. " Run home, \ lU i iilll 20 Peter Trawl, my child, and tell Nancy to give you your tea and then to get supper ready. Father and I will be coming soon, I hope." I lingered, unwilling to leave her. " Won't you come yourself, mother? " I asked. " I'll wait a bit longer," she answered. ** Go, Peter, go ; do as I bid you." " You'd better go home with Peter, missus," said old Tom. "You'll be getting the rheumatics, I'm afraid. I'll stay and look out for your good man." I had never seen mother look as she did then, when she turned her face for a moment to reply to the old man. She was as pale as death ; her voice sounded hoarse and hollow. " I can't go just yet, Tom," she said. I did not hear^ more, as, according to her bidding, I set off to run home. I found Mary and Nancy wondering what had kept mother so long. "Can anything have happened to father?" exclaimed Mary, when I told her that mother was waiting for him. " He has been a long time coming back from Spithead, and it's blowing fearfully hard," I answered. I saw Nancy clasp her hands and look upwards with an expression of alarm on her countenance which frightened me. Her father and brother had been lost some years before, crossing in a wherry from Ryde, and her widowed mother bad found it a hard matter to keep herself and her children out of the workhouse. She said nothing, however, to Mary and me, but I heard her sighing and v/hispering to herself, " What will poor missus do ? What will poor missus do ? " She gave Mary and me our suppers, and then persuaded us to go to bed. I was glad to do so to get off my wet clothes, which she hung up to dry, but I could not go to sleep for thinking what had happened to father. At length mot her came in alone. She sat down on How a True Friend was Gained, 21 chair without speaking, and her hands dropped by her side. I could watch her as I looked out from the small closet in which my bunk was placed. Even since I had left her her countenance had become fearfully pale and haggard. She shivered all over several times, but did not move from her seat. " Won't you get those wet duds of yours off, missus, and have some hot tea and supper ? " asked Nancy, who had been preparing it. Mother made no reply. " Don't take on so, missus," said Nancy, coming up to her and putting her hand affectionately on her shoulder. *' Bless me, you're as wet as muck. I've put Peter and Mary to bed, and you must ju^t go too, or you'll be having the rheumatics and I don't know what. Do go, missus, now do go." In vain Nancy pleaded, and was still endeavouring to persuade mother to take off" her wet garments, when I at last fell asleep. When I awoke in the morning I saw Nancy alone bustling about the room. I soon jumped into my clothes. My first question was for father. " He's not yet come back, Peter," she answered. '* But maybe he will before long, for tl>e wind has fallen, and if he put into Ryde he'd have waited till now to come across." " Where's mother ? " I next asked, not seeing her. " Hush, Peter, don't speak loud," she said in a low tone. " She's been in a sad taking all night, but she's quiet now, and we mustn't waken her." On hearing this I crept about as silent as a mouce till Mary got up, and then we sat looking at each other without speaking a word, wondering what was going to happen, while Nancy lit the fire and got breakfast ready. At last we heard mother call to Nancy to come to her, not knowing that Mary and I were on foot. nil ■ \ li 22 Peter Trawl. " I must get up and go and look after my good man," she cried out, in a voice strangely unlike her own. " Just help me, Nancy, viH you ? What can have come over me ? \\ feel very curious." She tried to rise, but could not, and after making several attempts, sank back on her bed with a groan. Mary and I now ran into her room. ^ What's the matter, mother dear ? " asked Mary, in a tone of alarm. She gazed at us strangely, and groaned again. " Missus is, I fear, taken very bad," said Nancy. " I must run for a doctor, or she'll be getting worse. I'm sure I don't know what to do ; I wish I did. Oh dear ! oh dear!" " Let me go," I said, eagerly. " I know where he lives, and you stay and take care of mother. I can run faster than you can in and out among the people in the streets." Nancy agreed, and I set off. CHAPTER HI. A SAD CHAPTER IN MY LIFE, AS I ran for the doctor I felt that I was engaged in a matter of life and death, for I had never seen mother ill before. In my anxiety for her I almost forgot all about father. On I rushed, dodging in and out among the work- men going to their daily toil — there were not many other persons out at that early hour. Two or three times I heard the cry of ** Stop thief ! " uttered by some small urchins for mischiefs sake, and once an old watchman, who had over- slept himself in his box, suddenly starting out attempted to seize hold of me, fancying that he was about to capture a burglar, but I slipped away, leaving him sprawling in the dust and attempting to spring his rattle, and I ran on at redoubled speed, soon getting out of his sight round a corner. At last I reached Dr. Rolt's house and rang the surgery bell as hard as I could pull. It was some time before the door was opened by a sleepy maid-servant, who had evidently just hurried on her clothes. " Mother wants the doctor very badly," I exclaimed. "Ask him, please, to come at once." " The doctor can't come. He's away from home, in London," answered the girl. "You'd better run on to Dr. Hunt's. Maybe he'll attend on your mother." I asked where Dr. Hunt lived. She told me. His house \ I i I ' 24 Peter TrawL \i m was some way off, but I found it at last Again I had to wait for the door to be opened, when, greatly to my disa(> pointment, the maid told me that Dr. Hunt had been out ail night and might not be at home for an hour or more. " Oh dear ! Oh dear ! who then can I get to see poor mother ? " I cried out, bursting into tears. "There's Mr. Jones, the apothecary, at the end of the next street. He'll go to your mother, no doubt," said the maid. ** Don't cry, my boy. Run on now ; the first turning to the left. You'll see the red and green globes in his window." Without stopping to hear more, off I set again. Mr. Jones was in his dispensary, giving directions to his assistant. I told him my errand. "I'll go preset^tly," he answered. "What's the number?" Our house had no number, and I could not manage to explain its position clearly enough fof his comprehension. "Then I'll stay, sir, and show you the way," I said. " Wait a bit, and 1 11 be ready," he replied. He kept me waiting, however, a cruel long time, it seemed to me. At last he appeared with his silver-mounted cane in hand, and bade me go on. " Stop I stop, boy. I can't move at that rate," he cried out, before we had got far. He was a short stout man, with a baid head and grey hair. I had to restrain my eagerness, and walked slower till we reached our house. Nancy was looking out at the door for me, wondering I had not returned. " How is mother ? " I asked. "Very bad, Peter; very bad indeed, I'm afeard," she answered, almost ready to cry. Then seeing Mr. Jones stop with me, she continued, "Come in, doctor, come in. You'll try and cure missus, won't you ? " " I'll certainly do my best when I know what is the A Sad Chapter in my Life, 25 matter with her," answered Mr. Jones, as he followed Nancy into the house. Mary was with mother. I stole in after the doctor, anxious to hear what he would say about her. He made no remark in her presence, however, but when he came out of the room he observed in a low voice to Nancy, " You must keep her quiet. Let there be nothing done to agitate her, tell her husband when he comes in. I'll send some medicine, and pay her another visit in the after- noon." " But it's about her husband that she's grieving, sir," said Nancy. " He went away to Spithead yesterday morning and has never come back." " Ah, that's bad," replied Mr. Jones. " However, per- haps he will appear before long. If he doesn't, it can't be helped. You must give her the medicines, at all events. I'll write the directions clearly for you." Poor Nancy had to confess that she could not read. The doctor then tri^d to impress upon her how and when she was to give the physic. "You'll remember, and there can be no mistake," he added, as he hurried off. I fancied that everything now depended on the arrival of the apothecary's stuff, and kept running to the door looking out for the boy who was to bring it. He seemed very long coming. I had gone half-a-dozen times when I caught sight, as I turned my eyes the other way thinking he might have passed by, of Tom Swatridge stumping slowly up the street. He stopped when he saw me, and beckoned. He looked very downcast. I observed that he had a straw hat in his hand, and I knew that it was father's. ** How is mother ? " he asked, when I got up to him. " Very bad," I answered, looking at the hat, but afraid to ask questions. \ 26 Peter Trawl. ** The news I bring will make her worse, I*m afeard," he said, in a husky voice, as he took my hand. " Peter, you had as good a father as ever lived, but you haven't got One now. A cutter just come in picked up this hat off St. Helen's, and afterwards an oar and a sprit which both belonged to the wherry. I went out the first thing this morning to the ship your father was to put the gentleman aboard. He had got alongside all right, for I saw the gentleman himself, and he told me that he had watched the wherry after she shoved off till he lost sight of her in a heavy squall of rain. When it cleared off she was nowhere to be seen. So, Peter, my poor boy, there's no hope, I'm afeard, and we shall never see my old messmate or Ned Dore again." " Oh, Tom I Tom ! You don't mean to say that father's gone ! " I cried out. " I'd sooner have lost another leg than have to say it,'* answered the old man. "But it must be said notwith- standing, and now how are we to tell mother ? " I could not answer, but kept repeating to myself, *' Gone I gone ! father gone ! " as Tom led me on to the house. We met the boy with the physic at the door. " Let Nancy give her the stuff first," said the old man, thoughtfully ; " maybe it will give her strength, and help her to bear the bad news." Nancy took in the bottles, while Tom and I remained outside. After some time she came out and told Tom that mother wanted to see him. He went in, shaking all over so much that I thought he would have fallen. I followed, when, seeing Mary, I threw my arms round her neck and burst into tears. She guessed what had happened even before I told her. We sat down, holding each other's hands and crying together, while Tom went in to see mother. What he said I do not know, though I am sure A Sad Chapter in my Life, 27 he tried to break the news to her as gently as he could. When she saw the hat, which he still held in his hand, she knew that father was lost. She did not go off into fits, as Tom afterwards told me he thought she would, but re- mained terribly calm, and just bade him describe to her all that he knew. " I mustn't give in," she said at length, " I have the chil- dren to look after, for if I was to go what would become ot them?" " While I'm able to work they shan't want, missus," answered Tom, firmly. ** J know what you'd wish to do, Tom; but there's one thing won't let you : that thing is liquor," said mother. ♦* Then I'll never touch another drop as long as I live, missus ! " exclaimed Tom. " May God help me 1 " " He will help you, Tom, if you ask Him," said mother ; " and I hope that, whether I live or die, you'll keep to that resolution." I believe that conversation with Tom did mother much good; it took her off from thinking of father. She was still, however, very ill, and had to keep her bed. The doctor came again and again ; generally twice a day. He of course had to be paid, and a good deal too. There was nothing coming in, and poor mother became more and more anxious to get out and attend to her business. The doctor warned her that she would go at great risk — indeed, that she was not fit to leave her bed. " Sne had no money left to pay for food and rent and the doctor's bill," she answered, and go she must. Though she had no money, she had, however, ample credit to stock her bumboat. Very unwillingly Nancy assisted her to dress. Out she would go, taking me with her to lay in a stock of the articles she required. People remarked on her ehanged looks, and some did not even know her. She acknowl«dged ii ! : II'! (ii I'iJiii I 28 Peter TrawL that she was very tired when we got home, but declared that she should be ihe better for going on the water. The next rhorning old Tom had his boat ready. " I (^o wish, missus, that you'd stayed at home a few days longer," he remarked, looking at her. '• Howsomedever, as you've come, I hopes you'll just take what I say kindly, and not be from home longer than you can help. There's dirty weather coming up from the south-west." Tom was right. We had two ships to visit. Before we got alongside the second down came the rain. But mother would go on, and consequently got wet through. Tom was very unhappy, but she said that she had done a good trade, and that no harm would come of it. Unhappily she was mistaken ; that night she was taken very ill — worse than before. I fetched the doctor ; he shook his head and said he wouldn't answer for what might happen. Faithful Nancy was half distracted. Poor mother got worse and worse. At last one day she beckoned A^ith her pale hand to Mary and me to come to her bedside. " I know that I am going to be taken from you, my dears," she said, in a low voice, for she could not speak loud. "I want you to promise me to be true to each other, to do your duty in God's sight, and always to ask Him to help you." *• I do, mother — I do promise," said Mary, the tears dropping from her eyes. She could scarcely speak for sobbing. I promise, too, mother, that I do ! " I exclaimed, in a firmer voice ; and I sincerely intended to fulfil my promise. Mother was holding our hands in hers. She said much more to us, anxious to give us all the advice in her power. Nancy came in with her medicine, after which she rallied, and bade us go to bed. A Sad Chapter in my Life, 29 I was awakened early in the morning by hearing Nancy cry out, " Run for the doctor, Peter ! run for the doctor ! Missus is taken worse." I slipped into my clothes, and was off like a shot, without askmg a question, or even looking into mother's room. I rang the night-hell, for no one was up. At last the servant opened the door, and said she would call her master. Mr. Jones soon appeared. He had been paid regularly, and when he saw me he was the more ready to come. Eager as I was to get back, I did not like to run ahead of him ; and, to do him justice, he exerted himself to walk as fast as his breath would allow him. He a?«ked me several questions ; then I told him that mother had been again out bumming. " Bad — very bad. I told her not to go. A relapse is a serious matter, ' he remarked, panting and puffing between his sei tences. " However, we must try wuat can be done." Mary met us at the door. " Mother has Leen breathing very hard since you went, Peter," she said, " but she is quite quiet now." Tiie doctor's face looked very serious when he heard this. He hurried into the room. " I thought so," I heard him remark to Nancy. "I could have done nothing if you had sent for me hours ago. The woman is dead." " Oh, dear ! oh, dear ! what shall I do ? " cried Nancy, sobbing bitterly. " The sooner you let any friends the children may have know what has happened the better, and then send for the undertaker," answered Mr. Jones. " The boy is sharp — lie'U run your errands. I can do no more than certify th*" cause of death." 30 Peter Trawl He hurried away without bestowing a look at Mary and me, as we stood holding each other's hands, unable as yet to realise the fact that we were orphans. He had so many poor patients that he could not afford, I suppose, to exercise his compassionate feelings. Even when Nancy afterwards took us in to see mother's body, I would scarcely believe that she herself had been taken from us. I will not stop to speak of Mary's and my grief. At last Nancy, her eyes red with crying, sat down, with her hands pressed against her head, to consider what was to be done. *' Why, I ought to have sent for him at once ! " she sud- denly exclaimtd. " Peter, run and find Tom Swatridge, and tell him that poor missus has gone." I needed no second bidding, and, thank'ul to have some- thing to do, I started away. On reaching the Hard, where I expected to find old Tom, I heard from some of the watermen that he had gone off with a fare to Gosport, so I had to wait for his return. Many of the men standing about asked me after mother, and seemed very sorry to hear of her death. I saw them talking earnestly together v/hile I waited for Tom. Others joined them, and then went away, so that the news soon spread about our part of the town. I had to wait a long time, till old Tom came back with several persons in his boat. He pocketed their fares, touching his hat to each before he took any notice of me. "What cheer, Peter? How's the missus?" he asked, stepping on shore and dropping the kedge to make fast his boat. " I feared she wouldn't be up to bumming to-day." " Mother's dead," I answered. " Dead ! the missus dead ! " he exclaimed, clapping his hand to his brow, and looking fixedly at me. " The Lord have mercy on us!" A Sad Chapter in my Life. 31 Lve some- " Nancy wants you, Tom," I said " I'm coming, Peter, I'm coming. I said I'd be a father to you and Mary, and I will, please God," he replied, recovering himself. He took my hand, and stumped away towards our house. " Dick Porter, look after my boat, will ye, till I comes back?" he said to one of the men on the Hard as we hurried by. " Ay, ay," was the cheerful answer — for Dick knew where old Tom was going. Not a word did the old man speak all the way. When we got to the house, what was my astonishment to find a number of people in the sitting-room, one of whom, with note-book in hand, was making an inventory of the furniture ! Mary was sitting in a corner crying, and Nancy was looking as if she had a mind to try and turn them all out. As soon as Mary saw me she jumped up and took my hand. " What's all this about ? " exclaimed old Tom, in an in- dignant tone. "You might have stopped, whatever right you may have here, till the dead woman was carried to her grave, I'm thinking." *• And o^^ers had carried off the goods," answered the man with the note-book. " We are only acting according to law. Mrs. Trawl has run into debt on all sides, and when the goods are sold there won't be five shillings in the pound to pay them, that I can see, so her children must take the consequences. There's the workhouse for them." " The work'us, do ye say ? Mrs. Trawl's children sent to the work'us !" exclaime i old Tom, and he rapped out an expression which I need not repeat. " Not while this here hand can pull an oar and I've a shiner in my pocket. If you've got the law* on your side, do as the law lets you. But all I can say is, that it's got no bowels of compassion in it, to allow the orphans to be turned out of house and home^ Ml! i' I ' '(1 .hi I i'ljiiil 32 Peter Trawl, and the breath scarce out of their mother's body. Nancy, do you pack up the children's clothes, and any school-books or play-things you can find, and then come along to my house. The law can't touch them, I suppose." " What is that drunken old Swatridge talking about ? " said one of the broker's men. Tom heard him. ** Such I may have been, but I'll be no longer ' drunken old Swatridge' while I have these children to look after," he exclaimed ; and giving one hand to Mary and the other to me, he led us out of the house. I I • ; CHAPTER IV. A FEARFUL CATASTROPHE. LEAVING Nancy, who could well hold her own, to battle with the broker's men, Tom, holding Mary by the hand, and I walked on till we came to his house, which I knew well, having often been there to call him. It con- sisted of two small rooms — a parlour, and little inner bed- chamber, and was better furnished than might have been expected ; yet old Tom had at one time made a good deal of money, and had expended a portion of it in fitting up his dwelling. Had he always been sober he would now have bet-n comfortably off. "Stay here, my dears, while I go out for a bit," he said, bidding us sit down on an old sea-chest on one side of the fireplace. " I haven't got much to amuse you, but here's the little craft I cut out for you, Peter, and you can go on rigging her as I've been doing. No matter if you don't do it all ship-shape. And here, Mary, is the stuff for the sails ; I've shaped them, you see, and if you will hem them you'll help us finely to get the craft ready for sea." Mary gladly undertook the task allotted to her, and even smiled as Tom handed out a huge housewife full of needles and thread and buttons, and od(is and ends of all sorts. " My thimble won't suit your finger, I've a notion, my little maid," he observed ; " but I dare say you've got one of your own in your pocket. Feel for it, will you ? " iiiili m liiii Ml \ 34 Pefer Trawl, Mary produced a thimble, six of which would have fitted into Tom's. " Av, I thought so," he said, and seeing us both busily employed, he hurried out of the house. He soon, however, returned, bringing a couple of plum buns for Mary, and some bread and cheese for me, with a small jug of milk. *' There, my dears, that'll stay your hunger till Nancy comes to cook some supper for you, and to put things to rights," he said, as he placed them before us. ** Good-bye. I'll be back again as soon as I can," and off he went once more. Mary and I, h.iving eaten the provisions he brought in, worked away diligently, thankful to have some employment to occupy our attention. But she stopped every now and then, when her eyes were too full of tears to allow her to see her needle, and sobbed as if her dear heart would brea^. Then on she went again, sewing as fast as she c^uld, anxious to please old Tom by showing him how much she had done. At length Nancy arrived with a big bundle on her back. " I've brought away all I could," she said, as she deposited her load on the floor. " I'd a h?'-d job to get them, and shouldn't at all, if Tom Swatridge and two other men hadn't come in and said they'd be answerable if everything wasn't all square. He and they were ordering all about the funeral, and I've got two women to stay with the missus till she's put all comfortable into her coffin. Alack ! alack ! that I should have to talk about her coffin ! " Nanry's feelings overcame her. On recovering, she, without loss of time, began to busy herself with household duties — lighted the fire, put the kettle on to boil, and made up old Tom's bed with some fresh sheets which she had brought. " You and I are to sleep here, Mary," she said, " and Peter is to have a shakedown in the sitting-room." " And where is Tom going to put up himself? " I asked. " That's what he didn't say, but I fancy he's going to stay A Fearful Catastrophe. 35 at night with an old chum who has a room near here. He saiu his place isn't big enough for us all, and so he'd made up his mind to turn out." Such I found to be the case. Nothing would persuade our friend to sleep in h7vingy to con>e down to Portsmouth to break the A Friend Lost and a Friend Gained. 45 news to his father. Say this from me, and that I yet hope to see him shortly." Commander Rogers seemed very sorry when I told him that father and mother were both dead. He asked me where I lived. I told him, as well as I could describe the house, forgetting that, too probably, Mary and I and Nancy would not be long allowed to remain there. ♦' When I commission another ship, would you like to go with me, my lad ? " he asked. "Very much, sir," I answered. "But I have a sister, and I couldn't go away with no one to take care of her ; so I m It not think of it now Tom Swatriuge has gone. All the same, I thank you kindly, sir." " Well, well, my lad; we will see what can be done," he said, and just then a midshipman came up to report that the boat was ready to carry the rescued man, with the surgeon, to the shore. I found that the master's mate, Mr. Harvey, and one of the men were going in my boat, and of course I did not like to say that I could get into the harbour very well with- out them. I touched my hat to the commander, who gave me a kind nod — it would not have done for him, I suppose, to shake hands with a poor boy on his quarter-deck even if he had been so disposed — and then I hurried down the side. I made sail, and took the helm just as if I had been by myself, Mr. Harvey sitting by my side, while the seaman had merely to rig out the mainsail with the boathook, as we were directly before the wind. " You are in luck, youngster," observed Mr. Harvey , *' though you have lost one friend you've gained another, for our commander always means what he says, and, depend on it, he'll not lose sight of you." He seemed a very free-and-easy gentleman, and made me tell him all about myself, and how we had lost father and II 46 Piter Trawl, mother, and how Tom Swatridge had taken charge of Mary and me. His cheerful way of talking made me dwell less on my grief than I should have done had I sailed into the harbour all alone. " I should like to go and see your little sister and the faithful Nancy," he saidj '* but I must return to the brig as soon as that poor man has been carried to the hospital, and I have several things to do on shore. Land me at the Point, you can find your way to the Hard by yourself, I've no doubt." *' The boat would find her way alone, sir, she's so accus- tomed to it,'' I answered. We ran in among a number of wherries with people embarking from thje Point or landing at it. The Point, it should be understood by those who do not know Ports- mouth, is a hard shingly beach on the east side, at the mourh of the harbour, and there was at that time close to it an old round stone tower, from which an iron chain formerly ex- tended across to Blockhouse Fort, on the Gosport side, to prevent vessels from coming in without leave. " Here, my lad. is my fare," said Mr. Harvey, slipping half a guinea into my hand as he stepped on shore, followed by the seaman ; •* it will help to keep Nancy's pot boiling till you can look about you and find friends. They will appear, depend on it." Before I could thank him he was away among the motley crowd of persons thronging the Point. I was thankful that no one asked me for old Tom, and, shoving out from among the other boats, I quickly ran on to the Hard. When I landed the trial came. A waterman had gained an inkling c f what had occurred from one of the crew of the Lapii.'ing's boat, and I was soon surrounded by people asking questions of how it happened. " 1 can't tell you more," I answered, at length breaking A Friend Lost and a Friend Gained, 47 from them. "Tom's gone, and brother Jack's gone, and I must go and look after poor Mary." It was late by the time I reached home. Nancy had got supper ready on the table, and Mary had placed old Tom's chair for him in a snug corner by the fire. They saw that something was the matter, for I couldn't speak for a minute or more, not knowing how to break the news to them. At last I said, with a choking voice, pointing to the chair, " He'll never sit there more ! " Dear me, I thought Mary's and Nancy's hearts would break outright when they understood what had happened. It was evident how much they loved the rough old man — I loved him too, but in a different way, I suppose, for I could not ease my heart by crying ; indeed I was thinking about what Mary and Nancy would do, and of brother Jack's loss. I did not like to tell Mary of that at first, but it had to come out, and, strange as it may seem, it made her think for the time less about what was to us by far the greater loss. Supper remained long untasted, but at last I felt that I must eat, and so I fell to, and after a time Nancy followed my example and made Mary take something. Nancy then began to talk of what we must do to gain om* living, and we sat up till late at night discussing our plans. There was the wherry, and I must get a mate, and I should do very well ; then we had the house, for we never dreamed that we should not go on living in it, as we were sure Tom would have wished us to do. Nancy was very sanguine as to how she could manage. Her plain, pock-marked face beamed as she spoke of getting three times as much work as before. Short and awkward as was her figure, Nancy had an heroic soul. Mary must continue to attend school, and in time would be able to do something to help also. We talked on till we almost fell asleep on our seats. The next morning we were up betimes. Nancy got out some 48 Peter TrawL black stuff we had worn for mother, a piece of which she fastened round my arm to show respect to old Tom's memory, and after breakfast I hurried out to try and find a mate, that I might lose no time in doing what I could with the wherry. I had thought of Jim Pulley, a stout strong lad, a year or two older than myself, who, though not very bright, was steady and honest, and I knew that I could trust him ; his strength would supply my want of it for certain work we had to do. Jim was the first person I met on the Hard. I made my offer to him ; he at once accepted it ** To tell the truth, Peter, I was a-coming to say, that if thou hadst not got any one to go in the place of Tom Swa- tridge, I would help thee till thou art suited for nothing, or if thou wilt find me. in bread and cheese I'll be thankful." In a few minutes after this Jim and I were plying for hire in the harbour, and we had not long to wait before we got a fare. The first day we did very well, and I gave Jim a quarter of what we took, with which he was perfectly content. " I wouldn't ask for more, Peter," he said, " for thou hast three mouths to feed, and I have only one." The next few days we were equally successful; indeed I went home every evening in good spirits as to my prospects. I made enough for all expenses, and could lay by something for the repairs of the wherry. Though Jim and I were mere boys, while the weather was fine people took our boat as willingly as they did those of grovvn men. Sometimes we got parties to go off to the Victory^ at others across to the Victualling Yard, and occasionally up the harbour to Porchester Castle. We worked early and late, and Jim or I was always on the look out for a fare. When I got home at night I had generally a good account to give of the day's proceedings. Now and then I asked A Friend Lost and a Friend Gained, 49 Jim in to take a cup of tea, and many a hearty laugh we had at what the ladies and gentlemen we had taken out had said and done. Seeing that we were but boys they fancied that they could talk before us in a way they wouldn't have thought of doing if we had been grown men. It must not be supposed that we were able to save much, but still I put by something every week for the repairs of the boat. I had got enough to give her a fresh coat of paint, which she much wanted, and we agreed that we would haul her up on Saturday afternoon for the purpose, :.o that she would be ready for Monday. We carried out our intentions, though it took every shilling I had put by, and we lost more than one fare by so doing. But the wherry looked so tresh and gay, that we hoped to make up for it the next week. Jim went to chapel on the Sunday with Mary and Nancy and me, and spent most of the day with us. He was so quiet and unassuming that we all liked him much. As we had put plenty of dryers in the paint, and the sun was hot on Sunday, by Monday forenoon we were able to ply as usual. We had taken a fare across to Gosport, when a person, whom we supposed to be a gendeman from his gay waistcoat and chains, and his top- boots, and hat stuck on one side, came down to the beach and told us to take him over to Portsea. We soon guessed by the way he talked that, in spite of his fine clothes, he was not a gentleman. " I say, you fellow, do you happen to know whereabouts an old chap, one Tom Swatridge, lives?" he asked of Jim. " He doesn't live anywhere ; he's dead," answered Jim. •'Dead! Dead, do you say?" he exclaimed. "Who's got his property ? " " He had no prQi)erty that I knows on," answered Jim ; "except, maybe " " Oh yes, he had and if the old fellow had iived he '1.. w (I» 50 Peter TrawL would have been the possessor of a good round sum ; but, as I am his nephew, that will be mine, and everything else he left behind him, the lawyer, Master Six-and-eightpence, as I call him, tells me." All this time I had not liked to say anything, but the last remark made me feel very uncomfortable. The speaker presently took a letter out of his pocket, and, reading it, said, " Ah ! I see ?Ir. Gull is the man I've got to go to. Can you show me where Mr. Gull, the attorney, lives ? " he asked of Jim ; " he'll settle up this matter." Jim made no answer, for we were getting near the shore, and had to keep out of the way of two craft coming up the harbour. We soon ran up to the Hard, when the man, stepping out, offered Jim a sixpence. " A shilling's the fare, sir," said Jim, keeping back his hand. " No, no, you young rascal ! I know better ; but I'll give you another sixpence if you will show me the way to Mr. Gull's." " You may find it by yourself," answered Jim, indignantly, as he picked up the sixpence thrown to him by our fare, who walked off. " Half a loaf is better than no bread, Peter, so it's as well not to lose the sixpence," said Jim, laughing. "But no gentleman would have offered less than a shilling. I wonder whether he really is old Tom's nephew ? " CHAPTER VI. TURNED OUT OF HOUSE AND HOME. WE had just landed the gaily-dressed individual who had announced himself the nephew of old Tom Swatridge. Thinking that he might possibly be the person he said he was, and not knowing what tricks he might play, I was intending to row home, wheu a gentleman, with two young ladies and a boy, who I knew by their dress to be Quakers, came down, wishing to lake a row round the harbour, and afterwards to visit the Victualling Yard. After we had pulled off some way, I asked if they would like to go aboard the Victory. " No, thank thee, young friend, we take no pleasure in visiting scenes, afloat or on shore, where the blood of our fellow-creatures has been shed," answered the gentleman. As he spoke I thought by his look and the tone of his voice that he must be Mr. Silas Gray, who had come to our house when the poor girl mother took in was dying, but I did not like to ask him. The young people called him father. At last he began to ask Jim and me questions, and how, young as we were, we came to have a boat by our- selves. " I suppose thy father is ill on shore ? " he said. Then I told him how he was lost at Spithead, and mother had died, and old Tom had been blown up, and I had taken his wherry, seeing there was no one else to own iH -'ill i:f. I*' ■I I ■ ■ H ■ ' tl m 52 Peter TrawL m her; and how Mary and Nancy and I lived on in his house. " And art thou and this other lad brothers ? " he inquired. " No, sir ; but Jim Pulley and I feel very much as if we were," I answered. " My name is Peter Trawl." *' And was thy mother a bumboat-woman, a true, honest soul, one of the excellent of the earth ?" he asked. " Ay, av, sir ! that was my mother," I said, my heart beating with pleasure to bear her so spoken of. Then he told me that he was Mr. Silas Gray, and asked if 1 -1^' mbered the visits he used ,o pay to our house. Of course I did. The .young ladies and his son joined in che conversation, ajnd very pleasant it was to hear them talk V/e were out the ^hole afternoon, and it was quite late when we got back to Portsea. Mr. Gray said that he was gohg away the next morning with his family to London, bat that when he retun-cd he would pay Mary a visit, and hoped before the summer was over to take some more trips in my wherry. He paid us liberally, and he and the young people gave us kind smiles and nods as they stepped on shore. While we were out I had not thought much about the fare we had brought across from Gosport in the morning, but now, recollecting what he had said, 1 hurried home, arxious to hear if he had found out the house. I had no';, to ask, for directly I appeared Nancy told rne that vrhile Mary was at school an impudent fellow had walked in and asked if old Tom Swatridge had once lived there, and when she said " Yes," had taken a note of everything, and then sat down and lighted his pipe, and told hei to run out and bring him a jug of ale. " * A likely thing, indeed ! ' I answered him," said Nancy ; " * what 1 when I come back to find whatever is Turned out of House and Home 53 worth taking carried off, or maybe the door locked and I unable to get in ! ' The fellow laughed when I said this — — a nasty sort of a laugh it was — and said, ' Ay ! just so.' I didn't know exactly what he meant, but presently he -sang out, * What ! are you not gone yet, gal?' 'No, and I shan't,' I answered; * and when Peter and Jim come in you'll pretty quickly find who has to go.' On this he thundered out, trying to frighten me, * Do you know that I am old Tom Swatridge's nephew and heir-at-law, [I think that's what he called himself], 'and that this house and everything in it is mine, and the wherry, and any money the old chao left behind him ? I'll soon prove that you and your brother are swindlers, and you'll be sent off to prison, let me tell you.' He took me for Mary, do you see, Peter ; and I was not going to undeceive him ? I felt somewhat nonplussed when he said this, but without answering I walked to the window, working with my needle as I was doing when he came in, and looked out as if I was expecting you and Jim to be coming. I would give him no food, nor even a drink of water ; so at last he grew tired, and, sr^ ing I should sec l^im again soon, swing- ing his cane and whistling, he walked away." " What do you think, Peter ? Can he really be old Tom's nephew?" asked Mary, whtn Nancy ceased speaking. '• One thing is certain, that if he proves himself to be so we shall be jound to turn out of this house, and to give up the wherry," I answered. " Oh, Peter ! what shall we do, then ? " exclaimed Mary. "The best we can, my sister," I said. "Perhaps the man may not be able to prove that he is what he calls liinself. I have heard of impostors playing all sorts of tricics. We'll hope for the best. And now Nancy, let us have some supper." 54 Peter Trawl, Though I tried to keep up the spirits of Mary and Nancy, I felt very anxious, and could scarcely sleep for thinking on the subject. Whatever might happen /or myself I did not care, but I was greatly troubled about what Mary and Nancy would do. I naturally thought of Commander Rogers, from whom all this time I had heard nothing, though he had promised to come and see after Mary and me. Mr. Gray had said that he was going away again, so that I could not obtain advice from him. " I have God to trust to, that's a comfort," 1 thought, and I soon dropped off to sleep. The next morning I remained at home to a later hour than usual. Just as I was going out a man came to the door, who said he was sent by Lawyer Gull, and put a paper into my hand,< which he told me was a something I could not exactly make out, to quit the house within twenty- four hours. " His client, the owner of the property, wishes not to act harshly, so refrains from taking stronger measures at present,'*' said the clerk, who, having performed his task, went away. I stopped a few minutes to talk with Mary and Nancy. Mary said quietly that if we must go we must, and that we had better look out for cheap lodgings at once. Nancy was very indignant, and declared that we had no business to turn out for such a scamp as that. Old Tom had never spoken of having a nephew ; she did not believe the fellow was his nephew, and certainly, if he was, Tom would not have left his property to him. She advised me, however, to go out and try to get advice from some one who knew more about the law than she did. I accord- ingly set ofif for the Hard, where I was sure to find several friends among the watermen. I had not got far when I met Jim Pulley, looking very disconsolate. " What is the matter, Jim," I asked. " We've lost the wherry ! " he exclaimed, nearly blubber- Turned out of House and Home, 55 I ing. " Two big fellows came down, and, asking what boat she was, told me to step ashore : and when I said I wouldn't for them, or for any one but you, they took me, crop and heels, and trundled me out of her." " That is only what I feared," I said. " I was coming down to find some one to advise us what to do." " Then you couldn't ask any better man than Bob Fox, he's been in prison half a score of times for smuggling and such like, so he must know a mighty deal about law," he answered. We soon found Bob Fox, who was considered an oracle on the Hard, and a number of men gathered round while he expressed his opinion. " Why, you see, mates, it's just this," he said, extending one of his hands to enforce his remarks ; " you must either give in or go to prison when they brings anything agen you, and that, maybe, is the cheapest in the end ; or, as there's always a lawyer on t'other side, you must set another lawyer on to fight him, and that's what I'd a ivise to be done in this here case. Now I knows a chap, one Lawyer Chalk, who's as sharp as a needle, and if any man can help young Peter and his sister to keep what is their own he'll do it. I'm ready to come down with some shiners to pay him, for, you see, these lawyer folk don't argify for nothing, and I'm sure some on you who loves justice will help Jack and Polly Trawl's children ; so round goes the hat." Suiting the action to the word, Bob, taking off his tar- paulin, threw a handful of silver into it, and his example being followed by a number of other men, he grasped me by the hand, and set off forthwith to consult Lawyer Chalk. We quickly reached his office. Mr. Chalk, a quiet-looking little man, with easy familiar manners, which won the con- fidence of his illiterate constituents, knowing Bob Fox 1:1 M '&! .»' ^ fl s« Peter Trawl, I well, received us graciously. His eyes glittered as he heard the money chink iij Bob's pocket. " It's all as clear as a pikestaff," he observed, when he heard what I had got to say. " They must prove first that this fellow who has turned up is Tom Swatridge's nephew ; then that he is his heirat-law, and finally that the house and boat belonged to the deceased. Now possession is nine-tenths of the law ; you've got them, and you must hold them till the law turns you out." " I couldn't, sir, if another has a better right to them than I have," I answered. " I lived on in the house and used the wherry because I was sure that old Tom would have wished me to do so, but then I didn't know that he had any relation to claim them." "And you don't know that he has any relation now," said Mr. Chalk ; " that has to be proved, my lad. The law requires proof; that's the beauty of the law. The man may swear till he's black in the face that he is the deceased's nephew, but if he has no proof he'll not gain his cause." Bob Fox was highly delighted with our visit to the lawyer. "I told you so, lad; I to\d you so!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands ; " t'other chap will find he has met his match. Bless you ! old Chalk's as keen as a razor." As I could not use the wherry, I went home feeling in much better spirits than before about our prospects. I was able even to cheer up Mary and Nancy. I told them that, by Lawyer Chalk's advice, we were not to quit the house, and that he would manage everything. No one appeared during the day. The next morning we had breakfast as usual, and as the time went by I was beginning to hope that we should be unmolested, when two rough-looking men came to the door, and, though Nancy sprang up to Turned out of House and Home, 57 » the bar tbem out, in they walked. One of them then thrust a paper out to her, but she drew back her hand as if it had been a hot iron. The man again attempted to make her take it. " One of you must have it," he growled out " No, no ! I couldn't make head or tail of it if I did," answered Nancy, still drawing back. " Let me have it," I said, wishing to know what the men really came for. " The sum total is, that you and the rest of you are to move away from this, and if you don't go sharp we're to turn you out ! " exclaimed the bailiff, losing patience at the time I took to read the document. *' It's an order of eject-, ment, you'll understand. " Don't you mind what it is, Peter ! " exclaimed Nancy ; " Mr. Chalk said we was to stay here, and stay we will for all the scraps of paper in the world ! " And Nancy, seating herself in a chair, folded her arms, and cast defiant looks at the officers of the law. They were, however, up to the emergency. Before either she or I were aware of what they were about to do, they had secured her arms to the back of the chair, and then, lifting it and her up, carried her out of the house and deposited her in the street, in spite of the incautious attempt I made to effect a rescue. The moment I got outside the house one of the bailiffs, turning round, seized me in a vice- like grasp, and the other then entering, led out Mary, who saw that resistance was hopeless. He next walked back, took the key from the door, and, having locked it, released Nancy and re-entered the house with the chair. Before Nancy could follow him he had shut himself in, while his companion, letting me go with a ij^iove which sent me staggering across the street, walked off, I concluded to tell the lawyer who sent him and his mate that they had got possession of the house. U. : f hil f, S 58 Peter TrawL Nancy was standing, with hei fists clenched, too much astonished at the way she had been treated to speak. Mary was in tears, trembling all over. " Oh, Peter, what are we to do ? " she asked. " I'll go to Lawyei' Chalk and hear what he says," I answered. " If the house and boat ought to be ours, he'll gel them back ; if not, I can't say just now what we must do. Meantime do you and Nancy go to Widow Simmons's, and wait there. She was always a friend of mother's, and will be glad to help you." Mary agreed, but Nancy, who at length found her tongue, declared that she wasn't going to lose sight of the house, and that she would stay where she was and watch and tell the folks who passed how we had been treated. As nothing I could say would induce her to move, I accompanied Mary to the widow's, where I left her, and hastened on to Mr. Chalk's. I'he lawyer made a long face when I toid him how we had been treated. " I told you that ' possession is nine-tenths of the law,' my Jad, and now they are in and you are out," he answered. " It's a bad job — but we'll see what can be done. We must obtain at all events your clothes, and any other private property you may possess. Nov/ go, my lad, and call upon me in a v/eek or two; I shall see Bob Fox in the meantime." , • Soon after leaving the lawyer's I met Jim Pulley. Having seen Nancy, he was fuming with indignation at our having been turned out of our home, and proposed trying to break into the house to regain possession, but I had sense enough to know that we must abide by the law, whichever way that decided. I found Nancy still keeping watch before the door, and vehemently appealing to all who would stop to listen to her. It was with some difficulty that I at length persuaded her to go with me to Mrs. Simmons's. The kind Turned out of House and Home, 59 widow was willing to give us shel er, and as Mary had fortunately my savings in her pock jt, we had sufficient to pay for our food for some days. Tlie next morning Mary went as usual to school ; Nancy left the house, saying that she was going to look for work, and I set out, hoping to find employment in a wherry with one of the men who knew me. WW, :r ii l:M m ■:ii \\ ' CHAPTER VII. HELP COMES WHEN LEAST EXPECTED. T FOUND it more difficult to obtain employment with -*• wages sufficient to support Mary and me, not to speak of Nancy, than I had expected. Jim and I tried to hire a boat, but we could not obtain one to suit us for any sum we could hope to pay. \ Ours, for so we still called her, had been carried off, and locked up in a shed at Portsmouth. He and I picked up a sixpence or a shilling now and then, but some days we got nothing. There was a great risk of our becoming what my father had so strongly objected to "longshore loafers." I would not desert Jim, who had served me so faithfully, and so we tried, as far as we could, to work together. Sometimes he talked of going off ":o sea, but as I could not leave Mary his heart failed him at the thought of going without me. At the time appointed I called on Lawyer Chalk. " Sorry to say we are beaten, my lad," were the words with which he greeted me. " I fought hard, but there's no doubt that Mr. Gull's client is the nephew of Tom Swa- tridge, who died intestate, consequently his nephew is his heir. .Had the old man wisely come to me I would have drawn up a will for him, securing his property to you or any one he might have desired. I am very sorry for you, but law is law, and it can't be helped. I hope that you will find employment somewhere soon. Good-day to you." And he waved me out of his office. Help Comes when Least Expected, 6 1 In corr^equence of his failure in my cause, Lawyer Chalk sank considerably in the estimation of Bob Fox and his friends, who declared that the next time they wanted legal advice they would try what Lawyer Gull could do for them. I should have said that a day or two before he had sent a clerk armed with due authority to accompany Nancy and Mary, who brought away our clothing and all the articles which we had purchased with our own money. Curiously enough, I did not again set eyes on Mr. Eben Swatridge, who was, I understood, the son of a younger brother of old Tom, who had gone into business in London and made money. Some property having been left to the two brothers, or to the survivor of either, Eben had been compelled to make inquiries respecting his long unrecognized uncle, and had thus been induced to pay the visit to Portsea which had produced such disastrous results to Mary and me. The house and furniture and wherry were sold, and directly afterwards he disappeared from Portsmouth. Per- haps he thought it wise to keep out of the way of Bob Fox and the other sturdy old salts who supported me. Not that one of them would have laid a finger on him, and Mary and [ agreed that, far from having any ill-feeling, we should have been ready, for his uncle's sake, to have been friends if he had expliined to us at the first who he was and his just rights in a quiet way. We had now a hard struggle to make the two ends meet. Mrs. Simmons fell ill, and Mary, who could no longer go to school, had to attend on her, and I had to find food and, as it turned out, to pay her rent, she being no longer able to work for her own support. I did not grumble at this, for I was grateful to her for her kindness to us ; but though we stinted ourselves to the utmost, we often had not a sixpence in the house to buy fit nourishment for the poor old lady. Nancy was ready to slave from morning to night, but was often unsuccessful ia 1 1 62 Peter Trawl, obtaining work, so that she made scarcely enough to support herself; sh^ might have got a situation, but she would not leave Mary. Whenever honest Jim Pulley could save a shilling he brought it, as he said, for the widow, though I knc// that besides his wish to help iier he was much influenced by his regard for us. I often thought when the winter came what he and I should do then. I aid not say anything to Mary about the future, but tried to keep up her spirits, for I saw that her cheek was becoming pale, and she was growing thinner and thinner every day. At last one morning, when I had got up just at daylight, and having taken a crust of bread and a d ;nk of water for breakfast, was about to go out in search of work, Nancy came into the room, and said, " I don't know what has come over Mary, but sV*e has been talking and talking ever so strangely all night, and her cheek is as hot as a live cinder." I hurried into the little back room Mary and Nancy occupied next to the widow's. A glance told me that my dear little sister was in a high fever. My heart was ready to burst, for she did not know me. Mrs. Simmons was too ill to get up and say what she thought of its nature. " I must run for the doctor, Nancy," I exclaimed ; *' there's not a moment to lose ; " and snatching up my hat I rushed out of the house, assured that Nancy would do her best in the meantime. I had caught sight of Dr. Rolt passing along the street on the previous day, so I knew that he was at home, and I felt more inclined to go to him than to Mr. Jones. I ran as 1 had not run for a long time, and no one ventured to stop me now. The doctor was on foot, early as was the hour. He remembered mother and Mary and me the moment I mentioned my name. " I'll come to see your little sister directly," he said* Help Comes when Least Expected, 63 I waited for him, fearing that he might not find the house. He was soon ready, and, considering his age, I was surprised how well he kept up with me. I eagerly ushered him into the house. He had not been long with Mary before he sent me off to the chemist to get some medicine, for which I had fortunately enough in my pocket to pay. When I came back he gave it to her himself, and said that he would send some more in the evening ; but he would not tell me what he thought of her. I will not dwell on this unhappy time. The doctor came twice every day and sometimes oftener, but Mary seemed to be getting no better. I had to go out to get work, but all I could make was not sufficient for our expenses, and I had to run into debt, besides which the widow's rent was due, and she could not pay it. One day Jim brought me a few shillings, which he said the watermen had given him, but times were bad with most of them, and they could do but little. This enabled me to get some things absolutely necessary for Mary and food for the rest of us. The landlord called two or three times for rent, and at last said that he must put in a distress if it was not paid. The thought of what the consequence of this would be to Mary made me tremble with fear. Ill as she and Mrs. Simmons were, their beds might, notwithstanding, be taken from beneath them. The widow might be carried off to the workhouse, and we should be turned into the street I begged hard for delay, and promised that I would do all I could to raise the money. The landlord replied that he would give us two days more, but would not listen to any- thing further I had to say. The doctor had just before called, so that I could not then tell him of our difficulty. He had not yet given me any assurance that he thought Mary would recover. Nancy could not leave the house, as she waj] required every moment to attend on her and Mrs. bim- M 64 Peter TrawL mons. I was not likely to find Dr. Rolt till the evening, so I determined to cohsult Jim and Bob Fox. 1 soon met Jim ; he was ready to cry when I told him. He scratched his head and rubbf-d his brow, in vain trying to suggest something. " Bob can't help us either," he said, at length. " He's got into trouble. Went away three days ago over to France in a smuggling lugger, the Smiling Lass, and she was catched last night with tubs aboard, so he's sure to want all the money he can get to pay Lawyer Chalk to keep him out of prison, if that's to be done, but I'm afeared even old Chalk will be nonplussed this time." " I wonder whether Lawyer Chalk would lend me the money," I said. * " Might as well expect to get a hen's egg out of a block of granite," answered Jim. On inquiry I found that all my friends from whom I had the slight w^l hope of assistance were away over at Ryde, Cowes, or Southampton. " I tell you, Peter, as I knowed how much you wanted money, I'd a great mind to go aboard the Smiling Lass t'other day, when Bob axed me. It's a good job I didn't, isn't it?" " I am very glad you didn't, not only because you would have been taken, but because you would have brolcen the law," I answered. •* Father always set his face against smuggling." ■ ' "Yes, maybe he did," said Jim, who did not see that smuggling was wrong as clearly as I did. " But now what's to be done ? " ** We'll go down to the Hard, and try to pick up a job," I answered. " A few pence will be better than nothing." We each got a job in different boats. The one I was in took some passengers over to Ryde, and thence some that at's )b," Help Conies when Least Expected. 65 others to Spithead and back, so that it was late when I got home with a shilling and a few pence in my pocket. Mar was no better. The doctor had been, and Nancy had told him of the landlord's threats, but he had made no remark. « I'll tell you what I'll do, Nancy," I said ; " I'll offer the landlord this shilling when he comes to-morrow to show that I am in earnest, and perhaps he will let us off for another day or two." *' Better hear what the doctor thinks when he comes in the morning. I don't think that he'll allow Mary and Widow Simmons to have their beds taken from under them. Cheer up, Peter I cheer up ! " I did cheer up a little when Jim came in and brought another shilling, his day's earnings, declaring that he'd had a good dinner, and had still some coppers in his pocket to pay for the next day's breakfast. He, however, could not resist eating some bread and cheese which Nancy pressed on him before he went away. I could scarcely close my eyes for thinking of what the n orrow might bring forth. About midnight Nancy came in and told me that Mary was sleeping more calmly than she had done since she was taken ill. Hoping that this was a good sign my mind became less disquieted, and I fell asleep. The next morning the usual hour for the doctor's coming passfd and he did not appear. We waited and waited, anxious to know whether Mary really was better. At last there came a knocking at the door, and in walked the landlord, with a couple of men at his heels. " Have you the rent ready, good people ? " he asked, in a gruff tone. " No, sir ; but I have two shillings, and I promise to pay as much as I can every day till you've got what you df^- mand," I said, as fast as 1 could speak. The men laughed as I said this. ■I i'll! :;^ 66 Peter TraioL " Two shillings ! that won't go no way, my lad," cried the landlord. " Let me see, why this old pot and kettle and the cups and plates, and table and chairs, and every- thing in this room won't sell for more than half my demands, so we must have the bedsteads and bjddi : anr^ '^h^st of drawers or so; and as the old woi lan in .1.0 'on t ever be able to pay me more rent, she and al' ....\ must turn out with what remains ! So now, Crouch and .: - )g- gins, do your duty." The moment he had entered the house Nancy, passing behind me, had locked Mary's and Mrs. Simmons's doors, and having put the keys in her pocket, had slipped into the scullery or little back kitchen, where we often cooked in summer. One of the men was in the act of placing one chair upon another, and his companion was approacLing Marys room, when suddenly Nancy rushed out of the back kitchen with a red-hot poker in her hand, and placing herself before it, exclaimed, " Step an inch nearer if ye dare, ye cowards ! Out on ye, Mr. Grimes, to come and disturb a fever-sick girl and an old dying woman for the sake of a few filthy shillings ! Peter here has offered you some, and has promised to pay you more when he can get them, and I promise too ; and now let me see if one of you dare to lay a finger on any of Missus Simmons's things ! Get out of this house ! get out of this house, I say 1 " And she began flourishing her poker and advancing towards the intruders in a way which made them beat a rapid retreat towards the door, Mr. Grimes scrambling off the first, and shouting out, " Assault and battery ! I'll make you pay for this, you young vixen ! " *'l don't mind your salt and butter, nor what you call me either," cried Nancy; and she was just slamming the door Help Comes when Lead ExpecLd, 67 behind them, when two persons appearod as if about to enter, one of whom exdr ' Tied, in a voice which I recogniiseci as that of Dr. Rolt, " Why, rrx^' rood girl, what is all this a^ jut?" " They said that they was a-going to take Mary's and the widow's beds and all the things away, sir, and I wouldn't let theku," she answered, panting and still grasping the hot pokei. ** Verily, daughter, thou hast taken a very effectual way of preventing them," said the other person, who I now saw to my great joy was Mr. Silas Gray. He and the doctor at once entered the house. " Now listen to me, damsel," he continued. ** Thou hast been prompted by affLCtionate zeal to defend thy friends, I doubt not, but nevertheless thou hast acted illegally, and the consequences to th\se^' :aay be serious; however, I will say no more on the subject at present. Put back thy weapon into the fireplace and attend on friend Rolt, who desires to see his patients." I saw Mr. Gray and the doctor exchange smiles as Nancy, producing the keys from her pocket, unlocked the doors. He now, observing me, said, " Tell me, my lad, how all this happened. I thought that thou wast doing well with thy wherry." So while the doctor was seeing Mary and Mrs. Simmons, I gave him an exact account of all that had happened since the day he and h'' family were out with Jim and me on the water. I had just finished, when the doctor came into the room. *' I can give you a favourable account of your young sister, my lad," said Dr. Rolt. " Her patience and obedience, aided by Nancy's care, have been much in her favour, and she will, I trust, shortly recover. As soon as she has gained sufficient strength our friend Mr. Gray wishes I i- \ 68 Peter TtawL her to be removed to his house, and Nancy can remain here to look after the poor widow, whose days on earth are numbered." " Oh, thank you, gentlemen ; thank you ! " I exclaimed, my heart swelling so that I could scarcely utter the words. " And what about yourself, my son ? " asked Mr. Gray. " Oh, Jim and I will try to rub on together, and I'll try to pay the widow's rent a . I promised, if you'll speak a word, sir, to Mr. Grimes and get him not to press for pay- ment," I answered. " Set thy mind at rest on that point. I will satisfy the demands of the widow's landlord,'' said Mr. Gray ; ani he then added, *' Come to my house to-morrow, and I will meantime consider what can be done to put you in the way of gaming your daily bread. I desire to show thee that I am pleased with thy conduct, but it were small kindness were I to enable thee to live in idleness." Again thanking Mr. Gray from the bottom of my heart, I said, " What I want, sir, is work. Help me to get that, and it will be all I ask." Before going away Mr. Gray saw Mary for a short time, and paid a long visit to poor Mrs. Simmons, which she said did her heart good. I had never felt so happy in my life, and could not resist going out to tell Jim Pulley. " Ask him to set thee up with a wherry and we'll go out together again as we used to do. That will be fine, and we'll be as merry as two crickets ! " he exclaimed. *• I think I ought to leave it with him," I answered. "A wherry costs a lot of money, and he has already been very generous, though I should like him to do as you propose, and I promise you, Jim, whatever he proposes, to stick by you." "That's all I care for," answered my friend. Help Conies when Least Expected, 69 He accompanied me to the door, but would not come in for fear of disturbing Mary. Tiie next day I went to see Mr. Gray, who lived in a pretty house some way out of Portsmouth. He and his daughters received me very kindly. He had, he said, been considering what he could do for me. He would obtain a wherry for me, but he considered that the life of a waterman was not suited to a lad like me, and he then said that he was a shipowner, and was about to despatch a brig in a few days to the coast of Norway for timber, and that, if I pleased, he would send me on board her as an apprentice. Also, as he considered that I was already a seaman, he would give me a trifle of pay. Remembering what my father used to say about not wishing Jack " to become a long-shore lubber," I at once replied that I would thankfully have accepted his offer, but that I could not desert Jim Pulley, who would well-nigh bre ik his heart, if 1 were to go away without him. " Nor need thee do that, my son," he answered. " I will provide a berth also for thy friend on board the Good Intent^ and he and thou need not be parted. I approve of thy constancy to him and of his faithfulness to thee. A long- shore life, such as thou wouldst lead if thou wast owner of a wherry, would be dangerous if not demoralising, albeit thou might live comfortably enough." " But, sir, what will my sister do without me when she recovers and leaves you, and where will Nancy go when the widow dies ? " " I will be chargeable for both of them. Set thy mind at rest on that point. Should I be called away — and no man knows how long he has to live — I will direct my daughters to watch over them. Thou and thy friend Jim can, in the meantime, follow thy vocation of watermen, so that thou mayest eat the fruit of thy labours, which is sweeter far to brave hearts like thine than food bestowed in charity." '';1™ m:m 1 tS 1 :»a ...i i. 70 Peter TrawL I did my best to thank Mr. Gray as I ought, and hastened back to tell Mary and Nancy and Jim. " I'd have gone with thee, Peter, even if it had been to Botany Bay, or any of them outlandish parts," exclaimed Jim, when 1 told him what Mr. Gray had promised. "I am glad ; yes, I am glad ! " We both tried at once to get employment, and did very well that afternoon and on the two following days. When I got home on the evening of the last I found that a message had been left by Mr. Gray when he visited the widow and Mary, directing Jim and me to go the next morning at nine o'clock on board the Good Intent, which had just come into the Commercial Dock. I hastened off to tell Jim at once. As may be supposed, we were up betimes, and as we got to the dock before the hour appointed we were able to examine the Good Intent at our leisure. She was a fair enough looking craft, but as she was deep in the water, having only just begun to discharge a cargo of coals brought from the north, and had a dingy appearance, from the black dust flying about, we could not judge of her properly. As the bells of St. Thomas's Church began to strike nine we stepped on board, and directly afterwards Mr. Gray, followed by a short, broad, oldish man, who had not a bit the look of a skipper, though such I guessed he was, came out of the cabin. "Right! Punctuality saves precious hours," said Mr. Gray, with an approving nod. " These are the lads I desire to commit to thy care, Captain Finlay. Instruct them in their duties, so that they may become able seamen, and they will repay thy teaching." *• I'll act justly by the laddies, Mr. Gray, but there's an auld saying that • ye canna make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.' If they dinna keep their wits awake, or if they ha' na IMr. jsire in [hey an na Help Comes when Least Expected, 7 1 wits to keep awake, all th^ teaching in the world will na make them sailors." " They are fair sailors already, and thou wilt find them handy enough, I hope," observed Mr. Gray. Alter putting a few questions, Captain Finlay told us to come aboard the next day but one with our bags, by which time the cargo would be discharged. We set off home greatly pleased, though puzzled to k"ow how we should obtain a decent kit. With Nancy's help, I might be pretty weil off, but poor Jim had scarcely a rag to his back besides the clothes he stood in. In the evening, however, a note came from Mr. Gray with an order on an outfitter to gi\ e us each a complete kit suited to a cold climate. We were not slow to avail ourselves of it. The next day Dr. Rolt con- sidered Mary sufficiently well to be removed, and Mr. Gray sent a closed carriage to convey her to his house. The doctor told me to be ready to accompany her, and kindly came himself. It was the first time I had ever been in a coach, and the rolling and pitching made me feel very queer. The young ladies received us as if we had been one of themselves, and Mary was carried up into a pretty, neat room, with white dimity curtains to the bed, and the fresh air blowing in at the open window. " I'll leave her to you, now. Miss Hannah," said the doctor. " This is all she requires, with your watchful care." After I had had a short talk with Mary ilone I took my leave, and Miss Hannah told me to be sure to come back and see them before the Good Intent sailed. It was wv likely I bhould forget to do that. Jim and I now went to live on board the brig. We had plenty of work, cleaning out the hold and getting rid of the coal-dust, and then we scrubbed the deck, and blacked down the rigging, and painted the bulwarks and masts, till the change in the appearance of the dingy collier was like I 72 Pekr Trawl. that of a scullery-maid when she puts on her Sunday best We did not mind the hard work, though it was a good deal harder than any we, had been accustomed to, but the master and the rest of the crew set us a good example. There was little grumbling, and what surprised me, no swearing, such as I had been accustomed to hear on the 7-Iard. Captain Finlay would not allow it, and the mate supported him in checking any wrong expressions which some of the men had been in the habit of uttering. I got leave to run up and see Mary and to bid Nancy' and Mrs. Simmons good-bye. Miss Hannah and her sisters seeded to be making a great deal of Mary. It was evident they liked her much, and I was not surprised at that. The widow I never expected to see again. Nancy would scarcely let me go. " Oh, Peter, Peter ! what should us do if anything was to happen to ye out on the cruel sea ! " she cried, as she held my hand and rubbed her eyes with her apron. The next day the Good Intent went out of harbour, and I began in earnest the seafaring life I was destined lo lead. CHAPTER VIII. MV FIRST VOYAGE. WIND south-south-west. The North Foreland had been rounded ; the countless craft, of all sizes and rigs, generally to be found off the mouth of the Thames, " had been cleared, and the Good Intent^ with studding sails alow and aloft, was standing across the German Ocean. Jim and I soon found our sea-legs, and were as well able to go aloft to reef topsails as the older hands. We were already well up to the ordinary duties of seamen, and could take our place at the helm with any of them. *• Mr. Gray was not mistaken about thee, laddie," said the captaiij to me one day as I came aft to the wheel. " Go on as thou hast begun ; obey God, and thou wilt prosper." I was much pleased with this praise, for the old man was not given to throwing words away. While I steered he stood by telling me not only what to do then, but how to act under various circumstances. At other times he made me come into the cabin and gave me lessons in navigation to fit me to become a mate and master. Jim, being unable to read, and showing no aptitude for learning, had not the same advantages. We both of us lived forward with the men, some of whom were a little jealous of the favour I received, and not only played me tricks, ordered me to do all sorts of disagreeable jobs, and gave me a taste of the iHiiiiiMii ' "' 'HffiSlil^ y HI > \ ■■III ' III 1 Hi n > • :lia:: lii \ 74 Peter Trawl, iBil rope's-end on the sly, but tried hard to set Jim against me. They soon, however, found out that they were not hkely to succeed, for though Jim did not mind how they treated him, he was always ready to stick up for me. The forecastle of the Good Intent was thus not a paradise to either of us. The greater number of the men were, however, well disposed, and it was only when they were on deck that the others dared to behave as I have described, while, as we would not complain, the mate knew nothing of what was going forward below. I remember thinking to myself, " If these sort of things can be done on board a ship, with a well-disciplined crew and a good captain and mate, how hard mubt be the lot of the unhappy boys serving in a craft where the captam, officers, and men are alike brutal ! " Jim was always ready to oblige, and I did my best to win over my enemies by trying to show that I did not mind how they treated me, and I soon succeeded. We were, I should liave said, bound out to Bergen, on the coast of Norway, for a cargo of hides, tallow, salt fish, and spars, which we were to carry to London. The weather had hitherto been fine, a great advantage to Jim and me, as we had time to learn our duties and to get accustomed to going aloft before our nerves and muscles were put to any severe test. But though the sea was smooth, the breeze, which had at first carried us briskly along, shifted to the northward, so that we n?ade but slow progress. Now we stood on one tack, now on the other, the wind each time heading us. At last the grumblers began to declare that we should never make our port. "The old craft has got a run of ill-luck, there's something worse a-going to happen," said Sam Norris, one of my chief persecutors, as during his watch below he sat »vith his arms folded on his chest in the fore-peak. ** I seed a black cat My First Voyage, 75 i at so one At ver Ihief rms [cat come aboard the night afore we left the docks, and no one knows that she ever went ashore again." Some of the men looked uncomfortable at Sam's state- ment, but others laughed. " What harm could the black cat do, if she did come aboard ? " I inquired. ** Probably she came to look for rats, and having killed all she could find, slipped ashore again unseen by any one." "1 didn't say a she-cat. It looked like a big tom-cat; but who knows that it was really a cat at all?" said Sara. " If it wasn't a tom-cat, what was it ? " asked Bob Stout, a chum of Sam's. "Just what neither you nor I would like to meet if we had to go down into the hold alone,''said Sam, in a mysterious tone. Just then the watch below was summoned on deck to shorten sail. Not a bit too soon either, and we were quickly swarming aloft and out on the yards. To reef sails in smooth water is easy enough, but when the ship is pitching into the fast rising seas and heeling over to the gale, with the wind whistling through the rigging, blocks rattling, i pes lashing about, the hard canvas trying to escape from one's grip, and blatters of rain and sleet and hail in one's face, it is no pleasant matter. We had taken two reefs in the topsails, and even then the brig had as much canvas on her as she could stand up to, and we had all come down on deck, with the exception of Jim, who had been on the foreyard, when the mate, seeing a rope foul, ordered him to clear it. Jim performed his duty, but instead of coming down as he ought to have done, remained seated on the foreyard, holding on by the lift to get accustomed to the violent motion, in which he seemed to take a pleasure. The male, not observing this, came aft to speak to the captain, who shortly afterwards, finding that the brig was '^%\ 76 Peter Trawl, falling off from the wind, which had before been baffling, having shifted ahead, ordered her to be put about. " Down with the helm," cried the captain. I saw the men hauling at the braces, when, looking up, I caught sight of Jim at the yardarm. I shrieked out with terror, expecting that the next instant, as the yardarm swung round, he would be dashed to pieces on the deck, or hove off into the raging sea. The kind-hearted mate, recollecting him, came rushing forward, also believing that his destruction was certain, unless he could be caught as he fell. My heart beat, and my eyes were fixed on my friend as ^f they would start out of my head. I wildly stretched out my hands, yet I felt that I could do nothing to save him, when he made a desperate spring, and catching hold of the backstay, came gliding down by it on deck as if nothint^ particular had happened, scarcely conscious, indeed, of the fearful danger he had escaped. The mate rated him in stronger language than he generally used for his carelessness, winding up by asking : ** Where do you think you would have been, boy, if you hadn't have jumped when you did or had missed your aim?" '* Praise God for His ;reat mercy to thee, laddie, and may thou never forget it all the days of thy life," said the old captain, who had beckoned Jim aft to speak to him. Jim, touching his hat, answered, "Ay, ay, sir!" but he was, perhaps, less aware of the danger he had been in than any one on board. The gale increased ; several heavy seas struck the old brig, making her quiver from .fern to =tern, and at last one heavier" than the rest breaking on ijuiU'I, car:.u;d the starboard bul- warks forward clean away. Souie of the men were below ; Jim and I and others ^rert' ..:t, and th' rest, thc.agh half drowned, managed to seer e .neniselves. To avoid the risk My First Voyage. 77 le in |g> Iff il- » of another sea striking her in the same fashion, the brig was hove to under a close-reefed fore-topsail. As we had plenty of sea room, and the brig was tight as a bottle, so the mate affirmed, there was no danger; still, I for one heartily wished that the weather would moderate. I had gone aft, being sent by the cook to obtain the ingredients of a plum-pudding for the cabin dinner. Not thinking of danger, on my return I ran along on the lee side of the deck, but before I reached the caboose I saw a mountain sea rolling up with a terrific roar, and I heard a voice from aft shout, " Hold on for your lives ! " Letting go the basin and dish I had in my hands, 1 grasped frantically at the nearest object I could meet with. It WIS a handspike sticking in the windlass, but it proved a tre'1 :herous holdfast, for, to my horror, out it came at the instant that the foaming sea broke on board, and away I was carried amid the whirl of waters right out through the shattered bulwarks. All hope of escape abandoned me. In that dreadful moment it seemed that every incident in my life came back to my memory ; but Mary was the chief object of my thoughts. I knew that I was being carried off into the hungry ocean, and, as I supposed, there was no human aid at hand to save me, when the brig gave a violent lee lurch, and before I was borne away from her side I felt myself seized by the collar of my jacket, and dragged by a powerful arm, breathless and stunned with the roar of waters in my ears, into the galley. The cook, who had retreated within it when the sea struck the brig, had caught sight of me, and at the risk of his life had darted out, as a cat springs on her prey, and saved me. I quickly recovered my senses, but was not prepared for the torrent of abuse which my preserver, Bob Fritters, poured out on me for having come along on the lee instead of the weather side of the deck. Two or three of the v/atch who had been aft and fancied 78 Peter Trawl, that I had been carried overboard, when they found that I was safe, instead of, expressing any satisfaction, joined the cook in rating me for my folly. Feeling as I suppose a half-drowned rat might do, I was glad to make my escape below, where, with the assistance of Jim, I shifted into dry clothes, while he hurried on deck to obtain a fresh supply of materials for the captain's pudding. Shortly after this the gale abated, and the brig was again put on her course. I had been sent aloft one morning soon after daybreak to loose the fore-royal, when I saw right ahead a range of blue mountains, rising above the mist which still hung over the ocean. I knew that it must be the coast of Norway, for which we were bound. " Land! land! " I shouted, pointing in the direction I saw the mountains^ which I guessed were not visible from the deck. The mate soon came aloft to judge for 'Mmself. •'You are rigl.t, Peter," he said. "We have made a good landfiall, for if I ai^stake not we are just abreast of the en- trance to the Bay of Jeltefiord, at the farther end of which stand , Bergen, the town we are bound for." The mate was right. The breeze freshening we stood on, and in the course of the morning we ran between lofty and rugged rocks for several miles, through the harrow Straits of Carmesundt into t^e bay — or fiord rather — till we came to an anchor off the picturesque old town of Bergen. It was a thriving, bustling place ; the inhabitants, people from all the northern nations of Europe, mostly engaged in mercantile pursuits. We soon discharj^^d our cargo and began taking on board a very miscellaneous one, including a considerable quantity of spars to form the masts and yards of small vessels. The day seemed to me wonderfully long, indeed there was scarcely any night. Of course, we had plenty of hard work, i ,;■ My First Voyage, 79 as we were engaged for a large part of the twenty-four hours in hoisting in cargo. I should have thought all hands would have been too tired to think of carrying on any tricks, but it seemed that two or three of them had conceived a spite against Jim because he would not turn against me. One of our best men, Ned Andrews, who did duty as second mate, had brought for his own use a small cask of sugar, as only molasses and pea-coffee were served out forward. One morning, as I was employed aft under the captain's directions, Andrews came up and complained that on opening his cask he fouiid it stuffed full of dirty clouts and the sugar gone. I never saw the captain so indignant. ** A thief on board my brig ! " he exclaimed; ''.verily, I'll make an example of hira, whoever he is." Calling the mate, he ordered him forthwith to examine all the men's chests, supposing that the thief .nust have stowed the sugar in his own. "Go, Peter, and help him," he added, "for I am sure that thou, my son, art not the guilty one." I followed the mate into the fore-peak. Having first demanded the keys from the owners of those which were locked, he examined chest after chest, making me hold up the lids Vv'hile he turned out the contents or plunged his hands to the bottom. No sugar was found in any of them. He then came to my chest, which I knew was not locked, and the idea came into my head that the stolen property would be there. I showed some anxiety, I suspect, as I lifted up the lid. The mate put in his hands with a careless air, as if he had no idea of the sort. Greatly to my relief he found nothing. There was but one chest to be examined. It was Jim's. Scarcely had I opened it when the mate, throwing off a jacket spread over the top, uttered an exclamation of sur- prise. There exposed to view was a large wooden bowl, P ! 8o Peter Trawl. 1: procured the day Wiwe by the steward for washing up glasses and cups, tmA iant|igiiiicd to have fallen overboard, cram lull of sugar. " Bring it along aft," cried (ftue mate. " I did not think that of Pulley." "And I don't think it i»ow, iirf I answered, in a confident tone, as I obeyed his ord. " What's this ? where was it {Q>mii>** inquired the captain, as we reached the quarter-deck. The mate told him. •' I'll swear Jim never put it tbeise^. W" ; not .be ! " I exclaimed. " Swear not at all, my son, albeit thou itftijFCSt jt^ right," said the captr^ '* Send James Pulley aft. ' Jim quickly came. "Hast thou, James Pulley, been guilty of 4000$ thj shipmate's sugar?" asked the captain. "No, sir, please you, I never took it, and never gHHJI where they say it was found," answered Jim, boldly. - "Appearances are sadly against thee, James Pulley,*^ observed the captain, with more sorrow than anger in his tone. " This n)atter must be investigated." ** I am sure that Jim speaks the truth, sir," T exclaimed, unable to contain myself. " Somebody else stole the sugar and put it in his chest." The crew had gathered aft, and two or three looked thunder-clouds at me as I spoke. "Thine assertion needs proof," observed the captain. " Was thy cask of sugar open, Andrews ? " "No, sir, tightly headed up," answered Andrews. "Then it must have been forced open by some iron instrument," s.iid the captain. " Bring it aft here." The empty keg was brought. **1 thought so," remarked the captain. "An axe was ,) -i US in. m Afy First Voyage, 8] used to prise it open. Did any one see an axe in the hands of James Pulley?" There was no reply for some time. At last, Ben Grimes, one of the men who had always been most hostile to Jim and me, said, " I thinks I seed Jim Pulley going along the deck with what looked mighty like the handle of an axe sticking out from under his jacket." " The evidence is much against thee, James Pulley," said the captain. " I must, as in duty bound, report this affair to Mr. Gray on our return, and it will, of course, prevent him from bestowing any further favours on you." *' I didn't do it. I'd sooner have had my right hand cut off than have done it," cried Jim. " Let me go ashore, sir, and I'll try to gain my daily bread as I best can. I can't bear to stay aboard here to be called a thief; though Peter Trawl knows I didn't take the sugar ; he'd never believe th«t of mej and the mate doesn't, and Andrews himself doe^'t." ** I am sorry for thee, lad. Thou must prove thine innocence," said the captain, turning away. Poor Jim was very unhappy. Though both he and I uPMe convin<«d that one of the men for spite had put the sugMT in his cii^st we of^ jiMV^PVCrlM^^^^ ev^fy occasion to call him a )Our>g ♦li-if*^ and <¥6Mg l««^ hiif-.h besides. They saw how it vexed ii««n, ao^lfeflr «nao .'>era abuse him worse than before. Tb« ^y ltUliin\ik. mt,i B2 Peter Trawl, i i* Poor Jim declared that if he could not clear himself he would never show his face in Portsmouth. I was sure that Andrews and the other good men did not believe him to be guilty, but they could not prove his innocence ; and, as he said, the others would take care to blabber about him, and, worst of all, Mr. (iray would think him a thief. An eastei^ly breeze carried us clear of the harbour, but the wind then shifted to the southward, and then to the south-west, being very light, so that after three days we had not lust sight of the coast of Norway. There seemed every probability of our having a long passage. Some of the men said it was all owing to the black cat, and Grimes declared that we must expect lU-luck with such a psalm-sint;ing Methodist old skipper as we had. Even Andrews prog- nostit ated evil, but his idea was that it would be brought about by an old woman he had seen on shore, said by every- one to be a powerful witch. As, however, according to Andrews, she had the power of raising storms, and we had only to complain of calms and baffling winds, 1 could not see that she had had any influence over us. At last we got so far to the westward that we lost sight of the coast of Norway, but h^d not made good a mile to the southward — we had rather indeed drifted to the northward. Meantime, the captain hearing from the mate how the men wt-re grumbling, called all hands aft. " Lads, I want ye to listen to me," he said. " Some oi ye fancy that we are having these calms and baffling winds on one account, and some on another, but this I know, that He who rules the seas does not allow any other beings to interfere with His plans. Ye have heard, maybe, however, of the prophet Jonah. Once upon a time, Jonah, when ordered by God to go to a certain place and perform a certain duty, disobeyed his Master, and trying to escape from Him took passage on board a ship, fancying that he My First Voyage, 83 could get out of God's sight. Did he succeed ? No ! God had His eye on Jonah, and caused a hurricane which well- nigh sent the ship to the bottom. Not till Jonah was hove overboard did the tempest cease. Now, lads, just under- stand there are some aboard this brig who are disobeying Him and offending Him just as much as Jonah did, and it's not for me to say that He does not allow these calms, so unusual in this latitude, to prevail in consequence. That's all I've got to say, lads, but ye'll just think over it ; and now go forward." Whether or not the men did think over it, or exactly understood what the old man meant, I cannot say, but the next morning the carpenter came aft to the captain and said that he had had a dream which made him remember that the evening before Andrews's sugar was found to have been stolen, Ben (irimes had borrowed an axe from him, on examining which afterwards he discovered that a small piece had been broken off on one side, and that Grimes acknow- ledged he had done it by striking a nail in a piece of wood he was chopping up. On hearing this the captain again summoned ail hands aft, and ordered Andrews to bring his sugar cask. There in the head was found a piece of iron which exactly fitted the notch in the axe which the carpenter produced. " Now, lads, say who stole Andrews's sugar and concealed it in Pulley's chest?" asked the skipper. " Grimes ! Grimes ! no doubt about it ! " shouted all the men, with the exception of the individual mentioned and one other. •*You are right, lads, and Pulley is innocent," said the skipper. " As the babe unborn," answered the men, and they all, except Grimes and his chum, following my example, gave Jim a hearty shake of the hand. V^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 If i^ m ^ 1^ III 2.2 20 H: U£ U IIIIII.6 <^ ^ /a ^ %, "T J^ PhotDgraphic Sciences Coiporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) S73-4503 > 84 Peter Trawl, I thought that he would have blubbered outright with pleasure. Though 1 was sure that Jim had never touched the sugar, I was thankful that the captain and the rest were convinced of his innocence. Before noon that day a dark bank of clouds was seen coming up from the southward. In a short time several black masses broke away from the main body, and came careering across the sky. " Away aloft and shorten sail," cried the skipper. " Be smart, lids ! " We hurried up the rigging, for there was no time to be lost. " Two reefs in the fore-topsail ! Furl the main-topsail ! Let fly topgallant sheets ! " These orders came In quick succession. The captain, aided by the mate, was meantime lowering the mainsail. He at first, I believe, intended to heave the brig to, but before the canvas was reduced the gale struck her — over she heeled — the top-gallant sails, with their masts, were carried £,way just as Jim and I were about mounting the rigging, he the fore and I the main, to furl them ; the mainsail, only half lowered, flying out, nearly knocked the mite overboard. I had got down on the weather side of the main-topsail yard to assist the hands on it, when the straining canvas broke loose from our grasp, and at the same instant the topgallant rigging, striking the two men on the lee yardarm, hurled them off" into the foaming ocean. To lower a boat was impossible; we had not strength suflicient as it was to clear away the top-gallant masts, and to hand the topsails. A grating and some spars were hove to them by the mate, who then, axe in hand, sprang aloft to assist us. None too soon, for we could do nothing but cling on to the yard till the top-gallant rigging was cleared ftway. The men on the foreyard were more successful, and My First Voyage, 85 I saw Jim gallantly using his knife in a fashion which at length cleared away the wreck and enabled them to secure the sail. The mate succeeded also in his object, and we were expecting them to assist us in attempting to furl the main-topsail, when the captain, seeing that we were not likely to succeed, calling us down, ordered the helm to be put up and the yards squared away, and off we ran before the fast-increasing gale, leaving, we feared, our two ship- mates, the carpenter and Grimes, to perish miserably. CHAPTER IX m I EXPERIENCE THE PERILS OF THE SEA. THE Good Intent ran on before the increasing gale. The fast-rising seas came rolling up astern, threaten- ing every instant to poop her, for, having a full cargo, she was much deeper in the water than when we sailed from Portsmouth. We quickly lost sight of the grating and spars thrown to our hapless shipmates, and they themselves had before then disappeared. I'he first thing now to be done was to get the main- topsail stowed, for, flying wildly in the wind, it seemed as if about to carry away the main-topmast. The mate, Andrews, and two other men were on the p >int of going aloft to try and haul it in, in spite of the danger they ran m so doing, when a report like that of thunder was heard, and the sail, split into ribbons, was torn from the bolt-ropes. The frag- ments, after streaming out wildly in the wind, lashed themselves round and round the yard, thus saving us the hazardous task of attempting to furl the sail. The brig flew on, now plunging into the roaring and foaming seas, now rolling from side to side so that it was difficult to keep our feet. The fore-staysail and jib had been stowed in time, and the flying jib had been blown away, so that the fore-topsail was the only sail set. Thus hour after hour passed. Had we been running in li'll:'; I Experience the Perils of the Sea, 87 the opposite direction we should have been making good progress, but we were now going farther and farther from our destination, to be driven into even worse weather, and perhaps to have to make our way south round the Irish coast. To avoid this, the captain was anxious to heave the brig to, and I saw him and the mate consulting how it could be done. It was a dangerous operation, they both knew, for should she not quickly come up to the wind, a sea might strike her on the broadside and sweep over her deck, or throw her on her beam-ends. " If we get a lull it must be done," said the captain. " Ay, ay, sir ! " answered the mate ; and he ordered the men to stand ready to brace round the fore-topsail-yard as the br g came up to the wind. Still we watched in vain for the wished-for lull. In spite of the roaring seas I felt wonderfully sleepy, and could scarcely keep my eyes open as I held on to a stanchion at the after-part of the deck. Jim was much in the same condition, for we had both been on foot since the mornins: watch had been called, and we had had no food all day. The kind captain, observing the state we were in, instead of a*^)using us, as some skippers would have done, ordered us to go below to find something to eat and to lie down till we were wanted. We were making our way forward when he shouted out, "Go into the cabin, laddies. There is some bread and cheese in the pantry, and yell be ready at hand when I call ye." We quickly slipped below, and he again closed the com- panion-hatch which he had opened to let us descend. The other hatches had been battened down, for at any moment a sea might break on board, and if they had not been secured might fill the vessel. Not a ray of light came below, but Jim and I, Ubc of 88 Peter TrawL about, found the bread and cheese we were in search of and soon satisfied bur hunger. We then, thankful to get some rest, lay down on the deck of the cabin — which lands- men would call the floor — for we should have considered it presumptuous to stretch ourselves in one of the berths or even on the locker ; and in spite of the rolling and pitching of the brig we were quickly fast asleep. I seldom dreamed in those days, but, though tired as I was, my slumbers were troubled • Now I fancied that the brig was sinking, but that, somehow or other, I came to the surface, and was striking out amid the raging billows for the land ; then I thought that I was again on board, and that the brig, after rushing rapidly on, struck upon a huge reef of black rocks, when, in an instant, her timbers split asunder, and we were all hurled into the seething waters. Suddenly I was awoke by the thundering, crashing sound of a tremendous blow on the side of the vessel, and I found myself hove light across the cabin, clutchmg fast hold of Jim, who shoited out, "Hillo, Peter, what is the matter? Are we all going to be drowned ? " Before I could answer him there came from above us — indeed, it had begun while he was speaking — a deafening mingling of terrific noises, of rending planks, of falling spars, the rush nnd swirl and roar of waters, amid which could be heard the faint cries of human voices. The brig had been thrown on her beam-ends; of that there could be no doubt, for when we attempted to get on our feet we found the deck of the cabin almost perpendi- cular. " Do you think the brig will go down ? " shouted Jim. The hubbub was so great that it was impossible to hear each other unless we spoke at the very top of our voices. *• We must, at all events, get on deck as soon as we can, and do our best to save ourselves," I answered. I Experience the Perils of the Sea, 89 Though I said this, I had very little hope of escaping, as I thought that the vessel might at any moment founder. Even to get on deck was no easy matter, for everything in the cabin was upside down — boxes and bales, and casks and articles of all sorts, thrown out of the lockers, mixed with the furniture which had broken adiift, were knocking about, while all the time we were in complete darkness. The dead lights had fortunately been closed at the com- mencement of the gale, and the companion-hatch remained secure, so that, as yet, no water came below. Getting on our feet we were endeavouring to grope our way to the companion-ladder when we heard two loud crashes in quick succession, and directly afterwards, the brig righting with a violent jerk, we were thrown half across the cabin, bruised and almost stunned, among the numberless things knocking violently about. After a time, on recover- ing our senses, we picked ourselves up and made another attempt to get on deck. I now began to hope that the brig would not go down as soon as I had expected, but still I knew that she was in a fearfully perilous condition. I was sure from the crashing sounds we had heard that both her masts were gone : that very probably also she had sprung a leak, while we were far to the northward of the usual track of vessels. At last we found our way to the cabin door, but groped about in vain for the companion-ladder, till Jim suggested that it had been unshipped when the vessel went over. After some time we found it, but had great difficulty, in consequence of the way the brig was rolling, to get it replaced. As soon as it was so I mounted and shouted as loud as I could to some one to come and lift off the hatch. No voice replied. Again and again I shouted, fancying that the people might have gone forward for some reason or other and had forgotten us. 90 Peter Trawl, "What can have happened?" cried Jim, in a toae of alann. I dared not answer him, for I feared the worst Feeling about, I discovered an axe slungjust inside the companion-hatch, on which I began hammering away with- all my might — but still no one came. "Jim, I'm afraid they must all be gone," I cried out at last. " Gone ! " he exclaimed. " What, the old captain, and mate, and Ancirews, and the rest ? " " I am afraid so," I answered. Again I shouted and knocked. Still no one came. " We must break open the hatch," I said, and I attempted to force up the top w^th the axe, but did not succeed. "Let me try," cried Jim; "my arm is stronger than yours." I got dt 1 the ladder and gave him the axe. He took my place and began working away at the part where the hatch was placed. I could hear him giving stroke after stroke, but could see nothing, for the hatch fitted so closely- that not a gleam of light came through it. Presently I heard him sing out, " I've done it," and I knew by the rush of cold damp air which came down below that he had got off the hatch. Still all was dark, but looking up I could distinguish the cloudy sky. Not till then did I know that it was night. We had gone to sleep in broad daylight, and I had no idea of the number of hours which had passed by since then. I sprang up the companion-ladder after Jim, who had stepped out on deck. The spectacle which met my eyes was appalling. The masts were gone, carried away a few feet from the deck — only the stumps were standing — everything had been swept clear away, the caboose, the boats, the bulwarks ; the brig I Experience the Perils of the Sea, 91 was a complete wreck; the dark foam-topped seas were rising up high above the deck, threatening to engulf her. The masts were still alongside hanging on by the rigging, their butt ends every now and then striking against her with so terrific a force that 1- feared they must before long drive a hole through the planking. As far as I could make out through the thick gloom, some spars which had apparently fallen before the masts gave way lay about the deck, kept from being washed away by the rigging attached to them having become entangled in the stanchions and the remain, ing portions of the shattered bulwarks. Not one of our shipmates could we see. Again we shouted, in the faint hope that some of them might be lying concealed forward. No one answered. " Maybe that they have gone down into the fore-peak," said Jim ; " Til go and knock on the hatch. They can't hear our shouts from where we are." I tried to persuade Jim not to make the attempt till day- light, for a sea might break on board and wash him away. " But do you see, Peter, we must try and get help to cut away the lower rigging, which keeps the masts battering against the sides?" he answered. " Then I'll go with you," I said. " We'll share the same fate, whatever that may be." " No, no, Peter ! You stay by the companion-hatch ; see, there are plenty of spars for me to catch hold of, and I'll take good care not to get washed away," answered Jim, beginning his journey forward. Notwithstanding what he said, I was following him when I fancied that I heard a faint groan. I stopped to listen. It might be only the sound produced by the rubbing of two spars together or the working of the timbers. Again I heard the groan. I was now sure that it was uttered by one of our shipmates. It came from a part of the deck covered 92 Peter TrawL by a mass of broken spars and sails and rigging. Though I could not see as far, I knew that Jim had reached the fore- hatchway by hearing him shouting and knocking with the back of the axe. " Are any of them there ? " I cried out. " No ! Not one, I'm afeared," he answered. " Then come and help me to see if there is any person under these spars here," I said. Of course we had to bawl out to each other at the top of our voices on account of the clashing of the seas, the groan- ing and creaking of the timbers and bulk-heads, and the thundering of the masts against the sides. Jim soon joined me. We had to be very cautious how we moved about, foi; besides the risk there was at any moment of a sea sweeping across the deck, we might on account of the darkness have stepped overboard. We lost no time in crawling to the spot whence I heard the groans proceeding. On feeling about we soon discovered a man, his body pressed down on the deck by a heavy spar, and partly con- cealed by the canvas. " Who are you ? " cried Jim. ** Speak to us, — do." A groan was the only answer. *' Do you try and lift the spar, Jim, and I'll drag him out," I said. Jim tried to do as I told him, but though he exerted all his strength he could not succeed in raising the spar. " Oh, dear ! oh, dear ! the poor fellow will die if we cannot get him free soon," I exclaimed, in despair. "This will do it," cried Jim, who had been searching about, and now came with the broken end of a top-gallant- yard to sei"ve as a handspike. By its means he prised up the spar, while I as gently as I could dragged out the man by the shoulders. No sooner did I feel his jacket than I / Experience the Perils of the Sea, 93 was almost sure that he was no other than our good old skipper. He was breathing heavily, and had apparently been rendered unconscious by a blow on the head. I at length got him out from under the spar. •* We must carry him below before another sea breaks on board," I said. " Come, help me, Jim." Together we lifted the old man, and staggering along the slippery deck, reached the companion-hatch in safety. To get him down without injury was more difficult. I going first and taking his legs, and Jim holding him by the shoulders, we succeeded at last. While Jim supported him at the bottom of the ladder, I hunted about till I found a tinder-box and matches and lighted the cabin lamp. It showed us, as I had supposed, that the person I had rescued was our captain. He was pale as death, and bleeding from a wound in the head. The light also exhibited the utter confusion into which the cabin had been thrown. I managed, however, to clear a way to the state cabin, to which we carried the captain, and then getting ofif his wet clothes placed him between the blankets in his berth. Fortunately, there was a cask of water in the pantry, which enabled us to wash and bind up his head, so as to staunch the blood flowing from it. The operation was performed but roughly, as all the time the sound of the masts thunder- ing like battering rams against the side of the vessel warned us that we must try to cut them adrift without delay. I feared that already they had done some serious damage. Even before we left the captain he seemed to have some- what recovered his consciousness, for I heard him mutter, ** Be smart, lads. Tell mate — cut away wreck." Of course we did not let him know that besides himself we alone of all the crew were left alive. In the cabin I found another axe, and Jim and I, going on deck, began the difficult and dangerous task we had undertaken. 94 Peter Trawl, !' The lower rigging, on what had been the weather side, had entirely given way, so that we had only to cut that on the opposite side, but in leaning over to reach the shrouds at the chains we ran a fearful risk of being carried off by the sea as the vessel rolled from side to side. We first tried to clear the mainmast. We had cut two of tne shrouds, when a sea, having driven the butt end against the side with fearful force, lifted it just as the brig rolled over, and it came SN^eeping along the deck, nearly taking Jim and me off our legs. With the greatest difficulty we escaped. "It shan't do that again," cried Jim ; and dashing forward with axe uplifted he cut the last shroud, and the mast was carried away by the next sea. We had still to get nd of the foremast and bowsprit, which were doing as much damage as the mainmast had done, by every now and then ramming away at the bows with a force sufficient, it seemed, to knock a hole through them at any moment I felt anxious to return to the cabin to attend to our old captain, but the safety of the vessel required us not to delay a moment longer than could be helped m cuttmg away the remaining ma^>ts and bowsprit I observed soon after the mainmist had gone that the wind had fallen, and that there was somewhat less sea running, and in a short time the light began to increase. I do not think that otherwise we shou'd have accomplished our task Jim sprang forward with his axe, taking always the post of danger, and hacking away at rope after rope as he could manage to reach them. I followed his example. O'ten we had to hold on for our lives as the seas washed over us. At length the work was accomplished. We gave a shout of satisfaction as, the last rope severed, we saw the mass of wreck drop clear of the brig. But our work was not done. There I Experience the Perils of the Sea. 95 we were in the midst of the North Sea, without masts or canvas or boats, our bulwarks gone, the brig sorely battered, and only our two selves and our poor old captain to navigate her. To preserve his life our constant attention was required. "We'll go below and see how the old man gets on," I said. " There's nothing more for us to do on deck that I can see at present" "Not so sure of that, Peter," answered Jim. "You go and look after the skipper, and I'll just see how matters are forward and down in the hold.'* As I felt su'e that the captain ought not to be left longer a^one, I hurried into the cabin. He was conscious, but still scarcely able to speak. I told him that we had cleared away the wreck of the masts, and that the weather was moderating. " Thank God ! " he murmured. Then, getting some more water, I again dressed his wounded head, and after- wards proposed lighting the cabin fire and trying to make him some broth. " Water ! I only want water," he said, in the same low voice as before. I procured some in a mug. He drank it; and then said, *' Get up jury-mas's and stet-r west," not understanding as yet, I suppose, that the crew were lost. "Av, ay, sir," I answered, being unwilling to undeceive him, though I wondered how Jim and I could alone obey his orders ; yet, if we were ever to reach a port, jury-masts must be got up. As I could do nothing more just then for the captain, I was going on deck, when I met Jim at the companion- hatch, his face wearing an expression of the greatest alarm. *| Things are very bad, Peter," he exclaimed. "The i i V ill 96 Peter TrawL \X water is coming in through a big hole in the bows like a mill-sluice, and I'm much afeared that before long the old craft will carry us and the captain to the bottom." "Not if we keep our wits awake, Jim," I answered. " We must try to stop the hole. Come along." Hurrying forward, we dived down into the fore-peak. We could now venture to leave the hatch off, so as to give light below. Sure enough the water was coming in terribly fast, but not quite so fast as Jim described, though already the men's chests and other articles were afloat. The largest hole was, I siw, in the very centre of a bunk, so that we could easily get at it. Dragging out all the blankets from the other bunks, I rammed them into the hole. ) " Hand me a board or the top of a chest — knock it off quick ! " I sang out. Jim, leaping on a chest, wrenched off the lid and gave it me. " Now that handspike." There was one close to him. By pressing the board against the blankets, and jamming the handspike down between it and the outer corner of the bunk, the gush of water was stopped. " Here's another hole still more forward, I can see the ■viw'itr bubbling in," cried Jim, holding a Ian em, which he had lit that he might look round, to the place. We stopped it as we had the first. *^ it will be a mercy if there are no other holes in the side under the cargo," he said. " We'll try the well." We returned on deck, and Jim sounded the well. " Six feet of water or more," he said, in a mournful tone, as he examined the roH. " Then we must rig the pumps and try to clear her ! " I exclaimed. '* It will be a hard job, but it may be done, I Experience the Perils of the Sea, 97 and we must not think of letting the old craft sink under our feet." We set to work, and pumped and pumped away, the water coming up in a clear stream, till our backs and arins ached, and we felt every moment ready to drop, but we cheered each other on, resolved not to give in as long as we could stand on our legs. side Ill CHAPTER X. ALONE OAT THE OCEAN. ** A RE we gaining on the leaks, think you, Jim ? " I at Jr\ length gasped out, for I felt that if our efforts were producing some effect we should be encouraged to continue them, but that if nbt it would be wise before we were thoroughly exhausted to try and build a raft on which we might have a chance of saving our lives. My companion made no reply, but giving a look of doubt, still pumped on, the perspiration streaming down his face and neck showing the desperate exertions he was making. I was much in the same condition, though, like Jim, I had on only my shirt and trousers. I was the first to give in, and, utterly unable to move my arms, I sank down on the deck. Jim, still not uttering a word, doggedly worked on, bringing up a stream of water which flowed out through the scuppers. It seemed wonderful that he could go on, but after some time he also stopped, and staggered to where he had left the rod. ^ ' *' " I'll try," he said. I gazed at him with intense anxiety. " Three inches less. We're gaining on the leaks ! he exclaimed. I sprang to ray feet and seized the brake. Jim struck out with his arms *' to take the turns out of the muscles," a Alone on the Ocean » 99 he he said, while he sat for a minute on the deck, and again went at it. All this time the wind was falling and the sea going down. As we laboured at the pumps we looked out anxiously for the appearance of a vessel which might afford us assistance, but not a saU appeared above the horizon. We must depend on our own exertions for preserving our lives. Though a calm would enable us the better to free the brig of water and to get up jury masts, it would lessen our chance of obtaining help. Yet while the brig was rolling and tumbling about we could do nothing but pump, and pump we did till our strength failed us, and we both sank down on the deck. My eyes closed, and I felt that I was dropping off to sleep. How long I thus lay I could not tell, when I heard Jim sing out, " Hurrah ! we've gained six inches on the leak," and clank, clank, clank, went his pump. I cannot say that I sprang up, but I got, somehow or other, on my feet, and, seizing the brake, laboured away more like a person in his sleep than one awake. I saw the water flowing freely, so I knew that I was not pumping uselessly. Presently 1 heard Jim cry outj " Hillo ! look there I " Turning my eyes aft, I saw the captain holding on by ihe companion-hatch, and gazing in utter astonishment along the deck. His head bound up in a white cloth, a blanket over his shoulders, his face pale as death, he looked more like a ghost than a living mam. " Where are they, lads ? " he exclaimed at length, in a hollow voice. "All gone overboard, sir," answered Jim, thinking he ought to speak. The old man, on hearing this, fell flat on the deck. te I> !' I lOO Pefer TrawL We ran and lifted him up. At first I thought he was dead, but he soon opened his eyes and whispered, *' It was a passing weakness, and I'll be better soon. Trust in God, laddies; go on pumping, and He'll save your lives," he said. ♦' We'll take you below first, sir. You'll be better in your berth than here," I answered. " No, no ! I'll stay on deck ; the fresh air will do me good," he said ; but scarcely had he uttered the words than he fell back senseless. ** We must get him below, or he'll die here," I said ; so Jim and I carried him down as before, and got him into his bed. •♦ He wants lookin^g after," said Jim ; *' so, Peter, do you tend him, and I'll go back to the pumps." Thinking that he wanted food more than anything else, I lighted the cabin fire, and collecting some materials from the pantry for broth in a saucepan, put it on to boil. Though I had been actively engaged, I felt able once more to work the pumps. Jim said that he was certain the water in the hold was decreasing, while, as the brig was steadier, less was coming in. This increased our hopes of keeping her afloat, but we should want rest and sleep, and when we knocked off the water might once more gain on us. We did not forget, however, what the captain had said. When I could pump no longer I ran below, freshly dressed the old man's head, and gave him some broth, which was by this time ready. It evidently did him good. Then, taking a basin of it myself, I ran up on deck with another for Jim. ** That puts life into one," he said, as, seated on the deck with his legs stretched out, he swallowed it nearly scalding hot. A draught of water which he told me to Alone on the Ocean, lOI bring, however, cooled his throat, and he again set to, I following his example. By this time the day was far advanced, and even Jim con- fessed that he must soon give in, while I could scarcely stand. The wind had continued to go down, but the sea still rolled the vessel about too much to enable us to get up jury- masts, even if we had had strength to move, before dark. " It's no use trying to hold out longer, I must get a snoose," sighed Jim. He looked as if he were half asleep already. *• We had better go and lie down in the cabin, so that we may be ready to help the captain," I answered ; " but I'll tell you what, we'll take a look into the fore-peak first, to see how the leaks are going on there." *' Oh, they are all right," said Jim. " We shouldn't have lessened the water so much if anything had given way." Still I persisted in going forward, and Jim followed me. Just then the vessel gave a pitch, which nearly sent me head first down the fore-hatchway. As we got below I heard the sound of a rush of water. The handspike which secured the chief leak had worked out of its place, and the blankets and boards were forced inwards. It required all our remaining strength to put them back. Had we been asleep aft the brig would have filled in a few minutes. Jim wanted to remain forward, but I persuaded him to come aft, being sure that he would sleep too soundly to hear the water coming in should the leaks break out afresh, and might be drowned before he awoke. Having done all we could to secure the handspikes, we crawled rather than walked to the cabin. We were thankful to find that the captain was asleep, so, without loss of time, Jim crept into one of the side berths, and I lay down on the after locker. In half a minute I had forgotten what had happened and where I was. As the old captain and we two lads lay fast asleep on board the Si it il 102 Peter TrawL demasted brig out there in the wild North Sea, a kind Provi' dence watched over us. We might have been run down, or, the leaks breaking out afresh, the vessel might have foundered before we awoke. A voice whicli I supposed to be that of the captain aroused me. The sun was shining down through the cabin skylight. The vessel was floating motionless. Not a sound did I hear except Jim's snoring. I tried to jump up, but found my limbs terribly stiff, every joint aching. I made my way, however, to the old man's berth. " How are you, Captain Finlay?" I asked. He did not reply. I stepped nearer. His eyes were closed. I thought he was dead ; yet I heard his voice, I was certain of tha^. I stood looking at him, afraid to ascertain if what I feared was the case. A feeling of awe crept over me. I did not like to call out to Jim, yet I wanted him to come to me. At last I staggered over to the berth in which Jim was sleeping. **Jim! Jim!" I said, " I am afraid the captain is taken very bad." Jim did not awake, so I shook him several times till he sat up, still half asleep and rubbing his eyes. " What's the matter ? " he asked. *♦ Oh— ay, I know. We'll turn to at the pumps, Peter." I repeated what I had said. He was on his feet in a moment. He moved at first with as much difficulty as I had done. ** Come along," I said, and together we went over to the state cabin. We looked at the old man without speaking. After some time Jim mustered courage to touch his hand. To my great relief the captain opened his eyes. " Praise God, who has preserved us during the night, my lads ! " were the first words he spoke, and while we stood by his side he offered up a short prayer. He then told ns to go on deck and learn the state of the weather. the Alone on the Ocean, 103 We hurried up. The sun was shining brightly ; the sea was smooth as glass, unbroken by a single ripple. Jim did not forget the leak ; he sounded the well. " " We must turn to at the pumps, Peter," he exclaimed. " She's made a good deal of water during the night, and it will take us not a few hours to get it out of her, but we'll not give in." " I should think not, indeed," I answered. " But I'll go down and hear what the captain wants us to do." Before I had got half way down the companion-ladder I heard the cla.k of the pump. Jim had lost no time in se ting to work. I hastened to the state-room. I was startled by the changed appearance of the captain's countenance during the short time 1 had been on deck. His eyes were turned towards me with a fixed look. I spoke, but he did not answer ; I leant over him, no breath proceeded from his lips ; I touched his brow, then I knew that the good old man was dead. Presently I closed his eyes, and with a sad heart returned on deck. He's gone, Jim," I cried. Gone ! the captain gone ! Then I am sorry," answered Jim, as he stopped pumping for a moment, though he still held the brake in his hands. "Then, Peter, you and I must just do our best to take the brig into port by ourselves." " I was thinking the same, Jim," I said. " He told us to get up jury-masts and steer west, and that's just what we must do if the wind will let us." The death of our good captain made us feel very sad, for we had learned to look upon him as our true friend. It caused us also to become more anxious even than before about ourselves. With his assistance we had had little doubt, should the weather remain fine, of reaching a port, but as we were neither of us accustomed to the groping it <( 104 Peter TrawL K T charts, and did not know how to take an observation, wc could not tell to what port we should steer our course. We had both, however, dauntless spirits, and had been 'accustomed from our childhood to trust lo our own resources. Our grand idea was to steer west, if we could manage to get sail on the brig, but before this could be attempted we must pump her free of water. There was no time to mourn for our old captain, so without delay we turned lo at the pumps. My arms and legs and every part of my body felt very stiff. Jim saw that I should not be able to continue lung at it. " Peter, do you go below and look out for some spars to serve as jury-masts," he said ; " 111 meantime keep on. We shall soon get ' the water under ; it's only a wonder more hasn't come in." Jim and I never thought who was captain ; if I told him to do a thing he did it, or if he gave an order I did not stop to consider whether or not he had the right to com- mand. We woiked together as if we had but one will. It was '*a lung pult, a stiong pull, and a pull both together." There were plenty of spars below, and I soon selected some which I thought would serve for the masts and yards we required. I had to call Jim to help me get them up on deck. "There'll be no use for these till we can find some canvas to spread on them," I observed. " Nor till we get a breeze to fill the sails," said Jim. " However, we'll get them set while the calm lasts, and no doubt you'll find -as many as we can carry in the sail-room." This was right aft, down a small hatchway. While Jim went again to his pump, I hunted about and hauled out two top-gallantsails and royals, a fore-staysail, a second jib, ar^d a main-trysail. If we could set all these we should do Alone on the Ocean, 105 well, supposing we got a fair breeze. It would be no easy job, however, I knew, to get up the masts. We had one advantage. The proper masts had been carried away some six or seven feet from the deck, so that we might lash the spars to them. Before setting to work I " again went below to hunt for rope. I got more than I expected from different parts of the vessel, and we had also saved some of the rigging, vhich had been entangled in the bulwarks. •*We shall want every scrap ol rope we can find I " cried Jim, panting and still pumping away. " I'll take a spell with you," 1 said. " Then we'll turn to and rig the ship." I pumped till I could pump no longer, and then, after a short rest, we commenced in earnest. We first lashed a short spar, with a tackle secured to its head, to the stump of the foremast, and then, having fitted two shrouds on a side, with a forestay and backstays, and blocks for the halliards, to the spar we had chosen for a foremast, we swayed it up my means of the short spar and tackle. We could not possibly in any other way have accomplished our object. We next lashed the spar to the stum]) of the mast. No time was lost in setting up the standing rigging. Our foremast being thus fixed, we surveyed it with infinite satis- faction, and then turned to and fitted the brig with a mainmast in the same fashion. This we made somewhat stronger, as we intended it to carry a mainsail should we have to haul on a wind. Our work, as may be supposed, was not especially neat — indeed, we had to knot most of the shrouds, as it was necessary to keep all the longer lengths of rope for halliards, and we had none to spare. I cannot stop to explain how we accomplished all this ; we could not have done it without employing tackles, which we brought to the windlass, and thus gained twenty times as much power as we by ourselves possessed. ■;! lOD Pe/er Trawl, We were now pretty well tired and hungry, for, except some bread and cheese and a jug of cold water, we had taken nothing all day. It was with a feeling of awe that we went down into the cabin where the old captain lay. Jim, however, closed the door of the state-room, so that we could not see him. We then lighted the fire and cooked so ne dinner — or rather supper, for evening was drawing on. Anxious to be again at work, we hurried over the meal. *' I say, Peter, don't you think we ought to bury the skipper?" asked Jim, after a long silence. " Not for some days to come," I answered ; *• I hope that we may get into port first, so as to lay him in a grave on shore." *' I don't think it will make much odds to him ; and, to say the truth, now he's dead, I'd rather he were out of the ship," said Jim ; " they say it's unlucky to have a dead man on l)oard." I had some diflficulty in persuading Jim of the folly of such a notion, but we finally agreed that we would try to carry the captain's body to land. Before bending sails we took a look down forward to see the condition of the leaks. The handspikes were in their places, and, except a slight moisture round the holes, we could not discover that any water was getting in. Still there was a great deal too much in the brig for safety, so we took another spell at the pumps before going on with the rigging. Darkness found us hard at work. We were too tired and sleepy to attempt keeping a look-out, but I bethought me of hoisting a lantern at each masthead, which would save us from being run down should a breeze spring up during the night. Jim thought the idea capital, and promised to get up and trim the lamps. Fortunately, the nights were short, so that there was not Aiotie on the Ocean, 107 ,s not much necessity for that. Our chief wish now was that the calm would continue for a few hours during the next day, that we might get the brig to rights. *• One spell more at the pumps ! " cried Jim. We seized the brakes, worked till we could work no longer, then went below, ate some food from the pantry, and lying down in the two larboard berths in the cabin, were fast asleep in a few seconds. People talk of sleeping like tops. A hard-worked ship- boy will beat any top in the world at sleeping soundly. For a second night the brig lay becalmed. I doubt that if even a fierce gale had sprung up it would h^ve awakened us. The sun was shining when I opened my eyes. It might have been shining for hours for what I could tell. I roused up Jim, and we sprang on deck, vexed at having, as we supposed, lost so much precious time. By the height of the sun above the horizon, however, we judged that it was not so late as we had at firs>t fancied. The clock in the cabin had been unshipped when the brig went over, and the captain's watch had stopped, so that we had otherwise no means of knowing how the hours passed by. It was still perfectly calm. We looked round in all directions. Not a sail was in sight. "We must get ready for the breeze, Jim, when 'it does spring up," I said. " It will come before many hours are over, I've a notion." I had observed some light clouds just under the sun. " May be ; but we must take a spell at the pumps first,** he answered — his first thought was always of them. We turned to as before, till our arms ached, and then we ran down and got some breakfast. We knew the value ot time, but we couldn't get on without eating, any more than other people. On returning to the deck we lowered the lanterns, which ijiiii t io8 Peter Trawl, had long since gone out, finished bending the sails, fitting braces, tacks, sheets, and bowlines, and were then ready to hoi-.t away. We at once set all the sails we had ready, to see how they stood. To our satisfaction, they appeared to greater advantage than we had expected. "They'll do!" cried Jim, as we surveyed them; "only let us get a breeze from the right quarter, and we'll soon make the land." Fortunately, the rudder had been uninjured when the brig went over, and the wheel was in order. I stood at the helm, longing for the time when I should see the brig moving through the water. I may say, once for all, that at very frequent intervals Jim and I went to the pumps, but he stood longer at' the work than I did. There was urgent necessity for our doing so, as, notwithstanding all our exertions, we had but slightly diminished the water in the hold. When not thus occupied we did various things that were necessary about the brig; among others we got life-lines round the shattered bulwarks, so that should a heavy sea get up, we might run less risk of being washed overboard. We also went to the store-room, and brought to the cabin various descriptions of provisions, that we might have them at hand when wanted. We knew that when once we got a ' ind we should have no time to do anything besides navigating the vessel. I had gone below to get dinner ready, the only hot meal we took in the day, leaving Jim pumping, when I heard him sing out down the companion-hatchway, " Here it comes, and a rattling breeze, too." I sprang on deck and went to the helm, while Jim stood ready to trim sails. Looking astern 1 could see a line of white foam sweeping along towards us over the surface of the ocean. Before it was up to us the sails bulged out, the . t Alone on the Ocean, 109 brig gathered way, and presently she was gliding at the rate of three or four knots through the water, Jim and I shouted with exultation — we forgot the past — • we thought not of the future. We believed that we were* about to reap the fruit of our labours. For several hours we ran on with the wind right aft, steering due west. I steered for most of the time, but Jim occasionally relieved me. So eager were we that we forgot all about eating, till he cried out, " I must have some food, Peter, or I shall drop." I was running below to get it, feeling just as hungry as he did, when the wind hauled more to the southward. We took a pull at the starboard braces, and I then hurried below to bring up what we wanted. Just as I was cutting some meat which had been boiling till the fire went out, I heard a crash. I sprang up on deck. The brig was again dismasted, and Jim was struggling in the waves astern. 'i; . CHAPTER XI. DANGERS MULTIPLY. FOR a moment I could not believe ray senses. I felt like a person in a dreadful dream. What, Jim gone! The brig again dismasted, and I left alone on board her with the body of our dead captain ! I was recalled to myself by hearing a faint shout, and looking over the stern 1 saw my old friend struggling amidst the waves some distance off. My first impulse was to leap into the sea and swim to his rescue, but then the thought happily came to me that if I did we should be unable to regain the vessel; so, instead, crying out, * Keep up, Jim — keep up, I'll help you ! " I did what was far more likely to prove effectual — I unrove the peak- halliards, cutting them clear with my knife, and fastened one end to the wooden grating over the cabin sky-light. This I threw overboard, and as I feared that the halliards would not prove long enough, I bent on another rope to them. The grating appeared to be dropping astern very fast ; and yet Jim, who was swimming strongly, seemed to be nearing it very slowly, by which I knew that the brig must still, urged on by the impetus she had before received, be moving through the water. Securing the line, I therefore put doA'n the helm, and completely stopped her way. All was done faster than I have described it. Springing back to the tafferel, with straining eyes I watched Jim, for more 1 could not do to help him, except to give an ilt?''»o Dangers Multiply, II T occasional shout to cheer him up. The dreadful thought came that there might be sharks about, or that his strength might fail him before he could reach the grating. I did more than cheer, though — I prayed to God with all my soul that Jim might be saved. Often he seemed scarcely to be moving through the water — now he threw himself on his back to rest — then he once more struck bravely out, reply- ing as he did so to my cheer. At length he got near the grating. My heart gave a bound of joy as I saw him seize it, when he gradually drew himself up and lay flat on its surface, the best way for making it afford him support With a shout to Jim to hold on, I began to haul in the raft till I brought it under the quarter. " Wait a minute, Jim, while I get a tackle ready to haul you on board," I cried out. , This did not take me the time I said, and forming a bowline I lowered it to him. He seemed so exhausted that I was afraid lest in trying to pass it over his shoulders he might slide off the grating ; and I was about to go down to assist him, when, seeing the rope, he slipped his arras through it and exclaimed, " Haul away, Peter." I was not long in obeying him, it may be supposed, and I almost cried with joy as I had him at length safe on deck. I knew that the first thing now to Jdc done was to get off his wet clothes, and to give him a restorative, but I had a hard job to carry him below, as he could not help himself. *• Never mind, Peter," he said, faintly ; " I shall soon be all to rights again." But I was not going to leave him in the cold air on deck, so going first, I let him slip gradually down the companion-lad'ler, and then stripping off his clothes, in a short time had him snug between the blankets. I then quickly relighted the fire and warmed up the broth I had before cooked, while T hung up Jim's clothes to dry. 'I'he hot broth seemed greatly to restore him, but as he i' m J 112 Peter TrawL M\ I was pretty well worn out before he had gone overboard, it is no wonder that as soon as the basin was emptied he fell fast asleep. I had not stopped to ask him how the accident had occurred, but I suspected, as I afterwards found was the case, that as the masts fell a rope had somehow or other caught his legs and whisked him overboard. He was, however, never very clear how it happened. Having performed my duties below, and taken some food, which I greatly needed, I went on deck. It was still blowing fresh, but there was not much sea on, and the brig lay like a log on the water. To my great relief I found that none of the spars or sails had been lost, all of them having fallen inboard, so I set to work to secure them as well as I could, knowing that till Jim was strong enough to help me I could do nothing towards getting up the masts again. I did not for a moment contemplate giving up the struggle. I next went down into the forepeak to see if our arrangements for keeping out the water were secure. Nothing had moved. Still, as I knew that the water must be coming in and might gain upon us dangerously, I took a spell at pumping. This pretty well exhausted all my remaining trength, yet before turning in to get some rest there was another thing to be done. We might be in the track of some vessel or other, and should the night prove dark might be run down and sent to the bottom while we were asleep. I therefore trimmed the lamp in one of the lanterns, and with great labour having lashed a spar to the stump of the fore- mast, hoisted the lantern to the top of it. This done I could do no more, and crawling into my cabin was soon fast asleep in my berth. I slept tranquilly, knowing that He who had hitherto preserved us was watching over us still. I was awakened by the clanking sound of the pump. It was broad daylight ; Jvm was not in his berth, and on springing on deck there I Dangers Multiply, 113 saw him in his shirt and trowsers hard at work, forcing up the water at a great rate. " I'm all to rights, Peter," he said, in a cheerful tone, ** and as J guessed that you had been up long after I went to sleep, I thought as how I would take a spell at the pump before rousing you up." Thanking him for his thoughtfulness, I seized the other brake and pumped till my arms ached. " Now, Peter, we must see about getting up the masts again," he said, when he saw me knock off. ** You want some breakfast first, and so do I," I answered. " We'll then set to work with a will." We took some food, which rested and refreshed us, and then commenced the task we had undertaken. The wind had again fallen. What there was of it was fair, and the sea was almost as smooth as a millpond. Had it been rough we could scarcely have attempted the work. We had first to unreeve all the ropes, and unbend all the sails. We then selected two much stouter spars than before for fresh masts, got the standing rigging over their heads, and by means of tackles got them set up to the stumps of the fore and main masts, next securing them much more effectually we hoped than the former jury-masts had been, with light spars of different lengths lashed round them, and additional backstays. We made such good progress that by night we were almost ready to hoist the sails, having all the time rested only for a few minutes to obtain some food and then going on again. Nature, however, at last gave way, and if we stopped for a moment we went fast asleep with a rope or marlinespike in our hands. " It's no use trying to keep awake, Jim," I said. He in a sleepy voice, agreed, and having again hoisted 8 V-, '! '•#1 11 114 Pder TrawL II :: it .11 the lantern we went below to get the rest we so much needed. 'I'he next morning I heard as before the pump g,\ was keeping away. Still, sliould anyone on board be using a spy-glass, and turn it towards us, we should, we hoperi, be observed. We waved and shouted even more veh-.-mei tly than b fore, but evt^n I was almost in despair. "She's going to pass us after all," cried Jim, "and the-e's not another sail in sight." Just as he spoke there came a puff of smoke with a bright flash, from the shijj's bows, followed by a sharp report. " We are seen ! we are seen ! " shouted Jim. " That'j 1 signal to us. Hurrah! hurrah!" The ship now came rapidly on, and we had no longer any doubt about being rescued. This very circumstance caused a reaction in our feelings, and, strange as it may seem, we both burst into tears. We recovered ourselves, however, very soon, and continued waving, still having an idea that the ship might sail away from us, but on aiid on she came. Presently her courses were brailed up, and she hove to about three cables' lengths from our mast. Almost at the same instant one of her boats was lowered, and came pulling towards us as fast as the men could bend their backs to tlie oars. In a few minutes kindly hands were stretched out to help us into the boat. "Are you the only two?" asked the mate, who was steering. " Yes, sir ; all the rest are gone," 1 answered. ". >.; ;'>■■: Jim and I Carried Off against our Will. 147 " Well, we'll hear all about it when we get you on board' lads, for you both seeni as if you wanted looking after," he said. The boat leaving the mast, returned rapidly towards the ship. While most of the crew scrambled up the sides, the tackles were hooked on, and we were hoisted up in the boat, from whence we were speedily handed down on deck. I could not have stood if I had not been suppoited, and Jim was much in the same condition. *' We were soon .surrounded by strange faces, some looking compassionately upon us, others with indifference, as it it was a matter of very little consequence that two boys should have been saved from perishing. Meantime the yards were swung round and the ship stood on her course. ** We must have the lads below at once," said one of the persons standing round. " They have been many hours wet through and exposed on the mast, and even now, if we don't- jok out, they may ^lip through our fingers." "Very true, Doctor Cockle," said another, who was, I saw by his dress, an officer. "One of them ma} be put into my cabin, where you can look aft.;r him better than for'ard." " And the other can go into mine," said the doctc-, the person who had first spoken. No one had asked us any questions ; probably they saw by our condition that we should have been unable to answer them, for both Jim and I were fast verging towards un- consciousness. We v/ere at once carried below, when I was put into the mate's cabin, where my clothes were stripped oflf by the doctor's orders, and, being rubbed dry, 1 was placed between the blankets. The doctor, who had been looking after Jim, soua came and gave me something out of a glass, which t^>i iV' ';' I' ,i ■ t »,^ 148 Peter Trawl. seemed to warm me up wonderfully. But even then I could not have spoken if my life had depended upon it. '* Get some warm broth as quickly as y ai can," I heard the doctor say to someone, he in the meantime rubbing my feet and hands and chest. It seemed as if scarcely more than two or three minutes had passed when a basin of hot broth was brought me, which 1 drank without difficulty, and it did me more good than the stuff in the glass. " You may go to sleep now, my lad," said the doctor, in a kind tone ; " you'll do well. You shall tell us by-and-by how you and your companion came to be on the mast." I obeyed the doctor's orders, and scarcely had the door been closed than 1 was fast asleep. I was awakened by the doctor coming in, accompanied by a boy who brought some more soup and some bread, and which, being very hungry, 1 thankfully swallowed. i 1 " You can eat something more substantial now," said the doctor, and he told the boy to bring in some fowl and more bread from the breakfast-table. By this I guessed that I must have had a long spell of sleep, a id that a whole day and a night had passed since we were taken on board. X eagerly ate ail that was given me. " You may get up now, my boy, and dress, and we will find another berth for you ; we must not keep Mr. Griffiths out of his bed," said the doctor. *' 1 would not do that on any account, sir," I said ; " I feel quite strong, and am accustomed to live forward." I soon dressed, and was glad to see that Jim also was up. There were two apprentices on board, who lived on the half deck, and the doctor said that the first mate promised to have some berths knocked up for us with them. " How did you come to be on board the vessel which went down ? " asked the doctor, when I accompanied him on deck. jfim and I Carried Off against our Will. 149 If From the kind way he spoke I was encouraged to give hifii a full account of myself and Jim, so I told him that he a id I belonged to Portsmouth, and had gone in the Good Intent to Bergen ; and how she hid lost her masts, and the crew had been washed overboard. How the captain had died, and we had done our best to keep the brig afloat, and h.ui been driven in close to Shetland, and that I had found a relative there, and was coming south in the Nancy to fetch my sister. He then asked me about my father, and I told him that he had been lost at Spithead, and that mother had died, and old Tom had taken care of Mary and me, and how, after he had been blown up in the ship at Spithead, Jim and I had managed 10 gain our bread and support Mary and Nancy till a claimant appeared for old Tom's property, and our boat had been taken from us, and we had been turned out of the house, and should have been in a bad way if the good Quaker, Mr. Gray, had not come tc our assistance. The doctor listened attentively, and he then asked me what sort of man my father was, and whetiier I had a brother in the navy. I described my father, and then said that Jack had gone away on board the Lapwing brig of war, but that he was supposed to have been cut off by savages in one of her boats when in the Indian seas. At all events, that we had never since heard of him. " That's very strange," he observed j " I think, Peter Trawl, that we have met before, when you were a very little chap. Do you remember your father taking off the doctor and the mate of a ship lying at Spithead, when you and your brother Jack were in the boat, and he was to be put on board the brig ? " " Yes, sir," I said, looking up at his face . " I t-p- coUect it perfectly, as it was the last time I saw Jack, I-. [' H \ ' - 'l M^ f ' ^ .' i. 1 • x »50 Peter Trawl, though I little thought then that I should never see him again." " I was the doctor, and the first mate of this ship was my companion. When I first heard your name, as it is a peculiar one, I all of a sudden recollected that it was that of the boatman who took Mr. Griffiths and me off on the occasion I speak of. We are now brothers-in law, and have ever since gone to sea together — that is to say, when we have gone to sea, for both of us have taken long spells on shore. If it hadn't been for that, Mr. Griffiths would have been a captain years ago." " I am very glad to meet you and him again, sir," I said; "and now I look at you I fancy I recollect your countenance, as I did your voice. You were not as well accustomed to the sea then as yQu are now." " No," he answered, laughing. "That was my first voyage. I sometimes wish that I had lived comfortably on shore, and made it my last, but I got accustomed to a roving life, and having no regular business or tie, when circumstances com- pelled Mr. Griffiths — who married my sister — to come to sea again, I agreed to accompany him." I felt sure from the kind way in which Doctor Cockle spoke that he would wish to serve me. I asked him if the ship was going to put into St. Helens, or if not. would he get the captain to land Jim and me at Portland ? " We are some way to the westward of Portland, already," he answered. "It is possible that he may land you at Plymouth or Falmouth, or if not put you on board some pilot or fishing boat, or any vessel we may fall in with coming up Channel." " Surely, sir, he would not carry us away from home ? I would give anything to be on shore, where my young sister is expecting me, and it would break her heart to fancy yim and I Carried Off against our Will, 151 jns, at fy/' at kme lith I Iter icy I was lost, which she would do if I did not appear," I said. •• As Mr. Griffiths and I only joined the ship at Hull, ten days ago, we are not very intimate with the captain : but I hope he would not refuse your request." The doubtful way in which he spoke made me feel very unhappy. Still, I hoped that when I told the captain the strong reasons I had for wishing to be put on shore as soon as possible, he would not refuse. The doctor left me to attend to one of the men who was sick forward, and I joined Jim, who had also come on deck. I had a long talk with him about the matter. He fancied we were only then just abreast of the Downs, and that the captain would put in willingly enough for the sake of getting rid of us. It was a great disappointment to find that we were so far down Channel, and that we should thus, at all events, have a long journey back to Portsmouth. Still we neither of us doubted for a moment that we should be pul on shore somewhere to the westward, as I saw by a look I had at the compass that we were standing for the land. While we were talking, the captain, whom we had not yet seen, came on deck. He was a fine, tall, sailor-like looking man, with a handsome countenance and large eyes, which seemed to take in everything at a glance — a person of whom the roughest crew would stand in awe. His bright eyes fell on Jim and me ; he beckoned us to come up, and, looking at me, bade me give him the particu- lars of the loss of the brig, about which Mr. Griffiths and the doctor had told him. I gave him the account as he desired, and then thought that 1 might venture to ask him to put Jim and me on shore, for that, as may be supposed, was the thing uppermost in my mind. " We will see about that, my lads," he answered. *' If 152 Peter Trawl, i * 'III J'! the wind holds as it now does it won't cause us any delay but I can make no promises. Boys at your age ought tc wish to see the world, and we can find employment for you on board. You are sharp fellows, I can see, or you would no^ have saved your lives. One of the apprentices isn't worth his salt, and the other will slip his cable before long, I suspect. His friends insisted on my taking him, fancying that the voyage would restore him to health." The captain spoke in so free-and-easy a way tliat the awe with which I was at first- inclined to regard him vanished. The wind, I should have said, had shifted to the westward of south. We were standing about north-west, a course which would carry us over to the English coast before long. We were obliged to be content with the sort of promise that the captain had made, and I hoped that when the doctor and Mr. Griffiths spoke to him, that he would not refuse to put us on shore. Though Jim and I were well enough to walk about the deck, we were too weak to venture aloft, or we should have been at the masthead looking out for land. We went for- ward, however, keeping our eyes over the starboard bow, where we expected every instant to see it. Several of the men s] ok • to us good-naturedly, and were .is eager as the officers had been to hear what had happened to us. Wh''e we were standing there looking out, a lad came up and said, " So I hear you fellows are to be our messmates. What are your names?" I told him. " Mine's Ned Horner," he said, " and I hope we shall be friends, for I can't make anything of the fellow who messes with me, George Esdale. There's no fun in him, and he won't talk or do anything when it's his watch below but read and sing psalms." " I shall be glad to be friends with you," I answered, "but ^ere tned lad our be Isses he kad but Jim and I Carried Off against our WilL J 53 T don't suppose it will be for long, as I expect we shall leave the ship to-night or to morrow morning." " That may or may not be," he remarked, with a laugh. '• Have you been long at sea?" I told him that I had been brought up to it from my boy- hood. " Well, you have the advantage of me, for this is my first voyage ; and Esdale didn't know the stem from the stern when he first came on board. Now come along to the half- deck ; he and I are going to dinner ; 1 suppose you'll join Jim and I were beginning to feel hungry, and willingly ac- cepted Horner's invitation. The savoury whififs which came out of the caboose as we passed made me feel more eager than ever for something to eat. Horner took us down to the half-deck, where we found Esdale, of whom he had spoken, seated on a chest reading. He was a pale, sickly-looking youth, taller a good deal than Jim. He put down his book and held out his hand to shake ours. " It's your turn to go for the dinner," he said to Horner, " and it must be ready by this time, but I'll go if you wish it." " Well, you may go," said Horner ; " I want to do the honours to these fellows. Take care that you don't capsize with the things as you come along the deck." Then, without another word, Esdale got up, and putting his book into the chest, went forward. " I make him do just what I like," said Horner, in a con- temptuous tone. " Take care that you don't treat him in the same way, for if he has too many masters he njay be inclined to kick." Before long Ksdale returned with a bowl of pea-soup, and w 1 1 n ll ^MH i';; ,. * ^ffi^^B 'i't e ImHB In t l^i ■, IH ' h R^B ■';■ I ■ ^Sli % ;||| "\ illlR *• wm 41 154 Peter Trawl, a plate at the top of it containing some potatoes, and a piece of fat boiled pork. "Njw fall to, youngsters," said Horner, in a patronising tone. " I am sorry not to be able to offer you better fare.'' While he was speaking he got out of a locker four plates and two metal spoons and two wooden ones. We did ample justice to the dinner, as we had been accus- tomed to nothing better while we were on board the Nancy. After the meal was finished we returned on deck, though Esdale did not offer to accompany us, as he spent his watch below, as Horner had said, in reading, writing, or singing in a low voice to himself. We passed the afternoon looking out for the land. At length, when night came on, in spite of my anxiety to see the coast, and thi* Icing sleep I had had, I felt scarcely able to keep my eyes open. Still, I should probably have remained on deck after dark had not the doctor come to us and said, *' I have spoken to the captain, lads, and he promises to put you on shore to-morrow morning ; so now go and turn in, for you require sleep." We went to the half-deck, where we found that the carpen- ter had knocked up some rough bunks, ir which some mat- tresses and blankets ha'i been placed. We were both glad enough to turn in. I observed that Esdale, before he did so, knelt down and said his prayers. It was Horner's watch on deck, so that he was not present. in, ad CHAPTER XV. THE VOYAGE OF THE ''INTREPID" BEGUM. I SLEPT right through the night, and was surprised to find when I opened my eyes that it was daylight. Jim and I at once turned out and went on deck. There was the land, broad on the starboard bow, still at some distance. When I looked aloft I saw that the yards were square, and studding-sails on either side. A strong north-easterly wind was blowing, and we were running down Channel. The captain, the first mate, and the doctor were on deck. Jim and I gazed eagerly at the land. 1 went up to the doctor. " Whereabouts are we, sir ?" I asked. " We are off the Start, my lad." ♦'Off the Start!" I exclaimed. "Oh, sir, won't the captain put into Plymouth to land us as he promised ^ Do speak to him, sir." " These lads are very anxious to be landed, Captain Hawkins," he said. ♦' It is of the greatest importance to young Trawl here, and it would not much delay us." The mate spoke in the same way, and entreated the captain even in stronger language than Dr. Cockle had used. "No, no," he answered. "Very likely they do wish to be put on shore, but we canndt lose a moment of this fine \ I 156 Peter TrawL breeze. The trip won't do them any harm, and they'll thank me for it by-and-by." Jim, when he heard this, was too angry on my account to speak, but I lifted up my hands and implored the captain to have pity on my young sister, if ncc on me. "Very fine, my lad," he answered, with a laugh; "but you are not quite of so much importance as you suppose. It might delay us not only for a few hours, but for days, perhaps, and, doctor, I cannot listen to you. We've got a favourable breeze, and I intend to make the best use of it. Once more I implored and entreated that the captain would not carry us away from .ing, but they could only swallow liquids. " Oh, let me alone ! let me alone ! " cried Horner. The doctor came to see Esdale frequently, and advised that he sh'^uld be taken to a sr -^ b . u the cal m, but the captain would not allow- it. " All lads get sick when they "rs. t, lo sea if there's a gale of wind, and he'll come round again ^^ and-by," he remarked in his usual off-hand way. This was not told to Esdale, who said, indeed, that he preferred remaining where he was. As the weather was tolerably warm, I believe that he was as well off on the half-deck as he would have been in the cabin. At last the gale came to an end —or rather we ran out of it. ILsdale got somewhat better again, but 1 observed that he had changed greatly in appearance since we came on board. I had now to abandon all hopes of the ship putting' back, but there was still a possibility of getting on board a home- ward-bound vessel. Two days after the gale had ceased, while I was below, I heard the cry of "Sail, ho ! " from the man at the mast- head. I hurried on deck. We had the wind abeam, and so had she — a soldier's wind as it is called. We should meet the approaching vessel before long and pass each other, with not a cable's length between us. I watched her eagerly. We drew closer and closer to each other. When we got nearly abreast I went up to the first mate and asked him what she was. " She's from the Brazils, bound for Liverpool," he answered The Voyage of the " Intrepid''^ begun, i6i to :he he Just thfc I saw the cap*^iin come on deck. Forgetting what iie was I rushed ip to him. "Oh, < iptaii- Har/kins, will you pnt Jim and me on board he: t" \ exclaimed. '" You don't know how much I want to gel hoLiC ; It won't delay you ten minutes to put us on board." " Ten minutes of this fine breeze lost for the sake of a boy like ycu," he answered, with a scornful laugh. *' I expended mure than ten in heaving to to pick you up, and that was as much as you are worth. Go forward, you young monkey, iind give me no more of your impudence." Undaurited by his heartless answer, I again and again implored that he would put me on board the Liverpool ship, but he s»-ood looking contemptuously at me without uttering a word, till Jim, seeing that 1 was making no way, coming up, hat in hand exclaimed, " If you'll put Peter here on board yonder ship, sir, that he may go home to his young sister and friends, I'll stay here and work for you, and be your slave for as many years as you may want me. Do, sir — do let poor Peter go ! " " Off with you for'ard," thundered the captain, with a fierce oath. '' How dare you speak to me? Away, b*jth of you ! Somebody has been putting you up to this, I know." And he glanced angrily at Dr. Cockle and the mate. " If you mean me, Captain Hawkins, I know that the lad has very good reasons for wishing to return home, but I did not advise him or Jim Pulley to speak to you. I certainly wis.i that you would put Peter Trawl on board thaf home- ward bound ship." " You may wish what you like, but I am not going to allow what I choose to do to be found fault with by you oi any other man on board this ship!" cried the captain turning on his heel. "So look out for yourself," he added, glancing ha If over his shoulder. II i m ... m ■ 1 1 II ii"r. ,. 162 Peter TrawL The ordinary salutes were exchanged, and the two vessels stood on their course. My heart felt as if it would burst with indignation and sorrow. Had the wind been light, I might, perhaps, have been able to put a letter on board, even although the captain would not have let me go. Esdale tried to comfort me, and advised me to have one written ready to ser i should another opportunity occur. The first land we made soon after this was Madeira. Except the coast of Norway, I had seen no foreign country, and as we passed it within a quarter of a mile, it struck me as very beautiful and fertile. The wind being light we tarred down the rigging, and a few days afterwards, when we were about eight hundred miles from the land, one morning, on coming on deck, I noticed that the shrouds and every freshly-tarred rope looked as red as if they had been just painted. I asked the doctor, who allowed me to speak to him in a familiar way, what had caused this, and he told me that it was the red sand blown off the coast of Africa, and that it was a common occurrence in these latitudes. We passed in sight of the Cape de Verde islands, one of which, called Fogo, seemed of a prodigious height. The first place we touched at was the isla*- d of Brava, into which the captain put to obtain fresh provisions. *♦ Now is my time," I thought. " If I can go on shore here, I shall be able to get back by the next homeward- bound vessel which calls at the place." Jim proposed that we should smuggle ourselves on board some shore- boat, but to this I would not agree. " We will go with the captain's leave," I answered, " and he surely will not refuse it now that he has no excuse for doing so." I therefore went up to him as soon as he came on deck. The Voyage of the ** Intrepid''^ begun, 163 " Capfrain Hawkins," I said, in as firm a voice as I could command, ♦* again I ask you will you allow Jim Pulley and me to leave your ship and wait on shore until we can get a passage home ? " •' Peter Trawl, if that's your naue, I shall do no such thing," he answered. "If I find you attempting to go on shore I shall put you in irons." I knew from previous experience that there was no use in expostulating. When I told the coctor, he could scarcely conceal his indignation. *• I feel inclined to help you, my lad, at every risk," he said, •• but we must be cautious. Wait until the evening, and then we will see what can be done." I thanked him heartily, and promised to follow his advice. Jim was ready for anything. The doctor said he would go on shore and then send off a boat which would wait under the starboard bow, and that we must manage to slip into her as soon as it was dark. The captain in the meantime had landed, but returned very shortly with four tall negroes, whom he had engaged to pull the 'midship oars in the whale-boats. They are, I should say, first-rate oarsmen, and have a gentle disposition, ready to obey, and are happy under all circumstances. Besides the negroes, two boats loaded with fresh provisions came alongside. These were soon hoisted on board, when the captain ordered a gun to be fired and Blue Peter to be hoisted, a signal to all those on shore to return immediately. Dr. Cockle and the third mate, with the cooper, whom the captain thought he could trust, had landed. Presently the captain ordered another and then another gun to be fired to hasten them, and then to my bitter dis appointment he directed Mr. Griffiths to loosen sails and heave up the anchor. 1 64 Peter Trawl, I -i According to Esdale's advice I had begun a letter to Mary, but had not had time to finish it. Hoping that I should not be missed by the captain, I ran below to add a few lines and then to close it, under the belief that I should be able to send it off by a shore-boat. I had to get out Esdale's ink-bottle and pen, which he had before lent me ; the pen would not write, so I had to search for his penknife, and to try and mend it as well as I could, but having little expeiience in the art, this took me some time. I at last got the letter closeil wiih a wafer, and directed to the care of Mr. Gray, when I sprang with it on deck. Just then the eye of the captain fell on me. " Come a t here, youngster," he shouted. " Where have you been away from your duty ? " . ^ I had the letter; in my hand. " 1 wanted to get this ready to send on shore, sir," I answered, holding it up. •' No excuse for leaving your station. Take that ! " he cried, as he gave me a blow on the side of the head with his half clenched fist, which brought me to the deck, and nearly stunned me. When I recovered myself the first person I saw was Dr. Cockle, who, looking at me compassionately, said, " Come below, Peter, and I'll try to put your head to rights, for you seem to be much hurt. How did it happen ? " " I can't tell you now, sir, for I much want to send this letter off by a shore-boat," I answered. As I spoke I observed that the crew were hoisting away and sheetifig home the sails. I ran to the side and jumped on to the main chains. The only remaining boat was just shoving off. I shouted to the people in her to come and take my letter; but they did not understand me, or did not care to remain alongside, as the ship was rapidly gathering way ; another stroke of their oars and they were at a distance from the ship. I waved and shouted to them to come back, Ain A CRUEL BLOW. Fa£^ 164. The Voyage of the *' Intrepid "^^ begun, 165 but they did not heed me, and just then I heard the captain calling 10 me in an angry tone to attend to my duty. I was obliged to obey, expecting another cufF harder than the last ; but when he saw mc begin to pull and haul with the rest he said no more. Perhaps he observed the blood streaming from my head. The sails were now sheeted home, the yaids trimmed, and the Intrspid stood away from the land. Another opportunity of making my escape was lost ^ / 1 CHAPTER XVI. WE C/aOSS THE LINE AND ATTEMPT TO ROUND CAPE HORN. JIM was always saying, "Cheer up, Peter, cheer up!" but it was a very hard matter to be cheery when I thought of the cruel way in which I had been treated, and the sorrow my sister must be feeling at my supposed loss. I tried, as advised, to keep up ray spirits, and did my best to obey the orders I received. Jim observed that it was all the same to him. His friends would not grieve much over his loss, and, as far as he was concerned, he would as soon be chasing whales in the Pacific as working a wherry in Portsmouth Harbour. As we approached the line I found that the men were making preparations for going through the ceremony which was performed on boartJ most vessels in those days. One of the boat-steerers, Sam Ringold, who stood six feet four in his shoes, and was proportionably broad, was chosen to act the part of Nei)tune, and the coojier's mate, who was as wide as he w;is high, that of his wife. The armourer took the part of the barber, and the carpenter's mate, who was lank and tall, the doctor. Three of the ordinary seamen, the smallest fellows on board, were their attendants. All the chests were searched for the recjuired dresses, and some curtains belonging to the cabin found their way forward to form a petticoat for Mrs. We Cross the Line, 16/ Neptune. Some gold paper and pasteboard were mdnufac-, tured into crowns, and some fishes' tails were ingeniously formed for the attendants. I discovered the preparations going forwa'-d, but was charged not to let Horner, or Esdale, or Jim know anything about them. I was more favoured than the rest of my messmates by the men, who seemed to have taken a liking to me ; whether it was because they had heard how I had assisted to save tlie Good Intent^ or thought that I was ill-treated by the captain, I do not know, but so it was. No one ever abused me, or gave me the taste of a rope's-end. We had been sailing on with light winds when one morn- ing, after the decks had been washed down and the other duties of the sliip performed, having run on for a short distance, we lay almost becalmed with the sea as smooth as a mill-pond. The capiain and his mites were seen to be taking an observation, and soon afterwards it became known that we were just crossing the line. "I've often heard about it, but I can't say I see any line," said Jim. " Nor can I !" cried Horner, who was looking out eagerly. P sently a gruff voice was heard, hailing from forward. " What ship is that, shutting out the light from my palace window ? " " The Intrepid" answered Captain Hawkins, who with the mates and doctor were standing aft. "Then go ahead, will you, or I'll indict you for a nuisance," cried the voice, the remark producing a general laugh. " I can't think of standing on until I have had the plea- sure of a visit from Daddy Neptune," said the captain. " Ay, ay I glad to hear that. Then I'll come aboard in a jiffy with my iOyal missus and some of our precious young family; and maybe, captain, you'll have something to give \ 1 68 Peter TrawL them, for they're very fond of any hot potions which may come in their way." "Be smart about it, then, Daddy, for I see a breeze springing up, and I may have to run you out of sight before you and your precious family have had time to take a sip apiece," cried the captain, who seemed to be in far better humour than usual. All this time Jim and Horner were standing with me abaft the main hatchway, with their eyes staring and their mouths agape, wondering what was going to hnppen. Presently, over the bows, appeared the strangest group 1 had ever set eyes on. First there came Daddy Neptune with a glittering crown, a beard of oakum reaching to his middle, a girdle of rope yarn round his waist, a cloak covered with strange devices, and a huge trident in his hand. His wife wore a crown like that of her husband, with ringlets of the same material as his beard, a huge sash of some gaiiy-coloured stuff, and a cloak foimed out of a blanket. The barber had in his hand a pot containing lather, a big bowl tucked under one arm, with a razor a yard long and a shaving brush of huge size under the other; while the children or attendant imps— for it was hard to say what they were — waddled about in green clothmg, looking like sea monsters, behind them. " Well, T have heard of strange things, but these chaps are stranger than ever I saw," cried Jim. *' Where do they come from ? " "From the bottom of the sea, I suppose," said Horner, who evidentb lid not admire their looks as they advanced aft. The captain, divct u little palavering, ordered the steward to bring up sr r.L |,;tog and serve it o.t to them. Then retiring a siiwr' w;"' fcr-vard, .Neptune commanded all who We Cross the Line, 169 had not before visited his dominions to oome and pay their respects to him. We all did so, not feeling very comfortable as to what was to follow, when his attendants got hold of Jim and me. Horner tried to escape, but was quickly captured and brought back. No one interfered with Esdale, who had, I found, crossed Neptune's hand with a crown-piece; which, of course, none of us were able to do. A huge t b of water had been placed in front of his majesty. The barber now^came forward and insisted on shaving all those who were for the first time crossing the line. Three of the ordinary seamen were novices like us. The barber first lathered our chins with some abominable mixture from his pot, and then, scraping it off with his razor, finally ducked our h<,ads into the tub. Horner, when un- dergoing the operation, had the brush several times thrust into his mouih, ami his whole face and head daubed over. When he opened his mouth to expostulate, in again went the brush. As he kicked and screamed and spluttered, he was treated worse and worse. Jim, taking a lesson from me, kept his mouth shut. I was let off even more easily than he was. Once Horner got loose, but instead of wisely remaining on deck and holding his tongue, he ran up the rigging and began abusing Dad ly Neprune and his gang, whereupon he was again captured and compelled to undergo the same operation as before. Blacky the cook next brought out his fiddle, and Neptune and his party — indeed, the wliole crew — began dancing round and round, singing and shouting every now and then as an interlude, catching hold of the " green hands " and pitching them into the tub, chase being always made after those who attempted to escape. ■ im till 170 Peter Trawl, The grog circulated so rapidly among the crew that they would all soon have been intoxicated had not the captain, in a thundering voice, ordered them to knock off and bring their tomfoolery to an end. They obeyed. Neptune and his followers dived below, and pn sently returned like stout seamen as they were. The order was given to brace the yards sharp up, and, with an easterly wind, we stood on our course. The next land we made was a solitary islet. Near it stood a remarkable rock called the " Ninepin," detached from the land The doctor told me that it is eighteen hundred feet in height. It had the appearance of a monu- ment standing out of the ocean. There are no inhabitants on the island, nor any good landing-place, but fresh water is to be obtained there, as v.ell as pigs and vegetables. We soon after this began to fall in with stormy weather. We found our ship, which I:ad remarkably sharp ends, v iry wet, and as we were now approaching the Und of storms in the dead of winter, with the days scarcely more than seven hours iong, the greatest caution was deemed necessary. The royal masts were sent down and replaced by stump top-gallant masts. The flying jib-boom was sent in and the studding-sail booms were also sent down. All the boats exct-pt one were got in, the hatches were battened down, and evtrything was done to make the ship light aloft. We '^re nearly off the River Plate when there were indications of an approaching gale. The hitherto blue sky was overcast, and the scud flew rapidly along, as if impelled by a hurricane. "You youngsters will have to look out for yourselves before long," said Tom Ringold, the boat-steerer, who had acted the part of Neptune, " We shall be liaving old Harry Cane aboard here, and he's a precious deal more difficult to tackle than Daddy Neptune, who paid ua a visit on the line." rry to e." JVe Cross the Line, 171 "Oh, dear! oh, dear ! I wonder what we shall do?" cried Horner, who did not exacdy understand what was going to happen. " Why, hold on to the weather-rigging, if you haven't to be pulling and h^'iling, and duck your head if you see a sea coming," answered Jim, who understood the joke about Harry Cane. In a short time the captain ordered the topsails to be reefed and the mainsail to be stowed and all the lighter sails handed. Jim and I were sent aloft to the foretop gallant sailyard to furl the sail. We were laying out when, to my horror, I saw Jim disappear. I nearly fell from the yard myself, from thinking that he would be dashed to pieces, and that I should lose my staunchest friend. "Jim ! Jim ! Oh, save hi^p ! save him !" I shouted ou', not knowing what I was saying, or considering how useless jt was to shout. ** Here I am all right, Peter/' cried Jim, and his voice seemed to come not far from me. What was my joy to discover that he had been caught in the belly of die sail, and there he lay as if he had been in a hammoc k, the reef tackle having b<;en hauled out just at the time he fell. He quickly scrambled on to the yard again, resuming his duty as if nothmg particular had occurred. We having finished our work came down. Scarcely was this done when the gale struck us, taking us right aback. The cabin dead-lights not being properly seci red, the cabin was nearly filled with water. The carpenter and his mates hurried aft to close them, and we youngsters were sent below to help him, and put things to rights. When th s was done down came the rain in such torrents that it seemed as if it would swamp the ship, while as she fell off into the trough of the sea, she began to roll in away which threatened every instant to shake the masts out of I I 111 i ''i 172 Peter Trawl, ■^ "•». Kcr. %mtmif^ worxK^rfv;! that they stood. Had foe rigging not b««# Bi«iMtion was that one of our remaining pigs was kihed, o«t t^wKJiid not griev t!ie crew, for as we had no salt on hoiB^ dtnA *\\t meat wo»W not keep, the portion not required ior th*^ r*i>n was served out to us Another, and vrhs^?: iw^bt hav*!? ixoved a far more serious matter, occurrt " Tu* th^ old hands *fM. us that we mi^ht look out for othe*s, iwftd so the captawm S( emed to think, for although he was a H i iii ii i H *^ get r»jund C'ape Horn we weie always under snug ca«Vv^#«^ w, night, aii>d during the day a bright Icok-out was kept, lei»f ■^J* ^ \\¥mt siiddtn squalls called Pamperos mi.,ht come off ?1«e l««. Cockle has seen him and says so," I answered bol .ly. " Tell him to come up, or I'll send a couple of hands to bri-ng him to^ck and crop," thundered tiie ca|)tain. f was a« determined as before not to tell Esdaie^ knowing that <«^ wo«ild come if sent for. " Gc' belo"*" and bring up that lazy young rascal," shouted the captaan to Tom Ringold icad another man standing near him. I imi ' ely ^9 ^ be^ow to j^rsuade Tom io1i0ttitll0 remain in his >uiik» *^ It will be iMt <|fH0i H'^ n Wf iftWiJ to this, weather," I said. " I am not the ^itPlilll||fl^|||pVflKil^iy0i^ielp it," ■ * - ! '*u !■:! ,rl' '74 Peter TrawL answered Tom. " Tell him to stay and I'll take the consC' querxes." When Tom returned on deck, the captain enquired in a fierce voice why he had not carried out his orders. " Because he is too ill to be moved, Captain Hawkins,** answered Tom, promptly. The captain, uttering an oath, and taking a coil of rope in his hand, was just about to go below when Doctor Cockle came on deck, and guessing, from the few words he heard, what was the captain's intention, came up to him and said. " It would kill the lad to bring him up, and as he is my patient, I have told him to stay below " "Am I to be thwarted and insulted on board my own ship?" cried the captain. *' Whether he is ill or well, up he comes." , , And going down to the half deck, he asked Esdale why he had not obeyed his orders. Esdale, of course, had not received them, and said so, beginning at the same time to dress. Before, however, he could finish putting on his clothes the captain seized him by the arm and dragged him up. Scarcely, however, had he reached the deck when the poor fellow fainted right away. Tom, on seeing this, lifted him in his arms and carried him down again. " I warn you, Captain Hawkins, that you will cause the death of the lad if you compel him to be on deck in this weather," said the doctor firmly, as he turned to follow Tom and Esdale. The captain, making no remark, walked aft, and did not again interfere. Whether that sudden exposure to the cold had any serious effect I do not know, but Esdale after this got worse and worse. Whenever I could I went and sat by his side, when li'e Cross the Line, 175 he used to talk to me of the happy land for which he was bound. He did not seem even to wish to live, and yet he was as cheerful as anyone on board. The doctor and first mate used also to come and talk to him, and he spoke to them as he did to me, and urged them to put their trust where he was putting his. I believe that his exhortations had a beneficial influence on them, as they had on me. When I said how I hoped that he would get better after we were round the Cape, he answered, **•! shall never see the Horn, Peter ; I am as sure of that as I can be of anything." Two days after thkj* land waa sighted on the starboard bow. It proved to be Staten I^fiiind ; but scarcely were we to the south of it when we enccrBntered a furious gale blow- ing frbm the westward. For two days, by keeping close hauled, the captain endea- voured to gain ground to the westward, resolved, as he declared, " to thrash the ship round the Cape." On the third day, however, while I was on deck, a tremendous sea came rolling up. " Look out ! Hold on for your lives, lads !" shouted the first mate. Every one clung to whatever was nearest to him. One poor fellow was to leeward. There was no avoiding the sea, which, like a mountain topped with foam, struck the bows. The ship plunged into it, and for a few seconds I thought woujid never rise again. On swept the roaring torrent, deluging the deck ; and had not the hatches been battened down, would have half filled her. A loud, crashing sound followed, and when the water had passed over us nearly all the lee bulwarks were gone, and with them our shipmate who had been standing a minute be- fore as full of life as any of us. He was not again seen, and must have gone dowii at once. h I pi •!i i! ■'^>. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 4 ^ .^V 1.0 I.I 1.25 £ Iffi 12.0 1.8 1.4 III 1.6 ^>>. ^^>> ^^ r /A Photographic Sdences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)S72-4S03 m C^v ,\ ,v N> ^.^ 6^ '<^ '9> I/.. ■ i \ 176 Peter TrawL The captain was compelled at last to heave the ship to, and there we lay, now rising to the top of a sea, now sinking into the trough, with walls of water, half as high as the main- top, round us. The seas in the German Ocean and Bay ot Biscay were nothing to be compared to those we encountered off the Horn, though, perhaps, equally dangerous. As soon as I went belo>v, I hurried to the side of Esdale. He asked what had happened. I told him. "Soma one was carried overboard?" he inquired. *• Yes," I said. *' Poor Jack Norris," wondermg how he knew it. " And I shall soon follow him," he replied. His words proved true. That very night, as I came off my watch and was about to turn in, I heard m)[ messmate utter my name iri a low voice. I went to him. " I'm going," he whispered. " Good-bye, Peter ; " you'll remember what I have said to you ?" I promised him I would, and lold him I must run and call the uoctor. " No, stay," he said. " He can do me no good. Tell him I thank him for his kindness. Good-bye, Peter." The next instant his hand relaxed its hold of mine, and stooping down over him I found he had ceased to breathe. So died one of the most amiable and excellent young men I have ever met. The next morning he was sewn up in canvas, with a shot at his feet, and brought on deck. The captain stood aft watching the proceedings. Whether he felt he had hastened Esdaie's death I know not ; but his countenance was stern and gloomy as night. The boldest seaman on board would not have dared just then to speak to him. Hail and sleet were driving in our faces; a furious gale threatening to carry our only sail out of the bolt-ropes was blowing ; the mountain seas ra^ed round us ; there was he We Cross the Line, 177 scarce time for a prayer, none for form or ceremony. A foaming billow came thundering against the bows ; over the deck it swept We clung for our lives to ropes, stanchions, and ring-bolts. When it had passed we found that it had borne our young shipmate to his ocean grave. i' i! I \ CHAPTER XVII. I M' ROUNDING CAPE HORN. FOR well-nigh six weeks we were endeavouring to get round Cape Horn, when the weather moderated, making way to the westward, but again being driven back often over more ground than we had gained. The captain Was constantly on deck, exhibiting on all occasions his splendid seamanship. He was ever on tiie U)ok out to take advantage of the least change of wind which would enable us to lay our course. Day and night were alike to him ; he seemed indifferent to the piercing wind and tremendous storms of sleet and hail we encountered. 'I'wice we si,-httd Cape Horn, but each time, before many hours had passed, were again to the eastward of it. The captain thought he could endure anything, and certainly did not expose others more than he did himself. We saw numerous sea birds — albatrosses, Cape pigeons, stormy-petrels (or Mother Carey's chickens, as they are called), and many more. The albatross appeared to me a truly noble bird when on the wing ; no matter how rough the weather or how heavy the sei, he sat on the water perfectly at ease, seeming to defy the veiy elements. One of the m tes having got a strong line with a large hook at the end of it, a piece of meat as bait, and a cork to float it, let it drop astern. In an instant a huge albatross pounced down on the tempting bait, and was hooked. It Rounding Cape Horn, 179 irs in o it required two men, however, to draw him on board over the taffrail. Even when brought on deck he attacked everyone who came near him. The doctor advised us to stand clear of his wings and beak, but Horner thoughtlessly held out his hat, when the bird, seizing hold of it, bit the crown clean out in a moment. Not until he had had several blows on the head with a handspike did he drop dead. He measured seven- teen feet from tip to tip of the wings. The feathers under his wings and breast were as white as snow, and as they glanced in the sunlight, shone like silver. In contrast with the albatross was the stormy-petrel, a black bird scarcely larger than a sparrow, and, of course, web- footed. Vast numbers flew about the ship, but they were more difficult to catch than the albatrosses. Again we sighted Cape Horn, standing out solitary and grand into the Southern Ocean. The wind had moderated and become more in our favour, although the vast billows rolled on like moving mountains of water. Now the ship forced her way to the summit of one, the next instant to glide down rapidly into the vale below, performing the same course again and again. At length even the billows subsided, and we began to look forward to having fine weather. About noon one day the look-out from the masthead shouted, " There she spouts ! there she spouts !" A school of whales was in sight. " Lower two boats," cried the captain. No sooner was the order given than their crews, hurrying aft, jumped into them, and very few minutes were sufficient to place all their gear in readiness and to lower them into the water. The captain himself went in one as harpooner, the second mate in the other. I should have liked to go, but I knew that it was useless to ask leave of the captain. \ 1 80 Peter Trawl, rfl i Away the boats pulled at a rapid rate to windward, the direction in which the whales had been seen, and that we might keep as near them as possible the ship was hauled close up. They were soon not discernible from the deck, and on they went increasing their distance till even the look- out from the masthead could no longer distinguish them. Still the first mate had carefully noted the direction they had taken, and seemed to have no doubt about picking them up. The weather, however, which had been fine all day, now gave signs of changing, and in a short time the wind began 10 blow in strong gusts, creating a nasty sea, but still it was not worse than whale-boats have often to encounter. Whether or not they had succeeded in striking a fish we could not tell, for the days were very short, and evening drew on. ' Fresh look-outs were sent to each of the mastheads, and we waited with anxiety for their reports. They soon hailed that they could see neither of the boats. At length, the darkness increasing, they were called down, and lanterns were got ready to show the position of the ship. " Shouldn't be surprised if we were to lose our skipper and the boats' crews," said Horner to me. " I've heard that such accidents have happened before now." " I hope not," I answered, " for although our captain is a severe man, it v/ould be dreadful to have him and the other poor fellows lost out in this stormy ocean, with no land for hundreds of miles where they could find food and shelter, even were they to reach it." While we were speaking a heavy squall struck the ship, and the remaining hands were ordered aloft to take two reefs in the topsails. Jim and I were on the foreyard.trm. We had just finished our task, when Jim declared that he saw a light away to windward. On coming on deck we told Mr. Griffiths. He at once Rounding Cape Horn. i8i ordered a gun to be fired as a signal. A blue light was then burnt, the glare of which, as it fell on our figures, gave us all so ghastly an appearance that Horner, who had never seen one before, cried out, " What has come over you fellows ? Is anything dreadful going to happen?" As the firework died out we looked in the direction Jim had seen the light, and in a little time we caught sight of it from the deck. The men on this gave a hearty cheer to show their satisfaction. Now the light disappeared, now it can>e in sight again, as the boat rose on the summit of a sea. The ship was hove to. Presently a faint hail was heard. We answered it with a shout from our united voices. At length one boat cuuld be distinguished. Where was the other ? The captain's voice assured us that he was in the first He was soon on deck, and the boat was hoisted up. He looked pale and haggard, and much annoyed at not having killed a whale. The other boat he said was not far off. We kept hove to for her, feaiing that if she did not soon appear she might be swamped before she could be hoisted in, for as the wind and sea were now rapidly 'rising every moment was of importance. At length she came alongside, but it was with the greatest difficulty that the men got out of her. They looked thoroughly worn out with their long pull. We had scarcely made sail again and were standing on our course when the gale came down on us, more furiously than before, blowing right in our teeth. It was now evident that had a whale been killed we should have been compelled to abandon it. In spite of his fatigue the captain remained on deck, swear ing fearfully at his ill-luck. Those who had been away with the boats were allowed to turn in, but the rest of us were kept on deck, for at any moment all our strength might be required. \ 182 Peter Trawl, Suddenly, while I was aft, the captain uttered a loud cry, or shriek it seemed to me. ^ ** What's the matter, sir?" asked the mate. *• I cannot see !" groaned the captain. "Where am I? What has hapoened ?" The mate went to him and took his arm. " It may be but for a moment," he said. There had been no lightning ; nothing, as far as we could discover, to produce blindness. Still the captain refused to leave the deck, declaring that it would pass over. The doctor, who had turned in, was called up, and came to him. The increasing gale compelled the mate to attend to the duties of the ship. The doctor summoned me to assist in leading the captain below. I took his arm ; he was trem^ bling like an ^spen. We led him to his berth, and assisted him to undress. " Shall I be better le morning, think you, doctor?" he asked, in an agitated .one. " I cannot say, Captain Hawkins. I believe that this blindness has come on in consequence of your having over- taxed your physical powers. In course of time, with rest and a warmer climate, I trust that you will recover your sight." " Oh that it may be so 1 " cried the captain, as he laid his head on the pillow. We had a heavier gale that night than we had before encountered. The seas again and again washed over the deck. It seemed wonderful that more of the men did not knock up. The first mate looked thin and haggard, and so did most of the other officers and men. The bulwarks on both sides had been carried away, two ot the boats had been injured, and the ship had suffered various o'her damages. Still we kept at it ; the wind shifted ; Cape Horn was actually weathered, and at length a joy us cheer burst from Rounding Cape Horn, 183 the throats of the crew as the ship's head was directed to the north-west. It was some days, however, before we felt any sensible change of climate, but after that it grew warmer and warmer, for we were now fairly in the Pacific. The captain was disappointed in his expectations of re- covering his sight. He came daily on deck and stood turning his head round in every direction, and I observed a painful expression on his countenance. ♦' I'll tell you what, Peter, I've a notion how the captain came to lose his sight," said Horner to me in a confidential tone. •' It's a punishment to him for the way he treated Esdale, and you, and Jim." " We have no right to think that," I answered ; " even if he had treated me ten times worse than h^ has done, I should not wish him to suffer what must be to a man of his nature so terrible a misfortune." " Well, then, I suppose I must keep my opinion to my- self," answered Horner. In a few days we reached the island of Juan Fernandez, and hove to otf it that the boats might go in close to the shore to catch some fish. Mr. Griffiths gave Jim and me leave to go in one of them. We were provided with hooks and lines. The water was so clear that we could see the fish take the bait, which they did so ravenously, that in a short time we had as many rock cod and other fish as we required. We afterwards landed and brought off a quantity of wild mint, which grows in profusion over the island. We made it into tea, which we enjoyed very much after drinking pea-coffee so long. While we were collecting the mint we saw a number of goats bounding among the rocki,some standing still and look- ing down on us. They were descendants of those which in- habited the island in the days of Alexander Selkirk, who was taken off by Dampier during his last voyage to the Pacific. \ 184 Peter Trawl. 5,1 '&i 11 At first we thought that there were no inhabitants, but just as we were shoving ofif we heard a shout, and a white man and negro were seen rushing down towards us, shouting and gesticulating furiously. They were both dressed in skins, with high fur caps, and had long sticks in their hands to help themselves as they ran. *• Why, J do believe that must be Robinson Crusoe and his man Friday," cried Horner, at which all hands laughed. " Ke got home long ago, or he never could have written his history, stupid," said the mate, " but ^whoever they are we'll wait for them." Still Horner had not got his first idea out of his head. He had not read much, but he had read Robinson Crusoe, and believed in it as a veracious history. 'J'he strangers soon reached ihe boat. "Now, I say, ain't you Robinson Crusoe?" cried Homer, as the white man got up to the boat. " No, my name is Miles Soper, and I know nothing of the chap you speak of," answered the stranger. " I say, mister," he continued, turning to the mate, " will you take us poor fellows otf ? We were cast ashore some six months ago or more, and are the only people out of our ship, which went down off there, who saved their lives, as far as I can tell. Sam Cole here and I came ashore on a bit of a raff, and we have had a hard time of it since then." ♦' Why, as to that, my man, if you're willing to enter and serve aboard our ship, I daresay the captain will take you, but he doesn't want idlers." " Beggars can't be choosers," answered Miles Soper. "If you ore willing to take us we shall be glad to go, and both Sam anil I are able seamen." " Well, jump in, my lads," said the mate; "but haven't Rounding Cape Horn, 185 you anything at the place where you have lived so long to bring away?" " No, we've nothing but the clothes we stand up in, except it may be a few wooden bowls and such like things," answered the s -anger, who looked hard at the mate as he ajjoke, probably suspecting that we might pull off, and that he and his chum might be left behind. Both the men seemed in tolerably good condition. They told us that they had had abundance of goat's flesh and vegetables, as well as fruit, but that they had got tired of the life, and had had a quarrel with four mongrel Spaniards, who lived on another part of the island, whom they thought might some day try to murder them. They both asked to take an oar, and, by the way they pulled, they showed that they were likely to be useful hands. When we got on board the Intrepid^ Mr. Griffiths spoke very kmdly to them, and as they at once said that they would be glad to enter, their names were put down as belonging to the crew. I took a liking from the first to Miles Soper, though he was perfectly uneducated, and could neither read nor write. Sam also seemed an honest merry fellow. He and the other Africans soon became friends. The crew had been employed on the passage, whenever the weather permitted, in preparing what is called the " cut- ting in gear," which consists of the various tackles and ropes for securing the whales alongside when caught and taking ofl the blubber. Then there was the gear of the various boats, and it would astonish anyone to see the enormous number of articles stowed away in a whale-boat when bhe starts after a whale. Everything was now got ready, as we were in expectation every day of falling in with whales, and the men were on the louk-out from the mastheads from dawn until dark, in the ! 1 1 86 Peter TrawL hopes of seeing them. I longed to see a whale caught, for as yet the voyage had been profitless, and every one was out of spirits. The captain, who still remained perfectly blind, notwithstanding the assurances of Dr. Cock.16 that he would recover, was so especially. He seemed like a heartbroken man ; his countenance gloomy, as if tioubled with melancholy thoughts, and his whole manner and appearance were changed. It was sad to see him come on deck and stand, sometimes fur an hour together, turning his face round, as if he were picturing to himself the sparkling ocean, the blue sky overhead, and the busy scene which the deck of his ship presented. 1 observed that Mr. Griffiths never gave an order if he could help it while the blind captain was on deck. The health of the latter, however, by degrees improved, the colour returned to his cheeks, and his voice, when he spoke, agam had the ring in it which I had from the first remarked. Day after day, however, we sailed on without seeing a whale. At length one day, soon alter noon, the first mate having just taken an observation, and the captain being in his cabin, we were cheered by the cry from the masthead of— " There she spouts ! There she spouts!" The loud tramping of the men on deck roused those below, who quickly sprang up, eager to engage in the expected chase. Among the first who appeared was the capta n, who ran up the companion-ladder with as much agility as he had ever displayed. "Where away — where away?" he asked. The men pointed to windward, and to our surprise the captain turned his eyes in the same direction. '* Lower three boats," he shouted. " I'll go in one of them." Rounding Cape Horn, 187 Presently I saw a low, bush-like spout of white mist rise fro.n the surface of the sea, not two miles oflF. " There she spouts ! There she spouts ! " shouted the captain, showing that he saw too. With wonderful rapidity, as everything was prepared, the boats were lowered. The doctor had come on deck. " Where are you going, Captain Hawkins ? " he asked, in an astonished tone. " In chase of those whales out there," answered the cap- tain ; "for, doctor, I can see them as well as you do." Of this there could be no doubt Several at that instant appeared at various distances. The excitement of the moment had given the required stimulus to t ie captain's nerves, and he was restored to sight. I remembered the fruitless chase off Cape Horn, when the captain and those with him so nearly lost their lives, but this promised to be successful. The captain's boat took the lead. His aim was to get up to one of the monsters of the deep just as it returned to the surface for breathing, as it would be some time before it could go down again, and before that interval many a harpoon and lance might be plunged into its body. The captain soon took the lead; the men pulled as if their lives depended on it. Before they were half a mile away a whale rose just ahead of the captain's boat. Spring, ing into the bows, he stood, harpoon in hand, ready to strike. Presently he was close up to the monster; the weapon flew from his grasp, followed by three lances hurled in rapid succession. The wnale, feeling the pain, darted off. Another boat came up, and a second harpoon was made ' fast, while several more lances were plunged into its side. Presently its enormous flukes rose in the air. " He has sounded 1 he has sounded ! " cried those on board. 3 4i '■I. li- ri' \ 1 88 Peter TrawL The whale had dived, and the lines coiled away in the tubs ran rapidly out. The monster, however, had not finished its breathing, and soon after a second line had been secured to the first it came again to the surface. The boats pulled rapidly towards it, and the harpooners plied it with their lances. Presently we saw them pull away as if for their lives. The whale rose nearly out of the water, and began turning round and lashing the surface with its flukes, each blow being sufficient to destroy any boat and her crew within its reach. " The monster is in its flurry," I heard the doctor say. " It is ours to a certainty." He was right. After lashing the water into a mass of blood-tinged foam, it lay perfectly still. Those on bo^rd raised a shout as they saw a little flag fixed on the body. The boats now made chase after another whale, which gave them more trouble than the first ; but they attacked it bravely, now pulling up and hurling harpoons and lances into it, and now pulling away to avoid being attacked in return. Presently we saw one boat again dash forward, almost the :^ext instant its fragments rose in the air, and the crew were scattered far and wide around. Which boat it was we could n «' tell. Some fancied it was the captain's, oth. ^ thnt a >',.s ihe second mate's. "Herefiai the top of a tree, we shall be able to catch sight of the river and find out what the pirates are doing.' I thought his idea a good one, so we sat down on the ground and waited. We could hear no sounds, so we concluded that all the poor people had been killed. We hoped, however, that the warriors might come back and beat the pirates ofi. Not that we wislied to fall into the power of our old masters again, for they would have kept us prisoners if they didn't take it into their heads to kill us. " At last the li^^ht returned, and seeing a tall tree near, Jack and I climbed up to the top. Jack went first. * Hurrah ! ' he shouted ', * there go the pirates down the river, pulling away with all their oars out ! * Sure enough I s iw ihem also. * But T say. Jack, perhaps the warriors have come back and put them to flight ; if so, we must take care not to be caught by them.' 1 said, * I can see where the village stood, but I don't see any people moving about.' ' It's a long way, to be sure, so we must be careful,' answered Jack. We soon got down the tree and returned to our boat. The pirates hadn't discovered her, so we got on board, and cautiously shoved out to the edge of the bushes, stopping just inside them. We then took a lo )k out, but could discover no one uioving on the opposite siiore, so we pulled across to the village. It was a fcarrivl siglit we saw there. Bodies of old men, women, and children were scattered aboui-, hut the heads were gone. "We weie in a hurry, you may be sure, to get away, but, w -n t'i fi\ \ \ \ \ III 204 Peter Trawl. says Jack, * It won't do to put to sea without food or water.* So we hunted about, and found in the bushes several baskets which the poor people had been trying to carry off with food of all sorts, and some calabashes, which we quickly filled at the spring where we were accustomed to get water. We hurried with them back to the boat, and once r, ore shoved off. We then paddled away down the river. The current was running out, so that we made good way, and were soon out of sight of the burnt village. Our craft was not very well suited for a voyage, but anything was better than stopping to be killed on shore. We pulled on until nearly noon before we came in sight of the mouth of the river. There was no bar, and the sea was smooth, so we resolved to pull out at once, in the hope of being picked up by some passing vessel. We were still not certain even now that our masters would not make chase after us, so we didn't stop a moment, except just to look round, but pulled right away to sea. Just as we got outside we caught sight of the pirate fleet under sail, standing to the nor'ard. We therefore pulled south, not that there was much chance ot their coming back, but we thought that if we went in their wake we should not fall in with any merchant vessel, for at any rate if they should have met one they would to a certainty have robbed and scuttled her. " We supposed that there were other islands away to the westward, but then they might be inhabited by the same cut- throat sort of fellows as those from whom we had escaped* and we didn't want to fall into their hands. Our chief hope was to be picked up by some passing vessel or other, perhaps by our own ship, but Jack said he thought she would not have remained at the station, and w«uld have long ago given up searching for us. It was hot work paddling away all day, and we would have given much for a sail, but the boat was not fitted for one, and she was not at a not Miles Soper^s Narrative Concluded, 205 fitted either for a heavy sea — not that there was nmch chance of that getting up at such time of the year. We had plenty of food and water, so we kept up our spirits. Where we were going to neither of us could tell ; all we knew was that we were our own masters. We were queer characters to look at, with our clothes all torn to shreds, our hair long, and our faces as brown as berries. No one would have taken us for Englishmen, but we had English tongues and English hearts, and we made up our minds to stick at it and not be downcast. We wanted to get away as far as we could from the shore, for fear any of che natives might come after us — not that there was much chance of that. We paddled and paddled till our arms ached, and we were well- nigh roasted with the hot sun. We were thankful when night came on, and we were able to rest and take some food. " We had agreed to keep watch and watch, but it was of no use trying to keep awake, so we both lay down in the bottom of the boat and went fast asleep. When we awoke it was broad daylight, and presently up came the sun and beat down on our heads as hot as the day before. There we were floating on the sea with the water calm as a mill- pond, and not a sail in sight. There was no chance either of a vessel coming near us while the calm continued. We took our breakfasts, however, and talked of what we should do. Far away to the east we could see the blue outline of the island we had left, but what part to steer for we could not make up our minds. There was only one thing we determined — come what might, not to go back and be made slaves of. It seemed useless to be paddling away and y<»t not to know where we were going to ; but we still hoped that we might fall in with some merchant vessel, it mattered not of what country, though we wished she might be English, and so we might find our way home. " * Come, let's be moving,' said Jack, at last. ' I've heard >9! ill 'il 206 Peter TrawL say that there are Dutch and Spanish settlements out in these parts, and maybe we shall fall in with one of theii^, and both the mynheers and dons are good sort of people, and will treat us kindly.' " So we took to our paddles and made our way to the westward. All day we paddled on, but no land appeared in sight, and now and then we stopped to take some food and a drink of water, but it was tiring work. We were thankful when night came at last. We didn't sleep so long, and were at our paddles before daybreak, for we knew by the stars how to steer. "Next day we did just the same, and the next after that. " ' I say, Miles,' said Jack, * we must soon manage to come to land or we shall be starving. We have not got food nor water for more than one day longer, and without them we shall not be able to hold out.' " That was very true ; still neither of us thought of giving in. A light breeze from the eastward had sprung up, so that we made good way, but there was no land to be seen ahead. We didn't talk much, for we had said all we could > say about our prospjects, and they were bad enough. But they became worse when we had drunk up all the water and eaten every bit of food we had in the boat. I had heard of people going three or four days without eating, but the want , of water was the worst. We would have given a heap of gold if we had had it for a cupful. The wind now shitted to the southward, and blew much stronger than before, knocking up a sea which threatened every moment to swamp our boat, which was not fitted for rough water. We now began to think that it was all up with us, and that all we could do was just to keep the boat's head to the seas .to prevent her from caj)sizing. "At last Jack sang out, 'A sail! a sail to the southward!' ^f **A STRANGE-LOOKING CRAFT SHE SEEMED AS HUE DREW NEARER." Fa^t 307. Miles Soper^s Narrative Concluded, 207 " There she was, coming up before the wind. A strange- looking, outlandish craft she seemed as she drew nearer. " * I wonder whether she's one of those Dyack or Malay pirates,' I said. * If so, we may as well let the boat turn over. ' " *No, no ; let us trust God, and hope for the best,' said Jack. • Cheer up, Miles ! she's sent for our relief.* " I was not so sure of that, for it was easy to see from her outlandish rig that she was one of the craft of those seas. Presently, as she got near us, she lowered her sails and came close up. Ropes were hove to us, and hands were stretched out over the side to haul us on board, for we had scarcely strength enough left to help ourselves. They tried to secure the boat, but she drifted off and was swamped. We just saw that the people were Chinamen, pig-eyed, with turned- up noses and yellow skins. We both fainted away. They brought us some water, and in a short time we. got better. They then carried us into a small cabin aft out of the hot sun. Presently they brought us some food — rice, and some stuff minced with it We were not particular, for we were desperately hungry. " We now found that the people who had picked us up were honest traders bound northward with a cargo of sea- slugs, birds'- nests, and other things from these seas. We tried to talk to them, but could not manage it, as none of them understood English, and v/e couldn't speak their lingo. But as soon as we got stronger we made ourselves useful, pulling and hauling, and doing whatever came to hand. Where we were going to we could not make out, but we hoped that it was to some place at which the English ships touched, and that we might get home some day. As Jack said, we had reason to be thankful that we had been picked up, for the weather came on very bad, and our boat could not have Hved through it. The Chinanien kept a bright look-out, and seemed terribly afraid of the pirates. We 208 Peter Trawl, tried to make them understand that we had seen the fleet sail to nor'ard a short time before, and we ourselves didn't like the thoughts of falling in with them. We told them also that we would fight to the death sooner than yield. They understood us, and seemed to think that we wereveiy fine fellows. We had been sailing on for three or four days, and we began to hope that we were free of the pirates, wlien just as we passed a headland we caught sight of a number of craft coming out from under it. On seeing them the Chinamen looked very mucti frightened, hoisted a.l sail, and brought their arms on deck. We watched the strangers, who, it was very clear, were maknig chase after us. We should have a hard fight for it, even if we should manage to get off. Presently, however, we saw their sails flapping against their m'asts as tiey came under the headland, whilst we still had a breeze and went away dancing merrily over the water. I never felt so pleased in my life, and the Chinamen seemed hig ly delighted, chattfing and jabbering away like so many monkeys. It was pleasant to see the pirate >' sails sink below the horizon, and pleasanter still to lose sight of them altog ther. " We ran on day after day. The breeze held fair and we by degrees got accustomed to our new friends, and could make ourselves understood in a fashion. We sometimes were sailing between islands, and sometimes on the open sea. Whereabouts we were we had no idea, though we sup- posed that we were approaching the Chinamen's country. " We had been a fortnight or more on board when dark clouds rose up from the south-west, and it came on to blow very hard. The sails were lowered and we ran before the gale. I saw by the looks of the crew that they didn't like it, nor did we, for it seemed as if at any moment the clumsy craft might be capsized. We, however, pumped and baled, and tiied to keep her clear of water. It all seemed, how- ^iljl lines Miles Soper^s Narrative Concluded. 209 of for the washed into her and she ever, leaking terribly. " We had been driven a long way out of our course. We did our best to cheer up our shipmates, and set them the example by working harder than any of them. " At last the gale ceas -d, and we once more made sail, but, do all we could, the water gained on us and the crew began to heave the cargo overboard to keep the junk afloat. The boats had been washed away, and we knew that if she went down we should all be drowned Jack and I talked of what we could do to save cur lives, but we agreed that we should have to share the fate of the rest It seemed to us that the craft would not swim another night, when we made out a sail to the westward. " The Chinamen by this time were so knocked up that they were scarcely able to exert themselves. Jack and I sprang here and there, now pumping, now baling, now trying to make our companions do the same. It seemed to us that they would let the craft go down in sight of help. The stranger we judged by the cut of her sails to be a whaler. The junk was settling lower and lower in the water. Jack found a flag, an odd-looking piece of stuff it was. He ran it up half-mast high as a signal of distress. The stranger came on slowly, for the wind was li^-ht. It seemed even now that she would not be in time to save us. At last she got near enough to see our condition, and hove to. Four boats were lowered, which came pulling towards us. " By this time the water was almost up to the lower deck. Jack and I stood ready to spring on board the first boat which came up. The brave crew came on, and were in time to haul the greater number of the Chinamen on board before the junk sunk beneath their feet. Several went down in her, too much knocked up to exert themselves. With ut 14 i • if 2IO Peter TrawL and those saved, the boats returned on t-ard. We found that we had been picked up by the Helen, whaler. She had been cruising off the coast of Japan, and was going to Macao for fresh provisions. As she was short of hands Jack and I at once entered on board her. Having landed the unfortunate Chinamen and taken in the stores we wanted, we stood away into the Pacific. We found ourselves among a somewhat rough lot, but we were better off than we had been as slaves, though Jack and I agreed that we would much rather serve on board a man -o* -war. We had been cruising for some time, and had caught and stowed away about a dozen whales or more, when one night there was a cry of * Breakers ahead ! ' "The captain, who was on deck in a moment, gave the order to put uj[) the helm and veer ship, but before she could be get round she struck heavily. We sounded round her and found the water deep on the starboard side. But all our efforts proving useless, the order was given to lower t-he boats. We had five fit for service, and they were got safely into the water. Jack went in one of them, I in another. We were ordered to keep off at a safe distance from the ship till daylight. When morning broke we found that the ship was a complete wreck, and that there was no chance of saving her. The captain then ordered the boats to come alongside one at a time and embfirk the rest of the crew, with such provisions as could be collected. We now saw land away to the nor'ard, and, having left the ship, pulled towards it Our great want was water, and to obtain it the captain divided us into two parties to look into any bays we might discover and try and find a spring. I was in the second mate's boat. We were just pulling into a bay, when a dozen canoes full of black savages, with bows and spears, darted out and made chase after us, so we pulled away out to sea. What had become of the other boats we could not Miles Soper's Narrative Concluded, 211 of lome rew, saw llled the we the hen ars, out not tell. Your brother Jack had gone in the captain's, and that was the last I saw of him," " Do }'0u think they could have escaped from the savages?" I asked, anxiously* "I have no reason to suppose they dida't, just as we managed to escape," answered Miles, " but we didn't catch sight of them again. We had sails in our boat, and plenty ot provisions, and the mate told us he intended to steer for the Sandwich Islands, the nearest civilised place he knew of, but that it was a long way off, and we should be a long time about it He might have been right, but we were still many days' sail from it when we ran short of provisions and drank up all our water. I believe that we should have died if we hadn't fallen in with another whaler, which picked us up. I entered oa board her, as did some of the men, but the mate and others preferred landing at Honolulu. I served on board her for some time. We had gone south- ward, having got a full ship, when we struck on a coral reef. Though we did all we could to keep her afloat, she went down with all hands, except the black and me, and we managed to get ashore on Robinson Crusoe's Island, from which you took us off." " But can't you give me any idea as to what has become of Jack ? " I again asked. "Not more than 1 have told you," answered Miles; "but my idea is that some if not all the boats got off, though in what direction they steered I've no notion." I was prevented from talking more on the subject just then by being summoned on deck, and when I told Jim he repeated what he had before said, « We'll find him, Peter. We'll find him." fc! 5 v-\ \ !l|ti CHAPTER XX. A MUTINY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES, % I TOLD Dr. Cockle all I had heard about my brother Jack from Miles Soper. He seemed greatly interested, and said that b*^ sincerely hoped we might find Jack or hear ot him, thcign ne confessed that it was very much like looking for a nex 1 ih a bundle of hay. Jim and 1 talked of little else. We neither of us any longer thought of going home, but I got a letter ready to send, by the first ship bound for England, tc my sister Mary, and another to Mr. Troil, telling them that I had got tidings of Jack, and much as I wished to get back, should stay out in those seas till I found him. My great wish now was to fall in with other whalers, that I might make inquiries about my brother. The captain — though, I suppose, Dr. Cockle and Mr. Griffiths told him what I had heard — seemed to take no interest in the matter, nor did he sho'v me any more attention than before. We had left Juan Fernandez more than a month, when a cry came from the masthead of ** Land ho ! " It proved to be Chatham Island, one of the Galapagos, a group of volcanic islands almost under the line, some hundred miles fiway from t.ie coast of Pe* '= We brought up in a fine bay, but the shore as far as we could see looked black and barren. There weit , however, thick, low bushes of a peculiar kind, covering the ground at some distance from the beach. As Dr. Cockle was going on shore with one of the mates and a A Mutiny and its Consequences. 213 party of the men, he to botanise and they to obtain fresh provisions, I went up to the captain and asked leave to accompany him. '• I understand you have made up your mind not to run away," he observed, in his usual sarcastic tone. '* Yes, sir," I answered ; ** I'm content to remain on board your ship, though I know that I would until lately have done anything to get back to England " "Take care you don't change your mind," he said, in the same tone as before. ** If the doctor will be answerable for you, you can go." I told the doctor whit the captain said. " I know that I can trust you, Peter, and I Ml tell the captain that I'll undertake to bring you back," he answered. I was glad to find that Jim was to form one of the party. Horner also got leave to go. Though he and I were on goud terms, I can't say I looked upon him as a friend, but I was well pleased that he should have a run on shore, as I hoped that it would put him in good humour, for of late he had become one of the most constant grumblers on board. I even now recollect the pleasure I felt on thus once more treading the firm ground, as, except for the short time I had landed on Juan Fernandez, I hadn't set foot on shore since I left Shetland. The rest of the seamen seemed greatly to enjoy their freedom. As soon as we had secured the boat we all set off together, running over the rough black ground, startling a number of strunge-looking creatures like lizards, some of which slid off into the water, others hid themselves in holes and crevices of the rocks. Jim and I, however, went back to join the doctor, as we knew that he would want us to carry anything he might chance to pick up. The mate, after the men had had a good run, called them to him, "ud we proceeded more ,.s I, i. \ ! I ■ i \ ! lii HI 214 Peter TrawL leisurely. The shrubs we had seen we found to be prickly pears. We had gone Lonic distance when we caught sight of some enc-mous creatures like tortoises. The doctor called them terrapins. They had been feeding on the prickly pears, and were now leisurely making their way towards the hills which rose in the distance. We were all suffering from thirst, and the sun beat down on our heads with a great heat We had in vain been looking for water. " I'd give anything for a mugful ! " cried Jim. " So would I," " And 1 1 " echoed several more of the men. " You needn't have long to wait if you can catch those creatures," said the doctor. " They'll yield as much cool water as we want." We all set off running after the terrapins, which, as they didn't move fast, we soon overtook. As we got clost to them they drew their heads into their shells, and remained quiet. ^ ' * , Horner had become unusually lively, and on seeing the creatures stop jumped on the back of one of them, when immediately on it went carrying him along with it. At first he thought it very good fun, and began snapping his fingers and pretending to dance, but whilst he was looking round at us the terrapin carried him against a prickly pear- bush, and over he went sprawling on the ground, to the great amusement of the men. " Oh, save me ! save me ! " he shouted out, scarcely knowing what had happened, and believing that the creatures were going to turn upon him and run their bills into his body. Jim and I helped him up, and found that he was bleeding from a cut hand and a wound inflicted in his side by the point of one of the leaves. The doctor, however, on arriv- ing at the spot, examined his hurts and comforted hini by A Mutiny and its Consequences, 215 the assurance that there was not much the matter, and that if he uidn't th.nk about it he could go on as well as the rest of us. We soon again overtook the terrapins, when the men who were armed with spears ran them in under the creatures' necks and quickly killed them. We turned them over, and under the doctor's directions, found, as he said we should, plenty of perfectly cool water in their insides. It was fresh as if just out of the spring. Leaving the terrapins to carry back with us on our return, we pushed on in the hope of falling in with some more. We were not disappointed. We in a short time killed four, as many as we could manage to carry on board the boat, and sufficient to give us Iresh meat for several days. I was in hopes of meeting with inhabitants, as 1 wanted, wherever I went, to make inquiries for Jack, not know ng where I might find him. As Miles had come to the east, I thought he might have found his way in the same direction. None of the islands are, however, inhabited, and only one ol them, Charles Island, has a spring of water, though people might otherwise exist in them for years. We saw a vast number of birds, which were very tame, but not a single foiir-leggei creature besides the terrapins and lizards. We had to make several trips to carry the meat to the boat. As we shoved off we saw the sea literally swarm- ing with fish, and the next morning the captain sent in two boats, which, in a short time, caught as many as we could eat. In the evening we sailed an \ cruised in the neighbourhood of the islands, during which time we added the oil of four whales to our cargo. We also met several other whalers, from all of whom I made inquiries for Jack, but none of the people I spoke to had even heard of the wreck of the Helen, and could give me no information. At length the crew began to grumble at being kept so long at sea, and we 2l6 Peter TrawL sailed for Tumbez, on the mainland where we took in wood and water. When this task >vas accomplished the captain gave leave to half of the crew to go ashore, and to remain away three days. On their return the other half had liberty granted them for the same time. I accompanied the doctor. We went up the river some distance, and then landing walked to a town surrounded by sand, far from having a pleasant look. With the assistance of the doctor, I made inquiries for Jack, thinking that if he belonged to a whaler he might have visited the place ; but I could gain no intelligence of him. The night before we sailed it was my middle watch, and when it was over I tumbled into n|y bunk. I had been asleep for some time when I was awakened by hearing Horner's voice, exclaiming, " You are here, then ? Rouse up and come on deck. The captain is in a great taking. He has found that a boat is missing and some of the hands, and he declares that you have gone with them." Slipping into my clothes, I hurried on deck. It was just daylight ; the captain was standing aft, looking in a fearful rage, while the second mate was forward, shouting to the men to come up and show themselves. ** Do you want me, sir ? " I asked. " So you and Jim Pulley have not taken yourselves off? " he exclaimed. *' No, sir ; we never thought of doing so, and I gave you my word that I wouldn't desert." He made no reply, but ordered Mr. Griffiths to call over the names of the men. Four were found missing. " Take a boat and six men, well armed, and see you bring the rascals back, alive or dead I " he exclaimed, lur.iing to the mate. A Mutiny and its Consequences, 217 In a couple of minutes the boat was in the water and the men were ready, and Mr. Ciriffiths pulled away. He was absent for some hours. At last we saw his boat coming back, but without the runaways. On reaching the deck Mr. Griffiths reported that he had gone up the river and examined the coast on either side of it, but could find no traces of the boat or men. As soon as Captain Hawkins had abandoned all hopes of recovering the runaways he ordered Mr. Griffiths to go again on shore to try and pick up some fresh hands in their place, and I was sent to look after the boat. On either side of the river as we pulled up it we saw numbers ot alligators sunning themselves on the sandy banks. As we got near them they plunged into the water, and at first I thought they were about to attack the boat. As we got higher up, the river narrowed and the trees bent over our heads. In the branches we could see num- bers of monkeys leaping from bough to bough and chatter- ing at us. At last, after going six miles, we reached a landing-place, near which was an orange-grove coming close down to the water. Mr. Griffiths, taking two men with him, ordered the rest of us to remain in the boat, and on no account to quit her. Scarcely, however, was he out of sight than the men declared that they must have some oranges. When I reminded them of the orders 1 had re- ceived they laughed at me, and one of them, springing ashore, ran off to the grove. He soon again appeared, with a handkerchief in his hands full of oranges, and sucking one as he came along. He was followed by an old gentleman, whom I at once guessed to be the owner of the orange-grove, and who came on till he reached the boat. He then stopped and said something in his native langurge, which none of ns understood. When he four. J this he made signs to us that we had no business to take his oranges without 2l8 Peter Trawl, i leave. I tried to explain by pointing to the men's mouths that they were very thirsty, and that I couldn't prevent the sailor from taking the fruit. Whether it was from my manner or looks I can't say, but the old gentleman appeared to be pleased, and going back to an orange-tree picked off a quantity of the fruit, which he brought to me in his own handkerchief, patting me on the back at the same time, as if he was satisfied with my explanations. While sucking away at the oranges the men were kept quiet. All the time the monkeys chattered away at us from the neighbouring trees, and an ugly alligatcr would now and then poke his snout out of the water to have a look at us, but the shouts we raised made him swim off. At last Mr. Griffiths appe?ired with four fresh hands, each man carrying a bundle containing all his worldly possessions. As soon as they stepped into the boat we shoved off, and gave way down the river. I was surprised to find all the men talk in a way far superior to that of common sailors, and soon found that they had deserted from American whalers, and had been, before they came to sea, in good positions, which they had lost by misconduct. The moment we got on board, though it was now late in the evening, the captain ordered the anchor to be hove up, and as the wind was off shore, we stood out to sea. We proceeded at once to our old cruising ground in the neighbourhood of the Galapagos. While we were on our way the new hands seemed perfectly contented, having little or nothing to do. I, of course, inquired of them if they had heard of anyone who had escaped from the Helen, but they could give me no information. To my surprise, I found that, though they had entered in different names, three of them were brothers, and the ^ urth an old friend. One of the brothers appeared to be a quiet, well-disposed man. As far as 1 could make out, he had come to sea to look A Mutiny and its Cotisequences* 219 after the others, and to try and keep them oiit of mischief, though he didn't appear to have been very successful, as time after time they had got into all sorts of scrapes, and it was a wonder that they had escaped with their lives. On reaching the old ground we fell in with a number of whales, and had very hard work, for scarcely had we stowed away the oil of one than we were in chase of another. The new hands grumbled, and so did some of the other>5. Of course they couldn't complain of our success in catching whales, that brought them the work to do. The mates knew of their grumbling, but took no notice of it At last, one morning, when I came on deck, I found a letter lying on the companion-hatch, addressed to Captain Hawkins. I, of course, took it to him. " Who sent this ? " he asked, in an angry tone. I told him where I had found it, and that 1 knew nothing more about the matter. Tearing it open, as he read it a frown gathered on his brow. ** The mutinous rascals ! I'll not yield to them," he exclaimed. " Say nothing about this till I come on deck," he said to me. *' Send Mr. Griffiths here." When the mate came the captain read the letter to him. They then armed themselves and went on deck, when the second mate was ordered to muster all hands aft. " Who wrote this letter ? " asked the captain, in a Arm tone. No one answered, and there was silence for some time, until the captain repeated the question. " It was Muggins," at last said one of the men. Muggins was one of the last hands shipped, and though a man of some education, he always seemed to me utterly worthless. He was a friend of the three brothers, who went by the names of Waijhington, Crampton, and Chfford. 220 Peter Trawl, " But in this precious letter I have the names of all the crew," exclaimed the captain. \ Several of the men on this protested that they knew nothing about the letter, and had not put their names to any paper. " Well, then, let those who have agreed to it walk over to the port si'ie, and those who wish to stick to their duy and remain in the ship go to the starboard side." Eight only walked over, including those I have men- tioned. On this Miles Soper, stepping aft and touching his hat, said, " I never like to peach on shipmates, but, as an honest man, I can't hold my tongue. On two different niglits I saw Muggins get up and change the meat and throw dirt in among the bread. One night he carried up some of the best piei es and hove them overboard. *' It's clear to me that he did it to make the rest of us dis- contented with our victuals. 1 had made up my mind to speak about it, but I couldn't catch him at it again, though I'm Cvrtain he played the same trick more than once after- wards." " I believe you, Soper," said the captain, and at a signal fn)m him the mates rushed forward and seized MUj.gins, ^ whom they dra.-ged aft, none of the others interfeiing. The captain then produced a pair of handcuffs which he had got l^eady, and fixed them on the wrists of the man. He then ca led to Horner, Jim, and me to assist the mates, and to- gether we carried the man down below and shut him up in the cabin store-room, the captain meantime remaming by himself on deck. When we returned we found that the crew hadki't moved. '• Now. lads!" he said} "you who have made up your minds to remain in the ship return t > your duty." On this the men on the starbuard side went forwaid, but A Mutiny and its Consequences* 221 t the remaining seven mutineers stood where they were with their arms folded. I was in hopes that, as they were no longer under the inflience of Muggins, they would yield, but they wouli make no promises. At length, tired ot standing where they were, they moved lazily along for- ward. Dr. Cockle told me that the captain intended to put into the Marquesas, where he could get rid of the men and obtain others I found the next day that we were steering in that dirfction. After this not one of them would do any work, though they were allowed to remain at liberty. I fully expected that they would try to rescue their companion, but the captain and mates kept an eye on them, as did Jim and I. It was tantalising to us to see whales every day and yet not to go in chase of them, but the captain wouldn't send any b jats away with the good men in them for fear of what the others might do in their absence. At I ngth we reached Witahoo, one of the Marquesas, and brought up in a beautifully sheltered bay. Had there been any English authorities in the place the men would have been imprisoned, but as it was all the captain could do was to release Muggins from his handcuffs, and to send him and the other men ashore. The second mate went in one boat, and I had comm^^nd of the other. The mutineers were ordered to get into them, and we pulled for the beach. Though they had only their clothes and a few articles put up in bundles, they stepped on shore with as jaunty an air as if they were going among friends, and having walked a little distance they turned round and jeered and laughed at us. " I pity you poor fellows who have to toil away on board that filthy whaler," cried Muggins. •* It s a shame that you haven't spirit enough to lead the happy easy lives we are going to enjoy." r 222 Peter Trawl, Before we shoved off several natives came down to the beach, with whom the mutineers shook hands, as if fhey were old friends. Presently a huge fellow appeared, who, judging from the way the rest treated him, we supposed to be a chief. Though uie others were of a gigantic size and magnificent proportions, he was taller than any of them, Every part of his body that we could see was tattooed over a deep blue colour, from the crown of his head to his feet. His head was shaven, and every hair, even to the eyelashes, was plucked out He introduced himself to the mate, who was standing up in the oat, as Utatee, the chief of the island. He spoke a little English, and from him we made out that a missionary resided a short distance off up the bay. In a short time a numl)er of ot^er people came down, with several women and children. Nearly all the latter appeared to me to be very handsome, their good looks not being spoilt by tat- tooing. I have never seen so many fine-looking people together in any part of the world. The chief told us that we should be welcome to as much wood and water as we required, and offered to supply us with fresh provisions at a cheap rate. Next day the missionary came on board, and warned us to beware of the people. He had made but litrie progress with them, owing very much to the misconduct of the run- away sailors who lived on sho; e and set them a bad example. Still he had some converts, and he hoped, in time, to make more. I told him about my brother Jack, and how anxious I was to find him. I got Miles Soper to describe him minutely, and the missionary kindly promised to make inquiries for him. The captain returned with him on shore to look for men, and came back in the evening with eight he had picked up. One of them was a runaway sailor, who had been living A Mutiny and its Consequences, 223 on the island several years (such being termed a beach- comber), a Portuguese, and six Kanakas, as the natives are called. Meantime the blacks and the S indwich Islanders, with a few of the white men, were employed in bringing off the fresh provisions we required. As Dr. Cockle wished to visit a part of the bay a little distance off, he borrowed one of the boats manned with two natives, Jim Horner, and me. We visited two or three spots, where the doctor collected some plants and some shells from the shore. " We were about to return when he proposed that we should look into a little bay a short distance farther on. The natives seemed disinclined to go there, and as far as we could make out advised us to return to the shore, saying tiides two muskets. He told Jim and me to stand up, with the muskets in our hands, for he didn't like to trust Horner, while he stepped on shore. Just as the boat reached the beach; and Jim, who was in the bows, was about to jump out, he ex- laimed, " Why I do believe those two fellows are Muggins and Jones." The iloctor leaped on shore, looking carefully round to ascertain that no natives were near. A cry of horror I 224 Peter TrawL, escaped him. The two men were dead, with their skulls fractured, the brains lying about. Their "free and happy" life on shore had come speedily to an end. Why they had been killed it was difficult to say. The doctor, stooping down, felt the bodies. " They are perfectly cold, and must have been dead some time," he observed. "They probably had a quarrel with some of the natives, and were trying to escape to the beach to cry for help, when they were overtaken." As we could do nothing we returned to the ship, thankful that we had escaped the treachery of the natives, thou:^h, as the doctor observed, the men who had suffered had evi- dently brought it all upon themselves. CHAPTER XXI. A CRUISE ACROSS THE PACIFIC AND THE ADVENTURES I MET WITH. ON reaching the ship we found that the captain, the English missionary, and the big old chief, Utatee, had arrived on board just before us. The doctor at once told them what had occurred. " The fellows probably brought their fate upon them- selves," said the captain. " They must have provoked the savages and got killed in consequence." " I'm afraifl that such was the case," observed the missionary ; " but I will ask the chief to inquire into the matter." Utatee sail he would do so, but if the white men were guilty he could not undertake to punish their mur lerers. While we were talking some of the crew cried out, " A shark ! a shark ! " and sure enough there was a huge creature swimming up close under the counter, with his fin ju'^t above the watt-r, his wicked eye glancing up at the ship. The chief said something to one of the natives who had come aboard with him, a fine athletic fellow, who, like the chief, appeared to be fully dressed in a tightly- fitting dark blue silk dress, but who, in reality, had only a loin- cloth round his waist, fastened by a girdle, in which were stuck a couple of knives, the rest of his body being perfectly tattooed from head to foot. The man looked at the shark, and waiting until it had IS 726 Pettr Trawl, III/ m gone a little ahead, overboard he went, and swam rapidly up after it. Presently he dived, and we saw the shark floundering in the water. I thought that he had turned to seize the man, and that the blood which tinged the waves was issuing from his body ; but no, it was the shark which was wounded. The man rose, and again plunged his knife into the monster's side. He did the same several times, and then towing it up by the tail to the ship, made signs for the bight of a rope to be hove to him. He passed it over the shark's head, and another rope being secured near the tail, the monster was hoisted up, while the native, with wonderful agility, climbed on deck, apj)arently not in the slightest degree exhausted by his exertions. Immediately after this we saw a prodigious commotion near the entrance of the bay, while a loud sound like that of vStones knot ked together reached our ears. We soon made out a number of people, men, women, and children, who had t ome off from the extreme point forming one side of the entrance of the bay, and were swimming across it, shouting and striking togelhor a couple of big stones, which thc»y held in their hands. Having formed in a line across the bay, they turned and swam up it, and we saw that they were driving before them a shoal of poi poises. On they kept in perfet't order, till the porpoises were driven right ashore at the head of the bay. Here a number of other natives met them. Together they attacked the creatures, which they quickly killed. The missionary told us that their object was to extract the teeth, through whi<:h tht;y n^ake holes for the purpose of forming necklaces. '* You'll not forget, sir, I hojie, to look out for my brother Jack," 1 said, as the missionary was going. ♦• You may trust me for that, my young friend," he answered, kindly; "'but I shall not be long on these i^iuitds, I fear, as the French are coming to take possession M A Cruise across the Pacific, 227 motion ce that » soon lildren, e side ross it, which across at they n they n right f other aturt's, IS that h tht7 )rother ," he these session of them, and they'll allow no Protestant missionaries to live here." The captain had no wish to remain for the purpose of inquiring into the death of the two seamen, as they didn't belong to his shi)), and we therefore sailed at dayurealc the next morning for Dominica, the largest island of the group, where we understood that we could obtain a larger supply of |)ork than we had obtained at Witatoo. We quickly came off that island, but could discover only one bay 'nto which we couM safely enter. As so'jn as we brought up, two of the boats were sent ashc "^ under charge of Mr. Griffiths, he going in one, and 1, wih Jim and Horner, in another. As we got near the beach we sa v that a heavy surf was breaking on it. Mr. Griffiths, however, thought that we could land safely, and waiting till thft wave had burst, we dashed on. Though we shipped a good deal of water, the boats got in safely. The natives being accustomed to supply whalers, guessing what we wanted, had come down with a number of hogs to sell The price for one wps a bottle of powder, and five could be purchased for an old musket. We had brought a number of these articles for barter. Mr. Griffiths ordered me to stand by the boats while he carried on the trade. As was my custom, I looked about in the hopes of seeing some English sailor of whom I might make inquiries about my brother Jack. When we had purchased as many pigs as the boats would carry, we prepared to shove off. . The natives made signs to us that we had better be careful, but we didn't understand them, and the pigs being put on board, we shoved off. " I'll lead," said Mr. Griffiths. " When you see me safe outside you can follow," and away he went. i i . V t - n V 228 Peter Trawl. w •t He got through one breaker, but what was my ! orror to see the next catch the boat and roll her completely over ! We knew that the place abounded with ground-sharks, and we expected to see either him or some of the other men carried off by the savage creatures. He was not a bad swimmer, but, at the same time, was un.ccustomed to make his way through a heavy surf. The rest of the men clung to the boat, but he attempted to gain the shore by himself. I was about to tumble the pigs out of my boat, and to go off in her to his assistance, when thiee of the natives darted out through the foaming seas towards where he was struggling. Every instant I expected he would disappear, but they quickly reached him, and supporting him in their arms, brought him back safe to the beach, where the rest of the men arrived, without hurf, on the bottom of the boat ' " vVe must not be defeated, lads," cried out Mr. Griffiths, as soon as he had recovered. "We shall have better fortune next time." . , The boiit was baled out and put to rights, and the pigs, which had swum ashore, being again put in her, away we pulled, but just as she had g.)t to thie middle of the roller she broached to and over she went. This time I, not without reason, feared that some of my shipmates would be lost, as I saw the boat tossing helplessly in the breakers, but presently she came driving, with all hands and the pigs, at a rapid rate towards the beach, where the natives received them, looking as if nothing unusual had occurred. Still undaunted, Mr. Griffiths determined once more to make the attempt, and the next time succeeded. I waited until the largest roller, which I had carefully noted, had passed, and my men giving way, we got through, although the bo.it was nearly half full of water. ji '■:\'. A Cruise across the Pacific, 22g was tay we roller We carried the pigs on board, but after this, at the suggestion of one of the natives, we anchored the boats a short distance from the shore by letting him dive down and make fast a cable to the coral at the bottom. The natives then swam off to us with the pigs and the cocoa-nuts which we bought of them, without making any additional charge for their trouble ; indeed, to them it seemed a matter of course. We could obtain no ^ ams, but we got instead some enormous plantains, which served us instead of potatoes. As we could bring off but a few pigs at a time it was rather a long business, and we had then to skin and salt them down. The wind changing, and the surf no longer breaking at the end of the bay, we were ab'e to land without difficulty. I had one day accompanied the doctor, who took only three other men to pull the boat. As he wished to botanise and obain some shells and other productions of the island, the men went with him to carry what could be got, while I remained by the boat to prevent the natives from stealing the lead and gear belonging to her. Before long two or three old women came down to the beach and began talking to me by signs, for words were of no use. Then others joined them. They took hold of my hands and seemed to be admiring my complexion and examining my clothes. As far as I could make out they wanted me to accompany them to their village. When 1 refused, for of course I was not going to neglect my duty and leave the boat, they grew angry, and at last several of them seized me by the arms and were attempting to drag me off. I struggled violently, and shouted out at the top of my voice, but they didn't seem to mind that. As they were very strong I was completely in their power, and I fully believed that I should be carried off, when I caught sight of a man running towards the boat. He i: f f I); > I I \ t ; ?.:! 230 Peter Trawl, proved to be one of our crew who had been sent back by the doctor for something he had left. When he saw what was taking place, holding his musket in his hand, he rushed towards the old women, who let me go and scampered off. " It's lucky for you, Peter, that they didn't succeed in getting you away," he said. " They would have tattooed you all over and turned you into a nigger and made you marry one of their girls. I'll stay by you, for the chances are they may come back and try again to make you a prisoner. The doctor must manage to do without his spud." When Dr. Cockle returned, though at first he began to scold the man, when he heard why he remained he told him he was yight. At all events, had the natives carried me off it might have caused a deal of trouble to recover me. Sailing from the Marquesas we gradually worked our way westward towards the Society Islands, catching a few whales, till we arrived at Totillah, one of the Samoa group. The scenery was magnificent, while everywhere the country was covered with beautiful trees, among them the pandamus palm, the tree-fern, the banyan, the bread-fruit tree, wild nutmeg, and superb bamboos. The natives also were very well-behaved and quiet, and were always inclined to treat us hospitably. Indeed, we might have travelled without the slightest risk from one end of the island to the other. The good behaviour of the inhabitants was the result of their having become Christians owing to the inde- fatigable exertions of missionaries. It was here that John WiliiaiTis, the great apostle to the Pacific heathen, spent several years. Not far off from where we lay at anchor was Lei-ni Bay, the scene of the ma>sacre of the French navigator Perouse and his companions. While we were h«. re two of the men we had obtained ran off. Two others were shipped in their stead. One of them, who called A Cruise across the Pacific, 231 himself John Brown, as he stepped on deck seemed to me a remarkably fine fellow. He had belonged to a whaler which had been wrecked some time beiore, and he had remained behind whila the rest of the crew went on to Sydney. I immediately asked him the question which I put to everybody. " Do you know anything of a young fellow named Jack Trawl ^" '• It seems to me that I have heard of the name," he said, " but when or where I can't say. When did you last get news of him ? " " He was wrecked in the Helen^ and was last seen in one of her boats when the crews were making their escape from the ^^avages," I answered. " Then perhaps I may help you a little," he said. *' Some time ago we fell in with a whaler and we were talking to her crew. At last, as we were going to shove off, one of the men said that he had been on board the Helen, and he knew for certain two of her boats had got safely to Timor, but what became of the others he couldn't tell." I naturally asked which of the boats had reached Timor, and whether the captain's was one of them, but he could not say, and I was obliged to rest satisfied with this infor- mation. It gave me fresh hopes that Jack was alive. I have not described the bay in which we lay. It was very deep and narrow, and might rather have been cahed a gulf. Just as we got under way the >\ind came right in,^ and we had either to anchor again or work out. The captain decided to do the latter. Two boats were sent ahead to tow the ship round, the rest of the crew were at their stations. Not a word was spoken, for we all saw that we had no easy task to perform. As we went about, first on one tack then on the other, we each time gained but little ground. 111 ^11 •>^ 232 Peter Trawl, At last, as we were just again going abou*-, a puff of wind drove her right ashore on a coral reef. In vain the men in the two boats endeavoured to pull her round. The captain and both the mates gave her up for lost, and the crew seemed to think the same, but Brown, who was looking round everywhere, called me, and we hauled away at the fore brace. The foretopsail filled with a flaw of wind which came off the shore, and away the ship went, the wind favouring us till we were clear out of the bay. It was one of the narrowest escapes from shipwreck I ever had. The next land we made was " Boscawen " and " Keppel " Islands, the former being a high peak, the latter a low, level island. We here landed to obtain provisions, among which we got some of the finest yams I ever saw. The natives were gojd-looking, friendly people. We continued on to the north-west, and made the " Duke of Clarence " Island, which has no land within four hundred miles of it. The captain said that he had touched there years before, but that it was uninhabited. As we were Hearing it, however, a number of natives came off in large canoes loaded with cocoa-nuts and fruits, so that they or their fathers must have made a long voyage to reach it in their frail-lroking vessels. . Thence we proceeded to the Kingsmill group, of which Byron's Island is the largest. The men, who were heathens, were quite naked, but the women v/ore small aprons of seaweed. They didn't tattoo themselves, but many of them had their skins rough and hanging in flakes, which gave them a most repulsive appearance. This was in consequence of their spending much of their time in the water. They were savage not only in their appearance but in their customs, for we heard that to prevent overcrowding, as they cannot provide sufficient food for a large population, they kill their infant children. , . A Cruise across the Pacific, 233 Such were the people of all these islands, however hand- some in appearance, before the missionaries went among them. Many of them had terrible wounds, produced in their battles with each other, either by their spears or clubs, which are covered with sharks' teeth. We didn't see the land till we were within about ten miles of it, as it is very low, being of coral formation. Its only vegetable production is the cocoa-nut tree, which is of the greatest value to the natives. They build their huts of the trunks and roof them with the leaves. Their canoes are composed of numerous pieces of the wood sewn together with cocoa nut fibre. The form of these canoes, which are from eighteen to twenty feet long, is curious ; the shape is that of a whale boat cut in two lengthways ; one side is rouni, and the other perfectly flat, ^-'nd they are kept up- right by having an outrigger to windward which extends about ten feet from the hull. The sail is triangular and made of matting, and in fine weather they can beat to windward with the fastest ship. We here spent several months, occasionally touching at Byron's Island for fresh cocoa nuts and water. We had caught nineteen whales, when "towards the evening of one day a twentieth was seen at a considerable distance. " We must have that fellow," said the captain. The boats were lowered ; he went in one, Mr. Griffiths in another, and Mr. Harvey, the second mate, in a third. Another whale appeared much nearer, but in a somewhat different direction. While Mr. Griffiths pulled for the first, the captain and the second mate made for the second. Both were to windward. We had a light breeze, and at once began to beat up after them. Just before sundown we found that the captain and the second mate had made fast. It took some time before the whale was killed, and we could scarcely perceive the whift ■I M ^ I III .. -: r I I;' i !i 'I 234 Pc^er TrawL planted on its b 'ck before darkness came on. We had, in the meantime, lo^t sight of Mr. Griffithss boat, but we hoped that he would be equally suci:essful. We made tack after tack till we got up to the whale, which two boats were towing towards us. We burned a blue light to show the first mate our position, but looked in vain for an answering signal. At last the captain, being anxious at his non appear- ance, and fearin^; that some accident must have happened, ordered the t>ccond mate to ha.ig on to the whale while he beat the ship up in the direction Mr. Grifriths's boat had tpktn. ^^he hours went by and the w'r.d increased and the sea goi. sx •' N ver mind," said the captain ; " Harvey will hang on under the lee of the whals even if it does come '^n to blow hardei, and "he'll be safe enough." At last, at about hall an hour to midnight, we made out a faint light dead to windward. It took us some time to get up r.> it, for, though wj were sure it must come from the mate's boat, it didn't approach us. As wo got near we could distinguish the people hanging to the bottom of the boat, one of them sitting astride of her and holding up a lantern. We immediately hove to, and lowered a boat to take them on board. It then appeared that the boat had been stove in by a whale, when the mate and 'lis men clung on to her, the whale fortunately not molesting them. The boat's lantern is always headed up tight in a keg, together with a tinder-bor. and candles, and having pro- videntially secured the keg, they managed to open it, get out the lantern, and strike a light. We mii'ht otherwise have passed them in the dark, and th^ y would all probably have perished, as we should have run back to pick up Mr. Haivey's boat and the whale we had killed. We now did so at once, and a hard night's work we had of it, aa we had A Cruise across the Pacific. 235 keg, pro- et out have have . Mr. w did e had to secure the whale alongside, and get ready for cutting in as soon as it was day. Soon after this, while T was aloft, I saw Jim, who had just been relieved at the wheel, go to the side, and, throwing off his clothes, jump overboard. It was what we often did, always taking care to leave a rope overboard to get up by, to get rid of the soot and grease, besides which, as we were close under the line, the weather was very hot, and a bath refreshing. Jim swam some way ahead of the ship, v.'hen the cook, to play him a trick, hauled up his rope, which I didn't perceive, as I was looking at Jim. Just then I caught sight of the fin of a shark at no great distance off. I shouted to Jim to come back, and he, knowing that I should not give a false alarm, struck out lustily for the ship. Mr. Griffiths, who was on deck, seeing his danger, at once hove him another rope, and shouted at the top of his voice to keep the shark ciff. Still the monster came nearer and nearer. I saw Jim, to my great relief, get up to the side, buc as he took hold of the rope, from its '-.eing covered with grease, it slipped t'lrough his fingers. The mate shouted to the other men on deck to come and assist him in hauling Jim up. I slid down on deck as fast as I could. On came the shark. Jim was still in the water, and I expected to see my old friend caught. With all c ur strength we hauled at the rope, but still Jim couldn't hold on by it, and I feared that it would slip through his fingers altogether, when, as it turned out, there was a knot at tne end. This enabled him to hold on and we hauled him up. more dead than alive from fright, just as the shark, showing the white of its belly, shoved its snout out of the water and made a snap at his feet, not six inches from t'lem. Jim was saved, and I never in my life felt more inclined \ f I i .1 > f .1 & i ■ 1 ¥ m 236 Pe/er TrawL to cry for joy than when I saw him out of danger. Wliile the shark vas still alon;.side looking for its prey, one of the Marquesas islanders who came on deck, taking a kr fe in his hand, leapt right down, feet first, on the monster's back, which so scared it that away it went like a flash of lightning. I have mentioned these circumstances iust as they occurred to show the sort of life led by the crew of a whaler. I have more interesting events to narrate in. the follow in/ chapters. I ( the ; in ick, ?• hey iler. nn.- CHAPTER XXII. A TYPHOON, AND HO.V WE GOT THROUGH IT, THE crew of a whaler had nred to exercise much patience. Sometimes they watch for weeks and weeks together, but watch in vain, for fish. At others so many are ciught that they have not a moment to rest between the time that one is tryed out and another is brought alongside. We had at first been very successful, but a week or more having passed without a whale being seen, Caprain Hawkins ordered a course to be steered for the Jap in whal ng gmund. The very first day that we arrived in the latitude of these islands, which were, however, far out of sight, we caught two whah s. We had tryed out the first and had the other alongside when another whaler made her appearance. As she got within half a mile of us it feel calm. Soon aftei wards a boat was lowered from her, which came pulling towards us. When she came alongs de a fine, hale looking old man stepped on board and introduced himself as Captain Barne t, of the Eleanor. He spoke in a heariy, cheery tone, which contrasted greatly with the rough and unpleasant way in which Captain Hawkins generally expressed himself. Captain Barnett dined h- red ( olour. Before this, numbers of birds h^'i been flying abo it the ship, but they now winged iheir way to distant lands. As soon as our visitor had pulled away, our captain ordered the hands aloft to shorten sail, although at the time there was not a breath of wind. Everything was taken in with the exception of a main topsail and storm trysail. As the swell increased, the ship began to roll in a most frightful manner, her chain- (late.s striking the water every time she heeled over, while the water as it rose beat against the stern with a force so violent that we were almost thrown off our legs. We had to cast adrift the last whale caught before the whole blubber v/as cut in, as it was impossible, without the greatest risk, to keep it alongside. I asked Brown, who was the most intelligent seaman on board, what he thought was going to happen. "We shall have a typhoon — a precious hard one tJO. I suspect, ' he answered. A Typhoon^ and how We got through It, 239 All night long the swell went on increasing, when sud- denly the wind sprang up and broke the hitherto calm swells into foaming seas, which furiously dashed round the ship though they did us no damage. Just as daylight came on the wind again dropped ; but though the wind had fallen, the sea, instead of going down, raged more fiercely than ever, making the ship roll so violently that we feared that at any m jment the masts might be carried away. Yet all this time there was scarcely a breath of wind. This state of things continued till about three o'clock, when suddenly, as Brown had foretold, the igale again broke upon us, and continued to blow with in- creasing violence until about two o'clock on the following morning, when a more furious blast than ever struck the ship. " Hold on for your lives ! " shouted Mr. Griffiths, who was on de. k. • The captain, foFowed by Dr. Cockle, hurried from below. There was little need to give the waming ; we all clung to the weather bulwarks. Over went the ship light on her beam- ends, and away flew the storm trysail, while every article not securely lashed was carried away. Fearful indeed was the uproar. The wind howled savagely, the sea dashed with thundering roars against the sides of the ship, the masts groaned, the bulkheads creaked, the ropes and blocks clashed together and rattled in a way I had never be ore heard. Indeed, I believed that our last moments had come, for it seemedr impossible unless the masts went that the ship would right. Jim and I and Fiorner crouched down close to each other, sheltering ourselves as we could under the bulwarks. Not far off were Miles Soper, Sam Coal, and Brown. " Is there any chance for us ? " a^'ced Horner, his teeth chattering and his voice showing his terror. " Chance ! " answered Bruwn ; " the chance that many a ■' n i 240 Peter TrawL m I : ;!- • ill' ir; ll li % stout ship has braved as bad a hurricane, and yet come out of it not much the worse." * We looked out for the Eleanor^ but she was nowhere to be seen. Some of the men declared that she must have gone down. " We're afloat and why shouldn't she be ? " said Brown, who was ready to cheer every one up. Some of the handr stole below, and I believe if they could have got into the spirit-room they would have made themselves drunk in order to forget their fears. Most of us, however, preferred remaining on deck and watching what would h.ipi^en. Suddenly, during a momentary cessation of ihe wind, the ship righted, and we flew on before ir, though matters in other refepects seemed but little mended. As the sea beat against the ship it seemed li'yere left in each boat, and the rest of us rushed up to the fort to fix the ladders. It took but a few seconds before we were all at the top, and down we leaped into the fort. Nearly the whole of the garrison were asleep. When they foun'd the place full of men some of them ran away and hid themselves, and others dashed out at the gate. We soon found the room in which Captain Rogers was shut up. The door was broken o^jen and he was set free. Not wishing to have a disturbance with the natives, we hurried back with him the way we came, and before long were on board again. The captain made us a speech, and thanked us for setting him free, and we returned to our respective ships. I don't know that any notice was taken of the affair by the authori- ties, but of course Captain Rogers was unable to go on shore agam while he remained in the harbour. Hf !l ! I f J vl \n \ !l {I i 246 Peter TrawL Having repaired our ship and taken on board several frcsh hands, who wished to return home to England, we sailed aj;ain for the Marquesas, in order to land the natives whom we had taken from those islands. The passage lasted five weeks, during which time we didn't see a single sliip. We proceeded at once to Resolu- tion Bay. On entering we found a French man of-war, which immediately sent a boat on board us. The officer in command informed the captain that the islands now belonged to France, and that we must not land anything in the shape of firearms or ammunition. While he was still on board a boat pulled off from the shore, bringing a dozen soldiers, who, without asking leave, came up the side. "Why 'do these men come on board my ship?" asked the captain. " To see that you comply with the orders you receive," answered the officer, who spoke very good English. " I i.^-.e no intention of breaking the laws you impose,'* exclaimed the captain, who was not the man to stand that sort of thing, " but I'll not submit to have foreign soldiers placed on board my ship." The French officer shrugged his shoulders, and said that he was but carrying out the orders of his superiors. On this the captain ordered his boat to be lowered, and pulled away on board the French man-of-war. He there threatened to throw the ship on the hands of the French if the soldiers were not immediately withdrawn. After a little time the captain returned, accompanied by a French lie tenant, who brought an order for the soldiers to return on shore. Our stay here was rendered very unpleasant by the French. As soon as we got our fresh provisions on board we sailed again for the westward, pro- ceeding as before among the coral rt-ef-i which lie to the asked id, and there Tench I- - ' . ' ' I i ■( 1 1 HIS! I 1 IMtl .ft s 1 W 1 =w ^^H^H " ),; nfi^K IS t . OVER THE CORAL REEF. Page 347. rv: A Typhoon J and how We got through It, 247 north of the Society Isia 's. The navig.ition is exceedingly dangerous, as many of tlicin are so low tl.at they cannot b** seea till the snip is clo'-f to them, .^nd we had to keejj a very sharp look-out as > sailtd on. The most drngerous of all those we sighted vas the Sidney gr^'ip, which consist of bare sandbanks, without tlie least vegetation, and are nearly level wi'h the surface of che sea. We landed on some c*" them to obtain birds' eggs and fish, which are very plentiful, but they are uninhabited, as there is no fresh water. Still sailing west we touched at the Kingsmills, passing also several other islancs, till we came off Strong's Island. Here is a magnificent liarbour, surrounded by coral reefs, but the mouth is so narrow that we could not have attempted to enter had not the be its of three vessels lying there come out to assist in towing us in. On bringing up, a number of natives came off, who talke*^ japital English, and seemed very intelligent fellows. We found that the chief of the island was named King George. In a short time another canoe came off with a fine-look- ing fellow on board, who seemed as eager to trade and obtain anything he could as the rest of the natives. At last Captain Hawkins, turning to him, said, rather roughly, " You and the other chaps must be off now." " You know who I am ? " asked the native. " I King George, chief of all these islands." " I beg your majesty's pardon, but you don't look much like a king," said tb** captain, laughing. The chief, however, didn't appear to be angry, and shook hands with the captain and officers, and stepping into the canoe paddled away for the shore. " We must take care these fellows don't play us any trick," observed the captain to Mr. Griffiths. " VV^e'll give ihem a salute to show them that we're wide-awake." ^ \, ■ \' t' 248 Petef TrawL We carried four nine-pounders, which we forthwith fired. It was the first time we had to use them during the voyage. It was hoped that this would awe the natives, and that we should not be molested during the night. The sound of the last gun had scarcely died away, when a Captain Rounds, commanding one of the whalers, whose boats had assisted to tow us in, came on board. After he had shaken. hands and the usual civilities had >assed, he said, "You are wise to show that you are wide-awake, and when you hear the account I have to give you of the fear- ful work which took place htre not long ago, you will judge whether it will be prudent to put yourself or any of your people ill the power of the natives," CHAPTER XXIII. A FEARFUL NARRATIVE —DOINGS AT STRONG'S ISLAND. AS it was very hot below, the captain had ordered chairs and a small table to be brought on deck, and he, with Captain Rounds, Dr. Cockle, and Mr. Griffiths, took their seats, while Mr. Harvey, Horner, and I stood within earshot to hear the account our visitor had promised to give. " I came in here about two months ago for the first time this voyage to obtain provisions and water," began Captain Rounds, "and as none of us understood the language of tne people, I shipped a couple of natives who spoke English very fairly, to act as interpreters. Besides having been to sea on board other whalers, they were, I thought, likely to prove useful hands. Everything went on in a satisfactory way wh le I lay here. The natives who came on board behaved themselves well, and King George, their chief, seemed a very decent sort of fellow, and was as honest in his dealings as I could expect. I had made it a rule when I came out to these parts never to trust many of my people ashore at a time among the heathen natives without having some of the principal natives on board as hostages, or so well-behaved and friendly did these appear that I should otherwise not have hesitated to let half my crew land at a time, feeling confident that they would be well treated. Thus it was that I every evening at sundown fired off my 1 ■' i 250 Pefer Trawl, guns, and kept a strict watch during the niglit. 1 did this, not from any fear of being attacked, but that I considered it prudent to keep to the rule I had laid down, and to main- tain discipline on board. You'll see that I was fortunate in doing so. I parted on good terms with King George and his people without having any reason to aiter the favourable opinion I had formed ot them, taking the two native inter- preters with me. From the way I treated them they became very friendly and much attached to me. We had been at sea for some time, and had caught three or four whales, each of which cost us, perhaps, more than the usual trouble to take. The two natives, who go by the names of Jackeyand Tubbs, seemed very much struck by th^ exertions we had to make to secure the whales, and one day they came to me and said that they could put me up to the means of filling the ship with perfect ease if I would follow their advice. I asked them what they meant. They then told me that a ship lay sunk in their harbour loaded with casks of oil, and that they knew the exact spot where she went down. 1 then learnt from them the following particulars. "You, Hawkins, well knew Barber, who commanded the Harriet^ of Lonilon, as you sailed together as mates with old Captain Newton in the Felicity. I met Barber when I first came out to the Pacific, and was wondering that I had never since heard of him or the Harriet. The natives now told me that about a year ago she had put into this harbour, there being no other vessels here at the time. You remem- ber what a good-natured, yet somewhat careless fellow he was. The natives came in numbers on board his ship, and appeared to be on the most friendly terms with him and his crew. They at length, one day, invited his men to go ashore, and he consequently allowed the greater number of them to land. This sort of thing continued while he lay in the harbour. King George and most of his chiefs, !i- \i^ i A Fearful Narrntivi. 251 though they came down to visit the ship when she first arrived, were, at that time, Uving in another part of the island, and the people just here did pretty much as they liked. " Barber, with a boat's crew, only remained on board, when, on going on deck in the morning, he caught sight ot three of his men running down towar.ls the beach as fast as they could go, with a posse ot natives after them. Presently they were overtaken. First one wa- truck down by the club of a savage, and direct y afterwards the other two shared the same fate. The natives, on reaciiiiig the shore, jumped into their canocs, a whole fljet of which came paddling off towards the ship. The crew, on seeing this, I suspect, took fright, thinking that they should all be mur- dered, as their mates on shore had been. Captain Barber himself would, I am certiin, have stopped to detemi his ship, but probably fearing that it would be of no use to make the attempt while his crew were so faint-hearted, he ordered the boat to be lowered with such provisions and water as could be hastily thrown into her. They had scarcely leit the side of the ship before the savages were up to her. They pursued the boat for some distance, but at length gave up the chase, eaj^er to get back and secure their prize. They then set to work to plunder the vessel of everything they con- sidered of value. They stripped her of her sails and rigging, and all the iron-work they coa'd get at, managing even to cariy away her topmasts, jibboom, and y ds. Having done this, they towed the vessel higher up the harboa/ and scuttled her. " When King George, who had known Captain Barber and some of his people — for he had been down at the harbour when the ship fir^t arrived — heard of the massacre he was very indignant, and Jackey and Tubbs told me that he killed no less than thirty of those who had taken part i I: U ill r til 252 Pe/er Trawl, V' ! in it with his own hand. Whether this was actually the case or not I could not make out ; but, after cross-questioning the two natives, I riame to the conclusion that he himself had no hand in the massacre, and was entirely ignorant of it till afterwards. What has become of poor Barber and his boat's crew I am anxious to ascertain ; but he would have had a fearfully long passage to make to any other island, and I'm afraid that he and his companions must have perished from hunger and thirst before they could have reached any friendly shore. " Having fallen in shortly after I heard this with the Lydia and Pearl, I communicated the in elligence to them, and we determined to put in here to ascertain the truth of the story. . "Now you have come we shall be sufficiently srong- handed both to defend ourselves from the natives, and to recover the Harriets cargo if we cannot raise her." Captain Hawkins at once entered into Captain Rounds' views, and they agreed the next morning with their brother captains to set to work. Captain Rounds, who was a very ingenious man, had a diving-bell constructed out of a cask, with pipes to lead the air into it. Proceeding with the boats, we found the ship sunk in six fathoms of water at a spot Jackey and Tubbs pointed out. They willingly agreed to descend in the diving-bell, and Brown and another man also went down in it. It was then found that the shij) had been set on fire, but she had sunk before the Cames had reached the cargo. It was calculated that there were one thousand six hundred barrels of oil in her. Her figure-head and other articles were got up, thus clearly identifying her as the unfortunate Harriet. The captains proposed raising her, and dividing the oil between tht m ; but after a great dea' of consultation it was I I )1 A Fearful Narrative, 253 e case ioning limself ant of ;r and would other 5 must could th the I them, ruth of s rong- and to lounds' Drother a very a cask, ;unk in )ointed |ng-bell, It was jhe had lit was barrels ), thus the oil it was considered that they had better give up the plan, as it would have occupied a long time, and caused a difficulty on their arrival at home as to whether they had a right to possess themselves of it. Thus the results of many a hard month's labour were lost. King George wat« hed our proceedings with much interest, generally hovering about the boats in his canoe while we were at work. Perhaps he thought from the first that we should not succeed, though I 1 hink we should have done so had it been desirable to make the attempt. As soon as the undertaking was abandoned, the other vessels, which had only come in for water and provisions, sailed, and we were left alone in the harbour. The king, who did not appear to be at all offended by the way Captain Hawkins had treated him on his first visit, at once came on board, and appeared to be excessively friendly. He spoke English remarkably well, having learned it on board a whaler in his youih, and kept it up by frequently talking to runaway sailors who had remained at the island. He invited the captain to go ashore and visit him in his palace, the name we gave to the great hut in which he lived. " With great pleasure, king," answered the captain : " but fair play's a jewel, you know. If I go to visit you, your brother here will remain on board to keep my mates company till I return." The captain told Mr. Griffiths to keep a strict watch on the kings brother, and not to allow him to leave the cabin, lest he might slip overboard and swim on shore. We called the young savage Charlie, though that was not his real name. Charlie, who spoke a little English, seemed perfectly content ; and when the king and the captain went on shore, descended to the cabin without the slightest hesitation. As the stern-windows, through which Charlie might have squeezed himself if he had had a mind, were le t I 254 Pefer TrawL open for the sake of the a:-, Mr. Griffiths told me to remain in the cabin whentver he was on deck. At night he was locked up in the state room. I don't know that the captain was very well pleased at having the savage sleeping in his bed. Next morning the captain came back, saying that he had been hos^)itably treated. In the afternoon, as Charlie wished to return, and as the doctor and several men were on shore, the captain sent me, with Miles Soper and Brown, to bring the king off, that he might take his brother's place. We pulled up a long narrow creek for several miles, till we arrived at the royal residence, which was a large hut with a framework of poles and roofed over with matting. Near it were other huts, and a number of natives were employed in different ways, some pounding kava between two large stones, when the root, thus thoroughly bruised, was throwr into water. This is a much pleasanter way of preparing the beverage than by employing the women to chew it, as is done in Sam >a. The king was away when we arrived, and we had thus plenty of time to walk about the village and look around us. Sume natives were engaged in cooking fish and yams. This was done by putting them into a hole on the top of some hot stones and leaves, and then covering them up with more hot stones, leaves, and earth at the top of all. We soon had an opportunity of tasting them, a' d I can answer for their being most delicious. As the king didn't appear we w^dked some little distance into the country, for we knew that we were perfectly safe while the king's brother remained as a hostage. Going into a hut we found a y< ung woman about to light a fire. I watched the process. She first took half of the log that had been split in two and laid it down with the split side upwards ; then t-iking a small piece of hard wood about a A Fearful Narrative, 255 foot long and pointed at one end, she sat down astride of the log and commenced rubbing the sharp point of the stick up and down the grain of the large piece, thus making a groove, and shoving the shavings which she worked out to the farther end, till at length they ignited, when immediately catching up some dry leaves which lay handy, and blowing gently, she soon obtained a blaze. I tried the experiment under her directions and succeeded very well. Though simple and easy as is this method of obtaining fire, I have never seen it tried in any other place. On our return to the village we found the king, who invited us to feast on the fish and yams which I had seen cooking. We were now joined by the captain and Dr. Cockle, with the second mate and several men, and I was directed to go back with the king, who had to take his brother's place on board. His majesty preferred going alone in his own canoe. I sat in the bows with a long pole to keep the bow off the rocks as we went down the creek, and hv. placed himself astern with a paddle in his hand. He giving the canoe a shove from the bank, away we went. I was highly amused at the though*^ of carrying off" the king as a prisoner. He, however, seen.ed to take it as a matter of course, and chatted and laughed as we glided along. Presently he asked, " You young Englishman ever been here before ? I think I know your face." " When was it your majesty fancied that you saw me ? " I inquired. " Let me see," he said, holding his paddle in the air for a moment ; *' were you ever aboird the ship that my rasrally people sent to the bottom out there?" and he pointed to where the Harriet lay. " No," I answered, a dreadful thought coming into my i !- \\l !: T ): 256 Peter Trawl, mind. " Was the person you fancy I am killed with the rest of the crew ? " - v. " I think not. If I think so, I no ask you," he answered. " I see him with the captain when he visit the shore, and each time I go on board the ship. When I come down to the* harbour I took great fancy to him, and asked captain to let him stay with me, but he and captain say no. He want to go home to see father and mother, brother and sister. When I found the men killed I remembered him, but no find him 'mong them. Dat all I know, but me think that he was with captain when they got away in the boat/' At first, on hearing what the king said, I was almost in despair, for I was very sure that he was speaking of my brother Jack, as I thought that by this time I should have grown very like him, as I often heard my mother say that I was so when I was at the age at which he went to sea. How he had got on board the Harriet I could not tell, any more than I could what had become of her boat. Still there was a possibility of his having escaped. 1 had no wish to return on shore with " Prince Charlie " after I had handed the king over to the care of Mr. Griffiths, as I wanted to talk about the matter to Jim. As may be supposed, we did talk about it for many an hour. I was now eager to be out of the harbour, in the hopes that we might visit some other islands at which Jack might be found. Jim was as sanguine as ever that he would be found. When I told Mr. Griffiths he looked very grave. " It is possible, my lad," he said, " and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to find him at last ; but you know what is likely <.. Vave been the fate of the poor fellows in a boat, with a scanty !^\»Pt)ly jf provisions and a long voyag'' to the nearest land. Just look at the chart. We are away fioin all ci- ili/'td <,cant;r!es, wi>h the wiKiest savages on eacli side of us." ^rith the iswered. ore, and down to captain 10. He her and red hixTi, Tie think boat." Imost In g of my uld have say that went to ould not her boat. 1 had after I ths, as I may be I was that we night be ould be grave. \g would but you 3r fellows a long art. We t savages A Fearful Narrative^ 357 Next day, when the captain and the rest of the party came on board, and as soon as our royal visitor had taken his departure, I was very glad to hear the order given to get under way. The breeze being fair we stood out of the harbour. We were soon at our old work again. My patience was sorely tried. If I had not been actively engaged I don't know what I should have done. My idea was that the captiin would at once sail in search of the missing boat, but he had no idea of the sort in his head. He either was convinced that she was lost, or considered that it was his business to fill up his sJ>ip as soon as possible, and not to waste time in looking for those who ir.^ght never be found. Wc had caught several whales, when the time came for returning to the Japan fishing gro .nd, as it's called, some distance off the east coast of those islands. My hope of finding Jack decreased, but didn't die away altogether. Jim kept me up. " We d -n't know in what direction the boat went," he observed. " She may have steered to the northward, and we are as likely to fall in with him the way we're going as anywhere else." I often consulted the chart. To the northward of Strong's Island I saw the Caroline group, consisting of a vast nu.nber of coral islands, and north-west of them, again, the Ladrone Islands, the principal of which, Guam, is inhabited by Spaniards. Knowing this. Captain Barber may have attempted to reach it, and one day, to my satisfaction, I heard froiu the doctor that Captain Hawkins intended to call there before returning home. We w^ere now leaving those islands I have mentioned to the southward. We were very successful on the Japan ground, and nearly completed our cargo, at least the lower hold was full. . 1 r: >\\ ■I 1 Is t Mi 2.s8 Peter TrawL m At length, one calm day, a large whale was seen spouting at some distance from the ship. Four boats were lowered. The captain, the two mates, and Brown went in them, Miles Soper going as the chief mate's boat-steerer. His boat was the first up, and in a short time Soper put two irons into the whale, which almost instantly turned over on its back, threw its lower jaw open, and nipped her clean in two. Wonderful to relate, the men all got clear, and Mr. Griffiths, standing up on half of the boat, plunged his lance right down the whale's throat, and then jumped off and swam with the other men to the next boat coming up. The captain's boat now fastened to the whale, which, turning as before on its back, ireated her in the way it had the first. When we who were on board saw this, we began to lower the spare boats as fast as v/e couM. While we were thus employed, the doctor, who was looking on, exclaimed, " There's a third boat taught ! '' And we saw that the second mate s boat, whidi had got up, had been nipped by the whale. Brown's boat, the fourth, now pulled gallantly up, watcliing every movement of the n^onster, if necessary to get out of its way ; but the wound it had received had already weakened ir, and though it made at his boat he escaped, and succeeded in plunging several harpoons and lances into its body. Meanwhile the crews of the other boats which had been destroyed haii been hanging on to them, and though the sea was swarming with sharks it was a remarkable fact that not one of the men was lost. Sharks rarely bite ptople when a whale is bleeding, but keep following the track of the blood. Brown took some of the men on board, and we in the spare boats, leaving only the doctor and two hands to take care of the ship, pulled quickly up and rescued the remainder. We soon had the whale alongside ; it was the largest we A Fearful Narrative, 5) had caught — nearly a hundred feet in Lngth ; but we got very little oil out of it, for, having been fasten -d to pre- viously, there was a huge swelling on its back as big as a tun butt, which was, no doubt, the cause of the blubber being so thin. We had still some spare space, and the crew were eager to catch the additional whales required to complete our cargo, that we might at length direct our course homeward. Although I should have before been the most eager of any to return to England, yet now, with the idea that had taken hold of me that Jack was somewhere in the neighb >urhood, I was anx ous to remain until I had found him. Jim shared my feelings, but I didn't sup[)ose anybody else did. We remained a week or more, however, after killing the last huge whale which had cost us so much trouble, without seeing another, when the captain determined to steer for the Ladrone Islands. As we had now been some months without obtaining fresh provisions, we first directed our course for the Bonins, some degrees to the eastward of the coast of Japan. We understood that there were wild pirs, if no' goats and sheep, on them. At all events, that fish could be caught in abundance off the shore. In a few days we sighted them, and ran under the lee of one of the group called South Island. Here the ship was hove to, and a boat lowered, in which Mr. Griffiths, the doctor, Horner, Jim and I, Brown and Miles Soper and Coal, with two other men, went. We took with us besides fishing-lines the whaling gear and a couple of muskets, three or four casks to fill with water, and provisions for the day, for we didn't intend to get back to the ship till evening. Mr. Griffiths, who had been there before, took the boat inside a high reef of rocks, where he had, he said, caught a num'oer of fish. Our first object was to obtain bait. Miles Soper and 1 ^^s ^B iHB B ilHr BK >M §B » 1 V ir H ' ':■ k I \^- 26o Pder TrawL Coal undertook ^MUbi on shore with baskets and catcli some crabSj for vA6t^ 4ke fish in these seas seem to have a special fondnese. We ^sfllsd in as close as we could to land them, and m a AMM ^me they filled -iieir baskets, and shouted to us to nHMHi ^Ma^ take them off. We now dropped our kedge anchor jjj* inside the surf, in betw een two and three fathoms o( M«er, ip4i>ich wsts so ciear that we could see the fish as th^ v swam about, darted a«t the bait, and swallowed the hooks. We quickly hauled in a number t^M^gmfftSenf ff^i. We were so eager at the sport tha' w»* didn't consider how rapidly the time passed, while the ':: .' .»' was mor^ occupied with admiring the variously-coloureC co»'% th«* richly-tinte»i seaweeds, and the curiously- shaped fish -5/ all the hues of the rainbow, swimmmg in and out amonj/ : .*5 tr6*«6 of their marine gardens. At last Mr. Griffiths, pulling out his wan^, ^<5teimed^? " Hulloa ! How time has gone by ! Get up tke atfechor, lads. We ought to be off." The order was more easily f^'ven than obeyc? ^^^' hauled and hauled, but the anchor had got foui of the ,'^ ., and we ran a risk of losing it. Soper offered to go down and clear it, but just then a huge shark showed his ugly throat alongside, and Mr. Griffiths would not let him go. At last, just as it was dark, Brown managed to get the anchor up. When we pulled outside the reef we found that the weather had changed. It was blowing very hard, though, sheltered as we had been, we had not discovered this. We looked eagerly out for the ship, but she was nowhere to be seen. m - J^ CHAPTER XXIV. OVR LIFE ON AN UNINHABITED ISLAND. WE were still in smooth water, but the sea was break- ing in the offing, the white caps rising against the dark sky. Mr. Griffiths thought that the ship might have stood to the eastward and be concealed by the point of land which ran out in that direction. We eagerly gave way and pulled off from the shore. Several times he stood up tp look about him. At length he cried out, " There she is ! there she is ! she's burning a blue light." We all looked in the direction he pointed, which was ainMM'' abeam, and there we saw a light, appearing, however, just at^iOve the horizon. He at once steered the boat to^^^rds it, but as we pulled on the seas increased and fe-quently broke aboard us ; the wind was rising rapidly, and in a sbwt timae blew a heavy gale. In vain we again looked out fo^ the li^ ; none could be seen, and there was a great risK should we continue to pull on, of the boat being swamped. The doctor an(^ Mr, 'Griffiths talked together earnestfy ; the latter then said, " Lads, there's no heTp ^ k, wt. mtwe try and get on shore for the night, an^ in liie MMMMg, if the wind goes down, the captrain will st^*^ m $» ImI^ Itr Wt^* We all knew the danger we mete m^fmim f0Kmg rouip' the boat might be caught om ier %HHitfflic M# tume^ 1 i ^1 r J lili I ) • 262 Pe/cr TrawL over ; but it had to be done, and we trusted to Mr. Griffiths' steering. We gave way as he told us, though for a moment I thought all was over as a sea struck the boat abeam and half swamped her. We got round, however, and while Horner and I baled her out, the men pulled in towards the shore. It was now very dark. All we could see ahead was an irregular line of black, but whether rocks or hills rising near the beach we could not tell. As we neared the shore Mr. Griffiths stood up looking out for a landing-place, but no opening could he discover ii. t'n rocks, against which the surf was now breaking furiously ; should we get within its power the boat, we knew, would be dashed to pieces in a moment. The wind went on increasing till it blew almost a hurricane. At last Dr. Cockle exclaimed, " There is an opening. We passed it this morning. I remember it by the clump of trees on the top of a rounded hill, and I can now make them out against the sky." Mr. Griffiths hesitated. Should the doctor be wrong in another minute we should be hurled to destruction against the rugged rocks. Just then the moon rising on the other side of the island broke through the clouds and showed us clearly the outline of the trees and the hill. The mate hesitated no longer, but telling us to give way steered in for the opening. The surf broke wildly on either side of us, flying up above our heads ; the seas came roar- ing on astern, threatening to engulf us. We all gave way steadily together. Now the boat rose on the top of a foam- ing sea, and then down she glided into comparatively smooth water inside the reef, and we were safe. Pulling on, we saw ahead a smaU bay with the trees coming down to the water's edge. Their tops were waving wildly, but we felt but little wind where we were, and we were able to run the boat's head on to the beach and land Our Life an an Uninhabited hland, 263 without difficulty. We at once drew her up and looked out for a sheltered spot under some rocks to camp. Here we got a fire lighted, as there were pit nty of broken branches and leaves lying about, and soon had some of the fish we had caught cooking belore it. Outside the teaipest was howling furiously, and we had reason to be thankful ihat we had gained the shore, as no boat could have lived in the sea which was by this time running. Alter supper was over, and we had dried our clothes, wet through and through by the spray, we lay down to sleep under the rock. Mr. Griffiths assured us that there were no wild beasts or natives to molest us in the island, though we were not altogether free from danger, as the trees which grew on the top of the rock above our heads might be blown down, or the upper part of the rock itself might give way and crush us. 'J'hat we might have some chance in being awakened so as to enable us to attempt to escape, as also to prevent the fire going out, Mr. Griffiths arrangeil that one of the party should keep watch. The d jctor offered to keep the first watch. Mr. Griffiths and the rest of the men then stowed themselves away close under the cliff. I, feeling no inclination to sleep, joined the doctor, who was sitting by the fire on one of the water-casks, every now and then throwing on a few sticks and making it blaze up cheerfully. 1 asked him if the ship were likely to return soon to take us off. '* Not till the hurricane is over," he said ; " the captain will not like to come near the coast for fear ot being driven on it." " Then you think, sir, that we shall remain here long enough to explore the island ? " I said. " Why do you wish to explore the island ? '" he asked. .♦ ;i IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I 1.25 1^ 1^ £ 1^ 12.0 1.8 14 ill 1.6 III V] v) /: cM 4»^> 7 /^ Photographic Sciences Corporation .>^ f\ <^ :\ \ ^v 6^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4903 'l'^ ^ ^^4. <» <^ ^i- 5? ..^W 264 Peter TrawL " Because I have a notion that my brother Jack is upon it," I replied. " They say there are pigs here, a^id there are, no doubt, plenty of birds, and he would be able to live as well as Miles Soper and Coal did on Juan Fernandez." " But it's a hundred to one — I may say -a thousand to one — that the boat was driven here; besides which, so many whalers pass by this island that he would, have been seen and taken off even if he had come here. You only raise up such ideas to disappoint yourself. Don't think about it ; lie down and go to sleep." Notwithstanding what the doctor had said, I could not get the idea out of my head, and longed for morning, that I might set oif and make a tour round the island with Jim, who, I Ifnew, would be ready to come with me, a,s would Miles Soper and some of the others. Notwithstanding the howling of the wind above our heads, and the wild roar of the breakers on the rocky coast, con- trary to my expectation I fell fast asleep, and didn't wake till the mate roused up all hands at daylight. The storm was raging as wildly as tver. Furious torrents of rain had come d wn, but the watch had managed to keep in the fire, and we all gathered round it to cook tome more fish and dry our damp clothes. We were in good spirits, for we knew that the gale would blow itself out in a short time, and we expected that the ship would then come and take us off. -^ As soon as I proposed to Jim to explore the island, he at once agreed to accompany me. The doctor and Miles Soper also said that they would go. The latter carried one of the muskets, which the mate said we might take, and the rest of us armed ourselves with long poiiited sticks. The mate thought wc might as well go armed, for though the island had hitherto been uninhabited, it was possible that some savages might have been driven as far north in their Our Life on an Uninhabited Island, 265 double canoes, and might attack us if they found we were unable to defend ourselves. We took some cooked fish for provisions, and we hoped to find water as we proceeded. We had first to make our way through & thick forest, of what the doctor called tamana- trees — some of tiiem being of gigantic size. It was often so dark beneath their thick boughs that we c mid with diffi- culty see our way j but we went on, guided by the doctor's pocket-compass, in a straight line, until we at length got out of the forest into more open country. He proposed going on till we reached a hill which we saw some way off, and there to light a fire, that the smoke might attract the attention of any one living on the island. He carried out his plan, and collecting sticks as we neared the spot, having brought tinder and matches, we quickly had a fire blazing. We looked in vain, however, all round the island for an an^wering signal. " Perhaps, if there is any one, he is down by the shore, and has no means of striking a light," said the doctor; "or maybe he is still sheltering himself from the storm." As this seemed very likely, leaving the fire burning, we made our way down to the beach on the farther side of the island. The view from the hill on the north side showed us only rugged and broken ground, and we therefore proceeded along the shore as close as we could get towards the southern end. We saw plenty of birds, which would have afforded us food if we had had time to stop and shoot them. It was somewhat rough work, especially in the more exposed places against the wind. At last we got back to the part we had started from, just as night was falling. From every height we kept a look-out for the ship, but she did not appear. " You're convinced now, Peter, that your brother is not on this island," said the doctor. "I. should have rejoiced 266 Peter TrawL if we had found him, but I did not think it at all likely that he is here. However, that is no reason why he should not be somewhere else." We had found water on our way, and the mate had dis- covered a spring not far from our camp. The hurricane, which had abated somewhat during the day, came on again as night approached, and we were thankful to obtain the shelter of our rock. The wind blew more furiously than ever, the lightning flashed and ran along the ground — now and again crashes were heard as some tall tree was struck and rent in two, while the rain at times came down in torrents, and nearly put out the fire. We, however, got shelter from the overhanging rock. We \\dj\ just done supper, when Mr. Griffiths observed, "I'm afraid something may happen to our boat. The breakers sound so loud that they perhaps are dashing over the reef, and the sea may sweep up and carry her off.," We hurried down to where we had left the boat. A bright fiiash of lightning revealed her to us, with the seething water rushing up under her keel. Dashing forward, we seized her just as a second wave was lifting her, and in a few seconds would have carried her off. We dragged her up the beach till we had placed her, as we hoped, out of the reach of the water. While we were thus employed we heard a loud crash coming from the direction of our camp. On returning, we discovered our fire nearly out, but it blazed sufficiently to show us a mass of earth and rock, and two tall trees, which had fallen on the very spot where a few minutes before we had all been collected. We were thankful for our preservation, though we had lost the only shelter we knew of. The mate suggested that we should go back to the boat, turn her over, and creep under her for shelter. , As no trees were near where she lay, Our Life on an Uninhabited Island, 267 we hoped that we might thus rest in perfect safety. Having taken the things out of her, we did as he proposed, and one by one crept in, and stretched ourselves upon the damp ground. After the exeruons I had made during the day £ felt very sleepy, and though I remained awake for some time thinking of Jack, my eyes at length closed. , I was awakened by hearing three distinct loud raps on the bottom of the boat. 1 fancied that I must be dreaming, but I found that Jim and Horner, who were sleeping next to me, vtere awake, and had heard the sounds. " What are you lads making that iU.ise for ? " asked Mr. Griffiths. I told him of the raps which had awakened me. " I thought it was one of you that made them," he said. " I heard them also," remarked the doctor, from his end of the boat. The rest of the men were asleep ; all of us were inside, and the sound certainly came from the outside. On this I crawled out from under the boat, half expecting to see some one standing there, but neither human being nor animal was visible. The rain had ceased, but the night was very dark, and there was time for a person after the knocks had been given to retreat into the woods. Still, I didn't think that it could have been Jack. I returned to the boat, supposing that whoever had knocked would knock again. The ex- pectation of this kept me awake, and I determined that I would try to spring out and catch the person, whoever he was. I waited, however, in vain, and in less than two hours saw the daylight coming in under the gunwale. The surf was still breaking with a loud roar on the rocks, but the wind had ceased to howl through the trees, and I hoped that the hurricane was nearly over. The noise I made in getting out from under the boat awakened those sleeping near me, and the rest of the party were soon on foot. 268 Peter TrawL The first thing we did was to go back to our camp and see the effect of the landslip. The spot where we had been sitting was covered with a large mass of earth, rocks, and trees. We found a hollow in the rock near the spot, which appeared safe, and here we determined to light a fire and cook some more of our fish. While most of the people were thus employed, Mr. Griffiths, the doctor, and I climbed to the highest rock in the neighbourhood, that we might take a look-out for the ship. The sun was just rising, and cast a ruddy glow over the still heaving ocean covered with foam-crested seas, which, rolling in towards the shore, broke into masses of spray as they reached the surrounding reefs. In vain we looked round for the ship; not the slightest jspeck of white appeared above the horizon. " Can anything have happened to her ? " said the doctor, in an anxious tone. '* She has weathered out many a worse gale than we have just had," observed the mate. *' My only fear is that in at- tempting to make the land she may have been driven on one of the hidden reefs which abound everywhere hereabouts." " And if so, what are we to do ? " inquired the doctor. " We must try to reach the nearest islands inhabited by civilised people. We have casks sufficient to hold water for the voyage." " I still hope she will come," said the doctor ; " but we must not lose heart whatever happens." Taking another look round, we returned to the camp, where we found a blazing fire and the fish cooked. We remained all that day and the next, unable to get out and catch any more fish. By this time our stock was com- pletely exhausted — indeed, for the last day it had been scarcely eatable. While two of the men remained on shore to collect salt from the rocks, the rest of us went off, and with the crab-bait soon caught a large quantity of fish. In Our Life on an Uninhabited Island, 269 two days we got as many as we could well carry. Some of these were salted, others were smoked over the fire. We didn't fail, as may be supposed, to pay frequent visits to our look-out place on the rock. Day after day went by and no sail appeared. " She's not coming back," said Mr. Griffiths, at length ; " something must have happened to her ; and I put it to you whether we remain here or try to reach either Japan or the L;id rones. Though Guam, which is the chief island of the Ladrones, is much farther off than Japan, we are likely to receive better treatment from, the Spaniards than we are from the Japanese, who may either send us off again or put us to death. The passage there is also likely 10 prove more boisterous than to Guam." The mate, having concluded his remarks, put the matter to the vote. Two of the men said they would rather remain on the island. No one proposed going to Japan, and the doctor and Miles Soper wished to steer for Guam. The rest of us voted with them. The mate considered that the sooner we were off the better. He said that the island was not a bad residence, but that when the winter came on we should have rains and storms, and might be unable to catch any fish or find other means of supporting life. We therefore at once set to work to prepare for the voyage. We first put off and caught a supply of fish, which we cured as before. We might have killed some birds, but we were unwilling to expend our small stock of powder, which we might require to defend ourselves against any natives who might prove hostile. Led by the doctor. Brown, Jim, and I started to explore the neighbourhood, to collect scurvy grass or roots of any sort which might serve as vegetables. The natural pro- ductions of the country appeared to be very limited, but we dug up some roots which the doctor pronounced wholesome. 270 Piter TrawL We were about returning in despair of obtaining what we wanted) when we came, near the shore on the other side of the bay, on a small open space overgrown with what at first looked like weeds, but I saw the doctor's eye brighten as he espied them. Hurrying on he pulled away eagerly at the seeming weeds. " Here are onions," he cried, " of more value to us than gold ; and see, here are potatoes, and these are cabbages, though somewhat overgrown, but there are leaves enough to supply us for a month." We set to work to dig up the onions and potatoes with our pointed sticks, and to pull away at the cabbage leaves. 'Some beneficent person must have planted a garden here not long ago," said the doctor, as we were labouring with might and main. " These vegetables may be the means of preserving our lives, lor without them we should have run a great risk of suffering from scurvy." We each of us loaded ourselves with as many of the roots as we could carry, and staggered back with them to camp. We were received with a loud shout by our companions, who knew the value of what we had brought We quickly had some of the potatoes roasting in the ashes, on which, with some onions and fish, we made a more hearty meal than we had taken since we landed. We had fortunately an iron pot, in which we were able to boil a quantity of the potatoes, and afterwards the greens and some of the roots, which, being well-seasoned with salt, the doctor hoped would keep for some time. All our preparations being made, one morning, having breakfasted at daylight, the doctor and I went up to the top of the rock to take a last look-out for the ship. On coming down we saw the boat in the water loaded, when, all hands getting aboard, we shoved off and stood out through the reet with a fair breeze from the north- west and a HOW WE LIVED ON THE ISLAND. Page a/o. Our Life on an Uninhabited Island, 271 a smooth sea. The wind would have been directly against us had we been bound for Japan, so we were glad that we had decided to sail to the southward. Our boat was somewhat deeply laden with provisions and water, but our cargo would be rapidly lightened, and Mr. Griffiths told us we must be prepared to heave some of it overboard should bad weather come on. We were all in health and good spirits, our chief anxiety being about the fate of the ship. I must pass rapidly over the first part of our voyage. We had the boat's compass to steer by, but having no quadrant to take an observation or log- line to mark accurately the distance run, we could only gness at the rate we made. Mr. Griffiths, however, was a good navigator, and was pretty certain that he was correct. We had, we fancied, plenty of food, but from the first he put us all on an allowance of water. While the sea remained smooth he also made us change our places constantly, and by the doctor's advice he ordered one at a time -to stand up and move his arms and legs about to prevent them from becoming stiff. He also encouraged us to spin yarns and sing songs ; indeed, he did everythmg in his power to keep us in good spirits. After the first day of our landing we had not touched any of the biscuits we had brought with us. These we now husbanded with great care in case our other provisions should run short or spoil, which the doctor feared might be the case. We were much indebted to him for the precautions taken, as Mr. Griffiths carried out all his suggestions. We had a whole week of fine weather, and we could favourably compare our lot with that of many poor fellows who had to voyage in open boats in the ''acific, exposed to storms, and often with a scant allowance of food and water. m •pi! 272 Peter Trawl, The wind was generally from the northward, and when it fell calm we took to our oars. Mr. Griffiths told us that we had a distance of between seven and eight hundred miles to run, as far as he could calculate, and that if the fine weather continued we might hope to reach Guam in ten days or a fortnight. We had got on so well that we began to fancy that we should have no difficulties «o encounter. We were, of course, constantly on the look-out for vessels. At length we sighted a sail, but she was standing away from us. We steered after her for some dictance, but before nightfall her topgallant sails sank beneath the horizon, and we again kept on our course. " I wonder whether that craft out there is the Intrepid?" said Jim to me. " Little chance of that," I remarked. " If she escaped shipwreck, or has not been severely damaged, she would have come to look for us long before we left the island." " Perhaps the ■ skipper fancied that we were lost, and didn't think it worth while to come and look for jus," said Jim. Four days a \ ! .;: . u tni '1 • t i i m 292 Pe^er TrawL lii'l !l night. It was settled that the doctor should keep the first watch, Mr. Griffiths the middle and I was to have the third with Jim. Brown kept it with the doctor, and Soper with the mate. Our arrangements being made, we lay down to pass the night. It appeared to me that I had been asleep only a few minutes, when Mr. Griffiths called me up, and Jim and I, taking the muskets, began our watch. The mate told me that the doctor's and his watches had passed quietly away, and they had not heard any sounds to indicate that any natives were near. As we were not obliged to keep close to the fire, and as there was a bright moon in the sky to enable us to see our way, I proposed to Jim that we should go throtigh the grove, where, should any natives approach in the morning, we should discover them sooner on that side than we should by remaining at the camp. He agreed, and without difficulty we made our way through the trees, which stood apart, with little or no undergrowth. The scene which presented itself to us as we got out of the grove was very beautiful. The silver moon and the surrounding trees were reflected In the calm waters of the lake, while the outline of the hills on either side appeared sharp and distinct against the sky. Finding a clear piece of ground not far from the shore of the lake, Jim and I walked up and down, keeping a look-out now to one side, now to the other, as also up the valley. ■ We had taken several turns, when Jim exclaimed, '* Hillo ! Look there !» Gazing up in the direction to which he pointed, I saw distinctly against the sky the figure of a man. How he was dressed it was impossible to say ; still, he had on clothes of some sort. ~ *' He's not a native savage, at all events," said Jim. ' We'll hail him, and if he's an Englishman he'll answer." )'\ More Startling Adventures, 293 We shouted at the top of our voices, but no reply came, and the figure disappeared. " That's strange," said Jim ; " I thought he would hav« come down and had a talk with us, whoever he is. Can't we try and find him ? '* ** We mustn't both leave our post," I answered ; " but if you stop here I'll try and get up to where he was stand- ing, and unless he has run away he can't be far off." Jim didn't like my going, but I persuaded him to stop, and hurried across the valley. When I got to the foot of the cliff I could find no way up it, and, after searching about, had to abandon the attempt. I returned to where I had left Jim, and we resumed our walk, thinking that perhaps the figure would again appear. " Perhaps if he sees us he won't show himself," said Jim. " Wouldn't it be better to go and stay under the trees } and then perhaps he'll come back." We did as Jim proposed, keeping our eyes in the direc- tion of the cliff, but we looked in vain for the reappearance of the stranger. " He guesses that we are watching for him," said Jim. * Perhaps if we were to shout again he would come back. If he's a white man he'll understand us, and know that we are friends " " There can be no harm in shouting,'* I answered, " though he may be a native and there may be others with hun ; they would have come down before this and attacked us, had they had a mind to do so." We accordingly went from under the trees, and standing in the open ground, I shouted out, '* Hillo, stranger, we're friends, and want. to have a talk with you We have just come here for a day or two, and intend to be off again on our voyage." Jim then said much the same sort of thing, and as his '! M X il i I i ; ■V - ;f: 294 Pe^er Trawl, voice was even louder than mine, we made sure that the stranger must have heard us. He didn't, however, show himself, though we sometimes shouted together, sometimes singly. At last we heard voices in the cocoanut grove. •' I hope that no enemies have got down between us and the sea," I said. " We had no business to come so far away from the camp.'' We stood with our muskets ready, watching the wood. In a short time our anxiety was relieved by the appearance of the doctor and Mr. Griffiths. " Why, lads, what made you shout out in that fashion ? " asked the mate. " We fancied you wanted help." We told him of the man we had seen on the cliffs. ♦* It's very extraordinary," said the doctor ; " I don't think he can be a native, or he would not have shown himself in that way. He must be some white man who has been left by himself on the island, and has lost his wits, as often happens under such circumstances. He's been accus- tomed to see savages visit the island, and has kept out of their way to save himself from being killed or made a slave of. He had not the sense to distinguish between us and them." s _ *' I believe you are right," said Mr. Griffiths. "We must take means to get hold of him, both for his own sake and oors. He'll soon come round, supposing he's an English- man, when he finds himself among countrymen, and he'll be able to show us where to get provisions if the island produces any. He can't have lived always on cocoanuts and shell-fish." By this time the dawn began to appear, and after waiting a little longer we all returned to camp, and roused up the men to prepare for breakfast. Miles Soper and Sam Coal again climbed the trees to get some cocoanuts. Some of the men went down to the shore to collect shellfish. More Startling Adventures, 295 Others made up the fire, while the mate and the doctor examined the boat to ascertain the damage she had received, and to see how she could best be repaired. " We have a few nails, and we must try to find some substance which will answer the purpose of pitch," observed the mate. " D.)Ctor, I dare say you'll help us. We will strengthen her with additional planks, and get a strake put on above her gunwale. It will be a work of toil to cut the planks, but it must be done, and she will then be fit to go anywhere." At breakfast the mate told the men of his intentions. They all agreed to do their best to carry them out. We had first, however, to search for provisions. Not knowing whether there might be savages on the island, even supposing that the man we had seen was not one, the mate did not like to leave the boat unprotected. He there- fore ordered Brown and one of the men to remain by her while the rest of us proceeded together to explore the island. The mate would not allow us to separate until we had ascertained whether or not there were inhabitants besides the man we had seen on the island. One musket was left with Brown, the mate carried the other, and we set off, keeping up the stream I have before described towards the end of the valley. We looked out on either side for the stranger, but he didn't appear. Some of the men declared that we had not really seen any one, and that we had mistaken a small tree or shrub for a man ; but Jim and I were positive, and the doctor, at all events, believed us. On reaching the top of the hill, we looked down into a large hollow, with water at the bottom, dark rocks forming its sides, grown over with creepers, huge ferns, and various other plants. The doctor said that it was the crater of a m !n5 J; . • I • I'ln ■ii 296 Petey TrawL long extinct v olcano, and that the whole island was volcanic There were many other hills out of which smoke was rising. The doc tor said that this was an active volcano ; indeed, the country in that direction presented a very different aspect from the part where we had landed. It was black and barren, with only here and there a few green spots. We therefore turned to the east, the direction which promised us a better chance of finding roots or fruits, or vegetable productions of some sort. The strange thing was, that though the island appeared fertile, not a single habitation or hut could we discover. 'J'he doctor supposed that this was on account of the occasional outbreak of the volcano, and that the people from the neighbouring islands were afraid to take up their residence on it. We now descended the hill, and went along another valley, of course looking out all the time for the stranger. We were passing a small grove near a hollow in the side of a hill, which was partly concealed by trees, when we heard a cock crow just as an English cock would do. At once that sound made my thoughts, as it did those of the others, probably, rush back to our far-distant homes. " If there's a cock, there must be hens and a hen-roost hereabouts," observed Miles Soper, hurrying in the direction whence the sounds proceeded. We followed ; there, sure enough, sheltered by the hill, and under the shade of the trees, was not only a hen house of good size, but a hut scarcely bigger than it was neatly built and thatched with palm- leaves. " It must be the residence of the stranger. He himself can't be far off,' said the doctor. The hut was just large enough to hold one man. It had a door formed of ihin poles lashed together with sinnit. At the farther end was .1 bedstead covered with rough More Startling Adventures, 297 matting, and in the centre a small table, with a three-legged stool. No one had any longer any doubt that we had seen a man, or that this must be his abode, and that he must be a white man, but whether English or not was doubtful. Miles Soper examined the matting, and as he was lookmg about he found a knife on a shelf close to the bed. Taking it up, he examined it with a curious eye, opening and shutting it, and turning it round and round. " Well, that's queer, but I think I've seen this knife before," he said. "If the owner is the man I guess he is I am glad." " Who do you suppose he is ? " I inquired, eagerly. ** Well, Peter, that's what I don't want to say just yet. I must make sure first," he answered. *♦ Can he be my brother Jack ? " I exclaimed, my breath coming and going fast in my anxiety. " Well then, Peter, I'll tell you. Jack knew how to make matting just like this, because he learnt the way on board the Harriet, and so did I. He had a knife which, if this isn't it, is the fellow to it, so you see that I have some reason to think .hat the man who built this hut, and lives in it, is he. But then again, you know, I may be mistaken. ** Why, if he is Jack, he should run away from us puzzles me. If he couldn't see our faces he must have known by our dress that we were English or American, and that there was no reason for him to hide himself. There are many men who know how to make this sort of matting, and there are many knives just like this, and that's the reason why I can't tell you whether he's Jack or not. But if Mr. Griffiths will let me I'll go on alone and look for him, and when he sees who I am he'll come fast enough to me, and you may depend on it, Peter, if it's he I'll bring him back with a lighter heart than I've had for many a day." , 1 ■' >■■ r n lllli! 3 *il CHAPTER XXVIL THE LOST ONE FOUND A T LAST. I WANTED to accompany Soper in his search for the stranger. " No, no, Peter," he answered ; " if he is Jack he'll know me ; but he won't know you ; and if he's grown queer by living all alone on an island, as has happened to some poor fellows, he'll get out of our way if he sees two together," The doctor assented to the wisdom of this, and advised me to be contented and remain by while Soper set oft' him- self. The rest of the party were meanwhile examining the hen-roost. The fowls were mostly of the English breed, which made us suppose that they had been landed from some English vessel. We were confirmed in this belief by discovering an old hen-coop, in which they had probably been washed ashore. There were other pieces of wreckage scattered about, but the hut itself was composed entirely of the pro- ducts of the island. . » ? At last the doctor proposed that we should proceed onwards, as the stranger, whoever he was, would not be likely to come back if he saw us near his hut. I, however, believed that it must be Jack, and, notwithstanding the doubts that Soper had expressed, begg*^d that I might be allowed to remain behind that I might the sooner meet him. Mr. Griffiths gave me leave to stay if I wished it. I thought The Lost One Found at Lad, 299 that Soper was more likely to bring him back to the hut than to follow the rest of the p*. 322 Peter Trawl, we cast out a raft, formed by the oars, and rode to it. The gale, however, increased, and seemed likely to turn into a regular typhoon. There was no sleep for any of us that night ; all hands had to keep baling, while a heavier sea than we had yet encountered broke aboard and carried away a large portion of our provisions, besides drowning all the fowl in the hen- coop. Most of us, I suspect, began to think that we should never see another sunrise. It seemed a wonder, indeed, that the boat escaped being knocked to pieces. Had it continued long, we must have gone down. Towards morn- ing, however, the wind moderated, and before noon we were able to haul the raft aboard and once more make sail. But th^re we were on the wide ocean, with but scanty pro- visions and a sorely battered boat. The weather still looked unsettled, and we feared that we should have another bad night of it. The greater part of the day had gone by, when Brown, who was at the helm while the mate was taking some rest, suddenly exclaimed, " A sail ! a sail ! She's standing this way." We all looked out to the northward, and there made ou> a large vessel steering directly for us. t,l The o a CHAPTER XXIX. ON BOARD OUR OLD SHFP—HER VOYAGF. THROUGH EASTERN SEAS. THE doctor awoke Mr. Griffiths to tell him the good news. He at once hove the boat to. We sat eagerly watching the stranger. She could not possibly at present see us, and might alter her course before she came near enough to do so. Her topsails rose above the horizon, then in a short time her courses were seen, and then her hull itself as she came on swiftly before the breeze. I saw Mr. Griffiths several times rub his eyes, then he stood up and looked fixedly at her. " Brown," he said, " did you ever see that ship before ? " " Well, I was thinking that the same sailmaker cut her topsails that cut the JntrepiiTs ; but there's no wonder in that," answered Brown. *' What do you say to that white patch in the head of her foresail ? " asked the mate. " It looks to me like one we put in when we were last at the Sandwich Islands. To be sure it's where the sail is likely to get worn, and another vessel may have had one put in like it ; still, the Intrepid's foresail had just such a patch as that." " What ! do you mean to say that she's the Intrepid ? " exclaimed the doctor, interrupting him. " I mean to say that she's very like her, if she's not her," answered the mate. iq 324 Peter Trawl, We all of us now looked with even greater eagerness than before at the approaching vessel. " Let draw the foresail/' cried the mate. We stood on so that we might be in the best possible position for running alongside the whaler, for such she was, as soon as she hove to. " We're seen ! — we're seen 1 " shouted several of our crew. We waved our hats, and shouted. -\ « She is the Intrepid ! " cried Mr. Griffiths. Presently she came to the wind, and we, lowering our sail and getting out our cars, were soon alongside her. There stood Captain Hawkins — there the second mate, with m^n/ other faces we knew. I never saw people look so astonished as we sprar j up the side, while our boat was hooked on and hoisted on board. " Why, Griffiths ! — Cockle ! where have you come from ? " exclaimed Captain Hawkins. " I had given you up for lost long ago." " They gave a brief account of our adventures, but the;e was not much time for talking, for we had not been aboard five minutes before all hands were employed in shortening sail, and the gale came down upon us with even greater strength than on the previous night. Had we been exposed to it in our open boat there would have been little chance of our escape. We ha J thus much reason to be ihankful to Heaven that we hr.d got aboard in ti.ne. There being plenty of sea room, the Intrepid was hove to. Even as it was, the sea broke aboard and carried away one of her boats and did other damage, ohe had betn nearly w recked on the reef during the gale when we were on the island ; and Captain Hawkins, believing that we had been lost, stood for Guam, where he had been detained for want of proper workmen and fi esh hands. Had it not been .' > Ill On Board our Old Ship, 325 for this she would long before have been on her homeward voyage. For some time I felt very strange on board, often when half asleep fancying myself still ia the boat, and the air below seemed close and oppressive. The mite declared that he had caught cold from sleeping in a bed after not having been in one for so many months. The doctor suggested that his bed might have been damp. However the gi?le being over, the sun came out brightly, and he soon got rid of his chill. The captain took no more notice of me than he did before, and did not even speak to Jack. His idea was to keep us at a proper distance, I suppose. He had heard, I have no doulrt;, of our adventures from Dr. Cockle or the mate. It mattered very little to us, though I was afraid that he might take it into his head to turn Jack out of the ship at some place or other, on the plea that he did not belong to her. I advised my brother, therefore, to keep out of his sight ?.s much as possible, especially when in harbour. Jim and I agrecvi that if he was sent ashore we would go also, wherever it might be. ** So v/ill I," said Miles Soper, who had heard us talking about the matter. " And I no stop eider, and den he lose four good hands. He no like dat," said Sam Coal- Brown, hearing from Jim of my apprehensions, said he would go likewise if the captain attempted to play any tricks of that sort. - Three days after the gale we hove to off three small islands surrounded by a reef. Brown, Miles Soper, two Africans and the New Zealandcr, the second mate and I, were sent on shore to catch turtle. We hauled the boat up and waited till the evening, at which time the creatures land to lay their eggs. i i Hi '■ ', is 326 Peter TrawL Darkness approached, and we concealed ourselves behind some rocks, and watched for their coming. Presently one landed, anv- crawled slowly up the beach. Sam declared that she was as big as the boat. She was certainly an enormous creature. Then another and another came ashore, and commenced scraping away in the sand to make holes for their eggs. We waited till some thirty or forty had come ashore. " Now is your time," cried the mate ; and rushing out, grasping the handspikes with which we were armed, we got between them and the sea, and turned them over on their backs, where they lay kicking their legs, unable to movei We had brought ropes to assist us in dragging them down to the ;Water and hauling them on board. We had turned a dozen or more, when I said to Jim. • *' We mustn't let that big one go we first saw land." She and the other turtles still on their feet, had taken the alarm, and were scuttling down the beach. We made her out and attempted to turn her, but that was more than we could do. " She'll be off," cried Jim. We hove the bight of a rope over her head. ** Hold on, Peter ! " he cried \ and he and I attempted to haul the turtle back, all the time shouting for help, for she was getting closer and closer to the water. At last in she got, dragging us after her. We could not stop her before, and there was very little chance of our doing so now. ♦* Let her go, Jim," I cried out. ** We shall lose the rope," he answered, still holding on. We were already up to our middles in the water. ** It's of no use. Let go ! let go ! " I cried out, " or we shall be dragged away to sea ! " Supposing that he would do as I told him, I let go at the On Board our Old Ship, 327 same moment, when what was my dismay to see Jim dragged away out of his depth. I swam off to him, still shouting loudly. Presently Soper and Sam Coal came up, and seeing what was happening, dashed into the water. Our united strength, however, could not stop the turtle, and Sam, who had a sharp knife in his pocket, drawing it, cut the rope, and we got Jim back to shore. The mate rated Jim for losing the rope, though Brown and the rest declared that he had behaved very pluckily, and that if help had come in time we should have saved the turtle. As it was we had turned more than we could carry off. Having been ordered not to attempt to regain the ship during the night, we turned the boat up and slept under it, while a couple of hands remained outside to watch the turtles and see that they did not ttianage to get on their feet again and escape. In the morning we loaded the boat, and pulled back with our prizes. The mate said nothing about the lost rope, as he knew the notion Brown and the rest had formed of Jim's courage. We sighted after this several small islands, and then made the coast of New Guinea. The captain, seeing a good place for landing, sent a boat ashore with the doctor and most of us who had been engaged in catching turtle. It seemed a beautiful country, with magnificent trees, and birds flying about in numbers among them. •* This is a perfect paradise," said the doctor, as we approached the beach. Just then a number of natives came rushing out from the forest, brandishing clubs and spears. They were the ugliest set of people 1 ever saw, their bodies nearly naked and 328 Peter Trawl, their Beads covered with hair frizzled out like huge mopsu They had also bows at their backs, but they did not point their arrows at us. The doctor and mate agreed that it would be folly to land amongst them, so we lay on our oars while the mate held up bottles and bits of iron hoops, beads and knives, and a few old clothes, to show them that we wished to trade. After a considerable time they seemed to understand what we wanted, and some of them going away returned with numbers of stuffed birds of a delicate yellow with long tails. We made signs that only those who wanted to trade must come near us. At last several came wading into the water bringing their birds They set a high price on them, and we only bought a dozen or so. As the rest of the people behaved m as threatening a manner as before, as soon as the trading was over we pulled off, not wishing to risk an encounter with them. The doctor said that the birds were birds of paradise, and that they were such as the ladies of England wore in their hats. The curious thing was that none of the birds had feet. " Of course not," said the second mate, when I pointed this out to him ; " they say that the birds come down from the skies and live in the air, and as they never perch, they don't want feet. That's why they're called birds of paradise." The doctor laughed. "That's a very old notion," he remarked, " but it's a wrong one notwithstanding, and has long since been exploded. They have legs and claws like other birds, though the natives cut them off and dn the birds as these have been over a hot fire. It's the only way they have of preserving them." The captain said we were very right not to land, as the natives might have been tempted to cut us off for the sake of posst ssing themselves of the articles in our boat On Board our Old Ship. 329 As we sailed along the coast the country seemed to be thickly populated, and the boat was frequently sent to try and land, but we always met with the same inhospitable reception. The moment we drew near the shore the black- skinned natives would rush down, apparently to prevent our landing. This was a great disappointment, for the captain was anxious to obtain fresh provisions, as several of the men, from having lived a long time on salt meat, were suffering from scurvy. Curiously enough, we, who had been in the boat, were free from it. At one place, however, we tradt-d with the natives, and bought several more of the stutfed paradise birds, and a number of live lories, which we kept in cages, and beautiful little creatures they were. Our hope was to carry them safely home, but, either from improper food or change of climate, they all shortly died. Rounding New Guinea, and passing the island of Mysole, we came to a small island called Gcly, at the south-east end of Gillolo, lying exactly under the equator. It contains a magnificent and secure harbour, in which we brought up There being an abundance of good water, and trees from which spars can be cut, it is an excellent place for repairing damages. The second mate said that those suffering from scurvy would now have an opportunity of being cured. The plan he proposed was to bury them up to their necks in the sand, and to leave them there for some hours. The doctor was unwilling to try the experiment, though he did not deny that it might be effectual. Two of our men suffering from the complaint were, however, perfectly willing to submit to the remedy, and, our boats having to go on shore to fill the water-casks, we carried them with us. Holes were dug, and the poor fellows, being stripped naked, were covered up side by side in the warm sand, leaving only their heads above the surface, so that they could not 330 Pder TrawL possibly extricate themselves. The captain, I shouH have said, approved of the plan, having before seen it tried with success ; but the doctor, declaring that he would have nothing to do with the matter, went with Jack and another man in an opposite direction. Horner and I had charge of the watering.' party. The stream from which we filled qui casks was at some distance from the place where the men were buried. I undertook to see to the casks being filled if Horner would remain by the men. We had just finished our work and were rolling the casks down to the boat when Horner came rushing up, with his eyes staring and his hair almost on cmd. " What's the matter? What has happened?" 1 asked, thinking he had gone out of his mind. " 1 ican't bear it 1 " he exclaimed. " It's too dreadful. I couldn't help it." " What is dreadful ? What could you not help ? " I inquired. " The brutes of crocodiles. Poor fellows," he stammered out. '• There won't be a bit of them left presently ! " and he pointed to where we had buried our poor shipmates, and where he ought to have been watching. The men and I set off running to the spot. A dreadful sight met our eyes. The body of one man lay half eaten on the sand. A huge crocodile was dragging off the other. He had dragged it under the water before we could reach the spot. We could do nothing but shout at the crocodiles. Horner confessed that he had gone to a distance for a short time, during which the brutes had landed and killed the two men. We returned very sad to the boat. As for Horner, it was a U ng time before he could get over the horror he felt for his neglect of duty. Several canoes filled with natives came into the harbour from Gillolo, bringing potatoes and other vegetables. One of them brought a On Board our Old Ship* Z3^ number of clam-shells of various sizes. One which we hoisted on board weighed four hundred-weight, and we afterwards saw on shore one which must have weighed a quarter of a ton. The natives use them as tubs ; I saw a woman bathing a child in one. The meat of the creature ^lien fried is very palatable. I also obtained some beauti- ful specimens of coral, which I wanted to carry home to Mary and my Shetland relations. I bought also two gallons of nutmegs for an old file, and a large number of shells for some old clothes. The harbour swarmed with sharks, which prevented us from bathing. We here cut some splendid spars for the use of the ship. I may mention that the inner harbour, from its perfect security, has obtained the name of "Abraham's Bosom." Were it not for the sharks and crocodiles the place would be perfect. All the crew having recovered from scurvy, and the ship being refitted, we once more put to sea. The weather was delightful, and we sailed on over the calm ocean with a light breeze. We had to keep a constant look-out for rocks and reefs. I can assert, though it is often denied, that when passing under the lee of the Spice Islands, the scent which came off from the shore was perfectly delicious. Whether this arises from the flowers of the cloves and nutmegs, or from the nature of the soil, I cannot determine. Though we generally had a light breeze, we were some- times completely becalmed, on which occasions, when near shore, we ran the risk of being driven on the rocks by the currents, and more than once we had all the boats towing ahead to keep her off them till the breeze should spring up. We continued our course, passing to the eastward of Ceram and Banda, and steering for Timor, to the north-west of Australia. We had other dangers besides calms and currents. Ui i 332 Peter Trawl, We had just left the Serwatty Islands astern when the wind dropped, and we lay becalmed. ITiough there was little chance of catching whales, we always kept a look-out for them from the masthead, as we could stow one or two more away. We were most of us on deck whistling for a breeze, when the look-out aloft shouted that he saw three craft stealing up from behind the island to the eastward. The second mate went up to have a look at them through his glass, and when he returned on deck he reported that they were three large proas, pulling, he should say, twenty oars or more, and full of men, and that he had no doubt they were pirates. Those seas, we knew, were infested with such gentry — generally Malays, the most bloodthirsty and cruel of their race. Many a merchant vessel ihas been captured by them and sunk, all hands being killed. " Whatever they are, we must be prepared for them ! " cried Captain Hawkins. •* I'll trust to you, lads, to fight to the last ; and I tell you that if they on< e get alongside us we shall find it a difficult job to keep them off. We will have the arms on deck, Mr. Griffiths, for if we don't get a breeze, as thev pull fast, they'll soon be up to us." All the muskets were at oace brought up and arranged in order; our two guns were loaded, and the armourer and carpenter set to work to sharpen the blubber-spades, har- poons, and spears. We had thus no lack of weapons ; our high bulwarks also gave us an advantage ; but the pirates, we knew, would probably out-number us by ten to one. However, we did not lose heart; Captain Hawkins looked cool and determined, and the mates imitated his example. I didn't think about myself, but the fear came over me that, after all, Jack might be killed, and that I should not have the happiness of taking him home. As the pirates approached, wc made all necessary pre- On Board our Old Ship, 333 parations for defending ourselves. Muskets and ammunition were served out to the men most accustomed to firearms ; the others had the blubber-spades and spears put into their hands. The two mates took charge of the guns, which were loaded to their muzzles, and matches were got ready for firing them. The doctor provided himself with a couple of muskets and a sword. The captain told him he must not run the risk of being wounded, as he might be required to bind up the hurts of the rest of us. He laughed, and said that the first thing to be done was to drive back our enemies should they attempt to board the ship. The pirates came closer and closer. The captain looked anxiously round the horizon, for though, like a brave man, he wa^ prepared to defend his ship to the last, he had no wish for a fight. As I looked over the sides I saw some cats- paws playing along the surface of the water. The pirates by this time were not a quarter of a mile astern. Presently the lighter canvas, which had hung down against the masts, bulged out, and then the topsails filled. " All hands trim sails ! " shouted the captain. The breeze came from the eastward; the yards were squared, and the Intrepid began to move through the water. She glided on but slowly; the pirates were still gaining on us. The wind, however, freshened. As we watched our pursuers, first one raised a mast and a long taper yard, then another, and they were soon under all sail standing after us. The breeze increased ; we gave a cheer, hoping soon to get well ahead of them. Still on they came, and it seemed very doubtful whether we should succeed. I believe that some of the crew would rather have had a fight than have escaped without it. The pirates, by keeping their oars moving, still gained on us. To look at the captain, one might have supposed that it was a matter of indifference to him whether they came along- Jj 354 Peter TrawL side or not, but our cargo was too valuable to risk the chance of being lost. We had soon studding-sails rigged below and aloft. Again the wind dropped, and the p-.rates were now slmost within musket shot. " We will slew round one of our guns, and run it through the after port, Griffiths," said the captain. " A shot or two will teach the rascals what to expect should they come up to us." Just, however, as we had got the gun run out the wind ajgain freshened. The Intrepid^ deep in the water though she was, showed th&t she had not lost her power of sailing. Though the pirates were straining every nerve, we once m-jie drew ahead of them. The more the breeze increased the faster we left them astern, and by the time the sun had set we ^ had got fully four miles ahead, but still by going aloft we could see them following, evidently hoping that we should be again becalmed, and that they might get up with us. During the night we continued our course for Timor. At the usual hour the watch below turned in, though the captain remained on deck, and a sharp look-out was kept astern. However, as long as the breeze continued we had no fear of being overtaken. It was my morning watch. As soon as it was daylight I went aloft, and saw the proas the same distance off that they had been at nightfall. I told Mr. Griffiths when I came below. " The rascals still expect to catch us," he said, *• but w« must hope that they'll be disappointed. However, we're prepared for them." For some hours the breeze continued steady. Soon after noon it again fell, and our pursuers crept closer to us. It was somewhat exciting, and kept us all alive, though it did not spoil our appetites. The whole of the day they were in sight, but when the vind freshened up again in the even- On Board our Old Ship, 335 ing we once more distanced them. The night passed as the former had done. We could not tell when we went below what moment we might be roused up to fight 5or our lives. I for one. did not sleep the worse for that. The breeze was pretty steady during the middle watch, and I was not on deck again till it was broad daylight. The second mate, who had been aloft, reported that the pirates were still in sight, but farther off than they were the day before, and the breeze now freshening, their hulls sank beneath the horizo.i, and we fully expected to see no more of them. We sighted Timor about three weeks after leaving Gely, and in the evening brought up in a small bay, with a town on its shore, called Cushbab. Our object was to obtain vegetables and buffalo meat. The natives are Malays, and talk Portuguese. Nearly all those we met on shore carried creeses, or long, sharp knives, in their belt, which they use on the slightest provocation. Every boy we saw had a cock under his arm. The people seemed to spend all their time in cock-fighting. They are very fond of the birds, which are of enormous size ; con- siderably larger than any English cocks. Being unable to obtain any buffaloes here, we got under w^y* and anchored in another bay some way to the west, where we obtained twelve animals. At first they were very wild when we got them on board, but in a few hours became tame, and would eat out of our hands. They were destined, however, for the butcher's knife. Some of the meat we ate fresh, but the larger quantity was salted down for sea stores. The unsalted meat kept for a very short time, and we had to throw a large piece overboard. The instant it reached the water up came two tiger sharks, which fought for it, seizing each other in the most ferocious manner possible, and struggling together, although there was ti|j|igh for both of them. \ ^ m\ -J'\ 336 Peter Trawl, After leaving Timor we steered along the south-east coast of Java, and then shaped a course across the Indian Ocean for the Cape of Good Hope. The wind was fair, the sea smooth, and I never remember enjoying a longer period of fine weather. In consequence of the light winds our passage was lengthened more than we had expected, and we were running short of provisions of all sorts. There were still two casks of bread left, each containing about four hundred- weight. "Never mind," observed the second mate, "we shall have enough to take us to the Cape." At length the first was finished, and we went below to get up the second. It was marked bread clearly enough, but when the carpenter knocked in the head, what was -""'• dismay to find it full of new sails, it having been wrongly branded ! The captain at once ordered a search to be made in the store-room for other provisions. The buffalo meat we had salted had long been exhausted, part of it having turned bad ; and besides one cask of pork, which proved to be almost rancid, a couple of pounds of flour, with a few other trifling articles, not a particle of food re- mained in the ship. Starvation stared us in the face. CHAPTER XXX. /' get TffE VOYAGE ROME, AND HOW IT ENDED. ON hearing of the alarming scarcity of food on board, the captain called the crew aft. '* Lads," he said, •* I don't want to hide anything from you. Should the wind shift to the westward, it may be a month or more before we reach the Cape, so if you wish to save your lives, you must at once be put on a short allowance of food and water. A quarter of a pint of water, two ounces of pork, and half an ounce of flour is all I can allow for each man, and the officers and I will share alike with jrou." Not a word was said in reply, and the men went forward with gloomy looks. To make the flour go farther we mixed whale oil with it, and, though nauseous in the extreme, it served to keep body and soul together. At first the crew bore it pretty well, but they soon took to grumbling, saying that it was owing to the captain's want of forethought in not laying in more provisions that we were reduced to this state. Hitherto the wind had been fair, but any day it might change, and then, they asked, what would become of us ? Most of them would have broken into open mutiny had not they known that the mates and doctor, Jack and I, Jim, and probably Brown and Soper, would have sided with the captain, though we felt that they were not altogether wrong in their accusation. 32 338 Peter TrawL I heard the doctor tell Mr. Griffiths that he was afraid the scurvy would again appear if we were kept long on ou' present food. Day after day we glided on across the smooth ocean with a cloudless sky, our food and water gradually decreasing. We now oil ;n looked at each other, wondering what wcuM be; d.c .nd. At. last, one n^ght, when it was my midu A waif h on deck, Jim came aft to me. " Wk. ufaic * e men won't stand it any longer," he said. " They vow that i." the captain don't serve out more food and water they'll take it. I know that it will be death to all of us if they do, or I would not tell on them. You let Mr. Griffiths know ; maybe he'll bring them to a right mind. They don't care for Jack or me, and Brown, Soper, and Sam seemed inclined to side with the rest. Jack says whatever you do he'll do." "Thank you, Jim," I answered. "You try to show them what folly they'll commit if they attempt to do as they propose. They won't succeed, for the captain is a deter- mined man, and there'll be bloodshed if they keep to their purpose." Jim went forward, and I took a turn on deck to consider what was best to be done. It was the second mate's watch, and it had only just struck two bells. I did not wish to say anything to him. I waited for a little, and then asked the second mate to let me go below for a minute, for I could not quit the deck without his leave. " You may go and turn in if you like," he said. " The? s no chance of your being wanted on a night like this." " Thank you, sir," I answered, and at once ran down to Mr. Griffiths's cabin. He awoke when I touched his shoulder, and I told him in a low voice what I had neard. "You have acted sensibly, Peter," he answered "I'll be ci prep' I brace| doct' Atl greatj way were] The Voyage Homey and How it Ended, 339 he cu deck ii a moment When the men see that we are preprred for them they'll change their minds." I again went on c ck, and he soon appeared, with a brace of pistols in his belt, followed by the captain and the doct^**, with muskets in their hands. At that moment up sprang from the fore hatchway the greater part of the crew, evidently intending to make their way to the after store room, where the provisions and water were kept. " What are you about to do, lads ? " shoute ' the captain. "Go below, every one of you, except the ^^.xc) on deck, and don't attempt to try this trick again." His tall figure holding a musket ready ' ^rv -owed them in an instant, and they obeyed without u> vri >g a word. The captain said that he should remair i '^eck, and told Mr. Griffiths and the doctor that he wouia call them if they were wanted. Some time afterwards, going forward^ I found Jim, who told me that they had all turned in. The night passed away without any disturbance. As soon as it was daylight the captain ordered me to go aloft and take a look round. I obeyed, though I felt so weak that I could scarcely climb the rigging. 1 glanced round the horizon, but no vessel could I see. A mist still hung over the water. I was just about to come down when the sun rose, and at the same moment I made out over our quarter, away to the southward, a white sail, on which his rays were cast, stand- ing on the same course that we were. " Sail ho ! " I shouted in a joyful tone, and pointed out In the direction in which I saw her. The captain, immediately I came down, ordered me to rouse up all hands, and every sail the ship could carry being set, we edged down to the stranger, making a signal that we ..m^\ 340 Peter TrawL desired to speak her. She was an English barque, also bound for the Cape. As we got close together, a boat being lowered, Mr. Griffiths and I went on board and stated our wants. Her captain at once agreed to supply us with everything he could spare, and we soon had our boat loaded with a cask of bread, another of beef, and several other articles, and in addition a nautical almanack, for we had run out our last one within a week before this. We had a second trip to make, with casks to fill with water. As may be supposed, we had quenched our own thirst on our first visit When we again got back we found the cook and two hands assisting him busily employed in preparing breakfast, and a right hearty one we had. We kept our charitable friends in sight till we reached the Cape, by which time we had expended all the pro- visions with which they had furnished us. In a few days, from the abundance of fresh meat and vegetables which we obtained from the shore, our health and strength returned, and I for one was eager once more to put to sea, that Jack and I might the sooner reach home. We had got so far on our way that it seemed to me as if we were almost there. We were, however, detained for several days refitting and provisioning the ship. Once n.ore, however, the men showed their mutinous disposition, for when they were ordered to heave up the anchor they refused to man the windlass, on the plea that they had had no liberty on shore. Though this was the case, there having been work for all hands on board, there was no real excuse for their conduct, as they were amply sup- plied with provisions, and had not been really over-worked. " We shall see, my fine fellows," exclaimed the captain, on seeing them doggedly standing with their arms folded in a group forward. •'> also The Voyage Home^ and How it Ended, 341 At once ordering his boat, which was pulled by Jack and Jim, Miles Soper and Brown, he went on shore. He soon returned, with the deputy captain of the port, who, stepping on boards called the men aft, and inquired what they had to complain of. As they were all silent. Captain McL made them a speech, pointing out to them that they were fortunate in beir g aboard a well-found and well-provisioned ship. " And, my Irtds," he continued, " you need not have any fear of falling siclc, for the captain has an ample supply for yoj of anti-scorbutics." As none of the mutineers had a notion what this long word meant, they were taken completely aback ; and after staring at him and then at each other, first one and then another went forward to the windlass, and we soon had the ship under way. Whenever during the voyage any of us talked about the matter, we always called Captain McL " Old Anti- Scorbutic" I felt happier than I had been for a long time when the ship's head was directed northward, and as we had a fresh breeze the men declared that their friends at home had got hold of the tow-rope, iJid that we should soon be there. On running down to St. Helena we wer;e followed for several days by some black whales of immense length. Sometimes they were so close to the ship's side that we might have lanced them from the deck. The fourth day after we saw them the second mate avid Horner took it into their heads wantonly to fire musket-shots at them. At last one of the poor creatures was hit, when it dived, the others following its example, and we saw them no more. The only object of interest we met with crossing the north-east trades was the passage through i:he Gulf Stream, or Sargasso Sea, as it is sometimes called. It was \ 342 Peter Trawl, curious to find ourselves surrounded by thick mdf^ses of seaweed as far as the eye could reach on every side, so that no clear water could be seen for miles away. I can compare it to nothing else than to sailing through a farmyaid covered with deep straw. The first land we made was Fyal. Thence we ran across to Pico, where we obtained provisions and water. If we had got nothing else it would have been well, but the cre# managed to smuggle on board a quantity of new rum, the effects of which were soon visible. Leaving Pico, we shaped a course for old England. The wind was now freshening, and all sail was made, as the captain was in a hurry to get the voyage over. In the evening, when the watch was called, not a man came on deck, every one of them being drunk, while most of the men in the other watch, who had managed to slip down every now and then, were in no better condition. The captain, who had been ailing, was in bed. Mr. Griffiths, the doctor and I, Jim and Brown, were the only sober ones. The second mate evidently did not know what h6 was about* Mr. Gviflfiths advised him to turn in. I was very sorry to see my brother Jack nearly as bad as the rest, though he afterwards told me that, having been so long without spirits, they had had an unexpected effect upon him. We sober ones had to remain all night on deck, running off when a puff of wind struck the sails. It was a mercy that it didn't come on to blow hard, for we conld never have managed to shorten sail in time to save the spars. Indeed, very probably the masts would have gone. Brown, Jim, and I took it by turns to steer till morning broke, by which time some of the rest of the crew began to show signs of life. As we got into northern latitudes a strong north-easterly breeze made the weather feel bitterly cold to iw, who had been for so long a time accustomed to a southern climate. The Voyage Home, and How it Ended, 345 During all that period I had not worn shoes. For the sake of warmth I now wanted to put on a pair, but my feet had so increased in size that I could not find any large enough in the slop-locker. At last the wind shifted to the south-west, and we ran before it up Channel. The first object we made was the Owers light-vessel, about ninety miles from the Downs. Having made a signal for a pilot, one boarded us out of a cutter off Dungeness. How eagerly all of us plied the old fellow for news, though as he was a man of few words it was with difficulty that the captain or mates could pump much out of him. We remained but a few hours in the Downs to obtain provisions, of which we were again short, and thence proceeded to the Thames, where we dropped our anchor for the last time before going into dock to unload. Jim and I, although we had been kept on board against our will and had never signed articles, found that we could claim wages. Though I had no reason to like Captain Hawkins, yet I felt that I ought to wish him good-bye. To my surprise, he seemed very friendly, and said that if I ever wished to go to sea again he should be very glad to have me with him, as well as my brother and Jim. Poor man ! he had made his last voyage, for I heard of his death shortly afterwards. I was very sorry to part from Mr. Griffiths and Dr. Cockle. They invited me to come and see them, both of them saying that they never intended again to go ill oat, though I heard that Mr. Griffiths got the com- mand of a fine ship shortly afterwards ; so I supposed that like many others similarly situated he was induced to change his mind and tempt once more the dangers of the ocan. "We will meet again, Peter," said Miles Soper • "ai^d I hope that if you and Jack go to sea, we shall all be aboard the same ship." J' 344 Peter Trawl* Brown said the same thing, but from that day to this I have never been able to learn what became of him. Such is often the case in a sea life. For years people are living on the most intimate terms, and separate never to meet again in this life. After remaining a week in London for payment of our wages, Jim and I each received five-and-twenty pounds, Jack also obtaining nearly half that amount. Our first care before we set off for Portsmouth, to which we were eager to return, was, our clothes being worn out, to supply ourselves with decent suits of blue cloth and other necessaries. At daylight the morning after we were free, carrying our bundles and the various treasures we had collected, a pretty load altogether, we went to the place from which the coach started for Portsmouth, and finding three seats on the top, off we set with light hearts, thinking of the friends we should meet on our arriving there. Jack confessed that he had forgotten the appearance of most of them, though he longed to see Mary and to give her the curiosities he had brought. We had a couple of parrots, three other beautifully coloured birds, a big basket of shells, and a whole bundle of bows, and arrows, and darts, and a lot of other things. Rattling down the Portsmouth High Street, we at last dismounted and set off for Mr. Gray's house, where I fully expected I should still find Mary living. As we walked along, the boys gathered round us to look at our birds, and some asked where we had come from with so many curious things. " From round the world," answered Jim, "since we were last at home," which was not a very definite answer. In vain we looked about expectmg to see some old acquaintances, but all the faces we set eyes on were strange. No wonder, considering how long we had been away, while cctainly no one would have recognised us. It was not quite The Voyage Home, and How it Ended. 345 old an easy matter to find our way to Mr. Gray's house, and we had to stop every now and then while Jim and I consulted which turning to take, for we were ashamed to ask any one. At last, just as we got near it, we saw an old gentleman in a Quaker's dress coming along the road. He just glanced at us, as other people had done ; when I, looking hard at him, felt sure he must be Mr. Gray. I nudged Jim's shoulder. "Yes, it's he, I'm sure," whispered Jim. So I went up to him, and pulling off my hat said, " Beg pardon, sir j may I be so bold as to ask if you are Mr. Gray ? " " Gray is my name, young man," he answered, looking somewhat surprised, " Who art thou ? " '• Peter Trawl, sir ; and this Jim Pulley, and here is my brother Jack." If the kind Quaker had ever been addicted to uttering exclamations of surpri'-e he would have done so on this occasion, I suspect, judging from the expression of astonish- ment which came over his countenance. " Peter Trawl ! James Pulley ! Why, it was reported that those two lads were lost in the North Sea years ago,'* he said. . " We are the lads, sir, notwithstanding," I answered ; and I briefly narrated to him how we had been picked up by the Intrepid and carried off to the Pacific, and how I had there found my brother Jack. " Verily, this is good news, and will cheer the heart of thy young sister, who has never ceased to believe that thou wouldst turn up again some day or other," he said. " Is Mary well, sir ? is she still with you ? " I inquired, eagerly, "Yes, Peter, thy sister is as one of my family. Though greatly pressed by her newly-found relatives in Shetland to go there and reside with ihem, she has always replied that 346 Ptter TrawL she was sure thou wast alive, and that thou wouldst come back to Portsmouth to look for her, and that it would grieve thee much not to find her." " How kind and thoughtful ! " I exclaimed. " Do let me go on, sir, at once to see my young sister." " Stay, lad, stay," he answered. " The surprise might be too great for her. 1 will go back to my house and tell her that thou hast returned home safe. Thou art so changed that she would not know thee, and therefore thou and thy companions may follow close behind." 'We saw Mr. Gray go to his door and knock. It was opened by a woman-servant, who I was sure, when I caught sight of her countenance, was Nancy herself. She saw me at the same moment, and directly Mr. Gray had entered, came out on the doorstep, and regarded me intently. " Yes, I'm sure it is 1 " she exclaimed. " Peter, Peter, aren't you Peter, now ? I have not forgotten thy face, though thee be grown into a young man ! " and she stretched out her arms, quite regardless of the passers-by, ready to give me such another embrace as she had bestowed on me when I went away. I could not restrain myself any longer, but, giving the things I was .carrying to Jack, sprang up the ste > . " Here he is. Miss Mary, here he is ! " cried Nancy, and I saw close behind her a tall, fair girl. Nancy, however, had time to give me a kiss and a hug before I could disengage myself, and the next moment my sweet sister Mary had her arms round my neck, and, half crying, half laughing, was exclaiming, " I knew you would come, I knew you would, Peter ; I was sure you were not lost I " My brother Jack and Jim were, meantime, staying outside, not liking to come in till they were summoned. Nancy did not recognise them, and thought that they were two ship- mates who had accompanied me to carry my things A JOYOUS MEETING. Piigt 346. « *<-iv» The Voyage Hotne^ and How it Ended, 347 At last, when I told Mary that I had not only come myself, but had broughi: back our brother Jack, she was eager to sec him, though she was so young when he went away that she had no recollection of his countenance, and scarcely knew him from* Jim. Mary had let me into the parlour. I now went and beckoned them in. Nancy, when she knew who they were, welcomed them warmly, but did not bestow so affectionate a greeting on them as she had done on me. J.^m stood out- side the door while I brought Jack in. Though Mary kissed him, and told him how glad she was to see him, it was easy to see that she at first felt almost as if he were a stranger. Mr. Gray left us to ourselves for some time, and then all the family came in and welcomed us kindly, insisting that Jack should remain with me in the pat lour, while Nancy took care of Jim in the kitchen, where he was much more at his ease than he would have been with strangers. Jack,N indeed, looked, as he afterwards confessed to me he felt, like a fish out of water in the presence of so many young ladies. Though I had twice written to Mary, and had directed my letters properly, neither had reached her \ yet for all these years she had not lost hope of seeing me. After supper, Jack and I were going away ' ut Mr. Cray insisted that we should remain, as he had ha eds arranged for us in the house. " I must not let vou lads be exposed to ' e dangers and temptations of the town," he said in a kmd tone. "You must stay here till you go to sea again." Mary at once wrote to Mr. Troil to tell him of my return, and of my having brought uiy brother Jack back with me. While waiting for an answer, one day Ja< k and Jim and I were walking down the High Street, when we saw a large, placard stating that the Thisbe frif v., commissioned by Captain Rogers, was in want of hands. 348 Peter Trawl, *' I shouldn't wonder but what he was my old skipper," observed Jack. - And you fine young fellows couldn't do better than join her," exclaimed a petty officer, who was standing near, clapping Jack on the back. ** '* Why I think I know your face," he added. *' Maybe. I'm Jack Trawl. I'm not ashamed of my name," said my brother. " Jack Trawl ! " exclaimed the man-of-war's man -, " then you belong to the Lapwing. We all thought you were lost with the rest of the boat's cre^." " No, I wasn't ; Miles Soper and I escap d. Now I look at you, ain't you Bill Bolton ? " ** The same," was the answer. " Tell us how it all happened." Jack in a few words told his old shipmate what is already known to the reader. While he was speaking, wh ) should come up but Miles Soper him ::'Mf, come down to Portsmouth to looK out for z. berth, accompanied by Sam Coal. The long and the short of it was that they all three agreed to enter aboard the Thisbe, and did their best to persuade Jim to follow their example. . I had iiv> notion of doing so myself, for I knew that it would break Mary's heart to part with me again so soon, and I feared, indeed, that she would not like Jack's going. Still, taking all things into consideration, he could not do better I thought — for having been so long at sea, he felt, as he said, like a fish out of water among so many fine folks. Jim made no reply, but drawing me aside, said, " Peter, I can't bear the thoughts of leaving you, and yet I knew you wouldn't like to ship before the mast again ; but if I stay ashore what am I to do? I've no fancy to spending my days in a wherry, and haven't got one if I had. I've taken a liking to Jack, and you've many friends, The Voyage Home, and How it Ended, 349 and can do without me, so if you don't say no I'll ship with the rest." ^ I need not repeat what I said to Jim. I was sure that it was the best thing he could do, and advised him accord- ingly. *' I'm with you, mates," he said, in a husky tone, going back to the rest, and away they all went together, while I returned to Mr. Gray's. ♦'I wish the lads had shipped on board a peaceable merchantman," he observed when I told him, '* but I can't pretend to dictate to them. I am glad thou hast been better directed, Peter." Jack and Jim came to see us before the ship went out of harbour. Jack said he knew that he must work for his living, and that he would rather <= ? aboard a man-o'-war than do anything else. " I'll look after him as I used to do you, Peter," said Jim. "And I hope some day we'll come back with our pockets full of gold, and maybe bear up for wherever you've dropped your anchor." A few days after this a letter came from Mr. Troil, inviting Mary, Jack, and me to Shetland. Mary was very unwilling to leave her kind friends, but Mr. Gray said that it would be to our advantage, and advised Mary and me to go. He was right, for when we arrived Mr. Troil received us as relatives. Mary became like a second daughter to him. I assisted in managing his property, and in the course of a few years Maggie, to whom he left everything he possessed, became my wife, while Mary married the owner of a neigh- bouring estate. Some few years after a small coaster came into the Voe. I went down to see what she had on board. A sailor-looking man, with a wooden leg, and a woman, stepped ashore *• That's him — that's him ! " 1 heard thein exclaim, and in 350 Peter Trawl. a m