CLEMENT ELDRIDCE
 
 295A
 
 RESCUED BT 
 PRINCE 
 
 CLEMENT ELDRIDGE 
 
 ( Captain Nautilus ) 
 Author of " THE BOY CAPTAIN," etc. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 NEW YORK AKRON. O. CHICAGO 
 THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 1907
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1901. 
 
 BY 
 THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING CO. 
 
 Made by 
 
 Robert Smith Printing Co 
 Lansing, Mich.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OVER THE SEAS AND FAR AWAY ......... 5 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ESCAPING CONVICTS ............ 15 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CONVICTS ........... 26 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Louis NAPOLEON ............. 3$ 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRY .......... 46 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE CONVICTS IN A STORM .......... 60 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SAILORS' YARNS > ............. 67 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 TOM BOWLINE . ^ ............ 78 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE TYPHOON ............... 89 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MRS. WYLIE, MISSIONARY . . . . . . . . . . ioo 
 
 CHAPTER XI. ' 
 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES ..... ....... 113 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MYSTERY ................ 129 
 
 2135293
 
 ii CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 LEAKY SHIP ...'.. 142 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 PUMP OR DROWN 155 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE MUTINY 171 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE LAUNCHING OF THE "VIGILANT" 185 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE SAILING OF THE "VIGILANT" igq 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 OLD NEPTUNE '. . 212 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 ENGLISH MAN-OF-WAR 226 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 GOOD NEWS OF HARRY 242 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE WHITE KING OF THE LOUISIADES 254 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 266 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 HARRY RESCUED 281 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 CONCLUSION 294
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 OPPOSITE 
 PACK 
 
 THE FRENCHMAN, WITH A LONG KNIFE CLUTCHED IN 
 
 His HAND, LAY BLEEDING AT His FEET 24 
 
 WITH A HOWL OF TERROR, EVERY PIRATE RUSHED FOR 
 
 THE RAIL AND LEAPED OVERBOARD .127 
 
 WHEN A BUCKET OF SALT WATER WAS POURED DOWN THE 
 
 BIG END OF THE TRUMPET 223 
 
 QUICK AS A FLASH, THE GIRL CAUGHT UP THE LITTLE 
 FELLOW, RUSHED FOR THE ENTRANCE, DOWN THE 
 STONE STEPS, AND ALONG THE DARK PASSAGE . . . 286 
 
 (iii)
 
 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 OVER THE SEAS AND FAR AWAY 
 
 " \i 7ELL, my dear, have you found the position of the 
 ^ ship this morning?" inquired Captain Willis, 
 of the clipper ship " Helen," as his wife made her ap- 
 pearance on deck, followed by a bright little boy of 
 about five years. 
 
 " Ess, papa, we'se tose to de Tanbells Islands. 
 What's tanbells, papa? Mama won't tell me," said 
 the little fellow, with an injured look on his earnest, 
 upturned face. 
 
 "Cannibals, my boy," said Captain Willis, catching 
 up Captain Harry, as the sailors called him, and seating 
 him on his shoulder, "are people who live on some of 
 these small islands. They don't build great houses and 
 have horses and carriages the way we do at home, and it 
 is so warm where they live that they don't wear any 
 clothes. Sometimes all the men on one island go in their 
 big boats, and fight with the men on some other island. 
 
 (5)
 
 6 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 If they catch any of the men they are fighting with they 
 take them back to their home, where they kill and eat 
 them the way we kill and eat chickens, and because these 
 wild men eat other wild men we call them cannibals." 
 
 The expression of horror on the face of Mrs. Willis 
 prevented any further explanation concerning the habits 
 of cannibals, and, much to Harry's disappointment, Cap- 
 tain Willis placed the little fellow on deck saying, " Run 
 and play with Darkey; he will look out for Captain 
 Harry." 
 
 "Darkey tan eat tanbells, tant you Darkey?" said 
 Harry, throwing his arms around the neck of his friend 
 and playmate. Then, while his light curls mingled 
 with the black shaggy coat of the great dog, the child 
 confidentially told Darkey all about the "tanbells," 
 adding, as if Darkey doubted his statement, " 'Tis so, 
 Darkey, for de ole man says 'tis." 
 
 "What put that cannibal idea into his head? I 
 have not heard that word used during this voyage," 
 said the Captain, watching the great Newfoundland dog, 
 whose color had suggested the name "Darkey," in his 
 play with the little boy. 
 
 "I did," quietly replied Mrs. Willis, looking over 
 the broad expanse of water, where it appears to touch 
 the sky, as if expecting some unwelcome visitor. When 
 she had made the entire sweep of the horizon she placed 
 the glass under her arm in true nautical style, and con- 
 tinued : "After working out the longitude from the
 
 OVER THE SEAS A\D FAR AWAY l 
 
 altitudes you gave me this morning, I went into the 
 chart room to point off the position of the ship. I found 
 that at the time of observation we were about halfway 
 between the east coast of Australia and New Caledonia, 
 and that if we hold our course we will pass not more 
 than two degrees west of that French penal colony. 
 When I discovered that after passing New Caledonia 
 our course lies within a few miles of Stewart Island, 
 I was so surprised that I involuntarily exclaimed, ' Why, 
 that is one of the Cannibal Islands !' Harry, as he sat 
 on the chart, marking off, with red ink, a track of his 
 own, overheard the exclamation and grew quite indig- 
 nant because I would not explain to his satisfaction. 
 So he rushed on deck to ask ' my papa. ' ' ' 
 
 " I cannot see any reason why you should feel anx- 
 ious because we may pass within a hundred miles of a 
 colony of French convicts, as securely guarded as if 
 they were inside of prison walls, or why our passing 
 near Stewart's Island, which was surveyed many years 
 ago and marked ' cannibal ' on a chart older than you, 
 should cause such gloomy forebodings," said Captain 
 Willis, intently watching his wife. 
 
 ' ' I am not trying to reason it out ; I am governed 
 by a more potent force than logic. My subcon- 
 scious thought, or intuition, or whatever you may call 
 it, warns me of impending trouble this voyage," replied 
 the Captain's wife, in such a determined manner that 
 Captain Willis had no desire to treat lightly, as he
 
 8 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 had done many times, what he called "woman's intui- 
 tion." 
 
 " Danger and trouble are a sailor's inheritance," said 
 the Captain, endeavoring to cheer his wife. " We meet 
 them every day in the shape of storms, hidden reefs, and 
 mutinous sailors. Without these little diversions, a 
 sailor's life would become monotonous, and we would 
 soon be like the prosaic tiller of the soil." 
 
 "We have never had to deal with pirates or can- 
 nibals, and if we should fall into the hands of those 
 man-eating savages O! they would surely eat Harry 
 first, right before our eyes, and we powerless to pre- 
 vent it," exclaimed the Captain's wife, with a look 
 of anguish that startled the Captain. 
 
 "What makes you think they would eat him first, 
 or even harm him, if we should fall into their 
 power? He is not large enough to supply a cannibal 
 feast. I am not governed by intuition, but my rea- 
 son would teach me that they would be more likely 
 to adopt him and invest him with all the tribal 
 rights and prerogatives. Who knows but he may 
 become a King of the Cannibal Islands, and you the 
 mother of a King?" said the Captain, again seek- 
 ing to allay his wife's fears by his jocular re- 
 marks. 
 
 "O Frank! how can you talk so lightly on such 
 a serious subject!" Then, unable to control her feel- 
 ings, she turned and entered her cabin, while "Cap-
 
 OVER THE SEAS AND FAR Aw AT 9 
 
 tain Harry," who was romping the deck with 
 Darkey, had forgotten all about "tan bells." 
 
 Notwithstanding the light manner in which Cap- 
 tain Willis had treated his wife's fears, he, was ill 
 at ease, and a sigh escaped his lips as she disap- 
 peared. Knowing her emotional nature, he did not 
 follow, but turned and paced the deck in a thought- 
 ful mood. Not yet thirty, he had commanded a 
 ship for eight years, and had visited all parts of 
 the world, meeting dangers in every form. His 
 wife, three years his junior, no less brave- and as 
 good a navigator as himself, had, on three different 
 occasions, saved his life by her coolness and daring 
 amid great danger. Now that she, for the first time 
 during the seven years in which she had been his 
 constant companion, showed apprehension of danger, 
 unnerved him. The idea that anything could hap- 
 pen that would imperil the lives of his wife and 
 boy never entered his mind. He was prepared to 
 make the best of whatever came his way. ' ' She 
 must be growing nervous," he thought. "And why 
 not ? " he exclaimed aloud, as he stopped short in 
 his walk, surprised that he had not thought of it 
 before. Had she not passed through many trying 
 scenes, and shamed the bravest sailor in time of dan- 
 ger? He had only thought of the heroic side of 
 her nature, and did not realize what heroism it re- 
 quired to force that slender, nervous form to such
 
 10 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 marvelous feats of bravery and endurance. She was 
 always present at the right time and place ; but 
 when the danger had passed, her finer nature would 
 assert itself, and she would sink off into a death- 
 like swoon that for hours would baffle the efforts of 
 the ship's entire company to bring her back to life. 
 Captain Willis w r as so absorbed in thinking over 
 some of the many stirring adventures of the past 
 seven years, in which his wife had always appeared 
 as the central character, that he did not notice she 
 had returned to the deck, and, with all traces of 
 her former anxiety banished, stood watching him 
 with mingled tenderness and sympathy. 
 
 "If I can judge from the telltale expression on 
 your face, you do not fully appreciate the great honor 
 of some day seeing your only son a King of the 
 Cannibal Islands," said Mrs. Willis, with a sad smile 
 that troubled her husband more than he was willing 
 to admit. 
 
 ' ' My darling wife, ' ' he replied, as he tenderly 
 placed his arm around her waist and began to prom- 
 enade the quarter-deck, ' ' this must be for you a very 
 sad and lonely life: always away from your kindred 
 and friends; deprived of the comforts of a home 
 upon the land; tossed about at the will of the waves, 
 ever changing, never resting; today in a storm that 
 fills you with dread and anxiety, tomorrow in a calm 
 that is irritating almost beyond human endurance;
 
 OVER THE SEAS AND FAR Aw AT 11 
 
 now suffering under a tropical sun, later shivering 
 in a frigid zone; surrounded by rough, but brave, 
 true-hearted sailors, and subject to dangers every day 
 of your life that would cause the hair of a landsman 
 to turn white and even take the kinks out of the 
 knotted wool on an African's head." 
 
 "Why will you continue to talk so lightly about 
 what I consider a very serious matter ? ' ' queried his 
 wife in a reproachful tone. 
 
 ' ' I never was more serious in my life, ' ' replied 
 the Captain. " During the last half hour I have been 
 thinking over our life for the past seven years, and 
 am converted, experienced a change of heart, as 
 the preacher would call it, and as I cannot go to sea 
 without you, have decided that this shall be our last 
 voyage." Mrs. Willis made no reply, but her eyes 
 filled with tears. "Until this time," the Captain con- 
 tinued, "I have thought only of the exhilarating life 
 of a sailor, as free and not unlike the wind that 
 blows, sometimes in gentle zephyrs, only rippling the 
 waters, then again in an angry mood, lashing old 
 ocean into foam and transforming its smooth surface 
 into mountain-like waves with valleys between, leav- 
 ing death and destruction in its path. It will be hard 
 to part company with this noble ship," he said, as he 
 gazed fondly upon the tall masts and long spars sup- 
 porting clouds of white canvas, with a pride that
 
 12 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 only a true sailor can feel, "but, if we cannot find 
 contentment here we will seek it elsewhere. Happi- 
 ness is the supreme desire of all creatures; it is the 
 sole object of creation, or life is a failure." 
 
 "I have never complained," she replied softly, 
 "and while you follow this dangerous life I shall feel it 
 my duty to sail with you. But you have never tried 
 any other occupation, and it may not be so distasteful 
 as you imagine." 
 
 " L,ife ashore is not all pleasure, with its ceaseless 
 round of gayeties and social obligations. I never leave 
 port but I am heartily glad to get away from the 
 sharp business practices, and canting hypocrisies of 
 the 'first families ' who entertain and lionize us for 
 the percentage on the business we bring to them, and 
 treat our honest business methods as stock jokes till 
 the next ship arrives," said Captain Willis, with a 
 look of contempt on his honest face. "But," he 
 continued in a gayer tone ' ' we will make the most 
 of this voyage, visit for the last time the heathen 
 Chinese, and bid a last farewell to the restless little 
 Japs. We will beat off the cannibals, and perhaps 
 have a brush with some of those pirates, just to keep 
 our hand in and have something startling to tell to 
 our grandchildren." 
 
 "Don't talk so, Frank, it makes me tremble* to 
 think of what dangers there may be in store for us.
 
 OVER THE SEAS AND FAR A WAT 13 
 
 We may never reach home. I know something terri- 
 ble will happen." 
 
 "What is the matter with you, little woman? Yon 
 seem to be losing your nerve," said- Captain Willis, 
 with a tremor in his voice which he endeavored to con- 
 ceal. "Why, I would rather have you when we get 
 into a tight place than the whole ship's company. If 
 you lose courage I shall have no one to depend upon 
 in time of danger." 
 
 "No, I am not losing my courage; you don't un- 
 derstand. You can depend upon me as long as there 
 is any danger, but I shall be happy when we quit the 
 sea forever. This nervous strain is too much for me." 
 
 ' ' Quarter-deck a-h-o-y ! ' ' came from the lookout at 
 the masthead. 
 
 "Hel-l-o," replied the Captain, while his wife, with 
 a start, looked inquiringly at him, and Harry and 
 Darkey came running aft. 
 
 "A ship's boat, sir, four points off the lee bow, fly- 
 ing a signal of distress." 
 
 "Keep your eye on the boat," replied the Captain ; 
 and then to the man at the wheel, " Keep her off four 
 points. ' ' 
 , "Ay, ay, sir," responded the man at the helm." 
 
 " Dead. ahead, sir ! " shouted the man from the look- 
 out, as the ship swung off obedient to her helm. 
 
 "Steady there," shouted the Captain.
 
 14 RESCUED sr A PRINCE 
 
 "Steady, sir," replied the well-trained sailor. 
 
 Captain Willis seized his glass and quickly mounted 
 the rigging to the maintop, while his wife slowly 
 walked the deck, followed by little Harry and Darkey, 
 his constant companion.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ESCAPING CONVICTS 
 
 r y i HE sighting of a ship at sea is a matter of great 
 interest to a sailor ; especially in that part of 
 the ocean where for weeks not a form is outlined 
 against the receding horizon, and the eye becomes 
 weary with its constant search for some speck to 
 break the monotony of that continuous, briny plain, 
 encircled by the rim of the great dome of heaven, 
 which appears to be held over it by some invisible 
 power, with the ship ever in the center. But the 
 meeting of an open boat in mid-ocean is an occa- 
 sion so rare that it excites both curiosity and sym- 
 pa.thy, for it indicates shipwreck, suffering, and even 
 loss of life, either by drowning, if the ship went 
 down, or by a fierce fight between officers and muti- 
 nous sailors ; or, perhaps, the worst of all horrors, by 
 starvation while drifting about on the pathless sea. 
 
 The cry from the man at the masthead went 
 through the ship like an electric shock, and before 
 the sound of his voice had died away every man 
 was on deck, climbing the rigging to gain some 
 
 2 (15)
 
 16 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 vantage point from which to obtain a view of the 
 strangers. 
 
 The wind had been gradually dying out during 
 the morning and was now very light. The ship, 
 deeply laden with coal, scarcely under steerageway, 
 was making but slow progress towards the object in 
 which every one on board was intensely interested. 
 The Captain, after completing his observations from 
 the masthead, joined his wife on the quarter-deck, 
 where all the officers of the ship had assembled, 
 anxiously waiting to hear his report. 
 
 "Mr. Baker," said Captain Willis, addressing his 
 chief officer, ' ' take your glass and go to the top- 
 gallant crosstrees and see if you can make her out." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded the officer as he has- 
 tened away to execute the order, while the group on 
 the quarter-deck speculated as to where a boat in 
 these latitudes could come from. There had been no 
 severe storm, and it was impossible for any ship to 
 sink in the smooth waters of these tropical seas. 
 
 "Captain, what is your opinion about a boat at 
 sea in these latitudes ? ' ' inquired Mr. Jones, the sec- 
 ond officer, unable to remain silent any longer. 
 
 "That boat," replied the Captain, "is manned 
 either by the victims of a mutiny or convicts from 
 New Caledonia ; but we have nothing to fear from 
 either. If they are the unfortunate officers of some 
 ship they need our assistance, and they will live to
 
 ESCAPING CONVICTS 17 
 
 bless the rascals that set them afloat on an open 
 sea, instead of compelling them to 'walk the plank.' 
 If they are convicts they have earned their freedom. 
 We will supply them with provisions and water and 
 send them on their way rejoicing." 
 
 "Quarter-deck a-h-o-y ! " came from Mr. Baker ?t 
 the masthead. 
 
 " Hel-l-o," responded the Captain, "can you mak< 
 her out yet ? ' ' 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir, she's a ten-oared boat with eighteen 
 men, pulling directly for us." 
 
 "All right, Mr. Baker, you may come down," re 
 plied the Captain; then to his wife, "That settles it; 
 they are convicts making their escape from the island." 
 
 ' ' What makes you think so ? " anxiously inquired 
 his wife. 
 
 "Fkst, there are too many for the result of a 
 mutiny. In such cases the officers are either given a 
 free pass, by the way of the famous 'plank route,' to 
 ' Davy Jones's locker,' or the use of a boat which often 
 leads to the same destination. Second, if they were 
 the mutineers, who had murdered their officers and 
 scuttled the ship, they would avoid us instead of try- 
 ing to attract our attention, and even pulling hard at 
 tha oars to reach us as quickly as possible." 
 
 ' ' If they are convicts, would they not have reason 
 to avoid us, fearing we might deprive them of the 
 freedom for which they have risked so much, by send
 
 18 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 ing them back to their island prison ? ' ' asked his wife, 
 in some doubt as to the correctness of her husband's 
 decision. 
 
 ' ' No, the man who planned that job and has taken 
 care of the enterprise, now half completed, is no or- 
 dinary person. They have run short of provisions a 
 long way from land, without obtaining their freedom, 
 and, with starvation staring them in the face, would - 
 prefer capture ; but knowing the sympathy their pre- 
 carious condition would naturally incite, they have no 
 fears of meeting a merchant ship on the high seas." 
 
 " What you say may be logical, but do not over- 
 look the fact that there are as many men in that boat 
 as we have on board this ship, and that we may be 
 in danger if they are not," said Mrs. Willis, with 
 great alarm. "Give them what they w r ant, but do not 
 allow them to come on board." 
 
 "Why, my dear, there is not the slightest danger 
 from a few starving men who are risking their lives 
 for liberty. I declare I admire their nerve, but if you 
 do not want them to come on board that settles it. 
 Get up the capstan bars and a liberal supply of be- 
 laying pins, Mr. Baker, and prepare to repel board- 
 ers. ' ' 
 
 " You never see any danger, but what would have 
 become of you if I had always shared your ideas?" 
 said Mrs. Willis, as she took Harry by the hand and 
 led him into the cabin, her eyes filled with tears.
 
 ESCAPING CONVICTS 19 
 
 " Missus is always right, Captain," said Mr. Baker, 
 with some warmth, "and we would all have been 
 stowed away in 'Davy Jones's locker' long ago if it 
 had not been for her. She is the guardian angel of 
 this ship, and we have never regretted taking her ad- 
 vice. She just gets at the facts in a way that knocks 
 your reasoning all aback." 
 
 "Well," said Captain Willis, in a tone that indi- 
 cated he was not well pleased with the remarks of his 
 first officer, " if we allow a boat load of unarmed con- 
 victs to capture this ship, the sooner we find our proper 
 berths under the briny, and make room for a better 
 class of men, the better it will be for the race. Call 
 all hands aft!" 
 
 ' ' All hands lay aft on the quarter-deck ! ' ' called 
 Mr. Baker, in the long-drawn sonorous tone of the reg- 
 ular nautical type, that would have won honor and pro- 
 motion for a boatswain's mate on a man-of-war. 
 
 " Men," said the Captain, with a dramatical air, "we 
 are about to receive a visit from a boat load of half- 
 starved, and most likely unarmed men. I do not ap- 
 prehend any danger, but to allay the fears of my wife, 
 be on deck ready to turn to, and if you notice any signs 
 of a squall stand by to lower away. ' ' 
 
 " Missus is allus right, Captain," interrupted a gray- 
 haired old sailor, touching his cap, "three cheers for 
 Missus." 
 
 After the cheering, which was given with a will by
 
 20 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 the ship's company, the Captain continued, "I am 
 ashamed to arm against these poor fellows, who want 
 nothing of us more than we would willingly give to as 
 many starving dogs, but until we get better acquainted 
 with them keep your w r eather eye lifting." 
 
 The sailors left the quarter-deck and gathered around 
 the capstan on the topgallant forecastle, the couacil 
 chamber for all sailors, to discuss the question of the 
 Captain's reasoning, or Missus' "just say so." They 
 admired their Captain for his bravery and daring, but 
 with the superstitious natures common to all sailors, 
 they looked upon ' ' Missus ' ' as one endowed with a 
 power to foretell coming events. ' ' Missus is allus 
 right ' ' was their unanimous verdict, while the look of 
 defiance on their weather-beaten faces, as they watched 
 the approaching boat, boded no good to an enemy. 
 
 The cheering of the sailors brought the Captain's 
 wife on deck just as her husband had finished his speech. 
 Addressing her he said, smiling, " You see I am making 
 all preparations for the enemy, even to the speech be- 
 fore the battle, but the men did not seem to appreciate 
 my eloquent appeal to their bravery, for they inter- 
 rupted me in the most affecting part of my speech by 
 proposing three cheers for Missus, which so cempletely 
 took the wind out of my sails that I Sear I shall not 
 recover in time to fight these convicts." 
 
 "I appreciate the precaution you have taken, which 
 is of more value than strength, and may serve us much
 
 ESCAPING CONVICTS 21 
 
 better than your speech," said Mrs. Willis, apparently 
 uot noticing the cheerful manner of her husband. 
 
 The ship was now near enough to the boat to easily 
 make out its occupants. Ten men were pulling lustily 
 at the oars, six seated in the stern sheets, aad two 
 standing in the bows. 
 
 "The way those fellows pull that boat through the 
 water is positive proof that they are not much weakened 
 from starvation," said Captain Willis, laying down his 
 glass as the men rested on their oars, while the boat, 
 still under the impetus of the rowers, glided up under 
 the stern of the ship. 
 
 ' ' Boat a-h-o-y ! ' ' shouted Captain Willis. 
 
 " Hel-l-o " (in French), came the reply. 
 
 ' ' Where are you from ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' New Caledonia. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Where are you bound ? ' ' 
 
 " Australia." 
 
 ' ' What do you want ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' Provisions and water. ' ' 
 
 "Pull up under the lee quarter," said Captain 
 Willis. Then to a sailor, "Stand by there with a 
 rope." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," replied the sailor, continuing in an 
 undertone, "I'd like to put a noose in it, and hang 
 the frog eaters." 
 
 "Don't let them come on board, Frank," said the 
 Captain's wife, laying her hand on his arm.
 
 22 RESCUED BY A PRIXCE 
 
 "How can I supply them with the actual necessi 
 ties of life unless I permit them to come alongside. 
 They are a rough-looking crowd," said the Captain, 
 looking first at their soiled prison garb, then at theii 
 unshaven faces and croppy hair, ' ' but I guess we can 
 manage them." 
 
 As the boat was drawn up under the lee quarter, the 
 Captain noticed an object lying on the bottom of the 
 boat, which by its partial outlines would indicate 
 the form of a person. 
 
 ' ' Who is that on the bottom of the boat ? ' ' de- 
 manded the Captain of the man who appeared to be 
 the leader. 
 
 "He is one of our company who has been sick 
 ever since we left the land." 
 
 ' ' Who is in command of this expedition ? ' ' asked 
 Captain Willis. 
 
 "I have that honor, Monsieur le Capitain," an- 
 swered the man who first responded to the Captain's 
 hail, politely touching his cap. 
 
 ' ' I shall be pleased to supply you with provisions 
 and water, but cannot permit you to come on board," 
 said Captain Willis, in a decided manner. 
 
 ' ' We are in a position to fully appreciate your 
 services, and accept your terms with pleasure, Mon- 
 sieur le Capitain," returned the Frenchman, in such a 
 polite and gracious manner as to disarm any suspi- 
 cions of foul play. But the Captain's wife showed no
 
 ESCAPING CONVICTS 23 
 
 emotion. Her face was a study for an artist. While 
 the crew were busily engaged breaking out, and mak- 
 ing ready the provisions and water, the Captain was 
 talking in a free and easy manner with the French- 
 man, and casting fugitive glances at the form which 
 lay motionless on the bottom of the boat. 
 
 "Can't we do something for your sick comrade?" 
 asked the Captain. 
 
 "No, thank you, Monsieur le Capitain, he is only 
 seasick, but if you will be kind enough to give me 
 our position and the course and distance to the near- 
 est point on the coast of Australia, you will do us the 
 greatest favor in your power." 
 
 "Certainly," replied the Captain, "come on board 
 and I will show you our position and your course 
 to the nearest land." 
 
 The Frenchman climbed up the side of the ship 
 and as he reached the deck the Captain greeted him 
 with a hearty sailor's grip of honest comradeship. 
 Turning to the Captain's wife, the Frenchman raised 
 his cap and bowed in a most courtly style. She, 
 however, did not take the slightest notice of his 
 polite salutation. He was not prepared for this ; his 
 glance fell to the deck, his face flushed, and with a 
 crestfallen look he followed the Captain to the chart 
 room. 
 
 "Here," said the Captain, pointing to a speck 
 on the chart before him, while the Frenchman stood
 
 24 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 behind him looking over his shoulder, "is where we 
 were this morning. We have made but twenty miles 
 since on a Nor North East course, which will place us 
 at the present time in this position." Applying his 
 parallel rule and compasses, he continued, " Your course 
 
 to the nearest* land is West Sou West, distance " 
 
 Bang! came the report of a pistol. The Captain 
 sprang from his seat ; the Frenchman, with a long 
 knife clutched in his hand, lay bleeding at his feet. 
 At the door the Captain's wife, with a smoking re- 
 volver in her hand, stood for an instant, then started 
 for the deck, snatching a hatchet from the bracket 
 as she rushed up the companion way and made her 
 way to the mizzen chains. A convict, who with 
 others had gained the deck, anticipating her motive, 
 seized her. Darkey sprang at his throat and forced 
 him to the deck. One blow with the hatchet released 
 the boat from the ship. Two ruffians who had nearly 
 reached the deck dropped into the water and regained 
 the boat, leaving seven of the rascals on deck. These 
 were quickly subdued and double-ironed by the thor- 
 oughly enraged sailors. 
 
 The brave woman who had saved the ship, and 
 no doubt the lives of all on board, gave one glance 
 at the prisoners, a look of relief at the escaping 
 boat, then fainted in her husband's arms. 
 
 "Mr. Baker," said the Captain, trembling with
 
 THE FRENCHMAN. WITH A LONG KNIFE CLUTCHED IN HIS HAND, 
 LAY BLEEDING AT HIS FEET.
 
 ESCAPING Couriers 25 
 
 emotion as he gazed upon the deathlike face of his 
 wife, ' ' Keep that boat in sight. Tack ship as soon 
 as she gathers way enough, and keep on the course 
 of those pirates. They will need the water they 
 overlooked in their hurry, after I get through with 
 them."
 
 : , CHAPTER III. 
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CONVICTS 
 
 '"pHE wind, which had been gradually failing, died 
 * out, while the undulations of old ocean rolled 
 on with no ripples on its glass-like surface, save 
 those made by the convicts in their mad effort to 
 escape ; not a sound, save the clicks of the row- 
 locks from the fast receding boat which was grow- 
 ing fainter with every stroke of the oars, broke the 
 stillness of a " calm at sea. ' ' The ship, rolling 
 lazily in the trough of the gentle swell, with her 
 snow-white sails flapping idly against the bright 
 spars, casting changing shadows upon the holy- 
 stoned deck, presented a marked contrast to the des- 
 perate situation of an hour before. 
 
 In the cabin, lying upon the transom, was the 
 Captain's wife, her husband administering restoratives 
 and chafing her hands, while around them silently 
 stood every officer and sailor who was not required 
 on deck, their heads uncovered, and tears coursing 
 
 down their furrowed faces, waiting with intense anx- 
 (26)
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CONVICTS 27 
 
 iety for a sign of consciousness from the deathlike 
 form before them. 
 
 1 ' Mr. Jones, take a look at that cutthroat in 
 the chart room. I had forgotten all about him," 
 said the Captain. 
 
 With an inquiring look, first at the Captain, then 
 in turn towards each officer and sailor, Mr. Jones 
 replied, "Ay, ay, sir," and left the room to exe- 
 cute the order. 
 
 "There is no one in the chart room, sir," re- 
 ported Mr. Jones, a moment later. 
 
 "There is no one in the chart room," mechan- 
 ically repeated the Captain, in a low voice and hesi- 
 tating manner. "I wonder where the villain is." 
 
 ' ' What villain ? ' ' asked the astonished officer. 
 ' ' We have seven on deck in irons ; the rest of the 
 Parley-vous got away." 
 
 "Why! that ungrateful wretch my wife shot as 
 he was about to plunge his knife into my neck, 
 while I was pointing out to him his position on the 
 chart, and giving him his course and distance to land 
 and liberty. Call Mr. Baker." 
 
 ' ' How many men are there in the boat ? " in- 
 quired Captain Willis, as the first officer made his 
 appearance at the companion way. 
 
 "Eleven, sir, and with the seven on deck make 
 the full complement, except the sick man, who I 
 believe was shamming."
 
 28 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 "Why! don't any of you know that we had a 
 skirmish in the chart room before the fight on 
 deck?" inquired the Captain, in great surprise. 
 
 "Why should we know-, Captain? We were all 
 busy filling the casks and breaking out stores. 
 There was no one aft but the man at the wheel, 
 and he has lost his reckoning. Off his course and 
 under jury mast, he got a broadside from some craft. 
 The first thing we heard was a pistol shot, and the 
 first thing we saw was the rascals climbing up the 
 mizzen chains, and before we got our bearings, 
 Missus cut the rope and set the pirate boat adrift, 
 while we clubhauled the frog eaters in shipshape 
 fashion. ' ' 
 
 "Is she coming around all right?" asked the 
 rough old officer, wiping his eyes with his shirt 
 sleeve. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain, "but she can't stand 
 many more such rackets. I am afraid she will die 
 in one of these spells," and covering his face with his 
 hands, he sobbed as if his heart would break. 
 
 "If she dies she'll go right straight to heaven," 
 said the officer, as he hurried on deck to hide his emo- 
 tion. 
 
 ' ' All hands to wear ship ! ' ' came the order from 
 the deck. A sudden change came over the features of 
 the group of sailors in the cabin, a fierce gleam shot 
 from their eyes, the soft sympathetic lines of their
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CONVICTS 29 
 
 faces changed, as if by magic, into the stern, hard 
 cast of brave and determined men ; and with a sigh of 
 relief, as they noticed the returning consciousness of 
 their beloved Missus, they quickly but silently re- 
 sponded to the call. 
 
 The tramping of feet, creaking of yards, and rat- 
 tling of blocks assured the Captain that a breeze was 
 springing up, and that the officer of the deck was im- 
 proving the first "cat's-paw" to bring the ship around 
 and on the course of the boat which now had more 
 than an hour the start. 
 
 "Under steerageway, sir," reported the officer 
 down the companion way, "and the boat just in sight 
 from the deck." 
 
 "All right, Mr. Baker, we will catch those pirates 
 and suppl)^ them with water ; they won't need any pro- 
 visions." Then to his wife who, weak and exhausted, 
 was reclining comfortably in an easy chair, "I am go- 
 ing to catch those rascals and hang every one of them 
 from the yardarm before the sun goes down." 
 
 "Was any one killed?" she inquired wearily, pay- 
 ing no attention to the last remark of her husband. 
 
 " No, the man you shot, Jack who was at the wheel, 
 and the Frenchman Darkey tackled, are the only ones 
 wounded." 
 
 "Are they severely hurt?" she asked, showing 
 considerable anxiety as to the condition of the wounded. 
 
 "Not much ; Jack got a blow on his head that has
 
 30 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 slightly interfered with his reasoning faculties, but will 
 be around in a day or so. Darkey was not very 
 careful of the Frenchman, which must have hurt his 
 feelings, but that don't matter; he won't suffer long, 
 for he will be snugly stowed away, with the rest of 
 the pirate gang, in 'Davy Jones's locker' before the 
 'dogwatch.' " 
 
 "And the man I shot?" she inquired, while a 
 deathly pallor again came over her face. 
 
 "Don't faint away on his account,'' said her hus- 
 band, in great alarm, as he reached for the brandy 
 flask, "you did not hurt him much; that little play- 
 thing of a pistol which you insist upon using cannot 
 kill any one. You hit him just right to stun him for 
 a moment, and then you cut the boat adrift just in 
 time to pick him up as he escaped through the cabin 
 window over the transom there. He must have left 
 some tracks," said the Captain, as he arose to exam- 
 ine the window. 
 
 ' ' I am so glad, ' ' she said in a low, sad tone, and 
 with a sigh of relief. "It is terrible to destroy life; 
 I am so tired of all this." 
 
 " Here," said the Captain, " are traces of blood 
 on the woodwork above the transom, and here is the 
 villain's knife," holding it up to the view of his wife. 
 Then looking out of the window, he continued, "She 
 is leaving quite a wake behind her; we are getting a 
 breeze, and will soon overhaul those cutthroats."
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CONVICTS 31 
 
 And leaving his wife in care of her maid, he went on 
 deck. 
 
 A light air had sprung up, and the ship was roll- 
 ing gently and slatting along about three knots. Her 
 sails would fill as she rose to the top of the swell 
 then flap against the masts as she dropped again into 
 the trough of the sea. 
 
 " Run out the studding sail booms, and send aloft 
 topmast and topgallant studding sails," ordered the 
 Captain, placing under his arm, sailor fashion, the 
 glass through which he had been watching the black 
 speck ahead, as it came into view when it and the 
 ship were each on the crest of a swell. 
 
 "They are making good time," said Mr. Baker, 
 as the ship responded to the extra spread of canvas. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain, "they are making 
 about four knots, and these wings, ' ' glancing at the stud- 
 ding sails, " have evened us up on speed. They can't 
 keep that up much longer, but they are plucky fel- 
 lows; no ordinary cutthroats would have taken such 
 desperate chances. How did they get on board and 
 take us so completely unprepared? I declare it was 
 the greatest surprise party that ever fouled my hawse. 
 I shall never relate this incident as a brilliant episode, 
 when swapping lies and spinning yarns; the mule driver 
 of a canal boat would have the laugh on me." 
 
 " And we call ourselves deep water sailors. We 
 are lubbers, and ought to be placed in some asylum
 
 - 32 RFSCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 for idiots, and not allowed out of doors after dark," 
 said Mr. Baker, with a comical expression and tone 
 of contempt that created a ripple of laughter among 
 the officers, ' ' but the Lord takes care of those who 
 can't take care of themselves." 
 
 " Call Jack aft; I see he has recovered enough 
 to get on deck," said the Captain, as the sailor, 
 with his head bandaged, came out of the forecastle 
 and seated himself on the windlass bitts, ' ' Perhaps 
 he can tell us something about how easy it is for 
 an unarmed boat to capture an American ship on the 
 high seas, while the soft-hearted crew from Captain 
 to cabin boy are engaged in missionary work. 
 
 "Well, Jack, how are you weathering it?" in- 
 quired the Captain, as he greeted the old salt with 
 a hearty shake of the hand. "It looks as if you 
 had been in collision w T ith some lubberly craft, and 
 damaged your headgear." 
 
 " Makin' rather a crooked wake, sir, and feel a 
 bit top heavy," replied Jack, as he staggered up 
 against the taffrail for support. 
 
 "Take a seat on the wheelbox, Jack, and tell me 
 how you lost your reckoning." 
 
 ' ' It was this way Captain. I sees you an' the 
 pirate go below ; then Missus, with that calm-like 
 look that allus means somethin' follow in your wake. 
 I knows a squall was comin', for Missus is allus
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CONVICTS 33 
 
 right. We had lost steerageway, but I stood at the 
 wheel with my weather eye on the mizzen riggin', 
 ready to give the signal if the lubbers showed their 
 heads above the rail. I hears water drippin' behind 
 me on deck an' turns just in time to see that 
 blarsted frog eater, with the very belayin' pin I had 
 laid on the wheelbox for my own use, raised over 
 my head. That's the last I knows till a few minutes 
 ago, an' I haven't got my bearin's yet." 
 
 "It's all clear sailing now, since Jack has thrown 
 his search light on the mystery," said the Captain. 
 ' ' One of those pirates dropped overboard from the 
 boat, the wheel was hard down, and as the ship 
 was not moving through the water he caught hold 
 of the rudder bolt, climbed on top of the rudder and 
 reached the cabin window. From there it was an 
 easy matter to make the taffrail; he then only had 
 to watch his chance to get a 'blow at Jack, who was 
 watching the mizzen riggisg, which he did about 
 the time my wife shot the fellow in the chart room." 
 
 "They are making sail, but we are overhauling 
 them," said Mr. Baker. 
 
 "They are rigging up an old tarpaulin," said 
 the ^Captain, looking through his glass. "I declare, 
 I like their nerve ; they are game to the last, but 
 we'll have the whole crowd swinging from the yard- 
 arm before the 'dogwatch' is out."
 
 34 RESCUED er A PRINCE 
 
 The wind gradually increased. The fugitives, see- 
 ing no hope of escape, took in their improvised sail, 
 laid on their oars, and waited for the ship to come 
 up. The studding sails were taken in, the courses 
 hauled up, main topsail laid aback, and the ship 
 brought to a short distance to leeward of the boat. 
 
 "Come alongside, under the lee quarter!" com- 
 manded the Captain. 
 
 The exhausted men sullenly gave way, with fee- 
 ble strokes, and pulled alongside. 
 
 ' ' Come up ! every man of you ! ' ' ordered the Cap- 
 tain, while the crew, fully armed, ranged themselves 
 along the ship's waist to receive them. 
 
 As the convicts came over the ship's side they were 
 handcuffed and stationed at the break of the quarter- 
 deck. 
 
 " Rig up yard and tackle, and prepare a boatswain's 
 chair for that sick man. I want to make his acquaint- 
 ance ; this is my reception day," said the Captain, 
 in a calm, ironical tone which plainly indicated his 
 feelings. 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded Mr. Baker, muttering to 
 himself, " Better haul the rascal up with a rope's 
 end." 
 
 "I will not give you that trouble, sir," said the 
 man in the boat, in English ; and rising to his feet, 
 he seized the manropes and mounted the ship's lad-
 
 CAPTURE OF THE CONVICTS 35 
 
 der with the alacrity of an old sailor. As he came over 
 the rail the Captain gave a start of surprise, and Mr. 
 Baker, who was about to place the handcuffs on his 
 wrists, let them drop and gazed with astonishment upon 
 the face before him ; then regaining self-control, he 
 picked up the irons and secured the prisoner.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Louis NAPOLEON 
 
 < ' r\ IG up eighteen gauntlines ! ' ' ordered the Cap- 
 *^ tain, recovering from his surprise. Then to 
 the prisoners, ' ' you have twenty minutes to prepare 
 for death." 
 
 "Why not nineteen halters, sir?" inquired Mr. 
 Baker, while the men laid out on the yardarms to ad- 
 just the fatal ropes. 
 
 " I don't want to hang that fellow until I find ou; 
 more about him," pointing to the man who had cre- 
 ated so much curiosity among both officers and men. 
 The prisoners watched the preparation for their exe- 
 cution with the utmost indifference imaginable, while 
 the Captain and his chief officer were pacing the deck, 
 talking earnestly in a low voice about the stirring events 
 of the day. ' ' I never saw such a striking resemblance, ' ' 
 said Mr. Baker ; "he is the exact image of Napoleon 
 III. as I remember him twenty years ago, when for 
 several days, on a memorable occasion, I had the honor 
 of being in his company. When this fellow came over 
 the rail he struck me all aback. I declare, Captain, 
 I don't like the idea of banging a prince of the realm." 
 (36)
 
 Louis NAPOLEON 37 
 
 ' ' I have never had the distinguished honor of meet- 
 ing the Emperor of France," said the Captain, " but my 
 surprise was caused by his resemblance to the portraits 
 of Napoleon, and if I did not know that he was dead 
 and buried I would surely believe we had the ex-Em- 
 peror on board. As to hanging him, that makes no 
 difference with me. I would hang Napoleon Bonaparte 
 under like circumstances, were he equally guilty, in 
 company with the meanest cutthroat." 
 
 "He may not be equally guilty, Captain ; men are 
 not always responsible for the company they find them- 
 selves in," said the officer, with much earnestness. 
 
 ' ' Your reasoning is all right in his case, Mr. Baker. 
 We will swing the rest of the rascals, and then hold 
 a court-martial and hang him later." 
 
 ' ' What is the necessity of a court-martial if you 
 are determined to hang him whether guilty or not 
 guilty ? ' ' inquired Mr. Baker, in a quizzical manner. 
 
 " What are court-martials for, anyway, if not to 
 find evidence enough to condemn the prisoner before 
 the court, and a legal excuse for punishing the criminal 
 to the fullest extent of the law ? ' ' Then looking at 
 his watch, the Captain continued, "Twenty minutes 
 up. Range the men along the rail under the main 
 and mizzen yardarms, and stand by to brace around 
 the yards, and give these fellows a send-off to the 
 lower regions." 
 
 "Why Frank! Are you really going to murder
 
 38 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 these men?" exclaimed the Captain's wife, with a look 
 of horror on her face as she nervously clutched her 
 husband's arm. 
 
 "Why not?" inquired the Captain, placing his 
 arm around her, and looking considerately into her 
 pleading face. 
 
 ' ' O ! you must not do it ; it is wicked ; you will 
 regret it! O, Frank! murder eighteen men? How 
 could you ever think of such a terrible thing ? ' ' 
 she pleaded, with a great effort, gasping for breath, 
 and with an expression of horror that startled the 
 Captain and won sympathy from the prisoners. 
 
 "What shall we do with the ungrateful wretches?" 
 asked the Captain, very much alarmed for fear she 
 would sink into another fainting fit. 
 
 ' ' Keep them on board let them go anything 
 but don't kill them. You are not justified in 
 taking life only in self-defense." 
 
 "Didn't they attempt to kill us and capture the 
 ship?" asked the Captain, trying to find some ex- 
 cuse for his action. 
 
 "Yes," she said, with a look of relief as she 
 noticed by his manner that he was relenting from 
 his rash purpose. "If we had killed every man in 
 defending our lives, and the ship, we would have 
 done only our duty ; but to hang these men now is 
 murder, revenge! It is not right; it is not right. 
 It is wicked. You must not do it!"
 
 Louis NAPOLEON 39 
 
 The prisoners were watching the Captain and his 
 wife with the greatest interest. It was evident they 
 did not understand the language, but they knew 
 that the Captain's wife was pleading for their lives. 
 
 ' ' Whatever our fate may be is of little conse- 
 quence to us," said the man who looked like Napo- 
 leon, in fluent English, with the tone and manner of 
 a cultured gentleman, "yet there may be some 
 palliating circumstances even in our cases. But I 
 wish to express to this noble lady, both for myself 
 and comrades, our heartfelt gratitude for her plead- 
 ing in behalf of justice, which, if myself and com- 
 panions had received, we would not have been 
 here. ' ' 
 
 "Who are you?" demanded the Captain, while 
 his wife looked her astonishment in beholding for 
 the first time what had surprised her husband and 
 Mr. Baker. 
 
 "I am the eldest son of Napoleon III., and heir 
 to the throne of France. My comrades are noblemen 
 of the Empire, banished from their country for polit- 
 ical causes. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Long live the Republic of France ! ' ' said the 
 Captain, with a scornful gaze upon the Frenchman. 
 "If her Nobility has fallen so low as to turn upon 
 those who would treat them with common humanity, 
 happy are the people under the Republic." 
 
 ' ' Will the Captain condescend to listen to a por-
 
 40 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 tion of my history?" asked the Frenchman, in a 
 quiet, dignified manner which plainly indicated his 
 gentle birth. 
 
 "I shall be pleased to listen. Take off his hand- 
 cuffs, Mr. Baker; a Frenchman can't talk without 
 the use of his hands, and he has a hard job to de- 
 fend himself and companions." 
 
 Without taking the slightest notice of the last words 
 of the Captain, he began: "I am the only child of 
 Louis Napoleon Bonaparte and an American lady whose 
 name and parentage I never knew. ' All that is nec- 
 essary for you to know,' my mother would say to my 
 earnest pleading to know more of my family, ' is that I 
 was secretly married to your father in the city of New 
 York, in America, on the i4th of May, 1837, by a 
 priest of "the Catholic Church. I was born a Protes 
 tant but abjured that faith and was received into the 
 religion of your father.' His most intimate friends 
 never dreamed of this romance. When he left America 
 my mother sailed in the same ship, and all efforts of 
 her family and friends to find her were unavailing. 
 Renouncing all things and people for the man she 
 loved, she never regretted her choice. 
 
 " I was born in London, on the loth of March, 1838, 
 and in 1846 my mother moved to Paris. My father, 
 after the coup d'ttat, visited us frequently in our apart- 
 ment. He would bring me toys and bonbons, and was 
 very devoted to my mother. Then for years I saw
 
 Louis NAPOLEON 41 
 
 nothing of him, and I was placed at the School of 
 St. Cyr under the patronage of Marshal McMahon. 
 
 ' ' At the deathbed of my mother a few years later, 
 with the Marshal present, she said, ' Louis, my son, 
 you are the lawful son of the Emperor of France. My 
 marriage to your father was valid and never annulled. 
 You are nearing man's estate. I have been cast aside 
 for another ; the boy of the Tuileries may usurp your 
 place. I charge you by all you hold dear or sacred 
 to right my name.' I returned to St. Cyr and fol- 
 lowed the counsels of the great soldier. His instruc- 
 tions were, ' Watch and wait.' I obeyed him, and no 
 part of my history ever escaped my lips. Upon my 
 graduation, I received a commission in the army. At 
 Sedan I received a ball in the left shoulder. My ex- 
 traordinary resemblance to the Emperor caused no end 
 of comments, but no one knew the relations between 
 us. Wounded and in hospital, I became delirious, and 
 must have betrayed the story of my identity. While 
 still unable to walk, I was conveyed to Dijon, a long 
 distance for one in my condition. While there I re- 
 ceived a letter from the Marshal assuring me of his 
 devotion and services, and that as soon as I was able 
 to quit the hospital I could talk, and that France would 
 rally to me, pledging the fidelity and loyalty of the 
 army. I went to sleep with that letter in my hand. 
 When I awoke it was gone. On a dark and dismal 
 night, staggering under the influence of some drug,
 
 42 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 I was hurried whither I did not know. How long I 
 was in that dungeon I had no means of ascertaining. 
 Again I was conveyed in the night to another dungeon. 
 I had lost all account of days and years, and my jailers 
 were ever silent. At night I was again taken from a 
 dungeon and placed on board a ship. When I was 
 permitted to go on deck there was no land in sight. I 
 did not know from whence I came, and where my 
 next prison was to be is yet a mystery. I was given 
 perfect liberty on shipboard, but no one would talk 
 with me. 
 
 ' ' On a dark and stormy night a strange ship crashed 
 into us. In the confusion that followed I secreted my- 
 self, while the crew escaped from the sinking ship. 
 I preferred death to another dungeon, but the ship 
 did not sink, and I was taken off the next day by 
 an American ship bound for Australia. 
 
 " From that night which gave me my freedom, 
 my resemblance to the Emperor has not caused me 
 any serious trouble. The ship sailed again for Japan 
 and was wrecked on a reef not far from New Cale- 
 donia. We took to the boat and safely reached the 
 island, where I found friends who had known me in 
 the army, and together we planned our escape." 
 
 While Louis was relating the salient points in his 
 sad history, every one on board paid the closest at- 
 tention, and for some little time after he had fin- 
 ished not a word was spoken. It was evident that
 
 Louis NAPOLEON 43 
 
 the story of his wrongs and sufferings had won for 
 him the sympathy of every one present, while tears 
 filled the eyes of the Captain's wife. 
 
 "I have been much interested in the recital of 
 your history," said the Captain, "and can under- 
 stand why you wished to conceal your identity; but 
 I fail to comprehend why you considered this ship 
 essential to your success, or why we should be sacri- 
 ficed to your ambition." 
 
 "Our object was neither capture nor murder, but 
 to gain possession of the ship and compel her Captain 
 to land us at a point we should name. It would 
 have detained you a few days, but you would have 
 been amply rewarded," replied Louis, with a candor 
 which carried conviction to his listeners. 
 
 "Under the circumstances, I could almost justify 
 your purpose, if the leader of your party had not at- 
 tempted my life and only failed to accomplish his 
 object by the timely aid of my wife, who laid him 
 out just as he was about to plunge a knife into my 
 neck." 
 
 A look of surprise mingled with shame came over 
 the face of Louis, and he looked steadily and inquir- 
 ingly at the culprit who quailed before him and dropped 
 his eyes to the deck. "And you, Madame," said 
 Louis to the Captain's wife, "pleading for the would- 
 be murderer of your husband! You are an angel!" 
 Addressing the Captain, he continued, " We are
 
 44 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 pirates in the eyes of the law, and you are justified 
 in your action. Thank God for our failure ! Better 
 by far die the death of dogs," as he gazed at the 
 ropes dangling from the yardarms, ' ' than have com- 
 mitted such a crime." 
 
 "The gentleman is telling the truth," said the 
 Captain's wife. " Frank, do let them go; they have 
 had great trials and temptations, and only one ap- 
 pears to be really bad." 
 
 " Well, I will hang him, anyway; I will be 
 justified in that," said the Captain in a decided man- 
 ner. 
 
 "Then," replied his wife, "if justice would hang 
 him, mercy would let him go. If justice were infalli- 
 ble there would be no office for mercy. ' ' 
 
 The Captain turned and paced the deck in silence; 
 all eyes followed him, and not a word was spoken. 
 "Mr. Baker," said he, "haul that boat alongside 
 and provision her for twenty days; we have lost time 
 enough over this affair." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded the officer, and all hands 
 turned to with a will, for Missus had said let them 
 go, and " Missus is allus right." 
 
 The boat was soon ready. The prisoners, grate- 
 ful for their escape, silently entered the boat. Louis 
 was the last to leave the deck. He shook hands 
 with the Captain and officers, then taking the hand 
 of the Captain's wife he reverently kissed it, and
 
 Louis NAPOLEON 45 
 
 without a word passed over the side of the ship and 
 joined his companions. 
 
 ' ' Stand by the lee main braces Let go and haul ! ' ' 
 shouted the Captain. The yards swung around, the 
 sails filled, and the ship, gathering headway, was 
 brought to her course, leaving the boat tossing in 
 her wake, with the sound of "Long live Madame, 
 the Captain's wife!" from the unfortunate company 
 afloat on the treacherous sea.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRY 
 
 " '-pHEY have another chance for their lives," said 
 the Captain, as he caught the last sight of the 
 boat, rising atop of the swell a long way astern of 
 the ship. ' ' I ought to have swung that murderous 
 Frenchman." 
 
 ' ' What good could have come of it ? Would you 
 have been justified if you had taken the law into 
 your hands and hung him without a trial?" said 
 the Captain's wife, watching little Harry who was 
 proudly walking the bridge, dressed in his sailor's 
 suit and carrying his glass under his arm, with the 
 air and importance of a young midshipman. 
 
 ' ' As far as the technical point of the law is con- 
 cetned, perhaps not," replied the Captain, "but the 
 law would class him a pirate, and the penalty for 
 piracy is death; and more, it is an unwritten law 
 among sailors to hang pirates whenever caught, and 
 all the civil laws enacted by the land sharks on shore 
 will not prevent captains from exercising their rights 
 to hang pirates on the sea." As the Captain's wife 
 did not reply to his rather emphatic remarks concern- 
 (46)
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRT 47 
 
 ing the prerogatives of shipmasters in general, he 
 continued, "These fellows can thank you for their 
 lives; in fact, the whole ship's company are indebted 
 to you for your precaution and action. I feel very 
 magnanimous toward the whole human race, and sin- 
 cerely hope the poor fellows will land without any 
 more trouble." 
 
 "What tind of a time would dem mens have in a 
 'torm? " asked little Harry, raising his glass and sweep- 
 ing the horizon with the ease and grace of a young 
 officer. " Dess dey'd wished dey's hung up out of de 
 wet. I tant see dat boat nowheres; dess she's sunk." 
 
 "You know better, you little rascal; you are no 
 sailor to talk like that," said his father, playfully 
 making a grab for him which the little fellow easily 
 eluded. 
 
 "I means dey's sunk out of sight," said Harry, 
 laughing and winking at his mother. Then to Darkey, 
 so his father could not hear him, " De ole man don't 
 know it all, more 'n we's." 
 
 Harry did not mean any disrespect by calling his 
 father " de ole man." He was not a year old when 
 he came on board the ship, and his coming birth- 
 day, which the sailors had already prepared for 
 with all kinds of presents stowed away in their don- 
 keys, was his sixth. These had all been passed at 
 sea, and each was a great event on board ship. No 
 matter what the weather, the sailors carefully donned 
 4
 
 48 RESCUED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 their shore clothes in honor of the occasion. All 
 the officers and most of the sailors were on the ship 
 when Harry, the baby, came on board ; he had 
 grown up with them and knew no other companions 
 or playmates. He was equally at home in cabin and 
 forecastle, and was the pet and joy of the ship. 
 On his last birthday the sailors had presented him 
 with as fine a marine telescope as could be pur- 
 chased in Liverpool, and the little fellow was never 
 so well pleased as when he could walk the bridge, 
 with his cap thrown high on his forehead and glass 
 under his arm, to the delight of every sailor on 
 board. On his coining birthday they had many pres- 
 ents for him ; among them a silver collar for Darkey, 
 and a magnificent sextant, made to order, with "Cap- 
 tain Harry ' ' engraved upon it. The sailors were 
 looking forward to their great holiday, which was not 
 far off, with all the nervous anxiety of children. 
 
 With this close association, Harry's speech was often 
 more nautical than elegant, and he called the Captain 
 "old man" as naturally as an old salt; and like an 
 old salt, not in the presence or hearing of the Cap- 
 tain. It was the parlance of the forecastle, but not 
 of the quarter-deck ; no harm was meant and no offense 
 was taken. 
 
 The wind increased until it was necessary to take 
 in the light sails. Harry and his mother had retired 
 to the cabin, while the Captain paced the decks,
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRT 49 
 
 occasionally glancing at the barometer hanging in the 
 skylight. 
 
 "I don't like the looks of the weather," said the 
 Captain, as his chief officer came aft and leaned 
 over the rail, watching the swell. "The barometer 
 is falling, and these hot puffs are sure indications 
 of a storm. A gale of wind in these latitudes, at 
 this season of the year, means no ordinary old ladies' 
 tea party. ' ' 
 
 " Take in the topgallant sails, stow the main and 
 mizzen courses, and reef the foresail. Those poor 
 fellows in the boat will have a hard night of it," 
 said the Captain, looking to windward, as the officer 
 called, "All hands on deck to shorten sail!" 
 
 The gale lasted for two days, but as the wind was 
 on the quarter, the ship was kept on her course 
 and made a record-breaking run. 
 
 ' ' The ole girl has washed her own decks the 
 last two days," said an old salt, engaged in arrang- 
 ing things shipshape after the storm, while the ship 
 lay becalmed, with her huge hull rising and falling 
 on the swell, the only reminder of the gale that 
 had carried destruction and death in its course. 
 
 The position of the ship was now in the latitude 
 of the Solomon Islands and thirty-five miles east of 
 Stewart Island, the eas f ernmost one of this group, 
 which being low could rot be seen from the mast- 
 head
 
 50 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 "You changed your course," said Mrs. Willis, 
 as she came on deck for the first time in two days. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain, in a tone that indi- 
 cated he was willing to drop the subject, "I always 
 give the land a wide berth in stormy weather. A 
 good navigator gives his ship plenty of sea room." 
 
 ' ' And in so doing you give the cannibals a wide 
 hearth,'' she said, with a merry twinkle in her eye. 
 
 Although she felt extremely happy in the thought 
 that all danger from the cannibals of Stewart Island 
 was past, womanlike, she could not refrain from 
 reminding her husband that she, too, was a navi- 
 gator, and " sea room " was not the reason for chang- 
 ing his course. 
 
 "I did not change my course," said the Captain, 
 "out of any fear of the natives, but after our last 
 experience, which so remarkably coincided with your 
 fears, I did not wish to give you any unnecessary 
 anxiety." 
 
 "That was very kind of you, dear, but how is 
 our son to become ' The King of the Cannibal Islands ' 
 if you don't give him a chance to land?" she said 
 with a reproachful look at her husband. 
 
 "Since I have found another candidate," returned 
 the Captain, as if deciding the fate of a nation, 
 "in a full-fledged Prince, out of a job, I have de- 
 cided to abjure, on behalf of my son, all claims 
 Lo the Cannibal Islands."
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRT 51 
 
 "Now you are consistent," she replied, in a serio- 
 comic tone. "I d'd not know that you had changed 
 your mind about making me ' mother of a King ' 
 when you changed your course ; but as you had no 
 special object in meeting the natives, it were better 
 to give them a wide hearth. I would like to know 
 how the poor fellows weathered the storm," with her 
 manner and voice changing to deep sympathy. 
 
 Not a "cat's-paw" relieved the monotony of the 
 cairn during the day. All hands had been employed 
 in repairing damages caused by the storm, while the 
 ship rose and fell on the gradually decreasing swell. 
 The sun sank into the sea without a cloud to mar 
 the beauty of its outline, casting a narrow wake over 
 the water. The stars shone forth dimly in the twi- 
 light, increasing in brilliancy as the sun drew its 
 lagging rays along its course. The Milky Way stood 
 out clearly defined, like a well traveled highway, 
 across the dark blue vault of heaven. 
 
 The ship was as neat and trim as a man-of-war 
 before inspection. The sailors had completed their 
 arrangements for the celebration of the greatest event 
 of the year, for the morrow was Harry's birthday. 
 
 "Looks as if we will have a calm night of it," 
 said Mr. Baker, as he came aft and joined the Cap- 
 tain in his promenade on the quarter-deck. 
 
 ' ' Yes, there is no indication of a breeze, and I 
 don't look for any change till after sunrise," replied
 
 52 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 the Captain, with a professional glance into the azure 
 above, thickly studded with stars. ' ' I am glad we 
 are well clear of the land." 
 
 " I saw land from the masthead, sir, just as the 
 sun went down," said the officer, " but as Missus 
 was on deck I did not repeat it, for fear of giving 
 her unnecessary alarm, and we may get a breeze be- 
 fore daylight." 
 
 "You did quite right, Mr. Baker; she is getting 
 very nervous over these little matters." 
 
 "But, Captain, she's got the coolest head of any 
 one on board. Do you call that nervousness? I 
 declare I wish I had some such agitation of the 
 nerves," said the old officer, in a tone which caused 
 a heart} 7 laugh from the Captain. 
 
 "And she falls into a dead faint after all danger 
 is past, which I am more afraid of than all the can- 
 nibals in the Indian Archipelago, with convicts and 
 pirates thrown in," said the Captain. 
 
 " I think we will get a breeze after midnight," 
 said the officer, rubbing the sleeve of his monkey 
 jacket across his eyes. 
 
 ' ' You know better, Mr. Baker ; you are too old a 
 sailor not to know the situation. At noon we were 
 thirty-five miles from the land you saw at sundown, 
 which could not be more than twenty- five miles off. 
 A current is setting us directly on to the island, and 
 as we have drifted ten miles in six hours, in twelve
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRT 53 
 
 hours we will drift twenty. At daylight we will find 
 ourselves within five miles of the island my wife so 
 much dreads to see, but then I took all necessary 
 precaution this time." 
 
 The Captain remained on deck all night watching, 
 and hoping a breeze would spring up ; but he was 
 doomed to disappointment. L,ong before daylight the 
 dim outline of a long, low island could be distinctly 
 made out. All hands were called to defend ship. 
 The two brass guns were loaded, rifles, revolvers, and 
 cutlasses were made ready. Netting was rigged up 
 between the rigging, and the cook kept his coppers 
 filled with boiling water. 
 
 At daybreak small, fleecy clouds, like a flock of 
 sheep, were chasing each other across the sky. The 
 sun rose red, casting a wide wake upon the water, 
 which to the practiced eye of a sailor were sure 
 signs of a breeze. 
 
 The land close aboard was the first thing that 
 met the view of the Captain's wife as she came up 
 the companion way, upon which she gazed like one 
 in a trance. Turning to her husband she said, scarcely 
 above a whisper, "Stewart Island," while a pallor 
 crept over her face. 
 
 "The current has set us in here," said he, in 
 answer to her inquiring look. 
 
 "It is not your fault, dear," she said, as she no- 
 ticed the troubled look of her husband. "I am navi-
 
 54 RESCUED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 gator enough to know that it is impossible to guard 
 against unknown currents. We are prepared this time, 
 and if they get on board it will not be our fault." 
 
 "Well," said the Captain, as he saw in her eyes 
 that familiar look of defianc% and about her mouth 
 a compression that betokened conquest, "it is a ques- 
 tion with me which will get here first, the wind or 
 the natives, but as we are prepared for either, we 
 must wait and stand by the results." 
 
 They did not have long to wait, for while the 
 Captain was talking, Mr. Baker, who was at the 
 masthead, shouted, "They are coming as thick as a 
 school of porpoises," and his expression did not ap- 
 pear much of an exaggeration. Hundreds of canoes 
 were crowding out of what appeared to be the mouth 
 of a river, or the narrow entrance to a bay, spread- 
 ing out and forming a wedge-shaped mass of men, 
 paddles, and boats, with its base toward the ship, 
 presenting a spectacle more imposing than formidable. 
 
 The canoes were light and graceful, each carrying 
 five men who displayed great skill in the use of their 
 paddles and in managing their frail craft. Tall and 
 well formed, with regular features, of a dark brown 
 color, and with long, straight, black hair, they did not 
 resemble the ferocious man-eating savages of legend and 
 story; but the white man was their enemy, and their 
 enemy had written both their history and fiction. They 
 approached the ship in a cautious manner, displaying
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRT 55 
 
 plantains, shells, and cocoanuts, as if desiring to trade; 
 and had it not been for their skillful manoeuvring, 
 through which they were gradually surrounding the 
 ship, they would have deceived the ship's company. 
 
 The Captain was not much concerned about the 
 result of the impending brush with the natives, with 
 the advantage all on one side, but he dreaded the 
 ordeal his wife would pass through after it was 
 over. While he knew what the natives were seek- 
 ing to accomplish, his greatest interest was centered 
 upon the long line of curling wavelets that were slowly 
 creeping up to the ship, leaving the water a darker 
 blue, with an occasional whitecap, for he knew that 
 if the wind struck first, a running fight would be 
 only a pleasant diversion, an overture of the program 
 for Harry's birthday. 
 
 The natives w 7 ere also watching the breeze, and 
 fearing their prey would escape, they made a dash 
 for the bows of the ship, where Mr. Baker, with 
 his watch, was ready to receive them. Then followed 
 a , scene that baffles description. A score of canoes 
 attempting to gain a point where there was room 
 for only one; the half-naked savages crowding and 
 pushing, and leaping from one canoe to another, 
 capsizing their frail barks; their agonizing death strug- 
 gle in the water, together with the fierce yells of 
 their war cry; all this presented a sight more fright- 
 ful than dangerous to the beholder. Their unorgan-
 
 56 RESCUED sr A PRINCE 
 
 ized strength was their weakness; for what might 
 have been a formidable force, if massed on board 
 of a large craft alongside of the ship, became pow- 
 erless when spread over several acres of water, with 
 the object of their attack in the center. 
 
 A young chief, wishing to distinguish himself, 
 dashed toward the mizzen chains, but was easily re- 
 plused by the starboard watch in charge of the sec- 
 ond officer. The Captain, apparently not paying the 
 slightest attention to the wild scene around him, 
 stood at the break of the quarter anxiously watch- 
 ing the oncoming wind, which was already throwing 
 its "cat's-paws" around the ship. His wife, un- 
 moved as a statue, stood beside him watching the 
 strange conflict. 
 
 Yells of rage from the windward, which were pleas- 
 ant sounds to all on board, indicated that the sav- 
 ages had another foe to contend with. The force of 
 the wind, which ended the calm of the past iwenty- 
 four hours, was drifting them into a compact mass, 
 from which it would require time and skill to extri- 
 cate their frail craft. 
 
 The wind struck the ship lightly. The sails flapped 
 and then filled. The spanker boom swung across the 
 deck, and with the sound of the spanker sheet, as it 
 checked the filling sail, came the cry from the man at 
 the wheel, "Harry's overboard!" 
 
 The Captain turned just in time to see Darkey bound
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRY 57 
 
 over the quarter rail, while his wife reached the taffrail 
 only to see a naked savage draw her boy out of the water, 
 and Darkey with a fierce growl climbing into the ca- 
 noe after him. She gave an agonizing cry that pierced 
 the hearts of all on board, and fell to the deck. 
 
 The Captain raised his rifle, but the savage, hold- 
 ing the boy in front of him, saved his own life, 
 while his companions paddled away, with Darkey show- 
 ing his teeth and quietly gazing upon his little mas- 
 ter, as if he understood the situation. 
 
 The ship forging ahead carried death and destruc- 
 tion to those in her path, as the capsized and broken ca- 
 noes, paddles, and natives struggling in her wake tes- 
 tified. Maddened with grief by the condition of his 
 wife and the loss of his boy, the Captain tacked ship 
 and pursued the fleeing savages. The time employed 
 in bringing the great ship around was well improved 
 by the fleet canoes. 
 
 The chase was a hopeless one from the start, but 
 the Captain followed them to their village, which was 
 situated on the shore of a fine, deep bay. The natives 
 abandoned their canoes on the beach, and with the 
 remaining inhabitants of the village fled hastily from 
 the coast into the hills. 
 
 "Clear away the boat," ordered the Captain. 
 
 Mr. Baker touched him on the shoulder, and with- 
 out a word pointed toward the cabin. 
 
 The Captain understood the silent reminder of his
 
 58 RESCL'ED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 officer, and reason asserted itself. If he was sure 
 the shock had killed her, he had nothing but his 
 boy to live for, and would follow the trail of the 
 fleeing savages even though it lead to certain death, 
 but the thought of leaving his wife, if alive, to a fate 
 that caused him to shudder, aroused him to a true 
 sense of the situation, and the madness of placing 
 himself and ship's company in the power of a tribe 
 of savages. Like one in a trance, he went below, 
 and Mr. Baker took charge of the ship. 
 
 After hours of unceasing effort to strengthen the 
 mystic cord that loosely held the invisible vital 
 spark, the Captain's wife opened her eyes, and in a 
 faint voice said, "Frank, where is Harry? Will 
 they kill him? Will we find him?" Then clos- 
 ing her eyes while a tremor passed over her bod y, 
 she became as rigid as a marble statue. Another 
 hour of agonizing suspense; her limbs relaxed; she 
 again opened her eyes, and in a husky voice hardly 
 above a whisper, inquired, "How did Harry fall 
 overboard? Tell me all." 
 
 The Captain replied, "There is not much to tell. 
 It all happened in an instant. Harry went up the 
 after companion way, and stepped into the coil of the 
 spanker sheet, just as the boom was swinging across 
 the deck, and was lifted over the rail before any one 
 knew he was on deck. The man at the wheel caught 
 sight of his nightdress as he dropped into the water.
 
 THE Loss OF LITTLE HARRT 59 
 
 Darkey followed him so closely that they both must 
 have struck the water at the same time." 
 
 " I am sure I locked the stateroom door," she said, 
 "for Harry was asleep when I went on deck." 
 
 "Where was Darkey?" inquired her husband. 
 
 "He was lying in front of the door," she re- 
 plied. 
 
 ' ' Harry has been teaching that dog for the last 
 week to unlock that door by turning the key with 
 his teeth," said the Captain with a sigh. 
 
 "I have watched him perform that trick many 
 times, but I did not think of it this morning," she 
 said, while tears flowed from beneath her closed eye- 
 lids, but the circulation of the life current, vitali- 
 zing the natural functions, compelled the death angel 
 to relinquish his claim.
 
 W 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE CONVICTS IN A STORM 
 
 HILE the ship was able to hold her course and 
 make good weather of the gale, with the wind 
 on her quarter, the open boat, heavily laden and manned 
 by a crew of landsmen, was in a critical condition for 
 stormy weather. Nor did the brave fellows anticipate 
 such perils as were close upon them. A beautiful cirrus 
 formation was gathering high in the vault of heaven, 
 in curling, fleece-like clouds resembling long tufts of 
 hair or carded wool, familiarly called by sailors " mare's- 
 tails." A cirrocumulus floated a little below in broken, 
 fleecy clouds, with their parts more or less rounded 
 and regularly grouped, known to seamen as "mack- 
 erel sky." But in these indications the occupants of 
 the boat, being without knowledge of the sea or weather, 
 did not discern the warning contained in the couplet, 
 " Mackerel sky and mare's-tails 
 Warn lofty ships to carry low sails." 
 
 Their first care was to satisfy their hunger from the 
 bountiful supplies received from the ship, which they 
 had failed to capture, while the boat floated idly upon 
 
 the placid waters of a tropical sea. When again they 
 (60)
 
 THE CONVICTS IN A STORM 61 
 
 pulled up on their course they gave no thought to 
 the increasing swell which was the harbinger of dan- 
 ger from below the horizon, where the fury of the 
 wind was rolling the sea into mountain waves, and 
 throwing out its mighty power in undulations which 
 could be felt far in advance of the storm. But as 
 the wind increased with the rising swell, and the fleecy 
 clouds, thickening and darkening to a leaden hue, gath- 
 ered round the ill-fated boat like a pall of gloom, the 
 occupants began to realize the situation ; but they had 
 risked much and would brave more. With the storm 
 upon them and night coming on, they ceased rowing 
 and laid the boat head on to the seas. The wind in- 
 creased in strength and the waves in height, and long 
 before midnight it was impossible to keep the boat 
 head on to the waves, and their only safety lay in 
 running before the gale. Not accustomed to the ma- 
 noeuvring of a boat under such difficult circumstances, 
 they took a most unfavorable time to wear the boat 
 around before the wind ; and as she fell off and lay 
 for a moment in the trough of the sea, broadside on, 
 an unlucky wave swept over them and for the moment 
 all hope vanished. But the men clung to the boat, 
 which, owing to her heavy load, did not capsize, and 
 her compressed air safety tanks, which were located 
 under the gunwales, prevented the boat from sinking. 
 The half -drowned men were again above water, with 
 their boat filled and laying like a log, nearly level
 
 62 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 with the sea, but stilV something to stand upon ; and 
 with the desperation of drowning men, they bailed 
 out the boat and got her off before the wind. 
 
 They had no further fear of sinking or capsizing. 
 Their great care was to keep from being washed over- 
 board, and with renewed courage they continued the 
 unequal warfare with the elements. Throughout the 
 night the boat scudded before the gale. Every sea 
 that curled over the stern of the boat threatened to 
 engulf them, while every man held his breath. Now 
 hurled along on the crest of a combing wave, now 
 sinking down, down into the hollow of the sea; the 
 incessant roar of the waves and storm; the lurid 
 phosphorescent light .that shone around them from 
 the sea, which was lashed into foam by the fury of 
 the storm; all this constituted a scene so grana 
 and awful that no pen can describe it, or painter por- 
 tray its solemn grandeur. 
 
 Day dawned and hope revived in the breasts of 
 the hapless company. Wet, cold, and exhausted, with 
 nothing to satisfy their craving hunger, after such a 
 struggle for life, they were the embodiment of de- 
 spair; but they were still afloat, and while life lasted 
 they would continue the fight. 
 
 While man may not sense fear in the darkness, 
 yet his bravest deeds are performed in the light; 
 while he may not > lose hope in the night, it is stronger 
 in the full light of day.
 
 THE CONVICTS IN A STORM 63 
 
 They had weathered the night, and surely the 
 day could be no worse; at any rate they would make 
 the best of it. Their water-soaked provisions were 
 thrown overboard, which greatly lightened the boat 
 and enabled her to ride more lightly over the waves. 
 With no practical knowledge of managing a boat, it 
 was evident, even to them, that if the speed of the 
 boat could be increased it would enable them to 
 run away from the seas and greatly lessen the 
 danger of swamping. No experienced navigator could 
 have reasoned better. With great difficulty they man- 
 aged to rig up the same old tarpaulin with which 
 they had so persistently attempted to escape from the 
 ship. Under the pressure of the wind on the impro- 
 vised sail, the boat leaped forward with great speed, 
 and as they watched the result of running away from 
 the sea and wind, together with the slick of the wake 
 made by the boat, which prevented the sea from break- 
 ing, they took courage. 
 
 But if they were running away from one danger 
 they were rapidly approaching another; for the wind 
 was driving them at a fearful rate directly .toward 
 the most dangerous part of the Indian Archipelago, 
 and if they escaped the raging waves they would soon 
 find themselves among reefs and breakers, where in 
 such a storm no human power could save them. But 
 they did not know this; they thought only of their 
 
 5
 
 (34 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 safety for the present, and gave no thought for the 
 future. 
 
 All day they drove before the relentless gale, vainly 
 watching for some indication that the worst was over. 
 Not a break in the clouds, not a lull in the storm. 
 Hungry, weary, and sick at heart they silently 
 watched the deepening gloom of another night draw 
 on. The leaden sky which had greeted their view 
 throughout the long and fearful day, now turned to 
 blackness, and a darkness that could be felt spread 
 over the troubled waters. They could no longer watch 
 the waves as they rose up in the distance, and fol- 
 rowed them, roaring like demons for their prey, until 
 they lifted first the stern and almost stood the boat 
 on her bow, then rolling under the frail bark, bring- 
 ing her for a moment on even keel, then dropping 
 her stern foremost into the trough of the sea at an 
 angle of forty-five degrees, to be caught up again by 
 the next wave and forced through the same evolu- 
 tions. But they could distinguish the outlines of the 
 huge billows as they rose up like a wall, each wave 
 fringed with that weird, phosphoric light, until the 
 whole ocean appeared like a sea of fire ; they could 
 hear the shrieking of the wind and the mourning of 
 the waves that might have come from lost souls en- 
 gulfed therein. The boat sped on through the dark- 
 ness during another night of horror, leaving a luminous
 
 THE CONVICTS IN A STORM 65 
 
 wake behind her that might easily be imagined as 
 the fiery trail of some sea monster, ever pursuing the 
 fugitives fleeing from destruction. 
 
 At dawn the gale had spent its force ; long lulls 
 and short puffs indicated that the fury of the storm 
 was over. The clouds broke away, the sun shone 
 forth in all its splendor, and before meridian the wind 
 had passed away, as quickly as it had arisen, leaving 
 no traces of its desolating power, excepting the boat, 
 with the castaways, completely worn out, asleep in the 
 bottom, and the old tarpaulin, which had served them 
 well, flapping lazily against the mast as the boat rose 
 and fell on the harmless waves. 
 
 They were aroused from their slumbers by the 
 shouting and yelling of natives, and awoke to find 
 themselves surrounded by canoes filled with naked sav- 
 ages. The boat, like the ship, had been carried with 
 the current, and had drifted among the islands of the 
 Louisiade Archipelago, which consists of one large is- 
 land and many smaller ones, with coral reefs and atolls 
 innumerable, situated southeast from the long penin- 
 sula of Papua. 
 
 Weak from the lack of food, and exhausted by theii 
 terrible struggle of the last two days, this new danger 
 seemed to paralyze them. They looked upon the scene 
 with a listless indifference that astonished the natives, 
 who, after being assured there was no fight in the
 
 66 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 boat load of white men, made fast to the boat with 
 several of their canoes and started to tow her to the 
 island. Thus, through the irony of fate, Louis Napo- 
 leon Bonaparte and his companions were landed on the 
 chief island of the tribe which bore the name of 
 L,ouisiade.
 
 N' 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 SAILORS' YARNS 
 
 [ORTHWARD across the equator the good ship held 
 her course, sailing in smooth waters and under 
 a clear sky, sighting the high peaks of the Marshall 
 Islands dimly outlined in the hazy blue atmosphere, 
 and fading away in the distance as the ship sailed 
 on, while the picturesque L,adrone group raised into 
 view on the opposite horizon. Never lagging, never 
 weary, under the influence of the strong northeast 
 trade, the ship passed from island to island on her 
 course to the Yellow Sea. 
 
 The Captain's wife did not complain of the fate 
 of her boy, but she could not dispel the sadness 
 which had possessed her, and it affected the entire 
 ship's company. She would recline in an easy chair 
 on deck during the day, watching the sea and gazing 
 longingly upon each island passed by the ship, but 
 showing no more fear of land or natives. When, 
 as it frequently happened, an island was passed close 
 aboard, and the natives crowded around to exchange 
 cocoanuts, plantain, and other products, for beef, 
 pork, biscuits, pipes and tobacco, she appeared much 
 
 (67)
 
 68 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 interested and often bought pretty shells and curi- 
 ously worked necklaces from the savages, who were 
 apparently pleased to have the privilege of trading 
 with the only white woman they had ever seen. 
 
 The officers and crew had settled down in a list- 
 less way to the ordinary routine work of the ship, 
 and as there was no making sails, fitting rigging, 
 scraping spars, or slushing down, the crew was given 
 watch and watch, which ordinarily, with plenty to 
 eat and a good ship, constitutes a sailor's paradise. 
 
 But the solemnity which pervaded the ship, and 
 the monotony of fine weather, together with the in- 
 activity of the superstitious sailors, so worked on their 
 minds as to produce a state of melancholy which 
 often leads to insanity. 
 
 The saddest part of the day was the "dogwatch," 
 the sailors' hour, when all hands gathered around 
 the capstan on the topgallant forecastle to smoke and 
 spin yarns. Instead of the merry scenes of song, 
 dance, and yarn, as in former time, these two hours 
 were passed in silence, or in low conversation about 
 Missus and Harry, or perhaps vaguely watching the 
 long roll of foam which the ship forced far ahead, 
 sparkling with phosphoritic light, then curling along 
 the sides and eddying in her wake. 
 
 "This ship reminds me of the 'Flyin' Dutchman,' " 
 said an old sailor, looking aloft at the white cloud 
 of canvas bellying to the breeze, "an' sometimes I
 
 SA IL ORS' TA RNS 69 
 
 wonders if we's not erboard er phantom ship ; an' 
 of 'en when I'm alone in the graveyard watch I pinches 
 myself to make sure I'm not a ghost. I hates to 
 leave the ole man, but if this ship ever gets her 
 anchor down, I takes my papers an' pulls for- er- 
 other ship. Look at 'em white sails with the moon 
 shinin' on 'em ; don't they look like the sails of the 
 ' Flyin' Dutchman ? ' " Then looking overboard he con- 
 tinued, "See how she slips through the water like 
 er sea sarpent after its prey, an' the stars they stan' 
 out clear from the sky an' you can see behin' 'em. 
 [Then in a subdued tone.] The whole thing is exactly 
 like the night 'fore we sighted the ' Flyin' Dutchman ' 
 off the Horn, five years ago tomorrow night." 
 
 "Spin us the yarn, mate," said one of his listen- 
 ers, "none of us has seen the 'Flyin' Dutchman.'" 
 
 Tom Bowline enjoyed the distinction of being the 
 only man on board, who had seen the phantom ship, 
 and was always ready to "spin the yarn," which the 
 sailors never tired of hearing. After refilling his 
 pipe and seating himself on the capstan, and adjust- 
 ing his sou wester to suit the occasion, he began, 
 ' ' Man an' boy I have sailed salt water nigh onto 
 forty years, an' never landed my ' donkey ' onto 
 the deck of er ship that wasn't square-rigged and 
 sailed far enough off shore to take soundin's with the 
 deep sea lead. I signed articles on board the 'Stormy 
 Petrel, ' er fine ship of thirteen hundred tons, com-
 
 70 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 manded by as fine er sailor as ever walked er quarter- 
 deck; but his name was Friday. Now mates, note the 
 size of the ship and the name of her ole man. 
 
 "We had watch an' watch an' good grub, an' if 
 it hadn't been for the tonnage number an' the ole man's 
 name we'd called her er lucky ship. However, we 
 made er fine run to the Cape, but there we struck it 
 rough, gale after gale right in our teeth; but after 
 beatin' about for thirteen days, mark the number, mates, 
 we gets er fine day with the ship on her course under 
 full sail. That was on er Thursday, and the night 
 was just like this one: stars stood out so clear that 
 we could see 'em risin' an' settin' , the moon shone full 
 on our white canvas just like tonight, an' this whole 
 scene," looking again at the sails, "is exactly like 
 what it was that night. 'Fore the middle watch was 
 out all ban's was called to shorten sail, an' 'fore noon 
 on Friday it was blowin' great guns, an' the ship 
 was under lower topsails. I had the last trick at 
 the wheel in the first watch, an' just as the officer 
 of the deck calls eight bells, I seen somethin' that 
 froze the marrer in my bones. I could not move er 
 han' to strike the bells, my hair Stan's on en', an' 
 chills ran all over me; for right on our weather beam 
 was er ship under full sail an' headin' right fer us, 
 not forty fathoms away. 'Fore I could sing out, the 
 great ship was goin' through or over us right between 
 the foremast an' mainmast: I plainly saw the captain
 
 SAILORS' TARNS 71 
 
 an' crew dressed in the Dutch fashion of a hundred 
 years ago. As the phantom ship passed through us, 
 her captain drops er package on our deck, an' I hears 
 him say through his speakin' trumpet, ' Take this 
 to my wife in Hollan'.' 
 
 "When I found my reckonin', I was on my beam 
 en's in my bunk. I sen's for the ole man an' tells 
 him erbout the package, but it must have washed 
 overboard for they never found it. They had picked 
 me up to lee'ard of the wheel. The ole man said the 
 wheel had throwed me, but all my shipmates knew I 
 had seen the ' Flyin' Duchman. ' " 
 
 "Belay there, mate, you are on the wrong tack. 
 The ' Flyin' Duchman ' was off Cape Horn, an' her 
 captain did not have his wife on board, er angel 
 at that, " said the youngest sailor among them. 
 
 " Don't class this ship with the ' Flyin' Dutchman,' " 
 said another, "her ole man defied God, man, an' the 
 devil, an' swore he would beat around Cape Horn in 
 spite of them all, an' for this sin he is doomed to be 
 allus sailing, and never get into port, but is never seen 
 far from the Cape. ' ' 
 
 1 ' Avast heaving, mates, ' ' said Tom Bowline. 
 " You're all erback. I don't class this ship with the 
 'Flyin' Dutchman,' only she's uncanny. Look at her! 
 Even her yards won't squeak, her sails won't slat, 
 an' her blocks won't rattle, and Missus' sad face 
 ha'nts me when I sleep. The ole man never speaks,
 
 72 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 an' the officers give orders as if they was navigatin' 
 a funeral. I wish we could raise er fight, run er- 
 foul er typhoon, strike er squall, anything but this 
 infernal sunshine, day in an' day out. An' these 
 still, starlight nights, without sea enough to wash 
 the ole ship's sides, is enough to drive er man 
 crazy. Mates, there's allus trouble erboard when 
 the ship don't wash her own sides. When I goes 
 aft to take my trick at the wheel, Missus sets there 
 so sorry ful an' pale that I don't know whether its 
 her or her ghost," and he drew his shirt sleeve 
 across his eyes. 
 
 "An' last night, mates," said another sailor, "the 
 starb'ard side light goes out, an' I took it under the 
 weather rail to light. I struck several matches an' 
 they went right out, as if some one was blowin' 
 'em, an' when I gets impatient an" lights ernother, 
 covering it with my souwester, I hears Harry laff 
 just as he use ter, an' you knows, mates, how he 
 would blow out the matches an' laff when any of 
 us was lightin' the lanterns." 
 
 1 ' I never sees the side light of a ship without er 
 kind er creepy feeling all over me," said the new 
 hand, shipped in Australia, who had not established 
 his reputation as a yarn spinner. 
 
 "Spin us the yarn, mate," said Tom Bowline, 
 vacating the story-teller's seat on the capstan head. 
 The new hand took the seat, and without any pre-
 
 SAILORS' TARNS 73 
 
 liminary remarks, began: "I'd been er month in 
 port an' no ship. Last voyage, money gone, an' er 
 month's advance due the boardin' master, who was 
 already looking sideways at table, an' hintin' 'twas 
 time to look for er berth. I ships on board er 
 clipper West Inji man, out, an' back to the same 
 port. I gets my month's advance, pays my board 
 bill, an' takes my donkey on board. She was er 
 good craft, an' everything shipshape. All went well 
 till we passed Hatteras on our return trip; but when 
 we poked our nose out of the stream we struck er 
 noreaster that pulls our rags down to lower top- 
 sails an' storm staysails. Night comes on with er 
 blindin' snowstorm that no sailor could look in the 
 eye, but the ship was makin' good weather with one 
 watch on deck, although the ole man never goes 
 below. 'Fore goin' below when my watch was re- 
 lieved at midnight, I goes to take er look at- the 
 side lights. We had our port tacks erboard, an' I 
 goes along the weather side. The port light was 
 burnin' all right, then I turns to cross the deck 
 for'ard the house to lee'ard when I sees er man 
 lookin' at the starb'ard light that was shinin' full 
 in his face. I takes him to be one of my mates in 
 the same watch, then as I goes below I finds all 
 my watch mates. I gives one look an' rushes on 
 deck; there was the same feller, but he was lookin' 
 at the port light. I watches him, with my knees
 
 74 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 shakin' and teeth chatterin' like I has the shagus 
 fever, till he just faded away. I could see the red 
 light shine right through him, an' the snow blowin' 
 through him 'fore he dissolved into nothin'. As soon 
 as I could haul up on my course I made aft to 
 the ole man who was stan'in' on the quarter-deck 
 under the lee of er tarpaulin triced up in the mizzen 
 riggin'. 'What did he look like?' asked the ole 
 man after listenin' to my yarn. ' Well, sir,' says I, 
 ' he \vas tall an' rather slim, with er young, pleas- 
 ant face, er very small, thin, white mustache, with 
 about er week's growth of beard, rather thin.' 'How 
 could you get such a good look at him on er night 
 like this?' asks the ole man. 'Sir,' says I, 'he 
 stood right under the green light that shines full 
 in his face. ' ' How was he rigged ? ' asks the ole 
 man. 'Sir,' says I, 'he had on his oilskins, an' 
 one of them cap an' cape sou westers. '" 
 
 " He was no sailor to wear that kind er headgear," 
 broke in old Tom Bowline. 
 
 "Put a stopper on your jaw tackle," said Jack, 
 who always acted as chairman on such occasions. 
 
 "You, er old sailor, breakin' the rules, you know 
 better." 
 
 Tom subsided and the speaker continued, "'It 
 must have been one of the watch on deck,' says the 
 ole man. I couldn't see the ole man's face, but his
 
 SAILORS' TARNS 75 
 
 voice sounded kind er sad. I went below an' says 
 nothin' to nobody about the matter. A few days after 
 when we gets fine weather, an' my trick at the wheel, 
 the ole man conies, takes hole of the wheel an' says, 
 'Jack, .run down below an' bring me my sextant.' He 
 was er nice man, an' no high fuluten ways. I goes 
 below to bring that hog-yoke for the ole man, an' 
 right 'fore my eyes on the cabin table was that pic- 
 ter of that feller I sees lookin' at the side lights. 
 Mates, you could er knocked me down with er ball 
 er spun yarn, but I braces up an' takes the hog-yoke 
 to the ole man an' takes the wheel again, just as if 
 nothin' had happened to take the wind out er my 
 sails. But the ole man knowed I was shakin' in the 
 wind, an' looks me square in the eye an' asks me if 
 the man I seen the other night looks like the picter 
 I sees in the cabin. ' Yes, sir,' says I, ' it was the same 
 man.' ' Poor fellow,' says the ole man, kind er sorry - 
 like, ' he was first mate with me for years, but was 
 washed overboard in a hurricane, an' in stormy 
 weather he allus looks after the lights. We don't 
 pay any attention to him, but you are er new man.' 
 But mates, that ship never reached port. All hands 
 was saved by takin' to the boats, but the ship an' cargo 
 was lost." 
 
 The silence that followed the spinning of this hair- 
 lifting and ' ' kind er creepy ' ' yarn was broken by
 
 76 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 Tom Bowline who said contemptuously, " Mate, I wants 
 to ask what's you doiii' on er land jammer? Wasn't 
 you 'fraid to get out sight er land?" 
 
 A look of resentment came into the sailor's eyes, but 
 he must respect the man who had sailed salt water "nigh 
 onto forty years and never took soundings with a 
 hand lead." 
 
 " I tries to make my course clear," he quietly 
 replied. "I explains 'fore I gets under steerageway 
 how I was out of er berth, no deep water ship in port, 
 boardin' master bearin' down on my weather quarter, 
 month's advance to lee'ard, and had to pull for er ship. 
 I likes to make er straight wake, an' ruther be under 
 m5 r own canvas, even on er fresh-water ship, than take 
 a beggarly hawser. ' ' 
 
 "That's square-rigged, mates," said Tom pater- 
 nally to the group of sailors around the capstan, and 
 the new hand had made his reputation as a yarn 
 spinner, and, measured by their own standard, was 
 worthy to associate with deep water sailors. 
 
 The question of sailor ethics settled, the conversation 
 became general. Each one had seen something or 
 heard some noise that, to them, was of a supernatural 
 order. They all agreed the ship was haunted, but with 
 well-behaved ghosts that would do them no harm; 
 yet the presence of any class of ghosts, even if they were 
 guardian angels, so wrought upon their superstitious
 
 SAILORS' TARN. 77 
 
 natures that they imagined every noise not readily ac- 
 counted for was produced by visitants from an un- 
 known world. Doubtless the intensity of their thoughts 
 concentrated upon ghosts, would have materialized one 
 if the striking of eight bells, which ended the dog- 
 watch, had not broken the spell.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 TOM BOWUNB 
 
 "in HE Captain's wife had taken no interest in the ship 
 or the progress of the voyage, and apparently 
 no account of time, since that fatal day when the 
 joy of her life went out. Her husband, stricken with 
 grief by the loss of his boy, watched her weakening 
 condition with the gravest apprehension, but was much 
 relieved when, about three weeks after the loss of 
 Harry, as the ship was entering the Yellow Sea, she 
 asked, "How long before we will reach Chefoo?" 
 
 " We shall make port in about a week if the weather 
 continues favorable," answered her husband cheer- 
 fully, hoping to arouse her from that seated melan- 
 choly which was insidiously preying upon her health 
 and diminishing the power of her mind. 
 
 ' ' What shall we do about Harry ? ' ' she said with 
 tears in her eyes. "Have you formed any plans for 
 his rescue ? ' ' 
 
 " There is only one thing to do," replied her hus- 
 band, "and that is to fit out a ship and search the 
 (78)
 
 TOM BOWLINE 79 
 
 islands till we find him. We have money enough to 
 build and fit out a small ship of our own, and keep 
 her in commission for a year or two, and in that time 
 we will find our boy. ' ' 
 
 "I have thought of the same plan," she said with 
 great interest. " We can take a cargo from China 
 direct to Boston and return inside of a year and be- 
 gin our search." 
 
 The Captain desiring above all things to agree 
 with her, and to encourage any interest and enthusiasm 
 manifested by his wife, yet knowing the uncertainty 
 of calculating on the time necessary to navigate a 
 sailing ship to a port halfway around the world, said 
 hesitatingly, "If everything moves as favorably as 
 we might reasonably expect, you have set the time 
 about right. But we are a long way from home, and 
 must take our chances as to cargo, winds, and storms." 
 
 ' ' I can see in your face and know by your manner 
 that you think the time too short. Tell me just what 
 you think of it?" she asked in a pleading voice. 
 
 "I do not expect a return cargo from the port 
 to which we are bound. This will necessitate visit- 
 ing other ports in search of a charter, and as most 
 of the freight from the southern ports of China is 
 carried by the regular line steamers through the Suez 
 Canal, there is nothing left for a sailing ship to take 
 around the Cape of Good Hope. As a last resort we 
 may be obliged to go to some port in Java, where, if 
 6
 
 80 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 we cannot secure a charter at once, I can purchase, 
 on ship's account, a cargo of sugar or coffee." 
 
 She remained silent some moments. ' ' Why not give 
 up the ship in China, or after procuring a return 
 cargo?" she asked, "and send her home in charge of 
 Mr. Baker, and we fit out a ship here, saving O so 
 much time?" "We cannot get what we want in this 
 part of the world," replied the Captain. "We may not 
 find Harry on Stewart Island, and must fit out a 
 ship for a two years' cruise and be prepared to search 
 the whole Indian Archipelago and fight the natives 
 on every island. Owners and underwriters will give 
 us their sympathies, and also contribute liberally to- 
 ward fitting out an expedition. But our loss is a 
 private affair, and outside of a sentiment that may be 
 created, which will vary according to the temperament 
 of the people and the condition of the atmosphere, no 
 one cares whether Harry is on a cannibal island or 
 playing on the quarter-deck. Why should they? There 
 are thousands of boys, each alike dear to his own 
 parents. We bear our own burden of sorrow, and 
 no one can relieve us." 
 
 "Then it may be two or three years before we 
 find him," she said with a sigh, and the tears siowly 
 eoursed down her pale sad face, while the man at 
 the wheel turned his head away to leeward to hide 
 his emotions. 
 
 "We will find him as soon as possible," said her
 
 TOM BOWLINE 81 
 
 husband, "and then quit the sea. We are young yet, 
 and may find on land that happiness which we have 
 failed to find on the water." 
 
 Stormy weather set in as the ship entered the Yel- 
 low Sea, and for days at a time she was under close 
 reefed topsails, and while not in any unusual danger, 
 the ship did little better than to hold her own. 
 
 The sailors, with plenty of hard work and their 
 ' ' dogwatch ' ' yarn spinning broken up, had no time 
 to indulge in gloomy thoughts. There was no more 
 trouble about the side lights going out, and it was no 
 longer possible to distinguish any supernatural sounds 
 in the whistling of the wind through the rigging and 
 the groaning of the heavy masts and spars. The ghosts 
 and the "Flying Dutchman" were forgotten by the tired 
 sailors, who were glad to turn in to their bunks as 
 soon as relieved from their watch on deck. 
 
 After being tossed about for three weeks and nar- 
 rowly escaping shipwreck on the island of Formosa, 
 the ship was again under full sail, making good prog- 
 ress on her course. The high promontory of Shan- 
 tung was a welcome sight to all hands, and twenty- 
 four hours later the ship was riding at her anchor 
 in the beautiful harbor of Chefoo. 
 
 A physician was called on board at once to look 
 after the condition of the Captain's wife, who had 
 not been on deck since the talk with her husband 
 about plans for the rescue of Harry, before the ship
 
 82 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 entered the Yellow Sea, and was now unable to leave 
 her cabin. In his diagnosis of the case the doctor, 
 an Irish gentleman of the old school, gave many high- 
 sounding names, not nautical, which, when close 
 reefed, meant nervous prostration. He ordered that 
 she be taken on shore immediately for absolute rest 
 and medical treatment. 
 
 After the cargo had been discharged and the ship 
 in ballast all ready to sail in search of a charter, none 
 being obtainable in Chefoo, the doctor would not give 
 his professional consent for his patient to go on board 
 the ship. He gravely informed the Captain that it 
 would be necessary for his wife to remain on shore 
 under treatment for at least three months longer, and 
 that her nervous system was in such a critical condi- 
 tion that the greatest care must be exercised, else she 
 might never recover from the severe nervous shock 
 and mental strain to which she had been subjected. 
 There was nothing to do but submit to the inevitable. 
 But the ship could not remain idle for three months, 
 and the Captain was obliged to seek for a charter 
 that would keep him employed while awaiting the re- 
 covery of his wife. 
 
 While Captain Willis was in the midst of these 
 troubles, the crew came aft in a body one morning to 
 have a "talk with the old man." 
 
 "Well, my men, w r hat can I ,do for you?" in- 
 quired the Captain in a pleasant manner, as he sur-
 
 TOM BOWLINE 83 
 
 veyed the group of sailors formed in a semicircle in 
 front of him, reading- their thought as they stood in 
 respectful silence with their eyes first on the Captain, 
 then looking far away over the harbor and back again 
 to the deck, as if ashamed of their mission. 
 
 " Captain," said Tom Bowline, then hesitating as 
 if undecided what to say and how to begin, and half 
 inclined not to say anything, he hitched up his trou- 
 sers, looked to windward, then at his mates, and stood 
 like a bashful schoolboy, awkwardly toying with his 
 souwester, while his shipmates mutely showed their 
 sympathy, not unmixed with chagrin, for the failure 
 of their acknowledged leader and authorized spokes- 
 man to represent them in a shipshape manner on the 
 quarter-deck before the "old man." The Captain, 
 seeing the embarrassment of the honest old sailor 
 and desiring to help him, said, "You want to leave 
 the ship," and then to himself, "I don't blame 
 them ; why should any one suffer for the sorrows of 
 another ? ' ' 
 
 "You see Captain," said Tom, who being encour- 
 aged found his tongue, "We's aweful sorry for you 
 an' the Missus an' little Harry," wiping his eyes 
 with his sleeve, "we's good sailors, an' no cowardly 
 Ian' -lubbers. We've got er good ship an' good offi- 
 cers, with plenty of good grub, an' I knows an' I 
 speaks for my mates that you is er first-class deep 
 water sailor." Then with an air of superiority he
 
 84 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 looked proudly around at his mates and continued, 
 "Man and boy I've sailed deep water nigh onto 
 forty years, an' never signed ship's articles on board 
 er Ian' jammer; but we's ready to hug the Ian' 
 with you for three months or more on Missus' ac- 
 count, even if you has to take to river sailin' an' 
 fresh water, but 
 
 "But what, Tom?" inquired the Captain, the 
 sailor again hesitating as if ashamed to state the real 
 reason for deserting the ship in a foreign port. 
 
 "We can't stan 1 by er ha'nted ship," blurted 
 out Tom, with great effort and much relief to 
 himself and mates. Then in true sailor style he told 
 the Captain of the strange noises they had heard on 
 board ; the unnatural movements of the ship, and 
 her ghost-like appearance in fine weather ; the trouble 
 with the side lights, and Harry's laugh. 
 
 The Captain gave very close attention to that 
 which was to Tom and his mate's of the greatest 
 importance, and was apparently as much interested 
 in the recital of their grievances as if he were listen- 
 ing to a lecture on mathematical astronomy. He 
 knew the superstitions of sailors, and they did not 
 appear any more absurd to him than the good and 
 bad signs of landsmen. If he could respect one he 
 could the other. There was just as good reason for 
 the sailor to leave his ship with the rats as for his 
 brother on land to carry a rabbit's foot. The sailor
 
 TOM BOWLINE 85 
 
 had the same reason to believe bad luck would fol- 
 low the ship that sailed on Friday as his shore 
 brother had to think ill luck would follow him if 
 he should first see the new moon over the left 
 shoulder. 
 
 ' ' Have you seen anything that you would be 
 willing to swear, on your oath as a sailor, was a 
 spirit from the other world?" inquired the Captain 
 very gravely. 
 
 " No, Captain, I can't say on oath as we 
 has. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Have you heard any strange or unnatural noise 
 since we entered the Yellow Sea?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Tom nervously, chewing the rim 
 of his souwester. 
 
 "Then," said the Captain quizzingly, "if the 
 ghosts have left the ship, why do you want to pull 
 for another berth?" 
 
 "Do you think they has left?" cried all hands 
 in one voice, while Tom . looked troubled and cast 
 a reproachful glance at his mates. 
 
 " Do you want me to tell you what I think of 
 the whole matter?" inquired the Captain, with all 
 the solemnity of manner and speech that the occa- 
 sion required. 
 
 "Yes, sir," came in a chorus of voices, and Tom 
 was no longer a representative for his mates, for they, 
 like shore people, had taken up their own cause in
 
 86 RESCUED BT A PRIX HE 
 
 the popular way, which dispensed with the services 
 of leader or tribune. 
 
 "Well," said the Captain, "the circumstances con- 
 nected with this voyage, the fine weather, and idle life, 
 together with the solemnity which pervades the ship, 
 have preyed upon your minds and you have nursed 
 those gloomy thoughts until your imaginations have 
 run wild, and like a ship without a rudder, have been 
 making a crooked wake, wandering around out of your 
 reckoning, without chart or compass. Why should this 
 ship be haunted ? There has been no crime committed 
 on board, no spirit has left the body of any one con- 
 nected with this voyage ; and the fact that as soon 
 as you found work enough to divert your minds into 
 another channel you have not heard any strange sounds, 
 and the side lights have not given you any more trouble, 
 is evidence enough to satisfy any well ballast' d sailor 
 that his suspicions have no foundation." 
 
 "But what makes the side lights go out so many 
 times ? ' ' inquired one of the sailors, while the rest 
 appeared to be thinking seriously over the Captain's 
 reasonable explanation of what had so troubled them. 
 
 "Have you forgotten," quietly answered the Cap- 
 tain, "that we always have trouble with the lights 
 in fine weather?- Every sailor knows that, if he don't 
 understand the cause. If the lanterns were so con- 
 structed as to have ventilation enough for the lights 
 to burn brightly in a calm, when you can carry a
 
 TOM BOWLINE 87 
 
 lighted candle about deck, they would let in too much 
 air whenever we have a whole sail breeze, and be of 
 no use whatever in a gale of wind." 
 
 "That's square-rigged, mates," said Tom Bowline, 
 who was always authority in consideration of his forty 
 years on salt water. 
 
 "But," continued the Captain, "this is a gloomy 
 ship, and ill suited to light-hearted sailors. I don't 
 blame you for wanting to leave such melancholy 
 surroundings, and you are free to go. The law will 
 not allow me to give you an honorable discharge, 
 but come aft in an hour and get your wages. After 
 dark go quietly ashore, but keep a sharp lookout 
 for the land sharks, who will follow in your wake 
 in hopes of the reward I shall offer in compliance 
 with the law in such cases. It will be my painful 
 duty to enter you in the logbook as deserters in 
 order to account to the authorities in the states for 
 my failure to return you to the home port. I am 
 sorry to part company with you. We have sailed 
 together for many years. I have no hard feelings, 
 and hope you will find a good ship, and" dropping 
 his voice ' ' may you never know the sorrow that is 
 crushing my life out and killing your poor Missus." 
 
 "You may keelhaul me, Captain," said old Tom, 
 with the tears streaming down his bronzed cheeks 
 and forgetting his " forty years" preamble, "if I leaves 
 this. ship. We'll stay with you an' stan' by the ship;
 
 88 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 we won't leave er shipmate on er lee shore. It was 
 the ghosts, an' we has been a lot of lubberly fools; 
 what say you, mates?" 
 
 "Three chee " 
 
 "Avast heaving, mates!" said Tom, "we can't 
 cheer when Missus 's ashore sick an' little Harry 
 with the savages." 
 
 As the Captain silently held out his hand old 
 Tom grasped it with a grip that assured the Captain 
 of his sympathy and support. Each sailor in turn 
 shook hands with the ' ' old man ' ' and quietly left the 
 quarter-deck. 
 
 " Xoble fellows," mused the Captain later, watch- 
 ing them contentedly lounging on the topgallant fore- 
 castle, smoking and spinning yarns, "ready to fight 
 man or beast at a moment's notice; every day in 
 peril of their lives. But if they should see a rat leave 
 the ship, every one of them would follow, and no rea- 
 son or logic could bring them back." Then ordering 
 Mr. Baker to get the ship under way and lay off and 
 on, he stepped over the side, down the ship ladder 
 into the boat. The men gave way and the boat shot 
 through the water toward the large hotel on the 
 beach.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE TYPHOON 
 
 A FTER backing and filling for au hour or more, 
 *^ the ship filled away and stood in toward the 
 hotel on the beach, tacked ship upon meeting the boat, 
 and with her main topsail to the mast waited for the 
 Captain to come alongside. 
 
 ' ' Stand by the lee main braces ! ' ' ordered the 
 Captain, as he reached the deck, and the boat was 
 run up to the davits, "main topsail haul ! " The yards 
 swung around, the sails filled, and the ship gathered 
 way on her course up the Gulf of Peehili, bound for 
 Neuchwang. The Captain dipped his flag. A white 
 handkerchief waved from the veranda of the hotel on 
 the beach. That was all but who can describe the 
 feelings of the man on the ship, leaving his wife sick 
 in a foreign land, or the anguish of the woman on the 
 veranda among strangers, her boy, if alive, with the sav- 
 ages, and her husband again on the treacherous sea? 
 
 Receiving her cargo in Neuchwang, for Amoy, the 
 ship was again in the Gulf of Peehili, slowly making 
 her way to the Yellow Sea. The weather had been 
 fine for several days; in fact, too fine for that part 
 
 (89)
 
 90 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 of the world and the season of the year. The beautiful 
 cirrus clouds floating high and slowly moving from the 
 east; hot, dry, and very light air, and a slightly rising 
 barometer, are to the sailor ominous signs not to be 
 disregarded. 
 
 A halo around the sun during the day and a veil 
 over the face of the moon at night; the sunrise and sun- 
 set gloriously colored with crimson, gold, and amber, 
 and the twilight rays beautiful beyond description; 
 these might deceive the landsman, but never the sailor. 
 
 The ship had made but Uttle progress for several 
 days, and now was hardly under steerageway. About 
 thirty miles off the starboard beam the high promon- 
 tory of Shantung, with Chefoo on one side and Port 
 Arthur on the other, stood clearly outlined in that 
 clear, transparent atmosphere which always precedes 
 a typhoon. 
 
 The Captain, apparently unconcerned, walked the 
 quarter-deck, watching the barometer as if calculating 
 how long before the storm w r ould be upon him, and 
 casting longing glances toward the land. He knew 
 what was coming, but he had confidence in himself and 
 in his ship, and one storm more or less makes but little 
 difference in the life of a sailor. 
 
 "Mr. Baker," said the Captain, as that officer came 
 on deck, ' ' send down topgallant and royal yards, and 
 strike the topgallant masts fore and aft, and make all 
 snug for a good-sized tea party."
 
 THE TTPHOON 91 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded the officer, as he went 
 forward to execute the order. 
 
 The Captain continued to pace the deck, watching 
 the weather and the sailors, who were working with 
 a will, making ready for the storm that was soon to 
 burst upon them. The beautiful cirrus formation was 
 gradually replaced by heavy masses of cumulus clouds, 
 and the few patches of blue sky were streaked with 
 faint dashes of pale cirrus forms. Long regular swells, 
 gradually increasing in volume, were heaving the sur- 
 face of the ocean, and the thin, transparent mist 
 creeping over the water, together with the falling of the 
 barometer, gave unmistakable evidence that the terror 
 of the China Sea was approaching. The temperature 
 began to fall, and the air became oppressive from 
 the increasing dampness, with the sky threatening and 
 vaporous. The ship slowly rising on the ever increasing 
 swell, then as quietly dropping into the hollow of the 
 sea, with her sails filling, then flapping against the 
 masts with a sound peculiar to a strange atmospheric 
 condition, caused all on board to feel an ominous, 
 inexplainable dread which cannot be described. 
 
 "Take in the upper topsails, reef the foresail, and 
 stow the main and mizzen courses! " ordered the 
 Captain. 
 
 The ship was soon under lower topsails, fore, main, 
 and mizzen staysails, and reefed fore course. The 
 sun went down behind a heavy bank of clouds, the
 
 92 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 vanguard of the terrible enemy that was yet below the 
 horizon. 
 
 The phosphorescence of the sea was greatly increased, 
 while the crest of the swell, already slightly agitated 
 by the imperceptible pressure of the wind, began to 
 ripple, producing a light, weird sound that, amid the 
 darkness and the solemn stillness, might be imagined 
 the wail of a lost soul. 
 
 The Captain and officers were silently watching the 
 dark, appalling bank that was slowly, but surely 
 creeping toward the zenith, while the crew, gathered 
 in the waist, was waiting with nervous dread, like 
 soldiers before a battle, the approach of the raging 
 elements. 
 
 The typhoon was now close aboard. Already puffs of 
 warm, damp air could be felt, while a long luminous 
 line of phosphoritic foam, like a rim of fire, revealed 
 the close proximity of the storm. The Captain, who 
 had been watching for the first sign that would indi- 
 cate from what quarter the wind wouW strike the ship, 
 shouted through his speaking trumpet, "Stand by the 
 starboard main braces! " and every man was at his station. 
 "Let go and haul; lively, men!" but they did not 
 need the last command; every man realized the im- 
 portance of quick action. The heavy yards, with the 
 whir ,of the ropes running through the rattling blocks, 
 swung around with a mournful sound, just in time to 
 catch the first squall, which struck the ship with such
 
 THE TYPHOON 93 
 
 force that she careened lower and lower until her yard- 
 arms nearly touched the water. The great ship sagged, 
 trembled, and then gradually picking herself up, 
 gathered headway, and like a frightened monster of the 
 deep dashed away in the darkness, with a great roll 
 of fiery foam before her, leaving a luminous serpentine 
 wake behind. 
 
 The first danger was past. A moment's delay in 
 executing the order would have imperiled the lives of 
 all on board, for the ship would have been forced 
 down, stern foremost, had she been caught aback in such 
 a terrific squall. 
 
 "Not so bad sir, after all!" exclaimed Mr. Ba- 
 ker, as he came aft to report all snug and receive 
 further orders. 
 
 "Our situation is critical in the extreme," re- 
 plied the Captain ; "we have not got the worst of 
 it. The center of the storm is forward of the beam, 
 and the land is too close aboard to lay to on the 
 other tack. We cannot carry sail to cross the course 
 of the advancing storm center; our only hope is in 
 the staunchness of the ship, and no unlucky sea 
 striking us at a critical moment." 
 
 "She's all oak, sir," replied the officer, "and we 
 must take our chances as to unlucky seas," making 
 a dive for the mizzen rigging just in time to save 
 himself from a watery grave as a reminder of what 
 was to follow tumbled over on deck, lifting him off
 
 94 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 his feet and stretching him out like a weather vane. 
 But he held his grip on the rigging, landed on his 
 feet, and, spitting the salt water out of his mouth, 
 went forward -to see how things looked. 
 
 The wind increased in violence with each length- 
 ening squall until there was no perceptible lull, but 
 one continuous howling of the wind. 
 
 The sea presented the appearance of boiling water, 
 due to the air which is caught and imprisoned by 
 the seething foam on the crest of the huge waves 
 lashed into fury. The sky was black and threaten- 
 ing, and had a peculiar awe-inspiring appearance, 
 while the overpowering presentiment of coming danger 
 struck terror to the hearts of even the brave sailors 
 who had met danger in every form. 
 
 With a cannon-like report that could be heard 
 above the shrieking wind and howling billows, every 
 stitch of canvas was blown from the bolt ropes, 
 which relieved the straining ship from the pressure 
 that had buried her lee rail under the water. The 
 sails furled on the yards were blown from their gas- 
 kets and stripped into ribbons. No bells were struck, 
 no watch was set, but all hands watched, wet and 
 weary, and fought for their lives, while the noble 
 ship struggled with the elements threatening to en- 
 gulf her. An increasing pressure of the wind, a 
 perceptible change in the atmosphere, and a noticeable 
 commotion of the water, then a calm ; but one to
 
 THE TTPHOON 95 
 
 be feared more than the most terrific gale. It was 
 the calm center of the typhoon, and few are the 
 ships that ever come out of that treacherous storm 
 center. The winds were hushed, but the seas, re- 
 lieved from the pressure of the wind, were in the 
 wildest confusion. Overhead the clouds were thin and 
 high, often permitting the stars to peep cheerfully 
 through, as if in mockery of the helpless ship below. 
 But woe betide those who are deceived by the lull of 
 this central calm, for around it on all sides the wind 
 is sweeping in a circle, howling and shrieking at its 
 greatest velocity, making it impossible to tell from 
 what quarter the dangerous squall will sweep down 
 and strike the ship as she emerges from the calm 
 center. However appalling may be this central calm, 
 which is caused by the rotary motion of the wind 
 and is often twenty miles in diameter, it affords a 
 breathing spell, and the sailor feels assured that half 
 the storm has passed. After the first encounter with 
 the wind on the other side of the circle, the worst 
 is over. The clear space overhead was now closing 
 up with the black angry clouds, and the ship, lying 
 completely at the mercy of wind and wave, was soon 
 met by the opposite circle of the storm, and like a 
 leviathan of the deep, was making her last struggle 
 for life. A monstrous wave struck her in the stern, 
 lifted her up until she appeared to stand on end, 
 then dropped her like a plaything into the hollow
 
 96 RESCUED BT A PRTNCE 
 
 of a sea, with her broad side presented to another 
 fearful sea that completely hove her down. The 
 wave that had thrown the ship on her beam ends 
 partially whirled her around, so the next sea struck 
 her on the lee quarter, bringing such a strain on 
 the masts which were lying in the water that they 
 snapped like pipestems. The ship, released from 
 her top-hamper, righted, but was still entirely at 
 the mercy of the waves that rose up like huge walls, 
 sparkling with phosphorescent light, breaking into 
 each other, and falling upon the deck with the force 
 of a cataract. The luminous water 'revealed only a 
 black hull surrounded by the debris of the wreck. 
 Everything movable had been washed from the deck. 
 The large, heavy masts, with yards attached, were 
 still held to the ship by the rigging, and acted 
 upon by the billows, served as so many battering 
 rams that threatened to crush in the sides of the ship. 
 
 The moaning of the wind and the driving of the 
 spoon drift; the thunderous roar of the water, which 
 was continually sweeping over the deck; men with bated 
 breath frantically clinging for their lives; over all a 
 terrible pall of inky darkness, relieved only by the mys- 
 tical lurid light of the sea; all this was a scene of wild 
 and fearful grandeur seldom witnessed, neither can it 
 be imagined or described. But once seen, it is never 
 forgotten. 
 
 In addition to the horrors of the situation, three
 
 THE TrpHOON 97 
 
 men had been washed overboard and could be plainly 
 seen from the deck, clinging to the spars which still 
 held to the ship. It was useless to give orders. The 
 human voice could not be heard above the roar of the 
 storm. But this awful sight, supernatural in effect, as 
 the glow of the lurid light of the sea shone full on the 
 horrified faces of the drowning men, broke the spell 
 that had fallen over all, and aroused the sailors from 
 their stupor. They needed no orders, but rushed to the 
 aid of their shipmates at the peril of their lives, and 
 rescued them from a watery grave. Then with a de- 
 termination born of desperation, they cleared from the 
 ship the wreckage that had nearly completed her de- 
 struction. 
 
 At daylight the gale had spent its force, and the 
 noble ship that so proudly breasted the waves but twelve 
 hours before lay a helpless wreck in the track of the 
 storm. It was a sad sight even for the hardy sailors 
 who had witnessed many trying scenes, and passed 
 through many dangers. 
 
 To a landsman the situation would appear as a hope- 
 less one, if he was on board a large sailing ship, with 
 nothing to show above the hull, and a thousand miles 
 from the port of his destination. But not so with Cap- 
 tain Willis. With his wife sick in a foreign land and 
 his boy among the cannibals, it was useless to fret 
 about difficulties that must be overcome. 
 
 The spare spars lashed to the ringbolts on deck
 
 98 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 had not been washed away, and inside of twenty-four 
 hours the ship was making four knots, on her course, 
 under jury masts which would bring her into port in ten 
 days, if the breeze continued. 
 
 "Won't lose so much time after all," said Mr. 
 Baker, as he looked with pride upon the jury masts that 
 his untiring energy had so quickly rigged up. ' ' You 
 have done a good job, Mr. Baker, and if the wind holds 
 fair we'll make pretty good time for a lame duck.'' 
 
 " Wrong season of the year, sir, to put any de- 
 pendence in the northeast monsoon. She might have 
 held on for another month if the typhoon had not 
 knocked her out. We can make quite a wake with 
 the wind abaft the beam, but when we brace up sharp 
 on the wind we'll crawl to leeward like a crab off 
 soundings," said the officer, sweeping his eye around 
 the horizon. 
 
 "I guess you're right," replied the Captain, "but 
 we will take what comes ! ' ' 
 
 "We've took what's come so far, and what we 
 haven't took, the typhoon has," said Mr. Baker, look- 
 ing around the sea-swept deck and glancing at the 
 scanty sails. 
 
 "She don't look much like the Flyin' Dutchman 
 now," said old Tom, lying pn his back on the top- 
 gallant forecastle, and looking up at the foreyard lashed 
 to the stump of the foremast, with a topgallant yard 
 across. "The ole man's er sailor all right, an' Mr.
 
 THE TYPHOON 99 
 
 Baker's no lubber. I likes to sail with such men ; 
 they knows how to handle er ship in er storm an' 
 out of one. Say, mates, didn't the ole man line up 
 that first en' of the typhoon shipshape ? That's sea- 
 manship. This remin's me of the cruise of the Po- 
 lar Bear some thirty odd years back." 
 
 " Give us the yarn, mate, "came in a chorus of voices. 
 And so passed the first "dogwatch" after the storm, 
 all hardships and dangers forgotten, smoking and spin- 
 ning yarns, discussing the storm and criticising their 
 officers, till the striking of eight bells cut short their 
 yarns, to be continued in the next "dogwatch." 
 
 As Mr. Baker predicted, there was no more mon- 
 soon to depend upon, and what was gained with one 
 wind was lost with the other ; but after beating about 
 for four weeks, at the end of which time she was not 
 halfway to port, an English man-of-war picked up 
 the ship and towed her into port.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 MRS. WYUE, MISSIONARY 
 
 s~> HEFOO is a beautiful city, admirably located on 
 ^ ' the south shore of the harbor, and extending 
 backward on gradually rising ground until it meets a 
 long, low ridge of foothills parallel with the water 
 front. Beyond, another ridge with its lofty peaks 
 and green sloping sides form a pretty background, 
 presenting a scene that artists love to paint. 
 
 In this ' ' Newport ' ' of China the elite of the 
 foreign residents of the southern cities gather during 
 the sultry months of July and August. To the east, 
 just outside of the city limits, stood "The Hotel," 
 kept by a Scotchman and his wife, chiefly his wife. 
 The house, or rather houses, were squatted over a 
 considerable territory, and connected in some way, 
 but no casual observer could tell exactly how. The 
 guests were never known to venture outside of their 
 rooms without a guide, and frequently the servants 
 wandered around for hours in the labyrinthiform 
 hostlery. But the glory of the hotel was the one 
 large hall where the guests assembled for their social 
 (100)
 
 MRS. WYLIE, MISSIONARY 101 
 
 hops, which were a feature of the place and were 
 often honored by the presence of local and foreign 
 celebrities, notably General Grant and his suite while 
 on their trip around the ' world. A broad veranda 
 extending along the front of several houses and making 
 some mysterious connection with each, furnished an 
 ideal place for a lounge or promenade, and afforded a 
 magnificent view of the harbor, overlooking a fine 
 sandy beach with splendid bathing facilities, not only 
 for the guests, but for all the foreign population of 
 the justly celebrated city. 
 
 When the Captain, previous to his sailing for 
 Neuchwang, sought lodgings for his wife at the hotel, 
 the canny old Scotch lady received him with great 
 formality, and conducting him to the great room, 
 ordered a sumptuous lunch, which was served by her 
 husband while his amiable spouse did the talking. 
 The Captain was compelled to listen to the recital 
 of the fine sanitary condition of the place, the solu- 
 bility of the climate, t and the distinguished people 
 she entertained during the year. Then ordering her 
 husband "to tidy up and clear away the lunch," she 
 conducted the Captain to the great veranda and pointed 
 out the wonderful view of the harbor, with his own 
 ship in the distance. Improving the first opportunity, 
 the Captain ventured to inquire regarding the cost 
 of such excellent accommodations and rare privi-
 
 102 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 "Only five dollars a day, or thirty dollars a week 
 for your lady, and fifteen dollars for your lady's 
 maid." 
 
 "Have you not made a mistake, madam?" in- 
 quired the Captain, with the least bit of sarcasm in 
 his voice, ' ' five dollars a day for seven days would 
 be thirty-five dollars.'* 
 
 "O no, indeed!" said the lady, holding up both 
 hands in horror, " I can't take money for the holy 
 Sabbath day." 
 
 The Captain could hardly suppress a smile. He 
 was unprepared for such piety and high prices, con- 
 sidering the poor accommodations; but he was in the 
 hands of the Philistines, and submitted to be shorn. 
 He engaged what she was pleased to term a suite of 
 rooms, consisting of one large room fronting the har- 
 bor, a wardrobe or dressing room, which was an ex- 
 cavation made in the wall of another house, and a 
 bath room without a bath tub, but instead a sawed 
 off cask without water connections, that had seen 
 service on board some whaling ship. But the land- 
 lady, with one of her money-catching smiles, informed 
 the Captain that "the boy" (meaning the Chinese 
 servant) "would fetch the water for a few cash." 
 
 As the Captain did not appear very much enthused 
 over this * ' beautiful suite of rooms and artistic fur- 
 nishings, which was already reserved for Lord , 
 
 who had not as yet sailed from England," she men-
 
 MRS. WTLIE, MISSIONART 103 
 
 tioned the free use of the veranda, with no extra 
 charge for the salubrious climate and full view of the 
 harbor. 
 
 These magnanimous concessions, together with such 
 a show of motherly solicitude for the ' ' poor sick lady 
 so young and pretty with no mother to care for her," 
 could not be resisted, but the Captain gave a sigh of 
 relief as he stepped into his boat, and with an anx- 
 ious glance over his shoulder, quickly ordered the men 
 to ' ' give way lively ! ' ' 
 
 This was to be the home of the Captain's wife 
 while her husband was filling in the three months 
 prescribed by the doctor as necessary for the recov- 
 ery of her health. Under any other circumstances the 
 situation could not have been tolerated, but her only 
 care was for her health ; without it she would not 
 be able to accomplish the object of her life, the res- 
 cue of her boy, which she looked forward to with 
 all the fond hopes of a mother's love. 
 
 She did not improve as rapidly as the doctor had 
 predicted. He had diagnosed her case correctly, and 
 had administered the regular remedies, but they did 
 not produce the desired, or expected results. What 
 was the trouble? As usual, when doctors can think 
 of nothing else, after experimenting with all the reme- 
 dies mentioned in the pharmacopoeia, he advised a 
 change of location. The hotel was too near the sea 
 level; a higher altitude would be beneficial; the stir
 
 104 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 of so many people was not desirable ; it irritated the 
 nerves, and her whole system required absolute rest 
 and perfect quiet. This new prescription was really 
 an encouraging feature, for if her condition had been 
 serious he would have advised the invigorating cli- 
 mate of Hong- Kong, or the bracing air of Hokodadi; 
 in fact, anywhere to have gotten her off his hands, 
 even at the sacrifice of the large fee he was charging 
 up to the Captain. She was anxious to follow the 
 doctor's advice and to leave "The Hotel," but where 
 was she to go ? A stranger among strangers, she 
 had studiously avoided society, since she did not feel 
 equal to the demands it might impose, and she must 
 reserve her strength. 
 
 The doctor had made his usual morning call, and 
 reported his failure to find a suitable place for madam ; 
 but that afternoon he would " call upon Mrs. Wylie, 
 an American missionary, who lives on the ridge back 
 of the town." Then leaving the regulation pills, pow- 
 ders, etc. , he gave the maid more orders than she could 
 remember, and with "I'll call again this evening," 
 was off to his boat on the beach. 
 
 The Captain's wife was looking out over the har- 
 bor with a dreamy expression, as if her thoughts were 
 not in harmony with her vision. The maid was gently 
 brushing her long, dark hair, which always seemed 
 to soothe her tired nerves more than any medicine 
 the doctor prescribed. Each was so absorbed that they
 
 MRS. WTLIE, MISSIONART 105 
 
 did not notice the door open, and two ladies enter 
 the room ; one sweet faced and of middle age, with 
 kindness stamped in every feature, the other, who might 
 have been her daughter, with the same sympathetic 
 expression. They hesitated for an instant, as if un- 
 decided whether to advance or speak, but seeing they 
 had not attracted attention they advanced and were 
 beside the Captain's wife before she knew any one, 
 was in the room. She looked up very wearily, but the 
 moment she saw the motherly face she intuitively sprang 
 up and threw both arms around her neck, and burst 
 into tears for the first time since the loss of little 
 Harry. The kind lady took her in her arms as ten- 
 derly as if she had been a child, then, womanlike, 
 they all cried without knowing the cause. But it was 
 sufficient for the visitors to know that one of their 
 sisters was in trouble, and tears brought relief to the 
 broken heart. 
 
 "My dear child," said Mrs. Wylie, for that was 
 her name, " I am so glad I have found you," but she 
 did not tell her that she had called at the hotel every 
 day for a week, and that the landlady refused to 
 present her card, giving as a reason that the lady's 
 order was not to admit any one to her room. How- 
 ever, she did tell her how she had succeeded in elud- 
 ing the vigilance of the keen-eyed old Scotch lady, 
 and had entered the house unobserved by the spy- 
 ing servants.
 
 106 RESCUED Br A PRINCE 
 
 The door opened again and in came the blustering 
 landlady, officious, but extremely polite. 
 
 " I beg your pardon, ladies, will you please make 
 your call as brief as possible for the sake of the 
 poor sick lady ? She is very weak and nervous, as 
 you can see ; she is crying now. She cries most of 
 the time. I will bring her up to see you just as soon 
 as the doctor will permit me to take her out. Don- 
 ald," she called to her husband, who had followed 
 her as far as the door and stood there meekly await- 
 ing further orders from the head of the family, " when 
 these ladies are ready, accompany them to their chairs." 
 
 "Don't worry, dear, " said Mrs. Wylie, while the 
 Captain's wife clung close to her, as if afraid she would 
 leave. Then to the landlady, "this poor child is 
 going home with me. She is broken-hearted. I know 
 her sorrow. Mary," to her companion, "please order 
 two chairs." 
 
 The landlady was so completely surprised by the cool, 
 authoritative manner of Mrs. Wylie that she did not 
 say a word, but eased her mind to some extent by 
 boxing her husband's ears as she passed him at the 
 door. 
 
 The Captain's wife knew she had found a friend, 
 and without knowing who she was or where she was 
 going, clung to her as she would her mother. 
 
 A refreshing ride in the .comfortable sedan chairs 
 brought them to a pretty New England cottage hid-
 
 MRS. WTLIE, MISSIONART 107 
 
 den by shade trees and creeping vines. The doctor 
 called upon Mrs. Wylie in the afternoon, who, in answer 
 to his earnest pleadings for his patient, said with an 
 expression that puzzled him, "You are a little too 
 late, for I have just given up my own room to a very 
 deserving young lady who will be our guest for some 
 time; but she is an invalid and may need professional 
 attention; will you please step into the next room?" 
 rising and leading the way. "Permit me to intro- 
 duce " Here the astonished doctor interrupted 
 
 the introduction by exclaiming, "How did you get here 
 before you left the hotel? " 
 
 This Irish bull caused a ripple of laughter at the 
 expense of the doctor. Recovering from his surprise, 
 the doctor declared that his patient was much improved 
 and that his never failing remedies were producing 
 their usual magical effect. The ladies smiled, wonder- 
 ing if that remark was another sample of the doctor's 
 Irish wit. 
 
 This new home for the Captain's wife was a sweet 
 haven of rest to the storm-tossed soul. Mrs. Wylie 
 and her missionary companions were from New England, 
 which was the home of her guest, and their native 
 tastes were manifested, not only in the house and fur- 
 nishing, but in the well-kept lawn, pretty flower beds 
 and shrubbery, with vines climbing all over the house. 
 The high elevation of this New England home afforded 
 a magnificent bird's-eye view of a miniature China,
 
 108 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 with a typical Chinese city nestling below, and villages 
 strung like beads on ribbon-like roads radiating from 
 the central city to a vanishing point. Beyond the city 
 lay the broad, smooth waters of the finest harbor in 
 the Empire, dotted with craft of all kinds, from the 
 Chinese junk to the clipper ships and stately war craft 
 of all nations. The ships were coming and going, and 
 sanpans were flitting from shore to ship, producing a 
 panoramic effect during the day, and, with the lights 
 of the ships resembling a well-lighted city, a fairy 
 scene, at night. 
 
 The quiet, religious influences of the mission house 
 pervaded the whole atmosphere and produced a most 
 wonderful change in the health of the Captain's wife. 
 
 " My dear," said Mrs. Wylie, as she came in from 
 a visit of mercy to one of the heathens, ' ' do come out 
 and behold the most glorious sunset you ever wit- 
 nessed. ' ' 
 
 "I have seen these beautiful sunsets before, " said the 
 Captain's wife sadly, "and they always precede the ty- 
 phoon." Then looking over the harbor and far away 
 to seaward, where sky and water meet, she continued, 
 " My husband is on the sea, and cannot be far from 
 this place. ' ' 
 
 "Don't worry about your husband, dear," said 
 Mrs. Wylie gently, "it will not help him and it 
 will do you much harm." Then she turned the con- 
 versation into a more pleasant channel.
 
 WTLIR, MissiONARr 109 
 
 The clouds gradually crept over the sky, increasing 
 in blackness, till the storm burst upon the city in all 
 its fury. No one went to bed that terrible night of 
 wind and storm. The converted Chinese flocked to the 
 mission and huddled together in the chapel and school- 
 room, while the heathen sought their temples and im- 
 plored their gods for protection. The sun rose bright 
 and cheerful on a scene of destruction, as if to atone 
 for the havoc of the storm. The beach was strewn with 
 the wreckage of junks, sanpans, and other small craft; 
 but the foreign ships in port rode out the storm in 
 safety. The city had not suffered much, as the houses 
 were well built, thanks to a previous typhoon that had 
 demolished the poorly-constructed city of a former 
 period; but the streets were blockaded with shutters and 
 the debris of verandas, and other extra trimmings, 
 while the market place was swept clean of its booths 
 and the stalls of the money changers. 
 
 The men-of-war stationed at Chefoo cruised out- 
 side for several days, rendering assistance to all they 
 met, and towing into port the dismasted that were for- 
 tunate enough to be picked up. 
 
 The Captain's wife did not show as much anxiety 
 after the storm as she did before, which was surprising 
 to Mrs. Wylie, who carefully avoided any mention of 
 the typhoon and its probable results. She watched the 
 men-of-war as they left the harbor, and knew their mis- 
 sion. She saw them return with the unfortunate ships
 
 110 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 in tow and knew that her husband's ship was no: 
 among them. 
 
 " One of those ships may be your husband's," said 
 Mrs. Wylie, as they sat at the window watching the 
 men-of-war as they brought their tows up to the anchor- 
 age. 
 
 "No," she replied, "my husband's ship was dis- 
 mantled in the storm, and is now making her way 
 to port under jury mast, and it will be a long time 
 before I shall hear from him; but the ship is safe 
 and he is all right." This, said in such a quiet, 
 assuring manner, caused Mrs. Wylie to look with 
 surprise at her guest. Not noticing the astonishment 
 of her friend, for her thoughts were far away, the 
 Captain's wife continued in the same soft tone, "On 
 the night of the typhoon I was on board the ship, 
 and the stars were shining overhead, but such a fear- 
 ful sea, and oh! such darkness all around, made 
 more appalling by the circular patch of clear sky 
 directly overhead. But this did not last long; the 
 wind struck the ship and she was thrown down. 
 The masts gave way and she righted, and after a 
 while the wind went down. When I awoke it was 
 daylight." 
 
 "My dear child," said Mrs. Wylie, we were much 
 surprised and greatly relieved when you fell asleep 
 a little before midnight, and we were careful not to 
 awaken you. But what a remarkable dream, and X
 
 s. WTL/E, MISSIOXART 111 
 
 believe every word of it. Our Heavenly Father knows 
 how much we can bear, but how do you know the 
 ship is under jury masts, as you call them, and what 
 are they, anyway?" 
 
 "Well," replied the Captain's wife, smiling at the 
 earnestness of her friend, " I was bom on the coast 
 of New England ; my father and my brothers are 
 sailors. I married a sailor and have passed several 
 years on shipboard, and am familiar with nautical 
 terms and usage. Jury masts are spars rigged up in 
 place of those that have been carried away. The 
 ship cannot make much progress under these impro- 
 vised masts and sails, and it will take a much longer 
 time for the ship to reach her port of destina- 
 tion." 
 
 "Well, dear," replied Mrs. Wylie, "I don't 
 know much about jury , masts or any other masts, 
 but I am glad you have the assurance of your hus- 
 band's safety. That being settled,'' she said gayly, 
 "you have nothing to do but to get well." 
 
 The Captain's wife improved rapidly under the 
 motherly care of Mrs. Wylie, and the quieting in- 
 fluence pervading the mission house was soothing 
 to the exhausted nerves, and when she received a 
 message from her husband to meet him at Swatow, 
 she was able to make the trip and as she stood on 
 the deck of the steamer, ready to sail, taking leave of
 
 112 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 her kind friends, she was cheerful if not happy. 
 The joyful news of her husband's arrival at Amoy, 
 and the prospects of meeting him in a few days 
 lessened the sorrow she felt in parting with the dear 
 old lady who had been a mother to her in her 
 greatest affliction.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES 
 
 '"pnE ship had been thoroughly overhauled, and re- 
 ^ fitted with spars, rigging, and sails, and more 
 to please the sailors than anything else, she now hard 
 skysail yards crossed. The last back stay had been 
 set down, and the yards squared by lifts and braces. 
 The sailors, after their hard day's work, were loung- 
 ing about on the topgallant forecastle, silently ad- 
 miring their own handiwork. Old Tom, breaking the 
 silence with his usual preface to all important ques- 
 tions, said, " Man an' boy I've sailed salt water nigh 
 onto forty years, an' never erboard er skysail yarder, 
 but they look more like broomsticks, an' carries er 
 sail 'bout the size of er ole woman's apron." 
 
 "Avast heaving, mate," said the new hand who 
 had taken rank next to old Tom as a deep water 
 sailor and yarn spinner, and was familiarly called 
 Jack, "the ole man only put them sticks across to 
 please us, an' you set us to wantin' 'em. When we 
 goes aft what did the ole man say ? " 
 
 "Why," said Tom, "he kinder smiles an' says. 
 
 ("3)
 
 114 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 ' Well, boys, if ye wants to take care of 'em, up 
 they goes.'" 
 
 "That's right, mate," said Jack, "but the ole 
 man knows we'll get tired of 'em playthings. Just 
 that more top-hamper to take care of." 
 
 "True, mate," replied Tom, "they hain't no use, 
 but it makes the ole girl look lofty an' kind er stately 
 like, an' we takes no back water now from any ship 
 erfloat. " Then,, as if the skysail yards were a re- 
 flection upon his judgment as a practical sailor, he 
 looked down the harbor and continued, ' ' I wonder 
 when the ole man an' Missus will pull into port? 
 He's been gone er week." 
 
 "Can't tell," said Jack, reflectively biting off a 
 chew of navy. " Missus is comin' by the way of 
 Swatow on one of 'em hot-water craft loaded to hei 
 scuppers with oil cake an' peas, steamers they calls 
 'em," rising to his feet. " sposen the biler busts, or 
 some of 'em cogwheels gets out er geer, where'd 
 she be?" 
 
 "They'd rig up jury mast an' get into port way 
 we did," said Tom, with an air of superior knowl- 
 edge. 
 
 "Rig up jury mast," slowly repeated Jack con- 
 temptuously, then to the group of sailors, ignoring 
 Tom, "There's no sailors erboard them teapots. 
 Just er lot er Ian' lubbers, me-can-iks they calls 'em, 
 an' coal heavers. They don't know er spanker boom
 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES 115 
 
 from er jackstay, an' them steamboats just creep 
 along through the water as if they's shamed to be er- 
 float, an' er topsail breeze washes the seas over 'em 
 like er half tide rock. Guess Missus '11 be glad to 
 get erboard er ship ag'n." 
 
 Jack had struck the right chord for the old sailing 
 ship sailors, and Tom was losing caste, but he was 
 too old a sailor to be caught on the wrong tack. 
 
 "That's square in the wake, mates," said Tom, 
 covering the bowl of his pipe with the palm of his hand, 
 and pulling hard, "I kinder thinks we oughter give 
 Missus some kin' of er reception when she comes er- 
 board. ' ' 
 
 "That's true, mates," said Jack, "but what shall we 
 do? We can't have no jollification till we fin' Harry." 
 
 " Let's go aft an' see the mate," said Tom, "we 
 must do the square thing." 
 
 " Well, men, what can I do for you; want to go on 
 shore? " asked Mr. Baker, as the ship's company lined 
 up on the quarter-deck. 
 
 " No sir," said Tom, " we don't wants to go ashore; 
 we wants your advice. We wants to pay our respects 
 to Missus when she gets on board, an' we don't wants 
 to crowd too much sail on the wrong tack, but we 
 wants to show her that we is glad she's got back, an' 
 don't want to show any disregard to her feelin's on 
 account of Harry." 
 
 " Very kind and considerate of you, men," said Mr.
 
 116 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 Baker sympathetically, "I will think the matter over 
 and have a talk with you in the morning. We will 
 all join in the welcome to Missus." 
 
 "We all has wages due us, sir. We wants every- 
 thing shipshape, an' don't care for the cost, an' we all 
 wants to pay our shares," said Jack. 
 
 "All right, men," said Mr. Baker. "Captain and 
 Missus will be in tomorrow afternoon, and we will 
 manage something that will be proper." 
 
 "Can't depend on them steamers, sir," said Jack. 
 Then saluting the officer the crew went forward, well 
 pleased with the result of their mission aft. 
 
 " Mail boat from Swatow," said Mr. Baker, slowly 
 reading the signal displayed on the flagstaff of the 
 signal station, which greatly relieved the sailors who 
 were togged out in their shore clothes, nervously await- 
 ing the arrival of Missus. The men were having a 
 holiday, and the ship was dressed with flags from 
 jib boom end to spanker boom. All the captains in 
 port, knowing the sad circumstances connected with 
 the loss of little Harry, and following the example 
 or Mr. Baker, dressed their own ships, which gave 
 the harbor a gala day, but quiet, appearance. 
 
 As the mail boat steamed up slowly between the 
 tiers of ships that lay moored on both sides of the 
 channel, flags were dipped by each ship in turn as 
 the steamer passed them, much to the surprise cf 
 the captain and passengers of the mail boat, who
 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES 117 
 
 wondered what great personage they had on board 
 to whom such honors were due. It was not honor 
 to great achievement, it was not honor to rank or 
 nobility; but it \vas the silent hearts' response to the 
 father and mother in their great grief. It was that 
 human sympathetic chord whose vibrations were felt 
 by every one in touch with it. 
 
 As the Captain's wife entered the cabin she gave 
 one glance around, then sat down and cried. The 
 cabin was transformed into a veritable bower of roses, 
 and over the door of her stateroom the word ' ' Wel- 
 come" artistically worked out in white roses, with a 
 green background. This was the sailors' reception. 
 When she could control her emotions the sailors were 
 called into the cabin and received heartfelt thanks 
 from Missus and the Captain. Tom felt as if the 
 occasion called for some kind of a speech, and bracing 
 
 himself began, "Man an' " but a nudge from Jack 
 
 checked his preamble. He tried to begin again, but 
 failed. Jack, feeling as if the honor of the fore- 
 castle was at stake, took the floor, but after several 
 attempts to frame an opening remark, he blurted out, 
 "Did ye like that steamboat, Missus?" 
 
 "No, Jack," said Missus smiling, "I never want 
 to step on board a steamship agaii , and I am glad to 
 get back to our own ship once more." 
 
 "Didn't I tell ye so, mates?" said Jack trium- 
 phantly. Then paying their respects to Missus tLc
 
 118 RESCUED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 sailors left the cabin, well pleased with their part of 
 " Missus' reception. " 
 
 Leaving the harbor of Amoy the ship sailed for 
 Surabaya, on the east coast of Java. She took the 
 northeast monsoon, which for a month or more had 
 been blowing strong in the northern part of the China 
 Sea, and the Captain, feeling assured that the peri- 
 odical wind, extending to the Straits of Sunda, had 
 set in for its regular term of six months, looked forward 
 to a quick and pleasant passage. 
 
 Although piracy in its boldest form had been sup- 
 pressed since the advent of steamships, yet it was 
 extremely dangerous for unprotected ships, if caught 
 near the land. War ships of all nations were stationed 
 in the principal ports, and made frequent cruises, but 
 could give no protection to a ship, becalmed, among 
 the islands, under cover of darkness. 
 
 The direct route down the China Sea lay close 
 to the eastermost and largest island of an extensive 
 group off the Gulf of Tonquin, and the Captain had 
 no reason to change from the regular course. With 
 the strong northeast monsoon there was no danger 
 of pirates, either in the large junks or in small 
 canoes, boarding his fast ship. The wind held strong 
 with a high barometer and no indication of a change. 
 
 On the morning of the fourth day from Amoy 
 land was sighted, and as the Captain desired to im- 
 prove the opportunity to gain some idea of an island
 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES 119 
 
 of which no mention, except to location, was made 
 in any nautical work, he changed his course so as 
 to run within a mile of the coast. 
 
 With the exception of huge mountain-like cumulus 
 low on the southwest horizon, the sky was clear; 
 but the barometer fell slightly while the thermome- 
 ter rose, yet the wind continued fresh and there 
 was no apparent reason why the island would not 
 be left far astern before dark. 
 
 "I don't like the looks of that mass of round- 
 heads in the southwest," said Mr. Baker, as he 
 professionally scanned the horizon. 
 
 " It does look as if the northeast monsoon was 
 not quite sure of its position yet, but I guess she 
 will knock out the southwester," replied the Cap- 
 tain. But what a magnificent island ! The prettiest 
 spots on earth are peopled by savages," this reflec- 
 tively, "but then civilization destroys all natural 
 beauty, anyway, and what does it give in return? 
 What charming scenery ! I never got such a fine 
 view of this island before; too bad we can't spare 
 the time to go ashore." 
 
 "I wish we were farther off shore, sir," said 
 Mr. Baker, reprovingly, "distance would lend en- 
 chantment to my view at least, especially so on ac- 
 count of Missus." 
 
 The Captain, net well pleased with the tone and 
 remark of his old and tried officer, replied in no
 
 120 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 pleasant manner: "With all due respect to your judg- 
 ment as an old sailor, I don't see any great danger 
 in running this coast down close aboard ; and more, 
 sir, it is my duty to make note of all islands in my 
 course and report my observations to the Nautical 
 office at Washington for the general benefit of navi- 
 gation," and he looked over the ship's side, then at 
 Mr. Baker. "Pirates would soon quit business if they 
 depended upon ships in a breeze like this, and it don't 
 slack up a bit." 
 
 "Neither will it, sir," said Mr. Baker earnestly, 
 "till we run plump into the calm. The fact is, sir, 
 the monsoons are fighting, and when we get between 
 the two contending winds there will be a dead calm, 
 which may last for hours." 
 
 "You are right, sir," said the Captain, " as to the 
 conflict of opposing winds, and the only question is 
 the location of the aerial battle, which I believe is 
 a long way from this island. The northeaster has 
 been blowing steady for a month, and did you ever 
 know her to let go for the southwester after she 
 got such a start ? ' ' 
 
 "Not ordinarily, Captain, but you see the ty- 
 phoon broke up the souwester, and the noreaster 
 started in a mouth ahead of time ; and while she has 
 been broke up several times and held pretty steady, 
 up north, for three or four weeks she hasn't forced 
 her way down sea yet." Then coming close to the
 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES 121 
 
 Captain and speaking in a low tone, he continued, 
 "if we get becalmed off this island you'll have more 
 observations to report to the Nautical office for the 
 benefit of navigation, and there will not be so ma'ny 
 pirates in this part of the world by daylight tomor- 
 row morning. I have met them before. They are 
 nothing more or less than wild men, but they will 
 fight like devils. They haven't much to fight with, 
 and if it was not for Mis lyook at that smoke!" 
 
 Tlu Captain, looking toward the south end of the 
 island, saw a perpendicular column of gray smoke, 
 and a calm streak extending a long distance off shore. 
 "Stand by the starboard braces!" he ordered, losing 
 all interest in the beautiful island and his report for 
 the benefit of navigation, while a look of alarm was 
 plainly discernible. ' ' Let go and haul brace up 
 sharp on the wind ! " Then to the man at the wheel, 
 "Full and by, with a rap full 1 " 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded the sailor; then low to 
 his watchmate just relieving the wheel, ," Guess the 
 ole man's found that a'ril battlefield." 
 
 The rattling of blocks and creaking of yards brought 
 the Captain's wife on deck, and to her look of inquiry 
 the Captain replied in the most casual manner, " The 
 current is setting us in too near the land, and I am 
 hauling off shore. " She did not show any alarm, and, 
 the sea being rough, soon went below. The ship, un- 
 der a heavier pressure, by - being brought up to the
 
 12:2 RESCUED BI~ A PRINCE 
 
 wind, was crawling off shore in fine style, while the 
 calm streak which had so alarmed the Captain, was 
 growing wider and gradually creeping up to the ship. 
 
 "The winds are in for a fight, and so are we," 
 said Mr. Baker. " If that calm streak would come 
 faster we might get the sou wester on the other side 
 of the calm. She has pretty near found her match, 
 and won't go much farther, but will lay and fight the 
 noreaster, and we may lay becalmed till after mid- 
 night." 
 
 The ship had made but two miles off shore when 
 the breeze, still blowing, had lost its force and the 
 calm was close aboard. The sails hung loosely from 
 the yards. The ship lost steerageway and lay becalmed 
 within three miles of the island. The calm streak, 
 backing up to windward like a prairie fire, creeping 
 away from the ship, and widening the space where two 
 winds of great force were waging a royal battle, pre- 
 sented a wonderful, but not infrequent natural phe- 
 nomenon. 
 
 Heavy cumulus clouds were rising in the northeast 
 to meet those of the southwest, while far up the Gulf 
 of Tonquin was another huge mass of the same forma- 
 tion, resembling snow-capped mountains, and close 
 aboard the island, with its thick green foliage relieved 
 by innumerable slender columns of smoke indicating 
 its dense population. 
 
 Night came on. The northeast clouds gradually
 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES 123 
 
 ascended toward the zenith, while the bank in the 
 southwest remained stationary ; but the well-defined 
 outlines of the beautiful cumulus in the northwest 
 softened and took on the form of the nimbus, or rain 
 clouds. 
 
 "The blackest night, sir, I ever saw," said Mr. 
 Baker, as the Captain, coming out of the cabin, ran 
 into the officer in the darkness. 
 
 "It does look wild," replied the Captain, looking 
 around overhead, "but it will prevent those pirates 
 from finding us, and we will certainly get the wind 
 before a great while." 
 
 ' ' Yes, sir, ' ' said Mr. Baker, ' ' and I wish she was 
 here now. I don't like this helpless condition so close 
 to that infernal island." 
 
 "What is the matter with you, Mr. Baker?" asked 
 the Captain, "You are getting as nervous as my wife. 
 Are all hands going crazy ? and is this ship a floating 
 lunatic asylum ? ' ' 
 
 "With all respect, Captain, and I know my place, 
 Missus would not get so nervous if you paid more at- 
 tention to what she says. She wanted you to west- 
 ward these islands and she is as good a navigator as 
 we are, and knew that one route was as favorable as 
 the other. There are not pirates enough on any other 
 island of this group to man a boat. You would not 
 have found much to report for the benefit of naviga- 
 tion, but you would not have run any risk."
 
 124 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 The Captain did not resent the frank words of. 
 his chief officer, but inquiringly said, "How can 
 they pick up a ship three miles from land on a 
 night like this? It is so dark you can feel it, and 
 you can't see the length of the ship, and a prospect 
 of a squall any moment." 
 
 "They picked us up before dark, sir, and have 
 not lost sight of this ship since we struck the calm. 
 They, like all savages, can see in the night much 
 better than civilized races. They are devils, and all 
 in business with their father. The large form of the 
 ship will be plainly seen by them while we cannot 
 discern the outlines of their largest boats. As for 
 the prospect of a squall keeping them off the water, 
 I have met them in a full topsail breeze, ten 
 miles from land, just out for a swim." Then speak- 
 ing low as if afraid Missus, asleep in the cabin, 
 might hear, he continued, "I believe we are sur- 
 rounded now and have been for some time. I have 
 not mentioned it for fear of alarming Missus, but I 
 am quite sure I heard the dip of paddles an hour 
 ago. I have made all preparations and every man 
 is armed. The big guns are loaded, but no use in 
 the dark. We'll have to depend on our revolvers 
 and cutlasses." 
 
 The Captain had great respect for the judgment 
 of his trusted officer, yet he did not feel as if there 
 was much cause for alarm. His wife was asleep in
 
 FIGHT WITH PIRATES 125 
 
 her stateroom. Why disturb her with idle fears? 
 There was nothing to do but wait for the wind and 
 savages. "Well, Mr. Baker," said the Captain, "if 
 they come, we will give them a warm reception. We 
 seem to be in for it this voyage, and a fight more 
 or less don't matter, but there is one thing in our 
 favor; we are light loaded, and they can't board us 
 only over the bow." 
 
 "That's right, sir, they can't climb up our sides, 
 
 but they are tigers, Hear that, Captain?" said 
 
 Mr. Baker in a whisper. The Captain heard the 
 slow, soft dip-dip and the dripping of the water from 
 the paddles. The sound came from all around. The 
 pirates were stealthily closing in on the ship. 
 
 "Make no noise," said the Captain, "but muster 
 all hands on the topgallant forecastle." 
 
 Silently the men took their places, the Captain 
 with them peering into the darkness, endeavoring to 
 locate the enemy, and make some estimate of their 
 number. 
 
 The clouds were becoming more dense and threat- 
 ening, and it was evident that the wind was not far 
 off. 
 
 The boats gathered under the bows, and the head 
 gear was crowded with savages, pressing their way to 
 and over the bow. The ship's company, headed by 
 the Captain, was making a vigorous defense of the 
 ship, but the pirates sprang up everywhere in the dark-
 
 126 RESCUED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 ness. Some were crawling in over the cathead, and 
 the crew was obliged to abandon the topgallant fore- 
 castle and retreat abaft of the last place of ingress, in 
 order to keep the pirates in front of them and preserve 
 an unbroken front. This move left the bows clear, and 
 the yelling savages poured in over the topgallant fore- 
 castle unrestricted. Not a man on board expected to 
 come out of that fight alive, but each was determined 
 to sell his life as dear as possible, and fought as only 
 a man under such circumstances can. Step by step 
 the gallant crew was forced back by the howling 
 savages, who were being pressed forward by those 
 behind coming in over the unprotected bows. No 
 thought was given to the wind. It was fight until 
 the last man fell. As the hard-pressed ship's company 
 was forced back to the break of the quarter, which 
 was four feet high, they were in a desperate condition. 
 Unless they could gain the quarter-deck their time was 
 short, but to break their solid front across the deck 
 was also fatal. If the quarter-deck could be gained 
 they had another chance. This could only be accom- 
 plished by the sacrifice of half the crew, but it would 
 prolong the fight and kill more pirates. 
 
 "Count off every other man, Mr. Baker," said the 
 Captain, "and make a break for the quarter-deck, and 
 sweep the decks with the guns ; we've that chance 
 left." 
 
 "No, Captain," replied that noble officer, jerking
 
 WITH A HOWL OF TERROR, EVERY PIRATE RUSHED FOR THE RAIL 
 AND LEAPED OVERBOARD.
 
 FIGHT WITH FIXATES 127 
 
 out his words as he dealt deathblows in front of him, 
 "you break for the guns remember Missus a few 
 minutes don't make much difference anyway." 
 
 A flash of lightning! the fighting ceased! and with 
 a howl of terror, every pirate rushed for the rail and 
 leaped overboard. 
 
 Bewildered, the Captain looked around for the cause 
 of the unexpected termination of the desperate fight, 
 while the natives followed each other, like a flock of 
 sheep, over the rail into the sea. A second flash re- 
 vealed the mystery. There on the break of the quarter- 
 deck stood the Captain's wife in a white night robe, 
 her long dark hair waving in the light wind, motion- 
 less and white as a marble statue. At the first flash 
 of lightning the pirates, who were facing the quarter- 
 deck, caught sight of her, and thinking they had seen 
 a ghost, they jumped overboard, terror-stricken. With 
 the lightning came the wind, at first a light puff of 
 air, then a fresh squall. The ship was no longer a help- 
 less hulk at the mercy of the pirates; but under the in- 
 fluence of the wind was a monster of destruction to the 
 fleeing natives. 
 
 The incessant flashes of lightning, illuminating the 
 troubled waters for miles around, presented a scene 
 never before witnessed. There v/ere hundreds of large 
 canoes with a capacity of from five to twenty persons. 
 Some were bottom up, others tossing about on the waves 
 
 with no hnnd to guide them, still others overloaded, 
 9
 
 128 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 fleeing for safety. Men were clinging to paddles and 
 overturned canoes, and the cries of the drowning could 
 be heard above the rumbling of the thunder. The ship, 
 with blood running from her scuppers and leaving a 
 crimson wake behind, and carrying destruction to all 
 in front of her, was a terrible avenger of those who 
 had fallen in defense of the ship. Wildly the ele- 
 ments raged above and men raged below. The crew, 
 in harmony with the environments, showed no mercy. 
 
 Under the directions of the Captain, standing on 
 the topgallant forecastle, the ship ran down every 
 canoe in her path, and guided by the lightning, 
 chased them till there was not another one in sight. 
 The dead and wounded were thrown overboard, and 
 the raging waves washed away the stains of that 
 fearful conflict. 
 
 The whole male population of the island must 
 have been on the water that night. How many re- 
 turned is not known; but it is an historical fact that 
 there is one island in the China Sea where the women 
 greatly outnumber the men. The readers of these lines 
 will for the first time know the true cause.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MYSTERY 
 
 A FTER the last piratical craft had been run down, the 
 _ Captain glanced astern, and then, as if satisfied 
 with his work of vengeance, walked rapidly aft and 
 entered the cabin, anxious to learn the condition of his 
 wife. He had not seen her since the second flash of 
 lightning, and naturally supposed she had gone below 
 and that her maid was in attendance, but did not 
 expect anything more than what usually happened on 
 such occasions a deathly faint lasting for hours. As 
 he entered the main cabin he started with surprise. 
 There was no one in sight, and no sign of life below 
 deck. He dropped into a chair and covered his face 
 with his hands, as if to shut out some terrible vision. 
 A moment only he remained in that position, then 
 sprang from the chair and rushed into his stateroom 
 where his wife lay, sleeping as quietly as if she had 
 been in her mother's room at home, far away from 
 pirates and cannibals. 
 
 Recovering from this new surprise, he was much 
 relieved to find her breathing easily, with a regular 
 pulse. The maid was crouching in her room with hair 
 
 (129)
 
 130 RESCUED BT A PRINCE ' 
 
 disheveled and gleaming eyes, crazed with fear. At 
 sight of the Captain she rushed through the cabin door 
 and on deck, but was caught by one of the sailors 
 as she reached the rail and was about to plunge into 
 the sea. Taking another look at his wife, then pinch- 
 ing himself to make sure he was awake, and puzzled 
 beyond expression, the Captain went on deck, wonder- 
 ing if he really were in his right mind, and if the 
 whole terrible experience was not a horrible night- 
 mare. 
 
 The ship was bowling along under topsails and 
 main topgallant sail. Everything was quiet and reg- 
 ular. The man at the wheel was silently performing 
 his duty, and Mr. Baker walking the quarter-deck as 
 if nothing unusual had happened. Eight bells struck, 
 the watch changed, and the wheel relieved while the 
 Captain stood leaning against the wheelhouse, nearly 
 paratyzed from the reaction of the terrible conflict 
 through which he had passed, and the mysterious appear- 
 ance of his wife on deck. 
 
 "Have we had a fight with the natives?" inquired 
 the Captain of Mr. Baker, as he came aft to take a look 
 at the compass. 
 
 "I should say we had, sir," replied the officer, 
 looking inquiringly at the Captain while the lightning 
 flashes lifted the pall of darkness. 
 
 "Did the pirates jump overboard?" inquired the 
 Captain in the same measured tone.
 
 MTSTERT 131 
 
 "Yes, sir, following each other like a flock of 
 sheep ( going through a break in a stonewall," replied 
 Mr. Baker, much astonished at the questions. 
 
 "What made the cutthroats in such a great hurry 
 to get away from a victory nearly won ? ' ' 
 
 ' ' They thought they saw a ghost, sir, and if I 
 had not thought it was really Missus I would have 
 followed them," answered the officer in a low trem- 
 ulous voice. 
 
 ' ' Thought it was Missus ? Who else could it have 
 been ? ' ' inquired the Captain absently, as if his 
 thoughts were far away. 
 
 "Don't know, sir. It saved the ship, whatever it 
 was, and for one I'm satisfied without any further in- 
 vestigation. Queer things happen this voyage, sir, but 
 we're still afloat." 
 
 " What reason have you to believe that it was not 
 my wife ? ' ' inquired the Captain. 
 
 "Come down to leeward, sir," said Mr. Baker; then 
 in a low, solemn tone, and pointing to the man at the 
 wheel, he continued, "I don't want any of the men to 
 hear, but when that second flash came I saw Missus 
 standing right above me on the break of the quarter 
 just like a statue. Her hair was blowing out in the 
 light air, and knowing how such tea parties usually 
 affect her, after they are all over, I ran up the steps, 
 and as she did not move I was afraid she was going 
 off in one of her spells. I just went to take her
 
 132 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 in my arms to cany her below, and Great Neptune! 
 There was nothing there. My hair stood on ends, 
 and the chills ran over me like the shagus fever, 
 and I haven't got through shaking yet. I had rather 
 have that fight over again, and take the same chances 
 than another experience of that kind. I would fight 
 the devil, sir, if he came at me shipshape, but it 
 makes one creepy to tackle a Flying Dutchman sort 
 of a craft." 
 
 "She must have gotten away in the darkness and 
 reached the cabin unobserved, for she is now quietly 
 sleeping in her berth." 
 
 "Impossible, Captain; the forward cabin doors 
 were locked, and she could not have passed the light 
 from the binical without me seeing her," said Mr. 
 Baker in a very decided manner. 
 
 " Do you think any of the men noticed the mys- 
 terious disappearance of what all hands thought was 
 my wife?" inquired the Captain, thoroughly aroused 
 at the prospect of more trouble. 
 
 ' ' Yes, sir, several of the men must have seen the 
 same thing." 
 
 ' ' How are the poor fellows getting along ? " in- 
 quired the Captain, anxious to change the subject. 
 
 "Very well indeed, sir. Every man is scratched 
 more or less, some pretty bad, but none are danger- 
 ously hurt. Those devils had nothing but knives, 
 and poor ones at that, but like a pack of wolves they
 
 MTSTERT t 133 
 
 would soon have made an end of us if it had not been 
 for the friendly ghost which the pirates hadn't reckoned 
 on. How do you explain it, Captain? " 
 
 " It cannot be explained. I know no more about it 
 than you, and my wife cannot tell you any more. She 
 is a remarkable woman, with a mysterious organization. 
 I have not only read of such cases, but am natu- 
 rally interested in them, and long ago came to the 
 conclusion that if I could not understand some things 
 it was no proof they were not true. Our knowledge is 
 limited and every new thing is a mystery. lyet us 
 look at this from a philosophical standpoint. Take 
 this voyage; my wife had a remarkable presentiment 
 of what was to happen, call it intuition, coincidence, 
 it don't matter; the fact is it did happen. This was 
 the first conflict of the soul, we will call it, with 
 the body. After the encounter with the convicts she 
 went off into what we called a swoon, which lasted 
 for hours, and she was totally unconscious. This 
 was another psychological conflict, in which the soul 1 
 did not win, but left the body in a weakened con- 
 dition, and less able to resist the next attack which 
 occurred at the loss of little Harry. This time the 
 mystic chord was nearly severed. Again, she visited 
 the ship on the night of the typhoon, while her 
 friends in Chefoo thought she was peacefully sleep- 
 ing. This time there was no severe struggle and 
 no bad results. Tonight she appeared on deck while
 
 134 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 her body was apparently asleep in the cabin, and 
 she probably will not awake till morning. You have 
 known her for years, and have seen her under the 
 most trying circumstances, but you have never seen 
 her show any fear or apprehension of danger before 
 this voyage. Up to that time she displayed great 
 physical courage, but when this psychical entity that 
 me^p call the soul began to dominate, then came 
 presentiments, which produced fear in an already 
 weakened physical organization. But when the psy- 
 chical power obtained full control of the physical, all 
 fear vanished; for the soul is fearless, and the body 
 no longer suffers. These incidents which you have wit- 
 nessed, and many others that you know nothing about, 
 are to me the unfolding process in the development of 
 a higher organization of which the world knows but 
 little, but is slowly awakening under its mysterious 
 influence. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Baker listened very attentively until the Cap- 
 tain had finished, then asked, "Don't you think, 
 sir, that the soul is a separate thing from the body, 
 and that it lives forever, as the preachers say?" 
 
 "Man is dual," replied the Captain, "physical 
 and psychical. All agree on the physical man, but 
 there is a variety of opinions as to the psychical. 
 It will be no easy matter to overcome the accumu- 
 lated errors of centuries, but truth will prevail, and 
 the race will rise to a higher plane. This is the
 
 MTSTERT 135 
 
 law that advanced thinkers are forced to recog- 
 nize." 
 
 ' ' How is it possible for Missus to sleep after she 
 knows what has happened ? ' ' inquired Mr. Baker. 
 
 ' ' There is no fear or anxiety in the psychical 
 entity, and separated from the psychical, the body is 
 inert matter. When this soul essence again forms a 
 harmonious connection with the physical, causing no 
 derangement, the body sleeps on as if nothing had 
 happened, but when the rational faculties are natu- 
 rally aroused, on awakening, the whole scene, as wit- 
 nessed by the soul, is vividly portrayed through the 
 medium of the body." 
 
 "I suppose that is all right, sir," said Mr. Baker, 
 "but if you think I can understand such highferluten 
 talk as that, you must have forgotten that I am not 
 fresh from school, and you won't be so fresh when 
 you have been on the briny for nearly fifty years. 
 I don't know whether that talk answered my question, 
 or whether you were rehearsing a sermon to preach in 
 the next missionary station." 
 
 "Well," replied the Captain, smiling, " what I tried 
 to make you understand was this : no matter what the 
 soul may be, the body seems an absolute necessity for 
 its utility ; no matter how much information it may 
 acquire in its wanderings through space, it must report 
 through the physical organization." 
 
 "Is that all?" said Mr. Baker, and he left the
 
 136 RESCUED #r A PRINCE 
 
 deck for his four hours' watch below, saying to him- 
 self, ' ' The Captain talks like a preacher, and with 
 just about as much sense." 
 
 The Captain walked the deck all night, occasion- 
 ally going below to see if his wife was all right. The 
 morning broke fine, with a stiff northeast monsoon. 
 This time it had come to sta)', and there was no fear 
 of the southwester disputing its sway. The mist of 
 the morning was driving away while the Captain, in a 
 listless, meditative mood, was watching the clouds in 
 the east continuously changing their color through all 
 the shades from gray to red, as the sun rose out of 
 the water. Thinking it about time for his wife to 
 awake, he turned to go below, when to his great sur- 
 prise she was standing beside him, and before fce could 
 recover himself she clutched his arm. 
 
 " O, Frank! It was just awful! How are the 
 men getting along?" she inquired, anxiously looking 
 into her husband's face. 
 
 "They are all doing well," said the Captain, re- 
 garding her with reverential gratitude, and adding, 
 ' ' but we would have been under the briny before this 
 time if it had not been for your timely and mysterious 
 appearance. Can you tell me anything about it, or do 
 you prefer not to talk ? ' ' 
 
 " I want to tell you all I know about it. It is so 
 strange, and is as much of a mystery to me as it is to 
 you; but we had better go below," she replied, with a
 
 MTSTERT 137 
 
 questioning look at the man at the wheel. As they en- 
 tered the cabin from the after companion way, the steward 
 came in through the forward entrance with the coffee. 
 His bandaged head and ghostly face showed that he 
 had suffered from the fight. Forgetting all ceremony, 
 and even ship's discipline, he grasped the hand of the 
 Captain's wife and reverently kissed it, and without a 
 word left the cabin. 
 
 ' ' The steward thinks it was really you he saw on 
 deck," said the Captain, "and I hope they all think 
 so. But the coffee is getting cold." 
 
 "It is all very strange to me," she began, placing 
 her empty cup on the tray. ' ' That fear which has 
 haunted me so long has gradually disappeared, and 
 when we ran into that calm off the island I was no 
 more concerned about it than if we were off Cape Cod. 
 I retired as usual and was soon asleep. I was awakened 
 by the yelling and scuffling on deck. I felt perfectly 
 well, and tried to get up and go on deck, but I could 
 not move a muscle. This did not seem strange, and 
 I did not feel alarmed, but I wondered if you were 
 killed. Instantly I was on deck. I saw you and Mr. 
 Baker and the rest of the men, and watched the fight 
 without the least fear. I felt certain the savages 
 would not take the ship, but did not know what 
 could happen . to prevent them from accomplishing 
 their purpose. There were so many against you, the 
 decks were full of them, and others coming in over
 
 138 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 the bows, while all around the ship were canoes 
 filled with men. I simply knew they would not take 
 the ship, and had no desire to reason it out. When 
 the flash of lightning came the savages saw me, but 
 none of our men did, for they were back toward 
 me. I saw the consternation of the natives, and 
 when they rushed to the rail in terror. I then realized 
 how the ship was to be saved. With the second flash 
 you and the whole crew saw me ; then I wanted to 
 get away, but could not move. Mr. Baker rushed 
 toward me and just as he went to take hold of 
 me, I was back in bed, still unable to move. I knew 
 when you came into the stateroom, but I had no 
 desire to speak. I felt perfectly at ease and was soon 
 asleep, and did not awake till daylight." After a 
 moment's silence she continued: "Let those who can 
 explain it do so ; as far as I am concerned I have 
 not the slightest curiosity. It is a great mystery 
 and I cannot solve it." 
 
 " You said, my dear, that there were canoes around 
 the ship in great number. How could you tell when 
 it was so dark we could not see the length of the 
 ship ? ' ' 
 
 "To me," she replied, " it was not dark, and I could 
 see everything as clearly as in the daytime, even the 
 island with its green slopes. But why were you so 
 pleased with the steward's show of gratitude for 
 his life?"
 
 MTSTBRT 139 
 
 " Why, my dear, it just proved to me that the 
 steward fully believes that he saw your real self on 
 deck last night, and did not see you vanish away as 
 Mr. Baker was about to take you below." 
 
 The Captain talked with all the men that were 
 able to be on duty, then visited those who were 
 confined in the forecastle, and praised them for 
 their bravery. When he told them that Missus would 
 visit them after breakfast, their faces lighted up, while 
 tears of which they were not ashamed filled their 
 eyes. 
 
 "I guess you are mistaken this time, Mr. Baker," 
 said the Captain, as he joined the old officer on the 
 quarter-deck after visiting the . men. "It is no un- 
 common thing to them for ' Missus ' to come to the 
 rescue just at the right time. Of course this case 
 is a little out of the ordinary, but I guess they are 
 satisfied it was her all right." - '. 
 
 "Hope so, sir," replied Mr. Baker, "but they 
 haven't got settled down to spinning yarns and swap- 
 ping opinions yet. Just wait for the dogwatch carnival 
 of horrors." 
 
 As the officer did not seem inclined to talk, the 
 Captain asked, "What do you think of this affair, 
 Mr. Baker?" 
 
 ' ' I think that men will be at a premium on that 
 island for some time to come. Don't believe Mis- 
 sus knows about running those heathen canoes down.
 
 140 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 She is awfully opposed to taking life when you don't 
 have to, but," with a gleam in his eyes, "didn't we 
 spill 'em? There won't be any more ships attacked 
 off that island till another generation grows up, and 
 by that time they may be civilized." 
 
 "I regret very much," said the Captain, "that 
 I so far forgot myself as to wantonly destroy life 
 without any necessity for it, but" reflectively, "it 
 proves that human nature is alike whether civilized 
 or savage, but that was not my question. What do 
 you think of the psychical feature of the case?" 
 
 ' ' I have forgotten what that word means, Cap- 
 tain, " said the officer, twisting his mouth as if try- 
 ing to pronounce it, "but if you want to know 
 what I think about Missus being on deck and below 
 at the same time, all I have got to say is I don't 
 think and I don't want to think; and from what I 
 can find out it don't do any good to think. You 
 don't know any more about it after you do think, 
 and I shall not rack my brains at my age of life 
 over a problem that all the wise men of the earth 
 that have nothing else to do, can't think out." 
 Then as a clincher, squaring himself before the Cap- 
 tain, "So long as Missus takes her coffee and eats 
 her rations I shall believe that she belongs to this 
 world, for ship's grub is no angel's food." 
 
 The Captain seemed to think that there was good 
 sound logic in the officer's argument, and did not
 
 MrSTERT 141 
 
 ask him any more questions. Strong winds and fine 
 weather continued until the ship took a pilot off the 
 port and a few hours later swung at her anchor in 
 the beautiful land-locked harbor of Surabaya, with a 
 passage that furnished material enough for never- 
 ending, hair-lifting, dogwatch yarns for generations to 
 come. But they were of such a startling nature 
 that it will tax the ingenuity of some yarn spinner 
 yet unborn, to exaggerate the facts, for no language 
 can express the horrors of that night; no time can 
 efface it from the memory of those who participated 
 in it.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 LEAKY SHIP 
 
 "yHE Captain and his wife took quarters on shore, 
 * in the great commercial center of the Dutch 
 East Indian possessions. Although the climate was 
 extremely hot, yet by following the customs of the 
 old Dutch settlers they were very comfortable, even 
 on this tropical island, and passed a very pleasant 
 month while the cargo was being discharged and 
 another taken on board. 
 
 The Captain greatly desired to load direct for 
 s*ome port in the United States, but in this he was 
 keenly disappointed, and was obliged to accept a cargo 
 of sugar, and call at Falmouth or Cork for orders. 
 
 This would cause another delay, but there was no 
 alternative, and he made the best of it. His wife, 
 when told of their destination, only sighed and said, 
 "We can't help it," and never mentioned the subject 
 again. 
 
 The Captain visited the ship each day, frequently 
 
 accompanied by his wife, usually driving down the 
 
 well-shaded road along the river bank, in the cool of 
 
 the morning, to the white sandy beach of the har- 
 
 (142)
 
 LEAKT SHIP J43 
 
 bor, returning to town for the night by the ship's 
 boat, up the river to the steps of the hotel. He 
 anxiously watched the moods of the men, and noticed 
 from time to time that they did not appear jovial 
 and light-hearted. There was no sparkle in their 
 eyes, no song with their work. With shore liberty 
 and plenty of money they were not happy. While 
 performing their duty in a listless way they had lost 
 all interest in the ship, and were growing moody and 
 more discontented each day. He knew it was not the 
 fight with the pirates that had wrought such a change 
 in the fearless crew that had sailed with him for 
 many years. That might not happen again in a life- 
 time, and the horrors of such affairs are quickly 
 forgotten by those who lead such perilous lives. But 
 these brave men who would not flinch at a deck load 
 of howling savages, or show any fear of the elements 
 in their wildest mood, would turn pale with supersti- 
 tious horror if a Mother Carey's chicken should fall 
 dead on deck. As the ship was nearly ready for sea, 
 the Captain was anxious to ascertain whether his men 
 were intending to stay by the ship, or desert it at 
 the last moment ; and knowing that Mr. Baker would 
 not, owing to his strict sense of ship discipline, ven- 
 ture an opinion until it was asked for, he called the 
 old officer into the cabin and asked him what he 
 thought of the situation. To the Captain's question, 
 
 "What is the matter with the men?" he replied, 
 10
 
 144 RESCi'ED BY A PRINCE 
 
 "Captain, every mother's son of them will be bunk- 
 ing in the hills inside of twenty-four hours," hesitating, 
 "excepting the steward and cook, and if I am not 
 clear out of my reckoning, there will be no one but 
 the officers to wash deck in the morning." 
 
 "Why don't they come aft like men and say so 
 before we are all ready for sea?" said the Captain, 
 wearily dropping into a chair with a discouraged look, 
 as if the last straw was too much for him. 
 
 " They are ashamed to, Captain; they don't want 
 to leave the ship, and they have tried hard to stay. 
 They feel mean in deserting a shipmate in trouble, 
 and they all wanted to go with you after Harry. 
 They don't care for danger or hardships and had 
 rather have a fight than a week's liberty with plenty 
 of money, but they are thoroughly convinced that this 
 ship is haunted, and that it was a ghost and not 
 Missus they saw on deck the night of the fight with 
 the pirates." 
 
 "Call the men aft," said the Captain, rising and 
 going on deck, "this matter must be settled at once. 
 Every day is a year to me and my boy with the 
 cannibals. ' ' 
 
 " Well, my noble fellows," said the Captain as 
 the sailors stood before him with their hats off and 
 downcast eyes, ' ' I understand you are all going to 
 leave the ship. ' ' 
 
 No one spoke. The poor fellows were facing an
 
 LEAKT SHIP 145 
 
 awkward problem. Loyalty to the Captain and a dread 
 of a supernatural power, which makes all men cowards, 
 were striving for the mastery. They looked at each 
 other, then far away over the harbor, and back again 
 to the deck, hitched up their trousers, but were un- 
 able to meet the sorrowful glance of their Captain. 
 
 "Hold up your heads, men," said the Captain 
 quietly, "you have nothing to be ashamed of. You 
 are brave, noble fellows, every one of you. Choose 
 some one to speak for you, and let us settle this 
 question in a shipshape manner." 
 
 Thus encouraged they held up their heads and 
 with one voice named old Tom as their spokesman, 
 who, with a hint from Jack to stow that " Man an' 
 boy" prelude, said: "We thanks you, Captain, for 
 the compliment, an' we believes you means it, an' 
 we don't want to leave er shipmate in trouble, but 
 we can't sail in er ha'nted ship. Nothin' but bad 
 can come out of it. If I owned this ship, sir, I'd 
 set her erfire; nothin' but fire will rid er ship of 
 ghosts. I have seen lots of ha'nted ships, sir," ex- 
 citedly, "an" they all meet the same fate." 
 
 Then the old sailor became eloquent and related 
 half a dozen ghost stories, all ending in total de- 
 struction of the ship with all on board; ships going 
 down without any cause, waves raging, winds howl- 
 ing, despairing cries of the drowning men, with the 
 ghosts floating above, uttering demoniac yells and
 
 146 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 derisive laughter. Tom stopped, horrified with his 
 own recital, while the sailors wiped, with trembling 
 hands, the cold perspiration from their pale and hag- 
 gard faces. The Captain listened respectful!}- till the 
 sailor had finished, but seeing how firmly rooted in 
 the minds of the superstitious sailors was the fear 
 of a haunted ship, and knowing it would be useless 
 to reason with them, said, " Well, men, you have 
 served me faithfully and devotedly. I will see what 
 I can do for you. There is a ship in port bound 
 for Manila to load for Boston, whose crew would like 
 to take ship direct to England, as they have been 
 out on a long cruise. I will see if I can't make an 
 exchange of men; but tell me what makes you 
 think this ship is haunted?" 
 
 The men were much affected by the Captain's gen- 
 erous offer, and for a moment hesitated, as if un- 
 decided whether to accept the change or stay by the 
 ship ; but their fears of a haunted ship, intensified 
 by Tom's hair-lifting yarns, soon gained the mastery 
 again. 
 
 "We all thinks at first," said Tom, "that it was 
 Missus we seen on deck, yet some of us thinks she 
 kinder faded out like instead of just walkin' away 
 like a human bein'; but we could have got over that 
 all right enough. The night was dark, an" we was 
 all excited, an' none of us could swear which way 
 it was, but when we finds out, for sure, Missus was
 
 LEAKT SHIP 147 
 
 in the cabin the whole time, we knows she couldn't 
 be on deck at the same time, an' Captain, how could 
 Missus be on deck an' in the cabin both at the same 
 time an ' not dead ? " As the Captain did not reply, 
 Tom continued, "An 1 when we comes to think on 
 it, why it didn't look like Missus at all, but just 
 like the ghost of the Flyin' send that my chum Joe 
 Backstay ust 'er tell erbout." 
 
 "But this must have been a friendly ghost, for it 
 saved the ship and all on board," said the Cap- 
 tain. 
 
 ' ' Just the way the ghost of the Northern light 
 served her crew, Captain. Saved the ship from pi- 
 rates, then sunk her in a dead calm. The men 
 took to 'the boats, an' the ghost just got under the 
 boats an' turned them keel up, first one then an- 
 other, an' not a man was left to tell the tale. I 
 have heard the yarn many a time. We feels sorry 
 for you an' Missus an' little Harry," said the old 
 sailor sympathetically, wiping his eyes, while the rest 
 of the sailors turned their heads away to hide their 
 emotions. 
 
 "Tom," said the Captain with a twinkle in his 
 eye, "who was left to start that ghost story of the 
 Northern light ? ' ' 
 
 "Why, sir," replied Tom, "my chum Jack Bill 
 
 " but Tom hesitated and was lost. Realizing he had 
 
 overdone the ghost business, he, with Jack's reprov-
 
 148 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 ing glance, broke down completely and all hands left 
 the quarter-deck. 
 
 " How did those fellows find out that my wife 
 was not on deck that night ? ' ' inquired the Captain, 
 watching the men as they turned to again. 
 
 " Bill told them, sir," replied the officer. 
 
 "How did Bill know anything about it?" 
 
 " Why, you see, Captain, Bill is sweet on Missus' 
 maid, and she told him." 
 
 Bill was a bright young sailor, and, as the officer 
 had said, an attachment had grown up between the young 
 couple. The Captain had never thought it necessary to 
 caution Mary to keep quiet about that night's affair, 
 thinking she was so frightened that she did not know 
 much about it. The Captain related to his wife the 
 situation on board ship, and the part Mary had acted 
 in the complication. 
 
 "I never knew of her telling anything before, ' 
 said his wife quietly, ' ' I will call her and hear what 
 she has to say." 
 
 The poor girl was greatly distressed when she, 
 for the first time, realized that she had caused so 
 much trouble, and clung hysterically to her Mistress, 
 repeating, " O ! I did not mean to do anything wrong," 
 unable to go any further. But under the soothing and 
 gentle influence of her Mistress she was soon able 
 to tell how it happened that she had so far for- 
 gotten herself as to carry a word from the cabin to
 
 LBAKT SHIP 149 
 
 the forecastle. "That night," she said, holding the 
 hand of her Mistress, "all through the fighting I 
 was sitting by Mistress' bed. I could not wake her up 
 and I was so frightened I thought I would go crazy. 
 When I heard the Captain coming down the companion 
 way I thought he was the savages. My brain was on 
 fire, and I started for my room, but I thought of 
 Mistress all alone, and I could not leave her; so I 
 rushed back to the foot of the bed just as the Captain 
 opened the door. I thought sure he was a pirate 
 coming to kill me. I ran out and on deck; then I did 
 not know anything more till I found myself in bed, 
 and I did not know how I got there till Bill told 
 me. A long time after that awful night Billie was 
 telling me about that fight, and how the pirates 
 were driving them aft, when Mistress came on deck 
 and frightened the natives so that they jumped over- 
 board. I was so surprised that before I thought I 
 said, 'Why, Mistress was asleep in the cabin.' At 
 that I thought Billie would faint. He turned as white 
 as a ghost; then I saw my mistake. O! I am so 
 sorry!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands and looking 
 imploringly at her Mistress. 
 
 "My poor child," said the Captain's wife, "You 
 were not to blame; you have seen trouble enough on 
 this voyage to make any one crazy. Don't worry any 
 more about it." 
 
 "No, Mary, you are not to blame," said the Cap-
 
 150 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 tain, consolingly. "You are a brave good girl, and 
 show more good sense than any man on board, and 
 if Bill leaves the ship, ghosts or no ghosts, I would 
 not waste any affections on him." 
 
 The exchange of crews was made, but before the 
 men left, Bill came aft alone, and asked to see " the old 
 man." 
 
 "Well, Bill," said the Captain smiling, "going to 
 leave Mary and pull for another ship?" 
 
 "No, sir," said Bill, blushing, "not if you will 
 let me stay with you. I have been the cause of 
 all this trouble, but I did not mean any harm, sir, 
 and never thought it would go so far. But it does 
 make a fellow kind of creepy like to hear all those 
 ghost stories. Do you believe in ghosts, sir ? " 
 
 "No, Bill, I don't believe in ghosts, and have 
 never seen any proof that there is anything to ap- 
 pear after a person is dead. I am glad to have you 
 stay, but you must get above the old superstition 
 of sailors. We are not living in the dark ages, nor 
 in the time when good men and women were burned 
 as witches in your native state. No one believes in 
 witches now, and it won't be long that any one will 
 believe in ghosts. ' ' 
 
 The ship left port, and the next morning dropped 
 anchor off the small town of Bangawange, where 
 ships stop for their supply of fresh provision when 
 going around the east end of Java and through the
 
 LEAKT SHIP 151 
 
 Strait. A boat was sent ashore in charge of Mr. 
 Jones, the second officer, while the Captain left the 
 ship in his gig. After making his purchases the 
 Captain returned to the ship, leaving Mr. Jones to 
 load the provisions, and follow as soon as possible. 
 After waiting for a time Mr. Baker was sent ashore 
 to ascertain the trouble, and he soon returned and 
 reported that he found the boat loaded and the men 
 waiting for their officer. 
 
 "What has become of Mr. Jones?" inquired the 
 Captain in great surprise. 
 
 ' ' Slipped his cable and squared away for the moun- 
 tains," replied Mr. Baker knowingly. 
 
 "Well, what next?" said the Captain, express- 
 ing his thoughts and not addressing any one, sur- 
 prised that an officer would serve him in such a 
 manner. 
 
 ' ' Get under way before we lose the rest of 
 them," said the officer, as if the Captain had really 
 asked his advice. 
 
 ' ' And leave Mr. Jones ? ' ' 
 
 "You'll never see him again," said Mr. Baker, 
 ' ' unless he appears as a ghost to even up on other 
 sailors the fright he has experienced by those who 
 have gone before. I was surprised he did not leave 
 when the rest did, but he knew he would stop here 
 and this was his last chance." 
 
 " Mr. Baker," said the Captain in a measured
 
 152 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 manner, ' ' Why don' t you leave ? Are you not 
 afraid of ghosts ? ' ' 
 
 "Just as much as the rest of them, sir. I have 
 seen ghosts, and heard ghost stories on every ship 
 I've sailed in, but this is the first set that I really 
 felt acquainted with, and I will stay with them as 
 long as they will stand by me." 
 
 "Take in the boats and get under way," said 
 the Captain, amused at the logical way Mr. Baker 
 explained his position regarding ghosts, " and we 
 will soon be where you can't get away if the ghosts 
 should snub you for too much familiarity, fearing a 
 loss of prestige." 
 
 The ship was soon under way, and inside of twenty- 
 four hours was south of the island, running down the 
 southeast trade. Bill was promoted to second mate 
 and took up his quarters in the officers' cabin, to the 
 great delight of Mary who told him that having now 
 become an officer he must rid himself of the forecastle 
 superstition. 
 
 The new crew performed their duties well, and 
 appeared satisfied with the change. They were English 
 sailors homeward bound from a long voyage; and as 
 they found plenty to eat and no extra work, they had 
 no excuse for grumbling. But this condition was to 
 be of short duration. It is a trite saying, " Misfortune 
 never comes single." It was not necessary for anything 
 more, in this case, to prove the old saw true, but more
 
 LEAKT SHIP 153 
 
 was to come. There was no danger of piraies or can- 
 nibals, but what was to happen next? The ship sprang 
 a leak, small at first, but gradually increasing from 
 day to day, until the pumps were kept going all the 
 time. All hands at work during the day, with watch 
 and watch at night, could but keep the ship free. The 
 men growled and swore, but nothing could be gained 
 by insubordination or mutiny. Growl they might, but 
 work they must. It was pump or sink, and they 
 pumped. 
 
 "How do you suppose she started that leak, Cap- 
 tain," inquired Mr. Baker, while they stood watching 
 the jaded men at the pumps. 
 
 "In the typhoon," replied the Captain. " I ought 
 to have docked her- in Amoy, but she was tight as a 
 jug and, anxious to save time, I took chances, and this 
 extra work and further expense are the natural results, 
 which is no credit to my judgment or seamanship." 
 
 "It is just our luck this voyage to have all the 
 trouble possible for a ship to pass through," said Mr. 
 Baker resentfully. 
 
 " Luck," repeated the Captain derisively, " has noth- 
 ing to do with our troubles. This leak is simply the 
 result of neglected duty and there is no excuse. A 
 ship subjected to such a severe trial should have been 
 docked and thoroughly overhauled. The leverage of 
 those masts on the ship when she righted was enough to 
 split her wide open."
 
 154 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 "I guess that's about right, sir, but what are \ve 
 going to do? The men are worn out with this constant 
 pumping." 
 
 ' ' Thej* can stand it for a week longer ; we will Ix- 
 in Cape Town by that time, if we don't get a blow on 
 the banks." 
 
 ' ' Bound to get it, Captain ; never passed Cape Good 
 Hope without a flurry. The fellow who named that 
 cape was no sailor or he named it going out, and came 
 back the other way around Cape Horn." 
 
 "He might have named it after he had beat around 
 the banks for a month and had good hopes of getting 
 home," said the Captain, anxious to save the reputation 
 of the ancient mariner. 
 
 Stormy weather set in as the ship drew near the cape, 
 which was rounded in a stiff gale. The harbor of Cape 
 Town could not be made, and the Captain shaped his 
 course for Saint Helena. It was hard on the crew, but 
 they had no just cause for complaint. On the morning 
 of the eighth day after passing the cape, the rocky 
 isle of Saint Helena was sighted, and by noon the 
 ship was at anchor off Jamestown, the port of the island. 
 A gang of men was sent on board to relieve those who 
 had, as they expressed it, "pumped the Pacific Ocean 
 through the ship."
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 PUMP OR DROWN 
 
 QAINT HELENA, historically associated with the great 
 ^ Napoleon, is situated in the very center of the 
 southeast trade winds. This little rock island which 
 appears on the map as nothing more than a dot, is 
 the happy home of seven thousand people who enjoy 
 the finest climate in the world. Saint Helena has no 
 land-locked harbor, but ships ride safely in the road- 
 stead on the lee side of the island, off the valley in 
 which the beautiful town, climbing up its sides, is 
 located. All communications with the shore are car- 
 ried on by boats, and ships load and unload by the 
 use of lighters. While the chief revenue of the island 
 is derived from ships in distress, it has no facilities 
 for taking ships out of water. Therefore the only 
 thing Captain Willis could do was to discharge the 
 cargo of his ship with the hope of finding the leak 
 between the light and loaded water lines. 
 
 The Captain and his wife made the best of their 
 enforced stay, and visited every point of interest on 
 the island. L,ongwood, the home of Napoleon, and 
 where he died, and his tomb, guarded by a solitary 
 
 (i55)
 
 156 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 French soldier, were objects of special interest. The 
 old house and the tomb of the great Emperor, with 
 a certain amount of land, had been transferred to 
 France, producing the rather singular anomaly of 
 French territory in the middle of an English colony. 
 
 The cargo was discharged and everything that 
 human ingenuity could contrive was used to locate 
 the leak. The ship was listed until her yardarms 
 touched the water, placing her in such a critical con- 
 dition that any little mishap at any moment might 
 turn her completely over, yet no indication of the 
 leak could be found. The Captain was in despair. 
 In addition to his loss of time and money, his re- 
 sourcefulness was taxed to the utmost to solve the 
 most difficult problem of an already eventful voyage. 
 He had managed to keep the ship afloat all the way 
 from Java to Saint Helena, and would have, no 
 doubt, carried her safely into port, but at the expense 
 of a broken-down crew and a fine, if not imprisonment, 
 for cruelty. Now he was in the hands of the cus- 
 tom's authority, who would not permit the ship to 
 leave port unless pronounced seaworthy by the Board 
 of Marine Survey. The ship must be condemned 
 and sold to the highest bidder, and the cargo shipped 
 to its port of destination, if some plan could not be 
 devised to reload the ship and outwit that august 
 body, Her Majesty's Board of Marine Survey. 
 
 To condemn the ship meant not only delay, but
 
 PUMP OR DROWN 151 
 
 bankruptcy to the Captain, for most of his capital 
 \vas invested in the ship, and without that money it 
 would be impossible to fit out the expedition for the 
 rescue of his boy. He could not entertain such a 
 thought for a moment. He would take that sugar 
 aboard and leave the island. 
 
 "It must be done, Mr. Baker, and there is no 
 alternative," said the Captain, as he rose to go on 
 deck, after a long consultation with his chief officer. 
 
 "You can depend on me, sir, as you always have," 
 said Mr. Baker, who did not fully agree with the Cap- 
 tain's plan, "but how can we load a leaky ship, and 
 then pass inspection in a port where every man is 
 determined to pick the bones of every lame duck 
 that drifts his way?" 
 
 "I don't know how we shall fix the inspectors; 
 we have not got to that yet," replied the Captain, 
 with his gaze fixed on the skeletons of the unfor- 
 tunate ships that lined the beach. ' ' But we have 
 found the leak. No matter what others may think 
 or say, this ship don't make water enough to keep 
 her sweet. We will begin to load today. Dunnage 
 high, say two feet. Don't so much as look at the 
 pumps during the day. I will send off a strong 
 gang of men and pump her dry during the night." 
 
 "That sounds all right, sir," said Mr. Baker, still 
 skeptical, "but the men that pump will leak, and no 
 sailor will leave this island in a leaky ship, and they
 
 158 RESCUED Br A PRINCE 
 
 know we have not found any leak. They'll take their 
 extra pay." 
 
 "We will keep the gang on board pumping at 
 night, and out of sight during the day," said the 
 Captain, with determination. "Their pay will depend 
 upon their silence, and I shall promise them such a 
 sum of money for their services that they will not 
 dare to sleep for fear of revealing the secret in their 
 dreams. As for the sailors, I will keep them ashore 
 with plenty of money. Of course they will know 
 what's up, and will work the old man for all he's 
 worth, but they won't blow till the last minute, then 
 it will be too late." 
 
 "By the Great Neptune, Captain !" exclaimed Mr. 
 Baker, "I believe she'll fetch in on that tack. Send 
 off the sugar, and we'll soon have the old ship plow- 
 ing through the briny and pumping the Atlantic 
 Ocean through her bottom." 
 
 The Captain went on shore and explained the situ- 
 ation to his wife, and told her of his plans for getting 
 away from the island ; but as she made no comments, 
 he inquired, "Why don't you say something?" 
 
 "My dear," she said, smiling, "I don't know 
 what to say. All that I know is that we shall get 
 out of this difficulty as we have all others, and we 
 shall find Harry. How long it will take, and what 
 will happen in the meantime, I don't know nor worry 
 about."
 
 PUMP OR DROWN 159 
 
 The next day the Captain was receiving congrat- 
 ulations from his friends on finding the leak. He 
 gave a ball at the club and set 'em up for every man 
 on the island, exhausted the stock of the cigar dealers, 
 and saloons closed their doors until the next invoice 
 from London. All subsequent events on that island 
 date from the " Finding of the leak." Every man 
 that could work and every lighter that would float was 
 pressed into service, while the ships in the roads fur- 
 nished men and boats to hasten the departure of the 
 unfortunate ship. 
 
 "How does she work?" inquired the Captain, as 
 he came on board and found the ship half loaded. 
 
 " Like a spirit compass, sir,"* replied the officer, 
 as much pleased as the Captain with the success of 
 the plot. 
 
 "How long did it take to pump her out?" inquired 
 the Captain in a low voice. 
 
 "Eight hours, sir," replied the officer. 
 
 ' ' She will leak more with the increasing pressure 
 as she goes down in the water," was the Captain's 
 comforting reply. 
 
 In a few days the ship was ready for her final in- 
 spection, and no unfavorable report had been circu- 
 
 *The incidents of this story happened about the time the 
 spirit compass replaced the old-time -card compass, and was so 
 far superior to the discarded one that every sailor swore by it. 
 The expression "Like a spirit compass " meant perfection. 
 11
 
 160 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 lated. The crew was having a great time at the 
 Captain's expense, and envied by every sailor in port. 
 "The inspectors will be off in the morning, and I 
 may come with them. It may be possible that I shall 
 not be able to get away much before noon," said 
 the Captain, with a meaning glance at Mr. Baker, 
 as he was about to leave the ship for the night. ' ' You 
 are sure she is not leaking a drop?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied Mr. Baker, with a satisfied 
 expression, "I'll fix it so the rod won't show but 
 six inches;" then aside in a low voice, "when she 
 is pumped out the rod will show six inches of water. 
 The first hour she makes four inches, second hour 
 two, after that one inch an hour." 
 
 The Captain found it convenient to go off with 
 the inspectors, in the Custom's boat, about noon. 
 The sailors were ashore and the shore gang asleep 
 in the forecastle, after their hard night work at the 
 pumps. Lighters and boats were alongside and sugar 
 going down three hatches. 
 
 The government officers were received on board 
 by Mr. Baker with all the ceremony the occasion 
 required. They congratulated the Captain on his good 
 luck in getting away with his ship. The chief in- 
 spector took the name and tonnage of the ship, number 
 of men and officers, and all other particulars to fill 
 in the blanks of his official register, then gravely 
 measured the sounding rod, and solemnly sounded
 
 PUMP OP DP OWN 161 
 
 the pumps. "Six inches," he called, and it was so 
 recorded in the book, together with the time of day- 
 Then the pumps were sealed, to stand for an 
 hour. 
 
 Mr. Baker had slipped a ten -inch plug down the 
 sounding tube as the boat came alongside. At the end 
 of an hour there would be one inch more of water, 
 and Mr. Baker had the inch plug all ready to drop 
 down the tube at the first opportunity. The Cap- 
 tain's part was to get the inspectors below without 
 creating suspicion. He was relating, very earnestly, 
 his fight with the natives, and the government offi- 
 cers were deeply interested. 
 
 ' ' Have you any of those knives, Captain ? " in- 
 quired the chief inspector. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain, "bushels of them." 
 
 " I have quite a collection of native weapons, and 
 would like one of those knives," said the inspector, 
 with all the enthusiasm of a collector of curios. 
 
 "Just step into the cabin -and take your pick," 
 said the Captain, leading the way. 
 
 Before the heads of the curio seekers were below 
 the deck Mr. Baker had the inch plug down the 
 pipe, and all was safe. When the hour was up the 
 pump well was again sounded, and the rod showed six 
 inches. The ship had made no water during the 
 hour, the record was duly made, and a certificate, 
 signed and sealed, was given to the Captain.
 
 162 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 ' ' Now the fun begins, ' ' said the Captain as he 
 watched the Custom's boat pulling in shore. 
 
 "Well, let her come," said Mr. Baker, striking up 
 a sailor's hornpipe, to the great amusement of the 
 Captain ; while all hands looked on, wondering what 
 was the matter with the mate. ' ' I guess we can take 
 care of the rest, sir, but the quicker we get away the 
 better," he said as he finished his dance. 
 
 "The men will be off tonight," said the Captain. 
 " Get under way at once, and keep her a moving well 
 out from the shipping. Don't pump a stroke when 
 near any ship or the island. Keep a good offing till I 
 signal for you to come in." 
 
 "All right, sir," responded the officer, with a twin- 
 kle in his eye. " Didn't Her Majesty's officers say 
 she didn't leak?" 
 
 The Captain passed a very anxious night and did 
 not attempt to sleep till after daylight, when he found 
 out that his ship had left her anchorage and was just 
 in sight, a mere speck far away on the horizon. To- 
 ward evening she stood in again and laid, with her 
 topsails aback, for a short time, but receiving no signal, 
 stood off again for the night. 
 
 The next morning she was close in again and the 
 Captain, having finished his business, signaled to the 
 ship, and in a short time was alongside. The crew 
 came aft in a body and demanded to see the consul. 
 The Captain paid no attention to them till the boat
 
 PUMP OR DROWN 163 
 
 with the extra men had left the ship ; then turning to 
 the men he said, "I regret very much that I am 
 obliged to refuse you the privilege of seeing the con- 
 sul, but this ship has cleared the port, and I am not 
 under any obligations to grant your request." 
 
 "This ship is leaking, sir," said one of the sailors, 
 "and we protest against leaving port in a ship not 
 seaworthy, and you lay yourself liable to the law, 
 sir. ' ' 
 
 The Captain appeared surprised and turning to Mr. 
 Baker asked, "Is this ship leaking again?" 
 
 ' ' Yes, sir, ' ' replied Mr. Baker, ' ' sprang a leak 
 last night as bad as ever; " then as if unable to compre- 
 hend it, "strange she started out again. The Old 
 Lady's officers said she was all right, tight, stanch, 
 well officered and manned, fit to proceed on her voy- 
 age." 
 
 "She's been leaking all the time," broke in the 
 sailor. "She never did stop leaking," came from the 
 enraged sailors in a chorus. 
 
 "I have a certificate from Her Majesty's Board 
 of Marine Survey that this ship is seaworthy in 
 every respect, and permitted to leave port. A good 
 and desirable risk for underwriters," reading from 
 the certificate, "and here is the royal seal," holding 
 it up in full view of the men. "You can't deny that 
 authority. ' ' 
 
 "This is an outrage, sir," said the sailor who had
 
 164 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 done most of the talking, "some Yankee trick, and 
 we refuse to turn to." 
 
 "If that certificate states she don't leak, she 
 don't, and what's the use to talk about it?" said 
 Mr. Baker, glancing at the parchment the Captain 
 held in his hand. 
 
 "Square the yards!" ordered the Captain. 
 
 ' ' Stand by the port braces ! ' ' called Mr. Baker. 
 
 Not a man moved, but stood looking at their 
 leader. 
 
 "We won't pump a stroke," said the sailor. 
 
 "Then you may drown," replied the Captain. 
 Then, with the officers, he squared the yards and 
 got the ship on her course, with Bill at the wheel, 
 while the men went forward and sulked. 
 
 ' ' How did you manage to get her under way, 
 Mr. Baker, with this mutinous crew?" inquired the 
 Captain. 
 
 "O! We had a tea party that night, with the 
 old ladies left out. The men were tight if the ship 
 wasn't, and they refused to turn to, so I pressed 
 into service the shore gang. The sailors interfered 
 with my duty and we had a fight, but in less than 
 no time we had every man in irons. Those shore 
 fellows were A i and copper fastened. With them 
 I got the ship under way, and they have worked 
 the ship and pumped her ever since. I never took 
 the sailors out of irons till you was nearly alongside."
 
 PUMP OR DROWN 165 
 
 "Did they make any noise?" anxiously inquired 
 the Captain. 
 
 " Not enough to attract any attention from the ships. 
 One of the lime juicers yelled ' sinking ship ' just as 
 we dropped past the New Bedford whaler, but he 
 didn't say no more, and he can't say Peper Piper 
 now, " replied Mr. Baker significantly. 
 
 " Well, you are a good one, Mr. Baker, " said the 
 Captain appreciatingly, "and if I didn't really need 
 you on my cruise after Harry I would give you this 
 ship. She will have another captain after this voy- 
 age." 
 
 "Thank you, Captain, but I would not miss that 
 cruise for the finest ship afloat. I'll never leave you 
 and Missus till you are out of your troubles," said 
 the officer, walking away to hide his emotion. 
 
 The ship, under .pressure of the stiff southeast 
 trades, was leaving a foaming wake behind her, 
 while the island was fading away in the distance. 
 
 ' ' Sound the pumps ! ' ' ordered the Captain ; then 
 ironically, " ard report to the men every hour. They 
 may want to make some preparations for death. " 
 
 "Eighteen inches," came from the boatswain. 
 
 ' ' How much dunnage did you place under the sugar ? " 
 inquired the Captain. 
 
 "Thirty inches, sir, next to the keelson beaft the 
 mainmast down to fifteen forward, " replied Mr. 
 Baker.
 
 166 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 "Well dunnaged, " said the Captain. "They will 
 turn to before the water reaches the sugar." 
 
 "They would like to pump now, sir," said Mr. 
 Baker, "but for their John Bull stubbornness, which 
 they will have to wear out." 
 
 "It is hard on them," said the Captain with a 
 sigh, "but this is a desperate case and there is no 
 help for it. I will reward them well if they will 
 make the best of a hard job. This ship will go into 
 port or be presented to old Neptune for a sugar bowl 
 to sweeten up the Atlantic." 
 
 "Why should a man be rewarded, sir, for doing 
 his duty ? Didn't they agree to defend the ship with 
 their lives when they signed the articles ? ' ' said Mr. 
 Baker, looking triumphantly at the crowd of sailors 
 who were already showing indications of uneasiness. 
 
 "You are not so severe as your talk indicates," 
 said the Captain. " All sailors have a right to a 
 ship that is seaworthy." 
 
 "Don't we hold a government certificate to that 
 effect ? What more can a sailor demand ? ' ' said Mr. 
 Baker, chuckling, as he thought how easily he had 
 deceived the customhouse inspectors. 
 
 The Captain, realizing how much an old sailor 
 really enjoys getting the best of a customhouse 
 officer, even at the peril of his life, did not argue 
 the point farther. 
 
 " T wen -tee four inches," called the boatswain, and
 
 PUMP OR DROWN 167 
 
 there was apparent uneasiness among the group of 
 sulky sailors lounging about on the forecastle. They 
 arose, walked around, tightened up their belts, took 
 an extra chew of tobacco, and looked- to windward, 
 then overboard, with occasional glances aft, where 
 the Captain was walking the quarter-deck, frequently 
 stopping for a chat with his wife, apparently as un- 
 concerned as if there was no water in the hold and 
 no prospects of sinking before morning. 
 
 The large quantity of water already in the ship 
 was producing an effect that could be noticed by every 
 man on board. She had settled in the water and 
 rolled with a lazy motion that greatly alarmed the 
 sailors, forcing them to accept the inevitable situation 
 and make the best of it. The land had disappeared 
 below the horizon hours before; nothing but water 
 all around, and water in the ship. After a hurried 
 consultation among the sailors, one of their number 
 went aft, and politely addressing the Captain said, 
 with great embarrassment, " We've concluded to pump 
 the ship, sir." 
 
 " You-have-concluded-to-pump-the-ship," contemp- 
 tuously replied the Captain, "and I have concluded 
 to let her sink. I will shoot the first man who dares 
 to touch a pump brake. Go forward and die like 
 a man ; no yelling when you get in the water, and 
 no whining." Then to Mr. Baker, " Throw those 
 pump brakes overboard. Yes, draw the boxes and
 
 168 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 chuck them over too, least I yield to these fellows 
 who would like to drown if it was not for getting wet. ' ' 
 
 This so astonished the sailor that he could not 
 say a word, but went forward and reported that ' ' the 
 blarsted old gray-headed pirate was going to let her 
 sink." This produced just the effect the Captain 
 desired. There was great consternation among the 
 sailors. They did not expect a refusal to their gen- 
 erous offer, and were not prepared for this turn of 
 affairs. They had never sailed with a desperate Yan- 
 kee skipper before, and hardly knew what to do, but 
 finally went aft in a body to learn their fate. 
 
 " Well, men," inquired the Captain severely, " what 
 can I do for you? " 
 
 ' ' We are ready to turn to, sir, and we wants to 
 pump the ship/' 
 
 ' ' You shall not pump a stroke, ' ' said the Captain 
 in a slow, measured tone. ' ' I have had troubles enough 
 this voyage and I am determined to end them right 
 here and go down with the ship, a most fitting death 
 for an honorable sailor. My only regret is to die in 
 such cowardly company. Go forward, and when the 
 ship sinks, drown like rats. Any set of men who 
 prefer to drown rather than work, don't deserve such 
 an honorable death. Go forward ! " 
 
 "But Captain," said the speaker excitedly, while 
 the sailors turned pale, "you took advantage of us 
 and have not treated us like men."
 
 PUMP OR DROWN 169 
 
 "You took my money," said the Captain quietly, 
 ' ' and had a glorious old time on shore at my expense. 
 Your wages were going on while you had nothing to 
 do. Your plan was, after you had worked the 'old 
 man,' to report me to the authorities, who would com- 
 pel me to abandon the ship and pay you three months' 
 wages that you had not earned, and send you home as 
 passengers. I preferred another way and outwitted 
 you. You refused to save the ship. That is mutiny 
 on the high seas ; you know the penalty. Now drown 
 and save the expense of a trial and the hangman's 
 fee." 
 
 "But your wife, Captain," said the sailor, as he saw 
 the desperate situation, ' ' you would not drown her for 
 our faults, sir," catching at what he thought was his 
 only hope. 
 
 ' ' She has not taken much interest in life for some 
 time," said the Captain, but his voice trembled as he 
 thought of the real sorrow. "If you make as little 
 complaint as my wife, there will be nothing to disturb 
 the peace of our last struggles in the water." 
 
 " O ! Captain ! ' ' cried several of the sailors in 
 chorus, "Let us pump! Let us pump! We will turn 
 to and pump her into port," and they crowded around 
 the Captain, imploring him to let them pump the ship. 
 The Captain's wife took sides with the sailors, and with 
 an imploring look and tone said: 
 
 "Do let them pump, Frank. You ought not to
 
 170 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 let these men drown without a chance for their lives. 
 There has been enough lives lost this voyage." Mr. 
 Baker, Bill, and all the officers pleaded for the sailors, 
 while they stood speechless, anxiously waiting for the 
 Captain's decision. 
 
 The Captain was weakening, apparently, under so 
 much pressure, and said reflectively, as if considering 
 the matter, "Why not end it now? This thing will 
 break out again sooner or later. ' ' 
 
 "Never!" came a chorus of voices. If we refuse 
 to turn to again, under any circumstances, you may 
 hang us from the yardarm." 
 
 "Well, pump then," said the Captain, "and not a 
 man goes below till she is pumped out." Then turning 
 away with a look of disgust, he continued, as if talking 
 to himself, but loud enough for the sailors to hear, 
 "Guess I am losing my nerve. I am too tender-hearted 
 for a captain of a ship. I ought to have been a mis- 
 sionary."
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE MUTINY 
 
 r^ROM Saint Helena to the equator everything on 
 board worked well. The wind was light and well 
 abait the beam, and with the ship on an even keel, the 
 water flowed freely to the pumps, and was easily kept 
 down by the sailors. But when the ship was hauled 
 up to cross the northeast trades, with a stiff breeze 
 and heavy sea, she could no longer keep on an even 
 bottom. Braced up sharp on the wind, the extra 
 pressure gave her a deep list to leeward that caused 
 the water to flow away from the pumps and lodge in 
 the bilge, with no chance to pump it out. It contin- 
 ually increased and listed the ship until the water reached 
 the sugar, then sail was reduced, or the ship kept off 
 before the wind, until she was pumped out. Under 
 these unfavorable conditions it was madness to attempt 
 the passage of the stormy Atlantic in the winter sea- 
 son, and the Captain decided to square away for the 
 Bermudas, where there was dry dock facilities for 
 taking ships out of water. 
 
 Much to the surprise of the Captain, the sailors did 
 not seem well pleased when they learned the ship was 
 
 (171)
 
 172 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 bound for the Bermudas, although it would appear that 
 they had nothing to lose, and much to gain. 
 
 ' ' What is the matter with the men ? ' ' inquired the 
 Captain, as he watched the sulky sailors relieve their 
 mates at the pumps. 
 
 "They are English, sir," replied Mr. Baker, "and 
 they are bound to growl, no matter how well they are 
 treated. They had made up their minds to pump her 
 over to the Channel, and are mad because they can't 
 do it. Don't know any other reason." 
 
 " Give them an hour at meals and let them smoke 
 and spin yarns ; it will brighten them up a little, ' ' said 
 the Captain. 
 
 "All right, sir," said Mr. Baker, "but you'll have 
 a mutiny inside of twenty-four hours if you try to 
 treat those fellows decent." 
 
 A few days later, while the Captain was in the chart 
 room working out the position of the ship, Mr. Baker 
 appeared in the doorway fully armed. The Captain 
 looked up, and with a tired expression inquired: 
 
 "Well, Mr. Baker, what's up now?" 
 
 "The men have refused to turn to, sir," quietly 
 replied Mr. Baker. 
 
 "Well, what are you going to do?" inquired the 
 Captain, glancing at the revolver strapped around his 
 fighting officer. 
 
 "Going into the forecastle and drag them out, 
 sir," replied the officer.
 
 THE MUTINT 173 
 
 "You will do nothing of the kind," said the Cap- 
 tain slowly. ' ' What show will you have among twenty 
 mutineers? Load the guns with solid shot and I will 
 show you how to call a mutinous watch. This thing 
 is getting monotonous." 
 
 The forecastle was located under deck, but had a 
 trunk, or house, four feet high and on a level with 
 the rail, with the bunks "below deck. The sailors had 
 locked the doors from the inside and refused to come 
 on deck at two bells, when all hands were called, as 
 usual, to turn to. 
 
 The guns were loaded and trained on the fore- 
 castle doors, while the men, not knowing what was 
 going on, were in their berths, smoking and trying 
 to keep up their courage. 
 
 "Now, Mr. Baker, you may call the watch," said 
 the Captain dryly. 
 
 To Mr. Baker's call came the defiant answer: 
 
 "Come and take us out, you blarsted Yankee nig- 
 ger drivers. We're no slaves." 
 
 ' ' Aim for the top of the forecastle and let her 
 go!" ordered the Captain, speaking to Mr. Baker 
 and Bill, who were standing by the guns with lan- 
 yard in hand. And they did go, and so did the top 
 of the forecastle, with the splinters flying in every 
 direction, and the sailors tumbling over each other to 
 get on deck, their eyes bulging and hair standing on 
 end, wondering ' ' what kind of a blarsted Yankee con-
 
 174 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 trivance" that was for calling all hands. Before the 
 astonished sailors had recovered from their surprise, 
 the guns were reloaded, and the Captain triumphantly 
 stood waiting further developments. 
 
 " I/ay aft here, you mutineers!" sternly ordered 
 the Captain, and every man mechanically obeyed. 
 
 ' ' Are you ready to turn to ? ' ' inquired the Cap- 
 tain. 
 
 "Yes, sir," came from the men in chorus. 
 
 The slow, monotonous klunk-klunk of the pumps 
 started up, and the trouble was over for the present, 
 but the Captain knew he could no longer rely upon 
 the men, and must depend upon his own vigilance 
 and the loyalty of his officers to take the ship into 
 port. That he was determined to do, despite all 
 obstacles. 
 
 "There is the island of Barbadoes," said the Cap- 
 tain to Bill, looking away to the northwest, where a 
 speck appeared on the horizon. ' ' A few more days 
 will end this set of troubles. They are getting rather 
 tiresome." 
 
 "How far is that land away, sir?" asked Bill, in 
 a tone that caused the Captain to look inquiringly at 
 him. 
 
 "About forty miles, but when abeam it won't be 
 more than twenty-five," replied the Captain, as he 
 walked away and went below. 
 
 Not far from midnight Mr. Baker called the Cap-
 
 THE MUTINT 175 
 
 tain and reported that ' the sailors were preparing to 
 leave the ship. ' ' They pay no attention to orders, 
 and are unlashing the boats. They are quiet and 
 orderly, but determined." 
 
 Mr. Baker was for going in among them, with 
 the officers, and settling the difficulty with a hand 
 to hand fight. 
 
 "No," said the Captain, "we will leave that for 
 a last resort. There are five to one of us, and if 
 we should get the best of the fight there would not 
 be men enough left to pump the ship. We might 
 kill some, wound more, and put the rest in irons, 
 and deliver them up to the authorities when we reach 
 port, but that will not pump the ship. Go on 
 deck and take no notice of them ; I will be up in 
 a few minutes." 
 
 This the Captain knew was a serious difficulty. 
 A few days more would bring them into port, but 
 the men were mutineers and would be turned over 
 to the authorities upon, reaching port, and suffer the 
 penalty of their crime, which meant life imprison- 
 ment. This being their last chance for defeating 
 justice, they would make one desperate effort to save 
 themselves from the fate that awaited them. The 
 Captain leisurely lit a cigar and quietly walked on 
 deck, made a turn c*r two of the quarter, then or- 
 dered Mr. Baker and Bill to get to the guns, and 
 stand by for orders. The crew paid no attention to 
 12
 
 176 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 the officers on the quarter-deck, feeling sure they 
 were masters of the situation. The Captain was watch- 
 ing them, but apparently as unconcerned as if there 
 was nothing unusual going on. 
 
 "Now we'll go aft and bring the ship to," said 
 the leader of the mutineers, as the boats were all 
 ready to launch. 
 
 ' ' All hands lay af t ! " came the order from the 
 Captain, in the usual tone and manner of such com- 
 mands. 
 
 To the surprise of Mr. Baker and the other offi- 
 cers every man, without hesitating for an instant, 
 walked aft. They were so accustomed to obeying 
 orders that when they received the command to "lay 
 aft ' ' they forgot for the moment that they were 
 mutineers, and from sheer force of habit they mechan- 
 ically walked aft, and when they realized the trap 
 they were in, it was too late. 
 
 ' ' What is the trouble, men ? ' ' inquired the Cap- 
 tain, sarcastically. 
 
 " We are going to leave the ship and pull for 
 the land," said one of the sailors defiantly. 
 
 "And leave this ship to sink, myself, wife and 
 officers to drown?" said the Captain inquiringly. 
 
 "No, sir, we're not so heartless as that. We'll 
 never leave a shipmate to drown, will we mates?" 
 said the sailor, addressing the others ; then again to 
 the Captain, "We'll launch a boat for you and the
 
 THE MUTINT 177 
 
 officers. The weather is fine, and the land not far 
 away. ' ' 
 
 "Thank you, men, it is certainly very kind of 
 you, but will you tell me what you signed articles 
 for?" inquired the Captain, in a tone that made the 
 sailors uneasy. 
 
 "We can't defend our actions in the courts, but 
 we've got charge of the ship and we don't care to be 
 berthed for life and wear the government uniform. It 
 was our first act that has led up to this. We regret 
 it, but quarter-deck speeches won't help matters," said 
 the speaker sorrowfully ; then in a respectful tone, 
 "Shall we launch a boat for you, sir?" 
 
 "Men," said the Captain, stepping aside and point- 
 ing to the guns trained on them, "These guns are 
 loaded with grapeshot. If one of you so much as 
 moves a muscle, that man signs the death warrant for 
 every one." 
 
 The men were paralyzed with fear and stood as if 
 glued to the deck, with the moonlight shining full on 
 their terror-stricken faces. After a moment's silence 
 the Captain took the lanyard of the gun from Mr. 
 Baker and ordered him to take the officers and destroy 
 the boats. 
 
 The officers made quick work in demolishing the 
 boats, while the men stood like statues in front of the 
 guns. When everything that could float a man had 
 been made useless or thrown overboard, the Captain
 
 178 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 dropped the lanyard and said, surveying the baffled 
 sailors, "Now pump or sink," and without another 
 word turned and went below. 
 
 "Why, Frank," said the Captain's wife, as her 
 husband came below, " how dare you leave the deck 
 with the crew in a state of mutiny ? ' ' 
 
 " My dear," replied the Captain in a satisfied man- 
 ner, " we have not been so complete!}' secure from 
 danger since leaving Saint Helena. There is no more 
 trouble for us this trip. There is no escape only by 
 the ship, and they will rather pump than drown. Hear 
 that?" said the Captain, as the old familiar klunk- 
 klunk of the pumps sounded through the ship and over 
 the waters. 
 
 A week later the ship was at anchor in Bermuda, 
 with a gang of men from the shore to pump ship, re- 
 lieving the sailors, who were for the last time called 
 aft. The Captain after leading the way into the cabin 
 said, pleasantly : 
 
 " Men, my troubles would not interest you, any more 
 than perhaps an outward show of sympathy, therefore 
 it is unnecessary to relate them, but it was no ordi- 
 nary circumstances that compelled me to force you to 
 sea in a leaky ship. If you had stood by me I would 
 have doubled your wages, in fact money would have 
 been no object. I could not admit that the ship was 
 leaking when she left port, for the sailor as well as 
 the Captain is protected by the same law.
 
 THE MUTINT 179 
 
 " Then you admit, sir, this ship was leaking and not 
 seaworthy, when you left Saint Helena?" said one 
 of the sailors, brightening up. 
 
 " Yes," said the Captain, looking steadily at the 
 sailor, " but who will believe the word of -a muti- 
 neer ?" 
 
 The sailor dropped his head, and a look of despair 
 supplanted the expression of hope that had illuminated 
 his face when the Captain admitted that his own act 
 tr.ight warrant the mutinous conduct of the sailors. 
 
 "Listen!" continued the Captain. "You have 
 forfeited all consideration from courts or men, and 
 you know the penalty for mutiny; yet in consideration 
 of the circumstances and my part, which in the eyes 
 of the law was not justifiable, I will not report j'ou. 
 The wages due you will no more than replace the 
 boats that your conduct compelled me to destroy, in 
 order to save the ship with her valuable cargo, and 
 repair the deck house that I was obliged to blow 
 away in order to get you on deck. I will give each one 
 of you a pound, so that you will not land dead broke, 
 but if I find one of you on board in the morning, 
 the same I will turn over to the proper authorities 
 to be dealt with according to law." 
 
 "Captain," said one of the sailors, "you got the 
 best of us, an' I don't know's we would have treated 
 you as well if we had weather gauged you, but we 
 feels very grateful to you for letting us off so easy.
 
 180 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 We's sorry, Captain, but we can't help it now, an' 
 we must take our rations without growling." 
 
 " I guess you would not have gone entirely back 
 on a shipmate if you had come out ahead," said 
 the Captain pleasantly. " You offered to launch a 
 boat for me, which certainly was very kind. Many 
 a ship's officers have been left to their fate under 
 like circumstances. If I did not accept your offer it 
 was not your fault, but you see, men, I had a better 
 plan of getting ashore, and you are all better off 
 here than on the island of Barbadoes, and you all 
 feel easier, than if you had allowed this ship and 
 cargo to sink. We do things under certain impulses 
 and conditions that we regret later, and our sorrow 
 for every wrong committed grows with the years." 
 
 "That's square in the wake, Captain, but we was 
 afraid of er life berth. If you had kept on for the 
 Channel we would not have give you any trouble, 
 if we had to pump the ocean through the bottom. 
 Old England's a bigger lot er land than this little 
 island; an' we could hide ourselves there, but er rab- 
 bit can't hide on this little lump er coral. It was 
 to save our own hides, Captain, that we tried to 
 take the boats, but we would have towed your boat 
 to land on your word that you would not reported 
 us to the consul." 
 
 ' All right, men, I feel very much to blame my- 
 self," said the Captain, as he passed each man two
 
 THE MUTINY 181 
 
 pounds sterling instead of one. "I hope you will 
 find a good ship." 
 
 As the sailors left the cabin the leader said, " If 
 the ole man had told us his troubles, we'd er stood 
 by him." 
 
 "Avast heaving, mate," replied another, "the Cap- 
 tain don't have to ask the foc'sel hands what to do. 
 If we'd obeyed orders as was our duty, we'd been 
 ahead." 
 
 "Come ashore after dark, Mr. Baker," said the 
 Captain, as he was leaving the ship to go on shore, 
 whither his wife had already preceded him, ' ' I want 
 to have a talk with you, as I may arrange to go into 
 dock at daylight." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded the officer, and the men 
 at the oars gave way and pulled for the hotel landing 
 on the white sandy beach with as much energy in their 
 strokes and good will in their looks as if nothing had 
 happened and they expected to remain in the ship for 
 the rest of the voyage. 
 
 Several hours later the Captain, his wife, and Mr. 
 Baker were discussing the case of the sailors. 
 The Captain's wife was well pleased with their dis- 
 missal. 
 
 "It would have benefited no one," she said, "had 
 the sailors gone to prison for life. It was a hard place 
 to put men in, and they felt morally justified, knowing 
 that they had been imposed upon. We were obliged to
 
 182 RESCUED BT A PIUXCE 
 
 take chances, but we must deal leniently with those 
 whom we unjustly force into service." 
 
 ' ' A sailor has no excuse for disobeying orders, ' ' said 
 Mr. Baker, "neither has an officer, and if you say 
 let them go, that ends it with me; but I guess I'll 
 stay on shore tonight. All night in a bed will be a 
 great treat, that is if I can sleep without the music 
 of them pumps." 
 
 "A very good idea," said the Captain. " I knew 
 you would never get over the fact that a whole crew 
 deserted the ship, and Mr. Baker on board, so I asked 
 you to come ashore while the men were leaving the 
 ship. ' ' 
 
 "Very kind of you, Captain, but I will go off about 
 midnight, and kick up a rumpus with the officers for 
 letting the sailors run away, just to save my reputa- 
 tion, you know. But Captain," continued the officer 
 seriously, ' ' will you tell me why that mutinous crew 
 came aft when you ordered them to on the night 
 they had charge of the ship and everything their own 
 way, and could have made us walk the plank?" 
 
 "That was simply an illustration of what I have 
 often explained concerning the power of suggestion," 
 said the Captain smiling. " Those fellows knew that 
 they had charge of the ship and had nothing to fear. 
 Our presence on deck, in full view and offering no 
 remonstrance, confirmed them in their assurance. They 
 were not expecting to receive or obey orders from
 
 THE Men NT 183 
 
 the quarter-deck, and entirely ignored us. I was 
 waiting for their move aft, which must be made 
 before they could launch the boats, and when the 
 leader of the gang was ready to bring the ship to, 
 every man's mind was upon the execution of the very 
 order I gave. I merely intensified the thought upper- 
 most in their minds. They were waiting and expect- 
 ing to execute it, and did not stop to consider from 
 whence it came, but from force of habit, like ma- 
 chines, responded to the motive power." 
 
 ' ' That sounds more like preaching than sailor 
 talk," said Mr. Baker as he left the room, muttering 
 to himself: " If that power of I don't know what 
 you call it could pump a leaky skip or reef a topsail, 
 there might be something in it. Bosh!" 
 
 The next morning there was not a man to turn 
 to, and when the Captain was sure they had left the 
 harbor in another ship, he offered a reward for their 
 return. They were duly reported to the consul and 
 entered in the logbook as deserters. The ship was 
 docked, and the cause of so much expense and trouble 
 was found in her garboard streak under the foremast. 
 The strain received in the typhoon broke the pitch, 
 causing the oakum to rot. Time and pressure did the 
 rest and for the space of a foot there was not a thread 
 of oakum in the seam. The leak that nearly sunk 
 the ship was stopped in five minutes, the ship slid off 
 into her native element once more, and with a new
 
 184 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 crew proceeded on her voyage. Calling at Cork she 
 was ordered to Greenock on the Clyde. Here the 
 cargo was discharged and another taken on board for 
 Boston, where she arrived in due time, with no mis- 
 hap or incident out of the ordinary seafaring life, 
 having completed the most remarkable voyage ever 
 recorded. 
 
 The Captain was tendered a vote of thanks and a 
 substantial reward, while the Captain's wife was made 
 an honorary captain by a unanimous vote of the ship's 
 owners and the Board of Underwriters.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 THE LAUNCHING OF THE ' ' VIGILANT " 
 
 qnHE Captain gave up his ship, to the great regret of 
 the owners, who bought out his entire interest 
 and agreed to stand security for any amount he might 
 fall short in fitting out the new ship. They had no 
 idea that the Captain would ever find his boy, but 
 they felt a deep sympathy for the afflicted parents 
 and were greatly interested in the enterprise. While 
 reason condemned the expenditure of so much time 
 and money, which could not possibly bring satisfac- 
 tory results, the ship owners applauded the faith mani- 
 fested by the parents in their determination to search 
 the w r orld and fight all who opposed them in the res- 
 cue of their boy, and would rather lose all the money 
 advanced than to disappoint the Captain's wife, who 
 knew she would find her boy " somewhere, and some 
 way." 
 
 Although the money had been secured it was not 
 an easy matter to find a ship suitable for this expe- 
 dition, and the Captain spent weeks visiting the docks 
 and shipyards from Boston to Kennebec, in search for 
 
 (185)
 
 186 RESCTED BY A PRINCE 
 
 a ship that would meet all the requirements of such 
 an unusual voyage. After a week's search in the sea- 
 port towns of Massachusetts and Maine, he returned 
 dejectedly to the office of the managing owner of his 
 old ship, who met him with a hearty shake of the 
 hand. "I have good news for you, Captain," said 
 Mr. Hardy. ' ' You remember that ship over in Mc- 
 Kay's shipyard that you so much admired?" 
 
 " Yes," replied the Captain sadly, "but her owners 
 would not give her up, although I offered them a 
 handsome bonus." 
 
 "Her owners have failed, and Donald has her on 
 his hands. You know she was being built for a spe- 
 cial purpose, and as she is not well adapted for ordi- 
 nary trade, it will be a long time before she finds a 
 purchaser. They have quit work on her already," 
 said Mr. Hardy, and his pleased expression plainly 
 showed his interest in the Captain's enterprise. 
 
 "Thank you, Mr. Hardy," said the Captain, "I'll 
 own her inside of an hour," and he rushed toward the 
 door, as if afraid the ship would be sold before he 
 could cross the ferry. 
 
 "Hold on, Captain," said Mr. Hardy, gently plac- 
 ing his hand on the Captain's shoulder, " we are in- 
 terested in this enterprise, and we can make a better 
 deal with Donald than you can." 
 
 "That's so, Mr. Hardy," said the Captain excit- 
 edly. " Go at once and buy her at any price."
 
 LAUNCHING OF THE "VIGILANT" 187 
 
 "Not so fast, my dear Captain. She won't get 
 away, and I don't want her very badly you know. 
 Donald is an old friend of mine, and I am anxious to 
 help him get a white elephant off his hand," said Mr. 
 Hardy with a knowing wink. 
 
 " I suppose I would show more anxiety to close 
 the deal than would be profitable, and that sharp 
 old shipbuilder would take advantage of my neces- 
 sity, " said the Captain, well pleased with the interest 
 the old merchant showed in the whole affair. 
 
 The ship under discussion was the only one the 
 Captain could find that was adapted in every par- 
 ticular for the voyage he was about to enter upon. 
 She was six hundred tons burden, extreme clipper 
 build, bark rigged, and was expected to make eighteen 
 knots under canvas, with a favorable opportunity. 
 In addition to her sails she was fitted with auxiliary 
 steam power, which alone would propel the ship 
 twelve knots. She was built for the express purpose 
 of carrying supplies to the South Atlantic whaling 
 fleet that rendezvoused at Saint Helena, and the steam 
 power was to assist her through the doldrums and 
 tropical calms. A better ship for the expedition in 
 search for Harry could not have been built, even if 
 the Captain had planned her himself, and started 
 from the keel ; and more, she had been under con- 
 struction for six months, and by extra exertion she 
 could be launched in a month.
 
 188 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 "Sit down, Captain, smoke a cigar and quiet 
 your nerves. You have wasted more nerve energy 
 in an hour than I have for the last ten years," 
 said Mr. Hardy, as he returned to his office and 
 found the Captain nervously pacing the floor, as if 
 the uncompleted ship on the stocks would really get 
 away. 
 
 ' ' Have you closed the deal ? ' ' excitedly inquired 
 the Captain, as he rushed up to Mr. Hardy and 
 anxiously waited for his reply. 
 
 Mr. Hardy was one of those fine old characters 
 of the last generation, who liked to have his own 
 way and time about things. He smiled at the young 
 Captain's impetuous manner, and replied very slowly, 
 ' ' Yes, I have bought her, pro-vid-ing ' ' 
 
 ' ' Providing what ? ' ' interrupted the Captain im- 
 patiently. 
 
 " Pro-vid-ing she is launched within thirty days 
 without the usual three days of grace," said the 
 old merchant gleefully, rubbing his hands, "and " 
 
 "And what?" again interrupted the Captain as 
 Mr. Hardy hesitated in the most tantalizing manner. 
 
 " Every man who can work to advantage will be 
 set to work tomorrow morning," said Mr. Hardy, 
 finishing his report on the transaction. 
 
 "Good!" said the Captain, grasping the old 
 merchant's hand. "You don't know how this affair 
 is breaking me up, and my wife " His voice
 
 LAUNCHING OF THE "VIGILANT" 189 
 
 broke and his lips quivered, "She don't show it, 
 but it is taking her very life, and if we don't find 
 that boy she is dead or worse off." 
 
 " Your wife will stand it longer than you if I am 
 not much mistaken. She is the most remarkable woman 
 I have ever met," said the kind-hearted old mer- 
 chant, in his slow, quiet way, wiping his eyes. " I 
 have taken a personal interest in this affair," he 
 continued, "and will see you through if I have to 
 stand all extra expense." 
 
 The Captain, much affected by the kindness of 
 Mr. Hardy, and surprised that people did take 
 an interest in the misfortunes of others, did not say 
 a word, but left the office, overwhelmed with emotion. 
 There are times when words are inadequate to ex- 
 press the sentiment of the heart, and silence is fully 
 understood and appreciated. 
 
 The Captain spent his whole time in the ship- 
 yard watching the workmen, while his wife visited 
 the ship every day. The sad story of the loss of 
 little Harry was well known, and mothers would in- 
 voluntarily tighten the clasp upon the hands of their 
 little ones, while sympathetic tears flowed down 
 their faces as they related the story of little Harry 
 among the cannibals to some new comer, and pointed 
 out the afflicted parents. The shipyard was crowded 
 with visitors, and every one took the deepest interest 
 in everything connected with the ship. The nervous
 
 190 R ESC i' ED nr A PRINCE 
 
 anxiety of the Captain and the quiet determination 
 on the face of his wife, with the sympathy of the 
 crowd always standing around the ship, created a 
 corresponding sympathy on the part of the ship- 
 builders. Every workman felt that time was of the 
 greatest value. They no longer came at seven, and 
 quit work at six o'clock, but were on hand at day- 
 light and remained till the shadows of night com- 
 pelled them to quit. The master builder caught the 
 infection, suspended all other work in the yard, and 
 centered all of his energies and force of workmen on 
 the ship, as if feeling it his duty to get her off the 
 ways as soon as possible. At the end of three weeks 
 from the date of Mr. Hardy's purchase of the ship, 
 she was ready to launch. Never was such a launch- 
 ing witnessed in that port. It seemed as if the 
 whole city had turned out in honor of the occasion. 
 As the workmen split out the spur, and the ship 
 started on her way to the ocean, the Captain's wife 
 broke the bottle of wine on her bow and christened 
 her "Vigilant." The vessel slid into the water amid 
 the shouts of thousands of interested people, who 
 were in full sympathy with her mission. 
 
 The ship was hauled under the shears and her 
 masts stepped before the workmen left for the night. 
 The building and rigging of that ship was a record 
 breaker in the annals of shipbuilding, and the record 
 of her construction, fitting out, and first cruise, can
 
 LAUNCHING OF THE "-VIGILANT'" 191 
 
 be seen today, magnificently framed and hanging in 
 the master builder's office. To the ordinary visitor, 
 because of its surroundings, it appears much out of 
 place, but it is the boast and pride of the most 
 famous shipyard on the coast of New England. 
 
 The masts in place, the rigging was quickly set 
 down, yards crossed and sails bent, while arms, am- 
 munition, and stores for two years were taken on 
 board and stowed away. Mr. Hardy insisted upon 
 fitting out a cabin or saloon for the Captain's wife, 
 while other merchants provided four twelve-pound 
 brass howitzers with ammunition. The citizens con- 
 tributed the bunting and a full set of awnings, and 
 so great was the interest and sympathy in the novel 
 enterprise, that farmers for miles around sent in large 
 quantities of produce, while their wives contributed 
 preserves, jellies, and jams, sufficient for the entire 
 voyage. 
 
 The same set of officers who had stood so nobly 
 by the Captain, and defended the ship against canni- 
 bals, pirates, and mutineers, were on the ship's articles, 
 but not a sailor had been shipped. The Captain had 
 left the selection of the crew to Mr. Baker, who ap- 
 peared to be constantly on the lookout for the right 
 men, but unable to find just the men he wanted. 
 
 "We are nearly ready for a crew, Mr. Baker," 
 said the Captain impatiently, after listening to that 
 
 officer's hard luck story about not finding the right 
 13
 
 192 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 men. "If we can't get what we want, we must take 
 the best we can get." 
 
 "We can do that at any time, so we will try for 
 what we want as long as we can without detaining 
 the ship; but there don't seem to be many first- 
 class men wanting a ship," said Mr. Baker, with an 
 air that indicated he could find the men when he had to. 
 
 " Certainly not," replied the Captain. "First-class 
 men don't hunt long for a ship. I wish we had 
 our old crew. I would take every one of them, but 
 old Tom's 'man an' boy' experience would get a 
 shock," he said, smiling, watching the churning pro- 
 peller and straining hawsers, as the engineer was 
 testing the machinery. 
 
 "We'll have a large crew, sir," said Mr. Baker, 
 much pleased that the Captain expressed a desire to 
 have all of the old hands back again. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain, sadly. "We are some- 
 thing more than a merchantman, and will have some 
 other use for men than to work ship and handle 
 cargo." 
 
 "That is right, Captain, but with twenty men be- 
 sides the officers, engineers and firemen, we will be a 
 well equipped man-of-war. I'll take another turn 
 around the boarding houses this afternoon." 
 
 Mr. Baker returned to the ship as the Captain and 
 his wife were leaving for the night. 
 
 ' ' Hold on, Captain ! ' ' exclaimed Mr. Baker, as he
 
 LAUNCHING OF THE ^VIGILANT" 193 
 
 almost fell over the rail in his haste to tell the good 
 news. " I have got them ! Every mother's son of them 
 will be on board in the morning," and he started up a jig. 
 
 "Got who? " inquired the Captain, looking sharply 
 at the old officer and thinking he had met up with 
 some friends and talked ship until he was shaking 
 three points in the wind. 
 
 "Why our old crew, Captain," replied Mr. Baker, 
 finishing the measure of the jig and wiping perspira- 
 tion from his face, with ' ' Beg pardon, Missus ; " it was 
 the Captain's turn to be surprised, while his wife 
 clapped her hands for joy. 
 
 "How did you run afoul of them, Mr. Baker?" 
 inquired the Captain. 
 
 "Well you see, Captain, I have been on the look- 
 out for their ship ever since we have been in port, 
 and have made trips to the pilot office several times 
 a day. When I went out today I shaped my course 
 straight for the pilot office, and found out that a ship 
 from Manila passed Cape Cod this morning. I then 
 took a new departure for the tow boat company's 
 office, and reached there just in time to get a passage 
 on the boat that was casting off her lines to go out 
 after the ship, off the Minot's. My ! but. the boys 
 was glad to see me, and the first thing they asked 
 about was the cruise ; and when I told them how we 
 were making it, and holding a berth for them, they 
 just danced the hornpipe, while old Tom related his
 
 194 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 ' man an' boy experience for forty years.' They will 
 get paid off tomorrow, weather the boarding house, 
 and won't start tack nor sheet till they strike the 
 ship, and the land sharks will have to strike off 
 shore. ' ' 
 
 " Now I understand why you could not find any 
 sailors," said the Captain, greatly pleased with the 
 fact that he would have for this desperate cruise men 
 on whom he could depend in any emergency. " I 
 think you ought to be Captain, Mr. Baker," he con- 
 tinued, " but then I don't know where you would find 
 such a mate as I have always found in you." 
 
 "Thank you, Captain," replied Mr. Baker, much 
 pleased with the compliment, " but we can fix it all 
 right. Missus can be Captain ; she beats both of us, 
 and she holds a Captain's commission,'' taking off 
 his hat and bowing to the Captain's wife. 
 
 The next day the sailors came on board, and were 
 greeted as old friends by the Captain and his wife. 
 The sailors took great interest in the ship, but would 
 not go near the engine room. Their quarters were 
 commodious and comfortable, far beyond anything they 
 had ever seen before. " Man an' boy, I've sailed 
 salt water nigh on to forty years," began old Tom, 
 ' ' and never aboard er craft like ' 
 
 " Belay that man an' boy gear, Tom," said Jack, 
 " I's thinking Say, mates, let's give the ole man 
 er hawser. It's took er pile of money to fit out
 
 LAUNCHING OF THE ^ VIGILANT" 195 
 
 this ship, an' fer one I wants er interest in this ven- 
 ture. What say, mates?" 
 
 " We's agreed," exclaimed all hands. 
 
 "You've got the best jaw tackle, Jack. Lay aft 
 an' reel off the yarn to the ole man." 
 
 "No, mates," said Jack, "Tom's er good yarner. 
 He's never seen er real ghost, but then he's seen 
 the Flyin' Dutchman, an' he's er older han', an' the 
 honor belongs to him." 
 
 After thoroughly discussing the question among the 
 sailors, Tom and Jack endeavoring to prove each other 
 the better fellow, the question was settled on honor, and 
 Tom was delegated to represent the forecastle on the 
 quarter-deck, but warned not to loose that ' man an' 
 boy sail. ' 
 
 "Well, Tom, what can I do for you?" inquired 
 the Captain, as Tom stood at the cabin door, hat in 
 hand, really at loss to know how to begin. 
 
 "I wants to speak to you, sir, on bisness," said 
 Tom, with the rim of his hat in his mouth, bashful 
 as a schoolboy. 
 
 "All right, Tom, walk in and take a seat," said the 
 Captain. "Pretty fine ship we have, isn't she, 
 Tom ? ' ' 
 
 "That she is, sir," said Tom, "an* me an' my 
 mates wants er interest in her. You see, Captain, we's 
 just been paid off an' didn't go ashore, but comes right 
 erboard. We has er hundred an' fifty, each of us, which,
 
 196 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 Jack says, an' he's edicated, make three thousan' dol- 
 lars, that the boardin' house sharks won't get this 
 voyage; an' we'ud like to be ship owners. If we 
 can't have er piece of the ship, you can have the 
 money, Captain. Money never does us sailors any 
 good, anyway." 
 
 "Why, Tom," said the Captain, overwhelmed with 
 the kindness and generosity of the sailors, "you shall 
 all have a share in this enterprise, and I will have 
 certificates of ownership made out this very day; and 
 more, as this voyage does not promise any returns 
 on the investment, your money shall draw interest 
 as if you had put it in the bank." 
 
 "No, Captain, when we becomes ship owners we 
 takes our chances with the rest. Ship business, you 
 know, Captain, is square-rigged, an' not like the Ian' 
 shar concerns, where a few what have the /weather 
 gauge bear away with square yards an' leaves the 
 rest stranded on a lee shore." 
 
 "All right, Tom. Tell your mates that I fully 
 appreciate their sympathy and interest and that they 
 have made Missus the happiest Captain afloat." 
 
 " Missus Captain ?" said Tom with a puzzled ex- 
 pression. "She ought to be, beggin' your pardon, 
 Captain." 
 
 "I forgot, Tom, you did not know that the 
 underwriters and owners of the old ship gave Missus 
 a Captain's commission, what is called honorary, as
 
 LAUNCHING OF THE "VIGILANT" 197 
 
 a compliment for the valuable service rendered on 
 our last voyage." 
 
 "If it hain't out er trim, Captain, we'd like to 
 celebrate in honor of the new Captain," said Tom; 
 then hesitating, " No, I guess it won't be pleasant 
 for her." 
 
 "We will all celebrate when we get back," said 
 the Captain sadly. 
 
 "There's one more thing, Captain, beggin' your 
 pardon. You knows we's sailors, an' we don't like 
 that big stovepipe an' all that machinery down in 
 the hold. There's nothin' shipshape erbout these 
 smokers crawlin' erlong through the water like er 
 snake in the grass, an' er sailor feels disgraced when 
 he sees er lot er coal heavers an' mechanics runnin' 
 the ship, an' all he has to do is wash decks, an' clean 
 brass work." 
 
 "I don't like it any better than you do, Tom," 
 replied the Captain, "but you know we are going on 
 a desperate voyage, and we are obliged to take des- 
 perate chances. You see we have the same masts 
 and spars, with the same spread of canvas as if we 
 did not have that infernal teapot stowed away in the 
 hold. We will use the steam only to pull us through 
 the calms, and to help us when we get after the 
 natives." 
 
 "All right, Captain," said Tom, his face bright- 
 ening, " I tole mates you was too much of er sailor
 
 198 RESCUED er A PRINCE 
 
 to mix up with these new fangled ideas of sailin' 
 ships, an' now I can tell 'em what you says ; but, 
 Captain, have we got to 'sociate with the men that 
 shovels the coal an' runs the machinery?" 
 
 "Not unless you want to, Tom. They have their 
 quarters, you have yours. They know no more about 
 your duties, or how to perform them, than you know 
 about theirs. But, Tom," said the Captain in a con- 
 fidential way, "when we can no longer feel the good 
 ship careening to leeward under pressure of her own 
 canvas, and watch the snow-white sails bellying to 
 the breeze, lifting the ship as she glides through the 
 water, leaping from billow to billow like a thing of 
 life, shaking the spray from her bows, dashing it 
 aloft and around and leaving a foaming eddying wake 
 behind her, we will quit the sea and go to farming." 
 
 The Captain's loyalty to sailing ships could no 
 longer be doubted. Tom sprang to his feet, and with 
 a sigh of relief grasped his hand and said : 
 
 "I knows you is all right, an' Jack, he's edicated, 
 says you'r all right, but mates thought you is goin' 
 off on the wrong tack. We is goin' to stan' by you, 
 Captain, teapot or no teapot, but it'll ease our min's 
 to know that you still hang to the true sailor style 
 of navigation."
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 THE SAILING OF THE "VIGILANT" 
 
 "pHE ship, swinging to her moorings, ready for sea, 
 * with her long black hull, low sit, tall masts, and 
 square yards, presenting a magnificent picture of nautical 
 beauty and architecture, was the admiration of both 
 sailors and landsmen. Neither a merchantman nor a 
 man-of-war, she had the trim appearance of a rev- 
 enue cutter, or, as fancy would picture from the his- 
 tory of that famous craft, the privateer of revolutionary 
 time, with the additional improvement of steam and 
 modern build. The between decks were fitted up for 
 the accommodation of the crew. The Captain's wife 
 had, through the generosity of Mr. Hardy and others 
 of the old ship's owners, for her own private use a 
 luxuriously furnished saloon, of which Mrs. Hardy 
 superintended the arrangements. The selection of 
 carpet, furniture, and bric-a-brac were made with great 
 care by this motherly lady, as if the ship was fitting 
 out for the rescue of her own son, and she was pre- 
 paring to entertain him in royal style. 
 
 " I know you can take no interest in all this fixing, 
 dear," said Mrs. Hardy, as the Captain's wife sadly 
 099)
 
 200 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 surveyed the pretty cabin, " but on the return voy- 
 age after you have found your boy, then you will 
 enjoy it." 
 
 Next forward was the Captain's cabin, then the 
 officers', and dining saloon ; forward of these were the 
 engineers', firemens', and sailors' quarters. In their 
 places on the holystoned deck were the four brass 
 cannon, the pride of the sailors, who kept them pol- 
 ished to the highest degree. Adjustable steel wire 
 netting completely surrounded the ship above the rail 
 to the height of six feet, making it impossible for 
 a native to gain a foothold on her deck; the wheel- 
 house was protected from the arrows and spears of 
 the natives by closely woven steel wire mats, which 
 could easily be adjusted when necessary; but the most 
 ingenious device was a heavy steel wire net so ar- 
 ranged as to fold and lay along and under the rail, and 
 when rigged extended outward twelve feet, having a 
 drop from the level of the rail to the water's edge 
 completely encircling the ship. A current of electricity 
 from the dynamo could be sent through the rod that 
 held the net. This was for the protection of the 
 ship while lying at anchor among the islands, making 
 her as secure from native attacks as if she had been 
 inclosed by solid walls of masonry. No force of 
 natives could ever cross that death-dealing wire when 
 the current was on. 
 
 This was the device of a young electrician, who
 
 THE SAILING OF THE " VIGILANT" 201 
 
 at that time was considered visionary, but has since 
 risen to fame and fortune, whose name is now a 
 household word throughout the civilized world. 
 
 The ship was unique, both in her construction and 
 outfitting, and her mission unparalleled. 
 
 Who but a mother could plan such an expedition, 
 and enlist, through sympathy, the brains and skill 
 of a nation; not one of the vast multitude, who by 
 their united effort made it possible to fit out the 
 ship, could give any logical reason for sending a ship 
 to search the world for a lost boy. It was senti- 
 ment which stimulated the brain and intensified the 
 skill that produced a marvel in mechanical and 
 nautical handiwork, and the world took a stride of 
 an hundred years. The mother did not stop to 
 count the cost, or to consider the difficulties that 
 must be overcome; neither did she try by logical 
 argument, as man would, to prove how it was pos- 
 sible or impossible to find her boy, who had been 
 among the savages for more than a year, and might 
 be dead or removed thousands of miles from the 
 place of his capture. With her there was but one 
 thing to do: fit out a ship and search until the boy 
 was found, or his fate known. To her the boy was 
 alive and would be rescued. The father's reasoning 
 gave him no hope. He might visit every island in 
 the Indian Archipelago without finding a trace of 
 the lost child, and he might locate his boy and fail
 
 202 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 to rescue him. He might demolish all of their sea coast 
 villages within the reach of his guns, but how could 
 he follow them inland ? While reason viewed the 
 enterprise as hopeless, he still had faith in his wife's 
 intuition, or whatever it may be called, and if at 
 times he doubted the possibility of success, he was 
 ready to sacrifice everything, even his life, in obedience 
 to that subconscious power so strongly developed in 
 his wife as to compel every one to comply with her silent 
 demands. The officers and crew had great faith in 
 "Missus," and while they might have doubted the 
 success of the enterprise, they were greatly attached 
 to the Captain and "Missus" and the faint hope of 
 finding Harry, "the son of the ship,'' for whom they 
 all felt the tender love and sympathy of a father, 
 together with their love of adventure and the novelty 
 of the cruise, were incentives enough to create a 
 genuine enthusiasm for what promised to be the 
 most hazardous enterprise of their already eventful 
 lives. 
 
 The ship cleared the customs for the Solomon 
 Islands on a trading voyage, and while the custom 
 house officials knew full well the destination and ob- 
 ject of the cruise, they did not haggle over techni- 
 calities, but permitted an armed cruiser to leave port 
 for the purpose of making war on the natives, if 
 necessary, on her own account. 
 
 It was a great day when the ship sailed. The
 
 THE SAILIXG OF THE "VIGILANT" 203 
 
 sailors were in their glory, and long before daylight 
 were making the ship trim for inspection by the 
 Captain's friends, who were to sail down the harbor 
 in the ship. 
 
 "Man an' boy, I've sailed salt water nigh on to 
 forty years, an' never saw as trim er ship," said 
 Tom, as he and the sailors were lounging about the 
 topgallant forecastle anxiously waiting for the order 
 to " Man the capstan." 
 
 " Don t like it, Tom," said Jack, eyeing the smoke- 
 stack and tugging away at a tough piece of navy. 
 
 "Give us a chaw, mate," said Tom, with a con- 
 temptuous glance at the offending black funnel. " We'll 
 wants lots er navy on this cruise, ' ' viciously biting off 
 a generous ' ' chaw " as a consoler to his wounded 
 pride, "but we's got that infernal ole fantail sailor's 
 disgrace out er water, an' we'll show the Ian' lubbers 
 how to handle er ship in the only nateral way." 
 
 The order to ' ' Man the windlass ' ' broke up the 
 conversation on the topgallant forecastle, and the old 
 familiar chant, "we're outward bound," broke the 
 stillness of the morning's quiet, as the sailors, march- 
 ing around the capstan in time with their own tune, 
 quickly "hove short" the chain. The new capstan 
 windlass, with its ease and rapidity, was a great sur- 
 prise to the men, and when the order came " Vast 
 heaving," old Tom could contain himself no longer. 
 ''Man an' " "Sheet home the topsail!" from the
 
 204 RESCUED sr A PRINCE 
 
 officer, cut short his usual expression on such oca- 
 sions, while the rattling of the sheets through the 
 blocks was a more pleasant sound to the sailors than 
 Tom's declamation. The propeller had been discon- 
 nected from the shaft and hoisted clear of the water 
 so as not to impede the progress of the ship under 
 sail. This greatly pleased the sailors, and if the 
 "sailor's disgrace," as they called it, had broken adrift 
 and found a resting place in Davy Jones's locker, they 
 would have danced for joy. 
 
 The Captain was nervously pacing the quarter- 
 deck, impatiently waiting for his friends who were 
 coming to see him off and take the first sail on the 
 ship in which they were so much interested, while 
 his wife, pale with suppressed excitement, stood watch- 
 ing the sailors as they performed their various duties. 
 Some were coiling the ropes, others apparently were 
 hanging from every yard, loosing the sails and making 
 up the gaskets, every one of the same size and hang- 
 ing uniformly under the yards, as if to be inspected 
 by an admiral of some rival nation. During this 
 maneuvering of the sailors, the Captain's wife often 
 glanced toward the piers, and the flush on her face, 
 as the first tug put off, indicated that she was as 
 anxious as her husband to fill away and be off on 
 their long journey to the Indian Ocean. 
 
 Tug after tug, loaded with men, women and chil- 
 dren, was leaving the piers, puffing away and heading
 
 THE SAILING OF THE " VIGILANT" 205 
 
 for the ship. Merchants closed their offices and gave 
 themselves a holiday. Every available steamboat was 
 chartered to carry down the harbor those who could 
 not find room on the ship. The anchor was weighed 
 and the ship filled away amid the shouts of the peo- 
 ple, who, unable to procure passage down the harbor, 
 were standing on the piers which lined the harbor's front. 
 
 The ship increased her speed as sail after sail was 
 spread to a strong westerly breeze, until she left the 
 fleet of tugs behind and ran away from the steamers 
 that were following in her wake. 
 
 "I guess she will sustain Donald's reputation for 
 fast sailing, Captain," said Mr. Hardy, looking over 
 the ship's side and then at the fleet of small steamers 
 gradually dropping astern. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain, well pleased, "she's a 
 sailer and no mistake; if her steam power is equal to her 
 canvas she will fill the bill." 
 
 "Why didn't you try the steam out of the harbor, 
 Captain?" inquired Mr. Hardy. 
 
 ' ' Out of pure respect for the feelings of the sailors, ' ' 
 replied the Captain. Those poor fellows know that the 
 prerogatives of the old salts are slipping away from 
 them, and it would have broken their noble hearts if I 
 had not given them a chance to show their seamanship 
 before this company, and they have acquitted themselves 
 with honors. They are the finest lot of men that ever 
 steered a trick or reefed a topsail."
 
 ZOO RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 "The old sailor don't take kindly to steam, and to 
 me it seems strange, when it saves so much work and 
 many a hard drubbing," said Mr. Hardy. 
 
 ' "Not so strange, Mr. Hardy," replied the Captain. 
 ' ' The sailor cannot be appreciated for his full worth 
 as a man because he is not known by those whom he 
 serves. His little diversions in foreign ports, unre- 
 strained by home influences, are magnified by his shore 
 friends, who, without the training and discipline of the 
 sailor, would give cause for harsher criticism under 
 like conditions. I can't help a feeling of regret as I 
 notice the old sailing ships falling to the rear, and 
 steamers coming to the front. The old tar will never 
 make a steamship sailor; a new class of men will be 
 trained for the new service. Mechanics, and ordinary 
 laborers for coal heavers and deck washers, will be the 
 sailor of the future." 
 
 "I guess you are right, Captain, but what will 
 become of the old sailor?"" 
 
 "O! He will die out," said the Captain with a 
 sigh. "He has had his day and filled his place, but 
 now must drop out to make room for the onward march 
 of invention which is already revolutionizing the world; 
 but romance and adventure in navigation will have died 
 with him, and the world will lose the class of brave and 
 honest men that only a seafaring life in sailing ships 
 can produce. The young sailor will adapt himself to 
 the new order of things, and in a few years more the
 
 THE SAILING OF THE " VIGILANT" 207 
 
 old sailor, as we know him today, will be as much 
 of a curiosity as the traditional mermaid." 
 
 "Well, Captain," exclaimed Mr. Hardy in great 
 surprise, ' ' are you going to take us out to sea ? We 
 are past the lighthouse and the tugs are a mile astern." 
 
 ' ' Slack down the topgallant sails and back the main 
 topsail," ordered the Captain ; then to Mr. Hardy, "I 
 am in no great hurry to part with such genial com- 
 pany," looking at his watch ; " half an hour since we 
 passed Boston light. Nine miles in half an hour. 
 Must have had a strong ebb tide. No ship can reel 
 off nine in that time." 
 
 "You did not call upon us for any help." said Mr. 
 Hardy. " How did you manage it?" 
 
 "Why, I never saw anything like it," replied the 
 Captain ; " every one had something to give. Old Don- 
 ald struck off a good figure for cash, so he said ; the 
 carpenter donated one day's pay and made no charge 
 for overtime ; the merchants and fanners fitted us out, 
 and to cap the climax, the sailors turned in three 
 thousand, Mr. Baker and the old officers turned their 
 assets into gold, and we have coin enough on hand to 
 start a bank." 
 
 "Glad to hear it," said Mr. Hardy, grasping the 
 Captain's hand. " I never saw such a general' inter- 
 est in anything before. I guess the old saying, ' All 
 the world's akin ' can still be quoted, but if you need 
 any money on your cruise draw on us;" then with a 
 14
 
 208 RESCUED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 knowing smile, " You/ know how to make a draft, 
 Captain." 
 
 " I did draw on you pretty heavy the last voyage" 
 said the Captain triumphantly. 
 
 "Yes, you did, Captain, but you brought the ship 
 home, and I guess she is worth her bills yet a while. 
 The underwriters ought to have pensioned you for 
 life," said Mr. Hardy, with much earnestness. 
 
 "They have come down handsomely," replied the 
 Captain. "They have presented me with a paid-up 
 insurance policy for the cruise." 
 
 The steamers were soon alongside, and with the 
 usual handshaking and good wishes, the crowd was 
 safely transferred to the tugs, and the ship filled away 
 amid the shouts of the people, ringing of bells, and 
 blowing of whistles. The steamers returned to the 
 city, while the ship shaped her course for her long 
 trip to the other side of the globe. 
 
 "How kind the people are," said the Captain's wife, 
 as she stood watching the fleet of steamers fading from 
 view. 
 
 " Yes," replied her husband musingly, "I guess I 
 was mistaken when I said that our troubles are our 
 own, and that owners and underwriters will give us 
 their sympathy but not their money. It appears that 
 our troubles are everybody's, and owners and under- 
 writers will invest their money, as it has been proven 
 in our case."
 
 THE SAILING OF THE " VIGILANT" 209 
 
 The wind was fresh from the west, and when the 
 ship passed Cape Cod, and hauled up on her course, 
 bringing the wind two points abaft the beam, every 
 sail was drawing to the best advantage. 
 
 " Now's the time to see what she's made of," said 
 Mr. Baker, as he came aft with the glass and log line. 
 
 All hands came aft. The Captain took the wheel, 
 and after triming each sail so that it would pull to 
 the last ounce, said, " Heave the log." Every man 
 watched in breathless anxiety, until Bill, who was hold- 
 ing the glass, said professionally, " S-a-n-d out." 
 
 "Seventeen and a half," said Mr. Baker, with some 
 hesitation. 
 
 "Impossible!" exclaimed the Captain in surprise. 
 "That log line is wrong. Measure the log line, Mr. 
 Baker." 
 
 While Mr. Baker was measuring the line there 
 was more excitement than the same men had ever 
 manifested in the worst fight they had taken a hand 
 in, for who ever heard of a ship of her tonnage sailing 
 seventeen and a half knots. Old Tom, out of respect 
 to Missus, tried hard to "behave before ladies," but 
 could not contain himself any longer. 
 
 "Man an' boy, I've " 
 
 "Line correct, sir," said Mr. Baker. 
 
 "Time the glass," ordered the Captain. "Give 
 me the glass, Mr. Baker, and you go below and count 
 off fifteen seconds."
 
 210 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 "Turn, "came the word from Mr. Baker, who was 
 at the cronometer. The Captain turned the glass; 
 "time" from Mr. Baker and "out" from the Cap- 
 tain came simultaneously. Log line and fifteen sec- 
 ond glass were correct. There was no doubt that 
 the ship was fully up to the builders' estimate of 
 speed. All hands were greatly elated, for a fast ship 
 is to a sailor what a fast horse is to the lover of the 
 turf. 
 
 As the ship was provided with steam power, the 
 Captain did not take the longer route laid down for 
 sailing ships, but made a straight course for the 
 equator at a point where he could weather Cape Saint 
 Rogue, under sail, after striking the southeast trades. 
 Entering the region of the doldrums, the Captain lost 
 no time with calms and light baffling winds, but con- 
 nected the propeller with the shaft, and ordered steam 
 up. The ship made fourteen knots under steam alone, 
 and the Captain was satisfied. 
 
 "How do you account for the speed, Captain?" 
 asked Mr. Baker. "Ships don't usually come up to 
 builders' estimate." 
 
 "Just pure luck, Mr. Baker; can't find a better 
 term. The next ship built on this model may fall 
 short as much as this one runs over. To illustrate, take 
 the yacht "America"; they have been trying to build 
 another with the same speed ever since she won the 
 cup, and when they found they could not do it, and the
 
 THE SAILING OF THE ' VIGILANT''' 211 
 
 "America" getting old, they took her to pieces, one tim- 
 ber at a time, and carefully replaced each timber with 
 a new one modeled exactly like the old one taken out, 
 until they had her completely rebuilt, but she has never 
 sailed since, and any old lime juice tub of a yacht can 
 sail all around her. We are only ten days out, and 
 we cross the equator tomorrow," said the Captain, 
 glancing at the black smoke pouring out of the fun- 
 nels and soiling the white sails snugly furled on the 
 yards. 
 
 "She beats anything I have ever sailed in," said 
 Mr. Baker, in a semi-dissatisfied tone, as he viewed the 
 small black specks on the white holystoned deck. 
 "That 1 reminds me, Captain ; the boys are very anxious 
 to know whether you expect old Neptune on board 
 when we cross the line.' 
 
 "Really, Mr. Baker;" replied the Captain, "I do 
 not approve of that old time custom, but the sailors 
 look upon it as their right, and cannot understand my 
 objections. I suppose we will have to permit it, espe- 
 cially as we have on board a new class of men whom 
 the old salt is not very friendly to. The sailors will 
 show the firemen and coal heavers more consideration 
 after they are duly initiated, and a better feeling will exist 
 between them after the ceremony. Just caution the 
 men not to be severe on the candidates, and let them 
 have their fun."
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 OLD NEPTUNE 
 
 1 ' IT'S kind er runnin' free of the ole man an' Missus, 
 under the sarcumstances, to have ole Neptune 
 come er board," said Tom, taking a seat on the 
 head of the capstan, with the rest of the crew grouped 
 around for a smoke, and to plan for the morrow's 
 ceremonies. 
 
 "Captain an' Missus has no heart in this bisness," 
 said Jack, whose education had won for him a position 
 of importance in all their discussions. "They just 
 want to give us a good time with a little pleasant 
 amusement. Tve not been used to such consideration 
 in ships I've sailed. You must have had plain sailin' 
 'fore the trouble struck the ship, but we'll see them 
 out of it." 
 
 "You're right, mates," said Tom, who had over- 
 come all jealousies and held Jack in great respect on 
 account of his "edication." 
 
 : "Fore this voyage," continued Tom, glancing 
 around to make sure no lubber was present, "the 
 ole man allus played the part of Neptune, an it 
 
 (212)
 
 OLD NEPTUNE 213 
 
 would er done ye eyes good to see him rigged out 
 with all his fixin's, crown and trident, just like er 
 reg'lar play actor. Why mates, we'd have his crown 
 an' trident under the bows, an' he'd rig out below, 
 an' while all han's was busy heavin' the ship to for 
 Neptune to come er longside he'd drop overboard out 
 of the cabin winder an' swim close er long the lee side 
 of the ship up to the bows, while the men was busy 
 to weather. I'd give him a rope an' help him fix 
 his crown, hair an' whiskers, an' then he'd come 
 right over the bows, drip'in' with the briny, just 
 like er king er the ocean, standin' as straight as 
 er topmast, look er round the ship as if he'd never 
 seen her before, an' bring his trident down on the 
 focks'l with a thud that makes the chills crawl up 
 the backs of the greenies, an' hail the ship. The 
 new han's would be so scared they'd never knows 
 'twas the ole man till it was all over, an' Missus 
 was happy then, an' would laff an' have lots of fun. 
 Jack, you never hears Missus laff"; then seriously, 
 ' ' I'd give er year's pay to see Missus laff as she 
 uster do. She'd say, 'Tom, don'.t hurt 'em.' Missus 
 is allus kind an' pleasant like. You see, mates, I 
 was allus what you calls marster of sarimonies, an* 
 little Harry mates, let's give it up," wiping his 
 eyes with his shirt sleeve, overcome by his feelings 
 in talking over old times. 
 
 "Don't know but you's right, Tom," said Jack
 
 214 RESCUED BT A PRJXCE 
 
 sympathetically, "but them Salamanders clown to the 
 other end of that infernal smoke," choking and rub- 
 bing his eyes, ' ' ought er be interduced to ole Nep- 
 tune, but its driftin' to lu'ard, mates, to admit such 
 lubbers, with ekal rights an' privileges, to the Ancient 
 Order of Neptune." 
 
 "Guess we'll have to do it," said Tom, some- 
 what irritated by a cinder that had lodged in his 
 starboard eye. "We'll be easy with 'em on Missus' 
 account, but that crowd of devil-helpers must be ne- 
 she-ated out er respect to ole Neptune." 
 
 The sailors were at work before daylight putting 
 the ship in trim to receive the god of the ocean in 
 a style befitting his dignity, and making the neces- 
 sary preparations for the initiation. The longboat 
 sitting amidships, upright, in her checks, was filled 
 with water, and a platform built nearly half way over 
 her, on which was placed an improvised barber's chair. 
 A mixture of tar and slush, for lather, was pre- 
 pared, while a common deck bucket served as a shav- 
 ing mug, and a ship's scraper for the razor, completed 
 the barber outfit. 
 
 The Captain and officers dressed for the august 
 occasion, while the sailors togged out in their shore 
 clothes. The Captain's wife, although not approving 
 of such ceremonies, was willing to gratify the sailors 
 by her presence. Mr. Baker, who was to impersonate 
 old Neptune, had prepared a wig, made from Manila
 
 OLD NEPTUNE 215 
 
 rope yarns, combed and bleached, which hung in a 
 bushy mass well down over his shoulders; whiskers 
 made of the same material reached to his knees, 
 which gave him the appearance of the veritable god 
 of the sea. 
 
 The preparations made to receive Neptune caused 
 great uneasiness among the engineers and firemen, 
 inasmuch as none of them, with the exception of the 
 chief engineer, had ever been out of sight of land 
 before this voyage, and whether they believed the 
 old legend or not, they knew that to them it would 
 be a reality. If Neptune was nothing but a myth, 
 they w r ere to be the victims, and must submit to the 
 inevitable with as good grace as possible, and even 
 up in the future. 
 
 The Captain, in performing his part of the cere- 
 mony, took an altitude of the sun, and made the 
 calculation to ascertain the correct position of the 
 ship, then gravely ordered Mr. Baker to have the 
 new hands lay aft. 
 
 " Men," said the Captain, as the smoke-begrimed 
 engineer's gang lined up on the quarter-deck, wonder- 
 ing what was coming, and how it would end, "it 
 is my duty to show you the line, or what the land- 
 lubbers call the equator. This is of the greatest 
 importance to you who have been taught that the 
 equator is an imaginary line encircling the globe half 
 way between the poles. This is false, as you can
 
 216 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 testify from your own observations. You will also 
 be able to answer the first question that His Majesty 
 will ask you"; then confidentially, "It would have 
 gone hard with you if I had not taken this pre- 
 caution at the last minute; I really did not know 
 we were so near the line. Take this telescope and 
 bring it on a level with the bowrail and tell me 
 what you see." 
 
 The man next to the Captain took the glass with 
 a trembling hand, and looked through it as directed. 
 Pallor crept over his face, and he nearly dropped the 
 glass as he stammered : 
 
 "I see it!" 
 
 ' ' See what ? ' ' gravely inquired the Captain. 
 
 " The line, or equator, sir," his teeth chattering. 
 "It is the line; never say equator again," said the 
 Captain sternly. 
 
 The telescope was passed from one to another until 
 they all declared they had seen the line; and so they 
 had, for the Captain had drawn a fine thread of the 
 spider's web across the object glass of the marine 
 telescope. 
 
 "The line," explained the Captain, "is five miles 
 off. You may return to your duties, but at three bells 
 come aft, and I will show you the line astern." 
 
 The men were rather credulous, although they had 
 been taught that the line was imaginary, but had they 
 not seen it with their own eyes? They were not fully
 
 OLD NEPTUNE 217 
 
 prepared for the next act in the play. Three bells 
 struck and the men promptly laid aft. This time the 
 Captain dare not trust the glass with any of the men 
 without some kind of a warning, so he passed it to 
 the chief engineer and told him to report what he saw. 
 The engineer took the glass and leveled it over the 
 taffrail, and said with a trembling voice, hardly audi- 
 ble: 
 
 " I see the line broken, and Neptune in his nautilus- 
 shaped chariot, with four seahorses, coming through 
 the gap." 
 
 The men stared at each other, while the color left 
 their faces; they seemed inclined to run away, but the 
 Captain raised his hand and solemnly said : 
 
 "Men, if you cannot truthfully tell old Neptune 
 that you^ saw him coming through the break in the 
 line made by the ship, it will be all the worse for you 
 when he gets on board." 
 
 At this each man in turn took the glass and declared 
 that they saw the line broken and Neptune coming 
 through the gap; and they really did, for during the 
 time the ship had been crossing the equator the Captain 
 had placed a microscopic picture of Neptune over the 
 line and in the center of the object glass, which to 
 any one unaccustomed to the use of the telescope, and 
 laboring under more or less excitement, would have the 
 appearance of reality, and thus deceive more people 
 than would be willing to admit it.
 
 218 R 'ESC r ED BT A PRINCE 
 
 " Now," said the Captain to the thoroughly alarmed 
 men, "you have seen the line before we reached it 
 and after the ship passed through, and are convinced 
 by the evidence of your own eyes that all of the learned 
 men of the earth are wrong. The line is real and 
 Neptune no myth, but my duty, as a son of Neptune, 
 demands that I tell you more, to prepare you for the 
 examination, which will be severe. The breaking of 
 the line summons Neptune from any part of the globe 
 on the line, and he follows the ship through and repairs 
 the break. If you will look through the telescope now 
 you will find the line whole. ' ' 
 
 The engineer took the glass and reported the line 
 whole, but Neptune could not be seen. 
 
 " No," replied the Captain, " Neptune and his 
 chariot can only be seen when in contact with the 
 line or ship, and as his team never touches the 
 ship, it is visible only on the line. You are lucky 
 fellows ; but few green hands have seen his famous 
 rig. A minute later and you would have missed 
 a sight that kings would give their crowns to wit- 
 ness. He happened to be close aboard when we 
 crossed. If he had been on the other side of the earth 
 he would not have found us until daylight tomorrow, 
 for he makes the circuit of the earth in twenty -four 
 hours." 
 
 "Ship a-h-o-y-ee ! " came from under the bows, 
 and Neptune, shaking the salt water from his bushy
 
 OLD NEPTUNE 219 
 
 hair and long, white beard, stepped over the bows 
 and stood erect on the topgallant forecastle, with his 
 trident pointing defiantly at the black funnel, pouring 
 out a volume of smoke and cinders, while he crit- 
 ically surveyed the ship till his eyes rested upon the 
 group of firemen and coal heavers who crouched in 
 the waist, trembling with excitement. 
 
 " Hel-loo ! " responded the Captain, speaking through 
 his trumpet. 
 
 "What kind of a craft is this, hissing along through 
 the water with no wind, and every stitch of canvas 
 furled?" said old Neptune, as he indignantly strode 
 aft to where the Captain and his wife were standing 
 to receive him. "By my trident, Captain," bringing 
 the butt of it down on the deck, "if it was not 
 for your wife, whom I have met before," bowing to 
 the Captain's wife, "and your past good record as 
 a sailor, I would disrate you for entering my domain 
 in such a craft as this, and these," looking in astonish- 
 ment at the group of frightened firemen. 
 
 " I owe you an apology, Neptune/' said the Captain, 
 bowing. "I have always been loyal to the craft 
 until this voyage, but I am on a desperate cruise." 
 
 "That is all right, Captain, I know your trouble, 
 and that you are too true a son of the sea to violate 
 your vows under any ordinary circumstances ; but 
 whenever you cross the line again in such a lubberly 
 craft 'as this, heave to till I board. The line caught
 
 220 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 in your infernal twister, and wound up a mile of it. 
 and it took me so long to pick up the ends and 
 make the splice you got the start of me, and I nearly 
 winded my team ; then they took fright from the hissing, 
 sizzling, hot water that is coming out of that coffeepot 
 spout," looking over the side. "My team is no where 
 in sight," he continued, shading his eyes with his 
 hand and looking around. "But I must get down 
 to business or I will find myself at the south pole.'' 
 After inquiring where the ship was from and 
 where bound, he said, " Are there any green hands 
 aboard?" 
 
 "Not of the regular sort, Neptune," replied the 
 Captain, "but this crowd of the coming sailor kind," 
 pointing to the group of paralyzed coal heavers, who 
 had listened to every word and watched every motion 
 of Neptune since he came on board. 
 
 "Coming sailor kind," retorted Neptune with a 
 contemptuous curl of his lip ; " there will be no sailors 
 of the future, nothing but a sort of landlubbers ; but 
 these will have to be initiated like regular sailors if 
 they invade my domain. 7 ' Then waving his hand he 
 continued, "Send the lubbers below until called for. 
 Well, my noble sons of the ocean," addressing the old 
 sailors, "have you any complaint to make?" 
 
 "Man an' boy " 
 
 "Belay that, Tom," said Neptune, "I have heard 
 that preamble for forty years, and your experience
 
 OLD NEPTUNE 221 
 
 for that length of time will not serve you in the 
 future. With all your seamanship, if it was not for 
 that infernal machinery this ship would be slatting 
 her canvas to threads in a dead calm instead of plow- 
 ing the briny at the rate of fourteen knots. All that 
 is left for the sailor is to steer the ship and keep her 
 clean, if such a thing is possible," sadly surveying 
 the grimy decks. 
 
 ' ' That's what we complains of, Neptune. These 
 lubbers are takin' our places an' disgracin' the noble 
 profession. ' ' 
 
 " My son," solemnly said the god of the ocean, 
 "Your race is nearly run, and you will soon be stowed 
 away in Davy's locker where your shipmates have 
 preceded you ; but they keeled happy before they saw 
 the disgrace of this day. Your name will be forgotten 
 by those who take your place. There is no help for 
 it. My duty is to initiate whatever class of navigators 
 the landlubbers send into my domain. My laws are 
 eternal. Bring on the new sailor." 
 
 One of the firemen, blindfolded, was led on deck 
 and placed in the barber's chair. 
 
 "Have you seen the line?" asked Neptune. 
 
 "Yes, sir," replied the candidate. 
 
 ' ' Are you convinced that your teaching about the 
 line being imaginary has been wrong, and that your 
 knowledge pilot was on the wrong tack ? " 
 
 ' ' Yes, sir. "
 
 222 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 ' ' Did you see Neptune and his chariot with his 
 team of four seahorses?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 " Do you believe that Neptune is nothing but a 
 myth, without personality?" 
 
 "No, sir." 
 
 ' ' You solemnly swear by my trident that you will 
 protect your ship, your brother sailor, his wife and 
 children, with your life?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," in a trembling voice. 
 
 "You swear by my beard that you will obey your 
 wife, for with the new sailor comes the new woman? 
 You swear to submit to her dictations without a mur- 
 mur, and in fact take up her duties which genera- 
 tions of training have fitted her for, and permit her, 
 without question, to assume the duties of man, which 
 she is better qualified to perform through that won- 
 derful intuition, recently discovered, which knocks gen- 
 erations of learning and experience into the lee scup- 
 pers. ' ' t 
 
 ' ' Yes, sir, ' ' with hesitation. 
 
 "You swear by the great briny to lend a help- 
 ing hand to any distressed sailor within your cable's 
 length?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "You swear by my chariot that you will never 
 shovel a pound of coal when there is wind enough 
 for the ship to make more way under her own
 
 WHEN A BUCKET OF SALT WATER WAS POURED DOWN THE BIG 
 END OF THE TRUMPET.
 
 OLD NEPTUNE 223 
 
 catwas than with your infernal squeaking machin- 
 ery?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," said the victim, growing nervous un- 
 der the questioning. 
 
 "Shave off that lubberly beard," ordered Neptune 
 to his assistant, who came forward and lathered the 
 victim's face, not omitting mouth and ears, with the 
 contents of the slush bucket, applied with a pitch 
 swab. The barber, with a ship's scraper, gravely 
 proceeded to shave off the stubby beard. It was 
 rather hard on the novice, but no worse than one might 
 experience in some country barber shop. 
 
 "Hail the main top, my son," said Neptune, pass- 
 ing him a speaking trumpet, " I want to hear what 
 kind of a voice the new sailor can boast." 
 
 The poor fellow with his head thrown back and 
 lungs expanded, was about to hail, desiring to make 
 a good record, when a bucket of salt water was 
 poured down the big end of the trumpet ; simul- 
 taneously the props of the chair were knocked away, 
 precipitating the candidate into the water. Blindfolded, 
 half choked, and in the water, his nerves at their 
 highest tension, face smarting from the effects of the 
 rough shave, and not knowing whether he was in 
 the longboat or overboard, his actions were too lu- 
 dicrous to describe, but are left to the imagination 
 of the reader. This ended the ceremony, and the 
 
 victim was taken out and placed under guard, while 
 15
 
 224 RESCUED nr A PRINCE 
 
 his comrades were passing through the same ordeal. 
 At the conclusion of the ceremonies the newly in- 
 itiated sailors were lined up on the quarter-deck for 
 the parting advice of old Neptune. 
 
 "My sons," said Neptune tragically, "before the 
 land encroached upon my domain, I was; and when 
 the waters shall again cover the earth, I shall be. 
 No craft ante-dates the order of Neptune. Listen to 
 my counsel. You are permitted to growl about the quality 
 of grub, and abuse the officers of your ship, but not 
 in their presence or hearing. It is your right to 
 praise your last ship and cause dissatisfaction among 
 your shipmates. You must study the noble art of 
 yarning, which will be taught in a manner as here- 
 after provided. Every yarn spun by any member of 
 this order shall be accepted as truth." Then turn- 
 ing to the old sailors, he continued, " My tried and 
 faithful sons, your duty will be to instruct your 
 brothers in the noble science of yarning, and keep 
 alive the traditional Flying Dutchman, and all other 
 ghost stories with graphic recitals of your own ex- 
 periences. You are authorized to confer degrees, in 
 my name, upon the novices when they can qualify 
 in the science, and the best hair-lifting yaruer shall 
 be their leader." Then raising his hands in the 
 manner of a benediction, he concluded solmenly, "I 
 now proclaim you sons of Neptune, with all the 
 rights and privileges of the sea on board of any ship
 
 OLD NEPTL\\E 225 
 
 or rig, in all parts of the world, and under any 
 flag." Then whistling for his horses, which he de- 
 clared had recovered from their fright, and were waiting 
 under the bow, left in the same manner he had come on 
 board. 
 
 The sailors were satisfied with their good time, 
 at the expense of their fellows, but no one was 
 hurt, and the ceremonies were mild in comparison 
 with some of the initiations practiced by the prominent 
 secret societies on land. This practice among the 
 old-time sailors, rough and uncouth as it may seem, 
 has the same effect and produces the same brotherly 
 feeling as is supposed to exist in fraternal societies. 
 
 The social condition of the engineers and firemen was 
 greatly improved, aud while the sailors consider them 
 an inferior class, they no longer called them land- 
 lubbers, for they now belonged to the brotherhood. 
 
 Two days under steam carried the ship into a 
 strong southeast trade. The propeller was hauled 
 up, "which was a great relief to the firemen, and sail 
 made, to the great joy of the sailors, and the ship 
 under the influence of her own canvas, bowled along 
 toward the Cape of Good Hope.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 ENGLISH MAN-OF-WAR 
 
 p)AssixG the Cape of Good Hope and following the 
 regular route for sailing vessels, the ship arrived 
 at Sydney, Australia, seventy days from port to port, 
 having used her steam power but two days in mak- 
 ing the long distance. The ship attracted much at- 
 tention from the sailors of all nationalities in the harbor, 
 and the seafaring community of that famous seaport 
 took a great interest in her from the first, both on 
 account of her remarkably quick passage and beau- 
 tiful lines. It w r as evident to all that she was no 
 ordinary merchant ship, and there was much specula- 
 tion as to the nature of her voyage. Ship news spreads 
 quickly in any seaport, and before the ship had been 
 at anchor six hours every one connected with ship- 
 ping, from sailor to broker, knew that she was on a 
 trading voyage among the islands, and had called for 
 fresh provisions and water. While this was the gen- 
 eral opinion, there were others who thought differ- 
 ently, as the following conversation, overheard by the 
 
 (226)
 
 ENGLISH MAN-OF-WAR 221 
 
 Captain as he was smoking a cigar in the club fre- 
 quented by captains and naval officers, testified. 
 
 " She is no honest trader," said a full red-faced 
 man, in the uniform of a captain of the English navy. 
 
 "What makes you think so? "inquired his com- 
 panion, who might have been one of a dozen officials 
 connected with the customs of the port. 
 
 " She is as trim as a man-of-war, and I counted 
 thirty men on her deck this morning, and she may 
 have thirty more. Fifteen men would be a large crew 
 for her tonnage. Then she has steam power ; no ordi- 
 nary merchant ship would be fitted out in that shape." 
 Then a whispered conversation of which the Captain 
 could only catch a stray word or two, such as ' ' mys- 
 terious," and " ought to be looked after." 
 
 "You may be right, Captain," said the official, 
 swelling up with his own importance, " but she is an 
 American ship. Papers all right, and the-government 
 cannot interfere without some good reason. " 
 
 "These Yankees are clever," replied the English 
 captain. "She is bound for China, either after coolies 
 or opium ; take my word for it. She is fitted out with 
 sail and steam, crew enough tor a man-of-war, and she 
 is well prepared to fight, and with those four large 
 guns on her deck, she would make it interesting for 
 any of Her Majesty's gunboats in these waters." 
 
 ' ' Do you think I had better report my suspicions 
 to the office ? " inquired the official.
 
 228 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 " No duty was ever plainer," replied the English 
 captain, sipping his brandy and water. 
 
 Captain Willis did not remain to hear anything 
 more, but hastened on board, where he found all 
 hands at work filling water and taking in fresh pro- 
 visions from the lighters alongside. 
 
 ' ' Order the engineer to get up steam at once, Mr. 
 Baker," said the Captain as he came over the side. 
 "These lime juicers think we are smugglers or coolie 
 catchers, and will delay us if we can't get away. I 
 have no time to spare, or patience to wait until I can 
 make the authorities understand that I have a boy 
 among the cannibals, and that my life and fortune are 
 staked upon an enterprise which the whole force of 
 the English navy in this part of the world dare not 
 undertake. That man-of-war," indicating the English- 
 man, "would try to prevent us leaving the harbor if 
 her captain knew our mission ; we might not get out 
 of the harbor past the fort, but that lime juice tub 
 would plow the waves no more." 
 
 "They are always meddling with other people's 
 business, and if it was not for interfering with our 
 cruise, I'd like to teach Johnny Bull a lesson he would 
 not forget, and show the beefeaters that we don't 
 need any guardian," said Mr. Baker, contemptuously, 
 as he started to^ give the Captain's order. 
 
 The Captain made no reply to the energetic re- 
 mark of his officer and friend, but continued to pace
 
 ENGLISH MAX-OF-WAR 229 
 
 the bridge, with his attention equally divided between 
 the smoke from the funnel and the crowded custom- 
 house pier. 
 
 "They are putting off," said Mr. Baker, as an 
 eight-oared boat, flying the custom's flag of the Colony, 
 shot out into the stream and headed for the ship. 
 
 The Captain made no reply, but watched the boat 
 until she was nearly alongside. 
 
 "Muster all hands in the gangway!" ordered .the 
 Captain. "Those fellows shall not board this ship. 
 I will see if an American ship has any rights in an 
 English port." 
 
 "Lay off!" commanded the Captain, as the boat 
 was making a circuit to lay alongside. 
 
 The officer of the boat paid no attention to the 
 Captain's order, but shot his boat up to the gang- 
 way. The crew threw in their oars in the neat man- 
 of-war style, while the bow oarsman stood ready with 
 his boat hook. 
 
 Mr. Baker, with the whole ship's company, was at 
 the gangway ready to prevent the officers from com- 
 ing on board. 
 
 " I shall not allow you to board this ship, sir," 
 said the Captain, addressing the officer in the boat. 
 
 The custom's official, astonished at the audacity 
 of the Yankee captain, and foaming with rage, yelled: 
 
 "Will you defy Her Majesty's officer in the per- 
 formance of his duty?"
 
 230 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 "What do you want with me, sir?" coolly in 
 quired the Captain. 
 
 "I am ordered to search your ship, sir." Then 
 to his men, "Lay on board." 
 
 But thirty gleaming cutlasses flashing in the sun- 
 light were more than the men cared to pass through 
 and the order was not obeyed. 
 
 ' ' I thought you got enough of searching American 
 ships away back in 1812,'' said the Captain taunt- 
 ingly. "You may remember something about that 
 little affair. I have heard my father tell how we 
 knocked some false ideas out of your heads, and that 
 ever since we had been granted the privilege of sail- 
 ing the high seas without any more piratical pre- 
 sumption on the part of Great Britain." 
 
 "I'm satisfied, sir," said the enraged officer, "that 
 my suspicions are correct. You are engaged in some 
 unlawful traffic, sir. I will search your ship, sir, if 
 it takes all the force of Her Majesty's war ships." 
 
 "You forgot to put the 'sir' on that last sentence," 
 said the Captain ironically. 
 
 The officer, chagrined with his failure to board 
 the ship and smarting under the taunting words of 
 the "Yankee skipper,'' made no reply, but ordered 
 his men to shove off and give way. 
 
 "Cast off the lighters," ordered the Captain, as 
 he watched the custom's boat pull alongside the Eng- 
 lish war ship. ' ' Let down the out-rigger nets, and
 
 ENGLISH MAN-OF-WAR 231 
 
 start the dynamo. We will try our own brand of 
 lightning on these lime juicers. They are free traders 
 and admit all commodities free of duty. I want to 
 see how the thing will work, anyway. Then speak- 
 ing down the tube to the engineer, ' ' Connect the power 
 with the windlass, and let me know when steam is up; " 
 and to Mr. Baker, "We will show these Englishmen 
 a Yankee invention that will make their eyes stick 
 out." 
 
 Two well equipped boats put off from the English- 
 man, with orders to board and search the defiant 
 Yankee. It was soon plain to the Captain that their 
 plan was to attack both gangways simultaneously, 
 thereby weakening his force one-half by dividing it 
 to defend two points of attack at the same time. 
 
 The Captain silently watched their maneuvering in 
 a satisfied manner. He gave no orders for the de- 
 fense of the ship, but all hands were ready for action 
 in case the electric current failed to "repel boarders." 
 
 As the boats came up alongside of the wire netting 
 a smile of derision was plainly discernible on the 
 faces of the officers in command of the boats. It 
 appeared an easy task to raise the apparently light 
 and harmless netting, force their boats under and 
 reach the ship. The boats made a small circuit so 
 arranged as to reach the points of attack at the same 
 time. "Cease rowing," was plainly heard by all on 
 board, and the boats, under the way given by the
 
 232 ; RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 rowers, shot up side on to the netting, and in true 
 man-of-war style every man seized the live rod hold- 
 ing the netting, and fell back into the bottom of the 
 boat, while the officers and coxswains stood speech- 
 less, staring at the apparently dead men. 
 
 t 
 "Heave ahead!" ordered the Captain, and the 
 
 heavy chain was rattling around the windlass, and be- 
 fore the astonished officers had recovered from the 
 first shock of their surprise, the ring of the anchor was 
 at the horse pipe. "Full speed ahead," sounded the 
 bell in the engine room, and the propeller, churning the 
 water, threw the spray over the lifeless forms of the 
 sailors who had met a new foe, while the ship gathered 
 way and glided through the smooth water of the harbor 
 at a tremendous rate, leaving the boats rocking gently 
 in her wake. The netting was stowed, and the ship 
 pointed for "The Heads," while the half stupefied 
 English officers stared vaguely at the fast receding 
 Yankee ship which they had failed to search. 
 
 "She works like a spirit compass," said the Cap- 
 tain to Mr. Baker, when he came aft after stowing 
 the anchor. 
 
 "I wonder if they'll be after us?" queried Mr. 
 Baker, with a serio-comic expression, while ' taking 
 a farewell look at the vanquished boats, in tow of 
 others sent out from the man-of-war. 
 
 "I don't care what they do," replied the Captain, 
 intently watching the English warship, "if they do
 
 ENGLISH MAN- OF- WAR 233 
 
 not recover from their surprise in time to signal 
 ' ' The Heads ' ' before we pass. We can't get a current 
 on that fort." 
 
 "Was any one killed?" anxiously inquired the 
 Captain's wife. 
 
 ' ' O no, our young experimenter in electrical forces, 
 who fitted us out with the lightning machine which 
 was so interesting to the Englishmen, is engaged in 
 missionary work, and fixed the current just right to 
 convert, but not strong enough to kill; which, ac- 
 cording to modern science, a shock of electricity is 
 beneficial to the system. I ought to have charged them 
 for treatment," said her husband, laughing heartily. 
 
 " I do not see anything to laugh about, neither do I 
 comprehend the necessity of your last act," said his wife 
 reproachfully. "Why could you not have allowed the 
 officers to come on board ? We have nothing to conceal. 
 You may need favors from the same men you have had 
 so much fun with. You cannot afford to make ene- 
 mies." 
 
 "Madam, you will not need my professional serv- 
 ices after this visit. I notice for the first time 
 symptoms of your complete recovery, but I will drop 
 in occasionally. Shall I forward my bill to your hus- 
 band?" said the Captain, with the professional air of a 
 physician who had made as many calls as the case would 
 in any way permit. "But really, my dear," he con- 
 tinued, " I had reasons for my actions that the circum-
 
 234 RESCUED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 stances would justify. If the customhouse officers 
 had boarded this ship, I would have been compelled 
 to give them full details of the cruise, which might 
 detain us for weeks, before I could get permission to 
 make war, on my own account, with the natives. Then 
 that English captain would consider our enterprise too 
 hazardous for a private affair, and we would have been 
 compelled to sink his old tub, but we could not pass 
 the fort. The case would become an international 
 question, and we would lay at our moorings until the 
 ship wore out her keel and grounded on our beef bones. 
 Harry would die of old age, having ruled his subjects 
 wisely, and we," winking at Mr. Baker, " would find 
 our dusky grandchildren burning incense to their la- 
 mented father, The Great White King." But his wife 
 had retired to her cabin, and did not hear the conclusion 
 of what might have been. "Here we are," continued 
 the Captain, "off the fort, and they have not yet 
 received the news of the great Yankee victory over 
 Her Majesty's war ship, what's her name? Dip the 
 flag, Mr. Baker. I hate to drop the starry to the 
 gridiron, but then it is nothing more than touching 
 one's cap in common politeness, and we had bet- 
 ter be civil until we get blue water under our 
 keel." 
 
 The salute was promptly answered from the fort, 
 and the next moment ran up an answering penant. 
 The Captain seized his telescope, and, bringing it to
 
 ENGLISH MAN- OF- WAR 235 
 
 bear onto the English man-of-war, read the International 
 code signal, " Don't permit that American ship to pass 
 the fort." 
 
 A puff of smoke, and a shot from the fort crossed 
 the bow. The ship did not round to, and a dozen 
 followed, but they all fell short, and the "Vigilant" was 
 out of range, and there was nothing in the harbor 
 that could catch her. The Captain ran up a signal 
 which read, "Save your shot for closer range." Clear 
 of the harbor, fires were hauled, sail made, and the 
 ship's course laid for Stewart Island. 
 
 "What's the matter, Tom ?" inquired Jack, as his 
 shipmate lit his pipe and took his seat at the foot of 
 the capstan. 
 
 " I's thinkin', Jack," replied Tom, "an' it's hard 
 on er ole un to think, I can't make out what it was 
 what laid out the juicers. I'se putty use ter the ole 
 man, but this last trick knocks me all erback. You's 
 edicated, Jack, can you give er mate er hawser?" 
 
 "Don't know's I can, Tom. I seen in the papers 
 that er man in Boston or New York had got the 
 weather gauge of lightnin', an' that he could make it 
 by machinery, but how they send it around the ship 
 an' knock able-bodied sailors down like ten pins, I 
 don't know." 
 
 "Does it kill 'em, Jack?" inquired Tom. 
 
 "No," replied Jack, "It kind er puts them to 
 sleep for er while, an' when they wakes up they are
 
 236 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 all right, an' feel better than they did erfore. It 
 cures rumaticks an' drives away ghosts." 
 
 "Man an' boy, I've sailed salt water for forty 
 years, an' now I'se goin' to quit. Ole Neptune was 
 right ; my day is past. When steam an' lightuin' is 
 interduced to navigation the ole sailor must drop to 
 lu'ard," said old Tom, sorrowfully, as he knocked 
 the ashes from his pipe and went below to turn in. 
 
 On the morning of the seventh day after leaving 
 Sydney, the island was sighted, steam ordered up, 
 sails snugly furled, and the wire nettings rigged 
 above the rail. The ship under slow speed cautiously 
 approached the land. The Captain nervously walked 
 the bridge with his telescope under his arm, stopping 
 and raising his glass whenever any new object was 
 brought into view as the ship neared the island. His 
 wife, pale and expectant, sat at the end of the bridge, 
 silently watching her husband, anxious to catch the 
 first sign of hope from the expression of his face 
 The officers and crew, in full sympathy w r ith the 
 bereaved parents, hoping, yet fearing the results of 
 the unique expedition, tried to control their agoni- 
 zing suspense by extra quids of tobacco, the only 
 solace of the old salt in trouble, and his grief, which 
 is short-lived, can be gauged by the amount of the 
 weed consumed. The ship now close to the island, 
 the Captain was endeavoring to make out the en- 
 trance of the little harbor he had entered more than a
 
 ENGLISH MAN-OF-WAR 237 
 
 year ago. At that time he had approached the island 
 on a different bearing-, yet the entrance appeared promi- 
 nent enough to be easily located from any point of 
 the compass. While the Captain was looking ahead 
 for a break in the uniform coast line, his wife ex- 
 claimed in surprise : 
 
 " There is the harbor ! " pointing two points abaft 
 the beam. 
 
 While the harbor was in full view, from the ship, 
 it could not be seen from any point from south around 
 to east, but easily made out from east to north. It 
 was on some bearing between the last two points 
 that the Captain entered the harbor when he followed 
 the natives to their village. 
 
 The ship's course was changed, and she was headed 
 for the entrance. 
 
 "There don't appear to be any life on this island," 
 said the Captain with a sigh, and a look of keen 
 disappointment. 
 
 "I wonder where they are, Frank," said his wife. 
 
 " They may have left the island," replied her hus- 
 band. 
 
 ' ' Why should they leave the island ? ' ' she inquired 
 in great surprise. 
 
 "These savages," replied her husband, " are a mi- 
 gratory people, and like the Arabs are always hunt- 
 ing for greener grass and sweeter water. They have 
 no property interests to hold them, and one island is
 
 238 RESCUED Br A PRINCE 
 
 as good as another. Then these tribes are continu- 
 ally fighting each other, and they may have been 
 absorbed into a more powerful tribe; but it don't 
 matter, we have come after the heathen, and we 
 will find them." 
 
 "We will certainly find Harry," said the Captain's 
 wife in a quiet, determined manner. 
 
 "Stand by the anchor," ordered the Captain, then 
 rang slow speed. The ship was now abreast of the 
 village, or where it was, but not a hut was stand- 
 ing nor a canoe in sight. 
 
 "Slow astern," rang the bell, and the ship grad- 
 ually lost her way, remained stationary for a mo- 
 ment, and then gathered sternway. 
 
 ' ' Let go the starboard anchor, ' ' came the order 
 from the Captain. 
 
 A splash ! and the spray from the plunge of the 
 huge mass of iron fell in a shower upon the top- 
 gallant forecastle, while the chain rattling through 
 the horse pipe broke the stillness of the desolate 
 harbor and echoed from the distant hills. 
 
 "There is no one on this island," said the Cap- 
 tain to Mr. Baker, as the latter came aft and re 
 ported the ship at anchor in five fathoms of water, 
 with thirty fathoms of chain clear the hawse. 
 
 "It looks that way, sir," replied the officer, with 
 disappointment stamped in every feature. 
 
 ' ' Man the boat, Mr. Baker, and go ashore, and
 
 EXG L /.s // MA A~- OF- Jl~. i /\ 239 
 
 see if you can find any evidence of a fight," said 
 the Captain wearily. 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," responded the officer, and in less 
 than two minutes the boat, with ten men, shoved 
 off and pulled for the shore. 
 
 In an hour the boat returned, and Mr. Baker re- 
 ported that the village had been destroyed by some 
 man-of-war, as he found solid shot imbedded in the 
 hillside and fragments of shells among the ruins. As 
 evidence of his assertions he had brought off several 
 pieces of shell and a fifty-pound solid shot. 
 
 "Those fellows have been up to some deviltry," 
 said the Captain, examining the shot and fragments 
 of shell, " and have been punished by some war ship 
 that has destroyed their village." 
 
 "Have all the savages been killed?" anxiously 
 inquired the Captain's wife. 
 
 " No, not one of them; they fled inland, as they did 
 the first time I visited this place." 
 
 "Yes," she said sadly, "they may be among those 
 hills over there," pointing to what appeared to be the 
 backbone of the little island. 
 
 " I don't think so," said the Captain. " Their boats 
 are gone; they have been frightened, and no doubt have 
 settled on some other island further away from the 
 regular track of ships. Their first experience in civil- 
 ized warfare was too much for them. We must go 
 back to Sydney." 
 16
 
 240 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 "I think you are right," said his wife, "but the 
 authorities will make us trouble. O dear ! I wish you 
 had been more careful. We may need the services of 
 
 the men " 
 
 ' ' I gave electrical treatment free of charge when it 
 would have cost the English government a dollar a 
 head for such service by any regular M. D." interrupted 
 her husband, smiling. 
 
 " I don't know what makes you talk so, Frank. You 
 never look to the future," said his wife, wiping her 
 eyes. 
 
 "Don't want to," said her husband. "The future 
 is always to be dreaded; but don't cry, little woman, I 
 always get out of my difficulties with your help, 
 sweetheart." 
 
 " What are we going back to Sydney for?" inquired 
 Mr. Baker, in great surprise. 
 
 "Why, Mr. Baker," said the Captain, is it possible 
 you are so stupid? You say this village has been 
 destroyed by a man-of-war. Ships of war are not very 
 thick in these waters. The men that we treated to 
 the latest remedial agency known to medical science, 
 are the same who destroyed this city and laid the land 
 desolate. I am going back to Sydney for information." 
 
 " Right you are, Captain," said the officer, bringing 
 his fist down on the rail with great force. ' ' Put me 
 on bread and water ; my grub is too rich, and it makes 
 more blood than brains, but they'll nab us sure."
 
 ENGLISH MAN- OF- WAR 241 
 
 "O no they won't; I will be as humble as anew 
 convert. It's rather tough, but there is no help for 
 it. We have lost our reckoning and must get a new 
 departure. But we are losing time. Get under way 
 at once. We will make the circuit of the island and 
 see if there are any signs of canoes. If we cannot find 
 boats, there are no natives." 
 
 The ship steamed slowly around the island, but 
 no sign of life was visible. Sail was made, propeller 
 hauled up, and a course shaped for Sydney, all hands 
 greatly disappointed, but not disheartened.
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 GOOD NEWS OF HARRY 
 
 T T WAS a great surprise to the good people of Sydney 
 v.lien the Yankee "smuggler" steamed into the 
 harbor and headed direct for the gunboat, under full, 
 speed. The man-of-war beat to quarters, and cleared 
 the decks for action, for after defying the custom's; 
 authorities, man-of-war, and the fort, she had returned 
 to capture the gunboat, and take the city. What 
 other purpose had the daring captain of that mysterious 
 ship for bearding the lion in his den ? While the 
 English sailors stood at their guns, and every officer 
 at his station, the captain of the Yankee ship ran 
 up the signal, " I desire to communicate." 
 
 " Come on board," was the answering signal. 
 The ship continued under full speed until nearly 
 abreast of the gunboat, then slowed down, came to 
 a standstill and the gig was lowered. The Captain 
 and his wife entered the boat and were pulled along- 
 side of the Englishman, while the ship was kept under 
 steerageway by steaming slowly around the harbor, 
 
 just outside of the shipping. 
 (242)
 
 GOOD NEWS OF HARRT 243 
 
 The English naval officer is a gentleman under 
 all circumstances, and this one was no exception to 
 the rule. He received the Captain and his wife with 
 true nautical courtesy, invited them to his cabin and 
 ordered refreshments ; but he could not fully conceal 
 his astonishment at the mysterious conduct of the 
 Yankee captain, whose last act was more mystifying 
 to him than the first. The Captain's diplomacy in 
 taking his wife along no doubt relieved the embar- 
 rassment of the situation, and made the stolid naval 
 officer more sociable from the start; for men of all 
 grades and classes appear to the best advantage when 
 in the presence of ladies. After the usual formalities 
 the Englishman politely inquired : 
 
 ' ' To what am I indebted for the honor of this 
 visit?" bowing to the Captain's wife. 
 
 The Captain then related the whole story, from the 
 capture of his little boy to that hour ; then rising from 
 his seat and nervously pacing the cabin, said in a 
 slow and solemn manner: 1 " I have returned to Sydney, 
 hoping to gain some information about the Stewart 
 Islanders. Relying on the pardon and sympathy of 
 the people whom I apparently treated outrageously, 
 I have entered this port and placed myself at the 
 mercy of the authorities that I so recently defied. 
 I appeal to every father and mother in this city, after 
 knowing the facts, to justify the unlawful act of a 
 father whose only son, a mere babe, the life of his
 
 244 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 mother, has been in the power of the Solomon Island 
 cannibals for more than a year." 
 
 The hard lines of the English officer softened, while 
 the sympathetic expression of the man and brother stole 
 over his face, as he listened with increasing interest to 
 the Captain's story. When the Captain had finished, 
 he said, drawing his handkerchief across his eyes: 
 
 " My long stay on this station has affected my eyes 
 and they are so weak that I am hardly able to take the 
 altitudes in these tropical regions." 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain, "the bright sunlight 
 reflected from the smooth surface of the water is very 
 trying to the eyes, "using his own handkerchief freely, 
 while his wife wondered why men would lie to hide the 
 most manly sentiment they possessed. 
 
 "Well, Captain," said the English officer, "I freely 
 forgive you for the trick played on my men. It 
 really did them good and several have declared that 
 they have been cured of the old chronic troubles by 
 that electric batter}-," laughing 'heartily ; then seriously, 
 ' ' I deeply sympathize with you and your good lady. 
 There is not a father or mother in Sydney who would 
 not rise up in open rebellion against any authority that 
 dared to detain you one moment, or place a straw in 
 your way. I have children of my own, and I- would 
 not have stood much on ceremony if one of my boys 
 was among those cannibals ; but I think I can help 
 you."
 
 GOOD NEWS OF HARRT 245 
 
 "O can you?" inquired the Captain's wife, rising 
 from her seat and rushing up to the English officer, 
 who again applied his handkerchief, remarking that 
 his eyes troubled him more than usual, since his last 
 cruise among the islands. 
 
 "Yes, my dear madam, I can give you informa- 
 tion that may assist you in searching for your boy. 
 Two months ago, while cruising among the islands, 
 I learned that a trading schooner becalmed off Stew- 
 art Island was attacked by the natives, who mur- 
 dered the crew, plundered and set fire to the ship. 
 Determined to punish the rascals, I lost no time in 
 reaching their island. You saw the village as it was a 
 year ago or more ; it was the finest built native village 
 you will find in a year's cruise, and you know the con- 
 dition it is in now. But I have no evidence that a single 
 native was injured ; they ran to the hills like a flock 
 of frightened sheep, and a regiment of soldiers could 
 not drive them out. I burned their village and de- 
 stroyed every one of their boats. There were hun- 
 dreds of them. The Stewart Islanders are famous 
 canoe builders, but they cannot attack ships without 
 boats. You are mistaken about the natives leaving the 
 island, Captain. They are back in the hills, and have 
 not sufficiently recovered from their fright to rebuild 
 their village, but no doubt are preparing another fleet 
 of canoes. The Stewart Islander cannot exist without 
 boats, and until they can provide themselves with
 
 246 RESCUED sr A 
 
 canoes it will be safe for ships to pass their island. 
 I steamed into their snug little harbor early in the 
 morning, and took them by surprise, as I came 
 from the south and the bay don't open up until you 
 are abreast of it. While sweeping my glass around 
 the sandy beach I was very much surprised to notice 
 a little boy, with a large Newfoundland dog, playing 
 in the water, while a slender native girl stood on the 
 shore, intently watching the boy and dog at play. 
 The alarm was given from the village, and the girl 
 rushed into the water and gently took the boy in her 
 arms and carried him to the beach. The dog, and the 
 gentle manner of the native girl so aroused my curi- 
 osity that I watched them closely. Standing the boy 
 on the sand, the girl took him by the hand and tried 
 to lead him away, but he would not go without his 
 dog that he was frantically calling ' Tumarkee,' 
 which I presume was the native name of his 
 dog " 
 
 "He was saying 'Turn,' meaning come; and 
 Darkey is the name of his dog," interrupted the 
 Captain's wife, controlling her emotions under the 
 trying ordeal. 
 
 "How stupid of me," said the gallant officer; 
 "but not expecting to hear my own language under 
 such circumstances, and the boy some distance away, 
 I did not catch the articulation. The dog swam 
 ashore, shook himself and ran to his little master,
 
 Goon XEWS or HARRT 247 
 
 \vho placed his arm around the dog's neck, took the 
 girl's hand and ran away. Then I noticed for the 
 first time that the boy was not a native, for I could 
 plainly see his long hair tossed about by the wind. 
 I had become so deeply interested in the boy, girl, 
 and dog that for the moment I forgot what I was 
 about, and came near beaching the ship. The vil- 
 lagers were running like rabbits, and out of range of 
 my guns, but I sent a few solid shot after them, and 
 dropped a few shells among the huts, all of which 
 only hastened their mad flight." 
 
 "You are sure, Captain, you did not hit the boy?" 
 anxiously inquired the Captain's wife, with tears 
 streaming down her pale face. 
 
 "My dear madam, there was not a drop of blood 
 shed by my shots, and I would as soon have thought 
 of firing on my own family, as of pointing a gun in the 
 direction of that boy. There has not been an hour 
 since that morning that I have not thought of the 
 little fellow with his dog among the cannibals, but I 
 never expected to meet his parents." 
 
 "Then you think, Captain, that the natives are 
 on the island?" said the Captain's wife. 
 
 "I know they are there, madam." 
 
 "How do you know?" asked her husband. 
 
 " Why.. Captain, I destroyed every one of their 
 boats," replied the English officer. 
 
 " How stupid! I guess they could not swim to
 
 248 RESCUED BY A PRINCE 
 
 the next island, and carry their baggage," said the 
 Yankee Captain. 
 
 "Captain," said the Englishman, seriously, "how 
 can you hope to rescue your son ? Those natives 
 will exterminate your whole ship's company if you 
 attempt to follow them to their lair. You are all 
 right on board of your ship, and could defy all the 
 natives in Australasia with your electric battery, but 
 it will be a different kind of warfare hunting them 
 in their native jungle. I would not attempt it with 
 all the force at my command on this station." 
 
 "I don't know," said Captain Willis, reflectively. 
 "The first step was to find out where the boy is. 
 That I have accomplished without a doubt, and if 
 we should reason a plan according to logic on the 
 science of war, this enterprise would end at once; 
 but we will rescue our son; that is all I can say 
 for the present." 
 
 "We will certainly find our boy," said the Cap- 
 tain's wife, in such an assuring voice as to cause 
 the English officer to look at her wonderingly; but 
 he remained silent for a moment, and then said: 
 
 " There is a white chief, or king, on the Louisiade 
 Islands who has held absolute sway over the whole group 
 for many years, and of late a company of white men 
 have found an asylum on the island, who are his 
 advisers in the' formation of a government after the 
 model of civilized nations."
 
 GOOD NEWS OF HARRY 249 
 
 "Who is this white chief?" inquired the Cap- 
 tain. 
 
 "Some twenty-five years ago," replied the officer, 
 ' ; an English ship was wrecked on one of the numerous 
 coral reefs surrounding these islands, and all hands 
 perished but this man, who after floating about for 
 several days lashed to a spar, was picked up, ap- 
 parently dead, by the natives. The party that found 
 him immediately prepared for a feast, and while 
 waiting for the necessary bed of coals, the victim 
 arose, and walking over to the fire, kicked the burn- 
 ing wood about; then seizing a burning brand- he 
 chased the frightened natives, who ran to the village, 
 and reported the resurrection of the dead man to their 
 chief. His prestige was established, and from that 
 day he has ruled the islands, although he did not 
 take his title until the old king died. He abolished 
 cannibalism, and has greatly improved the condition 
 of the natives, who are the most intelligent of all 
 the heathen among the islands. They are the bitter 
 enemies of all cannibal tribes, but more especially 
 the Stewart Islanders, whom they despise, and their 
 conflicts bid fair to outrival the Punic wars. You 
 had better call there on your way back; they are 
 friendly to the white man." 
 
 "Quite a romance!" remarked the Captain; 
 "sounds like the wild ravings of a novelist; but 
 what about the other white men you spoke about ?
 
 250 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 Have they, too, laid the foundation for some future 
 writer to build a harrowing tale that will cause a 
 world- wide sympathy for characters that are created 
 only in the brain of some dreamer?" 
 
 "Captain," replied the officer, "how many men 
 are capable of originating one new idea ? The mir.d 
 is not quick to conceive, but fertile in yielding when 
 the seed is planted. No man can write a novel 
 without the seed of fact, which produces according 
 to the soil in which it is planted but to your 
 question. A year and a half ago a number of con- 
 victs, eighteen I think, escaping from New Caledonia 
 in an open boat, met with a severe storm and were 
 driven by the force of the wind upon these islands, 
 and were lucky to fall into such friendly hands." 
 
 ' ' They must be Frenchmen , ' ' carelessly remarked 
 the Captain, with a knowing look toward his 
 wife. 
 
 "Yes," replied the officer, "but I have never met 
 them. When I was at the island the old chief said 
 they were away on a fishing expedition, but I believe 
 the old fellow was telling a falsehood." 
 
 " Captain " said the Yankee, with suppressed emotion, 
 ' ' without your information our cruise might have 
 been a failure, but with the location of our boy set- 
 tled, and the assurance of help from the white kiny; 
 of the Louisiades, we have received new hope and en- 
 couragement. Words fail to express our gratitude
 
 GOOD NEWS OF HARRT 251 
 
 but you are a father and can appreciate our feel- 
 ings." 
 
 "I wish I could do more for you," said the kind- 
 hearted officer with much feeling. ' ' Is there nothing 
 more I can do for you, Captain?" 
 
 " No, thank you. I am fitted out for two years. 
 If I do not find the boy in that time, I may call upon 
 you," said the Captain, rising, and walking slowly 
 across the cabin. The English Captain immediately 
 arose and led the way on deck. 
 
 " Will you kindly signal my ship to come within 
 hail?" said the Captain. "You cannot imagine how 
 much I value time." 
 
 "I will not detain you a moment, Captain," re- 
 plied the Englishman, as he ordered up the signals. 
 As the "Vigilant," in response to her call, came up 
 under full speed and slowed down, preparatory to 
 receiving the boat, she was the admiration of officers 
 and sailors on board the gunboat. 
 
 "You should feel proud of that ship, Captain; she 
 is a beauty," said the naval officer. 
 
 "Yes, she was built for a special purpose, and 
 equipped to meet all contingencies, and there are not 
 natives enough in Australasia to board that ship 
 when the machinery is in good working order," re- 
 turned the Yankee Captain, with a merry twinkle in 
 his eye. 
 
 " Put on more current when you treat the natives."
 
 252 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 said the English officer, dryly. " If you don't, they 
 will come to and fight you with renewed energy of 
 a storage battery well charged. ' ' 
 
 "I think, Captain, that we treated your men real 
 mean," said the Captain's wife, with a reproachful 
 look at her husband. 
 
 " O, no! madam," replied the gallant officer. " Your 
 husband understands the vexatious delays in such mat- 
 ters, and the authorities might have delayed you for 
 a week before they reached the end of their red tape. 
 My duty is to obey orders, and I would have boarded 
 your ship if my men had not been struck by light- 
 ning, manufactured to order and on tap. Great Yankee 
 invention, Captain; any thunder to go with it?" laugh- 
 ing heartily. 
 
 "Don't forget the Louisiade Islanders, and make a 
 confidant of the king. He can help you more than 
 the whole force of the navy," was the parting injunc- 
 tion of the thoroughly interested Captain of Her 
 Majesty's naval service. 
 
 Reaching the deck of his own ship, Captain Willis 
 dipped the stars and stripes, which salute was promptly 
 returned by the man-of-war, followed by three hearty 
 cheers from the English sailors, while the band struck 
 up, "He's a jolly good fellow." 
 
 "Full speed ahead," rang the bell in the engine 
 room, and the ship steamed out of the harbor as 
 quietly as she had entered, less than two hours
 
 Goon NEWS OF HARRT 253 
 
 before. The Captain called all hands aft and related 
 to them his interview with the English Captain. The 
 sailors were delighted to learn that little Harry was 
 seen alive two months before, but surprised to know 
 that the natives were still on the island. 
 
 "How can we find the heathen?" inquired Mr. 
 Baker, ' ' and where are we to get men to protect 
 the ship and invade the island?" 
 
 ' ' I guess we will not have any trouble to locate 
 their hiding place." replied the Captain, with a know- 
 ing look at his wife, who was sitting on the bridge, 
 absently gazing astern. " I don't know just how we 
 shall invade their island, but the boy is alive and 
 we have come after him. We are now bound for 
 the Louisiade Islands, and that is all I can tell you 
 at present. Our return to" Sydney was a wise move. 
 We might have spent years cruising from island to 
 island, in the vain endeavor to locate them, but we 
 now know where the boy is, and we will have him. 
 For the present I have no plans, but we must keep 
 moving." 
 
 "That we will!" exclaimed every man in chorus, 
 and "Three cheers for the lime juicer!" 
 
 The wind being light, the ship was kept under 
 full pressure of steam. The men gathered on the 
 topgallant forecastle and engaged in their usual pas- 
 time: smoking their old clay pipes and swapping lies 
 in the shape of long spun }$arns.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE WHITE KING OF THE LOUISIADES 
 
 /-^ ALMS and light winds prevailed, and the ship contin- 
 ^- > ued on her course under steam until she reached 
 the Louisiade Island. Before the anchor was down 
 the ship was surrounded by the native boats, and by the 
 time she was moored the natives were swarming on 
 deck. The captain, anxious to gain their good will, 
 encouraged them to come on board. They were fine 
 looking, manly fallows, and spoke more or less Eng- 
 lish., All had something to sell, and the Captain in- 
 structed Mr. Baker to trade for everything offered. 
 Calico, beads, tin pans, pipes and tobacco were brought 
 on deck, and the bartering began. The natives never 
 struck a Yankee trading ship before, and were as 
 pleased and excited as so many children enjoying a 
 holiday at a county fair. 
 
 While the Captain and his wife were watching the 
 exciting scene on deck, a large boat put' off from 
 the shore, and was pulled, with long sweeping strokes, 
 directly for the ship. The boat was manned by na- 
 tives who were well drilled, and handled their oars 
 (254)
 
 THE WHITE KING 255 
 
 in a true nautical style that would have won admira- 
 tion from any man-of-war's crew. The Captain rec- 
 ognized the boat at once, but he was more particularly 
 interested in the white man seated in the stern sheets, 
 who maneuvered his boat with the skill of a trained 
 sailor. As he came over the gangway and stepped 
 on deck, all noise and confusion among the natives 
 ceased, and the respectful attitude assumed by the 
 natives assured the Captain that he was face to face 
 with the white chief of the island, who with his six 
 feet of height, broad shoulders and ' dignified bearing, 
 looked every inch a king. His long residence in the 
 tropics had changed his skin to nearly the same color 
 as that of the natives, but his iron-gray hair and 
 long white beard gave him the venerable and dignified 
 appearance of a patriarch of some Oriental tribe. He 
 greeted the Captain and his wife in a boisterous but 
 cordial manner, pledging eternal friendship, and giving 
 them the freedom of the island ; then inquired if his 
 subjects were causing any annoyance. 
 
 "No;" replied the Captain, "we are pleased to 
 trade with them. They appear to be a superior class 
 of natives, and I, being a Yankee, must encourage 
 trade to keep up the reputation of the nation." 
 
 The chief laughed heartily, well pleased with the 
 
 Captain's compliment, and motioned to the natives to 
 
 continue their trading, saying to the Captain, as he 
 
 followed him to the cabin, ' ' They will know more 
 
 17
 
 256 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 about trading when they get through with the 
 Yankees." 
 
 The Captain and his wife, anxious to make a good 
 impression on the chief, entertained him in royal style, 
 and by the time he had sampled several brands of liquid 
 refreshments he was ready to divide his kingdom with 
 them. When the Captain stated the object of his visit, 
 and related the circumstances that had led up to his 
 arrival, not forgetting to mention all the good things 
 the English Captain had said of the chief, he was well 
 pleased, both with the praise of the naval officer and 
 the confidential manner in which the Captain treated 
 him. He did not show the least emotion at the recital 
 of the story connected with the lost boy among the 
 cannibals, but on the contrary appeared to be bored, 
 which greatly surprised the Captain's wife, and required 
 a great deal of self-control on her part to conceal her real 
 feelings toward him. She could not comprehend any 
 conditions or environments that would so dull the finer 
 nature of a white man that he could feel no sympathy 
 for the sad fate of her boy. She could not realize that 
 his twenty-five years' association with savages had 
 bereft him of all sentiment and placed him on a level 
 with his savage subjects. But he seemed particularly 
 friendly toward the Captain and his wife. 
 
 ' ' Those Solomon Islanders are blarsted dogs, and 
 ought to be wiped off the earth," said the chief, plainly 
 indicating his English origin by his speech. ' ' Come
 
 THE WHITE KING 257 
 
 ashore with me. I want to introduce you to some more 
 white men," rising and leading the way on deck without 
 further ceremony. 
 
 The Captain and his wife followed, and entered the 
 boat, which was rapidly pulled ashore. The chief 
 silently led the wa3 r to a large hut located in the center 
 of the well constructed village. This structure, which 
 proved to be the council house or national capital, was 
 oblong, with a thatched oval roof, and would hold per- 
 haps a hundred people. Matting covered the floor, 
 and at the further end from the entrance was a rude 
 platform, upon which was a large homemade chair or 
 throne, elaborately carved, and seats of less pretension, 
 methodically arranged on either side. The dhief seated 
 himself in the center and invited the Captain to take 
 a seat on his right, and his wife on the left, then turn- 
 ing to the Captain said, " I have sent for the white 
 men on the island, and will introduce them to you. 
 They hold important positions, and have rendered 
 valuable assistance in establishing a new form of govern- 
 ment. In ten days I shall hold a council of all the 
 chiefs in the group, to declare war against the blarsted 
 Stewart Island dogs." 
 
 The Captain remained silent. This was proceed- 
 ing with a vengeance. He was not prepared for any- 
 thing of the kind, and had no desire to spill a drop 
 of blqod that was not absolutely necessary. While 
 planning in his mind a diplomatic reply to the chief,
 
 258 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 the whole crowd of convicts that he had met more 
 than a year ago, came in and stood before the chief. 
 The Captain and his wife showed no surprise, for 
 they knew whom they were to meet, but the French- 
 men, little changed, started and turned pale, as if 
 their contemplated act of a year before had been 
 realized, and the spirits of their martyred victims had 
 returned to remind them that such villainous treach- 
 ery could not pass unpunished. The chief, noticing 
 their embarrassment, inquired of the Captain if he 
 had met them before. 
 
 "Yes," replied the Captain slowly, "I had the 
 pleasure of providing these men with provisions and 
 water the night before the storm that drove them 
 to your friendly island, and," with an appreciative 
 glance at the chief, " the elements were kind to place 
 these unfortunates under your fatherly care, after 
 their perilous adventure." 
 
 Louis's face brightened, for he understood English, 
 and his companions taking courage from the hopeful 
 expression of his countenance, felt more at ease. 
 
 The Captain was assured, by this little incident, 
 that the rough, uneducated sailor king, half civil- 
 ized, half savage, would not for a moment approve 
 of such a cowardly act as that of which these men 
 were guilty. It was the fear of an exposure of their 
 crime that so frightened them, but when they felt 
 it was not the intention of the Captain to accuse
 
 THE WHITE KING 259 
 
 them, they took courage and calmly awaited further 
 developments. Addressing the chief, the Captain said, 
 in a calculating manner, ' ' It will take ten days for 
 you to prepare for the great council of chiefs, and 
 such a grave question for the council to consider 
 will occupy several days more, and it will be more 
 than a month before your warriors are ready to eat 
 up the Stewart Islanders. I am in a great hurry 
 and must be moving. If you will permit me," bow- 
 ing to the chief, "to take these white men, and 
 furnish me with a bright native interpreter, I will un- 
 dertake the rescue of the boy. You can declare war 
 and have your soldiers ready for transportation upon 
 my return, if I should fail to accomplish my mis- 
 sion." 
 
 The chief smiled in a maudlin manner, and said, 
 " Whatever you want, Captain, you shall have, but 
 I will call the council and declare war, and be ready 
 to eat them up when you call for reinforcements. 
 They are dogs, and you will have to fight them to 
 get your boy." 
 
 Thanking the chief for his kindness and gener- 
 osity, the Captain asked permission to talk with the 
 Frenchmen in their own tongue. 
 
 "Certainly, Captain," replied the chief drowsily. 
 "Just command anything you want in this group of 
 islands." 
 
 The Captain then related to the Frenchmen the
 
 260 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 object of his cruise, and greatly surprised them by 
 asking for their assistance in the hazardous under- 
 taking of the rescue of his boy. 
 
 "How can you trust us," inquired Louis, with 
 a puzzled expression, "after what you know of my 
 companions?" 
 
 "Your companions," quietly replied the Captain, 
 " are not so bad. Self-preservation is the first law 
 of nature and the 'survival of the fittest,' which 
 means the strongest, is the demonstration of that law. 
 Their crime was what they considered an act of 
 necessity. They were mistaken, and errors have been 
 committed since creation dawned, and will continue 
 while time shall last. I have never done you any 
 harm, but have twice spared your lives. You have 
 nothing to gain by treachery, and I may be able to 
 render you still greater service." 
 
 "Captain," said Louis, with great emotion, while 
 his companions were equally agitated, "accept our 
 heartfelt thanks for giving us the opportunity to 
 show our gratitude for your leniency under great 
 provocation, and to prove our appreciation of that 
 divine mercy manifested by your angel wife ; " then 
 to his comrades, "What say you?" and without 
 answer continued, "We will follow the Captain and 
 his wife to the death, if necessary.' 1 Then each man 
 raised his right hand, and repeated solemnly after 
 Louis, ' ' We pledge our honor and our lives to the
 
 THE WHITE KING 261 
 
 rescue of heir boy, and may God deal with us as 
 we deal with them." 
 
 ' ' Thank you, " was all the Captain said in reply 
 to the emphatic pledge of the Frenchmen, while his 
 wife wiped the tears from her eyes, making no al- 
 lusions to the fact that the sun, in tropical regions, 
 affects the eyes. 
 
 " When can you be ready to start?" quietly asked 
 the Captain. 
 
 ' ' At once, sir. We have no home ties, " said 
 I/ouis, sadly. 
 
 The Captain turned to the chief and was surprised 
 to find him fast asleep in all his royal glory. 
 
 ' ' He would not have dared to sleep on duty while 
 he was a sailor, but he is a king now, and who 
 shall prescribe his hours of repose?" said the Cap- 
 tain, smiling. "He has plenty of time to sleep, while 
 we are in a hurry, and he has promised me an inter- 
 preter. I am not lord of the bedchamber, and have 
 no authority to disturb the slumber of His Majesty, 
 but there is no alternative." 
 
 The chief was really a jolly fellow, and did not 
 resent the audacity of the Captain in arousing him, 
 with as little ceremony as if he had been a com- 
 mon sailor, but woke up good-natured, and thought 
 he must be dreaming when the Captain told him he 
 was ready to start for Stewart Island, and that lie 
 was only waiting for the promised interpreter.
 
 262 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 " O, he will be ready tomorrow, or next day, or 
 some time," said the king, unable to comprehend the 
 anxiety of the Captain to get away at the earliest 
 possible moment. 
 
 "I shall leave this island within an hour, whether 
 you provide me with an interpreter or not," replied the 
 Captain, decisively. 
 
 "All right, Captain," said the king graciously, "I'll 
 divide the kingdom with you if you just say the 
 word ;" then to Louis, "Pick out any man or num- 
 ber of men you want, and if he, or they, don't march 
 straight to the boat without looking back, report the 
 same to me at once. I have not forgotten all ship 
 discipline yet, eh Captain ? if I have been laid up in 
 ordinary for the last twenty-five years." 
 
 The chief insisted upon taking the Captain on board 
 in the royal barge, and caused no little delay by put- 
 ting his men through all the evolutions pertaining to 
 a well drilled boat's crew ; and not until he had ex- 
 hausted evolutions and men did he pull alongside of 
 the ship. 
 
 But the king did not seem inclined to leave his new 
 found friends. The Captain had given him a list of 
 everything he had on board for trade, and invited him 
 to order whatever he wanted. His boat lay alongside 
 loaded to the gunwales, but how to get him ashore 
 without giving offense was a delicate question. The 
 king was beginning to feel the serious effect of his
 
 THE WHITE KING 263 
 
 conviviality, growing more gracious and friendly ; but 
 after shaking hands with each man on board for the 
 twentieth time, and dividing his kingdom with the 
 Captain between shakes, he was safely landed on top 
 of his boatload of goods, to the relief of all on board. 
 The last words to reach the ears of those on board 
 were, "Call council, hie, ten days, hie ; clare 
 war, hie ; eat up hie Stewar' Ian" 'ogs." The 
 ship was under way and steaming for Stewart Is- 
 land before the king reached the shore. 
 
 "He is really a good fellow," said Louis, as he 
 stood on the bridge beside the Captain, watching the 
 king, while his faithful subjects raised him from the 
 boat and carried him to his palace. 
 
 "I have seen ample proof of that," replied the 
 Captain. ' ' Associations, environments and climatic in- 
 fluences have everything to do with our lives. I 
 doubt if any of us would do much better under such 
 circumstances. Twenty-five years among savages don't 
 improve the white man, if he does improve the savage, 
 which is questionable." 
 
 The sailors were greatly surprised to see their old 
 enemies, the Frenchmen, on board again, and a lively 
 dispute concerning the wisdom of taking the ' ' cut- 
 throats " along was cut short by old Tom, who said, 
 authoritatively. 
 
 "Belay there, mates, an' clap er stopper on your 
 jaw tackle. When the ole man wants advice from us
 
 264 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 he'll ask for it. If you fellows thinks you can run 
 this venture better'n he can, you had better try for the 
 berth. The ole man knows the main brace from the 
 fore to-bolin, an' so duz Missus; an', mates, you knows 
 she's allus right." 
 
 The Captain provided quarters for the Frenchmen, 
 but took Louis into his own cabin, a favor that was 
 fully appreciated by Louis and his comrades. 
 
 " We have led rather an indolent life on the island," 
 said Louis in answer to a question as to how they had 
 passed their time since landing, "but it was better 
 than a prison. The king showed us all the considera- 
 tion of honored guests, and tried to make our stay 
 pleasant. He is quite a genius in his own way, and 
 his subjects are justly proud of their white chief. Our 
 boat is the pride of his life," continued Louis, sadly, 
 "and he, having been a sailor, knows how to drill 
 a boat's crew, which he is very fond of showing off on 
 every occasion." 
 
 " Did you intend to pass the remainder of your lives 
 on the island?" inquired the Captain. 
 
 "Yes," said Louis thoughtfully, "we are outlaws, 
 and where could we go? The storm that forced us 
 away from civilization drove all hope from our hearts, 
 and we were reconciled to our fate, until hope again 
 revived when we learned the object of your voyage." 
 
 ' ' Have any ships visited the island during your 
 stay?" inquired the Captain.
 
 THE WHITE KING 265 
 
 "An English man-of-war and your ship were the 
 only visitors, and we were not anxious to show ourselves 
 to the officers of any war ship," said I^ouis with a 
 curl of the lip, watching the island astern as it came 
 into view, when the ship rose on the crest of a 
 swell.
 
 O 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 
 
 N THE morning of the second day after leaving 
 the Louisiades, the ship steamed again into the 
 harbor of Stewart Island and came to anchor. The 
 same air of desolation pervaded the island as before, 
 but somewhere among the hills the natives were hiding, 
 and their location must be found. After a consul- 
 tation with Mr. Baker and Louis, the Captain decided 
 to land twelve of his own men with the eighteen 
 Frenchmen, and the native interpreter, under command 
 of Louis. This would furnish Louis with thifty-one 
 men for his expedition, and leave a full working crew 
 for the ship; and in case of capture of the land party, 
 the Captain was to proceed with all dispatch to the 
 Louisiade Islands for the reinforcements already pro- 
 vided for, and make war on the islanders. 
 
 The Captain desired to treat the natives diplomat- 
 ically. His plan was to locate the savages, communi- 
 cate with them if possible, and gain possession of the 
 by by giving them any ransom they might demand. 
 Louis and his companions had served in the armies of 
 France, and as for his own men, the Captain knew 
 
 (306)
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 267 
 
 they had rather fight than to ' ' Splice the main brace, " 
 and he was fearful lest their fighting propensities 
 would defeat the very object he was trying to accom- 
 plish. He explained to the men and officers the im- 
 portance of great caution and diplomacy, " for," he said 
 impressively, " a failure to treat with the savages means 
 war to the death. My boy is in their power, and if 
 we should exterminate the whole tribe the last survivor 
 might kill the boy as his dying act." 
 
 The Louisiade interpreter whom the sailors had al- 
 ready, with nautical ceremonies, christened "Yellow 
 Jack," because of the color of his skin, was a bright, in- 
 telligent fellow, but the bitter enemy of those with whom 
 the Captain was anxious to negotiate, and must depend 
 upon him for proper and correct translations. He 
 was given explicit instructions by the Captain, and 
 placed under special charge of Louis, whom he had 
 served with the fidelity of a faithful dog during his 
 stay in the Louisiades. 
 
 The Captain was satisfied that the presence of his ship 
 in the harbor was known to the savages, and closely 
 watched from the hills. No move was made during the 
 day that would arouse the least suspicion of hostilities, 
 to any one attempting to ascertain the mission of the 
 ship. The boats made several trips ashore to give 
 the impression, to any spying savage, that she was a 
 peaceful merchantman, and had called to fill water 
 and gather a few cocoanuts ; but after dark, the
 
 268 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 innocent looking merchantman was, as if by magic, 
 transformed into the most terrible fighting machine 
 afloat, and the quiet, inoffensive sailors into deter- 
 mined fighting men, who had never been defeated on 
 land or sea. The outrigging nets were swung out 
 and the wire nettings triced up, while the dynamo 
 was ready to send a deadly current around the cir- 
 cuit of the ship. Under cover of darkness, Louis and 
 his men, well armed and with two days' rations, 
 quietly left the ship. The Captain prepared to re- 
 main on deck during night, while his wife, without show- 
 ing any unusual anxiety, retired early to her cabin. 
 The island was small, and the location of the sav- 
 ages, could not be more than five miles away, and if 
 everything worked favorable the expedition was ex- 
 pected to return the next day. If the party fell into 
 the hands of the savages, Louis was to signal by 
 rockets, with which he was provided, according to a 
 code arranged by the Captain. No signals were to be 
 made, under any circumstances, on the first night, for 
 fear of alarming the natives. The ship \vas to remain 
 until the party returned, or signified their capture by 
 the display of rockets, which no doubt would have 
 amused the natives, while giving information to the 
 Captain. The first rocket that pierced the darkness 
 of the second night of the departure of Louis from 
 the ship would have been the signal for the Captain 
 to proceed to the Louisiade Island, take on board all
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 269 
 
 the native warriors his ship could carry, return, at- 
 tack the Stewart Islanders, and take the consequences. 
 
 "I wish I could have gone with the party," said 
 Mr. Baker, as he joined the Captain on the bridge. 
 ' ' This suspense is worse than taking the chances of 
 capture, and of being served up rare or well done, 
 according to taste. I've chewed a pound of navy to- 
 night." 
 
 "I would rather be with them myself," replied 
 the Captain ; ' ' but everything depends upon the ship, 
 and we can't take any chances ; but I don't think 
 there will be much trouble if we can make the heathen 
 understand that all we want is a five-year-old boy, 
 who can't be worth so much to them as I am ready 
 to pay for him. If they are like most natives, they 
 had rather trade than fight, especially after the lesson 
 taught them by the English man-of-war." 
 
 ' ' I guess they will confine themselves more closely 
 to a vegetable diet for a while," said Mr. Baker, 
 taking a fresh quid of tobacco as he left the bridge 
 and hunted around decks to find something that would 
 direct his thoughts into a more pleasant channel. 
 
 The long, long night wore on, and daylight found 
 the Captain wearily pacing the bridge. The crew 
 turned to and performed their regular routine work 
 of washing decks, cleaning brass work, and squaring 
 the yards by lifts and braces, but the Captain, as if 
 in a trance, continued his walking backward and
 
 270 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 forward across the bridge, totally oblivious to the 
 bustling scene around him. 
 
 "What time do you look for the men to return?" 
 inquired the Captain's wife, as she came on deck to 
 take a cup of coffee with her husband. The Captain 
 started as if just awakened from a sound sleep, and 
 looking around caught the anxious look of his 
 wife. 
 
 "I believe I have been asleep;" and then to Mr. 
 Baker, "Have I been sleeping?" 
 
 "No, sir, you have been walking the bridge all 
 night," replied Mr. Baker, with a puzzled look at 
 the Captain. 
 
 ' ' Then I have walked while asleep, for I do not 
 remember when the hands turned to," said the Cap- 
 tain, carelessly; "but to your question, my dear. 
 If Louis succeeds in negotiating with the natives, 
 the party will be in this afternoon. If he has placed 
 himself in their power under pretense of arranging 
 the ransom, all will depend upon the good faith of 
 the savages. If they are ambushed and captured, 
 we will have a fight on our hands that will end only 
 when we or the heathen are exterminated. We have 
 come after the boy, and we either take him away or 
 stay here with him." 
 
 A determined look and compression of the lips 
 were the only visible indications that the Captain's 
 wife heard the remarks of her husband, as she quietly
 
 TING THE CAX\IRALS 271 
 
 sipped her coffee and occasionally glanced toward 
 the distant hills. 
 
 "She's ashamed to stay up any longer," said old 
 Tom, as the sun finally hid -herself behind the island, 
 and ended the longest and most anxious day of his 
 life. 
 
 "I don't want another day like this," said Jack. 
 1 ' It beats the long day that Joshua commanded the 
 sun to stand still." 
 
 "What ship was he on, mate?" inquired old Tom, 
 innocently. 
 
 "What ship was he on," repeated Jack contemp- 
 tuously. " He was no sailor, but was bossin' er lot of 
 lubbers, an' wanted more time, so he just told the 
 sun to stan' still, an' she stood, while he knocked 
 the tar out of the Philistines with the jawbone of 
 an ass. You had better read your bible. But say, 
 Tom, did you hear the ole man say he was asleep 
 all the time we was washin' decks this mornin', an' 
 we sees him walkin' the bridge all the time?" 
 
 " Nothin' out the ordinary," said Tom, with an air 
 of superiority; " when you've sailed salt water for forty 
 years you'll know suthin'," this by way of evening 
 up on Joshua. "My chum, Jim, we uster call him, 
 allus went to sleep walkin', an' you couldn't tell he 
 was asleep. He'd walk the foc'sle like er marine on 
 duty, an' at reg'lar times he'd walk over an' look'up 
 
 to see if the lights was burnin'. Poor Jim," wiping his 
 18
 
 272 RBSCCED BT A PRIXCE 
 
 eyes, "one of them new-fangled sawbones got hold of 
 him an' put him to sleep, an' told him not to wake 
 till he was called, an' Jim allus 'beyed orders. Saw- 
 bones was killed by a runaway horse less'n hour, an' 
 left Jim to sleep, an' nobody else could wake him up. 
 He had to 'bey orders." 
 
 " How did he get erwake," inquired Jack sneeringly, 
 " if nobody could wake him ? " 
 
 "Never did wake up, an' has been er sleep for 
 more'n twenty years," said Tom solemnly. 
 
 "Think any one can stow away that yarn?" 
 inquired Jack impatiently. 
 
 " 'Bout's snug as the one you spun with the jaw- 
 bone of an ass," said old Tom, winking at his mates 
 as he struck a match and settled down for a smoke. 
 
 Night came on, and no sign of the men. The Cap- 
 tain, losing all hope of their return, ordered up steam 
 and anxiously waited, dreading the signal that would 
 send him back to the Louisiades for men to begin a 
 savage war which meant death to many, perhaps to his 
 boy or himself and wife, without accomplishing the 
 task for which they had spent their fortunes, and were 
 risking their lives. 
 
 " I guess the cannibals have got them in tow," said 
 the Captain sadly, falling into a seat and covering his 
 face with his hands; then he gave a start of glad sur- 
 prise and sprang from his seat as he distinctly heard a 
 long, low whistle.
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 273 
 
 Mr. Baker sprang from the bridge, Tom stopped 
 short in the most exciting part of a blood-curdling ghost 
 story, and, together with his awe- stricken auditors, 
 rushed for the boat, for every one on board knew the 
 whistle of their shipmate, Billie. The crew tumbled 
 into the boat and pulled ashore, leaving a luminous 
 wake, like a fiery path, from the ship to the beach, 
 while the regular strokes of the oars, breaking the water 
 in equal spaces, gave it the appearance of a huge 
 illuminated centipede. 
 
 The boat returned in a few minutes, but to the 
 anxious watchers on board the ship, seemed as many 
 hours. Louis, followed by Billie, was the first to reach 
 the deck, and to the imploring look of the Captain's 
 wife, the former said: 
 
 " Madam, your boy will be in your arms before 
 morning." 
 
 She did not scream nor faint, but without a word, 
 turned and went below. 
 
 "Follow your mistress, Mary," said the Captain, 
 "but do not disturb her unless she calls you." He 
 understood his wife, and knew she wanted to be 
 alone, but he felt more at ease to have Mary within 
 call, as she was greatly attached to her mistress, and 
 possessed that happy faculty of being near and not 
 annoying, companionable but not a companion. 
 
 The mother felt sure of seeing her boy as Louis 
 had promised, and did not care for any particulars.
 
 274 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 They had all returned safe, and she had no curiosity 
 to learn of their adventure. There had been no loss 
 of life. The long period of agony and suspense was 
 apparently nearing its end, and that was all she 
 cared about. The boy was still in the power of the 
 savages, but she believed the statement of Louis. 
 She could not talk, not even with her husband ; she 
 wanted to be alone. Not so with the Captain. He 
 wanted to learn all the particulars, and then reason 
 on the possibilities of success or failure. Ke firmly 
 believed in the intuitional perceptions of his wife, 
 but, man-like, thought he could, by his own judg- 
 ment, greatly assist in the fulfillment of the decree 
 already gone forth. He did not realize his corre- 
 lation with the great thought energy that was in- 
 tensifying and creating a force that no physical power 
 could resist and which would materialize the mental 
 vision first perceived by a more receptive mind than 
 his own. 
 
 "We followed the well-beaten path for two hours," 
 said Louis, "when it ended as abruptly as if the end 
 had been cut off and thrown away ; but as we were 
 near the crest of the hill, we pushed on and reached 
 it without much difficulty. Here was our second 
 surprise. We suddenly emerged from darkness into 
 a full glare of light, which barely saved us from 
 w r alking over a precipice. We dropped to the ground 
 and quietly crawled back into the shadow, to escape
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 275 
 
 the observation of the natives, and to study the 
 location, which, has the appearance of the vast crater 
 of a volcanic mountain, nearly a mile in diameter ; 
 but unlike any other extinct volcano, the crater i? 
 nearly filled with a table land, covered with vege- 
 tation, rising about forty feet from its base, with 
 nearly perpendicular sides. Between this singular 
 formation and the mountain proper is a chasm, with 
 precipitous sides, and as far as I could discern, this 
 natural moat encircled the habitation of the natives 
 as completely as that of any fortified town of olden 
 time, and only required the drawbridge and port- 
 cullis to reproduce on this island the famous strong- 
 holds of the Middle Ages. The elevation must have 
 the same appearance from any point of view as it 
 does from the ship, and no one would ever imagine 
 that inside of that ordinary looking mountain is a 
 natural fortress, capable of sustaining the whole 
 population of the island, and so secure that it would 
 require an army and the best engineering skill to 
 invade it." 
 
 "You are correct," interrupted the Captain, "we 
 made the circuit of the island, and from every point 
 it presents the same appearance. I came to the con- 
 clusion that it was the one hill of the island, and I 
 wasn't so far out of the way when I told the English 
 Captain that the natives were not on the island, but 
 I did not know that the mountain was hollow."
 
 276 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 "Hundreds of small fires were burning," continued 
 Louis, "and the place was as light as a city street. 
 The whole surface was covered with naked savages, 
 who were singing and dancing, happy and contented. 
 I saw your little boy and his great black dog, closely 
 attended by a bright native girl, who kept away from 
 the crowd and took no part in the dance, but seemed 
 to care for nothing but the boy, who divided his time 
 and affection between the girl and his dog. The chasm 
 was between us and the natives, and as we kept just 
 outside of the light we had no fears of an attack or 
 detection. They make no fires in the day, for the 
 smoke would reveal their retreat. At night the smoke 
 cannot be seen, and the hill hides the fires. 
 
 "Yellow Jack took great interest in the girl with 
 the boy, and watched her every motion like a hawk, 
 and as she turned in the full light of the fire, he touched 
 my arm and said, ' That is my sister, whom the gods 
 have spared,' and fell on his face and gave thanks to 
 his deity: I knew Yellow Jack well enough not to 
 disturb him, so I watched the girl with greater interest. 
 The boy, tired of playing with his dog, went up to the 
 girl and held out his hands. She took the little fellow 
 in her arms, lovingly and tenderly as a mother, while 
 the dog lay down at her feet, with his head between 
 his paws and his eyes fixed on his little master. Cap- 
 tain," with a break in his voice, "my heart went out 
 to that boy. and if it had not been for the chasm I fear I
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 277 
 
 should have been imprudent enough to have rushed in 
 and seized the boy and taken the consequences. " 
 
 " Your cooler judgment would have prevailed before 
 you had committed such a rash act," said the Captain, 
 in a voice that betrayed his own feelings. 
 
 "When Yellow Jack had finished his devotion," 
 continued Louis, " he rose and gave a peculiar note of 
 a bird I have heard on the Louisiade Islands, but no- 
 where else. 
 
 "The girl gave a glad cry of surprise, and looked 
 around with much apprehension, as if fearing the 
 natives had noticed the whistle, but they continued 
 their dance, which apparently satisfied the girl. She 
 began to sway gently to and fro, singing a low, sweet 
 melody, as if to lull the child to sleep. Yellow Jack 
 listened until she had finished the song, then said, 
 ' She come when dogs sleep.' 
 
 '"Nonsense,' I exclaimed, out of patience with 
 his stoicism, ' How could she tell you that she was 
 coming to meet you, and those around her not hear 
 it?' Yellow Jack laughed low and said, 'I thought 
 white man smart. The islanders know something.' 
 'Did she know you?' I inquired. 'Yes,' he replied, 
 'that is our family call.' Then it occurred to me 
 that each family of the Louisiades has a call, or 
 signal of its own. 'She sang,' continued Yellow 
 Jack, ' the history of our tribe and family in the 
 language of the Louisiades, which the dogs of Stewart
 
 278 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 Island don't understand; they can't talk," he said 
 contemptuously, ' but make a noise like monkeys. 
 She sang of the great chiefs and the white king, of 
 our father and mother, and when we played together 
 on the sand, and in the water; when she went 
 away from the island as a servant to a captain's wife 
 three years ago; how the dogs killed the captain, 
 his wife, and all on board but my sister, and fired 
 the ship. She sang the story of the white boy in 
 her arms, and how she loved him ; that the natives 
 were afraid of the ship in the bay and were watch- 
 ing her movements. At the conclusion of each sub- 
 ject of her story she sang the refrain, ' ' I ccme, 
 Louisiade, I come."' I inquired how he knew r she 
 would come when they sleep. ' She can't come when 
 they are awake,' was his logical answer. Then he 
 rolled in the brush to stifle his laughter at his 
 superiority over the white man, and the joy of soon 
 seeing his sister, for the Louisiade Islanders are very 
 affectionate in their family relations. I knew that 
 Yellow Jack was telling the truth, but could not 
 realize that we had a friend in the camp of the 
 enemy, who was a captive and as eager to escape 
 as we were to icscue the boy. I could not com- 
 prehend the changed condition which made that natural 
 fortress no more of an obstacle to success than a 
 castle of straw. It was too good to be true, and I 
 was afraid that the girl would not come as promised
 
 LOCATING THE CANNIBALS 279 
 
 by Yellow Jack. We waited and watched until the 
 last ember of their fires faded away, and my bright 
 vision of success, and castle of straw was growing 
 dim, when to my great joy and surprise, she stood before 
 us in all her native grace. The direction from which 
 she came is a mystery ; she may have risen out of 
 the earth for all I know. Not the rustle of a leaf 
 or the breaking of a twig to herald her coming. But 
 there she stood like the spirit of the night. The 
 meeting between the savage brother and sister was 
 very affectionate, and after their native congratula- 
 tions, Yellow Jack told her the mission of the ship 
 in the harbor, and that the boy's mother was on 
 board, dying of grief, and that on the morrow he 
 and his companions would visit the chief and offer 
 a ransom for the boy. She said the chief would 
 not accept a ransom ; that the boy had been adopted 
 after the custom of the tribe, and was to be chief 
 when he was grown. Yellow Jack told her that the 
 white king of the Louisiades had promised to help 
 the Captain, and that he would send his warriors 
 and eat up the Stewart Island dogs. To this she 
 replied that the people would laugh at any force 
 of native warriors sent against them, but they were 
 afraid of the big guns of a war ship. ' You will 
 all be captured,' she continued, 'if you - go to the 
 tribe. Go back, and I will be on the beach by the 
 ship with the boy and dog before the light breaks
 
 280 RESCUED nr A PRINCE 
 
 in the east.' This, Captain, is the substance of 
 what Yellow Jack related to me in his broken Eng- 
 lish, after more than an hour's talk with his sister 
 in their own language. We did not get back until 
 after daylight, and fearing the natives might be 
 watching, we took no chances, but concealed our- 
 selves in full sight of the ship, where we have been 
 all day." 
 
 " Do you think your sister will surely come, 
 Jack ? " inquired the Captain. 
 
 "No catch her, she come," replied Jack. 
 
 "And if they catch her, then what?" inquired 
 the Captain, adding, " w r hich they most likely will." 
 
 " We eat 'em up," said Yellow Jack, with a wicked 
 gleam in his eyes.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 HARRY RESCUED 
 
 'pHE Captain was not so much elated over the 
 ^ unexpected turn of affairs, as the enthusiastic 
 Frenchman. Negotiations for the peaceful possession 
 of the boy by ransom was out of the question, and 
 he must wait for the success or failure of a plan that, 
 to him, appeared to depend wholly t:pon chance. The 
 girl's intention to escape with the boy might even 
 now have been discovered, and the mission of the 
 ship in the harbor already revealed, which would put 
 the natives on the defensive. 
 
 "Where did the girl go after talking with you?" 
 inquired the Captain. 
 
 Louis started with surprise and replied, " I don't 
 know. It did not appear strange at the time, but 
 novv when I come to think of it, she disappeared as 
 mysteriously as she came." 
 
 "There are two points in your report that puzzle 
 me," said the Captain. "The sudden appearance and 
 
 disappearance of the girl, and the abrupt termination 
 
 (281)
 
 Jvj RESCUED #r A PRINCE 
 
 of the trail which was so well defined to a certain 
 point. What was the nature of the ground?" 
 
 "The trail," said Louis, "was as easy to follow 
 as a public highway, until we ran up against the 
 square face of a rock overhung with vegetation of 
 some kind. Some of the party turned to the right, 
 the rest to the left ; the night was starlight but we 
 could not discover any path, and as both parties met 
 a little farther up the mountain, we did not hunt 
 any longer for the trail, but picked our way up to 
 the top. Daylight might reveal the divergence of the 
 path which could not be easily traced in the night. 
 As for the girl, we were watching for her coming, 
 and looking across the chasm when she came up from 
 somewhere behind us. She was talking with her brother 
 a little way from me, and as I relied upon him for 
 all the information she could give, I was not watching 
 them very closely." 
 
 "How did your sister cross the .chasm, Jack?" 
 inquired the Captain. 
 
 "She come through big hole," replied the inter- 
 preter. 
 
 "Do you know where the big hole is?" 
 
 " Can find it when look." 
 
 "Was the hole at the end of the path?" inquired 
 Louis, earnestly. 
 
 " Must look find hole," said Yellow Jack, in an 
 exasperating manner.
 
 HARRT RESCUED 283 
 
 Threats, coaxing, and bribing proved unavailing ; the 
 Captain could gain no further information from Yellow 
 Jack. 
 
 ' ' How near can we lay to the shore, Mr. Baker, 
 and keep the ship afloat ? ' ' inquired the Captain. 
 
 "We can lay her alongside of the bank, sir," re- 
 plied Mr. Baker. 
 
 " Heave ahead, then, and moor alongside. As the 
 whole business of rescue has been taken out of our 
 hands, and the only information we have to go by 
 is the few monosyllables of a stoical savage, we will 
 make it as easy as possible for the girl to get on 
 board with the boy if she succeeds in reaching the 
 landing, and guard against all possible failures at this 
 end of the line. If the girl should be discovered in 
 her attempt to escape, or missed before she arrived 
 here, the whole tribe will give chase, and I had rather 
 take chances with our lightning machine than with 
 a hand to hand fight on the beach." 
 
 The ship was moored alongside of the bank, with 
 a single hawser ashore from the bow, and another 
 from the quarter, while kedges were carried out to 
 sea from the opposite quarter and bow. Steam was 
 ordered up and the outrigger net lowered waist high 
 over the bank, with the current ready to be turned on. 
 
 Louis, with his force increased to forty men, was 
 ordered back to the end of the trail and to lose no 
 time in reaching it ; and if Yellow Jack did not find
 
 2S4 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 the entrance to the retreat of the savages in five min- 
 utes, Louis was further instructed to shoot him on the 
 spot. The Captain was convinced that Yellow Jack 
 knew the location of the secret passage, and would 
 not reveal it ; not because of disloyalty to the Cap- 
 tain, but he really believed that he and his sister could 
 manage the escape far better than the white men, and, 
 like all ignorant people, whether civilized or savage, 
 it was useless to reason with him. While the Captain 
 appreciated the native cunning of the savage, he knew 
 that to gain possession of the entrance of their strong- 
 hold was to hold the key to the situation. This plan, 
 carefully studied by himself and Louis, would not inter- 
 fere with the escape of the native girl and his boy, but 
 might assist them at a critical moment. If the girl failed, 
 he could leave a force strong enough to hold the pas- 
 sage until he could make the trip to the Louisiades 
 and return with re-enforcements. The Captain had full 
 confidence in Louis, and realized that his military train- 
 ing and active service in the army of France made 
 him an invaluable aid in an emergency of this nature, 
 and was certain that under his leadership the Louisiade 
 Islanders could drive the savages trom their natural 
 fortress. 
 
 While these plans, formulated by men of a supe- 
 rior race, were being executed, the native girl, alone and 
 among enemies, with her natural intuition and nativj 
 cunning, was working out her plan, to make good the
 
 !;.\RRr RESCUED 285 
 
 promise given to Louis through Yellow Jack. When 
 she reached her cabin, after the visit to her brother, 
 she found it empty: the boy she left asleep under the 
 protection of Darkey was gone, and the dog also was 
 missing. She did not, like her white sisters, give way 
 to grief, but set to work to outwit the savages, who 
 had taken advantage of her absence to hide the boy. 
 It was evident that the suspicions of the natives had 
 been aroused, and the fact that they had taken the boy 
 away proved that they mistrusted the girl and sur- 
 mised the mission of the ship in the harbor. How 
 much the}' really did know of the facts will never be 
 ascertained. The next day she visited the old chief, 
 who treated her kindly, but significantly said that the 
 boy would be returned to her after the ship left the 
 island. The primitive man is of few words, and she 
 left his presence no wiser than when she entered it. 
 She accepted the situation with the usual stoicism of 
 the native, but she would steal away from the village 
 after midnight, go to the ship and report the situa- 
 tion, and then return ; for she would never leave the 
 boy if she remained a captive for life. Silently and 
 sadly, while the natives were sleeping, she left her cabin 
 to perform what she felt was her duty : inform the boy's 
 mother and father that she had failed, through no fault 
 of hers, to bring the boy to the ship as she had prom- 
 ised, and above all things desired. She had nearly 
 reached the entrance to the well-worn stairway, cut out
 
 286 RESCUED BY \\ PRTXCE 
 
 of the S9lid rock, which leads to the underground pas- 
 sage, forming the only means of transit from and to this 
 unique habitation, when the breaking of a twig caused 
 her to stop and, after the method of natives, drop to the 
 ground to listen. While in- this listening attitude she 
 felt a warm breath on her cheek, and looking up saw 
 the shaggy form of Darkey. The poor girl suppressed 
 a cry of joy, and threw her arms around the noble dog. 
 "Where is your master?" whispered the girl. At this 
 the dog started off as silently and cautiously as if he 
 understood the situation and that everything depended 
 upon his behavior, and led the way, followed by the 
 girl, through the village and straight up to a hut on the 
 opposite side of the table-land. The girl cautiously ap- 
 proached the hut and looked in, while Darkey stood 
 quietly watching her. On the ground lay the boy fast 
 asleep, and not far away an old woman, watching over 
 him. The girl waited until the old woman fell asleep ; 
 then like a fairy she entered the hut, and taking the boy 
 gently in her arms, glided out without awakening the 
 bov or the old woman. Swiftly and silently she passed 
 asrain through the sleeping village and reached the 
 stairway. A sentry abruptly ordered the girl back, 
 snatching the boy out of her arms. Darkey flew at his 
 tnroat, which caused him to drop the boy. Quick as 
 a flash, the girl caught up the litfle fellow, rushed for 
 the entrance, down the stone steps, and along the dark 
 passage. She could hear the alarm and the war cry of
 
 QUICK AS A FLASH, THE GIRL CAUGHT UP THE LITTLE FELLOW. 
 
 RUSHED FOR THE ENTRANCE, DOWN THE STONE STEPS. 
 
 AND ALONG THE DARK PASSAGE.
 
 HARRT RESCUED 287 
 
 the tribe, and knew that her escape had been discovered, 
 and that her safety depended upon her strength. With 
 many a bruise and fall, she struggled along the dark 
 passage. The boy and dog seemed to comprehend the 
 situation, for neither made the least noise, while Darkey 
 displayed the intelligence of a human being. Always 
 close to the girl, he appeared to sympathize with her in 
 her noble effort to escape ; when she would fall, the grand 
 brute would lick her hand or face, and pull at her dress 
 as if to encourage her to keep on. She could hear the 
 yells of the savages behind her, and the flare of their 
 torches of burning wood was already casting her own 
 shadow She was now, by the light of her pursuers, 
 making better progress, and displaying the nerve of a 
 savage running the gauntlet ; but with the boy in her 
 arms and the great waste of energy in the darkness at 
 the beginning, the effort was telling on her. She would 
 reach the mountain entrance, then what? With a fair 
 start, even with the extra weight of the boy, she could 
 have won on the five-mile race from the entrance to the 
 ship, for the Louisiade Islanders are the most famous 
 runners of all the natives in Australasia. But her pur- 
 suers were fresh, and the chances were against her. The 
 savages gradually gained on her, and when she emerged 
 from the long dark tunnel, the fastest runner of the 
 tribe was so close that Darkey attacked him, and dog 
 and savage rolled on the ground in front of the entrance ; 
 while forty' men, with gleaming rifles, took up their
 
 288 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 stations in front of the opening that led to the strong- 
 hold of the Stewart Islanders, and were masters of the 
 situation as long as they cared to stay ; but how were 
 they to get away ? 
 
 "The sun was up over the foreyard, as the 
 sailors express it, to indicate the time, nine or ten 
 o'clock, and no sign of the rescue party. The Cap- 
 tain had paced the deck all night, and now, with 
 unsteady steps, was keeping up his monotonous tramp. 
 
 " They will surely rescue Harry," said the Cap- 
 tain's wife, as if trying to encourage her husband. 
 
 "Hadn't we better send out a gang to find out 
 what's the trouble?" inquired Mr. Baker, as he came 
 on the bridge and joined the Captain in his weary 
 march. 
 
 "No," replied the Captain, "we have no more 
 men to spare ; we must not cripple the ship. Ix>uis 
 can hold that entrance any length of time ; we shall 
 hear from him before night." 
 
 "That's true, Captain, but I've been thinking if 
 the situation is what we think, it will be no trouble 
 to keep the heathen in the hole, but as soon as 
 our men start for the ship, the savages will pour out 
 like the water through the bow port of a Merrimichi 
 lumberman. It will be a race between sailor and 
 savage, and a sailor is no tea-clipper on land." 
 
 " You are right, Mr. Baker," said the Captain, 
 ' ' but you must not forget that Louis and his com-
 
 HARRT RESCUED 289 
 
 rades are all trained in the science of war, and as 
 for men," with a gleam of pride in his eyes, "they 
 are not much for running, but he never commanded 
 such fighters." 
 
 "True, Captain, but this hain't civili " 
 
 ' ' By the Great Neptune, and all the little gods, 
 ther's Darkey ! ' ' shrieked Mr. Baker, wild with ex- 
 citement as he pointed with unsteady hand toward the 
 ruined village. 
 
 "Yes," said the Captain in a hollow voice, hardly 
 above a whisper ; then looking through his glass, ' ' and 
 Yellow Jack the girl and the boy, and in no more 
 of a hurry than if they were out for a stroll. I 
 will trice up that yellow heathen when he gets aboard, 
 as a punishment for his audacious coolness. Why don't 
 they move?" 
 
 "Why, my dear," said his wife quietly, "can you 
 not see that they are running ? ' ' 
 
 The Captain looked at his wife in amazement, but 
 the hollow eyes and livid lips revealed the intense emo- 
 tion which she was suppressing. 
 
 ' ' Trice up the starboard netting, ' ' ordered Mr. Baker, 
 as Yellow Jack, who was a little in advance of his 
 sister, neared the ship. 
 
 "Lower away," was the next order, as Darkey, 
 the last to pass under the deadly wire, sprang on deck 
 and gave a joyous bark. 
 
 The mother hysterically grasped her boy and rushed
 
 290 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 to her cabin, followed by Mary, the native, girl and 
 Darkey, who would not leave his little master. The 
 father looked on as if doubting the reality of the 
 scene, but arousing himself, he glared at Jack, who 
 stood on the deck below the bridge, expressionless as 
 a bronze statue. 
 
 " Why don't you speak, you yellow heathen? Where 
 is Louis and the men?" 
 
 " A volley of musketry and the yelling savages an- 
 swered the question before Yellow Jack could say ' ' He 
 come. ' ' 
 
 Louis and his men had emerged from the narrow 
 trail, and covered about half the distance across the 
 clearing, where once stood the native village. The sav- 
 ages, who had followed at a safe distance were com- 
 pelled, by the impregnable growth of vegetation forming 
 natural walls on both sides, to keep the narrow path, 
 now pouring out of the narrow passage and rapidly 
 spreading out on each side, for the purpose of cutting off 
 the retreat of the white men and prevent them from reach- 
 ing the ship. It was to check these extending arms 
 which threatened to enfold them that the first volley 
 was fired. This volley did not check the savages, 
 who, with a yell of defiance, gradually closed in on the 
 little company, while extending their wings. This 
 maneuver was well planned and quickly executed, and 
 would have proved disastrous to the little, band of 
 ' sailors but for two well-directed shots from the ship,
 
 HARRT RESCUED 291 
 
 which astonished the natives. Louis, taking advantage 
 of their confusion, made a dash for the ship, but 
 the savages, recovering from their surprise upon seeing 
 their pre>' escaping, dashed forward in a solid body, 
 on a line with the retreating party and ship. The 
 natives gained rapidly on the sailors, and Louis, realiz- 
 ing that he could not reach the ship before the can- 
 nibals would be upon them, ordered his little company 
 to halt. Every man obeyed, and faced the enemy, 
 who checked their mad rush and came to a standstill 
 within three hundred yards of the white men, who 
 were about two hundred yards from the ship. From 
 the bridge the Captain was anxiously watching the 
 fight, but was powerless to aid the retreating party, 
 for after the two shots that enabled Louis .to reach 
 the position he now held, the Captain could not use 
 his guns without danger to his own men. But how was 
 he to master this critical situation and relieve his 
 men? The natives were a thousand strong, held at 
 bay by dread of the forty rifles in the hands of the 
 men facing them. How long would this passive con- 
 dition continue ? A word from some bold leader, or 
 even an accident, would break the spell, and set in 
 motion that body of wild men, who, when once started, 
 would sweep on like an avalanche, crushing every- 
 thing in their course, until they reached the ship. 
 Louis's men could fire but one volley, and if every 
 rifle shot found its victim, what were forty men
 
 292 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 more or less to that multitude, constantly increas- 
 ing? 
 
 The Captain hailed I/mis through his speaking 
 trumpet, "When I drop my trumpet, every man fall 
 to the ground ; in the panic that follows my shots, 
 make a dash for the ship, and don't face them again, 
 if they follow you on board ! Are you ready, Mr. 
 Baker?" 
 
 " All ready, sir." 
 
 The Captain dashed his trumpet on the deck and 
 ordered ' ' Fire ! ' ' The four guns, loaded with grape 
 and canister, belched forth their death-dealing charges. 
 Before the smoke cleared away, the men were rushing 
 on board, with the yelling savages in hot pursuit. 
 
 "Stand by to lower away the netting," ordered 
 the Captain, anxiously watching the race between his 
 men and the infuriated savages, and realizing that it 
 would be a close finish. 
 
 "Lower away!" shouted the Captain, as the last 
 man passed under the raised netting and sprang on 
 deck. ' ' Cut the hawsers ' ' 
 
 "Full speed ahead," rang the bell in the engine 
 room, and the propeller was churning the water, with 
 the ship straining at the hawsers, which the men, 
 with well directed blows, quickly severed. The ship 
 sagged a little from the bank, but before she could 
 gather headway the foremost savages, yelling with 
 baffled rage, threw themselves upon the charged rod
 
 HARRT RESCUED 293 
 
 supporting the netting, thinking to tear it away and 
 reach the deck, while their comrades in the rear 
 rushed on, crowding them over the netting until the 
 narrow space between the shore and ship was filled 
 with writhing, helpless cannibals, who were prostrated 
 by the shock of the electric current, or bruised and 
 drowning by falling over each other, and held under 
 water by the great wild crowd forced over the bank. 
 In a moment the great ship, freed from her hawsers, 
 glided away from the bank, homeward bound, leaving 
 hundreds of yellow, lifeless forms stretched on the 
 beach, and floating in the water, while their awe- 
 stricken tribesmen fell on their faces and implored the 
 gods to deliver them from the mysterious fighting 
 machine which they had encountered with such deadly 
 effect.
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 *"pHE ship clear of the harbor, and a course laid for 
 * the Louisiade Islands, the Captain went below, 
 where he found his wife and Mary crying and laugh- 
 ing by turns, with the native girl stoically surveying 
 the strange scene, while his naked, half savage boy, 
 locked in his mother's arms, looking from one to the 
 other, wondering what all the fuss was about. 
 
 "Oh, Frank, just see how he is tanned, and he 
 can't speak a word of English," said the hysterical 
 mother with a fresh burst of tears that went around. 
 
 " Put some clothes on the little savage, and he 
 won't show so much tan," said the Captain, holding 
 out his hands to his boy, who while recognizing his 
 father, nestled closely to his mother. 
 
 "Go bring his clothes, Mary, what are we think- 
 ing about ? " " But, Frank how are we going to 
 talk with him? " 
 
 "That is easily settled," said her husband, send- 
 ing for Yellow Jack, who was installed interpreter in 
 waiting to the Captain's wife, and he was " in wait- 
 ing " all the time, had to eat between transmissions 
 (294)
 
 CONCL USION 295 
 
 of mother talk and small boy questions, and sleep 
 when mother and son were forced to yield to nature's 
 sweet restorer. 
 
 Although a heathen, Yellow Jack bore the torture 
 with the fortitude of a Christian, and if at any time 
 his savage nature rebelled, a reproachful glance from 
 the wonderful eyes of his sister compelled his sub- 
 mission, and with a sigh resigned himself to his fate 
 with a heroism worthy of a flame-enveloped martyr. 
 
 The ship arriving at the Louisiade, steamed up to 
 her old berth off the village, and before the anchor 
 left the cathead, the old white chief was on board, 
 while his faithful subjects surrounded the ship and 
 yelled themselves hoarse in honor of the occasion. 
 
 "Captain," said the king, "If you had taken my 
 advice, and waited till I had declared war, you would 
 have eaten them up. If the Captain of the ' ' Unicorn ' ' had 
 taken my advice twenty years ago, he would not have 
 lost his ship and all hands. If the crew had followed 
 my example they would have been saved." 
 
 "If the Captain had taken your advice, you would 
 not have been a king, and if the crew had followed 
 your example, there would have been many rivals for 
 the throne," replied the Captain. 
 
 "That sounds all right," said the king much 
 amused, "but this is not the right kind of climate to 
 reason, we act. I have declared war with the Stewart 
 Island dogs.
 
 296 RESCUED BT A PRINCE 
 
 1 ' You need not have declared war on my account, 
 for we have rescued the boy," said the Captain. 
 
 The king started, and nearly fell to the deck. It 
 was the first surprise he had experienced for twenty 
 years, and the sensation was too much for him. 
 
 " If you have rescued the boy, bring him out," said 
 the king, recovering from the shock. 
 
 As if in compliance with the king's demand, the 
 little savage rushed out of the cabin, followed by his 
 mother, Mary, and the native girl, with Yellow Jack on 
 hand to interpret whatever he might say. Seeing the 
 natives on deck, he uttered a childish warwhoop, and 
 was in the midst of them with his clothes off, before he 
 could be captured. The king roared with laughter, 
 sailors and natives joined in, while the Captain, officers, 
 and the Frenchmen surpressed their merriment, as the 
 little savage was carried off, by the three women to the 
 cabin, closely followed by Yellow Jack, who was expected 
 to interpret every word he had spoken while on deck. 
 
 "Your expedition would have been a failure, if 
 it had not been for two of my subjects," said the 
 king, as a last argument to prove the wisdom of 
 his advice. 
 
 "I am not sure about the natives eating us up 
 while we could produce an electric current," said 
 the Captain, "but we owe our success to Yellow 
 Jack and Joan," who had received that historic 
 name in honor of her flight with the boy.
 
 CONCL USION 297 
 
 Joan was so much attached to the boy, that all 
 the persuasions of her family could not induce her 
 to leave him, and the Captain's wife looking upon 
 her as the savior of her child, desired to adopt her. 
 So it was settled, Yellow Jack was the interpreter, 
 and he was added to the ship's company, if not to 
 the Captain's family. 
 
 Louis was pleased to accept the Captain's invi- 
 tation to accompany him to the States, and his 
 companions to remain on board for the present. 
 
 The Captain had plenty to spare, and he gave 
 the king everything he desired ; furnished him 
 with firearms and ammunition enough to place the 
 Louisiade government on a substantial war footing, 
 which would have terrified the Stewart Islanders if 
 they had known of it. In return the king loaded 
 the ship with the rich products of the island. 
 
 With genuine regret, the Captain sailed away 
 from the island which had proven an aid to Louis 
 and himself. 
 
 The Frenchmen were landed at Rio de Janeiro, 
 and liberally supplied with money to start life again 
 in a new country, where a man's past record is not 
 inquired into very closely. Louis remained with the 
 Captain. 
 
 A pleasant run from Rio brought the ship home 
 after an absence of eight months, having made the 
 circuit of the earth, and fulfilled her mission, and
 
 298 RESCUED #r A PRINCE 
 
 for the first time in the history of the human race, 
 no one regretted the lost opportunity of saying, " I 
 told you so. ' ' 
 
 The ship was sold, and the cargo, presented by 
 the old king, paid all the expenses of the voyage. 
 
 Mr. Baker was given command of the ship, and 
 Bill was promoted to first officer or mate. 
 
 It was a struggle with Mary whether to remain 
 with her Mistress, or marry Bill. Love conquered, 
 and Mary and Bill were married in the presence of 
 the whole ship's company, and many of the Cap- 
 tain's friends. 
 
 Darkey died of old age, lamented by all. His skin, 
 artistically stuffed, occupies an honored position in the 
 best furnished room in the house, adorned by a fresh 
 wreath of flowers the year round. He was a no- 
 ble brute with human instincts. 
 
 Louis and the Captain are constant companions, 
 and Tom is never so happy as when he is signaled 
 to make ready the boat for a cruise, and no captain 
 of the navy takes so much pride in his ship as Tom, 
 when sailing the Captain's yacht. 
 
 Joan, refined and pretty, is a loving and devoted 
 daughter to her white parents. Harry, grown to man- 
 hood, is a soldier in the Philippines, where his fos- 
 ter sister followed as an army nurse to be near, and to 
 care for her brother, who fully appreciates the de- 
 votion of the native girl, who supplied the place of
 
 CONCL US TON 299 
 
 his mother, when he was a captive among the can- 
 nibals, and still watches over him with all the love 
 and devotion of a mother and only sister combined. 
 The Captain's wife will not cross a bridge if she 
 can go around it, but has taken to riding a wheel, 
 which is the next dangerous thing to fighting 
 pirates and cannibals.
 
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