The Lonely Island: The Refuge of the Mutineers

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

  NEW ARRIVALS AND STRANGE ADVENTURES.

  "My dear," said Adams one morning to his spouse, as he was about to goforth to superintend the working of his busy hive, "I'm beginnin' tofeel as if I was gettin' old, and would soon have to lay up like an oldhulk."

  "You've done good service for the Master, John; perhaps He thinks youshould rest now," answered his wife. "You've got plenty able helpers totake the heavy work off your hands."

  "True, old woman, able, willin', and good helpers, thank God, but theywant a headpiece still. However, there's a deal of life in the old dogyet. If that dear angel, Otaheitan Sally, were only a man, now, I couldresign the command of the ship without a thought. But I've committedthe matter to the Lord. He will provide in His own good time.Good-day, old girl. If any one wants me, you know where to send 'em."

  Not many days after that in which these remarks were made a sail wasseen on the horizon. So few and far between had these visitants beenthat the excitement of the people was as wild as when the first shipappeared, and much more noisy, seeing that the juveniles had now becomeso very numerous.

  The ship soon drew near. Canoes were sent off to board her. ThursdayOctober, as of old, introduced himself, and soon the captain and severalmen were brought on shore, to the intense joy of the inhabitants.

  One of the sailors who landed attracted Adams's attention in a specialmanner, not so much because of his appearance, which was nothinguncommon, as because of a certain grave, kindly, serious air whichdistinguished him. This man's name was John Buffett. Another of themen, named John Evans, less serious in manner, but not less hearty andopen, made himself very agreeable to the women, especially to old MrsAdams, to whom he told a number of nautical anecdotes in an undertonewhile the captain was chatting with Adams himself. Buffett spokelittle.

  After spending an agreeable day on shore, the sailors walked down to thebeach towards evening to return to their ship.

  "You lead a happy life here, Mr Adams," said Buffett, in an earnesttone. "Would you object to a stranger staying among you!"

  "Object!" said Adams, with a quick, pleasant glance. "I only wish theLord would send us one; one at least who is a follower of Himself."

  John Buffett said no more, but that same evening he expressed to hiscaptain so strong a desire to remain behind that he obtained leave, andnext day was sent on shore.

  The sailor named John Evans accompanied him to see him all right andbring off the latest news; but Evans himself had become so delightedwith the appearance of the place and people, that he deserted into themountains, and the ship had to sail without him.

  Thus were two new names added to the muster-roll of Pitcairn.

  John Buffett in particular turned out to be an invaluable acquisition.He was a man of earnest piety, and had obtained a fairly good education.Adams and he drew together at once.

  "You'll not object, p'r'aps," said the former on the occasion of theirfirst talk over future plans, "to give me a lift wi' the school?"

  "Nothing would please me better," answered Buffett. "I'm rather fond o'teachin', to say truth, and am ready to begin work at once."

  Not only did Buffett thereafter become to Adams as a right arm in theschool, but he assisted in the church services on Sundays, andeventually came to read sermons, which, for the fixing of them moreeffectually on the minds of the people, he was wont to deliver threetimes over.

  But Buffett could tell stories as well as read sermons. One afternoonsome of the youngsters caught him meditating under a cocoa-nut tree, andinsisted on his telling the story of his life.

  "It ain't a long story, boys an' girls," said he, "for I've only livedsome six-and-twenty years yet. I was born in 1797, near Bristol, andwas apprenticed to a cabinet-maker. Not takin' kindly to that sort o'work, I gave it up an' went to sea. However, I'm bound to say, that theexperience I had with the saw and plane has been of the greatest serviceto me ever since; and it's my opinion, that what ever a man is, orwhoever he may be, he should learn a trade; ay, even though he should bea king."

  The Pitcairn juveniles did not see the full force of this remark, butnevertheless they believed it heartily.

  "It was the American merchant service I entered," continued Buffett,"an' my first voyage was to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. I was wreckedthere, and most o' the crew perished; but I swam ashore and was saved,through God's mercy. Mark that, child'n. It wasn't by good luck, orgood swimmin', or chance, or fate, or anything else in the shape of asecond cause, but it was the good God himself that saved, or ratherspared me. Now, I say that because there's plenty of people who don'tlike to give their Maker credit for anything, 'cept when they do it in ahumdrum, matter-of-course way at church."

  These last remarks were quite thrown away upon the children, whosetraining from birth had been to acknowledge the goodness of God ineverything, and who could not, of course, comprehend the allusions toformalism.

  "Well," he continued, "after suffering a good deal, I was picked up bysome Canadian fishermen, and again went to sea, to be once again wreckedand saved. That was in the year 1821. Then I went to England, andentered on board a ship bound for China, from which we proceeded toManilla, and afterwards to California, where I stayed some time. Then Ientered an English whaler homeward bound, intendin' to go home, and theLord _did_ bring me home, for he brought me here, and here I mean tostay."

  "And we're all _so_ glad!" exclaimed Dolly Young, who had now become anenthusiastic, warm-hearted, pretty young woman of twenty-three summers.

  Dolly blushed as she spoke, but not with consciousness. It was butinnocent truthfulness. John Buffett paused, and looked at her steadily.What John Buffett thought we are not prepared to say, but it may beguessed, when we state that within two months of that date, he and DollyYoung were united in marriage by old Adams, with all the usualceremonial, including the curtain-ring which did duty on all suchoccasions, and the unfailing game of blind-man's-buff.

  John Evans was encouraged, a few months later, to take heart and dolikewise. He was even bolder than Buffett, for he wooed and won aprincess; at least, if John Adams was in any sense a king, his seconddaughter Rachel must have been a princess! Be this as it may, Evansmarried her, and became a respected member of the little community.

  And now another of these angel-like visits was looming in the distance.About twelve years after the departure of the _Britain_ and _Tagus_, oneof H.M. cruisers, the _Blossom_, Captain Beechy, sailed out of the GreatUnknown into the circlet of Pitcairn, and threw the islanders into amore intense flutter than ever, for there were now upwards of fiftysouls there, many of whom had not only never seen a man-of-war, but hadhad their imaginations excited by the glowing descriptions of those whohad. This was in 1825.

  The _Blossom_ had been fitted out for discovery. When Buffett firstrecognised her pennant he was in great trepidation lest they had come tocarry off Adams, but such was not the case. It was merely a passingvisit. Three weeks the _Blossom_ stayed, during which the captain andofficers were entertained in turn at the different houses; and it seemsto have been to both parties like a brief foretaste of the land ofBeulah.

  Naturally, Captain Beechy was anxious to test the truth of the glowingtestimony of former visitors. He had ample opportunity, and afterwardssent home letters quite as enthusiastic as those of his predecessors inregard to the simplicity, truthfulness, and genuine piety alike of oldand young.

  If a few hours' visit had on former occasions given the community foodfor talk and reflection, you may be sure that the three weeks' of the_Blossom's_ sojourn gave them a large supply for future years. Itseemed to Otaheitan Sally, and Dinah Adams, and Dolly and Polly Young,and the rest of them, that the island was not large enough now tocontain all their new ideas, and they said so to John Adams one evening.

  "My dears," said John, in reply, laying his hand on that of Sally, whosat beside him on their favourite confabulation-knoll, which overlookedBounty Bay, "ideas don't take up much room, and if
they did, we couldsend 'em out on the sea, for they won't drown. Ah! Sall, Sall--"

  "What are you thinking of, dear father?" asked Sally, with a sympatheticlook, as the old man stopped.

  "That my time can't be long now. I feel as if I was about worn-out."

  "Oh, _don't_ say that, father!" cried his daughter Hannah, laying hercheek on his arm, and hugging it. "There's ever so much life in youyet."

  "It may be so. It _shall_ be so if the Lord will," said Adams, with alittle smile; "but I'm not the man I was."

  Poor John Adams spoke truly. He had landed on Pitcairn a slim youngfellow with broad shoulders, powerful frame, and curling brown hair. Hewas now growing feeble and rather corpulent; his brow was bald, hisscanty locks were grey, and his countenance deeply care-worn. Nowonder, considering all he had gone through, and the severe wound he hadreceived upwards of thirty years before.

  Nevertheless, Hannah was right when she said there was a good deal oflife in the old man yet. He lived after that day to tie thewedding-knot between his own youngest child George, and Polly Young.More than that, he lived to dandle George's eldest son, Johnny, on hisknees, and to dismiss him in favour of his little brother Jonathan whenthat child made his appearance.

  But before this latter event the crowning joy of John Adams's life wasvouchsafed to him, in the shape of a worthy successor to his Pitcairnthrone.

  The successor's name was neither pretty nor suggestive of romance, yetwas closely allied with both. It was George Nobbs. He arrived at theisland in very peculiar circumstances, on the 15th of November 1828, andtold his story one afternoon under the banyan-tree to Adams and Buffett,and as many of the young generation as could conveniently get near him,as follows:--

  "Entering the navy at an early period of life, I went through manyvicissitudes and experiences in various quarters of the globe. Butcircumstances induced me to quit the navy, and for a short time Iremained inactive, until my old commander offered to procure me a berthon board a ship of eighteen guns, designed for the use of the patriotsin South America.

  "Accepting the offer, I left England early in 1816 for Valparaiso, andcruised there for sixteen months, taking many prizes. While on board ofone of our prizes I was taken prisoner, and carried into Callao, where Iand my comrades were exposed to the gaze and insults of the people.Here, for many months, I walked about the streets with fifty poundsweight of iron attached to me, on a spare diet of beans and Chilipeppers, with a stone at night for a pillow. We were made to carrystones to repair the forts of the place. There were seventeen of us.Five or six of our party died of fever and exposure to the sun, afterwhich our guardians became careless about us. We managed to get rid ofour irons by degrees, and at length were left to shift for ourselves.Soon after, with some of my comrades, I escaped on board a vessel in thebay, and succeeded in getting put on board our own vessel again, whichwas still cruising in these seas.

  "Entering Valparaiso in the latter part of 1817, I had now anopportunity of forwarding about 140 pounds to my poor mother in England,who was sorely in need of help at the time. Some time after that I wentwith a number of men in a launch to attempt the cutting out of a largemerchant ship from Cadiz. We were successful, and my share of theprize-money came to about 200 pounds, one hundred of which I also sentto my mother. After this I took a situation as prize-master on board avessel commanded by a Frenchman. Deserting from it, I sought todiscover a road to Guayaquil through the woods, where I suffered greathardships, and failed in the attempt."

  The adventurer paused a few seconds, and looked earnestly in Adams'scountenance.

  "I am not justifying my conduct," he said, "still less boasting."

  "Right you are, Nobbs," said Adams, with an approving nod. "Your lineof life won't stand justification according to the rule of God's book."

  "I know it, Adams; I am merely telling you a few of the facts of mylife, which you have a right to know from one who seeks an asylum amongyour people. Well, returning to the coast, I went on board an Englishwhaler, by the captain of which I was kindly treated and landed atTalcahuans. I had not been long there, when, at midnight, on the 7thMay, in the year 1819, the Chilian garrison, fifteen in number, wasattacked by Benevades and his Indian troops. A number of theinhabitants were killed, the town was sacked, and a large number ofprisoners, myself included, carried off. Next morning troops fromConcepcion came in pursuit, and rescued us as we were crossing a river.

  "Soon after this affair I returned to Valparaiso, and engaged as firstofficer of a ship named the _Minerva_, which had been hired by theChilian Government as a transport to carry out troops to Peru. Havinglanded the troops, I took part, on 5th November, in cutting out aSpanish frigate named the _Esmeraldas_ from under the Callao batteries.This affair was planned and headed by Lord Cochrane. Owing to my beingin this affair I was appointed to a Chilian sloop of war, and received alieutenant's commission.

  "I will not take up your time at present with an account of the variouscuttings-out and other warlike expeditions I was engaged in while in theChilian service. It is enough to refer to the last, which ended myconnection with that service. Having been sent in charge of a boat up ariver, to recover a quantity of property belonging to British andAmerican merchants, which had been seized by the miscreant Benevades, weset off and pulled up unmolested, but finding nothing of consequence,turned to pull back again, when volleys of musketry were poured into usfrom both banks. We saw no one, and could do nothing but pull down asfast as possible, losing many men as we went. At last a few horsemenshowed themselves. We had a carronade in the bow, which we instantlyturned on them and discharged. This was just what they wanted. At thesignal, a large boat filled with soldiers shoved out and boarded us. Wefought, of course; but with so many wounded, and assailed by superiornumbers, we had no chance, and were soon beaten. I received atremendous blow on the back of the neck, which nearly killed me.Fortunately I did not fall. Those who did, or were too badly wounded towalk, were at once thrown into the river. The rest of us had ourclothes stripped off, and some rags given us in exchange. A pair oftrousers cut off at the knees, a ragged poncho, and a sombrero fell tomy share. We were marched off to prison, where we lay three weeks.Every Chilian of our party was shot, while I and three other Europeanswere exchanged for four of Benevades's officers.

  "Soon after this event, while at Valparaiso, I received a letter from mydear mother telling me that she was ill. I quitted the Chilian navy atonce, and went home, alas! to see her die.

  "In 1822 I went to Naples, and was wrecked while on my way to Messina.In the following year I went to Sierra Leone as chief mate of a shipcalled the _Gambia_. Of nineteen persons who went out in that ship,only the captain, two coloured men, and myself lived to return."

  "Why, Mr Nobbs," interrupted John Buffett at this point, "I used tothink I'd seen a deal o' rough service, but I couldn't hold a candle toyou, sir."

  "It is an unenviable advantage to have of you," returned the other, witha sad smile. "However, I'm getting near the end now. In all that Ihave said I have not told you what the Lord has done for my soul.Another time I will tell that to you. At present it is enough to say,that I had heard of your little island here, and of the wonderfulaccounts of it brought home at various times. I had an intense longingto reach it and devote my life to the service of Jesus. I sold all mylittle possessions, resolving to quit England for ever. But I couldfind no means of getting to Pitcairn. Leaving England, however, inNovember 1825, I reached Calcutta in May 1826, sailed thence forValparaiso in 1827, and proceeded on to Callao. Here I fell in withBunker, to whom you have all been so kind. Finding no vessel going inthis direction, and my finances being nearly exhausted, I agreed on aplan with him. He had a launch of eighteen tons, a mere boat, as youknow, but, being in bad health and without means, could not fit her out.I agreed to spend my all in fitting this launch for sea, on theunderstanding that I should become part proprietor, and that Bunkershould accompany me to Pitcairn.

  "Well, you see
, friends, we have managed it. Through the mercy of Godwe have, by our two selves, made this voyage of 3500 miles, and now Ihope that my days of wandering are over, and that I shall begin here todo the work of the Prince of Peace; but, alas! I fear that my poorfriend Bunker's days are numbered."

  He was right. This bold adventurer, about whose history we knownothing, died a few weeks after his arrival at Pitcairn.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.

  FAREWELL!

  And now, at last, approached a crisis in the Life of Pitcairn, which hadindeed been long foreseen, long dreaded, and often thought of, butseldom hinted at by the islanders.

  Good, patient, long-enduring John Adams began to draw towards the end ofhis strange, unique, and glorious career. For him to live had beenChrist, to die was gain. And he knew it.

  "George Nobbs," said he, about four months after the arrival of theformer, "the Lord's ways are wonderful, past finding out, but alwayssure and _safe_. Nothing puzzles me so much as my own want of faith,when there's such good ground for confidence. But God's book tells meto expect even that," he added, after a pause, with a faint smile."Does it not tell of the _desperately_ wicked and deceitful heart?"

  "True, Mr Adams," replied his friend, with the term of respect which hefelt constrained to use, "but it also tells of salvation to the_uttermost_."

  "Ay. I know that too," returned Adams, with a cheery smile. "_Well_ doI know that. But don't mister me, George. There are times when thelittle titles of this world are ridiculous. Such a time is now. I amgoing to leave you, George. The hour of my departure is at hand.Strange, how anxious I used to feel! I used to think, what if I amkilled by a fall from the cliffs, or by sickness, and these poorhelpless children should be left fatherless! The dear Lord sent me arebuke. He sent John Buffett to help me. But John Buffett has not theexperience, or the education that's needful. Not that I had educationmyself, but, somehow, my experience, beginnin' as it did from the _very_beginnin', went a long way to counterbalance that. Then, anxiousthoughts _would_ rise up again. Want of faith, nothing else, George,nothing else. So the Lord rebuked me again, for he sent _you_."

  "Ah, father, I hope it is as you say. I dare hardly believe it, yet Iearnestly hope so."

  "_I_ have no doubt, now," resumed Adams. "You have got just thequalities that are wanted. Regularly stored and victualled for thecruise. They'll be far better off than ever they were before. If I hadonly trusted more I should have suffered less. But I was alwaysthinking of John Adams. Ah! that has been the great curse of mylife--_John Adams_!--as if everything depended on him. Why," continuedthe old man, kindling with a sudden burst of indignation, "could _I_have saved these souls by merely teaching 'em readin' and writin', oreven by readin' God's book to 'em? Isn't it read every day by thousandsto millions, against whom it falls like the sea on a great rock? Canthe absence of temptation be pleaded, when here, in full force, therehave been the most powerful temptations to disobedience continually? Ifthat would have done, why were not all my brother mutineers saved fromsin? It was not even when we read the Bible that deliverance came. Iread it for ten years as a sealed book. No, George, no; it was whenGod's Holy Spirit opened the eyes and the heart, that I an' the dearwomen an' child'n became nothin', and fell in with His ways."

  He stopped suddenly, as if exhausted, and his new friend led him gentlyto his house. Many loving eyes watched him as he went along, and manytender hearts beat for him, but better still, many true hearts prayedfor him.

  That night he became weaker, and next day he did not rise.

  When this became known, all the settlement crowded to his house, whilefrom his bed there was a constant coming and going of those who had theright to be nearest to him. Nursed by the loving women whom he hadled--and whose children's children he had led--to Jesus, and surroundedby men whom he had dandled, played with, reared, and counselled, hepassed into the presence of God, to behold "the King in his beauty," tobe "for ever with the Lord."

  May we join him, reader, you and I, when our time comes!

  On a tombstone over a grave under the banyan-tree near his house, is thesimple record, "John Adams, died 5th March 1829, aged 65."

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  And here our tale must end, for the good work which we have sought todescribe has no end. Yet, for the sake of those who have a regard forhigher things than a mere tale, we would add a few words before makingour farewell bow.

  The colony of Pitcairn still exists and flourishes. But many changeshave occurred since Adams left the scene, though the simple, guilelessspirit of the people remains unchanged.

  Here is a brief summary of its history since 1829.

  George Nobbs had gained the affections of the people before Adams'sdeath, and he at once filled the vacant place as well as it was possiblefor a stranger to do so.

  In 1830 the colony consisted of nearly ninety souls, and it had for sometime been a matter of grave consideration that the failure of water bydrought might perhaps prove a terrible calamity. It was thereforeproposed by Government that the people of Pitcairn should remove toOtaheite, or, to give the island its modern name, Tahiti. There wasmuch division of opinion among the islanders, and Mr Nobbs objected.However, the experiment was tried, and it failed signally. The wholecommunity was transported in a ship to Tahiti in March 1831.

  But the loose manners and evil habits of many of the people there hadsuch an effect on the Pitcairners that they took the first opportunityof returning to their much-loved island. John Buffett and a fewfamilies went first. The remainder soon followed in an American brig.

  Thereafter, life on the Lonely Island flowed as happily as ever for manyyears, with the exception of a brief but dark interval, when ascoundrel, named Joshua Hill, went to the island, passed himself off asan agent of the British Government, misled the trusting inhabitants, andestablished a reign of terror, ill-treating Nobbs, Buffett, and Evans,whom for a time he compelled to quit the place. Fortunately thisimpostor was soon found out and removed. The banished men returned, andall went well again.

  Rear-Admiral Moresby visited Pitcairn in 1851, and experienced a warmreception. Finding that the people wished Mr Nobbs to be ordained, hetook him to England for this purpose. The faithful pastor did not failto interest the English public in the romantic isle of which God hadgiven him the oversight. During his visit he was presented to theQueen, who gave him portraits of herself and the Royal family. TheSociety for the Propagation of the Gospel placed Mr Nobbs on theirmissionary list, with a salary of 50 pounds per annum.

  Soon after this the increasing population of Pitcairn Island rendered itnecessary that the islanders should find a wider home. Government,therefore, offered them houses and land in Norfolk Island, a penalsettlement from which the convicts had been removed. Of course thepeople shrank from the idea of leaving Pitcairn when it was firstproposed, but ultimately assented, and were landed on Norfolk Island,hundreds of miles from their old home, in June 1856. On this lovelyspot the descendants of the mutineers of the _Bounty_ have lived eversince, under the care of that loved pastor on whom John Adams haddropped his mantle.

  We believe that the Reverend George H. Nobbs is still alive. At allevents he was so last year, (1879), having written a letter in June tothe Secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, inwhich, among other things, he speaks of the "rapidly increasingcommunity, now numbering 370 persons." He adds--"I am becoming veryfeeble from age, and my memory fails me in consequence of an operationat the back of my neck for carbuncle two years since;" and goes on totell of the flourishing condition of his flock.

  In regard to the other personages who have figured in our little tale,very few, perhaps none, now survive. So late as the year 1872 we readin a pamphlet of the "Melanesian Mission," that George Adams and hissister, Rachel Evans, (both over seventy years of age), were present atan evening service in Norfolk Island, and that Arthur Quintal was stillalive, though quite imbecile. B
ut dear Otaheitan Sally and her lovingCharlie and all the rest had long before joined the Church above.

  There was, however, a home-sick party of the Pitcairners who could by nomeans reconcile themselves to the new home. These left it not very longafter landing in 1856, and returned to their beloved Pitcairn.Multiplying by degrees, as the first settlers had done, they graduallybecame an organised community; and now, while we write, the palm-grovesof Pitcairn resound with the shouts of children's merriment and with thehymn of praise as in days of yore. A.J.R. McCoy is chief magistrate,and a Simon Young acts as minister, doctor, and schoolmaster, while hisdaughter, Rosalind Amelia, assists in the school.

  In a report from the chief magistrate, we learn that, although still outof the beaten track of commerce, the Pitcairners are more frequentlyvisited by whalers than they used to be. Their simplicity of life,manners, and piety appears to be unchanged. He says, among otherthings:--

  "No work is done on the Sabbath-day. We have a Bible-class everyWednesday, and a prayer-meeting the first Friday of each month. Everyfamily has morning and evening prayers without intermission. We have apublic or church library, at which all may read. Clothing we generallyget from whalers who call in for refreshments. No alcoholic liquors ofany kind are used on the island, except for medical purposes. Adrunkard is unknown here."

  So the good seed sown under such peculiar circumstances at the beginningof the century continues to grow and spread and flourish, bringing forthfruit to the glory of God. Thus He causes light to spring out ofdarkness, good to arise out of evil; and the Lonely Island, once analmost unknown rock in the Pacific Ocean, was made a centre of blessedChristian influence soon after the time when it became--the refuge ofthe mutineers.