CHAPTER X.
I QUIT THE ISLAND AND MY FRIEND.
And now, being come back to our starting-place, we had to consider ourposition and what we were next to be at.
I say we, but in truth I might say I had to consider these things, forSir Harry seemed to have neither care for the present nor hope for thefuture, and do what I might to bring him to a more cheerful complexion,it was all to no purpose.
"What is there to do in this cursed island," says he, "but to eat anddrink and sleep till we die?"
"The more reason," says I, "for devising some means of getting away fromthis isle to where we may do better."
He stretched out his hands towards the sea that laid void before us, andlaughed bitterly.
"Nay," says I, not to seem discouraged, though, indeed, my hopes werebut slight; "it is not so impossible as you think. Take it that the daywe left Trinidado the gale was in our favor, we could but have madetwenty or thirty leagues at the utmost. Now say that the river to thenorth is three leagues broad, we may yet, by taking the current at ourhighest point, contrive to make our way across on some kind of raft,using a bough for paddle. There is nothing lacking to make us a raft."
"Well," says he, "say by good hap you cross the river and get on anotherisle--what then?"
"Then," says I, "will we make our way to the north of that island andcross to a third, or a fourth, after the same fashion, and so get ontill we come to that part of Guiana due east of Trinidad, whence may wewith no more difficulty cross the strait."
"Suppose, after all," says he, "that we get to Trinidado--what then?Shall we be better off there than we are here? We run a fair chance ofbeing captured for slaves by the Portugals, to be sure."
"Also," says I, "run a fair chance of escaping them and being picked upby some English ship putting in as ours did to revictual."
"Allowing that your fondest hopes be realized," says he, "is our casemended? Is it worse to sleep away our lives here than to be taken intoEngland as a raree show for men to laugh at and women to pity? No," sayshe, with more passion than he had yet shown; "no, I say! It is notbetter, but a hundred times worse, and I for one will never go back tobe scorned for a silly fellow who could not hold his own."
It was not for me to reproach him, for had I not also abandoned myselfunder adversity? I was convinced, and so I am now, that a despair is amalady of mind as much as is ague a distemper of the body; and thoughmen say one should not give way to despair, but should overcome it by aneffort of will, yet, I say, that if the will be attacked by a greatshock and enfeebled by misfortune, it is powerless to exercise itsfunction. For such as suffer from this disease of the mind there is nohelp from within, but its only succor is from without. Wherefore, thekindly ministrations of a friend will do as much to restore health inthis case as the help of a doctor in any other. For this reason I borepatiently with Sir Harry in his morose and sullen humors, and sought allI could to divert his spirit from brooding over misfortunes not to beundone. But I think all that I did in this way produced me more goodthan it did him; for whereas he continued despondent and dull, I grewmore cheerful and humane. I waited upon him like a servant, and thisservice, with my pity to see a young, fine man so cast down, engendereda feeling of love in my breast such as I had never before felt for anyman. Nay, I even looked to getting with him back to England, and seeinghim married to Lady Biddy Fane, without any feeling of jealousy, beingnot only more gentle of heart, but more reasonable of mind.
At this time we stayed on high ground to the south of our territory,over against that part where we first found the pine-nut; not onlybecause of the shade we got there from the sun, but by reason that itwas adjacent to the stream of good water, and not far from the fen wherethe swine came to wallow, and where there was abundance of fowl andfruit good to eat.
While we were here, Sir Harry fell sick of a fever, bred partly, as Ithink, from his low, desponding spirit, and partly from the vapors thatrose from the marshy valley below. When I found he could no longer situpright and began to wander in his speech, I took him on my back, and,by stages of a dozen yards, carried him away from that unwholesome spotright down to the sea-shore, and there, finding an easy slope, I laidhim down, and, as speedily as I could, set about making a kind of houseto shield him from the sun. The night being fairly light, by dint ofmany journeys to and fro and much toil, I planted a dozen stakes in thesand, bending them down till they joined at the top, in the form of agreat "A", and binding them to a cross tree, then I thatchedthis framework with those long and broad palmetto leaves of which I havespoken. Here he lay as comfortable as might be for one in his burningcondition, the sea breeze passing through the shelter and tempering theheat of the sun.
He could eat nothing; however I made shift to stew a fowl in the shellof a gourd, and when the broth was cold I got him to drink it, for hehad a perpetual thirst; and that his drink might be cool and refreshing,I went a score of times during the day almost to the source of thestream, where the water was of the best. Of such fruits as were goodalso I gave him, particularly the apples from a low, square-boughed treewith egg-shaped leaves, which is called, I believe, guava.
And now I prayed to God that this man's life might be spared, and that Imight not be left alone, which more than all proves the great and goodchange which had been wrought in my heart since the time when I soughtbut to escape from the society of mankind, and wished harm to all men,and this one above all.
At the end of seven days' very painful watching, Sir Harry's disordertook a turn, and soon after he began to mend (thanks be to God!) so thathe could take meat instead of slops to his diet. Yet was he greatlychanged, his skin having lost its freshness and healthful color, and hisface much wasted. Also he was very weak, and for days lay exhausted andunable to move, yet with his eyes wide open and very bright. After awhile I persuaded him to rise in the cool of the morning and evening,and then would he take a turn, leaning on my arm. And though he saidnothing, I perceived he recognized the love I bore for him, and wasgrateful for my care. What pleased me vastly was to perceive that achange had been wrought in his spirit; it seemed as though his sluggishindifference had been purged away. When the fever had quite left him,his eyes continued bright and eager, and there was in his face an eagerexpression, telling of an anxiety which only exists where there is hope.But what his hope was he told me not. This encouraged me to believe thathe designed leaving the island (where there was, as I could see, naughtto hope for), and not dying there, as he had at first resigned himselfto. I again began to meditate on the means of reaching Trinidado, but Irefrained from opening the subject yet awhile, because he was still toofeeble to undertake the fatigue of it.
One day, when I had returned to the hut by the shore from the innerparts, where I had been planting a snare to catch a pig, I found SirHarry absent; but soon after I heard him shouting, and, turning my eyes,I spied him running towards me along the sand with something in hishand, which, as he came nearer, I perceived was the stave of a barrel.
"Look at that," says he, with much emotion; "there have been men on thisisland before us. Up in the wood there is a broken barrel; this is astave of it. Men brought it here."
"Why, for a certainty," says I, "this wood never sprang out of the earthfashioned thus?"
"No," says he, "nor did the pigs on this island spring out of theearth."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, perplexed by this observation.
"I mean," says he, "that the men who came here to fetch water in thatbarrel left the swine and the fowls to multiply against the time theyshould come here to revictual. I thought as much as I lay there in mysickness hearing the cock crow, and now I have the proof. Do you doubtit, man--do you doubt it?"
"Not a whit," says I; "and I wonder I have not drawn the conclusionbefore, for I remember now how Rodrigues told me it was the habit ofpirates, who fight shy of towns, to provide for themselves in thiswise."
"Then you think," says he eagerly, "that they are pirates who camehither?"
"Ay,
and not honest men; that is my fear," says I.
"And I trust they be pirates, and not honest men, if they are to comehere again," says he; "for then may I get back all I have lost, and moreto boot."
"As how?" says I, not without trouble in my mind.
"By the same means my fortune was taken from me--by strategy and force."
"Surely you would not become a pirate--you, a gentleman of birth andbreeding?"
"And what was Drake but a gentleman?" says he; "and Candish: what ofhim?"
I shook my head, and heaved a sigh to hear this argument from the lipsof my friend, which I had listened to from such a rascal as Rodrigues.
"Why," says he, in a rallying tone, "you were not so squeamish aboardthe _Sure Hawk_."
"No," says I; "but I thank the Lord I have not taken his warning invain."
He laughed scornfully, as though thinking my peril had made meprayerful, and caressing the barrel stave with his hand, lifted his headand scanned the sea, as already expecting the return of those pirates wetalked of.
"And is your fortune all you expect to get by becoming a pirate?" Iasked, laying my hand on his arm.
"What more do I want, forsooth?" asks he lightly.
"Why, sir," says I, "the peace of mind to enjoy it."
"As for that," says he, "however I get it I warrant it shall bring memore enjoyment than I can expect stopping here, or going back to Englanda beggar."
"Are you so daunted by the outset that you despair of getting goldhonestly in Guiana?"
"Hum!" says he; "I cannot see that it is much more honest to take goldfrom the Ingas of Manoa, who have never done us harm, than from theSpaniard, who has sought to undo us with his flotilla; but, be that asit may, you will show me how we are to get to Manoa, who are not yetbeyond the mouth of the Oronoque, ere I give that enterprise thepreference."
"Single-handed we can do nothing, but I will answer for it that myuncle, Sir Bartlemy, instead of being discouraged by our first failure,will be more inclined to persevere in it. You know his nature as well asI do. A reverse does but strengthen his determination, as a biteinfuriates a bulldog."
"That is true," says he; "he is an Englishman to the very marrow of hisbones."
"Well, then," says I, "shall he not fit you out another expedition?"
"Why, man, how can he? Nearly all he had was united to my fortune inbuying the two ships I have lost and in equipping them. He is a ruinedman. Ruined by me!"
"If he lacks money, other shall be found. He will move heaven and earthto save you from the disgrace of sinking to the level of such wretchesas Morgan and Sawkins, and this Rodrigues."
In this sort I argued with him persistently, till at length, seeing thatI was not to be shaken off by argument, he turns about and says:
"Look you, Pengilly, I will never go begging in England, even for asecond chance to be cast away on this island. I can not easily consentthat another should beg for me; for a craven I must appear in eithercases. But since your mind is set on this thing, go you to Englandwithout me; and if any, for my sake, will make this venture, lead themhither; then, if I be still here and alive, I will attempt thisexpedition to Manoa. Nay," he adds, interrupting me, when I began toprotest that I would not quit him; "leave me here and go about thisbusiness as you will, you shall still be the more generous of the two;for I swear to you that if the worst pirate that sails the seas comeshere I will cast in my lot with him, whether you accompany me, orwhether you refuse to take part with us."
Seeing him very stubborn and resolved upon this point, I then began tothink seriously of getting away as best I could; for, thinks I, 'tweremore humane to leave him here alone, with the chance of bringing himsuccor and the means of honestly escaping from his solitude, than torest here inactive until perchance there comes some villainous sea-roverwith whom he shall take his departure. For my own part I had no leaningto piracy; for, though I love the Spaniard no more than any other trueEnglishman may, yet I knew full well that Rodrigues and such fellowswould not question closely whether their prey was Spanish, but wouldpillage and sink any craft that sailed so that it had not the strengthto resist attack.
So, going along the border of that upper stream, which in my ignorance Iwill call North River. I came upon a great tree that was dead anddecayed about the roots, so that it needed but little cutting to make itfall, and that close to the water. This tree was fully three fathoms ingirth, and proportionately tall, straight, and fair, decayed only wherethe humors of the earth had attacked its base, light and very proper inall ways to my use. Wherefore I set to work, and, cutting on that side Iwished it to fall, I felled it with no very great difficulty. When itwas down I found the upper part sound, as I expected, and not so hardbut that with patient labor I succeeded in cutting two lengths each offive fathoms long. These two lengths I set side by side, the thicker endof one against the thinner end of the other; then I got a quantity ofthose long vines which the Indians call lianas, which are very stringyand tough as good, hemp rope and with this I bound my timbers togetherin a hundred places, but separately, so that if by chance one broke therest would still hold. But I must tell you that for the greaterconvenience of working these huge logs I launched them separately into ashallow before I began to bind them about, which was well, for I couldnever have moved them else. After that I sought out two slight trees ofhard growth that were not more than thirty feet high, and cutting themdown, I trimmed them into two poles, each four fathoms long. Then,midway in the length of my logs I made two holes--one in each, andparallel one with the other. To do this I jagged the mouth of my musketbarrel about, grinding each jag into a sharp tooth with a hard stone, bywhich contrivance I made a tool to serve in place of an augur. When Ihad pierced the logs right through I enlarged the holes by making mymusket-barrel red hot in a fire, and working it about in the holes. Intothese sockets I fitted my two poles, using every device I could think ofto make them firm and secure; and this being done, and both polesstanding bolt upright, I turned the logs on their side so as to get theends of the poles within reach, and these ends I bent until they met,and so bound them together with lianas to make them bite still closer intheir closets, and also to be a support one to the other against thegale, for they were to serve me as a mast. For, by the time my logs werecut, launched, and bound together, as I have shown, I had come to theconclusion that it would be better to venture the whole voyage by water,keeping as near as might be to the main, and taking advantage offavorable breezes, rather than to abandon my raft on the other side ofthe river and make my way onward by land to that point nearestTrinidado, as I had first meditated on, for I knew not what other greatrivers there might be to cross, nor how many rafts I might have to makeere I got to my journey's end; and the difficulty of making such a raft,rude as it was, no one can conceive but those who have had a likedifficulty to contend with. It cost me four months and ten days ofpainful labor to achieve that which I have set down.
During this time Sir Harry had not been idle; and though he could nothonestly encourage me with a hope of bringing my business to a happyissue, yet he helped me with a willing heart, and said nothing whichmight discourage me neither. But he was as firmly fixed in his intent asI on mine, and rarely worked up the river with me, lest in his absencethe ship he expected might come and go away again. Anything he could dowithin sight of the sea he did, and this was no trifle. Here every dayhe provided food for our necessity, and in his spare time he fashionedme a long yard for my mast, and, which was more, he made ashoulder-of-mutton sail--to rig on my mast like a lateen on a zebec--oflong reeds very ingeniously woven together. Also he devised two vesselsto contain fresh water for my use by stripping a couple of hogs from theneck downward without cutting the skin. These skins he turned insideout, scraped off all the fat carefully, and then steeping them in thesea until they were cured, and afterward washing them some days in thestream of fresh water, they were found good and sound, each holding agood hogshead of water.
Besides this, he cut a vast quantity of pork steaks and cu
red them inthe sun, which may be done without corrupting the flesh if it be laidwhere the sun is hot and the air dry. Moreover, he saved all thebladders of hogs that he killed, blew them out, and coated them overwith a sort of pitch to preserve them from the attacks of flies andinsects. This pitch comes from the sea of those parts, and is washedashore by the tide, and being melted before a fire, it is as good apitch as any in the world. These bladders I tied on to the extremitiesof long poles lashed crosswise to my raft to serve as a sort of buoys tobear up that side to which the sail inclined, and prevent the raft fromcapsizing in a sudden squall.
I bound some bundles of these transversely to the logs to serve me as adeck, and many other provisions I made, such as a great stone at the endof a line for an anchor, a paddle to serve as a rudder, etc. Infine--not to weary the reader with tedious descriptions--just ten monthsto a day from the time we were set ashore all was made ready for mydeparture.
And now, taking Sir Harry's hands in mine and pressing them close, Ibegged him to come with me.
"Look you," says I, "this offer is not unpremeditated on my part. Allthrough I have borne it in mind, and for that reason have I measured myboat and all things to serve two rather than one. Here is provision forboth and to spare; the breeze is favorable, and all things promise aprosperous outcome. Do, then, be persuaded by me, dear friend, to sharemy fate; if not for your sake and mine, then for those who love you inEngland and are eagerly hoping for your return."
He was not unmoved by this address, and the tears sprang in his eyes ashe wrung my hand in silence; but he shook his head the while.
"No," says he, presently; "no, Pengilly; you know not the pride of myheart. It would kill me with shame to show myself a beggar there,"turning his eyes toward the north. "I am a ruined man--ay, ruined bodyand soul--for I feel that I am unworthy of your love. Go!"
"Nay," says I, "let me stay that my persuasion may work on you. I leftmy offer to the last, hoping--"
"I know," says he, interrupting me. "You hoped that the prospect ofbeing left alone, coming to be reviewed suddenly, would shake myresolution. But I have foreseen this. I saw that you were preparing fortwo to make voyage on the raft. I knew that you were not dwellingcheerfully day by day on the prospect of escape, but to excite a desirein me to escape with you. I know what is in your heart, and have justsensibility enough left in mine to value it. But I will not go. I amresolved, and naught can shake my resolution from its centre. Go; andmay God bless you."
So with a very sad heart I was fain to accept his decision; and shovingout into the stream I went down swiftly with the current, and had notthe courage to look back for that poor lonely man I was leaving behind.
The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane Page 10
