Palm Tree Island

by Herbert Strang

  CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST

  OF THE MANNER IN WHICH THE CREW ARE PERSUADED TO AN INDUSTRIOUS ANDORDERLY MODE OF LIFE

  I have never seen a face more woebegone than Billy's was when I came tohis side, and there was a world of reproach in his eye. I told him themain drift of what had passed before. "I know," says he; "I heard it.What's the good?" "Why, my doubting Thomas," said I, "the good isthis: that we shall have our island to ourselves again." "I take mydavy we won't," says he. "If you let 'em come across that there gapthey'll turn round on us as soon as there's enough of 'em, and thenwhere are you?"

  I told him that coming across the gap was out of the question, becausewe had destroyed their bridge, and I did not wish to wait while anotherwas a-making. My purpose was to convey the men from the island to therock in our canoe, not all together, but one by one, so that therewould be no risk of their overpowering us. Billy was pleased to saythat this was a pretty good notion, but he fell gloomy again in aninstant, and when I asked him what other objection he had to make, hesaid, "You said as how the men would have to work for their keep, buthow can they work on this old rock? Don't we know there ain't nothingto do? And if there was anything, they wouldn't do it, bless you, notunless you stood over 'em with a whip." I told him that in that casethey would certainly get nothing to eat, and was proceeding to explainwhat I designed concerning their work when we heard a hail, and saw themen coming in a group from the wood. "Now don't you go for to be tookind, master," says Billy, as I went down to meet them. "They'll onlythink you're a silly ass." I smiled at him, and promised I would makea very stern taskmaster, and bade him again to be ready with his bowand arrows; and then I walked very leisurely down to the ledge, andasked the men whether they had come at any resolution.

  "We have, sir," says Chick, as respectful as you please. "We've had aquorum" (Where did he get the word, I wonder?), "and what we says isthis: you're a kind gentleman, and your good uncle afore ye, and----"

  Here I called to him not to make a speech, but to say what he had tosay in few words; and one or two of his mates roughly scolded him, andbade him come to the point; whereupon without more ado he told me that,relying on my promise to give them food, they were ready to accept myconditions and take up their abode on the rock.

  "And Hoggett and Wabberley--what about them?" I said, having seen fromthe first that these two were not among them. They looked from one toanother as if reluctant to speak, and then Pumfrey said bluntly, "Theywon't come, sir," and when I asked why not, he said he didn't know;they only said they wouldn't, with a great deal of cursing and swearing.

  "Very well," said I, "then you must make them come. Every one of youmust come to the rock, Hoggett included. If he and Wabberley won'tconsent, you must overpower them and carry them to the rock likeparcels."

  [Sidenote: Terms]

  They looked very mumchanced at this, and I could see that they stillheld Hoggett in some dread. They began to talk in undertones amongthemselves, and thinking to quicken them I turned on my heel, tellingthem pleasantly to think it over. On this they broke forth into cries,beseeching me to let them come across at once, because they were sohungry; and when I said that I could permit none to come until everyman of them was ready, Colam and one or two more of the boldest sworethat they would not starve for the sake of Hoggett, and Chick vowedthat he would make Wabberley see reason, or he would know the reasonwhy. Whereupon, to encourage them, I said that I would give them alittle provision as an earnest of my engagement; and calling up toBilly, I bade him bring down a little smoked pork and fish, as well asa quantity of bread-fruit. At this the men cheered with an unfeignedheartiness that I found infinitely moving, and they cheered again whenBilly appeared, carrying very unwillingly, as I could see, the smallquantity of provision I had ordered. And then those men must needs goabout to ingratiate themselves with Billy, choosing the wrong way, asignorant and foolish folk often will. "That's never little BillyBobbin!" says one. "How he's growed, to be sure!" says another."Fancy little Billy turning into such a fine figure of a man!" says athird; and all the time I think they hardly knew what they said, theireyes being fixed on the things he carried. Billy's round face becameas red as a lobster when it is boiled, and his eyes flashed fire, andfor a moment I thought he was going to fling his burdens over the ledgeinto the sea; but he put a curb upon himself and brought the things tome, and then, as though no longer afraid of doing hurt to my property,he stood at the very brink of the ledge and cried, "Yes, I'm BillyBobbin, and I've growed, and I won't have my master put upon; and if Iain't as handsome as Pumfrey, I ain't got a squint like Chick--and thisis our grub what we smoked and such with our very own hands, and youought to go down on your bended knees and say grace for it, and forwhat you are going to receive----"

  I interrupted Billy at this point, being quite amazed at his outburst,the like of which I had not seen since we fought about that matter ofthe three-legged stool. "Nobody could make them thieving villainstruly thankful," he said under his breath, and when I bade him throwthe food across the gap among the men, he did it with a certainviciousness at first, and chuckled when a piece of salt fish struckPumfrey in the face. But he became sober the moment he saw with whateagerness the poor wretches picked up the food, and as they began tohasten away with it to their fire, and some even to eat the dried meatraw, he offered them much useful instruction in the best way of cookingit, especially the bread-fruit. Before the men went, I told them toconvey their muskets and what ammunition was left down to the lavabeach, and lay them ten yards above high-water mark, promising to comeand fetch them. And I added, in the solemnest tones I was master of,that if a man of them was to be seen on the beach when I came there, alittle after midday, I would withdraw my offer, and of that I gave themfair warning. Billy was much more easy in mind now, and said hethought there might be something in my plan; indeed, he was eager toset off almost at once, without waiting for the time I had appointed.However, I managed to persuade him to wait until we had eaten ourdinner, and then we launched the canoe, and in due time sailed roundthe island to the lava beach. There was no one to be seen, except oneman whom we spied disappearing into the woods as we arrived; but on thebeach above high-water mark, as I had said, the muskets were laidneatly in a row, the powder-horns with them. We paddled in until thewater was shallow, not designing to beach the canoe, and then Billyleapt overboard and ran up the beach, I meanwhile handling my bow toshow that he was covered. He returned with four muskets, and told methat there were four more to bring, so that one was missing, therehaving been nine when the men came to the island. As soon as all themuskets, together with the powder-horns and bullet-pouches, were stowedin the canoe, I set up a loud halloo, at which the men started out ofthe wood in which they had been, I doubt not, watching us, and cametowards us, and when they were near enough I cried to them that themuskets were one short, and asked whose it was, to which the answer, asI expected, was that it was Hoggett's. Then I asked where Hoggett was,and they told me he had barricadoed himself in the hut, and refused togive up the musket. I asked about Wabberley.

  "Here I be, Mr. Brent, sir," says the man himself, coming from the rearof the group; "and right down glad I am, d'ye see, sir, to know as howyou be a-going to feed us proper. Ah! how I do remember your gooduncle, and the dear lady your aunt----"

  [Sidenote: Hoggett is Obstinate]

  I could not endure this, both Chick and Wabberley in one day stirringup memories of the home I should never see more, so I peremptorilycommanded him to cease, and said that as he was Hoggett's particularfriend he had better employ his eloquence in persuading Hoggett to giveup his musket with the rest. I told him that a bargain was a bargain,and as the bargain was that all the muskets were to be delivered, themen would receive only half rations until the full tale was made up.This incensed them very much against Hoggett, and they were in the mindto deal very hardly with him had he been in their power; but one of themen said that he still had a very meagre supply of food in the hut,which could
not be eked out beyond a day or two; whereupon I determinedto wait, knowing that the men would be eager enough to bring Hoggett toterms so long as they were kept on short commons. I told them to cometo the rock before night for another meal, and then we set off in thecanoe, and conveyed the muskets to the cave in the cliff, and left themat the entrance of the tunnel, after that returning to the Red Rock.

  We spent the next two days in carrying back to our storehouse a certainpart of our provisions, leaving on the rock no more than would sufficethe men for a single week. We took back also our pigs, which we leftat the entrance of the tunnel, thinking that a few hours of darknesswould not hurt them. These comings and goings were watched verycuriously by the men, who would have liked to know where we went afterwe passed from their sight beneath the cliff; indeed, afterwards theyput questions to Billy, who, however, would never give them the leastparticle of satisfaction on that matter. Each day we gave them twomeals, and the knowledge that it was Hoggett who prevented them fromenjoying plenty made them exceeding bitter against him. But they toldme that he was deaf to all their entreaties, and kept himself closeshut in the hut, only cursing when they spoke to him, and threateningto blow out the brains of any man that offered to molest him. However,on the third day, in the morning, one of the men came to the ledge allbreathless, having run all the way from the hut to be the first to tellme that Hoggett had yielded, being, in fact, very weak and ill from hisprivations. Soon after, the others came up with his musket, and thenone of them asked me, in name of them all, whether I would not come tothe island and rule over them there, promising to obey me faithfully inall points. When this was being said, I saw Billy looking at me withgreat anxiety, lest this offer of a kingdom (which was already my own)should seduce me from my purpose; but there was no need for him tofear, because I knew the fickle and unscrupulous nature of thesemariners, and that they could never be trusted until they should besubdued by the wholesome discipline of work. Accordingly I refusedthis petition, announcing that on the next morning, soon afterdaybreak, I would begin the transport of them to the rock, bidding themcome one by one unarmed to the sandy beach, to be taken off in thecanoe. I think if they had known what a bare, inhospitable abode theywere coming to they might have made some demur; but they said nothing,and agreed to do exactly as I commanded.

  [Sidenote: The Rock Prison]

  Next morning we began this work, Billy and I, taking the men one at atime into the canoe, after we had searched them, and conveying them tothe rock as quickly as might be, Billy paddling, while I stood over ourpassenger with a loaded musket. Having landed him I bade him make hisway to the top, and then we went back for another. When we had carriedeight of them in this way, I saw that we should not come to an end ofit before night unless we took more than one at a time, for the goingto and fro was near an hour's work, and very fatiguing; so I determinedto take two men, having proceeded so far without any sign ofresistance. By the time we came to the rock with the ninth and tenthmen, there was a little assemblage on the plateau, and when we werepaddling back I saw that Pumfrey and Chick had found their way to theledge, and they shouted after us, and though we could not hear theirwords, Billy said he was sure they were crying to be taken off again.Indeed, when we arrived with the next two men, we found that Chick andPumfrey, in defiance of my order that none of those we had landedshould return to the landing-place, had come down and were awaiting us,and as we came near, Chick asked with a great deal of indignationwhether I supposed that true-born Englishmen, and able seamen besides,were going to bide up in that God-forsaken place. I reminded him ofthe bargain, and, holding off from the rock, asked him whether hewished all his mates to starve, as they certainly would do unless hemounted to the plateau and stayed there, for I would not land anotherman, nor give them any more food, until he had gone. At this, one ofthe men in the canoe told Chick not to be a fool, but to do as I bidhim, and Chick cried that it was all very well, but _he_ had not seenthe place. However, he went away, very unwillingly, with Pumfrey, andwe had no more trouble of that sort.

  We brought Hoggett away last of all, and alone. He looked very ill,and said never a word to us, but I could see that he was inwardly avery furnace of wrath. Billy had said to me, as we went to fetch him,"Mind you shoot him, master, if he tries any tricks," and I was verycarefully on my guard and did not feel at all easy in my mind until Isaw him safely landed. I lately saw a lion-tamer performing trickswith lions in a cage, and as I watched, my thoughts went back manyyears to this day of our life on Palm Tree Island, and I fancied thatthe tamer must feel pretty much as I felt when we had Hoggett in thecanoe--as if the wild beast might at any moment break loose.

  [Sidenote: Sheep and Goats]

  Having thus conveyed all the men to the rock, we returned to theisland, and laid up the canoe just as it was falling dark, being prettytired, especially Billy, for though I had taken a turn at paddling hewould not let me do much, saying that he knew he would be a bad handwith a musket, and might shoot me instead of the men if one of themproved mutinous. We went up very eagerly to our hut, feeling likewanderers returning home, Little John frisking and barking about us inas great a delight as we ourselves. But our mirth was turned tomelancholy when we came to the hut, for it was in such a dreadful statethat we could not endure the thought of passing the night in it, and sowe dragged our weary limbs back to the canoe, and slept there,supperless, for the men had not kept the fire in, and we had nothingwith us which we could eat raw. Our sleep lasted until pretty late thenext morning, and then, having kindled the fire and cooked ourbreakfast, we sat talking of the remaining part of my scheme. Billy'sface beamed when I showed him how I meant to make the men work fortheir living, and for once he did not ask, "What's the good?" butdeclared he couldn't have thought of anything better himself.

  I had a pretty good notion of the characters of the men individually,having been for upwards of a year on board ship with them; and Billyknew them even better than I did, because of his nearness to them inthe forecastle. A ship is a little world, and there, as in the greatworld, there are good and bad, and some that are neither good nor bad,for there are a good many colours, as you may say, betwixt white andblack. The crew of the _Lovey Susan_, to be sure, was made up ratherof evil-disposed than of well-disposed, for it was recruited byWabberley and Chick, as I said at the beginning of my story, and youknow what I thought of them. The better sort among them being few,could not prevail against the many, and especially against a man likeHoggett, who was so exceeding strong and masterful. Now it was a partof my scheme to sunder the sheep from the goats, if I may say so; andthey being all on the rock I could do this, I hoped, without seeming tomake any distinction among them, at any rate at first. For when Ispoke of their working for their living, I did not have the rock inmind as the scene of their labours, but the island. To feed so many,we should need to enlarge our plantation, and this would mean work; andI had already thought, with leaping heart, of another task we might putin hand when I had brought the men to a proper humbleness and docility.But since there would not be at first enough work for all of them, norindeed would it be safe to employ them all, I had resolved to beginwith the least wicked of them. As we sat at breakfast, therefore,Billy and I conned over their names, passing judgment on them, as itwere.

  "What about Clums?" I said.

  "He's a fat fool," says Billy, "but there ain't no harm in him, awayfrom Hoggett. But he can't do anything but cook, and I can cook aswell as him now."

  "Well, he must learn to do other things," I said. "And Jordan?"

  "Not by no means," says Billy. "He speaks you pretty fair, but he's asly wretch, the sort of man to pick your grub when you warn't looking."

  "What do you say to Hoskin, then?" I asked.

  "Why, I don't think much of Hoskin," says he; "but I'll say this forhim, that he's about the only man of 'em that didn't kick and cuff me,though he looked on when the others did. But what about Mr. Bodger?"

  I said that I thought Mr. Bodger a weak and c
owardly fellow, who wouldprobably deem himself very much ill-used if set to work, and I wasdetermined to have none idle on the island, while if he were put overthe others, they would flout him and might grow mutinous again. Well,after considering the men one by one, we resolved to bring Clums andHoskin first to the island, and Billy said, anticipating me, that theirfirst job must be the cleansing of our hut, which in its present statewas not fit for a pig to live in. This put me in mind of our two pigsin the cave, and as soon as we had finished our breakfast we paddled tothe cave and brought them away, though when we took them to the sty wefound that it was not a secure place at present, those lazy wretcheshaving actually broken up a great part of the fence, I suppose forfirewood. "That's the second job," says Billy, "to mend the fence."We then made our way to the cliff opposite Red Rock, so that we couldspeak to the men, for we could scarce make our voices heard at so greata height if we sailed to the foot of the rock in our canoe; and havinghailed them, I said that Clums and Hoskin were to come to thelanding-place and we would fetch them to make a beginning in workingfor their living. Pumfrey asked whether he couldn't come too, which Itook to be a very good sign; but I replied that his turn would comeanother day.

  The two men came with us very readily, and on the way Clums said hewould cook us the best dinner we had had for years, upon which Billywinked at me, making such a comical grimace that I could not helplaughing. Clums was taken aback when he learnt what task had beenassigned to him, but he was a cheerful soul, and said that as Billy hadcleaned his pans for him a good many times on the _Lovey Susan_ hesupposed it was only fair that he should clean up the floor for Billyand me, though he thought it ought by rights to be done by Hoggett andWabberley. It took them pretty nearly all day to make the hutthoroughly tidy and shipshape, and when they were looking rather ruefulat the thought of being taken back to the rock for the night, I pleasedthem mightily by giving them the small hut to sleep in. As for Billyand me, we took up our quarters in our old place, having as aprecaution brought in the drawbridge and barricadoed the door; and wehad Little John with us to give warning of any attempt to break in,which indeed I thought unlikely, for I did not see what they could gainby it.

  I thought we would wait one more day before we brought over any moremen, so we gave the two next morning the job of cleaning theoutbuildings and beginning the repair of the fences. They wroughtwillingly enough, though clumsily, not being used to this kind of work:accordingly on the third day we fetched Pumfrey and another man, whosename I forget, and while the first two were still working on therepairs, we set the others to dig the yam plantation, to make ready forthe new crop. We deemed it well thus to keep the four men in twoparties until we were sure of them.

  On the fourth day, when we sailed to the rock to bring two more men, wefound the whole company assembled on the ledge, and they raised a greatclamour, from which we made out by and by that all their food was gone.I had left what I thought would be enough for a full week, and so itwould have been if they had portioned it out with any prudence. Whenwe brought them another supply I said they would have to manage better,and one of them said that so they would if we took them to the islandand gave them some work to do, for on the rock there was nothing elseto do but feed. There was so much reason in this that I forbore toupbraid them any more; but I appointed the man who had spoken a kind ofcommissary to dole out the provisions, and told the other men that ifthere were any disputes the quarrelsome would be the last to be takento the island. It being now late, we took no more men that day, buttwo the next, and these were all whom we had any reason to believe werethe sheep.

  It would make too long a story to tell of all the little happenings ofthe next weeks. From the first we gave the men to understand that theywould go back to the rock and take turn with others, at our pleasure,whether they went or not depending on themselves. They proved to bereasonable, performing the tasks set them without grumbling, and indeedthey confessed that they were very glad to have something to do andgood food to eat after their miserable life under Hoggett's rule. Wesoon put Clums to his proper work of cooking, he having no skill inanything else, and he was always amazed at the never-failing supply ofprovisions which Billy and I brought in our canoe, not having revealedto any one the secret of our storehouse. Our fowls, as I have said,were all dispersed, except those that the men had eaten, but we gotsome of them back in our old way of liming the trees, and so had thebeginning of a poultry-run again; and when the men had repaired thepig-sty and made a new fowl-house, and dug up the ground for the yams,there was very little left to employ them, so I set them to fell treesfor building another and more commodious house, which would hold themall when my scheme had perfectly ripened. And when, after a week ortwo, I found everything going on as well as I could wish, I determinedto bring over the goats, who had learnt by conversations across the gapwhat we were doing, and were, many of them, exceeding desirous ofenjoying the same liberty as their comrades, even though they had towork. Accordingly I got the men to make a bridge like that which wehad destroyed, and when this was flung across the gap, we brought twoof the men across, with Mr. Bodger, who, as I supposed, was mightilyindignant at being left among the worst of the crew. I told him veryfrankly what my reasons were, and he immediately said that if I thoughtso ill of him he would waive all privileges as an officer, and work asa common seaman until I was satisfied with him. I was so muchsurprised at this, never supposing him to have any spirit at all, thatI thought fit to put him to his trial as an officer, and giving him amusket, made him overseer of the men who were felling and preparingtrees. I soon saw that the position of authority, and the means toenforce it, wrought a change in him, and though he was never a strongman, and would never have been able to exercise command if left quiteto himself, yet he became a satisfactory lieutenant, and I never hadcause to repent trusting him.

  [Sidenote: The Uses of Adversity]

  Hoggett and Wabberley and Chick were the last of the men to be broughtto the island. I overheard some of the men grumbling at this one day,saying that these three were living a lazy life, doing nothing fortheir keep, while the rest were working hard. But Clums silenced thegrumblers; calling them fools with a seaman's bluntness, asking themwhether they didn't owe all their miseries to those three, and burstinginto tears when he spoke of a little girl he had at home, and said thatbut for the mutiny they might all be living happy at Wapping orDeptford by now. I felt a lump come into my throat when the man talkedof home, and Billy, who was with me, said he wouldn't mind having alook at his old dad, especially as he thought he would no longer beafraid of his mother-in-law, as he always called his step-mother.Clums, I say, said that the longer Hoggett and the other two were kepton the rock the better, but I thought they should have their chancewith the rest; accordingly one day I went up myself, with Billy, to theledge and called for them. Hoggett and Wabberley refused point-blankto come, but Chick said he was ready to oblige, and we took him over,telling the other two that they would be put on half rations until theycame to a better mind. This very soon had its effect on Wabberley, towhom his creature comforts were everything; and even Hoggett yielded ina day or two, and came over with the rest in the morning. I had forgotto say that we did not allow the men we called the goats to remain onthe island overnight, but marched them back to the rock when theirday's work was done, this partly because we did not trust them, andpartly because there was no room for them to live decently until thenew house was built. I may say here that we never did permit Hoggettand the other two to reside on the island. Wabberley was incorrigiblylazy, and did as little work as he could; Hoggett always sullen, andonce or twice he flung down his tools and refused to work any more, andkept his word until he was brought to his senses by having his food cutoff. As for Chick, he was extremely obliging, and did all he could topersuade me to let him remain on the island, and admit him to theselect company of the sheep; but I did not trust him, and with reason,for Clums told Billy that when they were working Chick would oftenrevile us in the bitterest wa
y, and say that he and Hoggett would geteven with us some time or other.

  The new house was finished in about two months, and then we brought allthe men to live on the island except the three I have mentioned. Thebread-fruit season was now come, so that we had plenty of food, and themen made great vats in the ground for the storage of the pulp, beingstill ignorant of the storehouse beneath our hut. When other workfailed, I set them to make more pots and pans, and bows and arrows, andwe had many shooting contests at our running man, though there werehalf-a-dozen of the men whom I would never permit to handle a weapon ofany kind until close observation assured me that they were to betrusted. We also went on fishing expeditions, and smoked a greatquantity of the fish we caught, and purposed to do the same with ourpigs as soon as they should increase. In order that we might enlargestill more our reserve of food, I caused some new plantations ofcocoa-nut palms to be made at different parts of the island. There wasno need for planting when Billy and I were alone, because the treesbore enough fruit for our use; nor was there any need for planting thebread-fruit tree, because this had a remarkable way of propagatingitself on all sides by shoots that sprang from the roots; but I hadseen that several of the cocoa-nut palms had lately died, from whatcause I never knew, for they seemed to be uninjured,[1] and I did notknow but that a similar blight might fall on the bread-fruit treesalso; and so I planted cocoa-nuts to provide against a possible failureof the bread-fruit.

  [Sidenote: A Little History]

  Thus I found myself at the head of a very thriving community. Ouractive and open-air life kept us in good health, and the littlediversions which we mingled with our work--shooting and fishing, quoitsand skittles and Aunt Sally, performed with rough things of our ownmaking--these helped to keep us cheerful, and we had no troubles beyondthe storms and cyclones, no savages appearing to molest us, and OldSmoker never showing more than a light crown of vapour, and sometimesnot even that. Billy and I lived alone in our hut, with Little John,and we were, I am sure, happier than we were before the men came, forwe had more to think about and a great deal more to do. Billy saidonce that I was now a king indeed, and asked whether I wouldn't like acrown, though it would be made of leaves, there being no metal to behad. I told him that I was quite content as I was, and besides, if Iwas to be a king I must have a title, and I thought Harry must be anill-starred name, for Harry the First was the king that never smiledagain, and Harry the last (that is, the Eighth) was not a veryestimable character; and then Billy must needs hear all I rememberedabout those monarchs, and when I spoke of the six wives he looked veryserious, and remained very quiet and thoughtful for a long time. Iasked him what he was thinking about, and he said, "Why, a king ain'tmuch good without a queen, and it's no good being Harry the First(which you would be, this being a new kingdom) if there ain't no chanceof Harry the Second, or perhaps Billy the First, to come after. Butthere, you wouldn't like a wife same as my mother-in-law, so it's allone."

  [1] Probably from the depredations of the _phasma_, or spectre insect,a deadly foe to cocoa-nuts.--H.S.