In the Eastern Seas

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

  SEDGWICK ISLAND AND ITS WONDERS.

  Our uncle introduced us to his house with evident pride. He and his manTanda had bestowed a great deal of pains on it. It was constructedentirely after the Malay fashion--of wood, bamboo, and matting, thoughraised higher off the ground than the Malays are accustomed to buildtheirs. The floors were of split bamboo, sufficiently strong to bear aperson's weight, and yet giving a pleasant spring as we passed overthem. They were kept in their place by long strips of ratan, passedtransversely between them, much in the way of a cane-bottom chair. Overthese mats were spread--not so neatly made, perhaps, as those employedby the wealthy Malays, but still very well done. The walls were made ofthe palm-leaves which I have before described, fixed in panels, veryneat and pleasing to the eye, and perfectly weather-tight. The roof washigh pitched, and had broad overhanging eaves, giving it very much theappearance of a Swiss cottage. A broad verandah ran round each side ofthe house, the rooms opening into it. They were divided from each otherby thick mats stretched from the ceiling to the floor, and could belifted up at pleasure to allow the air to circulate in every direction.It would have been impossible to build with the materials at hand anabode better suited to the purpose.

  "Here, Frau, you and your young ladies shall occupy these twoapartments," said my uncle to Frau Ursula, who stood smiling from ear toear at the polite way in which he addressed her. "You shall havebedsteads brought in directly; and I must leave you to arrange them,while Tanda and I get supper ready. The lads here and the sailor willno doubt assist us."

  Roger Trew, who had ascended the ladder with his bundle of bedding,deposited it in the room my uncle pointed out, and forthwith commencedunlashing it; and knowing that he would prove a better assistant to thedame than Oliver and I should, we accompanied my uncle to what he calledhis cooking-shed, at the back of the house. Here he had brought waterfrom a spring in the forest, and had made a drain towards the sea tocarry off the refuse. He had a variety of fish, flesh, and fowl in hislarder, which was in a cool place at the back of the house.

  I scarcely know what I shall describe first. The fruit was the mostattractive. There was the delicious mangostin--of a spherical form.The outer part is a thick rough covering, and it has a white opaquecentre, an inch or more in diameter. Each of the four or five partsinto which it is divided, contains a small seed. The white part is whatis eaten. It has a slightly sweet taste, and a rich yet delicate andpeculiar flavour, which it is impossible to describe. Then there wasthe rambutan--a globular fruit, an inch and a half in diameter. Therind is of a light red, adorned with coarse scattered bristles. Within,there is a semi-transparent pulp, of a slightly acid taste. Next therewas the elliptical shaped mango, containing a small stone of the sameform. The interior, when the tough outer skin was removed, consisted ofa soft, pulpy, fibrous mass, of a bright yellow. Another fruitappeared, in the form of long clusters, about the size of a small bird'segg. It was the duku. The outer coating was thin and leathery, and ofa dull yellow. In the inside were several long seeds, surrounded by atransparent pulp, of a sweet and pleasantly acid taste. The durian,however, my uncle told us, was among the most esteemed of all the fruitsin that region. It is spherical in form, six or eight inches indiameter, and generally covered with many tubercles. The interior isdivided into several parts. On breaking the shell, we found in eachdivision a seed as large as a chestnut, surrounded by a pale yellowsubstance, of the consistency of thick cream; but the odour was enoughat first to make me have no wish to eat it. It seemed to me like putridanimal matter, and peculiarly strong.

  "You do not like the odour, Walter," observed my uncle. "Nor did I atfirst, but I have now become so fond of the fruit, that I prefer it toany other. But, after all, these fruits are not to be compared to thoseof a tree growing just outside, at the back of my house--the far-famedbread-fruit tree. Here, Tanda," and he spoke a few words to him. "Lookthere, do you see it?"

  It was a tree upwards of forty feet high, with enormous sharply lobedleaves, some of which were one foot wide and one and a half long. Thefruit which Tanda picked was of the form and size of a melon, andattached by its stem directly to the trunk.

  "We must cut some, for it is the chief vegetable I have in season," saidmy uncle, cutting it in slices, and handing it to Tanda to fry. "Wehave some molasses to eat with it, produced from the sap of thegomuti-palm."

  Closely allied to it is the Jack-fruit, which resembles the bread-fruit.This latter, Mr Sedgwick told us, attains the weight of nearlyseventy-five pounds; so that even an Indian coolie can only carry one ata time. The part, he showed us, which is generally eaten, is a softpulpy substance, enveloping each seed. The bread-fruit was bakedentirely in the hot embers. It tasted, I thought, very much like mashedpotatoes and milk. My uncle said he always compared it to Yorkshirepudding. It was a little fibrous, perhaps, towards the centre, thoughgenerally smooth, and somewhat of the consistence of yeast dumplings andbatter pudding. Tanda fried part of it in slices, and also made a curryof another part. We had it also as a vegetable, with a gravy pouredover it, to eat with meat. Another dish was prepared with sugar andmilk, which we were surprised to see, and a treacly substance procuredfrom some sugar-canes grown in a plantation near the house. It made amost delicious pudding.

  "You see, I have become somewhat of an epicure," observed my uncle; "butindeed it has been one of my sources of amusement to see what deliciousdishes I could make out of the many bounties which Nature has spreadround me."

  We had also, for meat, some pork--part of it fresh and part cured--ajoint of venison, and a piece of beef from an animal with which I wasafterwards to become acquainted.

  I can scarcely describe the fish; but I know, among other things, therewas one of the enormous crabs which we saw at Amboyna.

  Our dinner was spread on a bamboo table, covered with mats, in what myuncle called his grand hall! It put me in mind somewhat of an ancienthall surrounded by trophies of the chase; partly also of a necromancer'scavern, as from the ceiling hung curious stuffed animals, skulls, bones,dried plants, and other objects of natural history, in what, I had nodoubt, seemed to the occupant perfect order, but which was somewhatincomprehensible to us. When dish after dish was put on the table, FrauUrsula lifted up her hands with astonishment.

  "You do live like a prince, Mr Sedgwick," she observed. "What kindfairy sends you all these good things?"

  "I won them with my own arm, with the assistance of my faithful manTanda here--or, as these young people seem inclined to call him, Friday;and I hope you will show your gratitude to the kind Providence whichgives them, by doing justice to them."

  As dish after dish was brought up, the astonishment of all the partyincreased.

  "Surely, uncle, you must have some fairy cook to prepare all these goodthings," said Emily.

  "I confess without the aid of Tanda they could not be produced," heanswered. "I am greatly helped by him, though occasionally I have givena hint or a little assistance. And now let us drink each other's healthin this palm-wine," he said, producing a very nice-looking liquid from ahuge shell.

  Our plates, I should have said, were flat shells; while our cups weremade of bamboo, as were our knives and forks.

  "I must introduce you to my menagerie to-morrow morning," observed myuncle. "There is not time to-night--indeed, some of my pets haveretired to their lairs or gone to roost. If you hear strange noises atnight, don't be alarmed; as possibly some of them may be inclined toutter their natural cries during the night."

  Our conversation was altogether very lively; as we, of course, had agreat deal to tell our uncle, and were also greatly interested by theaccount he gave of his expeditions, and the way in which he had lived onthe island since he had been deserted. Sometimes he had thought ofbuilding a vessel and making his way to some civilised port; but thewant of proper tools for cutting down large timber, and his ignorance ofnautical affairs, deterred him.

  "I thought it was as we
ll to leave well alone," he said. "I have hereplenty of provisions; and I thought I could study natural history, whichbrought me here; and that, some time or other, some vessel would calland take me away. Had you, Walter and Emily, not come, however, Irather think my heart would have failed me even at the last moment, andI could scarcely have made up my mind to quit my solitary home and thestyle of life to which I have become accustomed."

  Our conversation was at length interrupted by a loud rattling peal ofthunder, which crashed over our heads as if the whole heavens above themwere rent in two. A blast swept over the forest, and we could hear thetrees cracking as they bent before the wind. The house shook to itsvery foundation, and Emily and Grace trembled with alarm.

  "No, no, my dears; don't fear," exclaimed Frau Ursula. "This is nothingto what I have heard in Ternate. There, one night, all the housestumbled down, and the mountain sent up stones and cinders, which camerattling down on our heads."

  "There is another, though!" exclaimed Grace, clinging to the old lady'sarm.

  Scarcely had the second crash of thunder passed away, than down came therain, pattering on the roof and floor of the verandah. It seemed as ifa waterspout had broken over us.

  "I am thankful that you, my friends, are on shore," observed my uncle;"but the brig--I feel anxious about her." He got up, and put on a thickreed-made coat. "And here are some more," he observed, giving Oliverand me one. "But no, Oliver, you stay with the ladies; and you too,Walter."

  I entreated that I might accompany him. He gave Roger Trew a similarcovering, which completely sheltered us from the rain; and leaving Tandaand Oliver in charge of the house, we hurried away towards the shore.Although the gale had been blowing but a few minutes, already heavy seascame rolling in and breaking in masses of foam upon the rocks. We couldsee the brig, through the thickening gloom, at her anchors.

  "I trust she may hold her ground," said my uncle, as we watched her,already rising and falling with quick jerks, as the seas rapidly passedunder her. "What say you?" he said, turning to Roger Trew. "Do youthink, if she made sail, she could beat out of this bay, for I feargreatly that with the sea that rolls in here, when there is wind likethis, she will be unable to remain at anchor?"

  "I am very sure Mr Thudicumb will do his best to beat out of the bay,"answered Roger Trew. "I know that no seaman would like to be caught ona lee-shore like this in such a gale; and if it lasts long, even thoughthe anchors do hold, it is likely enough to tear the stem out of her.The brig is not a bad craft for fine weather sailing, but she is lightlyput together, and I wish that she was under weigh clear of the land, andthen I would not fear for her."

  "Oh, my friend, my friend," exclaimed my uncle, "would that you had beensafe on shore!"

  Scarcely had he spoken, when a flash of lightning, in a thick zig-zagstream, darted from the clouds overhead, running along the ground closeto us, followed by the most deafening crash of thunder I ever heard.For an instant our eyes were blinded. We could scarcely see each other,much less observe any object out at sea. It was a minute or more beforewe recovered our sight.

  "She is driving--she is driving!" exclaimed Roger Trew. "They aretrying to make sail on her, but it is too late! The sea struck her bowsjust as she was paying off, and now here she comes bodily in towards theshore."

  We were able, by shading our eyes, once more to look in the direction ofthe brig. Too true were Roger's words, and we saw her helplesslydriving in towards the wild rocks near which we stood.

  "Is the water deep, sir?" asked Roger. "If so, she may drive in closeenough to get the people on shore before she goes to pieces."

  "I fear not," answered Mr Sedgwick. "Reefs run out in all directions,and though, having no boat, I have been unable to sound round theisland, yet, from the way I have seen the water breaking, I fear thatthere are reefs between us and her."

  "If we had a boat we might go off and get aboard her before shestrikes," exclaimed Roger. "Have not you a boat, sir? You would go,would you not? Mr Walter here, I know, would."

  "Unhappily I have no boat," answered my uncle, in a tone almost ofdespair. "The crew may, perchance, reach the shore; but my poor friend,made weak from illness, will have but little chance of escaping withlife."

  "We will do our best, sir--we will do our best," answered Roger. "Iwill try and swim off to her when she strikes, and before the seascatters her timbers; but it will be a tough job. I will not hide thatfrom myself or you, sir."

  "Here, Walter," said my uncle, "go and call Tanda, and tell him to bringas much ratan as he and you can carry. He is a clever fellow, in somerespects, and his wits may help us."

  I was running off, when my uncle cried out--

  "Stop, by-the-by, you may frighten the ladies, and he will not know whatyou mean. I will go myself, and you remain and see what you and oursailor friend here can do in the meantime, should the brig strike."

  My uncle hurried off to the house, and Roger and I, watching the brig,proceeded a short distance along the shore to a point whence a reef ofrocks ran out, towards which it appeared to us that she was driving.How fearfully sharp and rugged did those rocks seem! I had thoughtlittle about them before; but now, when I feared that my friends weregoing to be hurled against them, I wished they were rounder, and coveredwith sea-weed, to which they might cling. We had each of us, as we leftthe house, seized a long bamboo pole. With this Roger and I made ourway towards the point of a ledge of rock above water. Merlin, who hadcome with us down to the beach, followed close at our heels, seemingfully to understand the danger of our friends; for, as we stood watchingthe brig, he stretched out his head and uttered strangely loud barks,which seemed to have a tone of melancholy in them.

  Nearer and nearer came the brig. Part of the bay, under the protectionof the headland I spoke of, was rather more sheltered than it wasfurther on. This gave us some hopes of the vessel holding together tillthe sea had sufficiently moderated to allow Mr Hooker to reach theshore. The rain continued pouring in torrents, driving in our faces.Often we could scarcely see the vessel. Then again a vivid flash oflightning, followed by a crash of thunder, showed her to us as sheheeled over to the blast, driving slowly but surely towards the fatalrocks. Sometimes with difficulty we could keep our footing on the reef.I was anxiously looking for the return of my uncle and Tanda. PerhapsTanda might swim to her. I myself felt greatly inclined to make theattempt, in spite of the sea rolling in. Now for an instant the rainpartially ceased, and shading our eyes, we could see the brig stillnearer than before. Then a huge sea came rolling in. She rose on itscrest, driven onwards with greater rapidity than before. Suddenly sheseemed to stop. The sea washed over her.

  "She has struck! she has struck!" cried Roger.

  Her masts, however, still stood; but we expected them every instant togo.

  "Poor fellows! poor fellows!" cried Roger. "Master Walter, I have nokith nor kin; I will try and get off to them; and if I am lost, you willtell them that I wished to lend them a hand, but had not the power."

  "Stop!" I said; "here come my uncle and the black man, and they mayhave some plan, without your being obliged to risk your life."

  "As to that, it is not worth thinking about," answered Roger; "but wewill see what they propose."

  In the meantime we endeavoured to ascertain what the people on board thebrig were going to do. The darkness, however, was so great, that wecould not distinguish anything going forward among them. There the briglay, however, hard and fast; the seas breaking now over one end, nowover the other, but not with such violence as we dreaded.