Round the World in Seven Days

by Herbert Strang

  ROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS

  by

  HERBERT STRANG

  Illustrated by A. C. Michael

  1910

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER.

  PRELUDE

  I THE CABLEGRAM

  II EASTWARD HO!

  III ACROSS EUROPE TO THE BOSPHORUS

  IV A FLYING VISIT

  V THE TOMB OF UR-GUR

  VI WITH GUN RUNNERS IN THE GULF

  VII THE WHITE DJINN

  VIII A SHIP ON FIRE

  IX A PASSENGER FOR PENANG

  INTERLUDE

  X SOME PRAUS AND A JUNK

  XI AUSTRALIAN HOSPITALITY

  XII STALKED BY PIGMIES

  XIII THE RESCUE

  XIV SIR MATTHEW IMPROVES THE OCCASION

  XV HERR SCHWANKMACHER'S CABBAGES

  XVI A STOP-PRESS MESSAGE

  XVII A MIDNIGHT VIGIL

  XVIII THE LAST LAP

  POSTSCRIPT

  PRELUDE

  Lieutenant George Underhill, commanding H.M. surveying ship_Albatross_, had an unpleasant shock when he turned out of hisbunk at daybreak one morning. The barometer stood at 29.41'. For twoor three days the vessel had encountered dirty weather, but there hadbeen signs of improvement when he turned in, and it was decidedlydisconcerting to find that the glass had fallen. His vessel was asmall one, and he was a little uneasy at the prospect of being caughtby a cyclone while in the imperfectly-charted waters of the SolomonIslands.

  He was approaching the eastern shore of Ysabel Island, whose steepcliffs were covered with a lurid bank of cloud. If the shore was likethose of the other islands of the group, it would be, he knew, a mazeof bays, islets, barrier reefs, and intricate channels amid which,even in calm weather, a vessel would run a considerable risk ofgrounding, a risk that would be multiplied in a storm. Anxiouslynoting the weather signs, Underhill hoped that he might reach a safeanchorage before the threatening cyclone burst upon him.

  As is the way with cyclones, it smote the vessel almost withoutwarning. A howling squall tore out of the east, catching the shipnearly abeam, and making her shudder; then, after a brief lull, cameanother and even a fiercer blast, and in a few minutes the windincreased to a roaring hurricane, enveloping the ship in a mist ofdriving rain that half choked the officers and crew as they crouchedunder the lee of the bulwarks and the deckhouse.

  The _Albatross_ was a gallant little vessel, and Underhill,now that what he dreaded had happened, hoped at least to keep her offthe shore until the fury of the storm had abated. For a time shethrashed her way doggedly through the boiling sea; but all at onceshe staggered, heeled over, and then, refusing to answer the helm,began to rush headlong upon the rocks, now visible through the mist.

  "Propeller shaft broken, sir," came the cry from below to Underhill ashe stood clinging to the rail of the bridge.

  He felt his utter helplessness. He could not even let go an anchor,for no one could stand on deck against the force of the wind. He couldonly cling to his place and see the vessel driven ashore, withoutbeing able to lift a hand to save her. Suddenly he was conscious of agrating, grinding sensation beneath his feet, and knew that the vesselhad struck a coral reef. She swung round broadside to the wind; theboats on the weather side were wrenched from their davits and hurledaway in splinters; and in the midst of such fury and turmoil there wasno possibility of launching the remaining two boats and escaping fromthe doomed vessel.

  All hands had rushed on deck, and clung to rails and stays andwhatever else afforded a hold. Among those who staggered from thecompanion way was a tall thin man, spectacled, with iron-grey hair andbeard, and somewhat rounded shoulders. Linking arms with him was ayoung man of twenty-two or twenty-three: the likeness between themproclaimed them father and son. The older man was Dr. Thesiger Smith,the famous geologist, in furtherance of whose work the _Albatross_ wasmaking this voyage. The younger man was his second son Tom, who, aftera distinguished career at Cambridge, had come out to act as hisfather's assistant.

  Underhill knew by the jerking and grinding he felt beneath him thathis ill-fated vessel was being slowly forced over the reef towards theshore. His first lieutenant, Venables, crawled up to the bridge, and,bawling into his ear, asked if anything could be done. The lieutenantshook his head.

  "Water's within two feet of the upper deck forward, sir," shoutedVenables; "abaft it is three feet above the keelson."

  "Get the lifebuoys," was the brief reply.

  Venables crawled down again, and with the assistance of some of thecrew unlashed the lifebuoys and distributed them among the company.Meanwhile the progress of the vessel shorewards had been suddenlychecked. She came up with a jerk, and Underhill guessed that her nosehad stuck fast in a hollow of the reef, and prayed that the stormwould abate for just so long as would enable him to get the boatsclear and make for the land before the ship broke up. But for a goodhalf-hour longer the hurricane blew with undiminished force, and itwas as much as every man could do to avoid being washed away by themountainous seas that broke over the vessel.

  At length, however, there came a sudden change. The uproar ceased asby magic, and there fell a dead calm. Underhill was not deceived. Hejudged that the vessel was now in the centre of the cyclone; the calmmight last for forty or fifty minutes, then a renewal of the hurricanewas almost certainly to be expected. Without the loss of a moment hegave his orders. The boats were made ready; into one they put arms,ammunition, and tools, together with the ship's papers andchronometer, a compass, and Dr. Thesiger Smith's specimens anddiaries; into the other more ammunition, and a portion of whatprovisions could be collected from above or below water. The boatswere lowered, the men dropped into them and pulled off, leavingUnderhill and two or three of the crew still on the vessel to collectthe remainder of the provisions and whatever else seemed worth saving.The sea was so high that the boats had much difficulty in making theshore; but they reached it safely, and one of them, after beingrapidly unloaded, returned for the commander.

  Before it regained the ship, Underhill felt a light puff of wind fromthe south-west. Lifting a megaphone, he roared to the men to pull fortheir lives. The boat came alongside; it had scarcely received itsload when the hurricane once more burst upon them, this time from theopposite quarter. Underhill leapt down among his men, and ordered themto give way. Before they had pulled a dozen strokes the storm was atits height, but the force of the wind was now somewhat broken by thetrees and rocks of the island. Even so it was hard work, rowing in theteeth of the blast, the boat being every moment in danger of swampingby the tremendous seas. Underhill, at the tiller, set his teeth, andanxiously watched the advancing cliffs, at the foot of which theremainder of his company stood. The boat was within twenty yards ofthem when a huge wave fell on it as it were out of the sky. It sanklike lead. Thanks to the lifebuoys Underhill and the men rose quicklyto the surface. Two of them, who could not swim, cried outdespairingly for help. Underhill seized one and held him up; the otherwas saved by the promptitude of young Smith. Seeing their plight, hecaught up a rope which had been brought ashore, and flung it among thegroup of men struggling in the water. The drowning man clutched it,the others swam to it, and by its aid all were drawn ashore, gaspingfor breath, and sorely battered by the jagged rocks.

  "All safe, thank heaven!" said Underhill, as he joined the others;"but I'm sorry we've lost the boat."

  The shipwrecked party found themselves on a narrow beach, behind whichrose steep cliffs, rugged and difficult to climb. Against these theycrouched to find some she
lter from the storm, and watch the gradualdismemberment of the ill-fated _Albatross_. Wave after wave broke overher, the spray dashing so high that even her funnel sometimesdisappeared from view. The spectators held their breath: could shelive out the storm? At last a tremendous sea swept her from the hollowin which she was wedged, and she plunged beneath the waters.