Alone on an Island

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER TWO.

  Harry Gurton stood gazing on the glassy sea till his eyes ached with thebright glare, his thoughts wandering back to the days of his happychildhood, when he was the pride and delight of his beloved father andmother. He had come on deck only to breathe a purer air than was to befound below.

  Soon after leaving the coast of South America a fever had broken out onboard, and several of the crew lay sick in their berths. Theirheartless shipmates, afraid of catching the complaint, took little careof them. Humphry could not bear to see them suffer without help, andfrom the first had done his best to attend on them. He constantly wentround, taking them water and such food as he could induce the cook toprepare.

  Tom Matcham was the only officer who had as yet been struck down by thefever. He lay in his berth tossing and groaning, complaining of hishard lot. The officers, who were annoyed by his cries, often abusedhim, telling him roughly not to disturb them.

  "The cruel brutes! I will be revenged on them if I ever get well,"exclaimed Matcham.

  In vain Humphry tried to pacify him.

  "Don't mind what they say, Tom," he observed. "I hope you may get well;but if you were to die, it would be dreadful to go out of the world withsuch feelings in your heart. I remember enough about religion to knowthat we should forgive those who injure us. If you will let me, I willtry to say some of the prayers which my mother taught me when I was achild, and I will pray with you. I have got a Testament, and I shouldlike to read to you out of it."

  "I can't pray, and I don't want to hear anything from the Testament,"answered Tom gloomily.

  "It would be very dreadful if you were to go out of the world feeling asyou now do," urged Humphry.

  "What! you don't mean to say you think I am going to die!" exclaimed Tomin an agitated voice.

  "I tell you honestly, Tom, that you seem as bad as the two poor fellowswho died last week," said Humphry.

  "Oh, you are croaking," groaned Tom, though his voice faltered as hespoke.

  After talking for some time longer without being able to move him,Humphry was compelled to go forward to attend to some of the other men.

  In the first hammock he came to lay Ned Hadow, one of the oldest, andapparently one of the most ruffianly of the crew. He seemed, however,to be grateful to Humphry for his kindness; and he acknowledged that ifit had not been for him, he should have been fathoms down in the deepbefore then.

  "I hope, however, that you are getting better now," said Humphry.

  "Thanks to you, sir, I think I am," answered Ned. "I don't want to die,though I cannot say I have much to live for, nor has any one else aboardthis ship, except to be abused and knocked about without any chance ofgaining any good by the cruise."

  "Perhaps we may do better by and by," observed Humphry.

  "I have no hopes of that while such men as the captain and his mateshave charge of the ship. Take my advice, Mr Gurton, if you have achance, get out of her as fast as you can. You will thank me forwarning you--it is the only way I have to show that I am grateful to youfor your kindness."

  Hadow's remarks made no deep impression upon Humphry, but he could nothelp occasionally recollecting them.

  After visiting the other sick men, he went on deck to keep his properwatch; then, weary with his exertions, he turned into his berth toobtain the rest he so much needed.

  He was awakened by hearing the cry of "All hands shorten sail!" Hequickly sprang on deck.

  A gale had suddenly sprung up. The ship was heeling over, and ploughingher way through the seething waters. The crew flew aloft. The loftiersails were taken in, and the top-sails were being closely reefed, whenanother blast, more furious than the former, struck the ship, and twopoor fellows were hurled from the lee-yard-arm into the foaming waters.There was a cry from the crew, and several rushed to lower a boat--Humphry among them.

  "Hold fast!" cried the captain; "let the fellows drown; you will onlylose your lives if you attempt to save them."

  Still the men persisted, showing more humanity than they had exhibitedin attending to their sick shipmates, when the captain swore that hewould shoot any one who disobeyed him. Though spare spars andeverything that could float had been hove overboard, the poor fellows inthe water could no longer be seen.

  The crew, with gloomy looks, assembled forward, muttering threats whichdid not reach the officers' ears.

  The change of weather had the effect of restoring some of the sick mento health, though several died. Among the first to appear on deck wasNed Hadow. He still looked weak and ill--the shadow of his former self.He was changed in other respects, and Humphry observed that he wasquiet in his behaviour, and no longer swore in the way he had beenaccustomed to do.

  Matcham remained in his berth. He seemed a little better, though hestill refused to listen to Humphry when he offered to read the Bible tohim, and when asked the reason, replied, "Because I am not going to letthose fellows suppose that I am afraid to die. They would be sneeringat me, and calling me a Methodist; and I don't intend to die either, soI don't see why I should bother myself by having religion thrust down mythroat."

  "If you are not going to die, I suppose the case is different," answeredHumphry. "Still, I know that if you were, the Bible is the best book toread. I wish that I had read it oftener myself."

  "If I can get hold of it, I will take care that neither you nor I amtroubled with it in future," answered Matcham. "You have teased me toomuch about it already. I wish you would just try what the captain ormates would say to you if you were to bother them."

  Humphry put his little Testament into his pocket, determining that hismessmate should not get hold of it. Still, much as he valued the bookas a gift from his old friend, he looked upon it, as many other peopledo, as a book to be reverenced, and to be read in times of sickness ortrouble; but he had little notion of the value of an open Bible, to bestudied with prayer every day in the week, to serve as a light to hisfeet and a lamp to his path, and to guide him in the everyday affairs oflife.

  Humphry, wishing Matcham good evening, went on deck.

  As he looked ahead, he saw in the distance a small island rising like arock out of the blue ocean. The ship was standing towards it. The sun,however, was just then setting, and in a short time it was concealedfrom sight by the mists of night. As he was to keep the first watchwith the third mate, he went down and took some supper. When hereturned on deck, he found that the sky was overcast with clouds, andthat the night was excessively dark. He could scarcely distinguish theman at the helm or the officer of the watch.

  "Is that you, Gurton?" asked the third mate. "The orders are to heaveto in an hour, so as not to run past the island we saw at sunset, as thecaptain wishes to examine it to-morrow morning. Go forward, and seethat the look-outs are keeping their eyes open; the reefs may runfurther off the land than we think for."

  "Ay, ay, sir," answered Humphry, making his way along the deck.

  Having spoken to the men as directed, he stood for some minutes tryingto pierce the thick gloom, and as he was sure no danger could be seentill the ship was close upon it, he resolved to return aft, and advisethe mate to heave her to sooner than he had been ordered.

  When just abreast of the fore-rigging, he suddenly felt his armspinioned behind him, and a gag thrust into his mouth. At the same timea voice whispered in his ear, which he recognised as Ned Hadow's, "Donot cry out--no harm is intended you; what we do is for your good." Thenext instant he felt himself lifted off his feet and placed in thefore-rigging, up which a man on either side forced him to ascend. Hesoon reached the top.

  "He will be safer in the cross-trees," said one of the men, and he wascompelled to ascend till he got there. "We must make you fast where youare," whispered Hadow, compelling Humphry to sit down on thecross-trees, and lashing him to the rigging. "If you will promise notto cry out, we will remove the gag from your mouth; if not, you must becontent to bear it for some time longer. Here, press my hand if youpromise to do as I tell you
--I can trust to your word."

  Humphry was very anxious to get rid of the gag, which hurt him, andpressed the hand placed in his. The gag was immediately taken out ofhis mouth.

  "Whatever sounds you hear, or whatever you see, don't cry out, as youvalue your life," whispered Hadow.

  The next moment Humphry was left alone. He sat wondering why he hadbeen thus treated. Hadow could certainly not have intended to injurehim; at the same time, he could not help fearing that the crewcontemplated some dreadful act of mutiny, and that Hadow had contrivedto get him up there to keep him out of harm's way. Nothing could he seebut the tall mast above his head tapering towards the dark sky, and theyard and ropes immediately below him. All on deck seemed quiet, novoices reached his ear.

  The moments passed slowly by. Suddenly a loud shriek rent the air,followed by a heavy groan; then came the flash and report of a pistol--another, and another followed. Now rose fierce shouts and cries frommany voices, loud thundering blows, and the clash of cutlasses. Adesperate fight was going on. He no longer had any doubt that theofficers had been attacked, and were struggling for their lives.

  Suddenly, as they began, all sounds of strife ceased, though he couldnow distinguish the voices of the crew shouting to each other.

  The helm during the contest had been deserted, and the ship had come upto the wind. It seemed a relief to him to hear the boatswain's voiceordering the crew to brace up the yards. The ship was then hove to.

  No one, however, came to release him. If his friend Hadow had fallen inthe strife, what would be his fate when the rest of the crew discoveredhim? The dreadful certainty forced itself upon his mind, that theofficers had been overcome. He heard the men moving about the deck, andtalking in loud voices to each other; but though he listened eagerly, hecould not ascertain what was said.

  Hour after hour passed by. No one came aloft to release him.

  Notwithstanding the fearful anxiety he felt, he at length dropped offinto forgetfulness; but his dream were troubled, and full of the horrorswhich had just occurred.