The Phantom Ship
Page 28
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
When Amine again came to her senses, she found herself lying on theleaves of the palmetto, in a small hut. A hideous black child sat byher, brushing off the flies. Where was she?
The raft had been tossed about for two days, during which Amine remainedin a state of alternate delirium and stupor. Driven by the current andthe gale, it had been thrown on shore on the eastern end of the coast ofNew Guinea. She had been discovered by some of the natives, whohappened to be on the beach trafficking with some of the Tidore people.At first they hastened to rid her of her garments, although theyperceived that she was not dead; but before they had left her as nakedas themselves, a diamond of great value, which had been given to her byPhilip, attracted the attention of one of the savages; failing in hisattempt to pull it off, he pulled out a rusty, blunt knife, and wasbusily sawing at the finger, when an old woman of authority interferedand bade him desist. The Tidore people also, who were friends with thePortuguese, pointed out that to save one of that nation would insure areward; they stated moreover, that they would, on their return, informthe people of the Factory establishment that one of their countrywomenhad been thrown on shore on a raft. To this Amine owed the care andattention that was paid to her; that part of New Guinea being somewhatcivilised by occasional intercourse with the Tidore people, who camethere to exchange European finery and trash for the more usefulproductions of the island.
The Papoose woman carried Amine into her hut, and there she lay for manydays, wavering between life and death, carefully attended, but requiringlittle except the moistening of her parched lips with water, and thebrushing off of the mosquitoes and flies.
When Amine opened her eyes, the little Papoose ran out to acquaint thewoman, who followed her into the hut. She was of large size, verycorpulent and unwieldy, with little covering on her body; her hair,which was woolly in its texture, was partly plaited, partly frizzled, acloth round her waist, and a piece of faded yellow silk on hershoulders, was all her dress. A few silver rings, on her fat fingers,and a necklace of mother-of-pearl, were her ornaments. Her teeth werejet black, from the use of the betel-nut, and her whole appearance wassuch as to excite disgust in the breast of Amine.
She addressed Amine, but her words were unintelligible: and thesufferer, exhausted with the slight effort she had made, fell back intoher former position, and closed her eyes. But if the woman wasdisgusting, she was kind, and by her attention and care Amine was ablein the course of three weeks, to crawl out of the hut and enjoy theevening breeze. The natives of the island would at times surround her,but they treated her with respect, from fear of the old woman. Theirwoolly hair was frizzled or plaited, sometimes powdered white withchunam. A few palmetto-leaves round the waist and descending to theknee was their only attire; rings through the nose and ears, andfeathers of birds, particularly the bird of paradise, were theirornaments; but their language was wholly unintelligible. Amine feltgrateful for life; she sat under the shade of the trees, and watched theswift peroquas as they skimmed the blue sea which was expanded beforeher; but her thoughts were elsewhere--they were on Philip.
One morning Amine came out of the hut with joy on her countenance, andtook her usual seat under the trees. "Yes, mother, dearest mother, Ithank thee; thou hast appeared to me; thou hast recalled to me thy arts,which I had forgotten, and had I but the means of conversing with thesepeople, even now would I know where my Philip might be."
For two months did Amine remain under the care of the Papoose woman.When the Tidore people returned, they had an order to bring the whitewoman, who had been cast on shore, to the Factory, and repay those whohad taken charge of her. They made signs to Amine, who had now quiterecovered her beauty, that she was to go with them. Any change waspreferable to staying where she was, and Amine followed them down to aperoqua, on which she was securely fixed, and was soon darting throughthe water with her new companions; and, as they flew along the smoothseas, Amine thought of Philip's dream and the mermaid's shell.
By the evening they had arrived at the southern point of Galolo, wherethey landed for the night: the next day they gained the place of theirdestination, and Amine was led up to the Portuguese factory.
That the curiosity of those who were stationed there was roused, is notto be wondered at--the history given by the natives of Amine's escapeappeared so miraculous. From the commandant to the lowest servant,every one was waiting to receive her. The beauty of Amine, her perfectform, astonished them. The commandant addressed a long compliment toher in Portuguese, and was astonished that she did not make a suitablereply--but as Amine did not understand a word that he said, it wouldhave been more surprising if she had.
As Amine made signs that she could not understand the language, it waspresumed that she was either English or Dutch, and an interpreter wassent for. She then explained that she was the wife of a Dutch captain,whose vessel had been wrecked, and that she did not know whether thecrew had been saved or not. The Portuguese were very glad to hear thata Dutch vessel had been wrecked, and very glad that so lovely a creatureas Amine had been saved. She was informed by the commandant that shewas welcome, and that during her stay there everything should be done tomake her comfortable; that in three months they expected a vessel fromthe Chinese seas, proceeding to Goa, and that, if inclined, she shouldhave a passage to Goa in that vessel, and from that city she wouldeasily find other vessels to take her wherever she might please to go;she was then conducted to an apartment, and left with a little negressto attend upon her.
The Portuguese commandant was a small, meagre, little man dried up to achip, from long sojourning under a tropical sun. He had very largewhiskers, and a very long sword: these were the two most remarkablefeatures in his person and dress.
His attentions could not be misinterpreted; and Amine would have laughedat him, had she not been fearful that she might be detained. In a fewweeks, by due attention, she gained the Portuguese language so far as toask for what she required; and before she quitted the island of Tidoreshe could converse fluently. But her anxiety to leave, and to ascertainwhat had become of Philip, became greater every day; and at theexpiration of the three months her eyes were continually bent toseaward, to catch the first glimpse of the vessel which was expected.At last it appeared; and as Amine watched the approach of the canvasfrom the west, the commandant fell on his knees, and declaring hispassion, requested her not to think I of departure, but to unite herfate with his.
Amine was cautious in her reply, for she knew that she was in his power."She must first receive intelligence of her husband's death, which wasnot yet certain; she would proceed to Goa, and if she discovered thatshe was single, she would write to him."
This answer, as it will be discovered, was the cause of great sufferingto Philip. The commandant, fully assured that he could compass Philip'sdeath, was satisfied--declared that, as soon as he had any positiveintelligence, he would bring it to Goa himself, and made a thousandprotestations of truth and fidelity.
"Fool!" thought Amine, as she watched the ship, which was now close tothe anchorage.
In half an hour the vessel had anchored, and the people had landed.Amine observed a priest with them as they walked up to the fort. Sheshuddered--she knew not why. When they arrived, she found herself inthe presence of Father Mathias.