The Phantom Ship

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER THIRTY.

  We must now again return to Philip and Krantz, who had a longconversation upon the strange reappearance of Schriften. All that theycould agree upon was, that he should be carefully watched, and that theyshould dispense with his company as soon as possible. Krantz hadinterrogated him as to his escape, and Schriften had informed him, inhis usual sneering manner, that one of the sweeps of the raft had beenallowed to get adrift during the scuffle, and that he had floated on it,until he had gained a small island; that on seeing the peroqua he hadonce more launched it, and supported himself by it, until he wasperceived and picked up. As there was nothing impossible, although muchof the improbable, in this account, Krantz asked no more questions. Thenext morning, the wind having abated, they launched the peroqua, andmade sail for the island of Ternate.

  It was four days before they arrived, as every night they landed andhauled up their craft on the sandy beach. Philip's heart was relievedat the knowledge of Amine's safety, and he could have been happy at theprospect of again meeting her, had he not been so constantly fretted bythe company of Schriften.

  There was something so strange, so contrary to human nature, that thelittle man, though diabolical as he appeared to be in his disposition,should never hint at, or complain of, Philip's attempts upon his life.Had he complained--had he accused Philip of murder--had he vowedvengeance, and demanded justice on his return to the authorities, it hadbeen different--but no--there he was, making his uncalled-for andimpertinent observations with his eternal chuckle and sarcasm, as if hehad not the least cause of anger or ill-will.

  As soon as they arrived at the principal port and town of Ternate, theywere conducted to a large cabin, built of palmetto leaves and bamboo,and requested not to leave it until their arrival had been announced tothe king. The peculiar courtesy and good breeding of these islanderswas the constant theme of remark of Philip and Krantz; their religion,as well as their dress, appeared to be a compound of the Mahometan andMalayan.

  After a few hours, they were summoned to attend the audience of theking, held in the open air. The king was seated under a portico,attended by a numerous concourse of priests and soldiers. There wasmuch company but little splendour. All who were about the king wererobed in white, with white turbans, but he himself was without ornament.The first thing that struck Philip and Krantz, when they were usheredinto the presence of the king, was the beautiful cleanliness whicheverywhere prevailed: every dress was spotless and white as the suncould bleach it.

  Having followed the example of those who introduced them, and salutedthe king after the Mahometan custom, they were requested to be seated;and through the Portuguese interpreters--for the former communication ofthe islanders with the Portuguese, who had been driven from the place,made the Portuguese language well known by many--a few questions wereput by the king, who bade them welcome, and then requested to know howthey had been wrecked.

  Philip entered into a short detail, in which he stated that his wife hadbeen separated from him, and was, he understood, in the hands of thePortuguese factory at Tidore. He requested to know if his majesty couldassist him in obtaining her release, or in going to join her.

  "It is well said," replied the king. "Let refreshments be brought infor the strangers, and the audience be broken up."

  In a few minutes there remained of all the court but two or three of theking's confidential friends and advisers; and a collation of curries,fish, and a variety of other dishes, was served up. After it was over,the king then said, "The Portuguese are dogs, they are our enemies--willyou assist us to fight them? We have large guns, but do not understandthe use of them as well as you do. I will send a fleet against thePortuguese at Tidore, if you will assist me. Say, Hollanders, will youfight? You," addressing Philip, "will then recover your wife."

  "I will give an answer to you to-morrow," replied Philip, "I mustconsult with my friend. As I told you before, I was the captain of theship, and this was my second in command--we will consult together."Schriften, whom Philip had represented as a common seaman, had not beenbrought up into the presence of the king.

  "It is good," replied the king; "to-morrow we will expect your reply."

  Philip and Krantz took their leave, and, on their return to the cabin,found that the king had sent them, as a present, two complete Mahometandresses, with turbans. These were welcome, for their own garments weresadly tattered, and very unfit for exposure to the burning sun of thoseclimes. Their peaked hats, too, collected the rays of heat, which wereintolerable; and they gladly exchanged them for the white turban.Secreting their money in the Malayan sash, which formed a part of theattire, they soon robed themselves in the native garments, the comfortof which was immediately acknowledged. After a long consultation, itwas decided that they should accept the terms offered by the king, asthis was the only feasible way by which Philip could hope to re-obtainpossession of Amine. Their consent was communicated to the king on thefollowing day, and every preparation was made for the expedition.

  And now was to be beheld a scene of bustle and activity. Hundreds andhundreds of peroquas, of every dimension, floating close to the beach,side by side, formed a raft extending nearly half a mile on the smoothwater of the bay, teeming with men, who were equipping them for theservice: some were fitting the sails; others were carpentering whererequired; the major portion were sharpening their swords, and preparingthe deadly poison of the pine-apple for their creeses. The beach was ascene of confusion: water in jars, bags of rice, vegetables, salt-fish,fowls in coops, were everywhere strewed about among the armed natives,who were obeying the orders of the chiefs, who themselves walked up anddown, dressed in their gayest apparel, and glittering in their arms andornaments. The king had six long brass four-pounders, a present from anIndian captain; these, with a proportionate quantity of shot andcartridges, were (under the direction of Philip and Krantz) fitted onsome of the largest peroquas, and some of the natives were instructedhow to use them. At first, the king, who fully expected the reductionof the Portuguese fort, stated his determination to go in person, but inthis he was overruled by his confidential advisers, and by the requestof Philip, who could not allow him to expose his valuable life. In tendays all was ready, and the fleet, manned by seven thousand men, madesail for the island of Tidore.

  It was a beautiful sight, to behold the blue rippling sea, covered withnearly six hundred of these picturesque craft, all under sail, anddarting through the water like dolphins in pursuit of prey; all crowdedwith natives, whose white dresses formed a lively contrast with the deepblue of the water. The large peroquas, in which were Philip and Krantz,with the native commanders, were gaily decorated with streamers andpennons of all colours, that flowed out and snapped with the freshbreeze. It appeared rather to be an expedition of mirth and merriment,than one which was proceeding to bloodshed and slaughter.

  On the evening of the second day they had made the island of Tidore, andrun down to within a few miles of the Portuguese factory and fort. Thenatives of the country, who disliked, though they feared to disobey, thePortuguese, had quitted their huts near the beach and retired into thewoods. The fleet, therefore, anchored and lay near the beach, withoutmolestation, during the night. The next morning, Philip and Krantzproceeded to reconnoitre.

  The port and factory of Tidore were built upon the same principle asalmost all the Portuguese defences in those seas. An outerfortification, consisting of a ditch, with strong palisades embedded inmasonry, surrounded the factory and all the houses of the establishment.The gates of the outer wall were open all day for ingress and egress,and closed only at night. On the seaward side of this enclosure waswhat may be termed the citadel, or real fortification; it was built ofsolid masonry, with parapets, was surrounded by a deep ditch, and wasonly accessible by a drawbridge, mounted with cannon on every side. Itsreal strength, however, could not well be perceived, as it was hidden bythe high palisading which surrounded the whole establishment. After acareful survey, Philip recommended that the
large peroquas with thecannon should attack by sea, while the men of the small vessels shouldland and surround the fort, taking advantage of every shelter which wasafforded them to cover themselves while they harassed the enemy withtheir matchlocks, arrows, and spears. This plan having been approvedof, one hundred and fifty peroquas made sail; the others were hauled onthe beach, and the men belonging to them proceeded by land.

  But the Portuguese had been warned of their approach, and were fullyprepared to receive them; the guns mounted to the seaward were of heavycalibre and well served. The guns of the peroquas, though rendered aseffectual as they could be, under the direction of Philip, were small,and did little damage to the thick stone front of the fort. After anengagement of four hours, during which the Ternate people lost a greatnumber of men, the peroquas, by the advice of Philip and Krantz, hauledoff, and returned to where the remainder of the fleet was stationed; andanother council of war was held. The force, which had surrounded thefort, on the land side, was, however, not withdrawn, as it cut off anysupplies or assistance; and, at the same time, occasionally brought downany of the Portuguese who might expose themselves--a point of no smallimportance, as Philip well knew, with a garrison so small as that in thefort.

  That they could not take the fort by means of their cannon was evident;on the sea side it was for them impregnable: their efforts must now bedirected to the land. Krantz, after the native chiefs had donespeaking, advised that they should wait until dark, and then proceed tothe attack in the following way. When the breeze set along shore, whichit would do in the evening, he proposed that the men should preparelarge bundles of dry palmetto and cocoa-nut leaves; that they shouldcarry their bundles and stack them against the palisades to windward,and then set fire to them. They would thus burn down the palisades, andgain an entrance into the outer fortification; after which they couldascertain in what manner they should next proceed. This advice was toojudicious not to be followed. All the men who had not matchlocks wereset to collect fagots; a large quantity of dry wood was soon gottogether, and before night they were ready for the second attack.

  The white dresses of the Ternates were laid aside: with nothing on thembut their belts, and scimitars, and creeses, and blue under-drawers,they silently crept up to the palisades, there deposited their fagots,and then again returned, again to perform the same journey. As thebreastwork of fagots increased, so did they more boldly walk up, untilthe pile was completed; they then, with a loud shout, fired it inseveral places. The flames mounted, the cannon of the fort roared, andmany fell under the discharges of grape and hand-grenade. But stifledby the smoke, which poured in volumes upon them, the people in the fortwere soon compelled to quit the ramparts to avoid suffocation. Thepalisades were on fire, and the flames mounting in the air, swept over,and began to attack the factory and houses. No resistance was nowoffered, and the Ternates tore down the burning palisades, and forcedtheir way into the intrenchment, and with their scimitars and creesesput to death all who had been so unfortunate as not to take refuge inthe citadel. These were chiefly native servants, whom the attack hadsurprised, and for whose lives the Portuguese seemed to care but little,for they paid no attention to their cries to lower the drawbridge, andadmit them into the fort.

  The factory, built of stone, and all the other houses, were on fire, andthe island was lighted up for miles. The smoke had cleared away, andthe defences of the fort were now plainly visible in the broad glare ofthe flames. "If we had scaling-ladders," cried Philip, "the fort wouldbe ours; there is not a soul on the ramparts."

  "True, true," replied Krantz, "but even as it is, the factory walls willprove an advantageous post for us after the fire is extinguished; if weoccupy it, we can prevent them showing themselves while the ladders areconstructing. To-morrow night we may have them ready, and having firstsmoked the fort with a few more fagots, we may afterwards mount thewalls, and carry the place."

  "That will do," replied Philip, as he walked away. He then joined thenative chiefs, who were collected together outside of the intrenchment,and communicated to them his plans. When he had made known his views,and the chiefs had assented to them, Schriften, who had come with theexpedition unknown to Philip, made his appearance.

  "That won't do; you'll never take that fort, Philip Vanderdecken. He!he!" cried Schriften.

  Hardly had he said the words when a tremendous explosion took place, andthe air was filled with large stones, which flew and fell in everydirection, killing and maiming hundreds. It was the factory which hadblown up, for in its vaults there was a large quantity of gunpowder, towhich the fire had communicated.

  "So ends that scheme, Mynheer Vanderdecken. He! he!" screamedSchriften; "you'll never take that fort."

  The loss of life and the confusion caused by this unexpected resultoccasioned a panic, and all the Ternate people fled down to the beachwhere their peroquas were lying.

  It was in vain that Philip and their chiefs attempted to rally them.Unaccustomed to the terrible effects of gunpowder in any largequantities, they believed that something supernatural had occurred, andmany of them jumped into the peroquas and made sail, while the remainderwere confused, trembling, and panting, all huddled together, on thebeach.

  "You'll never take that fort, Mynheer Vanderdecken," screamed thewell-known voice.

  Philip raised his sword to cleave the little man in two, but he let itfall again. "I fear he tells an unwelcome truth," thought Philip; "butwhy should I take his life for that?"

  Some few of the Ternate chiefs still kept up their courage, but themajor part were as much alarmed as their people. After someconsultation, it was agreed that the army should remain where it wastill the next morning, when they should finally decide what to do.

  When the day dawned, now that the Portuguese fort was no longersurrounded by the other buildings, they perceived that it was moreformidable than they had at first supposed. The ramparts were filledwith men, and they were bringing cannon to bear on the Ternate forces.Philip had a consultation with Krantz, and both acknowledged, that, withthe present panic, nothing more could be done. The chiefs were of thesame opinion, and orders were given for the return of the expedition,indeed, the Ternate chiefs were fully satisfied with their success; theyhad destroyed the large fort, the factory, and all the Portuguesebuildings; a small fortification only was uninjured; that was built ofstone, and inaccessible, and they knew that the report of what had beendone would be taken and acknowledged by the king as a great victory.The order was therefore given for embarkation, and in two hours thewhole fleet, after a loss of about seven hundred men, was again on itsway to Ternate. Krantz and Philip this time embarked in the sameperoqua, that they might have the pleasure of each other's conversation.They had not, however, sailed above three hours when it fell calm, and,towards the evening, there was every prospect of bad weather. When thebreeze again sprung up, it was from an adverse quarter, but thesevessels steer so close to the wind, that this was disregarded: bymidnight however the wind had increased to a gale, and before they wereclear of the N.E. headland of Tidore, it blew a hurricane and many werewashed off into the sea from the different craft, and those who couldnot swim, sank, and were drowned. The sails were lowered, and thevessels lay at the mercy of the wind and waves, every sea washing overthem. The fleet was drifting fast on the shore, and before morningdawned, the vessel in which were Philip and Krantz was among the rollerson the beach off the northern end of the island. In a short time shewas dashed to pieces, and every one had to look out for himself. Philipand Krantz laid hold of one fragment, and were supported by it till theygained the shore; here they found about thirty more companions, who hadsuffered the same fate as themselves. When the day dawned, theyperceived that the major part of the fleet had weathered the point, andthat those who had not, would in all probability escape, as the wind hadmoderated.

  The Ternate people proposed, that as they were well armed, they should,as soon as the weather moderated, launch some of the craft belonging tothe islanders, and
join the fleet but Philip, who had been consultingwith Krantz, considered this a good opportunity for ascertaining thefate of Amine. As the Portuguese could prove nothing against them, theycould either deny that they had been among the assailants, or mightplead that they had been forced to join them. At all risks, Philip wasdetermined to remain, and Krantz agreed to share his fate; and seemingto agree with them, they allowed the Ternate people to walk to theTidore peroquas, and while they were launching them, Philip and Krantzfell back into the jungle and disappeared. The Portuguese had perceivedthe wreck of their enemies, and, irritated by the loss they hadsustained, they had ordered the people of the island to go out andcapture all who were driven on shore. Now that they were no longerassailed, the Tidore people obeyed them, and very soon fell in withPhilip and Krantz, who had quietly sat down under the shade of a largetree, waiting the issue. They were led away to the fort, where theyarrived by nightfall. They were ushered into the presence of theCommandant, the same little man who had made love to Amine, and as theywere dressed in Mussulman's attire, he was about to order them to behung, when Philip told him that they were Dutchmen, who had beenwrecked, and forced by the king of Ternate to join his expedition; thatthey had taken the earliest opportunity of escaping, as was veryevident, since those who had been thrown on shore with them had got offin the island boats, while they chose to remain. Whereupon the littlePortuguese Commandant struck his sword firm down on the pavement of theramparts, _looked_ very big, and then ordered them to prison for furtherexamination.