by G. A. Henty
Chapter 3: The Voyage.
Great was the surprise of the original crew of the Swan, when boatload after boat load of fresh hands arrived. They themselves hadbeen quietly told that the voyage was likely to be one of unusuallength, and that none save those willing and ready to stay away, aslong as might be required, were to sail in the Swan on her presentventure. There was, therefore, a general idea current among themthat Master Hawkshaw had some adventure quite out of the ordinaryin his mind; and the news that some heavy guns had arrived fromLondon for her, had confirmed their opinion as to the voyage.
"Let us have no loud talk, tonight," Reuben Hawkshaw ordered. "Whenwe get our sails spread tomorrow, and are well out of port, you cantalk to your hearts' content; but the night is still, and I wantnot that attention of any on shore should be called to the ship.There has been more foolish talk than enough about her already; soturn in to rest, lads, without ado. The boatswain will serve youeach out a pottle of cider, such as you never drank on board shipbefore, I warrant me, and which is a sample of what you will have,all the voyage. When you have tossed that off, let each lie down ashe can find space. We will divide into watches, and settle as toeach man's place, tomorrow.
"Pengarvan, set four hands aside to go on shore, with the boat, anhour before daybreak. Tell them off to sleep where you can layhands upon them, easily. Keep the boat alongside, and make off tothe wharf as noiselessly as you can; but I shall be on deck, then,and will give you further orders."
The second mate only replied, "Ay, ay, Captain Hawkshaw," for hewas a man of but few words.
Reuben Hawkshaw was not fond of Cornishmen, but he made anexception in the case of Pengarvan--indeed, although their bordersjoined, there was little liking among Cornish and Devon men foreach other.
"They are black, ill-conditioned dogs," Reuben Hawkshaw would say;"good sailors, I own; none better; but glum and surly in theirways, and with nothing joyous in their natures. It seems to me thatworking in the darkness--in those holes of theirs, underground--hasinfected the spirits of the whole county; as it might well do,seeing that, as everyone knows, there are little people who guardthe treasures of the mines; and who, if they cannot do bodily hurtto those who delve for metals, can yet infect their spirits with ablack melancholy, and do them other grievous harm.
"So when Pengarvan came to me as a boy, on the quay here, and askedme to take him with me to sea, I did not much like doing so; for Isaw at once, by his speech, that he was Cornish; but I did not liketo turn him away, for he said that he was willing, and accustomedto the sea. So I gave him a trial, and he has turned out afirst-rate sailor. He is chary of speech, and not given to jest orlaughter; but he is always quick, and willing to obey orders;taking whatever comes in good part, and bearing himself just thesame, in storm, as in sunshine.
"I know naught of his history. The Swan has been his home since hefirst came on board, twelve years ago. As long as she is afloat, henever leaves her. When she is laid down for repairs, he takes thenearest lodging on hand, and abides there till she is afloat again.I believe that he comes from Fowey, and guess that he got into sometrouble or other, and had to run for it. But that's nothing to me.I want no better man; and know that, whatever comes, I can relyupon Pengarvan to stand by me, and the ship, to the last."
If the men were astonished at the thirty new hands who came onboard on the previous evening, they were still more astonished whenas many more embarked in the morning. The newcomers were ordered tokeep in the forecastle, and in the quarters under it, until theSwan was well away from land.
"There will be a good many eyes turned on the ship, as soon as weare seen to be shaking out our canvas," Reuben said; "and there isno need to set their tongues wagging, by showing more men on deckthan we usually carry."
The captain and Diggory Beggs talked late on into the night. Theywent over all the ground again; and Reuben brought out the map ofthe islands, and showed where he intended to touch.
"I think not to do much trading there," he said. "There is gold inHispaniola and Cuba; but the captain I got the chart from saidthere was no very great store there, and that the natives had butlittle of it when the Spaniards first arrived; seeing that it tooktrouble and labor to obtain, and they are by nature altogetheraverse to hard work, and moreover place but little value on thegold. But there were rumors among them that, farther west, therewas a land where gold was in great plenty; and where there was apowerful people, dressed in gay attire, and wearing great braceletsand necklaces of gold.
"So far, the Spaniards have not found this land; though they havesailed down the coast a long way to the south, and northward as faras the point that Master Cabot reached, when he sailed down fromNewfoundland; but due west they have never sailed far, and havefound the sea ever stretching away in front of them; so that it isclear that either the great mainland is split in two at this point,or there is a vast bay. This I shall try to discover, and if wefind these people of whom the Indians speak, we may well returnloaded down with gold.
"My advice to you, Cousin Diggory, is that you and your partnersshould continue to keep silent as to this voyage of ours. If wecome not back, and after a time there is a talk here that we havegone to the Indies, the news may be carried to London; and you maybe questioned, and may be blamed mightily for undertaking such anadventure, without the king's permission; and all sorts of harm mayfall upon you. Success would, in my mind, altogether excuse you;and you will be able to offer so great a present to the king thathe will be mighty contented. But if you fail, it will be otherwise.Therefore my advice is, till the Swan is anchored in the port saynothing about her. It were best, from the moment we sail, to writeoff all that has been spent upon her as money lost, just the sameas if you knew for certain that she had gone down as soon as shewas out of sight of land.
"Folks will ask you what has become of her, and you will truly saythat you have had no news; and when months pass on, and she comesnot, you will shake your head, and say that you begin to fear thatevil has befallen her. She may have gone down in a storm, or beencast on some rocky coast and all perished, or been captured bypirates.
"If the friends of the sailors make a stir, and go to themagistrates, you have but to show the copy of the letter ofinstructions which we drew up the other day, laying it down that Iwas to make for the African Straits, and to put into no Portugueseor Spanish port by the way; that I was then to shape my course forthe island of Malta, and to take in fresh stores of food and waterthere; then that I was to pass round the southernmost point ofGreece, and sail upwards to Constantinople, and there to dispose ofsuch portion of my cargo as I could sell at good profit, buyinggoods suited for our market with the monies I received; and if myhold was full I was then to return straight to England; but if Ihad still some of my cargo unsold, I could trade as best seemed tome among the Eastern Islands, and with the ports of Asia.
"There would be your instructions to show, and as it is notoriousto all that you provisioned the ship in the best manner possible,and laid in greater stores than ordinary of all things necessaryfor the voyage, none can hold you to blame, in any way, if thechances of the seas have proved too masterful for us, and the Swanreturns no more.
"Should we carry out our enterprise to the fullest, and gain greatstore of gold, I shall, if it is possible, come not directly home, butto some port--maybe in Ireland, maybe in the Low Countries--whence wecan send word to you. Upon hearing of our coming there, I shouldadvise you and your fellow adventurers to journey straight to London,to gain audience with one of the ministers, and tell him you have amatter of great importance to communicate to the king himself; andthat you should then lay before his majesty an account of what youhave done, and pray him to pardon your boldness, which was due toyour desire for the honor of the country as much as to wish for profit,and beg him to accept such share of the gold as you may think fit. Ishall, of course, when I write let you know about what weight of themetal I have on board. In that way, when the ship comes into port allwill be smooth sailing for you; whereas if I co
me unannounced, thereis no saying what share of your profits his majesty may think fit totake."
"I think the plan is a very good one, indeed, Reuben; and I willfollow it to the letter. When think you may I begin to expect tohear news of you?"
"It is difficult to say, seeing that we know neither the distancewe may have to sail, nor the difficulties we may have to meet with,nor the winds and currents of those regions. I should say fifteenmonths at the earliest; and if double that time passes, withoutyour hearing aught, then I should say you may give up all hope ofever seeing us again."
"I am disposed even now, Reuben, to regret that I ever embarked inthis venture--not, as you surely know, from any fear of losing themoney that I have put into it, but from the risk that will be runby you and the lad Roger, who are both very dear to me."
"Whatever comes, you must not blame yourself in that matter,Diggory. You have only yielded to my solicitations, and if we go toour death it is our choosing, and none of thine."
"Should the Swan come back without you, Reuben--as may possibly be,for if there be any danger you are sure to expose yourself in thefront of it--Roger shall be as a son to me; and shall either intime have a ship to command, and a share in her, as thou hast; andhe shall come in our business, when he has had enough of adventureat sea, and is willing to settle down on land."
Reuben wrung his cousin's hand silently, and then said:
"Let us take one more glass of strong water, Diggory, and then geta few hours' sleep before morning. It is past midnight now, and Imust be up by four; for at that hour the boat must go off for thefirst batch of our new hands."
Day broke, just as the last batch of men were brought on board. Assoon as these had gone below the whistle was sounded, the old crewcame up on deck, and the preparations for making sail commenced.The anchor was hove short, the lashings of the sails were loosened,the flags run up to the mast heads, the last casks and baleslowered into the hold, the hatches put on, and the decks washeddown.
Before these preparations were all complete, a little group wasseen, standing at the end of the wharf.
"There is your good wife, Diggory, and the girls. She has kept herword to be up, betimes, to see the last of us."
At last all was ready, and Diggory shook hands with Reuben, andturned to Roger, when the captain said:
"The lad can go in charge of the boat that takes you ashore,Diggory, and just say another word of parting to them there."
In five minutes, Roger stood on the wharf.
"I cannot wait, Cousin Mercy," he said, "for all is ready forhoisting the anchor; but my father said I might just come ashore,for one more goodbye."
"May God protect you, Roger," Mistress Mercy said, as she foldedhim in a motherly embrace. "We shall all pray for you, daily andnightly, until you return. Goodbye, Roger! Don't imperil your lifeneedlessly, but be prudent and careful."
"For your sake, Dorothy," he whispered, as he kissed her.
"Yes, for my sake, Roger," she said softly.
Agnes hung round his neck, crying loudly, and her mother had tounclasp the child's fingers.
"God bless you all," said Roger hoarsely, and then ran down thesteps, and leaped into the stern of the boat.
When he gained the deck of the Swan, the boat was hoisted in, andthe men began to heave round the windlass. As soon as the anchorwas up, the sails were sheeted home; and the Swan, yielding to thelight breeze off the land, began to make her way through the water.Roger, from the poop, waved his cap in reply to the signals offarewell from shore; and then, running down into the waist, busiedhimself with the work of the ship, until they were too far awayfrom the land for the figures there to be any longer visible.
The rest of the crew now came on deck, and all were mustered inwatches. Reuben Hawkshaw, standing on the edge of the poop, thensaid a few words to them.
"Men," he said, "I dare say there is some wonderment among you, infinding yourselves so strong a crew, and at seeing the Swan so wellprovided with guns, and with all other necessaries. You will learn,in good time, all about it; but at present it is best, for manyreasons, that you should know nothing about the matter. We may beoverhauled by a king's ship; we may meet with foul weather, andhave to put back into port; and a loose tongue might do us grievousdamage. It is enough for you to know that where the ship is goingyou are going; that she is stored with provisions of such qualityas was never put on board a trader before; that everything will bedone for your comfort. As to myself, I am content to know that Ihave a crew of eighty-five stout Devonshire lads under me, and thatwe can give an account of ourselves, whosoever may meet us. Thosewho have sailed with me before know that I do my best for my men,that there will be no harsh words or violence on board this ship,save they are well merited. Discipline, order, and obedience I willhave, and that strictly. Above all, I will have no grumbling. Agrumbling crew is a useless crew, and a sick crew; while a cheerfulcrew can meet, with confidence, whatever befalls them; but I thinknot that I have any grumblers on board, since every man has beencarefully chosen. A merry heart goes all the way, as the saying hasit, and I want this crew to be a happy one.
"So far as the order of the ship permits it, you shall have everyindulgence. At first you will find yourselves pressed for space,but you will soon eat and drink room for yourselves. The stores tobe first used are all down in the fore hold, and I reckon that, inthree weeks or a month, that will be cleared; and there will thenbe room for all to lie in shelter, when we are in harbor; and thepresent accommodation is sufficient for the watch below, providingall sleep quietly, and have good conscience.
"And now, to work. While you get everything tidy and in goodshipshape, the cooks will get to work at the coppers; and I canpromise you a good breakfast, washed down by sound cider, such asyou had last night."
The men gave a cheer, and were soon at work, under the direction oftheir officers. It mattered little to them where they were going,or what was before them. They had guessed that it was no ordinaryvoyage they were going to undertake; but the thought that, whereverit was, they were to be well kept and well cared for, satisfiedthem mightily; and if fighting were to come into their way, so muchthe better. With such a crew, they could well take their partagainst any enemy they were likely to meet.
In the poop of the Swan there was a small saloon, extending acrossthe stern, and two cabins on either side of the passage leading toit. These were occupied by the captain, the two mates, and Roger;and they took their meals together in the saloon. In a cabinunderneath this, the three petty officers and twenty of the sailorslived together, the main body of the crew occupying the raisedforecastle and the cabin underneath it. The galley was forward,built up against the forecastle, and thus sheltered from heavy seaswhich might sweep the waist of the vessel. Four small cannon weremounted on the poop, two on the forecastle, the six larger gunswere in the waist--three on either side.
The breeze freshened as the Swan drew out from under the shelter ofthe land, and by midday the shore had faded from the sight. Thecrew had by this time settled down in their places, and sat ingroups on deck, some overhauling the contents of their sea bags,looking over their clothes, and setting to, with needle and thread,to make such repairs as were needed. Some of the new hands wereleaning over the side, wishing heartily that they were on shoreagain. Those who had made voyages were talking to their companionsabout the various ports at which they might touch, and the sightsthey would behold.
All, save those suffering from the effects of the sea, were in highgood temper. As much fresh beef as was like to keep good till eatenhad been brought on board. The wind set in, the next morning,freshly from the northeast; and with all sail set, the Swan rangaily before it.
"Would that this wind would blow, without a break, for anothermonth," Reuben Hawkshaw said, as he sat at dinner with the twomates and Roger.
Standing and Pengarvan looked up quickly; but the latter, without aquestion, again betook himself to feeding. Standing, however, laiddown his jackknife in astonishment.
"A
month, Captain Hawkshaw? I should have thought four or five daysof this would give us ample westing, and that after that a westerlybreeze, somewhat from the north, would suit us best."
"Ay, ay, you would think so, Standing; but then you see, you knownot to within a good many points where our journey tendeth. Waittill I have finished my dinner, for man cannot talk and eattogether, with comfort. Then, when my boy has removed thetrenchers, I will tell you, over an extra mug of cider, what allthis is about."
The meal lasted for some time longer, for Reuben Hawkshaw was agood trencherman, and one not given to hurrying himself, unlessthere was need; and neither of the other men were far behind theirchief, in the matter of the stowage of victuals. But at last themeal was done, and the trenchers were carried off. The earthenwaremugs were again filled with cider, and then Reuben Hawkshaw--sittingat one end of the table, with Roger facing him, and the mates oneon either hand--threw himself back in his settle, which he used inright of captaincy, while the others contented themselves with stools,and began.
"I had not thought, comrades, to broach this matter until we weredown in the latitude of the African Straits; but seeing that thewind has taken us in charge, I see no reason for longer keepingsilent. You, who have both sailed with me for years, must haveknown right well that this was no ordinary voyage--the number ofmen I have taken on board, the care I have had as to the stores,and the great number of water casks, must have told you that. Youhave asked no questions, and I did not expect that you would."
"Why should we?" James Standing growled. "It mattered naught to uswhere we went, as we knew we should hear, in good time."
Pengarvan said nothing, but he nodded, to show that he agreed withthe first mate.
"Well, men, our intent is this: I see not why the Spaniards shouldhave all the good things to themselves, and I purpose to goa-trading with the natives, down in these new islands of theirs."
An exclamation of surprise broke from James Standing, but Pengarvanonly nodded again.
"But this is not all," Reuben went on. "So far, the Spaniards havenot gained much store of gold from these islands; but I havelearned that, among the natives, there is talk of a rich nationlying somewhere farther to the west, where gold and riches of allsorts abound. So far the Spaniards have not found it, having theirhands pretty well full. They have sailed down the land to the southand, as you know, Master Cabot sailed from the north, down almostto the latitude of these islands; but due west no man has sailedyet, or if he has, has never returned to tell of it."
"Well, Captain Reuben," James Standing said, "as I said before, itmakes no difference to me where we go. If the Spaniards catch usthere, they will cut our throats to a surety, if they can; but ifyou are ready to take your chance of that, I have nothing againstit. I feel as if I am taken aback a bit, just now, as it comes newto me--my own fancy being that you intended to trade with theTurkish ports and islands, and had taken a strong crew on board tobeat off any pirates that they might meet."
"And you, Pengarvan?"
"It is as I expected, Captain. I thought that you did not bring theSpaniard on board at Cadiz, and sit plying him with wine, andtalking to him by the hour, for nothing. So when I saw what wasbeing done on board the Swan, it came to me that you intended totry a venture in the Spanish main."
"Here is a map which I got from the Spaniard," Reuben said, layingit out upon the table. "Here, you see, all the great islands aremarked in their places, with their ports and the Spanishsettlements. There are besides these, the Spaniard said, numbers ofsmall ones not marked on the chart. In these large islands, Cubaand Hispaniola, the Spaniards have made themselves masters of thepeople, and reduced them to slavery; and there would be no touchingat these with either safety or profit. The small ones have beenonly occasionally visited, and with these we may do trade.
"Here is the line of the mainland, to the south of the islands. Yousee it runs along as far as the easternmost of them, and then turnsaway to the south; while from the north the mainland comes downwell nigh to Cuba. One reason, the Spaniard said, why they have notsailed west to find out this land of gold, is that there is a greatcurrent, which runs in between the islands and the southern land,and sweeps out again with great force between the Bahamas and thisnorthern land; and that they fear being swept away by it, andgetting driven into whirlpools; and moreover they say that thereare great storms to be encountered, in the waters to the west.
"Now the fact that there is a current into, and another current outof, this western sea, seems to show that there is no exit to thewest; and that the water that comes in at the south finds itself ina great bay, and so is forced to pass out to the north. How greatthis bay may be I know not, but surely it cannot be too great tosearch. At any rate it is clear to me that, somewhere to the west,these two great lands that we see to the north and south join. Nowthat men who have, with much toil and risk, made a discovery of anew land should claim it, for their king, seems to me fair andright; but not that they should claim sole traffic, with lands ofwhose very existence they know nothing; and therefore, although itis true that the pope has given these western islands to Spain, Isee not how he can give to them land not, as yet, discovered.
"If there is, as the natives in the islands say, a land lyingsomewhere to the west, where gold is abundant, I see no reason why,if we are first there, we should not gather great stores. The balesand boxes, that were brought round from London, contain a greatquantity of all the things that are, as the Spaniard told me, mostprized by the natives. Glass beads of all sorts and kinds, vesselsof brass, iron hatchets and arrowheads, hawk bells, mirrors, andtrinkets. The venture is, I admit, a perilous one; but if wesucceed, every man on board will have a share in the profit."
Reuben then explained the arrangements he had made, with theowners, for the division of such treasure as they might bring home.
"That is a fair proposal," the first mate said; "and I doubt notthat all on board will gladly fall in with it. If we succeed, weshall set every tongue in England wagging; and there will be plentyof others, I warrant, who will be ready to follow our example."
"I had intended," Reuben went on, "to sail as far as the straits;then to head for the island of Madeira and, when within sight ofit, to head away west-sou'-west. But if we carry this wind with us,we will make straight for the islands, and thereby shall escape therisk of being seen by vessels coming and going, as they all followa track south of Madeira. We can make a good fight with anySpaniard that falls foul of us, and are as likely to take him as heis to capture us; but I would fain keep clear of them, if I can,since we go to trade and not to fight.
"Now I think you had best give a hint of the matter in hand to ourold crew, all of whom we can depend upon; as indeed, I hope we canupon all, though as yet their mettle has not been tried. Take themaside singly, and open the matter to them. In a few days I shalltell the rest; but the matter will go more fairly, and easily, ifwe have a proportion of them ready to throw up their caps, andshout."
"Aye, aye, Captain Reuben. One bellwether will carry a whole flockafter it, but I fear not that any will want to hold back. It isjust the adventure that will suit a brave man's spirit--plenty tosee, plenty to do, the chance of a fight, and the chance of afortune. I should like to know what one could want, better thanthat. Besides, all are in high feather at the quality of the food,which they say the like of was never known on shipboard before; andthat goes a long way. It is the fasting man who kicks. The full oneis content, however matters go."
Pengarvan had not again opened his lips. He nodded occasionally,and that was all his captain expected of him; but the fact that hehad guessed the destination of the ship, added to the esteem whichReuben Hawkshaw had for his second mate.
Three days later Reuben Hawkshaw called the crew together, andinformed them of their destination. He possessed the rougheloquence best suited for the class he was addressing, and carriedhis hearers with him. He spoke as if the idea, that any of themcould shrink from undertaking such an adventure, had not enteredhis mind; but
assumed that they were the most fortunate of men, inhaving such a chance offered to them.
"You do not yet know," he said, "how great a piece of good fortunehas befallen you, by being chosen to sail with me on this voyage.Had the news been as much as whispered, in Plymouth, I could havegathered a thousand volunteers in an hour. You all know how carefulhave been the preparations for the voyage, how strongly we aremanned, how well we are armed, what stores of excellent provisionsand what casks of good cider and ale are in the hold.
"Now I am going to tell you what all this is for. We are going,lads, to get gold; and if we succeed, as I doubt not we shall, eachman on his return will, in addition to his wages, have a share inthe spoil--such a share as will, I hope, make him comfortable forlife."
A loud cheer broke from the men, as they pressed forward eagerly tolisten.
"I have learned, lads," he said, "from a Spaniard who has been outthere, of a land abounding with gold, lying to the west of theSpanish Islands. As yet, none of them have ventured thither; and Imean that we shall be the first to reap the harvest. Why shouldthese Spaniards keep every good thing to themselves? We are as goodsailors as they are, and better; as good men, and better.Therefore, I say, we will have a share of the prizes.
"We shall touch on our way at some of the islands, for wood andwater and fruit and vegetables. There are plenty of them where wecan find these, without meeting with a Spaniard. If we do meet withone, and he tries to interfere with us, so much the worse for him.
"Then, when we have taken in what we want, we will sail west; andif we find this land, as I doubt not we shall, we will return homewith such treasures as were never brought before into an Englishport.
"You must make up your minds, lads, that it is not to be all plainsailing, and that we may have hardships and trials to meet with;but no true sailor shrinks from these. It is a grand adventure,lads--an adventure that nobles and princes would be glad to sharein. There is honor and glory in it, as well as booty. We shall bethe first Englishmen who ever sailed those seas, or dared todispute the right of the Spaniards to keep all the treasures of thewest in their hands; and in time to come your children's childrenwill be proud to say, 'My grandsire was one of those who sailed inthe Swan.'"
When the captain ceased speaking, there was a shout of enthusiasmfrom his hearers; not one of whom but considered himself to be oneof the most fortunate of men, in being chosen as one of the crew ofthe Swan. This was an adventure, indeed. It was no mere tradingvoyage, but a grand expedition. There were new lands to be seen,there was the satisfaction of outwitting the Spaniards, there wereglory and honor and gold to be obtained.
As for hardships and danger, they recked little of them. Thesealways formed part of their lot; and with so well found a ship, andso good a crew, they felt confident of being able to face anythingthat might befall them.
They speedily broke up into excited groups, eagerly discussing thenews they had heard. The new hands plied the older ones withquestions, as to the general strength of the Spanish ships, thenumber of men they carried, and their armament. The guns wereexamined with fresh attention and admiration, and men looked alongthe sights as if already, in fancy, engaging in an encounter withthe Dons. A horn of strong ale was served out to each, by thecaptain's orders, to celebrate the occasion; and the men dranksuccess to the enterprise, shaking each other by the hand, and eachvowing to do his share, bravely.
The wind continued favorable until they had passed Madeira, whichwas seen like a cloud on the port side. Three days later the breezedropped, and there was a stark calm, in which the Swan laymotionless on the sea for well nigh a fortnight. The captain,knowing well that idleness is, of all things, the most harmful to acrew, set them to work to get up the cases of arms, and polishtheir swords and pikes until they shone. Then the crew wereexercised with boarding pike and cutlass. Singlesticks and staffs,which the captain had provided for such an occasion, were broughtup; and men were matched against each other with these--smallprizes being given to those who showed themselves the mostproficient.
Squads were told off to the great guns, and instructed how theseshould best be worked by the gunner, so that each man should do hisshare without hurry or confusion. He would fain have practiced themat a mark, but this the captain would not have as, with the air sostill, the guns would be heard at a long distance, and might evenbring up some Spanish or Portuguese vessel, to inquire into thecause of the firing--for they were now far below the line which theships of other nations were forbidden to cross. Nor was there greatneed for practice, for to each gun was appointed, as captain, oneof the old hands accustomed to the work, who could be trusted tosend the ball straight when the time should come.
With these and other exercises, and with such sports as the sailorscould devise, the time of the calm was got through well enough.They had now been over a month at sea; but, thanks to the honestfood and sound cider, the men's health in no way suffered, and allwere as well and hearty as upon the day when they set sail.
When the wind came, it came with sudden fury; but Reuben Hawkshaw hadheard of the sudden gales that ships sailing west had to encounter,and took precautions as soon as it began to rise--furling up all thegreat sails; passing lifelines along the sides, to which the men couldcling, if the waves washed boisterously over her; and clearing thedecks and closing up all hatchways and openings. So, though for a weekshe tossed and labored in the gale, she was none the worse when itceased; and indeed, the seas she encountered were by no means so heavyas those with which she had battled, on her voyage home from Spain.
While the gale lasted, Reuben Hawkshaw took every precaution toenable him to keep his reckoning, heaving the log every half hour,and noting constantly each change in the direction of the wind; sothat, when all was over, he could tell within fifty miles the spotwhere the gale left her--for in those days the instruments ofnavigation were in their infancy, and sailors relied chiefly on thecompass, and dead reckoning, to bring them safe to port, howeverlong their voyage might be. Reuben Hawkshaw knew of no other plan,but as far as these went he was an excellent navigator, and wasseldom many miles out in making a landfall.
As soon as the gale abated, sail was again made on the ship, andshe proceeded on her course. In another three weeks, the mates wereseen frequently to ascend into the tops, and the news spread amongthe crew that the Spanish islands lay not far ahead. The justnessof the captain's reckoning was soon proved; for at daybreak, onemorning, land was perceived directly ahead; though still lying,like a patch of low cloud, on the horizon.
A cheer broke from those on deck, as soon as the mate proclaimedthat to a certainty it was land they saw, and the watch below camepouring up. Another cheer saluted the captain as he came out fromhis cabin--a tribute to his seamanship, in thus bringing themstraight across the ocean, on a path that no Englishman had everbefore sailed.
He, with the two mates, at once ascended to the fore top. From here,as the morning brightened, two other points of land could be seen,far away on either hand.
"We are evidently approaching small islands. This is just what wehoped. My fear was that we might strike Hispaniola, or Porto Rico.When we get nearer land we will lower our topsails, so as not to beso easily made out from the land. Now we will go below, and try andmark off our place on the chart."
