The South Sea Whaler

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

  A FLAGSTAFF AND LOOKOUT TOWER ERECTED--A CANOE BUILT--MORE GAME CAUGHT--A SAIL IN SIGHT--CAPTAIN TREDEAGLE FINDS HIS CHILDREN--HIS ADVENTURES--AWRECK--A VESSEL BUILT--VOYAGE TO SYDNEY--THE WHOLE PARTY SETTLE IN NEWSOUTH WALES--CONCLUSION.

  The first impulse of all the party was to rush along the shore of theharbour in search of the boat. Their worst fears were quickly realised.Fragments of the wreck lay scattered along the beach, giving certainevidence of her fate. The sea, aroused by the gale, which struckdirectly on the coast, had rushed up the harbour; and the water risingmuch above its usual height, had floated the boat and then dashed her topieces on the rocks.

  Alice, giving way to despair, wrung her hands. "Oh, poor papa!" sheexclaimed; "we shall never be able to go in search of him, and he willthink that we are all lost."

  Walter felt very much as Alice did, but after being silent for sometime, he took her arm and said, "Remember, our father always told us totrust in God; and I am sure we ought to do so, and must do so, if wewould not live in constant anxiety and fear. He will guide us anddirect us, and find a way for us to escape."

  "I know that. I was very weak and wrong to say what I did; but it seemsso impossible now that we shall ever get home, that I cannot help it,"answered Alice.

  "Perhaps it is the very best thing that could have happened to us," saidWalter; "and I am sure of it, as God ordered that it should be so," headded.

  In the meantime the rest of the party were giving vent to feelings ofdismay and sorrow at what had happened, till Nub made a remark verysimilar to Walter's.

  "You are right, Nub," said the mate. "I always doubted the prudence ofputting to sea in that boat. I know well that God could, if He chose,have enabled us to reach Sydney in her; but we have no business to runrisks which our sense and experience tell us are very great: and it's mybelief that had a storm of half the violence of that which has passedover this island overtaken us, we should have foundered. We must now,like wise men, make the best of our position. The first thing we haveto do is to see what damage our house has suffered, and to repair it.We must then set to work to collect provisions. After that, I tell youwhat we must do: we must establish a lookout place on the high point atthe south side of our harbour, from whence we can obtain a wide rangeover the ocean, and signal to any vessel which may heave in sight.There is every reason to hope that one may come near us some day orother; and we have a much better chance of getting off from an outlyingisland, like this one, than we should have enjoyed had we landed an themainland, or on any dangerous cluster surrounded by reefs. So, myfriends, you see we have plenty to do to keep our minds from dwelling onour misfortune; and I have good reason to believe that help will come intime."

  The mate's remarks restored cheerfulness to all the party, who no longerspoke of the loss of the boat as an unmitigated misfortune.

  "We must depend on the land, however, for supplying us with provisions,as we cannot go out fishing," observed the doctor.

  "Not so _sure_ of dat, sir," said Nub. "We build a canoe, which go outquite far enough to catch fish. No bery difficult job, I tink."

  "You are right, Nub," said the mate; "and we will put her in hand as_soon_ as our lookout station is established."

  "Capital!" exclaimed Walter. "That is the very thing I thought ofdoing, for I have very often fancied how delightful it would be to`paddle my own canoe.'"

  On visiting the house, the settlers found that the water had penetratedin all directions, and that the wind had torn away part of the verandah,as well as the roof, and blown down their safe. Bamboo canes hadtherefore to be cut and palm-leaves collected; and by the evening of thenext day all was set to rights, and Alice and Walter took possession oftheir snug little cabins.

  A tall tree, suitable for a flagstaff, was found and cut down. It tooksome time to fit the rigging to it; and as it was formed of creepingvines, the mate acknowledged that it had not a very ship-shapeappearance. It was set up on the highest part of the point, and a flagmanufactured with the mate and Nub's red handkerchiefs and the liningsof the jackets of all the party. (Alice wanted to contribute a portionof her dress, but this was not accepted.) The flag even then was not ofsufficient size to be seen at any great distance.

  "We ought to be able to manufacture a material to answer instead ofbunting," observed the doctor; "I cannot help thinking that it can bedone."

  "Of course it can," said the mate. "We should deserve to be left herefor ever if we cannot do that."

  After considering the matter for a short time, the doctor constructed alarge frame, the size of the intended flag. Then procuring an amplesupply of fine fibre, it was soon woven into material scarcely inferiorto bunting. It had, however, to be coloured. Here, again, the doctor'sscience was of use. From the trunk of the sandal-wood he produced afine red dye.

  The flag, when finished, presented a large red cross on a white ground.It was hoisted with loud acclamations, and was soon floating in thebreeze. At the foot of the flagstaff a substantial hut was nexterected, so that one of the party might be there from daybreak to dark--and also at night, when the moon shone brightly; a quantity of faggotswas next collected, and a pile got ready at a little distance from theflagstaff, that fire might be set to it should a ship appear during theevening.

  The doctor and Dan went out hunting the greater part of each day. Theyfound an ample supply of fruit, which the storm had shaken down; andthough some had been attacked by insects or birds, enough remained tosupply their wants. They managed generally on each excursion to bringdown three or four birds, Dan having by degrees found how to make hisbow shoot straight. He one day killed what he took to be a large bat,but on showing it to the doctor, he was highly delighted to find that itwas in reality a flying lemur. It had a largely developed membrane,connecting the fore limbs with the others, and the hind limbs with thetail. With this apparatus the animal can fly from one bough to anotherseparated by a wide distance, which it could not possibly reach by amere leap. Dan caught sight of it as it was making its way through theforest; but at each flight it reached a bough somewhat lower than theone it had left, till it pitched very near the ground, when, closing themembrane round its body, it ran nimbly up the trunk, its sharp clawsenabling it to do so with great ease and speed. After this Dan killedseveral smaller animals, the flesh of which was found to be palatable.Nub, also, who had an especial fondness for turtle, made an excursion inthe hope of finding some along the seashore. He brought back thesatisfactory report that he had turned a couple, which were waiting tobe brought home and eaten; while he exhibited a dozen eggs which he haddiscovered in the sand. He then, accompanied by the doctor and Dan,returned and dragged home the two turtles; one of which being placed inthe shade, and kept constantly covered with wet grass, was preservedalive till required for food.

  The sago bags left in the pool had remained undisturbed, with thecontents perfectly good. The doctor, however, made a further supply, asthe consumption of it, from the want of farinaceous food, wasconsiderable.

  A proper tree having been found for the canoe, it was cut down, and themate, with Nub and Walter, began to shape it. They afterwards hollowedit out with fire. It was somewhat heavy; but when a weatherboard wasplaced round it, the mate considered that the craft was fit not only topaddle about in their harbour, but to go out to sea in fine weather.Walter having manufactured some more hooks and fish-lines during theevenings, an ample supply of fish was procured.

  Thus day after day and week after week went rapidly by, and had not themate kept careful note of the time, in Robinson Crusoe fashion, bycutting notches on a stick, the settlers would soon have forgotten howlong they had been on the island. The Sabbath was duly observed, as faras they had the means. Although they had no Bible, the mate recollectedlarge portions of Scripture which he had learned in his youth; whileWalter and Alice knew the Sermon on the Mount and several psalms byheart. The mate was also well acquainted with the subjects of manyother parts of Scripture, whic
h every Sunday he explained in simplelanguage to his hearers, while one or more psalms were repeated; andthus they were able to keep, if not to the form, at all events to thespirit of a Sabbath service.

  They had many causes for thankfulness. Notwithstanding the hardshipsthey had gone through, their health was excellent--even Alice never hadan hour's illness--while the products of the island and the oceansupplied them with an abundance of wholesome food. Besides, they hadplenty of work to keep their minds occupied. Alice, taking a hint fromthe doctor's frame for forming a flag, contrived a loom, with theassistance of Walter, with which she set diligently to work tomanufacture material which would serve as clothing when her own garmentswere worn out. The doctor also took into consideration various meansfor replacing their shoes when these should come to pieces,--which hisand Dan's already gave signs of doing.

  By the mate's calculation they had already been three months on theisland; and though a good lookout had been kept from their watch-houseduring that time, not a sail had appeared in sight. One evening Dan hadbeen keeping the afternoon watch, when Nub, whose turn it was to keepthe first watch, went to relieve him. He soon came running back,however, dancing, leaping, and clapping his hands, as if he had gonemad, while he shouted at the top of his voice--

  "A sail! a sail! She come dis way."

  The doctor was away shooting and botanising; but the mate and Walterimmediately hurried towards the point; while Alice, who had heard Nub'sshouts, dropped her work and quickly followed them. They all looked outeagerly in the direction Dan pointed, where, in the north, just risingabove the horizon, was seen the white sail of a vessel, lighted up bythe rays of the setting sun. The wind came from the point where she wasseen, and it was evident that she was standing towards the south; butwhether or not she would pass near enough to observe their signal wasextremely uncertain. The wind being fresh, sent the stranger rapidlyalong; and though she was still too far off to see the flag, it was atonce hoisted. How the hearts of all the party throbbed with anxiety!Darkness was coming on, and would soon shroud her from sight, and alsoprevent those on board from seeing the flag.

  "We must make our fire blaze up brightly as soon as night falls," saidthe mate.

  "Yas, Massa Shobbrok, we make it blaze, neber fear," said Nub,readjusting the faggots, and shoving in a few handfuls of dry leavesunder them.

  "If the wind holds, she will be down in time to see our signal,"observed the mate.

  "Oh, I do hope so," exclaimed Alice. "Is the ship standing towards theshore, do you think?"

  "She is certainly not standing away from it," answered the mate; "but Idoubt whether the wind will keep up. It has dropped since I came here."

  They stood intently watching the sail, too anxious to talk. Already theshades of night were stealing over the ocean. The sun went down, andthe vessel's white canvas changed to an inky hue. Still the mate coulddiscern her, and he declared that she was a brigantine or asquare-topsail schooner. Gradually, however, the wind dropped, and theocean assumed a glass-like appearance. There could be little doubt thatby this time the stranger was becalmed. But darkness now came on, andcompletely shut her out from sight.

  The mate having struck a light, the fire soon blazed up brightly. "Puton more faggots, Nub," he cried. "She may stand nearer the shore if thebreeze gets up again; but she is as likely to stand away from us, and wemay not have so good an opportunity of being seen as now."

  Walter ran off to a distance, so as to be out of the glare of the fire,and peered with all his might into the darkness; but no vessel could hesee, and he began to fear that she must, as the mate had thoughtprobable, have stood away from the land. His heart fell, but he did notlike to tell Alice.

  All of them were still too anxious to leave the spot. They were atlength joined by the doctor, who surmised where they had gone fromseeing the glare of the fire in the distance. The mate advised Aliceand Walter to go back to the house; but they both declared that theyshould not sleep a wink, and would much rather remain where they were."Perhaps the fire may be seen, and a boat sent on shore from the vesselto ascertain the cause of it," said Walter.

  "She is too far off, I suspect, for the fire to be seen," answered themate. "We must have patience. Daylight will come at last, and thematter will then be settled."

  "But suppose she has sailed away," said Walter.

  "Oh, don't think of such a dreadful thing," cried Alice.

  "If she has, we must have patience still," said the mate. "We talk agood deal about putting our trust in God; this is an occasion which willshow whether our trust is real. We are _always_ to trust Him."

  "So I try to do," said Alice. "I will not doubt again that He willorder all things for the best."

  "Well, my little girl, you must take my advice, and go back to the housewith your brother. Your staying here won't bring the vessel nearer; andI will send for you at daybreak should she be seen."

  The doctor, approving of the mate's advice, accompanied Walter andAlice, and promised to stay in the house with them; while the mate, Nub,and Dan remained at the station to keep the fire burning. Alice thoughtthat she should not go to sleep; but she did, notwithstanding, andafterwards confessed that she dreamed all sorts of delightful dreams--and, what was not altogether wonderful, some of them came perfectlytrue.

  The light was streaming through the chinks in her shutters, when she wasawakened by Nub shouting out, "De vessel in sight! de vessel in sight!"Walter was so fast asleep that she had to call him, and she was ready toleave her room as soon as he was. The doctor had waited for them, andall three followed Nub, who had run back to the flagstaff.

  A light breeze was floating out the flag, and filling the sails of asmall schooner, which came gliding on towards the mouth of theirharbour. When at about a mile distant she hove-to, and a boat waslaunched from her deck, and, impelled by four lusty rowers, rapidlyapproached the shore.

  The mate watched her eagerly. "She is a whale-boat," he exclaimed; "andI cannot help thinking that I have seen her and her crew before, as wellas the man standing up and steering with an oar. Alice,--Walter, canyou guess who that man is?"

  "Yes! yes!" exclaimed Walter; "I know his attitude. Alice, it is ourfather!"

  Alice did not faint, but she cried for joy. The mate waved with hishand, pointing to the entrance of the harbour; and then they all hurrieddown, and along the shore to the nearest spot where the boat couldsafely put in. The doctor and Walter had to support Alice; while Nub,frantic with joy, eagerly rushed on ahead.

  The boat had hardly reached the rocks when the father recognised hischildren, and in a few minutes he had sprung on shore and clasped themin his arms. Neither could speak for some minutes. He then shook themate and the doctor warmly by the hand; while Nub and Dan wereexchanging greetings with the crew, and learning something about eachother's adventures. The captain then accompanied the party to thehouse, and on the way they briefly told him what they had gone through.He also had a long story to tell. He was much pleased with theappearance of their house, and expressed his deep gratitude to thefaithful men who had so carefully watched over his children. On seeingthe pile of sandal-wood, with the nature of which he was wellacquainted, he remarked that it was of considerable value, and althoughhe could carry but a small portion of it at present, it would be wellworth while to send a vessel back for a cargo. As he had several peopleon board the small schooner, he was anxious to continue the voyage toSydney--to which port he was bound--without delay. He therefore tookoff his children, with the doctor, Nub, and Dan; while the mate remainedto ship the provisions they had in store,--which the captain said wouldbe very welcome,--as well as a small quantity of sandal-wood.

  By noon the whole party had embarked, and the little schooner, under allsail, was standing on her course for Sydney.

  "She's a strange-looking craft this of yours, captain," observed themate, as he stepped on board.

  "Not more strange than the way in which she was built," answered CaptainTredeagle.


  "Oh father, that's what Alice and I want so much to hear about!"exclaimed Walter.

  The captain, however, had no leisure to satisfy his children's curiositytill they were seated at tea in the cabin. They had in the meantimerecognised many of their old shipmates, besides whom there were severalstrangers on board.

  Alice having resumed her old place at the table, and poured out tea forthose assembled, the captain began the narrative of his adventures:--

  "You may imagine my agony of mind, when I reached the neighbourhood ofthe spot where I had left the ship, and found only a few blackenedpieces of wreck, which too surely told me what had happened. Still Ihoped that some, if not all, had escaped, and that I should be pickedup; so I searched all round. But the necessity of making land where wecould obtain some provisions and water compelled me to direct our coursetowards the nearest island I knew of. A heavy gale coming on, severelytried the boat, and we were almost despairing of reaching a place ofshelter, when we caught sight of a small island, and steered towards it.We were going round to the side on which I expected to land with leastdanger, when I made out a vessel on a reef at some distance from theshore. I was able to approach her. As I did so I was hailed by a voiceI knew, and I discovered that she was the prize we had taken, and whichhad afterwards been driven on shore. The masts were gone, and thevessel was evidently a complete wreck. Some of the people were clingingto the bowsprit, and waving frantically to me. In a short time, thewind having fallen still more, I was able to board her; when I foundthat many of the French crew had attempted to escape and had been lost,and that those on the bowsprit were the only survivors. Happily, thehull of the vessel had not suffered so much as I had feared, for thoughshe was bilged, and her bulwarks and boats had been washed away, thegreater part of her cargo and stores were uninjured. I therefore atonce set all hands to work to build a raft, on which we might land them.The weather holding fine, we got everything of value on shore; but asthe island was utterly barren, I saw that before long we should bereduced to starvation. I therefore at once determined to build a vesselfrom the wreck. Fortunately, the brig had a fresh suit of sails, and agood deal of the rigging was still clinging to her. The Frenchcarpenter and one of his crew had been among the saved, and I had two ofmy carpenters; so, without loss of time, we pulled the wreck to pieces,and set up a new vessel on the stocks. She was launched but a week ago;and we were steering a course for Sydney, when we were driven back by astrong southerly gale. We thought it a great misfortune, as ourprovisions were running short; but it has proved to me indeed a happyoccurrence."

  "And _we_ thought, when our boat was wrecked, that it was a greatmisfortune," exclaimed Walter; "but now we see that it was ordered forthe best: for had we sailed away, we might have been lost; or had wereached Sydney, we should very likely have gone up the country, and havebeen a long time before we heard of you."

  "Depend upon it, my children, everything is ordered for the best in theaffairs of those who trust God," said the captain solemnly.

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  The little schooner, notwithstanding the way she had been built, reachedSydney in safety; when Captain Tredeagle, weary of the sea, tookadvantage of the liberal offers made by Government to settlers, andaccepted a grant of land--having determined to take up his abode therewith his children. Dr Lawrie followed his example, and settled nearhim.

  Alice and Walter, growing up and marrying, had estates of their own; andoften at social gatherings they would talk over with old friends theiradventures at sea and their residence on "Refuge Island." But theirgreat delight was to narrate these to their children, and to urge themto put implicit confidence in the love and mercy of Him who guides thosewho trust Him through darkness and trouble, and ever orders all thingsfor the best.

  THE END.