Four Young Explorers; Or, Sight-Seeing in the Tropics

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XV

  ON THE VOYAGE TO POINT CAMBODIA

  The Blanchita moored as usual in front of the town, while the steameranchored in the river. She proved to be the Delhi, from Calcutta; and itwas ascertained when the party went on shore later, that she was to sailfor Saigon the next day. The first care of the cabin party was to sendthe fish to Rajah Brooke and two officers whose acquaintance they hadmade.

  Pitts overhauled the ice-chest, and found them in excellent condition;and Achang was appointed to be the bearer of them, with the complimentsof the Americans, to the gentlemen who were to receive them. Two nativeporters were to carry them; and the party knew that the fish were ararity in the town, and they were in season for the dinner of that day.

  The four went on shore together just as a party from the Delhi landedwith a boat. The captain of the steamer hailed them in the street infront of the government house, and asked if they belonged to thesteam-launch which had just come up the river. He was curious to knowsomething more about the explorers, and Captain Scott told him what theyhad been doing in the island. He was invited on board of the Blanchita,and was much interested in the young men.

  They showed him over the boat; and he was greatly pleased with thecraft, and with the excellent accommodations for sleeping, eating, andmaking the voyagers generally comfortable. They came to the ice-chest,in which two of the choice fish still remained; and Scott presented oneof them to their guest.

  "We intend to sail for Point Cambodia to-morrow to rejoin our ship,"said the captain of the Blanchita, after the fish had been sent onboard.

  "In this little tub of yours?" asked the commander of the Delhi with asmile of incredulity.

  "Is this part of the China Sea subject to violent seas?"

  "Not at just this season of the year. With the south-west monsoons smartsqualls come up sometimes, but they are not very bad. I don't think youwill find it any rougher than we had it outside the river to-day on yourpassage to the Point," replied Captain Rayburn, who stated then that hehad seen the Guardian-Mother when she was at Calcutta.

  "You are bound to Saigon, I think you said."

  "To Saigon, but a portion of my cargo goes to Kampot. If I found asailing-vessel here that was going up the Gulf of Siam, I was ordered toreship my freight for Kampot in her; if not, I was to take it there inthe Delhi. I find no such vessel here."

  "Then you will make your course direct for Point Cambodia, CaptainRayburn?" said Scott.

  "Precisely so; and if you can keep up with my steamer, we need not partcompany on the voyage."

  "I think we can keep up with you," replied the captain of the Blanchitawith a smile.

  The party went on shore again, and arrangements were made for taking ina supply of coal early the next morning. Everything on board of theyacht had been stowed very carefully on the passage from Simujan, inorder to make all the room possible for coal; but the boat could carry asupply for four days, and Scott was not at all afraid that he shouldcome short of this needed article. Pitts purchased all the provisionsand stores needed for the voyage.

  After dinner the four paid their respects to the rajah, and visited thetwo officers whose acquaintance they had made. They were heartilythanked for the welcome gift of the fish, which the officers declaredwere a great luxury; and Governor Brooke said that he should make a tripto the lake where they were caught, in the government steam-yacht. Thesegentlemen thought the young men were rather venturesome to undertake thevoyage before them in so small a craft; but the best wishes of all ofthem went with the party.

  At daylight in the morning the coaling was begun; the provisions andstores were all looked over, and all deficiencies were supplied. By nineo'clock everything was in readiness for sailing. Captain Rayburn sentword that the Delhi would sail at ten o'clock, and afterwards went onboard of the Blanchita.

  "You seem to be well supplied with coal," said he, as he looked abouthim.

  "I think we have a five-days' supply on board," replied Scott. "As Ifigure it up, we shall make the run to the Point inside of three days."

  "The Delhi's time is sixty-three hours," added her commander. "If yourcoal should come short, I can help you out; but I think you won't needit."

  "Thank you, Captain Rayburn; that kind offer removes the only doubt Ihave in regard to the voyage," replied Captain Scott.

  "The Delhi, as you have seen for yourself, is not a fast steamer; butthe only fear I have is that you will not be able to keep up with her,"added Captain Rayburn. "I am obliged to sail in the interest of myowners, and I must make the best time I can. The south-west monsoonsprevail at this season; and by carrying sail I may add half a knot, orperhaps a knot, to her speed. I should be sorry to run away from you,but I must do my duty."

  "Certainly; that is understood. If you run away from me, I shall stillwish you _bon voyage_. But suppose I should run away from you?"suggested Scott, laughing.

  "You will be quite welcome to do so. The Delhi is an old steamer, andnot up to modern-built ones; but with a breeze I have made nine knots inher."

  "I shall try to keep up with you, for I should be very sorry to have topart company with so pleasant a captain as you are."

  "Thank you, Captain Scott; and if we part company on the voyage, I hopewe shall meet again. I am liable to be detained some time in Saigon; formine is a tramp steamer, and I have to look up a cargo for some port,"said Captain Rayburn, as he shook hands with the four, and went into hisboat alongside.

  The first thing Scott did was to look up the mast and sail of theBlanchita. It had not been covered up with coal, as he had feared; forClingman had suspended it inboard under the rail. The sail had beenstowed away in the bow of the boat, and it was brought out andoverhauled. It was nearly new, and needed no repairs. It was alug-foresail, with a gaff, but no boom. It was stepped just abaft thegalley, and the sail could be set in two or three minutes when it wasrequired.

  The statement of the captain of the Delhi that he could gain a knot orless in a good breeze had stimulated Scott to be ready for such anemergency. The wind would be on the port quarter during the wholevoyage, and the sail would certainly add something to the speed of theyacht. In the crowd that collected at the government storehouse were therajah and most of the officers of the place. The handshaking was alldone over again, and pleasant wishes were extended to the "Big Four" asthe Blanchita cast off her fasts.

  The Delhi was already under way, and going at full speed down the river.Clingman was at the wheel, and Scott went aft to the engine-room, as itwas called, though there was no such room, and the word applied simplyto the locality; and the same was true of the galley. The boat had beendelayed a little while the party were making and receiving the partingsalutations of their friends, and the Delhi had a lead of nearly half amile.

  "Give her a spurt, Felipe," said the captain. "I want to know if thatcraft has the ability to run away from us."

  The engineer threw more coal into the furnace; and in a few minutes he"let her out," as the captain called it. It was very soon perceived thatthe yacht was gaining on the old steamer, and Scott becamecorrespondingly happy. She was farther down in the water than usual onaccount of the extra quantity of coal in her bunkers, and all along hersides, to trim her properly.

  "I don't believe the Delhi will run away from us, Louis," said thecaptain as the millionaire joined him, curious to know what he wasdoing. "She isn't loaded for her best sailing, but she is doingfirst-rate for her present trim."

  "This is smooth water, Captain; what will she do when we get out tosea?" asked Louis.

  "We had a chance to try her yesterday in more than half a gale, and shebehaved like a lady on a dancing-floor."

  "But she was not loaded down with coal then as she is now."

  "The extra weight will not disturb her; on the contrary, I think it willmake her steadier."

  "I talked with the rajah on board, who has used her for over a year, andhas made a trip to Rangoon in her. He said she was usually run at eightknots an hour; but on his return
voyage, when he was in a hurry, shemade nine knots for twelve hours together," Louis explained.

  "That is all I want of her; but I shall not drive her up to that unlessthe Delhi is likely to run away from us; and not then till after I haveadded the sail to our power of locomotion. We are coming up with hernow, and probably Captain Rayburn's fears that his steamer may run awayfrom us are beginning to abate," said the captain, rubbing his hands inhis delight at the performance of the Blanchita.

  Rather for the occupation it gave him, Scott took the wheel himself,directing Clingman to call the men, and remove the stanchions andconnecting-rods on the starboard side of the boat from the galley to thelength of the mast aft, so that the sail might not be obstructed when itwas set.

  Then, while the Blanchita was still making her nine knots, he ran heralongside the Delhi on the port side, keeping at a safe distance fromher. Then he called to Felipe to reduce the speed to eight knots. He hadgained nearly half a mile in going half-way down the river to the sea;and this fully satisfied him.

  "Bully for you, Captain!" shouted Captain Rayburn from the quarter-deckof his steamer.

  "I won't run away from you!" returned Scott, as the noise of escapingsteam when the engineer reduced the speed must have reached his ears.

  "Wait till we get out to sea!" called the captain of the Delhi.

  "All right."

  The two craft kept abreast of each other till they had passed themountain at the mouth of the river. The captain laid the coursenorth-west half-west; and this was to be the course for half thedistance to Point Cambodia, as he remarked to Louis, who was at his sideobserving the progress of the yacht.

  "How do you spell that word, Captain Scott?" asked Louis.

  "Just as I spelled it when I went to school, and it is so put down on mychart; but I noticed in Black's "Atlas" that it was spelled Cambojainstead of Cambodia," replied Scott. "I am a sailor, and I stick to thechart."

  "I see that Captain Rayburn has laid his course; how does it agree withyours, Captain?" inquired Louis, when they were a mile off the mountain.

  "I should say that it was identically the same. I will hail him."

  "North-west half-west," was the answer returned by the captain of theDelhi.

  "I make it the same," replied Scott.

  The cabin party were summoned to dinner at this time, and Clingman wascalled to the wheel.

  "What's the bill of fare to-day?" asked Scott as he took his seat at thetable.

  "Baked fish and roast venison," replied Pitts, "with plum-duff."

  "Very good," returned the captain. "We don't get so much breeze off hereas we did yesterday, Louis."

  "It does not look at all rough off at sea," added the captain. "But whenwe get Cape Datu on the beam, we may feel it more."

  The Delhi had not yet set her foresail, for she was schooner-rigged, andthere was not wind enough to help her much; all the rest of the day thetwo craft kept abreast of each other, as they had in coming down theriver. After supper the watches were arranged for the night. Thecaptain, with Clingman and Lane, had the first, or starboard watch,while Morris, the mate, had the port watch, with Wales and Clinch.

  Louis and Felix were appointed second engineers, as the seamen on boardrelieved them from duty as deck-hands; and the three in that departmentwere to keep four-hour watches, like the officers and seamen. Achangwanted something to do; and he was given the berth of second mate, andas such he served in charge of the captain's watch.