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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mark Seaworth, by William H.G. Kingston
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Mark Seaworth
+
+Author: William H.G. Kingston
+
+Release Date: May 15, 2007 [EBook #21477]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARK SEAWORTH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
+
+
+
+
+Mark Seaworth, A tale of a young man's search for his sister and his
+identity, by W.H.G. Kingston.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+This is an absolutely brilliant book, not least because it is a shining
+example throughout, of the use of good English.  The story is exciting,
+and the telling of it made interesting, with its wealth of local detail.
+It was the first Kingston book we put online, and we shall be bringing
+you more books of Kingston's during the coming years.  Definitely!
+
+We have thoroughly enjoyed creating this e-book for you, and we hope
+that you will enjoy it as much as we have.  This transcription was made
+during March 2003, by Athelstane e-texts.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+"MARK SEAWORTH", A TALE OF A YOUNG MAN'S SEARCH FOR HIS SISTER AND HIS
+IDENTITY, BY W.H.G. KINGSTON.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE.
+
+MARK SEAWORTH.
+
+Picture a wide expanse of ocean, smooth as a polished mirror, and
+shining like molten silver; a sky of intense blue, without a cloud or
+speck, forming a vast arch resting on the water; no land or rock in
+sight; the boundless sea on every side; the sun travelling slowly and
+majestically along the arch, and casting his burning rays upon the
+glittering plain below.
+
+Let us pause and contemplate that scene.  What grandeur and sublimity
+there is in it!  What a magnificent edifice does it seem!  When compared
+with it, how utterly insignificant and contemptible do all the works of
+man's hands appear!  Then watch the sun sink with rays of glory in the
+west; the bright rich tinge glowing for a time, and gradually fading
+away before the obscurity of night; the stars coming forth and shining
+with a splendour unknown in northern climes; and then the moon, a mass
+of liquid flame, rising out of the dark sea, and casting across it a
+broad path of the silvery light.  Watch the tranquil luminary glide also
+through her destined course, till once more the sun rushes upward from
+his ocean-bed in a sheet of fire, and claims supremacy over the world.
+This is one of the many grand and wonderful objects beheld by those who
+sail across the ocean, and amply does it repay for a long voyage those
+who have taste to appreciate its beauties.
+
+Now let us return to the scene as I first described it, and, by looking
+closer into the picture, we shall observe a boat floating in its very
+centre.  There are no masts or sails, nor are there any oars moving.
+The boat lies motionless like a log on the water.  She is a large boat,
+a ship's launch; her gunwale seems battered in as if she had undergone
+some hard usage.  Above it nothing is seen moving; and, at the first
+glance, it would seem that there are no human beings on board.  On
+looking down into the boat, however, we discover several persons, but
+whether dead or alive it is difficult to say, they are so quiet and so
+silent.  Towards the bow are the forms of two men.  They are on their
+backs--one is at the bottom of the boat, the other stretched along the
+thwarts, in uneasy postures.  Their eyes are open and glaring unmoved at
+the bright sun; their lips are parted, black, and dry; the hand of death
+has, alas! at all events, fallen on them; nothing living could present
+such an aspect.  By their dress and their complexion they seem to be
+British seamen.  There is a small breaker or keg in the boat, but the
+hung is out--it is empty.  There is also a bag, containing some hard
+ship-biscuit; it is still half full, but there is no other provision.
+
+In the after part of the boat there is a sort of awning, formed of a
+shawl stretched across the gunwale, with a mat on the top of it, so as
+to form a thick shade.  Near it, with her back leaning against the side
+of the boat, sits a dark-skinned woman.  She has a turban on her head,
+and massive gold ear-rings in her ears, and bracelets round her arms,
+and anklets of gold round her legs, and her loose dress is of
+gay-coloured striped cotton of delicate texture.  She is alive, but
+faint and weak; and, by her dim eye and short-coming breath, death seems
+to be approaching with stealthy strides to claim her as his own.  Still,
+the soul is struggling to triumph over the weakness of the flesh.  With
+an anxious gaze she looks beneath the awning, for there is something
+there which claims her constant solicitude.  She turns her gaze towards
+the forms of the two seamen--she does not seem to know that they are
+dead.  A faint cry comes from under the awning.  Again she looks towards
+the bow of the boat; she sees that her companions in misery are not
+watching her.  She now stealthily draws from beneath the folds of her
+dress, where she has carefully concealed it, a bottle of water.  Did
+she, then, while the seamen slept, steal the water from the cask to
+preserve the existence of those committed to her fostering charge, and
+far more precious to her, in her sight, than her own life?  There can be
+no doubt she did so.  She discovers that she is not observed.  There is
+a small tin pannikin near her, and several pieces of biscuit.  She
+crumbles the biscuit, as well as she can with her weak fingers, into the
+pannikin, and then pours upon them a few drops of the precious fluid.
+She looks at the water with longing eyes, but will not expend even one
+drop to cool her parched lips.  She mixes the biscuit till it is
+completely softened, and then casting another furtive glance towards the
+bow, unconscious that the dead only are there, she carefully lifts up
+the awning.  A low weak voice utters the word "Aya;" it is that of a
+child, some three or four years old perhaps; at the same time there is a
+plaintive cry from a younger infant.  A smile irradiates the countenance
+of the Indian woman, for she knows that her charges are still alive.
+She leans forward, though her strength is barely sufficient to enable
+her to move, and puts the food into the mouths of the two children.  The
+eldest, a boy, swallows it eagerly; for though somewhat pale, his
+strength seems but little impaired.  The infant is a girl: she takes the
+mixture, so little suited to her tender years, but without appetite; and
+it would appear that in a very short time her career, just begun on
+earth, will be brought to a speedy close.
+
+When the food is consumed, the nurse sinks back to her former position.
+She tries to swallow a piece of the biscuit, but her parched lips and
+throat refuse to receive the dry morsel, and the water she will not
+touch.  Again the children cry for food, and once more she goes through
+the operation of preparing it for them as before; but her movements are
+slower, and she now has scarcely strength to carry the food to the
+mouths of the little ones.
+
+The day passes away, the night goes by, the morning comes, and still the
+calm continues.  The children awake and cry out for food.  The nurse
+turns her languid eyes towards them, but her strength has almost gone;
+she even forgets for an instant the meaning of that cry.  There is a
+struggle going on within her.  At last her loving, faithful, and
+enduring spirit overcomes for a time the weakness of her body; she
+prepares the mess, and feeds the children.  She gazes sorrowfully at the
+bottle--the last drop of water is consumed.  She leans back, her bosom
+heaves faintly; the effort has been more than her failing strength would
+bear.  She turns her eyes towards them; they are the last objects of any
+earthly thing she is destined to behold.  A dimness comes stealing over
+them.  Her thoughts are no longer under control, her arms fall by her
+side, her head droops on her chest, she has no strength to raise it.  In
+a few hours more the faithful nurse will have ceased to breathe, and
+those young children will be left alone with the dead on the wild waste
+of waters.
+
+But, reader, do not for one moment suppose that therefore they are
+doomed to perish.  There is One above, the eternal, all-powerful God of
+goodness and love, who is watching over those helpless infants.  His arm
+can stretch to the uttermost parts of the earth, and over the great
+waters: even now it is put forth to shield them, though we see it not.
+Even without a human hand to administer their food, in that open boat on
+the wide sea, over which a storm might presently rage, while billows may
+rise, threatening to overwhelm them, far away from land or living beings
+but themselves, those children are as secure, if so God wills it, as
+those who are sleeping on beds of down within palace walls; because,
+remember, reader, that He is all-powerful, and He is everywhere.  Trust
+in Him; never despond; pray to Him for help at all times--in times of
+peace and prosperity, in times of danger and difficulty; and oh! believe
+that most assuredly He will help and protect you in the way He knows is
+best for your eternal happiness.
+
+This is the lesson I would teach; for this is the lesson I have learned
+by means of all the difficulties and dangers I have undergone during the
+scenes of wild and extraordinary adventure which I have encountered in
+my course through life.  Often and often, had I not been convinced of
+this great truth, I should have yielded to despair; and the longer I
+have lived, and the more dangers I have passed through, the more firmly
+convinced have I become of it.  Often have I felt my own utter
+helplessness--the impossibility that the strength of man could avail
+me--when standing, it seemed, on the very brink of destruction; and in a
+way beyond all calculation, I have found myself rescued and placed in
+safety.  It was for this reason that I have drawn the picture which I
+have exhibited to you.  Ungrateful indeed should I be, and negligent of
+my bounden duty, did I not do my utmost to teach the lesson I have
+learned from the merciful protection so often afforded me; for know that
+I was one of those helpless infants! and the picture before us shows the
+first scene in my life, of which I have any record; and this is the
+moral I would inculcate--"That God is everywhere."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO.
+
+A large ship was floating on the ocean.  I use the term floating, for
+she could scarcely be said to be doing anything else, as she did not
+seem to be moving in the slightest degree through the water.  Some straw
+and chips of wood, which had been thrown overboard, continued hour after
+hour alongside.  She was, however, moving; but it was round and round,
+though very slowly indeed, as a glance at the compass would have shown.
+The sea was as smooth as glass, for there was not a breath of air to
+ruffle it; there was, in fact, a perfect calm.
+
+The ship was a first-class Indiaman, on her outward voyage to the
+far-famed land of the East; and she belonged to that body of merchant
+princes, the East India Company.  In appearance she was not altogether
+unlike a frigate with her long tier of guns, her lofty masts, her wide
+spread of canvas, and her numerous crew; but her decks were far more
+encumbered than those of a man-of-war, and her hold was full of rich
+merchandise, and the baggage of the numerous passengers who occupied her
+cabins.  Her sails, for the present, however, were of no use; so, having
+nothing else to do, for the sole purpose, it would seem, of annoying the
+most sensitive portion of the human beings on board, they continued,
+with most persevering diligence, flapping against the masts, while the
+ship rolled lazily from side to side.  The decks presented the
+appearance of a little world shut out from the rest of mankind; for all
+grades, and all professions and trades, were to be found on board.  On
+the high poop deck, under an awning spread over it to shelter them from
+the burning rays of the sun, were collected the aristocratical portion
+of the community.  There were there to be found ladies and gentlemen,
+the sedate matron, and the blooming girl just reaching womanhood, the
+young wife and the joyous child; there were lawyers and soldiers,
+sailors and merchants, clergymen and doctors, some of them holding high
+rank in their respective professions.  The captain, of course, was king,
+and his mates were his ministers; but, like the rest, he was bound by
+laws which he dared not infringe, even had he desired to have done so.
+
+On the deck below were seen craftsmen of all sorts, occupied in their
+respective callings.  Carpenters hard at work with plane and saw;
+blacksmiths with bellows and anvil; tailors and cobblers, barbers and
+washerwomen, painters and armourers, rope-makers and butchers, and
+several others, besides the seamen engaged in the multifarious duties in
+which officers know well how to employ them.  Among the crew were seen
+representatives of each quarter of the Old World.  There were Malays and
+other Asiatics, and the dark-skinned sons of Africa, mingled among the
+hardy seamen of Britain, each speaking a different jargon, but all
+taught by strict discipline to act in unison.
+
+Besides the human beings, there were cattle and sheep destined for the
+butcher's knife--cows to afford milk to the lady passengers, the
+invalids, and the children--even horses were on board, valuable racers
+or chargers, belonging to some of the military officers; there were
+several head of sheep penned up in the long-boat; and there were
+pigsties full of grunting occupants, who seemed to be more happy and to
+have made themselves far more at home than any of their four-footed
+fellow-voyagers.  Ranging at liberty were several dogs of high and low
+degree, from the colonel's thorough-bred greyhound to the cook's cur, a
+very turnspit in appearance; nor must I forget Quacko, the monkey, the
+merriest and most active of two-legged or four-legged beings on board.
+It might have puzzled many to determine to which he belonged, as he was
+seen dressed in a blue jacket and white trousers, sitting up on the
+break of the forecastle, his usual playground in fine weather, cracking
+nuts, or peeling an orange like a human being, while his tongue was
+chattering away, as if he had a vast amount of information to
+communicate.
+
+Then there were poultry of every description: ducks and geese, and
+turkeys and cocks and hens, quacking, and cackling, and gobbling, and
+crowing in concert: indeed, to shut one's eyes, it was difficult not to
+suppose that one was in a well-stocked farm-yard; but on opening them
+again, one found one's self surrounded by objects of a very different
+character, to what one would there have seen.  Instead of the trees,
+there were the tall masts, the rigging, and sails above one's head, the
+bulwarks instead of the walls of the barns, the black and white seamen
+with thick beards instead of the ploughmen and milk-maids, and the wide
+glittering ocean instead of the muddy horse-pond.
+
+This was the scene on the upper deck: below, it was stranger still.
+There were two decks, one beneath the other, both with occupants; there
+were cooks at the galley fire, whose complexion no soot could make
+blacker, and servants in white dresses and embroidered shawls, running
+backwards and forwards with their masters' tiffins, as luncheons are
+called in India.
+
+There were numerous cabins, many occupied by persons whose sole
+employment was to kill time, forgetting how soon time would kill them in
+return, and they would have to sum up the account of how they had spent
+their days on earth.
+
+In the lower deck there were soldiers with their wives and children, and
+seamen, some sleeping out their watch below, and others mending their
+clothes, while a few were reading--a very few, I fear, such books as
+were calculated to afford them much instruction.  Below, again, in the
+dark recesses of the hold, there were seamen with lanterns getting up
+stores and provisions of various sorts.  In one place were seen three
+men--it was the gunner and his two mates.  They had carefully-closed
+lanterns and list shoes on their feet.  They were visiting the magazine,
+to see that the powder was dry.  They were from habit careful, but
+custom had made them thoughtless of danger; yet one spark from the
+lantern would in a moment have sent every one of the many hundred living
+beings on board that ship into eternity.  The flannel bags containing
+the powder were removed to be carried up on deck to dry, the door was
+carefully closed and locked, and the gunner and his mates went about
+their other avocations.
+
+From long habit, people are apt to forget the dangers which surround
+them, though they are far greater than those in which the passengers of
+the good ship _Governor Harcourt_ were placed at the moment the magazine
+was opened; and I am very certain that not one of them contemplated the
+possibility of being blown up, without an instant warning, into the air.
+
+I have indulged in a somewhat long description of this little world in
+miniature, although I was not one of its inhabitants; but it was a scene
+not without interest, and I have had many opportunities of judging of
+the correctness of the picture which was given me by a friend then on
+board the _Governor Harcourt_.  We will now return to the more refined
+groups sitting and lying about listlessly on the poop deck.
+
+As among the party were several people who exercised a considerable
+influence over my career, a description of them is necessary.  The
+person of most consideration, on account of his wealth and position, as
+well as his high character, was a gentleman verging upon sixty years of
+age.  In stature and figure he was not what would be called dignified;
+but there was that in the expression of his countenance which made
+persons of discernment who studied his features feel inclined to love
+and respect him.  The broad forehead, the full mild eye, and the
+well-set mouth, told of intellect, kindness, and firmness.
+
+The careless and indifferent might have called him the stout old
+gentleman with yellow cheeks.  I mean people--and there are many such in
+the world--who are unable to perceive the noble and good qualities in a
+man, and only look at his outward form and figure.  If they hear a
+person called a great man, like Lord Nelson or the Duke of Wellington,
+they call him great also; but many would not be able to point out the
+real heroic qualities of these heroes.  I cannot now stop to describe in
+what real heroic qualities consist, further than to assure my young
+friends that the great men I have instanced are not properly called
+heroes simply because they were commanders-in-chief when great battles
+have been gained.  Napoleon gained many victories; but I cannot allow
+that he can justly be called a hero.  My object is to show you the
+importance of not judging of people by their outward appearance; and
+also, when you hear men spoken of as great men, to ask you to consider
+well in what their greatness consists.  But to return to my kind and
+generous benefactor,--for so he afterwards proved to me,--Sir Charles
+Plowden.  In outward form to the common eye he was not a hero, but to
+those who knew him he was truly great, good, and noble.  He was high in
+the civil service of the Honourable East India Company, all the best
+years of his life having been passed in the East.
+
+A book was in his hand, at which his eye every now and then glanced; but
+he appeared to look at it rather for the sake of finding matter for
+thought, than for the object of getting rapidly through its contents.
+
+At a little distance from him sat a lady, busily employed in working
+with her needle.  She was young and if not decidedly pretty, very
+interesting in appearance.  Though she was looking at her work, from the
+expression of her countenance it might be perceived that she was
+listening attentively to a gentleman seated by her side, who was reading
+to her in that clear low voice, with that perfect distinctness of
+enunciation, which is so pleasant to the ear.  A stranger might have
+guessed, from the tone of tenderness, yet of perfect confidence, in
+which he occasionally spoke to her, and the glance of affection which
+she gave him in return, that they were husband and wife; nor would he
+have been mistaken.
+
+They were Captain and Mrs Clayton, who were returning to India after
+their first visit to England since their marriage.  His appearance and
+manners were very gentlemanly and pleasing, and he was a man much
+esteemed by a large circle of acquaintance.  They had now been married
+about eight years, and had no children.  Mrs Clayton had gone out to
+India at the age of seventeen with her father, a colonel in the army,
+and soon after her arrival she was won and wed by Captain Clayton, so
+that she was still a very young woman.
+
+Sometimes, when she saw a happy mother nursing her child, she would
+secretly sigh that she was not so blessed; but, I am glad to say, she
+did not on that account indulge in the custom of bestowing any portion
+of her care and attention on puppy dogs and cats, as I have seen some
+ladies, both single and married, do in a most disagreeable manner.  I,
+of course, desire to see people kind to dumb animals; but I do not like
+to see little beasts petted and kissed, and treated in every way like
+human beings, with far more care and attention bestowed on them than are
+given to thousands of the children in the back streets and alleys of our
+crowded towns.  I trust that you, my young friends, will remember this
+when you have money or food to bestow; and, instead of throwing it away
+in purchasing or feeding useless pets, that you will give it to
+instruct, to clothe and feed those who are born into the world to know
+God, to perform their duty to Him, and to enjoy eternal life.  Dreadful
+is it to contemplate that so many live and die without that knowledge,
+who might, had their fellow-men exerted themselves, have enjoyed all the
+blessings afforded by the gospel dispensation.
+
+But I must go back to my history.  Captain and Mrs Clayton were
+accompanied by a young lady, a distant relative, left without any other
+friends to protect and support her.  She was a laughing, blue-eyed girl,
+and was now seated with several other young ladies of about the same age
+on a circle of cushions on the deck, shouts of merriment rising every
+now and then from the happy group.  There were several other people who
+had been in India before--military and civil officers of the Company,
+merchants, lawyers, and clergymen; but I need not more particularly
+describe them.
+
+Ellen Barrow, Mrs Clayton's charge, was not only sweetly pretty, but
+good and amiable in every respect.  I do not know that she had what is
+called a regular feature in her face; but her sunny smile, and an
+expression which gave sure indication of a good disposition, made those
+who saw her think her far more beautiful than many ladies whose
+countenances were in other respects faultless.  I praise her from having
+known her well, and all the excellencies of her character, as they were
+in after-years more fully developed.  At present her most intimate
+friends would probably have said little more about her than that she was
+a nice, pretty-looking, happy girl.
+
+There was another person on board, of whom I must by no means omit to
+speak, and that is Captain Willis.  He was a very gentlemanly man, both
+in appearance and manners, as indeed he was by birth; nor had the rough
+school in which he was educated left a trace behind.
+
+He was the son of a merchant of excellent family connections and his
+mother was, I believe, a lady of rank.  When he was about the age of
+fourteen, both his parents died, leaving him perfectly penniless, for
+his father had just before that event failed and lost all his property.
+He had had, fortunately, the opportunity of obtaining an excellent
+education, and he had profited by it and this gave him an independence
+of feeling--which he could not otherwise justly have enjoyed.  He was
+also a lad of honest spirit; his relations had quarrelled with his
+parents, and treated them, he considered, unjustly; so that his heart
+rebelled at the idea of soliciting charity from them, and he at once
+resolved to fight his own way in the world.
+
+He had always had a strong predilection for a sea life, and he was on
+the point of going into the Royal Navy when his father's misfortunes
+commenced.
+
+His thoughts consequently at once reverted to the sea; and the day after
+his father's funeral, he set out with a sad heart, and yet with the
+buoyant hope of youth cheering him on in spite of his grief, to take
+counsel of an old friend, the master of a merchantman, who had been much
+indebted to his father.
+
+Captain Styles was a rough-mannered but a good man, and a thoroughly
+practical sailor.  He at once offered every aid in his power; but Edward
+Willis, thanking him, assured him that he only came for advice.
+
+"Do you want to become a seaman in whom your owners and passengers will
+place perfect confidence, and who will be able, if man can do it, to
+navigate your ship through narrow channels and among shoals, and clear
+off a lee-shore if you are ever caught on one; or do you wish just to
+know how to navigate a ship from London to Calcutta and back, with the
+aid of a pilot when you get into shallow waters, and to look after the
+ladies in fine weather, and let your first officer take care of the ship
+in bad?"
+
+"I wish to become a thorough seaman," replied Edward Willis.
+
+"Then, my lad, you must first go to the school where you will learn the
+trade," said Captain Styles.  "I have an old friend, the master of a
+Newcastle collier.  He is an honest man, kind-hearted, and a first-rate
+seaman.  In six months with him you will learn more than in six years in
+a big ship.  If you were younger, it would be different; for it is rough
+work, mind you.  He is always at sea, running up and down the coast:
+sometimes to the north, and at other times round the South Foreland, and
+right down channel.  Indeed, to my mind there is not a finer school to
+make a man a seaman in a short time.  It's the royal road to a knowledge
+of the sea, though I grant it, as I said before, a very rough one."
+
+Willis replied that he was not afraid of hard work, and would follow his
+advice.  Accordingly he went to sea in a collier for three years; then
+he shipped on board a vessel trading to the Baltic, and next made a
+voyage to Baffin's Bay, in a whaler; after which he joined an Indiaman.
+Here, after what he had gone through, the work appeared comparatively
+easy.  He now perfected himself in the higher branches of navigation,
+and from this time rose rapidly from junior mate to first officer, and
+finally, in a few years, to the command of a first-class Indiaman, where
+he was in a fair way of realising a handsome independence.  Captain
+Willis's ship was always a favourite; and as soon almost as she was
+announced to sail, her cabins were engaged.  I should advise those who
+go to sea at the age Captain Willis did, to follow his example; though
+for a very young boy, the school, I grant, is somewhat too rough a one.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE.
+
+Captain Willis was walking the deck, with his spy-glass in his hand,
+while every now and then he stopped anxiously to scan the horizon in
+every direction, in the hopes of discerning the well-known signs of the
+long-wished-for breeze.
+
+"Well, Captain Willis, when is the wind coming?" asked one of the young
+ladies of the merry group I have described, as he passed them in his
+walk.  "We have agreed that you sailors are very idle people, not to
+make your ship move faster.  You do it on purpose, we are sure, to enjoy
+our society."
+
+"The temptation would be great, ladies, I own," said the captain,
+bowing.  "But, I assure you, it depends as much upon yourselves as upon
+me and my officers; and, I think, if you were all to set to work and
+whistle with a right good-will, you might soon bring the wind down upon
+us."
+
+"Oh then we will all try," exclaimed the merry girls in chorus.  "We see
+you want to get rid of us as soon as you can."  Thereon they all began
+to try and whistle, and some succeeded very well, though the chorus was
+not very harmonious.
+
+I suspect the worthy captain had long before perceived the undoubted
+signs of wind on the water, for there was a quizzical look in his eye as
+he spoke; and each turn he made he encouraged them to proceed, and to
+whistle louder and louder, assuring them it was certain to have a good
+effect.
+
+Not many minutes had passed, during which the young ladies had tried to
+whistle till their mouths ached, when the voice of Captain Willis was
+heard ordering the crew to trim sails.  With alacrity they flew to their
+posts at the joyful sound; and those who but a minute before were so
+silent and inert, were now all life and animation.
+
+Still the ocean appeared as smooth and shining as before; but in the
+distance, away to the north-east, there was a line of dark-blue, which
+seemed to be gradually extending itself on either hand, and to be slowly
+advancing in the direction where the ship lay.  The glassy surface of
+the water was every now and then slightly ruffled by gentle, scarcely
+perceptible breaths of wind, such as are called by seamen "cats'-paws,"
+from their having, I suppose, no more effect in disturbing the water
+than would the paw of a cat.  They came and went continually.  Some of
+the more lofty and lighter sails of the ship bulged out for an instant,
+and then again flapped against the masts, and all was calm as before.
+
+"If you please, young ladies, I must trouble you to whistle a little
+longer," said Captain Willis, with one of his most polite bows, and a
+merry smile lurking in his eye.  "You see the good service you have
+already done; but the wind seems coy, and requires a longer wooing."
+
+They all laughed very much, and declared that they could not whistle any
+more; but still they all essayed again; and sweet Ellen Barrow screwed
+her pretty mouth up till her lips looked, indeed, like two ripe
+cherries; and Captain Willis aiding them with his clear whistle, the
+wind was not long in answering the summons.  The spokes of the wheel
+were seen once more to revolve in the hands of the helmsman, the sails
+bulged out more regularly, and if they fell back, they quickly again
+filled till every one drew steadily, and the huge ship moved slowly
+through the ocean on her proper course.  It was pleasant to the
+passengers to hear the rippling sound of the water against the sides of
+the ship, and to see it bubbling up so briskly under her bows; and still
+more pleasant was it to feel the fresh air fanning the cheeks, and to
+know that it was wafting them on to their yet far distant bourne.  The
+fresh air had a reviving effect on every one, and many who had sat
+silent and melancholy began to move about, and to laugh and talk with
+the rest of their companions.
+
+About an hour after the breeze had sprung up, the captain was observed
+to turn his glass several times to a point on the starboard bow.  He
+then handed it to his first officer.
+
+"What do you make out of that, Mr Naylor?" he asked.
+
+The answer was not heard.
+
+"So I think it is," replied the captain.  "Keep her two more points to
+the eastward of her course--steady so."
+
+Immediately the head of the ship was turned towards a little spot which
+appeared upon the water, a long way off.  The report that there was
+something to be seen called every one to the side of the ship, and all
+eyes were fixed on that small speck on the waste of waters.  There were
+many speculations as to what it was.  Some said that it was a dead
+whale, others a smaller fish; a few insisted that it was the hull of a
+vessel, and there was one party of opinion that it was the top of a rock
+in the ocean, and were congratulating themselves that they had met with
+it in daylight and fine weather.
+
+"But what do you think it is, Captain Willis?" asked Ellen Barrow.
+
+"Why, young lady, I think it is a boat; but I am not surprised that so
+many people, not accustomed to look at objects on the water, where there
+is nothing to compare them with, should be mistaken.  Those who fancy
+that it is a whale or the hull of a vessel think it is much farther off
+than it really is, while those who suppose it to be a small fish,
+believe it to be much nearer than it really is.  It is only by comparing
+things together that we can estimate them properly."
+
+The breeze, although sufficient to fill the sails, was still very light,
+so that the ship moved but slowly through the water,--at the rate,
+perhaps, of a mile and a half or two miles in the hour, or, as sailors
+would say, two knots an hour.  She was, therefore, a long time
+approaching the object.  At last, Captain Willis, who had constantly
+kept his telescope turned towards it, pronounced it, without doubt, to
+be a boat.
+
+"There appears to be no one in her, however," he observed; "at least, I
+see no one's head above the gunwale."
+
+"How strange that a boat should be out there all alone!" exclaimed Ellen
+Barrow.
+
+"Oh no; she has got adrift from a vessel, or has been driven off from
+some coast or other," answered Captain Willis.
+
+"There looks to me, sir, as if there were some people in the boat,
+though they don't appear to be moving," sung out the third officer from
+aloft.
+
+"Mr Simpson, man the starboard quarter-boat, and lower her as we come
+up with the boat.  We must have her alongside, and overhaul her, at all
+events."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir," replied the mate; and soon afterwards the boat's crew
+were seen coming aft to lower her into the water.
+
+Numerous were the conjectures as to who could be in the boat, and where
+she could have come from; but of course no one could answer the
+question.  The ship glided on slowly, for the wind was still very light.
+When she got a short distance only from the boat, the captain ordered
+the sails to be clewed up, and the gig to be lowered.  Mr Simpson went
+away in her, and was soon alongside.  He was seen to throw up his hands,
+as an expression of horror, as he looked into the boat.  She was then
+made fast to the stern of the gig, and rapidly towed up to the ship.
+
+"Be quick there on deck, and bring a chair," he exclaimed.  "Here's a
+poor creature much in want of the doctor's help, if she's not gone too
+far for it already."
+
+The side of the ship on which the boat appeared was crowded with the
+passengers, eager to see what it contained.  The sight which met their
+eyes was indeed a sad one.  In the fore part were two men lying on their
+backs with their faces upwards, and, from their ghastly expression, it
+was seen that they were both dead.  There was another person, a
+dark-skinned woman, who, it appeared, the mate considered still living.
+A chair was speedily slung, and the mate having secured her into it, she
+was hoisted on deck.
+
+The doctor was in waiting, and having placed her on a mattress on deck,
+he knelt down at her side to discover if any spark of life yet remained
+in her emaciated frame.  He felt her pulse, and then calling for a glass
+of wine and water, he moistened her lips, and poured a few drops down
+her throat.  It had the effect of instantly reviving her; she opened her
+eyes, and uttering a few strange words, she attempted to rise as if to
+search for something she expected to find near.  For an instant she
+looked wildly around; but the effort was more than nature could bear,
+and, with a deep sigh, she sank again and expired.  While some of the
+passengers had been witnessing this melancholy scene, others were
+engaged in watching the proceedings of the mate.  Directly he had placed
+the poor black woman in the chair, he turned to examine the after part
+of the boat, over which an awning was carefully spread.  Lifting it up,
+he uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure.  Carefully placed on
+a bed formed on the stern-sheets, were two children--a little boy, some
+three or four years old, or perhaps five, and an infant which could
+scarcely for as many months have seen the light.  The little fellow had
+been fast asleep.  The voice of the mate awoke him, and looking up and
+seeing strange faces surrounding him, he began to cry.
+
+"That's a good sign, at all events," cried the mate.  "The baby does not
+seem much the worse either; send down the chair again, and we'll have
+them on deck in a trice."  The chair was lowered, and placing himself in
+it, with the two children in his arms, he was hoisted up on deck.
+Scarcely had he reached it, than all the ladies hurried forward to catch
+a glimpse of the children, many of them almost quarrelling who should
+take charge of them.
+
+"Stay, ladies," said Captain Willis, good-naturedly.  "The children by
+right belong to me; and I must let the doctor see to them before anybody
+else begins nursing them."
+
+In the meantime, however, Mrs Clayton had taken the infant out of the
+mate's arms, while the little boy was snatched away by Ellen Barrow and
+the rest of the young ladies, who kept fondling him among them, and
+showing that they would do their best to spoil him before the voyage was
+over.
+
+Mr Hawkins, the surgeon, finding that his services were of no avail to
+the rest of those who had been in the boat, now appeared, and examined
+the baby as it lay in Mrs Clayton's arms.
+
+"It seems to have been wonderfully sustained," he observed.  "I can
+discover nothing the matter with it; and with some of the food our goat
+can supply, I have no doubt in a few days it will have perfectly
+recovered.  Let me relieve you of the child, madam, and give it to one
+of the women-servants to nurse."
+
+But Mrs Clayton showed no inclination to give up her charge.  There
+were feelings rising in her bosom whose exquisite delight a fond mother,
+as she presses her first-born to her breast, can well appreciate.  The
+lady gave an imploring look at her husband, which he well understood.
+
+"Do as you wish, dearest," he whispered.
+
+She returned him a glance full of grateful thanks.
+
+"Captain Willis," she said, in a voice agitated with the fear that her
+request might be denied, "I will, if you will allow me, take charge of
+the poor deserted one, till its proper guardians can be found; and I
+daresay we shall be able to learn from the little boy who they are."
+
+"To no one would I more gladly commit the infant than to you, madam,"
+returned the captain.  "And pray, consider her your property till
+claimed by others with greater right to her."
+
+So it was settled; and Mrs Clayton did indeed prove an affectionate
+mother to the little foundling.  Captain Willis, however, was much
+disappointed in not being able to obtain the information he expected
+from the elder child.  The little fellow could speak very rapidly, but
+it was in a language neither he nor any of the young ladies could
+understand, though he seemed to comprehend what was said to him in
+English.  They tried him with a variety of names to endeavour to
+discover the one belonging to him; but to none of them did he pay any
+attention.
+
+On a sudden he began to cry to go to his Aya; but as he was kept out of
+sight of the dead body, and petted by the young ladies, who tried every
+means to please him, he was soon again pacified.  He was then taken into
+the cabin, where two or three of the married ladies, who had children of
+their own, set to work to wash him and dress him in clean clothes.  He
+kicked about in the tub of water, and seemed highly delighted, as if it
+was a luxury to which he was accustomed, while he also appeared fully to
+appreciate the advantage of clean clothes.  He was rather thin, as if he
+had lived for a length of time on a short allowance of food; but when
+some broth, which had been got ready for him, was placed before him, he
+did not eat ravenously as if he had been long without food altogether.
+Indeed, I may as well here remark, that the mate had discovered a small
+piece of biscuit, softened by water, by his side when he took the
+children out of the boat, proving that the faithful nurse had given him
+the last morsel of food in her possession rather than eat it herself, in
+the hope of preserving his life.  When he had swallowed the broth, he
+fell fast asleep in the arms of the lady who was holding him.  The
+little fellow's perfect confidence in those surrounding him, while it
+won their hearts, showed that he had always been accustomed to kind
+treatment.
+
+Mrs Clayton had also brought her little charge below, and was nursing
+it with the most tender care.  It seemed, indeed, but a fragile little
+blossom; and it appeared surprising that it should thus have escaped
+from the hardships to which it had been exposed.
+
+Meanwhile, on deck, Captain Willis and his officers, and some of the
+gentlemen passengers, were making every possible examination of the boat
+and the dead bodies, to endeavour to discover some clue, by which they
+might be able to trace to what ship they had belonged, or whence they
+had come.  There was, unfortunately, little on their bodies to identify
+them.  One of the men had fastened round his neck by a lanyard a knife,
+on the handle of which was roughly carved the initials J.S., and on his
+arm was discovered, marked by gunpowder, among a variety of other
+figures, the name of James Smith,--one, however, borne by so many
+people, that it could scarcely be said to serve as a distinguishing
+appellation.  Sir Charles Plowden, notwithstanding, who was taking a
+great interest in and superintending the investigation, made a note of
+it in his pocket-book, and took charge of the knife.
+
+There was no name on the boat, nor were there any oars in her, which
+have generally the name of the ship marked on them.  The boat was
+pronounced not to be of English build; and the carpenter, after a long
+examination, declared it to be his opinion, that it might possibly be
+built by some Englishman, in a foreign place, and with foreign
+assistants, and with more than one sort of wood, with which he was not
+well acquainted.  The canvas, which had served as the awning over the
+children, was certainly English, and the seams at the joins were exactly
+similar to the work of an English sail-maker.  The nails used in the
+boat were English; but then, as the carpenter observed, English nails
+were sent into all parts of the world.
+
+The complexion of the other seaman was very dark; a crucifix was found
+round his neck, and he had on a light-blue jacket, and his other
+garments were not of English make, so that there could be no doubt that
+he was a foreigner.  In his pocket was a purse, containing several gold
+doubloons and other coins, showing how utterly valueless on some
+occasions, is the money for which men risk so much.  How gladly would
+the poor wretch have given the whole of it for a crust of bread and a
+drop of water!  There was also a little silver box in his pocket,
+containing the relic of a saint, equally inefficacious to preserve him,
+although an inscription on a piece of paper in it stated, that it would
+preserve the fortunate possessor from all dangers, either by sea or
+land.
+
+In the Englishman's pocket there was an empty tobacco-box; but there was
+no paper or writing of any sort, to assist in identifying them.
+
+The clothes of the nurse were not marked, nor was there found about her
+anything to aid the investigation; but on those of the children were
+found, nearly washed out, however, letters which were evidently the
+initials of their names.  On those of the little boy were M.S., and on
+those of the baby E.S., which, with the strong resemblance in features,
+left little doubt that they were brother and sister.
+
+Sir Charles, with an exactness which should be imitated under similar
+circumstances, noted down every particular--the appearance of the dead
+bodies, their height and size.  He directed, also, that the clothes
+should be washed and carefully kept.  The measurement of the boat was
+also made, and parts of her plankings and all the things she contained
+were taken out of her.  She was herself too large to hoist in on deck.
+
+The only thing remarkable about the children was, that round the neck of
+each was a gold chain and a locket containing light auburn hair; but
+there was no other inscription than the initials E.S.
+
+Sir Charles desired that he might also take charge of these memorials.
+"If the children continue to wear them, they may be lost," he observed.
+"They may be valuable, as aiding to discover their friends, and should
+be carefully preserved."  Indeed he neglected no means by which the
+important object could be obtained, of discovering, at a future period,
+the family of the little foundlings.
+
+While these matters were being arranged, the wind had dropped again
+completely, and the sky had assumed a dull leaden hue, and a thick haze
+to the eastward rose up and looked like a line of high land.  The boat
+was meantime left hanging astern, while the gig was again hoisted up on
+the quarter.
+
+Sailors have a strong aversion to having dead bodies on board; and as
+there was no object to be attained by keeping those of the unfortunate
+persons who had been discovered in the boat, preparations were made to
+bury them that evening in the deep ocean.  I will not now stop to
+describe the ceremony.  They were sewn up in a clean canvas, with a shot
+fastened in at the feet, and a clergyman who was among the passengers,
+performed the funeral service.  They were then launched overboard, and
+sunk for ever from the sight of men.
+
+Scarcely had they reached the water than a low moaning sound was heard
+in the rigging, and the sails flapped heavily against the mast.  Captain
+Willis cast a hurried glance to windward.
+
+"Clew up--haul up--let fly everything--away aloft there--furl topgallant
+sails, close reef the topsails--be smart, my lads," he exclaimed in
+those sharp tones which showed that there was no time for delay.  The
+attentive men flew to their proper posts--some to the tacks and sheets,
+the bunt-lines and clew-lines, others swarmed aloft like bees on the
+yards, and with vigorous arms hauled out the earings and secured the
+sails with the gaskets.  They did their work manfully, for they well
+knew there was no time to lose.
+
+Scarcely, indeed, was all along made snug, and they were coming down
+again, than the threatening blast struck the ship.
+
+"Hold on for your lives, hold on!" exclaimed the captain.  "Port the
+helm, port!"
+
+Away she flew before the gale, upright and unharmed.  In an instant, it
+seemed, the sea, before so calm and bright, became covered with a mass
+of foam, and then waves rose rapidly, one towering above the other, in
+quick succession.  Two men were stationed at the helm, to keep the ship
+before the wind, as she ran on under close-reefed fore-topsail.
+
+So engaged had Captain Willis and his officers been in getting the ship
+into proper order to encounter the gale, that they entirely forgot the
+boat towing astern.  Fortunately no sea had yet risen high enough to
+drive her against the ship, or serious damage might have been effected.
+At last Sir Charles observed her, and called the attention of the first
+officer to her.  In an instant his knife was out, and without waiting to
+consult the captain, he was cutting away at the tow rope.  He was not a
+moment too soon, for some heavy black seas were seen rolling up like
+mountains astern.  The last strands of the rope parted with a sharp
+snap, the boat was seen to rise to the top of a wave, and the next
+rolled her over and over, and she disappeared beneath the waters.
+
+"Alas!" exclaimed Sir Charles, "sad would have been the fate of the poor
+children, had we not providentially come up in time to save them."
+
+Reader, I was one of those poor children, thus providentially rescued
+from destruction; the other was my sister.  Truly I have a right to say,
+God equally rules the calm or the tempest--equally in the one and the
+other does He watch over his creatures.
+
+GOD IS EVERYWHERE.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR.
+
+The events I have described in the preceding chapters were afterwards
+told me by my friends, and I have faithfully given them in the words of
+the narrators.  Of course the commencement of my narrative is somewhat
+conjectural; but there can be no doubt, from the circumstances I have
+mentioned, that the main features were perfectly true.  The storm blew
+furiously all that night, and the ship ran on before it; but as day
+dawned its rage appeared expended, and by noon the waves subsided, and
+the wind gently as before filled the broad fields of canvas spread to
+receive it.  I slept through it all, for the close air of the cabins,
+after having been exposed for so many days in the open boat, made me
+drowsy.  I have a faint recollection of opening my eyes in the morning,
+and finding the sun shining in through the port, and the sweet face of
+Ellen Barrow hanging over me.  When she saw me look up and smile, (for
+even then I thought such a face ought to be beloved, and must be kind
+and good, and I felt that I did love her), she covered me with kisses,
+and, forlorn little foundling though I was, I felt very happy.  I have
+no distinct recollection of anything which happened in the boat; but I
+remember, as if it were yesterday, that lovely countenance, with the sun
+just tingeing her auburn locks as my waking eyes first fell on it; and
+though I do not suppose that I had ever heard of an angel, I had some
+indefinite sort of notion that she was one; at all events, that she was
+a being in whom I might place implicit confidence, and who would watch
+over me, and guard me from danger.  I put out my little arms and threw
+them round her neck, and returned her kisses with right good-will.
+
+Dear Mrs Clayton had faithfully fulfilled her promise of carefully
+nursing my little sister, by holding her half the night in her arms,
+during the raging of the storm, fearful that any harm should come to her
+new-found treasure; and it was only when the sea subsided, and the ship
+was more steady, that she would consent to place her in a little cot
+which had been slung by her side.  In the afternoon all the passengers
+were again collected together on deck.  We, of course, afforded the
+subject of general conversation and curiosity.  Speculations of all
+sorts were offered as to who we could be--where we could have come from,
+and how it happened that we were in an open boat, in the condition in
+which we were found.  I was asked all sorts of questions; but to none of
+them could I return a satisfactory answer.  I had some indistinct idea
+of having been on board another ship, and of there being a great
+disturbance, and of my crying very much through fear; and I suspect that
+I must have cried myself to sleep, and remained so when I was put into
+the boat.  Ellen Barrow had taken me under her especial protection,
+though everybody, more or less, tried to pet me, and I was very happy.
+Scarcely four-and-twenty hours had passed, it must be remembered, since,
+without food or human aid, we floated on the open ocean, the dying and
+the dead our only companions; and now we were on board a well-found
+ship, and surrounded by kind friends, all vying with each other to do us
+service.  Sir Charles every now and then, as I passed him, patted me on
+the head; and as I looked up I liked the expression of his countenance,
+so I stopped and smiled, and frequently ran back to him.  In this manner
+we shortly became great friends.
+
+"I wonder what their names can be!" exclaimed Mrs Clayton, as those
+most interested in us were still sitting together in earnest
+consultation.  "The boy's initials are M.S., and the little girl's E.S.,
+that is certain.  If we cannot discover their real names, we must give
+them some ourselves."
+
+"Oh, let them be pretty ones, by all means!" cried Ellen Barrow.  "I
+must not let my pet be called by an ugly name.  Let me consider--it must
+not be romantic either, like invented names found in novels."
+
+"I should advise you to choose the surname first for both the children,
+and then settle the respective Christian names," remarked the judge.
+
+"Will you help us, Sir Charles?" asked Miss Barrow.
+
+"No, my dear young lady--I propose that our committee abide by your
+choice, if I am allowed to have a word to say about the Christian name--
+so on your shoulders must rest the responsibility," was Sir Charles's
+answer.
+
+"It must begin with S, that is certain," said Ellen Barrow, speaking as
+she thought on.  "Something to do with the sea: Seagrave--I don't like
+that; Seaton--it might do.  What do you think of Seaworth, Sir Charles?
+It is a pretty name and appropriate--Seaworth--I like Seaworth."
+
+"So do I; and I compliment you on the selection," said the judge.  "Let
+the surname of the children be Seaworth from henceforth, till the real
+name is discovered; and now for a Christian name for the boy.  It must
+begin with M.  I do not like long names, and I have a fancy for one in
+particular--I must beg that he be called Mark.  I had a friend of that
+name, who died early.  Do you object to it, Miss Ellen?"
+
+"I had not thought of it, certainly," said Ellen Barrow.  "I was going
+to propose Marmaduke; but let me try how it sounds in combination with
+Seaworth--Mark Seaworth--Mark Seaworth.  A very nice name; I like it,
+and I am sure I shall like it very much in a short time."  So, thanks to
+Sir Charles and Ellen Barrow, I was called Mark Seaworth.
+
+Mrs Clayton now claimed the right of naming her little charge.  It was
+a matter, however, of still longer consideration.  Emily, and Eliza, and
+Elizabeth, and a number of others beginning with E were thought of, but
+none seemed to please.
+
+"Give her the name of her mother, then," said Sir Charles.
+
+"How do you know it?" exclaimed several voices.
+
+"The mother of us all," replied the judge, smiling.
+
+"Oh dear, yes!  Let her be called Eva rather," exclaimed Mrs Clayton,
+delighted.  "It is a sweetly pretty name, and not often used."
+
+"I meant simply Eve; but Eva is an improvement on my idea," said Sir
+Charles.
+
+"Eva, Eva," was pronounced in chorus by all the party; and by that name
+my little sister was afterwards christened.  Thus this important matter
+was finally arranged.
+
+Several days passed away without the occurrence of anything worthy of
+note, that I have heard of.  My little sister slowly gained strength and
+health under the careful nursing of Mrs Clayton.
+
+One fine day, sweet Ellen Barrow was, as usual, romping with me about
+the deck--now running after me--now catching hold of me to fondle me,
+and then letting me go for the sake of again chasing me; and though I
+struggled and screamed when she overtook me, I cannot say that I was
+either alarmed, or that I disliked the treatment I received.  Sir
+Charles was calmly watching us all the time, with a smile on his
+countenance.  At last the young lady, weary with her exertions, threw
+herself into a seat, while I came and nestled by her side.  After
+looking at us for a few minutes he came nearer to her.
+
+"My dear young lady," he said, "will you answer me a question?"
+
+"A hundred, Sir Charles," she answered, "if you are kind enough to ask
+them; for I do not think you will prove a censorious father confessor."
+
+"Well, then, as you give me leave, I may venture to ask you more than
+one," said Sir Charles.  "In the first place, tell me what you propose
+doing with that little boy when you get ashore."
+
+"Doing with him, Sir Charles?  Why, I daresay Captain and Mrs Clayton
+will assist me in taking charge of him," replied Ellen Barrow, with a
+puzzled expression.  "But I do not think, I own, that I had thought at
+all about the future."
+
+"I thought not, my dear Miss Barrow," said Sir Charles, smiling.  "The
+young seldom think of the future; but we old people are taught by many a
+severe lesson the importance of preparing for it.  Now, as Captain and
+Mrs Clayton can scarcely wish to have the responsibility of taking
+charge of both your little pet and his sister, and as he has no claim on
+any here on board in particular, I have resolved to constitute myself
+his guardian till his natural protectors can be found.  Captain Willis,
+who has a sort of legal right over him, consents to my wish; so I intend
+to take him with me when we land.  Pray, therefore, make the most of him
+now you have him; but do not fix your heart on him entirely, for though
+I hope you may often see him, I cannot let you have him altogether."
+
+"What!  Sir Charles, do you really intend to adopt the dear little
+fellow?" exclaimed Miss Barrow with animation.  "He will, indeed, be
+fortunate; but I should be very, very sorry if I thought that I was not
+to see him again," she added, while a tear stood in her bright eye, and,
+turning round she gave me a hug and a kiss, which I thought very good of
+her.
+
+"Till his rightful guardians are found, I propose to take entire charge
+of him," said Sir Charles.  "I will do my best to fulfil the important
+duty I have undertaken; it is not a light one, I own.  It is not only to
+train up the boy to perform well his allotted task in this world, to
+fear God, to act honourably towards his neighbour, to overcome
+difficulties, and to secure a good place in the rank of fame and fortune
+among his fellow-men, but to prepare an immortal soul for eternity."
+
+Well, indeed, did that good man fulfil his self-imposed duty and utterly
+beyond all return are the benefits I received from him.
+
+Alas! that so few who have the charge of youth should think of their
+deep responsibilities as he did.  How many private tutors I have met
+with, who think they have done their duty when they have taught their
+pupils the sufficient knowledge of Latin and Greek, and mathematics to
+enable them to enter the universities, without a thought beyond--without
+pointing out to them, clearly and unmistakably, whatever may be their
+station in life, that they must have responsibilities, and that they
+should so act in everything they do here, that they may be ever prepared
+for entering the life which is to endure for ever!  I know that, let the
+tutor be ever so anxious to perform his duty, let the pupil be ever so
+ready to listen, times will come when good intentions and precepts may
+be forgotten; but such failings off should not damp the energies of
+either, but with sorrow for their derelictions, and earnest prayer for
+strength from above, they should rise to new exertions, and each year
+will afford to the tutor greater encouragement, as he sees in the lives
+of his pupils the fruit of his instruction.
+
+What I wish you to remember is this, that every one of you--the poorest
+and humblest as well as the richest--may do a great deal of good to your
+fellow-creatures, if you will but try to find out the way; and also that
+you cannot devote yourself to amusement, as so many do, without
+committing a very grave fault, by neglecting the duties of which I have
+spoken; while I am very certain that you would lose an unfailing source
+of happiness, for which no other gratification can afford any
+recompense.
+
+I beg you to think very deeply of what I have said; and now I will go on
+with my narrative.
+
+Sir Charles at once set to work with my education, and Ellen Barrow was,
+under his directions, my instructress.  I do not remember that I was
+much troubled with the sight of books; but she drew a number of pictures
+of various objects, and made me repeat their names, and then she cut out
+the alphabet in cardboard, by which means I very soon knew my letters.
+If I was sick she never attempted to teach me, so that all the means
+offered me of gaining knowledge were pleasurable, and I thus took at
+once a strong liking to learning, which has never deserted me.  Before
+the termination of the voyage.  I could express myself in English, so as
+to be understood as well as are most children of my age; and as Sir
+Charles would not allow me to be taught nonsense, I put a right
+signification upon the words I used.
+
+One morning, at daybreak, a cry was heard from the mast-head of "Land
+ahead!" and so true had been the observations of Captain Willis, that a
+few hours afterwards, with a fine breeze, we were entering Table Bay, at
+the Cape of Good Hope.
+
+The Cape of Good Hope colony is, as most of my young readers are well
+aware, now an English settlement.  It once belonged to the Dutch; but we
+took it from them during the last war, when they sided with the
+republican French.  It is most celebrated for its sheep pastures; but it
+also produces wine, and corn, and oil, and affords ample room for the
+establishment of numbers of our countrymen, who cannot find employment
+at home.  The climate is very healthy; but there are very strong winds,
+and sometimes droughts which destroy the labours of the husbandman.
+
+However, people who settle there become much attached to the country;
+and those fond of chasing wild beasts may gratify their tastes to the
+full in the interior; but they must remember that they cannot, at the
+same time, attend properly to their farming operations, which must, of
+necessity, be carried on in more settled districts.  It is on many
+accounts a very valuable colony to Great Britain, and, among others,
+because it is on the high road to her extensive possessions in
+Australasia and that in its harbours the numerous shipping which sail
+thither may find shelter in time of war, and at all times may replenish
+their water and provisions.  It affords a home to thousands of our
+countrymen, and it supplies the raw material, wool, to our
+manufacturers; and its inhabitants, by using a large quantity of British
+manufactures, afford employment to thousands of persons at home, who
+would otherwise of necessity be idle.  By my calculations, every three
+or four Englishmen who go to one of our southern colonies, and are
+prosperous, afford employment to one person of those remaining at home;
+and we thus see how immediately the mother country is benefited by an
+extensive colonisation.  Those very emigrants, or those who have taken
+their places, had they remained, it must be borne in mind, might have
+been idle and paupers; while the money which is now circulating,
+usefully affording employment to others, would have been employed in
+supporting them in idleness.  However, the subject is irrelevant to my
+history: I mention it because I want to draw the attention of my young
+friends to the value of our colonial possessions, that when they become
+men, they may do their utmost to increase the prosperity of the
+colonies, being assured that they cannot turn their attention to a more
+patriotic subject.
+
+We remained several days in Table Bay; during which time most of the
+passengers lived on shore, and some even ventured a considerable way
+into the interior.  Cape Town extends along the shores of the bay at the
+foot of the far-famed Table Mountain, towards which the ground gradually
+rises from the waters.  The streets are straight, regularly constructed,
+and run at right angles to each other.  They are lined with elm and oak
+trees, which in summer afford a grateful shade.
+
+There is a clean nice look about the place, which reminds one of an
+English town.  I visited it many years after the time of which I am now
+speaking, for which reason I am able to describe it.  The squares are
+well laid out, and the public edifices are numerous and substantial.
+The private houses are built chiefly of red brick or stone, with a
+terrace before the door shaded by trees.  Here not only the Dutch, but
+the English, as was once the custom in the old country in days long gone
+by, delight to sit and work in the shade, when the sun is hot, or in the
+evening to enjoy the fresh breeze from the open sea.
+
+There are upwards of 25,000 inhabitants, half of whom are white, the
+majority being Dutch or of Dutch descent.
+
+Cape Town is strongly fortified.  The entrance to the bay is commanded
+by a battery called the _Mouille_.  There is a castle to the left of the
+town, and several other forts and batteries.  The colony is divided into
+two provinces--the Western Province, of which Cape Town is the capital;
+and the Eastern Province, of which Graham's Town is the capital.  Each
+province is divided into districts, many of which retain the old Dutch
+names; indeed, nearly all the places in the long settled parts are
+called by the appellations given them by the early possessors of the
+colony.
+
+There are no navigable rivers; and as the country is wild and
+mountainous, the means of communication are not easy.  To the east,
+about five hundred miles from the frontier, is the new settlement of
+Natal, which, from its beautiful climate, and many excellent qualities,
+promises some day to become a very valuable possession.
+
+Having got our stores on board, the Blue Peter was hoisted, our
+passengers again collected in their accustomed places, full of all the
+things they had seen and heard, and once more we were ploughing the
+ocean towards the mouth of the wealth-bearing Hoogly.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE.
+
+Our voyage was most propitious, and, without any event worthy of notice,
+we approached the mouth of the Hoogly, on the shore of which stands
+Calcutta, the magnificent city whither we were bound.  While still some
+way off the land the pilot came on board to take charge of the ship; and
+now, from the heavy responsibility which had so long weighed on the
+shoulders of Captain Willis, he was in part relieved, as the pilot
+became answerable for the safety of the ship.  While we slowly glide up
+the placid stream, one of the mouths of the far-famed Ganges, the sacred
+river of the Hindoos, I will give a short description of it.
+
+The Ganges is 1,500 miles long, and as far as 500 miles from the sea the
+channel is thirty feet deep, when, during the dry season, the river is
+at its lowest, while so great even there is its width, that it appears
+like an inland sea.  At 200 miles from the ocean the Ganges separates
+into two branches; the south-east retaining the name of the Ganges, and
+the west assuming the appellation of the Hoogly; the delta, or
+triangular space between the two, being called the Sunderbunds.
+
+Among the eternal snows of the lofty mountains of the Himalaya, 20,000
+feet above the level of the sea, in latitude 30 degrees north, is found
+the source of this superb stream.  It is said to issue out of the
+precipitous side of a lofty mountain, from beneath an arch 300 feet
+high, composed of deep frozen layers of snow, surrounded by icicles of
+gigantic magnitude.  Such was, the mighty stream on which the good ship
+the _Governor Harcourt_ was now floating.
+
+On its eastern bank stands Calcutta, the City of Palaces as it is often
+called.  My earliest recollections were of the clusters of columns, the
+long colonnades, and lofty gateways of its magnificent mansions.  The
+residences are, for the most part, either entirely detached from each
+other, or connected only by long ranges of terraces, surmounted, like
+the flat roofs of the houses, with balustrades.  The greater number of
+the mansions have pillared verandahs, extending the whole way up,
+sometimes to the height of three stories, besides a large portico in
+front, the whole having a very picturesque appearance, especially when
+intermingled with forest trees and flowering shrubs.  The houses are
+built of brick, covered with cement, which looks like stone and as even
+the more ordinary buildings are spread over a considerable extent of
+ground, they have a very imposing effect, unlike any inhabited by
+persons of the same rank in England.  But close even to the palaces of
+the most wealthy are to be seen wretched mud huts; and rows of native
+hovels, constructed of mats, thatch, and bamboos, often rest against
+their outer walls, while there are avenues opening from the principal
+streets, intersected in all directions by native bazaars, filled with
+unsightly articles of every description.
+
+Sir Charles Plowden lived in a very large house, and though his own
+habits were very simple, the custom of the country required him to have
+a large retinue of domestics.  Thus I was brought up in almost barbaric
+splendour, with a number of persons whose only business was to attend
+upon my wishes.  My kind guardian, whenever his public duties permitted,
+had me with him, and himself superintended my education, which prevented
+the ill effects of the indulgence I was allowed.  A sitting-room in
+India is very unlike one in England.  The sofas, chairs, and tables are
+placed at a foot distance from the wall, on account of the reptiles
+which would otherwise find their way on to them.  All the walls are
+pierced with doors, through which are seen, like ghosts, the servants,
+clad in flowing white garments, gliding about with noiseless feet in all
+directions.  None of the inferior domestics keep themselves, as in
+England, in the background--the water-carrier alone confines his
+perambulations to the back staircases; all the others, down to the
+scullions, make their appearance in the state apartments whenever they
+please; and in Bengal even the lower orders of palanquin-bearers, who
+wear but little clothing, will walk into a room without ceremony, and
+endeavour to make themselves useful by dusting the furniture, setting it
+in order; at the same time, any of the upper servants would deem it
+highly disrespectful to their masters to appear without their turbans,
+or their other usual clothing.
+
+The punkah, a necessary appendage of every house, is worthy of
+description.  It is formed of a wooden framework, a foot and a half or
+two feet broad, hung in the centre of the room, and extending nearly its
+whole length.  This frame is covered with painted canvas or fluted silk,
+finished round the edges with gilt mouldings.  It is suspended from the
+ceiling by ropes, covered with scarlet cloth, very tastefully disposed,
+and hangs within seven feet of the ground.  A rope is fastened to the
+centre, and the whole apparatus waves to and fro, creating, if pulled
+vigorously, a strong current of air, and rendering the surrounding
+atmosphere endurable, when the heat would, without it, be very
+disagreeable.
+
+Captain Clayton was stationed up the country, where Mrs Clayton took my
+little sister, and Ellen Barrow accompanied them.  I was very sorry to
+part from all my kind friends, as well as my little sister, and often
+used to ask when they were coming back again.  I missed my sweet
+playmate, Ellen Barrow, very much; for among all my obsequious
+attendants, no one could romp with me as she did, or amuse me half so
+much.  I loved her dearly, and had I never again seen her, I think I
+should never have forgotten her countenance.
+
+I must be very brief with this part of my history, as the adventures I
+afterwards met with will, I doubt not, prove more interesting to my
+readers.
+
+I must, however, while I am talking of India, recommend my young friends
+to make themselves well acquainted with the geographical position of the
+most important places in it.  I have often, since coming to England,
+been asked if I knew Mr So-and-so of India, as if India was a town or
+an English county.  A glance at the map will show the immense extent of
+the British possessions in the East.  They are divided into three
+Presidencies, or Sub-governments--those of Bengal, Madras and Bombay.
+Connected with these are a great number of subsidiary and protected
+states.  Some of the nominal rulers of these are tributary to the
+Company, others receive stipends from them; while a great many have
+British residents or envoys stationed at their courts, who advise them
+how to govern, and many have, besides, British troops, to keep them in
+order and their enemies in awe.
+
+The vast extent of country between the Ganges and the Indus, with the
+Himalaya mountains on the north, may be considered as almost entirely
+British; at all events, British troops are stationed in all directions,
+and British travellers may move north and south, and east and west,
+without let or hindrance.  Thus it may be seen, that it is very possible
+for people to reside all their lives in India and not to meet; at the
+same time, as the British move about a great deal, especially the
+military, who, in time of war, are brought much in contact, they
+certainly meet oftener, and hear more of each other than would be
+expected.
+
+I feel assured that the rule of the British has proved a blessing to the
+people of India.  Had it not done so, we should not, I think, have been
+allowed to keep possession of the country.  At the same time, we might
+have proved a far greater blessing than we have been; for had we set a
+better example in religion and morality, I cannot but suppose that the
+divine truths of Christianity would have made greater progress among the
+inhabitants than they have.  Very many of my readers may have their
+future fortunes cast in that land of wonders, and let me entreat them to
+remember the immense responsibility which rests on their shoulders.
+According to the example they set, so may the benighted natives be
+brought to perceive the beauty and excellence of true religion, or they
+may remain in their present darkness.  Let me ask you a question: Who
+will be answerable for the ignorance and crimes of the poor natives--
+they who have never had the light presented to them, or you who might,
+by your example and precept, have offered it to them and would not?
+
+In saying this, I at the same time advise you to respect the prejudices
+and customs of the people.  You can never win people over to the truth
+by insulting their superstition, however gross.  I only urge you to be,
+in your own lives, a bright example.
+
+I now return to my history.
+
+Several years of the time of my childhood passed away very happily.  Sir
+Charles was placed as ruler over a large Province in the interior, and
+he took me with him.  His residence was situated on some lofty hills,
+which were cool even in hot weather, so that I grew up strong and
+healthy.  Some British troops were sent to the same place, under the
+command of Captain, now Major Clayton, and thus I was once more united
+to my kind friends and young sister.  Ellen Barrow was so no longer; she
+had become Mrs Northcote; but was the same kind, lively creature as
+when I first remembered her.  Major and Mrs Clayton had no children of
+their own; and they therefore loved my little sister even as if she had
+been their infant.
+
+I must not omit to mention an occurrence which happened about this time,
+and is well worthy of note.  My friends were residing in a sort of fort,
+situated on the hills, with a high wall surrounding the habitable
+portion.  In the hot weather the windows are left entirely open, or are
+simply closed with a sort of venetian blind.  The crib in which my
+sister slept was placed in a large apartment outside Major and Mrs
+Clayton's chamber, while beyond it were the sleeping-places of the
+nurses and other household domestics.  It was used in the day-time as a
+sitting-room, and against the wall was a large and handsome mirror, and
+from the ceiling hung a lamp, which shed a soft and subdued light upon
+it.  I am thus particular in describing the scene from the circumstances
+which follow.  It was an hour or more past midnight, when Major Clayton
+was awakened, and from, to him, some unaccountable reason, he could not
+again compose himself to sleep.  While he lay awake, he fancied that he
+heard a slight noise in the adjoining room, and throwing on his
+dressing-gown, he rose to discover what could have caused it.  Think of
+his horror and amazement to see, in the centre of the apartment, as if
+about to spring on the cradle where the infant slept, a royal Bengal
+tiger of vast size!  In a moment it might have seized the child, and
+before any human aid could have availed, it might have carried her away
+into the wild jungle.  He stood almost paralysed, not knowing how to
+act.  Had he moved to get his pistols from the next room, he might only
+have hastened the catastrophe he feared.  He looked again; the fierce
+animal was lashing its tail and grinding its teeth with rage.  Before
+its eyes, reflected in the mirror, was its own image, which it had
+beheld when just about to spring on its prey.  It now stood, every
+moment its fury increasing, fancying that another of its species was
+there to contest the prize it had come to bear away.  The major watched
+it with breathless anxiety; he was about to rush to the crib, at the
+risk of his life, to carry off the child, when the tiger sprung forward.
+Alas!  It is too late, and the savage beast will destroy it; but no,
+the tiger expects to join combat with its rival, and with a loud crash
+the mirror is dashed into a thousand fragments.  The animal, frightened
+by the unexpected event and the wounds it received, without an attempt
+to commit further injury, turned round and leaped out of the open window
+by which it had entered.  A few springs carried it to the outer wall,
+which, though of great height, it surmounted, and before pursuit could
+be made it escaped.  The noise aroused the whole household, who came
+rushing into the apartment from all sides, while Mrs Clayton clasped
+the still sleeping child in her arms, to assure herself that it was
+unharmed.  Surely this was one of those evident inter-positions of
+Providence which occur to most of us, but are seldom acknowledged in a
+proper spirit of gratitude.  It is another of the many signal proofs I
+have had to convince me that God is everywhere.  This escape of their
+darling endeared little Eva still more, if possible, to her kind
+guardians.  I ought to have said that both they and Sir Charles had
+taken every measure in their power to discover our relations and
+friends, but that hitherto they had totally failed in the search.  Most
+certainly they would have made the discovery with deep regret had it
+tended to deprive them of us; but still this sense of right prompted
+them to spare no expense or trouble for that object.  Sir Charles drew
+up a circular, addressed to the consuls, Lloyd's agents, and others, at
+all the ports from which the ship could have sailed, to have carried us
+to the neighbourhood of where we were found; but though several were
+missing, and were supposed to have been lost about that time, there were
+no proofs forthcoming that we had been on board one of them.  Now and
+then our friends fancied that they had found the clue to our identity;
+but either the children inquired after were subsequently discovered, or
+it was proved that we could not possibly be them.  Thus year after year
+passed away, and I was entirely dependent on Sir Charles, while my
+sister was in every respect the adopted child of Major and Mrs Clayton.
+Little Eva, from a sickly infant, had become a very beautiful child;
+but at the time of which I am speaking she was remarkably small for her
+age, so that she looked even younger than she really was.  I, on the
+contrary, was rather taller and stouter than most boys of my age.  My
+excellent guardian had taken great pains, not only to cultivate my mind,
+but also to give me a variety of manly accomplishments; and I could
+ride, shoot, and fence, sufficiently well to elicit a considerable
+amount of applause from all who saw me.  At a very early age, mounted on
+an elephant, I used to accompany parties of officers on their
+expeditions against the tigers and wild boars of the jungle.  One day I
+was thus engaged, when the elephant I was on, being some way from the
+rest, a tiger flew out and fastened on his trunk.  In vain the mighty
+beast tried to shake off his savage assailant.  He then endeavoured to
+kneel upon him and so to crush him; and I fully expected to be thrown
+over his head.  My gun was, however, ready.  I caught a sight of the
+tiger's eye; and, firing, sent a ball directly into it.  In an instant
+his claws relaxed, and he fell to the ground dead.  I gained great
+applause for the deed, and for the coolness I displayed; but I don't see
+how, having a gun in my hand, I could have acted otherwise than I did.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX.
+
+I must pass rapidly over the next few years of my life, though they were
+not uneventful.  One day Sir Charles called me to him, and, taking my
+hand, he said kindly, "I have been considering, Mark, that it will be
+necessary to send you home in order to complete your education, which
+cannot be done out here to my satisfaction."
+
+"Home!"  I asked.  "Where is that, papa?  This is the only home I know."
+
+"In England, my boy; that is my home, where I hope to return to end my
+days; and it should be your home also.  I wish you to be brought up to
+think, and feel, and act as an Englishman, and that you can only do by
+mixing on equal terms with other English boys of your own age.  In fact,
+you are too much of a man already; and I wish you to be rubbed back into
+boyhood again."
+
+In reply, I tried to persuade him that I would endeavour to become in
+every respect what he wished, if he would allow me to remain with him;
+for I sincerely grieved at the thought of being separated from so kind a
+guardian; at the same time, I own that I could not help looking with
+very great satisfaction at the prospect of a visit to a land so full of
+wonders as I expected to find England.  People are apt to think the
+country they have not seen much more wonderful than the one where they
+are residing.  Before people travelled, as they do now, the most absurd
+stories of distant countries were reported and believed even by sensible
+men.  It was supposed that races of men existed, some with their heads
+under their arms, others with three eyes, and that others, again, were
+of gigantic stature; indeed, the tales of the Arabian Nights appeared
+scarcely in any way to be exaggerations.
+
+We were, at the time of which I speak, some way up the country; and as
+Sir Charles was about to proceed to Calcutta, I had the advantage of
+travelling in his society.  An English gentleman is obliged to perform a
+journey in India in a very different way, to what he would in England.
+A family of moderate size has a hundred or more attendants, with numbers
+of elephants, and bullocks, and horses, and, in some districts, camels.
+It is a curious sight to see a party starting on the first morning of a
+journey; the palanquins, and hackeries, and carriages, and long strings
+of animals, varying in size from the mighty elephant to the little pony,
+defile out from among the houses of the town.  As there are no inns or
+other buildings to afford shelter, it is necessary to carry tents, and
+cooking apparatus, and furniture and provisions; then all the upper
+servants have their attendants, and the guards theirs, in addition to
+the drivers of the animals; so, as may be supposed, a very few officers
+will require a whole army of followers.  The more weighty articles are
+packed in hackeries, which are the small carts of the country, drawn by
+bullocks.  Females, chiefly of the lower ranks, are conveyed in a
+similar rough vehicle, covered over at the top.  Trunks are also slung
+across the backs of bullocks.  Tents are carried by camels or elephants;
+and lighter articles, liable to fracture, are borne on the heads or over
+the shoulders of men.  China and cooking apparatus are carried in large
+baskets hung on poles by four men, like a palanquin.  The _meter_ walks
+along with his dogs in a leash; the shepherd drives his sheep before
+him; and ducks and hens journey in baskets.  There are spare horses led
+by grooms, and watermen and water-carriers march alongside their
+bullocks.  Among the miscellaneous concourse appears the head-servant,
+or _khansamah_, mounted generally on some steed discarded by his master,
+while his inferiors either walk on foot, or get a lift in a hackery, or
+on the back of a camel; but all trudge along with cheerfulness, and
+alacrity.
+
+Palanquins are sometimes like small four-post beds, with richly
+ornamented curtains, and supported by a long horizontal pole, borne by
+four men.  Children are conveyed in a palanquin carriage, a curtained
+vehicle on wheels, not unlike the cage of a wild beast.  The nurse sits
+on the floor with the baby on her knees, while the rest of the children
+may be seen looking through the bars which keep them in.  It is drawn by
+bullocks; and as it moves floundering along over the heavy roads, it
+threatens to upset at every jolt.
+
+It is surprising to see the rapid manner in which the multifarious
+materials, which compose the temporary city, are reduced to order.  The
+spot so lately a silent desert is peopled, as if by magic, by crowds of
+human beings, and animals of every description.  The ground on every
+side is strewed with packages, chests, and cloth bundles; while the men,
+moving about with violent gesticulations and loud exclamations, employ
+themselves in their well-known and allotted tasks.  By degrees graceful
+forms arise, and richly-tinted pavilions, with gilded summits, glitter
+in the sunbeams, while gaudy banners flutter in the air.  Long lines of
+canvas sheets appear, and spacious enclosures formed of _kanauts_ secure
+the utmost privacy to the dwellers of the populous camp; while the
+elephants, who have trodden out the ground, and smoothed it for the
+chief's or master's tent, retire to their bivouac.  Not only comfort,
+but even elegance is imparted to these temporary abodes, fitted up with
+such rapidity in the midst of the wildest jungle.  Gay-coloured shawls
+form the roof and sides, rich carpets the floor, and soft couches run
+round the walls of the tented apartment.
+
+Palanquins and carriages begin to arrive: the ladies find their
+toilet-tables laid out; baths are ready for the gentlemen; the
+_khidmutghars_ are preparing breakfast, and the _hookabadhars_ are
+getting the _chillums_ in readiness; while the elephants, camels,
+bullocks, horses, and the other animals, as well as their drivers, and
+the tent-pitchers, coolies, and all those who have been employed in
+fatiguing offices, are buried in profound repose.
+
+Day after day the same scene takes place, varied sometimes by a tiger or
+a wild boar hunt, when one is passing through a part of the country,
+where they are to be found.
+
+The dinner in camp is usually as well supplied with the products of the
+larder as the repast served up in a settled establishment.  Several very
+excellent dishes have been invented, which are peculiarly adapted to the
+cooking apparatus suited to the jungle.
+
+Immediately after the dinner the _khidmutghars_, cooks, and
+_mussaulchees_ pack up the utensils belonging to their department, and
+set forward with the tent, which is to be to-morrow's dwelling, leaving
+the bearers to attend at tea, their objection to doing duty at table
+extending only to repasts composed of animal food.
+
+During our long journey, we were compelled to halt several times for a
+day or two, to refresh the weary frames of the men and cattle, toiling
+under the burthen of the camp equipage.  The camp on those days used to
+present even a more busy scene than usual.  The _dobies_ were employed
+in washing and ironing their master's clothes, while the other servants
+and camp-followers were mending, making, and repairing garments,
+saddles, and harness, and tackle of all descriptions.
+
+Part of our journey was performed by water down the Ganges, on hoard a
+_budgerow_.  The name of this boat is a native corruption of the word
+_barge_.  It is somewhat in appearance like an overgrown gondola--very
+picturesque, and not altogether inelegant.  The interior is fitted up
+with sleeping apartments and a sitting-room, with an enclosed verandah
+in front, which serves to keep off the sun; the cabin is on all sides
+surrounded by venetians, which serve to keep off his burning rays by
+day, and to let in the air at night.  On a small deck, left free at the
+bows, the boatmen stand, urging on the boat with long sweeps; while the
+roof of the cabin, or upper deck, as it might be called, is the chief
+resort of the servants and the rest of the crew.  The helmsman is posted
+on a high platform at the stern, guiding the boat with a huge rudder;
+and the _goleer_, stationed at the bow, ascertains with a long pole the
+depth of the water.  When the wind is fair, two large square sails are
+hoisted; and as the vessel draws but little water, they send her rapidly
+along.  A baggage boat is always in attendance on a _budgerow_; she also
+carries the provisions and the servants, and the cooking apparatus.
+Besides these two boats, a smaller one, called a _dinghee_, is used to
+communicate between the two, or to send messages on shore.  When the
+wind is contrary, or when there is none, and the banks of the river will
+allow it, the boats are towed along by sixteen or more men, dragging at
+a rope fastened to the mast-head.
+
+I remember being particularly struck with the number and beauty of the
+lotus, floating on the waters of the Ganges, as also with other flowers,
+of scarlet, yellow, and white hues; while numberless others, of every
+tint, garnished either bank of the stream.
+
+A remarkable feature of the Ganges is the fine Ghauts, or
+landing-places, one of which is to be found leading from the water even
+to the smallest village.  They consist of five flights of steps, either
+of stone or _chunam_ highly polished; and have, besides being most
+useful, a very handsome appearance.  On either side are stone
+balustrades, and sometimes beautiful temples, mosques, or pagodas,
+according to the creed of the founders.  At every time of the day, on
+the Ghauts, may be seen groups of bathers; while graceful female forms
+are continually passing and re-passing, loaded with water-pots, which
+are balanced with the nicest precision on their heads.
+
+As we proceed down the river an infinite variety of scenes meets our
+sight--now overhanging cliffs, crowned by some beautiful Oriental
+edifice; then green woods and fields, with quiet villages seen among
+them; next a herd of buffaloes wallowing in the mud, their horns and the
+tips of their noses alone out of the water, or, perhaps, their keepers
+are about to drive them across the stream, for though fierce in
+appearance, they are as tame as oxen.  The herdsmen mount on the necks
+of the strongest, and thus fearlessly stem the current, almost
+completely immersed in the water.  We saw wide pastures covered with
+innumerable herds; forests, with their eternal shade; and indigo
+plantations, in charge of Europeans.  Sometimes a gigantic elephant was
+observed under the shade of a tree, fanning off the flies with a branch
+of palm; others were pacing along, decked in gaudy trappings, and
+hearing their masters in howdahs through the fields or plantations.
+
+The most elegant and picturesque buildings are the temples and
+habitations of the Brahmins, in situations remote from the busy haunts
+of men.  Here the mistaken devotees of a barbarous faith spend their
+time in weaving garlands for their altars, or to deck the rafts which
+they commit to the holy stream.
+
+Innumerable varieties of birds are seen, some flying in flocks, and
+others stalking along the reedy shore.
+
+After leaving these wild and picturesque scenes behind, one comes
+suddenly upon one of the beautiful modern towns, built by the British,
+on the banks of the river, filled with superb palaces, well suited for
+the habitations of princes, though but the residences of the civil
+servants of the East India Company.
+
+During the day the heat in the cabin is often very great; but as the sun
+declines, the temperature agreeably decreases.  As the crew will not
+work at night, it is necessary, as it grows dark, to moor the budgerow
+to the shore.  The moment this is done, a very active and animated scene
+commences; the domestics, whose services are not required on board, and
+all the crew, immediately disembark; fires are kindled for the various
+messes; those who are anxious for quiet and seclusion, light up their
+fagots at a considerable distance from the boat.
+
+At length we arrived at Calcutta, where Sir Charles, to his great
+satisfaction, found Captain Willis, who was on the point of sailing for
+England in his old ship, the _Governor Harcourt_.  I was, accordingly,
+forthwith committed to his charge, and consigned to the care of a
+brother of my kind guardian, the Reverend Mr Plowden.  I parted from
+Sir Charles with much sorrow, which, I believe, was fully shared with
+him.
+
+We were detained some days by contrary winds in the Hoogly; so that, by
+the time we got clear of the mouth of the river, we were tolerably well
+acquainted with each other.  I made myself perfectly at home, and gained
+the friendship of all the passengers.  I had none of that false shame or
+bashfulness about me which makes so many English boys appear to
+disadvantage among strangers, and prevents them from gaining the regard
+of their acquaintance, though I had perfect respect for my elders, and
+due deference for the opinions of those who, from their age and
+experience, I felt ought to know the world better than I could myself.
+I must not forget to mention that we came in sight of the far-famed
+temple of Juggernaut, on the coast of Orissa, in the district of
+Cuttack.  The dark and frowning pagoda, rising abruptly from a ridge of
+sand, forms a conspicuous object from the sea, its huge shapeless mass
+not unlike some ill-proportioned giant, affording a gloomy type of the
+hideous superstitions of the land.  This huge pagoda, half pyramid and
+half tower, is built of coarse red granite, brought from the southern
+parts of Cuttack, and covered with a rough coating of chunam.
+
+The tower containing the idols, which is two hundred feet high, and
+serves as a land-mark to the mariner, stands in the centre of a
+quadrangle, enclosed by a high stone wall, extending 650 feet on each
+side, and surrounded by minor edifices of nondescript shapes.  The
+magnitude of these buildings forms their sole claim to admiration; they
+are profusely decorated with sculpture, but of so rude a description as
+to afford no satisfaction to the beholder.  The great temple of
+Juggernaut was erected in the twelfth century.  The idols are of huge
+size and hideous shape.  Krishna, the chief, in intended as a mystic
+representation of the supreme power; for the Hindoos assert that they
+worship only one God, and that the thousands of other images to which
+they pay homage are merely attributes of a deity pervading the whole of
+nature.  Every one of the idols particularly venerated by the numerous
+tribes and sects of Hindostan, obtains a shrine within the precincts of
+the temple; so that all castes may unite in celebrating the great
+festival with one accord.  The installation of the mighty idol upon his
+car, and his journey to a country residence, about a mile and a half
+distant only, though it occupies three days, is performed with
+numberless extraordinary ceremonies by his devotees.  The car is a sort
+of platform, forty-three feet in height, and thirty-five feet square,
+moving upon sixteen wheels, each six feet and a half in diameter.
+
+Though the ponderous wheels of Juggernaut no longer go crushing over the
+bodies of prostrate victims, the assembled crowd rush to the car with
+almost appalling fury and excitement.  Pilgrims, however, come in vast
+numbers from all parts of the country to the temple, and thousands die
+from famine and exhaustion on the arid road across the sands which
+surround it.  That the vile and dark superstitions I have been
+describing may disappear before the pure light of Christianity, should
+be the prayer of all believers; but we must remember, also, that the
+personal exertions and example of those who are called into that
+wonderful land are also required to effect that great object, and that
+they can in no way be excused if they neglect that duty.
+
+This was the last glimpse we had of India.  We did not even sight the
+Cape of Good Hope; and Saint Helena was the first land we made.  We
+remained there two days, and everybody went to see the grave of
+Napoleon.  I remember after dinner, on the day we again sailed, that
+there was a long discussion as to the right England had to keep him a
+prisoner.  It was the opinion of all the older and most sensible men,
+that as he had been the greatest curse to Europe, and a constant source
+of annoyance and expense to our country, we were only performing our
+duty in taking the most effectual means to prevent him from committing
+any further mischief.  In less civilised times, he would probably have
+been deprived of life by one of the many means once resorted to for that
+purpose.
+
+The remainder of our voyage was as prosperous as the commencement, and
+we arrived safely in the Thames about four months after leaving
+Calcutta.  As there was not a human being I knew in England, I was in no
+hurry to leave the ship; and I therefore waited till Captain Willis
+could accompany me to call on Mr Plowden.  On first landing, and when
+driving through the streets, I was completely bewildered by the noise,
+and bustle, and apparent confusion going on around me.  I wondered how
+the people could thread their way along the pavement, and more how they
+could venture to cross the road while carriages were dashing by at a
+rate so furious that I thought they must be constantly running into each
+other.  After proceeding some miles to the west-end of London, we
+reached Mr Plowden's house.  He received me very kindly; and after some
+conversation, he inquired whether I should like to go to school, or to
+live with a private tutor by myself.  I replied, "To school, by all
+means," as I wished to see life, and to make friends.  To school,
+therefore, it was settled I should go.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN.
+
+Mr Plowden selected for me a large school near London; it was
+considered a first-rate one.  There were a good many sons of noblemen
+and men of landed property, as also of officers of the East India
+Company's service, of West India proprietors, and of merchants.  It was
+a little world in itself, influenced, however, by the opinions of the
+greater planet within which it revolved.  The boys took rank according
+to that of their parents, except that a few, either from their talents,
+their independent spirits, or from their sycophantish qualifications,
+had become the more intimate associates of those generally considered
+their superiors.
+
+The proprietor was considered an excellent school-master.  I do not say
+he was a bad one, though he was not capable of teaching much himself.
+He, however, paid liberally for good ushers, and thus his pupils were
+tolerably well instructed in Greek and Latin; but as the junior master
+was appointed to teach geography, history, and other branches of useful
+science, of which he had a very superficial knowledge, they gained but
+little information on those subjects.  It struck me, also, that they
+were not sufficiently instructed in their future duties and
+responsibilities in life.  It was not sufficiently impressed on those
+destined to become landed proprietors, that they should consider
+themselves in the light of stewards over their estates, and guardians
+and advisers of their tenantry; and that it was as much, if not more,
+their duty to study hard to fit themselves for the station of life, to
+which they were called, as it was that of those boys who had to fight
+their way through the world.
+
+Though I was not older than many of the boys, I had far greater
+experience and knowledge of mankind than they had; and I accordingly
+made observations on many things which escaped their notice.  Little
+attention was paid to the moral cultivation of the boys, and still less
+to their physical development.
+
+Gymnastic exercises were not thought of; and, except cricket, they had
+no manly games to strengthen their muscles and improve their forms.
+There was a dancing-master; but as he had the art of making a toil of a
+pleasure, few of the boys learned.  A drill-sergeant came once a week,
+but few seemed to benefit by his lessons.  However, as every care was
+taken to fill the heads of the boys with as large an amount of Greek and
+Latin as they would hold, the school was considered a very good one;
+indeed, as they were tolerably well fed, and not flogged over much, and
+as the bedrooms were clean and airy, and as a respectable matron
+presided over the establishment, no complaints were made, and parents
+and friends were pleased with all they saw.
+
+It must be understood that I think Greek and Latin very important
+branches of a gentleman's education but, at the same time, there are
+many other things which should on no account be neglected, and which are
+so too often.
+
+The knowledge I possessed was of too varied a kind to enable me to take
+my place in any class; and I therefore sometimes did duty with one and
+sometimes with another, generally getting to the top in a very short
+time.  Of mathematics, history, and modern languages I knew more than
+the oldest boys, while some of the younger ones surpassed me in making
+verses, and in Latin and Greek.  In consequence of my accomplishments
+and information, I was a general favourite with most of my companions,
+whom I used to teach to fence, to knot, and splice, which I learned on
+my voyage home, and to some I imparted a few words of Hindustanee.
+
+I also entered into all their amusements; and as I had a great dislike
+to anything like bullying, I would never allow those I could master to
+ill-treat the weaker ones, and I, on more than one occasion, stood up
+against a boy much stronger than myself, to defend a little fellow he
+was going to thrash.  We fought, and though he got the best of it, he
+suffered so severely that he never again attempt to interfere with me.
+I thus gained all the advantage a victory could have given me.  I was
+not unhappy at the school; but I found the life rather irksome after the
+freedom I had been accustomed to enjoy, and I studied as hard as I was
+able, to emancipate myself from it.
+
+Although I had many friends, I had few intimates--indeed, to no one did
+I confide the story of my being discovered at sea in a boat with my
+sister; and I was supposed to be the nephew of Sir Charles Plowden.
+Among the boys I liked best, was one called Walter Blount.  He was
+almost friendless, though his birth was good; and he had fortune
+sufficient to enable him to be sent to this school, with the intention
+of his proceeding afterwards to Oxford or Cambridge.  He was a
+fine-spirited lad.  He was nearly two years younger than I was, and
+accordingly looked up to me as his superior.  I first gained his
+friendship by saving him from a thrashing which Hardman, the greatest
+bully in the school, was about to give him.
+
+"If you touch him you will have to fight us both," I exclaimed; "and I
+alone am not afraid of you."
+
+The bully doubled his fists, and looked very fierce, but stalked away
+without striking a blow.  I got Blount out of several scrapes; once he
+had been letting off fireworks in a part of the garden not seen from the
+house, and being disturbed by the report that one of the ushers was
+coming, he thrust a handful of touchpaper, part of which was ignited,
+into his pocket.  I luckily met him as he was passing the washing-room,
+and turning him as he was smoking away, I tore out his burning pockets,
+and plunged them into the water.  We afterwards had to cut away the
+burnt lining, and to sew up his pockets, so that what had happened might
+not be discovered.
+
+Another time, he, with a dozen or more other boys, had planned an
+expedition into the master's garden at night to get fruit.  He did not
+join it, I am sure, for the object of obtaining the fruit, but merely
+for the sake of the excitement.  Another boy, who had been asked to
+join, told me of it directly after the party had set out.  I immediately
+dressed and followed in their track, determined to bring them back
+before they had committed the robbery.  I, however, only fell in with
+Blount, who had been separated from the rest; and, with some difficulty,
+I induced him to return.  We had got back to our rooms, when one of the
+ushers discovered the whole party.  The master was called up, and, with
+birch in hand, went round the room, and inflicted summary punishment on
+all offenders.  The next morning they were called up by name, their
+crime announced, and severe tasks being inflicted, they were all sent to
+Coventry for a fortnight.  As the whole punishment was very disagreeable
+and irksome, Blount was very much obliged to me for having saved him
+from it.
+
+The winter holidays I spent with Mr Plowden in London, and in the
+summer he took me on a tour through a considerable portion of England,
+Scotland, and Ireland.  I thus became acquainted with what I was taught
+to consider my native land, and was able to compare other countries with
+it.  I own that, although I have always felt proud of the name of an
+Englishman, and of what Englishmen have done, yet there are many things
+in which the people of other nations are their superiors.  Some of the
+faults of the English, as they appeared to me, were a want of
+unostentatious hospitality, a due respect to parents and superiors in
+age, and a churlishness of behaviour to those of the same rank, with an
+unwarrantable suspicion of their motives, and an inclination to
+criticise and find fault with their behaviour and appearance.
+
+My summer holidays I enjoyed very much; but I was not fond of London;
+though, I believe, had I made a point of visiting all the spots of
+interest contained within it, and of gaining information about their
+history, I might have passed my time more profitably than I did.  In
+those days there were fewer sights, so called, than at present; and the
+great lion was Exeter Change, truly a den of wild beasts.  It was,
+indeed, painful to see animals deprived, not only of liberty, but of
+fresh air.  I, who had faced the royal Bengal tiger and the fierce lion
+in their native wilds, could not help feeling some amount of contempt
+for the exhibition.
+
+When I got back to school, I was welcomed by all the boys, especially by
+Blount and by John Prior, one of the oldest and most steady of them.  He
+was, indeed, more particularly my friend and my constant companion.  He
+was the son of a merchant connected with India, and reputed to be of
+great wealth.  Of his father he said little, but his constant theme was
+his mother, who must have been a very excellent person.  He averred that
+he had gained from her all the good in his composition; and certainly,
+judging from what I saw of him, she might well be content with the
+result of her prayers to Heaven for his improvement in virtue, and her
+own watchful and constant exertions.  I do not mean to say that any one
+is perfect; but certainly John Prior was, in the true sense of the word,
+one of the best fellows I ever met.  He gave me much of that advice and
+instruction which I have ever since found so important.  He knew the
+great aim of life; he saw things in their true light, and taught me to
+see them also; he called things by their proper names; and while he
+could make ample allowance for the faults of others, he never attempted
+to extenuate his own errors; nor did he mistake vice for virtue, or the
+semblance of virtue for the reality.  From the companionship of such a
+person I could not fail to reap much benefit.  I did not enjoy it long.
+We afterwards met under very different circumstances in a far-off
+region, which he at that time did not dream of visiting.  I had many
+other friends; I mention Prior and Blount because they will appear again
+in my narrative.  I was pursuing my usual course of study, when one day
+I was summoned into the study.  Mr Liston held an open letter in his
+hand.
+
+"This is from your uncle, I mean Mr Plowden," he began: "Sir Charles is
+ill, and wishes to have you with him.  You are to return to India
+immediately, unless you desire the contrary."
+
+The first feeling this announcement created was somewhat selfish, I am
+afraid, or rather I did not realise the fact of my kind guardian's
+illness; and my heart leaped at the thought of returning to India, with
+which country all my pleasantest recollections were associated.
+
+"I wish to go, sir, as soon as I can," I replied.
+
+"You do not appear to regret leaving your school-fellows, and your other
+friends here," observed Mr Liston, who naturally wished that all his
+boys should be fond of his school; and as he was making his fortune by
+means of it, had taught himself to believe that they must regard it with
+the same eyes of affection that he did.
+
+"Yes, sir, I am though.  I am sorry to leave many of the fellows; but
+you know Sir Charles is my oldest friend.  Does he say that he is very
+ill, sir?"
+
+"No; he talks of his declining strength, and of his wish to have some
+one about him, in whom he can thoroughly confide," said Mr Liston,
+fixing his eyes on me, as if he would read every thought passing in my
+mind.
+
+"I long to be with him," I answered quickly.  "And, sir, if you knew
+what a kind and indulgent friend he has been to me, you would not be
+surprised."
+
+"Well, well, I hope that you will find him in better health than he now
+is," said Mr Liston, in a kinder tone than usual.  "Mr Plowden has
+also written to say that your old friend, Captain Willis, is on the
+point of sailing, and that a cabin in his ship will be secured for you.
+Now go and wish your friends good-bye, for you have no time to lose, as
+you must go up to London this afternoon to get your outfit."
+
+On being thus dismissed, I hurried off into the playground.
+
+"I am very, very sorry that you are going, Seaworth," said Prior,
+leaning on my shoulder as we walked up and down apart from the rest.
+"Do remember all the things I have often talked to you about.  The more
+I think of them the more I feel their importance, and so will you, I am
+sure, if you continue to think; but you are going to join in the active
+busy world, with men of all shades of religion, and some without
+religion and thought--I mean serious thought; and reflection and earnest
+prayer may be forgotten."
+
+As I never knew my mother, it seemed as if God had sent me this friend
+to afford me the inestimable precepts which he had received through his
+parent.  Soon afterwards Blount came up, and wringing my hand, burst
+into tears.
+
+"I wish that I was going with you," he exclaimed.  "I would follow you
+everywhere.  I can't stay behind you, that is very certain--you'll see."
+
+The other boys now crowded round us, and in a thick mass we continued
+walking up and down, talking of the wonders I was to see, and all
+expressing regret at my going.  Thus the play-hours flew quickly away.
+I did not remark it at the time, but I now distinctly recollect that
+there was a subdued tone among all the boys; there was no wrangling or
+loud shouting; and a few of the little fellows, whom I had at times
+befriended and aided, were in tears.  It was very gratifying to me; and
+it showed me what a little exertion of power in a right cause will
+effect.  Whether as schoolboys or in manhood, we shall do well to
+remember this.  We talk of being repaid for good actions: now I think
+that the very feeling which results from doing good, more than amply
+repays us for the trouble to which we may have been put.  The remaining
+result is a gift Heaven kindly bestows as an incentive to virtue, but in
+no way gained by us.
+
+I was allowed to pack up my books during school hours.  The greater
+number, however, with some trifles I possessed, I distributed among my
+friends, as parting tokens.  When I went round to wish the ushers
+good-bye, they shook my hand warmly, and wished me happiness and
+prosperity; and as I passed up the schoolroom to the door, there was a
+general shout of "Good-bye, Seaworth; good-bye, old fellow.  We'll not
+forget you."  The tears rose to my eyes, and I could say nothing in
+return.
+
+Prior, Blount, and a few others accompanied me to the coach; and by them
+I sent back my last remembrances to all the rest.  In less than an hour
+I stepped into a hackney coach at the White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly,
+and was rumbling away to Mr Plowden's house.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT.
+
+Once more I was on the deck of the _Governor Harcourt_, her bows turned
+towards the south, ploughing up the waters of the Atlantic.  It was the
+last voyage Captain Willis intended to make, as he had now realised a
+handsome competency, and hoped to be able to retire and enjoy it with
+his family in the country of his birth.  We had very different people
+going out to those who were on board on our homeward voyage--or rather,
+they were the same sort of people at a different period of their lives.
+There were a few civil and military officers, and ladies, who had before
+been to India; but the greater number were young men just emancipated
+from school or college--griffins, as they are called--who knew nothing
+of the world or its ways, though they fancied that they knew a great
+deal, the most ignorant generally appearing the most conceited.  There
+was also a number of young ladies, going out to their relations and
+friends in India.  As Captain Willis was well-known for the excellent
+care he took of his lady passengers, they had been committed to his
+especial charge.
+
+For some time nothing of importance occurred, nor did we see any land to
+distract our attention from the varying line of sky and sea.  At last,
+one morning, at an early hour, when Captain Willis said we were near the
+island of Madeira, the cry of "Land ahead!" was raised, and in a short
+time we were passing between that beautiful place and a group of rocks
+called the Desertas.  They are about ten miles from the mainland, and
+extend for almost fifteen miles from north-west to south-east.  Some of
+the seamen told me that they are called the Desertas, because they have
+deserted from the mainland to stick out in the ocean by themselves; but
+the true origin of their name is, that they are desert or barren rocks.
+
+The island, when first seen, looked dusky and gloomy; but, as the sun
+rose, his rays dispersed the mist, and the mountains, and hills, and
+valleys, and orange groves, and picturesque shore, and the plantations,
+and neat white villas and small villages, burst forth in all their
+beauty.  As we rounded the southern side, the town of Funchal, the
+capital, opened to our view, backed by an amphitheatre of hills, covered
+with the variegated tints of a luxuriant vegetation, the whole forming a
+lovely scene which we longed to visit.
+
+As we did not require fresh provisions, Captain Willis wished to
+proceed.  Madeira belongs to Portugal, and is inhabited by Portuguese.
+Their costume is different, and they are generally inferior to the
+inhabitants of the parent state.
+
+I have heard people say that they cannot find amusement on board ship.
+I can reply that I have found abundant matter of interest for many a
+long voyage, both under the sea and on the sea.  I remember, on one calm
+day, when the ship was scarcely moving through the water, a boat was
+lowered to enable us to capture some of the _Physalia_, or Portuguese
+men-of-war, which were seen in unusual numbers gliding over the surface
+of the deep.  Several of the passengers, among whom were three of the
+cadets, formed the party intent on scientific discovery.  One, whose
+name was Jellico, but who was more generally called by his companions
+Jellybag, was among them.
+
+Some of my readers may wonder what is meant by a "Portuguese
+man-of-war," and think that, notwithstanding the daring of British
+seamen, we were bound on rather a hazardous expedition, in attempting to
+attack one in a jolly-boat.  The truth is, that it is the name given to
+a beautiful molluscous animal, which by means of a sort of sail, the
+wind blows along as if it were a real boat.  It consists of a bladder,
+tinted with various hues, and this keeps it afloat; while long
+tentaculae, of a deep purple colour, extend beneath, some of them
+several feet in length, with which it captures its prey.  This animal
+must not be confounded with the Nautilus, from which it is totally
+different, though one is often mistaken for the other.
+
+Our friend Jellybag did not exactly know what he was to see, but he
+expected to find something uncommon.  We had not rowed many strokes
+before one of the Physalia was observed floating by, its back ornamented
+with a fringe tinted with light-blue, delicate sea-green, and crimson.
+
+"I'll have it," exclaimed Jellybag, leaning over the bows and grasping
+hold of it, regardless of the injury he was inflicting.
+
+Scarcely had he got it on board, then he flung it down at the bottom of
+the boat, with a loud cry, exclaiming, "The horrid beast has stung me,
+as if it were a great nettle!"  So it was, for it had thrown round his
+fingers its long tentaculae, discharging, at the same time, an acrid
+fluid from them, which caused the pain he felt.  We all laughed at him
+at first very much; but he suffered so considerably during the day from
+the effects of the sting, that the more humane really pitied him, in
+spite of the ridiculous complaints he made.
+
+"Catch me taking hold of strange fish again in these outlandish places,"
+he observed, as he twisted his arm about with pain.  "If a little thing
+like that hurts one so much, I should think a whale or a dolphin would
+be enough to poison a whole regiment."  By the next day, however, he had
+recovered, and only felt a slight sensation of numbness, which in two
+days completely left him.
+
+The next land we saw was the lofty mountain of Saint Antonio, on the
+island of Saint Jago.  The summit was covered with clouds, which rolled
+away as the sun rose, and we coasted along the somewhat barren shores.
+In the afternoon we anchored off Porto Praya, the capital.  It is a
+small town, without any buildings worthy of notice.  As we looked over
+the side of the ship, we were amused by the way the fishermen caught
+their prey.  There were several boats fishing.  They first sprinkled
+something which looked like crumbs of bread on the water, and this
+seemed to attract the fish in large shoals to the surface.  The
+fishermen then swept among them a long stick, to which a number of short
+lines and hooks were attached; the fish eagerly seizing the bait,
+several were caught at each cast.  The women in each boat were busily
+engaged, as they were on board, in cleansing and salting them.
+
+We landed next day, and enjoyed a pretty view from the town, looking
+down on the harbour; but my impression of the island is, that, with the
+exception of a few cultivated spots, it is a very barren, uninteresting
+place.  We visited, however, the plantation of the sugar-cane; and among
+a variety of tropical trees, such as the guava, tamarind, plantain, and
+custard-apple, there was a species of the monkey-bread tree, which
+struck us as very curious.  This tree was about sixty feet high and
+forty feet in circumference; the bark was smooth, and of a greyish
+colour, and the boughs were entirely destitute of leaves.  This fruit
+hung thickly at the end of twisted, spongy stalks, from one to two feet
+long.  The fruit is of an oval form, about six inches in length, and
+three or four inches in diameter; and the outer shell being broken, it
+contains a farinaceous substance, enveloping dark brown seeds of an
+agreeable acidulated taste.
+
+On entering the tropics, we used to watch the flights of the
+flying-fish, several of which, at different times, were caught leaping
+through our ports, or into the boats towing astern in calm weather.  We
+saw some bonitoes in chase of a large shoal.  The flying-fish made an
+audible rustling noise as they arose before their pursuers, who, in
+eager chase, often sprang several yards out of the water.  Besides their
+finny enemies, the former had to encounter in their flight armies of
+boobies, gannets, and other tropical birds, which hovered over them, and
+secured many of them before our eyes.  Notwithstanding this, I do not
+suppose that flying-fish are more unhappy or more persecuted than their
+less agile brethren; and while they live they probably have a keener
+enjoyment of existence.  I believe that, in the minutest details of
+creation, the all-beneficent God metes out to all living beings the
+advantages and disadvantages of existence for some great end, which it
+is not His will to disclose to man.
+
+One of the most beautiful subjects of interest is the phosphorescent
+light seen at night on the ocean, as the ship ploughs her way through
+the waters.  Some of the passengers tried to persuade Jellybag that it
+was caused by the ends of cigars, and the ashes of tobacco-pipes, thrown
+overboard from a fleet ahead.  It no doubt arises from the quantity of
+dead animal matter, with which the sea water is loaded.  The wake of the
+ship appeared one broad sheet of phosphoric matter, so brilliant as to
+cast a dull pale light over the stern; the foaming surges, as they
+gracefully curled on each side of the bow, look like rolling masses of
+liquid phosphorus; whilst in the distance, even to the horizon, it
+seemed an ocean of fire, the far-off waves giving out a light of
+inconceivable beauty and brilliancy.
+
+Albicores, bonitoes, and dolphins followed the ship for several days in
+succession; and one albicore, which had a mark on his back, from which
+we knew it, followed us from 3 degrees north latitude to 10 degrees
+south latitude, a distance of eight hundred and forty miles.  An immense
+whale rose close to us one day, like an island emerging from the deep.
+Farther south Cape petrels appeared; and still farther, large numbers of
+the powerful albatross came gliding round us on their wide-spreading
+wings.
+
+The Cape of Storms was rounded without a storm; and once more the
+_Governor Harcourt_ entered the Hoogly.  It appeared to me as if a
+lifetime had passed away since I was last at Calcutta, though scarcely
+two years had elapsed since I left it.
+
+My first inquiries, on the pilot's coming on board, were for Sir
+Charles.  With breathless anxiety I listened for his answer.
+
+"Sir Charles--Oh ay--Sir Charles Plowden, you mean, sir.  I haven't
+heard of his death; so I suppose he is still alive, though he is very
+sickly, I know.  But perhaps you are his son, sir, and I am speaking
+carelessly."
+
+"No, I am not his son, my friend, but I love him as if I were," I
+replied.  "And I earnestly wish that you could recollect when you last
+heard of him."
+
+The pilot stopped to consider for some minutes.  "Now I come to think of
+it, sir, I do remember but last night hearing that Sir Charles was going
+on much as usual; but I did not mark at the time what Sir Charles was
+spoken of," was the vague answer, with which I was obliged to be
+satisfied.
+
+The wind falling to a dead calm, it was necessary to bring the ship to
+an anchor.  To save time, therefore, as I was very eager to be on shore,
+I, with some of the other passengers, hired a country boat, in which we
+proceeded up to Calcutta.  On landing, some in palanquins, others in
+carriages, or on horseback, proceeded to their various destinations.
+Hotels were not so common in those days as at present; so that people
+went at once to the houses of those to whom they had introductions, who
+aided them in establishing themselves in their quarters.
+
+I threw myself on a horse, and galloped, in spite of the hot sun, as
+fast as he could go, to the house, or rather to the palace, where Sir
+Charles resided.  There was more than the usual Oriental stillness about
+the building as I entered.  A few servants were flitting about
+noiselessly among the pillars of the vast hall, and through the open
+doors of the chambers leading from it.  Others were reposing on mats in
+the shade.  Although I had grown considerably, I was soon recognised.
+The words, "The young sahib has returned! the young sahib has returned!"
+were soon echoed among them; and those who had known me, hurried forward
+to meet me.  Their kind looks and expressions cheered my heart, which
+was heavy with fear as to the information I was about to receive.
+
+From my inquiries I learned that Sir Charles was still alive, though the
+medical man entertained but slight hopes of his recovery.  He had
+frequently asked for me, and had desired that as soon as I arrived I
+should be conducted into his presence.  In another minute I was by the
+bedside of my benefactor.  By the pale light which was admitted into the
+room, I could perceive the alteration which sickness had wrought on his
+countenance; and I, too truly, feared that the hand of death had already
+stamped its mark upon it.
+
+My name was mentioned; he recognised me instantly, and stretched out his
+hand affectionately to press mine.  Tears started into my eyes, and my
+heart swelled with the pain I tried to conceal, lest it should distress
+him.
+
+"I am glad you are come in time, my dear boy," he said in a weak voice.
+"I have much to speak of, and my hours are numbered.  I would recommend
+you to these kind friends, for you will want comfort and aid, though
+they would give it unasked."
+
+At these words I looked up, and for the first time perceived that some
+other persons were in the room--a gentleman and a lady.  The first I did
+not know; but I soon, to my infinite satisfaction, recognised in the
+other my old and charming playmate--once Ellen Barrow, now Mrs
+Northcote--not less charming, but more matronly than before.  She and
+her husband shook hands most kindly with me; but we had no time for
+conversation before I was again summoned to the bedside of Sir Charles.
+His looks showed that he wished to speak on some matter of importance;
+but his voice was so low that it was scarcely audible.  He beckoned me
+to lean forward to listen to him.
+
+"My dear Mark," he whispered, "I am the only person in the world you
+know of, on whom you have any claim; and let it be a consolation to you,
+that I think you have amply repaid me for my care of you.  Remember my
+last words: Fear God, and trust to his goodness: never forget Him.  Be
+honest, and show charity to your fellow-men; be kind to those below you,
+and thoughtful of their welfare, and you will obtain contentment and
+competency--a mind at peace, if not wealth.  What would now be to me all
+the honours I have gained without peace of mind--a trust in God's mercy
+through our Saviour's merits?  Never repine at what He orders; be
+prepared for reverses, and pray for fortitude to bear them.  Your
+friends will tell you what has happened, and you will have need of all
+the fortitude you possess.  I cannot tell you the sad history; but
+remember that God, who careth for the young birds, will not neglect you
+if you trust in Him.  To Him, in faith, I commit my soul.  He is
+merciful, my boy--He is everywhere--"
+
+Sir Charles was silent--his hand, which had held mine, relaxed--his
+spirit had fled, and I was alone in the world.  I could scarcely believe
+what had happened; but the medical man in attendance assured us of the
+reality of the sad event, and Mrs Northcote was led weeping from the
+room.
+
+I had lost more than a father, and, as far as I knew, I, who had been
+brought up to enjoy all the luxuries wealth can afford, was not only
+penniless, but without any friends on whom I had claim beyond what their
+charity might induce them to afford me.  I did not think of this at the
+time, all my feelings were engrossed with grief at the death of my
+benefactor.  Very soon, however, my real position was suggested to me.
+Even to the Northcotes Sir Charles had never spoken of any provision he
+had made for me.  He had, they thought, intended to tell them, when my
+coming interrupted him, and before he could finish what he wished to
+say, death overtook him.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE.
+
+I was too much absorbed by grief at the death of Sir Charles to ask
+Captain and Mrs Northcote any questions during that day as to the
+misfortune to which he had alluded; but during the night the matter
+several times occurred to me, and next morning I could no longer
+restrain the curiosity I naturally felt to learn the truth.  I ought to
+say that Sir Charles had some time before begged them to come and stay
+with him; and when he became dangerously ill, they had remained to nurse
+him.  Captain Northcote had gone out to make arrangements about the
+funeral, and I therefore asked Mrs Northcote to give me the information
+I required.  Tears came into her eyes as she spoke.
+
+"It must be told, so that it is better now than later," she observed.
+"You have heard that Major Clayton was unwell, and that a voyage was
+recommended to him.  At that time an uncle of his, a merchant, residing
+at Macao, was seized with a severe illness.  His uncle having sent for
+him, he resolved to take a voyage to that place, in the hopes of being
+of use to his relative, and at the same time of benefiting his own
+health.  We saw him as he was on the point of embarking, when he
+appeared so much debilitated that I even then feared that he could not
+recover.  Poor Mrs Clayton, too, could not bear the thought of parting
+from your sweet little sister, who, it was resolved, should accompany
+them.  They sailed in an English ship, which was to touch at Singapore,
+and from thence to proceed direct to Macao.  The voyage did Major
+Clayton some good; and in a letter I received from his wife, at the
+former place, she said that she entertained great hopes of his recovery.
+However, I regret to say that, by the accounts received by the next
+ship which sailed from Macao after their arrival, my worst forebodings
+were fulfilled--Major Clayton had gradually sunk, and a few days after
+his uncle had breathed his last, he also died, leaving his poor wife and
+your little sister to return home without any relative, or any friend on
+whom they had claims, to protect them."
+
+"What!"  I exclaimed, bursting into tears I could not restrain, "is
+Major Clayton dead?  Then do tell me where are dear Mrs Clayton and my
+own darling little Eva.  I will fly to them immediately."
+
+Mrs Northcote shook her head, and looked more grave than before, as she
+replied, "You must, indeed, be prepared for a very sad history.  I
+cannot tell you where your sister and your friend are.  You shall hear.
+On the death of her husband, it was natural to suppose that Mrs Clayton
+would wish to return to England; but it was absolutely necessary that
+she should first visit India, where her property had been left, with
+arrangements made only for a short absence.  No ship was, however,
+sailing direct to Calcutta at that time; and as she was anxious to leave
+Macao at once, she secured accommodation on board a small fast-sailing
+brig, bound to Singapore, whence she hoped to find the means of reaching
+India.  A few days only, therefore, after her husband's death, she
+sailed, carrying with her a considerable amount of property, which had
+been left to him by his uncle, and which was now his.  Thus much we have
+heard from the merchants at Macao; but I regret to say, that no accounts
+have been received of the arrival of the brig at Singapore, and serious
+fears are entertained that some misfortune has happened to her.  Either
+she has been wrecked, or has been run away with by her crew, or has been
+attacked and carried off or destroyed by pirates.  The latter conjecture
+is but too probable, as, from her small size, those marauders of the sea
+are likely, if they have fallen in with her, to have been tempted to
+capture her."
+
+"I must go and find them," I exclaimed, jumping up as if I would start
+off immediately.  "It is too dreadful to think of, to suppose that those
+dear ones should be in the power of such ruffians.  But why do you talk
+of their being carried off by pirates?  Is it not just as likely that
+the brig may have been wrecked?"
+
+"I wish that I could say so; for then we might hope to discover them on
+one of the thousand islands of that thickly-studded sea," was her
+answer.  "At first we hoped that such might prove the case, and we half
+expected to hear of the arrival of our friends on some Chinese junk or
+Malay prahu at Singapore; but accounts were afterwards received by two
+ships, stating that a brig, exactly answering her description, was seen
+steering for the Billiton passage, on the western coast of Borneo; so
+that either her crew must have turned pirates, or she must have been in
+the hands of the Malays, if the vessel seen was the one supposed.  Of
+that, however, we can be in no way certain; indeed, the whole
+circumstance remains wrapped in the most painful mystery."
+
+"I must solve it, or perish in the attempt," I exclaimed, jumping up,
+and walking about the room in a state of agitation more easily conceived
+than described.  "I must find them--I will find them--nothing shall stop
+me in the search.  I must consider how I can accomplish the
+undertaking."
+
+"You will have many, many difficulties to undergo; I fear they will be
+insuperable," observed Mrs Northcote.  She said this not to deter me,
+but because she was considering how I could possibly perform the work.
+"You will, in the first place, require large funds to carry out the
+search efficiently.  The first difficulty will be to provide them; for,
+though we would most gladly aid you, I regret to say that Captain
+Northcote has not the means to do so to any extent; and we have great
+fears that Sir Charles has left no provision for you."
+
+I stopped in my walk, and meditated on what my friend had said.  My
+thoughts immediately flew to a subject which I had not before
+considered.  How was I to exist in the future?  I had been brought up in
+luxury, with a supply of everything that I required, and I had literally
+never thought of the future.  I had a vague idea that Sir Charles would
+find me a post in the civil or military service of the East India
+Company, but I never supposed, as my friends appear to have done, that
+he would have left me any fortune.  That he had not done so, under any
+other circumstances, would not have caused me any disappointment.  Now
+that money was of so great importance to me, I keenly felt the want of
+it.
+
+"I will go, then, as a seaman before the mast," I cried energetically.
+"I will work my passage from place to place; I will go in every sort of
+craft, from the Chinese junk to the Malay prahu and sampan.  I will
+wander through every portion of the Indian seas till I discover those
+dear ones, or gain tidings of their fate."
+
+"I do not see how you can accomplish the work; but consult with Captain
+Northcote.  If there is a way, he will advise you," said the lady.
+
+"There must be a way," I replied vehemently.  "I will consult with him
+how I am to begin the work; but not whether it is to be performed--on
+that I am determined."
+
+"I pray Heaven that you may succeed," said Mrs Northcote.  "I feel as
+anxious as you do for your success; but I dread to see you risk your
+life on an almost hopeless undertaking in those strange lands, among
+lawless and bloodthirsty people, who would not for a moment hesitate to
+destroy you."
+
+"I fear no danger or difficulty," I replied.  "I remember Sir Charles's
+last words, `God is everywhere.'  In a just cause He will protect me."
+
+Such was the spirit and such the feeling with which I resolved to set
+out on my undertaking; and God did protect me.  When Captain Northcote
+returned, I discussed the matter in every point with him.  He pointed
+out to me that I should lose the chance of employment in the Company's
+service; that, after wandering about, as I must do, I should be unfit
+for any steady employment, and that I should be without funds to enable
+me to commence any profession should the Company not afford me an
+opening.  He soon, however, saw that it would be useless to attempt to
+dissuade me, and he then most generously told me that he would place at
+my disposal all the means he could possibly spare, and that he would
+endeavour to interest other friends who might enable me to prosecute the
+search.
+
+After the funeral of my kind benefactor had taken place, search was made
+for his will.  It was discovered without difficulty, when it appeared
+that the bulk of his property was left to his relatives in England.  But
+on looking over his papers a codicil was found, by which the sum of ten
+thousand pounds was bequeathed to me, and five thousand to my sister,
+should she survive, naming us as the children found in a boat at sea by
+the ship _Governor Harcourt_, and named Mark and Eva Seaworth; while a
+further sum of two thousand pounds was left to me to be expressly
+expended in searching, as he named it, for his dear friend Mrs Clayton,
+and her young charge Eva Seaworth.  I was much affected by this
+unexpected mark of his regard.  I found also that a writership would,
+from his application, be given me on my return; and I ought to say that
+any surplus from the two thousand pounds was to be expended in
+prosecuting inquiries respecting my birth, whenever I should return to
+England, should I continue to feel any anxiety on the subject; though he
+advised me not to waste my energies in an inquiry which would probably
+prove unavailing.  The first difficulty was thus got over.  My friends
+offered no further opposition to my plan, and I immediately set about
+making active preparations for my departure.
+
+Singapore was my first destination; from thence I intended to sail north
+or south as I found most advisable; and to one of the most reputable
+merchants there I transferred a considerable sum of money to meet the
+expenses which I expected to incur.  I found a fast-sailing schooner on
+the point of starting, and at once engaged a passage on board her.
+Wishing the Northcotes good-bye, and many other friends who warmly
+sympathised with me, I was the very next morning on board the schooner,
+and dropping down the Hoogly.  Having now commenced the more interesting
+portion of my adventures, I must be more minute than I have hitherto
+been in my descriptions.  While the schooner, the _Nelly_, is gliding
+down towards Diamond Harbour, I will describe her and her officers.  She
+measured about one hundred and sixty tons, was low, with great breadth
+of beam, and very sharp bows, and a clean run aft.  Her master, Captain
+Griffin, was a young man, not more than twenty-four or twenty-five,
+perhaps; strongly though slightly built, with a profusion of light
+crispy curling hair, and a complexion which would have been fair had it
+not been thoroughly tanned by the sun.  He had polished manners, great
+primness, and was a thorough seaman.  He had once been in the Royal
+Navy; but had left the service for some reason, which he did not explain
+to me, and was now engaged in the opium trade, or, in other words, he
+smuggled opium into China.  At first I was much pleased with him; but
+when I came to be more thoroughly acquainted with him, I found that I
+could not approve of the principles which guided him, or many of the
+acts he committed without compunction.  I have, however, seldom met any
+one who, at first sight, was more likely to win confidence and regard.
+I have frequently met people like him; and I consider them much more
+dangerous companions than men with inferior manners and education.  His
+first officer was a dark, large-whiskered, tall man, with an expression
+of countenance not in any way prepossessing--he was called Mr Laffan.
+He was a bold seaman, and not without education.  The second mate was a
+young man of very active and enterprising disposition, and who, I think,
+was formed for better things than to serve in an opium smuggler.  There
+was an important officer on board who was called the gunner, though his
+duties were similar to those of a boatswain; he was of Portuguese
+descent, a native of Macao, though as dark as an Indian.  He was
+especially placed over the Lascars, of whom we had twelve on board.  The
+rest of the crew were Europeans, or of European parentage--mostly
+English--all picked men, and of tried courage: such qualities were
+necessary, for, in the prosecution of their lawless trade, they often
+had to fight their way through the Chinese junks sent to capture them.
+We were some time getting down the river, for the wind was too light to
+enable us to stem the tide, and we therefore had to anchor during each
+flood.  It consequently took us five days before we got down to Diamond
+Harbour.  Weighing at daylight the next morning, we got a little below
+the Silvertree, where we anchored.  The next day we passed Kedgeree, and
+anchored in Saugur Roads; furled sails, and veered to forty fathoms.  On
+the following day we passed the Torch, the floating light vessel, which
+is moored in the eastern channel of the tail of the Saugur sand, for the
+purpose of guiding vessels up the river during both monsoons.  When we
+once more got into blue water, I felt that I had really commenced my
+undertaking.  I am not going to copy out my log, and I must run quickly
+over the incidents of my voyage.  In standing through the straits of
+Malacca, we sighted the beautiful island of Paulo Penang, or Prince of
+Wales' Island, a British possession, on the coast of Tenasserim, a part
+of the Malay Peninsula.  It is hilly and well wooded, and is considered
+very healthy.  It is inhabited by a few British, and people from all
+parts of India, China, and the neighbouring islands.  Nothing of
+importance occurred on our passage to Singapore.  I found cruising in a
+clipper schooner very different work to sailing on board a steady-going
+old Indiaman; and had a constant source of amusement in the accounts of
+the wild adventures, in which the master and his officers had been
+engaged, and their numberless narrow escapes from Chinese custom-house
+junks, Malay pirates, New Guinea cannibals, storms, rocks, fire and
+water.
+
+I was surprised, when anchoring in Singapore Roads, to find myself
+before so large and handsome a town, remembering, as I did, how short a
+time had passed since its foundation by Sir Stamford Raffles.  It stands
+on the banks of a salt-water creek, which has been dignified by the name
+of the Singapore River; one side contains the warehouses, offices,
+stores, etcetera, of the merchants and shopkeepers, with fine and
+extensive wharves; and on the same side are the native streets and
+bazaars.  Opposite to it is an extensive plain, adorned by numerous
+elegant mansions; and beyond is the Kampong Glam and Malay town, with
+the residence of the Sultan of Jahore and his followers.  From this
+chief the British Government purchased the island, with an agreement to
+pay him an annual stipend.
+
+Beyond them, again, is an undulating country, backed by thickly-timbered
+hills, which add much to the beauty of the landscape.  It may truly be
+called a town of palaces from the handsome appearance of its colonnaded
+buildings, and, still more justly, a city of all nations; for here are
+to be found representatives of every people under the sun engaged in
+commercial pursuits.  The costumes of Europe, Arabia, Persia, all parts
+of India, China, Siam, and all the islands of the Archipelago, may be
+seen in the streets together, while their flags wave above the
+residences of their consuls, or at the mast-heads of the barks which
+crowd the harbour.  Even at the time of which I speak, there were
+upwards of twenty thousand inhabitants, while in no place are so many
+flourishing merchants to be found.  A few years ago this place was a
+mere swamp, with a few huts on it, inhabited by barbarians.  It will be
+asked, What has worked this change?  I reply, Commerce.  Its position on
+a great highway of trade--a strong government, and protection to all
+comers, and perfect freedom to well-doers.  Besides those attracted by
+trade, numbers take refuge here from all parts of the Archipelago, from
+the tyranny and misrule of their chiefs; and were other ports
+established by the English, they would, from similar causes, be peopled
+with equal rapidity.
+
+The river near where we lay presented an animated scene, from the
+arrival and departure of native boats, with fruit, vegetables, and live
+stock, as well as from the numbers of neat sampans plying for hire, or
+attending upon the commanders of vessels; while at anchor were numbers
+of the Cochin-Chinese, Siamese, and Chinese junks, as well as the Bugis
+and other prahus from all the far-surrounding islands.
+
+I went on shore as soon as we dropped our anchor, to endeavour to obtain
+information regarding the object of my search.  I saw several merchants
+to whom I had letters, and they were all very anxious to aid me; but I
+could learn nothing, and therefore resolved to proceed to Macao, and to
+commence my inquiries from thence.
+
+Once more at sea, away we flew over the light curling waves, thrown up
+by the fresh but favouring breeze.  In ten days we came in sight of the
+Ladrone Islands, off Macao, at the entrance of the Tigris river, on
+which Canton is situated.  The captain and crew were now on the alert to
+guard against surprise from any of their enemies, either from the
+pirates who take shelter among the islands I have named, or from the
+Chinese revenue cruisers--not that the latter are much feared.  We ran
+into the harbour of Cap-sing-moon, and went alongside a large
+opium-receiving ship, into which we were to discharge our cargo.  From
+this ship it would, I learned, be conveyed up to Canton in Chinese
+smuggling boats.  These boats are well manned and armed; and if they
+cannot get away from the mandarin boats, the crews will often fight very
+desperately.
+
+I, in the meantime, proceeded to Macao.  This ancient colony of the
+Portuguese in China has a very picturesque appearance from the sea, and
+has received its name from the supposed resemblance of the peninsula, on
+which it stands to a mallet, of which _macao_ is the Portuguese name.
+The streets are narrow, dirty, and ill-paved, but the houses of the
+merchants are large and commodious.  Besides the Portuguese and Chinese,
+there are a large number of English and also American residents.  Of
+course I had but little time or inclination for visiting the objects
+which usually interest strangers.  I managed, however, to take a glance
+at the Cave of Camoens, the poet of Portugal, where it is said he
+composed his immortal _Lusiad_.  It is rather a pile of granite rocks
+than a cave; and the garden in which it is situated is full of shrubs
+and magnificent trees--a romantic spot, fit for a poet's meditations.
+
+After many inquiries, I found that the vessel in which my friends left
+Macao had been consigned to a Mr Reuben Noakes, an American merchant;
+and to him I accordingly went, in the hopes of gaining some information
+to guide me.  His counting-house had not an attractive appearance; nor
+did I like the expression of countenance of two clerks who were busily
+writing in an outer room.  When I asked for Mr Noakes, one of them
+pointed with the feather of his pen to a door before me, but did not get
+up.  I accordingly knocked at the door, and was told to come in.
+
+"Well, stranger, what's your business?" was the question asked me by the
+occupant of the room, a tall lank man, with a cadaverous countenance.
+He was lolling back in an easy chair, with a cigar in his mouth, a jug
+and tumbler, containing some potent mixture, by his side, and account
+books and papers before him.
+
+Wishing to be as concise as he was in his questions, I asked, without
+attempting to look for a chair, (he did not offer me one):--
+
+"Were you the consignee of the _Emu_ brig, which sailed from here last
+year, and has not since been heard of?"
+
+"Well, if I was, and what then?" said he.
+
+"I wish to know full particulars about her," I replied.
+
+"By what authority do you ask me?" he said, looking suspiciously from
+under his eyebrows.
+
+"I had friends on board her, and wish to know what has become of them,"
+I answered.
+
+"Oh, you do, do you?  Well, I wish, stranger, I could tell you; good
+morning."
+
+I soon saw the sort of man with whom I had to deal.
+
+"Now, to be frank with you, Mr Noakes, I have not come all the way from
+Calcutta to Macao to be put off with such an answer as you have given
+me," I said, looking him full in the face.  "I have determined to learn
+what has become of my friends; and if I find them I shall find the brig,
+or learn what has become of her; and at all events I will take care that
+you are not the loser."
+
+"I see that you are a young man of sense," he remarked, looking up at me
+with one eye.  "What is it you want to know about the _Emu_?  But I
+guess, you smoke now?"
+
+"No, I do not touch tobacco," I answered.  "But I wish to know if a Mrs
+Clayton, a little girl, and servant embarked on board her."
+
+"I'd have sold you a chest of fine cheroots, if you did," he observed.
+"Yes, those people embarked on board her; and what then?"
+
+"I wish to know who was her commander; what sort of a man he was; and
+what sort of a crew he had," I replied.
+
+"Oh, well, then, her master was one Stephen Spinks.  He wasn't a bad
+seaman, seeing he was raised for the shore; but he had a first-rate hand
+for a mate, an old salt, who knew a trick or two, I calculate; and had a
+crew of five whites--Yankees, Britishers, and Portuguese--and ten
+Lascars; so the brig wasn't badly manned at all events.  She sailed for
+a trading voyage, to touch wherever Spinks thought he could pick up a
+cargo, or do a bit of barter.  There never was a better hand at that
+work than Spinks."
+
+When Mr Noakes had got thus far, it seemed to have occurred to him that
+it would be but civil to ask me to sit down; and by degrees he became
+more communicative than I at first expected.  From the information I
+gained from him, and from other merchants of whom I made inquiries, I
+learned that Captain Stephen Spinks was a very respectable man in
+appearance and manner; and that Mrs Clayton, having met him, was
+induced to take a passage in his brig, just on the point of sailing.
+There were, however, some suspicious circumstances connected with the
+history of his first mate: stories were told of ships, on board which he
+served, being insured to large amounts and cast away; of his captain
+being found dead in his cabin; of a ship having caught fire from an
+inexplicable cause, and of bags of dollars unaccountably disappearing.
+
+"I would not have allowed the fellow to have put foot on board any ship,
+in which I was interested," said Mr Randall, a merchant to whom I had a
+letter.  "He was bad enough to corrupt a whole crew.  Who knows what
+sort of fellows he had with him?  Captain Spinks might have been very
+respectable, though not much of a seaman, and so may be Mr Noakes,
+though I know little about him, except that he can drive a hard bargain,
+and likes to get things done cheap.  This made him engage that
+suspicious fellow, Kidd, who was ready to sail without wages--Richard
+Kidd was his name--an ominous one rather; and when I saw poor Mrs
+Clayton and your little sister on board, I so disliked the looks of the
+crew that I was much inclined to persuade her to wait for another ship."
+
+This account gave a fresh colouring to the matter.  If Kidd was the
+character described, he might probably have run away with the _Emu_ for
+the sake of the dollars on board, and have carried her into a Dutch or
+Spanish settlement, where he could have sold her.
+
+This also gave a wider range to the field of my search.  Had she been
+captured by pirates, I should have looked for my friends in their haunts
+in the Sooloo Archipelago, and on the coast of Borneo; now I should have
+to search from Java, among all the islands to the east, up to Luzon, in
+the north.  I was resolved to leave no spot unvisited; and the
+circumstance of a brig like the _Emu_ having been seen to the west of
+Borneo determined me on visiting the Dutch settlement first.  I have not
+attempted to describe my feelings all this time.  I felt that I was
+engaged in a sacred duty, and I was rather calm and braced up for the
+work than in any way excited.  I held my object, distant though it might
+be, clearly in view, and nothing could turn me away from it.  I do not
+think I could have persevered as I did, had I been influenced by what is
+called enthusiasm or excitement.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN.
+
+Having resolved to undertake a work, the first point to be considered is
+how it is to be performed.  I therefore immediately made every inquiry
+in my power, and found a Dutch brig sailing direct for Batavia.  My
+intention, on arriving there, was to prosecute my inquiries for the
+_Emu_, and then to continue my voyage to the eastward, on board any
+craft I could find.
+
+When I paid my last visit to Mr Noakes, he winked his eye at me with a
+most knowing look, observing, "I guess you've got some little trading
+spec in hand, or you wouldn't be running your nose into those outlandish
+places.  Well, good-bye, young one, you're a 'cute lad; and I hope
+you'll turn a cent or so before you get home."
+
+The worldly trader could not believe that my sole object was to look for
+my sweet little sister.  Wishing farewell to all my friends, I went on
+board the _Cowlitz_, Captain Van Deck.  Both he and his crew spoke
+English; indeed, besides the Dutch, there were Englishmen or Americans,
+with the usual number of Malays to do the hard work.
+
+The captain had his wife on board--his frow, as he called her; and Mrs
+Van Deck appeared to take no inconsiderable part in the government of
+the ship.  She had her husband's niece with her, a very pretty girl,
+whom she used to make attend on her like a servant; and there were two
+lady passengers, a mother and daughter, also Dutch, going to their
+family.  So, as may be supposed, we had plenty of ladies to make tea in
+the cabin.  Unfortunately none would agree whose duty it was to perform
+that office; and though Miss Van Deck, the captain's niece, was ready
+enough to do it, her aunt would not let her; and so we ran a great risk
+of going without it altogether, till the captain volunteered in order to
+keep concord within the bulkhead.  As the disputes were carried on in
+Dutch, I could only partly understand what was said; but the gestures of
+the speakers made me fully comprehend the whole matter; especially as
+the worthy master used to relieve his feelings with a running commentary
+in English, and sundry winks of the eye next to me, and shrugs of the
+shoulder, expressive of his resignation to his fate.
+
+"My good frow is a very excellent woman," he used to say.  "We all have
+our tempers, and she has hers.  It might be better--we none of us are
+perfect.  I took her for better and for worse, and so--"
+
+He never finished the sentence, but shrugged his shoulders; and if he
+was smoking, which he generally was when he spoke on this delicate
+subject, he blew out a double quantity of vapour.  His was true
+philosophy: he was very fond of saying, "What we cannot cure, we must
+endure, and hope for better times."
+
+Although Captain Van Deck was a philosopher, he was not much of a
+seaman, nor was his personal courage of first-rate order.  He was only
+perfectly confident when he had a coast he knew well on his weather
+beam; and then he was rather apt to boast of his knowledge of seamanship
+and navigation.  Fortunately the first mate of the _Cowlitz_ was a
+better seaman than the master, or she would not have been able to find
+her way from one port to another even as well as she did.
+
+The second mate was an Englishman of a respectable family.  He had run
+away to sea because he did not like learning or the discipline of
+school; but he acknowledged to me that he had more to learn, and was
+kept much more strictly, on board ship than on shore.  His former ship
+had been cast away on the coast of Java; when, finding the _Cowlitz_, he
+had joined her, and had since remained in her.
+
+I liked Adam Fairburn very much.  He had certainly been wild, careless,
+and indifferent to religion; but adversity had sobered him, and allowed
+his thoughts to dwell on holy and high objects.  The many misfortunes he
+had met with, he assured me, were, he felt, sent by a kind Providence
+for his benefit.  Far from repining, he received them gratefully.  I
+found his advice and counsel of great assistance; indeed, he was the
+only person on board whom I could truly consider as a companion.
+
+I need not describe the rest of the crew; but there was a little
+personage on board who must not be forgotten.  He went by the name of
+Ungka; and though he did not speak, as one looked at his intelligent
+countenance, and watched his expressive gestures, one could scarcely
+help believing that he could do so, if he was not afraid of being
+compelled to work.  Ungka was in fact a baboon from the wilds of
+Sumatra.  He had been caught young by a Malay lad, who sold him to
+Captain Van Deck.  He was about two feet and a half high, and the span
+of his arms was four feet.  His face was perfectly free from hair,
+except at the sides, where it grew like whiskers.  It also rather
+projected over his forehead, but he had very little beard.  His coat was
+jet black, as was the skin of his face.  His hands and fingers were
+long, narrow, and tapering; and both feet and hands had great prehensile
+power, as he used to prove by the fearless way in which he swung himself
+from rope to rope.  He used to walk about the deck with great
+steadiness, let the ship roll ever so much, though with rather a
+waddling gait, and with a quick step, sometimes with his arms hung down,
+but at others over his head, ready to seize a rope, and to swing himself
+up the rigging.  His eyes were very close together, of a hazel colour,
+and with eye-lashes only on the upper lid.  He had a nose, but a very
+little one; his mouth was large, and his ears small; but what he seemed
+most to pride himself in, was having no tail, or even the rudiment of
+one.
+
+One of his chief amusements used to be attacking two other monkeys who
+had longer tails.  He would watch his opportunity, and, catching hold of
+little Jacko's tail, would haul him up the rigging after him at a great
+rate.  Ungka would all the time keep the most perfect gravity of
+countenance, while poor little Jacko grinned, chattered, and twisted
+about in a vain endeavour to escape.  The tormentor, at last, tired of
+what was very great fun to him and the spectators, but not at all so to
+the little monkey, would suddenly let him go, to the great risk of
+cracking his skull on deck.  Ungka, having nothing which his brethren
+could seize in return, very well knew that they could not retaliate.  At
+last they grew too wary for him, and then he set himself to work in the
+rather hopeless task of endeavouring to straighten the crisply curling
+tail of a Chinese pig, which was among our live stock.  He always came
+to dinner, and sat in a chair with all due propriety, unless he saw
+something very tempting before him, when he could not always refrain
+from jumping across the table and seizing it.  He was, however, well
+aware that he was acting wrongly; and one day, moved by the angry look
+of the captain, he went back and put the tempting fruit in the dish,
+from which he had taken it.  He had as great an objection to being made
+the subject of ridicule as have most human beings; and if any one
+laughed at his ludicrous actions at dinner, he would utter a hollow
+barking noise, looking up at them with a most serious expression till
+they had ceased, when he would quietly resume his dinner.  He and I got
+on very well; but he was most attached to little Maria Van Deck, his
+constant playmate, as also to a young Malay, who brought him on board.
+He seemed to consider the captain a person worthy of confidence, and he
+would let no one else take him in their arms.  He certainly had a great
+antipathy to the captain's frow and the lady passengers.  His general
+sleeping-place was in the main-top; but if the weather looked
+threatening, he would come down and take up his berth on a rug in my
+cabin.  So much for poor little Ungka.
+
+We had been some days at sea, delayed by light baffling winds.  The
+captain began to grow impatient; his wife scolded him more than ever;
+and the lady passengers began to inquire when they were likely to see
+their homes, while I began to regret that I had not taken some more
+rapid means of conveyance.  It now first occurred to me that it would
+have been better had I secured a small vessel to myself, so that I might
+at once sail in any direction I might deem advisable.
+
+I was one evening walking the deck with the second mate, Adam Fairburn,
+when he stopped, and I saw him look earnestly ahead.  He immediately
+took a telescope to watch the object which had attracted his attention.
+
+"What is that you see?"  I asked.
+
+"Why it may be the curl of some wave, or a low shore, with some
+scattered trees on it, or a fleet of prahus; or it may be only fancy,
+for this uncertain light deceives one," he replied.  "However, I'll go
+aloft and take a better look before I tell the master, and frighten him
+and the ladies out of their wits."
+
+Saying this he sprung into the rigging and ascended to the
+fore-topgallant mast-head.  When he came down, I asked him what he had
+seen.
+
+"A fleet of Malay craft, of some sort or other, there is no doubt of
+it," he answered.  "They may be honest traders; but they may be Illanon
+pirates from Sooloo, on the coast of Borneo, bound on some plundering
+expedition.  The rascals often venture into the China seas, and
+sometimes right up the strait of Malacca, though they like best to skulk
+about their own coasts, and steal out on any craft passing that way.  If
+there is a good breeze we need not fear them; but they are fellows not
+to be trifled with.  I must tell the master."
+
+Captain Van Deck was seen hurrying from his cabin and ascending to the
+mast-head.  His countenance on his return showed what he thought about
+the matter; and summoning his mates, he held earnest consultation with
+them.  Fairburn was for standing boldly on and running past them in the
+night, keeping a look-out, to give them a warm reception should they
+come near us; but the Dutchman thought that the safest plan would be to
+keep altogether out of their way.  As they were steering about
+south-west, our course was altered to south-east.  We soon, however,
+perceived that we were seen and watched, for some of their prahus
+shortly tacked and stood in a direction to cut us off--so thought
+Captain Van Deck.  On this his trepidation became excessive, not a
+little increased by the alarm expressed by his better half.  He saw that
+the safest plan was to keep well to windward of the enemy; so he ordered
+the yards to be braced sharp up, and we stood away on a north-east
+course.
+
+The breeze was fresh, and we might hope before morning, even should the
+prahus attempt to follow us, to run them out of sight; so Captain Van
+Deck lighted his pipe and betook himself to a bottle of his favourite
+schiedam.  None of the officers were disposed, nor was I, as may be
+surmised, to turn in during the night, for the Sooloo pirates were not
+fellows to be trifled with.  In those days they plundered every craft;
+and if they did not destroy their prisoners, they sold them into
+captivity, whence there was no hope of redemption.  Since then, thanks
+to the enlightened plans of Sir James Brooke, aided by the British ships
+of war in those seas, their depredations have been somewhat lessened;
+but much must be done before their destructive power is completely
+destroyed, and the surrounding people can enjoy to the full the
+blessings of unrestricted commerce.  The night was sufficiently light to
+enable us to see a considerable distance.  Our captain walked the deck
+with an uneasy step, his night-glass constantly to his eye, and he
+declared that he could distinguish in the far distance the suspicious
+prahus, as they were endeavouring to beat up to capture us.  The more he
+looked the more alarmed and agitated he became, till at last he appeared
+to lose all command over himself.  With a groan he rushed down to
+console himself with a glass of his favourite schiedam.  Taking the
+telescope which he had left on deck, I looked towards the spot where the
+Malay vessels were last seen.  I looked for some time, but could make
+nothing out on the dark horizon.  I then handed the glass to Fairburn.
+
+"I begin to doubt whether the prahus are there at all," I observed.  "I
+trust they are conjured up by the skipper's fears."
+
+His answer was a low laugh; but he, notwithstanding, swept the telescope
+carefully round the southern horizon.
+
+"Whether the skipper's fears conjured them up or not, I don't know; but
+there they are, sure enough," he quietly remarked, turning my hand in
+the proper direction.  His practical eye had discovered what I had
+neglected, and as I now looked I saw what appeared a number of black
+spots floating on the water.
+
+"If the wind holds good we may laugh at them," he remarked; "but if it
+should chance to fall calm, the rascals would very soon be up with us."
+
+"But could we not fight?"  I asked.  "We have boarding-nettings, and
+plenty of hands, and muskets, and two guns; surely we might beat them
+off."
+
+"From what I have seen of the captain, he is not a fighting man,"
+answered Fairburn.  "I trust the breeze will hold; but if not, we shall
+run a very great chance of having our throats cut by those fellows, if
+they do not think we shall make good slaves to their friends in Borneo."
+
+"You surely are not serious," I remarked.  "The captain would not yield
+without a struggle for life and liberty.  But if he will not fight, we
+certainly have a right to make him; and I have no doubt the men will be
+ready enough to second us."
+
+Fairburn shook his head.  "I fear not," he said.  "But here he comes
+again, with some Dutch courage in him, I suspect."
+
+The captain paced the deck all night in great anxiety; and I certainly
+do not think he could have used better means than he did to get away
+from the enemy.  We knew that they must have been in force, and that
+they felt sure of being able to overcome a vessel of our size, which
+they were well able to distinguish to be only a merchantman.  I cannot
+say that I felt afraid of the result, though I did not shut my eyes to
+it; but my hope of escaping was the strongest feeling.
+
+The breeze rather freshened than fell as the morning came on; and as the
+brig had every stitch of canvas she could carry set on her, she went
+through the water far more rapidly than was her custom.  The night was
+bright and clear, the stars shone forth from the sky with a brilliancy
+unknown in the northern latitudes, and ever and anon flashes of light
+burst from the ocean, and, as the ship ploughed her onward way, she left
+a golden thread in her wake.  I could scarcely persuade myself that we
+were in any danger, or that we were no longer pursuing our voyage in the
+direction we wished to go.
+
+The ladies remained below, trembling with fear; for the captain, for the
+sake of having some one more alarmed than himself, had taken care to
+tell them that a whole fleet of pirates were rowing as fast as they
+could after us.  Little Maria Van Deck was the only one who behaved
+heroically.  When I went below, I found her in the cabin, offering up
+prayers to Him who had power to protect us.  I watched her as she knelt,
+the lights from the cabin-lamp falling on her upturned childish
+countenance.  She was too much absorbed to observe me.  At length she
+rose from her knees.  She smiled when I spoke to her, and thanked her
+for setting so good an example.
+
+"Oh, I have no fear," she answered; "God is good, and will not allow us
+to be injured."
+
+Reminded of my duty by the little girl, I also knelt and prayed
+earnestly for our safety.  Returning on deck, I waited till the rising
+sun should show us the position of our enemies, or assure us that we
+were beyond their reach.  The first mate went aloft with the glass in
+his hand directly the first faint streak of day appeared in the sky, to
+look-out for the prahus the moment the rays of the sun, striking on
+their sails, should enable him to see them.  The captain, meantime,
+paced the deck in a state of no little agitation.  We all watched
+anxiously for the mate's report, as the coming sun gradually lighted up
+the whole sky with a glow of brightness.  Each instant it grew more
+intense, till all near objects could be clearly distinguished, but still
+the mate gave no announcement from his lofty perch.  Had not the matter
+been too serious for laughter, I could have laughed heartily at the poor
+master's ludicrous expression of countenance, so full was it of fear,
+doubt, and anxiety, as he turned up his eyes to the mast-head, to watch
+for any signal which might relieve his mind.  The mate kept his glass
+sweeping round the southern horizon, till at last he seemed satisfied.
+
+"Nothing in sight in any quarter," he shouted from aloft.
+
+"What! are you sure--nothing?" exclaimed the master, scarcely believing
+his senses.  "Then we shall not this time have to dig yams for the
+blackamoors."  And he gave a grunt of satisfaction, so loud that I
+thought he had exploded, while he sank down on a gun, overcome by his
+feelings.  He now became much braver than he had been all the night, and
+talked boldly of how we would have treated the pirates if they had dared
+to attack us.  We, however, still continued standing to the northward.
+At last Fairburn, to whom he had been addressing himself, lost patience.
+
+"Well, sir," he exclaimed, "if we keep away, and make all sail after
+them, there is little doubt we shall fall in with them before long."
+
+This silenced the captain for the time; but he again broke out when he
+found himself in the cabin with the ladies, till he made them believe
+that he was a very brave man, except his wife, who knew him too well to
+be so deceived.  All day we continued standing away from where the
+captain thought the pirates might be, and it was not till night that he
+was persuaded again to stand on his proper course.
+
+I did not repine at the increased length of the voyage as much as might
+be expected; for my time was busily employed in studying the geography
+of the Archipelago, the productions of the islands, the habits and
+manners of the people, and more particularly the Malay language, which I
+knew, in order to obtain my object, it would be important for me to
+speak well.  With so powerful a stimulus, aided by a Malay seaman on
+board, I acquired a fair knowledge of it with great rapidity.  I also
+studied Dutch, which I knew I should also find useful.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN.
+
+The _Cowlitz_ was once more on her course, with the wind nearly right
+aft.  I guessed, however, from the observations I saw the captain
+attempting to take, and his more frequent attention to the chart, that
+he was somewhat out of his reckoning.  That part of the China seas is
+tolerably free from shoals and reefs; but still there are some about
+midway between Cochin China and the islands of Luzon, Palawan, and
+Borneo, in the neighbourhood of which, after our flight from the
+pirates, we must clearly have been.
+
+The navigation among coral reefs is very dangerous; because, as they
+rise like mountains of various heights from the depths of the ocean, and
+frequently do not appear above the surface, a ship may be among them,
+and having passed over some, may too late discover her danger, without
+the power of extricating herself.  In fine weather, with a clear sky,
+they may, from the different colour of the water over them, be perceived
+at a distance; but at night, or with thick weather, their neighbourhood
+is only known by the noise of the sea dashing over them, or by the white
+crests of the breakers rising either ahead, upon either beam of the
+ship.
+
+We continued running on all that night, without taking more than the
+usual precaution of keeping a look-out ahead.  Towards the end of the
+morning watch, I came on deck to enjoy the freshness of the air, when,
+as I was looking over the side, I observed that the water, broad on the
+starboard bow, was of an unusually dark colour.  I watched it
+attentively, when, turning round, and looking over the larboard quarter,
+I there perceived a similar appearance.  I felt certain that it could
+arise but from one cause--either a sand-bank or a coral reef; for there
+was not a cloud in the sky to cast a shadow on the water.  I called the
+attention of Fairburn to it, as he fortunately just then came on deck to
+relieve the first mate.  He instantly sprang aloft; and, after taking a
+hurried glance all around, he ordered the cabin boy to call the captain,
+directing two men to station themselves at each fore-yard arm.  The
+captain's face exhibited no little consternation, when he saw the
+position in which we were placed; but we could now do nothing except
+stand on, and keep our eyes about us.
+
+"This is the consequence of not keeping a careful reckoning," said
+Fairburn, as I stood beside him.  "The poor master, afraid of a fancied
+danger, has managed to run us into a real one.  However, if the weather
+holds good, I think we may yet do well."
+
+"I trust so," I said.  "I should think there can be little danger while
+we can see the reef as clearly as we now do."
+
+"Oh, you know, there is nothing a sailor hates so much as reefs and
+shoals," he replied; "and with good reason.  We may see the larger
+reefs, but there are some come up almost like the point of a needle, and
+if there is a ripple on the water, I defy the sharpest eye to make them
+out."  He was all this time looking sharply ahead, and urging the men
+stationed aloft to do the same.
+
+We had frequently to alter our course to avoid the reefs which appeared
+ahead; and at last we seemed to be almost surrounded by them, as we
+threaded our course through a narrow channel, where we certainly had no
+business to be.  Everybody was on deck looking out; for even the ladies
+were acquainted with our position, though the master took care to tell
+them that it was not his fault we had got into it.  However, the sky was
+so bright, and the sea so calm and sparkling, that, as we glided slowly
+and calmly on, it was difficult to believe the real state of the case.
+In time, we even got accustomed to it; and when the steward came to
+summon us to breakfast, we went into the cuddy with our usual appetites
+not in the slightest degree blunted.
+
+On my return, I went forward to look for Fairburn.  "I think we must be
+pretty well clear by this time," he observed.  "The reefs off that
+island there, do not extend to any great distance."  He pointed, as he
+spoke, to a low little island which I had not before observed.  It had a
+few trees on it, which seemed growing out of the water, and were clearly
+of recent growth.  "It does not do, however, to be too certain in a
+hurry.  Keep a sharp look-out there, my men," he continued, hailing the
+people on the fore-yard.  Scarcely had he spoken, when the breeze having
+freshened somewhat, and the brig going rapidly through the water, a
+tremendous blow was felt forward, which almost threw us from our feet,
+and her way was instantly stopped.  The masts groaned and rocked as if
+they would have fallen, and the sails bulging out, fixed the vessel only
+faster on the pinnacle on which she had struck.  Instantly, loud cries
+rose from many of the crew, the master pulled his hair, and puffed out
+four times more smoke than usual from the meerschaum he had in his
+mouth, while the ladies shrieked and cried with terror.  Captain Van
+Deck did not seem to know what to do himself, or to order his crew to
+do; but Fairburn rushed here and there, calling the people together, and
+soon got the sails clewed up.
+
+"What is to be done?"  I asked.
+
+"We must carry a kedge out astern, and try and haul her off; and if we
+succeed we must get a thrummed sail under her bows, and then pump out
+the water which will have got into her, for it will not do to stick here
+always."
+
+He had scarcely spoken, when the Dutch carpenter came from below with a
+face full of consternation.
+
+"The ship will never move from this except to go to the bottom," he
+exclaimed, as he heard the order given to get the kedge out.  "We had
+better think of lowering the boat and saving our lives, for the water is
+rushing in like a cataract, and it will very soon be up to the decks."
+
+This was indeed disastrous information, and I soon found it to be too
+true, by going myself below to see the state of affairs.  I quickly beat
+a retreat again on deck, where the ladies and all hands were now
+assembled.  I must do the master the justice to say, that now the danger
+had actually occurred, he behaved far better than I could have expected.
+He certainly took things very phlegmatically.  Calling the crew aft, he
+slowly made them a speech, telling them, that as there was no chance of
+the ship's carrying them on farther, they must now take to the boats,
+and that he hoped they would all behave well.  He then ordered the boats
+to be lowered, and the gangway ladder to be rigged, to enable the ladies
+to descend with ease.  We had three boats--the long-boat, the
+jolly-boat, and a skiff.  It was arranged that the captain should go in
+the long-boat, the first mate in the jolly-boat, and the second mate,
+whom I volunteered to accompany, in the skiff, which, though small, was
+a very seaworthy boat; and I preferred trusting myself to his
+seamanship.  The captain and mates then chose the crew in the same way
+as is customary in forming a watch--namely, one officer selects a man,
+and then the next, and so on till the crew are disposed of.  The ladies
+were, of course, taken into the long-boat, in which there were in all
+fourteen people, and eight in each of the other boats; and it was agreed
+that we should keep close together, that we might afford assistance to
+each other in case of necessity.  Before embarking, we had to arrange a
+very important business, the selection of the articles we should take
+with us.  Fairburn hurried on the people, and urged me to do the same,
+whispering in my ear, that any moment the vessel might slip off the
+reef, and that we might be engulfed before we were ready.  The first
+thing we did was to get the ladies into the long-boat; and fortunately
+it was so calm that there was no difficulty in so doing, except that
+Mrs Van Deck insisted on not being parted from her husband.
+
+"Wait a minute, my dear frow," he shouted to her in return.  "I must not
+desert my people till I have seen them in safety."
+
+We all agreed that no private property should be taken; but only the
+necessary water and provisions, clothing to shelter us from the weather,
+arms to defend ourselves, and charts and instruments to guide our
+course.  Some time was required to select the articles, and during it I
+observed that several of the seamen were missing.  I mentioned it to
+Fairburn.
+
+"The fools!" he exclaimed.  "They cannot resist the seaman's curse--even
+at this moment they have gone to put an enemy into their mouths to steal
+away their wits.  Come and help me, we must put a stop to it."
+
+Saying this, he rushed below, seizing an axe, in which I imitated him.
+Five of the men had broached a cask of rum, and were drinking from it as
+rapidly as they could, while two others were about to join them.
+Fairburn, on seeing this, instantly stove in the cask with his axe
+before they could prevent him, which they attempted to do; and there
+being three others near at hand, we destroyed them likewise.
+
+"Madmen!" exclaimed the mate, "you would throw away your own lives, and
+risk those of your shipmates for the sake of a moment's beastly
+enjoyment.  On deck now, and attend to your duty.  I will brain the
+first man who lingers."
+
+This determined conduct had the desired effect.  The men had not drunk
+enough to become intoxicated, and his resolute manner at once awed them
+into obedience.  Like sulky dogs driven away from a bone, they ascended
+on deck.  Among the articles selected for the long-boat were three casks
+of water, some biscuits, salt beef, pork, hams, and cheese, tea and
+sugar, four jars of Hollands, some cooking utensils, a lantern, candles,
+tinder-box, and matches, a keg of gunpowder, some muskets and cutlasses,
+a chronometer, sextants, quadrants, a compass and necessary books of
+navigation; a topgallant studding-sail, boom, and fore-royal were also
+thrown into her for a mast and sail; a little canvas, tarpauling, and
+some deal boards were not forgotten; and the carpenter was enjoined to
+take such of his tools as might prove useful.  One boat and the
+jolly-boat had their barrels likewise filled with water, and each of us
+was provided with our proportion of the same articles, except that we
+had fewer arms or blankets; and indeed so small was our stowage room,
+that we had to depend on the long-boat for some of our provisions.
+While all these preparations were going forward, my sensations were far
+from pleasant; for I could not help feeling that any moment the ship
+might slide off into deep water, and carry us all down with her.  The
+captain thought differently, and nothing would hurry him.  At length her
+stern perceptibly sunk, and this was the signal for a general rush
+towards the boats.
+
+"Stay!" exclaimed the captain; "I tell you she will not go yet; and have
+I not a right to know?  There is plenty of time to get quietly into the
+boats; you will be tired enough of them before you get out of them
+again.  We must see that we have left nothing we may want behind."
+
+Fairburn volunteered for this duty, and one by one the men were told off
+into the other boats.  They then examined everything that was in the
+boats; a few trifling articles were suggested as likely to prove useful;
+we searched for them, and then took our places in the skiff.  As we
+pulled round under the bows, we could see, through the clear water, the
+immense hole which the coral had made through the stout planking; at the
+same time so securely hooked did she appear, that I doubt whether she
+could have sunk unless the coral point on which she hung had broken off,
+or the sea had knocked her to pieces.
+
+In the hurry of getting into the boats at the last moment everybody had
+forgotten poor Ungka, who was seen leaning over the bows looking most
+imploringly and mournfully at us.  Little Maria was the first to draw
+our attention to him.
+
+"Oh!  Ungka, poor Ungka! we must not go without him," she exclaimed.
+
+Her appeal was not to be resisted.  We in the skiff, pulled back, and
+Ungka, seizing a rope which hung from the bowsprit, lowered himself into
+the boat, as we pulled under him.  The other three monkeys, seeing where
+he had gone, attempted to follow his example.  One was in so great a
+hurry that he fell into the water, but we picked him out; the other two
+reached us without wetting their jackets.  Ungka looked at them very
+seriously, and seemed to think that they ought to have been left behind.
+At Maria's solicitation, we sent Ungka into the long-boat, and while we
+were alongside the others leaped in after him.  But to more serious
+matters.  A short hour ago we were sailing securely on with a good ship
+under us--now we were homeless wanderers on the wide ocean, at a time of
+the year when storms might be expected, and in the neighbourhood of
+coasts inhabited by piratical tribes, who would show us but little mercy
+if we fell into their hands.
+
+After pulling some little distance from the ship, we lay on our oars, of
+one accord, to give her a last parting glance, and we then all came
+close together to consult what course we should steer.  The nearest port
+where we should find civilised people was the Spanish settlement of
+Manilla, in Luzon; but that was nearly to windward, and if we failed to
+make it we might be driven on some shore where we might find no means of
+escape.  The next place was Singapore, which, though much farther off
+than Manilla, was to leeward, and from thence the Dutch people were
+certain of finding an easy means of return to Batavia.
+
+Some of the crew wished to pull to the little island we had passed, in
+order to refit the boats, and by raising the gunwales, better to prepare
+them for encountering any rough seas; but Captain Van Deck did not think
+this necessary, and was, besides, unwilling to lose the advantage of the
+favourable breeze which was now blowing, and the smooth water which
+would render our voyage easy.  We lost sight of the _Cowlitz_ just as
+the sun sunk in the western wave.  We were now gliding calmly over the
+starlit sea--the beautiful firmament above us shining with a splendour
+peculiar to the torrid zone.  The boats sailed well, and kept company
+easily together.
+
+"This is one of the vicissitudes to which a seaman is exposed, Mr
+Seaworth," observed Adam Fairburn, as I sat by his side.  "I have been
+so knocked about, and have met with so many, that to me it does not seem
+strange; but it must so to you."
+
+"Not so much as you may suppose," I answered.  "I have read so
+constantly of shipwrecks and disasters at sea, that I am scarcely
+surprised to find myself an actor in one of them.  How soon shall we
+reach Singapore, do you think?"
+
+"It may take us eight or ten days, or less if the wind holds fair; but
+even that seems a long time to sit in an open boat, and yet people have
+passed as many weeks, with a scarcity of food, and have been preserved."
+
+"I have no fear of the future, even did not the present calm weather
+almost preclude the sensation of fear; for I have been taught that God
+is everywhere, and has power to preserve us if He so will it."  I said
+this in answer to Fairburn's remark.
+
+"Do you know," he observed, "that when I am at sea especially, as now,
+in an open boat, or in a small craft, or during the raging of a storm,
+that I always feel more clearly that I am in the hands of the Almighty,
+or perhaps, I might say, a sense of man's perfect helplessness.  We are
+too apt to forget this when roving on shore, in the full enjoyment of
+high health and spirits; yet, if we consider how small an injury is
+sufficient to make the strongest man as feeble as an infant, we should
+cease to boast of any strength which is in us."
+
+Such was the style of our conversation, as we sat side by side hour by
+hour, in the boat.  I gave Fairburn an outline of my history, and he in
+return related to me his own adventures, which were romantic in the
+extreme; indeed, since he came to sea, not a week had passed away
+without affording him matters worthy of note.
+
+We had run on some hours, when, as the skiff was in the wake of the
+long-boat, we observed that the people in her were, by their movements,
+in a great state of alarm.  Some were hard at work baling, while the
+ladies were turning round as if imploring our help.  We instantly got
+out our oars, and pulled up to her as fast as we could.  We found that
+she was leaking very much, from having been long out of the water, and
+that it required the constant labours of the crew to keep her free.  As
+the jolly-boat and skiff were already as full as was safe for them, we
+could do nothing to assist our consort, though we would have run every
+risk rather than see them perish, yet it was utterly impossible to take
+them on board with the slightest hope of saving our lives, should any
+bad weather come on.  While we were almost in despair what to do, one of
+the men, whose duty it was to keep a look-out, declared that he saw land
+ahead.  We all turned our eyes in the same direction, and there, sure
+enough, was a grove of trees just rising out of the water.  This raised
+our spirits, and enabled the crew of the long-boat to renew their
+exertions.  We ran on, when by degrees the stems of the trees appeared,
+and we saw before us a small but thickly-wooded island.  The breeze had
+freshened up, and though the sea was tolerably smooth, a heavy surf was
+breaking along the whole northern coast.  To the eastward, a reef
+extended a considerable way; so we stood more to the west, and hauled
+round the island, in the hopes of finding a spot on which we could land.
+After sailing along for a mile, we observed a yellow sand beach in a
+little bay, free from rocks, where the boats might be hauled up free
+from danger.  We joyfully entered it, and scarcely had our keels touched
+the shore, than the crews leapt out, rejoicing at the feeling that they
+were at liberty, even although it was on a desert island.  A tent was
+first made with our boats' sails, by the aid of boughs, for the ladies,
+and we then set to work to repair the long-boat.  The carpenter
+pronounced some of the planks so rotten and worm-eaten, as to make it
+surprising that she had not at once gone to the bottom, and he was
+afraid of doing anything to them lest he should make matters worse.  Our
+only means, therefore, of stopping the leaks, was to nail some canvas we
+fortunately had with us over the bottom of the boat; having first
+carefully inserted some oakum between the planks, and rubbed them over
+with tallow.
+
+Everybody was busily employed: some were drying the bread, which had got
+wet by being carelessly thrown into the bottom of the boat; others were
+gathering oysters, of which a large number were found; and the largest
+number were scouring the island in search of water, lest our present
+stock should fall short; while little Maria Van Deck was amusing herself
+by taking care of poor Ungka, who appeared fully to comprehend the
+nature of our disaster.  A chain had been fastened to him to prevent his
+escaping when we landed, though he seemed to have no inclination to
+leave his human companions; but no sooner did the other little fellows
+find themselves on shore, than off they set towards the nearest trees,
+and leaped and frolicked about in the full enjoyment of unrestrained
+liberty.  Off they went, springing up from bough to bough; and when any
+one approached, they redoubled their exertions, showing clearly that
+they did not intend again to trust themselves to the dangers of the
+deep.
+
+To make the boats more seaworthy, we formed bulwarks of canvas all the
+way round them, and converted the fore-royal into a lug and a jib for
+the long-boat.  We then again launched them; and as they floated
+securely in the little bay, we rejoiced to find that none of them leaked
+sufficiently to cause uneasiness.
+
+Our work being over, we assembled to take our last meal on shore; and,
+as we sat round the fire we had lighted to dress our provisions, we
+looked more like a picnic party than a set of shipwrecked people.  The
+ladies had recovered their spirits, and Mrs Van Deck presided at the
+feast with becoming dignity.  The captain then made the people a speech.
+He told them that they had behaved very well, and that he hoped they
+would continue to do so; and drawing the boats to shore, we finished
+loading them, and stepping in, once more continued our voyage.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE.
+
+The breeze held favourable, though lighter than we required it; and the
+setting sun gave every indication, as we thought, of a continuance of
+the fine weather.  The long-boat led the way, and the other two boats
+were stationed on either quarter; and, as the stars shone brightly, we
+had no difficulty in steering our course, while we should have been able
+to distinguish any coral reefs which might have appeared.  We thus ran
+on all night, at the rate of from three to four knots an hour.  Two
+people kept watch at a time, while the rest slept--one steered while the
+other looked out.  I relieved Fairburn at the helm; for I had now gained
+so much practical experience in seamanship, that he had more confidence
+in me than in the crew, some of whom were careless about keeping the
+proper course.  The boatswain had the first watch, Fairburn had the
+middle, and I was to take the morning one.  The first passed away as I
+have described.  Soon after Fairburn took the helm, I awoke, and felt
+very little inclination to go to sleep again; indeed the very snoring of
+the boatswain, who was a Dutchman of the stoutest build, and my near
+proximity to him, contributed much to drive sleep from my eyelids.
+
+"I have been thinking, Fairburn," said I, "that I will no longer trust
+to the chance means of getting about from place to place but, as soon as
+we reach a port, I propose to look-out for some small fast-sailing
+craft, which I shall arm well for self-defence, and then I shall be
+independent.  What do you think of my plan?"
+
+"I like it much," he replied.  "You must get a good hand as a master,
+who knows these seas; or do you propose to go master yourself?"
+
+"I am not so conceited with my seamanship as to trust entirely to
+myself," I answered.  "The idea has occurred to me, that you might like
+to go as master, and I am sure you would make a good one."
+
+"Nothing I should like better in the world," he exclaimed in a tone of
+delight.  "I assure you that I am most grateful to you for thinking of
+me.  The life I have often had to lead under inferiors, often
+tyrannical, rude, and uneducated, has been very irksome, and has at
+times nearly driven me to desperation; but with you I shall have all the
+pleasures of a roving life, without any of the drawbacks I so much
+hate."
+
+"Well, then, it is settled, Fairburn," I said, equally pleased with him.
+"We will not lose an instant, when we get into port, in looking after a
+vessel, and picking up a good crew."  So we went on, hour after hour,
+talking on the subject till the watch was worn out, and daylight began
+to appear.
+
+"We must get into port first, however, on the old principle of catching
+a hare before cooking it," he remarked, laughing.
+
+A hail from the long-boat interrupted us.  We were some little way
+astern, and we saw her lower her sail, the jolly-boat doing the same.
+We stood on till we got up to her.
+
+"Down with your canvas--down!" exclaimed the captain vehemently--"Don't
+you see that ahead?"
+
+We had been quietly following the long-boat, and had not looked beyond
+her.  We now did so, and by the uncertain light of the coming dawn, we
+could see the dark sails of several large prahus standing directly
+across our course from the eastward.  Had we been a little farther
+advanced, we should have been directly under their stems.  If they were
+pirates, our position was perilous in the extreme.  The captain proposed
+that we should instantly put about, and pull away from them to the
+northward and east; but then it was argued that the moment the sun got
+up the flashing of our oar-blades in the water would inevitably betray
+us, and that our best mode of proceeding was to be perfectly quiet, so
+that they might pass without perceiving us.  The last proposal was
+carried, Fairburn, whose opinion was always of weight, voting for it.
+The oars were accordingly laid in, and we all crouched down at the
+bottom of the boats, no one's head being allowed to appear above the
+gunwales.  We hoped thus, if the Malays should see the boats, that they
+would fancy they were without occupants, and would not think it worth
+their while to go out of their way to examine them.  The canvas of the
+bulwark, at the bow, was lifted a little to enable one person to look
+through, in order to watch the proceedings of the prahus.  Our
+preparations were made before it was quite light; and now came the most
+trying time, when the sun, as he rose from the water, should first shed
+his rays across its surface.  That is the period when seamen of every
+nation are more particularly accustomed to take a steady scrutinising
+glance round the horizon, to see what ships or land may be in sight.  We
+could observe the sails of the prahus gliding by to the westward like
+silent phantoms in the cold pale light of the morning.  We were to the
+eastward of the greater part of the fleet, and we began to hope that all
+might pass us, when Fairburn and I simultaneously perceived three
+others, more to the north than the rest, and directly to the eastward of
+us.  Being thus more to windward than the rest, they came down rapidly
+towards us.
+
+"What shall we do now?"  I asked of Fairburn.  "If we stay where we are,
+they will scarcely miss us.  If we pull on, we shall be directly to
+leeward of them, and they will certainly see us, and we cannot escape
+them."
+
+"To own the truth, I do not see that we have a chance of escape," he
+whispered.  "In attempting to pull away out of their course to the
+northward, we shall certainly be observed.  We must make up our minds to
+the worst."
+
+"What do you think that will be?"  I asked.
+
+"If they grant us our lives--abject slavery," he answered, with a groan.
+"If we could fight first, I should not so much mind; but to be picked
+up by those rascals without a struggle, as a worm is picked up by a
+bird, is very trying."
+
+"But don't you think we might master one of the prahus, and escape in
+her?"  I asked.
+
+"A brave thought; but one, I am afraid, our captain is not a man to
+execute," was his reply.  "I am thinking about the poor women.  We may
+one of these days find means of escaping out of the hands of these
+villains; but they never can."
+
+"Indeed I can feel for them," I said, thinking of the fate of my own
+sister.
+
+"Well, we will try if we can stir the captain up to adopt your plan," he
+exclaimed, after a minute's silence.  "We have arms enough, and we will
+throw ourselves altogether on board the first vessel which comes up.  If
+we take her by surprise, we shall have a greater chance of success."
+
+"I will back you up," I said.  "I am sure all hands here will join us."
+
+"Yes, yes," said the men; "we will fight before we yield."
+
+And to show that they were in earnest, they set to work to examine the
+arms we had in the boat.  We then hailed Captain Van Deck, and told him
+what we proposed doing.
+
+"It would be madness," he answered.  "We should not have a chance of
+success, and we should all be knocked on the head and thrown into the
+sea together."
+
+"Fight! fight!  Who is talking about fighting?" shrieked Mrs Van Deck.
+"We can't fight, and we won't fight.  We will ask the pirates, or
+whatever the black gentlemen may be, to be civil; and I am sure that
+they are more likely to be so if we are submissive, than if we were to
+try and turn them out of their vessels, which we could not do."
+
+I must own, now I come to reflect calmly on the subject, that there was
+some wisdom in Mrs Van Deck's observations.  As a rule, it is folly to
+threaten unless we can perform, or to fight unless one has a fair chance
+of success.  Our chance of success was certainly very small; but still I
+could not help thinking we should have some, especially if we could get
+on board one of the afterward vessels; and anything was better than the
+slavery to which we should be doomed.
+
+On came the prahus.  The southern division had not seen us, and had
+already got to the westward of us; but the northern line was
+approaching, and would pass most dangerously near where we were--perhaps
+a little to the south.  We almost held our breaths with anxiety.  A
+slight change of wind might make them alter their course rather more
+away from us; but that was scarcely to be expected.  Our glasses now
+showed us clearly what sort of vessels were in our neighbourhood, and
+made every shadow of doubt as to their character vanish completely.
+Their threatening and ominous aspect was increased, from their dark
+sails appearing against the glowing mass of light, which covered the
+whole eastern part of the sky from the zenith, growing still more
+intense towards the horizon, whence we expected the sun every instant to
+appear.  The vessels we now saw were of considerable size, capable of
+carrying some hundred and fifty men or more.  The lower part was built
+of solid wood-planks and timbers, like the vessels of European nations,
+but the upper works and decks were chiefly of bamboo, ingeniously
+fastened together.  The bows were very sharp, the beam was great, and in
+length they exceeded ninety feet.  The after part had a cabin or poop
+deck; and a raised deck, or platform, ran right fore and aft, for the
+purpose of affording standing room to the fighting men, of whom Fairburn
+told me we should find some forty or fifty on board.  The platform was
+narrower than the beam, except forward, where it expanded to the full
+width, and where there was a strong bulkhead, with a port in it, through
+which a long brass gun was run.  A sort of gallery extended all round
+the sides, like the nettings of a ship, in which sat the rowers, who
+were slaves, and not expected to fight unless in extreme cases.  The
+vessel had from forty to fifty oars in two tiers, with two men to each
+oar.  They had two triangle or sheer masts; these sheers were composed
+of two long poles.  The heels of the two foremost were fitted in a pair
+of bits in the deck, through which ran a piece of horizontal timber, on
+which they worked; so that they could be raised or depressed at
+pleasure.  The after pole was shorter than the others, and served as a
+prop to them.  When the pirates intend to board an enemy, they allow
+this mast to fall over the bows, and it serves them as a ladder to climb
+on to her decks.  They were steered in a curious way, by two
+broad-bladed oars running through the counter at either quarter.  A
+broad platform extended over the counter, low down abaft the raised
+poop.  Besides the long gun I have described, the larger vessels had a
+similar one run through the bulkhead of the cabin aft, besides numerous
+large swivels, four or more on a side, of various calibre, mounted in
+solid uprights, secured about the sides and upper works.  On the
+stanchions supporting the platform were hung long matchlocks, fire-arms
+of various sorts, with spears and swords.  These swivel guns are called
+_lelahs_, and are generally of brass.  The _klewang_ is a sort of
+hanger, or short sword.  Their most formidable and favourite weapon is
+the kriss--a short dagger of a serpentine form.  Each vessel had a
+square red flag at its foremast head, and a long pennant aft.  The
+Illanon pirates wear a large sword, with a handle to be grasped by two
+hands.  They dress, when going into battle, with chain, and sometimes
+plate armour, which gives them a very romantic appearance.  The chain
+armour is made of wire, and though it will resist the thrust of a kriss,
+it will not turn a musket bail.
+
+I never in my life passed a more anxious time.  "See, they are keeping
+away," exclaimed Fairburn, who had been attentively watching the
+pirates.  "They will pass nearly a mile from us, and we may escape."
+
+Scarcely had he uttered the words, than the sun rose with full radiance
+from the water, shedding a mass of glittering light across the surface,
+lighting up the sails and hulls of the southern division, and, as we
+felt conscious, making us far more conspicuous than before to the
+approaching enemy.  For a few minutes we had hopes that we had escaped
+observation; but the uncertainty did not long continue.  The whole line
+of prahus were seen to haul their wind, and to stand directly for us.
+As they approached, we could see the warriors clustering on the
+platforms, brandishing their spears and matchlocks, while the lelahs
+were pointed at us.  All hope of successful resistance was now gone.
+They evidently mistrusted us, and perhaps expected that we were the
+boats of some man-of-war sent to intercept them.  Even Fairburn
+acknowledged that the slightest show of resistance would now seal our
+fate.
+
+"We must give up our idea of an independent cruise round these seas," I
+remarked to him.  "My sweet little sister!--I think of her captivity the
+most, if captive she is."
+
+"Never despair," he answered.  "Depend on it, all turns out the best in
+the end; and what we most try to avoid is often the very thing to bring
+us what we require."
+
+"I will try to adopt your philosophy," I replied.  "But are the pirates
+going to fire on us, or give us their stems?"
+
+"We will escape the latter treatment, at all events," he exclaimed.
+"Out oars, my men, and pull boldly up to them, as if we were glad to see
+them--it is our last chance.  The people in the other boats will follow
+our example."
+
+We fortunately had a Malay with us; and we told him to sing out that we
+were friends that were shipwrecked, and would pay those well who placed
+us in safety.  This arrangement was made as we pulled towards the
+headmost prahu.  It had the effect of stopping the pirates from firing,
+though the warriors still kept their hostile attitudes.  While we were
+advancing, the long-boat and jolly-boat kept back, which further
+convinced the Malays that we had no hostile intention.  The breeze being
+fortunately light, we easily pulled up under the counter, on to which we
+hooked, when Fairburn and I, followed by the Malay interpreter, climbed
+up on board.  No one attempted to injure or stop us; but a man, whom we
+recognised as the chief or captain by the respect the rest paid him,
+beckoned us towards him.  We had instructed the interpreter what to say,
+and he told the story well.  He informed the chief, who was keenly
+eyeing us all the time, that our vessel had sunk, with all our property
+on board; that we had been some days at sea trying to reach a port where
+we could find some of our countrymen, and that we would pay him well if
+he took us there.  He looked incredulous, and told our Malay that he
+doubted our friends paying so much for us as he could pay himself by
+selling us, which he intended to do.  At a signal from him, the pirates,
+who were closely pressing us round with sharp krisses in their hands,
+their bright eyes glittering maliciously, seized us by the arms, which
+they securely bound with ropes, so that we were completely at the mercy
+of any one who might choose to run his weapon into our breasts.  We
+felt, indeed, that they were only prevented from doing so by
+recollecting our marketable value.
+
+Meantime the long-boat and jolly-boat were each taken possession of by
+different prahus, the former being very nearly run down by two of the
+pirate vessels, in their eagerness to get hold of her, she being
+considered the most valuable prize, from having the women and the
+largest number of people in board.  What the Malays did to our
+companions in misfortune I cannot say.  We heard loud shrieks and cries
+when they were first captured; but I suspect they arose from Mrs Van
+Deck and her female friends, at sight of the ferocious-looking beings
+among whom they found themselves.  We saw no more of them; for the
+pirates, dropping our boats astern, made sail to join the remainder of
+the fleet.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
+
+When the chief had done questioning us, we were taken below, and placed
+under the platform I have described, with a guard to watch us, though
+there was no possibility of our escaping.  The Malay was, however, kept
+on deck, for the purpose, we concluded, of being further interrogated.
+No further attention was paid to us, and the pirates seemed to consider
+that we were totally beneath their notice.  Towards the evening a little
+boiled maize was handed us by our guards, as they were aware that
+without food we should soon become of no value to them.  For the same
+reason, they gave us a little dirty water to drink; and so thirsty were
+we, that, foul as it was, we were grateful for it, though we remembered
+that it was a piece of unnecessary cruelty, as we had provisions and an
+abundance of water in our own boats.
+
+My greatest consolation was in the society of Fairburn, for we were
+allowed to sit down on the deck close together, and to converse without
+interruption--not that at first we could bring ourselves to talk much,
+for our spirits were too depressed at our change of fortune.  The rest
+of the crew were in still worse spirits, and sat brooding over their
+fate in total silence.
+
+"Well, Fairburn," I at last exclaimed, with a sigh, "our prospects seem
+bad enough now, at all events."
+
+"Oh, they might have been worse," he answered, smiling in spite of our
+situation.  "You know the gentlemen might have cut our throats, or made
+us walk the plank, or stripped us of our clothes, or lashed us to
+different parts of the vessel apart from each other, or they might have
+amused themselves by beating us, or we might have been sent to work at
+the oars.  Then, perhaps, our Malay is persuading the chief that he will
+make more of us by ransoming us, and, as we are still alive, we may find
+a chance of escaping.  Oh, depend upon it, things might be much worse
+than they are; and we should be grateful."
+
+"I like your philosophy; but it is difficult to follow," I observed.
+
+"No, not at all," he replied.  "Only get accustomed to believe that
+everything is ordered for the best, and you will find it very easy.  We
+cannot tell what misfortunes we may have escaped by the adventure which
+has befallen us.  We should always compare our present state with what
+it might have been under still more adverse circumstances, not with what
+we wish it to have been."
+
+"Then you mean to say, that if we had remained in the boats, some
+greater misfortune might have happened to us?" said I.
+
+"Exactly so," he answered.  "The boats might have sprung leaks, and have
+gone down, or might have run on some coral bank in the night, and have
+been lost; or a storm might have arisen and overwhelmed them, or some
+other casualties might have occurred.  My firm belief is that God is
+everywhere, he orders everything for the best.  We cannot too often
+repeat this for we may even forget the greatest truths at times when
+they are most needed.  If we could but always remember this one, we
+should be saved the guilt of much impious repining and despondency."
+
+"True; true; I was almost forgetting this," I exclaimed.  "Thanks,
+Fairburn, for reminding me."
+
+I can assure my young friends that the perfect confidence I felt in
+God's kind providence enabled me to bear up wonderfully against the
+misfortunes which had overtaken me; and I am sure that, in similar
+cases, if they put their trust in God, He will equally support them.
+
+While we had been speaking I had observed a young Malay lad pass
+constantly, and put his head in to look at us.  There appeared to be a
+look of peculiar intelligence on his countenance, and as if he wished to
+draw our attention to himself.  When he came again, I pointed him out to
+Fairburn, whose back had been towards him.  He looked at him
+attentively.  The lad, however, did not attempt to speak; and when he
+saw that no one was observing him, he put his finger to his lips, the
+universal sign all over the world of imposing silence.
+
+"What can he mean?"  I asked of Fairburn, when the lad had again
+disappeared.
+
+"I think I recollect his features--I must have met him somewhere," he
+said.  "Oh! now I know.  He must be a lad whose life I once saved from a
+party of savages on the coast of New Guinea.  He belonged to a small
+trading vessel from Ceram, or one of the neighbouring islands, which are
+accustomed to visit that coast to barter fire-arms, calico, and
+ironwork, for slaves, nutmegs, trepang, tortoise-shell, and edible
+birds' nests.  She had been driven out of her course by a gale, and
+found herself on a part of the coast with which no one on board was
+acquainted.  Before she could make good her retreat, she was perceived
+by some of the inhabitants.  The inhabitants of New Guinea are called
+Papuans.  They are negroes, with very ugly features, and are composed of
+two races--the hill and the coast Papuans; the latter being very fierce
+and barbarous, and keeping the former in subjection.  The people of whom
+I am now particularly speaking are said to be cannibals.  They possess a
+number of small vessels, which they send out on piratical excursions to
+a very considerable distance from their homes.  Their mode of warfare is
+rude in the extreme, their weapons consisting only of bows, arrows, and
+spears.  They are said to devour the prisoners they make during these
+excursions.  They may do so sometimes but I think it more probable that
+they preserve their lives to sell them as slaves.  Well, as soon as the
+strange prahu was seen, a number of these war-boats put out of a
+harbour, the entrance of which was concealed by trees, and, before she
+could escape, surrounded her.  The Malays fought bravely, but they were
+not prepared for war, and after several of their number were killed they
+were overpowered.  I, at that time, was serving on board a whaler, which
+had put into a bay near where this took place.  I was away in one of the
+hosts, when, rounding a point, I saw what was going forward.  The
+Papuans, having rifled the vessel, and taken all the people out of her,
+set her on fire, and were making the best of their way to the shore.
+Having heard of the barbarities they practise, and my boat's crew being
+well armed, and having a gun in the bows of the boat, I determined to
+rescue some of the victims.  My men gave way with a will, and we dashed
+after the pirates.  They had had experience of the effects of our
+fire-arms and when they saw us in chase they suspected our intentions,
+and did their utmost to reach the shore.  All escaped except two.  We
+sent a shot through the bows of the first, and the people on board,
+finding her sinking, leaped into the water, and endeavoured to escape by
+swimming; the other we ran alongside.  The crew fought very bravely.  We
+saw three prisoners among them.  Before we could prevent them, they cut
+the throats of two of the unhappy men.  One of their chiefs was going to
+treat the third, a young lad, in the same way, when I shot the rascal
+dead.  The rest of the people then jumped overboard and swam on shore.
+
+"If there were any prisoners on board the vessel which sunk, they must
+have gone down in her, for we could find none, and they would certainly
+have swam towards us had their hands been free.  It afterwards struck me
+that I had no right to interfere as I did.  I certainly caused of great
+loss of life, and the preservation of the lad was the only result.
+However, I had no time for consideration, and could not help it; indeed,
+I should probably act exactly in the same way if I were placed in a
+similar situation again.  The lad was very grateful, and became very
+much attached to me.  I took him on board the whaler, and he very soon
+got into our ways; but as we were bound to the southward, I was afraid
+the cold would kill him, accustomed as he was to a torrid zone, so put
+him on board a vessel we fell in with, sailing to Borneo, to which
+country I understood he belonged.  I managed to explain to him, with
+some difficulty, my reasons for parting with him.  When he comprehended
+them, he appeared very grateful, and shed many tears as he went over the
+side.  I certainly never expected to see him again."
+
+"If, as I think, you did rightly, by attempting to save the lives of
+some fellow-creatures, from the hands of cannibals, you see you are
+likely to benefit by the deed; for I have no doubt that this young lad
+will do his best to be of service to us.  He tries to show us his good
+wishes," I said.
+
+"I am sure he will.  I know that I intended to do right when I saved his
+life," remarked Fairburn.
+
+He then continued, after a long silence: "I wonder how it is God allows
+cannibals and suchlike savages to exist.  Does he punish them as he
+would us if we committed the like acts, do you think?"
+
+"I have been taught to think that we ought not to attempt to account for
+many of the divine ordinances, otherwise than by believing that they are
+a part of one great and beneficent system.  As God is just, we cannot
+suppose that he would consider ignorant savages equally guilty with
+educated men, who know and disobey his laws.  I have an idea that
+savages exist to employ the energies of Christian men in converting them
+to the truth, and civilising them.  We have the poor to feed and clothe,
+the ignorant to educate, the turbulent to discipline: why should we not
+believe that, situated as Great Britain is, with more extensive
+influence than any other nation on the earth, she has the duty committed
+to her of civilising the numberless savage tribes, with whom her
+commerce brings her in contact?"
+
+Night came on, and we began to suffer from the pangs of hunger, but more
+especially from thirst, and our barbarous captors turned a deaf ear to
+all our petitions for a little water.  At last, hopeless of relief, we
+stretched ourselves on the deck, in the expectation of recruiting our
+strength by sleep.  We, at all events, were better off than the slaves
+in the hold of a slave-vessel, for they have not room to stretch their
+legs, or to rest their weary backs.  I had managed to fall asleep, when
+I was awoke by a voice saying, "Eh; glad me see massa.  Want drink?"  I
+guessed it was that of Hassan, the young Malay.  I awoke Fairburn, who
+sat up.  The lad took his hand, and kissed it over and over again, but
+was afraid of speaking.  He then showed us that he had brought us a jug
+of water, that we afterwards found he had taken from our own stock in
+the boat.  He also brought a pannikin to drink from.  We passed it round
+to our companions, and when we had exhausted our supply, he took away
+the jar with the same caution and silence as before.  Here, against all
+probability, was a friend who might be useful to us now, and ultimately
+might serve us greatly.
+
+Somewhere towards the evening of the next day we found, by the noises
+around us, that we were in the middle of the fleet, which had formed one
+compact mass.  Gongs were struck as signals, arms were clashed, and the
+chiefs were continually calling to each other, as if holding
+consultation as to some important proceeding.  Some time after dark, we
+could feel, from the perfect calmness, and the want of that heaving
+motion which is nearly always experienced at sea, that we had entered a
+deep bay, or a gulf, or the mouth of some large river.  We glided
+noiselessly on for some time, the only sound heard being that of the
+oars as they dipped into the water, till the anchors were let go and the
+vessels remained stationary.
+
+I asked Fairburn what he thought of the proceedings of our captors.
+
+"I think, from the silent way in which they go on, that they must be on
+one of their kidnapping expeditions," he answered.  "At first I thought
+they were approaching their homes, and they might be Bornean pirates
+from the west coast; but I have now no doubt that they are Illanons from
+Sooloo.  They more nearly answer the descriptions I have had of the
+latter; but, as you know, my cruising has been more to the south and to
+the eastward, so that I have not fallen in with them."
+
+All night long we lay in perfect silence.  I contrived to get my head
+out a little way from under the platform, at the risk of a blow from a
+kriss; but I wanted fresh air, and to see what sort of a place we had
+brought up at.  Of fresh air I got but little, though I discovered that
+we were in a small bay, closely surrounded by lofty trees, which
+completely concealed us, except from any one passing directly in front
+of it.  We were evidently in ambush for some purpose or other, probably
+for the object at which Fairburn surmised.
+
+We were visited during the night by young Hassan, he brought us water
+and food.  Fairburn tried to learn from him where we were, and what was
+going to happen but, putting his finger to his mouth, he intimated that
+he was afraid of speaking, and hurried off.  We remained, unable to
+sleep, in anxious expectation of daylight.  At early dawn every one was
+astir, though cautious as before of making any noise.  The anchors were
+got up, and the warps which had secured the vessels to the trees were
+cast off, and we glided out of the bay.
+
+The pirates were so engaged in the work they were about, that they did
+not watch us as narrowly as before, and we were, therefore, able to
+creep out from under the platform, and, by climbing up the stanchions,
+to look about us.  We were pulling up a broad stream, bounded on either
+side by dark forests, the trees of which grew down to the very edge,
+their boughs overhanging the stream, while their shadows were reflected
+with peculiar distinctness in it.  Behind arose ranges of lofty
+mountains, whose summits were lost in the gloom of that early hour.  The
+trees were alive with monkeys and squirrels; and birds of gaudy plumage
+flitted about in every direction on the wing, apparently to take a look
+at the strangers.  Alligators were enjoying their morning swim, and,
+disturbed by our approach, they plunged under the water to escape from
+our keels.  Here and there in the forest were open patches, where ruined
+huts showed that villages had been once destroyed by some incursion like
+the present, or by the attacks of hostile tribes of the Dyaks, eager to
+fill their head-houses with the heads of the conquered.
+
+At last, rounding a point, we came suddenly on a large Dyak village.
+Treachery had been at work.  The boom, which should have been across the
+river to prevent surprise, was not secured, and was easily driven aside
+and passed.  Just at that moment the rays of the rising sun first struck
+the topmost peaks of the surrounding mountains, casting on them a pink
+hue, and making the scene below appear of a yet darker tinge.  The town
+consisted of some thirty or more large houses raised on piles, and each
+capable of holding several families, perhaps altogether amounting to two
+hundred people.  On either side of the town, on slight eminences, were
+two forts surrounded by a strong stockade--the upper part surmounted by
+a sort of _chevaux de frise_ of split bamboos.  The whole town was also
+surrounded by a stockade.  On the walls of the fort were several lelahs,
+or brass swivel guns, of native manufacture.  Outside the stockade were
+groves of cocoa-nut trees, and patches of open ground for the
+cultivation of rice, yams, and sago.  The inhabitants were still
+apparently buried in profound repose, unsuspicious of coming evil.  No
+one was stirring--not a sound was heard.
+
+We dashed on at a rapid rate; and I had scarce time to observe the scene
+I have described.  The Malays ran the sharp bows of their shallow prahus
+on to the shore--the triangle masts were instantly lowered, and formed
+bridges on to the banks, and, in some places, to the very walls of the
+forts.  Before the alarm was given they were swarming with savage
+warriors, who, kriss and assegai in hand, rushed into the town, and
+clambered into the forts and houses.  Those who resisted were
+slaughtered without mercy--the young people and children were bound with
+cords, and were given over to a band who followed the warriors on
+purpose to take charge of the prisoners.  When they had secured as many
+prisoners as their vessels could carry, they no longer gave quarter to
+any they met, but wantonly destroyed them.  The remainder of the
+inhabitants escaped to the woods, where the Malays could not follow
+them.
+
+While the battle was raging at its height, the attention of the Malays
+on board was so completely drawn from us, that it struck me we might be
+able to make our way along the mast on to the shore, and then concealing
+ourselves in the woods, wait till the expedition had sailed.  I thought
+that we might then get away to Singapore in a Dyak vessel, or a Chinese
+trader, many of which I had heard visited the coast.  Fairburn, however,
+was of opinion that the attempt would be worse than futile.  In the
+first place, we would be inevitably seen by the Malays, and should be
+very likely fired at and killed; or, if brought back alive, treated with
+far greater harshness than before.  The Dyaks too, he pointed out, were
+worse savages than the Malays; and, irritated by their defeat, they
+would not stop to consider whether we were the cause of it, but for the
+sake of our heads alone, would murder us without compunction.  All hope,
+therefore, of escape was for the present abandoned.
+
+The pirates then set fire to the houses, which being built of bamboo,
+and thatched with palm-leaves, burnt like tinder.  Having accomplished
+their work of destruction to their entire satisfaction, with little loss
+to themselves, they shoved their prahus into the stream, and proceeded
+as fast as they could towards the sea.  The captives, on being brought
+on board, were placed under the platform close to us, very much to our
+additional inconvenience.
+
+In appearance they were far from an attractive race.  They were of a
+copper colour, with small eyes, black and piercing, mouths large, thick
+lips, and teeth filed into points, and blackened by their custom of
+chewing the betel-nut.  The noses of some of the men were almost
+aquiline; but generally they were rather inclined to be flat.  Their
+heads were well formed, and might be almost called intellectual; their
+hair was slightly shaven in front, and all thrown to the back of the
+head.  They were of the middle height, very strongly and well built, and
+with limbs admirably proportioned.  They were most remarkable for the
+number of rings they wore in their ears, those of higher rank having no
+less than fifteen, which weighed the lobe down almost to the shoulders.
+Their dress consisted of a cloth round the waist, which hung down in
+front, and some had on a sort of skin waistcoat, and a cloak over the
+shoulders.
+
+The women had petticoats of native cloth fastened above the hips.  Their
+hair was fine and black, and fell down in profusion behind their backs.
+Some of them, indeed, might be called pretty.  The greater number of
+these people had a frank and pleasing expression of countenance and we
+since have good reason to know that they can be easily civilised.  Their
+arms were brought on board as trophies.  They consisted of the
+blow-pipe, (the sumpitan); it is about eight feet long, and from it they
+eject small arrows, poisoned with the juice of the upas, chiefly for
+killing birds.  They had also long sharp knives called parangs, spears,
+and shields, in addition to the fire-arms, which they procure where they
+can find them.
+
+Reaching the mouth of the river without interruption, we stood out to
+sea.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
+
+The prahus were now so deeply laden that the Illanons were anxious to
+return as fast as possible to their own country.  They kept a good
+offing from the shore to avoid molestation from any of their brethren,
+who might be tempted, by guessing the nature of their freight, to sally
+out and pick off any stragglers.  The truth is, that the whole of this
+magnificent archipelago was given up to anarchy and predatory warfare,
+the strong on all points preying on the weak; they in their turn, as
+they became enfeebled by their own victories, succumbing to other
+tribes, who had in the meantime risen to power, while even their
+commerce was combined with a system of slave-dealing and plunder.  The
+following morning there was a dead calm.  I never felt the heat so
+great.  The sun shone down with intense fury, and seemed to pierce
+through the bamboo covering above our heads.  The very atmosphere was
+stagnant.  Had it not been for the supply of water with which Hassan had
+furnished us during the night, we should have died of thirst; as it was,
+we suffered much.  From the feeling of the atmosphere, Fairburn
+prognosticated that we were about to be visited by a storm of unusual
+severity.  The pirates seemed to think the same, for they lowered their
+sails, which were indeed useless; and putting the heads of the vessels
+seaward, endeavoured to obtain a good offing from the land.
+
+From this we judged that we were off a part of the coast where they had
+been accustomed to commit depredations, and that they were afraid,
+should they be shipwrecked, that the inhabitants would retaliate by
+destroying them.  There could be no doubt that such was the case,
+because otherwise they would have pulled towards the shore, in the hopes
+of being in time to take shelter in one of the numerous bays and creeks,
+with which it is indented.
+
+"Such is the consequence of evil-doing," said Fairburn, moralising, as
+we came to this conclusion.  "Honest men can go where they like, and
+have no enemies to fear; rogues have the door shut in their faces in all
+directions, and have reason to fear that all men are their enemies."
+
+The poor slaves tugged at the oars till their strength almost gave way.
+At last two dropped from fatigue and died.  At all events, they were
+without ceremony thrown overboard.  Several of the Malays then advanced
+towards us; they looked at Fairburn and me, and seeing by our dress and
+appearance that we were officers, and might prove more valuable to them
+in some other way, they passed us by, and selected two of the Dutch
+seamen to fill the places of the wretches who had died.
+
+The Dutchmen, though they could not help comprehending what they were
+expected to do, showed a strong determination not to set about the work,
+till the sharp point of the glittering knives held at their breasts
+warned them that it would be wiser to obey.  Uttering a groan of pain,
+the poor fellows went to their laborious occupation.  Unaccustomed to
+such severe toil, with a burning sun overhead, they feared that a few
+days would terminate their existence.  An ominous silence pervaded the
+ocean; so calm lay the vessels that neither the bulkheads nor masts were
+heard to creak.  The heat grew, if possible, still more oppressive.
+Then came on a sudden and slow upheaving of the deep, followed quickly
+by a loud rushing noise.  A mass of boiling froth flew sweeping over the
+hitherto tranquil sea.  The vessels, as it struck their broadsides,
+heeled over to it; some righted as they were turned by the oars and flew
+before it; several, we had reason to believe, went over to rise no more.
+Every moment the sea got up higher, and the wind blew more furiously.
+Onward we flew, the oars now perfectly useless, the men at the rudders
+scarcely able to move them so as to guide the course of the vessel.
+Where we went we could not tell.  Clouds chased each other over the
+hitherto serene sky, and a thick driving rain, a complete cataract of
+water, descended, shrouding the coast from our sight.  The seas leaped
+to a terrific height in our wake, and following us, almost dashed over
+our stern; but the tightly built vessel rose over them, and onward again
+we went uninjured.  The tempest had raged for three or four hours, and
+showed no signs of abating.  We climbed up, as we had done before, to
+look-out.  The whole sea was a mass of tossing waves and foam, and far
+as the eye could pierce through the gloom, not another prahu was in
+sight.  The tempest had scattered far and wide the barks of the fierce
+warriors as the summer breeze would the light chaff.  The working of the
+vessel, as she was tossed up and down by the waves, caused her to leak
+most alarmingly, and all hands were set to work to bale her out.  In
+this we of course very willingly joined, for our lives depended on her
+being kept afloat; and it besides enabled us to stretch our limbs and
+look about us.  Everything capable of holding water was made use of, and
+the calabashes, kettles, buckets, and pans were passed along from hand
+to hand from the hold to the side of the vessel and back again with the
+greatest rapidity.  We kept the water under, but that was all; and it
+seemed most questionable whether we should be able in this condition to
+get back to Sooloo.  Along the whole coast there was not a place where
+we could venture to enter to repair damages, for although the Malays
+might not kill their fellow-religionists they would not hesitate to
+confiscate their vessel and to sell them as slaves.  While we were
+employed as I have described, Fairburn observed to me.
+
+"You were saying, Mr Seaworth, that everything is for the best.
+Suppose now we had been caught in our boats by this storm, how do you
+fancy the skiff would have weathered it?"
+
+"But badly, I suspect," I replied.
+
+"So I have been thinking.  We could not possibly have reached Singapore;
+and though we might have been picked up by some vessel, the chances are
+that we should not; and so, what we thought our greatest misfortune,
+may, after all, have proved the means of our preservation."
+
+"The very idea which has been passing in my mind," I replied.  "I
+wonder, though, what has become of Captain Van Deck and his wife, and
+poor little Maria, and the rest of the party in the long-boat."
+
+"He who rules the waves will have preserved them, if He has thought fit
+so to do," observed Fairburn.  "Remember, we have only our own selves to
+account for.  If we are preserved, it is not because of our own merits,
+but by his inscrutable will, for some end we know not of.  If they are
+lost, it is not because they are worse than we, but because He knows
+that it is better that so it should be."
+
+The pirates seeing us talking, and fancying that we did not work as hard
+as we might, gave us a hint to be silent, by showing us the point of a
+spear, and we were obliged to bale away harder than ever.  While we were
+at work, the clouds opened, the sky in the horizon cleared slightly, and
+there were evident signs of the gale breaking.  In a little time more
+the gale lessened, and the sea no longer ran so perilously high as
+before.  Still we were in much danger, for the leaks rather increased
+than lessened, and it required the utmost exertions of all hands to keep
+the vessel free of water.  We hoped, however, when it grew calm, that
+the leaks would close, and that we might be able to pursue our voyage.
+
+In this condition the night overtook us.  Whether we should keep afloat
+till daylight, none of us could say.  It was one of the most weary
+nights I ever spent; for we were allowed no cessation from our toil.  We
+now felt that we were slaves indeed.  Our masters looked on, and some
+slept while we worked.  Daylight found us still labouring.  The pirates
+looked out anxiously to discover some of their consorts.  Two were in
+sight in the far distance, but they beheld another spectacle, which
+filled them with alarm, while it made our hearts bound with hope.  It
+was a square-rigged vessel, her topsails just visible above the horizon
+and from the squareness of her yards, and the whiteness of her canvas,
+we trusted that she was a man-of-war.  The Illanons, who are well
+accustomed to discern the various classes of vessels, and to know their
+armaments, that they may avoid catching a Tartar, were of our opinion.
+The stranger was to windward, so that they would have had but small
+chance of escaping, even by attempting to pull up in that direction.  By
+keeping before the wind, when their oars would less avail them, their
+chance of escape was still smaller.  We watched the proceedings of the
+stranger with intense interest.  The other two prahus were nearer to her
+than we were, and thus she would certainly make sail after them before
+she attempted to follow us; and, in the meantime, it was possible that,
+by keeping on a wind, the prahu we were on board might escape.  The brig
+might also perceive some others of the fleet more to windward, which we
+could see, and might go after them.  If so, the possibility of her
+escaping was very much increased, and we might still be doomed to a long
+if not an endless slavery.
+
+It was with the greatest difficulty that we could keep to our baling, so
+intense became our anxiety to watch the proceedings of the stranger; and
+more than once I felt the sharp point of a lance against my ribs,
+reminding me of the task imposed on me.  We saw by her movement that the
+brig had very soon discovered the other two prahus, for as fast as she
+could she was making sail, and standing after them.  They endeavoured to
+escape, and to our great joy, ran after us, thus increasing the
+probability of our being captured.  The brig however came up very
+rapidly with the other prahus; and, as soon as she got near enough, she
+opened her fire on them,--a foretaste of what we were to expect, for
+pirates deserve no mercy, and they were not likely to receive any at her
+hands.  They were brave, or, at all events, desperate men, and returned
+her fire with their big stem gun and lelahs, though the latter were not
+likely to do much harm.  Her guns were well and rapidly worked.  The
+foremost mast of one of the prahus was shot away, and the others fared
+still worse.  Several shots seemed to have struck her, still she held
+on.  We saw her rise to the top of a wave, then down she glided into the
+trough of the sea.  We looked for her in vain.  It was her last plunge;
+and with her crew of savage warriors and helpless slaves, she sunk to
+rise no more.  The brig did not heave-to in order to save any of the
+wretches, but ran close to the vessel she had crippled.  Before she ran
+alongside, she opened her entire broadside on the pirate, so as to still
+more effectually prevent her escaping.  The chiefs fought fiercely, like
+men who know that their fate is sealed, and are determined to sell their
+lives dearly.  They discharged their lelahs in quick succession; they
+kept up till the last a hot fire from their long gun, and sent showers
+of arrows from their bows.  When they got to still closer quarters,
+their spears came into play; and as the Europeans leaped down on their
+decks to take possession, many were severely wounded by the spears and
+krisses thrust through the bamboo planking.  Then, when the Malays saw
+that they could do no further injury to their conquerors, they fired
+their vessel in several places, in the hopes of destroying them at the
+same time with themselves.
+
+The Dutchmen were brave fellows, and in spite of the risk they ran, they
+managed to save some of those they found on board, before they cast
+loose from the burning prahu.  The brig then made sail after us.  Long
+before she came up to us, the Malay vessel, with her crew of savage
+desperadoes, had followed her consort to the bottom of the ocean.
+Dreadful as was their fate, they had, from their numerous atrocities, so
+richly deserved it, that no one could pity them.  We next had to
+look-out for ourselves.  The same sanguinary scene that we had witnessed
+at a distance was now to be enacted on board our vessel.  As we kept
+right ahead of the brig, her bow chasers only could reach us, and with
+those she plied us as rapidly as they could be loaded, the shot flying
+over and around us, and one striking us on the counter, and killing two
+men who were working the lelahs placed there.  The pirates in return
+were not idle.  The long gun was worked vigorously, though not with much
+effect; but the lelahs and matchlocks kept up a galling fire on the
+brig, while the bows and arrows were kept ready to come into play as
+soon as she could get near enough to feel their effect.
+
+I will not acknowledge exactly to have felt fear; but I experienced a
+very disagreeable sensation as the shot of our friends came flying
+around us, and some of the equally unfortunate Dyaks, and one or two
+Malays were struck down close to us.  The feeling would have been still
+worse, had we not been so eagerly engaged in watching the brig, with the
+expectation of being released, and hoping to escape unhurt.  At last a
+shot struck the head of our mainmast, and down came the sail, the
+foremast very soon followed, the after part being struck, and with the
+sail it swung over the bows.  As the musketry of the Dutchmen came
+rattling among us, they sent forth the most frightful shrieks and yells
+in return, gnashing their teeth and clashing their weapons together, as
+they waited to meet their assailants hand to hand.  The Dutch captain,
+knowing that there were prisoners on board, instead of firing away till
+the prahus sunk, as from the character of the Malays, he would have been
+justified in doing, ran alongside, shouting out that he would afford
+quarter to those who sought it.  The fierce Malays answered him with
+loud cries of derision and shrieks of despair, and continued discharging
+their weapons with greater fury than before.  We now discovered, that
+what we at first thought a great misfortune, namely, the leaky condition
+of the vessel, was in reality the means of preserving our lives.  Had it
+not been for that, we should have remained bound and helpless; but in
+order to allow us to work at baling out, the pirates had set us free.
+Although the slaves are not usually expected to fight, yet in the
+present desperate state of affairs, arms were put into their hands, and
+they were told that if they did not defend themselves they would all be
+slaughtered.  Men often fight blindly, scarcely knowing for what, and
+such was the case with these unfortunate wretches.  I speak of the
+slaves who had before been on the prahus to work the oars.  Many of the
+poor Dyaks still remained bound, though at the last moment their
+countrymen endeavoured to relieve them.  No sooner did the sides of the
+two vessels touch, than the Malays, with that mad fury which sometimes
+possess their race, endeavoured to climb up the sides of the brig,
+careless of their own lives, and only seeking to destroy their enemies,
+well knowing that they had not a chance of success.  They were repulsed
+with musketry, boarding pikes, and pistols; still on they rushed, the
+death of some only increasing the madness of others.  Fairburn and I,
+with the Dutchmen, hung back, endeavouring to shelter ourselves from the
+shot on the opposite side of the platform, till we could find an
+opportunity to get on board.  The Dyaks shrunk down appalled at the
+unearthly din, unaccustomed as they were to so rapid a discharge of
+fire-arms.  But a fresh enemy was now assailing the devoted vessel of
+the pirates.  No one attending to baling her out, the water was rapidly
+gaining on her; its ingress being expedited by the shot-holes lately
+made.  Loaded as she was with booty, with living men and dead bodies, as
+the water rose she sunk lower and lower.  Many of the wounded were
+drowned where they lay.  Several of the Dyaks, not yet released, shared
+the same fate.  We had time to cut the thongs which bound the limbs of a
+few, when we saw that not another moment was to be lost.  We had worked
+our way forward as the pirates were clustering more thickly at the
+stern.  The bow of the prahu swung for a few seconds toward that of the
+brig, the mast becoming entangled in the fore chain-plates; we seized
+the opportunity, and crying out in Dutch and English that we were
+friends, which indeed our dress showed, we ran along it, and leaped into
+the fore-chains.
+
+A few pistols were fired and pikes thrust at us before the seamen
+discovered that we were not pirates and a wounded Malay thrust his pike
+into the back of one poor fellow as he was about to spring forward.  A
+few of the Dyaks followed our example, and we endeavoured to preserve
+their lives, but no sooner did the Malays perceive what had happened
+than they attempted to reach the brig in the same way.  With terrific
+shrieks they rushed on, but they were too late--the sea had already
+reached the deck of the prahu.  The Dutchmen cut off the grapnels, and
+with a sudden lurch, down she went, carrying with her the still
+shrieking and threatening warriors.  I shall never forger the dreadful
+expression of countenance of those almost demon-like beings, as,
+brandishing their arms with furious gesticulations, their feet still
+clinging to the platform on which they so often had fought and conquered
+in many an action, the water closed over their heads.  How great was the
+contrast which a few short minutes had wrought!  But lately we were
+surrounded by them, and had every prospect of sharing their fate, and
+now we were among civilised men eager to succour us.  Truly we had to
+thank Heaven who had so mercifully preserved us.
+
+As I lay that night in a hammock, slung in the cabin of the kind Dutch
+officer who commanded the brig, I heard a voice whisper softly in my
+ear,--"God is great--God is everywhere."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
+
+As I was climbing into the chains of the brig, I caught sight, through
+the smoke of the pistols flashing round us, of a Malay closely following
+me.  I thought that he was about to run his kriss into me, and I was
+about to strike him on the head with a sword I had seized to defend
+myself, when I observed that it was young Hassan, who had all the time
+been watching our movements with the intention of aiding us.  The rush
+of seamen and the Dyaks threw him off the spar, and he was precipitated
+into the sea, between the two vessels.
+
+"Poor! poor fellow!  I could have done much to save his life," I
+exclaimed to myself.  "But it is not a moment for regret."
+
+Scarcely a minute after, the prahu sunk, ingulfing all with her.
+Fairburn and I, with those who had been preserved, were going aft to the
+captain, when I caught sight of a marine levelling his musket at the
+head of a man floating in the water.
+
+"There still lies one of those rascally Malays," he said in Dutch.  "I
+will put an end to his misery."
+
+Without a moment's thought I sprang towards him, and threw up his
+weapon.  I thought I recognised the features.  I was right.  It was the
+faithful Hassan.  He was almost exhausted, and looked as if he could not
+reach the side of the vessel.  Instantly Fairburn threw off his jacket,
+and plunged overboard, while I cast a rope towards him.  He swam out
+with powerful strokes towards the poor fellow, and grasped him just as
+he was on the point of sinking.  As the brig had only been drifting to
+leeward, they were at no great distance.  I again hove the rope towards
+them.  Fairburn seized it, and, lifting the light form of the Malay lad
+under his left arm, he hauled himself on board.
+
+In a short time Hassan recovered.  He told us, that knowing the prahu
+must sink, he had struck out away from her; and, though he was drawn a
+short distance down in the vortex she made, he soon again reached the
+surface, and then swam towards the brig, trusting that we should see
+him, and would endeavour to save him.  He was the only survivor of the
+Malays.  Two of the Dutchmen belonging to the skiff and the Malay
+interpreter were missing.  Twelve of the Dyaks also escaped, though
+several of them were wounded, who were immediately placed in the
+surgeon's hands.  The poor fellows looked very grateful, and, although
+they certainly never before had heard of the healing art, they seemed
+fully to comprehend that what he was doing was for their benefit.
+
+When we got aft, we had an account to hear, which naturally very much
+shocked us; however, I will narrate it as things occurred.  We found
+that the vessel we were on board was the Dutch colonial brig _Swalen_
+commanded by Lieutenant Cloete.  The commander was on the quarter-deck
+with several of his officers, and, as we were led up to him by a
+midshipman, he received me and Fairburn with the greatest kindness,
+shaking us by the hand, and congratulating us on our providential
+escape.  He at once saw that we were weak from the want of food, and the
+danger and excitement we had undergone.
+
+"I would at once ask you into my cabin to refresh and rest yourselves,
+gentlemen," he said; "but it is at present occupied by some of your late
+companions in misfortune."
+
+"What! have any escaped?  Indeed we rejoice to hear it," we both
+exclaimed.
+
+"Some few have; but many have been lost," answered the commander
+gravely.  "It was a hard necessity; but I know the nature of the Malays
+well, and had we not fired on them they would not have yielded."  While
+he was speaking, a boy came out of the cabin, and went up to him.  "Oh,
+they wish to see you; and I fear the poor master's time is short.  We
+will go below, gentlemen."  Saying this, the commander led the way into
+his own cabin.
+
+It was, indeed, a sad sight which met our view.  On the table in the
+centre lay Captain Van Deck, resting in the arms of the surgeon.  The
+sheet which was wrapped round him was covered with blood.  A round shot
+had torn open his side, and he had a wound from a kriss in his chest,
+and another in his neck, either of which, from their ghastly look,
+appeared sufficient to be mortal.  His wife stood by his side holding
+his hand; and she seemed truly overwhelmed with genuine sorrow.  She,
+very likely, was even then recollecting all the trouble and vexation she
+had caused him, by giving way to her temper.  On a sofa lay a slight
+figure--it was that of little Maria.  I started, with horror, for I
+thought I saw a corpse, she looked so pale; her eyes also were closed,
+and she did not stir.  I scarcely dared ask for information.  My
+attention was drawn to the dying master.
+
+"I have begged to see you, gentlemen, for my moments are numbered," he
+said, gasping as he spoke.  "I crave your forgiveness, if, through my
+carelessness and neglect of my duties, I have brought you into the
+danger and misery you have suffered.  I know you, Fairburn, held my
+seamanship light."
+
+We stopped him, and begged him not to think of the subject.
+
+"Well, I will go on to a more important one, then," he continued.  "We
+have been shipmates for some time, and that makes us brethren.  I commit
+my wife and that dear child, if she recovers, to your charge, to see
+them safe with their kindred in Java.  And you, my poor frow, will be
+kind to sweet little Maria.  I would not mention it, but to say that the
+kindness you show to her will more than compensate for any little want
+of it you have at times displayed towards me."
+
+He hesitated as he spoke, as if he did not like to call up old
+grievances.
+
+Mrs Van Deck again burst into tears; and we who knew how very
+uncomfortable a life she had at times led him, could not help feeling
+that he was in a truly Christian and forgiving state of mind.  Had he
+and she always been in that state of mind--had, perhaps, even a few
+words of mutual explanation taken place--undoubtedly their unhappiness
+would have been avoided.  We promised the dying man that we would attend
+his wishes.  He heard us, but his strength was exhausted; his wound
+welled forth afresh, and, before the surgeon could apply a restorative,
+his spirit had flown to its eternal rest.  I will not describe the grief
+of the widow.  Grief had worked a most beneficial effect on her, and she
+appeared a totally, different person to what she had before been.
+
+The surgeon now turned the whole of his attention to little Maria.  She
+had been wounded in the side by a splinter; but, though she was weak
+from the loss of blood, he assured me that he did not apprehend any
+danger.  She was, though, suffering much from pain, which she bore most
+meekly.
+
+When I first entered the cabin, I thought I had observed an object
+moving in the corner, but I took no notice of it.  I had sat down by the
+little girl's side, and, having taken one of her hands in mine, I was
+endeavouring to soothe her for the loss of her uncle, of which she was
+aware, when I felt my other hand, which hung by my side, seized hold of
+by a cold paw.  I turned round, and what should I see but little Ungka,
+looking up towards me with a face as expressive of grief as that of any
+human being!  He seemed fully aware of what had occurred.  He then put
+his hands to his head, and chattered and rolled about in a way which, in
+spite of his gravity, was so highly ludicrous, that at any other time I
+should have burst into fits of laughter.  When he had come on board, no
+one knew; for when he first made his appearance following the captain,
+the seamen thought he was some little Malay imp, and had thrust him back
+again, so that he also had a very narrow escape for his life.  I
+suspected that he had caught hold of the end of a rope hanging over the
+side of the vessel, and had clambered up it when the fight was done.
+
+It was with great sorrow we heard that the two lady passengers, of whom
+I have spoken, and nearly all the Dutch crew, were missing, and there
+was every probability they had been destroyed in the burning wreck.  The
+crew of the jolly-boat had been taken on board one of the other prahus;
+but what their fate was, no one knew.  Thus out of the crew and
+passengers of the ill-fated _Cowlitz_, only six people had escaped.  We,
+who were among the number, had therefore reason to be grateful to Heaven
+for the mercy shown us.
+
+The brig cruised about in the neighbourhood for two days, in the hopes
+of falling in with others of the piratical squadron.  She, however, did
+not succeed in discovering any more.
+
+I will pass over the events of the next few days.  The north-east
+monsoon showing signs of beginning to blow in earnest, the commander of
+the brig was anxious to return to port, and accordingly with much
+reluctance gave up the search.  Little Maria was slowly recovering.  The
+widow bore her grief meekly and resignedly, and showed that she was a
+thoroughly altered woman.  Wounds in that burning clime are more
+dangerous than in colder latitudes; thus three of the wounded had died.
+One was a little boy, the child of a Dyak woman.  He had been badly
+wounded in the shoulder while resting in her arms.  The child sank
+gradually, nor could the surgeon's skill avail to arrest the progress of
+death.  The poor mother used to watch him with supplicating looks as he
+dressed the wound, as if he alone had the power to save her boy: and
+when he died, she reproached him, with unmistakable gestures, for not
+preserving him to her.  Savage as she was--accustomed to scenes of
+bloodshed and murder from her youth--the feelings of a mother were
+strong within her, and she would not be comforted.  Captain Cloete was
+very anxious to land the Dyaks in their native country, and he consulted
+Fairburn as to the possibility of discovering it.  We had, it must be
+remembered, been left below both on entering and leaving the river, so
+that we could only give a very rough guess at its position.  Fairburn,
+however, of course, expressed his anxiety to be of service; and by
+consulting the chart, and considering attentively the courses we had
+steered, and calculating the distance we had afterwards been driven by
+the gale, we came to the conclusion that the poor wretches must have
+been taken from the Balowi river, on the north-west coast of Borneo.
+For the mouth of that river we accordingly shaped our course.  It would
+have been barbarous to have landed the poor wretches at any other spot
+than their own country; for they would either have been made slaves of
+by the Malays, or killed by the other Dyaks for the sake of their heads.
+It is a curious fancy the Dyaks of Borneo entertain, of collecting as
+many dried heads as they can obtain, either to wear as trophies of their
+prowess, or to hang up in their head-houses.
+
+We were treated with the greatest kindness by the captain and his
+officers, who seemed to vie with each other in doing us service.  They
+all spoke some English, and most very well, so that we had no difficulty
+in carrying on conversation with them.  When they heard my story
+especially, they seemed to sympathise warmly with me, and express
+themselves anxious to assist me by every means in their power.  I,
+meantime, was not idle, and employed every spare moment in learning the
+Malay language, as also in attaining some knowledge of that of Java, as
+well as of others of the numerous dialects spoken in the Indian
+Archipelago.  I felt that my success might depend on my speaking
+fluently the languages of the countries I should visit and consequently
+that I must exert myself to the utmost.  To those acquainted only with
+their own tongue, it may appear impossible that I could gain knowledge
+sufficient to be of any material use; but it must be remembered that I
+was already accustomed to the Hindostanee, and other dialects of India,
+and that, therefore, with the stimulus I had, the acquisition of others
+was comparatively easy, considering the natural aptitude I possessed of
+learning foreign languages.  Thus, notwithstanding my anxiety, the time
+flew rapidly by.
+
+Four days after we had so providentially escaped from the Sooloo
+pirates, we sighted Cape Sink, on the north-west coast of Borneo, some
+way to the southward of which was the river whence the Dyaks had been
+captured.  As we ran along the coast at a respectful distance, for fear
+of some sunken rocks and shoals which we believed to be off it, Fairburn
+and I were looking out, with our glasses, for the mouth, which we hoped
+to be able to make out.  The rescued natives were on deck; and we fully
+expected that they would be able to recognise the approach of their
+native stream.  We looked at them as they watched the shore with
+surprised and somewhat puzzled looks; but still they gave no signs to
+lead us to suppose that they were aware they were approaching their own
+country.  We found, however, that their puzzled looks arose from their
+supposing that they were already many hundred miles away from their own
+country, and from their finding themselves, as they supposed, on a coast
+so very similar to it.  As we ran along the coast, the mouth of a broad
+river opened before us, and, with the lead going to ascertain the depth
+of water we stood in towards it.  On drawing near, it seemed to widen
+still more; and our captain being anxious to explore it, the wind also
+being fair, we crossed the bar, which had a considerable depth over it.
+The river, at the mouth, was nearly four miles wide, but it narrowed
+shortly to about a mile.  Still the Dyaks showed no sign of
+satisfaction, and both Fairburn and I began to suspect that we had
+entered the wrong river; we continued, however, our course.  As yet we
+had seen no signs of human beings; but just as we rounded a point, we
+came suddenly on a canoe, with three men fishing in her.  They were so
+paralysed with the astonishment our appearance caused, that at first
+they forgot even to attempt to escape.  Our boats were ready manned to
+lower into the water at a moment's notice; so in an instant two of them
+were in the water in chase of the strangers.  This somewhat restored the
+Dyaks to their senses; and seizing their paddles, they plied them
+strenuously in the hope of escaping from the formidable prahu, which the
+brig must have appeared to them.  Seeing, however, that the boats
+rapidly gained upon them, they ceased rowing, and two of them seizing
+their sumpitans, or blow-pipes, shot several poisoned arrows at the
+Dutchmen.  Fortunately no one was hit by them; and the officer in care
+of them bethinking himself of displaying a white handkerchief, this
+universal token of peace was understood, and all hostile demonstration
+ceased.  The Dyaks, on this, seemed to banish all their alarm, and were
+at once on perfectly good terms with the boats' crews.  They quickly
+understood that they were required to pilot the brig up the river, and
+willingly came on board.  Captain Cloete, who was well accustomed to
+deal with savages, explained to a fine young man, who seemed to be the
+chief, and the most intelligent of the party, the depth of water his
+vessel drew; that he must avoid all rocks and sand-banks, and that he
+wished to sail up about three times as far as we had already gone.  The
+other Dyaks had hitherto been kept out of sight.  They were now brought
+on deck; but when the fishermen saw them, instead of rushing into each
+other's arms, they appeared much more ready to attempt cutting off each
+other's heads; and the alarm of both parties was very evident, for they
+both fancied that there was some treachery to be practised against them.
+The captain, however, who at once understood their feelings, quickly
+managed to dispel their fears, first by producing the white
+handkerchief, and then by bringing both parties close to each other, and
+making them shake hands.  It must be owned that they did not do so with
+much good grace, and they reminded me strongly of two dogs who have just
+been gnawing away at each other's throats, being brought together to
+make friends by their peaceably inclined masters.  At last, being
+convinced that our intentions were good, they began to talk to each
+other, the fishermen asking the prisoners whence they had come, and the
+latter giving them an account of their adventures.  The result of the
+conversation raised the Dutch in the estimation of our new acquaintance,
+who learned to appreciate their power, and wished to serve those who
+trusted them.
+
+We asked the young fisherman his name; and he made us understand that it
+was Kalong.  His eyes sparkled with animation whenever any one addressed
+him; and with wonderful rapidity he seemed to comprehend our signs, and
+was never at a loss to answer us.  To show us the course of the river,
+he knelt down on the deck, and, taking the end of a rope, he twisted it
+about to show the various reaches in it; then seizing a handful of chips
+of wood from the carpenter's bench, he quickly formed one to indicate
+the brig, with two strips stuck perpendicularly into it to serve as
+masts.  Holding this rough model in his hand, he tossed it about off one
+end of the rope, to show that there was the sea where we had been tossed
+about in the storm, and then he made it move slowly up the rope, to show
+how the brig had glided calmly up the river till she reached the spot
+where we then were.  He next stuck several chips together, evidently to
+show that they were intended to represent a Dyak habitation, and these
+he placed further up the rope; and then touching himself and the other
+men, showed that he lived there.  The rest of the rope he twisted about,
+and placed other houses alongside it, till he shook his head, showing
+that he knew nothing further of the country.  We had now a very good
+chart before us of the river we were in, which Captain Cloete had
+forthwith copied on paper, to the infinite delight of the designer.
+
+His success seemed to sharpen his wits; and taking another bit of rope
+which was given to him, he knelt down some way from the first, and
+twisted it about to form a river.  He also placed some houses on it, and
+rushing up to the Dyaks, he touched them all severally, to show that
+they were to represent their habitations; and then taking several small
+chips in his hand, he moved them up rapidly towards the houses, several
+of which he knocked over.  We thus understood that our Dyaks had come
+from a river to the north of the one we were in.
+
+Captain Cloete, however, did not like to lose so favourable an
+opportunity of visiting on amicable terms these singular people, and
+therefore resolved to anchor off the village for the night, and to carry
+out charges to their native place on the following day.  The wind
+continuing fair, though light, we slowly glided up the stream, the
+flood-tide aiding us.  The scenery, as we advanced, improved
+considerably, the trees being of fine height, and mountains appearing in
+the distance.  We had as yet observed no signs of cultivation, nor did
+the country appear to be inhabited.  We saw, however, a great variety of
+animals.  As I was watching the shore, I observed something move on a
+sand-ridge.  I pointed it out to Kalong.  He laughed, and opened his
+mouth very wide, as if he would eat me.  The action was significant; and
+Fairburn, who had been turning his glass in that direction, exclaimed,
+"Why, that is a crocodile; and a big fellow, too, in truth."  The
+monster seemed arousing himself from sleep, and slowly crawled out of
+the slimy bed in which he had been reposing.  Several shots were fired
+at him, but the balls glanced off harmlessly from his scaly sides.  I
+afterwards saw some captured by a very simple method.
+
+The breeze freshened, and we ran rapidly on, carefully, of course,
+sounding all the time.  Kalong, our pilot, was in great delight, till he
+saw one of the officers going to fire at a crocodile, when he rushed up
+to him, and entreated him not to do so.  Willing to please him, the
+officer desisted, and the monster escaped a slight tickling on the back.
+The reason was soon apparent; for, rounding a high and thickly-wooded
+point, we found ourselves in a little bay, on the shore of which was a
+large village, while close to us, under the shade of the lofty
+palm-trees which overhung the water, numerous groups of women and
+children were disporting in the refreshing stream.  When we first
+intruded into this sylvan retreat, their consternation was so great that
+they scarcely knew where to run to screen themselves from our view; then
+setting up a loud and simultaneous shriek, they fled, dragging the young
+ones with them, some towards the village, and others into the wood.  At
+the same moment we heard the tom-tom beat to arms, and observed the
+warriors putting on their wooden and woollen armour, and seeking their
+spears and sumpitans.  Kalong had now sufficiently enjoyed the fright he
+intended to give his countrymen, and making his appearance in the
+rigging, he waved a white cloth to assure them that we came as friends.
+As soon as he was recognised, loud shouts proclaimed the satisfaction of
+those on shore, and a number of canoes were seen putting off towards us.
+
+I must now stop to describe the wild and extraordinary scene before us,
+with which I was afterwards doomed to become so familiar.  I have spoken
+of a village, but I should rather have said the castle; for the
+habitation of the numerous tribe assembled on the shore consisted
+chiefly of one large building, several hundred feet long, and standing
+on the summit of stout piles, not less than forty feet in height.  At
+this great distance from the ground a bamboo platform had been
+constructed to serve as the floor of the house, which itself was not
+more than six feet high.  The side-walls were also of bamboo, and the
+roof was made from the leaves of the nibong and other palms.  It rose to
+the height of the surrounding trees, standing as it did on a high mound
+of earth thrown up artificially some little way from the banks of the
+river.  It was intended to serve as a fortification; and also, I
+suspect, that airy style of building must much conduce to preserve the
+health of the people.  Several rope ladders led from the ground to this
+singular residence.  We received the chief, and a number of the
+principal people and their followers, on board.  They had little
+clothing besides the waistcloth, made of bark from a tree; and large
+rings in their ears, and were very far from being prepossessing in their
+appearance.  Captain Cloete, keeping on his guard against treachery,
+should such be attempted, allowed them to inspect everything on board
+the brig.  They seemed pleased with all they saw, and behaved very well,
+but in no way showed surprise.  We found, to our no little satisfaction,
+that some of them understood the Malay language, and that Hassan was
+able to converse with them.  Soon after we made the discovery, Fairburn
+and I were standing with Hassan, surrounded by several, of whom we were
+making inquiries.  Among other questions, Fairburn asked if they were
+not surprised at seeing so large a vessel off their village.
+
+"They say no," replied Hassan; "for not many moons ago there was another
+vessel off here nearly as big, only she had not so many chiefs with fine
+dresses, or so many people in her.  But then there were women in her;
+and one little girl just like the one here," meaning Maria.
+
+On this I pricked up my ears, and my heart beat quick with anxiety.  I
+entreated Hassan to make further enquiries.
+
+"They say that the vessel was rigged like this; she was a brig."  He
+continued, after speaking with them for some time: "She came in here for
+wood and water.  She was not a war ship, but the people went about
+armed.  They were very disorderly; and some of them behaving ill to the
+people on shore, were very nearly cut off, and barely escaped with their
+lives to their boat.  She then set sail, and going down the river was no
+more seen."
+
+This account made me feel that it was more than probable that the brig
+was no other than the _Emu_, and that she had been run away with by her
+crew.  Another dreadful idea instantly forced itself on my imagination.
+If the brig in question was the _Emu_, had she really sailed, or had the
+Dyaks, as they might have been tempted to do, cut her off?  I begged
+Hassan to make every inquiry, and to cross-question the people to
+ascertain the truth of their story.  I was inclined to believe it, as
+they had so frankly spoken about the brig; whereas, had they destroyed
+her, it would have been a subject they would have avoided.  At all
+events, we observed no European arms or clothes in their possession; and
+Hassan assured us that he had every reason to think that they did not
+deceive us.  In this unexpected way I discovered that the vessel I was
+in search of was not wrecked, and that there was every probability of my
+friends being alive.  All other interests were now absorbed in this
+great one, and I never ceased making inquiries about the brig of all I
+met.  I, notwithstanding, went on shore with a party of officers, to
+visit the strange residence before us.  It struck me that the idea of
+Jack and the Bean Stalk might have originated from it.  Having climbed
+up the ladder, we were ushered into the chief's room, which was in the
+centre, behind it being arranged that of the women.  There was but
+little furniture besides mats and cushions; and the only ornaments, if
+they could be so called, were a number of dried human heads hanging from
+the ceiling.  I shuddered as I looked at them at first; but I own that I
+soon got accustomed to them.  They were the heads of the enemies of the
+tribe taken in war, and were prized as much as the North American Indian
+does the scalps of his foes.  No objection was made to our visiting the
+apartments of the women.  They were clothed in long loose garments, of
+native cloth, suspended from the waist, their shoulders being bare.
+They were small, but well shaped.  Their hair, which was long and dark,
+was twisted up at the back of the head; the front locks being plaited
+and drawn off the forehead.  Their skins were of a light brown colour,
+smooth and glossy.  They wore ear-rings of some mixed metal, of a size
+very disproportionate to their small figures, and very far from
+becoming.  Their countenances, if not pretty, were highly good-humoured
+and pleasant.  The younger women were diligently employed in pounding
+rice in mortars of large dimensions.  There were groups of children
+playing in the verandah, who at first were very shy of us; but as we
+made them little presents of beads, and other trifles, their confidence
+was quickly established, and wherever we went they followed, laughing
+heartily, and dancing round us.  At length, our curiosity being
+satisfied, we descended from the bird-like nest, and returned on board
+the brig.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
+
+The information I had received, vague as it may appear, seemed to me of
+the greatest importance.  I felt almost certain that this brig which had
+visited the river could be no other than the _Emu_; and the account of
+the behaviour of the crew tended to confirm my suspicions that she had
+been run away with by the mate, Richard Kidd, for the purpose of turning
+pirate on the high seas.  I dreamed of it all night or rather lay awake
+the greater part of the time, thinking of the subject till I was almost
+in a fever.  I pictured to myself my sweet little Eva in the power of
+the ruffians, probably employed as their slave, to tend them in their
+cabin at their meals, and forced to listen to their horrid conversation,
+while I trembled still more for the fate of poor Mrs Clayton, if she
+survived the grief, and terror, and anxiety to which she must have been
+exposed.  I talked the subject over with Fairburn, who agreed with me
+that the brig was probably the _Emu_, while he, at the same time, did
+his best to relieve my anxiety respecting the fate of her passengers.
+
+"You know, Seaworth," he observed, "even the most abandoned wretches
+have generally some feelings of humanity about them.  No one would be
+bad enough to injure your little sister; and, situated as these men are,
+they would very probably treat Mrs Clayton with respect, that, should
+they be captured, they may have some plea for claiming mercy at the
+hands of the law."
+
+"I trust it may be so," I replied.  But I remembered that when once men
+begin to break the law, the restraints which prevent them from
+committing the worst of crimes are easily broken down.
+
+The Dyaks were swarming out of their hive at early dawn to bid us
+farewell, as with the first of the ebb we weighed anchor to drop down
+the river.  Our new friend, Kalong, returned on board to act as pilot;
+and in spite of his knowing no other than the Dyak tongue, we were able
+to trust perfectly to his guidance.  Fortunately the wind had shifted,
+and now blew so as to favour us in our descent; and in a short time we
+reached the mouth of the river.  Here we thought our pilot would leave
+us; but he intimated that he was perfectly ready to accompany us up the
+river, where our passengers had their homes, if we would bring him and
+his companions back to where we then were.  To this plan Captain Cloete
+at once gladly acceded; for he did not suspect that Kalong's chief
+object was to spy out the condition of the people whose habitations we
+might pass, that, should his tribe wish to get a few heads, he might be
+the better able to lead them to the attack.  Such, however, Hassan told
+us he had no doubt was his intention.
+
+"Those not good people," he said, looking very grave.  "Too fond of
+taking heads; always taking heads.  Kalong not bad; but still he like
+heads now and then."
+
+The truth is, that a great number of the Dyaks are as much addicted to
+piracy as the Malays, and are in some respects even more cruel.
+
+The satisfaction of our unfortunate passengers was very great, and their
+gratitude knew no bounds, when they discovered that they were to be
+conveyed back to their native place.  The river had a bar across it; but
+as the brig drew but little water, she was able to get over without
+difficulty, and, the sea breeze setting in, we ran up the stream.  Our
+great risk was that of getting on a shoal; but, thanks to Kalong's
+pilotage, we avoided all dangers in our way, and at last dropped anchor
+opposite a spot where a village had once stood.  Fairburn and I
+recognised it as the one attacked by the Sooloo pirates.  Tears started
+to the eyes of the poor people as they witnessed the desolation which
+had been wrought among their late habitations.  Where, a few days
+before, they and their families had dwelt in peace and contentment, all
+was now silent and deserted.  Not a human being was seen; their houses
+were charred heaps, and their paddy fields and sago plantations lay
+trampled under foot.  We could pity them, but we could do but little
+else.  We were compelled to land them, as we could not take them with
+us, and time was too precious to enable us to stay to assist them.  Our
+kind captain did his utmost to make amends to them for their losses, by
+supplying them with food and clothing, and tools, which they use very
+dexterously, to rebuild their habitations.  He pointed out to them,
+that, for greater security, it would be wiser in them if they erected it
+farther inland, out of the reach of the attacks of the sea-pirates.  The
+boats were then lowered, and they were carried on shore.  At first their
+grief at seeing the state of their homes overpowered every other
+feeling; but soon recollecting that they had escaped from slavery, they
+did their best to express their gratitude to those who had rescued them,
+and forthwith began to make preparations for erecting a shelter for
+themselves, till they could build a house like the one destroyed.
+
+A number of the Dutch officers and men, and Fairburn and I, were on the
+shore, shaking hands with all round, preparatory to quitting them
+finally, when we observed a Dyak stealthily approaching from among the
+trees which closely surrounded us.  He looked cautiously on every side--
+his sumpitan, with a poisoned arrow ready to discharge, was in one hand,
+while a spear and shield, prepared for defence or attack, was in the
+other--he then advanced a few steps farther and halted.  Rings were in
+his ears and round his legs; a cloth bound his waist; and a sort of
+jacket without arms covered his body, serving the purpose of armour
+against the darts of his enemies.  He was followed closely by others,
+dressed in the same manner.  One by one they came out of the wood, till
+upwards of fifty warriors stood before us prepared for battle.  We
+scarcely knew at first whether they came as friends or foes, but when
+the Dyaks we had landed saw them, they rushed towards them with loud
+shouts, throwing themselves into each other's arms.  Never was there
+before such shaking of hands, or so much said in so short a time.  It
+was also highly favourable to the Dutch; for the warriors, throwing
+aside their arms, came forward in a body, and by signs tried to express
+their gratitude to the preservers of their friends.
+
+I was inclined to form a very favourable opinion of the amiable
+qualities of these people, from what I then saw of them.  We found that
+the newcomers were the remnant of the tribe who had escaped from the
+attack of the Sooloo pirates; and that the women and children belonging
+to them were concealed some distance in the interior.  We again weighed;
+and Kalong being equally successful in his pilotage, though we had to
+make several tacks, we got clear out from the mouth of the river.
+
+There are a number of fine rivers on the north-west coast of Borneo,
+their banks being inhabited by Malays, with tribes of Dyaks held in a
+state of vassalage, as well as by independent Dyaks, the greater number
+of whom, at this time, were addicted to piracy at sea, as well as to
+plunder and rapine on shore; indeed, the whole coast presented one scene
+of constant warfare.  Nearly every tribe possessed war prahus, in which
+they would sally forth to attack any trader from China, Celebes, or any
+of the neighbouring islands, which might unfortunately get becalmed near
+their coasts.
+
+We now stood back to land Kalong and his crew, according to the promise
+made to him.  As we neared the mouth of the river, he was seen walking
+the deck in a state of great agitation; and when the brig was hove-to,
+and his canoe was lowered into the water, it considerably increased.  At
+last its cause was explained.  Taking his companions by the shoulders,
+he shook their hands warmly, speaking with them earnestly at the same
+time, while he made them get into the canoe.  He then walked up to the
+captain, and by signs, which were not to be mistaken, signified his wish
+to remain on board, for the purpose of seeing more of the world.
+Captain Cloete was at first unwilling to accede to it; but Fairburn and
+I, thinking that he might be useful on board the vessel I proposed to
+purchase, interfered in his favour, and requested that he might be
+allowed to accompany us.  His was an extraordinary case, for the Dyaks
+are, in general, not at all addicted to quitting their country.  He
+seemed fully to understand at whose request his wish had been granted;
+and in consequence, at once attached himself to me and Fairburn.
+
+We now stood away to the westward, sighting Cape Ape, the north-western
+point of Borneo, and then steered south for Java, through the Billiton
+passage.  We were bound for Sourabaya, a large Dutch town towards the
+east end of Java, opposite the island of Madura.  I should have very
+much liked to have touched at Singapore, as it was important for me to
+arrange my money matters.  Without ready cash I could not hope to do
+anything.  I had, however, fortunately secured a considerable amount of
+gold and some bills about my person, when I escaped from the wreck; and
+the pirates had not searched me.  Fairburn had in his pockets all his
+worldly wealth, which he insisted should be at my service; and Captain
+Cloete kindly assured me, that he would be answerable for any sum I
+might require till my remittances could arrive, so that I might not be
+delayed in fitting out my vessel.  I was never tired of discussing with
+Fairburn our plans for the future, as also every possible fate which
+could have befallen the _Emu_.
+
+A strong breeze carried us quickly along; and one morning, when I came
+on deck, I found that we were standing through the Straits of Madura,
+the shore of that island exhibiting a belt of the richest tropical
+vegetation, white cliffs and lofty rocks appearing here and there above
+it, while the Java coast seemed very low, and bordered by extensive
+mangrove swamps.  As we approached the anchorage, we saw rows of
+fishing-stakes projecting half way across the straits, and many boats
+and prahus, and a considerable number of square-rigged vessels, some of
+them being Dutch men-of-war.  Over the mangrove bushes appeared in the
+distance a tower or two, a few flag-staffs, and here and there the roofs
+of some of the most lofty houses.  The brig had come to the port to
+which she belonged, where she had been fitted out; and soon after she
+dropped her anchor, she was surrounded by the anxious friends of the
+officers and crew, eager to ascertain that all were well.
+
+I have not spoken for some time past of the widow Van Deck and little
+Maria.  The latter had, from the attention bestowed on her by the kind
+surgeon of the brig, completely recovered from her hurts, though her
+nervous system had received a shock which it would, I saw, take long to
+get over.  The widow was well, and continued to prove the same reformed
+person she had at first given promise of being, showing the use of
+adversity in improving the character of some people.  She devoted
+herself to her niece, and never seemed tired of watching over her, and
+indulging her in all the little whims to which, during her illness, she
+gave way.
+
+Just before the brig came to an anchor, she called me to her, and said,
+"I hope, Mr Seaworth, you and Mr Fairburn will be able to fulfil my
+poor husband's request, and see me and Maria safe with my relations.  I
+have no claim on Captain Cloete and his officers, and, as you know, I
+have no money; but I am very certain my friends will repay you all you
+expend on my account, and will do their best to show their gratitude to
+you besides.  They were angry with me for marrying Captain Van Deck; but
+my misfortunes will have softened their hearts, and now he is gone they
+will forgive me."
+
+I replied, that I would certainly do all she wished; at the same time
+showing her the very great importance it was to me to incur no longer
+delay than could be helped in getting the vessel I proposed purchasing
+ready for sea, and in prosecuting my enquiries about the _Emu_.
+
+"My first object in life is to recover my sister," I observed.  "I can
+undertake nothing which in any way interferes with that, but in every
+other respect my time and my purse are at your service; nor will I fail
+to fulfil my promise to your late husband."  This answer contented her,
+for she saw its justice.
+
+A number of flat-bottomed boats came alongside to convey us on shore.
+They have a broad seat and an awning for passengers, and are propelled
+by two men with paddles in the bows, and steered by another in the
+stern.  Fairburn and I engaged one of these to convey the widow and
+Maria on shore.  Captain Cloete very kindly pressed me to take up my
+residence at the house of a relative of his in the town; but, thanking
+him warmly, I answered that I would prefer being at the hotel, which I
+understood existed there, with Fairburn, that we might have perfect
+freedom of movement; at the same time, I assured him that I should be
+most grateful to him for all the introductions he could give me to his
+friends.
+
+We pulled to the mouth of a canal, up which we were tracked by two boys,
+with a rope made fast to the mast-head, between two piers for a mile and
+a quarter; and then landing at a dock where some Chinese junks, and a
+number of country boats, laden with rice and other commodities, and
+several schooners were lying, we proceeded up a narrow street to the
+hotel, which we found kept much after the fashion of the smaller ones I
+have since met with in France.  There was a _table d'hote_, at which a
+number of people residing in the house and elsewhere, dined.  The widow
+said she would wish to avoid the noise and bustle of so public a place;
+so we procured lodgings for her near at hand.  My first care was to make
+arrangements to get supplied with money.  I inquired who were the
+principal English merchants in the place; and resolved at once to go
+frankly to the first I could meet with, to state my case, and to ask his
+assistance.  While I went about this business, I begged Fairburn to go
+and make inquiries as to our chance of finding a vessel to suit our
+purpose.
+
+"We must do away with all ceremony, Fairburn," I observed.  "I have from
+this day engaged you regularly in my service; and I am sure you will
+enter it with zeal.  Therefore, remember all you do is at my expense,
+and I expect you to counsel me whenever you think fit.  I do not forget
+that I am but a boy, and have seen but little of the world; and I feel
+very certain that I shall always follow your advice."
+
+These remarks gratified Fairburn very much.  He saw that I was likely to
+act sensibly, and that I confided in him thoroughly.  It is difficult to
+speak of myself, and not to appear to my readers boastful and
+egotistical.  At the same time, I must remark, that had I not been
+guided by great judgment, procuring information from everybody I met,
+and weighing it well before acting on it, I should very soon have
+brought my career to an end.
+
+I took with me from the hotel a young Javanese lad as guide to the
+counting-house of an English gentleman, whom I will call Mr Scott, and
+who, I heard, was one of the principal merchants of the place.  He
+conducted me to a large wooden bridge thrown across the river, leading
+to the Chinese quarter; and just above the bridge, shaded by a row of
+fine tamarind trees, were a number of large houses and stores, among
+which was the one I was in search of.
+
+With some little hesitation I went into the office, and requested to see
+Mr Scott.  A young Englishman, or rather a Scotchman, instantly got
+down from his stool, and, giving me a chair, requested me to be seated,
+while he went to inform his principal.  I had not a minute to wait
+before he returned, and begged me to walk into Mr Scott's private room.
+The merchant rose when I entered, and his eye rapidly running over me
+as if he would read my character at a glance, he put out his hand and
+led me to a seat.
+
+"You landed, I think, this morning, from a brig-of-war commanded by
+Captain Cloete," he began.  "I have the pleasure, I conclude, of
+welcoming you for the first time to Java."
+
+I could not help, while he was speaking, contrasting his behaviour with
+that of Mr Reuben Noakes, the merchant whom I met at Macao.
+
+"Yes, sir," I replied.  "I have never been in this part of the world
+before; nor have I any friends to whom I am privileged to apply for the
+assistance I require.  The truth is, I am almost without funds: nor can
+I get any for some time, and therefore I procured a list of the British
+merchants of Sourabaya, and pitched upon you as the first to whom I
+should make an application for aid."
+
+He said nothing to this; and I went on and gave him a short account of
+my history, of the adventures which had occurred to me, and of the
+search in which I was engaged.  When I had finished, he laughed
+heartily, but with no little satisfaction at my having selected him to
+make my first attack on.
+
+"I hope that I shall not disappoint you, Mr Seaworth, in the good
+opinion you have formed of me," he replied.  "I acknowledge, with the
+same frankness with which you have spoken to me, that I believe every
+word you have said, and I will do all I can to assist you.  I assure you
+I already feel much interested in your cause."
+
+This kind answer at once set me at my ease; for I felt that I had a
+friend raised up to help me at a time I most required assistance.
+Without it, I might have been delayed many months, till I could get a
+remittance from Singapore.  He, at the same time, at once put me in the
+way of having the money I might require forwarded to me in the shape of
+bills of exchange.  Our business being concluded, he invited me to
+accompany him to his country house, for which he was on the point of
+setting out.  I excused myself for that day, as I was anxious to hear
+what success Fairburn had had in his inquiries, and also to arrange how
+I could best fulfil my promise with the widow Van Deck.
+
+When I got back to the hotel, I awaited some time for Fairburn.  At last
+he came.
+
+"What news?"  I exclaimed.  "Have you found a vessel to suit me?"
+
+"I have seen a small schooner," he replied.  "She looks like a fine sea
+boat, and I am told is thoroughly sound; but her rigging and fittings
+are on shore, and it will take some time to get her ready for sea."
+
+"I wish we could have got a craft all ready for sea," I observed.  But
+if you find this one you speak of likely to answer our purpose, I will
+buy her at once; and I will leave you, Fairburn, to hurry on the workmen
+about her, so that we may not lose a moment more than is necessary:
+
+The next morning Fairburn again went out to make further inquiries about
+the schooner; and his report was so favourable, that I resolved to apply
+at once to Mr Scott to enable me to purchase her.  He told me that the
+people with whom I should have to deal would treat me honestly; and,
+taking my acceptance, he generously advanced me money to pay for her.  I
+thus, in an unexpectedly short space of time, became the owner of a
+vessel exactly suited to my purpose.
+
+I must not forget Hassan and Kalong, or a personage of no little
+importance in his own estimation, our friend Ungka, for the board and
+lodging of whom I made arrangements till the schooner was ready to
+receive them; as the two first had volunteered to accompany me, and as
+the last had said nothing, we took his silence for his consent.  Though
+Captain Cloete might have claimed him, he had kindly looked upon him as
+belonging still to the widow Van Deck and little Maria, and they had
+made him over to me.
+
+I accompanied Fairburn to look at the schooner.  She was lying in a
+basin near the dockyard; and, at first sight, from her want of paint,
+and her dismantled state, I was much disappointed in her, and could not
+help showing that I was so to my friend.
+
+"She is better than she looks," he replied.  "Wait a week or so, and you
+will think very differently of her.  Many a gay-looking bark may have
+rotten timbers.  Now I have narrowly examined hers, with an honest
+ship's carpenter, and I find them all thoroughly sound."
+
+I felt the truth of his remarks, and was satisfied.  She measured about
+a hundred and fifty tons, and gave promise of being both a good sea
+boat, and a fast sailer.  I shall have to speak by and by of her
+armament and interior arrangements.  She was built by the Spanish in
+Manilla; but being bought by some Americans, was employed as an opium
+smuggler, and captured by the Dutch.  She was sold by the Government to
+some merchants who failed, and from whose creditors I bought her, not
+two years after she was launched.  She was thus as strong as if new, and
+proved not unworthy of the good opinion formed of her by Fairburn.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
+
+Java is one of the oldest possessions of the Dutch in the East.  It was
+captured from them by the English during the late war, and held by us
+from 1812 to 1816, during which time it was placed under the government
+of the justly celebrated Sir Stamford Raffles, a truly philanthropic and
+enlightened man.  Java, from what I saw and heard of it, is one of the
+most fertile islands in the world; and Sir Stamford, with every argument
+he could employ, urged the British Government, both for the sake of the
+natives, and for Great Britain herself, not again to abandon it to the
+Dutch.  His advice was not attended to; and a country which would have
+proved of equal value to any of our possessions, was totally excluded
+from commercial intercourse with us.  It runs east and west, being in
+length about seven hundred miles, and varying in width from thirty to a
+hundred miles.
+
+Batavia is the capital of the west end, and the largest town in the
+island; while Sourabaya is next in size, and may be looked upon as the
+capital of the east.  A glance at the map will show its shape and
+position better than can any description of mine.  A small part of Java
+still belongs to some of the native princes; the rest is governed under
+a very despotic system by the Dutch.  The natives are said to look back
+with affection to the English rule under Sir Stamford Raffles, and often
+express a wish that the country again belonged to Great Britain.  In the
+centre of the south side of the island is a tract of country nominally
+ruled by two native princes, with the high-sounding titles of Emperor or
+Sunan of Surakerta, and the Sultan of Yugyakerta.  Madura is also
+divided between the Sultan of Bankalang and the Panambehan of Sumanap.
+But these princes, potent as from their titles they may be supposed to
+be, are completely under the influence of Dutch viceroys, or residents
+as they are called; and I doubt if even they can have the satisfaction
+of cutting off the heads of any of their subjects without leave.  The
+remainder of the island is divided into about twenty districts, each of
+which is called a Residency, from being governed by an officer called a
+Resident.  His residency is again divided into districts, over each of
+which is placed a native chief, called a Regent, and a European officer,
+called an Assistant-Resident, who has under him other Europeans, called
+Controllers.  Each Resident has under him officers, called Widono or
+Demang, whose deputies are called Bukkel; while every village, or
+Kampong as it is called, has its little chief, styled Kapella Kampong,
+or head of the village.
+
+In this way, like an army, the whole population is arranged under a
+series of officers, the inferiors being answerable to those above them
+for the conduct of those whom they govern.  The people live in
+communities, every man being obliged to belong to and reside in one
+particular kampong, which is fenced in, is governed by its kapella or
+head man, has its constable or police officer, and is guarded at night
+by one or two sentinels, armed with spears, stationed at the gate.  All
+the land is the property of the government; no native, whatever his
+rank, being allowed to have land of his own.
+
+The Dutch have not, as far as I could learn, attempted to convert the
+Javanese to Christianity, nor do they take any interest in educating
+them in any way.  Their policy seems simply so to govern them that their
+productions may be increased, and, consequently, as large an amount as
+possible of revenue raised.  Their rule being paramount, they have left
+the natives in their original condition, to enjoy their own manners and
+customs, and to be governed by their own chiefs in almost the same
+despotic manner as formerly.  The Javanese are Mohammedans, but are not
+strict in their religious duties; and their priests can often only just
+manage to read the Koran, while their mosques are distinguished only
+from their houses by having a roof with a double gable at each end.  The
+native population amounts to nearly nine millions.
+
+The Javanese are a very docile, amiable, and intelligent people; they
+are faithful and honest servants, and are brave and trustworthy in
+danger, when they can trust to their leaders.  Domestic slavery still
+exists, though the slave trade is prohibited.  No European or native can
+acquire property in land, nor can any foreigner reside in the country
+without leave of the governor, or acquire the right of citizenship in it
+till after a residence of ten years.  The governor has the power of
+banishing any troublesome subject from the island: all political
+discussion in society seems carefully avoided, and the freedom of the
+press is strictly prohibited.  They do not now tax the people to such an
+intolerable degree as formerly, when they created an outbreak of the
+whole population, which was not put down till after much fighting in
+1830.  To prevent a similar occurrence, they have erected a chain of
+strong fortresses about fifty miles apart, from one end of the island to
+the other.
+
+As I dare say some of my young readers will one of these days become
+governors of provinces, or hold other offices in our possessions abroad,
+I wish to impress strongly on their minds that the only just or lawful
+way of governing a people--the only sure way, indeed, of maintaining
+authority over them--is to improve, to the utmost of our power, their
+religious, their moral and physical condition.  Of course there may be
+prejudices to be overcome, and bad spirits to be dealt with; but let a
+people, however savage their natures, once understand that we are
+anxious to do them all the good in our power, they will from that time
+submit to our rule, and gladly avail themselves of all the advantages we
+offer.
+
+We may point with heartfelt satisfaction to the manner in which Sir
+James Brooke has brought peace and prosperity among the savage tribes of
+Sarawak, in Borneo, and how, having by a few necessary examples shown
+the power of Great Britain, the influence of his name is now sufficient
+to repress piracy in those seas where it once reigned predominant, and
+to encourage the honest and industrious in perseverance and well-doing.
+But I must return to my own adventures.  I will, however, first give a
+list of the Dutch possessions in the East, many of which I visited.  My
+creed is, that God rules the world; that He bestows his permanent
+blessing only on those who do his work; and that his work is to spread
+the truths of his religion, by our precept and example, among all those
+of our fellow-creatures over whom we have influence, and to improve
+their moral and physical condition.  I believe also what is the case
+with individuals is the case with nations; and that, to prove this, we
+have prominent examples before our eyes.  See what has become of the
+mighty empire Spain once possessed round the circle of the globe; remark
+how utterly unable France is to colonise, notwithstanding all her
+efforts to establish her influence in various parts of the world.  The
+Dutch possessions in the East Indies consist of:
+
+1.  Part of the island of Sumatra.
+
+2.  Almost the whole of Java.
+
+3.  The islands of Banca and Billiton.
+
+4.  The islands of Bintang and Linga.
+
+5.  Large parts of the northern portion of the island of Borneo, which
+have been recently incorporated into one or two regular residencies, and
+assimilated to their Javanese possessions.
+
+6.  The Macassar government, including parts of the islands of Celebes
+and Sumbawa.
+
+7.  The Molucca Islands, and some detached outlying posts on several
+other islands.
+
+8.  The south-west half of Timor, and the neighbouring small islands.
+
+9.  To these may be added the recent conquests in the island of Bali.
+
+The above rapid sketch will enable my readers to judge of the amount of
+influence which the Dutch have the power of exerting in those regions;
+how great a blessing they might prove to thousands and thousands of
+their fellow-creatures, if they acted in accordance with the divine
+precepts of Christianity, and as civilised and enlightened men should
+act.  Surely, if they do not, their kingdom will be taken from them and
+given to another.
+
+The evening of our arrival, Fairburn and I drove out to see the city and
+its environs, in a sort of caleche, drawn by two ponies, and driven by a
+Javanese boy, in a round japanned hat, like a china punch-bowl.  The
+roads are lined on either side with fine avenues of trees arching
+overhead.  We passed numerous villages, or kampongs as they are called,
+and many country houses, of good size, lighted up with lamps.  In front
+of most of them were parties of ladies and gentlemen drinking coffee or
+wine, or smoking, or chatting, or playing at cards.  We met several
+carriages with ladies in them in full dress, passed over numerous wooden
+bridges, and were much struck with the brilliant fire-flies which were
+flitting about among the trees.  On re-entering the town, we passed
+large arched gateways leading to particular quarters, and remarked in
+that inhabited by the Chinese, the grotesque-looking houses, lit up with
+large paper-lanterns, of gaudy colours, and Chinese inscriptions or
+monsters on them, and the long rows of Chinese characters up and down
+the door-posts, or over the windows.  After the quiet of the sea, our
+senses were confused by the strange cries, and the Babel of languages
+which resounded in our ears from the crowds of people who swarmed along
+the streets in every variety of Eastern dress.  There was the half-naked
+coolie; the well-clothed Citinese, in a loose white coat, like a
+dressing-gown; the Arab merchant, in his flowing robes; and the Javanese
+gentleman, in smart jacket and trousers, sash and sarong, or petticoat,
+a curious penthouse-like hat or shade, and a strange-handled kriss stuck
+in his girdle.  We could scarcely help laughing, when in our drive we
+met our corpulent Chinese gentleman, in a white dressing-gown-looking
+affair, smooth head, and a long pigtail, weighing down one side of a
+very English-looking little pony gig, driven by a smart Javanese boy,
+with the usual china punch-bowl worn by postilions, on his head.  The
+Chinese flock here, as they do everywhere in the East, where money is to
+be made, in spite of all obstacles; and numbers of coolies, or porters,
+are to be found ready to carry anything or to go anywhere.  The lower
+class of Chinese frequently act as pedlars; and we met several of them
+with two wicker cases slung on a bamboo yoke, selling drapery, or fruit,
+and other eatables; sometimes with a portable stove to cook them, or
+keep them hot.
+
+On the following day I stopped one of these pedlars, who had, besides
+his cutlery, a display of ordinary jewels and female ornaments to sell.
+I was induced to do so, as I wished to purchase some trifle to give to
+little Maria as a parting gift.  While I was looking over his stores, my
+eye fell on a brooch which was evidently of English workmanship.  It
+struck me that it would answer my purpose by serving to fasten my young
+friend's shawl, so I took it up to examine it more carefully.  As I held
+it in my hand, I could not help fancying that I had seen it before.  The
+idea grew stronger as I dwelt on it--my memory rushed back in an instant
+to the days of my childhood, and scenes long forgotten rose up before my
+eyes--my feelings grew intense--my heart beat quick--I gasped for
+breath.  Yes, I was certain that very brooch which I held in my hand I
+had remembered since my infancy.  Often had I gazed at it with delight.
+It was a cameo of exquisite workmanship, representing the three Graces,
+and had belonged to my kind friend, Mrs Clayton.  I used to call one of
+the figures Mrs Clayton, another Ellen Barrow, and the third I said
+must be my mother.  The pedlar's eyes opened wider than any Chinese eyes
+were opened before, as he gazed at me with astonishment.  He began to
+think that the jewel was some charm which had bewitched me, or that I
+was going into a fit.  He, of course, could not guess the cause of my
+agitation; and I recovered my presence of mind in sufficient time to
+avoid telling him.  I found that he set but slight value on the
+ornament, and infinitely preferred to it some glittering stores with gay
+tints.  I looked over the remainder of his stores, keeping my eye
+constantly on the brooch to see that he did not remove it; but I did not
+find anything else which I could recognise.  I then bought a bracelet
+for Maria, and a ring of trifling value, and next asked him carelessly
+for how much he would sell the brooch in case I wished to buy it.  My
+coolness made him lower the price from what, when he first discovered
+the curiosity with which I regarded it, he intended to ask.  He demanded
+a very moderate sum, which I paid him, and calmly put the jewel in my
+pocket.  Had our conversation been carried on in a language I spoke
+fluently, I should certainly have betrayed the secret of my agitation by
+some hasty exclamation; but having to stop and consider the meaning of
+each word before I used it, gave me time to grow calm.  The time had now
+come for me to put the inquiries I longed to make.
+
+"By-the-bye, my friend, that jewel looks as if it were made in a country
+I have visited.  How did you obtain it?"  I asked with an unconcerned
+manner.
+
+He looked at me with his keen eyes, as he replied, "I bought it with
+others to stock my cases."
+
+"Were there many others of the same description?"  I inquired.
+
+"Why do you ask?" he said, eyeing me sharply.
+
+"Because it is an unusual ornament to see in this part of the world," I
+replied.
+
+"Yes, I bought a few other things, rings and other ornaments, and some
+European cutlery and arms, made in the land you come from," he answered.
+"Your countrymen are very great in arms, and knives, and bales of
+cotton goods; and if we had not these dreadful taxes, we should purchase
+a large quantity from them."
+
+"That is very true," I remarked.  "But as you were saying, you have not
+had the jewels many months; tell me, how did you procure them?"
+
+"I bought them in the way of trade," he answered briefly.
+
+"I suppose so; but when, and from whom, I am curious to know," I asked.
+He was determined not to give me the information I required in a hurry.
+
+"What makes you wish to know?" he said.
+
+My patience was sorely tried; and I began to fear that he had some
+reasons for not telling me.  I tried, however to disguise my feelings.
+
+"People take fancies into their heads sometimes," I said.  "Now, I have
+taken a fancy to trace where that same brooch, which I have just bought
+of you, came from; and as I always repay those who gratify my whims, I
+do not think you will be the loser if you tell me."
+
+"My answer is, that I bought it in the fair way of trade, and I can say
+no more," he replied, preparing, with an obstinate look, to put his
+bamboo yoke over his shoulder, and to walk away.
+
+"Then you will lose a good customer for your folly," I observed, feeling
+now that the more anxiety I displayed the less likely he would be to
+give me a true answer.
+
+"However, if you think better of it, come to me to-morrow at my hotel,
+and perhaps I may be disposed to make some more purchases of you.  But,
+my friend, remember a wise merchant takes a good offer when it is made
+to him."
+
+"You have not made me an offer," he observed.
+
+"What! do you expect to be paid simply for giving me a bit of
+information which cost you nothing, and cannot benefit you to keep?"  I
+said, laughing.  "However, as you value it so highly, I will give you
+the price of the brooch if you enable me in any way to trace where it
+came from."  The fellow, cunning as he was, was for a moment outwitted,
+and did not suspect the trembling anxiety with which I waited for his
+account.
+
+"Well, then, you must know that two months ago I sailed from hence in a
+trading schooner to visit the island of Timor, where I wished to
+transact some mercantile business with the Portuguese.  I can sometimes
+drive a bargain with them when I fail with the Dutch, who are very
+keen--too keen to please me.  Have you ever been to Timor?"
+
+"No," I answered, with some little impatience; "no; but go on with your
+story."
+
+"I thought not," he continued, with provoking slowness.  "Timor is a
+large island, and a fine island, but not so large or so fine as Java.
+The Dutch have possessions in some part of it, as well as the
+Portuguese, and a good many of my countrymen are found there.  It
+produces, too, a clever race of little horses--very clever little
+horses."
+
+"But what has that to do with the brooch?"  I exclaimed, foolishly
+losing all my patience.  "Go on with your story without further delay."
+The fellow saw by the expression of my countenance that I was really
+anxious about the matter; and hoping, probably, to get better paid for
+his information another day, he pretended to remember that he had his
+goods to sell, and shouldering his bamboo, with his cases hanging at
+either end of it, off he marched, uttering aloud his cries to attract
+customers.  I called him back; I felt inclined to rush after him--to
+seize him--to force the information from him; but he would not listen,
+and he was soon lost among the motley crowd I have described.  I felt
+almost sure that he would come back the next day but in the meantime I
+was left in a state of the most cruel anxiety.  Here was the best clue I
+had yet met with almost within my grasp, to guide me in my search for
+Eva and Mrs Clayton, and I was not allowed to reach it.  The time had
+arrived for me to join Mr Scott, who had invited me to accompany him to
+his country house, about three miles from the town.  The road led us
+past numerous kampongs and country houses, all the way being under lofty
+trees, which were made to arch overhead, and to afford a most grateful
+shade.
+
+On our way, I mentioned my meeting with the pedlar.
+
+"Should you know him again?" he asked.
+
+"Among a hundred others," I replied.
+
+"Oh, then, there will be little difficulty in making him tell the
+truth," he observed, with a smile.  "If he does not do so of his own
+accord, I will get the resident to interfere, and he has wonderful
+methods of making a dumb Chinaman open his mouth.  We will see about it
+the first thing to-morrow; for I agree with you, that the fellow's
+information may be of great value."
+
+So it was arranged, and my mind was somewhat tranquillised.  My new
+friend's residence was like most country houses built by the Dutch in
+the island--long and low, and consisting only of one storey.  In the
+centre was the chief room, of good size, opening both in front and
+behind, by two large door-ways, into spacious verandahs, as large as the
+room itself, and supported by pillars.  In each of the wings were three
+good bedrooms.  It stood in an enclosure of about an acre, with
+coach-house, stables, and servants' houses and offices.  The floors were
+formed of tiles, and in the principal room a cane matting was used.  As
+it grew dusk, several people came in, some in carriages, and some on
+foot, and we had a good deal of amusing conversation, while cigars were
+smoked, and coffee, wine, and liqueurs were handed round.  The Javanese
+were described as an excellent and faithful race of people, patient,
+good-tempered, faithful, and very handy and ingenious.  A man who is a
+carpenter one day, will turn a blacksmith next, or from a farmer will
+speedily become a sailor; and a gentleman told me of a servant who,
+after having lived with him many years, begged to be allowed to go to
+sea, giving as his only reason, that he was tired of seeing the same
+faces every day.  I partook of a curious fruit, of which the natives are
+very fond, called the Durinan.  It required some resolution to overcome
+my repugnance to the scent, which is most powerful.  The flavour is very
+peculiar; and I can best describe it as like rich custard and boiled
+onions mixed together.
+
+There are about 60,000 inhabitants in Sourabaya.  The lower orders of
+Javanese are a broadly built race of people, seldom above the middle
+height.  The men, when actively employed, have on generally no other
+garment than a tight cloth round the loins; but at other times they wear
+a sarong, which is a long piece of coloured cotton wrapped round the
+waist, and hanging down to the knee.  They sometimes add a jacket of
+cloth or cotton.  The women seem to delight most in garments of a
+dark-blue colour, in shape something like a gown and petticoat; but the
+neck and shoulders are frequently left bare, and the sarong or gown is
+wrapped tightly under the armpits and across the bosom.
+
+Both men and women wear their hair long, and turned up with a large
+comb, so that at a distance it is difficult to distinguish one from the
+other.  The latter have no covering for the head, but the men wear
+conical hats, made of split bamboo.
+
+A Javanese gentleman usually wears a handkerchief round his head, a
+smart green or purple velvet or cloth jacket with gold buttons, a shirt
+with gold studs, loose trousers and sometimes boots, and a sarong or
+sash, in the latter of which is always carried a kriss ornamented with
+gold and diamonds.  The Chinese, as elsewhere, are a plump, clean, and
+good-tempered-looking people; they, as well as other people from the
+neighbouring countries, are under charge of a captain or headman, who is
+answerable for their good conduct.  The Dutch troops, dressed in
+light-blue and yellow uniforms, and mustering upwards of two thousand
+infantry, besides artillery and cavalry, consist of Javanese, Madurese,
+and Bugis, with Negroes and Europeans, frequently Dutch convicts who, to
+escape punishment at home, have volunteered to serve in the army in
+Java.  What can one think of the character of an army composed of such
+men? and how much more calculated must they be to injure and demoralise
+than to protect the people, and to maintain order, which is the only
+legitimate object of a military body!  I hope that my readers are not
+tired with my long account of the Javanese.  The next morning I returned
+to the town with Mr Scott, and immediately set out in search of the
+pedlar.  I was not long in finding him, for he was hovering about the
+hotel in hopes of having another deal with me.  He did not suspect that
+I had friends who could apply to the authorities to make him give me the
+information I required.  I had my young Javanese guide watching, who
+instantly ran off to call Mr Scott, while I held the pedlar in close
+conversation.  On Mr Scott's appearance, the impudent look of the man
+instantly changed to one of submissive respect.
+
+"I thought you were a wise man, Chin Fi," began my friend, who appeared
+to know him.  "Here is a gentleman offers you a handsome reward for a
+bit of trifling information, and you refuse to give it him; how is
+this?"
+
+"Though the information is trifling, the young gentleman seemed very
+eager to get it," answered Chin Fi, recovering himself.  "But I am a
+reasonable man, and was about to give it when he interrupted me
+yesterday."
+
+"Continue your story, then," said Mr Scott, aware, however, that he was
+not speaking the truth.  "You were in the island of Timor when you
+procured the brooch in question."
+
+"I observed that I went to the island of Timor; but I did not say that I
+got the brooch there," answered Chin Fi.
+
+"Come, come, you are taking up our time uselessly.  Where did you get it
+then?" exclaimed Mr Scott.  "I must take other means of learning if you
+longer delay."  And he looked in the direction of the Resident's house.
+
+The Chinese guessed his intentions, and observed, "Well, if the
+gentleman will give me the price he offered, I will afford him all the
+information I possess.  Knowledge is of value; and I am a poor man, and
+cannot give it without a return."
+
+On his saying this, I took out the proposed sum and put it into Mr
+Scott's hands, who gave it him, saying, "Now remember, Chin Fi, if you
+wish to prosper, tell all you know about the matter."
+
+"I will," said the pedlar, finding that he would gain nothing by further
+delay.  "You must know that while I was in Timor, I was engaged in
+purchasing such merchandise as I thought would suit the taste of the
+people of this country.  To obtain a passage back, I went to the Dutch
+settlement of Coupang.  One day, having just transacted some affairs
+with a merchant, I was walking along the quay by the water's side, when
+I observed a young Javanese lad following me.  I happened to have
+remarked him while I was speaking to the merchant.  He continued
+following me till I got into a narrow lane, where no one else happened
+to be; and he then came up to me, and said he had something to sell if I
+was inclined to buy.  I asked him to show me his goods, and he pulled
+out a handkerchief from his breast, with some rings, a gold chain, and
+two brooches, one of which I sold yesterday to this gentleman.  I
+purchased them of him, and asked him if he had any more.  He said that
+he could not tell me; and I then inquired how he procured them.  He
+answered it was a matter about which I had nothing to do, and being of
+his opinion I questioned him no further; but as I wished to have more
+dealings with him, I resolved to try and find out where he went.  When
+he parted from me he took the way to the quay; and as from his dress and
+the look of his hands I suspected that he belonged to one of the vessels
+in the harbour, I went and hid myself in a spot where I could watch
+every part of the landing-place.
+
+"I had waited about a couple of hours, when a boat came on shore from a
+European brig, lying outside all the other vessels, and presently two
+Englishmen or Americans, with two or three Malays, came down in company
+with the young Javanese lad, who was staggering under a heavy load of
+yams, shaddocks, bananas, cocoa-nuts, and other fruit and vegetables.
+It is odd, I thought, that this boy who has so much money at his
+command, should be made to do the work of a slave.  I suspected that
+there was something irregular, and that the lad had either stolen the
+jewels or was selling them for some one else.  I made inquiries about
+the brig, and found that she was an American, and had put in for water
+and provisions; but for her name, I can neither remember it, nor
+pronounce it, probably, if I did.  I expected next day to find that the
+brig had gone, and to hear no more about the matter; but there she still
+was, and who should I meet but the Javanese lad walking by himself in a
+disconsolate manner near the quay?  I beckoned him to me, and asked him
+if he had any more jewels to sell; but he answered, No; and that he
+wished he had not sold those, as it had done no good."
+
+"I inquired what he meant; but for some time he would not answer, till I
+persuaded him that I was his friend, and that I by chance knew some of
+his relatives.  He then told me that the jewels had belonged to an
+English lady, who was kept on board the brig against her will, and that
+she had employed him to sell them, in the hopes of being able to bribe
+some one to help her to escape, or to carry intelligence of her position
+to the authorities of any port at which the brig might touch.  The lad,
+who seemed in many respects very simple-minded and honest, said that he
+wanted to get away, but dared not--that he had not originally belonged
+to the brig, but was taken out of another vessel, and made to work on
+board her, his chief employment lately being to attend on the lady in
+the cabin."
+
+While he was speaking, several seamen came out of an arrack shop some
+way off.  He caught sight of them and hurried off to the quay.  They all
+jumped into the boat, and pulled away for the brig as fast as their oars
+could send her through the water.  Instantly the vessel's sails were
+loosed, her anchor was weighed, and she stood out to sea.  Soon
+afterwards, a Dutch ship of war came in, and a boat from the shore going
+out to meet her, without dropping her anchor she made sail in the
+direction the brig had taken.
+
+"Did she overtake the brig?"  I inquired eagerly.
+
+"I do not know," replied the pedlar.  "I came away before the
+man-of-war's return, and had not again thought of the circumstances till
+your inquiries recalled them to my memory."
+
+Believing that the Chinese had given me a faithful account, I further
+rewarded him, and dismissed him, highly satisfied with the transaction.
+It must not be supposed that he used the words I have written, for I
+have given a very free translation of his story, which was in very
+flowery language, and occupied much more time than mine will to read.  I
+cross-questioned him also about Eva; but he had heard nothing of a
+little girl, nor had he suspected that the brig was a pirate.
+
+Mr Scott, however, agreed with me that there was every probability of
+her having been the _Emu_, and that my first point of inquiry should be
+at Timor, while I also should endeavour to fall in with the man-of-war
+which had chased her.  It was suggested that I might most likely hear of
+the man-of-war at Batavia, and that I should endeavour to touch there.
+Oh, how I longed to have my schooner ready for the enterprise!
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
+
+Mr Scott accompanied me to the house of the Resident, that I might
+state my case; and on our way we met Captain Cloete, who volunteered to
+join us.  The Resident received me most kindly, and promised to do all
+in his power to facilitate my object.  He said that strict enquiries
+should be made on board all vessels coming to the port, whether a brig
+answering the description of the _Emu_ had been met with; and he also
+engaged that the same inquiries should be made in Batavia and throughout
+all the ports belonging to the Dutch.
+
+I was much indebted to the influence of my friends, and the warm
+interest they took in me, and for the alacrity displayed by the
+Resident; but I felt that this was no reason why I should in any way
+relax in my own exertions.  The schooner could not be got ready for sea
+in less than three weeks, in spite of all Fairburn's exertions; and I
+considered how I could best employ the time to forward my object.  It
+must not be supposed that I had forgotten the widow Van Deck and little
+Maria.  Fairburn and I had still our duty to perform, in seeing them
+placed in safety with their friends; but as his presence was essential
+in attending to the fitting out of the vessel, I resolved to undertake
+the office of their conductor, having already engaged to pay their
+expenses.  They were both now sufficiently recovered to undertake the
+journey up the country, to a place where an uncle of the widow resided,
+as Assistant Resident.
+
+I was, however, very unwilling to leave Sourabaya in the chance of
+obtaining any further news of the _Emu_, and had hopes of being able to
+send to their relations to induce some one to come down and receive
+them, when the point was decided for me.  The heat and excitement of the
+town was already telling on me, and Mr Scott made me consult a medical
+man, who urged me at once to go up to the highlands of the interior, to
+regain my strength before I went to sea.
+
+The widow Van Deck expressed herself much satisfied with the
+arrangement, and very grateful for the care taken of her, while little
+Maria seemed highly delighted at finding that I was to accompany them on
+the journey.  Captain Cloete's first lieutenant, Mr Jeekel, also
+arranged to join the party, of which I was very glad, as he was a very
+well informed man, and a most amusing companion.  We engaged a carriage,
+with two inside seats for the widow and Maria, and two outside for Mr
+Jeekel and me.  Mr Scott kindly urged me to take care of myself and get
+well.  Fairburn promised to get on with the schooner's outfitting; and
+just as we were starting, Captain Cloete came and put a sum of money
+into the hands of the widow.
+
+"There," he said, "sailors should always help each other; so I and a few
+other friends have collected that little sum to defray the expenses of
+your journey; so that you need not feel yourself a burden to your young
+friend here, while you will have something in your purse when you
+present yourself to your relatives."
+
+The tears came into the widow's eyes as she received this unexpected
+kindness, and her feelings almost checked her expressions of thanks.
+
+The evening before our departure, as I was sitting with the widow and
+little Maria, the former observed--"You may be surprised, Mr Seaworth,
+at my thinking it necessary to give you so much trouble about my return
+to my relations; but I must confess to you that I offended them very
+much by marrying Captain Van Deck, whom they looked upon as my inferior
+in rank, and I am full of doubts as to my reception.  Had he been alive,
+I should not have ventured to return; but now that he is in his grave, I
+trust that their anger may be softened.  I have no one else to depend
+on.  I cannot obtain my own livelihood; but they would not, I trust,
+allow a relation to beg in the streets.  If they will once receive me, I
+hope, by my conduct, to gain their affection, which before I married I
+did not, through my own fault, possess; and I therefore do not in any
+way complain of their treatment of me.  I have had, I assure you, a
+great struggle with the rebellious spirit within me; but I have
+conquered, and am happier even than I ever expected to be."  In reply, I
+assured her that I thought her relations would, after she had spent a
+little time with them, rejoice at her return; for in the frame of mind
+to which she had brought herself, I felt sure she would very soon gain
+their regard; and I thought that little Maria could not fail of
+attaching to herself every one who knew her.
+
+I have not space to afford a full account of our journey.  Indeed, I
+cannot do more than give the general result of my observations.  We had
+passports, without which we could not have proceeded; and we were
+obliged to obtain leave from each Resident to pass through his district.
+We had four good little horses; and for many miles proceeded along the
+plain, on a fine broad hard road, raised two or three feet above the
+level of the country.  The post houses are about six miles apart, and at
+each of them there is a large wooden shed, stretching completely across
+the road, to shelter the horses and travellers from the sun while the
+horses are changed.  The country, as we proceeded, became very rich and
+highly cultivated; and between the groves of cocoa-nuts and areca palms,
+and other trees, which bordered the road, we got glimpses of a fine
+range of mountains, which increased its interest.  The crops were
+sugar-cane, and maize and rice.  The rice-fields are divided into many
+small plats or pans, about ten yards square, with ridges of earth
+eighteen inches high, for the purpose of retaining the water, which is
+kept two or three inches deep over the roots of the grain, till it is
+just ready to ripen.  A number of little sheds stood in the fields, with
+a boy or girl stationed in each, who kept moving a collection of
+strings, radiating in every direction, with feathers attached to them,
+for the purpose of keeping off the flights of those beautiful little
+birds, called Java sparrows, hovering above.  From these plots the rice,
+or paddy, as it is called, is transplanted into the fields, each plant
+being set separately.  How our English farmers would stare at the idea
+of transplanting some hundred acres of wheat!  Yet these savages, as
+they would call them, set them this worthy example of industry.  We
+passed a market crowded with people.  There were long sheds, in some of
+which were exposed European articles, such as cutlery and drapery; in
+others, drugs or salt-fish, or fruit and confectionery; while at some
+open stalls the visitors were regaling themselves with coffee, boiled
+rice, hot meat, potatoes, fruit, and sweetmeats.  We stopped at a large
+town on the coast, called Probolingo, where there was an excellent
+hotel.  There was also a square in it, with a mosque on one side, the
+house of the Resident on another, a range of barracks on the third, and
+a good market-place, where I saw piles of magnificent melons, for which
+the neighbourhood is celebrated.  It is a place of some trade; and we
+were told that there were in the storehouses coffee and sugar sufficient
+to load twenty large ships.  Broad roads, bordered by fine trees, with
+native villages, and large European houses, surround the town.
+
+As we continued our journey on the following day, we began to meet with
+coffee plantations, which are neatly fenced in, and consist of some
+twenty acres each.  They are pleasant-looking spots, as the shrubs are
+planted in rows, with tall trees between each row to shelter them from
+the sun.  Sometimes, too, we came upon a species of Banian tree, a
+noble, wide-spreading tree, with drooping branches, under which might be
+seen a waggon laden with paddy, and a group of people with their oxen
+resting by its side.  I remarked that coffee was carried in large
+hampers on the backs of ponies.  We used to lunch sometimes at the
+bamboo provision stalls, under the shade of tall trees near the
+kampongs, where we found hot tea and coffee, sweet potatoes, rice cakes,
+and a kind of cold rice pudding.
+
+The Javanese delight in a sort of summer-house, which is called a
+pondap; it is built to the height of sixteen feet or so on stout
+pillars, with a raised floor, and covered with a thatch made of the
+leaves of the palm.  It is open at the sides, except a railing of
+netting three feet high, and sometimes blinds of split cane are rolled
+up under the eaves, and can be let down to exclude the sun or rain.
+
+I must describe a "passangerang," or guest-house, at several of which we
+stopped for the night.  It was a large bamboo-house, standing on a
+raised terrace of brick, and with a broad verandah running all round it.
+There was a centre hall to serve as the grand saloon, and several
+well-furnished bedrooms on either side.  The view was very beautiful.
+The ground on every side undulated agreeably: on one side it sloped down
+to a shining lake, bordered by a thick belt of wood, with a silvery
+brook escaping from a narrow ravine, foaming and leaping into it; while
+beyond arose the stately cone of the burning mountain of the Lamongan,
+some four thousand feet in height, a wreath of white smoke curling from
+its summit, from its base a green slope stretched off to the right,
+whence, some twenty miles distant, shot up still more majestically the
+lofty cone of the Semiru, a peak higher than that of Teneriffe; then,
+again, another irregular ridge ran away to the north, among which is the
+volcano of the Bromo.  On another side could be seen the sea gleaming in
+the far distant horizon, while over all the country near was a lovely
+variety of cultivated fields, and patches of wood, and slopes of the
+_alang-alang_, a long green grass with a very broad leaf, and here and
+there a native kampong half concealed by its groves of fruit-trees.
+Everything, both in form and colour, looked beautiful as it glittered in
+the hot sunshine, while a fresh breeze from the south tempered the heat,
+and reminded me of a summer day in England.  A table was spread in the
+verandah with a snow white tablecloth, and all the conveniences of
+glass, plate, and cutlery, and covered with dishes of poultry, and
+meats, and rice, and curries, pilaus, and soups, all well cooked, with
+attendants doing their best to please us.
+
+Little Maria was enchanted--she had seen nothing in her life before like
+it; and all the sickness and perils she had gone through were forgotten.
+Lieutenant Jeekel and I were much pleased also; and had I not had my
+important enterprise in view, I should have liked to have spent many
+days there.  As we strolled out in the evening at dusk, we found two men
+following us with spears; and when we inquired the reason of their
+attendance, they said that they came to defend us from tigers.  We
+laughed at this, but they assured us that tigers were very abundant, and
+that they often carried off men to eat them, and sometimes even came
+into the houses when hard pressed by hunger.  No one will venture out at
+night without torches to keep them at a distance.  We afterwards found
+that their fears were not exaggerated, for a man from a village close to
+us going out to work before daybreak was carried off by a tiger from
+between two companions, who in vain endeavoured to save him.  After this
+we took care not to expose ourselves to the chance of forming a supper
+for a tiger.  The next evening I was nearly stepping on a snake, the
+bite of which is said to be certain death.  I mention these
+circumstances merely to show that, fertile as is the country and
+magnificent the scenery, it has its drawbacks.  While we were in the
+high country, it rained generally from two till four o'clock, and then
+the weather became as fine as ever.  It always rained in earnest, and
+never have I seen more downright heavy pours.  The inhabitants of the
+mountains are far superior in stature and independence of manners to
+those of the plains.  Their houses are, however, inferior in many
+respects; they are built of planks roughly split from trees with a
+wedge, while their posts are formed of the camarina equally roughly
+squared.  The roof is composed of reeds or shingles.  The interior
+consists of but one room, with a square fireplace of brick at one end,
+and seats round it; the bed-places of the family are on either side; and
+overhead are racks to hold spears and agricultural instruments, the
+whole blackened with the constant smoke, which has no other outlet
+besides the door and window.  The houses of the peasantry on the plains
+are composed almost entirely of bamboo; the posts and beams of the
+stoutest pieces of that plant, and the walls of split bamboo woven into
+mats, the roof being covered with leaves of the _hissah_ palm.
+
+We were now approaching the end of our journey, and the widow began to
+be very nervous as to the reception she was likely to meet with from her
+relations.  The lieutenant, especially, tried to keep up her spirits;
+and it appeared to me, whatever the arguments he used, that he succeeded
+very well.
+
+I am afraid that, in my descriptions, I have not done full justice to
+the beauty of the scenery, the high state of cultivation of the country,
+the excessive politeness of the people--I might almost call it slavish,
+were not the natural impulses of the Javanese so kind--the luxurious
+provisions, the comfort of the passangerangs or guest-houses, the purity
+of the air, and the deliciousness of the climate of the hills.  We did
+not encounter a beggar of any description, and we saw no people in a
+state of what could be called poverty; so, although the Dutch rule most
+despotically, this system apparently tends to secure the creature
+comforts of the lower orders.  But, as I have already observed, it does
+no more--it regards these frail bodies, but totally neglects their
+immortal souls.
+
+One day we turned off from the high road, and took a path apparently but
+little used, as it was a complete carpet of short green turf, which led
+us across a gently undulating champaign country; passing now through
+patches of beautiful forest, now through open rice-fields or small
+plains of alang-alang.  Here and there was a rocky isolated hill crowned
+with clumps of noble trees, while sparkling brooks and rills seemed to
+cool the air, while they refreshed our sight, their murmuring sound
+reaching constantly our ears.  Many of the rills were artificial,
+leading from one rice field to another.  The industrious inhabitants
+were guiding their ploughs or otherwise in their fields, while here and
+there a grove of fruit-trees, with cocoa-nuts, areca palms, and clusters
+of bamboos rising among them, showed the situation of the villages.
+Nearly surrounding this beautiful country swept a semicircle of
+magnificent mountains of the most picturesque description, one
+out-topping the other, while in the far distance the stately Semiru
+raised his lofty cone into the blue sky.
+
+As we had now arrived close to the residence of the widow's relations,
+we thought it advisable to forward a letter, which the lieutenant
+undertook to write, giving an outline of what had occurred, and
+announcing our arrival.  The letter was composed, but we were not quite
+satisfied with it; and at last our worthy friend volunteered to ride
+forward himself to prepare the way, suggesting that his rank, and his
+acquaintance with a large number of people, might have some little
+influence in softening matters.  We in the meantime remained at the
+passangerang awaiting his return.  Two hours passed away and he did not
+appear, and the widow began to be anxious; a third had elapsed, and no
+Lieutenant Jeekel was to be seen.
+
+"My uncle and his family are away, or he may be dead, or he will not
+listen to our friend," sighed the widow.
+
+We were sitting in a sort of raised summer-house, in the shape of a
+tower, built of bamboo.  From our elevated perch we commanded a view of
+the road.
+
+"No, I feel that I am discarded for ever, and must be content to live on
+the charity of strangers," continued the widow, soliloquising.  "For
+myself I care not; but for you, my sweet child, it is a hard lot."
+
+"Do not vex yourself about me, my dear aunt," answered little Maria.
+"But ah! see, who is that coming along the road?"
+
+We all looked out of the balcony, and observed two horsemen, with long
+spears glittering in the sun, advancing slowly towards us.  A little
+beyond them was a larger party, one of whom was evidently a chief with
+his officers, from the turbans on their heads, their blue cloth jackets,
+and rich shawls round their waists, with highly ornamented krisses stuck
+in them; the blue and red cloth over their saddles, and the silver
+trappings to their horses.  Two Europeans were with them: one we soon
+recognised as the lieutenant; the other, a middle-aged,
+gentlemanly-looking man, was a stranger to me; but the widow, as she
+watched him, exclaimed--
+
+"It is--yes, it must be my uncle!"
+
+The Javanese seemed to pay him great respect.  He threw himself from his
+horse, which one of them held, and with the lieutenant ascended the
+stairs.  On entering the room he hurried up to the widow, and to her no
+little surprise gave her a warm embrace.
+
+"Well, my dear niece, I am glad to hear from your friend here, that you
+placed reliance on the affection of your relatives," he began, as he
+handed her to a chair in an affectionate manner.  "Let the past be
+forgotten; and now let me ask you to make me known to the young
+gentleman who has acted so generously to you.  Mr Seaworth, I
+understand."
+
+Whereupon I shook hands, and made a suitable answer; and then little
+Maria was introduced, and we were all in a few minutes on the best terms
+possible.  I thought Mr Jeekel's eye twinkled, but he said nothing; and
+I was somewhat surprised, after all the difficulties we expected to
+experience, at the facility with which the reconciliation had been
+accomplished.  But the cause was soon explained.
+
+"I conclude, my dear niece," said her uncle to her on a sudden, "you
+have received due notice of the good fortune which has befallen you."
+
+"No!" answered the widow, surprised, as well she might.  "I have been
+prepared only for misfortunes.  What do you mean?"
+
+"Allow me then to congratulate you sincerely," he replied.  "I have
+great satisfaction in being the first to announce to you that your
+great-uncle, M. Deikman, who died a year ago, has left you heiress to
+all his property, amounting to twenty thousand rupees a year; and you
+may at once take possession of it."
+
+I will not stop to describe the contentment of the widow at her change
+of fortune, the joy of little Maria, and the satisfaction of the
+lieutenant.  I spent four days at the house of her uncle, who was very
+attentive to me; and I need scarcely say that, when the time for my
+departure arrived, I was very sorry to leave her with the prospect of
+never again seeing her; and still more so my young friend Maria.  I am
+happy to say that prosperity did not appear to have made the widow
+forget the good resolutions she had formed in adversity.  She insisted
+on repaying me the money I had spent on her account; and I had reason
+afterwards to know that she was not ungrateful.  It was arranged that
+Lieutenant Jeekel was to accompany me, and that we were to travel on
+horseback, by which mode we should be able to diverge oftener from the
+high road, and to see more of the country than we had been able to do
+coming.  Little Maria cried very much as I wished her good-bye.
+
+"You are going away, and I shall never--never--see you again, my dear,
+dear Mr Seaworth!" she exclaimed, as she held my hands, and looked up
+affectionately into my face.  "Now, promise me, if you succeed in
+finding your dear little Eva--and I am sure you will find her--that you
+will come back and show her to me.  I so long to see her, and to love
+her, and to tell her how kind you have been to me.  I will pray every
+night and morning that she may be restored to you, and that she may live
+to reward you for all your trouble in looking after her.  You will
+promise then, my dear Mr Seaworth; I know you will."
+
+"Indeed, I should be very sorry if I thought I was not to see you
+again," I replied, completely won by her artless manner.  "If I possibly
+can--if I am so blessed as to find my sister--I will come and introduce
+her to you."
+
+With this answer the little girl was satisfied.  At length we started.
+I had a very pleasant journey, and collected a great deal of information
+as to the manners and customs of the Javanese.  We saw several tigers,
+and deer, and wild hogs, and monkeys innumerable, and snakes and other
+reptiles; but had no adventure worth recording, and reached Sourabaya in
+safety.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINETEEN.
+
+We entered Sourabaya in the evening, when the streets were still crowded
+with the mixed population of the town, in their varied and picturesque
+dresses, each speaking their own language, or uttering the various cries
+of their respective trades.  I directly rode to the hotel in the hopes
+of finding Fairburn there, as I was eager to learn how he was
+progressing with the schooner.  He had not returned; and I was setting
+off to the docks when I met him coming in.
+
+"How do you get on?"  I exclaimed, as soon as I saw him.  "Are we likely
+soon to be able to start?"
+
+"We have gone ahead more rapidly than I expected," he answered.  "What
+by good wages and encouragement, and constant supervision, the
+carpenters and riggers have got on so well, that I expect she will be
+ready for sea in a few days.  The more I see of the little craft, the
+more I like her; for she is a beauty, I can assure you, and will sail
+well too."
+
+"I am delighted to hear it, and thank you for all your exertions in my
+cause," I answered.  "I long to be fairly under weigh.  But have you
+gained any more information about the _Emu_?"
+
+"Nothing of importance," he answered.  "A Dutch merchantman came in here
+a few days ago, and she reports that some months since, on her outward
+voyage, she was chased by a strange brig, which showed no colours; but,
+by carrying all sail, she got away from her.  If that was the _Emu_, it
+shows that she has taken regularly to piracy, and that we must be
+prepared to encounter her."
+
+To this I agreed; but the thought that my sister and Mrs Clayton were
+among wretches who were pursuing such a course made me feel very
+wretched.  The next morning I accompanied Fairburn down to the vessel.
+I was indeed surprised with the appearance she presented.  Indeed, she
+required little more than to get her sails bent and her stores on board
+to be ready for sea.  She mounted four carronades, and one long brass
+gun amidships, besides numerous swivels on her bulwarks, to enable her
+to contend in every way with any piratical prahus we might encounter.
+Besides these, her arm-chests contained a good supply of muskets,
+pistols, and cutlasses.
+
+"I have engaged also the best part of our crew," said Fairburn.  "They
+are all staunch fellows, or I am much mistaken.  It is important that we
+should be well manned.  There are eight Englishmen, four Dutchmen, two
+Americans, and six Javanese.  The last are fine fellows, and, well
+treated, will labour hard; and if well led, and they can see that they
+may trust to their officers, they will prove as brave as any men in the
+world.  See how they all go about their work.  If I was a stranger to
+them, I should say they were the men to trust to.  They have found out
+already that I chose all good men, and that there are no skulkers among
+them."
+
+We were standing on the quay at the time, and as he spoke he pointed to
+the schooner where all hands were actively employed in various
+avocations, setting up the rigging, bending sails, and hoisting in
+stores.
+
+"And what sort or officers have you engaged?"  I asked.
+
+"Two; and both good.  One is a Dutchman, and the other is English.  I
+had some difficulty in arranging the papers, and in getting permission
+to carry arms but, thanks to the assistance of Mr Scott and the
+kindness of the Resident, the affair has been settled.  I cannot
+however, go as master of the schooner."
+
+"You not master!"  I exclaimed.  "Who, then, is to be?"
+
+"The Dutchman, M. Van Graoul.  He is a very good fellow in spite of his
+name," he answered, laughing.  "The fact is, he is nominally captain,
+and is answerable for our good behaviour--that we will not turn pirates,
+or commit any other little irregularities.  I am to have charge of the
+vessel, and he is to obey me in all things lawful; indeed, he is to act
+as my mate except on certain occasions, when we are to change places.
+The arrangement is perfectly understood between us, and is not at all
+unusual."
+
+I replied that I was satisfied if he was, and thought that the
+arrangement would not inconvenience him.
+
+"You are aware, also, that you must sail under the Dutch flag," he
+continued.  "It is better known than the English in these seas, and so
+far that is an advantage; but I daresay you would rather, as I should
+when it comes to fighting, have our own glorious standard waving over
+our heads."
+
+I agreed with him there also; but I found that I was much indebted to
+the Dutch authorities, as so very strict is the government in all
+matters of the sort, that it was only in consequence of the peculiar
+circumstances of the case that I was allowed to fit out the vessel at
+all, many regulations being relaxed in my favour.  I forgot to say that
+the schooner was called the _Fraulein_, which is the Dutch, or rather
+German, of _young lady_; and I thought the name pretty and appropriate.
+Behold me, then, the owner of the schooner _Fraulein_, Captain Van
+Graoul, just ready for sea, and as complete a little man-of-war as ever
+floated.  I was going to call her a yacht; but she was fitted more for
+fighting than pleasure, except that there was one cabin which, with a
+confidence I scarcely had a right to, I had had prepared for Eva and
+Mrs Clayton.
+
+Our papers were all in order, and we had cleared out regularly.  I had
+taken leave of the Resident and other authorities, and thanked Mr Scott
+to the utmost of my power for his liberality and confidence in me; and I
+had wished all the other friends I had formed good-bye, except
+Lieutenant Jeekel, who told me he intended to come and see the last of
+me on board.  I felt that I had at length commenced my enterprise; my
+hopes rose with the occasion.  There was an elasticity in my spirits, a
+buoyancy in my step, which I had never before experienced, as I walked
+the deck of the _Fraulein_, as she lay in the roads just before getting
+under weigh.
+
+"There is a loaded boat coming off, and I think I see Lieutenant Jeekel
+in her," said Captain Van Graoul, who had been looking through his glass
+towards the shore.
+
+He was right; in a short time my friends came alongside in a boat laden
+with provisions and fruits, and luxuries of every kind and description
+which the country could produce.  While I was welcoming him on board,
+the things were being handed up on deck.
+
+"Oh, you must not thank me for anything there," he exclaimed, with a
+smile, as he saw me looking at what was going forward.  "I have but
+performed a commission for a friend of ours, who charged me to see it
+executed, or not to venture into her presence again."
+
+"Oh, I understand," I replied, laughing significantly.  "Pray, whenever
+you are tempted back to her neighbourhood, express my gratitude, and
+assure her and Maria that I will not forget them, or the last mark of
+their kindness."
+
+I suspected that it would not be long before my message was delivered,
+if the lieutenant could get leave from his ship, which was then
+refitting.  He gave me also a satisfactory piece of intelligence, to the
+effect, that as soon as his brig was ready for sea, she was to be sent
+to cruise in search of the _Emu_, should her piratical career not yet
+have terminated.
+
+I was very unwilling to have to go so far out of my way as Batavia; for
+I felt certain that my search should be carried on among the wilder and
+less frequented islands lying to the east of Java, where the pirates
+would have little fear of being surprised.  At the same time, I might
+obtain important information at Batavia; and I knew the necessity of
+beginning my search systematically.
+
+Everybody on board was in high spirits, and they all having had the
+object of the cruise explained to them, seemed to enter into it with a
+zeal and alacrity which was highly gratifying to me.  We had a complete
+little Babel, as far as a variety of tongues are concerned, in the
+_Fraulein_; but, thanks to Fairburn's admirable arrangements, aided by
+Van Graoul, perfect harmony instead of discord was produced.
+
+I have not yet described Van Graoul.  He was a stout man with a placid,
+good-humoured expression of countenance, and was content, provided he
+could enjoy his well-loved pipe, and an occasional glass of schiedam, to
+let the world take its way without complaining.  He wore light-blue
+trousers, with enormous side-pockets, into which his hands were always
+thrust; a nankeen jacket, and a wide-brimmed straw hat, with a bright
+yellow handkerchief round his neck.  He was a very good seaman in most
+respects; and was so perfectly cool in danger, that it was difficult to
+believe he was aware of the state of affairs.  He did not, however, make
+a good master, as he was subject to fits of absence, when he was apt to
+forget the object of his voyage.  The junior mate was a young
+Englishman, of the name of Barlow, a very steady, trustworthy person.
+Then, there was a boatswain, a gunner, a carpenter, and other petty
+officers; and I must not forget to mention Hassan, the young Malay, and
+Kalong the Dyak, who considered themselves our immediate attendants,
+while Ungka was a favourite with all.
+
+As it was impossible to say where the _Emu_ might be, we were constantly
+on the look-out for any vessel answering her description.  It was agreed
+that if we did fall in with her, we must endeavour to take her by
+surprise, or to capture her by boarding, as, were we to fire at her, our
+round shot might injure those we were in search of.  We had a very short
+passage to Batavia, and anchored in the roadstead.  The town being built
+on a swamp, and planted with trees, was entirely concealed from our
+view.  I immediately went on shore, my boat being tracked up the river
+against a strong current.
+
+I was struck by the immense number of alligators which infest the river.
+They are held sacred by the Javanese, who will not destroy them; and it
+is said that they treat their brown skins with equal respect, but have
+no compunction about eating a white man.  They live upon the number of
+dead animals and offal which come floating down the river.  They are
+useful as acting the part of scavengers to the stream they inhabit.  The
+streets of Batavia run for the most part in a north or south direction,
+are kept in neat order, regularly watered, and planted with rows of
+trees in the Dutch style.  Formerly canals intersected the streets in
+all directions, rendering the city the most pestilential place within
+the tropics; but by the orders of Sir Stamford Raffles, while the
+English had possession of the island, they were all filled up, except
+the Grand Canal and its tributaries.  The city is still far from
+healthy, and no one who can help it remains there; the government
+officers and merchants all going out to their country houses in the
+afternoon.  My stay in Batavia was so short, that I had not time to make
+many remarks about the place.  In consequence of the recommendations I
+had received from Sourabaya, the Resident forwarded my views in every
+way, giving me passes to facilitate my search throughout all the Dutch
+settlements I might visit.
+
+Fairburn and Van Graoul were in the meantime making inquiries among the
+masters of all the trading vessels in the harbour, whether they had seen
+or heard of a vessel which might prove to be the _Emu_.  They, however,
+could only obtain rumours of her, and no one was met who had actually
+been attacked by her.  For some time past it appeared that she had not
+even been heard of; and the opinion was, either that her career had by
+some means or other been brought to a close, or that she had altogether
+quitted those seas and gone to commit her depredations in another
+quarter of the globe.  This last idea was the most distressing, because,
+if such was the case, I could not tell for what length of time my search
+might be prolonged.  As, however, Timor was the last place she had been
+known to touch at, I determined to proceed there, and thence to steer a
+course as circumstances might direct.
+
+We were once more at sea.  It is very delightful to sail over the ocean
+when the breeze is fresh, and sufficiently strong to send the vessel
+skimming along over the water, and yet not sufficiently so to throw up
+waves on the surface.  Many such days I remember, and many nights, when
+the moon, in tranquil majesty was traversing the pure dark-blue sky, her
+light shed in a broad stream of silver across the purple expanse, on
+which the vessel floated, a mere dot it seemed in the infinity of space.
+Had I been free from anxiety, the life I spent on board the _Fraulein_
+would have been most delightful; but my mind was always dwelling on Eva,
+and thinking how she was situated; and my anxiety to rescue her
+prevented me from enjoying the present.
+
+We had been two weeks at sea, having experienced chiefly calms and light
+winds, when one morning at daybreak, while on the right of the island of
+Lombok, the lofty cone of its volcano rising blue and distinct against
+the sky, a square-rigged vessel was descried in the north-east quarter.
+She was apparently standing on a bowline to the southward, so that, by
+continuing our course, we should just contrive to get near enough to
+speak her.  There was considerable excitement on board, for we had not
+spoken any vessel since we were out.  She might give us some information
+respecting the _Emu_; or it was just possible that she might be the
+_Emu_ herself.  We stood on till we made her to be a low black brig,
+with a somewhat rakish appearance.  This answered the description of the
+_Emu_.  We had now to consider how to approach the stranger without
+exciting her suspicions.  We first hoisted the Dutch ensign, and out
+flew, in return from her peak, the stars and stripes of the United
+States.
+
+"He is not afraid of showing his colours," said Van Graoul, looking at
+the brig through his glass.  "But ah! see there!  He does not like our
+look.  He has put his helm up, and away he goes before the wind."
+
+So it was.  The stranger altered her course, and away she stood to the
+eastward, pretty briskly setting her studding-sails and royals; by which
+we calculated that she had a good many hands on board.  This behaviour
+of the stranger increased our suspicions of her character; and we
+accordingly made all sail in chase.  We were now to try the speed of the
+little _Fraulein_.  The breeze freshened, and away she flew over the
+water; but the brig was much larger, and soon showed us that she had a
+fast pair of heels.  Do all we could, indeed, we could only continue to
+hold our own with her.  Sometimes we even fancied that she was
+distancing us, and then after an hour had passed, we did not appear to
+have sunk her hull in the water.
+
+"Oh that we could but come up with her!"  I exclaimed.  "My sweet little
+Eva, we would soon liberate you from the power of these ruffians."
+
+Van Graoul had his eyes upon the brig, as he said quite calmly, as if he
+had been thinking over the matter, "Has it not struck you, Mr Seaworth,
+that yonder stranger may have as bad an opinion of us as we have of her;
+and that seeing a piccarooning little craft, no offence to the
+_Fraulein_, standing towards her, she thought the safest thing she could
+do would be to keep out of our way?"
+
+This was one mode of accounting for the flight of the stranger; still I
+did not like the idea of giving up the chase.  Van Graoul's notion might
+be correct; but yet it was possible that she was, after all, the _Emu_.
+At last the sun went down; but the night was so clear that we could
+still see the chase, and most perseveringly we followed her.  The
+morning dawned, and there she was just ahead of us; and so well defined
+did every spar and sail appear in the clear atmosphere, that I could
+scarce persuade myself that she was far beyond the range of our guns.
+She had, indeed, rather increased than diminished her distance from us.
+At the same rate, unless the breeze failed her, and favoured us, she
+must finally escape from us.  Approaching the evening, some low wooded
+land appeared ahead, towards which she was steering.
+
+"What can she intend to do now?"  I asked of Fairburn.
+
+"She intends to run between a number of low coral islands, which form
+the land you see ahead, and so expects to escape us," he answered.  "The
+navigation is very difficult, and very dangerous for a stranger; but Van
+Graoul knows them well, and if she goes in we can follow."
+
+"By all means, let us follow them," I exclaimed.  "Everything makes me
+think that must be the _Emu_."
+
+"I wish that I could be certain," said Fairburn.  "We have a longer
+cruise before us."
+
+I asked Van Graoul the name of the islets scattered about in a long line
+before us.
+
+"They are called the Pater Nosters, because strangers are apt to say
+their Pater Nosters when they happen to find themselves among them in
+bad weather," he answered.
+
+The day was clear and the sea smooth; but I could suppose that in thick
+weather they must be very dangerous.  The brig stood boldly on, with all
+sail set; and as we saw her, she seemed about to run directly on shore.
+Our glasses were continually fixed on her.  One moment she was before
+us--the next she had disappeared.  An exclamation of surprise escaped
+from many of the crew.
+
+"Hello! where's the stranger?" cried one.
+
+"Why, if she don't beat the _Flying Dutchman_!" exclaimed another.
+
+"I thought no good of her when I saw her up-helm and run away from us as
+she did," said a third, a Yankee, who was one of the oracles of the
+crew.
+
+Van Graoul laughed.  "We shall soon get a sight of her again," he said;
+"she will get becalmed among the trees, or will find the wind baffling,
+when we, with our fore and aft sails shall have the advantage."
+
+The breeze still held, and my heart beat quick at the thoughts of what
+was going to occur.  At last we approached the land, or rather the
+islands.  They stretched away for miles before us on either side, for we
+appeared to be near the centre of the group.  The highest were not more
+than five or six feet out of the water; but the greater number were only
+two or three feet, and some were scarcely as many inches above it, and
+it seemed extraordinary that the waves should not wash completely over
+them.  That they did not do so, even in rough weather, was evident from
+the thick groves of cocoa-nut, palm, and other tropical trees, which
+grew on them, while a bright sand, on which were strewed numberless
+beautiful shells, fringed their borders.
+
+Van Graoul now showed some of his good qualities.  Hands were stationed
+at the bowsprit end, each fore-yard arm, and the mast-head, to keep a
+bright look-out for the coral ridges, which had not yet shown themselves
+above water, while he stood forward where he could be seen by the
+helmsman, ready to direct him in the devious course we were about to
+pursue.  I had had too recent a lesson of the dangers of coral reefs not
+to feel anxious as I found myself again among them.  Coral islands have
+always struck me as one of the most interesting curiosities of nature.
+A minute marine insect builds up from the bottom of the sea the solid
+foundation.  The waves break the summit into sand.  The birds of the air
+come and rest there, and bring seeds, which in time spring up and decay,
+till a soil is formed to give nourishment to more lofty trees, such as
+we now saw before us.  We shot in between a narrow opening with the
+water of the deepest blue on either side.  All hands were at their
+stations.  Fairburn acted as quarter-master, ready to repeat our pilot's
+signals.  It was a nervous time: now we seemed rushing on against a bank
+of trees, and directly we turned to the right hand or to the left,
+through another opening, the termination of which was completely hidden
+from our sight; and had I not felt confidence in Van Graoul, I should
+have fancied that we were running into a blind passage, without another
+outlet.  On looking out astern, I found that we had completely lost
+sight of the sea, and thus were on every side surrounded by trees and
+reefs.  A stranger would, indeed, have found no little difficulty in
+getting out of the place, had he ever by any wonderful chance managed to
+get into it.  Still on we flew.
+
+"Now," exclaimed Van Graoul triumphantly, "we shall see directly; and if
+I mistake not, we shall not be far astern of her."
+
+Soon after he spoke we shot past a thickly-wooded point, and emerged
+into open, lake-like expanse.  I saw his countenance fall.  The stranger
+was nowhere to be seen.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY.
+
+Everybody on board experienced a feeling of blank disappointment, as in
+vain we looked in the hopes of seeing the royals of the brig appearing
+above the trees.  Either Van Graoul had miscalculated her distance from
+us, or she had taken some other passage; or, as Dick Harper the Yankee
+seaman observed, she was in truth the _Flying Dutchman_.  At all events
+it appeared that we had run into a most dangerous position, to very
+little purpose.  Should the brig be the pirate, and still be concealed
+somewhere in the neighbourhood--if we brought up, she might at night
+attack us with her boats; and though we might beat them off, we might
+not escape loss, and at the same time be as far from our object as ever.
+We had no time for deliberation--our course must now be ahead, so we
+stood across the lake-like expanse I have spoken of, where as much
+caution as before was necessary; for it was full of reefs, and in
+another quarter of an hour we were again threading the labyrinth-like
+canals, from which we had before emerged.  Every instant I hoped to come
+upon the chase, but still as we sailed on she eluded us.
+
+His attention was too much occupied to allow me to keep him in
+conversation and I saw he was as much vexed as I was at the escape of
+the stranger.  Little Ungka seemed the most surprised of any one at
+finding himself among trees; but he showed no disposition to quit his
+friends on board the schooner, even for the sake of being lord of all he
+surveyed.  For two hours we stood on; sometimes the channels between the
+islands widened, and here we crossed broad sounds, but did not attempt
+to go down any of them, as their entrances, Van Graoul said, were full
+of dangerous shoals.  We glided on; and I began to think that we were
+never to be clear of this wooded labyrinth; for, curious and beautiful
+as it might be under other circumstances, I wanted once more to have a
+clear sight around me.
+
+"Starboard!" cried Fairburn, as our pilot waved his hand on one side,
+and the head of the schooner deviated to the left.
+
+"Port!"
+
+"Port it is," repeated the helmsman, and her head turned towards a
+channel to the right.  The wind now came on her quarter, now on her
+beam, according to the turnings of the channels; and I was afraid,
+sometimes, that it would come ahead.  It, however, never baffled us; and
+at length, at the end of a broader passage than usual, the unbroken line
+of the horizon appeared before us.  The seamen welcomed it almost with a
+shout, for few like this sort of navigation.  I proposed to Van Graoul
+that we should anchor before we emerged altogether from among the
+islands, so as to explore them more carefully in the boats, in case the
+brig should be still hid among them.  Fairburn approved of my idea; and
+shortening sail immediately, we brought up in a little bay among the
+trees, by which the vessel was completely hid.  Fairburn and the second
+mate, Barlow, volunteered for this service; and urged me so strongly to
+remain on board with Van Graoul that I consented.
+
+Fairburn first pulled out to sea, so that he might take a look all
+round; but coming back, he reported that there was no appearance
+anywhere of a sail to the southward; so that, if the stranger had gone
+through the group, she must have passed out somewhere to the northward.
+While the boats were away we sent a hand to watch from the highest tree
+at the farthest point of land to the south, if any vessel made her
+appearance from among the islands.  Hour after hour passed away, and the
+boats did not return.  The sun went down, and darkness came on; and at
+last I began to grow anxious about them.  Van Graoul lighted his pipe,
+and sat on the deck, puffing away with more energy than usual.
+
+"There is no fear," he remarked.  "I did not expect them before morning;
+and if the brig is where I advised Fairburn to look for her, there is
+better chance of finding her in the dark than in the daylight without
+their being discovered."
+
+Of course I could not turn in.  Van Graoul and I held each other in
+conversation, while we kept a bright look-out on every side.  It was the
+morning watch, when I heard a hail--it seemed like the voice of a
+stranger; it came nearer; there was another hail, and to my great
+satisfaction Fairburn and Barlow pulled alongside.  They had seen
+nothing of the brig; and we were all very much puzzled to know what had
+become of her.  The next morning we weighed, and stood out to sea.
+Never was a brighter look-out kept for a prize than we kept for the
+reappearance of the stranger; but to little purpose, beyond convincing
+ourselves that there was no probability of her appearing.  For two days
+we cruised in the neighbourhood of the islands, clear of the reefs, and
+at length once more stood on our course.
+
+There was much discussion on board as to what the stranger was--where
+she had come from--where she was going--and why, if she was honest, she
+ran away from us.  The general notion among the crew was that she was
+something strange and supernatural.
+
+"If not the _Flying Dutchman_, which could scarcely be the case seeing
+the latitude we are in," said Dick Harper with oracular authority,
+"she's near akin to the chap, that you may depend on, for no other would
+have been for to go for to play us such a trick as he has been doing;
+and for that matter, messmates, look ye here--he may be the Dutchman
+himself; for if he can cruise about as they say he does, I don't see no
+reason why he shouldn't take it into his head just to come down into
+these parts to have a look at some of his kindred, instead of knocking
+eternally off and about the Cape, which no longer belongs to them, d'ye
+see.  To my mind, it's just as well we had nothing to do with the
+fellow; he'd have played us some scurvy trick, depend on't."
+
+This most philosophical explanation seemed to satisfy the ship's
+company; and as the officers had no better one to offer, except that the
+stranger had got into the open sea again by some passage unknown to
+them, they said nothing on the subject.
+
+It served as a matter of discussion for a long time afterwards.  We made
+but little progress, for the wind was light, and often it fell almost
+calm, while the weather became very hot and sultry.
+
+One morning, when I came on deck, I found that we were lying becalmed.
+The sea was as smooth as glass, but it could not be called level; for
+ever and anon there came a slow rising swell, which made the little
+craft rock from side to side, and the sails flap with a loud irregular
+sound against the masts, as if they were angry at having nothing to do,
+and wished to remind the wind to fulfil its duty.  The sun shone out of
+the sky, without a cloud to temper its heat, and its rays made one side
+of the ocean shine like molten gold.  Every one was suffering more or
+less from the lassitude produced by excessive heat; the pitch was
+bubbling up from the seams of the deck; a strong, hot, burning smell
+pervaded the vessel; the chickens in the hencoops hung their heads and
+forgot to cackle; the ducks refused to quack, and sat with their bills
+open, gasping for breath; the pig lay down, as if about to yield up the
+ghost; and even Ungka, who generally revelled in a fine hot sun, and
+selected the warmest place on board, now looked out for a shady spot,
+and sat with his paws over his head to keep it cool.  The bulkheads
+groaned, the booms creaked against the masts, every particle of grease
+being speedily absorbed; while, if the hand touched a piece of metal, it
+felt as if heated by the fire.  Two of the youngsters of the crew were
+actually amusing themselves by frying a slice of meat on a bit of tin
+exposed to the sun.  As one looked along the deck, one could see the
+heat-mist playing over every object, on which the eye rested.  If it is
+hot thus early in the day, what will it become by noon, we thought,
+unless a breeze spring up to cool us?  However, no breeze did spring up,
+and hotter and hotter it grew, if possible, till Dick Harper declared we
+should all be roasted, and become a fat morsel for one of the big
+sea-serpents which were known to frequent those seas.  We got an awning
+spread, and breakfasted on deck, for below it was insupportable; and
+though we none of us starved ourselves, we were unable to do the ample
+justice we generally did to the viands.  Van Graoul lighted his pipe,
+and leaning back in his chair, watched the smoke, with calm composure,
+ascending in a perpendicular column above his nose.  Fairburn kept his
+eye carefully ranging round the horizon, to look out for any signs of
+coming wind; for we could not but suspect that this calm was the
+forerunner of a hurricane, or a gale of wind of some sort.  I tried to
+read; but I found that reading was impossible.  It was even difficult to
+carry on a conversation with any degree of briskness.  Hour after hour
+slowly passed away, and there was no change in the weather, when a sound
+struck our ears which suddenly aroused us all from our apathy.
+
+"A gun!" exclaimed Fairburn; "and a heavy one too--"
+
+"There's another--and another," we repeated in chorus.
+
+"De pirates of Sooloo or Borneo attacking some merchant vessel,"
+observed Van Graoul.
+
+"Can it be the _Emu_ engaged with a man-of-war, by any possibility?"  I
+asked, my thoughts always naturally recurring to her.
+
+"There are too many guns, and the firing is too brisk for that,"
+remarked Fairburn.  "More likely some Dutch men-of-war, or perhaps some
+of the Company's cruisers engaged with a fleet of prahus."
+
+"Where do you make out the firing to come from?"  I asked, rather
+puzzled myself to say from what direction the sounds proceeded.
+
+"From the southward," he answered.  "Some of the sounds seem so loud,
+that if it were night, I should say we ought to see the flashes; but
+that arises, I expect, from the peculiar state of the atmosphere."
+
+"I wish we had a breeze, to be able to get up to see what it is all
+about," I exclaimed.
+
+"It is one great puzzle," observed Van Graoul sagaciously, as he re-lit
+his pipe, and puffed away as before.
+
+Again all was quiet for the space of an hour; and we, of course, fancied
+that the engagement had been concluded, and that we should have no
+chance of helping our friends.  The general opinion was, that a large
+force of Malay pirates had been attacked by some European ships of war.
+While we were discussing the matter, we were again startled by a louder
+report than ever, followed by several others in rapid succession.
+
+"Did you not fancy that you felt the vessel shake under our feet?"  I
+asked; for, soon after the loudest report, I thought the schooner was
+lifted up and let down suddenly, in a very unusual way.
+
+"Yes; if I did not know that we were in deep water, I should have
+thought she had struck on a shoal," replied Van Graoul.
+
+"Are you certain that we are in deep water?" asked Fairburn with
+emphasis.  "We'll see what the lead says."
+
+Van Graoul smiled.  "I am not offended, Fairburn, though some might be;
+but you'll find I'm right."
+
+"I hope so," replied Fairburn; "but a current might be drifting us
+faster than we expected."  The lead was hove, deep water was found all
+round.  "I cannot make it out," exclaimed Fairburn.
+
+"Nor I," said Van Graoul, as he puffed away with his pipe.  "Some ship
+blown up; or perhaps a score of prahus."
+
+Again the sound of firing was heard rolling away in the distance.
+
+"It must be off Sourabaya, or Lombok, or perhaps as far away as Bali,"
+remarked Fairburn, listening attentively.  "Sometimes I fancy it comes
+from the eastward, and may be away at Combobo, or Floris.  Over a calm
+sea sounds travel a great distance."
+
+"I cannot help thinking that there must be some engagement on shore
+between the Dutch troops and the natives of some of those islands.  They
+now and then are fond of making a disturbance," said Barlow, the second
+mate.
+
+"No, no; there was no chance of anything of the sort," answered Van
+Graoul.  "That firing, if firing it is, comes from the sea, I tell you."
+
+The evening was now approaching, and still the mystery was not solved.
+At distant intervals, we continued to hear the sound of firing; but when
+darkness came on, we could nowhere see the flashes of the guns, as we
+expected.  A light breeze at length sprung up from the eastward; but it
+was still hot and oppressive, and it in no way refreshed us.  Anxious to
+discover, if possible, the cause of the firing, we trimmed sails and
+stood to the southward; but with the light air there was blowing we made
+but little way.  The night appeared very long.  I turned in for a couple
+of hours, but the heat soon again drove me on deck.  When daylight
+appeared, we were on the look-out, almost expecting to see some of the
+vessels which had been engaged the previous day; but as the sun arose
+there was nothing in sight but the deep blue silent sea on three sides,
+and to the south the lofty hills of a large island, and at one end the
+peaks of a mountain towering over the rest.  There was, instead of the
+bright, pure, clear atmosphere which generally exists at that hour, a
+very peculiar lurid glare, which, as the sun rolled upwards in his
+course, increased in intensity, till the sky became of almost a copper
+hue.  Fairburn had gone aloft with his glass, to satisfy himself more
+fully as to there being anything in sight from the point where the
+firing had proceeded.  He now returned on deck.
+
+"I cannot make it out," he remarked.  "After all, I am not so certain
+that it was firing we heard.  Away to the southward, there is a dense
+black cloud which seems rising rapidly, as if it would cover all the
+sky."
+
+We looked in the direction he indicated; and there, even while he was
+speaking, we observed the approach of a cloud, or rather I should call
+it a dense mist, so completely without break of any sort did it occupy
+the whole horizon.  It looked like an opaque mass of some substance,
+borne onward by some invisible power towards us.  Van Graoul, whose
+equanimity nothing extraordinary could disturb, likened it to the wall
+of China painted black, and taking a cruise to the southward.
+
+"Is there any wind in it, do you think?" asked Fairburn.  "It does not
+seem to ruffle the surface."
+
+"No wind, I think," said Van Graoul; "but better shorten sail; the
+canvas does no good."
+
+Such also was Fairburn's opinion, and accordingly the schooner was made
+snug to meet the hurricane should it arrive.
+
+The crew were clustering in groups on deck watching the strange
+appearance, and in suppressed voices asking each other what it could
+mean.  The more nervous already began to give way to fear; and the
+bravest were not altogether free from apprehension that some awful
+catastrophe was about to occur.  The Javanese declared that it portended
+great convulsions in their country, and perhaps the overthrow of the
+ruling powers.  Some of the more credulous of the seamen began to
+connect it, in some way or other, with the sudden disappearance of the
+strange brig.
+
+"I knowed it would be so," muttered Dick Harper.  "I never yet heard of
+any one coming across those fly-away, never-find-me sort of chaps we met
+t'other day, but what was sure to get into mischief afore long."
+
+These, and similar observations, according to the temper and the natural
+prejudices of the speakers, by degrees spread an undefined apprehension
+of evil among all the crew; and fellows who, I believe, would have faced
+any known danger, and struggled manfully with death to the last, were
+now full of fear, and ready to be startled at the sound of a gun, or
+even the flap of a sail.  On came the dark mass, as it approached
+assuming a dusky red appearance, which much increased its terrors.  In a
+short time it covered the whole sky, and a darkness deeper than night
+came on.  There was only one clear space, just like a gleam of light,
+seen at the end of a cavern, and that was away to the eastward, whence
+the light wind then blowing came; and even that was growing narrower and
+narrower.  The darkness increased; the hearts of all of us, I believe,
+sunk; the light in the east, our last ray of hope, which till now had
+tended somewhat to cheer our spirits, totally disappeared, and we all
+began to feel that death, in some horrible, undefined shape, might
+speedily be our lot.  It was dark before, as dark as night, but still we
+might have made out a vessel at the distance of a quarter of a mile; now
+we could scarcely see the length of the schooner.  We were, when the
+darkness began, to the best of our knowledge, some distance from any
+land, or reefs, or shoals, and we trusted that no current might be
+carrying us towards any dangers, for we were utterly unable to protect
+ourselves against them.
+
+The vessel's head was now put about, that we might stand off, the sail
+being reduced so as to leave sufficient only to give her steerage way,
+that, should any heavy wind overtake us, we might be prepared to receive
+it.  Our light was utterly unavailing, for darker and darker still grew
+the atmosphere, till, without exaggeration, we were unable to see our
+hands held up before our faces; and it was through our voices alone that
+we were able to recognise each other.
+
+"Is there a chance of any wind?"  I asked of Fairburn, near whom I was
+standing.  I thought how awful a storm would be in such darkness.
+
+"It is possible, I think," he replied.  "At the same time, I fear no
+storm with this little craft."
+
+We were still in doubt as to the cause of the awful phenomenon which was
+taking place, when, as I happened to touch the companion hatch, I found
+that it was gritty, as if covered with dust, while our lips and eyes
+informed us that a shower of light subtle ashes was falling--the deck
+being soon covered with a thick coating of them.
+
+"What do you now think causes the darkness?" demanded Fairburn of Van
+Graoul; for we were all three standing together round the companion
+hatch.
+
+"One burning mountain.  It is Tomboro, in Sumbawa; the land we saw in
+the morning away to the south," he replied in his usual calm tone.  "I
+thought so some time ago; but I said nothing, because I was not
+certain."
+
+"A burning mountain!"  I exclaimed.  "Could ashes have caused the
+intense darkness which hangs over us?"
+
+"Oh yes; but we shall have something worse before long," he observed
+coolly.  "Ah, I thought so, here it comes."
+
+Even while he was speaking, a loud rushing noise was heard--the sea
+seemed to be bubbling and foaming up around us, and in an instant the
+schooner heeled over to her bulwarks, and appeared to be driving
+furiously onward over the water, as if she was about to go over never to
+rise again.  Fairburn seized his speaking-trumpet, and shouted forth his
+orders to the crew.  The helm was put up; the after-sail was taken off
+the vessel, and the jib shown for an instant.
+
+"She pays off! she pays off!" was shouted by the crew, as her head was
+felt to turn away from the wind, and she once more rose on an even keel.
+Then on she flew, like a sea-bird before the furious blast, through the
+darkness.
+
+"Where are we driving to?" we asked ourselves.  "While we had abundance
+of sea-room we were safe.  Now, who can say what will be our fate?"
+
+Fairburn ordered a lamp for the binnacle; a sickly light was thrown on
+the compass.  He rushed below.  A glance at the chart showed that we
+were then driving towards the western end of Sumbawa.  Van Graoul and I
+followed him.
+
+"Can we weather it and get into Allass Straits?"  I asked, as I pointed
+to the chart.
+
+The Dutchman shook his head.  "There are rocks and islands off there
+which we cannot see; we may slip through them by chance, but we must not
+reckon on it," he answered.
+
+We returned on deck.  The wind blew more furiously than ever, the
+darkness also seemed increased.  We stood prepared for our fate.  We had
+done all that men could do.  Then I remembered the last words of my kind
+guardian, "Never despair, for God is everywhere."  I repeated it to my
+companions.  It gave us courage and confidence, for we felt that we were
+in His hands.  From mouth to mouth it was passed with reverence along
+the decks; and even the rough seamen, unaccustomed to pray, felt its
+force and truth.  On, on we drove, the water dashed and foamed around
+us, the wind howled through the rigging.  For an instant there was a
+lull, then down again came the blast upon us.  The compass told that it
+had again shifted, and was now blowing from the north.  If it held so,
+it would shorten the time before the catastrophe must occur.  Every
+moment the sea became more agitated, and the broken waves leaped up and
+washed over our decks, as if we were running through a troubled race.
+
+"How far-off are we from the shore, think you?"  I asked of Fairburn, in
+as calm a voice as I could command.
+
+"Still some distance," he replied vaguely.  "The wind may shift before
+we reach it."
+
+I cannot hope to convey a distinct idea of the inky blackness of the
+atmosphere, the howling of the whirlwinds, and the roaring of the waves,
+as, utterly unable to help ourselves, we drove furiously onward.  In a
+few hours, or in a few minutes even, where should we be?  Again, before
+we could answer the question, the wind changed, with redoubled force it
+seemed.  It came off the land, whirling us round before it.  Its force
+seemed to drive back the waves to their proper level.  On a sudden,
+without a moment's warning, the topsail gave a flap against the mast,
+the schooner rocked to and fro in the yet troubled sea, and then all was
+still, and the schooner floated calmly, as in a sheltered harbour, on
+the water.
+
+"This is wonderful.  What is going to occur next?"  I exclaimed.
+
+"Perhaps the wind is just taking a rest," observed Van Graoul.
+
+We waited in expectation of again feeling the fury of the blast, and
+anxiously looked at the compass to see from what quarter it came.  While
+our eyes were trying to pierce the darkness, as if we could discover the
+coming danger, a bright light burst on them from the south.  Never was a
+spectacle of a like nature, more awful yet more magnificent, beheld.
+The darkness for an instant cleared away, and we saw, but a few miles
+distant it seemed, a lofty mountain.  From its broad summit there burst
+forth three distinct columns of flame.  They thus rose to an enormous
+height, and then, their summits uniting in one, they seemed to contend
+with each other, twisting and intertwining together, till their crests
+broke into a mass of fiery foam, and expanded over the heavens.  Now and
+then a still larger quantity of flame would burst forth, and darting
+upwards for many thousand feet, would fall in burning streams to the
+earth.  Other streams also burst forth and flowed down the sides of the
+mountain, till the whole side towards us seemed one mass of liquid fire.
+
+Although we were some miles distant, the light from the burning mountain
+cast a lurid glare on the hull and rigging of the schooner; and as we
+looked at each other, our faces shone as if formed of some red-hot metal
+rather than of flesh, while the whole expanse of sea between us and the
+land seemed a mass of molten copper.  An artist would have delighted to
+paint the wondering countenances of the seamen, some still full of
+doubts and fears; the various attitudes in which they stood transfixed;
+the many tints of their skins, from the dark hues of the Javanese and
+Malays, in their picturesque costume, to the fair colour of the
+Europeans, in the ordinary dress in which English and American seamen
+delight, now blended into one line.
+
+All this time the loud reports continued to be heard; but knowing their
+cause, they no longer appeared to us like those of cannon.  Almost as
+suddenly as the awful spectacle had been exhibited to our eyes, it was
+once more obscured by the dense masses of cinders, and even of stone,
+which filled the sky and fell around us.
+
+The wind returned, as before, from the east; and, to avoid the fiery
+shower, we stood away to the northward.  It was in vain to hope to
+escape it altogether.  The stones which fell decreased in size, but the
+ashes came as thick as before, and the explosions continued at
+intervals.  To what had at first appeared so terrific, we had now got
+accustomed, and the fears even of the most superstitious of the seamen
+subsided; but still the Javanese were not to be dissuaded from the
+belief that some wonderful change was to take place in the affairs of
+their country.  We put an awning over the deck to shelter ourselves
+somewhat from the ashes; but the finer portion drove under it, and
+filled every crevice, while we kept the people constantly employed in
+shovelling them overboard.  Thus hours passed on, till we began to think
+that we should never again see the bright light of the sun.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
+
+For a whole night longer we lay exposed to the shower of ashes; and
+though we were standing away from their source, they in no perceptible
+way diminished in density.  At length, at the hour the sun should appear
+once more in the east, a light gleamed forth, the ashes grew less dense,
+and daylight once more gladdened our eyes.  On examining the ashes, they
+had the appearance of calcined pumice-stone, nearly of the colour of
+wood ashes.  In many places on the deck they lay a foot thick.  They
+were perfectly tasteless, and had no smell of sulphur, though there was
+a slight burnt odour from them.  We now stood back towards Sumbawa, as,
+with the wind from the eastward, it was the only course we could steer.
+As we approached it, we saw right ahead a shoal several miles in length,
+with several black rocks on it.
+
+Van Graoul was puzzled in the extreme.  "I never heard of that shoal
+before," he observed; and, on examining the chart, none was marked down.
+
+The lead gave us no bottom where we then were.  The shoal, we agreed,
+must have been thrown up by the earthquake.  We stood on till we were
+within half a mile of it, and then Fairburn lowered a boat and went to
+examine it.  He pulled on till the boat, instead of grounding as we
+expected, went into the midst of it.  It proved to be a complete mass of
+pumice-stone floating on the sea, some inches in depth, with great
+numbers of trees and logs, which had the appearance of having been burnt
+and shivered by lightning.  We passed several similar floating islands;
+and on one occasion got so completely surrounded by a mass of ashes,
+that we had no little difficulty in forcing our way through it, fearful
+every instant of encountering some log which might injure the vessel.
+At last the Tomboro mountain hove in sight.  We passed it about six
+miles off.  The summit was not visible, being enveloped in clouds of
+smoke and ashes.  The sides were, in several places, still smoking,
+evidently from the lava which had flowed down them not yet having
+cooled; and one large stream was discernible from the smoke arising from
+it, and which had reached all the way from the summit to the sea.
+Beating along the coast, we entered a bay where there was good
+anchorage, and on going on shore we heard sad accounts of the ruin the
+irruption had caused.  The whirlwind had destroyed whole villages,
+rooted up trees, and thrown the vessels and prahus at anchor in the
+harbour on the shore, aided by the sea, which rose at the same time;
+while the ashes had ruined the crops, and the stones, and rocks, and
+streams of lava had killed many thousands of the inhabitants.
+Afterwards I learned that the explosions had been heard at Sumatra, 970
+miles from Tomboro, and that the ashes had fallen thickly near Macasa,
+217 miles from the mountain.  The unfortunate inhabitants of the island
+suffered afterwards greatly from famine, their yearly supply of food
+being totally lost.
+
+The wind coming more from the northward, we shaped our course for Dilli,
+in Timor, on the chance of there hearing of the _Emu_.  We kept a
+constant look-out night and day for her, but not a sail hove in sight.
+In five days we reached Dilli, which is a Portuguese settlement on the
+north-west coast of Timor.  A Portuguese naval officer boarded us in the
+outer roads, and piloted us through a narrow channel to the inner roads.
+It is a wretched-looking place; and the houses, small, dirty, and
+ruinous, were scattered without any order or symmetry in all directions.
+Van Graoul, who could speak Portuguese, landed with me, as I wished to
+pay my respects to the Governor.  On each side of the town were two
+half-ruinous forts, on which were mounted some old iron guns of small
+calibre.  The sentinels were but a quarter clothed, and certainly not in
+uniform, for not two were alike.  The only point in which most agreed,
+was in being destitute of shoes.  Some had one shoe and a boot, others
+had sandals, and others wore wisps of straw wrapped round their feet,
+but the greater number stood on their bare soles.  Many were without
+jackets, some had no trousers, a sort of kilt serving the purpose, made
+of every variety of material.  Military hats or caps were a rarity.
+Some left their bare heads exposed to the sun; others covered them with
+handkerchiefs, straw hats, or mere turbans of straw; while the greatest
+number of their muskets had no locks, the only serviceable arms which
+all possessed being a long knife or dagger, stuck in a belt by their
+sides.
+
+The Governor was taking his siesta when we arrived, and we had to walk
+up and down in the sun, in front of his dwelling, a miserable
+tumble-down cottage, for two hours, before any one ventured to arouse
+him.  At length we were admitted into his presence.  We found him
+sitting in a room without a matting; a few chairs and benches forming
+its only furniture.  He was rubbing his eyes as we entered, as if not
+yet awake, and in a sleepy tone he inquired our business.  What Van
+Graoul told him I do not know; but his manner instantly became very
+polite, and bowing towards me, he motioned me to be seated.  Van Graoul,
+who acted as interpreter, said he would be happy to do anything I
+wished; that if the _Emu_ came into the harbour, he should have the
+satisfaction of blowing her to pieces; that he had heard of her
+depredations, but that no Portuguese cruisers had met with her, or her
+fate would have been sealed; that he would supply me with cattle and
+provisions, or anything from his stores; and that if I happened to have
+a fancy to purchase any slaves, he should be happy to do a little
+business in that way also.  I found afterwards that the Governor and all
+the government officers trafficked in slaves, and that some fitted out
+vessels to run to the Australian coasts, or to those of New Guinea, to
+pick up a supply for their market.
+
+In addition to the slave trade, a commerce is carried on in wax and
+sandal-wood, which the natives are forced to deliver up at a small and
+almost nominal price.  The Governor and his officials allow no one else
+but themselves to embark in trade, greatly to the disgust of the natives
+and Chinese, who expressed a strong wish to be freed from the yoke of
+such a people.  This information was received from Van Graoul, who was a
+Dutchman, it must be remembered, and certainly prejudiced against the
+Portuguese.  We parted, however, on excellent terms.  I sent the
+Governor a box of cigars; and he in return sent us off some sheep and
+shaddocks.
+
+We now steered for the Dutch settlement of Coupang, to the south of
+Timor.  As we sailed along the coast, we observed a number of ridges of
+lofty mountains, some of which appeared to be a great distance in the
+interior.  The country behind Coupang rises to the height of five
+hundred feet, the higher hills being covered with woods, the lower with
+cocoa-nut trees.  On a cliff above the town is the fort of Concordia,
+and near it a brook, just deep enough to float small prahus for a few
+yards.  East of it is the town, which consists of two principal streets,
+running parallel with the beach for about a quarter of a mile, with two
+small irregular streets crossing them.  The houses near the sea are
+simply small shops, belonging to Chinese.  Behind the town is an open
+space of grass, shaded by fine tamarind trees, with the Governor's house
+on one side; and some roads run up thence to some good houses belonging
+to Europeans, and to some clusters of huts inhabited by Malays.  While
+we were there, the stream was always occupied by people either bathing
+or washing their clothes.  I remember also a valley full of cocoa-nut
+trees, bamboos, bananas, and tamarinds; but beyond, the country had
+somewhat of an arid appearance.  The current coin of the country was of
+copper, called a _doit_, the value of one sixth of a penny.  By my
+notes, I see that I entered a schoolhouse, where a very intelligent man
+was instructing a large number of Malay children in the Christian
+religion, and in useful knowledge, with, I understood, most satisfactory
+success.  The native Timorese are a frizzle-haired race, who live in
+rude huts, roofed with palm-leaves, attend but little to agriculture,
+and are addicted to cutting off the heads of their enemies in battle,
+and carrying them away as trophies like the Dyaks of Borneo.
+
+The Governor received me very politely; and, from the inquiries he
+enabled me to make, I felt very certain that the _Emu_ had visited the
+place at the time described by the Chinese pedlar Chin Fi.  What had
+afterwards become of her no one knew.  There were rumours, however, that
+a suspicious sail had been seen in the neighbourhood of the Serwatty and
+Tenimber Islands, while others spoke of the Arru Islands, and the
+western coast of New Guinea.  For want of better information to guide
+us, we resolved accordingly to cruise among them, and to prosecute our
+inquiries of the inhabitants.  A large part of the population of the
+Serwatty and Tenimber Islands have, through the instrumentality of the
+Dutch missionaries, become Christians.
+
+The first place we touched at was the island of Kessa, at an anchorage
+not far from the chief village, called Mama.  As the people are much
+addicted to trade with all the neighbouring islands, I was in hopes that
+we might here possibly gain the information I required.  We were much
+amused with the costume in which the people assembled to attend church
+the day we were there.  Some wore old-fashioned coats with wide sleeves
+and broad skirts; others garments of the same description, but of a more
+modern cut; while the remainder were clad in long black kaligas, or
+loose coats, the usual dress of native Christians.  The costume of those
+who were clad in the old-fashioned coats, was completed by short
+breeches, shoes with enormous buckles, and three-cornered hats.  Many of
+the women wore old Dutch chintz gowns, or jackets, the costume of the
+remainder being the native sarong and kabya.  The heads of the women
+were adorned with ornaments of gold and precious stones; but the men
+wore their long hair simply confined with a tortoise-shell comb.  They
+appeared a very simple-minded, amiable people.  I was much struck by the
+course of instruction adopted at the schools, where all the children
+under ten years of age assembled to learn the rudiments of Christianity,
+and reading and writing.  Yet these people, we in England should call
+savages.  Can we boast that the children of our poor are so well cared
+for?
+
+We could here gain no intelligence of the _Emu_, so we again sailed.  At
+another island we touched at, called Lette, we found one portion of the
+aborigines converted to Christianity; and the remainder, who were still
+heathens, serving them willingly as persons of a superior order.  The
+people are tall and well formed, with light brown complexions, pointed
+noses, high foreheads, hair black, though rendered yellow by rubbing in
+a composition of lime.  It is confined by a bamboo comb.  The men wear
+no other clothing than a piece of cloth made from the bark of a tree
+wrapped round the waist.  The women, in addition, wear a sort of kabya,
+or short gown, open in front.  They worship a wooden idol in human
+shape, placed on a square heap of stones, under a large tree in the
+centre of the village.  We were visited by a number of chiefs, who came
+in lightly constructed prahus, with high stems and sterns, and awnings
+of palm-leaves raised over them.  One of their chiefs was clad after the
+fashion of the seventeenth century.  He wore a large wig, a
+three-cornered hat, short breeches, with large knee-buckles, and a coat
+with wide sleeves, ruffles, and spacious skirts, while on his feet he
+had high shoes with heavy silver buckles.  He was evidently perfectly
+satisfied that he was in the fashion.  During a stroll I took into the
+interior, I observed a number of bees' nests hanging from the branches
+of the high trees, some of which were more than two feet in
+circumference.  The wax and honey are collected with very little
+difficulty; and the bees, when driven from their nests, generally build
+another on the same tree.
+
+It will be impossible for me to mention a tenth part of the curious
+sights we saw, or the number of places we visited.  For several weeks we
+were engaged in running from island to island, among the numerous groups
+which are to be found between Java and the coast of New Guinea.  At
+length we reached the Arru Islands, and entered the port of Dobbo, which
+is a place of considerable trade with the neighbouring countries, and
+much frequented by the Bugis and Macassars of Celebes.
+
+These islands export a considerable quantity of _trepang_,
+tortoise-shell, edible birds' nests, and pearls.  The trepang is a sort
+of sea-slug, which is dried and used by the Chinese to make soup.  The
+edible birds' nests are of a glutinous nature, and with but little
+taste, and are used for thickening soup.  They are considered a great
+delicacy.  The chief food of the people is the pith of the sago tree.
+The chief man among them is called Orang Kaya.  Their prahus are seventy
+feet long; their greatest beam not being more than ten feet, and they
+sit very low on the water.  The mass of the people are heathens; but
+some have been converted to Mahommedanism, and many to Christianity, the
+good effects of which are visible in their conduct.
+
+I invited a number of the chiefs to come on board, and had a feast
+prepared for them, as Van Graoul considered that it would be the very
+best way to gain their friendship, and to obtain the information I
+required.  We had a table spread on deck, and an awning stretched over
+it.  Fairburn sat at one end, and I at the other; and Van Graoul was
+placed at the centre, to act as interpreter for us both.  They ate
+prodigiously, and each man drank enough arrack to intoxicate any three
+Europeans, without appearing to feel the slightest ill effects from the
+spirit.  All of us made speeches, which were, without doubt, very
+complimentary; and when words failed us we supplied their places with
+signs and gesticulations, which did infinitely better, as they were far
+more generally understood.  At the conclusion of a toast I ordered the
+guns to be fired to give it due effect, when so surprised were our
+guests with the unexpected sound, that up they jumped as if electrified:
+some went overboard, not knowing what was to follow; others hid
+themselves under the table, and the rest tried to find their way below.
+They were, however, in no way offended, when they discovered that no one
+was hurt.  The clothes of those who had been in the water were speedily
+dried, and perfect harmony was restored.
+
+We lay here for some days, in order to refresh the crew, and to supply
+ourselves with wood, water, and fresh provisions.  I will not say that I
+began to despair of falling in with the _Emu_; but I was much
+disappointed in not finding her.  I had now been many months engaged in
+the search, and was still as far as ever, I supposed, from the success I
+wished for.  We expected the last of our stores on board during the day,
+and should immediately have sailed, when one morning a vessel was
+observed in the offing, standing towards the island.  We were curious to
+know what she could be, and were watching her approach.  Van Graoul made
+her out to be a brig; and as she drew near, we saw that she was a small,
+low black vessel, with the American ensign flying at her peak.  My heart
+beat with an extraordinary sensation of doubt and fear, as I saw her.
+
+"Fairburn," I exclaimed, touching his shoulder, "what do you think of
+that craft?  Does she not answer the description of the _Emu_?"
+
+"Indeed she does," he answered; "but she may not be the _Emu_; and if
+she is, your friends may not be on board her."
+
+"We will speedily learn," I exclaimed.  "Let us get under weigh, and go
+out and meet her."
+
+"Wait a bit," observed Van Graoul.  "Her people do not know who we are.
+Let her come in and drop her anchor; and when her people go on shore to
+amuse themselves, then we will go on board and see who they have got
+below."
+
+I at once saw the wisdom of this advice, and acceded to it.
+
+There was a fine breeze, and the stranger came boldly on with all sails
+set.  We, being close under the shore, and our hull being hidden by a
+spit of land, could see her without being ourselves discovered.  There
+were two harbours where we lay, an outer and an inner one; and we were
+in hopes that she would come into the inner one and be entrapped.  To
+our great satisfaction, an Arrapara pilot went out to meet her; and we
+knew he would conduct her into the inner harbour.  It was a beautiful
+sight watching her as she skimmed along the surface, looking larger and
+larger as she approached.
+
+"What do you think of her now?  She must be the _Emu_!"  I exclaimed.
+
+"She may be," said Van Graoul; "but stop till we get her within range of
+our guns."
+
+She came quite close.  With our glasses we could even distinguish the
+people on board.  Some of our crew declared that she was the very brig
+which had so strangely escaped from us among the Pater Nosters.  On she
+came under full sail.  We were in hopes that she would come directly
+into the harbour, when just as she approached it her helm was put down,
+her yards braced up, her foresail backed to the mast; and while she lay
+to, a boat, which was lowered and manned, was seen to pull towards the
+shore.
+
+"Ah, she does not like to come where she may meet honest people,"
+observed Van Graoul.  "That looks suspicious."
+
+The boat was a large gig, pulled by six oars.  She came in, we thought,
+to reconnoitre.
+
+"Now, what do you think of seizing the boat, and holding the people as
+hostages till they deliver up the ladies?" exclaimed Fairburn.  "If she
+is honest, we shall run the risk of being accused of committing an act
+of piracy; but if she is the _Emu_, our object may thus easily be
+obtained."
+
+"By all means; let us seize her.  I would run every risk," I answered.
+
+"Yes; we will catch her, if we can," answered Van Graoul.
+
+Our boats were accordingly lowered and commanded.  Fairburn commanded
+one, and Barlow another, and I took a third, with the intention of
+endeavouring to cut her off, and capture her without bloodshed.  We lay
+in wait, eager for the word to shove off and go in chase.  If we found
+that we were mistaken, there would be no harm done.  The people in the
+boat would be a little astonished, and angry perhaps at being taken for
+pirates; but the importance of the object was worth the risk, and must
+serve as our excuse.  We got a spring also on our cable, and every
+preparation was made to get under weigh in an instant, and to make sail
+in chase, should the brig appear to have taken the alarm.  Van Graoul
+remained on board in command; and a hand was stationed aloft to watch
+the progress of the boat.  Our intention was, not to seize her till the
+last moment before her people landed, or while half were in the boat and
+the others actually stepping on shore.  On she came--those in her
+evidently either confident in their innocence, or unconscious of an
+enemy being near them.  The hull of the schooner lay concealed from any
+one in the outer part of the harbour.  Even were she seen, appearing to
+be quietly at anchor, with no one on her decks, she might, we hoped,
+fail to excite suspicion.  As the boat advanced, we slipped round on the
+opposite side of the schooner to conceal ourselves from her sight.  Her
+crew bent manfully to their oars.  In a short time longer we hoped she
+would be in our power.  The plan arranged was, that Fairburn and Barlow
+were to pull directly for her, while I was to proceed down towards the
+mouth of the harbour to intercept her, should she attempt to pull back
+before they reached her.  At first, we hoped that her people would not
+suspect that we had any intention of interfering with them.  She now had
+got so far up, that Van Graoul could see her from the deck; and he, with
+his glass in his hand, was the only person that appeared.
+
+"She comes on bravely," he exclaimed.  "Pull away, my lads.  Ah, you
+pull well!  We shall soon know what you are made of."  He was silent for
+a moment.  "Ah! she has ceased pulling!" he cried.  "They are suspicious
+of something.  Ah, they are pulling round!  It is the _Emu's_ boat.  Off
+they go again to the vessel.  After her; and you may give way, my lads,
+in earnest."
+
+There was no necessity for another order; we shoved off in a moment, and
+the men bending to their oars, away we all three went in chase.  At
+first, the stranger's boat was pulling leisurely enough; but when we
+were discovered, her crew gave way with all their strength, as if their
+lives depended on it.  This alone would have convinced us that the brig
+was the _Emu_; they probably suspecting the schooner to belong to the
+Dutch navy.  As we dashed out, we now saw to our chagrin, that the
+pirate's boat, for so I will call her, was ahead of us; that is, she was
+nearer towards the mouth of the harbour by the time we got into the
+fairway, while the brig, which had tacked, had now stood over to the
+opposite side to which we were.  This gave her a great advantage.  We
+cheered on our men, and they indeed gave way with a will.  I never had
+felt so excited.  My great object seemed near of attainment, should Eva
+and Mrs Clayton be on board the brig, and should we succeed in
+capturing the boat.  Every nerve was strained to the utmost.  I was
+influenced by the most powerful of feelings, and my crew zealously
+entered into them.  The pirates were working for their liberties and
+their lives.  The water flew hissing from the bows of the boat, and
+leaped in spray from the blades of our oars as they clove the surface.
+
+"Give way, my lads! give way!" was the cry we all uttered.  "Give way;
+we are gaining on them.  Huzza! huzza!"
+
+It was, however, a question whether we were really gaining on them.  Our
+excitement made us fancy we were.  We were armed all this time, it must
+be remembered; but we could not venture to fire on the boat, for
+although we had no doubt that the brig in the offing was the _Emu_, and
+that she belonged to her, we had not the proof the law requires.  The
+moment Van Graoul saw the pirate's boat turn tail, he slipped his cable,
+and, making sail, stood after us.  We had thus two chances.  If the boat
+got on board the brig before we could overtake her, we might still
+follow in the schooner with a prospect of success.  The boat held her
+own.  It became a matter of great doubt whether we should overtake her.
+An oar might break, or one of her crew might give in.  If we could have
+fired, we should probably have stopped her, by wounding one or more
+people.  As it was, we had our speed alone to depend on.  "Give way!
+give way, my lads!"  I heard Fairburn and Barlow shouting.  "Huzza! we
+are gaining on them! huzza! huzza!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
+
+The stranger brig seeing her boat pursued, tacked again and stood
+towards the shore.  As she drew near the mouth of the harbour, she must
+also have observed the _Fraulein_ running out after us; and this must
+have given her an idea of how matters were going on.  The people in the
+boat, in the meantime, either from seeing help so near at hand, or from
+growing weary, relaxed their efforts, and we were now evidently coming
+up with her.  There seemed, indeed, a good chance of our reaching her
+before she got alongside the brig.  Had we before had any doubt of the
+character of the stranger, he soon left us none; for, seeing his boat
+hard pressed, by keeping away for an instant he brought his broadside to
+bear, and let fly four guns at us.
+
+"Is that your game!" exclaimed Fairburn.  "We know you then, my fine
+fellow."  Standing up for an instant, he levelled a musket at the boat,
+and fired.  The shot struck her, but we could not see if any one was
+wounded; and the shot had the effect of exciting the people to fresh
+exertions.
+
+They found that we were in earnest, and were not likely to be stopped in
+our object by fear of consequences.  They once more drew ahead of us,
+and in three or four minutes we had the mortification of seeing them run
+alongside the brig, and leap on her deck, her way being scarcely
+stopped.  The falls were hooked on, and the boat was hoisted up.
+
+We darted on.  "A few more strokes and we shall be on board!"  I shouted
+to my men.  Fairburn and Barlow in like planner urged on their people.
+The brig had not yet again quite fetched away.  An ominous silence was
+kept on her decks.  The heads only of those who had hoisted in the boat
+were seen, and they and her crew disappeared as soon as the work was
+done, and the yards were braced up.  A solitary figure stood at the
+helm.  He was almost motionless, except that his bands moved the spokes
+of the wheel, and his eyes were turned aloft looking at the sails as
+they filled with the breeze.
+
+Fairburn had again loaded his musket.  He had observed the helmsman.  He
+lifted up his piece and fired.  I expected to see the brig fly up into
+the wind; but when the smoke cleared away, there stood the silent
+helmsman at his post, in the same attitude as before, and apparently
+uninjured.
+
+"Give way, my lads, and we shall be on board her!" we shouted.  A few
+strokes more, and our wish would have been accomplished; but just as I
+on the starboard side, and Fairburn on the port, were hooking on to the
+main-chains, a strong puff of wind filled the sail, the boat-hooks
+dropped in the water, and the black brig shot away from between us,
+while I fancied that I heard a shout of derisive laughter issuing from
+her decks.  I fully expected that she would have revenged herself by
+firing at us, but not another shot was discharged.  Silently and calmly
+she glided on, like a spirit of evil on the water.  The helmsman stood
+at his post; but as yet no one else had appeared.  Every instant the
+breeze freshened, and she rapidly flew away from us.
+
+We now turned our attention to the schooner, which Van Graoul was
+endeavouring to bring up to us; but although there was a strong wind
+outside the harbour, she as yet felt but little of it.  This, of course,
+gave the _Emu_, if _Emu_ she was, a great start.  It was, indeed, trying
+to me to see the mysterious vessel once more elude my grasp, at the very
+moment when I hoped to learn the fate of those so dear to me.
+
+"We will pull back into the harbour, so as to get on board where there
+is no wind, and not to stop her way when once she feels it," cried
+Fairburn; and we acted on his judicious advice.
+
+Shortly after we had hoisted in our boats, the _Fraulein_ got clear of
+the harbour, and bending over to the breeze, which now with full force
+filled her sails, she flew like an arrow after the chase.  The stranger
+had by this time got about two miles ahead; a distance, however, which,
+with the fast-sailing qualities of the _Fraulein_, might easily be
+passed over.  It were vain to attempt a description of my feelings as I
+walked the deck, while in pursuit of the pirate.
+
+"We must overtake her," I exclaimed.  "She cannot again escape us."
+
+"Don't be too sure," observed Van Graoul.  "She has slipped away from us
+before, and may do so again."
+
+She was then standing on a bowline to the northward, away from the land.
+We did not fire, for our shot would not have reached her; and thus
+silently, but with eager haste, we pursued our course.  All hands were
+on deck, watching her anxiously; the crew standing together in knots,
+and discussing the strangeness of her appearance.  The greater number
+were assembled and Dick Harper, their favourite oracle.  He shook his
+head very wisely when asked his opinion.
+
+"Do you see, shipmates," he observed, "she got away once from us when we
+thought we had hold of her; so there's no reason why she shouldn't slip
+out of our sight again.  To my mind, there's no depending on those sort
+of chaps."
+
+The answer was a careful one; and it was by making such that he had
+gained so much credit among his shipmates, for he was never proved to be
+wrong; and when he predicted what afterwards occurred, he always took
+care that the fact should be well-known on all sides.
+
+My feelings, as I watched the stranger, were, of course, far more
+intense than those of my officers or crew; and so eagerly did I watch,
+that I fancied I could note every inch we gained or lost in the chase,
+as the wind alternately favoured one or the other of us.  Of one thing I
+felt very certain, that since we had had a fair start we had materially
+gained upon her.  Fairburn was of the same opinion.
+
+Van Graoul only shook his head, and said, "Wait a bit; better never to
+be sure."
+
+Still on we flew--the water bubbling and hissing under the bows of the
+schooner as she clove her way through.  Though the wind was strong,
+there was, at the same time, little sea.  The two miles had now been
+decreased to one and a half, by Fairburn's and my computation; and we
+hoped soon to be able to get a shot at the chase to bring down some of
+her spars.
+
+"Yes," said Van Graoul, when he heard us expressing that hope; "if we
+can bring down some of her spars, remember she can bring down some of
+ours, so that we are not the nearer on that account."
+
+The Dutchman took care that we should never become over sanguine in our
+expectations.
+
+The steward brought me my dinner on deck.  I ate it standing; for I was
+far too anxious to go below, or to remove my eyes from the chase.
+
+The afternoon was drawing on; but we had still two hours or more of
+daylight, and we had reason to expect before that to come up with her at
+the rate we were then going.
+
+"We are coming up with her hand over hand," I heard Barlow observe to
+Fairburn.
+
+"I think so too; but what do you make of that dark line away there to
+windward?" was the response.  "I see that we must be quick about it."
+
+The remark drew my attention to the point indicated, and there I saw
+what looked like a long thin black cloud, hanging just above the water
+on the verge of the horizon.
+
+Just at that moment Van Graoul went up to Fairburn.  "I think we may
+have a chance of winging her, if we fire steadily," he said.
+
+"We'll try it, at all events.  But I hope that it will not calm the
+breeze," said Fairburn, issuing orders to get the long gun ready.
+
+The gun was pointed so as to clear the rigging.  Fairburn himself looked
+along the sight, and the vessel being kept away, as it bore on the
+schooner, he fired.
+
+The shot was well aimed.  It certainly reached the brig, and must have
+gone beyond her; but whether she was struck or not we could not tell,
+for on she sailed as before.  Again the gun was loaded.  We expected
+that she would have returned the fire; but she appeared perfectly
+unconscious of our presence.
+
+"Aim high, Fairburn; aim high," I exclaimed with an agitated voice,
+thinking of those who might be on board.  The gun was elevated
+accordingly, and the shot flew between the rigging of the brig, going
+through her fore-topsail, but doing apparently no further damage.  As we
+had to keep away when we fired, we somewhat lost ground: so Van Graoul
+proposed that we should get somewhat nearer before we tried another
+shot; and to this Fairburn agreed.
+
+Fairburn, it must be remembered, was the fighting captain.  On we went,
+every instant gaining on the chase.  We felt sure now of overtaking her,
+and prepared ourselves for the fierce contest which we knew must ensue
+before the pirates would yield.  The arm-chests were opened, pistols
+were loaded and primed, muskets got ready, and cutlasses buckled on.
+Each man armed himself for the combat, and got ready in his own fashion.
+
+So eager were we in our preparations, and in watching the chase, that we
+had paid but little attention to the dark low cloud I before spoke of.
+It now appeared much increased in depth, and rapidly advanced towards
+us.
+
+"There is wind in that," exclaimed Fairburn.  "Stand by to clew up and
+haul down everything, my lads; but we must hold on as long as we can,
+and try and get another shot at the enemy before the squall catches us."
+
+Each man flew to his station at the halyards and clew-lines, while the
+crew of the long gun got ready to fire.  There was now no time to spare.
+As fast as it could be loaded it was discharged.  A loud huzza arose
+from the people.  The main-topsail yard of the brig was shot away.
+
+"Another such shot, and she will be ours," I exclaimed.
+
+Onward came the dark cloud.  The pirates seemed to think it time to stop
+us; and, luffing up, they let fly their broadside at us.  We returned it
+with a will.  Just then down came the squall; the dark cloud appeared
+ahead; and the brig, seeming to rush into it, was speedily lost to
+sight, to the last moment firing and receiving our fire in return.
+
+What became of her we could not tell; and with dread I contemplated what
+might be her fate.  The squall struck us with terrific force.  The
+gallant crew were staunch: while some let fly the halyards and tacks and
+sheets, others brailed up and hauled down the canvas; but the blast
+triumphed over all our strength and skill.  Over went the schooner, till
+she lay helplessly on her beam-ends.  It was a scene of confusion and
+horror difficult to describe; the stoutest trembled, and thought their
+last hour was come.  I saw Fairburn rush to the mainmast--a glittering
+axe was in his hand.
+
+"What! must we cut away our masts?"  I exclaimed, feeling how helpless
+we should be left.
+
+"There is no remedy for it, I fear," he answered; and the axe hung
+gleaming in his hands.
+
+"Hold! hold!" shouted Van Graoul.  "There is a lull; up with the helm."
+
+The order was obeyed.
+
+"She rights! she rights!" was the joyful exclamation from all hands.
+
+Once again the schooner was on an even keel, and flying before the
+blast, through the thick obscurity which surrounded her.  But where was
+the chase?  No one could tell.  The squall soon subsided; when it did
+so, we hauled our wind, but the thick mist continued, and although we
+might have been close to the stranger, we could not have seen her.
+
+Dick Harper shook his head most sagaciously, and with no little inward
+satisfaction.  "I knowed it would be so," he said.  "For how, do ye see,
+messmates, could it be otherwise?"
+
+At length next morning, as the sun rose high in the sky, the mist
+cleared off; and with eagerness I hurried aloft to learn if the chase
+was anywhere to be seen.  But as I looked round the horizon, the line
+where the sea and sky met was unbroken; not a sail was in sight, and,
+disappointed and dispirited, I returned on deck.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
+
+I find that I am getting on so slowly with my narrative, and have so
+many adventures to tell, that omitting a number of events of less
+interest to my readers, I must sketch rapidly the history of several
+months which passed after the last escape of the _Emu_.
+
+In vain we searched for her for several days, but not a trace of her
+could we find; not a spar nor a plank to show that she had gone down
+when she disappeared from our sight in the squall.  We were then, it
+must be remembered, in the neighbourhood of the Arru Islands.  We
+cruised along the coast of New Guinea, off which we thought the _Emu_
+might be prowling.  It was curious, that though we were out of sight of
+land, on several occasions a number of birds, towards the evening, came
+on board to roost.  They appeared to be land birds.  The colours of some
+were very beautiful, and in many we could trace a resemblance to our
+small ducks, magpies, and larks.  We also encountered daily a vast
+number of a species of whale, which collected round the schooner, and
+watching her as if they thought her some strange fish.  One day they had
+collected in more than usual numbers, and while I watched them swimming
+round and round the vessel, their huge backs now and then appearing
+above the water, I could not help thinking that they were holding a
+consultation together in contemplation of an attack on us.  Sometimes
+they would swim directly at the vessel, and then diving under her,
+appear at the other side.  I got my rifle, intending to have a shot at
+one of them; though I must own that I think it very wrong to kill
+animals without an object, when they can be of no use to any one, merely
+for the sake of trying one's dexterity as a marksman on them.
+
+"You had better not," observed Van Graoul, when he saw what I was about
+to do.  "They may take it ill, and revenge themselves."  I thought he
+was joking, as he was, in part, and so, loading my rifle, I fired at a
+huge fellow, whose back appeared at a little distance off.  Whether the
+ball entered his skin or glanced off, I could not tell; for he sunk
+immediately, and I was preparing for another shot, when he, or one of
+his fellows, rose on the opposite side.  There he remained, spouting for
+a minute or so, and then down he dived, and directly afterwards we felt
+a blow on the keel, which almost shook the masts out of the vessel, and
+sent some of the people sprawling on deck.  The crew jumped about with
+dismay, thinking the schooner was sinking, and Ungka rushed to Hassan
+and hugged him round the neck, as if he was resolved to be drowned with
+him.
+
+"I told you so," said Van Graoul.  "They are not fellows to be played
+with."
+
+No real damage was done; nor did the whales renew the attack.  I suspect
+the fellow hurt his back too much to try the same trick again.
+
+No tidings of the _Emu_ were to be gained; and weary of looking for her
+in that direction, we stood to the westward, towards the island of
+Celebes, to the south of Ceram.  We had had a fine breeze all the day;
+but as the evening drew on, it fell considerably; and when the sun sunk
+beneath the water, it became perfectly calm.  The night was hot, and I
+remained long on deck in earnest conversation with Fairburn.  He was
+endeavouring to console and encourage me; for I own that at times I
+almost began to despair of the success of my undertaking.  There was a
+moon in the heavens in the early part of the night; but that also set,
+and I was thinking of turning in, when I observed a bright light in the
+sky to the westward, and on watching it attentively, it appeared as if
+it arose from some large fire close down to the water.  Fairburn
+remarked it also.
+
+"Can it be a burning mountain?"  I asked; "or do you think the natives
+of any island thereabouts have been creating a blaze for their
+amusement?"
+
+"There is no burning mountain or any island in that direction," he
+answered.  "See, it rises higher and higher, till the ruddy glare
+extends over the whole sky!  It can be but from one cause."
+
+"What is that?"  I asked.
+
+"A ship on fire," he replied.  "I have witnessed such a sight before,
+and have no doubt about it."
+
+"Unhappy people!"  I exclaimed; "we must try and help them."
+
+"I fear that with this calm we shall be unable to get near them in time
+to be of any use," said Fairburn.  "If a breeze were to spring up, we
+may save those who may take to their boats or secure themselves on
+rafts."
+
+For a long time we watched the burning vessel, for such we were
+persuaded was before us; and earnestly we prayed for a breeze to carry
+us to the rescue of our fellow-beings, whoever they might be.  We
+calculated that the ship was about nine or ten miles off, so that, with
+a good wind, we might hope to get up to her in rather more than an hour.
+At length a breeze fanned our cheeks, our sails filled, and we began to
+move rapidly through the dark and silent sea.  As we drew near the fire,
+we saw that we were not mistaken in our conjectures; for before us
+appeared a large brig, with her masts still standing, but flames were
+blazing up around them, running along the yards and burning the canvas
+and rigging, while the whole hull seemed a mass of fire, fore and aft.
+As we were looking, first one mast tottered, and was followed directly
+by the other, and, amid an outburst of sparks, they fell hissing into
+the sea.  The flames then seemed to triumph still more furiously than
+before.  We looked in vain for any boats, or planks, or rafts, on which
+any of the crew might be floating.  The whole sea around was lighted up;
+but the flames shone alone on the dancing waves.  We were yet some way
+off; we therefore sailed on with the intention of getting as close as we
+could without danger to ourselves, to render any aid in our power.  We
+passed the time in discussing what the vessel could be, and by what
+means she could have caught fire.
+
+"With the extraordinary carelessness seamen too often are guilty of, it
+is surprising that ships do not oftener catch fire than is the case,"
+said Fairburn.  "Such is the fate of many of those which are never again
+heard of.  Probably the destruction of this vessel arises from the same
+cause."
+
+"Is it not often the custom of pirates, after they have robbed a vessel,
+to set her on fire to avoid discovery?"  I asked casually.  I scarcely
+know why I put the question, except that my thoughts were naturally
+running on the _Emu_.
+
+"Oh yes, it may be so," said Van Graoul, who heard the observation; "but
+still I don't think it."
+
+"What do you say?  Suppose it is the _Emu_ herself," remarked Barlow
+thoughtlessly.
+
+"Heaven forbid!"  I ejaculated.  "Remember who I fancy is on board."
+
+"Oh sir, I do not mean to say that I have any reason to suppose that
+yonder vessel is the _Emu_," he replied, seeing the pain the idea gave
+me.  "She looks a much larger craft, and higher out of the water."
+
+When we got close to the burning wreck, we hove-to to windward, and had
+our boats ready to lower in case we should perceive any living beings
+either on board or in the water.  We soon saw, however, that on the deck
+of the brig there was not a spot, on which a person could stand free
+from the raging flames.  I also attentively examined her, as did
+Fairburn; and to my infinite relief we were persuaded that she was
+altogether a totally different vessel from the _Emu_, for she was much
+longer and higher out of the water,--indeed, a large merchantman; and
+from her build we judged her to be Spanish.  As I was examining the
+vessel, I observed, through the flames which were surrounding them, that
+the boats were still hanging to the davits.  The circumstance was
+extraordinary, and we could only account for it, by supposing that the
+fire had burst forth so suddenly that the crew had not time to lower
+them, or that some other means of escape had been afforded them.  We had
+not long to consider the point, and to arrive at the conclusion, before
+the flames had completely consumed the deck and sides, rendered
+peculiarly combustible by the heat of the climate; and, after raging for
+a few minutes with renewed fury, the hull sunk gradually from our sight,
+and the fiery furnace was quenched by the waves as they leaped
+triumphantly over it.  Though we had seen no living beings, we still
+could not but suppose that some of the passengers or crew must have
+escaped, and were at no great distance.  I was very unwilling,
+therefore, to leave the spot till we had ascertained the fact; and I
+resolved accordingly to remain hove-to till the morning.  We fired a gun
+at intervals to attract the attention of any of the people; but hour
+after hour passed away, and no answer was made.  The sun at last arose.
+A few charred planks and spars were floating near us, showing that we
+had kept one position during the night; but we could see no boat or
+raft.  Look-outs were sent aloft to scan the ocean around.
+
+They had not been long at their posts, during which time the daylight
+had been increasing, before one hailed the deck to report a sail right
+away to windward.
+
+"What is she, do you think?" asked Fairburn.
+
+"A square-rigged craft; her topgallant sails just show above the water,"
+was the answer.
+
+Directly after, the other look-out hailed, to say that he saw a speck,
+or some similar object, floating to leeward.  Our glasses were turned
+towards it; and Fairburn, mounting to the crosstrees, reported that he
+saw a human figure hanging to it.  Nothing else appearing, we instantly
+bore down to the spot.  As we approached it, we observed that there
+indeed was a man attached to a hen-coop; but whether he was dead or
+alive it was difficult to say, as he did not move or make any sign.  A
+boat was instantly lowered, and Fairburn jumping into it, the man was
+soon brought on board.
+
+"He has still life in him, I think," said Fairburn, as he placed him on
+deck; "but I suspect he has met with some foul usage.  See what a gash
+he has got across the temple; and here is a bullet-hole through his arm,
+or I am much mistaken."
+
+I had not yet looked at the countenance of the wounded man.  We got a
+mattress, and carefully carried him down into the cabin, where he was
+placed under the skylight on a sofa, so as to obtain sufficient air.  I
+saw at once, by his appearance and dress, which was what any landsman
+might wear on board ship, that he was not a seaman; and I suspected,
+moreover, that he was a gentleman; not of course that, whatever his
+rank, we should have made any difference in our treatment of him.  We
+had him stripped and wrapped in blankets, and then well rubbed; and we
+soon had the satisfaction of seeing the livid appearance of his skin
+wear off, and after several deep respirations, his features lost their
+sharp contraction, and his lips began to move, and he opened his eyes.
+He then looked steadfastly at me, and a smile of satisfaction played
+round his mouth, while he made a strong effort to speak.  As he did so,
+I felt almost certain that I recognised the well-known countenance of my
+old school-fellow, John Prior.  The idea had before flashed across my
+mind; but I had failed to see any likeness between my friend and the
+half-drowned stranger who was brought on board.  I now, however, had
+little doubt on the subject.
+
+"Prior, old fellow," I exclaimed, "I know it is you.  But don't speak or
+agitate yourself; you shall tell me everything by and by when you get
+well, which you soon will, I know."
+
+I took his hand as I spoke, and by the warm pressure he gave me in
+return, I felt very certain that I was not mistaken.  The discovery, as
+may be supposed, did not lessen my zeal in the recovery of the wounded
+man.
+
+Van Graoul, who had a very fair knowledge of surgery, and a sufficient
+modesty not to attempt more than his skill would warrant, after a
+careful examination of the wounds, pronounced them not dangerous; and
+making up a dose from the medicine chest, Prior swallowed it, and soon
+afterwards had gained sufficient strength to speak and sit up.  Van
+Graoul had charged me to let him say only a few words, to give me any
+information which may be on his mind, and then to urge him to go to
+rest.  The first word he uttered was my name.
+
+"It is all very strange, indeed," he said.  "But it is indeed a
+satisfaction to be with you, Seaworth, though I cannot tell how it has
+all occurred."
+
+I told him how we had been attracted to the spot by the burning vessel,
+and picked him out of the water, urging him not to say more than was
+necessary at the moment.
+
+"Ah, now I remember," he answered.  "We were attacked by a pirate--a
+treacherous, cowardly pirate.  They took us by surprise.  We fought,
+however; but most of the crew were killed; some were carried off, I
+believe.  I was knocked down below after being wounded, and supposed to
+be dead or dying.  I was left to be burnt by the miscreants.  I was only
+stunned, and soon recovering, I gained the deck just as they left it.
+The idea of being burned to death was too horrid to be endured.  The
+boats were all destroyed, there was no time to make a raft; so, casting
+loose a hen-coop, I lowered it into the water, and lashed myself to it,
+trusting that Providence would find some means of preserving me; or, at
+all events, that I might thus enjoy a longer time to offer up my prayers
+to Heaven, and to prepare for death.  It was an awful time, Seaworth;
+but I did not feel unhappy.  I never possessed greater reliance in God's
+mercy.  I trusted that, if He did not think fit to preserve my life, He
+would, through the merits of our Saviour, lead me to a glorious
+immortality in the next.  I had no fear, strange as it may seem, I
+assure you."
+
+"I should have said that of you, Prior, believe me," I replied.  "But I
+must not let you talk more now.  I have one question first to ask before
+I impose silence.  What sort of a craft was the vessel which attacked
+you?"
+
+"A low black brig; and her crew seemed of all nations," he replied.
+
+"I thought so," I exclaimed.  "It was the _Emu_, and she it is which is
+still in sight."
+
+I instantly sent for Fairburn,--for he had left me with my friend
+alone,--and told him my suspicions.  He had entertained the same
+opinion; and I found that, with all sail set, we were once wore again in
+chase of the mysterious craft which had so often escaped us.
+
+Arranging Prior in a comfortable posture, I watched him till he fell
+asleep, his placid countenance, notwithstanding the dangers he had been
+in, showing a mind at rest and nerves unshaken.  I found, on going on
+deck, that we had already risen the sails of the stranger above the
+horizon from the deck; and as we had the whole day before us, with a
+fair breeze, there was every probability of coming up with her.  Should
+we overtake her, we had now, with Prior as a witness, stronger proofs
+than ever of her misdeeds.  She had, however, so often escaped us, that
+I must own even I was not very sanguine of the result, and the crew,
+guided by the opinion of Dick Harper, were still less so.  All the
+forenoon the chase continued.  We were gaining on her certainly, but at
+the same time we were a long way from her; and early in the afternoon,
+the land appeared to the north-west, towards which she had altered her
+course.
+
+When Van Graoul saw this, he shook his head.  "So I did think," he
+remarked.  "That craft is not to be caught so easily.  If what is said
+of her is true, there is a worse fate for her in store than we have
+prepared for her."
+
+Though the remark was made without reflection, I believe, I could not
+help thinking that there was much truth in it.  Vengeance, far greater
+and more sure than the hand of man could inflict, would assuredly
+overtake the evil-doers.
+
+The land we were approaching was of moderate height, thickly covered
+with trees, broken into headlands and promontories, and with numerous
+clusters of islands, and reefs, and rocks off it.  Van Graoul knew it
+well, so that we boldly approached it.  It became a question with us
+whether the pirates, seeing themselves so hard pressed, contemplated
+running the brig on shore, or whether they purposed taking up a position
+in one of the inlets of the coast, where they could defend themselves
+without risk of loss, should we attack them.
+
+We, as before, outsailed them, proving that the _Fraulein_ was the
+fastest vessel of the two; and yet no one on board but believed that the
+_Emu_ would again escape us.  She stood boldly in towards the shore,
+evidently well acquainted with it.  We followed, with the lead going;
+there was, however, a good depth of water.  When she had got within a
+quarter of a mile of the coast, she ran along it, and we kept after her.
+A headland, running a long way into the sea, appeared before us; she
+rounded it, and was concealed from our sight by the trees which covered
+it to the very edge of the water.  We stood on, expecting again to see
+her, when we also had got round it.  We had almost reached it, when, by
+standing too close in, we got becalmed, and for half an hour made but
+little progress.  This we knew would, of course, give the _Emu_ a great
+advantage.  At last, however, the breeze again filled our sails, and we
+were able to get round the point.  As we did so, we saw the brig a long
+way ahead, now standing somewhat off the land.  We continued the chase,
+and quickly made up for the distance we had lost.  This day was,
+however, far spent, and it was already growing dusk before we approached
+her.  My heart beat quick with the expectation of what was to occur.
+When we got her within range of our long gun, we began to fire at her
+rigging, more effectually to prevent her escaping.  To our surprise,
+instead of returning the fire, or standing away from us, she rounded to
+and backed her main-top-sail till we ran alongside.
+
+"There is something odd here," remarked Van Graoul; "I cannot make it
+out."
+
+"Nor I," said Fairburn.  "There is some treachery, I fear."
+
+"What brig is that?"  I asked, through the speaking-trumpet.
+
+"The _Neversink_, John Jenkins, master, from Boston, with a cargo of
+notions," was the answer.
+
+"Lower a boat, and come on board, then," I hailed.
+
+There was apparently some little demur; but soon a boat was lowered, and
+with four hands in her, and a man in the stern-sheets, she came
+alongside.  The man, without hesitation, stepped on board, followed by
+three others.  By the light of a lantern, held to show him the way, he
+seemed a decent, respectable sort of a person, dressed in the usual
+costume of a merchant skipper, with a swallow-tailed coat, and a straw
+hat.
+
+"Well, I calculate I have made a mistake," he exclaimed, squirting out a
+stream of tobacco juice, when he found himself confronted by Fairburn,
+Van Graoul, and me.  "I thought I was on board a Dutch man-of-war
+schooner; but you won't be hard upon a poor fellow, now, will you,
+gentleman?  The cargo is all mine, and it's worth but little to you; and
+if you take it, or anything happens to me, I shall leave my disconsolate
+wife and small family destitute--I shall indeed."  And Captain Jenkins
+began to cry and wring his hands.
+
+"Why, pardon me if you don't like the term, but I took you for pirates,
+gentlemen--pirates and robbers."
+
+"Dat is a good joke," said Van Graoul; "why, we thought you were de
+same.  And I am not quite certain that he is not," he whispered in my
+ear.
+
+He had, in the meantime, got a boat ready; and Barlow, with four hands,
+pulled on board the brig.  While he was away, we kept Captain Jenkins in
+conversation, nor did he seem in any degree disconcerted at the
+departure of the boat, which he must have observed.  When Barlow
+returned, he reported that the brig, though about the size and build of
+what we supposed the _Emu_ to be, was, to all appearance, an honest
+merchantman, without anything suspicious about her.  The captain said
+that he had come to trade with the natives in those parts; that he had
+just got out of harbour, and he had seen no vessel during the day till
+he had observed us rounding the point.  His story was so plausible that
+we were compelled to believe him: and after he had taken a good supper
+with us, washed down by a bottle of wine, he returned on board,
+declaring that we were first-rate fellows, whether we were pirates or
+not.  The next morning we commenced a strict scrutiny of the coast in
+search of the _Emu_; and for several days we followed it up, but in
+vain, and once more I was obliged to confess that I was as far from
+success as ever.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
+
+Resolved never to abandon the pursuit in which I was engaged, although
+so often disappointed at the very moment that I thought success secure,
+I continued cruising in every direction, among the numberless rich and
+beautiful islands of the Eastern Archipelago.  My friend Prior was for a
+considerable time confined to the cabin.  His wounds, and long immersion
+in the water, had caused him to suffer much, and during many days he
+appeared to be hovering between life and death.  When he was
+sufficiently recovered to speak without risk, he told me that his father
+having lost the greater part of his fortune, he had resolved to enter on
+a mercantile career, in the hopes of redeeming it; with that object he
+had come out to the East, and having been sent, by the house in which he
+was engaged, to Manilla, he took his passage in a Spanish merchantman.
+One day they observed a dark low brig hovering near them; but her
+appearance did not cause much alarm, as she was small and seemed
+unarmed.  The first watch was nearly over, and it had become almost
+calm, when they were startled by seeing a vessel with long sweeps
+gliding up towards them.  Those on deck instantly flew to their arms to
+defend themselves; but before the watch below and the passengers in the
+cabin could be aroused from their sleep, or made aware of their danger,
+the brig was alongside.  Her character was soon made known to them.  A
+band of fierce pirates rushed on board, and with their cutlasses and
+pistols cut down and shot every one they met, whether armed or not.
+Prior, and some of the other passengers, and a few of the crew, fought
+till they were overpowered by numbers, and were all cut down and
+disabled.  How he had escaped I already knew.  He supposed that the
+pirates, after rifling the ship and murdering the crew, had set her on
+fire to escape detection, or, perhaps, from a mere wantonness in
+cruelty.  He said that he was very certain that he should be able to
+recognise the leader and several of his followers.  Prior was unchanged
+from what he had been as a boy,--wise beyond his years, yet full of life
+and spirits, and possessing a vast fund of information; he was a most
+delightful companion.
+
+It now having become absolutely necessary to refit the schooner, as well
+as to refresh the crew, and to get fresh stores of provisions, we
+entered the harbour of Amboyna, the residence of the Dutch Governor of
+the Moluccas.  Amboyna is an island to the south of Ceram, over the
+whole of which the Dutch maintain their sway.  The island produces
+cloves and other spices in abundance; the climate is tolerably healthy,
+and there are a good many Dutch residents.  The Governor treated me and
+my companions with the greatest attention, appearing most anxious to
+forward my views by every means in his power.  The sago tree grows here
+to a large size, eighteen inches in diameter.  The pith forms the chief
+food of the inhabitants; and it is calculated that one tree will subsist
+a family for a month or six weeks.  The tree being felled is secured in
+a horizontal position, when an opening being cut in the upper surface,
+the pith is scooped out as required.
+
+I never lost an opportunity of questioning people of all sorts, to learn
+the movements of the _Emu_; and from a Bugis trader belonging to
+Celebes, I heard that some time before, a vessel answering her
+description had been seen to the north of that island; and also, as some
+piracies had been committed in the neighbourhood of the Philippine
+Islands, I suspected that she had gone to cruise among the Spanish
+settlements in the northern part of the Archipelago.
+
+On leaving Amboyna, we accordingly shaped our course in that direction.
+Some months had now passed away since Prior had been my companion.  His
+presence supported me much; and whenever I began to despond, he raised
+my spirits and encouraged me to persevere.  He reminded me that often
+when, from want of trust in Providence, we fancy ourselves furthest from
+the consummation of our just hopes, God has arranged, by some
+inscrutable means, to bring about their fulfilment.
+
+"He has given you health, and strength, and courage, and means, to
+follow up the pursuit thus far," Prior used to observe.  "Why, then,
+fancy that success is never to occur."
+
+Although now recovered sufficiently to find his way to Manilla, he
+refused to quit me till I had succeeded in my enterprise.  The last
+shore we had seen was that of Jilolo, after passing through the Molucca
+passage, when one forenoon, we not expecting to fall in with any land,
+the look-out hailed that an island was in sight on the starboard bow.
+As we drew near, we found that though small, it was of considerable
+elevation, and apparently surrounded with coral reefs.  We were about to
+pass it at some distance, when Fairburn, who had been examining it with
+his glass, said that he saw something which looked like a flag flying at
+the highest point.  It instantly occurred to us that it must be a signal
+of distress, made by some shipwrecked seamen, probably; and we therefore
+steered nearer to the island, to examine it more minutely.
+
+We were now convinced that we were right in our conjectures, when, on
+getting close in, we saw that it was a piece of striped linen--a shirt,
+apparently--fastened to two spars lashed together, and stuck in a heap
+of stones.  The rock, which seemed about a couple of miles in
+circumference, was surrounded by coral reefs, outside of which we hove
+the schooner to.  A boat was then lowered, in which Prior, Fairburn and
+I, with a crew of four hands, pulled towards the shore.
+
+We had some little difficulty in finding our way through the reefs; but
+a passage at last being discovered, we landed on a soft sandy beach.  We
+met with a spring of fresh water, and there were cocoa-nut trees, and
+several other tropical fruits growing in the lower part of the island;
+but the summit of the hill was totally bare of vegetation.  As yet we
+had seen no signs of inhabitants; but we were curious to discover what
+other traces they had left behind them besides the flag-staff, or to
+view their remains should death have overtaken them here.
+
+We wandered round the base of the rock, which seemed the cone of some
+extinct volcano, before we could find the means of ascent, so steep and
+rugged were its sides.  At last we found a winding pathway, evidently
+trodden by the foot of man, by which we could easily get to the top.  We
+followed each other in single file, Fairburn leading, having our arms in
+our hands; for, though there was little chance of our requiring them on
+this occasion, we made a point of always being prepared in case of a
+surprise, so many having lost their lives among the treacherous natives
+of those regions from neglecting this precaution.  The summit of the
+rock was broken into a number of separate peaks, there being very little
+even ground.  The largest space was that on which the flag-staff was
+erected.  To this spot the pathway led up, showing that it had been the
+most frequently visited by the occupants of the island.  There were
+other less defined pathways leading in different directions about the
+hill.  Prior called our attention to the fact that they were all very
+narrow; from which he argued that one person alone had formed them; and
+from the principal one being so much trod, that he had for a long time
+resided on the island.
+
+A heap of stones had been raised up to a considerable height, into which
+the flag-staff had been fixed; they were all small, such as one man
+could lift, and were mostly broken off from the surrounding cliffs.  The
+flag-staff was formed of a boat's spreet and an oar lashed together.
+From the splintered butt-end of a spar, we judged that the flag-staff
+had been blown down, and broken off.  By the way the piece of coloured
+cotton had been fastened together, it showed that great care had been
+taken to make it form as large a surface as possible.  There was,
+however, nothing to prove how long a time had passed since the person
+who erected the flag-staff had gone away; and supposing that it might
+have been many weeks before, somewhat disappointed, we proposed to
+return on board the schooner.  We were on the point of descending the
+rock, when Fairburn, who had been hunting about, picked up the fragment
+of a cocoa-nut.
+
+"See!" he exclaimed, holding it up; "the fruit is perfectly fresh, and
+the shell cannot have been broken many hours; so, probably, there is
+some one still on the island."
+
+"Perhaps, sir, it is some savage; and he is hiding from us," remarked
+one of the men.
+
+"No, no," said Fairburn; "a savage would not have planted that
+flag-staff."
+
+While we were still standing discussing the point, Fairburn had followed
+up one of the slightly-marked tracks across the rocks, of which I have
+spoken.  He had got some way off, when for a minute he disappeared
+behind a point of rock.  He then again came in sight, and beckoned us to
+follow him.  We scrambled along over the broken rocks, till we reached
+the spot where we had last seen him; but he was gone.  For an instant a
+feeling of dread came over me, for I fancied that he had fallen over a
+precipice, which appeared on one side.  Just then I heard his voice, as
+if addressing another person.  The amazement was great, when, turning
+the angle of the rock, I found myself in front of a shallow cavern, and
+saw him bending over the body of a man reclining on a bed of leaves in
+the further part of it.  He beckoned me to enter.  I did so, and
+approached the spot.
+
+"Here is a poor fellow in the last stage of a violent fever," he said.
+"He is very weak; but perhaps food and care may bring him round.  He
+spoke to me just now rationally enough; but, see, he off again."
+
+The sick man looked like an Englishman or an American; and Fairburn said
+that he had spoken English perfectly.  He was dressed in a jacket made
+of dark-blue silk, his shirt was of the finest linen, and he had a rich
+sash round his waist; but the cut of his shoes was that of an ordinary
+seaman.  A fine plaited straw hat lay by his side; and his hair, which
+was thick and curling, was already considerably grizzled.
+
+"He has been shipwrecked, and is probably the only survivor of the
+crew," I remarked.  "We must try and get him on board without delay."
+
+While I was making these remarks, it occurred to me that a draught of
+cold water might revive him; and remembering the spring we had passed, I
+set off to procure some in a bamboo drinking-cup we had in the boat.
+Meeting Prior, he turned back with me, and having observed some limes,
+he gathered some to squeeze into the water.  We quickly returned, one of
+the men carrying a small breaker of water.  On entering the cavern with
+the draught, I was glad to find that the sick man had again returned to
+consciousness.  I put the cup to his lips, and as soon as he had tasted
+its contents, he drank them eagerly off, and then showed by signs that
+he wished for more.  Prior had been engaged in squeezing more limes.  He
+now approached nearer with them.  I saw him start when he saw the
+stranger, and look earnestly at him; but he did not say a word, and
+kneeling down by his side, Prior gave him the refreshing draught he had
+prepared.  It instantly had the effect of reviving the sick man, who
+looked up, and their eyes met.  The latter, after staring with an amazed
+and inquiring look, let his head again drop, and appeared to be
+endeavouring to conceal his countenance with his hands, while Prior,
+taking me by the shoulder, led me out of the cavern.  When we had got
+beyond hearing he stopped.
+
+"Seaworth," he said, "who do you think is the man who lies there, on the
+point of death it would appear?  Prepare yourself to hear, for you
+cannot guess.  He is no other than the leader of the pirates who
+attacked my ship--the person who wounded me--the man of whom you are in
+search--the captain of the _Emu_.  I recognised him at once; for we
+fought hand to hand, and there are some countenances which are impressed
+in a few moments on the memory.  He, I suspect, for the same reason
+remembered me; for I believe I pressed him hard, and had not one of his
+companions come to his assistance, I should have taken his life.  I tell
+you this at once, that you may be prepared how to act.  He may have it
+in his power to communicate important information; but if we are not
+cautious in our proceedings, he may refuse to say anything."
+
+I was so astonished at what I had heard, that I could scarcely collect
+my thoughts sufficiently to answer.
+
+"What would you advise me to do?"  I asked.  "He may tell me of Eva but,
+alas! where can she be?"
+
+"Trust that Providence has protected her," he answered solemnly.  "But
+go and speak to him calmly and soothingly.  There is, I fear, but little
+time to lose ere he will be called to his account."
+
+Following Prior's advice, I entered the cavern, and knelt down by the
+side of the sick man.  He seemed resolved not to utter a word, and had
+returned no answers to the questions as to how he felt himself, which
+Fairburn, who was still ignorant as to who he was, was putting to him.
+It struck me that he might be more inclined to speak to one person
+alone; I therefore requested Fairburn to quit the cabin, and to prepare
+some more lime-juice and water.  I then turned to the pirate.
+
+"I have to beg you to listen to me," I began, speaking in a calm, low
+voice.  "In an extraordinary manner I have learned who you are; but
+though I believe you have inflicted the greatest injury on me, my
+religion has taught me to forgive my enemies.  I therefore, from my
+heart, most sincerely, as far as I have the power, forgive you; nor will
+I in any way seek to revenge myself on you.  I will now tell you who I
+am.  My name is Mark Seaworth, and I am the brother of a little girl
+whom you have long had in your power.  I therefore entreat you, as the
+best amends you can make me, to tell me where she is, and to afford me
+the means of recovering her and the lady who was with her."
+
+"I did not know such a feeling existed in this dark world," he muttered,
+rather to himself than as if answering me.  "He forgives me without
+exacting any promise.  Alas! he knows not what he has to forgive."
+
+"I forgive you from my heart, as I hope for forgiveness for my
+transgressions, when I stand in the presence of God; and I will pray
+that He too will forgive you for yours, even though you had inflicted a
+thousand injuries on me."
+
+"This is very wonderful--very wonderful indeed," muttered the sick man.
+"I never heard of such a thing."
+
+"It is the religion Christ came into the world to teach mankind," I
+answered.  "He sets us the example, by promising forgiveness to the
+greatest of sinners who believe in Him, and who put their faith in Him,
+even at the tenth hour, like the thief on the cross.  He tells us also
+to pray for our enemies; then, surely, I am but following his commands
+when I forgive you.  I would say more of these things to you--I would
+entreat you to believe in that merciful Saviour, and to pray to Him for
+forgiveness; but I am a brother; I earnestly long to discover my lost
+sister, and I must first beg you to tell me all you know of her."
+
+"Sir, you have strangely moved me," said the pirate, in a hoarse voice,
+turning his countenance towards me.  "I own that I am the man you
+suppose, the pirate, Richard Kidd, as great a wretch as one who, years
+ago, bore that name.  You tell me that you forgive me; but if you knew
+the injury I have inflicted on you for years back, I doubt that you
+could do so."
+
+"For years back!"  I answered, in astonishment.  "I do not understand
+you; yet I say, whatever the injury, I am bound to forgive you, and with
+God's assistance I do so.  But my sister?  Tell me of my sister."
+
+"Then, sir, you are such a Christian as I remember, when a boy, I was
+told men should be; but you are the first I ever met.  You would learn
+what has become of the little girl, Eva Seaworth, as she was called.
+Alas!  I cannot tell you.  The only good action I ever in my life
+attempted has been frustrated.  I had preserved your little sister from
+all injury, and intended to have restored her to her friends in safety,
+when I lost her."
+
+"Explain, explain," I cried in a tone of agony.  "Do not you know where
+she is?"
+
+"Indeed I do not," was the answer.  It struck a chill into my heart; and
+a stranger coming in would have found it difficult to say which of the
+two was the dying man.
+
+"Can you give me no clue--can you not conjecture where she is?"  I at
+length asked.
+
+"Indeed I cannot, sir," he answered.  "I have no reason to suppose her
+dead; but I am utterly unable to tell you where she now is."
+
+"What! my sweet little sister! you deserted her!--wretch!"  I cried,
+scarcely knowing what I said, and wringing my hands with the bitterness
+of heart.  The next moment I regretted the exclamation.
+
+"You wrong me there," said the pirate.  "I deeply mourn for her loss, as
+you will understand shortly.  But my time is short.  I have resolved to
+give you some important information I possess respecting you; and as
+your companions may be useful, as witnesses of what I say, call them
+back.  I will endeavour to make what little recompense I can, for some
+of what I may look on as the smallest of my many crimes; and then I will
+get you to talk to me about that religion I have so long neglected.  I
+must give you something of my history; for, strange as you may deem it,
+it is much mixed up with yours."
+
+"What!"  I exclaimed, interrupting him, with astonishment, "your history
+mixed up with mine!  Can you give an account of who I am?"
+
+"Indeed I can, sir; and may put you in the way of regaining rights, of
+which you have long been deprived.  But hasten, summon your friends; you
+have no time, I feel, to lose."
+
+I rushed out, with my heart throbbing, and full of amazement, to call
+Prior and Fairburn.  Before I returned, and before he could impart the
+information so important to me, the pirate might have breathed his last;
+yet my sad disappointment regarding the uncertainty of my sister's fate
+prevented me feeling the satisfaction I should otherwise have
+experienced at thus being on the point of gaining the information I had
+all my life so eagerly desired.  My friends speedily followed me, as
+much astonished as I was; and kneeling round the dying man, while Prior
+took out his tablet to make notes if required, we listened to the
+following strange story, which, with many interruptions, he narrated to
+us.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
+
+"I was born and bred in the State of New York.  My father I never knew.
+My mother was kind and good; but she yielded to the dictates of her
+heart rather than to those of her judgment.  She over-indulged me; she
+neglected to root out the bad seeds Satan is always striving to sow in
+the heart of man; and they grew up and flourished, till they brought me
+to what I now am.  I was of a roving, unsettled disposition.  I required
+excitement.  I believe that I might, with care, have been led into the
+right way, but that care was wanting.  I was fond of excitement; when I
+could not obtain it in reality, I sought it in fiction, and therefore
+eagerly devoured all books which could satisfy my craving; but never did
+I look into one which would confer any real benefit upon me.
+
+"The adventures of robbers and pirates delighted me most, and the
+history of a man, whose name I by chance bore, had a fatal influence on
+my destiny.  I thought him a hero, and fancied it would be a grand thing
+to become like him.
+
+"It did not occur to me, that the stories about him were mostly false;
+that the book was a fiction, dressed up to please the vicious palate of
+the uneducated public, and that the man himself was a miserable wretch,
+little better than a brute, who dared not think of the past or
+contemplate the future.  What he was I am too well able to tell, from
+knowing what I myself now am.  I was well educated; but my knowledge was
+ignorance.  I soon grew weary of the trammels of home, and fancying that
+I should have greater licence afloat, with a vague notion that I would
+imitate some of the heroes of my imagination, I, without even wishing my
+mother farewell, ran away to sea.  I had no difficulty in finding a
+ship; and if Satan himself had wished to choose one for me, he would not
+have fixed on a craft where I could more certainly have learned to
+follow his ways.  The master set an example of wickedness, in which the
+crew willingly followed; and thus I grew up among the scenes of the
+grossest vice.  It was not long before I engaged in transactions
+considered criminal by the laws.  My companions and I succeeded so well
+without detection, that the rascally merchants, who had employed us,
+engaged us on several occasions for a similar object.  At last our
+practices were suspected; and I was warned not to return to my native
+place.  I accordingly took a berth on board a ship bound for India.
+Arrived there, I deserted, and joined an opium clipper.  I soon got
+tired of that life, for there was some little danger at times, the
+excitement was but trifling, and the discipline was stricter than I
+liked.  I got back, at length, to India, where there was much fighting
+going forward with the native princes; and European recruits being
+wanted, I enlisted, pretending I was an Englishman.
+
+"I gained some credit for bravery, though, being discovered on a
+pillaging expedition, I narrowly escaped a severe punishment.  I went by
+the name of `the sailor', in the regiment to which I belonged; and
+having, while in liquor, described some of my adventures, my character
+was pretty well-known, not only to my comrades, but to some of my
+officers, as it appeared.  It was not long before my conduct brought me
+into trouble.  I escaped narrowly with my life, and was turned out of my
+regiment without a farthing in my pocket.  I was wandering about the
+streets of Calcutta, considering what I should next do, when one
+evening, as it was growing dark, I observed a person watching me.  He
+followed me to a secluded place, and when no one was in sight, he came
+up, and, addressing me by name, told me if I wanted a job which would
+put money in my pocket, to come to a certain house in two hours' time,
+binding me by an oath not to mention the circumstance to any one.  I
+went at the time agreed on, and was shown by a servant into a room,
+where, soon afterwards, I was joined by a young officer, whom I knew to
+be a gambler and a man of ruined fortune.  I therefore guessed that he
+wanted me to perform some desperate piece of work or other for him.
+`Well, what is it you want of me?'  I asked, in rather a sulky mood, for
+somehow or other I did not like the gentleman; and, bad as I was, I felt
+rather degraded in being employed by him; but yet my fortunes were too
+low, to allow me to be nice in what I undertook.  He looked rather
+astonished at my manner; but recovering himself, he said, `I want you to
+manage a very delicate affair for me, Kidd; and if you do so, I intend
+to pay you well.'  `What do you call well?'  I asked calmly.  `Why, I
+propose giving you two hundred pounds down, and fifty pounds a year for
+your life, if you remain faithful,' he answered.  `You must swear to me
+that you will not betray me, and that no threats or bribes shall move
+you.'  I took the oath he prescribed.  He then said, `You must know that
+there are two children, now in the East, who are about to be sent home
+to their friends in England.  Both their parents are dead, and they
+stand between my father and a large property.  If they come of age, it
+will be theirs, and while they live he cannot enjoy it.  Now,
+understand, I do not want you to murder the children; we must have
+nothing of that sort on our consciences; but you must manage to get hold
+of them, and bear them away where they shall be no more heard of.  I
+leave you to form the plan, and to carry it out, only let me know the
+result.  Will you undertake the work?'  I told him that I would.  `Well,
+then,' he continued, `the children are now in the Mauritius; their names
+are Marmaduke and Ellen Seaton.  You will have time to reach them before
+they sail; and you must contrive to get a berth on board the ship they
+go by.  It is whispered that you have contrived to cast away a ship or
+so, when you were well paid for it.  Perhaps the same turn may serve you
+now.'
+
+"The plan was soon arranged.  The directions for finding out the
+children were given me, and, putting fifty pounds into my hands for my
+expenses, he told me to start off at once, and to come back to him when
+the matter was settled.  I reached the Mauritius without difficulty, and
+found that the children, under charge of an Indian nurse, were to
+proceed by the _Penguin_, a small free-trader, touching there on her
+homeward voyage.  In aid of my plan, the second mate had died, so I
+applied for and obtained the berth; besides which I fell in with two
+seamen who had been with me before, when a ship I sailed in was lost by
+my means.  I opened my project to them, and they promised to assist me.
+The nurse was devotedly attached to the children and by nursing them,
+and being attentive to her, I soon won her confidence.  I found,
+however, much more difficulty than I expected in my attempt to wreck the
+vessel.  The captain was a good navigator, and very attentive to his
+duty, as was the first mate; so that when, during my watch on deck at
+night, I got the ship steered a wrong course, in the hopes of edging her
+in on the African coast, I was very soon detected.  I laid the blame on
+the helmsman, one of my accomplices, who stoutly asserted that he had
+been steering a proper course.  I again tried to effect my object; but
+the captain had, it appeared, a compass above his head, in his own
+cabin, and being awake, discovered the attempt.
+
+"I made every plausible excuse I could think of, but I felt that I was
+suspected, and dared not venture to play the same trick again.  I had,
+however, another resource, which, dangerous as it was, I determined to
+risk.  You may well start with horror.  It was nothing less than to set
+the ship on fire.  I then intended with my comrades to carry off the
+nurse and children to the coast of Africa, and to dispose of them to
+some of the African chiefs a little way in the interior, where no white
+man was ever likely to fall in with them.  One night, the wind being
+from the westward, I managed to set fire to a quantity of combustible
+matter among the cargo.  I waited till the alarm was given, and then,
+hurrying to the Indian nurse and the children, told her that, if she
+would trust to me, I would save her.  My men had been prepared, and
+instantly lowered a boat, in which she and her charges were placed with
+two of my accomplices.  I had a chart, with a few nautical instruments,
+my money, and some provisions, all ready; having thrown a keg of water
+and a few biscuits into the boat, I hurried forward to my cabin to get
+them.  The flames had burned much faster than I expected, and while I
+was in my cabin, just about to return aft to the boat, they had reached,
+it appeared, the magazine.  Suddenly a dreadful noise was heard; I felt
+myself lifted off my feet, and then I lost all consciousness of what was
+occurring.  At length I found myself clinging to a mass of floating
+wreck, and in almost total darkness.  I could discover no boat near me.
+I hailed; but no one answered.  Oh, the horrors of that night!  It is
+impossible to picture them.  A laughing fiend kept whispering in my ear
+that I had caused all this havoc, that I had destroyed the lives of so
+many of my fellow-creatures, and that I should not miss my reward.
+Daylight came, and I was alone on the wild waters.  A shattered portion
+of the mainmast and main-top buoyed me up, and a bag of biscuits I had
+had on my arm still hung there.  I ate mechanically.  The sun came out
+with fiery heat and scorched my unprotected head, and I had no water to
+quench my burning thirst.  Thus for three days I lay drifting, I knew
+not where, expecting every moment to be my last, and a prey to my own
+bitter recollections.  Then conscience for a time usurped its sway; and
+I believe, had I fallen into good hands I might have repented; but it
+was not to be so.  A vessel at length hove in sight.  I had just
+strength left to wave my hand to show that I was alive.  I was taken on
+board; not that feelings of compassion dwelt in the bosoms of her crew,
+but they saw my white skin, and thought that I might be useful in
+navigating their evil-employed craft, for fever had thinned their
+numbers.  She was a slaver, and had some four hundred human beings
+groaning in chains beneath her confined decks.
+
+"I speedily recovered, and assuming a bold, independent manner, I soon
+gained considerable influence over the crew, who were composed of
+Spaniards, Portuguese, Mulattoes, and desperadoes from every country in
+Europe.  My companions found me so useful that they would not part with
+me, so I sailed in the vessel for the next voyage.  She was a large
+brig, well armed.  Slaving alone was too tame for us.  If we fell in
+with a merchantman, we plundered her; and instead of going on the coast
+for slaves, we lay in wait for the smaller vessels returning home, when
+we used to take the slaves out of them, sometimes paying them in goods,
+and sometimes, if we were not afraid of detection, refusing them any
+recompense, and threatening to sink them if they dared to complain.  For
+two years I remained in the slave brig without being able to leave her.
+I had no dislike to the work, and our gains were very large; but I was
+anxious to get back to India to secure the reward which had been
+promised me.  It may seem strange that I should be eager after a sum
+which was paltry, compared to what I was now making; but I did not like
+to lose what I considered my right, gained, too, with so much risk and
+crime.
+
+"Fortune did not always favour us.  We were captured by an English ship
+of war; and clear evidence of our guilt being brought forward, I, with
+several of the officers and crew, was sentenced to be hung at Sierra
+Leone.  The sum of my iniquities was not yet full.  Two of my
+companions, confined with me, formed a plan for escaping; and, as my
+knowledge of English would be useful, they invited me to join them.
+
+"We succeeded; and after going through incredible hardships and dangers,
+in travelling down the coast, under which one of our number sunk, the
+survivor and I got on board a slaver, and reached the Brazils.  I was
+here very nearly recognised by the master of a Brazilian craft we had
+plundered; so, with my Spanish comrade, I worked my way to India.  When
+I arrived, I made inquiries for the officer who had employed me, and was
+to pay me my reward.  He was dead; and I found that I had lost the
+fruits of my crime.
+
+"The children, I felt convinced, had been lost in the burning ship; and
+with the proof of her destruction, I contemplated going to England, and
+claiming the price agreed on for this work from the officer's father,
+who, I doubted not, was enjoying the fortune which should have been
+theirs.  Each time, however, that I attempted to go, I was prevented;
+once I had actually got part of the way, when I was wrecked at the Cape
+of Good Hope; and all the time I had my misgivings about going.  First,
+that I might be recognised by those who knew me as a pirate; and then,
+after all, that the old gentleman would refuse to acknowledge my claims.
+A poor rogue, I knew, would have but little chance with a rich one.  He
+had not tempted me to commit the crime, and might probably defy
+scrutiny.  I speak of myself as poor; for, not withstanding all the sums
+I had possessed, not a dollar remained.  Ill-gotten wealth speedily
+disappears, and leaves only a curse behind.  Years passed away, when, at
+the port of Macao, in China, I took a berth as first mate on board the
+American brig _Emu_, trading in the Indian Seas.
+
+"A lady, who was reputed to have great wealth with her, and a little
+girl, whom I supposed to be her child, came on board as passengers to
+Singapore.  Two of the crew were my former comrades.  I sounded the
+rest, and found that they had no scruples about joining me in any
+project I might propose.  The prospect of possessing the lady's dollars
+was too tempting to be resisted.  The master, we feared, would not join
+us.  To make sure, he was shot, and thrown overboard; and I took the
+command.  I have perpetrated so many crimes, that I can speak of murder
+as of a common occurrence."
+
+"But what became of my sister and Mrs Clayton?"  I exclaimed as the
+pirate had got thus far in his narrative.
+
+"I took them from the first under my charge," he answered.  "I treated
+the lady with care; because I hoped that if I were captured, she might
+intercede for me, and assist in preserving my life.  It was not for some
+time that I discovered who the little girl was.  I had won her
+confidence; for in her presence I always felt myself a better man, and
+more than once I had resolved to repent, and obeying my mother's earnest
+prayers, to return home to lead a virtuous life; but my evil passions
+had got too strong a hold of me, and my good resolutions were speedily
+broken.
+
+"One day little Eva told me that she had been picked up in a boat at
+sea; and she afterwards showed me a gold chain and locket which had been
+found round her neck.  I remembered it perfectly; and when she told me
+that she had a brother, and I considered that the initials of the names
+were the same, I had not the slightest doubt that I had discovered the
+children who were supposed to have been lost at sea.  It at once
+occurred to me that I might turn the circumstance to my own advantage;
+and I resolved to return to England, and to put her in the way of
+regaining her rights.  I knew that there was a great risk, but the
+romance and adventure pleased me; and when I told her that I had the
+means of serving you and her, she vowed that she would never consent to
+see me punished for anything that had occurred, and that she was certain
+that you also, and Sir Charles Plowden, would protect me.
+
+"When I proposed to go to England, my crew would not hear of it.  They
+had been disappointed in their share of Mrs Clayton's property; and
+they declared that they must have the ship full of booty before they
+would go into harbour, and that if I would not consent I should share
+the fate of the master.
+
+"We were tolerably successful, and for a long time no ship of war
+appeared inclined to molest us; at length your schooner appeared, and on
+two or three occasions nearly came up with us.  I should have fought
+you, and might have beaten you off; but when, after some time, I learned
+who you were, which information I gained by going in disguise to some of
+the Dutch settlements where you had touched, I was anxious to avoid you.
+I had a notion that if I attempted further to injure you, the attempt
+would recoil on my own head.  During this time your young sister was
+tolerably contented on board.  I did my best to amuse her, for I truly
+was fond of the child, and she little knew how bad we were.
+
+"Mrs Clayton, however, suffered much, and her health and strength soon
+gave way.  She prayed me to set her and Eva on shore; but I dared not do
+so, lest they might betray me; and I had my own reasons, which I have
+told you, for keeping the little girl with me.  At last the poor lady
+sunk beneath her sorrows.  Even my fierce crew pitied her; and, when too
+late, they would have set her on shore.  She died, and we buried her at
+sea.  I thought I should have lost the poor little girl also, her grief
+was so great.  I did my best to comfort her, and she somewhat recovered
+her spirits.
+
+"There is an uninhabited island in these seas, not far from this, where
+we used to go to take in wood and water, and to refit the vessel when
+necessary.  Some months ago we went there, and having safely moored the
+schooner in a snug harbour, carried some of her guns on shore, with the
+intention, on the following day, of conveying all her stores, for the
+purpose of heaving her down to give her a thorough overhaul.  We erected
+tents and huts, and all the crew went to live on shore.  Eva remained on
+board, to be more out of harm's way; for on such occasions they were apt
+to get drunk, and quarrel, and sometimes to discharge their fire-arms at
+each other.  Our movements, it appeared, had been watched by the scouts
+of a pirate fleet of Malays.  While the greater part of the people were
+sleeping on shore, not suspecting danger, a number of armed prahus
+pulled into the harbour, and, undiscovered, they got alongside the brig.
+Before any alarm was given, most of the fellows who remained on board
+were krissed, and the lighter and most valuable portion of our cargo was
+carried off.  Two or three of our men managed to jump overboard and to
+swim on shore, unperceived by the Malays.  Fortunately, we had our boats
+with us, and instantly manning them, we pulled off to the brig.  We had
+everything to fight for; for if we lost her, we were undone.  We
+succeeded in surprising our enemies before they had time to cut the
+cables, or to set her on fire.  Some we cut down, others we drove back
+to their vessels, and others into the water.  So fierce was our attack,
+that they must have fancied that we mustered many more men than we
+actually did; and casting off their prahus, they swept them out of the
+harbour.  Not a living being was found on board; the bodies of the men
+were still there, but your little sister, my good angel, was gone.  I
+almost went mad when I made the discovery.  I hoped, at first, that she
+might have concealed herself in the vessel, but I searched for her in
+vain.  Nothing that could have occurred could have so moved me.  I vowed
+that I would search for her in every direction, and would kill every
+Malay I met till I found her.  After this I grew worse than ever, and
+more fierce and cruel.  Even my own people were afraid of me.
+
+"We had lost so many men, that it was necessary to be careful till we
+had recruited ourselves.  We at last attacked a large Spanish brig.
+Some of her crew volunteered to join us; the rest shared the fate of
+many of our victims.  We set her on fire and left her.  We found an
+immense booty on board her; and it was necessary to repair to our island
+to share it.  The people quarrelled with me about the division.  I was
+also anxious to cruise among the Sooloo Islands, and to visit other
+places to which I thought little Eva might have been carried.  To this
+they were opposed, instigated by the new hands.  I grew furious, and
+blew out the brains of one of the ringleaders.  It silenced them for the
+moment; but that night I found myself bound hand and foot, and that the
+brig was under weigh.  After being at sea about a week, I was landed on
+this rock.  I had no means of judging whereabouts it was.  I was put on
+shore at night, and the brig made sail again at night.  They left me
+neither arms, ammunition, nor food.  At first I thought I should die;
+but I found ample means of existence, and I resolved to live to be
+revenged on those who had thus ill-used me.  I felt all the time like a
+caged hyena, and used to walk about the island, thinking how I could
+escape.  With some spars washed on shore I made the flag-staff you saw;
+but I could take no other measures, for I had no tools to construct a
+boat or even a raft.  At last fever overtook me, and reduced me to the
+condition in which I now am.
+
+"Such is a short outline of my history; but I have more to say to you.
+Some papers, to prove the claims of the children, kept in a tin case,
+were entrusted to the faithful nurse, who had charge of them.  I got
+these papers from her, and they were in my pocket when I set the ship on
+fire, and I have ever since preserved them, thinking they might be of
+some use to me.  I now return them, as they are of great importance to
+you."
+
+The dying pirate ceased his strange narrative.  Prior and Fairburn at
+once got him to give the names and addresses of people, and several
+dates, and other particulars, which were afterwards of the greatest
+importance to me.  I was so overcome and astonished at what I had heard,
+that I should have neglected to have done so.  I eagerly received the
+case, for I longed to learn who I was, which I supposed the papers in it
+would inform me; but my desire to attend to the dying man would not then
+allow me to look at them.
+
+He might have done me much injury, but he had been kind to Eva; and on
+that account I almost forgot that he was a pirate, and looked upon him
+as a friend.  Had he been even my enemy, at that moment I would not have
+deserted him.  The tin case I entrusted to Prior, and begged him to give
+it me when we returned on board; and I then sat myself down by the side
+of the pirate.  He intimated that he could talk, and listen to me better
+alone.
+
+"I shall not keep you long, sir," he observed.  "As the sun sets, my
+spirit too will take its flight.  Alas, to what region must it be bound!
+Oh, who would commit sin, if they remembered what anguish they were
+preparing for themselves at their last moments!"
+
+Thinking that some medicine might be of use to him, I proposed carrying
+him on board but he entreated to be left where he was.
+
+"I am not afraid that you would betray me," he said, with a ghastly
+smile; "I wish that the gibbet could make atonement for my sins, or that
+the gold I have robbed could buy masses for my soul, as the cunning
+priests of Rome tell their dupes it would do, but it is of no use.  I
+shall not live to see another day; and if I can be saved, it must be
+through the unspeakable mercy of the great Saviour, of whom you are
+telling me."
+
+Still believing that he might live longer than he supposed, I begged my
+friends to return on board, as it wanted still two hours to sunset, and
+to bring some food and medicine, while I remained with the unhappy man.
+As there could be no risk in my being left alone, from the island being
+uninhabited, they yielded to my request, and immediately set off down
+the hill to rejoin the boat.
+
+It was a lovely evening.  The cavern wherein I sat, by the side of the
+dying pirate, looked towards the west.  Above our head and round us were
+the dark rocks; below, a mass of the rich and varied foliage of the
+tropics, between which was seen a strip of yellow sand and a line of
+coral reefs; and beyond, the calm blue sea, on which the sun was shining
+in full radiance from the unclouded sky.  At a little distance off was
+my little schooner, with her sails idly flapping against the masts, now
+lying perfectly becalmed.  There I sat, and humbly strove to show the
+dying pirate the way to seek forgiveness of his God.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
+
+As I sat in the cavern by the side of the dying pirate, his voice grew
+fainter and fainter, and his strength was evidently ebbing fast away.  I
+observed that while he was speaking, his hand grasped a letter, well
+worn and crumpled.
+
+"Ah that I had followed her advice, that I had listened to her
+entreaties, I should not have been brought to this pass!" he muttered to
+himself.
+
+The letter was from his mother.  For many years he had preserved it, and
+at his last moments it was not forgotten.  I promised to write to her,
+and to tell her that he had died repentant.  It is not, I hope,
+presumptuous in me to suppose, that it might have been owing to his
+kindness to Eva, to his one redeeming virtue, that he was allowed thus
+to die with one who could speak to him on matters of religion; or,
+perchance, a mother's earnest prayers might have been heard at the
+throne of grace.  So earnestly was I talking, that I did not observe the
+change which had come over the heavens.  Suddenly, to my surprise and
+horror, the pirate sat bolt upright--his hair stood on end--his eyeballs
+rolled terrifically--his hand pointed towards the ocean.
+
+"I knew it!  I knew it!  They come! they come!" he exclaimed, in a
+hollow voice, trembling with fear.  "Such as I could not die like other
+men.  Oh! mercy! mercy!"
+
+Dark rolling clouds in fantastic forms came rushing over the sky.  His
+voice was drowned in the loud roar of the tempest as it swept over the
+rocks.  One shriek of agony alone was heard joining with the wailing of
+the fierce blast, and the wretched being by my side fell back upon his
+rude couch a livid corpse.
+
+It was long ere I could erase from my memory the agonised expression of
+his countenance, as I beheld it when I attempted to draw the lids over
+his starting eyeballs.  The storm was as furious as it was sudden.
+Thunder in rattling peals rolled through the sky; vivid lightning darted
+from the clouds; and rain in deluges came down, and drove me for shelter
+to the farthermost corner of the cavern.  I could just distinguish my
+schooner through the sheet of water which was falling before me.  The
+squall struck her; she heeled over to it, and for an instant I feared
+she would never have risen again but answering her helm she paid off,
+and away she flew before the gale.  When I looked again, she had run far
+out of sight, under bare poles.  My position was very disagreeable; but
+as there were food and water in the island, it might have been much
+worse.  My chief concern was for Prior, Fairburn, and the boat's crew.
+There had been plenty of time for them to get on board; but I questioned
+whether they had remained there, or endeavoured to return on shore
+before the gale came on.  It suddenly occurred to me that they might
+have made the attempt, and that the boat might have been wrecked.  No
+sooner did I think this, than, in spite of the rain, I started up and
+rushed down the rock towards the place where we had landed.  I looked
+around on every side.  There was no sign of the boat; but the wild waves
+were lashing the rocks with relentless fury, throwing up masses of foam
+to the topmost branches of the loftiest trees.  To satisfy myself more
+thoroughly, I walked completely round the island; no boat, nor even a
+fragment, was to be seen; and at length I endeavoured to find the path
+to the cavern.  I had some difficulty in discovering it, as it was now
+growing rapidly dark, the obscurity being increased by the dark masses
+of cloud floating in the sky.  I fortunately found some plantains, which
+I plucked, as also a cocoa-nut; and with these in my hand I retraced my
+way back to the cavern.  I would have selected any place to rest in
+rather than the one where the dead pirate lay; but I knew of no other
+where I could obtain shelter, and I did not like to turn the body out to
+be exposed to the tempest.  He had collected a store of wood, and as I
+had my rifle with me, I easily kindled a fire.  I was anxious to have a
+fire to dry my clothes, which were thoroughly drenched by the rain and
+exposure to the spray.  This operation being performed, I began to feel
+the pangs of hunger; but as I had had but little practical experience of
+cookery, I was rather puzzled to know how to dress my plantains.  I
+tried one under the ashes, but I burnt it to a cinder, and was obliged
+to stay my appetite by munching a piece of cocoa-nut, while I was making
+a fresh attempt.
+
+I had a knife in my pocket, and by means of it I formed a toasting-fork
+out of a thin branch of a shrub, with which I more carefully roasted
+another plantain, very much to my satisfaction.  It would doubtless have
+been better dressed in a more scientific way; but I was too hungry to be
+particular.  The cocoa-nut served me as dessert; and the spring and some
+limes afforded me a most delicious and cooling draught.  When my hunger
+was appeased, the strangeness of the scene, and the recollection of my
+own somewhat critical position, presented themselves to me with greater
+force than before.  Unless, however, some accident had happened to the
+schooner, I felt very sure that she would return as soon as possible to
+my rescue.
+
+The present, therefore, most oppressed me.  I had no superstition; but
+yet I was not altogether free from a natural repugnance to being left
+with the dead pirate during the darkness of the night, while the storm
+was raging so furiously around.  To sleep, I found, was impossible; so I
+sat up by the side of my fire, husbanding the wood with the greatest
+care, lest it should not last me till morning.  Now and then a blast
+more furious than ordinary would come and almost sweep the fire out of
+the cavern.
+
+In the intervals of the rain, while the lightning illuminated the dark
+abyss below my feet, I looked out to see if a glimpse could be caught of
+the schooner, as I pictured her trying to beat up to my rescue; but had
+I considered, I should have known that it would have been impossible for
+her so to do.
+
+I had thrown a cloak I found over the body of the pirate, which I had
+drawn to the side of the cavern farthest from me; and as the flames cast
+their fitful light on it, I fancied that I saw the limbs moving.  I
+watched--I was certain that they moved again.
+
+"Can it be possible that he is not dead?"  I thought.  "Perhaps he is in
+a swoon, brought on by agitation and excessive weakness."  Taking a
+brand from the fire, I approached the body, and lifted the cloak from
+his face.  The features remained fixed and rigid as before.  The stamp
+of death was there.  My fancy had deceived me.  Replacing the cloak, I
+returned to my seat by the fire.  Never has a night appeared so long.
+At last my fuel was almost exhausted, and my watch told me that it
+wanted some time to sunrise.  The storm had in no degree abated.  I had
+scraped the leaves together, which had formed the pirate's bed, and I
+kept adding a few at a time to the fire.  Whether the smoke they caused
+had any effect on me, I know not; but by degrees forgetfulness stole
+over me, and I sunk into a sound slumber.  When I awoke, the storm had
+passed away, and the sun was shining brightly on the blue waters beneath
+me.  Arousing myself completely, I offered up my morning prayers to
+Heaven, and then hurried out to take a survey around the island, in the
+hopes of discovering the _Fraulein_ in the distance.  I first looked to
+the south.  She was not to be seen.  I then climbed to the highest
+point, where the flag-staff was placed, when what was my surprise and no
+little dismay to see below me a fleet of prahus, which, from their size
+and the appearance of those on board them, I knew must belong to one of
+the neighbouring piratical communities!  The cause of their presence was
+explained, when I observed that several of them had been driven on shore
+on the weather side of the island, the remainder having taken shelter to
+leeward of it.  The wind which had blown the _Fraulein_ off the coast,
+had, to my misfortune, blown them on it.  I consoled myself with the
+hope that they might soon take their departure, and that I should have
+simply to undergo the inconvenience of lying hid in the cavern, and was
+about to hurry away from my conspicuous situation, when, to my dismay, I
+saw, from the gestures of some of those on the shore below, that I was
+perceived.  Still I thought that I might reach the cavern before any of
+them could get up the hill, and that, should they possibly not take much
+trouble in searching for me, I might still escape discovery.  I
+therefore hurriedly descended to it, and sat myself down in the most
+retired part to wait events.  My rifle was by my side.  I loaded it, and
+considered whether I should try and defend the post, should they appear
+to be hostile.  I seldom missed my aim; and I felt that I could keep a
+number at bay, if I posted myself at the angle of the rock, where I
+could command a pathway, up which not more than one person at a time
+could proceed.
+
+There was, however, unfortunately no spot whence I could watch them to
+judge of their disposition without being perceived.  I therefore must be
+the aggressor against people who might not desire to injure me.  At all
+events, I must sacrifice a good many lives, and should probably be
+overpowered in the end.  Of course I could have no scruple about
+defending my life or my liberty; but I could not tell that the strangers
+wished to deprive me of either one or the other.  While I was still
+undecided, I heard the voices of the Malays, shouting to each other as
+they climbed the hill in search of me.
+
+As I had so easily discovered the cavern, so probably would they.
+"Come," I thought, "I will not be taken like a rat in a hole, crouching
+up here in the corner.  They will think that I am afraid and despise me.
+That must not be."  So, starting with my rifle carefully loaded, I went
+to the angle, whence I could observe them.  As I stood listening, I
+judged by the sound of their voices that they were drawing near, and had
+probably already discovered the pathway to my place of concealment.
+Stepping out, therefore, with my rifle grasped in my left hand, ready to
+fire if necessary, I presented myself full in front of them.  There were
+some twenty or thirty fellows; and savage-looking warriors they
+appeared, with head-dresses of feathers, and skins of wild animals on
+their shoulders, while they held their krisses in their hands ready to
+strike.  I saw, from their active movements as they sprang up the rocks,
+that I should not have the slightest chance with them if we came to
+blows, and yet they did not seem like people with whom there was much
+chance of keeping on peaceable terms, if one happened to be the weakest
+party.  I fortunately had a white handkerchief in my pocket; and on the
+instant I thought I would try what effect exhibiting a flag of truce
+would have.  As soon as they saw the rifle, they stopped and held a
+consultation, evidently well knowing its powers of mischief.  Probably
+they supposed that there might be several others behind it ready to pick
+them off as they advanced.  When, however, they saw me holding out the
+handkerchief in my right hand, they suspected that I was not inclined
+for war, and their confidence immediately returning, they once more
+advanced towards me.  I again presented my rifle and they halted.  Their
+leader suspected that he should have a bullet sent through him, so he
+kept back the rest, who, not anticipating such a reception for
+themselves, were more induced to push on.
+
+My readers will believe that I had good reason for my apprehensions,
+when I describe the fierce group winding up the pathway and scattered
+about the more distant rocks before me, where they had climbed when the
+front ranks came to a halt.  Some I judged by their dress and features
+to be Malays; others were evidently Dyaks, or some of the native tribes
+of Borneo.  The leader was a Malay apparently.  He had on his head a
+turban of gay-coloured cloth, richly embroidered, twisted round a helmet
+of ancient form; his breast was guarded by a coat of plate armour, and
+the scabbard of his sword hung to a gold band across his shoulders.  On
+his back he wore a scarlet coat, while a shawl, also embroidered, was
+fastened loosely round his waist, below which again appeared a sort of
+kilt, and loose trousers.  His sword was ready in one hand and a spear
+in the other, so that he promised to be a formidable opponent at close
+quarters.  But behind him came another, whose appearance was far more
+terrific, and whom I guessed was of the Dyak race, probably a chief
+among them.
+
+Strange as it may seem, I was well able to observe him.  On his head he
+wore a sort of crown or cap, of large size, made of monkey's skins,
+trimmed with feathers, and surmounted by two very long feathers of the
+Argus pheasant, hanging out on either side.  From each of his ears were
+pendant two large rings of tin or lead, which weighed the lobes almost
+down to his shoulders, while the upper part of the ear had a tiger's
+tooth passed through it.  He had on a long jacket of scarlet cloth,
+trimmed with yellow, and thickly padded to serve as armour; and a cloak
+of tiger's skin thrown over his shoulders, with the head of the animal
+hanging behind.  A thick cloth girded his loins, and hung down before
+and behind like the tail of a coat, while into it was stuck his parang
+or broad-pointed sword.  A spear was grasped in his left arm, which bore
+a long shield made of hard wood, and curved round, barely of width to
+cover the body at once; and in his right was his sumpitan or tube to
+blow out poisoned arrows, one of which he had ready to discharge at me,
+his followers imitating his very disagreeable example.  His legs and
+feet were entirely bare.  The handle of his sword, as also his quiver,
+were profusely ornamented with tufts of hair, which added to the
+wildness of his general appearance; indeed, altogether my assailants
+were as savage a band of warriors as a single man would wish to
+encounter.
+
+As yet they were too far-off to send their arrows at me: at the same
+time, there was little chance of my rifle missing one of them; but then,
+had I fired, before I could again have loaded, the rest would have
+rushed on, and cut me down.  I therefore, as my only resource, resolved
+to try what would be the effect of showing confidence in them.
+Accordingly I placed my rifle against the rock, and waving my
+handkerchief, advanced towards them.  I own that my heart was beating
+tolerably quickly all the time, but I tried to look as brave as a lion.
+When they saw that I had laid aside my weapon, for which I had reason to
+suspect they thought me a great simpleton, their own courage returned,
+and then rushing forward, I was soon surrounded by their motley band,
+each man amusing himself, very much to his satisfaction though very
+little to mine, by thrusting the point of his sword or spear-head at me,
+to try whether I could bear the prick without flinching.  As it would
+not now have done to have shown any signs of fear, I took no notice of
+their insults, and looked around with an air as unconcerned as I could
+assume.
+
+I fear that I did not act my part sufficiently well to command their
+respect, for the chief seized my handkerchief, and putting it into his
+belt, proved that he had no respect for flags of truce; another got hold
+of my rifle, and, on examining the lock, pulled the trigger, and very
+nearly shot one of his companions.  One then took off my jacket, and one
+appropriated my hat, not withstanding my significant entreaties to be
+allowed to retain it; indeed, I soon found that I had little chance of
+being treated with any ceremony.
+
+Some had gone into the cavern, where they discovered the dead body of
+the pirate.  Immediately they stripped it of its clothes, and hurled it
+over the precipice, to become a prey to the fowls of the air; so that I
+was unable, as I wished, to have bestowed burial on one who, miscreant
+as he might have been called, had, at all events, been the protector of
+my little sister.
+
+When, on further examination, they found nothing else to carry off, they
+dragged me down to the shore, off which several of their prahus were
+lying at anchor.  The rest of the people were busily engaged in
+collecting everything that was valuable from the wrecks of those which
+had been driven on shore; and I very soon found that, though they might
+spare my life, I was to be treated, not only as a prisoner, but as a
+slave; for a fellow having collected a load, without ceremony placed it
+on my back, and, giving me a poke with his spear, made a sign to me to
+carry it to a canoe floating close to the beach.  The rest laughed, and
+seemed to think it a good joke.  I tried hard to keep up my temper and
+courage; so, as soon as I had deposited the load in the canoe, I came
+back, and assiduously began to collect another, which in like manner I
+carried to the canoe.  When, however, I had collected a third, rather
+heavier than the rest, seeing a fellow passing me without one, I very
+quietly placed it on his back, and giving him a shove, pointed to the
+canoe, as his countryman had done when he put the load on me.  This
+seemed to tickle the fancies of the rest, and they all laughed
+immoderately, except the one on whom I had played the trick, and he
+immediately threw the burden down.  On this I pretended to fancy that he
+was too weak to carry it, and making signs as if I commiserated him, I
+took it up and bore it off to the boat.  By this sort of behaviour I
+believe that I gained considerably the good opinion of my captors, if I
+did not by it save my life.  Had I been weak or obstinate, they might
+have killed me, as of no use to them; but from my willingness to work,
+they judged that I should make a useful slave, and valued me
+accordingly.  Having collected all they wanted from the wrecks, and laid
+in a store of fruit and water, they began to go on board the prahus.  I
+resolved to make an attempt to preserve my liberty, and putting out my
+hand, tried to shake hands with them and to bid them farewell, as if I
+expected to remain on the island.  Alas!  I speedily discovered that
+they had no intention to let me off.  I endeavoured to explain that I
+had friends who would return and look for me, and would be grievously
+disappointed at not finding me.  They probably did not understand my
+explanations; at all events they totally disregarded them, and the
+spears which were pointed at me convinced me that I had no resource but
+to step into the canoe towards which I was thus unpleasantly conducted.
+
+We were soon on board one of the prahus, which, I learned, belonged to
+the chief who had captured me, and I was given to understand that I was
+his especial property.  My rifle was given to the leader of the
+expedition, as a more valuable perquisite.  I am not quite certain
+whether my jacket or I ranked next in consideration.  I suspect that we
+were considered of about equal value.  The prahu on which I was on board
+differed but little from those which composed the fleet by which it had
+been my chance before to be captured.  The chief cabin extended farther
+forward, and was less substantially built; and the whole vessel was
+longer, and much more decorated with paint and carving.  I was placed
+under the fighting deck among a quantity of booty, of which I found they
+had been pillaging some of the neighbouring islands.  Fortunately there
+were plenty of slaves to work the oars, so that I was saved from a task
+which would have knocked me up completely.  The wind being contrary, the
+oars were got out, and we pulled away to the northward.  At first we
+proceeded at a moderate speed, but I then observed some little commotion
+on board, and the officers went round with thongs in their hands to urge
+the slaves to fresh exertions.  As we cleared the island, and I managed
+to creep up so as to get a look astern, I discovered the cause.  In the
+far distance was my own little craft, the _Fraulein_, beating up under
+all sail towards the island.  I was certain it was she, and it was a
+satisfaction to know that she had escaped shipwreck in the gale; but it
+was indeed doubly tantalising to me to see my friends so near and unable
+to help me.  What a change had a few short hours wrought in my
+circumstances!  Yesterday I was on board my own vessel, with every one
+anxious to serve me; now I was a slave, surrounded by savages, who,
+without provocation, might any moment put an end to my existence.  I
+remembered, however, the advice I have so often repeated.  I resolved to
+keep up my spirits, and to make every exertion to escape, trusting that
+He who had hitherto been my Guardian would think fit still to preserve
+me.  I watched the _Fraulein_ anxiously; she had not yet reached the
+island to discover that I was no longer on it.
+
+We had almost sunk the island when I saw her topgallant-sails come
+abreast of it.  For some time they remained stationary, and then I saw
+her evidently standing after us.  She pursued us under all sail, but we
+were pulling into the wind's eye, and had the advantage of her.  At
+length the shades of evening shut her out from my view.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
+
+Overcome with fatigue, wretched as I was, I fell fast asleep, surrounded
+by my savage companions, and was allowed to remain undisturbed all the
+night.  When the morning dawned, we were running under sail, with the
+northern coast of Celebes on our larboard hand.  I looked out for my
+dear little _Fraulein_, in the anxious hope that she might be following;
+but, alas! she was nowhere in sight; and with a sinking heart I felt
+that I was about to be carried into hopeless slavery.  I did not doubt
+that my friends would search for me everywhere; but if I was transported
+into the interior of the country, I knew too well how almost impossible
+it would be for them to discover me.
+
+The high land of the northern coast of Celebes remained in sight for
+some days, as we pursued our course to the westward; but the pirate
+fleet did not attempt to make any descent on it; indeed, their prahus
+had already as much cargo on board as they could well carry.  One day we
+stood close in, and I observed ranges of lofty blue mountains, with
+rocks and precipices, and waterfalls, and groves of trees, and green
+fields, forming altogether a most enchanting and tempting prospect.  We,
+however, stood off again; and whatever was the intention of the pirates,
+either to rob or to obtain water, it was frustrated.  The inhabitants of
+Celebes are called Bugis.  They are very enterprising and industrious,
+and are the chief traders in the Archipelago.  They are said not to be
+altogether averse to a little piracy, when they can commit it without
+fear of opposition or detection.  They are, at all events, far more
+civilised than any of the surrounding people, and they are in proportion
+deceitful and treacherous.  As Celebes belongs to the Dutch, and they
+have a settlement on the north-eastern point, that of Mindanao, I was in
+hopes that some Dutch ship of war might encounter the fleet and rescue
+me from the hands of my captors; but day after day passed away, and no
+such good fortune, as I should then have called it, befell me.  I had
+reason, afterwards, to be thankful for all that occurred to me.  But I
+must not anticipate.  Losing sight of the coast of Celebes, we crossed
+the Straits of Malacca, and sighted the lower shores of Borneo.  The
+land was low and thickly fringed with mangrove trees of large growth but
+behind their dark foliage I observed blue mountain ranges rising in the
+distance, which gave the scenery a more inviting appearance.  We soon
+entered the mouth of a broad river, up which we sailed in martial
+array--tom-toms beating, pipes sounding, men shouting and brandishing
+their weapons, and flags waving.  I was at first doubtful whether they
+were preparing for war, or celebrating their victories on their return
+home.  I found, at last, that all this noise and fuss was their mode of
+rejoicing and congratulating themselves on their success.  At first I
+was inclined to think their custom very barbarous and ridiculous, till I
+remembered that we in England do precisely the same thing in our own
+way, only, as we are a more powerful people, we make more noise at a
+victory.  We fire off much bigger guns, and more of them; we wave a
+greater number of larger flags; we light up our houses, which are much
+higher, with lamps; and our mob, who are more numerous, shout with
+hoarser voices.  Indeed, when I came minutely to compare the habits and
+customs of barbarous people with ours, I found that there was a much
+greater similarity than I was at first inclined to suspect.
+
+As we sailed on, the scenery much improved.  Fine green fields, or
+meadow land, formed the banks, varied with gently sloping hills and
+knolls, or more rugged elevations, covered to their summits with the
+richest and most varied foliage.  We passed two or three places where I
+observed the ruins of huts and stockades, and also that the fruit-trees
+were cut down.  On these occasions the warriors flourished their swords
+more vehemently than ever, and seemed to threaten some invisible enemy,
+when I thought it advisable to keep out of their way, lest they should
+take me for a real one, and hew me to pieces.  Higher up, considerable
+patches of cultivated ground appeared, and, scattered thickly along the
+banks, were to be seen the picturesque cottages, or rather huts, of the
+inhabitants.  I afterwards learned that they were of the Sagai race--a
+tribe of the Dyaks--some of whom manned the prahu on which I was.  As we
+proceeded, canoes assembled from each village to greet us, and others
+were seen coming down the river in large numbers for the same
+complimentary object.  I was now placed on the most conspicuous part of
+the fighting deck, either as a trophy of war, or an object of curiosity
+to the assembled multitude, I could not tell which; but I was not
+flattered by the distinction, which was at all events excessively
+disagreeable.
+
+At length we reached a town of some size, surrounded by a stockade, with
+a fort, mounting a number of old guns on one side.  The town, I found,
+was inhabited chiefly by Malays, who live on friendly terms with the
+Sagais.  The houses, unlike those of the Dyaks of the north coast, were
+built of one storey on the ground, chiefly of bamboo, neatly thatched
+and floored.  The fleet having anchored before the town, and fired a
+salute, the admiral and his chief officers landed with me in their
+train, and marched towards the palace of the sultan, as the ruler of
+each petty state is called.  We had not advanced far, when the
+victorious leader was met by a procession, with the prime minister in
+state, coming to do him honour.  First marched a Malay, with a staff and
+a large flag waving above his head; then came two spearmen with their
+shields; and next the minister, another man holding above his head a
+canopy of state, a huge flat-topped umbrella, of scarlet silk, fringed
+with gold.  Next followed a band of musicians, two with drums, and two
+with pipes; and last, a large body of spearmen, all habited in scarlet
+cloth.
+
+The minister wore a silk handkerchief wound round his head, the end
+sticking out at the top, a silk vest, a richly embroidered coat, broad
+trousers with a deep fringe, and a handsome shawl round his waist, into
+which was stuck his sword and kriss, the end of which made his coat
+stick out very much behind.  Such, indeed is the general dress of the
+Malays in those regions.  After saluting the admiral, he turned round,
+and heading our line of march, we proceeded to the palace.
+
+We found the sultan seated on his throne in a large room of bamboo, open
+on three sides, that behind him having a scarlet cloth curtain hanging
+before it.  We all drew up in front of the throne, and a great many
+speeches were made by those present, very complimentary, I doubt not, to
+each other, and very much the contrary to their enemies; and then I was
+brought forward and examined, and turned round and round, till they were
+tired of looking at me.  As they were aware that I did not understand a
+word of their language, or they of mine, they did not ask me any
+questions, which saved me a great deal of trouble.  I was at last sent
+back to my original captor, whose property I evidently was.  He kept me
+for three days in the town, where I was visited by an immense number of
+the inhabitants, who evidently considered me a curiosity, just as we in
+England would look on a Dyak if we had him to exhibit.  He did not
+understand the art of a showman, so he did not attempt to make anything
+by me; but now, considering that it was time for me to commence gaining
+my own livelihood, and bringing him some profit into the bargain, he
+intimated to me that I was to accompany him into the interior on the
+following day.  My master's name was Kaka, and he was, I believe,
+considered a great warrior and a first-rate navigator; at least, I know
+the Malay admiral put great confidence in him.
+
+Early in the morning we set out, Kaka and some friends being on
+horseback, while I was compelled to trudge forward on foot, with a
+bundle, moreover, on my back.  The scenery as we advanced was very
+beautiful, and the luxuriance and variety of the vegetation most
+magnificent.  I was surprised at the immense number of cultivated trees,
+shrubs, and plants which surrounded the native villages.  There were
+large groves of broad-leaved plantains and graceful cocoa-nut trees, the
+slender tapering betel-nut palm and elegant palmyras; while the
+showy-looking papaw, and here and there a rhambutan tree, or a
+dark-leaved guava, contrasted with the golden fruit of the shaddock, and
+the delicious mangustan and the curious-tasted durian were to be found
+in numbers among them.
+
+I observed extensive groves of bamboo at the back of some of the houses,
+and pine-apple plantations luxuriating in the dark damp shady nooks.
+Then there are large fields of the most vivid hues; the bird's-eye
+pepper and tumeric are found growing like common weeds; while the piper
+betel, the leaf of which is chewed with ripe or green pieces of the
+areca-nut, is a most graceful plant, especially when loaded with its
+long spikes of fruit.  Sometimes it runs like a creeper along the
+ground, and at others it climbs the stems of the palmyra and areca palms
+in little patches, which are carefully guarded by rough paling.  Great
+attention is paid to the irritation of these spots, to insure a good
+flavour in the leaves.
+
+The cultivation of these various productions of the earth was certainly
+very rude; but wherever I went I observed a greater approach to the arts
+of civilisation than I expected, but more especially I was struck with
+the immense resources of the country, the extreme fertility which
+Providence has so bountifully bestowed on it, and the great reciprocal
+advantages which the inhabitants would reap by a free commercial
+intercourse with civilised countries.
+
+When I became better acquainted with the people, I felt convinced that,
+notwithstanding their many barbarous and cruel customs, they possessed
+dispositions which, if properly cultivated by the introduction of the
+true spirit and tenets of Christianity, and a firm and judicious
+government, would form them into prosperous and happy communities.  They
+appeared to me, when I saw them unexcited by war, to be of a very mild
+character, and most anxious to act rightly and honestly, according to
+their notions, towards each other.  Of course, I judged them by their
+own standard of right and wrong, as I conceive the only fair way to form
+a just estimate of the character of a people is to calculate the
+advantages they possess.  Alas!  I fear that, were the behaviour of
+Englishmen thus to be judged, their characters would often sink very
+very much below the standard at which, in our conceit, we are too proud
+of rating them.
+
+We travelled on for several days into the interior.  I tried to keep up
+my spirits and an appearance of indifference, as I knew that thus I
+should have a much better chance of being well treated by the natives,
+than if I had appeared sick or out of humour.  I trudged on, singing
+when I could manage to screw my voice up to the proper pitch, sometimes
+chewing a piece of cocoa-nut, and at others whittling away, as the
+Americans call it, at a stick, which I had cut from the forest.  I tried
+hard to make some of the inferior Sagais carry my load, by placing it on
+their shoulders; but, though they took the trick in good part, the man
+to whom I had given it passed it on to another, and very soon it was
+returned to me.  Most of them, indeed, had loads of their own to carry.
+At last we arrived at the chief's residence.  It was a neatly built
+cottage of bamboo, thatched with palm-leaves, and surrounded by a number
+of smaller cottages, the habitations of his relations and followers, the
+whole encircled by a palisade and trenches to serve as a fortification.
+I was at once introduced to the chief's wife, and made to understand
+that I was to obey her orders.  She wore a large loose garment of native
+cloth, called a sarong, wrapped round her waist and descending some way
+down her legs, but not sufficiently long to impede her walking.  She was
+really very good-looking, though rather stout; but her beauty was not
+increased by the enormous rings of tin which she carried in her ears.
+She seemed good-natured, and I determined to do my best to please her.
+She first set me to light the fire.  To produce ignition, in the first
+place, she gave me a stick with a pointed end, which she showed me how
+to insert into a hole in a board, which led to a groove in the lower
+side, and by turning the stick round rapidly between the palms, the
+flame burst forth.  She next gave me a quantity of rice or _padi_ to
+pound for family consumption; and then putting a basket into my hand,
+made of straw so closely woven that it held water, she intimated that it
+was to get her from a rivulet a supply of that necessary article.
+
+I was next employed in collecting the fruit of a species of bassia, or
+what I should call a butter tree.  This she boiled down, and then poured
+the liquid into bamboo cases.  When it had cooled it was taken out, and
+was of the colour and consistence of cheese.  The larger quantity was
+intended for exportation; but she also, taking some strips of cotton,
+dipped them into the mass, and produced some apologies for candles.  The
+flame was not bright; but the vegetable tallow has the advantage of
+remaining concrete, or hard, under the greatest tropical heat, white
+that produced from animal fat becomes too soft for the purpose.  When
+she had no household work to give me, I was sent out with a number of
+other slaves, both black and brown, to cut wood for firing or building
+purposes, and to collect aromatic barks, such as the clove bark and the
+cinnamon.  I never refused to perform any work she gave me, and went
+about it with so cheerful a countenance that I gained her approbation
+and confidence.  I own that all the time my heart was very heavy, and
+that I was endeavouring to discover some means by which I might have a
+chance of escaping.  At the great distance I was from the coast, I knew
+that to escape would be very difficult; but I notwithstanding resolved
+never to despair.  Others had been rescued from equally hopeless
+situations; why should not I? though I could not see the means by which
+it was to be accomplished.  My place of captivity was in the
+neighbourhood of a fine river, abounding with fish; and after a little
+time I was sent out to assist my master and his companions in catching
+them.  Sometimes we used the root of a shrub found in the forests,
+which, being steeped in water, the juice was poured into the pools where
+the fish lay.  This completely stupefied them, and made them float to
+the surface, where the natives dexterously transfixed them with their
+spears.  They have, however, another and a very amusing way of catching
+them in the stream, which I think might be imitated to advantage in
+England.  A number of model ducks are made of light wood, to imitate the
+real bird, and to their feet hangs a line with a hook and some tempting
+baits.  These were set floating in the current, and watched at a little
+distance by a man in a canoe.  Sometimes the ducks would swim tail
+first, contrary to the practice of all live ducks; but the fish, I
+supposed, did not observe the eccentricity, for they bit just as readily
+at the bait below.  As soon as the fisherman perceived that a duck began
+to bob and dive, he paddled forward and secured the living prize
+beneath.  I soon grew expert at this sort of fishing, which was very
+amusing; and as I set to work to manufacture the ducks, I sometimes had
+five or six dozen floating around me, and it was very exciting pulling
+here and there, when, by their movements, I saw they had made a capture.
+
+Near the village, on the banks of the stream, were several podado trees,
+which are of a light-green foliage, and extremely elegant.  They are the
+abode of fire-flies; and at night it was most beautiful to watch the
+thousands of those brilliant insects flitting about among their
+branches.  Sometimes I have seen both banks of the river completely lit
+up as if by a display of fireworks.
+
+I was rapidly gaining a knowledge of the language of my captors, which I
+diligently studied for the purpose of aiding my escape, and I thus was
+able to gain a great deal more about the people than I could otherwise
+have done.  I have already slightly described their dress.  It varied
+very much, each man seeming to follow his own taste.  Some wore
+enormously large helmets of skins stretched out on canes, and ornamented
+with a variety of feathers; and when they wore skin cloaks, the head of
+the animal usually hung down behind, and had a very grotesque
+appearance.  They wear corselets of leather, stuffed, and some large
+pearl-oyster shells, to serve as armour.  Their sumpitans are most
+exactly bored, and look like Turkish tobacco-pipes.  The inner end of
+the sumpit, or arrow, is run through a piece of pith fitting exactly to
+the tube, so that there is little friction as they are blown out of the
+tube by the mouth.  The barb is dipped in a mixture, of which the chief
+ingredient is the sap of the upas tree; and, to increase its virulence,
+lime-juice is sometimes added.  The poison, by its exposure to the air,
+loses its noxious qualities.
+
+By-the-bye, I discovered that the deadly qualities of the upas tree are
+very much exaggerated.  I climbed into the branches of one, and drank
+water from a stream passing near its roots, without suffering the
+slightest inconvenience; at the same time, perhaps, under some
+circumstances, it may be more hurtful.
+
+The chief articles exported by my captors were bees' wax and camphor,
+honey, vegetable tallow, areca-nuts, _trepang dawma_, sharks' fins,
+tortoise-shell, edible birds' nests, and pearls.  These are only a very
+small portion of the articles they might export under other
+circumstances.
+
+The edible bird's nests are formed by a species of swallow, which builds
+them in the caves on the coast.  They adhere in numbers to the rocks,
+very like watch-pockets to the head of a bed.  They are either white, or
+red, or black, and are formed chiefly of _agal-agal_ a marine cellular
+plant.  The Chinese lanterns are made of netted thread, smeared over
+with the gum produced by boiling down this same plant, which, when dry,
+forms a firm pellucid and elastic substitute for horn.
+
+The collecting of these nests, from the positions they occupy, is as
+dangerous as the samphire-gathering described by Shakespeare.  I must
+return to my description of the people.  The members of each tribe are
+usually divided into their fighting men, those who manufacture arms, and
+those who cultivate the ground and make ornaments for the women.
+Although addicted to warfare, they still cultivate the ground; they
+treat their women better than do most savages, always the mark of a
+superior grade in civilisation; they do not torture prisoners as do the
+North American Indians, although they cut off the heads of those they
+kill.
+
+They believe in one God, and fancy that heaven is situated at the top of
+Kina Balow, their highest mountain, and that the pass is defended by a
+savage dog.  It is curious that the North American Indians and the
+Greeks of old had a similar notion.
+
+In their warfare they are as fierce and remorseless as the Red Indian,
+and, without the fair warning which he gives to his enemies, they attack
+them in the dead of night, and slay all they meet.  I heard of a race of
+people who inhabited the woods in the interior, who go about entirely
+without clothing; they sleep under the overhanging branches of trees,
+make a fire to keep off the wild beasts and snakes, and, cover
+themselves with a piece of bark.  When the children can take care of
+themselves, they quit their parents to pursue the same course.  The
+Dyaks hunt them, and shoot their children in the trees with sumpits as
+they would monkeys.  I had heard of these wild people; and one day in
+the woods, with another slave, we observed what I was convinced was one
+of them, standing before me with a huge stick in his hands; but instead
+of being without clothing, he had a well-made coat of skin on his
+shoulders.  We were both unarmed; and as my companion instantly ran
+away, I was afraid that he might retaliate on me the injuries he had so
+often received.  He looked at me fiercely for a minute, and then
+brandishing his stick, advanced towards me.  I saw that I was not likely
+to escape by running, and fully expected to have my brains knocked out.
+Luckily a branch of a tree lay near me; I seized it, and rushed towards
+my antagonist.  To my surprise he instantly threw down his stick, and
+began to climb a tree near him.  I was now the assailant; and as my
+courage increased, his oozed out, and he climbed from branch to branch
+in an endeavour to make his escape.  On nearer examination, what I took
+to be a coat was his natural skin; and I discovered that instead of a
+wild man, an enormous ourang-outang was before me.  As I had no wish to
+molest him, I began to retreat; but as I did so, he came down from his
+tree and followed me.  On this I turned again, when he instantly
+stopped, and as I advanced he began to climb.
+
+I suspected, from this manoeuvre, that he intended me some treachery,
+and, coming to an open space, I set off and ran as hard as I could.  He
+followed for some distance, when, growing tired of walking, he gave up
+the chase, and returned to his wood.  I suspect that the wild people
+spoken of are no other than baboons.  I advanced further in the good
+graces of my mistress by taking notice of her children, and by making
+them swings, and a variety of toys suited to their tastes, so that she
+was induced to indulge me more than the other slaves.  I, however, still
+had to toil hard, and my master was as severe as at first.  One day I
+had gone with a number of other slaves to collect cinnamon in a
+direction I had not before visited, when, as I was passing a cottage on
+my return homeward, I heard the sounds of a female voice singing a low
+and soft melody.  The notes thrilled through my heart.  They were not
+the sounds of a native woman's voice.  I let my load drop at the risk of
+feeling my master's lash on my back, that I might stop and listen.  How
+eagerly did I drink in these notes!  I heard the words, too; yes--I
+could not be mistaken--they were English.  Oh, what sensations did they
+create!  I had an indistinct notion that I had heard them before in the
+days of my infancy.  It was a gentle, plaintive air.  Now I should never
+forget it.  I longed to see who was the singer; but she was concealed
+inside the cottage, and I feared to enter; I dared not even delay longer
+to listen, for the lash of my master was about to descend on my
+shoulders.  What wild fancies rushed into my brain!  "Can it be Eva?
+Can she be so near me?  I dare not think it," I kept repeating to
+myself, as I was urged on with my load.  All night long I lay awake,
+that sweet voice sounding in my ear, while I meditated how I could
+discover the mystery.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
+
+Several days passed away, and my constant and numerous occupations
+prevented me from returning to the neighbourhood of the cottage from
+whence the strains of music I had heard proceeded.  Every effort I made
+was prevented.  Alas!  I felt too truly that I was a slave.  Those who
+have once tasted the bitterness of slavery will know how to
+compassionate their fellow-creatures, whatever the hue of their skin,
+reduced to a like condition.  Surely the heart of the white and black
+man is the same: yet such is the fate of thousands and thousands of
+human beings, not only of the sons of Africa, but of the inhabitants of
+these magnificent islands I am describing.  To what nobler purpose could
+the power and influence of Great Britain be turned, than by putting a
+stop to such atrocities, and by bringing the blessings of Christianity
+and civilisation among a people so capable of benefiting by them?
+
+But to return to my history.  The natives of Borneo have a very just
+conception of the rights of property; they look upon certain lands and
+fruit-trees, or on other trees and shrubs useful to them, as also on
+their lakes and rivers for fishing purposes, as belonging to certain
+tribes or individuals; and any aggression thereon is the cause of
+quarrels and warfare.  I had heard the people talking of an expedition
+some of them had made into the territory of a distant tribe, when they
+had cut down some cocoa-nut and palm-trees, and committed other
+mischief; but they spoke of their enemies as a weak and pusillanimous
+race, who were unable or unwilling to retaliate, and I thought no more
+of the matter.  When sent into the woods to gather bark or gums, or the
+heads of the cabbage-palm, or to catch fish on the river or neighbouring
+lake, I used to be interested by the vast number of birds and insects--
+the beauty of the plumage of the one, and the brilliancy of the tints of
+the other.
+
+I must not omit to mention the cabbage-palm.  This tree is surrounded,
+at each girdle of growth, by a cincture of sharp thorns, which are more
+numerous and needle-shaped as we approach the leaves.  The head
+contains, like all other palms, a soft spike, about the hardness of the
+core of the cabbage.  This, when boiled, resembles the asparagus, or
+kale, and, uncooked, it makes an excellent salad.  The interior of the
+tree is full of useless pithy matter.  It is therefore split into four
+or more parts, the softer portion being cut away, and leaving only the
+outer rind of older wood, which is necessarily hard.  These narrow,
+slightly-curved slabs form the principal flooring of the houses in
+Borneo, as well as the posts and rafters.  In England it is constantly
+used for umbrella-sticks.  The most interesting birds were the pigeons,
+with feathers of the richest metallic hues.  The plaintive cooings of
+their notes as they issued from the solitude of the sombre woods, were
+mournful but soothing to my ear.  Their air is full of softness, and
+their eyes of gentleness; the very turn of the neck and the carriage of
+the head are full of grace; every motion is elegant, and their forms of
+the most beautiful proportions.  A kingfisher of considerable size, and
+splendid colouring, frequents the banks of the streams.  A grey heron
+perches on the lower boughs of the trees, and fishes in the ponds.  A
+small-winged woodpecker, and a large red-headed species, climb up and
+down the trees in sequestered places, and a thrush with a yellow beak
+and black head utters a sweet note among the bamboo groves and thickets;
+while owls, falcons, eagles and other birds of prey abound.
+
+I was one day sent to fish in a lake in the direction of the cottage
+whence the music had proceeded which had so agitated me.  Into the lake
+ran a clear rivulet, which passed, I thought likely, near the cottage.
+I was in a small canoe by myself, and, fortunately finding the fish
+abounding near the mouth of the rivulet, I separated myself from my
+companions, and, observing that I was not watched, I pulled a little way
+up it.  My progress was soon stopped; but trees concealing me from view,
+I hauled up the canoe on the bank, and jumped on shore.
+
+I listened to discover if any one was near; but no sound reaching my
+ear, I crept cautiously along the banks of the stream, looking between
+the trees for any sign of a habitation.  After going some way, I came to
+a field of maize, and soon after, at the end of a forest glade, I beheld
+a cottage.  I could not tell if it was the one for which I was in
+search, but I hoped it might be; and concealing myself among the bushes
+and behind the trunks of trees, I advanced towards it.  I had got a very
+little way, however, before a female figure appeared from behind the
+cottage, with a basket on her head.  She stopped an instant, as if to
+discover if any one was near, and then she came quickly along towards
+the very spot where I lay concealed.  Oh, how my heart beat with
+emotion!  Her quick and elastic step told me she was young,--as would
+her slight and small figure.  Her dress, I saw, was not that of a native
+woman; for though her head was bare, a loose vest covered her neck and
+shoulders, and a gown came down to her feet.  Soon, too, I saw that her
+skin was fair; that her hair, which hung in rich luxuriance over her
+shoulders, was light, and that her eyes were blue; and as she drew still
+nearer, I knew her features.  I could not be mistaken in them; for
+although grown from infancy almost to womanhood, still they were those
+of my own sweet dear little sister Eva.
+
+I was afraid of frightening her if I appeared suddenly, and still more
+so should any one be observing her; so I waited, my heart throbbing all
+the time, till she had reached the stream and filled her bucket with
+water.  She then sat down on the bank, and seemed to be meditating over
+her sad fate.  Then she began to sing the same plaintive air I had
+before heard.  I echoed it, and repeated the words, increasing them in
+distinctness.  At first she seemed to think that her imagination had
+been deceiving her; then she started up and advanced rapidly, with
+outstretched arms and eager look, towards where I lay concealed.  I
+could no longer contain myself, but sprang up and rushed towards her.
+She instantly stopped, and uttering a faint cry, was about to fly from
+me--
+
+"Eva, my own Eva! it is your brother Mark."
+
+She instantly recognised my voice, and flying forward she threw herself
+into my arms, and sobbed as if her heart would break.  I held her thus
+without being able to utter a word.
+
+"Mark, my brother Mark!  I can scarcely believe this; and yet my heart
+told me all along that you would come and search for me; that you would
+not believe that I was dead; that you would never rest till you found
+me;--and I have not been deceived."
+
+"Indeed I would not, Eva, for we are all in all to each other," I
+replied.
+
+There was a sheltered nook, where no one at a distance off could see us.
+I led her there, and we sat down; and, our hands clasped together, I
+told her all that I had done to discover her.
+
+"And you see, Eva," I added, "what I at first thought the greatest
+misfortune that could have happened to me, has proved the blessing I
+could most have desired, as it has enabled me at last to discover you."
+
+"But we are slaves," said Eva, sighing deeply.
+
+"Yes, dear Eva; but we are together," I answered in a cheerful voice.
+"Together, too, we will escape.  I am certain of it.  I know not how it
+will be accomplished; but I have no doubt about the matter.  I was
+certain I should discover you; and you see I have done so in a way I
+little expected."
+
+"You are in spirits, Mark, at having discovered me, and so I ought to be
+also," she replied; "but do you know that I cannot shake off the feeling
+that some heavy calamity is about to happen, even greater than has yet
+befallen?"
+
+"Do not let such an idea oppress you," I answered.  "God never lets us
+foresee the future, though we may predict what is likely to happen, by
+close observation of past and present events.  You have been exposed to
+so many dangers and horrors, that it is not surprising that your spirits
+should be low."
+
+"Indeed I have," said Eva.  "Not long ago a large war party came back,
+bringing with them thirty human heads, which they carried round the
+village with the most terrific shouts, and then, after baking them, hung
+them up in their head-house; when, for a whole month afterwards, they
+attended nightly singing and shouting at them.  I have been every day
+expecting their enemies to retaliate; but they have not done so, and I
+hope have forgiven the outrage."
+
+"Such scenes were sufficient, indeed, to make you low-spirited," I said;
+"but I want to know all about yourself--all your adventures, and how you
+came here."
+
+On this, she rapidly ran over all that had occurred to her from the time
+she went on board the _Emu_.  She told me, that when off the coast of
+Borneo, the master had been shot by some of the crew and thrown
+overboard, and that Kidd was then elected captain; that the brig entered
+a river in Borneo, where the people were very nearly cut off by the
+natives; but that they escaped and proceeded southward, when they
+commenced attacking vessels of all sorts indiscriminately.
+
+At first they only plundered them of the lighter and more valuable
+portion of their cargoes, but at length the crews were frequently
+murdered, and the vessels sunk or burned.  Mrs Clayton had, from the
+first, discovered the sort of persons into whose hands she had fallen;
+and it so preyed on her spirits that she sank rapidly under it.  The
+crew had been disappointed at the amount of the dollars she had brought
+on board; and had it not been for Kidd, who told them that they could
+realise much more by her ransom some time or other, they would have
+treated her with but little ceremony.  Sometimes they received
+volunteers out of the vessels they destroyed.  Among those whose lives
+were spared was a young lad from Java, and he was kept to serve them in
+the cabin.  He was very honest and faithful; and Mrs Clayton had
+employed him to try and sell a few jewels she had secreted, to bribe
+some of the crew to assist in her escape.  They took the bribe, but she
+remained a prisoner.  Kidd had shown some interest in Eva from the
+first, and this much increased on his observing a locket which she wore
+round her neck.  She had never been deprived of it.  He did not tell her
+the reason of this, but promised her that he would do so some day.  He
+was ever afterwards very kind in his manner.  When he looked fierce or
+unhappy, she used to sing to him and calm his spirits, till she not only
+lost all dread of him, but began to like and to compassionate him.  He
+was always very wretched, and sometimes she used to hear him shriek out
+at night in his cabin, as if someone were murdering him; and she never
+saw him smile or laugh.  Poor Mrs Clayton grew worse and worse; and
+when she died, she thought her heart would break, and she almost wished
+to die also.  Her misery decreased, though she was very melancholy.
+Kidd did his utmost to arouse her, and promised her that she should some
+day have her rights, and go on shore, and live in a fine house, with
+plenty of people to attend on her, and a carriage to to move about in.
+Soon after this the schooner appeared, and was taken for a Dutch
+man-of-war, and the pirates thus found it necessary to be more cautious
+in their proceedings.  When chased for the first time, they had run for
+the Pater Nosters, because they were a group with which Kidd was well
+acquainted; and immediately on entering, they had hauled in through a
+very intricate channel to the north, where, by warping rapidly on, they
+had got sufficiently onward to be concealed by the trees from our view.
+On the second occasion, chance, aided by skill, had helped them.  They
+had been just outside the strongest part of the squall, and by
+shortening sail in time, they were able to make it again, and to get
+away before we had recovered from it.  On the third time, they had run
+into a deep but narrow inlet, surrounded by high rocks and overhanging
+trees, where they lay concealed while we passed, or, had we attempted to
+enter, they might have thrown down fragments of the cliff from above,
+and crushed us.  At last they were compelled to go into harbour, both to
+refit and to divide their booty.  Here, while off their guard and
+carousing on shore, the brig was attacked, and she was seized.  The
+assailants were Illanons from Sooloo, the boldest pirates of the
+Archipelago.  She thought she should have died through fear when they
+rushed into the cabin.  They carried her off with other booty; but as
+she was so small, and did not look able to do much work, they sold her
+to her present master for three cakes of vegetable tallow.  She had got
+so accustomed to the life on board the brig, and had been so kindly
+treated by Kidd, that, though anxious to return to her friends and
+civilised life, she had learned to regard him with confidence, and
+almost with affection, and would gladly have returned.  She was always
+kept below during all their attacks on vessels, so that she was not
+witness to the atrocities they committed.  Her present master was an old
+chief, who had given up fighting, and she was employed to attend on his
+wife, who was much younger.  The work she had to perform was not very
+hard, nor did it appear to injure her health; but still she was a slave,
+and as such she was treated; and till she saw me she was very miserable,
+unable even to form a conjecture of her future fate, and hopeless of
+escape.  Such was her narrative.  Much of it I had before heard from the
+pirate.  She was much grieved when I told her of his death; but I
+assured her that his punishment had been great, and that I believed his
+repentance had been sincere.  At length we remembered that it was time
+to separate.
+
+We agreed to meet, if possible, at the same spot on the following day;
+and as it was the fishing season, I should have a good excuse for
+pulling across the lake.  At last I was obliged to urge her to return;
+and after watching her till she reached the cottage, I hurried down the
+stream to the spot where I had left my canoe.  I launched it, and
+paddled back to the part of the lake where I had quitted my companions.
+They had disappeared, and, by the lowness of the sun, I guessed that
+they must have returned home.  It was a lovely evening, and the scene
+was one of the most perfect quiet and repose.  The water of the lake was
+as smooth as glass, and over it sported thousands of the most
+brilliant-tinted dragon-flies, while birds of the brightest hues flitted
+in and out among the trees.  In some spots were to be seen _padi_
+fields, looking beautifully green, and extensive bamboo groves, above
+which appeared the towering palm and plantain.  There were also the
+cocoa-nut, the betel, the sago, and the _gno_ or _gomati_: these are the
+four most useful palms to the natives.  The pith of the sago furnishes
+food; and when that is extracted, the outer part serves for the floors
+of cottages.  The leaf of the sago palm is also the best for roofing.
+From the _gno_ is extracted fibre for manufacturing rope, and the toddy
+which forms their common beverage.
+
+Scarcely had I left the canoe than it became dark.  I took the
+precaution to mark the way I advanced, that I might at all events
+retrace my steps to sleep in the canoe.  I was obliged to advance
+cautiously, and to consider every step I took, so as not to lose the
+pathway.  I had marked the direction by the stars, as I left the canoe,
+and they assisted to guide me.  I at length sat down to rest, believing
+myself some way from the village.  I believe that I must have fallen
+asleep,--but how long I slept I know not,--when I was aroused by the
+most unearthly shrieks and yells imaginable.  I was on a rising ground.
+I looked around to discover whence it could come, when I saw bright
+flames bursting forth close below me from some buildings which I
+recognised as the village or kampong to which I belonged.  Among the
+burning cottages were some hundreds of warriors in their wildest war
+costume, their skin dresses, the bright-coloured feathers waving in
+their head dress, adding to the ferocity of their savage features, as
+with their short swords in their hands, shining with the light of the
+flames, they were cutting and hewing to pieces every person whom the
+fire drove from the shelter of their walls.  A complete panic seemed to
+have seized the inhabitants--little or no resistance was offered--
+scarcely a warrior drew his sword in defence of his family.  The fierce
+assailants seized their victims by the hair, and, with a stroke of their
+sharp parangs, added a fresh head to the horrid trophies of their
+prowess.  Men, women, and children were indiscriminately slaughtered.
+My master and his whole family were destroyed.  The bitterest revenge,
+not plunder, was the object of the assailants.  Those who had lately
+been boasting of their own unprovoked attack on these very enemies, were
+now justly the sufferers.  When the warriors had finished their work of
+blood, they hurried on to other villages, which bodies of their tribe
+had already attacked.
+
+Prompted by a wish to save some who might have escaped death, I ran down
+into the village, but not a human being did I find alive.  As I passed
+among the burning huts, their light fell on the blade of a sword.  I
+seized it, feeling it might be useful, and stuck it in my girdle.
+Anxious to discover in which direction the warriors had gone, I returned
+to the hill.  Flames rising up in every direction marked their progress.
+A horror came over me; for I observed that the fires were advancing in
+the direction where Eva lived.  I marked the point on the lake where I
+had left the canoe, and then dashed down the hill towards it.  I
+appeared to know the way by instinct.  I had no fear of losing it.  I
+rushed on, and finding the canoe, leaped into it.  Just then shrieks and
+cries reached my ears coming across the tranquil water of the lake.  I
+seized the paddles, and urged on the canoe faster than I had ever before
+made her go.  A supernatural strength seemed to be given me.  A village
+near the lake was already attacked.  The flames cast their ruddy hue on
+the water.  The dismayed population were offering but little or no
+opposition; and what could be expected of the aged inhabitants of the
+cottage where Eva lived?
+
+I reached the mouth of the stream, and leaped on shore.  As hurrying on,
+careless of concealment, I looked up a glade of the forest, my heart
+sunk with horror; for at that instant a bright flame burst from the roof
+of the cottage.  The savages had already discovered it; nor was it to be
+exempt from their vengeance.
+
+"Alas!"  I exclaimed.  "Why, when once I found you did I ever leave you,
+my sweet sister?"
+
+I rushed on.  Again I heard the savage warriors' dreadful whoops and
+yells, as they went about their work of destruction.  The flames now
+burnt fiercely forth from the cottage, and by their light I saw a party
+of savages in front of the building, flourishing their swords over a
+kneeling group; while, at a little distance, an old man with grey
+hairs--he seemed also a warrior by his dress--was struggling desperately
+with an overwhelming body of assailants.  He had already wounded
+several; but had evidently himself received many deep gashes in return,
+for I could see the blood dropping round him on the ground.  Just then a
+cut disabled his sword arm, and with savage yells they threw themselves
+on him, and in an instant his head was fastened to their leader's
+girdle.
+
+I could not help seeing this scene as I hurried on; but it was the group
+close to the cottage which attracted all my attention.  The figure
+nearest to me was my sister Eva.  A savage held her by her long hair,
+and with his sword lifted above her head, seemed but to wait the issue
+of the combat with the old chief to sever it from the body.  I flew
+forward.  My agonising fear was, that when he saw me coming he would
+complete his barbarous intention before he attempted to defend himself.
+I dared not shriek out; indeed my voice refused my feelings utterance.
+He was still gazing on the old warrior's gallant resistance, and did not
+observe my approach.  Eva had prepared herself for death.  She opened
+her eyes and beheld me.  At that moment a blow from my weapon sent the
+sword of the Dyak into the air, while a wound on his left arm made him
+release his grasp, and springing up she threw herself into my arms.
+
+"Eva, dearest, I am come to die with you," I whispered, holding her
+light form in my left arm, while with my sword I kept them at bay, as I
+saw the infuriated savages with brandished weapons close around us.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
+
+I fully believed that our last moments had arrived, and it was, I felt,
+a satisfaction to die with Eva; yet I endeavoured to retreat to prolong
+our lives, if I could not preserve them.  My strength was fast failing
+me; the weapons of the savages were flashing in my eyes; every instant I
+expected to be disabled by a wound.  I am convinced my dauntless bravery
+somewhat awed these wild natives, for, with that young girl to protect,
+no sensation of fear entered my bosom.  At last they seemed ashamed at
+allowing one man, a mere stripling too, so to daunt them, and with loud
+yells and shrieks they threw themselves on me.
+
+At that instant, when every hope of life had fallen, another warrior, he
+seemed, uttering still more unearthly cries than his companions, and
+dressed in a still more fantastic manner, rushed into the circle.  At
+his appearance the rest drew back, and, as he stepped into the ring, I
+thought he was about to perform the part of executioner.  Instead,
+however, of cutting off my head, after addressing a few words in the
+Dyak language to his savage followers, to my intense astonishment he
+exclaimed, in unmistakable English:
+
+"It's all right, my fine fellow; neither you nor that little girl shall
+have a hair of your heads hurt while I have got a finger to wag in your
+defence."
+
+On hearing these words, Eva lifted up her head, and crying out, "He is
+an Englishman! he is an Englishman!  Oh!  Mark, you are saved!" burst
+into tears.
+
+"Don't be crying so, my dear young lady," said the pretended chief.  "I
+promise you that both he and you are safe enough for the present; my
+pretty boys here won't hurt any of those whom I say are my friends."
+
+"Indeed, sir, whoever you are, I am most grateful for your succour," I
+observed.  "You have saved this dear young girl's life as well as my
+own."
+
+"Oh, but Mark came just in time to save mine," interrupted Eva.
+
+"Mark!  Is that your name?  I had a friend once of that name, but you
+are not a bit like him," exclaimed the stranger.
+
+"The name I have always borne is that of Mark Seaworth," I answered,
+remembering that I had good reason to suppose that it was not my real
+one.
+
+"Mark Seaworth!  The very same; I ought to have known you at once; and I
+am delighted to find you, old fellow.  I am, by Jerico, Seaworth!"
+exclaimed the stranger, grasping me by the arm, and wringing it till he
+almost dislocated my shoulder in the warmth of his feelings.
+
+"I also am indeed delighted to meet an old friend," I returned; "but,
+for the life of me, in your present costume I cannot recall your
+features."
+
+"Ah!  I quite forgot; this rather uncommon rig for an English gentleman
+must somewhat have puzzled you," he answered, laughing.  "Well, then,
+you remember Blount, at old Liston's.  I am the same, I can assure you,
+Seaworth; rather transmogrified as to my outward man, I own."  The voice
+and turn of expression instantly recalled my old friend Walter Blount to
+my recollection, and I returned his grasp with as hearty a shake as he
+had given me.
+
+We had, however, as he observed, very little time for explanations, as
+it was necessary to beat a retreat before the allies of the tribe his
+friends had attacked were aroused and able to follow them.  The warriors
+were now collecting from all parts, their work of vengeance being
+accomplished; and under the escort of Blount, who assisted me in
+supporting Eva, we proceeded towards the north in company with the
+advanced body.  As we skirted the borders of the lake we found a canoe
+sufficiently large to contain three persons.  As it would save Eva much
+fatigue, I proposed to Blount to take it and to pull to the end of the
+lake, where we might again place ourselves under the escort of the
+warriors.  As we were paddling swiftly along, he gave me a brief outline
+of his history, after I had told him how I came to be in the position,
+in which I was.
+
+"You know, Seaworth, I was always a very wild fellow, and you used to
+get me out of numbers of scrapes," he begun.  "Well, at last I became
+tired of school, and I did nothing but bother my friends to send me to
+sea.  I used to write round to every friend and relation I possessed,
+once a fortnight at least--to the more influential ones oftener; till,
+either to save their pockets the expense of postage, or because they saw
+that my heart was set on the life, they all met and consulted together,
+and agreed that I should be sent on board an Indiaman, where I should be
+more likely to make a fortune than in the Royal Navy, and should have no
+occasion to repeat the trick I had played them when I wanted my
+promotion.  So I was fitted out with the proper number of shirts and
+socks, and sent on board the _Hooghly_.
+
+"I made two voyages, but did not find life in an Indiaman anything like
+what I expected; so I left her, and hearing of a brig which had a roving
+commission to go wherever there was any trade to be done, I offered to
+join her.  I especially liked the notion of the excitement and variety,
+and, as she was short of hands, my services were accepted on condition
+that I shipped as junior mate.  I found that I had more work and less
+pay than any one on board; but I learned seamanship and practised
+navigation, which was considered an equivalent for my services.
+
+"We touched at a great many places in these seas, disposing of some of
+our cargo, and collecting the produce of the country in return, when we
+managed to run the brig on a shoal off this coast, which was not
+correctly laid down on our chart.  There was a very heavy sea, and the
+vessel struck violently, so that it was the opinion of most onboard that
+she would go to pieces.  The master, who was of this opinion, and
+others, took to the boats, but were swamped, as I was afraid they would
+be.  I stuck to the wreck, as, knowing her to be thoroughly built, I had
+an idea that she would stick together.
+
+"I was in the after part of the vessel, but the rest of the people who
+remained were forward, and the sea, making a clean breach over the
+wreck, swept them all away.  I with difficulty held on; and when the sea
+went down, and the morning returned, I discovered that I was the only
+person left alive.  I found some cold meat and biscuits and plenty of
+spirits in the cabin, and a keg of water jammed into the companion
+hatch, so there was little fear of my starving for some time to come.
+When the sun rose, I saw the land a few miles off, and in the afternoon
+of the same day perceived a number of canoes coming off to the wreck.  I
+knew that the people hereabouts do not make much ceremony about cutting
+off a fellow's head; so, determining that they should not have mine
+without plenty of trouble, I bound all the handkerchiefs I could find
+round my throat, till I appeared to have no more neck than a whale.  As
+I was hunting about the cabin, I came upon the captain's medicine chest.
+I knew the properties and effects of some of the drugs, and besides
+them was a little book in the drawers to help me.
+
+"`Come,' said I to myself, `savages are apt to treat medical men with
+rather more respect than often do civilised people.  I will pretend to
+be a doctor, and they will probably not attempt to hurt me.'
+
+"As a precaution, I put on all the coats I could find, and buttoned them
+over to serve as armour, and stuck a brace of pistols in my pockets, to
+shoot a couple of them if they came to close quarters.  However, when
+the canoes first came up, the savages, seeing me on board walking the
+deck with as much dignity as the officer of the watch, began blowing
+their sumpits at me till I was stuck all over like a porcupine.  Luckily
+none hit my face, and seeing me take the matter so unconcernedly, they
+ceased blowing, to discover what I was made of.  I thereon pulled out
+the arrows, and going to the side of the vessel, with a polite bow
+presented them to my assailants, at the same time, by significant
+gestures, inviting them on board.  My conduct seemed to tickle their
+fancy amazingly; and when they climbed up the sides, instead of showing
+any fear, or attempting to resist them, I appeared delighted to see
+them, and in a minute we were perfectly good friends.  I now led some of
+them into the cabin, and gave them everything which first came to hand,
+knowing very well that they would take it if I did not; besides, as I
+could scarcely consider the things my own, I could afford to be
+generous.  With my aid, they soon loaded the canoes so full that they
+could carry no more; and then jumping into the principal one, which
+seemed to belong to a chief, I sat myself down beside him, and began
+talking away as if I was an old friend, and delighted to see him.  By
+the by, he could not understand a word I said: but I made up for the
+want of meaning in the sounds by a profusion of signs.  I found that
+they belonged to a tribe inhabiting a spot at the head of a long river,
+and that they were just about to return thither.  I now tried to make
+them comprehend that if any of them were ill, I could cure them by means
+of a box which I carried under my arm.  They, of course, thought that it
+was filled with charms, but had not the less respect for me on that
+account.  I was delighted with the beauty of the scenery we passed going
+up the river, and the well-selected site of their village.  When we
+arrived there, they gave me a house to myself, and would have allowed me
+to choose a wife had I been so disposed; but I declined the honour.  I
+at once set to work to gain the good opinion of the ladies, and for this
+object divided my somewhat cumbrous neckcloth among them, while I
+doctored them and their children on every opportunity.  My coats I
+divided among the men, except one suit which I kept for myself.  I
+thought that I should still more ingratiate myself with them, if I
+dressed as they did; and as I was always somewhat of a dandy, I went to
+the extreme of Dyak fashion, except in the matter of putting those big
+rings in my ears, and chewing betel-nut; in fact I now take the lead in
+dress, and am looked upon as the very pink of perfection.  I have
+learned their language, and adapted myself to their ways; but I have
+begun to get rather tired of this sort of life, and have been lately
+considering how I can best take my departure, and in what direction I
+shall steer my course."
+
+"I hope that you will accompany us my dear fellow, and return again to
+civilised life," I observed.  "But how could you encourage those people,
+in the savage work in which they were engaged?"
+
+"I am not surprised at the question, Seaworth," he replied, gravely;
+"but you must not think so ill of me as to suppose that I encouraged
+them in murdering their countrymen.  In the first place, you must
+understand that they had been previously attacked by this tribe, who
+carried off a number of heads, burnt their cottages, and cut down their
+fruit-trees.  They believe retaliation to be justifiable,--so do
+civilised nations; and I knew that it would be hopeless to preach
+forbearance to them: so I accompanied them to doctor up any who were
+hurt, and to try and save the lives of their prisoners."
+
+"I am sure that we ought not to find fault with Mr Blount, for he saved
+our lives, at all events," interposed Eva.
+
+I agreed with her, and assured Blount, that under the circumstances he
+had described, he might, I thought, even have assisted his friends in
+punishing their enemies, not in a revengeful spirit, but as the only
+means of preventing a similar attack, and for preserving peace.  We had
+now arrived at the end of the lake; and landing, we left the canoe to
+its fate.  The war party had not arrived, and with some anxiety we
+waited for them, fearing that they might have gone by some other route;
+for Blount asserted that they had not yet passed that way.  The moon had
+just risen in the sky, and was shedding a silvery light across the lake,
+by which we were enabled to see to the other extremity.  We watched,
+fearing that some of the warriors of the enemy might have collected and
+set out in pursuit, and Blount began to regret having parted from his
+friends.  My young sister was sadly worn and fatigued by the terror she
+had undergone, and was unable to proceed on foot; so Blount and I
+employed our time in manufacturing a sort of litter, on which she might
+be carried on the journey.  She seemed much grieved at the death of the
+old chief and his wife, who had treated her kindly, and won her
+easily-gained affections.  Blount and I were just completing our work
+when Eva called to us.  She was seated on a rock close to the lake.
+
+"I have been listening, and I am certain I hear the splash of paddles on
+the water," she said; "and see, are not these some black spots just
+under the moonbeams at the other end of the lake?"
+
+We, too, were soon certainly convinced that she was right.  "I see how
+matters stand," said Blount; "a war party have collected and embarked,
+to cross the lake and lie in ambush for my friends on their retreat.
+They have been so quick about it that there can only be a few of them,
+but they would do some mischief.  It is fortunate that we came across
+the water.  We must now try to find our friends to give them warning."
+
+I agreed with him; and placing Eva on the litter to carry her between
+us, in spite of her assurance that she could walk very well, we were
+about to set forward, when Blount recollected that the canoe would
+betray us.  It had fortunately not drifted away from the shore; so
+hauling it up, we hid it among the bushes, and trusted that our pursuers
+would not land at that very spot.  We proceeded in a direction so as to
+intersect the line of march of the Dyaks, Blount carefully listening for
+their approach.
+
+"We must not go farther," he observed, "or they may pass us;" so we put
+down our light burden, and sat down by her side.  The moonbeams here and
+there struggled through the thick foliage of the trees, but in most
+places it was very dark; and we could only depend on our sense of
+hearing, though the moon enabled us to steer our course.  Near us was an
+open glade, and, for a minute perhaps, neither had been looking towards
+it, when by chance turning our heads, it appeared as if by magic filled
+with human beings.  The moon lighted up the spot, and her beams fell on
+their savage features, their fantastic dresses of skins and feathers, or
+gaily-coloured clothes, and the bloody trophies which so many bore at
+their waists, as they crept onward with the stealthy step habitual to
+them on such expeditions.  Eva trembled, for she could not tell whether
+they were friends or foes; but Blount recognised them, and jumping up,
+presented himself before them.  They seemed delighted to meet him.  They
+told him that they had fallen in with another village of their enemies,
+and that they had stopped to destroy it.  Short work as they had made of
+it, the delay would have cost them dear, had we not observed the enemy
+crossing the lake, and been able to give them notice of the
+circumstance.  The party were led, it appeared, by a young chief over
+whom Blount had some influence, and, to prevent further bloodshed, he
+strongly advised him not to molest the ambush, but to turn off on one
+side to avoid them.  This advice was not palatable to the young warrior,
+and he insisted on his right to kill those who had come to kill him.  We
+proceeded, therefore, in the original direction.  Several of the Dyaks
+at once volunteered to carry Eva on her litter, and Blount and I walked
+by her side as her bodyguard.  I observed that considerable precautions
+were taken in the advance.  The main body kept in close order, while an
+advanced guard was sent forward to feel the way, and skirmishers were
+thrown out on either side to guard the flanks from attack.  Scouts also
+were sent ahead, stealthily picking their way amongst the most sheltered
+paths, in order to discover the ambush.  We had not proceeded far, when
+two of the scouts came in, and reported that a body of the enemy lay in
+ambush among some rocks at the entrance of a ravine leading up from the
+lake.  On hearing this, the young chief divided his force into three
+bodies.  He was to lead one to the hill above the ambush; a second was
+to proceed over the hills on the opposite side of the ravine, to get
+ahead of the enemy; while a third was to block up the entrance, so as to
+prevent their escape in that direction.  Eva accompanied the second
+body, which I thought was less likely to be engaged.  The dispositions
+were quickly made, and we had scarcely descended again into the ravine
+after evading the ambush, than the loud war-shrieks, disturbing the calm
+serenity of the night, told us that the work of death was going on.  A
+few unfortunate wretches fled up the ravine, and were immediately killed
+by our party, while the main body and those at the entrance of the
+ravine destroyed the rest; so that of the whole ambush, who, intending
+to surprise us, were themselves surprised, not one escaped.  Indeed, the
+tribe itself was very nearly annihilated by that night foray.  There was
+no time to cut down the fruit-trees, or to destroy the fields of maize
+and rice, as is usually done on like occasions.  We marched on all night
+and some part of the morning before a halt was called, so unwilling were
+the Dyaks to stop till they were out of the reach of the allies of those
+they had attacked.  At last they lay down to sleep in the shade of some
+wide-spreading trees.  I observed that each man remained with his sword
+in one hand and his sumpitan, with a dart in it, ready to discharge, in
+the other; and every now and then one of them would lift up his head and
+look about him, so accustomed are they to be on the watch, and so
+uncertain when they may be attacked.
+
+In the afternoon we again resumed our march.  At sunset we again halted
+for repose; but as soon as the moon arose, we were once more on foot.
+Each man was provided with a number of short spears, which Blount
+informed me, were for the purpose of sticking into the ground behind
+them when hotly pursued, so that their enemies get checked, and often
+severely wounded.  The only food provided for the army was a sticky sort
+of rice, boiled in bamboos, each person carrying sufficient for himself
+in a small basket at his back.  No fires were lighted, lest their light
+might betray our position to any lurking enemies.  So rapidly did we
+march, and so little sleep or rest did any of us enjoy, that I was
+almost knocked up; and Eva would have been unable to proceed, had she
+not been borne on a litter.  I ought to have said that each warrior who
+had killed one or more of the enemy, carried their heads hung by a line
+round his neck, keeping it there even at night while he slept, and
+caressing it in the most affectionate manner.  Poor little Eva!  It was
+a sad sight for her; and I kept her as much out of the way of the heroes
+of the party as I could.  Some of them had three or four heads dangling
+round their necks, as they walked onward with proud steps, exulting in
+their prowess.  They felt certain, too, of gaining the smiles of the
+most lovely damsels of their tribe; for the Dyak women are great
+admirers of bravery.
+
+At length we arrived at the village of the conquerors, when, as they had
+no muskets to fire or cannons to discharge, they set up the most
+terrific yells I ever heard, to announce their arrival and victory.  The
+shouts were answered by the people of the village, who rushed out to
+meet them and welcome them with every demonstration of joy.  Blount
+instantly set to work to have a cottage prepared for Eva and me.  A very
+neat one was provided, situated on a sloping bank above a running
+stream, and backed by a grove of palm-trees.  It was built partly of the
+wood of the Nibong palm, and partly of bamboo, and was thatched with
+palm-leaves.  It was indeed a very light and pretty structure, and
+perfectly clean.  The furniture consisted simply of a quantity of
+beautifully-made mats, to answer the purpose of tables and chairs,
+carpets, beds, and bedding, while gourds of many sizes, and pieces of
+bamboo, supplied us with our cooking and mess utensils.  Eva surveyed
+our abode with unfeigned delight.
+
+"We might be perfectly happy here, I am sure, all the days of our
+lives," she exclaimed.  "Don't you think so, my dear Mark?"
+
+"Indeed, Eva, I do not," I answered.  "We are glad at length to be at
+rest; but we should very soon get tired of the companionship of savages,
+and I have a notion that man is not born to vegetate; he should be up
+and doing.  It is a question every man should ask himself constantly:
+What have I done lately to benefit my fellow-creatures?  Have I played
+my part as an educated intellectual man in advancing the moral and
+social condition of my less-favoured fellow-men? or have I merely
+considered how I can best amuse myself, without a thought for their
+welfare?  O Eva, I used, even as a boy, to be so disgusted when in
+England, and also in India, I saw men so capable of better things,
+employing their time in shooting, fishing, and hunting, or in the most
+frivolous pursuits, worthy only of uneducated savages, who must so
+occupy themselves to live, and all the time not in the slightest degree
+aware that they were actually sinning--that they were hiding their
+talents--that they were useless beings--that they might better not have
+been born."
+
+"Oh, but then, my dear Mark, we may do a great deal of good here, I am
+sure," exclaimed Eva, interrupting me.  "We may civilise these fierce
+savages--we may teach them Christianity--we may show them how much
+happier they may be by living peaceably, than by going to war, and
+cutting off each other's heads."
+
+"Ah, Eva, that indeed would be a noble occupation," I answered,
+enthusiastically.  "And worthy of all honour would be the man who would
+devote himself to so great and glorious a cause."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY.
+
+When we arrived at the village, I observed that the warriors did not
+bring in the heads with them, but deposited them at some little distance
+outside the stockade.  The truth was, I found, that the entrance of such
+trophies was considered far too important to take place without the
+observance of due ceremony.  A temporary shed had been erected for them,
+under which they were hung up and carefully watched by a party of young
+men, habited in their finest costume.
+
+The next morning there was a loud beating of gongs in the kampong, or
+village, and shouting and shrieking from the whole population, as the
+warriors were seen approaching, each carrying his bloody trophy before
+him, and dancing and singing at the same time.  As they entered the
+kampong, they were met by the women, who crowded round the heads, and
+put ciri and betel-nut in the gaping mouths.  In this way they were
+carried round from house to house, and then hung up in a large open shed
+to dry for several days.  Here the heads were watched by young boys of
+from six to ten years old, who, for the whole time the process of drying
+occupied--from seven to ten days--were never allowed to step out of the
+hall, or neglect their sacred trust.  This was the commencement of their
+initiation in the endurance of hardships, that they also might become
+warriors.  Night after night the men used to meet in front of the hall,
+dancing and singing, and beating their gongs.  They used to address
+their heads, taunting them, telling them that they were their slaves,
+and that they must send the rest of their tribe to be treated in the
+same manner.  These very men, however, savage as they were, treated us
+with great kindness, and seemed anxious to do all they could to please
+us.  Blount spent the greater part of every day with us, and gave me
+much information about the country.  I told him that I was very anxious
+to obtain tidings of my schooner, and the friends on board her, and
+equally so to get away.
+
+"So, my dear fellow, am I," he answered, making a long face; "but the
+truth is, my friends here are so fond of us they will not let us go.  I
+have tried on several occasions to escape; but they always gave me a
+strong hint to stop."
+
+"How was that?"  I asked.
+
+"Why, they shut me up, and would not let me out till I promised to be
+good."
+
+"Then you really think we are prisoners here!"  I exclaimed.
+
+"Indeed I do," he answered.  "I did not mention it before, because there
+is a good deal in the fancy of the thing.  When you thought that you
+were waiting for a vessel to carry you off, you were content; now that
+you discover that you are likely to be detained by force, you grow
+indignant."
+
+"It will never do to remain here," I said.  "We must forthwith find some
+means of escaping."
+
+"I have been considering the same subject very seriously, I can assure
+you," said Blount in a cheerful voice.  "In the meantime let us make
+ourselves as comfortable as we can--I always do; I never heard of any
+man gaining anything by fretting."
+
+My friend's reasoning was so sound that I could not but agree with him.
+We found the chiefs and the people very civil, and the women seemed very
+much inclined to be kind to Eva.
+
+"Come," said Blount, one evening as we sat talking in the cottage;
+"there is to be a dance at the house of the chief in honour of the
+victory.  It is worth seeing, and will amuse you and your sister, if she
+is prepared for a little shrieking and brandishing of swords."
+
+We both agreed, and following him, walked to the house of the chief, at
+the farther end of the kampong.  We entered a large room, with seats
+arranged round it, and lighted up with dama torches.  We had places
+reserved near the chief; and the room soon began to fill, till it was
+crowded with eager spectators.  There were musicians ready, who played
+on the _tom-tom_, or drum, and the gong, which they beat either slow or
+fast, according to the measure of the dance.
+
+The people were dressed, it must be remembered, in their gayest
+costume--in scarlet jackets, in coats of shell armour, with cloaks of
+skin, and caps of feathers, or turbans of gay-coloured native cloth,
+their spears being in their hands, and their swords, with ornamented
+handles, by their sides.  The dancers, however, outshone them all in the
+gayness of their costume.
+
+The first dance performed was called the _Mancha_, or sword dance.  Two
+swords were placed on a mat in the centre of the room.  The music began
+to play very slowly, and two men advanced from opposite sides in time,
+now bending the body, now turning round to watch and listen, now lifting
+one leg, now the other, then the arms, in grotesque but not ungraceful
+attitudes.  One then moved to the right, the other to the left, and thus
+they moved round and round the room, till at last they approached, and
+each seized a sword.  As they did so, the music began to play a brisker
+measure; the warriors passed and repassed each other, now cutting, now
+crossing swords, retiring and advancing, one kneeling as though to
+defend himself from the assaults of his adversary, at times stealthily
+waiting for an advantage, and quickly availing himself of it.
+
+The measure throughout was admirably kept, and the frequent turns were
+simultaneously made by both dancers, accompanied by the same eccentric
+gestures.  At each successful pass, the screams of delight uttered by
+the spectators, and their shouts of applause, rang through the room,
+exciting the performers to fresh exertions; the noise increased by the
+loud clang of the musical instruments, as the musicians, excited by the
+scene, beat time with great vehemence.
+
+At length, wearied out, the first two dancers retired, and were
+succeeded by a single man, with a spear poised high above his head.  He,
+as had the others, stepped forward slowly, turning round and round, now
+advancing, now retiring, now brandishing it furiously, now pretending to
+hurl his weapon at his enemies.  This dance is called the _Talambong_.
+
+The next set of dancers used shields in addition to their swords, and
+went through very similar movements.  These dances, I understood, are
+very similar to those performed by the South Sea Islanders, and I
+suspect that they differ but little from those practised in the present
+day in the Shetland Islands and Norway, at the other side of the globe.
+
+Although we were obliged to consider ourselves as prisoners, we were not
+treated as slaves; indeed the chief sent a little black girl from the
+coast of New Guinea, to attend on Eva.  The child proved not only
+useful, but a source of great interest to her.  She had been captured at
+a very early age, with her mother, and a brother and sister, by the
+piratical prahus of a neighbouring tribe; and those to whose share she
+fell, sold her to her present owner for some bees' wax and a few bundles
+of rattans.  Her figure was short, and her features very flat; but she
+was so intelligent and lively that she was a general favourite.  We
+called her "Little Nutmeg," the name she bore sounding exactly like that
+word; and she answered at once to it.  Eva used to try and teach her
+English; and the child was so anxious to learn the language, that she
+rapidly gained a knowledge of it.
+
+The people among whom we found ourselves, although they spent much of
+their time in amusing themselves, when necessary were very industrious.
+They cultivated a considerable quantity of rice, which not only formed
+their chief support, but which they were enabled to export.  The rice is
+very white, and of excellent flavour.  They first clear a spot of the
+jungle, and irrigate it well; and as soon as they consider its primitive
+richness is exhausted, they commence on fresh ground.  Their mode of
+grinding the rice clear of the husk is simple.  The trunk of a tree is
+sawn through, and two circular pieces of wood are selected, fitting to
+each other; the upper portion is hollow, the lower solid; small notches
+are cut where those two pieces fit, and handles are attached to the
+upper part, which being filled with _padi_, and kept turning round, the
+husk is detached, and escapes by the notches.  The Dyaks understand
+thoroughly the manufacture of iron.  The forge is composed of the hollow
+trunks of two trees, placed side by side; the fire is of charcoal; the
+pipes of the bellows are of bamboo, led through a clay bank; and the
+bellows are two pistons, with suckers made of cock's feathers, and which
+a man pumps from the top of a tree.  We found no want of provisions in
+the country; and wild hogs especially abounded.  There were a few
+cattle, and plenty of fowls.  I could not understand why the natives
+were so anxious to detain us, till Blount explained, that they valued
+us, because they fancied that we should be able to counsel them in time
+of peace how to become rich, and to assist them in time of war.
+
+"The fact is," he added, laughing, "when I interposed, and saved your
+life and your sister's, I was obliged to say all I could in your favour;
+so I told my friends that you were a very wonderful personage, and that
+you knew more than a whole army of wise men: if they kept you, they
+would be certain to conquer all their enemies; but if they killed you,
+that your friends would be certain to come and revenge your death."
+
+"An honour truly I am glad to have avoided," I answered.  "As I,
+however, have entered into no engagement to devote to them my services,
+I shall feel myself at liberty to escape as soon as I can."
+
+"So, indeed, shall I," he said.  "We are, however, a long way from the
+coast; and unless we can persuade our hosts to aid our departure, our
+escape will be almost impossible."
+
+"Such wonderful things have happened to us, that I shall never despair,"
+observed Eva, whose spirits were returning rapidly, as she recovered
+from the effects of her terror and fatigue.
+
+I need scarcely say that this was the subject on which we most
+frequently conversed, but still we could strike out no plan which
+promised any prospect of success.  I proposed appealing to the chief,
+and promising to make him handsome presents, if he would get us all
+conveyed to Singapore, or put on board the _Fraulein_; but when Blount
+spoke to him on the subject, he replied most politely, that our society
+was far more valuable than any present we could make him.  Partly to
+amuse myself, and partly to throw my captors off their guard, I used to
+practise the various accomplishments I had learned when I was a slave.
+The pleasantest was that of fishing from a canoe, by both spearing the
+fish, and catching them with the wooden ducks.  If I could make an
+excuse to take Eva and Blount with me, we might be able to pull down the
+river, and get a long start, before we were suspected and pursued.  Two
+months thus passed away; and had our stay been voluntary, I should have
+been far from unhappy, as I had a sister and an old friend as
+companions.  The climate was delightful, and the natural productions
+most interesting, and the scenery beautiful, while I had a comfortable
+house as a residence, and a sufficiency of wholesome food.
+
+The tribe were not satisfied with their late victory, and soon again
+prepared for another war excursion, insisting that Blount and I should
+accompany them.  Hoping to find some means of escaping, we did not
+refuse; and nearly five hundred men were collected from the neighbouring
+kampongs, to form the invading army.  All were clothed in their most
+terror-inspiring attire, with as great a proportion of feathers and
+skins as could be mustered.  Their arms consisted of sumpitans, spears
+and swords, daggers, with shields and padded jackets for their defensive
+armour, while each man carried his provisions in a basket on his back.
+This time they proposed attacking a tribe some way to the north, with
+whom they had a long-standing quarrel.
+
+Eva was very unhappy at the thought of our departure; but there appeared
+to be no help for it, though never did two more reluctant heroes set out
+on a warlike expedition than did Blount and I.  We had proceeded two
+days' journey, when, on the afternoon, as we were marching alongside the
+chief, at the head of his forces, through a wood, our ears were saluted
+with the sound of a bird singing on our left.  The chief instantly
+called a halt, and I observed a little red-breasted bird hopping merrily
+from branch to branch.
+
+"Ah, that is the papow!" exclaimed Blount.  "They think it a sacred
+bird, and that its appearing on the left hand is a signal for them not
+to proceed to-day.  Had it appeared on the right, they would have
+thought the omen good, and have proceeded; and when it sings in front,
+they fancy the enemy is near, and that it summons them to certain
+victory."
+
+While we were encamped at night, I remember hearing the short note of an
+insect like a cricket, coming, apparently, from the south.  The next
+morning, at daybreak, every man was on foot; and, with dejected
+countenances, they commenced their homeward march.  I found from Blount
+that the insect which gave forth the note was called the Kunding, and
+the omen was considered of such ill augury, that the expedition was
+given up entirely, not a little to our satisfaction.
+
+Eva was much surprised at seeing our return, and very much delighted,
+for she had expected to have been left alone for many days, dreading the
+dangers to which we might be exposed, and with only Little Nutmeg as her
+companion, and an occasional visit from the women of the kampong, I
+judged, from the circumstance I have mentioned, that the people were
+very superstitious; indeed I have invariably found that the smaller the
+knowledge of religion possessed by a people, the greater and more absurd
+is their superstition.  These people, after they have sown a field with
+grain, should any dead animal be found on it, will not use the crop.  If
+anything has been stolen, in order to discover the thief, they make up a
+little _ciri_, and turning to the quarter they suspect, they throw it
+forward, and call out for an insect they believe will inform them.  If
+the insect respond from that direction, the theft is charged to the
+tribe so pointed out; but if it does not answer, they try another
+quarter.  I did not hear that marriages are ever forced as they are in
+civilised countries; but, on the contrary, the young people are left to
+choose those they like best.  Generally the lady will not accept a lover
+till he has brought her the head of a man as a proof of his bravery.  If
+the young would-be husband cannot get the head of an enemy, he is
+sometimes tempted, if he is very much in love, to kill the first person
+of any tribe not his own whom he meets, which is, of course, considered
+so high a compliment to the lady, that she rarely after that refuses
+him.  The man then makes presents to the parents of the bride, and gives
+a feast to his tribe, which lasts several days.  A curious ceremony is
+observed on these occasions.  A mixture is made of saffron, a little
+gold dust, and fowl's blood, which is smeared over the chest, forehead,
+and hands.  The gentleman and lady each must take a fowl, and passing it
+seven times across the chest, kill it.  A small string of beads being
+attached to the right wrist of either party, the ceremony is complete.
+They believe that there is a good spirit called Tupa, who resides in the
+clouds; but they do not pray or sacrifice to him.  They bury their dead
+with various articles he possesses, such as his spear, clothes, rice
+_ciri betel_, and the first head he gained in his youth.  Some tribes
+burn their dead with their valuables.  I must observe that the customs
+of the various tribes differ considerably.  They believe that the
+spirits of the dead go to Labyan, a region under the earth, but not a
+place of punishment.  From the accounts I have given, it will be seen
+that the aboriginal inhabitants of Borneo are a very singular people;
+and I hope that my readers will make themselves further acquainted with
+their habits and customs.
+
+I now continue my history.  As Eva had nothing to do, and no books to
+amuse her, she found the time, when I was absent, hang very heavily on
+her hands.  The village was situated at the source of a river, which was
+navigable, for canoes, a very short distance from it.  Near the river
+was a forest where I used to spend much of my time with Blount in search
+of game.  He had an old fowling-piece which he had saved from the wreck,
+and he was able to purchase gunpowder from the Bugi traders who came to
+the mouth of the river.  I was one day in the forest, Blount being at
+some distance from me, when I was startled by hearing a rustling in the
+leaves near me.  I turned, holding a spear I always carried ready for
+defence, besides a thick club, expecting to see some wild animal.  The
+leaves parted, and sure enough there appeared the face of a monkey
+grinning among them.
+
+"What are you prying here for, old gentleman?"  I exclaimed, expecting
+to see him run away; but instead of that, what was my surprise to find
+that he sat observing me with the greatest gravity and attention, his
+body still hidden by the leaves!
+
+As soon as I spoke, he began to chatter in return, and springing out of
+his cover, he ran and jumped towards me.  He was a little dark fellow,
+without a tail, just like Ungka.  I could scarcely believe that I was
+awake, when the monkey, springing forward, jumped up into my arms, and
+threw his round my neck.  I could not be mistaken, wonderful as it
+seemed,--it was no other than Ungka himself.  How he had come there was
+a question I could not get answered; for though he chattered a great
+deal with delight, I could gain no information from him.  I was in
+hopes, however, that his presence betokened that other more
+communicative friends were not far-off.  I hunted about in every
+direction with Ungka by my side, but no traces of any one could I find;
+and Blount coming up soon afterwards, and several natives appearing,
+prevented me from pursuing the search.
+
+Ungka, intelligent as he looked, did nothing to assist me, and at last I
+was obliged to return home, carrying him, as he insisted on it, in my
+arms.  The people were very much astonished to see a monkey so speedily
+tamed; but Blount accounted for the circumstance, by telling them that I
+knew the language of monkeys in all its dialects; and if they wished it,
+that I would teach them.  Eva was highly pleased at seeing Ungka, and he
+seemed to fancy she was little Maria Van Deck, for he instantly ran up
+to her, and they very soon became great friends.  We were all in high
+spirits, for we could not account for the appearance of Ungka in any
+other way than by supposing that the _Fraulein_ was on the coast, and
+that he had by some means escaped from her.  How he had got so far into
+the country was a mystery, for I could scarcely suppose that the
+animal's instinct would have enabled him to find me out.
+
+At our evening meal, he sat himself down by my side with the greatest
+gravity, as he used to do on board the schooner, and appeared to be
+perfectly at home, eating whatever was given him.  His manners had
+become so refined from associating with gentlemen, that he never
+attempted to seize anything till it was offered him, though he cast a
+wistful eye at some nuts and fruit, and seemed much pleased when they
+were placed before him.  His appearance, of course, gave us ample
+subject for conversation, and he every now and then would look up with a
+glance of the most extraordinary intelligence, and would chatter away
+for some minutes without cessation, till Eva declared that she could not
+help fancying he was giving us a full explanation of all we wanted to
+know.  Little Nutmeg stood by, her large white eyes rolling round with
+astonishment, and of course entirely believing that the story Blount had
+told of my understanding the monkey's language was perfectly true.  She
+accordingly reported through the village that the monkey and I had been
+carrying on a most animated conversation for the whole evening; and I do
+not know which gained most credit,--he for being able to speak, or I for
+understanding him.  Some of the natives came in to hear him; and as he
+happened at the time to have perched himself on the top of a roll of
+matting, as we were all lying down, I was the most elevated of the
+party, and Eva declared that it looked as if he was some pigmy chief,
+holding a divan, and that we were his attendants and counsellors.  He
+most certainly seemed fully to feel his importance.  When our guests had
+retired, he jumped down from his throne, and coiled himself away to
+sleep in a basket, which stood in the corner of the room.  Eva and her
+little attendant retired into an inner chamber devoted to her use, and
+Blount and I continued talking over the subject which most occupied her
+thoughts.  We should have talked on, without arriving at any just
+conclusion, till the return of daylight, had we not been startled by
+hearing the bamboo window-shutter forced open, and by seeing a head
+protruding itself into the room, followed by a pair of shoulders and a
+body.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
+
+Blount and I were, as may be supposed, not a little astonished at the
+apparition which appeared at the window, and we both instinctively
+seized the implements nearest at hand, to defend ourselves, should he
+have come with any hostile intent.  Just then the torch, which burned in
+the centre of the room, flared up, and, as much to my satisfaction as to
+my surprise, I recognised the features of Kalong the Dyak.  He had on
+but scanty clothing, and he looked travel-worn and weary.  Before
+speaking, he carefully closed the shutters, and then, rushing forward,
+he took my hand and covered it with kisses.  Though Blount was a
+stranger to him, seeing that he was a white man, he was not alarmed.
+
+"Kalong, is it you, indeed!"  I exclaimed.  "How, my friend, have you
+been able to discover me?"
+
+"It is a long story, Massa; and to tell the truth, I cannot say much
+till I have eaten something; for we have had a weary journey, and have
+for many days past been looking about for you.  It was necessary to be
+cautious; for, had we been discovered, we should certainly have lost our
+heads."
+
+"When you speak of we, Kalong, do you mean yourself and Ungka?"  I
+asked.
+
+"Oh no, Massa; I mean Hassan also.  He is near, but watching the canoe;
+and when I have eaten, I must take some food to him.  You and the other
+massa must then follow for, we have no time to lose."
+
+"What do you mean by no time to lose?"  I again asked.
+
+"Oh Massa, give me some food, and then I will tell you all!" cried the
+poor fellow.
+
+I saw that he was famishing, so I restrained my curiosity till I had
+placed some rice and pork and Indian corn bread before him.  When he had
+eaten a good meal, and stowed away a quantity more in a basket he
+carried at his back he signified that he was prepared to give me the
+information I required.  I nodded my head, and he spoke to the following
+effect:--
+
+"You know, Massa, when squall come on, schooner almost capsize, then
+drive a long way to leeward; next morning come back to the rock, and
+when not find Massa there, sail after the prahus.  At night lose sight
+of them; look everywhere; no find them; then come back to the rock.
+There I and Hassan look at the wrecks on the shore; and Ungka, too,
+Massa; and we know, from build and many things scattered about, where
+they come from; so we go and tell Massa Fairburn that we go and look for
+you.  He say we get killed, lose him head.  We say we no mind that, we
+find you, or we no come back.  He then say he go with ship's company and
+big guns, and fight, and make people give you up.  We say, No good.
+People cut off your head if they see the big guns, and then what good
+look for you?  We say, No, no; let schooner not come near the coast; but
+we go in some other vessel, and no say what we come for.  We at last go
+on shore in Celebes--that is, Hassan, Ungka, and I; wait some time, then
+find a Bugis trader going to Borneo; so we no tell what we want, but go
+on board.  We sometimes say that Ungka very wise monkey; the son of
+sultan of the monkeys; and that we go about with him to show him the
+world.  This make many people think we great men, so they no cut off our
+heads to hang round him necks.  We go from kampong to kampong to find
+Massa, but no see him.  At last we hear that one tribe, long way off,
+come to a kampong near Gunnung Taboor, and carry away many people, and
+that one white man among them.  Then we learn when him come, and what
+him like, and we say, That is Massa.  Then we know where to find Massa
+if him head still on shoulders; so we walk long way, and we take canoe
+at one river, and we pull up river every night, and in day we go to
+sleep, till we come here.  Then we see Massa in wood, and Ungka run away
+and jump in him arms.  So we say, All right now; Massa alive and well;
+we get back to schooner some day, and be very jolly.  But, Massa, me
+have one more thing to say.  When we at Gunnung Taboor, we hear that the
+people there very angry at the people here do so much harm, and they
+say, We go there some night, and cut off all him heads; so we make all
+haste, lest they cut off Massa's head too.  Now, Massa, we go back to
+poor Hassan; him very hungry; and Massa, be ready to start to-morrow
+night."
+
+I fear that I have ill succeeded in giving an idea of Kalong's mode of
+expressing himself.  In an artless way he exhibited his affection for
+me, and described the dangers and hardships he and Hassan had endured to
+discover me.  Having described where the canoe was to be found, and
+arranged that as soon as the inhabitants of the kampong had gone to
+sleep on the following evening, we should start, he took his departure.
+Once more I was full of hope, for I felt that though many difficulties
+were to be encountered, our deliverance was at hand.  Eva had been
+awakened by the sound of the stranger's voice, and we communicated the
+joyful intelligence to her; and, as may be supposed, she was but little
+inclined again to go to sleep, so she came in and joined our
+council-board.  Blount was anxious to warn the people of the intended
+attack, and so was I; for although they had kept us prisoners, they had
+treated us with humanity and kindness in other respects.  Our difficulty
+was to do so without betraying our friends, till at last Blount
+suggested that the people might be made to suppose that our knowledge
+was derived from Ungka, who would, of course, in consequence, gain
+immense credit among them.  It was settled, therefore, that on the
+following morning the people should be called together, and informed of
+the danger threatening them.
+
+"Now come, it is time to try and take some sleep, for we shall get but
+little rest to-morrow night," I exclaimed as I arose, and opening the
+window-shutters, looked out on the calm night-scene before me.  The air
+was hushed; the only sounds were the rippling of the stream over its
+rocky bed below the cottage, and the chirrup of some insects in the
+neighbouring wood.  The stars shone brightly forth from the intense blue
+sky, their light just glancing on the mimic waves of the rivulet, while
+the tall trees and wild rocks on either side were thrown into the
+darkest shade.
+
+Scarcely had I spoken, when the silence was interrupted by wild shrieks
+and cries.  We all full well knew the meaning of those sounds.  The
+ruthless enemy had surprised the village, and burning to avenge their
+late defeat, would spare no one they encountered.
+
+"We must fly!"  I exclaimed.
+
+"I am prepared," said Eva calmly, though her cheek grew pale at the
+recollection of the dreadful scenes she had before witnessed.
+
+To collect some provisions in baskets was the work of a minute.  We
+aroused Ungka, who seemed perfectly to comprehend the state of the case,
+and perched himself on my left shoulder, while, supporting Eva on my
+right arm, I sallied forth, followed by Blount, who took charge of
+Little Nutmeg.  Our great fear was lest the enemy should have surrounded
+the village, in which case our retreat would have been cut off.  The
+stream I have spoken of ran down to the river, and we now followed a
+path which led along its banks.  Not a moment was to be lost.  The wild
+shouts of the enemy seemed to come nearer every instant; but as yet we
+did not hear them in front of us.  Eva behaved with great courage; she
+did not tremble, or even utter an exclamation of fear, but exerted all
+her strength to proceed.  For an instant I looked back.  Part of the
+village was already on fire, but the enemy had not yet reached our
+cottage.  My fear was, that when they did so, we should be pursued.  At
+length, by the turnings of the stream, we lost sight of it, and the
+noise of the dreadful tumult sounded fainter in our ears.  Still we
+pushed on without stopping; we had to force our way through a thick
+wood, and then to cross a broad open space, where I was much afraid,
+should the enemy be watching for us, of being seen; but there was no
+help for it, so we dashed on.  Fortunately both Blount and I had so
+frequently wandered in that direction, that we had a tolerably correct
+idea of the way we were to go; but still we found a great difference
+between passing through a wood in broad daylight, and traversing it in
+darkness.  Our chief guide was a star which we could see through the
+tops of the trees, and which Blount had fixed on as we were setting out.
+We found it of much service when we lost the sound of the stream, by
+which we otherwise directed our course.  The cries of the enemy were in
+our rear; we rushed across the open space.  I looked anxiously over my
+shoulder.  I saw no one, and we in safety reached the shelter of the
+wood.  At length the broader channel of the river appeared below us.
+Our next difficulty was to find the canoe; but we judged that Hassan and
+Kalong, hearing the tumult in the village, and well knowing its cause,
+would be on the watch for us.  We had got thus far, when the sound of
+voices, as if from people in pursuit, met our ears.  My hope was that
+they could not tell the exact way we had taken.  We all drew close
+together, in the shade of some thick trees, where we were perfectly
+concealed, while Blount offered to go out by himself to search for the
+canoe.
+
+He was on the point of leaving our cover, when we heard the sound of
+footsteps approaching, and directly afterwards we saw the figure of a
+man cautiously making his way among the trees.  He might be an enemy,
+the precursor of others; but our fears on that score were soon set at
+rest by finding Ungka leap off my shoulder, and, running towards him,
+jump into his arms.
+
+"Ah!  Massa not far-off," said a voice, which I recognised as that of
+Hassan the Malay.  We soon made ourselves known to him, to his great
+delight.  He told us that the canoe was close at hand, but that Kalong
+had become alarmed at hearing the signal of the attack, and, at the risk
+of his life, had gone back to look for us.  Grateful as I was to the
+faithful creature, the delay was very vexatious.  Of course, however, we
+had no remedy but to wait for him.  In the meantime we launched the
+canoe, and placed Eva and Nutmeg in the centre, with our provisions.
+Ungka jumped in after them.  Blount and I were to use the two middle
+paddles, Hassan was to steer, and Kalong was to use the bow paddle.  The
+rest got in, and I held on the painter, to be in readiness to shove off
+the moment he returned.
+
+Several minutes thus passed, during which time our ears were assailed by
+the dreadful sounds of the conflict.  They grew louder and louder, as if
+the pursued and the pursuing were approaching us.  I began at length to
+fear that Kalong, in his anxiety to serve me, had ventured too far, and
+had been cut off by the enemy.  Every moment was increasing our risk of
+discovery.  The time might have been so advantageously employed in
+paddling down the river, and, for Eva's sake, I was doubly anxious to be
+off.  I was almost despairing of his return, when the long feathery
+leaves of the shrubs near me were pushed aside, and, breathing with
+haste, Kalong appeared.  In an instant he perceived how matters stood,
+and, making a sign to me to take my seat in the canoe, he stepped in
+after me, and, seizing a paddle, shoved her head off from the bank.  He
+then began to ply it most energetically, and Blount and I followed his
+example, while Hassan steered her down the stream.
+
+There had been no time to lose, for the scouts of a number of people on
+the bank showed that he had been hotly pursued.  He did not stop to
+explain what had happened; and for half an hour or more we paddled on in
+perfect silence, keeping always in the centre of the stream.  By degrees
+the shrieks and cries of the combatants grew fainter on our ears, till
+they ceased altogether.
+
+Kalong then for a moment ceased paddling, and drew a deep breath, which
+seemed much to relieve his heart.  He then explained briefly, that he
+had gone up to our cottage, and that, finding it already sacked, and
+seeing nothing of us, he was about to return, when he was seen, and
+pursued by the attacking party.  He dashed on, and was just in time to
+reach the canoe and escape them.
+
+"And now, Massa, pull away again, or some of them black fellows follow
+and kill us," he exclaimed, suiting the action to the word.  All night
+long we paddled on, and to such good purpose, that we entirely distanced
+any enemies who might have been following us.  Whenever a village
+appeared; we crossed over to the other side of the stream, and as the
+night was dark, and we kept perfect silence, we were unobserved.
+Sometimes, for miles together, there were no signs of human habitations,
+the dark forest clothing either bank of the stream, so that we were able
+to converse without fear of betraying ourselves.
+
+Hassan then told us that he hoped we might reach the sea in two days, by
+paddling on during all the hours of darkness, and remaining concealed
+while it was light.
+
+"And what do you propose doing when we get to the sea?"  I asked.
+
+"Then, Massa," said Kalong, "we will pull away from the land, and trust
+to Providence, you sometime tell me about--we fall in with the schooner,
+or some other craft--or we go over to coast of Celebes.  No good to
+trust to people about here.  As Massa say, if we do all we can,
+Providence do all the rest."
+
+Kalong, I found, had not forgotten the instruction I had attempted to
+bestow on him while on board the _Fraulein_.
+
+Blount and I agreed, that although the canoe was small, we had seen
+many, less fit for the work, living in a very heavy sea, when properly
+handled, and that it would be better to risk the passage to Celebes than
+to trust to the tender mercies of the Malays or Dyaks of the coast.
+
+Dawn beginning to appear, we ran the canoe into a small bay, completely
+shut in by trees, where, by a little management, we might remain
+concealed without fear of discovery.
+
+Having secured the canoe, we cut down a quantity of boughs, which we
+fastened round her, so that a person passing quite close would not have
+suspected that several human beings lay hid behind them, though we,
+looking through the branches, enjoyed a view across and down the stream
+for some distance.  We had, as I said, brought a supply of provisions.
+These we husbanded carefully; and Kalong said that he hoped to be able
+to get some cocoa-nuts and other fruit from some of the gardens we might
+pass at night.  I did not like the idea of robbing the poor people, but
+we had no means of paying for the fruit; and, under the circumstances,
+we were justified in taking it.  Having made our arrangements, we lay
+down to sleep, one at a time remaining on foot to keep watch, with the
+rifle loaded ready for use.  The after part of the canoe was
+appropriated to Eva and her attendant.  Blount and I stretched ourselves
+in the bow; while Hassan, Kalong, and Ungka climbed up into a
+neighbouring tree, by the leaves of which they were perfectly concealed,
+at the same time that they obtained a wider look-out than we could
+below.  I had slept, I suppose, about four hours, when I was awakened by
+the howling of a dog, and, looking through the boughs, I observed a
+small canoe on the opposite side of the river, with four men in her,
+busily employed about something or other.  While I was watching their
+proceedings, Kalong slid down the tree and came near me.
+
+"See, Massa," he said, "have some fun soon."
+
+I now observed that the people had erected a sort of stage, and on the
+top of it they had secured an unhappy dog, whose voice had first
+awakened me.  Near the stage was a long stick, hanging over the water,
+and loosely attached to it was a thick rope, with a dead monkey at one
+end and a rattan at the other.  Kalong explained that a strong piece of
+stick was placed alongside the monkey, with the end of the rope secured
+to the middle of it.  The canoe shortly paddled away down the stream,
+greatly to our satisfaction; for we were afraid she might have come near
+us, when the consequences might have been disagreeable.  The poor dog
+howled for some time, and the dead monkey floated on the surface of the
+water, till our attention was attracted by an object coming down the
+stream towards us.  As it approached, we perceived the long snout and
+black scaly back of a huge crocodile.  The monster eyed us, as we
+thought, with a malicious look, as if he contemplated attacking us, and,
+from his appearance, we judged that he would have made one hearty meal
+of us all, and perhaps swallowed up the canoe into the bargain.  To
+prepare for him, I grasped Blount's rifle, with the intention of
+shooting him through the eye, should he begin to molest us; but, of
+course, I would only have fired in a case of extreme necessity.  Either
+he had not noticed us, or he thought he would first swallow the monkey,
+which was all ready for him, and then come back and have a nibble at us;
+so, to our satisfaction, away he swam across the river.  He first rubbed
+his nose against the monkey to smell it, and then began sucking away
+very leisurely, thus to enjoy the morsel to the utmost.  When he had got
+it down, he swam on a little, and that gave a jerk to the rope, which
+pulled the stick across his inside, so that by no possibility could it
+come out again.  This seemed to inconvenience him excessively, for he
+plunged under the water, and then swam across from one side of the river
+to the other, the rattan at the end of the rope always showing his
+whereabouts.  As he swam about, he approached disagreeably near to us,
+and we were not a little afraid that a whisk of his tail might stave in
+our canoe.  Fortunately, he again turned, and he did not seem to wish to
+eat, the stick in his inside having probably spoiled his appetite.  At
+last, when he found it was impossible to get free from this inconvenient
+ornament in the water, he scrambled on shore, where he lay hid among the
+reeds, not far from the spot where he had swallowed the bait, the
+rattan, which remained in the water, pointing out his position.  In
+about an hour the canoe returned, accompanied by three others, with an
+equal number of men in each.  They first got hold of the rattan, and
+then, landing, they gently drew him forth from his hiding-place.  He
+offered no resistance, merely wagging his tail backwards and forwards,
+and I could scarcely persuade myself that he was a monster capable of
+eating a man at a meal.  The Dyaks first made a strong lashing fast
+round his mouth, to prevent him from biting, and then secured his legs
+over his back, so that he was perfectly helpless.  After haranguing him
+for some time, though what they said I could not tell, they dragged him
+again into the water, and towed him off at the stern of their canoes in
+triumph.
+
+Kalong declared that they were carrying him away to worship him.  This I
+could scarcely believe; but I have heard that they look upon the
+crocodile as the sultan, or rajah, of animals.
+
+Fortunately, the people in the canoes were so much occupied that they
+did not observe us.  No other adventure occurred; and as soon as it was
+dark, we issued forth from our leafy hiding-place, and paddled away down
+the stream.  We passed a village where a number of torches were burning,
+and people were singing and beating their tom-toms, Kalong asserted, in
+honour of the captured crocodile.  We were yet some way from the sea,
+when towards the morning we again sought a place of concealment.  All
+day we rested, preparing for the work of the morrow.  We endeavoured to
+fit our frail canoe, better to encounter the waves, by fastening strips
+of bark round her sides, and by decking over the bow and after part with
+the same material.  We also filled a number of gourds we had collected
+with water; and Kalong foraged with considerable success in every
+direction for provisions, so that we had little fear of suffering from
+hunger, unless we should be kept out longer than we expected.  At night
+we again proceeded, and I shall never forget the refreshing smell of the
+sea air as we first inhaled it on approaching the mouth of the river.
+It renewed our strength and courage; and when the morning broke, we were
+dancing on the ocean waves--the land was astern--no sail was in sight,
+and we felt at length that once more we were free.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
+
+For two days we had been at sea, steering to the southward of east, for
+the purpose of making the coast of Celebes should we not fall in with
+the _Fraulein_, or some Bugis trader, which might carry us to Singapore.
+The water providentially continued smooth, and the wind was light and
+favourable; but as we had no sail, that was of little service to us, and
+we made, therefore, but slow progress.  We had all begun to suffer much
+from fatigue, so we agreed that two should row while the other two
+stretched themselves at the bottom of the canoe to rest.  Kalong and I
+took one watch, while Hassan and Blount took the other, Eva and Nutmeg
+acting as look-outs.  Eva was very anxious to take a paddle to assist;
+but her strength was not great, and I feared it would only uselessly
+exhaust her; but Little Nutmeg did not wait for permission, and as soon
+as Blount laid down his paddle she seized it, and showed that she could
+make use of it to very good effect.  Kalong and I were paddling, and Eva
+was scanning the horizon in every direction, in the hopes of seeing the
+_Fraulein_, when she cried out:--
+
+"Look there--look there, brother Mark!  I see either an island or a huge
+whale, or the hull of a ship; but I cannot make out exactly what it is."
+
+I looked in the direction, she pointed at to leeward, and a little on
+our larboard bow, and though I kept my eyes fixed on the spot
+attentively, I was unable to determine what the object was.  We could
+not tell why we had not before seen it; but we supposed this was owing
+to the different direction, in which the rays of the sun struck it.  It
+was stationary, for as we paddled on we neared it.
+
+"Me know what it is," said Kalong.  "Chinese junk without masts."
+
+We found he was right; and as we drew near, a very curious appearance
+she presented.  Her masts were gone, though she seemed in every other
+respect to be uninjured; but not a living person could we discover on
+board.  She was a merchant vessel, and might have measured some two
+hundred tons.  Her head and stern rose considerably above the waist.  At
+the after part were a succession of poop decks, one above another,
+narrowing towards the top, so that the highest was very small.  It
+sloped very much from the stern, and on it was a windlass used to lift
+the huge rudder.  On either side of the next deck were two cabins, with
+a roof in front of them made of bits of mother-of-pearl instead of
+glass.  What is called the nettings ran from aft round the greater part
+of the vessel.  The beams of the deck projected beyond the sides, and
+each butt-end was ornamented with an ugly face carved and painted.
+Every face was different, and ugly as the others.  Some were of beasts,
+and some like human beings, and others of monsters which have no
+existence.  The bow was perfectly flat, the stem scarcely coming out of
+the water.  There was a topgallant forecastle, and on it rested two
+enormous anchors made of wood of a heavy nature, which sinks like metal.
+Above the forecastle was a narrow gallery, with a flight of steps
+leading to it.  On the top of the bulwarks were arranged a row of
+jingalls, or swivel guns of very rough manufacture, and a number of
+shields made of straw, which, though they might ward off a spear, would
+be treated with little ceremony by a bullet.  In the racks against the
+forecastle were a number of spears, and an instrument with a spear in
+the centre, and a sort of half-moon, the points turning out, which
+serves to thrust as well as to ward off a blow.  In the centre of the
+poop, right aft, was a little shrine, in which sat ensconced a very
+ugly-looking deity, surpassing the other on deck in size and ugliness.
+The rudder was one of the things most remarkable about the vessel.  It
+was in shape like that of a common barge; it was hung so that it could
+be raised or let down by means of the windlass, as required; and it was
+secured below by two ropes, which led along the keel forward, and being
+brought on to the forecastle, were hove tight by means of another
+windlass placed there.  The crew slept in cabins under the forecastle;
+their caboose, or cooking-house, was on one side of the deck.  There was
+a stove of brick, and some large pots for boiling.  On one side was a
+tank for water, and above it lockers for stowing provisions and mess
+utensils.
+
+We ran alongside and got on board.  Blount suggested that the people
+might all have died of plague; and for a moment he persuaded me from
+moving from the spot where I stood; but as we saw no dead person, we
+soon got over our fears on that score.
+
+A flight of steps led into the main cabin, which was completely open at
+one end, so that a sea coming on board would have swamped her.  On going
+below, and examining the lockers, we discovered a store of provisions,
+and, what was of the greatest consequence, an abundance of good water in
+the tank.  We had little doubt how she came to have no crew on board,
+for the hold had been completely ransacked, the work, evidently, of
+pirates, who had doubtlessly carried them off as slaves.  She had, we
+concluded, come thus far south to collect a cargo of edible birds'
+nests, _trepang_, and other articles, for the Chinese market.
+
+It is extraordinary how far away from land these unwieldy craft will
+venture, and how they contrive to live in a heavy sea, which one would
+suppose would inevitably swamp them.  The Malays had cut away her masts,
+probably to employ in some of their own craft.
+
+"Now we are here, let us try and make ourselves comfortable," exclaimed
+Blount, walking about the deck.  "Let us have a good dinner, a sound
+sleep, and let us stretch our legs, and then we will consider what is
+next to be done."
+
+His suggestion was so good, that it was adopted.  Hassan was a fair
+cook, and he made a very nutritious basin of soup with some of the
+birds' nests we found on board.  We had all gone through so many
+adventures that it scarcely appeared strange to find ourselves floating
+about on the Indian Ocean in a Chinese junk.  It was so much more
+pleasant, indeed, than being cramped up in a canoe, that we felt no
+inclination to leave her; and no one seemed more delighted than Ungka,
+who scrambled about and poked his nose into every hole and corner.
+However, at a cabinet council which I called, consisting of the whole of
+our party, including Ungka, who, though he said nothing, looked very
+wise, it was resolved, that although it might be very pleasant living on
+board the junk, yet as she had no sails, and did not move, we might
+never get to the end of our voyage, we should, after a night's rest,
+again take to our canoe, and endeavour to reach the coast of Celebes.
+Before night we hauled up the canoe on deck, and endeavoured rather
+better to fit her for sea, by heightening and strengthening her sides,
+and by nailing matting over the bow and stern.
+
+The main cabin was devoted to Eva and Nutmeg.  Blount and I took up our
+berths in the two little cabins on the highest part of the poop, and
+Hassan and Kalong went forward.  We divided ourselves into four watches.
+It was prudent to have one person awake, in case anything should
+happen; at the same time, that one was sufficient.  The night came on,
+and we retired to our respective sleeping-places.  Each of us was to
+watch for about four hours.  Blount took the first watch, Kalong took
+the next, and I was called about midnight.
+
+The reader will recollect how, in the early part of my history, Eva and
+I, when infants, were rescued from the shattered boat, just before the
+storm which overwhelmed it came on.  As I walked the deck, I was
+thinking of the account I had heard of that circumstance, and of the
+many extraordinary events of my life, when I had been so providentially
+preserved from the dangers which threatened me.  "Yes, indeed," I
+uttered aloud, "God has been merciful to me.  He truly is everywhere."
+A deep whispering voice seemed to come across the dark ocean--"And will
+protect to the end those who trust in Him," were the words I fancied I
+heard.  While I kept my watch, the wind began to rise in fitful gusts,
+and the uneasy rolling of the unwieldy junk showed that the sea was
+getting up.  Thick gathering clouds obscured the sky; and the waves,
+like huge monsters from the deep, began to leap up on every side.  I
+watched for some time, not liking to disturb the rest of the party
+unnecessarily.  At last the junk gave a roll more violent than before,
+and nearly threw me off my legs.  "Hillo! what's the matter now,
+shipmates?"  I heard Blount exclaiming, as he merged from his lofty
+berth, roused up by the jerk.
+
+"Why, Seaworth, we must get her before the wind, or we shall have the
+seas tumbling on board us without leave."
+
+Accordingly we turned up the hands, except Eva and her attendant, whom I
+begged to remain quietly below.  The stump of the foremast remained, and
+to it we lashed some spars we found on deck, and with a quantity of
+matting we discovered below, we manufactured a sail, which we managed to
+set.  The helm was then put up, and to our great satisfaction the junk
+paid off before the wind.  It was now daylight; a heavy gale was
+blowing, and the sea was running very high.  As the sun rose, a break in
+the sky, through which he appeared, showed us the direction in which we
+were going; for we had no compass, and we found that our course was
+somewhat to the northward of east, which we calculated would carry us
+free of the coast of Celebes.  The question then was, where should we be
+blown to?  I believe none of us had any fears about the matter.  How
+could we, when we had been so signally preserved? for we felt, had we
+remained in the canoe, in all probability we should have been engulfed
+by the waves.  Every moment they rose higher and higher, and as the junk
+was rolled and pitched by them in her onward course, they seemed to
+follow after, as if eager to overwhelm her.  We had to hold on to keep
+the deck, though, notwithstanding the way she tumbled about, no seas
+actually came on board the vessel.  Eva took her post in front of one of
+the cabins on the raised deck, and there she sat like a true heroine,
+watching the raging ocean without a feeling approaching to fear.
+
+"It may appear extraordinary, my dear Mark," she said, smiling, when I
+went up to her; "but having you with me, and being once more at liberty,
+I feel far happier than I have ever done in my life."
+
+We sighted the land on the starboard hand, which we judged was that of
+Celebes; but we could not have hauled in for it, had not even the risk
+of shipwreck been too great to allow us to do so.
+
+The whole day we ran on; the night at length came without any change in
+the weather, except that the wind shifted rather to the west, which
+compelled us to steer a more easterly course; for it must be understood
+that, with any regard for our safety, we could only keep directly before
+the wind.  The tempest increased; and it was truly awful, as we felt
+that without chart or compass we were steering in almost total darkness
+through an unknown sea.  We kept a look-out ahead, but to little
+purpose; while the tempest raged, we could do nothing but fly on before
+it.  As I strained my eyes to try and pierce the obscurity, I fancied
+that I could see objects on either side of us, and sometimes land ahead;
+but still on we went, and I suspected that my imagination had deceived
+me.  Eva had retired at dark to the cabin.  Blount was at the helm,
+assisted by Hassan.  We were almost worn out by steering, for the
+exertion was very great.  I went aft to relieve him.
+
+"Don't you feel rather a different motion in the craft?" he said.  "It
+may be fancy; but I cannot help thinking that she does not go along as
+lively as before.  Take the helm, and I will go and see if my suspicions
+are correct."
+
+Saying this, he left me, and I took his place.  In about five minutes he
+returned.
+
+"Seaworth," he said, "you must be prepared for bad news; it is as I
+suspected.  The junk, with all this straining, has sprung a leak, and
+her hold is already half full of water.  She may swim for some time
+longer; but I doubt if we shall ever again see the daylight."
+
+This was indeed sad news.
+
+"We will do our best," I answered.  "We have the canoe, and we must make
+a raft."
+
+"Neither would be of any use in this sea," he observed.
+
+As he gave me the information, I instantly thought of Eva; and before
+forming any plan, I rushed below to bring her on deck, so that, should
+the junk sink, she might have a chance of escaping.  I found her
+sleeping on a sofa in the cabin, in spite of the rolling of the vessel,
+while the little black girl lay on a mat below her.  My sweet sister
+looked so calm and happy, as the light from the lantern, which hung from
+above, fell on her countenance, that I could scarcely bring myself to
+awake her to a consciousness of the danger which threatened her.  At
+last I knelt down by her side and kissed her cheek to arouse her.  She
+smiled, and looking up, asked me if I was come to take her on shore.
+
+"I was dreaming, dear Mark, that we had arrived at a green and beautiful
+country, and that you told me it was England, and that all our dangers
+were over."
+
+I by degrees informed her of the true state of the case.
+
+"You are with me, dear Mark, and all will be well," she answered, as,
+supporting her in my arms, and followed by Nutmeg, I carried her to the
+upper cabin.  Having deposited her there, I rushed back to learn what
+progress the water had made.  It had already reached the floor of the
+cabin, and I fancied that I could even see it rising during the few
+minutes I stood there.  At first I thought we might keep the vessel
+afloat by bailing.  As two of us only could be spared for the work, I
+soon saw how futile such an attempt must prove.  With a sad heart I
+returned on deck.  I told Blount the state of affairs, and we agreed
+that our only chance of being preserved was to form a raft, and to lash
+ourselves to it, so that, when the junk went down, we might have
+something to keep us afloat.  Not a moment was to be lost; so he and
+Hassan, as the most expert, set to work, while Kalong and I went to the
+helm.  Neither of us could be spared, for, as it was, we had the
+greatest difficulty in steering.  A couple of hatchets had been
+discovered, and with these they cut away all the planking most easily
+got at, and lashed it to a few spars remaining on deck.  I could now
+feel the difference perceptibly in the motion of the junk; and as she
+sank lower in the water, I feared that the waves would leap over the
+decks, and thus more speedily bring on the catastrophe we expected.  The
+time appeared very long, though Blount and Hassan worked as hard as they
+could.
+
+I was hoping that the raft was finished, when Blount sprang up the
+ladder to me.  "We have not a moment to lose," he exclaimed; "the water
+is almost awash with the deck, and the junk cannot swim a minute
+longer."
+
+"Take the helm, then, while I bring out my sister," I answered.  Eva was
+prepared, and I was about to descend with her to the deck, where we
+expected to find the yet unfinished raft, when a huge wave, rising
+alongside, swept over the vessel, and I saw a large object carried away
+on its crest.
+
+"There goes the raft!" cried Blount, with almost a shriek of despair.
+Another huge wave followed, and the whole centre of the junk seemed to
+be under water.
+
+"She is sinking!--she is sinking!" burst from the lips of all; "Heaven
+have mercy on us!"
+
+I clasped Eva in my arms, and fully expected that our last moment had
+arrived.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
+
+At the very moment that I had given up all hope of preservation, as if
+to confirm our worst anticipations, a huge wave came rolling up
+alongside.  The junk rushed onward--a tremendous blow was felt--again
+she lifted, and was dashed forward--the rudder was knocked away, and the
+jury-mast fell overboard.  Instantly the junk broached to.  On a sudden,
+almost as rapidly as I take to tell it, the violent motion ceased, and a
+grating sound was heard, as if she had run upon a sandy beach.  The seas
+struck her, but their force was evidently broken by some reef outside,
+though it continued too dark to enable us to discover where we were.
+The junk held together; and as the cabin on the poop for the present
+seemed a place of safety, we agreed to remain there till the return of
+day.  The light at length came; and as I looked out from the cabin door,
+I found that we were in a small bay, with a sandy shore, and rich
+tropical vegetation beyond it, while what was my surprise to see
+directly outside of us, fast stuck on a reef of rocks, another vessel
+severely shattered by the waves!
+
+My exclamation of surprise called the rest of the party from the cabins.
+No sooner did Eva see the vessel, than, pressing my arm, she observed,
+with a voice full of agitation:
+
+"That vessel, Mark, is the _Emu_!  I am certain of it; and if the
+dreadful men who form the crew are here, it were better that the sea had
+engulfed us."
+
+I could say nothing, for I could not help entering into her fears.  It
+was high water when we were driven on shore; and as the tide had now
+fallen, we found that we could without difficulty lower ourselves on to
+the sand.  In case the pirates should be wandering about the island,
+(for we concluded we had been driven on one), Blount offered to go and
+explore, and to try to enter into terms with them, while Hassan and
+Kalong remained with me to guard Eva.  In about an hour he returned, and
+reported that he had seen no human beings.
+
+"The pirates can no longer do us or any one else harm," he remarked.
+"As I wandered along the shore, I found the remains of several men
+washed up on the beach, and who, by their clothes, I have no doubt were
+the crew of the _Emu_."
+
+The information that there were probably no savage inhabitants, or any
+pirates alive, to injure us, were satisfactory, though we could not help
+feeling a horror at the fate of those cut off in the midst of their
+career of crime.  We had now to consider what was to be done.  The junk,
+after having been forced over the reef, had, what seamen call, fetched
+headway again, and had been driven stem first up a gulf or narrow bay,
+one side of which completely protected her from the sea, so that she lay
+as secure as in a dock.  As the sun rose, the gale also abated; and I
+considered that there would be no danger in leaving Eva and the little
+black girl on board, while the rest of us went farther to explore the
+country.  We had found an abundance of provisions in the junk, so that
+we had no fear of starving, even should fruits not be discovered in the
+island, to support us till we could get away.  How to get away was the
+question.  The obvious means was by building a boat; but we could find
+no tools, and we were obliged to confess that our skill was inadequate
+to the work.  Hassan and Kalong, however, asserted that they would be
+able, in time, to construct a large canoe.  Our first excursion was to
+the wreck, which we found we could reach by wading at low tide along the
+top of the reef.  On further examination, not a doubt remained on our
+minds that she was the _Emu_; and Eva, when she saw her, confirmed our
+opinion by recognising some of the cabin furniture, which had been
+washed out of her.  We now set out to explore the woods.  We had not got
+far when I came upon the body of a man, or rather a skeleton, covered
+with clothes.  A few paces on was another; and not far-off we found a
+rude hut, with a blackened spot, where a fire had been lit before it.
+In the hut were two more bodies, and we afterwards found several more,
+but there was neither food nor water near them.  There could be no doubt
+that they were the remnant of the pirate crew, whom at length
+retributive justice had overtaken.  The rest were probably drowned and
+washed out to sea.  How the catastrophe had occurred, the shattered
+wreck and those ghastly remains could alone tell us.  At midnight,
+perhaps, during the raging of a storm, amid thunder and lightning,
+without hope of succour, the blood-stained pirates had met their just
+doom.  We dragged them to a hole we found near at hand, and covered them
+up with stones and bushes, so that Eva should not be shocked by seeing
+them.
+
+The island was a very large one; and after marching some miles into the
+interior, we came upon some cocoa-nut trees and plantains, among which
+were some sago trees, from which we collected an abundant supply of
+food.  On our return along the coast, we found a high hill, on the top
+of which we proposed to erect a flag-staff; and discovering a spring of
+water near it, as also the means of building a hut, we resolved to take
+up our quarters there, in the hopes of being seen by any passing ship.
+Close to it, also, Kalong found a tree, which he and Hassan pronounced
+well adapted to serve as the foundation of a canoe.  It must be
+remembered that we had no tools of any sort, except some clasp-knives,
+and some boarding-spikes found in the junk; but they proposed forming
+their hatchets and all their instruments out of flint stones and shells.
+"Give us time," they answered, "and we will do it," when Blount and I
+expressed a doubt of their success.
+
+Having made the arrangements, we hastened back to the junk.  We found
+Eva standing on the highest part of the poop, and waving a handkerchief,
+while she pointed eagerly seaward.  I soon climbed up and joined her;
+and there I beheld what was indeed sufficient to make my heart beat
+quick with hope.  About a mile off, having just rounded a headland,
+appeared my own schooner, the _Fraulein_.  The rocks before had
+concealed her from our sight.  Kalong and Hassan immediately recognised
+her, and so, they declared, did Ungka, who seemed to share our agitation
+and excitement.  Such occurrences are difficult to describe.  Our chief
+aim was to attract her attention.  To do this, our first thought was to
+make a fire; so cutting away some dry wood from the junk, we formed a
+pile of it on the rocks.  We trusted that the smoke or the junk herself
+would be observed.  At first we thought she was standing away; then, to
+our delight, we saw her shorten sail, and running closer inshore, she
+dropped her anchor, and a boat was lowered.  It pulled towards us;
+Fairburn and Prior were in it.  We rushed down to the rocks to meet
+them.  I need scarcely describe the rest.  In another half hour I was on
+board my own vessel, with my sweet sister in safety, and all the work
+which at one time appeared so hopeless accomplished.  There lay the
+pirate vessel a wreck on the rocks, and near her the tombs of those who
+had worked us so much mischief.  Fairburn told me that they had run
+under the lee of the island during the gale, and were about to return to
+the coast of Borneo to watch for me.  We bade an affectionate farewell
+to the junk, which had proved to us an ark of safety, and we carried
+away a number of relics of her.  My crew received us with loud cheers,
+and not the least welcome, after all his adventures, was, I suspect,
+Ungka the ape, who quickly made himself at home.
+
+"Where shall we steer for?" asked Fairburn.
+
+"For Java," I replied.  "I must not forget my promise to the widow Van
+Deck and little Maria."
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+I must now bring my adventures to a close.  We reached Sourabaya in
+safety, and were heartily welcomed, not by the widow Van Deck, but by
+the wife of Lieutenant Jeekel, for she had made the honest officer happy
+by marrying him.  As they were anxious to go to Europe, I offered them a
+passage as far as Calcutta in the _Fraulein_, and little Maria
+accompanied them.  I need not say that she and Eva became very great
+friends.
+
+I can scarcely describe the pleasure my return with Eva afforded our
+kind friends the Northcotes, or the sensation our romantic history
+created wherever it was known.  Every assistance was given me to prove
+my identity, and with a variety of documents I sailed for England.  I
+was very sorry to part with some of my friends, who could not accompany
+me.  I presented the _Fraulein_ to Fairburn, and Blount sailed with him,
+carrying Prior to Manilla.  They all ultimately, by energy and
+perseverance, made themselves independent.  When I reached England, I
+put my affair into the hands of a clever lawyer, and I found that I had
+few difficulties to contend with.  All those who had been instrumental
+in the abduction of my sister and me were dead.  A few days only before
+our arrival, the papers had announced the death of a Sir Reginald
+Seaton, without any claimant to his title or estates.  He had once been
+blessed with a large family, but one after the other they had been laid
+in their graves, and he alone had been left a solitary and decrepit old
+man.  Thus Heaven had proved the avenger of crime, and prevented the
+guilty ones from enjoying the profits of their guilt.  The papers I
+possessed clearly proved that I was the rightful heir; and as there was
+no one to oppose my claim, I was, without much difficulty, allowed to
+take possession of the property.  I did so with gratitude, but without
+any undue exuberance of spirits; for I felt all the heavy
+responsibilities which I at the same time took upon myself, and I humbly
+prayed Heaven to enable me to fulfil them faithfully.
+
+I had the very great satisfaction of assembling at my house, within two
+years of the time I speak of, not only my Dutch friends, including that
+honest fellow Van Graoul, who had the command of a fine ship; but
+Fairburn, Prior, and Blount, as also Hassan and Kalong, who were
+undergoing a course of instruction to aid them in civilising their
+countrymen on their return home, were also of the party; while Ungka,
+now the most refined of travelled apes, had his usual seat by my side.
+
+I must now wish my readers farewell.  I hope that they will ever firmly
+believe, as I have been taught to do by the occurrences of my life, that
+in whatever peril we may be placed, God is at hand to protect us, and
+that whatever apparent misfortunes may occur to us, He orders them for
+our ultimate and permanent benefit.  If I have succeeded in inculcating
+these important truths, I shall be satisfied that the adventures of Mark
+Seaworth have not been written in vain.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mark Seaworth, by William H.G. Kingston
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