CHAPTER XLIII.
AND now for the strange report that landed at Juan Fernandez whileGeneral Rolleston was searching Masa Fuero.
The coaster who brought it ashore had been in company, at Valparaiso,with a whaler from Nantucket, who told him he had fallen in with a Dutchwhaler out at sea, and distressed for water. He had supplied the saidDutchman, who had thanked him, and given him a runlet of Hollands, andhad told him in conversation that he had seen land and a river reflectedon the sky, in waters where no land was marked in the chart; namely,somewhere between Juan Fernandez and Norfolk Island; and that, believingthis to be the reflection of a part of some island near at hand, and hiswater being low, though not at that time run out, he had goneconsiderably out of his course in hopes of finding this watered island,but could see nothing of it. Nevertheless, as his grandfather, who hadbeen sixty years at sea, and logged many wonderful things, had told himthe sky had been known to reflect both ships and land at a greatdistance, he fully believed there was an island somewhere in thatlongitude, not down on any chart; an island wooded and watered.
This tale soon boarded the _Springbok,_ and was hotly discussed on theforecastle. It came to Captain Moreland's ears, and he examined theskipper of the coasting-smack. But this examination elicited nothing new,inasmuch as the skipper had the tale only at third hand. CaptainMoreland, however, communicated it to General Rolleston on his arrival,and asked him whether he thought it worth while to deviate from theirinstructions upon information of such a character. Rolleston shook hishead. "An island reflected in the sky!"
"No, sir; a portion of an island containing a river."
"It is clearly a fable," said Rolleston, with a sigh.
"What is a fable, general?"
"That the sky can reflect terrestrial objects."
"Oh, there I can't go with you. The phenomenon is rare, but it is wellestablished. I never saw it myself, but I have come across those thathave. Suppose we catechise the forecastle. Hy! Fok'sel!"
"Sir!"
"Send a man aft; the oldest seaman aboard."
"Ay, ay, sir."
There was some little delay; and then a sailor of about sixty slouchedaft, made a sea scrape, and, removing his cap entirely, awaited thecaptain's commands.
"My man," said the captain, "I want you to answer a question. Do youbelieve land and ships have ever been seen in the sky, reflected?"
"A many good seamen holds to that, sir," said the sailor, cautiously.
"Is it the general opinion of seamen before the mast? Come, tell us.Jack's as good as his master in these matters."
"Couldn't say for boys and lubbers, sir. But I never met a full-grownseaman as denied that there. Sartainly few has seen it; but all of 'emhas seen them as has seen it; ships, and land, too; but mostly ships.Hows'ever, I had a messmate once as was sailing past a rock they callAilsa Craig, and saw a regiment of soldiers a-marching in the sky. Loggedit, did the mate; and them soldiers was a-marching between two towns inIreland at that very time."
"There, you see, general," said Captain Moreland.
"But this is all second-hand," said General Rolleston, with a sigh; "andI have learned how everything gets distorted in passing from one toanother."
"Ah," said the captain, "we can't help that; the thing is rare. I neversaw it for one; and I suppose you never saw a phenomenon of the kind,Isaac?"
"Hain't I!" said Isaac, grimly. Then, with sudden and not very reasonableheat, "D---- my eyes and limbs if I hain't seen the Peak o' Teneriffe inthe sky topsy-turvy, and as plain as I see that there cloud there"(pointing upward).
"Come," said Moreland; "now we are getting to it. Tell us all aboutthat."
"Well, sir," said the seaman, "I don't care to larn them as laughs ateverything they hain't seen in maybe a dozen voyages at most; but youknow me, and I knows you; though you command the ship, and I work beforethe mast. Now I axes you, sir, should you say Isaac Aiken was the man totake a sugar-loaf, or a cocked hat, for the Peak o' Teneriffe?"
"As likely as I am myself, Isaac."
"No commander can say fairer nor that," said Isaac, with dignity. "Well,then, your honor, I'll tell ye the truth, and no lie. We was bound forTeneriffe with a fair wind, though not so much of it as we wanted, byreason she was a good sea-boat, but broad in the bows. The Peak hove insight in the sky, and all the glasses was at her. She lay a point or twoon our weather quarter like, full two hours, and then she just meltedaway like a lump o' sugar. We kept on our course a day and a half, and atlast we sighted the real Peak, and anchored off the port; whereby, whenwe saw Teneriffe Peak in the sky to winnard, she lay a hundred leagues toboard, s'help me God!"
"That is wonderful," said General Rolleston.
"That will do, Isaac," said the captain. "Mr. Butt, double his grog for aweek, for having seen more than I have."
The captain and General Rolleston had a long discussion; but the resultwas, they determined to go to Easter Island first, for General Rollestonwas a soldier, and had learned to obey as well as command. He saw nosufficient ground for deviating from Wardlaw's positive instructions.
This decision soon became known throughout the ship. She was to weighanchor at 11 A.M. next day, by high water.
At eight next morning, Captain Moreland and General Rolleston being ondeck, one of the ship's boys, a regular pet, with rosy cheeks and blackeyes, comes up to the gentlemen, takes off his cap, and, panting audiblyat his own audacity, shoves a paper into General Rolleston's hand andscuds away for his life.
"This won't do," said the captain, sternly.
The high-bred soldier handed the paper to him unopened.
The captain opened it, looked a little vexed, but more amused, and handedit back to the general.
It was a ROUND ROBIN.
Round Robins are not ingratiating as a rule. But this one came from somerough but honest fellows, who had already shown that kindliness and tactmay reside in a coarse envelope. The sailors of the _Springbok,_ whenthey first boarded her in the Thames, looked on themselves as men boundon an empty cruise; and nothing but the pay, which was five shillings permonth above the average, reconciled them to it; for a sailor does notlike going to sea for nothing, any more than a true sportsman likes toride to hounds that are hunting a red herring trailed.
But the sight of the general had touched them afar off. His gray hair andpale face, seen as he rowed out of Plymouth Harbor, had sent them to theyards by a gallant impulse; and all through the voyage the game had beento put on an air of alacrity and hope, whenever they passed the generalor came under his eye.
If hypocrisy is always a crime, this was a very criminal ship; for themen, and even the boys, were hypocrites, who, feeling quite sure that thedaughter was dead at sea months ago, did, nevertheless, make up theirfaces to encourage the father into thinking she was alive and he wasgoing to find her. But people who pursue this game too long, and keep upthe hopes of another, get infected at last themselves; and the crew ofthe _Springbok_ arrived at Valparaiso infected with a little hope. Thencame the Dutchman's tale, and the discussion, which ended adversely totheir views; and this elicited the circular we have now the honor to laybefore our readers.
[We who sign About this line, hope none offence and mean none We think Easter Island is out of her course. Such of us as can be spared are ready and willing to take the old cutter, that lies for sale, to Easter Island if needs be; but to waste the Steamer it is a Pity. We are all agreed the Dutch skipper saw land and water aloft sailing between Juan Fernandez and Norfolk Isle, and what a Dutchman can see on the sky we think an Englishman can find it in the sea, God willing. Whereby we pray our good Captain to follow the Dutchman's course with a good heart and a willing crew.
And so say we Whose names here be.]
General Rolleston and Captain Moreland returned to the cabin anddiscussed this document. They came on deck again, and th
e men were pipedaft. General Rolleston touched his cap, and, with the Round Robin in hishand, addressed them thus:
"My men, I thank you for taking my trouble to heart as you do. But itwould be a bad return to send any of you to Easter Island in that cutter;for she is not seaworthy, so the captain tells me. I will not consent tothrow away your lives in trying to save a life that is dear to me. But,as to the Dutchman's story about an unknown island, our captain seems tothink that is possible; and you tell us you are of the same opinion.Well, then, I give up my own judgment, and yield to yours. Yes, we willgo westward with a good heart (he sighed), and a willing crew."
The men cheered. The boatswain piped; the anchor was heaved, and the_Springbok_ went out on a course that bade fair to carry her within ahundred miles of Godsend Island.
She ran fast. On the second day some ducks passed over her head, one ofwhich was observed to have something attached to its leg.
She passed within sixty miles of Mount Lookout; but never saw GodsendIsland; and so pursued her way to the Society Islands; sent out herboats; made every inquiry around about the islands, but with no success;and, at last, after losing a couple of months there, brought theheart-sick father back on much the same course, but rather morenortherly.