Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
The War of the AxeAdventures in South AfricaBy J. Percy-GrovesIllustrations by John SchonbergPublished by Blackie and Son, 49-50 Old Bailey, London.
The War of the Axe, by J. Percy-Groves.
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________________________________________________________________________THE WAR OF THE AXE, BY J. PERCY-GROVES.
CHAPTER ONE.
THE SURAT CASTLE--OUR HERO--A ROUGH NIGHT IN THE ATLANTIC--AFTER THEGALE--LAND HO!
In the early summer of the year of grace 1844 the _Surat Castle_, a fineclipper barque of 400 tons burthen, left the London docks on a voyage tothe Cape of Good Hope, with a valuable cargo and several passengers,including a small draft of volunteers and recruits for the Saint Helenaregiment. The _Surat Castle_ traded regularly between the port ofLondon and Table Bay, and so well-known was she as a fast-sailing,seaworthy vessel, with excellent accommodation, and such was thepopularity and reputation of her commander and part-owner, Captain JohnLadds, that many Cape gentlemen, who had occasion to make the trip tothe old country and back every two or three years, preferred takingtheir passage in her rather than in the ordinary mail-packets.
Amongst the cabin passengers who were now returning to the Cape in the_Surat Castle_ was a good-looking lad of sixteen--a fine, well-builtyoungster, with a cleanness of make and shape that bespoke muscularstrength and activity combined, and whose sun-burned healthy face andclear well-set eye bore ample evidence that he was in capital condition;in fact, sound in wind as well as limb.
Thomas Flinders, for that was the lad's name, was the only son of aretired major of the Cape Mounted Riflemen, who had, with the moneyrealised by the sale of his commission, purchased a farm in theneighbourhood of Cape Town, and there settled down with his family,"turning his sword into a ploughshare." On this farm Master Tom firstsaw the light of day, and there he lived until within a few weeks of hiseleventh birthday, when Major Flinders, finding that his son and heirwas becoming somewhat troublesome and self-willed, packed him off toEngland to be educated at Rugby, under the great and good Doctor Arnold,who was then in the zenith of his fame. Five years of public-schoollife--three under Doctor Arnold [Arnold died in 1842], and two under hissuccessor--worked wonders with young Flinders, and developed him into aplucky, straightforward English lad, full of fun and exuberant spirits,but without a spark of vice in his composition; a gentleman in thetruest and noblest sense of the word, holding in hearty contempt aughtthat savoured of meanness or "bad form." Nor had the lad's physicaleducation been neglected, for he became a very fair hand at most outdoorgames and sports; from fives to football, from quoits tohare-and-hounds, and could play rough-and-tumble with any boy of his ownweight. And now Tom Flinders, having imbibed the regulation quantum ofLatin and Greek and a modicum of mathematics, together with a veryproper notion of his position as an ex-school-house boy and a member ofthe upper-fifth, had left Rugby for good, and was returning to the landof his birth under the nominal charge of Captain Ladds, who was an oldfriend of the major's.
The early part of the voyage of the _Surat Castle_ was unmarked by anyincident worth recording. Stress of weather detained her in the Downsfor some few days, but once clear of the Channel she met with favourablewinds and (except in the Bay of Biscay) smooth seas, and so made a quickrun to the island of Saint Helena, where she anchored off James Town inorder to disembark her military passengers and replenish her fresh-watertanks and sea stock. At Saint Helena Tom had the opportunity ofenjoying a run ashore and of visiting the empty tomb of the greatNapoleon Buonaparte, whose remains had recently been removed frombeneath the weeping-willows in Slane's Valley (whither, nineteen yearsbefore, they had been carried by the grenadiers of the 66th Regiment) totheir honoured resting-place within the walls of the Invalides.
But the _Surat Castle_ remained at anchor only a short time, for as soonas the soldiers were clear of the ship, and the fresh provisions andwater had been taken on board, Captain Ladds put to sea and shaped hiscourse for Table Bay.
On the sixth evening after the barque left Saint Helena there was everyindication of a change for the worse in the weather; away to thenorth-east the clouds were thick and threatening at sundown, and CaptainLadds, judging that a heavy gale lay behind them, ordered sail to bereduced. The breeze stiffening into a gale, everything was made snugfor the night; the top-gallant masts and yards sent down,preventer-braces rove, the hatches battened down, and dead-lightsshipped--preparations which bespoke no good tidings to the passengers;many of whom retired to their berths at a much earlier hour than usual.Nor did these preparations prove unnecessary, for gradually the windincreased until it blew with almost hurricane force, and before long the_Surat Castle_ was scudding under bare poles, not a stitch of canvasshowing, her storm-sails having been blown from their bolt-ropes orsplit into ribands.
The storm raged throughout the long hours of the night with undiminishedfury, the lightning darting forth from the dark clouds illumined thewhole firmament, and the thunder rolled continuously; whilst the sea,running mountains high, threatened every instant to engulf the gallantbarque.
Tom Flinders had remained on deck, not caring to go to his cabin. Thiswas the first big storm he had experienced, and he stood watching thegigantic and angry billows with mingled interest and awe.
"You had much better go below and turn in, my boy," said Captain Laddskindly, as a huge wave "pooped" the barque, and, sweeping along thedeck, drenched Tom to the skin. "We have not had the worst of it yet, Ican assure you. You might get washed overboard like poor Jennings wasjust now."
"What! the bos'un?" exclaimed Tom, who was clinging to the brasshandrail of the companion. "I _am_ sorry to hear that! Do you thinkthere's much danger, Captain Ladds?" he added. "If so, I'd rather stopon deck--that is if you don't object. I shouldn't like to be drownedlike a rat in a hole!"
Before the captain could reply to his young friend's question atremendous squall, with a shift of the wind, struck the barque, andimmediately afterwards another heavy sea broke over her weather quarter,causing her to shiver from stem to stern. The half-doors of thecompanion burst open, and poor Tom, losing his grasp of the handrail,shot down the ladder head foremost, whilst it was only by a supremeeffort that Captain Ladds saved himself from a similar mishap.
"The boy must have broken his neck!" was the captain's anxiousexclamation when he recovered himself. "Below there!" he continued,raising his voice and peering down the hatch. "Steward! Jackson, seeto Mr Flind--oh, there you are, Tom! Are you much hurt?"
"Made my nose bleed, that's all," Tom replied, picking himself up. "Ilanded on a heap of blankets and was then pitched against thepantry-door. All the same I sha'n't come on deck again; I think I hadbetter turn in."
"I think so too," was the rejoinder. "A pretty figure you'll cutto-morrow morning! Good night!"
"Good night, captain!" replied Tom, mopping away at his nose; and off hestaggered to his berth.
It blew "great guns" for the next fifty-six hours, and the unfortunatepassengers--Tom Flinders included--were reduced to a state of miserypitiable to behold. One and all were frightfully ill, and the stewardand his assistant were run off their legs, and could no longer attend totheir duties. The cabin now presented a scene of confusion and disorderthat contrasted woefully with its usual comfortable appearance; thefloor was strewn with the debris of the breakfast and dinner services--shattered plates and dishes, cups and saucers, glasses and decanters,whilst the piano had fetched away from the ring-bolts and lay on its"beam ends" with its front stove in.
At length the weather began to moderate, the heavy storm-laden cloudsrolled away, and on the fourth night of the gale the stars shone outbright and clear. The wind continued to slacken, and the sea to godown, until dawn of day, when the sun rose once more in all his wontedsplendour, and the sky was blue and cloudless.
At noon Captain Ladds and his chief mate brought out their quadrants andtook an observation, when it was found that the storm had driven thebarque far out of her course; much further indeed than the captain hadthought. However, there was no help for it, the lost ground must berecovered, so all hands set to work to repair damages, and after manyhours' arduous toil through the night the _Surat Castle_ had once more ataut ship-shape appearance, and was running before a favourable breezewhich most opportunely sprang up in the morning.
And now by twos and