Ben Burton: Born and Bred at Sea

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

  Having quenched our burning thirst, our next impulse was to seek forrest. Since we had been sleeping on the deck of the ill-fated frigate,not one of us had closed his eyes. Collecting, therefore, a quantity ofdried leaves and boughs, we made a bed, on which we threw ourselves, theboughs forming a shade overhead. In an instant almost I was asleep, andso, I believe, were most of my companions. We had escaped the dangersof the sea, but we had a good many more to encounter. The thoughts ofthem, however, could not drive away sleep. I was awakened by feeling agnawing sensation of hunger. It was not so painful, perhaps, as thirst,but it was very trying. I could have eaten a raw lizard had I found itcrawling over my face. My companions soon awoke from the same cause,but nothing eatable, animal or vegetable, could we find. We hurrieddown to the beach, and searched about for shell-fish. Not one could wesee.

  "It will not do, lads, to stop here to starve," observed Kiddle. "Whatdo you say, Mr Burton? Had not we better push on along the shore,while we have a little strength left, and try and find some natives whomay give us food?"

  Esse and I agreed at once to Toby's suggestion, and returning once moreto our fountain for another draught, we set out along the coast. Esseand I had on shoes, but, after being so long in the salt water, theybecame shrunk and shrivelled when they dried, and were rather aninconvenience than any assistance in walking. The rest of the party hadno shoes, and the hot sands burned and blistered their feet. We draggedourselves on for about a mile, or it might have been more, when, turninga point, we saw before us in the deep bay a prow at anchor. She was soclose in shore, that should we continue in that direction we couldscarcely hope to escape the observation of those on board. Should sheprove to be one of the fleet with which we had had the scratch a fewdays before, her people might not be inclined to treat us very civilly.Still, hunger made us desperate. We pushed on, therefore; when,surmounting a rocky height and looking over the ridge, we saw down belowus a party of dark-skinned natives, collected at a short distance fromthe shore, while three or four other prows were at anchor a littlefurther on. Some of the people were squatting round a fire cooking,others were repairing a boat, and others lying on the ground. An oldman with silvery beard, whom we took to be a chief, was seated on acarpet, under the shade of a tree, smoking his long pipe, while two orthree men squatted at a little distance, apparently ready to obey hiscommands. We discovered that they had each of them some ugly-lookingweapons in their hands, and it suddenly occurred to us that should wemake our appearance together, they might, without asking questions, usethem upon our heads. I, therefore, undertook to go forward by myself,advising my companions, if they saw me killed, to make the best of theirway off in an opposite direction.

  "By the powers, though, but that will never do!" exclaimed Brady. "Ifanybody's to be killed, I'm the boy, and so just let me go forward, ifyou plase."

  "No, no," I said, "I am young, and much less likely to excite theiranger than you would be."

  Pat still demurred. At length I had to exert my authority, and directedhim to stay quiet while I went forward. I shall not forget the poorfellow's look of anxiety as he saw me creep away down the hill, for Iwas anxious that the Malays should not discover from what direction Icame. I confess that I did not feel quite comfortable about the matter,but I thought to myself, it is just as well to be killed outright as todie by inches from starvation. The Malays were not a little astonishedat seeing an English midshipman in their midst, although I certainly hadvery little of the smart look which belongs to the genus. The guards infront of the old Rajah, as soon as they cast eyes on me, started totheir feet with uplifted weapons, at which I halted, and made a profoundsalaam to the old gentleman beyond them. It had its due effect, fordirectly afterwards they lowered their swords, and their looks becamemuch less threatening. I thought, therefore, that I might venture toapproach, and advancing slowly, I made another salaam. As I could notspeak a word of Malay, I had to explain by signs the intelligence Iwished to convey. I therefore pointed to the sea, and then put my handstogether, rocking them up and down, in imitation of a vessel, and thenmaking the sound of an explosion, I endeavoured to explain that my shipwas blown up. Next, I pointed to myself, holding up one finger, addingfive others, and then, moving the palm of my hand from the sea towardthe shore, indicated that we had just landed. I judged from theexpression of the spectators' countenances that they understood me, and,making another salaam, I asked permission of the Rajah to go and fetchmy companions. He nodded, and I hurried off. I could not, however,resist the temptation of passing near the fire where the men werecooking. On it was boiling a large pot of rice. I held out my hands,and entreated that the cooks would put some of their food into them.They understood me, and I presently had my hands filled with hot rice,so hot, indeed, that I nearly let it fall. In spite, however, of theheat, my mouth was soon embedded in it. Before I had gone far, I hadeaten the whole of it. I made signs that I should like to take some tomy companions, but the Malays in return signified that they must comeand fetch it themselves. Pat Brady's delight on seeing me knew nobounds. Followed by the party, I quickly returned. We were none of usobjects to excite fear. Malay pirates are not much addicted to feelingsof pity. Such we believed to be the occupation of the gentry before us.Smith, I found, could speak a little Malay, and, putting him forward asinterpreter, we explained more clearly to the Rajah what had happened,and begged him to help us to reach some European settlement, whence wecould find our way back to our ship. This request made him cast asuspicious look at us.

  "Are you Dutch?" he asked us suddenly.

  Smith assured him that we were British.

  "He says, sir, it is fortunate we are so," observed Smith to me,interpreting the Rajah's reply. "They vow vengeance against the Dutch,whom they say tyrannise over them, and declare that if we had been Dutchthey would have cut the throat of every mother's son of us."

  "If they have any doubt about the matter," exclaimed Brady, "tell themthat I will dance an Irish jig, and, by the powers, that's more than anyDutchman could ever do. But I say, Bill, before I favour them with aspecimen of my talents, just hint that a little provender will beacceptable down our throats."

  Smith explained that we had a great dancing-man among us, an art inwhich the chief in his sagacity must be aware the Dutch did not excel,and he hinted that not only to the dancing-man but to the rest of ussome food would be very acceptable. The Rajah in reply told him, if wewould sit down, our wants should soon be supplied. By this time themesses over the fire were cooked, and, with more liberality than I hadexpected, the Malays placed before us a couple of bowls full of fish andrice. Without ceremony, we plunged our hands into the food, whichdisappeared with wonderful rapidity down our throats.

  "Take care the bones don't stick in your gullets, boys," cried Pat,every now and then turning round to the Rajah and making him a bow. "Isay, Smith, just tell his Majesty, or whatever he calls himself, that assoon as I have stowed away as much as I can carry, I will give him aspecimen of the jintalist Ballyswiggan jig that he ever saw in his lifebefore."

  Paddy was as good as his word, and no sooner was our meal finished than,jumping up, forgetting all his fatigue, he began dancing a real Irishjig with wonderful agility, making the music with his own voice, cryingout to us, every now and then, to strike up an accompaniment. Theeffect was at all events very advantageous to us, for the old Rajahlooked on with astonishment and approval as Paddy continued hisperformance. When he ceased, the chief called Smith up to him, andspoke a few words.

  "He asks where you learnt the art of dancing," said Smith.

  "Oh! Jist tell his honour, or his riverence, if that title plaises himthe better, that it comes natural to an Irishman with his mother's milk.I have danced ever since I put foot to the ground. Just as natural,tell him, as it comes to him and his friends to go out robbing andmurdering, and such like little divartisements."

  I rather fancy Smith did not give an exact interpretat
ion of Brady'sanswer; at all events the performance put the old pirate into a verygood humour. Seeing the condition of our clothes, which were the worsefor having been soaked in salt water so long, he sent a boat aboard hisprow, which returned with a supply of Eastern garments. How they werecome by we did not inquire. They had never been worn, and were mostprobably part of the cargo of some captured trader. We very thankfullyput them on, and the chief then told Smith that if we liked to lie downand sleep, we should have another meal when we woke up again, providedour dancing-man would undertake to give more of his performances, as hewould then have a few other friends as spectators.

  "Tell his honour I will do it with all the pleasure in the world,"answered Brady, making a salaam at the same time towards the Rajah, whoseemed highly pleased with his good manners. The chief then pointed toa shady spot, on which his attendants spread some carpets. Here wethankfully lay down, and I do not think I ever slept more soundly in mylife, forgetting all the hardships I had gone through. When we awokethe sun was well-nigh dipping into the ocean, and the Malays hadfinished the repair of their boat. The old chief was, however, stillseated on his carpet, with four or five other individuals, habited muchin the same way, and all gravely smoking. As soon as we sat up, anotherbowl of rice and fresh meat was brought us. After we had partaken ofit, the Rajah called to Smith, who told Paddy that he was expected tobegin his performance.

  "With the greatest pleasure in life!" he exclaimed, springing up, "butyou must all come and support me, and sing and clap your hands, and toeand heel it, too, every now and then. It will make my dancing go offbetter, and show the old boy that we wish to do our best to please him."

  Paddy's strength having been completely recruited by his sleep and amplemeals, he far outdid his morning's performance, and elicited the warmestsigns of approval from the spectators of which Orientals are capable.When it was over, all hands got into the boats, the Rajah taking us withhim on board his vessel. We had from the first suspected, as was thecase, that the prows did not belong to this part of the country. Itbeing evident that the pirates did not intend us any harm, we went tosleep again soon after we got on board, in spite of our afternoonsnooze. At daybreak the fleet of prows made sail for the spot where thefrigate had blown up. No part of her was, however, now above water. Afew seamen's chests were seen floating about, and pieces of the wreck;and the saddest sight of all, here and there, the corpses of some of ourlate companions. From the way we were treated, we concluded that ourfriends did not form part of the fleet with which the boats of the"Resolution" had been engaged a few days before, and of course Smithwisely forbore to mention the subject. Finding that nothing more was tobe picked up from the wreck, the pirate fleet continued their cruisealong the coast, looking out for trading craft, from China, Java, andother parts. At night, when the weather was fine, we kept under way,like a pack of wolves, hoping to come suddenly upon a quarry. In theday-time the fleet would lie hid behind some point of land, so that theymight dart out on any unwary passer-by. I learnt a lesson from theirmode of proceeding, from which I hoped some day to benefit, should I, inthe course of service, be ever sent to look after such gentry. Whatwere their intentions regarding us all this time we could not tell. Theold chief, though ready enough to ask questions of us, was not verycommunicative in return, and Smith could learn nothing from him.

  "Perhaps he intends to demand a ransom for us," I observed.

  "He may, sir, but I rather think that he will keep us until some day heis hard pressed by any of our men-of-war, and then he will threaten tocut our throats if our friends do not let him get off, and it is mybelief he would do it, sir. These sort of people are very civil as longas you please them, but just get on the other tack, and they will notscruple a moment to knock their best friend on the head."

  This was not a pleasant piece of information, but it did not greatlydamp our spirits. We had all recovered from the effects of our exposureon the raft, but were getting somewhat weary of our long detention onboard the prows. That Smith was right in the description of our hosts,we had soon too clear evidence. It was night. We were gliding calmlyover the moon-lit ocean when suddenly we came upon three native craft.Smith said they were Javanese. The prows boarded, one on each side ofthe strangers. In an instant the Malays threw themselves on board.There was very little resistance, and they returned almost immediately,each man laden with a bale of goods. With wonderful rapidity the morevaluable part of the cargo was transferred on board the prows. Thechiefs prow remained at a little distance, ready to render assistanceapparently if required. Esse and I were watching what was taking place.Presently we saw a figure appear at the stern of the prize. The nextinstant there was a plunge, and the waters closed over the man's head.Another and another followed. The prow then cast off, and a brightflame burst forth from the merchant vessel. The materials of which shewas composed ignited rapidly, and in another instant she was one mass offire; one after the other was treated in the same way. We had gothalf-a-mile from the scene before all the vessels taken had burned tothe water's edge and sunk, leaving not a trace behind, while we sailedaway with the goods which had lately filled their holds. I confess Idid not feel quite as comfortable in the society of our friends afterthis occurrence as I had done before. We had been nearly six weeks onboard, and the pirates had taken a considerable number of prizes, whenSmith told us that he suspected, from the conversation he overheard,that they were about to return to their own stronghold, to which traderswere wont to resort for the purchase of their goods. Our best chance ofescape will be to make a bargain with one of the captains, and get himto buy us of the Rajah, we promising to repay him. Esse and I talkedover the matter, and, though it did not appear very promising, we ofcourse agreed to attempt it, if we could find no other way of escape.Two nights after this we were at sea, with the wind aft, and the watersmooth, though the sky was overcast. Now and then the moon came forth,soon again, however, to be obscured. Our prow was leading. A smallvessel, apparently a trader, appeared ahead, and we gave chase. Shemust have seen us, and made all sail to escape. We pursued eagerly.Now we saw her, now the darkness hid her from sight. On we went. Thenight was hot, and Esse and I, with our companions, were on thefore-part of the deck watching the chase, hoping heartily she wouldescape.

  "She's distancing us, sir," observed Kiddle. "She's in luck, for Idon't think the black fellows will have her this time."

  Suddenly the moon beamed forth.

  "Hillo! Why, what is that?" exclaimed Esse.

  We all eagerly looked out. A little on the starboard-bow, the rays ofthe bright luminary fell upon the white canvas of a tall ship standingacross our course.

  "She's a man-of-war, or I am a Dutchman!" exclaimed Kiddle, "and afrigate too."

  "Perhaps she is the Orion herself, after all," cried Esse. "Hurrah!Hurrah! Hurrah!"