CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
BEN IS SHIPWRECKED.
The gale drove the Ajax considerably out of her intended course, and itwas some time before she could again haul up to the eastward. It wasnot without a providential purpose that she was driven in thatdirection. Three days passed by after the gale had gone down, and justas she had sighted a small island, said to be uninhabited, the look-outat the masthead hailed the deck: "A sail on the lee-bow--five milesaway!" he shouted.
Several of the officers went at once aloft, to have a look at thestranger. She was not a large vessel, that was certain; she might beone of the slavers. She must be overhauled at all events; all sail wasaccordingly made on the frigate. The stranger seemed not to have muchwind where she lay; the frigate therefore came rapidly up with her. Shewas soon seen to be a schooner, and pronounced to have a Spanish lookabout her. The frigate brought the breeze along with her, and as soonas the schooner felt it, she too made all sail, close-hauled, with anevident intention of escaping. This left little doubt of her character.She was a fast-looking craft, but the Ajax was also noted for herspeed, and few on board doubted that the schooner would be overtaken.Everybody was eager to come up with her. What a satisfaction it wouldbe to release the poor savage islanders, and many others of whom theyhad heard!
The schooner made every effort to escape, and, at last, kept away,finding how fast her pursuer was on a wind, and endeavoured to run backtowards the island, her crew probably expecting to be able to escapeamong the reefs which surrounded it. Fortunately, the island havingbeen well surveyed, a good chart of it existed on board. CaptainBertram was able to stand close in after her without fear. The Ajaxcame quickly up after the schooner before the wind.
"Try her with a shot, Mr Charlton," said the captain; "but fire high,to injure no one on board."
Mr Sponge, the gunner, with alacrity fired one of the bow chasers. Theshot was admirably aimed, and the schooner's maintopmast fell over herside. The frigate's crew uttered a shout of satisfaction.
The slaver, for so she was, did not wait for another, but instantlyhauled down her flag. It was that of Chili. The schooner was forthwithhove up in the wind. This done, two boats were seen to leave her side.Captain Bertram, on this, hove the frigate to, and ordered two boats tobe manned and to bring the fugitives back, while two others pulled onboard the schooner. Ben was in one of the latter, with the interpreter.The crew gave way with a will, for they were eager to get on board. Noone was to be seen on deck as they climbed up the sides, but Tatai'shail was at once answered by shouts from below. The hatches werequickly knocked off, and a number of men and women came rushing up,showing, by evident signs, their joy at being liberated. Their firstimpulse, however, was to fall down on their knees on the deck, andreturn thanks to Jehovah for having freed them from the barbarians bywhom they had been captured. They knew, from having several timesbefore seen the British flag, that they would be kindly treated. Theydescribed through Tatai, in pathetic language, the way that they hadbeen treated after having been captured. They had been ordered not topray aloud, or to sing, and, when off the farther end of this island, totheir grief they heard the voices of several of their countrymen, whohad come on board. In vain they shouted to warn them. Some at lengthheard them, and endeavoured to escape. Many sprang overboard into thesea in the hope of swimming on shore, when the inhuman wretches fired onthem and killed several; others were knocked down, and, beingrecaptured, were forced below to join their poor countrymen. Thistreatment was more than even the patient islanders could stand. Byviolent efforts, with the aid of a piece of timber they found below,they forced off the hatch and rushed on deck. Some of them threwthemselves into the water in the hopes of swimming on shore, though nowfar from it. At length, the slaver sailed away from the spot, with hercargo of victims to be offered up at the shrine of Mammon; or, in otherwords, to be destroyed in the silver mines of Peru. Even then, didthese till lately savages curse their oppressors? No; even as theysailed away, torn from home and country, wives and children, to die in aforeign land--when they all knelt down at the usual hour to offer upprayer and praise to the God of love and mercy, who had brought them outof darkness into His marvellous light, they did not omit to pray fortheir cruel oppressors, that their hearts might be converted, and thatthey might turn to their Maker and live.
Meantime, the boats of the frigate which had gone in chase of theslaver's overtook them, and brought them on board the Ajax. Their guiltwas so evident, that Captain Bertram had no doubt about the propriety ofdetaining them as prisoners. It was necessary, therefore, to send aprize crew to take charge of the schooner. She was called the Andorina(the Swallow). Mr Owen, the third lieutenant of the frigate, wasdirected to take charge of the prize, to land the natives at the islandsfrom which they had been taken, and then to follow the frigate toCallao. Mr Manners was to go as his mate. Ben and Tom hoped that theywould be among those chosen to form her crew, as boys would certainly berequired. Ben wished it, because he should thus be able to make moreinquiries for Ned at the places they might touch at, and he made bold totell his wish to Mr Martin, who suggested it to Mr Charlton. The twoboys were therefore delighted when their names were called out to go onboard the prize. They quickly mustered with the rest of the prize crew,with their bags ready. The captain addressed them kindly before theyleft the frigate, urged them to maintain discipline, to obey Mr Owenand Mr Manners, and hoped that he should have a good report of them allwhen they rejoined the frigate. All arrangements being made, thefrigate stood to the eastward with the slaver's crew on board, while theschooner made sail for Samoa, Tonga, and Savage Islands.
The new crew of the schooner had a long voyage before them, but theywere in good spirits; they had an abundance of provisions, having beenwell supplied by the frigate, in addition to what the schooner hadbefore, and they were engaged in a just and humane cause.
It was pleasant to observe the gentle, kind manners of the liberatednatives. They were courteous and polite to each other, and they seemedevidently anxious to conform to all the rules and regulations formed fortheir management. One of them, who had lived some time in the house ofa missionary, spoke a little English, and he was thus able to act asinterpreter.
Although the crew of the slaver had taken away and thrown overboard oneor two Bibles and some other small books, which had been found in thegirdles of the captives, they were very far from being deprived of allspiritual comfort, for they could nearly all repeat large portions ofthe Scripture by heart, many of them entire chapters. They wouldhappily pass many hours of each day repeating these to each other,singing hymns, and offering up prayers. Two or three among them, whowere elders of their respective churches, also occasionally addressedand exhorted the rest; indeed, it was a pity that their language was notunderstood by the white men, who might undoubtedly have learned many animportant truth from them. Mr Manners, who was, as has been said, avery sincere Christian, took great interest in their proceedings, andgot the young native who spoke English, and who was called Marco, toexplain what was said. Ben frequently stood by and listened, and thenbegan to pick up a knowledge of the language.
Thus several days passed by very pleasantly on board the schooner. Ithas been remarked that this world is a very good and beautiful world,but it is the people who live in it that are bad. In this case theschooner was a very ordinary vessel, and had till lately been filledwith very bad people, and a great deal of misery and suffering hadexisted on board her. Now she was manned with God-fearing and religiouspeople, and so her whole character was changed, and prayers and songs ofpraise ascended daily from her decks.
The weather, however, was far from satisfactory. The stormy season hadset in, and rains and gales of wind might be expected. Mr Owen provedhimself a good and careful officer, and, assisted by Mr Manners, wasconstantly on the watch for the dangers which might befall them. Thewind had hitherto been light and contrary, and the schooner had made butlittle progress. The weather now again became threat
ening, and causedconsiderably anxiety to the young officers. It was evident from thelook of the sky, and the sudden way in which the sea got up, thatanother gale was coming on; not so violent, perhaps, as the former, butstill requiring every possible preparation to be made for it. The boatsand spars, and everything on deck, were doubly secured; the hatches andskylights were fastened down; the topmasts were struck; the lightersails furled, and storm sails set; and in a short time the schooner wasin a state to encounter the expected gale. It came on more graduallythan the former one: at first in heavy squalls, and then more and moreviolently. The sea got up at the same time, and the vessel heeled overto the furious blast Mr Owen and Mr Manners consulted together whatcourse to steer: the schooner could just lie her proper course, and onthat course there were no dangers which could not be seen in time, andavoided, as far as they knew. On the other hand, should the galeincrease still more, as there was every prospect of its doing, it wouldbe necessary to put her before the wind, as it would be dangerous, ifnot indeed impossible, to keep her close-hauled as she then was. Shouldshe run for any distance before the gale, she would be carried into apart of the ocean studded thickly with islets. Once among thearchipelago, it might be impossible to avoid being dashed on therock-bound shore of one of them. Here, then, was sufficient cause foranxiety to the young officers. As long as possible, the schooner waskept on a wind, plunging through the seas. Their only other resourcewas to heave-to; but there was danger in that where neither spars norrigging could be trusted. The seas came breaking over her bows, andsweeping her decks. Another huge billow, larger and more foam-coveredthan any of its predecessors, was seen ahead. "Up with the helm, lowerthe peak, ease away the main-sheet, square away the maintopsail!" criedMr Owen, with rapid utterance. The crew quickly obeyed his orders.The effect of these orders was to take the pressure off the after-partof the vessel, and round her head flew from the wind and the coming sea.It struck her, however, and from the way it swept along her side,tearing away part of her bulwarks, and doing other damage as it came onboard, it was evident that it would have caused far greater disaster hadher bow encountered its full force. On she now flew before thehurricane, for such it was rather than a common gale. There was nochoice now as to heaving-to. The officers scanned the chart withanxious eyes. They saw, with regret they could scarcely conceal, that,unless the gale should cease, no skill of theirs could save the schoonerfrom destruction, or unless, guided by an unseen Power, she shouldthread her way amid the labyrinth of islets and reefs ahead of her.Night was coming on. There was no moon. The dark clouds shut out alllight from the stars.
On flew the schooner. The unfortunate islanders were invited to come ondeck, that, should the vessel strike suddenly, they might have somechance of escaping by swimming on shore. The danger was explained tothem through Marco. "We are in the hands of Jehovah," was the answer."He will do with us what He sees best."
Through the pitchy darkness the vessel rushed on. More than once thequick ears of the seamen detected, they thought, the well-known sound ofbreakers; but each time the sound died away to leeward: the vessel musthave passed at a distance from them. Hour after hour thus passed by.How all on board longed for daylight! Yet daylight would only enablethem to see the threatening danger, scarcely to avoid it.
Once more the sound of breakers was heard. This time it was ahead. Invain, with straining eyeballs, the seamen looked into the darkness todiscover, if they could, whether the breakers were on the starboard orport bow. All held their breath. The stoutest hearts might then havequailed. The foretopsail was alone set; to have lowered that would havecaused the vessel to be pooped, and so more speedily to have sealed herfate. On she flew to destruction. The dreaded crash came. Shequivered from stem to stern. Both the masts went by the board, carryingseveral of the seamen with them, as well as the young commander.Another sea came hissing on astern, threatening to dash the vessel topieces; but no! it lifted her up, and bore her on its summit far alongover the reef.
Mr Manners found himself at that awful moment in command of theschooner. He ordered the well to be sounded. It was not necessary; forthe water, it was soon evident, was rushing in through numerous largerents made by the sharp coral. Still the vessel drove on, now amongrocks, now in clear water. She was, however, rapidly filling. "Outboats!" was the cry. Fortunately these had escaped injury. Again,however, the schooner was exposed to the fury of the sea, which camesweeping round through a passage in the reef.
At that moment a sudden panic seized the crew. Ben felt himself graspedby the arm, and dragged into one of the boats which had just beenlowered. Five men only were in her. Either intentionally or byaccident, the painter was let go, and the boat drifted rapidly away fromthe sinking vessel. The men searched for the oars, which they supposedto be in the boat; only one was to be found. To return to the schoonerwas therefore impossible. Their only prospect of safety was to get theboat before the wind with the oar. This was done, and farther andfarther away she drifted from the vessel.
The men said but little. They regretted being driven away from theschooner without receiving more on board; and Ben heard, with sorrow,that there was but little chance of any of their shipmates being saved.Their own prospects also were gloomy enough. They had no water, noprovisions, on board, and one oar alone to guide the boat. One of themost dreadful fates which seamen have sometimes to endure seemed instore for them--to be out on the wide ocean, exposed to the heat of thesun by day and chills by night, without a drop of water to cool theirburning thirst. The poor fellows knew too well that this might be theirlot; but still they were thankful that they had hitherto escaped thedestruction which had overtaken so many of their shipmates.
Two or three of the men at a time were employed in baling out the boat,while one steered as well as he could before the seas. Again the soundof breakers was heard: it was right ahead. "It is all up with us!"cried one of the men. "God be merciful to us!" cried another. Scarcelyhad they spoken, when the boat was lifted on the foaming summit of asea, the crest of which nearly filled her with water, and down she camewith a crash on the rocks, which dashed her to pieces. Ben clung to oneof the fragments. The despairing shrieks of his shipmates sounded inhis ears, and he felt himself borne onward into smoother water. Heclung tightly to the shattered plank, and thought that he saw treesrising before him. It was not fancy. The dawn had broken, and he wasdrifting along the shore. He could swim well, and felt sure that hecould reach it. A few vigorous strokes, and his feet touched the firmsand. He waded up, and sank exhausted on the dry ground.
The sun was shining brightly on his head before the shipwrecked ladawoke. He sat up, and, as he recovered his senses, he looked round,hoping to see his companions; but no one was visible. He rose to hisfeet, and shouted out their names. No reply came to him. He ran alongthe beach, calling to them; and then discovered that he was on a smallisland. His voice could, he fancied, have reached from one end to theother. With a sad heart, he found that he was alone--the only humanbeing, as far as he knew, saved from the wreck.