Read Ebook: The Cruise of the Dainty; Or Rovings in the Pacific by Kingston William Henry Giles

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Ebook has 514 lines and 47319 words, and 11 pages

Another book of great adventure, this time in the Pacific, where, at the time, many of the Islanders were, with good reason, ill-disposed towards Europeans, having been tricked so often in various unpleasant ways, even to the point where they would be invited on board to do some bartering, only to be battened below hatches, and then sailed off to Peru to be used as slaves. Our adventurers encounter hostility in places, but on the whole their worst enemies are the weather, and also ill-intentioned crews of vessels such as those described above.

A short book, but a good read or listen, and you'll enjoy it.

THE CRUISE OF THE DAINTY, ROVINGS IN THE PACIFIC, BY WILLIAM H G KINGSTON.

As we walked with our faces forward I was amused by watching old Tom, who, marline-spike in hand, was stropping a block, now inspecting the work of one man, now that of another, and then giving his attention to a lad, seated on the spars stowed under the long-boat, engaged in splicing an eye to the end of a rope.

"Is this all right, Mr Platt?" asked the lad, handing the rope to the mate, who, squirting a mouthful of tobacco juice over the bulwarks, turned it round and round to examine it critically.

"Ay, t'will do, Dick--wants scraping a bit; let's see how you'll serve it," answered old Tom, giving back the rope.

After taking a few more turns my brother stopped. "Do you think, Platt, that, we shall be long delayed by this provoking calm?" he asked.

"Can't say, Cap'en. Known such to last for the better part of a week in these latitudes," answered the mate, coming a few steps aft. "Maybe, though, we'll get a breeze to-morrow, maybe not."

"We are not likely to get it yet, at all events, from the look of the sky," said Harry. "We'll rig the awning and persuade Mary and Fanny to come on deck. They'll be better here than in the close cabin." Just as he spoke Nat Amiel, his young brother-in-law, appeared at the companion-hatch.

"Wanted to see if you were asleep, as we have been below all the morning," he exclaimed. "Well, I declare, it is hot, though it's baking enough in the cabin to satisfy a salamander."

"We'll soon have some more shade, and then ask the ladies to come on deck and enjoy it," I answered. "In the meantime hand up a couple of the folding-chairs, and I'll place some gratings for them to put their feet on."

Nat dived into the cabin, and the mate calling the men aft we quickly had an awning rigged to cover the after-part of the deck. Harry then went below to bring up his wife and her sister. They were by this time pretty well accustomed to a sea life, as three weeks had passed since we left Brisbane in Queensland. My brother Harry, who had been a lieutenant in the navy, had about four years before come out to settle in the colony, being engaged at the time to Miss Mary Amiel, the eldest daughter of an English clergyman. Agricultural pursuits had not been much to his taste, and he had therefore settled himself in Brisbane for the purpose of carrying on a mercantile business. He had made a very fair commencement, and had returned about a year before the time I am speaking of to marry his intended. On his arrival he found that Mr Amiel had died, and that his family, consisting of another daughter and a son, were left in very poor circumstances. Prompted by his generous feelings, he at once invited Fanny and Nat to return with him and his bride to the colony. This they gladly agreed to do, and the whole party forthwith took a passage on board an emigrant ship, which after a prosperous voyage reached the colony.

"What can that be, sir?" I asked. "It comes from forward."

"Take the lantern, and see if there is any one there," he answered.

I made my way to the spot whence I fancied the sounds proceeded, and lowering my lantern into a small hole, I saw the figure of a boy crouching down, with his head resting against a cask. He made no movement, and his eyes appeared to be closed.

"There's some one here, sir," I cried out. "He seems to be very far gone."

The mate quickly joined me. "A young stowaway!" he exclaimed. "We must have him on deck at once, or it will be beyond the doctor's skill to bring him round. I have known more than one lad lose his life in this way; and I shall get blamed for not having examined the hold before we left port."

Saying this he lifted the lad in his arms while I held the lantern, and forthwith carried him on deck. The low groans the boy uttered showed us that he was still alive, but he was pale as death and in a wretched condition. He was dressed like a respectable lad, but his face and clothes were covered with dirt.

"The captain will be in a great taking when he finds this out," said the mate; "still more so if the young fellow dies. Go aft, Ned, and call the doctor; maybe he'll be able to bring him round."

I hurried aft, and soon found the surgeon, who was in his dispensary. When I told him what he was wanted for, he at once, bringing some medicine with him, hurried forward.

"This will do him good," he said, pouring some liquid down the lad's throat. "I don't think, Mr Simmons, that you need be anxious about him."

The young stowaway almost immediately opened his eyes and stared about him. The doctor then ordered the cook to get some broth ready, while two of the women passengers brought some warm water and washed the poor lad's face and hands. The broth, which he eagerly swallowed, revived him still more, and the doctor considered that he had sufficiently recovered to be conveyed to the sick bay, the women offering to stay by his side and to give him medicine and food as he might require them.

"If he is carefully tended he may come round," said the doctor; "but had he remained another hour in the hold I feel pretty sure that he would have lost his life."

Having been the means of discovering the young stowaway, I felt a certain amount of interest in him, and, whenever I could, went in to see how he was getting on. The next day he had so far recovered as to be able to speak without difficulty. He told me that his name was Richard Tilston, though he was generally called Dick by his friends; that he had had a great longing for going to sea; and that, as his father would not let him, he had run off from school, and found his way down to the docks. Hearing that our ship was to haul out into the stream early the next day, he waited until late in the evening, when he stole on board, and had, without being discovered, got down into the hold. He had brought a bottle of water and some biscuits, together with a couple of sausages. Supposing that the ship would at once put to sea, he had not placed himself on an allowance, and in less than three days had exhausted all his provisions and water. As the sea was smooth he fancied that we were still in the river, and was therefore afraid to creep out, until he became too ill and weak to do so.

From the tone of his voice and the way he expressed himself I suspected that he was a young gentleman, but I did not like to ask questions, and waited to hear what account he would give of himself. He was, however, too ill to say much, and was in a great fright at hearing that the captain would be very angry with him for having stowed himself away. I tried to reassure him by saying I did not believe that the captain was as yet made acquainted with his being on board, and, as far as I could judge, he was a good-natured man, and would probably not say much to him.

In spite of all the doctor's care and the nursing he received from the two kind women who had taken him in charge, it was considerably more than a week before he was able to get up and move about the deck. When his clothes had been cleaned and he himself had been well washed, he looked a very respectable lad.

At last, one day, Captain Archer saw him, and inquired who he was. The third mate had to confess all about the matter, and the captain then sent for Dick, and in an angry tone asked what had induced him to come on board.

"I wanted to go to sea, sir, and didn't know any other way of managing it," answered Dick.

"You took a very bad way, and nearly lost your life in carrying out your foolish notion," said the captain. "You have been pretty severely punished by what you have gone through, or I should have given you a sound flogging; as it is, I intend to let you off, but you will understand you must make yourself useful on board and try to pay for your passage; I can have no idlers, remember, and you will get thrashed if you do not work. I will speak to the mates about you, and they'll see that you have something to do."

Poor Dick, looking very much ashamed of himself, returned forward. The mates took care that he should have something to do, and the men also, for Dick was at everybody's beck and call, and had to do all sorts of dirty and disagreeable work. When there was no other work for him he was employed by the cook to sweep out the caboose and clean the pots and pans. He now and then got his back up, when he received a rope's-ending for his pains. I did the best I could for him, but often could not save him from ill-treatment, and at last, in the bitterness of his soul, he complained that he was leading a regular dog's life, and that he heartily wished he had not come to sea.

"I won't stand it any longer," he exclaimed. "I'll jump overboard and drown myself."

"Don't even talk of doing so wicked and foolish a thing," I said. "You wished to become a sailor, now that you have the opportunity of learning your duty you do nothing but grumble and complain. You must take the rough and the smooth together. I wasn't over well off on my first voyage, though my mother had paid a premium to the owners and I was on the quarterdeck, but I saw while I remained on board that there was no use complaining, so I took things as they were, and by keeping my eyes open and my wits awake became in a short time a fair seaman."

Poor Dick said that he would try to follow my advice, but he, notwithstanding, would answer when spoken to, and consequently I was unable to save him from ill-treatment, as he had brought it down upon himself.

"The first thing to be done is to find a suitable craft," I said.

"Then let us go at once and have a look at her, and, if she is in good condition, secure her," I exclaimed; for, after the account Harry had given me, I had become very eager to undertake the expedition.

In the evening Harry said what he had done.

"You do not intend to leave me behind, I hope," exclaimed Mary.

"Or me either," cried Miss Fanny Amiel. "What should we poor girls do all alone by ourselves in this little bakehouse?"

"You must let me go as cabin-boy," said Nat. "I'll make myself tremendously useful."

"I'll talk it over with Mary," answered Harry, who looked not at all ill pleased at the thoughts of having his wife to accompany him of her own free will. The result of the talk was that the next morning it was settled that we were all to go, the house and business being left in charge of a trustworthy old clerk, Mr Simon Humby, who had accompanied Harry when he came out the first time from England. We were very busy for the next few days in making preparations for the voyage--the ladies in the house assisted by Nat, and Harry, and I in refitting the schooner--purchasing provisions, stores, and articles for bartering with the natives. We procured also four small brass guns, with some muskets, pistols, boarding-pikes, and cutlasses.

"We shall not, I hope, have to use them," said Harry. "But, now especially that we are to have ladies on board, we must be well prepared for defence should we be attacked."

It was easy enough to prepare the vessel for sea, but Harry expected to find some difficulty in securing an efficient crew. He of course at once applied to Tom Platt.

"I'll see about that, sir," he answered. "You mustn't be too particular as to what sort of chaps they may be, provided they are good seamen--for as to their characters, I'm not likely to be able to say much."

"Pick up the best you can find," said Harry. "They'll probably behave well enough, if kept under strict discipline."

"Hillo, Dick Tilston, can that be you?" I exclaimed. "Come here. What have you been about?"

On being called, he approached, looking very sheepish.

I knew that what Dick said was true. I asked him if he still wished to be a sailor, or would rather go up the country and seek for employment, which I was sure he would be able to obtain with my brother's recommendation.

"I would rather be a sailor than anything else, if I could serve under a good captain," he answered.

"Well, then, stop a moment, and I'll speak to my brother," I said; and I ran after Harry. I told him in a few words about Dick.

"Well, he may come with us," he said. "But he must try to make himself useful, and not fancy that he is a young gentleman to do what he likes."

I ran back to Dick. The poor fellow was delighted, and burst into tears. "I own, Ned, I've had nothing to eat all day in this land of plenty, for I could not bring myself to beg, and nobody offered me anything," he exclaimed, scarcely able for shame to get out his words.

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