With Cochrane the Dauntless Part 12

"Not by rubbing pieces of wood together, Wilc.o.x, but by filling my watch-gla.s.s with water and using it as a burning-gla.s.s; it lit the wood in less than a minute; only it would not do, you know, unless the sun was right overhead, and I had to wait until twelve o'clock before I tried the experiment."

The meat was cut up into three huge portions, and using biscuits as plates they speedily set to work upon it.

"You have pretty well got rid of the salt," Wilc.o.x said after his first mouthful. "It is well-nigh as good as roast meat. How did you do that, sir?"

"It was in the well for seven or eight hours," Stephen replied. "The water was running through it, so that it was as good as putting it into a river.

Salt meat is best boiled, but as I had no pot to boil it in, I thought I would try and roast it; and, as you say, the water has got rid of the salt altogether."

"It is the best bit of meat that I have eaten since I left England,"

Wilc.o.x said. "Well, I don't mind now if we stop here for another month. We have meat and biscuits, and I reckon, Mr. Stephen, that you will be able to think of some plan for making flap-jacks out of the flour, and we have found a cocoa-nut grove. So we shall be able to live like kings."

The next morning Stephen was again left in charge of the fire, and the other two started to fetch a fresh load of cocoa-nuts, saying that they should be back by twelve o'clock, and should expect to find that he had got something new for them. After putting a piece of meat into the well Stephen made a fresh experiment. Fis.h.i.+ng out a great lump of fat from the cask, he first washed it carefully to get rid of the salt, then put it into half a cocoa-nut sh.e.l.l, placed this on some hot embers and fried the fat until most of it melted, and then squeezed the remainder between two flat stones. Then he poured the fat into another cocoa-nut half full of milk, put three or four pounds of flour on a flat rock, made a hollow in the middle as he had seen the servant do at home while making pastry, poured the liquor gradually into this, mixing it up with the flour until he had made the whole into dough. Then he cleared away a portion of the embers, and dividing the dough into flat cakes placed these on the hot ground. Half an hour later he cleared another s.p.a.ce from embers, and turned the cakes over, and in twenty minutes they were baked through. They were p.r.o.nounced excellent by his companions as they ate them with their meat.

"We must not be too lavish," Stephen said, "as we do not know how long we may have to wait here. I propose for breakfast that we have biscuits only, then for dinner we will have some meat and biscuits again, and for supper cold meat and cakes. How much meat do you think there is, Wilc.o.x?"

"There is supposed to be a hundred and a half in that cask, Mr. Embleton."

"Well, that will last us just about a month," Stephen said, "at a pound and a half each a day. I propose that we have that allowance for a fortnight, and if there are no signs of the s.h.i.+p by that time we can then reduce ourselves to three-quarters of a pound a day. At that rate it will last for six weeks altogether. The flour and the biscuits would last twice as long, but we must keep a good stock of them on hand, so as to have a store if we take to the canoe again."

This proposal was agreed to. They had, however, been there about a week when early one morning Joyce discovered a sail far away on the horizon. In great excitement they hurried down to the canoe, which had been brought along and hauled up on the rocks.

"Put her into the water to see if the sun has opened her seams."

Finding that it had done so, they filled her and then hauled her just beyond the edge of the water. Then they went up to their tent again.

"There ain't much wind," the sailor said, "and it will die away altogether in an hour or two. It is no good our doing anything until we see which way she is heading. If it is the _Tiger_, I reckon she is making for this spot, and we can wait till the afternoon anyhow before we take to the canoe. If it is only a chance s.h.i.+p, and we find she is bearing a course that brings her anywhere near us, we must take to the canoe at once. I should say she is a good five-and-twenty miles away, but anyhow we can get out to her before the evening breeze springs up."

By nine o'clock they made out that the s.h.i.+p was certainly heading in their direction. Then the wind left her, and presently they saw her swing broadside on to them.

"She is very like the _Tiger_," Joyce said. "She is just about the same size and barque-rigged, but we cannot see her hull."

"She is the _Tiger_ sure enough," Wilc.o.x said. "Her heading this way made it pretty well certain, but I think I could swear to her now."

"Well, I vote we start for her at once. What do you say, Stephen?"

"I think so, Tom. Certainly it will be a long row in the heat, but that does not matter. We had better put a stock of biscuits and cocoa-nuts on board. One never knows about the weather here, and before night there might be another cyclone, then she might have to run for it. We should have to make for the nearest land, and might not be able to get back here for two or three days."

As they had eaten their first meal there was no reason for any delay. The canoe was emptied out, a store sufficient for two or three days put on board, and they were soon on their way. They took the bearings of the s.h.i.+p by various points of the island before they started, lest it should come over thick.

"It ain't no use hurrying," Wilc.o.x said as they dipped their paddles in the water. "We have got a good five hours' pull before us, and whether it is five or seven it don't make much difference."

They had each cut a square of canvas with which to cover their heads and shoulders, and at short intervals they dipped these in the sea and so kept off at least a portion of the extreme heat. The boat was much less heavily laden than it had been on their previous journey, and went lightly through the water. In spite of their agreement to take it easy their impatience to reach the s.h.i.+p, on whose upper sails their eyes were fixed as they paddled, prevented their doing so, and for the first two hours they rowed at almost racing pace. Then the heat of the sun began to tell upon them, their efforts slackened, and their pace decreased materially. However, they could now make out the line of the hull above the horizon, and knew that she could not be at most more than some eight miles away, and in little more than two hours they were within half a mile of her. It was their old s.h.i.+p the _Tiger_. By this time they could see that they were objects of eager curiosity on board, and presently they heard loud cheers come across the water.

"They have made us out," Joyce said. "Of course, at first they took us for a native canoe, for they would be looking for the gig. They don't know yet what bad news we have to tell them."

In a few minutes they were alongside, but as soon as they were within hail the captain had shouted out:

"Are all well?"

"No, sir," Joyce, who was in the bow, shouted back, "I am sorry to say that Mr. Towel and the rest have all been killed by the Malays."

The news effectually damped the feeling of delight that had been excited on board when it was known that the canoe contained three of the boat's party, for whose safety the greatest anxiety had been felt, the captain alone having entertained any hopes that the gig could have lived through the storm. However, as they climbed up the ladder to the deck they were shaken warmly by the hand by officers and crew, and then the captain requested Joyce and Stephen to come down to his cabin, while Wilc.o.x went forward to tell the story to the crew. The first and third mates also came into the cabin. Joyce then, as the senior, told the story of all that had happened from the time the cyclone had burst upon them.

"You see, sir," he said when he came to the conclusion, "I owe my life entirely to Stephen and Wilc.o.x."

"I see that plainly enough, Mr. Joyce," the captain said gravely. "They behaved admirably both in that and in the whole subsequent proceedings.

You were lucky indeed in hitting on the spot where we were separated. We were four hundred miles away when we got out of the cyclone. The wind has been very light, and we have gone close to every island we have pa.s.sed on our way here. It was, of course, most doubtful whether you would be able to find the place where the wreck was, for you too might have been carried hundreds of miles in an entirely different direction, and without your instruments you would have had but a small chance of discovering your position or finding your way here. Still, it seemed the only chance. Of course I could not tell whether when you landed you found the wreck had been stripped by the natives; but if you had not done so it seemed to me you would certainly make your way there if you could, for you would know there were no natives near, and you might, for all I could tell, have found various stores cast up that would enable you to live for a long time.

"It has been, as you say, a sad business indeed. Six lives have been lost, and, as it appears to me from your story, unnecessarily; it was a grievous mistake going up that river. I can understand Mr. Towel's anxiety to obtain a stock of provisions of some sort to victual the boat for a long cruise, but he should have endeavoured to ascertain first, by following the bank on foot, whether there were any native villages there before venturing up in the boat; and to fire guns until he had ascertained that there were no enemy near, is another instance of that fatal carelessness that costs so many lives. However, the poor fellow of course acted for the best, and he has paid dearly for his error. That expedient of yours for lighting a fire, Steve, was a very ingenious one, and does you a great deal of credit. I don't think that it would have occurred to me.

Altogether, young gentlemen, you seem to have behaved extremely prudently and well. I am sorry to tell you that your comrade Archer was washed overboard in the cyclone, and two of the men were killed by being struck by a spar that got adrift."

The news of Archer's death greatly destroyed the pleasure of the lads at finding themselves safely on board the _Tiger_ again, and they took up their work with very sorrowful hearts.

For another two months the _Tiger_ continued her cruise among the islands without any adventure occurring. By the end of that time they had disposed of their goods and had taken in a large number of the native productions in exchange, and the s.h.i.+p's course was laid north again for Calcutta, where they filled up with Indian produce and then sailed for home.

Five months later they arrived in the Thames, the only bad weather they had encountered being a storm as they entered the Channel. They anch.o.r.ed at Gravesend, and the captain told Stephen to land and take a post-chaise up to London, and report to Mr. Hewson that the _Tiger_ would come up on the tide next morning. It was eight o'clock in the evening when Stephen arrived at his employer's. Mr. Hewson received him with great kindness.

"I am always very glad when I hear that one of my s.h.i.+ps is safe in port,"

he said; "for however great my confidence, there are times when human skill and strength are of no avail. I did not expect that the _Tiger_ would be back for another month or so, and am heartily glad to hear that she has returned. All has gone well, I hope?"

"I am sorry to say, sir, that we have lost altogether nine lives, including those of Mr. Towel, the second officer, and Archer, my fellow apprentice."

"That is bad indeed," Mr. Hewson said in a tone of great concern. "How did it happen?"

Stephen related briefly the events that had brought about the misfortunes.

"I am sorry indeed," Mr. Hewson said he had concluded; "but it is a consolation to me that none of the lives were lost from any deficiency in the s.h.i.+p's gear or appointments. The boat must have been an excellent one indeed to have carried you in safety through a cyclone, in which, as we know, the stoutest s.h.i.+ps will sometimes founder. As to the accident on board, it was one of those things that too often occur in a heavy gale, and that cannot be provided against. Of course, I shall hear from the captain all details of that affair. As to your adventure on sh.o.r.e, you must give me a much fuller account when you have had some supper. I shall release you at once from duty, and you had better go down by the coach to-morrow morning to Dover. I know that your father is anxious to see you.

He wrote to me about three weeks ago, asking me when I expected the _Tiger_ to be home. I know what his reason is, but I think that he would wish to be the first to speak to you about it himself."

"There is nothing wrong, sir, I hope?"

"No, lad, in no way. It is another matter altogether."

Supper was brought up, and Stephen did full justice to it, for the s.h.i.+p had touched nowhere on her way home from Calcutta, and after feeding so long almost entirely on salt meat, he thoroughly enjoyed the change of fresh provisions. The next morning he started by the seven-o'clock coach for Dover, and arrived there at eight that evening.

"You have grown indeed, Stephen!" his father said after the first delighted greetings were over. "Let me think. You have been away nearly eighteen months. That does make a good deal of difference; still, you have grown more than I should have expected. I used to think that you would be rather short, but now you bid fair to be a good average height, and you have widened out amazingly. Where are your traps, lad? Have you ordered them to be sent up from the coach office?"

"I have not brought any down with me, father. The _Tiger_ only got to Gravesend at five o'clock yesterday afternoon, and the captain sent me up by post-chaise to tell Mr. Hewson that she was in. I got to his place at eight, and he told me that I had better start by this morning's coach, as he knew that you were anxious to see me."

"He didn't tell you what for, Stephen?"

"No, sir. He said that he thought that you would prefer to tell me yourself."

"Well, Stephen, I have been anxious for you to get home, for I had a letter from Lord Cochrane about three weeks ago. He told me that he had not forgotten the promise he had made me, to give you a berth if he ever had a chance. He said that the opportunity had come now, for that he had been offered the command of the Chilian navy, and should be shortly starting-as soon, in fact, as he could make his arrangements and get his house off his hands. He said that he thought it would be five or six weeks before he was able to sail, and that he would take you out with him as his flag-mids.h.i.+pman. Of course I wrote to him at once, saying where you were, and that you might be home any day, but that, on the other hand, you might not be back for two or three months. However, if you arrived in time I was sure that you would be delighted at the chance of serving under him; still I said that of course I could not ask him to keep the berth open for you.

Well, he wrote in reply that he would, at any rate, give me a month, but if at the end of that time I had not heard of you, he must appoint some one else; for, as he said, 'I know nothing of the Chilian language, and of course I shall want some one to blow up in English.'"

Stephen laughed. "That would be splendid, father. I have been very happy on board the _Tiger_, and certainly should not like to leave her to sail on any other trading s.h.i.+p. No one could be kinder than the captain and the mates have been. But of course I should like awfully to serve with Lord Cochrane, especially as I have heard so much of him from you. But why have the Chilians appointed a foreigner to command their fleet? Are they fighting with anyone?"

"They are fighting the Spanish, Stephen. They have gone into the war to aid Peru, or rather to free Peru from her oppressors. The Chilians have only just started a navy of their own, and it is altogether outnumbered by the Spanish; but they wisely think that with such a man as Cochrane, who is a host in himself, who has won against much greater odds, they will be able to hold their own, and I have no doubt you will have a stirring time.