Part 23 (1/2)

SIXTH VOYAGE OF HUCKABACK

May it please your highness:--

It was my intention to have remained quietly on shore, after so ular adventures; but I found France so changed, that I was disgusted withwas upside down--the nobles, the wealthy, the talented, either werein abject poverty in other countries, while the lower classes had usurped their place, and governed the land But what decided o to sea, was that the continual demands for fresh levies to recruit the republican ar in quiet Of two evils I preferred what I considered to be the least; and rather than die in a ditch on shore, I preferred the dangers which e shi+p, and fitted her for a voyage of speculation to Lilish cruisers covered the seas, and I was resolved that I would not be taken by a vessel of small force, I shi+pped with uns ut of Gibraltar, and steered our course for Cape Horn, the southern occurred until we ale caainst it, bleay ed us to bear up, and run away to the southward and eastward

Fro of the vessel, the decks had becoh every part of the shi+p Our provisions (particularly our bread) being spoiled, and obliged to be thrown overboard, ere necessitated to be put upon short allowance

As we had no hopes of being able to support ourselves upon as left until our arrival at Liht obtain a fresh supply, and then renew our attempt to beat round the Cape I was in so eastward for a fortnight, we discovered land on the lee bohich I considered to be the uninhabited Island of New Georgia; but as we approached it, we thought that we perceived people on the beach, and ithin five uish that they were soldiers in their unifored up, rank and file The colour of their clothes could not be uished that they had yellow facings; frolish ”Peste!” thought I, ”is it possible that these grasping islanders have o to next?” The different companies appeared to be from one to two dozen in number; sometimes they stood quite still, at others they walked a little way on the beach; but they constantly adhered to their rank-and-file position, and as I could not perceive that they had any muskets in their hands, I inferred that they wereevolutions No houses or fortifications were distinguishable, and I deterht observe their ain rounded to, and putting lass, perceived to iment of them ran into the surf, and re-appeared on the outside of it, in the for in every direction I now began to suspect, that it was an enchanted island, and not forgetting the lesson of the Golden Fountain, I ht astern I think it right to state to your highness, that on lishman, who had been employed in the spermaceti whale fishery, he asserted that they really were birds, called Patagonian penguins, who had often deceived others by their s, but only flappers, and when on shore, invariably stood upright like h when in this posture, and had two broad yellow streaks on each side of their necks How far his assertions were true I do not know, for the people of that country, who have doubled the Cape, consider themselves entitled to tell any falsehoods which they think proper, and to shoot you if you venture to express a doubt as to their veracity: one of lish is, that they are such abominable liars

We now steered more to the southward, and in three days discovered another se We hove-to, to ard of it, and not perceiving any inhabitants, I lowered down a boat, and sent the first mate on shore to reconnoitre He returned in an hour, infor me that the island was covered with cocoa-nut trees in full bearing, and that he had seen several wild pigs, but no sye that he could discover, as the shore rose perpendicularly, like a wall, from the ocean We therefore ran to leeward, and discovered that a reef of coral rocks extended nearly two ain lowered; and after surveying, the e, with plenty of water for the shi+p, through the very centre of the reef, which would bring her into a sht lay in perfect security

Before night we had gained the anchorage, and furled sails The nextI went on shore to reconnoitre; we found sos of fresh water, cocoa-nuts and other trees in abundance, and occasionally fell in with herds of wild pigs, which appeared, with the exception of birds, to be the only animals that existed upon the island Satisfied that I now had an opportunity of revictualling my shi+p, I unbent , and, in short,stay I then sent parties on shore to erect tents, and shoot the wild pigs, while I superintended the fixing of coppers on the beach to boil the salt out of the sea water, which would be necessary for curing the provisions I also dug shallow pans in the rock, close to the water's edge, that I ain aswas prepared in the course of the day, and the major part of my shi+p's company were landed, and slept in the tents In three days we had salted down several casks of pork, and had collected a large quantity of cocoa-nuts

On the fourththat they would not reo to sea immediately Astonished at these remarks, after they had expressed them selves so well pleased, I inquired the reason They answered, that there wasan explanation, they took me to the salt pans, which, upon our arrival, had been cut in the rocks within a foot of the water's edge, but had now receded from the shore to a distance of nine or ten feet I must own that I was surprised at the circumstance, which was quite unaccountable: but still did not feel inclined to leave the island, without first obtaining the necessary supply of provisions I pointed out to the e an incident, yet as we had seen and heard nothing, and should certainly starve if ent to sea without provisions, it would be better to re that it was not iht have receded, instead of the island having advanced The latter reh at the time that I made it, I knew it to be incorrect, as the rocks above water near the beach were not higher out of it than before This the seamen did not pay attention to, and I took care not to point it out to thereed with my supposition, that the water had receded, and said nowhich the same pheno further off fro that the rocks did not rise higher froain became alarmed, and broke out into open mutiny By this time I had cured a sufficiency of provisions, and I made no objection, indeed I must confess that I was by no means easy in my own mind at these supernatural appearances We struck our tents, sent every thing on board, rove the rigging, bent the sails, and prepared for our departure Soon after we repaired on board, I happened to castover froht; hauling up the slack, I found, to my surprise, that instead of five fathoms water in which we had anchored, ere in less than three

At first it occurred toisland, like the one I before described, and that it was gradually rising more to the surface; but this idea did not satisfythe lead and line in the boat, I pushed off, and sounded in several directions, and had the e which the shi+p had entered, there was not sufficient water for her to go out again, even if ere to have discharged the whole cargo I soon discovered the cause of this apparent mystery; for as I went further out on the reef, I found that whole trees and solid e, in parts which I kneere several fathoms deep e entered

I had often heard that the islands in these seas were formed by corals, but I had no idea of the rapidity hich they were extended

Your highness must know that all the zoophyte, or animal plants, are composed of small insects, ork in millions under the water, until they rise to the top Such was the case in the present instance, and thus by the labours of the minutest of the creation, in the short space of three weeks my shi+p was shut up so as to render escape hopeless

I returned on board, and explained to the men the real cause of the apparently supernatural effects of e had witnessed Satisfied that my assertions were correct, they seeed to remain on an island which afforded the could be done for the shi+p, ent on shore again, and repitching the tents, waited quietly until we ht be taken off by some vessel who should chance to pass that way

In a fortnight the shi+p was aground, and the island continued to increase so rapidly, that in two h and dry out of the water, about half a ularly and as rapidly as the island, and after the rainy season the trees had grown up so high, that the shi+p was coe wood, and it was just possible to see her lower masts above the branches For some time the men seemed perfectly contented We had plenty of stores in the shi+p of every description: the cargo I had taken on board was chiefly manufactures, and as the island provided freshBut sailors are such changeable and restless beings, that I really believe they would soon be tired of Paradise itself After a sojourn of ninewhich they perhaps lived better than they ever had before, they began toaway in soo was valuable, I was in hopes that a vessel would visit the island, and take it on board: I therefore ine to induce theer; but they would not listen toa vessel at the weather-side of the island, out of the materials that the shi+p afforded The reason why they chose the weather side was, that they perceived that the island only increased to leeward; whereas to ard it was a perpendicular rock of coral, which you could not obtain bottoside of, with two hundred fathoms of line

They had cut a slip out of the rock, and were already occupied with driving out the bolts and fastenings of the shi+p that was shored up in the woods, when one evening we perceived a large fleet of canoes co towards us As I knew that I could not be far from the Sandwich Islands, I immediately pronounced them to come from that quarter, in which supposition I was correct; for although the island was not inhabited, the islanders had for soather the crop of cocoa-nuts which it annually produced I advisedthe tents and every object thaton the island; but they were of a different opinion, and as they had lately discovered thethe toddy fro arrack, they had been constantly drunk, ht it would be e canoes from the islanders, and appropriate them to their own use, than to build a vessel, and notwithstanding my entreaties, they persisted in their resolution to make the attempt

As the canoes approached, we counted fourteen, all of a very large size, and with uish that they had fifty or sixty persons on board of each, including the wo that I did not believe there were more than ten women in each canoe, so that the ive them any chance of success in their rash intentions But I did ood; the mention of the women seemed to inspire them with fresh ardour, and they vowed that they would kill all the men, and then would be content to remain on the island with the wo the trees as the canoes approached, fearful that the islanders would not land if they were discovered The canoes ran between the reefs, and in a fewit necessary to leave any but the wo as seood: they allowed the islanders to go up to the tents, which were nowdown under cover of the trees, rushed to the canoes, and putting one man in each with their muskets and ammunition, shoved them off and made them fast to the coral rocks, about two hundred yards distant The screa off of the canoes, alarmed the men, who hastened down to ascertain the cause As soon as they came within halfto twenty-five, fired a volley out of the wood, which killed and wounded a great nuave a loud shout and advanced Another volley was fired, and they again retreated, bearing off their killed and wounded

They now held a consultation, which ended in their dividing into two bodies, one of which separated froht attack the party in the wood from two different points

In the meantime several of the women leaped overboard and swam on shore, and thethe others froive no assistance to the party in the wood, although they ithin musket-shot The conduct of the islanders puzzled our h I had taken no part in this murderous attack, yet as I considered ht that I must assist I therefore advised theained possession of, they would be enabled to keep the islanders at bay My advice was followed, and creeping through the thick we reached the shi+p in safety, having cli froo on board, to fetch any articles we required We hauled them up after us, and waited the issue

In a few minutes, one of the parties of the islanders caave a loud yell, and let fly their spears We returned a volley which killed many, but they were very brave, and continued the attack although we fired twenty or thirty rounds with great execution

The other party now came up, and the conflict continued; they made every attempt to climb the stern and sides of the vessel, but were repulsed; and as the evening closed in, they retired taking away their killed and wounded, which we estimated at two hundred uns in that direction, as hten the islanders, as to let our comrades in the canoes knohere ere

We kept a sharp look out till dark, but saw no more of them I proposed that we should attempt to communicate with the men in the canoes, and desire the out the woo away But as the men very justly remarked, nobody in the first place would venture on such a dangerous service, and in the next, if the islanders obtained some of their canoes, they would attack the others and overpower the sailors that were in them This plan was therefore justly overruled I then proposed that one man should steal down to the beach, swim off, and desire the fourteen men to take all the women into one canoe, and pull round to the north side of the island during the night, leaving the reo away in This was considered a good scheme, but no one would volunteer; and, as I had proposed it, I thought that I was in honour bound to go, as otherwise the men would, in future, have had no opinion ofmy musket and ams, I perceived so out of the wood towards the shi+p I could not exactly decipher what it was, so I crept under the counter of the vessel, where it was so dark that I could not be distinguished As it approached, I ot of wood on his back; he placed it close to the side of the vessel, and then crawled back as before I now perceived that there were hundreds of these faggots about the shi+p, which the islanders had contrived to carry there during the night; for although the moon was up, yet the vessel was so inclosed with trees that the light did not penetrate I immediately comprehended that it was their intention to set fire to the vessel, and I was thinking of co the information to my companions on board, when two more crawled from the woods, and deposited their bundles so close to ed to leave those ere on board tothe islanders, I crawled froun after me It was fortunate that I took this precaution, for in the very part of the here I crept to, there were dozens of theots, but it was too thick with underwood, and too dark to distinguish any thing, although I heard the off the branches I did the same as I went on, to avoid discovery, until I had passed by them, when I continued my route to where the canoes had been left I arrived in safety at the outskirts of the wood close to the beach, and perceived the canoes still lying at the rocks, to which they had been taken; but the ht, until I ascertained whether there were any islanders on the beach As I waited a short tis of fresh water, I heard ain that direction I perceived a body on the ground I went towards it, and could distinguish very plainly that it was one of the women who had swa, as every man must have done, compassion at her unfortunate condition, I knelt down by her to see if I could afford her any assistance As she had very little clothes round her body, I discovered, by passing my hand over her, that she ounded with a musket-ball above the knee, and was exhausted from pain and loss of blood I tore es, and bound up her leg; I then fetched so in my hat, which I poured into her mouth, and threw over her face She appeared to recover and I felt happy that I had been of so able to descry any of the islanders, was proceeding to the beach, that I ht swim off to the canoes, when just as I walked out of the shade, two or three muskets were fired by those on board

These were followed by others, and loud yells from the islanders, who had swu our people The conflict was very short, for the h, were overpowered by the islanders, who climbed into the canoes; and in a few ht that it was all over with my men on board of the shi+p, and so it proved; for an hour before daylight the islanders lighted the faggots, and, at the sareat fury