Part 31 (1/2)

As the _Water Lily_ drew in closer with the land, I made out that it was a small coral island, with the usual encircling reef and lagoon. It seemed to be about two miles long, but, from the direction in which the cutter was approaching it, I was unable to judge of its width.

I was soon near enough to distinguish the line of surf which betrayed the presence of the surrounding coral-reef, and I then called Bob to come on deck and take the helm, whilst I went aloft, as usual, to look out for a channel.

When he came on deck--

”Why, Harry, how's this?” he exclaimed. ”I thought you said there wasn't no land within a hundred and fifty mile of us last night, and here's as pretty a little spot, close aboard of us, as a man need wish to set his eyes upon.”

”I went by the chart,” I answered, ”and that showed a clear sea all about here. But you can never rely upon a chart here, in the Pacific; what is clear sea at the time that a survey is being made, may very possibly be dotted with a score of such small islands as the one ahead in a very few years. I have read that coral islands form very rapidly.

This one, however, cannot be of such very recent growth, for there are full-grown cocoa-nuts upon it, as well as other trees; I am surprised that it is not shown on the chart.”

I said this as I was standing at the foot of the mast, and on the point of going aloft. In a few seconds more I was standing on the crosstrees and examining the line of surf ahead for the narrow strip of unbroken water which would indicate the existence of a pa.s.sage through the reef.

As I stood thus, my gaze was arrested by the appearance of a small object in rapid motion across the bosom of the lagoon inside the reef, and a scrutiny of a few seconds was sufficient to satisfy me that it was a canoe. Seating myself upon the crosstrees, that I might more conveniently use the gla.s.s which I had taken aloft with me, I quickly focussed the instrument and brought it to bear. With its a.s.sistance, I was now enabled to discern that the canoe was a craft of about the same size as the one which we had towing astern, and it held three persons.

The two who wielded the paddles were black, but, unless my eyes strangely deceived me, the third was a _white man_.

I cannot attempt to describe the extraordinary feeling which came upon me at this discovery.

”Can it be possible,” thought I, ”that this is the island upon which the _Amazon_ was cast away, and am I about to have the inexpressible joy of seeing my beloved father once more, and so unexpectedly as this?” I again had recourse to the gla.s.s, and being now somewhat nearer, I no longer had any room for doubt; the individual who sat in the stern of the canoe, and who, I now saw, was steering the craft with a paddle, _was_ undoubtedly white. I now observed, too, that the canoe was pa.s.sing through an opening in the south-western edge of the reef. The pa.s.sage would have escaped my notice in the then position of the cutter, had it not been for seeing the canoe pa.s.sing through it, for it was broadside-on to us, as it were, and the unbroken water was therefore not easily detected. I turned my telescope upon the island, and now saw a thin film of light blue smoke, as from a wood fire, rising from among the trees; but there was no sign of a wreck of any description within view, and if anything of the kind existed, it must be on the other side of the island.

The canoe was by this time in open water, and I saw that she was paddling along the edge of the reef towards us. Bob now made her out from the deck, and hailed me, asking if I saw her. I answered that I did, and, in an uncontrollable tumult of excitement, descended to the deck. I directed Bob to keep the cutter away for the canoe, for, strangely enough, the thought never entered my head that her occupants might be enemies. I ran down below and got up our club-ensign, which I hoisted at the peak, and as it blew out in the fresh morning breeze, we saw the figure in the stern of the canoe rise to his feet and wave his hat. I took up my gla.s.s once more, and was now able to make out that this figure was tall, deeply bronzed by the sun, and had grey hair and a thick bushy grey beard.

”That is a white man, Bob, in that canoe,” said I excitedly.

”A white man!” exclaimed Bob; ”then it's the skipper, Harry, for a thousand pounds.”

”No such luck, Bob, I am afraid,” replied I; ”this man is grey-haired, and my poor father's hair was dark brown, if you recollect.”

”True,” answered Bob; ”but if not the skipper hisself, it may be somebody belonging to him.”

”That cannot be, either,” I returned; ”for according to the account we received from the seaman, there was no one left with him but the chief mate, who, I presume, was Winter--who, you will recollect, was put into your berth when you met with your accident; and Winter was quite a young man--scarcely thirty, I believe.”

”Well, whoever it may be, we shall soon find out all about him now, for we shall be alongside the little hooker in another five minutes,”

remarked Bob philosophically, but with evident disappointment in the tone of his voice.

This was true, for we were nearing the canoe fast. I again had recourse to my telescope, and with its a.s.sistance, was now able to see with perfect distinctness the occupants of the canoe. I scanned with the greatest intentness the features of him who was steering, and who was facing directly towards us; and as I did so, in a tumult of the most painful agitation and suspense, feature after feature once more became familiar, and notwithstanding the grey hair and beard, I at length recognised, with unspeakable joy, my father.

”Hurrah!” I shouted; ”hurrah! it is he--it _is_ my father, Bob; and we have found him after all, and that when we little expected to do so.

Thank G.o.d; oh! thank G.o.d!”

”Amen,” answered Bob, taking off his tarpaulin reverently for a moment, while the tears rolled down his weather-beaten cheeks.

We took room, and rounded the cutter to, and as she came up into the wind, with all her canvas shaking, the natives vigorously plied their paddles, and with a few l.u.s.ty strokes shot their light craft alongside.

I went to the gangway, and held out my hand to a.s.sist my father in over our low bulwarks, whilst Bob hove the end of a coil of line into the canoe, shouting to the blacks, ”Now then, darkies, look out, and catch a turn with this here rope's-end, will ye? for if you goes astarn, you'll have all your work afore ye to overhaul us and get alongside again.”

”Good Heaven! that voice--surely I should know it,” murmured my father.

”Thank you, sir. Yours is the first sail I have seen for--Why, how is this?”

I had been unable to control myself any longer; and, to my father's infinite surprise, he suddenly found himself in my embrace, and, as suddenly, recognised the tones of the voice which called him ”father.”