Part 8 (2/2)
We said we did not possess the necessary requisites in the shape of shovels, sacks, punts, wheel-barrows, and the like These were promptly supplied by the other captain in part pays were eventually arranged to the entire satisfaction of both parties, and then the _Alexandria_ (I think that was the name of the shi+p) proceeded on her way to Port Louis, whilst we directed our course to the Lacepede Islands
”In due tiot to work, with the result that in a very short tio on board A day or two before ere due to leave, ent to father and told hi on the island to visit the turtle-breeding ground Poor father, indulgent always, allowed us to go ashore in a boat, under the care of eight -up whilst they aiting for us We found, as you reat deal to interest us on the island, and the ti turtles came up with the full tide, and at onceout with their hind- flippers a hole about ten inches deep and five inches in diameter The creatures then sis into the varies fros and generally playing with the turtles I aht of the ns of a sudden change When at length the crew found us it was past ht to have beento the shi+p, it was blowing hard On account of this, the crew said they did not consider it advisable to launch the boat; and as we had our big cloaks with us, it was decided to reht to see if the weather i Our shi+p was anchored fully three miles away, outside the reefs, and it would have been i, to pull out to her
There was only one whiteour protectors, and he was a Scotchman The men made a fire in a more or less sheltered spot, and round this we squatted, the reater protection froht passed, principally in telling stories of adventure by sea and land We all hoped that byat any rate the ould have abated; but at daybreak, as we looked anxiously out over the te as hard as ever; and by ten o'clock the storale Our men unanimously declared they dared not atteh we could see the vessel plainly riding at her old anchorage What followed Gladys and I gathered afterwards, just before the dreadful thing happened We were all safe enough on land, but, it became evident to the sailors with us that the shi+p could not weather the storhed anchor and stood out to sea The creatched with eager eyes to see what my father would do Manifestly he was in too ht away, and I suppose he preferred to trust to the strength of his cables:
”Shortly after ten o'clock in theher anchors, and in spite of all that could be done by radually drifted on to the coral reefs All this tinorant of sea the doomed shi+p, and fro of all the excitement The men returned us evasive answers, like the kind-hearted fellows they were, and cheered us up in every possible way Presently we heard signals of distress (only we didn't know they were signals of distress then), and our companions saw that the captain realised only too well his terribly dangerous position It was, however, utterly impossible for them to have rendered hi in sheets, lashi+ng the giant waves with a curious hissing sound The sky was glooether the outlook was about as terrible as it could well be Presently we became dreadfully anxious about our father; but when the sailors saw that the shi+p was apparently going to pieces, they induced us to return to the camp fire and sit there till the end was past By this tist the reefs, a little less than a mile and a half froave a lurch and completely disappeared beneath the turbulent waters, without even her one down She had evidently torn a huge hole in her side in one of her collisions with the jagged reefs, for she sank with such rapidity that not one of the boats could be launched, and not a single member of the crew escaped--so far as we knew--save only those ith us on the island The loss of the shi+p was, of course, a terrible blow to our valiant protectors, ere now left absolutely dependent on their own resources to provide food and ht, the norant of what had happened They resolved to make for Port Darwin, on the mainland of Australia, which was believed to be quite near; for we had no water, there being none on the guano island The interval was spent in collecting turtles' eggs and sea-fohich were intended as provisions for the journey Next radually the stupefying neas coone doith all hands in the night Indeed, these kind and gentle men told us the whole story of their hopes and doubts and fears, together with every detail of the terrible tragedy of the sea that had left us in such a fearful situation No one needs to be told our feelings
”Shortly before noon next day the sail was hoisted; we took our places in the boat, and soon were rippling pleasantly through the now placid waters, leaving the guano island far behind The wind being in our favour, very satisfactory progress was th, tortured by thirst, it was decided to land on the hted, and lay in a stock of water--if it was obtainable Gladys and I welco, because by this ti washed for several days It was our intention, while the creere getting water and food, to retire to the other side of the island, behind the rocks, and there have a nice bath The boat was safely beached, and there being no signs of natives anywhere in the vicinity, the o very far inland for it My sister and I at once retired several hundred yards away, and there undressed and went into the water
”We had scarcely waded out past our waists when, to our unspeakable horror, a crowd of naked blacks, hideously painted and ar down the cliffs towards us, yelling and whooping in a way I aet They seemed to rise out of the very rocks thevision was a fearful dream, induced by the dreadful state of our nerves My own heart seemed to stand still with terror, and the only description I can give of th, when the yelling monsters were quite close to us, we realised the actual horror of it all, and screa frantically, tried to dash out of the water towards the spot where we had left our clothes But some of the blacks intercepted us, andoneapparel
”Of course, when the boat's crew heard the uproar they rushed to our assistance, but when they were about twenty yards fro the effect that every one of the sailors fell prostrate to the earth The aim of the blacks onderfully accurate
”Soain, in a heroic but vain endeavour to reach our side; but these poor felloere at once butchered in thewaddies or clubs with theand horrible was the tragedy enacted before our eyes, that for a long ti to us, so dazed with horror e For ed across the island by the natives, headed by the hideous and gigantic chief who afterwards claie cata been previously tied with hair cords; and ere then rowed over to theby signs that our clothing ars about their heads by way of ornament We reached the enca, and were at once handed over to the charge of the woe--abused us in the most violent e meant, but I do know that they treated us shaathered that they were jealous of the attention shown to us by the big chief
”We afterwards learnt that the island on which the terrible tragedy took place was not really inhabited, but the blacks on the coast had, it appeared, seen our boat far out at sea, and watched it until we landed for water They waited a little while in order to lull the crew into a sense of fancied security, and then, without another moment's delay, crossed over to the island and descended upon us
”We passed a ht Never--never can I hope to describe our awful feelings We suffered intensely fro perfectly naked We were not, however, molested by any of our captors But horror was to be piled on horror's head, for the next day a party of the blacks returned to the island and brought back the dead bodies of all the murdered sailors At first ondered why they went to this trouble; and when, at length, it dawned upon us that a great cannibal feast was in preparation, I think we fainted away
”We did not actually see the cooking operations, but the odour of burning flesh was positively intolerable; and o sos, which were doubtless their own faonethis, we did keep our reason Our position, however, was so revolting and so ghastly, that we tried to put an end to our lives by strangling ourselves with a ropeout our purpose by the women-folk, who thereafter kept a strict watch over us It see were the attentions of the women, that these pitiable but cruel creatures arned by the chief that, if anything befell us, they theet into dire trouble All this time, I could not seem to think or concentrate my mind on the events that had happened I acted mechanically, and I am absolutely certain that neither Gladys norposition
”In the ht had taken place a four of the principal blacks who had assisted in the attack upon our sailors, the object of the fight being to decide who should take possession of us
”One night wethe notice of the wo to throw ourselves into the water, and so end a life which was far worse than death We were, unfortunately,beyond our depth a party of furious blacks rushed down to the shore, waded out into the water and brought as out
”After this incident our liberty was curtailed altogether, and ere athered--that if anything happened to us, death, and nothing less, would be their portion
Now that we could no longer leave the little break-wind that sheltered us, we spent the whole of our tionies I was surprised to see that the woh nude, were not much affected by the intense cold that prevailed at times, but we afterwards learnt that they anointed their naked bodies with a kind of greasy clay, which for the ensuing three months the tribe constantly moved their camp, and ere always taken about by our owner and treated with thebrutality The native food, which consisted of roots, kangaroo flesh, snakes, caterpillars, and the like, was utterly loathsome to us, and for several days we absolutely refused to touch it, in the hope that we ht die of starvation
”Finally, however, the blacks co meat, under threats of torture from those dreadful fire-sticks
You will not be surprised to learn that, though life became an intolerable burden to us, yet, for the most part, we obeyed our captors subht to tell you that now and again we disobeyed deliberately, and did our best to lash the savages into a fury, hoping that they would spear us or kill us with their clubs Our sole shelter was a break-wind of boughs with a fire in front The days passed agonisingly by; and when I tell you that every hour--nay, everytorture, you will understand what that phrase reeaker and weaker, and, I believe, more emaciated We became delirious and hysterical, and er No doubt death would soon have come to our relief had you not arrived in time to save us”
This, then, was the fearful story which the unfortunate Misses Rogers had to tell The lishwomen had ever lived to tell so dreadful an experience I compared their story with mine, and felt how different it was I was a man, and a power in the land froreatest consideration and respect by all the tribes And, poor things, they were terribly despondent when I explained to theht away at once Had I atteed the sacred laws of hospitality, and brought the whole tribe about my ears and theirs
Besides, I had fixed upon a plan of my own; and, as the very fact of irls, I implored theht I called Yamba to me and despatched her to a friendly tribe we had encountered in the King Leopold Ranges--perhaps three days'
journey away I instructed her to tell these blacks that I was in great danger, and, therefore, stood in need of a body of warriors, who ought to be sent off immediately to my assistance They knew me much better than I did thee, I looked into Yamba's eyes and told her the case was desperate Her dear eyes glowed in the firelight, and I saw that she was determined to do or die I trusted implicitly in her fertility of resource and her extraordinary intelligence
In a few days she returned, and told ed, and a body of armed warriors would presently arrive in the vicinity of the camp, ready to place theh, a few days later twenty stalarriors made their appearance at the spot indicated by Yah for e asking for reinforceer Finally, when I felt pretty confident of my position, I marched boldly forward into the camp with my warriors, to the unbounded a