Part 34 (1/2)
”I cae to obtain provisions and water,” began Captain Rounds, ”and as none of us understood the language of the people, I shi+pped a couple of natives who spoke English very fairly to act as interpreters Besides having been to sea on board other whalers, they were, I thought, likely to prove useful hands Everything went on in a satisfactory hile I lay here The natives who cae, their chief, seemed a very decent sort of fellow, and was as honest in his dealings as I could expect I had made it a rule when I came out to these parts never to trustthe heathen natives without having soes, or so well-behaved and friendly did these appear that I should otherwise not have hesitated to let halfconfident that they would be well treated Thus it was that I every evening at sundown fired off ht I did this, not fro attacked, but that I considered it prudent to keep to the rule I had laid down, and to maintain discipline on board You'll see that I was fortunate in doing so I parted on good ter any reason to alter the favourable opinion I had for the two native interpreters with me From the way I treated them they became very friendly and much attached to ht three or four whales, each of which cost us, perhaps, more than the usual trouble to take
The two natives, who go by the names of Jackey and Tubbs, seemed very much struck by the exertions we had to make to secure the whales, and one day they came tothe shi+p with perfect ease if I would follow their advice I asked them what they meant They then told me that a shi+p lay sunk in their harbour loaded with casks of oil, and that they knew the exact spot where she went down I then learnt fro particulars
”You, Hawkins, well knew Barber, who coether as mates with old Captain Newton in the _Felicity_ I met Barber when I first ca that I had never since heard of him or the _Harriet_ The natives now told o she had put into this harbour, there being no other vessels here at the tiood-natured, yet somewhat careless felloas The natives came in numbers on board his shi+p, and appeared to be on the th, one day, invited his reater nu continued while he lay in the harbour King George and h they came down to visit the shi+p when she first arrived, were, at that ti in another part of the island, and the people just here did pretty much as they liked
”Barber, with a boat's crew, only re, he caught sight of three of his o, with a posse of natives after them Presently they were overtaken First one was struck down by the club of a savage, and directly afterwards the other two shared the sa the shore, ju off towards the shi+p The crew, on seeing this, I suspect, took fright, thinking that they should all be murdered, as their mates on shore had been Captain Barber himself would, I am certain, have stopped to defend his shi+p, but probably fearing that it would be of no use to make the attempt while his creere so faint-hearted, he ordered the boat to be lowered with such provisions and water as could be hastily thrown into her They had scarcely left the side of the shi+p before the savages were up to her
They pursued the boat for soet back and secure their prize They then set to work to plunder the vessel of everything they considered of value They stripped her of her sails and rigging, and all the iron-work they could get at,even to carry away her top done this, they towed the vessel higher up the harbour and scuttled her
”When King George, who had known Captain Barber and some of his people-- for he had been down at the harbour when the shi+p first arrived--heard of the nant, and Jackey and Tubbs told me that he killed no less than thirty of those who had taken part in it with his own hand Whether this was actually the case or not I could notthe two natives, I came to the conclusion that he hinorant of it till afterwards What has become of poor Barber and his boat's crew I a passage to make to any other island, and I'm afraid that he and his coer and thirst before they could have reached any friendly shore
”Having fallen in shortly after I heard this with the _Lydia_ and _Pearl_, I coence to them, and we determined to put in here to ascertain the truth of the story
”Now you have co-handed both to defend ourselves froo if we cannot raise her”
Captain Hawkins at once entered into Captain Rounds' views, and they agreed the nextwith their brother captains to set to work
Captain Rounds, as a very ingenious -bell constructed out of a cask, with pipes to lead the air into it
Proceeding with the boats, we found the shi+p sunk in six fathoms of water at a spot Jackey and Tubbs pointed out They willingly agreed to descend in the diving-bell, and Brown and another man also went down in it It was then found that the shi+p had been set on fire, but she had sunk before the flao It was calculated that there were one thousand six hundred barrels of oil in her
Her figure-head and other articles were got up, thus clearly identifying her as the unfortunate _Harriet_
The captains proposed raising her, and dividing the oil between thereat deal of consultation it was considered that they had better give up the plan, as it would have occupied a long time, and caused a difficulty on their arrival at hoht to possess themselves of it Thus the results of e watched our proceedings withabout the boats in his canoe while ere at work Perhaps he thought froh I think we should have done so had it been desirable towas abandoned, the other vessels, which had only come in for water and provisions, sailed, and ere left alone in the harbour The king, who did not appear to be at all offended by the way Captain Hawkins had treated him on his first visit, at once came on board, and appeared to be excessively friendly He spoke English re learned it on board a whaler in his youth, and kept it up by frequently talking to runaway sailors who had reo ashore and visit hireat hut in which he lived
”With great pleasure, king,” answered the captain: ”but fair play's a jewel, you know If I go to visit you, your brother here will remain on board to keep my mates company till I return”
The captain told Mr Griffiths to keep a strict watch on the king's brother, and not to allow hiht slip overboard and swih that was not his real nalish, see and the captain went on shore, descended to the cabin without the slightest hesitation As the stern-s, through which Charlie ht have squeezed himself if he had had a mind, were left open for the sake of the air, Mr Griffiths told ht he was locked up in the state-room I don't know that the captain was very well pleased at having the savage sleeping in his bed
Nextthat he had been hospitably treated In the afternoon, as Charlie wished to return, and as the doctor and several men were on shore, the captain sentoff, that henarrow creek for several miles, till we arrived at the royal residence, which was a large hut with a fra Near it were other huts, and a nu kava between two large stones, when the root, thus thoroughly bruised, was thrown into water This is a e than by e the wo hen we arrived, and we had thus plenty of tie and look around us So fish and ya them into a hole on the top of so them up with more hot stones, leaves, and earth at the top of all We soon had an opportunity of tasting thedidn't appear alked some little distance into the country, for we knew that ere perfectly safe while the king's brother re woht a fire I watched the process She first took half of the log that had been split in two and laid it doith the split side upwards; then taking a s and pointed at one end, she sat down astride of the log and corain of the large piece, thus s which she worked out to the farther end, till at length they ignited, when i up soently, she soon obtained a blaze I tried the experih si fire, I have never seen it tried in any other place
On our return to the village we found the king, who invited us to feast on the fish and ya We were now joined by the captain and Dr cockle, with the second o back with the king, who had to take his brother's place on board
Hisalone in his own canoe I sat in the boith a long pole to keep the bow off the rocks as ent down the creek, and he placed hi the canoe a shove froht of carrying off the king as a prisoner He, however, seehed as we glided along Presently he asked--
”You young Englishman ever been here before? I think I know your face”
”When was it your majesty fancied that you sawhis paddle in the air for a moment; ”were you ever aboard the shi+p that my rascally people sent to the bottom out there?” and he pointed to where the _Harriet_ lay
”No,” I answered, a dreadful thought co into my mind ”Was the person you fancy I am killed with the rest of the crew?”