Part 28 (1/2)
”Does it?” asked Jack.
”Ah, that I can't say. You must take the doctor's opinion.”
But Jack was too much interested in watching the prahu, which, in spite of only having matting sails, sped along over the calm water at a rapid rate, and he went on questioning his companion.
”They seem fierce-looking fellows, and as if they could do a deal of mischief. Are they such terribly bloodthirsty people?”
”Certainly not,” said the mate. ”I have always found the better-cla.s.s Malays simple, gentlemanly, and courteous if they are properly treated; but if injured, I believe they can be treacherous and relentless.”
”But I remember once reading how bloodthirsty the Malay pirates are.”
”I don't think the English, Spanish, or French pirates were much better,” said the mate, laughing. ”Pirates are generally the sc.u.m of the ports they sail from; reckless, murderous ruffians. But I should say that of all pirates out in the East, the gentle, placid, mild-looking Chinaman makes the worst; for he thinks nothing of human life, his own or any one else's.”
”But there are no pirates now, of course,” said Jack quietly.
The mate turned and looked him in the eyes.
”Do you want me to tell you some murderous narrative?”
”Oh no; I don't care for such things. I know, of course, that there used to be plenty.”
”So there are now,” said the mate. ”They have hard work to carry on their piracies; but every now and then we have a bad case. They mostly come from the Chinese coast; but they are made up of ruffians of all kinds.”
Jack was silent for a few moments.
”I heard Captain Bradleigh say that the men were all trained to use the small-arms,” he said at last quietly. ”Would they fight if we were attacked?”
The mate hummed over a bit of a once popular song, beginning, ”We don't want to fight, but by Jingo if we do.”
”That pretty well expresses the nature of English sailors, sir,” he said quietly. ”They don't want to fight, and never would if they were left alone. But if they do fight--well, Mr Jack, if they do they hit very hard.”
Jack laughed merrily, to the great satisfaction of two gentlemen across the deck, who turned their heads so as not to seem as if they noticed anything.
”I dare say,” continued the mate, ”you remember how it was at school; you never wanted to fight, but when you had to I suppose you hit hard?”
Jack was silent again, and at last said quietly--
”I never did have a fight at school.”
During the next few days they sailed slowly on at a short distance from the coast of the long island of Java, and except that the weather was very hot, and that they could see in the distance mountain after mountain rising up like a huge, blunt cone, several of them showing a cloud of smoke drifting slowly away before the wind, sailing here seemed in nowise different from by the coast of Spain or Portugal. But Jack was to see the difference before long.
One evening over dinner their plans were discussed, the captain saying--
”Then I understand, Sir John, that you quite leave the choice to me?”
”Certainly. We have not sailed these thousands of miles for the sake of visiting towns and show places. Take us to some one of the islands such as you described to me; uninhabited if you can. If you could cast anchor by one never yet trodden by the foot of man, so much the better.”
”Ah, that I can't promise you, sir,” replied the captain, ”for the people out this way are nearly all venturesome sailors, and for any number of years have put to sea in the most crazy of bamboo craft, and set sail to land where they could, some of them even going in mere canoes. So you see we may come upon people in the most unexpected places. But I have several islands in my mind's eye, between here and the east end of New Guinea, where you gentlemen may collect to your hearts' content.”
”Birds?” cried the doctor.