Part 11 (1/2)
Ben at once comprehended that some danger was threatened. He sat up, and saw the stranger white man standing over him.
”Leave our Christian friends! No, we will never do that,” he answered.
”I will go and arouse them, while you can awake my s.h.i.+pmates; and, whoever you are, you must come with us.”
”Well, well, I'll do as you wish,” answered the white man; ”only be sharp, and tell the people to creep along over the ground, so as not to be seen at a distance. We must climb into the canoe, and shove off without any noise, or they will be down on us before we can get clear of the reefs.”
Without wasting more time on words, Ben crept off to where Marco was sleeping; he had fortunately noted the place. Awaking him, he told him of the warning he had received, and Marco quickly aroused the rest of his party.
It was with difficulty that the seamen could be prevented from speaking when called; in a couple of minutes, however, the whole party were creeping down towards the canoe, which lay afloat alongside some rocks running into the water. They were all quickly on board, followed by the young Englishman--for such it was supposed the white man was, by his language.
”Shove off, sir!” he whispered to Mr Manners, who had only then been aroused. ”No time to lose. I will go to the helm.”
The advice was instantly followed; the warps were cast off, the paddles got out, and the canoe began slowly to glide out from among the rocks.
Scarcely, however, had she begun to move than loud shouts were heard, and large numbers of the savage natives were seen rus.h.i.+ng down from among the trees to the beach. When they found that the canoe had moved from the rocks, they yelled and shouted more fiercely than ever.
”Give way, lads! give way!” cried the stranger; ”there is a narrow place where they may catch us if we are not smart.”
Neither the English seamen nor the natives required any urging, but paddled away as hard as they could. They saw the savages indeed, their figures standing out against the sky, as they hurried along over the rocks, shouting, and leaping, and brandis.h.i.+ng their spears. Before the canoe had got far, a shower of spears and darts fell among the party on board; but, thrown from a distance, not much injury was done, and they were only stimulated to increased exertion. Alone, they could not, in the dark, have found their way out through the pa.s.sage in the reefs; the young man, however, seemed confident that he knew the right course to steer. Not a word was spoken; each man paddled as hard as he could.
Gradually the rocks were left behind, and the last pa.s.sage between the reefs was seen; beyond was the open sea. The shouts and shrieks of the savages became fainter and fainter. They either had not had time to launch their canoes, or were afraid to attack the large double canoe in them. In a short time Mr Manners and his companions were in safety.
Once more a course was steered for Samoa. All were thankful for their narrow and providential escape, and did not fail to express their grat.i.tude to the young Englishman who had been the means of preserving their lives. He, however, seemed unwilling to talk on the subject.
”Nothing particular, sir, to thank me for,” he answered. ”Less said about it the better, according to my notion.”
It was fortunate that they had economised their small stock of water and provisions, as they had been unable to replenish them at the island from which they had just escaped. It was necessary to be even still more careful than before, because it might be some time before they could reach any other island where they could obtain what they required.
Most of the English seamen were loud in their threats of vengeance against the savages, for their treacherous conduct.
”If we ever reach the old Ajax, we would like to get her to go back and blow the fellows to pieces,” said one.
”No, no; that is not the way to treat them,” observed Marco, when he understood what was said. ”The way to treat them will be to send a missionary to teach them better things. With G.o.d's aid, that will we do as soon as we reach our own island, or can let our brethren at Raratonga know of their condition.”
”Yes, you do speak like a real Christian, Marco,” answered the seaman who had thoughtlessly made the proposal. ”That's the right way, to be sure: I didn't mean that I would really wish to kill the poor savages, for of course they don't know better.”
The next morning the wind was fair, the sea smooth, and the canoe glided swiftly over the waters. The work of the day was commenced, as usual, with a hymn and a prayer, and then the Scriptures were read. The young stranger stood aloof, disinclined, as it seemed, to join in the service.
At length, Mr Manners invited him to join in the prayer he was about to offer up with his own men in English.
”Thank ye, sir,” answered the stranger, giving the usual seaman's pull at his hair, when addressing an officer. ”It's so long since I have prayed, that I have forgotten how.”
”That is a sad thing, my lad,” answered Mr Manners, ”the sooner, then, you begin the better. Did you ever learn how to read your Bible?”
”Once, sir, long ago; but I have forgotten all about that too, I am afraid,” answered the stranger. ”For better than three years I haven't spoken a word of English. I don't think I could read, even if I was to try ever so much.”
”We will see about that after we have had prayers,” said Mr Manners in a kind tone. ”There is a lad here who never, I believe, misses reading the Bible every day of his life, if he can avoid it. He will help me to teach you; won't you, Ben?”
”Yes, sir, very gladly,” said Ben Hadden, who was appealed to.
After prayers, and when Mr Manners had offered up thanks for the preservation of himself and his companions from the hands of the treacherous savages, Ben brought out his well-worn Testament, which was somewhat the worse for the wetting it had got in salt-water, and, at a sign from Mr Manners, he went up to the stranger, and offered to read to him. Mr Manners told him to select the parable of the Prodigal Son, and several other portions of Scripture likely to interest a person whose mind had long been dormant to spiritual matters. The young man was evidently very much interested. Suddenly he interrupted Ben by remarking--
”That's just such a book as I once had. I remember it well. My father gave it to me just before I went to sea. I lost it, though, and have never looked into another since.”
”My father gave this to me, and I've kept it carefully ever since. I wouldn't lose it for worlds,” said Ben. ”Look here: he wrote my name in it with his own hand. See: 'Benjamin Hadden'--though I was always called in our parts, Little Ben Hadden.”