Three Commanders — Chapter Twenty Four, part 1

The _Dragon_ and _Eolus_ had been for some weeks at sea; the latter was to touch at various islands of the New Hebrides group, after which she was to proceed to the Loyalty Islands, to visit the Isle of Pines and Norfolk Island, and thence to go on to Sydney.

The _Dragon_, meantime, was to continue her course to the north-west, visiting Santa Cruz, the Solomon Islands, New Ireland, and New Britain; and she also was to visit Sydney.

Thence the two ships were to recross the Pacific, to touch at the Sandwich Islands, and to go on to Vancouver's Island and British Columbia; after which, all hands heartily hoped that they might be ordered home.

The projected cruise was being discussed in the midshipmen's berth, with the chart on the table.

"It doesn't look so very far," observed Billy Blueblazes; "though, considering that we are to perform the distance under sail, it will take us some time, I suppose."

"I rather think so, laddie," observed Archie, who had a pair of compasses in his hand, and was measuring off the distances; "we shall have run over between sixty and seventy thousand miles of salt water before we drop anchor in Portsmouth harbour,--not an inch less according to my calculation,--it would be enough to wear the sheathing off the ship's bottom if it was not pretty thick to begin with."

Most of the islands the ship visited were lofty, the hills covered thickly with trees to their summits.

They were surrounded by coral reefs, through which, in many instances, no passage was to be found;

others had openings affording secure harbours within them.

After visiting several small islands in the neighbourhood, the ship came to an anchor in a sheltered harbour in the island of Santa Cruz.

Canoes quickly gathered round her, full of the ugliest-looking natives they had yet met with.

Their skin was nearly black, their heads covered with thick woolly hair, their foreheads low and receding, their faces broad, with high cheek-bones, their noses flat, and their mouths large.

They had adorned their bodies with various colours, and ornamented themselves further with rings through their noses and ears, as also with armlets and necklaces of human teeth; the rest of their dress consisting only of a string round the waist, to which a small apron was secured.

These unattractive-looking personages were considerably under the ordinary size, but appeared, notwithstanding the character bestowed on them of being the most cruel and treacherous in the Pacific Ocean, to be a good-tempered, merry race.

They brought off large quantities of cocoanuts, bows, arrows, and mats, which they were willing to exchange for empty bottles, old-clothes, and tobacco.

As yet, no missionaries having ventured among them, they were in the same savage state in which they had for centuries existed.

In the evening, those who had been allowed to come on board were turned out of the ship, and a bright look-out was kept against any treacherous trick they might have attempted to play.

The fires had been let out, as Jack intended to remain during the day for the purpose of obtaining water.

Early the next morning, a schooner was seen passing close in with the land.

As the wind was light, Jack despatched two boats to overhaul her; one was commanded by Green, who was accompanied by Archie--the other by Tom, who had Billy Blueblazes as his companion.

They pulled away, hoping soon to overtake the stranger.

When, however, they were about half a mile from her, a breeze sprang up; but, as the boats had their sails, the masts were stepped, and they stood on after the chase.

She took no notice of the musket which Green fired as a signal for her to heave-to, but, instead of doing so, she set more sail and stood on.

This making him more suspicious than ever of her character, he determined to persevere; Tom and his companion being equally ready to continue the pursuit.

"Perhaps she is a pirate," observed Billy, "and when she finds that she cannot get off she will try to defend herself, and we shall have some fighting--something to vary the monotony of the voyage."

"As to that, I doubt whether such craft are to be found in these seas at the present day," answered Tom; "and I rather think, if we can manage to get up to her, that she will strike without firing a shot."

The question was, however, whether the boats would come up with her; the breeze was freshening, and she was walking away from them.

Still Green kept on, hoping that the wind might head her, or that it might fall calm, when they would soon be alongside.

She was steering towards a lofty conical island, which rose sheer out of the sea, with a thick cloud of smoke rising above its summit, which showed it to be an active volcano.

The day was drawing on, but the schooner did not gain sufficiently on the boats to make Green abandon all hopes of overtaking her.

Her persevering efforts to escape convinced him that something was wrong, and made him the more eager to overhaul her.

At length, her sails were seen to flap against her masts, and, though the boats still had the breeze, it was very evident that she was becalmed.

The sky had for some time been wearing a threatening aspect, and had not Green been so eager to overhaul the stranger, he would have endeavoured to make the best of his way back to Santa Cruz.

At length the wind dropped altogether, and, the sails being lowered, the crews of the boats gave way, with a certainty that they should at length get up with the chase.

Each boat had four muskets; the officers had stuck their pistols in their belts, and the men had their cutlasses--weapons on which British seamen always place more reliance than on firearms.

They were now within gunshot of the schooner, but she did not fire, nor were any signs visible that she intended to offer resistance.

Green steered for the starboard quarter, and directed Tom to board on the port side.

They were soon up with her; Tom and Billy, with six men, scrambled up on deck, which Green and his party gained at the same time; but, except the man at the helm, and one other forward, none of the crew were visible.

The man at the helm looked very much astonished, and asked with cool effrontery what they wanted.

Green replied that he must know where the schooner was from, whither she was bound, and what cargo she had on board.

"The master will tell you all about it, sir," answered the man, "but he is at present below, sick with a bad leg."

"Then I must pay him a visit, and get him to show his papers," said Green; who, telling Tom and Billy to keep a watch on deck, went into the master's cabin with Archie, and a couple of armed men.

The master was sitting up in his cot, with a black boy attending on him.

"Well, gentlemen, what do you want?"

he asked, as Green and Archie entered.

"Why did you run away from us," asked Green, "when you must have seen that our boats were those of one of Her Majesty's ships-of-war?"

"How could I tell what you were?"

said the master; "you might be pirates.

At all events, I have no wish to be stopped in my voyage."

"Well, at any rate, show me your papers, and inform me how many people you have on board; for as yet I have only seen a couple of hands," said Green.

"We have upwards of eighty, including passengers," answered the master.

"I suppose the crew got out of the way lest you should fire at us, and for the same reason the passengers thought it prudent to keep below.

Boy, take that tin case out of the the locker there, and give it to the officer."

Green examined the document brought him.

It set forth that the schooner _Expert_, Captain Toby, belonging to Brisbane, Queensland, had a licence to trade for sandal-wood, and to carry a hundred passengers.

"Well, your papers seem all very clear; and if your passengers came on board with their own free will, I can have nothing to say to you, but wish you a good voyage," he remarked; "but I should have been better pleased had you hove-to when I made a signal to you to do so, as you would have saved us a long pull."

Captain Toby only grinned, as if he was well pleased at the trouble he had caused the man-of-war's officers.

As they were speaking, two other men, who were apparently mates, came out of a side cabin, yawning and stretching themselves in a way which somewhat tried Green's patience.

"Well, I must beg your officers to show me your passengers, and the rest of your crew, before I quit you," he said, addressing the master.

"I suppose you've got legal authority for what you are doing?"

said Captain Toby.

"Certainly; and as we are in a hurry to be off, I must beg you to be smart about it," said Green; turning to the mates, "Come, my lads, I am only performing my duty, and that duty I intend to carry out."

The two mates, seeing that the officer was not to be trifled with, went forward and summoned eight ruffianly-looking fellows who had been stowed away in the forecastle.

Three or four were apparently Englishmen, the others black or brown men, one a Kanaka, the other a New Zealander.

By the mate's orders they lifted off the hatches, and went below.

Archie observed that they had the butts of pistols sticking out of the breasts of their shirts, and that all of them wore long knives in sheaths by their sides.

There was some talking below, and one by one sixty black-skinned natives made their appearance on deck, and were ranged on either side.

None of them had any other clothing besides a piece of matting or sail-cloth round the waist.

Unfortunately, Green had come away without an interpreter; but he did his best to try and ascertain from the natives if they were on board of their own free will.

No one uttered a complaint, but he observed that the mates kept their eyes fixed on the blacks, who seemed to cower under their glances.

He was still not satisfied, but he was unable to find any sufficient reason for detaining the vessel.

On returning to the cabin he found another individual, who had not before appeared, seated at the table, busily employed in writing.

"Our doctor, sir," said the master; "he has come with us for the sake of science, to gain a knowledge of the wild inhabitants of this region.

He is a perfect slave to science; are you not, doctor?"

"It is the sole object of my life," answered the person who had been addressed, without rising from his seat.

Though the man spoke with the accent of a gentleman, Green thought that he had seldom seen a more ill-looking individual.

"Well, I hope you are satisfied, Mr Officer," said the master at length; "and, if so, that you will allow us to fill our sails and stand on; for my mate tells me he doesn't like the look of the weather, and I'd advise you to make the best of your way back to your ship."

Green saw indeed that it was important to get back, and did not therefore waste words with the master or his ill-mannered surgeon.

On returning on deck, he found that the mates had sent the blacks below again, while the crew were shortening sail.

The weather had become rapidly worse; he could not help regretting that he had come so far from the island, with the prospect of a pull back through a heavy sea.

He could not hoist the boats on board, or, under the circumstances, he might have compelled the schooner to beat back to Santa Cruz.

Had he attempted to do so, and to tow the boats, they would, in all probability, have been swamped.

"We must make the best of it," he said to Tom, who had for the last few minutes been feeling anything but comfortable about the matter.

"A safe voyage to you, my friends," he said, as he leaped into his boat.

The mates made no reply, but as he shoved off he fancied that he heard a laugh, and at the same time he caught sight of the ill-favoured visage of the scientific doctor looking over the quarter, while the schooner stood away to the southward.

Scarcely, however, were they a quarter of a mile apart than the wind came down with greater force than before, and he found that it was impossible to make any headway against it.

The nearest island was that of Tinakula; by running under its lee he might get shelter for the night; but should an eruption occur, it would prove a dangerous neighbourhood.

There were other islands beyond, but they were surrounded by reefs which might prevent the possibility of landing upon them, while, from the savage character of the natives on the inhabited ones, they could only expect a hostile reception.

"We'll try it a little longer, Rogers," sang out Green; "perhaps the weather will moderate; and if it grows worse, we must run under the lee of that burning mountain; we can only hope that it will remain quiet for a few hours."

The weather did not moderate, and when the men had been pulling hard for a couple of hours without gaining ground, the boats' heads were put round, and with reefed sails they steered towards the eastern side of the mountain, Green intending to haul round it, so as to be able to anchor during the night under its lee.

Night rapidly came down over the stormy ocean; the wind increased, and the seas came roaring up astern, threatening every instant to swamp them.

Green led, Tom following in his wake.

"I wish we hadn't been sent after that abominable slaver!"

exclaimed Billy, who was feeling more uncomfortable than he had ever before been in his life.

"I wonder whether the ship will come to look after us?"

"Not likely," answered Tom; "as well hunt for a needle in a bundle of hay; she wouldn't know where to find us if she did.

My brother trusts Green, who always knows what he's about, and he will not be unhappy on our account.

We shall soon be under the lee of the island, and then we shall be snug enough; though, for my part, I would rather have been comfortably stowed away in my hammock."

"You take things very coolly, Rogers!"

cried Billy.

"Oh, look at that big sea!

it will tumble aboard us in a moment."

"If it does, you must stand by to bale it out," answered Tom; "hold on though, in case it should wash you overboard."

Tom, who was grasping the helm with a firm hand, received the sea on the quarter; a portion of the crest broke over the boat; she, however, went gliding forward, while the sea roared on till it caught Green's boat, which appeared for a moment to be overwhelmed, but was seen directly afterwards rising on the summit of another wave; while Billy and the rest of Tom's crew baled away with might and main, knowing the importance of freeing their boat before another sea broke into her.

Thus on they rushed amid the dark, foam-crested waves; several times they were treated in the same manner, but as quickly as the water entered it was hove out again.

The darkness increased, and the dim outline of the mountain alone could be seen, its lofty summit towering to the clouds.

Green was unwilling to keep farther off the island than was necessary; but, at the same time, he thought it possible that a reef might extend some distance from it, on which, should the boats strike, they must inevitably be lost.

A keen lookout was kept ahead, but nothing could be seen besides the dark, tumbling, foam-crested seas.

It was a time to try the hearts of the stoutest.

Gradually the island grew more and more distinct.

"Haul aft the sheet!"

cried Green, and the boats sailed on with the sea abeam.

Now was the most dangerous time, for a sea striking the side might in an instant, without allowing anyone a chance of escaping, have capsized the boats, and sent them to the bottom.

The seas seemed to rush forward with greater fury even than before, as if eager to seize their prey before it had escaped them.

Happily it did not last long; on shooting under the lee of a lofty precipice which rose sheer out of the water, they were almost immediately becalmed, though still fearfully tumbled about by the waves as they swirled round the base of the cliff.

"Get out your oars, my lads, and give way," cried Green.

The order was quickly obeyed, and after pulling for a few hundred yards, the boats lay in comparatively calm water.

The island mountain rose like a dark spectre above their heads, without any beach that could be discovered on which the boats could be hauled up, or any cove to afford them shelter.

Green had a lead-line on board; it was let fall over the side, but no bottom was found.

"Perhaps by pulling on a little farther we may find some place in which we can bring up for the night; if not, we must keep the oars moving," said Green.

They pulled on accordingly.

"Hilloa!"

cried Tom; "what's that?"

The moment he spoke a bright light appeared on the summit of the mountain; it rapidly increased, and presently a vast stream of incandescent lava came flowing down the side, now moving in a broad sheet, now rushing down in a cataract of fire, again to unite at the foot of a precipice, as it rushed down in a dozen different streams, some close to where the boats lay, till reaching the water they suddenly disappeared.

"Very fortunate that we were not on shore, or we should have been all burnt into cinders," said Tom; "we are even now nearer than is altogether pleasant."

"If we get farther off we shall be in the middle of a cross-sea which will quickly swamp us," observed Green; "I see the crests of the waves dancing about, not many cables' lengths away, with the light from the mountain reflected on them.

We will pull back a short distance to the eastward and lie on our oars."

The boats' heads were turned round, but the men had not pulled many strokes when the lava again rushed out from the crater, rising far above it in a fountain of fire; then down it came, covering over the whole side of the mountain with a vast sheet of liquid flame, sending its glare far over the ocean, and rendering the night as bright as the day.

"Grand!"

exclaimed Billy Blueblazes; "magnificent!

superior to anything I ever saw at Vauxhall!"

"I should rather call it awful," said Tom; "how those huge black cliffs stand out!

Why, they positively look as if they were about to topple down over us; it will give us an idea of what the world will be like when it is on fire."

The men gazed at the burning mountain, their countenances expressing their feelings, though none of them spoke.

The hardy seamen could scarcely believe that they should escape destruction; the water hissed and bubbled as the hot lava reached it, and sent wave after wave towards the boats; which, as they rushed on board, were found to be perceptibly warmed.

Green, who had been watching the summit of the mountain, began to doubt whether it was prudent to remain in the neighbourhood; at any moment it might send up not only lava, but ashes and stones, and huge rocks, which might in an instant overwhelm the boats.

Now came a fearful rumbling noise, louder than a thousand Woolwich infants roaring together.

Tom declared that the whole mountain seemed to shake, while the summit appeared covered with a crown of ruddy flame.

"This will never do," cried Green; "better be swamped at sea than be buried under a shower of rocks.

Pull round and give way, my lads; stand by to hoist the sail the instant we feel the wind."

The men dashed their oars into the water, and pulled away as fast as they could stretch their arms, eager to get to a distance from the fearful scene; but though they were really going at a rapid rate, it seemed as if the mountain was still as near as ever.

Even the most dull and ignorant must have been conscious of their utter helplessness; at any moment the fiery shower might descend on their heads; indeed, the farther they got off, the more clearly they saw the fearful work going forward on the summit of the mountain; the flames seemed to spout higher and higher and higher, and amid them every now and then appeared huge fragments of solid rock, which, cast up to a great height, again fell down into the crater; while similar fragments came toppling over the edge, and rolled crashing down the cliffs into the ocean.

Though the sea was rough, the wind, affected apparently by the outburst of fire, seemed greatly to have abated, and it was not till they had got some distance from the island that Green ordered the sails to be hoisted.

He was on the point of hauling up, intending to beat back to Santa Cruz, when once more the gale was upon them.

"We must stand on," he cried to Tom; "we shall never be able to pull back against this wind, our best chance is to run before it."

"Ay, ay, sir!"

said Tom; "I'll follow you;" and the two boats flew on as before, over the tumbling seas.

They were well built, and well managed too, or they would to a certainty have been swamped.

They had, by this time, got to a considerable distance from the mountain, but still it appeared almost as clear as at first, the dark cliffs projecting far out from amid the sheets of fire which almost enveloped its sides, while the summit appeared in a still more fearful state of eruption than at first.

Vast flames came spouting upwards, the fiery masses which were thrown out spreading over on every side, while overhead appeared a dark canopy of smoke, from which a shower of ashes continued to fall without intermission; and Tom declared, as he looked astern, that he saw huge pieces of rock descending into the sea.

They had indeed reason to congratulate themselves that they had not delayed longer under the mountain, and even as it was they were conscious that they were still not free from danger.

Their anxiety had hitherto prevented them from feeling hungry, or indeed from recollecting that they had brought but a small supply of food.

In each boat was, however, a breaker of water, and Billy had slipped some biscuits into his pocket, as had also several of the men, just before they shoved off.

After some time, when he believed that he had only the danger of the ocean with which to contend, Billy pulled a biscuit out of his pocket and offered part to Tom, who, beginning to feel very hungry, accepted it.

The crew were sharing their portions among each other; and then the breaker of water was broached, for the biscuit had made the men feel very thirsty.

In Green's boat the men were not so well off, Archie and one of the men only having had sufficient forethought to bring a couple of biscuits apiece.

This afforded but a scanty meal to all hands; and they knew that it might be very long before they could hope to get a further supply of food.

The gale had still further increased, and the sea was rougher than ever.

They thus ran on for some hours; Tom manfully sat at the helm, assisted by Billy, his anxiety keeping him broad awake; for he well knew that the slightest carelessness on his part might lead to his own destruction and that of all with him.

Unhappily, they had come away without a compass in either boat, and as the sky was completely overcast, Green had not even the stars to steer by.

The wind, he felt sure, had shifted several points while they lay under the island, and he was thus uncertain in what direction he was running.

He could only tell by looking astern at the mountain, which, like a huge beacon, blazed away all night.

There were other islands, he knew, ahead, surrounded by reefs; and, when morning approached, he judged that they could not be very far from the nearest.

The atmosphere, however, was too dense to enable him to see the land at any distance.

Still he could not venture to heave-to; his only hope of keeping the boats afloat was to run on, and he trusted that day light would return before they could reach the neighbourhood of the reefs.

It was too dark to see the hands of his watch, even when held up so that the light from the mountain could fall on it.

"I think the sun will rise in about half an hour," he observed to Archie; "and then I trust that we shall be able to look out for an opening in the reefs, so that we may run in and take shelter till the gale is over."

The men in both the boats were all this time employed in baling, for the crests of the seas came toppling over, now on the quarter, now running up alongside over the gunwales, wetting the people through and through.

Tom, with his lips closely-pressed together, his hand firmly grasping the helm, excited the admiration of the men, who knew well that their lives depended on his coolness and judgment.

"He's a regular chip of the old block; as like the commander as two peas," observed the bow-man to the man sitting next to him.

Tom, indeed, had always been held in respect by the crew, but that night's work raised him still higher in their estimation.

They had been running on for some minutes, when a shout reached them from the master's boat.

"Breakers ahead, and land beyond them."

Tom steered straight on, waiting to see what Green would do, still following in his wake.

Green deviated slightly to port.

"There is an opening," he shouted; "follow me."

Tom peered through the mass of blackness surrounding them, and made out a line of white foam, rising like a wall on the starboard bow, while beyond he could just distinguish the outline of a still darker mass which he knew must be land.

His heart did not sink, nor did his hand tremble.

The crew turned their heads over their shoulders as the roar of the breakers reached their ears, becoming louder and louder as the boat rushed on.

The seas came rushing up astern more furiously it seemed than ever, catching them now on the port quarter; should the wind fail them, or a rope give way, they must be lost.

They all knew that, and each man grasped his oar ready to throw it out and give way as a chance for life.

The breakers became more and more distinct, leaping high above the tumbling ocean; but ahead was a blacker patch, though even that was streaked with foam.

There must, however, be depth for the boats to pass over, though the passage was a fearfully narrow one; for away on the port-bow the breakers were seen rising as high as on the starboard side.

Green stood on; he did not again hail, but he knew that he could trust Tom, and that he was following.

In another minute they would be safe, or the boats dashed to pieces on the coral reef.

Still on they flew; a vast surge came rolling up, lifting the stern of the boat, and Tom, for an instant, thought that she would broach to; but with all his might putting the helm hard a-port, she went rushing on before it.

The foaming, roaring breakers were leaping up on either hand.

He had lost sight of Green's boat.

Could she have met with the fate he had expected to overtake his boat?

No!

there she was, safe inside the reef, with her sail lowered.

The next instant he was gliding forward in comparatively smooth water.

"Lower the sail," he shouted, "and get out the oars."

He was soon alongside Green's boat.

"We will lie on our oars, and wait till daylight to find a safe place for landing," said the master.

"Let us thank God that we have escaped thus far.

Should there be natives on the island, we must try and keep on friendly terms with them, and we shall the better do that by not landing till they invite us.

In the meantime, we will look to our arms, for they must have got wet, and are pretty sure to miss fire."

The boats accordingly pulled along the lagoon till they reached a part where, sheltered by a higher line of the reef, the water was perfectly calm.

Even there, as they looked in the direction from whence they had come, they could see the burning mountain blazing away as furiously as at first; the upper portion, which appeared above the horizon, presenting the appearance of a vast shining cone, with a crown of fire rising towards the sky.

Far-off as it was, the light it cast had enabled them to see the breakers much sooner than they otherwise would have done, and had been the means thus of saving their lives.