Three Commanders — Chapter Four, part 1

The corvette lay becalmed, lapping her sides in the shining water, as the glass-like undulations under her keel rolled her now to starboard and now to port, the sun striking down and making the pitch bubble up out of the seams of her deck.

No sail was in sight, but still a bright look-out was kept.

In case any slaver bringing up a breeze might attempt to slip by inshore of her, the boats were in readiness to shove off in chase.

"A steamer to the nor'ard, sir," shouted the look-out to the second lieutenant, who reported the same to the commander.

All hands were quickly up on deck.

She was probably a British cruiser, perhaps bringing news for them--a mail _via_ the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea.

At last, after various conjectures as to what she was, the _Busy Bee_ made her number, and paddled up in a way which made the crew wish that they possessed similar means of locomotion.

She blew off her steam when close to them, and a boat from her side brought her commander on board.

He was the bearer of despatches from the commodore.

Murray called Adair into his cabin.

"The commodore has received information that the Arabs are rebuilding the fort we destroyed," he said, "and so I suppose that we shall have to go up the river to do the work over again.

He has directed me in the meantime to station two of our boats, with one from the _Busy Bee_, to be joined shortly by a fourth from the frigate, at the island of Mafamale, which is about seven miles from the mouth of the river.

I may select the officer to command the expedition, and if you wish to go, I will appoint you, with Jos Green and Desmond and Gordon.

You will look out for dhows either going up to, or coming down from Angoxa, and for others running along the coast, which are certain to pass between the island and the mainland.

The corvette and the steamer will in the meantime stand down the coast, and the dhows seeing us will hope to get to Zanzibar without interruption.

The plan seems to be a good one, and I trust that we shall be able to strike a more effectual blow at the slave-trade than the commodore has hitherto been able to give it."

Terence, who had been wishing for this sort of work, gladly accepted Murray's offer.

The corvette stood on till she came off the island, when the pinnace and barge, well fitted for the duties they were at once to engage in, were got out.

The _Busy Bee_ landed a couple of water tanks, for not a drop of the necessary fluid was to be found on the island; while she and the corvette sent three months' provisions on shore, with tents, arms, and ammunition.

With three hearty cheers from the crews, responded to by their respective ships, the boats shoved off and pulled away for the island, to become their headquarters for the next three months.

Its appearance was not over-attractive, for it was low and sandy, scarcely more than two miles in circumference, with a small forest of Casuarina trees on the highest part, bordered by a belt of thin grass.

One of the first boats sent on shore contained a large seine, and Jos Green was directed to haul it as soon as possible for the purpose of supplying the ship's company with fresh fish.

All hands were well pleased to hear the order, and the men destined for that object quickly transmogrified themselves into fishermen with blue jerseys, tarry trousers, and red caps, looking more like lawless pirates than well-conducted men-of-war's men.

Two of the smaller boats under the command of the master, who was accompanied by Desmond and Archie, then pulled in.

On the north side of the island was a shelving beach, where the water was perfectly smooth and not a rock or stone to be found.

It was just such a beach as to satisfy all the requirements of men-of-war's men, capable at the same time of supplying sand for holy-stoning the decks, and to afford admirable ground for hauling the seine.

The net was quickly run out, forming a wide semicircle, and surrounding, no doubt, vast numbers of fish, as they could be seen of various forms and sizes sporting in the clear water.

The boats being hauled up, the work of hauling the net began.

Just at that juncture several officers who had before landed came across the island to see the fun, and immediately all hands tailed on to the hauling-lines.

As the net drew nearer and nearer to the land, innumerable specimens of the finny tribe could be seen leaping and springing about, mutually surprised at finding themselves brought unexpectedly in such near proximity to each other and to the shore; evidently thinking that it was time to make a dash for the more open water.

Vain were the attempts of those who foolishly fancied by swimming slow and concealing themselves they might the more surely effect their escape.

The bolder fish, who, leaping high, cleared the encircling net, were alone successful, some enormous fellows setting the example.

Others attempted to follow them.

"We shall have them all getting off if we don't bear a hand," cried Green; "haul away, my lads."

"Better be after them and hook them out," exclaimed Desmond, suiting the action to the word, and plunging in amid the struggling fish.

Archie could not resist doing the same, and presently every officer, including the commander and Adair, were up to their knees in the water, each trying to seize one or more of the monsters, who, it was evident, would, if they attempted it, clear a passage for themselves through the meshes.

Desmond had fixed upon two, and down he went upon hands and knees, endeavouring to kill the creatures leaping, wriggling, and struggling to get free.

As he did so, one of them, making a bolt between his legs, toppled him over on his nose, where he lay kicking and plunging, scarcely to be distinguished from the fish surrounding him.

He quickly, however, got his head above water, as he did so, spluttering out, "Arrah, the baste!

I haven't let him go, though," and, kneeling on the creature, he managed to work his hands under its gills, when, holding it up, he dragged it triumphantly to the shore.

One of the smaller youngsters, Billy Blueblazes, upon trying to follow his example, was literally dragged off his feet, and, had not Archie seized him and the fish which he held by the gills, might very possibly have been drowned.

The shouting and laughing and hallooing which arose on all sides would alone have been sufficient to drive the unfortunate fish out of their minds, as officers and men were plunging about here and there grasping at the larger fish right and left.

At length the greater number of the monsters who had failed to escape having been captured, the men drew the seine high up on the beach, with some hundreds of fish, most, if not all of them, as Green declared, excellent eating.

As soon as they had been rendered incapable of effecting their escape, the seine was again carried out; and though it might have been supposed that the fish would have avoided the spot, as many as at the first haul were speedily drawn to land, when a similar scene was enacted, and, all hands being thoroughly wet, everyone not required for tailing on at the hauling-lines plunged in as before.

Among the most adventurous was the carpenter, who in his eagerness rushed forward till the water was up to his armpits; when, fancying he saw a fish of unusual size, and desirous of gaining the honour of bringing it to shore, he plunged down his hand.

Scarcely had he done so, when, with a shout which might have reached almost to the ship, he drew it up again, exclaiming, "Bear a hand, mates, and help me to get rid of this imp of Satan.

I'm blessed if I thought such creatures lived in the ocean."

He uttered this as he staggered towards the shore, when it was seen that his whole arm, which he held at full length, was grasped by the dark slimy tentacles of a monster which, with a beak resembling that of a bird, was attempting to strike him in the face; had the creature got hold of a smaller person, it might have succeeded in doing so.

Desmond and Billy Blueblazes were at first inclined to laugh, till they got closer to the hideous creature.

Several of the men with their knives open hurried forward to the assistance of the carpenter, who bravely kept his arms stretched out till they succeeded in cutting off its head;

but even then those powerful tentacles retained so much vitality that it was necessary to remove them one by one.

The carpenter's arm was almost paralysed, and he complained of considerable pain and irritation.

His adventure, however, did not prevent the rest of the party from continuing their chase of the larger fish, though they kept a bright look-out not to be caught by crabs, or to avoid catching hold of a squid.

Though, as before, some escaped, the second haul was almost as productive as the first.

The boats, being loaded with the fish, returned to the ship.

The shore party then set to work to prepare for their Robinson Crusoe life, while the _Opal_ stood away to the northward.

Tents were set up, a hut for the blacksmith's forge, and another for the carpenter close to the beach, before which a coral reef made a secure harbour for the boats.

A third hut was built near the camp for the cook--not that any skilled one belonged to the party.

The magazine was wisely placed at a distance, in case a spark from the kitchen or a tobacco-pipe might chance to find its way to the gunpowder.

Everyone was in high spirits and supremely happy.

As soon as the work of the day was over, the men took to playing leap-frog, diversified by bowls and quoits, which had been brought on shore.

The officers had not forgotten foils and boxing-gloves, as well as books and writing-desks and drawing materials.

All was not play, however; the arms had to be cleaned every morning, the men inspected, and a bright look-out kept from dawn to sunset, and even at night, when the moon afforded sufficient light to distinguish a sail at any distance gliding over the dark waters.

For this purpose a platform was erected between the summits of two trees, which grew conveniently close together at the west end of the island, with steps cut in the trunk of one of them, a man-rope hanging from the top making it an easy matter to get up.

Jerry Bird, Green's old shipmate, the man who had been taken off from Tristan d'Acunha, was the wit of the party.

He was the cook the first day.

"Now, my boys, I'll give you a treat," he exclaimed, as he carried off the various provisions served out by the storekeeper; "don't suppose that I have lived among savages for no end of years without learning a trick or two."

The fire was lighted, and Jerry put on a huge kettle to boil.

He was soon busily plucking a couple of the fowls which had been obtained from the last place at which the ship had touched.

It was naturally supposed that there was to be roast fowl for dinner.

While the rest of the party went in various directions,--some to collect oysters, which clung to the rocks, with hammers and tomahawks to break them off; others to the look-out man up the tree; and some to lie down and read under the shade of the tents,--Jerry proceeded with his culinary operations.

A frying-pan and a ladle served him instead of a gong.

When dinner was ready, he commenced a loud clanging, which sounded from one end of the island to the other.

The hungry party soon collected.

There were rows of plates, with knives and forks and basins with spoons laid out in order, while Jerry stood, ladle in hand, before his kettle, stirring away with might and main.

"Here, Tim, stand by with a plate and basin, and take the officers their dinner," he said.

Tim Curran was one of the ship's boys who did duty as officers' servant.

As Jerry ladled out the contents of the kettle, it was seen to contain every article with which he had been furnished; the fowls and beef cut up into small bits; peas, biscuit, flour, preserved vegetables, emitting a most savoury odour.

No one had cause to complain, for Jerry had added a seasoning which all acknowledged to be superior to anything they had ever tasted.

"I knew you'd like my `kettler,'" he observed, with a self-satisfied air, as he sat down with his messmates, who gathered round him.

The rogue had wisely beforehand consulted Adair, who had approved of his proposal on the subject, and so excellent was his "kettler" pronounced, that from henceforward it was the everyday meal of the party; and though others tried to surpass him when their turn came, they all confessed that they could never do it, and it was voted that it was unequalled by the best Scotch hotch-potch, which it much resembled.

They were not long, however, allowed to lead so pleasant a life on shore.

Adair sent off one of the boats across the channel to the mainland to be in readiness to pounce down on any dhows creeping up on that side, while he himself went away in the pinnace to the southward, accompanied by Gerald and Archie, leaving Jos Green in command of the island.

Jerry Bird formed one of the crew, so the party on shore lost their cook.

Pango also, one of the escaped slaves, went as interpreter, he having by this time acquired enough English to make himself understood and to understand what was said to him.

The boat was provisioned for three weeks, and Adair hoped, by getting fresh food and vegetables from the shore, to be able to stay out longer if necessary.

He had on board several articles for barter, and, in addition, a store of empty beer-bottles, for which he had heard the natives have an especial fancy.

Adair's intention was to examine every opening and indentation in the coast in which a slave dhow could take shelter.

He accordingly steered for the mainland, towards the first bay to the south of Angoxa, into which it was possible one of the hoped-for prizes might have crept during the night.

On reaching the bay, however, no vessel was to be seen, and the pinnace accordingly stood out again with a light breeze, which enabled her to stand down the coast.

The day was passed much as men-of-war's men are accustomed to spend their time on boat expeditions;

the meals were cooked in one pot, common to officers and men, whether "kettler" for dinner or chocolate for breakfast and supper.

Pipes were smoked, yarns spun, songs sung, journals written up, and now and then, though not often, books were read.

Regular watches were of course kept, and, as a rule, everyone took as much sleep as he could get.

The life, as all agreed, was pleasant enough while the weather was fine, but it would be pleasanter to catch a few dhows, send them as prizes into port, and restore the negroes found on board to liberty.

"Faith, I wonder whether we ever shall catch one of those rascals," exclaimed Desmond, beginning to lose patience when, after three days at sea, not a single dhow had been caught sight of.

"No fear, Gerald," observed Archie; "they'll be dropping into our jaws before long if we keep them wide enough open."

At night the boat was sometimes hove-to, or when the wind was light kept slowly gliding on over the calm surface of the deep.

One night Archie Gordon had the middle watch.

Scarce a breath filled the sails; the ocean was like glass; not a cloud dimmed the sky, from which the stars shone forth with a brilliancy which afforded light almost equal to that of the full moon; every star, reflected in the mirror-like deep, gave it the appearance of being spangled and streaked with gold.

Suddenly there burst forth over the land so vivid a flash of lightning that rocks and trees and the distant hills for a moment stood out in such bold relief, that Archie could not help fancying that the boat had been carried by some unknown current close to the beach.

With a cry of surprise he aroused his companions.

"Is anything the matter?"

asked Adair, starting up.

"Arrah, what's in the wind now?"

exclaimed Gerald, echoing the question.

"The whole country seems on fire," answered Archie.

"I can by no means make it out."

As he spoke, another flash lighted up, as brilliantly as during the brightest sunshine, the distant hills and wide expanse of ocean.

The flashes continued bursting forth in rapid succession, lasting fully ten seconds, with even a less interval between them.

Not the slightest sound of distant thunder was heard; silence reigned over the ocean.

Even the men, who had roused up their companions to gaze at the wondrous spectacle, uttered not a word.

A slight flapping of the sail against the mast, as a catspaw caught it, or an increased ripple of the water against the bows, alone struck the ear.

These brilliant phenomena lasted the greater part of the night.

"It's very fine," exclaimed Jerry Bird at last; "but to my mind a sound snooze is more to the purpose than straining our eyes out by winking at it, seeing we can't say what work may be cut out for us to-morrow; and so I'm going to turn in."

His example was followed by the rest of the watch below, though the more sentimental of the officers continued gazing at it for some time longer.

Adair wished that Lucy Rogers could enjoy it with him.

"I say, Archie, wouldn't Mr Mildmay now be after writing a splendiferous sonnet if he was here?"

whispered Desmond.

"Can't you try your hand, Gerald?"

said Archie.

"Not I; I'm no poet.

I can make a very good line to begin with, but when I come to the second, I can never manage to fit the words in properly."

"Just try now," said Archie.

Thus encouraged, Desmond at length exclaimed-- "`The lightnings flashing o'er the boundless deep--'" "Very good," said Archie.

Gerald repeated the line several times.

"`Arouse the seamen from their "something" sleep,'" he added.

"I'll get Mr Mildmay to put in a proper word instead of `something,' for it's more than I can be after doing."

"Hold your tongues, youngsters!"

exclaimed Adair, whose thoughts had been far away till they were brought back by his nephew's voice.

"Turn in and get some sleep instead of chattering nonsense."

The midshipmen, obeying, coiled themselves in the sternsheets, while Adair, who took the helm, sat indulging in a mood to which he had hitherto been a stranger.

The morning came, and soon after breakfast, as the boat was running along the coast, the entrance to a river, apparently of some size, was discovered.

The sea was tolerably calm on the bar, and as it appeared a likely place for slavers to ship their cargoes, Adair resolved to run in and explore it thoroughly.

The wind carried them close up to the mouth, when, it failing altogether, the oars were got out, and the crew pulled away lustily, in the hopes of at length finding a slaver which they could make their lawful prize.

At this time, however, the Sultan of Zanzibar issued licences to no inconsiderable number of vessels, on the pretence that they were engaged in bringing him negroes to work on his plantations; although, were his island ten times the size that it really is, he could not have employed one-tenth of the blacks carried off to slavery.

On this flimsy pretext they might therefore find a dhow full of blacks, and yet not be able to capture her.

This, of course, was often the cause of great disappointment to the crews engaged in the suppression of the slave-trade.

A belt of mangrove trees running far into the water being passed, a long reach of the river was opened up, with a large dhow at the farther end of it, lying at anchor in mid-stream, apparently ready to sail.

The crew of the pinnace could not restrain a shout of satisfaction.

In spite of the hot sun beating down on their heads, they eagerly bent to their oars in the hopes of soon being on board her.

As they approached, they saw that her sails were unbent, so that she could not have been on the point of putting to sea.

On getting still nearer, about twenty fierce-looking Arabs popped their heads over the side, and in loud voices, with threatening gestures, ordered the boat to keep off, intimating that if she did not, they would fire into her.

That she possessed the power of doing mischief was evident, as a three-pounder gun was seen mounted on a sort of raised deck in her bow.

Neither Adair nor his crew were likely to be deterred by the menaces of the piratical-looking fellows from boarding the dhow.

With a loud cheer they dashed alongside, and quickly scrambled on her deck, cutting down several of the more daring of the band, who, not knowing what English seamen were made of, ventured to oppose them.

A fine-looking old fellow, with a long white beard, who proved to be the Arab captain, exchanged a few passes with Adair, who, however, quickly disarmed him, and tumbled him head over heels into the hold, while the rest of his men leaped below to escape from their daring assailants.

On following them, Adair found, to his disappointment, that there were no slaves on board.

The Arab crew having been secured, Adair ordered his men to bend the sail, while he and Desmond, accompanied by Jerry Bird, searched the vessel to ascertain whether she had anything on board by which she could be legally condemned.

Besides the three-pounder gun, a number of muskets, spears, and swords were found on board, with a supply of water and a large quantity of rice, in addition to which her hold was fitted with three tiers of bamboo decks, which could be intended for no other purpose than for the stowage of slaves.

Adair pointed this out to the old skipper, and made him understand that he considered the vessel his lawful prize.

"It is the will of Allah," answered the captain, who made no attempt to show either papers or colours, so it was considered evident that he did not possess them.

"There are whole hosts of people collecting on shore, sir," shouted Archie; "many of them are armed, and by the signs they are making they don't seem in a friendly mood.

They've got, too, plenty of canoes, and it looks very much as if they intended to come off and attack us."

Adair hurried on deck, and could not help being of Archie's opinion.

"Be sharp there with the sail," he cried.

"It's more than we can manage to bend it, sir," answered Jerry Bird;

"for there's not a bit of rope-yarn or stuff of any kind we can find to do instead."

Adair and Desmond, stepping forward to lend a hand, found that the men were right.

The blacks on shore, increasing in numbers, were already uttering most terrific shouts and cries, and had begun to launch their canoes.

It would be impossible to defend the dhow without running the risk of losing the boat.

Adair had no wish to bring on an encounter with the savages.