Books: The Little Savage
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Captain Marryat >> The Little Savage
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I did not on the following day ask him to resume his narrative
relative to my father and mother, as I perceived that he avoided it,
and I already had so far changed as to have consideration for his
feelings. Another point had now taken possession of my mind, which
was, whether it were possible to learn to read those books which I
had found in the chest, and this was the first question that I put to
Jackson when we arose on that morning.
"How is it possible?" replied he. "Am I not blind--how can I teach
you?"
"Is there no way?" replied I, mournfully.
"Let me think.--Yes, perhaps there is a way--at all events we will
try. You know which book I told you was the Prayer-book?"
"Oh yes! the small, thin one."
"Yes--fetch it here. Now," said he, when I put it into his hand,
"tell me; is there a straight line down the middle of the page of the
book, so that the words and letters are on both sides of it?"
"Yes, there is," replied I; "in every page, as you call it, there is
a black line down the middle, and words and letters (I suppose they
are) on both sides."
"And among the letters, there are some larger than others,
especially at the side nearest to the margin."
"I don't know what margin is."
"I mean here," replied he, pointing to the margin of the page.
"Yes, there are."
"Well then, I will open the book as near as I can guess at the
Morning service, and you tell me if you can find any part of the
writing which appears to begin with a large round letter, like--what
shall I say?--the bottom of a pannikin."
"There is one on this leaf, quite round."
"Very well--now get me a small piece of stick, and make a point to
it."
I did so, and Jackson swept away a small place on the floor of the
cabin.
"Now," said he, "there are many other prayers which begin with a
round O, as the letter is called; so I must first ascertain if this
one is the one I require. If it is, I know it by heart, and by that
shall be able to teach you all the letters of the alphabet."
"What's an alphabet?"
"The alphabet is the number of letters invented to enable us to read
and write. There are twenty-six of them. Now look, Frank; is the next
letter to O the shape of this?" and he drew with the pointed stick
the letter U on the ground.
"Yes, it is," replied I.
"And the next is like this," continued he, drawing the letter R,
after he had smoothed the ground and effaced the U.
"Yes," replied I.
"Well then, to make sure, I had better go on. OUR is one word, and
then there is a little space between; and next you come to an F."
"Yes," replied I, looking at what he had drawn and comparing it with
the letter in the book.
"Then I believe that we are all right, but to make sure, we will go
on for a little longer."
Jackson then completed the word "Father," and "which art," that
followed it, and then he was satisfied.
"Now," said he, "out of that prayer I can teach you all the letters,
and if you pay attention, you will learn to read."
The whole morning was passed in my telling him the different
letters, and I very soon knew them all. During the day, the Lord's
Prayer was gone through, and as I learnt the words as well as the
letters, I could repeat it before night; I read it over to him twenty
or thirty times, spelling every word, letter by letter, until I was
perfect. This was my first lesson.
"Why is it called the Lord's Prayer?" said I.
"Because, when our Lord Jesus Christ was asked by His followers in
what way they ought to address God, He gave them this prayer to
repeat, as being the most proper that they could use."
"But who was Jesus Christ?"
"He was the Son of God, as I told you yesterday, and at the same
time equal with God."
"How could he be equal with God, if, as you said yesterday, God sent
him down to be killed?"
"It was with his own consent that he suffered death; but all this is
a mystery which you cannot understand at present."
"What's a mystery?"
"That which you cannot understand."
"Do you understand it yourself?"
"No, I do not; I only know that such is the fact, but it is above
not only mine, but all men's comprehension. But I tell you honestly
that, on these points, I am but a bad teacher; I have paid little
attention to them during my life, and as far as religion is
concerned, I can only give you the outlines, for I know no more."
"But I thought you said, that people were to be punished or rewarded
when they died, according as they had lived a bad or good life; and
that to live a good life, people must be religious, and obey God's
commands."
"I did tell you so, and I told you the truth; but I did not tell you
that I had led a bad life, as I have done, and that I have neglected
to pay obedience to God's word and command."
"Then you will be punished when you die, will you not?"
"Alas! I fear so, child," replied Jackson, putting his hands up to
his forehead and hiding his face. "But there is still time,"
continued he, after a pause, and "O God of mercy!" exclaimed he, "how
shall I escape?"
I was about to continue the conversation, but Jackson requested that
I would leave him alone for a time. I went out and sat on a rock,
watching the stars.
"And those, he says, were all made by God,"--"and God made
everything," thought I, "and God lives up beyond those stars." I
thought for a long while, and was much perplexed. I had never heard
anything of God till the night before, and what Jackson had told me
was just enough to make me more anxious and curious; but he evidently
did not like to talk on the subject. I tried after a time, if I could
repeat the Lord's Prayer, and I found that I could, so I knelt down
on the rock, and looking up to a bright star, as if I would imagine
it was God, I repeated the Lord's Prayer to it, and then I rose up
and went to bed.
This was the first time that I had ever prayed.
I had learnt so much from Jackson, latterly, that I could hardly
retain what I had learnt; at all events, I had a very confused
recollection in my brain, and my thoughts turned from one subject to
another, till there was, for a time, a perfect chaos; by degrees
things unravelled themselves, and my ideas became more clear; but
still I laboured under that half-comprehension of things, which, in
my position, was unavoidable.
But now my mind was occupied with one leading object and wish, which
was to learn to read. I thought no more of Jackson's history and the
account he might give me of my father and mother, and was as willing
as he was that it should be deferred for a time. What I required now
was to be able to read the books, and to this object my whole mind
and attention were given. Three or four hours in the earlier portion
of the day, and the same time in the latter, were dedicated to this
pursuit, and my attention never tired or flagged. In the course of, I
think, about six weeks, I could read, without hesitation, almost any
portion of the Bible or Prayer-Book. I required no more teaching from
Jackson, who now became an attentive hearer, as I read to him every
morning and evening a portion of the Gospel or Liturgy. But I cannot
say that I understood many portions which I read, and the questions
which I put to Jackson puzzled him not a little, and very often he
acknowledged that he could not answer them. As I afterwards
discovered this arose from his own imperfect knowledge of the nature
of the Christian religion, which, according to his statement to me,
might be considered to have been comprised in the following sentence:
"If you do good on earth, you will go to heaven and be happy; if you
do ill, you will go to hell and be tormented. Christ came down from
heaven to teach us what to do, and how to follow his example; and all
that we read in the Bible we must believe." This may be considered as
the creed imparted to me at that time. I believe that Jackson, like
many others, knew no better, and candidly told me what he himself had
been taught to believe.
But the season for the return of the birds arrived, and our stock of
provender was getting low. I was therefore soon obliged to leave my
books, and work hard for Jackson and myself. As soon as the young
birds were old enough, I set to my task. And now I found how valuable
were the knives which I had obtained from the seaman's chest; indeed,
in many points I could work much faster. By tying the neck and
sleeves of a duck frock, I made a bag, which enabled me to carry the
birds more conveniently, and in greater quantities at a time, and
with the knives I could skin and prepare a bird in one quarter of the
time. With my fishing-lines also, I could hang up more to dry at one
time, so that, though without assistance, I had more birds cured in
the same time than when Jackson and I were both employed in the
labour. The whole affair, however, occupied me from morning to
evening for more than three weeks, by which time the major portion of
my provender was piled up at the back of the cabin. I did not,
however, lose what I had gained in reading, as Jackson would not let
me go away in the morning, or retire to my bed in the evening,
without my reading to him a portion of the Bible. Indeed, he appeared
to be uncomfortable if I did not do so.
At last, the work was ended, and then I felt a strong desire return
to hear that portion of Jackson's history connected with my father
and mother, and I told him so. He did not appear to be pleased with
my communication, or at all willing to proceed, but as I pressed him
hard and showed some symptoms of resolution and rebellion, he
reluctantly resumed his narrative.
Chapter VIII
"I wish you to understand," said he, "that my unwillingness to go on
with my history, proceeds from my being obliged to make known to you
the hatred that subsisted between your father and me; but if you will
recollect, that we both had, in our early days, been striving to gain
the same object--I mean your mother--and also that he had taken, as
it were, what I considered to have been my place, in other points--
that he had been successful in life, and I had been unfortunate, you
must not then be surprised at my hating him as I did."
"I understand nothing about your feelings," replied I; "and why he
injured you by marrying my mother, I cannot see."
"Why I loved her."
"Well, suppose you did, I don't know what love is, and therefore
cannot understand it, so tell me the story."
"Well then, when I left off, I told you that we had ventured to land
upon this island by running the boat into the bathing-pond, but in so
doing, the boat was beaten to pieces, and was of no use afterwards.
We landed, eight persons in all--that is, the captain, your father,
the carpenter, mate, and three seamen, besides your mother. We had
literally nothing in the boat except three axes, two kids, and the
two pannikins, which we have indeed now, but as for provisions or
even water we had none of either. Our first object, therefore, was to
search the island to obtain water, and this we soon found at the rill
which now runs down by the side of the cabin. It was very fortunate
for us that we arrived exactly at the time that the birds had come on
the island, and had just laid their eggs; if not, we must have
perished with hunger, for we had not a fish-hook with us or even a
fathom of line.
"We collected a quantity of eggs, and made a good meal, although we
devoured them raw. While we were running about, or rather climbing
about, over the rocks, to find out what chance of subsistence we
might have on the island, the captain and your father remained with
your mother, who sat down in a sheltered spot near to the bathing-pool.
On our return in the evening, the captain called us all together
that he might speak to us, and he said that if we would do well we
must all act in concert; that it also would be necessary that one
should have the command and control of the others; that without
such was the case, nothing would go on well;--and he asked us if we
did not consider that what he said was true. We all agreed, although
I, for one, felt little inclination to do so, but as all the rest
said so, I raised no objections. The captain then told us that as we
were all of one opinion, the next point, was to decide as to who
should have the command--he said, that if it had been on ship-board,
he of course would have taken it himself, but now we were on shore he
thought that Mr Henniker was a much more competent person than he
was, and he therefore proposed that the command should be given to
him, and he, for one, would willingly be under his orders. To this
proposal, the carpenter and mate immediately agreed, and at last two
of the seamen. I was left alone, but I resisted, saying, that I was
not going to be ordered about by a landsman, and that if I were to
obey orders, it must be from a thorough-bred seaman. The other two
sailors were of my way of thinking, I was sure, although they had
given their consent, and I hoped that they would join me, which they
appeared very much inclined to do. Your father spoke very coolly,
modestly, and prudently. He pointed out that he had no wish to take
the command, and that he would cheerfully serve under the captain of
the vessel, if it would be more satisfactory to all parties that such
should be the case. But the captain and the others were positive,
saying that they would not have their choice disputed by such a
drunken vagabond as I was, and that if I did not like to remain with
them, I might go to any part of the island that I chose. This
conference ended by my getting in a passion, and saying that I would
not be under your father's orders; and I was seizing one of the axes
to go off with it, when the captain caught my arm and wrested it from
me, stating that the axe was his property, and then telling me that I
was welcome to go where I pleased.
"I left them, therefore, and went away by myself to where the birds
were hatching, as I wished to secure a supply of eggs. When the night
closed in, I lay down upon the guano, and felt no cold, for the gale
was now over, and the weather was very mild.
"The next morning, when I awoke, I found that the sun had been up
some time. I looked for the rest of my companions whom I had quitted,
and perceived that they were all busily at work. The sea was quite
calm; and, when the vessel went down after we left, many articles had
floated, and had been washed to the island. Some of the men were busy
collecting spars and planks, which were near the rocks, and pushing
them along with the boat-hooks to the direction of the bathing pond,
where they hauled them over the ridge, and secured them. Your father
and mother, with the carpenter, were on this ledge where we now are,
having selected it as a proper place for building a shelter, and were
apparently very busy. The captain and one of the seamen were carrying
up what spars and timber could be collected to where your father was
standing with the carpenter. All appeared to be active, and working
into each others hands; and I confess that, as I looked on, I envied
them, and wished that I had been along with them; but I could not
bear the idea of obeying any orders given by your father; and this
alone prevented my joining them, and making my excuses for what I had
done and said the previous night. I therefore swallowed some more
birds' eggs raw, and sat down in the sun, looking at them as they
worked.
"I soon perceived that the carpenter had commenced operations. The
frame of this cabin was, with the assistance of your father, before
it was noon, quite complete and put up; and then they all went down
to the bathing place, where the boat was lying with her bottom beaten
out. They commenced taking her to pieces and saving all the nails;
the other men carried up the portions of the boat as they were ripped
off, to where the frame of the cabin had been raised. I saw your
mother go up with a load in her hand, which I believed to be the
nails taken from the boat. In a couple of hours the boat was in
pieces and carried up, and then your father and most of the men went
up to assist the carpenter. I hardly need tell what they did, as you
have the cabin before you. The roof, you see, is mostly built out of
the timbers of the boat; and the lower part out of heavier wood; and
a very good job they made of it. Before the morning closed in, one of
the sides of the cabin was finished; and I saw them light a fire with
the chips that had been cut off with the axes, and they then dressed
the eggs and birds which they had collected the first day.
"There was one thing which I had quite forgotten when I mutinied and
left my companions, which was, the necessity of water to drink; and I
now perceived that they had taken possession of the spot where the
only water had as yet been found. I was suffering very much from
thirst towards the close of the day, and I set off up the ravine to
ascertain if there was none to be found in that direction. Before
night I succeeded in finding some, as you know, for you have often
drunk from the spring when you have gone up for firewood. This gave
me great encouragement, for I was afraid that the want of water would
have driven me to submission. By way of bravado, I tore off, and cut
with my knife, as many boughs of the underwood on the ravine as I
well could carry, and the next morning I built a sort of wigwam for
myself on the guano, to show them that I had a house over my head as
well as they had; but I built it farther up to the edge of the cliff,
above the guano plain, so that I need not have any communication with
those who I knew would come for eggs and birds for their daily
sustenance.
"Before the night of the following day set in, the cabin was quite
finished.
"The weather became warmer every day, and I found it very fatiguing
to have to climb the ravine two or three times a day to procure a
drink of water, for I had nothing to hold water in, and I thought
that it would be better that I should take up my quarters in the
ravine, and build myself a wigwam among the brushwood close to the
water, instead of having to make so many journeys for so necessary an
article. I knew that I could carry eggs in my hat and pocket-handkerchief
sufficient for two or three days at one trip; so I determined that
I would do so; and the next morning I went up the ravine, loaded
with eggs, to take up my residence there. In a day or two I had built
my hut of boughs, and made it very comfortable. I returned for a
fresh supply of eggs on the third day, with a basket I had constructed
out of young boughs, and which enabled me to carry a whole week's
sustenance. Then I felt quite satisfied, and made up my mind that
I would live as a hermit during my sojourn on the island, however
long it might be; for I preferred anything to obeying the orders of
one whom I detested as I did your father.
"It soon was evident, however, how well they had done in selecting
your father as their leader. They had fancied that the birds would
remain on the island, and that thus they would always be able to
procure a supply. Your father, who had lived so long in Chili, knew
better, and that in a few weeks they would quit their nesting place.
He pointed this out to them, showing them what a mercy it was that
they had been cast away just at this time, and how necessary it was
to make a provision for the year. But this they could not imagine
that it was possible to do without salt to cure the birds with; but
he knew how beef was preserved without salt on the continent, and
showed them how to dry the birds in the sun. While therefore I was up
in the ravine, they were busy collecting and drying them in large
quantities, and before the time of the birds leaving they had laid up
a sufficient supply. It was he also that invented the fishing lines
out of the sinews of the legs of the birds, and your mother who
knotted them together. At first, they caught fish with some hooks
made of nails, but your father showed them the way to take them
without a hook, as you have learnt from me, and which he had been
shown by some of the Indians on the continent. Owing to your father,
they were well prepared when the birds flew away with their young
ones, while I was destitute. Previous to the flight, I had fared but
badly, for the eggs contained the young birds half formed, and
latterly so completely formed that I could not eat them, and as I had
no fire and did not understand drying them, I had no alternative but
eating the young birds raw, which was anything but pleasant. I
consoled myself, however, with the idea that your father and mother
and the rest were faring just as badly as myself, and I looked
forward to the time when the birds would begin to lay eggs again,
when I resolved to hoard up a much larger supply while they were
fresh. But my schemes were all put an end to, for in two days, after
a great deal of noise and flying about in circles, all the birds,
young and old, took wing, and left me without any means of future
subsistence.
"This was a horrid discovery, and I was put to my wits' ends. I
wandered over the guano place, and, after the third day of their
departure, was glad to pick up even a dead bird with which to appease
my hunger. At the same time, I wondered how my former companions got
on, for I considered that they must be as badly off as I was. I
watched them from behind the rocks, but I could perceive no signs of
uneasiness. There was your mother sitting quietly on the level by the
cabin, and your father or the captain talking with her. I perceived,
however, that two of the party were employed fishing off the rocks,
and I wondered where they got their fishing-lines, and at last I
concluded that it was by catching fish that they supported
themselves. This, however, did not help me--I was starving, and
starvation will bring down the pride of any man. On the fifth day, I
walked down to the rocks, to where one of the seamen was fishing, and
having greeted him, I told him that I was starving, and asked for
something to eat.
"'I cannot help you,' replied he; 'I have no power to give anything
away; it is more than I dare do. You must apply to Mr Henniker, who
is the governor now. What a foolish fellow you were to mutiny, as you
did; see what it has brought you to.'
"'Why,' replied I, 'if it were not for fishing, you would not be
better off than I am.'
"'Oh yes we should be; but we have to thank him for that--without
him, I grant, we should not have been. We have plenty of provisions,
although we fish to help them out.'
"This puzzled me amazingly, but there was no help for it. I could
starve no longer, so up I went to the level where your father was
standing with the captain, and in a swaggering sort of tone, said
that I had come back, and wanted to join my comrades. The captain
looked at me, and referred me to your father, who said that he would
consult with the rest when they came to dinner, as without their
permission he could do nothing, and then they both turned away. In
the meantime I was ravenous with hunger, and was made more so by
perceiving that two large fish were slowly baking on the embers of
the fire, and that your mother was watching them; however, there was
no help for it, and I sat down at some little distance, anxiously
waiting for the return of the rest of the party, when my fate would
be decided. My pride was now brought down so low that I could have
submitted to any terms which might have been dictated. In about two
hours they were all assembled to dinner, and I remained envying every
morsel that they ate, until the repast was finished; when after some
consultation, I was ordered to approach--which I did--and your father
addressed me: 'Jackson, you deserted us when you might have been very
useful, and when our labour was severe; now that we have worked hard,
and made ourselves tolerably comfortable, you request to join us, and
partake with us of the fruits of our labour and foresight. You have
provided nothing, we have--the consequence is that we are in
comparative plenty, while you are starving. Now I have taken the
opinion of my companions, and they are all agreed, that as you have
not assisted when you are wanted, should we now allow you to join us,
you will have to work more than the others to make up an equivalent.
It is therefore proposed that you shall join us on one condition,
which is, that during the year till the birds again visit the island,
it will be your task to go up to the ravine every day, and procure
the firewood which is required. If you choose to accept these terms,
you are permitted to join, always supposing that to all the other
rules and regulations which we have laid down for our guidance, you
will be subject as well as we are. These are our terms, and you may
decide as you think proper.' I hardly need say, that I gladly
accepted them, and was still more glad when the remnants of the
dinner were placed before me; I was nearly choked, I devoured with
such haste until my appetite was appeased.
"When this was done, I thought over the conditions which I had
accepted, and my blood boiled at the idea that I was to be in a
manner the slave to the rest, as I should have to work hard every
day. I forgot that it was but justice, and that I was only earning my
share of the years' provisions, which I had not assisted to collect.
My heart was still more bitter against your father, and I vowed
vengeance if ever I had an opportunity, but there was no help for it.
Every day I went up with a piece of cord and an axe, cut a large
faggot of wood, and brought it down to the cabin. It was hard work,
and occupied me from breakfast to dinner-time, and I had no time to
lose if I wanted to be back for dinner. The captain always examined
the faggot, and ascertained that I had brought down a sufficient
supply for the day's consumption."
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