Books: Among Malay Pirates
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G. A. Henty >> Among Malay Pirates
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"I think so, sir; they are both tight."
"Put them round the windlass, and give a turn or two, we must
relieve the strain on that hawser."
Since they had first seen the wreck the waves had made great progress
in the work of destruction, and the steamer had broken in two just
aft of the engines.
"Get over the spare spars, Watkins, and fasten them to float in
front of her bows like a triangle. Matthews, catch hold of that
boat hook and try to fend off any piece of timber that comes along.
You get hold of the sweeps, lads, and do the same. They would stave
her in like a nutshell if they struck her."
"Thank God, here comes the first of them!"
Those on board the steamer had not been idle. As soon as the yawl
was seen approaching slings were prepared, and no sooner was the
hawser securely fixed, than the slings were attached to it and a
woman placed in them. The hawser was tight and the descent sharp,
and without a check the figure ran down to the deck of the Seabird.
She was lifted out of the slings by Tom and Jack Harvey, who found
she was an old woman and had entirely lost consciousness.
"Two of you carry her down below; tell Johnson to pour a little
brandy down her throat. Give her some hot soup as soon as she comes
to."
Another woman was lowered and helped below. The next to descend
was Mrs. Grantham.
"Thank God, you are rescued!" Tom said, as he helped her out of
the sling.
"Thank God, indeed," Mrs. Grantham said, "and thank you all!
Oh, Tom, we have had a terrible time of it, and had lost all hope
till we saw your sail, and even then the captain said that he was
afraid nothing could be done. Minnie was the first to make out it
was you, and then we began to hope. She has been so brave, dear
girl. Ah! here she comes."
But Minnie's firmness came to an end now that she felt the need
for it was over. She was unable to stand when she was lifted from
the slings, and Tom carried her below.
"Are there any more women, Mrs. Grantham?"
"No; there was only one other lady passenger and the stewardess."
"Then you had better take possession of your own cabin. I ordered
Johnson to spread a couple more mattresses and some bedding on the
floor, so you will all four be able to turn in. There's plenty of
hot coffee and soup. I should advise soup with two or three spoonfuls
of brandy in it. Now, excuse me; I must go upon deck."
Twelve men descended by the hawser, one of them with both legs
broken by the fall of the mizzen. The last to come was the captain.
"Is that all?" Tom asked.
"That is all," the captain said. "Six men were swept overboard when
she first struck, and two were killed by the fall of the funnel.
Fortunately we had only three gentlemen passengers and three ladies
on board. The weather looked so wild when we started that no one
else cared about making the passage. God bless you, sir, for what
you have done! Another half hour and it would have been all over
with us. But it seems like a miracle your getting safe through the
rocks to us."
"It was fortunate indeed that we came along," Tom said; "three
of the passengers are dear friends of mine; and as it was by my
persuasion that they came across in the steamer instead of in the
yacht, I should never have forgiven myself if they had been lost.
Take all your men below, captain; you will find plenty of hot soup
there. Now, Watkins, let us be off; that steamer won't hold together
many minutes longer, so there's no time to lose. We will go back
as we came. Give me a hatchet. Now, lads, two of you stand at the
chain cables; knock out the shackles the moment I cut the hawser.
Watkins, you take the helm and let her head pay off till the
jib fills. Jack, you lend a hand to the other two, and get up the
trysail again as soon as we are free."
In a moment all were at their stations. The helm was put on the
yacht, and she payed off on the opposite tack to that on which she
had before been sailing. As soon as the jib filled, Tom gave two
vigorous blows with his hatchet on the hawser, and, as he lifted
his hand for a third, it parted. Then came the sharp rattle of the
chains as they ran round the hawser holes. The trysail was hoisted
and sheeted home, and the Seabird was under way again. Tom, as
before, conned the ship from the bow. Several times she was in close
proximity to the rocks, but each time she avoided them. A shout
of gladness rose from all on deck as she passed the last patch of
white water. Then she tacked and bore away for Jersey.
Tom had now time to go down below and look after his passengers.
They consisted of the captain and two sailors--the sole survivors
of those who had been on deck when the vessel struck--three male
passengers, and six engineers and stokers.
"I have not had time to shake you by the hand before, Tom," Grantham
said, as Tom Virtue entered; "and I thought you would not want me
on deck at present. God bless you, old fellow! we ail owe you our
lives."
"How did it happen, captain?" Tom asked, as the captain also came
up to him.
"It was the currents, I suppose," the captain said; "it was so thick
we could not see a quarter of a mile any way. The weather was so
wild I would not put into Guernsey, and passed the island without
seeing it. I steered my usual course, but the gale must have altered
the currents, for I thought I was three miles away from the reef,
when we saw it on our beam, not a hundred yards away. It was too
late to avoid it then, and in another minute we ran upon it, and
the waves were sweeping over us. Everyone behaved well. I got all,
except those who had been swept overboard or crushed by the funnel,
up into the bow of the ship, and there we waited. There was nothing
to be done. No boat would live for a moment in the sea on that reef,
and all I could advise was that when she went to pieces everyone
should try to get hold of a floating fragment; but I doubt whether
a man would have been alive a quarter of an hour after she went to
pieces."
"Perhaps, captain, you will come on deck with me and give me the
benefit of your advice. My skipper and I know the islands pretty
well, but no doubt you know them a good deal better, and I don't
want another mishap."
But the Seabird avoided all further dangers, and as it became dark
the lights of St. Helier's were in sight, and an hour later the
yacht brought up in the port and landed her involuntary passengers.
A fortnight afterwards the Seabird returned to England, and two
months later Mrs. Grantham had the satisfaction of being present
at the ceremony which was the successful consummation of her little
scheme in inviting Minnie Graham to be her companion on board the
Seabird.
"Well, my dear," her husband said, when she indulged in a little
natural triumph, "I do not say that it has not turned out well,
and I am heartily glad for both Tom and Minnie's sake it has so;
but you must allow that it very nearly had a disastrous ending, and
I think if I were you I should leave matters to take their natural
course in future. I have accepted Tom's invitation for the same party
to take a cruise in the Seabird next summer, but I have bargained
that next time a storm is brewing up we shall stop quietly in port."
"That's all very well, James," Mrs. Grantham said saucily; "but
you must remember that Tom Virtue will only be first mate of the
Seabird in future."
"That I shall be able to tell you better, my dear, after our next
cruise. All husbands are not as docile and easily led as I am."
A PIPE OF MYSTERY
A jovial party were gathered round a blazing fire in an old grange
near Warwick. The hour was getting late; the very little ones had,
after dancing round the Christmas tree, enjoying the snapdragon,
and playing a variety of games, gone off to bed; and the elder
boys and girls now gathered round their uncle, Colonel Harley, and
asked him for a story--above all, a ghost story.
"But I have never seen any ghosts," the colonel said, laughing;
"and, moreover, I don't believe in them one bit. I have traveled
pretty well all over the world, I have slept in houses said to be
haunted, but nothing have I seen--no noises that could not be
accounted for by rats or the wind have I ever heard. I have never
"--and here he paused--"never but once met with any circumstances
or occurrence that could not be accounted for by the light of
reason, and I know you prefer hearing stories of my own adventures
to mere invention."
"Yes, uncle. But what was the 'once' when circumstances happened
that you could not explain?"
"It's rather a long story," the colonel said, "and it's getting
late."
"Oh! no, no, uncle; it does not matter a bit how late we sit up
on Christmas Eve, and the longer the story is, the better; and if
you don't believe in ghosts how can it be a story of something you
could not account for by the light of nature?"
"You will see when I have done," the colonel said. "It is rather
a story of what the Scotch call second sight, than one of ghosts.
As to accounting for it, you shall form your own opinion when you
have heard me to the end.
"I landed in India in '50, and after going through the regular
drill work marched with a detachment up country to join my regiment,
which was stationed at Jubbalpore, in the very heart of India.
It has become an important place since; the railroad across India
passes through it and no end of changes have taken place; but at
that time it was one of the most out of the way stations in India,
and, I may say, one of the most pleasant. It lay high, there was
capital boating on the Nerbudda, and, above all, it was a grand
place for sport, for it lay at the foot of the hill country, an
immense district, then but little known, covered with forests and
jungle, and abounding with big game of all kinds.
"My great friend there was a man named Simmonds. He was just of
my own standing; we had come out in the same ship, had marched up
the country together, and were almost like brothers. He was an old
Etonian, I an old Westminster, and we were both fond of boating,
and, indeed, of sport of all kinds. But I am not going to tell you
of that now. The people in these hills are called Gonds, a true
hill tribe--that is to say, aborigines, somewhat of the negro
type. The chiefs are of mixed blood, but the people are almost
black. They are supposed to accept the religion of the Hindus, but
are in reality deplorably ignorant and superstitious. Their priests
are a sort of compound of a Brahmin priest and a negro fetish man,
and among their principal duties is that of charming away tigers
from the villages by means of incantations. There, as in other
parts of India, were a few wandering fakirs, who enjoyed an immense
reputation for holiness and wisdom. The people would go to them
from great distances for charms or predictions, and believed in
their power with implicit faith.
"At the time when we were at Jubbalpore there was one of these
fellows whose reputation altogether eclipsed that of his rivals,
and nothing could be done until his permission had been asked and
his blessing obtained. All sorts of marvelous stories were constantly
coming to our ears of the unerring foresight with which he predicted
the termination of diseases, both in men and animals; and so
generally was he believed in that the colonel ordered that no one
connected with the regiment should consult him, for these predictions
very frequently brought about their own fulfillment; for those who
were told that an illness would terminate fatally, lost all hope,
and literally lay down to die.
"However, many of the stories that we heard could not be explained
on these grounds, and the fakir and his doings were often talked
over at mess, some of the officers scoffing at the whole business,
others maintaining that some of these fakirs had, in some way
or another, the power of foretelling the future, citing many well
authenticated anecdotes upon the subject.
"The older officers were the believers, we young fellows were the
scoffers. But for the well known fact that it is very seldom indeed
that these fakirs will utter any of their predictions to Europeans,
some of us would have gone to him to test his powers. As it was,
none of us had ever seen him.
"He lived in an old ruined temple, in the middle of a large patch
of jungle at the foot of the hills, some ten or twelve miles away.
"I had been at Jubbalpore about a year, when I was woke up one
night by a native, who came in to say that at about eight o'clock
a tiger had killed a man in his village, and had dragged off the
body.
"Simmonds and I were constantly out after tigers, and the people
in all the villages within twenty miles knew that we were always
ready to pay for early information. This tiger had been doing great
damage, and had carried off about thirty men, women, and children.
So great was the fear of him, indeed, that the people in the
neighborhood he frequented scarcely dared stir out of doors, except
in parties of five or six. We had had several hunts after him, but,
like all man eaters, he was old and awfully crafty; and although
we got several snap shots at him, he had always managed to save
his skin.
"In a quarter of an hour after the receipt of the message Charley
Simmonds and I were on the back of an elephant which was our joint
property; our shikaree, a capital fellow, was on foot beside us,
and with the native trotting on ahead as guide we went off at the
best pace of old Begaum, for that was the elephant's name. The village
was fifteen miles away, but we got there soon after daybreak, and
were received with delight by the population. In half an hour the
hunt was organized; all the male population turned out as beaters,
with sticks, guns, tom-toms, and other instruments for making a
noise.
"The trail was not difficult to find. A broad path, with occasional
smears of blood, showed where be had dragged his victim through
the long grass to a cluster of trees a couple of hundred yards from
the village.
"We scarcely expected to find him there, but the villagers held
back, while we went forward with cocked rifles. We found, however,
nothing but a few bones and a quantity of blood. The tiger had made
off at the approach of daylight into the jungle, which was about
two miles distant. We traced him easily enough, and found that he
had entered a large ravine, from which several smaller ones branched
off.
"It was an awkward place, as it was next to impossible to surround
it with the number of people at our command. We posted them at last
all along the upper ground, and told them to make up in noise what
they wanted in numbers. At last all was ready, and we gave the
signal. However, I am not telling you a hunting story, and need only
say that we could neither find nor disturb him. In vain we pushed
Begaum through the thickest of the jungle which clothed the sides and
bottom of the ravine, while the men shouted, beat their tom-toms,
and showered imprecations against the tiger himself and his ancestors
up to the remotest generations.
"The day was tremendously hot, and, after three hours' march, we
gave it up for a time, and lay down in the shade, while the shikarees
made a long examination of the ground all round the hillside, to
be sure that he had not left the ravine. They came back with the
news that no traces could be discovered, and that, beyond a doubt,
he was still there. A tiger will crouch up in an exceedingly small
clump of grass or bush, and will sometimes almost allow himself
to be trodden on before moving. However, we determined to have one
more search, and if that should prove unsuccessful, to send off
to Jubbalpore for some more of the men to come out with elephants,
while we kept up a circle of fires, and of noises of all descriptions,
so as to keep him a prisoner until the arrival of the reinforcements.
Our next search was no more successful than our first had been; and
having, as we imagined, examined every clump and crevice in which
he could have been concealed, we had just reached the upper end of
the ravine, when we heard a tremendous roar, followed by a perfect
babel of yells and screams from the natives.
"The outburst came from the mouth of the ravine, and we felt at once
that he had escaped. We hurried back to find, as we had expected,
that the tiger was gone. He had burst out suddenly from his hiding
place, had seized a native, torn him horribly, and had made across
the open plain.
"This was terribly provoking, but we had nothing to do but follow
him. This was easy enough, and we traced him to a detached patch
of wood and jungle, two miles distant. This wood was four or five
hundred yards across, and the exclamations of the people at once
told us that it was the one in which stood the ruined temple of
the fakir of whom I have been telling you. I forgot to say that as
the tiger broke out one of the village shikarees had fired at and,
he declared, wounded him.
"It was already getting late in the afternoon, and it was hopeless
to attempt to beat the jungle that night. We therefore sent off
a runner with a note to the colonel, asking him to send the work
elephants, and to allow a party of volunteers to march over at
night, to help surround the jungle when we commenced beating it in
the morning.
"We based our request upon the fact that the tiger was a notorious
man eater, and had been doing immense damage. We then had a talk
with our shikaree, sent a man off to bring provisions for the
people out with us, and then set them to work cutting dry sticks
and grass to make a circle of fires.
"We both felt much uneasiness respecting the fakir, who might be
seized at any moment by the enraged tiger. The natives would not
allow that there was any cause for fear, as the tiger would not
dare to touch so holy a man. Our belief in the respect of the tiger
for sanctity was by no means strong, and we determined to go in
and warn him of the presence of the brute in the wood. It was a
mission which we could not intrust to anyone else, for no native
would have entered the jungle for untold gold; so we mounted the
Begaum again, and started. The path leading towards the temple
was pretty wide, and as we went along almost noiselessly, for the
elephant was too well trained to tread upon fallen sticks, it was
just possible we might come upon the tiger suddenly, so we kept
our rifles in readiness in our hands.
"Presently we came in sight of the ruins. No one was at first visible;
but at that very moment the fakir came out from the temple. He
could not see or hear us, for we were rather behind him and still
among the trees, but at once proceeded in a high voice to break
into a singsong prayer. He had not said two words before his voice
was drowned in a terrific roar, and in an instant the tiger had
sprung upon him, struck him to the ground, seized him as a cat would
a mouse, and started off with him at a trot. The brute evidently
had not detected our presence, for he came right towards us. We
halted the Begaum, and, with our fingers on the triggers, awaited
the favorable moment. He was a hundred yards from us when he struck
down his victim; he was not more than fifty when he caught sight
of us. He stopped for an instant in surprise. Charley muttered,
'Both barrels, Harley,' and as the beast turned to plunge into the
jungle, and so showed us his side, we sent four bullets crashing
into him, and he rolled over lifeless.
"We went up to the spot, made the Begaum give him a kick, to be
sure that he was dead, and then got down to examine the unfortunate
fakir. The tiger had seized him by the shoulder, which was terribly
torn, and the bone broken. He was still perfectly conscious.
"We at once fired three shots, our usual signal that the tiger was
dead, and in a few minutes were surrounded by the villagers, who
hardly knew whether to be delighted at the death of their enemy,
or to grieve over the injury to the fakir. We proposed taking the
latter to our hospital at Jubbalpore, but this he positively refused
to listen to. However, we finally persuaded him to allow his arm to
be set and the wounds dressed in the first place by our regimental
surgeon, after which he could go to one of the native villages and
have his arm dressed in accordance with his own notions. A litter
was soon improvised, and away we went to Jubbalpore, which we
reached about eight in the evening.
"The fakir refused to enter the hospital, so we brought out a
couple of trestles, laid the litter upon them, and the surgeon set
his arm and dressed his wounds by torchlight, when he was lifted
into a dhoolie, and his bearers again prepared to start for the
village.
"Hitherto he had only spoken a few words; but he now briefly
expressed his deep gratitude to Simmonds and myself. We told him
that we would ride over to see him shortly, and hoped to find him
getting on rapidly. Another minute and he was gone.
"It happened that we had three or four fellows away on leave or on
staff duty, and several others laid up with fever just about this
time, so that the duty fell very heavily upon the rest of us, and
it was over a month before we had time to ride over to see the
fakir.
"We had heard he was going on well; but we were surprised, on
reaching the village, to find that he had already returned to his
old abode in the jungle. However, we had made up our minds to see
him, especially as we had agreed that we would endeavor to persuade
him to do a prediction for us; so we turned our horses' heads
towards the jungle. We found the fakir sitting on a rock in front
of the temple, just where he had been seized by the tiger. He rose
as we rode up.
"'I knew that you would come today, sahibs, and was joyful in the
thought of seeing those who have preserved my life.'
"'We are glad to see you looking pretty strong again, though your
arm is still in a sling,' I said, for Simmonds was not strong in
Hindustani.
"'How did you know that we were coming?' I asked, when we had tied
up our horses.
"'Siva has given to his servant to know many things,' he said
quietly.
"'Did you know beforehand that the tiger was going to seize you?'
I asked.
"'I knew that a great danger threatened, and that Siva would not
let me die before my time had come.'
"'Could you see into our future?' I asked.
"The fakir hesitated, looked at me for a moment earnestly to see
if I was speaking in mockery, and then said:
"'The sahibs do not believe in the power of Siva or of his servants..
They call his messengers imposters, and scoff at them when they
speak of the events of the future.'
"'No indeed,' I said. 'My friend and I have no idea of scoffing.
We have heard of so many of your predictions coming true, that we
are really anxious that you should tell us something of the future.'
"The fakir nodded his head, went into the temple, and returned in
a minute or two with two small pipes used by the natives for opium
smoking, and a brazier of burning charcoal. The pipes were already
charged. He made signs to us to sit down, and took his place in
front of us. Then he began singing in a low voice, rocking himself
to and fro, and waving a staff which he held in his hand. Gradually
his voice rose, and his gesticulations and actions became more
violent. So far as I could make out, it was a prayer to Siva that
he would give some glimpse of the future which might benefit the
sahibs who had saved the life of his servant. Presently he darted
forward, gave us each a pipe, took two pieces of red hot charcoal
from the brazier in his fingers, without seeming to know that they
were warm, and placed them in the pipes; then he recommenced his
singing and gesticulations.
"A glance at Charley, to see if, like myself, he was ready to carry
the thing through, and then I put the pipe to my lips. I felt at
once that it was opium, of which I had before made experiment, but
mixed with some other substance, which was, I imagine, hasheesh, a
preparation of hemp. A few puffs, and I felt a drowsiness creeping
over me. I saw, as through a mist, the fakir swaying himself
backwards and forwards, his arms waving and his face distorted.
Another minute, and the pipe slipped from my fingers, and I fell
back insensible.
"How long I lay there I do not know. I woke with a strange and
not unpleasant sensation, and presently became conscious that the
fakir was gently pressing, with a sort of shampooing action, my
temples and head. When he saw that I opened my eyes he left me, and
performed the same process upon Charley. In a few minutes he rose
from his stooping position, waved his hand in token of adieu, and
walked slowly back into the temple.
"As he disappeared I sat up; Charley did the same.
"We stared at each other for a minute without speaking, and then
Charley said:
"'This is a rum go, and no mistake, old man.'
"'You're right, Charley. My opinion is, we've made fools of ourselves.
Let's be off out of this.'
"We staggered to our feet, for we both felt like drunken men, made
our way to our horses, poured a mussuk of water over our heads,
took a drink of brandy from our flasks, and then, feeling more like
ourselves, mounted and rode out of the jungle.
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