sweetheart,Reginald Grahame.
The ship was well found. Certainly they had not much fresh meat, buttinned was excellent, and when a sea-bank was anywhere near, as knownfrom the colour of the water, Dickson called away a boat and all hands,and had fish for two days at least. Fowls and piggies were keptforward. Well, on the whole she was a very happy ship, till troublecame at last.
It was Mr Hall's wish to go round the stormy and usually ice-boundHorn. The cold he felt certain would brace up both himself and hiswife. But he wished to see something of the romantic scenery ofMagellan's Straits first, and the wild and savage grandeur of Tierra delFuego, or the Land of Fire. They did so, bearing far to the south forthis purpose.
The weather was sunny and pleasant, the sky blue by day and star-studdedby night, while high above shone that wondrous constellation called theSouthern Cross. Indeed, all the stars seemed different from what theywere used to in their own far northern land.
Now, there dwells in this fierce land a race of the most implacablesavages on earth. Little is known of them except that they arecannibals, and that their hands are against everyone. But they livealmost entirely in boats, and never hesitate to attack a sailing ship ifin distress.
Hall and Dickson were standing well abaft on the quarter-deck smokinghuge cigars, Mr Hall doing the "yarning," Dickson doing the laughing,when suddenly a harsh grating sound caused both to start and listen.
Next minute the vessel had stopped. There she lay, not a great way offthe shore, in a calm and placid sea, with not as much wind as would lifta feather, "As idle as a painted ship, upon a painted ocean."
In a few minutes' time the Scotch engineer, looking rather pale, camehurrying aft.
"Well, Mr McDonald, what is the extent of the damage? Shaft broken?"
"Oh, no, sir, and I think that myself and men can put it all to rightsin four days, if not sooner, and she'll be just as strong as ever."
"Thank you, Mr McDonald; so set to work as soon as possible, for mindyou, we are lying here becalmed off an ugly coast. The yacht would makevery nice pickings for these Land of Fire savages."
"Yes, I know, sir; and so would we."
And the worthy engineer departed, with a grim smile on his face. Hecame back in a few minutes to beg for the loan of a hand or two.
"Choose your men, my good fellow, and take as many as you please."
Both Hall and Dickson watched the shore with some degree of anxiety. Itwas evident that the yacht was being swept perilously near to it. Thetide had begun to flow, too, and this made matters worse. Nor couldanyone tell what shoal water might lie ahead of them.
There was only one thing to be done, and Dickson did it. He called awayevery boat, and by means of hawsers to each the _Wolverine_ was finallymoved further away by nearly a mile.
The sailors were now recalled, and the boats hoisted. The men werethoroughly exhausted, so the doctor begged the captain to splice themain-brace, and soon the stewardess was seen marching forward with"Black Jack." Black Jack wasn't a man, nor a boy either, but simply ahuge can with a spout to it, that held half a gallon of rum at the veryleast.
The men began to sing after this, for your true sailor never neglects anopportunity of being merry when he can. Some of them could singcharmingly, and they were accompanied by the carpenter on his violin.That grand old song, "The Bay of Biscay," as given by a bass-voicedsailor, was delightful to listen to. As the notes rose and fell oneseemed to hear the shrieking of the wind in the rigging, the wildturmoil of the dashing waters, and the deep rolling of the thunder thatshook the doomed ship from stem to stern.
"Hullo?" cried Hall, looking shorewards. "See yonder--a little blackfleet of canoes, their crews like devils incarnate!"
"Ha!" said Dickson. "Come they in peace or come they in war, we shallbe ready. Lay aft here, lads. Get your rifles. Load with ballcartridge, and get our two little guns ready and loaded with grape."
The savages were indeed coming on as swift as the wind, with wild shoutsand cries, meant perhaps only to hurry the paddle-men, but startlingenough in all conscience.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
AGAINST FEARFUL ODDS.
Hardly a heart on board that did not throb with anxiety, if not withfear, as that fiendish-looking cannibal fleet drew swiftly nigh. Armedwith bows and arrows and spears were they, and Dickson could see alsothe glitter of ugly creases in the bottom of each canoe. Not tall menwere any of them; all nearly naked, however, broad-shouldered, fierce,and grim.
The yacht was now stern on to the shore, but at a safe distance.Nevertheless, by the soundings they could tell that the water just herewas not so deep as that further in; so both anchors were let go, thechains rattling like platoon-firing as these safeguards sank to thebottom.
There was no fear about Matty. To the astonishment of all she hadclambered up into the dinghy that hung from davits abaft the binnacle.
"Hillo!" she was shouting, as she waved a wee red flag. "Hillo! 'oobootiful neglos! Tome twick, Matty wants to buy some-fink!"
These dark boats and their savage crews were soon swarming round the_Wolverine_, but they had come to barter skins for tobacco, rum, andbread, not to fight, it seemed.
Peaceful enough they appeared in all conscience. Yet Dickson would notpermit them to board. But both he and Hall made splendid deals. Adozen boxes of matches bought half-a-dozen splendid and well-cured otterskins, worth much fine gold; tobacco bought beautiful large guanacaskins; bread fetched foxes' skins and those of the tuen-tuen, a charminglittle rodent; skins, also well-cured, of owls, hawks, rock-rabbits, andthose of many a beautiful sea-bird.
The barter, or nicker, as the Yankee called it, pleased both sides, andthe savages left rejoicing, all the more so in that, although theskipper would give them no rum to carry away with them, he spliced akind of savage main-brace, and everyone swallowed a glass of that rosyfluid as a baby swallows its mother's milk.
"The moon will be shining to-night, Hall," said the captain, "and we'llhave a visit from these fire-fiends of another description. Glad wehave got her anchored, anyhow."
Soon after sunset the moon sailed majestically through the little fleecyclouds lying low on the horizon. She soon lost her rosy hue, and thenone could have seen to pick up pins and needles on the quarter-deck.She made an immense silver triangular track from ship to shore. Mattywas then on deck with Oscar, both merry as ever. But Reginald now tookher in his arms and carried her below for bed. Both Dickson and Hallwent below to console and hearten the ladies.
"Those fire savages will pay us a visit," said Hall, "but you are not tobe afraid. We will wipe them off the face of the creation world. Won'twe, skipper?"
"That will we!" nodded Dickson.
But neither Mrs Hall nor Ilda could be persuaded to retire. If abattle was to be fought they would sit with fear and trembling till allwas over.
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Out from under the dark shadows of the terrible snow-peaked mountain,that fell far over the water, just before eight bells in the firstwatch--the midnight hour--crept a fleet of canoes, silently--oh, sosilently! But presently they got into that track of moonlit sea, sothat they could be counted. Thirteen! Ominous number--but ominous forwhom?
In twenty minutes the plash of the paddles could be distinctly heard,and the warriors could be seen, armed with spear and bow and deadlycrease.
"Standoff! Standoff!"
It was a shout from Dickson.
But it was answered by a wilder shout of defiance and rage, and a cloudof arrows flew inboards.
"Now then, lads!" cried the captain, "give them fits! Quick is theword!"
The six-pounder Armstrong was trained on the foremost boat, withterrible effect. "Bang!" went the gun. Heavens! what a sight! No lessthan three canoes went down, with the dead and the shrieking wounded.The others but sped onwards the faster, however. A rifle volley now.Then the other gun was fired almost straight down among them, with awfu
lresults so far as the savages were concerned.
Hall was coolly emptying his revolvers as soon as his fingers could fillthem. Had it been daylight his practice would have been better; as itwas, there was nothing to be ashamed of.
But now the canoes were close under the ship's bows and sides. Theywould attempt to board.
They did, and partly succeeded, cutting through the netting easily withtheir knives. The sailors fought like true British tars, repelling thefiends with revolvers, with the butts of their rifles, and smashing manya chest and skull even with capstan bars. The officers defended thebows.
No less than six savages managed to get inboards. The Newfoundland wasslightly wounded; then he was like a wild beast. He downed one savage,and, horrible to say, seizing him by the windpipe, drew it clean awayfrom the lungs. The others were seen to by the sailors, and theirbodies tossed