CHAPTER NINE.
THE LAST.
That Jarwin's deliverance from slavery was not a dream, but a blessedreality, was proved to him next day beyond all doubt by the singularproceedings of Big Chief and his tribe. Such of the native idols as hadnot been burned on the previous day were brought out, collected into aheap, and publicly burned, after which the whole tribe assembled on thepalavering ground, and Big Chief made a long, earnest, and animatedspeech, in which he related all that he had seen of his white slave'sconduct at the island of Raratonga, and stated how that conduct hadproved to him, more conclusively than anything else he had heard orseen, that the religion of the white missionaries was true.
While this was being spoken, many sage reflections were passing throughJarwin's mind, and a feeling of solemn thankfulness filled him when heremembered how narrowly he had escaped doing inconceivable damage bygiving way to temptation and breaking his word. He could not avoidperceiving that, if he had not been preserved in a course of rectitudeall through his terrible trial, at a time when he thought that no onewas thinking about him, not only would Big Chief and his nation haveprobably remained in heathen superstition, and continued to practise allthe horrid and bloody rites which that superstition involved, but hisown condition of slavery would, in all probability, have been continuedand rendered permanent; for Big Chief and his men were numerous andpowerful enough to have held their own against the Raratongans, while,at the same time, it was probable that he would have lost his master'sregard, as he would certainly have lost his respect.
He could not help reflecting, also, how much the cause of Christianitymust often suffer in consequence of the conduct of many seamen, callingthemselves Christians, who visit the South-Sea Islands, and leaddissolute, abandoned lives while there. Some of these, he knew, broughtthis discredit on the name of Jesus thoughtlessly, and would, perhaps,be solemnised and sorry if they knew the terrible results of theirconduct; while others, he also knew, cared nothing for Christianity, orfor anything in the world except the gratification of their own selfishdesires.
While he was yet pondering these things, Big Chief advanced towards him,and, taking him by the hand, led him into the centre of the concourse.To his great surprise and confusion the tall chief said--
"Now, Jowin will palaver to you. He is one Breetish tar--one Christian.He can tell us what we shall do."
Saying this, Big Chief sat down, and left Jarwin standing in the midstscratching his head, and looking with extreme perplexity at the vast seaof black faces and glittering eyes which were directed towards him.
"W'y, you know, old man, it ain't fair of you, this ain't," he said,addressing himself to Big Chief; "you've took me all aback, like a whitesquall. How d'ee s'pose that _I_ can tell 'ee wot to do? I ain't aparson--no, not even a clerk, or a parish beadle!"
To this Big Chief vouchsafed no further reply than--"Palaver, youBreetish tar!"
"Wery good," exclaimed Jarwin, turning round, and looking full at hisaudience, while a bright smile lit up his sunburnt countenance, as if asudden idea had occurred to him, "I'll do my best to palaver. Heregoes, then, for a yarn."
Jarwin spoke, of course, in the native tongue, which we translate intohis own language.
"Big Chief, small chiefs, and niggers in general," he began, with a waveof his right hand, "you've called on me for a speech. Good. I'm yourman, I'm a `Breetish tar,' as your great chief says truly--that's afact; an' I'm a Christian--I _hope_. God knows, I've sometimes my owndoubts as to that same; but the doubts ain't with reference to theAlmighty; they're chiefly as regards myself. Howsever, to come to thepoint, you've gone and burnt your idols--"
"Ho!" exclaimed the whole assembly, with a degree of energy that made adeep impression on the sailor--just as one might be impressed when hehas been permitted to become the happy medium of achieving some greatend which he had never dreamed of being privileged to accomplish.
"Well, then," continued Jarwin, "_that_ is a good thing, anyhow; forit's a disgrace to human natur', not to speak o' common-sense an' otherthings, to worship stocks an' stones, w'en the Bible _distinctly_ tolls'ee not to do it. You've done right in that matter; an' glad am I tohear from Big Chief that you intend, after this, to foller _the truth_.Old man, an' niggers," cried Jarwin, warming up, "to my mind, thehighest thing that a man can dewot his-self to is, the follerin' out an'fallin' in with _the truth_. Just s'pose that chemists, an' ingineers,an' doctors was to foller lies! W'y, wot would come of it? Confoosionwus confounded. In coorse, therefore, they carefully _tries_ to follerwots _true_--though I'm bound for to say they _do_ git off the track nowan' then. Well, if it's so with such like, it's much more so withreligion. Wot then? W'y, stand by your colours, through thick an'thin. Hold on to the Bible! That's the watchword. That's yoursheet-anchor--though you haven't seed one yet. It's good holdin' groundis the Bible--it's the _only_ holdin' ground. `How does I know that?'says you. Well, it ain't easy for me to give you an off-hand answer tothat, any more than it is to give you an off-hand answer to acomplicated question in the rule o' three. A parson could do it, nodoubt, but the likes o' me can only show a sort o' reflected light likethe moon; nevertheless, we may show a true light--though reflected.Chiefs an' niggers, there's asses in every generation (young asseschiefly) as thinks they've found out somethin' noo in regard to theBible, an' then runs it down. An' them fellers grow old, an' sticks totheir opinions; an' they think themselves wise, an' other people thinks'em wise 'cause they're old, as if oldness made 'em wise! W'y are theyasses? W'y, because they formed their opinions _early_ in life, inopposition to men wot has studied these matters all through their lives.Havin' hoisted their colours, they nails 'em to the mast; an' therethey are! They never goes at the investigation o' the subject as a maninvestigates mathematics, or navigation, or logarithms; so they're likea ship at sea without a chart. Niggers, no man can claim to be wiseunless he can `render a reason.' He _may_ be, p'raps, but he can't_claim_ to be. _I_ believe the Bible's true because o' two facts. Fustof all, men of the highest intellec' have found it true, an tried it,an' practised its teachin's, an' rested their souls on it. In thesecond place, as the parsons say, _I_ have tried it, an' found it trueas fur as I've gone. I've sailed accordin to the chart, an' have struckon no rocks or shoals as yet. I've bin wery near it; but, thank God, Iwasn't allowed to take the wrong course altogether, though I've got toconfess that I wanted to, many a time. Now, wot does all this here cometo?" demanded Jarwin, gazing round on his audience, who were intenselyinterested, though they did not understand much of what he said, "wot_does_ it come to? W'y that, havin' wisely given up yer idols, an'taken to the true God, the next best thing you can do is to go off atonce to Raratonga, an' git the best adwice you can from those wot aretrained for to give it. I can't say no fairer than that, for, as toaskin' adwice on religious matters from the likes o' me, w'y the thing'sparfitly ridiklous!"
Jarwin sat down amid a murmur of applause. In a few minutes an oldchief rose to reply. His words were to the effect that, although therewas much in their white brother's speech beyond their understanding--which was not to be wondered at, considering that he was so learned, andthey so ignorant--there was one part of it which he thoroughly agreedwith, namely, that a party should be sent to Raratonga to inform theCookee missionaries as to what had taken place, to ask advice, and tobeg one of the Cookees to come and live permanently on their island, andteach them the Christian religion. Another chief followed with wordsand sentiments to much the same effect. Then Big Chief gave orders thatthe canoes for the deputation should be got ready without delay, and themeeting broke up with loud shouts and other pleasant demonstrations.
Matters having been thus satisfactorily arranged, Jarwin returned to hishut with a grateful heart, to meditate on the happy turn that had takenplace in his prospects. Finding the hut not quite congenial to hisframe of mind, and observing that the day was unusually fine, heresolved to ramble in the cool shades of a neighbouring wood.
"Come,
Cuff, my doggie, you an' I shall go for a walk this fine day;we've much to think about an' talk over, d'ee see, which is best done insolitary places."
Need we say that Cuffy responded with intense enthusiasm to thisinvitation, and that his "spanker boom" became violently demonstrativeas he followed his master into the wood.
Jarwin still wore, as we have said, his old canvas trousers, which hadbeen patched and re-patched to such an extent with native cloth, thatvery little of the original fabric was visible. The same may be said ofhis old flannel shirt, to which he clung with affectionate regard longafter it had ceased to be capable of clinging to him without patchworkstrengthening. The remnants of his straw hat, also, had been carefullykept together, so that, with the exception of the paint on his face,which Big Chief insisted on his wearing, and the huge South-Sea clubwhich he carried habitually for protection, he was still a fair specimenof a British tar.
Paroquets were chattering happily; rills were trickling down thehillsides; fruit and flower trees perfumed the air, and everythinglooked bright and beautiful--in pleasant accordance with the state ofJarwin's feelings--while the two friends wandered away through the woodsin dreamy enjoyment of the past and present, and with hopefulanticipations in regard to the future. Jarwin said something to thiseffect to Cuffy, and put it to him seriously to admit the truth of whathe said, which that wise dog did at once--if there be any truth in theold saying that "silence is consent."
After wandering for several hours, they came out of the wood at a partof the coast which lay several miles distant from Big Chief's village.Here, to his surprise and alarm, he discovered two war-canoes in the actof running on the beach. He drew back at once, and endeavoured toconceal himself, for he knew too well that this was a party from adistant island, the principal chief of which had threatened more thanonce to make an attack on Big Chief and his tribe. But Jarwin had beenobserved, and was immediately pursued and his retreat cut off byhundreds of yelling savages. Seeing this, he ran down to the beach,and, taking up a position on a narrow spit of sand, flourished hisponderous club and stood at bay. Cuffy placed himself close behind hismaster, and, glaring between his legs at the approaching savages,displayed all his teeth and snarled fiercely. One, who appeared to be achief, ran straight at our hero, brandishing a club similar to his own.Jarwin had become by that time well practised in the use of his weapon;he evaded the blow dealt at him, and fetched the savage such a whack onthe small of his back as he passed him, that he fell flat on the sandand lay there. Cuffy rushed at him and seized him by the throat, an actwhich induced another savage to launch a javelin at the dog. It grazedhis back, cut it partly open, and sent him yelling into the woods.Meanwhile, Jarwin was surrounded, and, although he felled three or fourof his assailants, was quickly overpowered by numbers, gagged, lashedtight to a pole, so that he could not move, and laid in the bottom ofone of the war-canoes.
Even when in this sad plight the sturdy seaman did not lose heart, forhe knew well that Cuffy being wounded and driven from his master's side,would run straight home to his master's hut, and that Big Chief would atonce suspect, from the nature of the wound and the circumstance of thedog being alone, that it was necessary for him and his men-of-war totake the field; Jarwin, therefore, felt very hopeful that he should bespeedily rescued. But such hopes were quickly dispelled when, after anoisy dispute on the beach, the savages, who owned the canoe in which helay, suddenly re-embarked and pushed off to sea, leaving the other canoeand its crew on the beach.
Hour after hour passed, but the canoe-men did did not relax theirefforts. Straight out to sea they went, and when the sun set, BigChief's island had already sunk beneath the horizon.
Now, indeed, a species of wild despair filled the breast of the poorcaptive. To be thus seized, and doomed in all probability to perpetualbondage, when the cup of regained liberty had only just touched hislips, was very hard to bear. When he first fully realised hissituation, he struggled fiercely to burst his bonds, but the men who hadtied him knew how to do their work. He struggled vainly until he wasexhausted. Then, looking up into the starry sky, his mind becamegradually composed, and he had recourse to prayer. Slumber ere longsealed his eyes, setting him free in imagination, and he did not againwaken until daylight was beginning to appear.
All that day he lay in the same position, without water or food, crampedby the cords that bound him, and almost driven mad by the heat of anunclouded sun. Still, onward went the canoe--propelled by men whoappeared to require no rest. Night came again, and Jarwin--by that timenearly exhausted--fell into a troubled slumber. From this he wassuddenly aroused by loud wild cries and shouts, as of men engaged indeadly conflict, and he became aware of the fact that the canoe in whichhe lay was attacked, for the warriors had thrown down their paddles andseized their clubs, and their feet trod now on his chest, now on hisface, as they staggered to and fro. In a few minutes several dead andwounded men fell on him; then he became unconscious.
When John Jarwin's powers of observation returned, he found himselflying on his back in a neat little bed, with white cotton curtains, in asmall, comfortably-furnished room, that reminded him powerfully of home!Cuffy lay on the counterpane, sound asleep, with his chin on hismaster's breast. At the bedside, with her back to him, sat a female,dressed in European clothes, and busy sewing.
"Surely it ain't bin all a long dream!" whispered Jarwin to himself.
Cuffy cocked his ears and head, and turned a furtive glance on hismaster's face, while his "spanker boom" rose with the evident intentionto wag, if circumstances rendered it advisable; but circumstances had oflate been rather perplexing to Cuffy. At the same time the femaleturned quickly round and revealed a brown, though pleasant, face.Simultaneously, a gigantic figure arose at his side and bent over him.
"You's bedder?" said the gigantic figure.
"Hallo! Big Chief! Wot's up, old feller?" exclaimed Jarwin.
"Hold you's tongue!" said Big Chief, sternly. "Go way," he added, tothe female, who, with an acquiescent smile, left the room.
"Well, this _is_ queer; an' I feels queer. Queery--wots the meanin' ofit?" asked Jarwin.
"You's bin bad, Jowin," answered Big Chief, gravely, "wery bad. Deada-most. Now, you's goin' to be bedder. Doctor say that--"
"Doctor!" exclaimed Jarwin in surprise, "_what_ doctor?"
"Doctor of ship. Hims come ebbery day for to see you."
"Ship!" cried Jarwin, springing up in his bed and glaring at Big Chiefin wonder.
"Lie down, you Christian Breetish tar," said the Chief, sternly, at thesame time laying his large hand on the sailor's chest with a degree offorce that rendered resistance useless. "Hold you's tongue an' listen.Doctor say you not for speak. Me tell you all about it.
"Fust place," continued Big Chief, "you's bin bad, konsikince of deblackguard's havin' jump on you's face an' stummick. But we give 'emawful lickin', Jowin--oh! smash um down right and left; got you out decanoe--dead, I think, but no, not jus' so. Bring you here--Raratonga.De Cookee missionary an' his wife not here; away in ship you sees immake. Native teecher here. Dat teecher's wife bin nurse you an' goaway jus' now. Ship comes here for trade, bound for England. Ams gotdoctor. Doctor come see you, shake ums head; looks long time; say heput you `all right.' Four week since dat. Now, you's hall right?"
The last words he uttered with much anxiety depicted on his countenance,for he had been so often deceived of late by Jarwin having occasionallucid intervals in the midst of his delirium, that his faith in him hadbeen shaken.
"All right!" exclaimed Jarwin, "aye, right as a trivet. Bound forEngland, did 'ee say--the ship?"
Big Chief nodded and looked very sad. "You go home?" he asked, softly.
Jarwin was deeply touched, he seized the big man's hand, and, not beingstrong, failed to restrain a tear or two. Big Chief, being _very_strong--in feelings as well as in frame--burst into tears. Cuffy, beingutterly incapable of making head or tail of it, gave vent to aprolonged, dismal howl, which changed
to a bark and whine ofsatisfaction when his master laughed, patted him, and advised him not tobe so free in the use of his "spanker boom!"
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Four weeks later, and Jarwin, with Cuffy by his side, stood, "himselfagain," on the quarterdeck of the _Nancy_ of Hull, while the "Yo, heaveho!" of the sailors rang an accompaniment to the clatter of the windlassas they weighed anchor, Big Chief held his hand and wept, and rubbednoses with him--to such an extent that the cabin boy said it was aperfect miracle that they had a scrap of nose left on their faces--andwould not be consoled by the assurance that he, Jarwin, would certainlymake another voyage to the South Seas, if he should be spared to do so,and occasion offered, for the express purpose of paying him a visit. Atlast he tore himself away, got into his canoe, and remained gazing inspeechless sorrow after the homeward-bound vessel as she shook out hertopsails to the breeze.
Despite his efforts, poor Jarwin was so visibly affected at parting fromhis kind old master, that the steward of the ship, a sympathetic man,was induced to offer him a glass of grog and a pipe. He accepted both,mechanically, still gazing with earnest looks at the fast-recedingcanoe.
Presently he raised the glass to his lips, and his nose became aware ofthe long-forgotten odour! The current of his thoughts was violentlychanged. He looked intently at the glass and then at the pipe.
"Drink," said the sympathetic steward, "and take a whiff. It'll do yougood."
"Drink! whiff!" exclaimed Jarwin, while a dark frown gathered on hisbrow. "There, old Father Neptune," he cried, tossing the glass and pipeoverboard, "_you_ drink and whiff, if you choose; John Jarwin has donewi' drinkin' an' whiffin' for ever! Thanks to _you_, all the same, an'no offence meant," he added in a gentler tone, turning to the astonishedsteward, and patting him on the shoulder, "but if you had suffered allthat I have suffered through bein' a slave to the glass and the pipe--when I _thought_ I was no slave, mark you, an' would have larfed any oneto scorn who'd said I wos--if you'd see'd me groanin', an yearnin', an'dreamin' of baccy an' grog, as I _have_ done w'en I couldn't get neitherof 'em for love or money--you wouldn't wonder that I ain't goin' to besuch a born fool as to go an' sell myself over again!"
Turning quickly towards the shore, as if regretting that he should, fora moment, have appeared to forget his old friend, he pulled out hishandkerchief and waved it over the side. Big Chief repliedenergetically with a scrap of native cloth--not having got the length ofhandkerchiefs at that time.
"Look at 'im, Cuff" exclaimed Jarwin, placing his dog on the bulwarks ofthe ship, "look at him, Cuff, and wag your `spanker boom' to him, too--ay, that's right--for he's as kind-hearted a nigger as ever owned aBreetish tar for a slave."
He said no more, but continued to wave his handkerchief at intervalsuntil the canoe seemed a mere speck on the horizon, and, after it wasgone, he and his little dog continued to gaze sadly at the island, as itgrew fainter and fainter, until it sank at last into the great bosom ofthe Pacific Ocean.
The next land seen by Jarwin and Cuffy was--the white cliffs of OldEngland!
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