Afloat at Last Part 24

"The Pratas shoal!"

This was their joint exclamation; and, on the sun rising a little later on, when the whole scene and all our surroundings could be better observed, the wonder was that the Silver Queen was not in pieces and every soul on board her drowned!

To explain our miraculous escape, I may mention that this shoal, which Captain Gillespie and Mr Mackay so quickly named beyond question, was a circular coral reef almost in the centre of the China Sea, and about a hundred and thirty miles distant from Hongkong, absolutely in the very highway of vessels trading east and west.

Breakers encircled it, showing their white crests on every side, the sharp points of the coral composing the reef almost coming to the surface of the water, while at some spots it was raised above it. In these latter places it was covered with rank gra.s.s, exhibiting incipient signs of vegetation; and, within the reef, inclosed by a lagoon some three miles wide that went completely round it, lay a small island, on which were several shrubs and a prominent tree on a slight elevation, which will in process of time become a hill, whereon stood also the remains of a paG.o.da, or Chinese temple, while pieces of wreck and bleached bones were scattered over the sh.o.r.es. Of course we did not notice all these things at first, but such was the result of our subsequent observations and investigations.

As wild, desolate, and dreary a spot it was as ever anchorite imagined or poet pictured; such, at all events, we all thought on looking at it and realising the providential way in which our safety had been effected.

It happened in this wise.

There were one or two breaks in the reef surrounding this desert isle, as we could see from a link missing here and there in the chain of breakers. This was especially noticeable towards the south-western portion of the rampart the indefatigable coral insect had thrown up, where an opening about double the width of the Silver Queen's beam was plainly discernible. Through this fissure in the reef, piloted by that power which had watched over us throughout all the perils of our voyage, the s.h.i.+p had been driven; and she had beached herself gradually on the sh.o.r.e of the little island, as her way was eased by the placid lagoon into which she entered from the troubled sea without the natural breakwater. Here she was now fixed hard and fast forward, with her forefoot high and dry, although there was deep water under her stern aft.

"Thank G.o.d for his mercy!" exclaimed Mr Mackay fervently; and I'm sure I echoed this recognition of the loving care that had so wonderfully preserved us. "We couldn't have got in here without striking on the reef, if we had seen the entrance before our eyes and tried our very best; not, at all events, with that gale shoving us on and in such a sea as is running--only look at it now!"

"Oh, aye," agreed Captain Gillespie, gazing out as we all did at the creamy line of foaming breakers all round, that sent showers of surfy spray over the coral ledge into the placid lagoon, which was calm and still in comparison, like a mountain tarn, albeit filled with brackish sea-water all the same. "Oh, aye, it's wonderful enough our getting here; but how are we going to get out--eh?"

"No doubt we'll find a way," said the other, who had bared his head when giving thanksgiving where it was due; and whose n.o.ble, intelligent face, I thought, as I looked at him admiringly, seemed capable of anything, he spoke so cheerfully, his courage not daunted but increased, it seemed, all the more by what had happened--"No doubt we'll find a way, sir."

But "Old Jock" wouldn't be comforted.

Obstinately insisting before, against Mr Mackays advice, that we were going on all right, he was even more dogmatically certain now that we were all wrong; saying that, as far as he could see, the s.h.i.+p and her cargo and every one of the thirty-one souls she had on board were doomed!

"I can't see how it's going to be managed, Mackay," he replied despondingly to the other's cheery words, even his nose drooping with dismay at the prospect, superst.i.tion coming to aid his despairing conviction. "I knew there was something uncanny when those pigs jumped overboard that evening, and I told you so, if you recollect, Saunders; and you know, when I say a thing, I mean a thing."

"Aye, aye," said the second mate, thus appealed to; and who being a shallow-pated man with little feeling for anything save the indulgence of his appet.i.te, thought there was some connection, now the captain put it so, between the loss of the porkers and the s.h.i.+p's being castaway, he not having been let into the secret of the reason for the strange behaviour of the pigs on the occasion referred to. "Aye, aye, cap'en, I remember your saying so quite well."

Mr Mackay couldn't stand this, and he walked down the p.o.o.p ladder to conceal his amus.e.m.e.nt; and I followed him when I found him bent on consulting Tim Rooney as to what was to be done, the captain being hopeless at present.

"Be jabers, we're in a pritty kittle av fish an' no mistake!" said Tim when asked his opinion about the situation. "We might be able to kedge her off, sorr, an' thin ag'in we moightn't; but the foorst thing to say, sorr, is whither she's all roight below."

"A good suggestion," answered Mr Mackay. "Tell the carpenter to sound the well at once."

"That'd be no good at all, sorr," interposed the other, "for the poor craythur's got her bows hoigh an' dhry, while she's down by the starn.

The bist thing as I'd advise, sorr, excusin' the liberty, is to get down alongside an' say if she's started anythin'. That big sc.r.a.pe she got as she came over the rafe, I'm afeard, took off a bit av her kale, sorr."

"Right you are, Rooney, sensible as ever," said Mr Mackay. "We'll have a boat over the side at once and see to it."

This, however, was a work of time, for the jolly-boat, which was the only one of moderate size we had left, since the dinghy had been carried away in the typhoon, was stowed inside the long-boat; and so purchases had to be rigged to the fore and main yards before it could be raised from its berth and hoisted over the s.h.i.+p's bulwarks.

But, all hands helping, the job was done at last; when Mr Mackay descended the side-ladder into the boat along with the boatswain and a couple of men to pull round the s.h.i.+p, so as to ascertain what, if any, damage she might have received. I could not help noticing, though, that the captain did not exhibit the slightest interest when the first mate submitted what he was about to do and asked his permission--only telling him that he might go if he liked, but he thought it of little use!

I should have liked to have gone with them too, and I mentioned this to Tom Jerrold, as he and I leant over the bows and watched the jolly-boat and those in her below us; for although Tim Rooney had spoken of the s.h.i.+p being "high and dry" she was still in shallow water forward, the sh.e.l.ly bottom being to be seen at the depth of two or three feet or so, the beach shelving abruptly.

While the two of us were looking at the boat, though, and the island in front spread out before us, with its solitary tree, ruined Chinese paG.o.da and all, which Ching w.a.n.g was also inspecting with much interest from the forecastle, we were suddenly startled by a shout aft from Captain Gillespie, who still remained on the p.o.o.p.

"Hi, Mackay," he cried, "come back. Here is that blessed proa and junk, and a whole fleet of pirates after us!"

This made both Tom and I turn pale, although Ching w.a.n.g betrayed no expression of alarm when we explained the captain's hail to him, only his little beady eyes twinkling.

"You fightee number one chop, tyfong makee scarcee chop chop, Sabby? No goodee when sailor-mannee fightee!"

When we got aft, where we were soon joined by Mr Mackay, who had instantly obeyed the captain's order of recall, and said, by the way, that they could not discover much injury to the s.h.i.+p forward save that a portion of her false keel had been torn off, "Old Jock" pointed out some specks on the horizon to windward. These, on being scrutinised through the gla.s.s by the first mate, were declared to be the now familiar proa and her consort, a fact which I corroborated with my naked eye from the mizzen cross-trees whither I at once ascended.

The sea, I noticed too, had calmed down considerably outside the reef, which the pirate junks gained later on in the afternoon, coming through the opening we had observed to the south and west one by one, in single file, and then advancing towards the Silver Queen in line.

Presently, when about half a mile off, they stopped on a flag being hoisted by the leading proa, which appeared to command the expedition; and then, amidst the hideous din of a lot of tin-kettly drums and gongs, the pirates, for such they now showed themselves to be without doubt, opened fire on the s.h.i.+p with cannon and jingals--the b.a.l.l.s from the former soon singing in the air as they pa.s.sed over our masts, their aim, however, being rather high and eccentric, although the first that whistled past made me duck my head in fright, thinking it was coming towards me.

"Oh!" I cried; but I may say without any exaggeration or desire to brag, that I did not flinch again, nor did I utter another "Oh!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

CHING w.a.n.g AND I ESCAPE IN THE SAMPAN.

It must not be thought, though, that we were inactive all the time the pirates were coming nearer after the first warning of their unexpected approach.

No, on the contrary, we made every preparation, with the means at our disposal, to receive them with proper respect.

"Begorra, if they'd ownly tould us afore we lift the ould country we'd a had some big guns, too," said Tim Rooney as he blazed away at a chap with a red sash on in the prow of the proa, taking aim at him with one of the Martini-Henry rifles that had been brought up by the captain from his cabin. "So, me hearties, ye'll have to take the will for the dade, an' this little lidden messenger, avic, to show as how we aren't onmindful av ye, sure, an' that there's no ill falin' atwane us!"

Yes, we had made every preparation.

The moment Captain Gillespie was a.s.sured that the the pirates--towards whom he had conceived a deadly hatred, although believing them lost in the storm that had caught us--were coming again in chase of our unfortunate s.h.i.+p, he woke up once more into his old animated self, his nose twisting this way and that as he sniffed and snorted, full of warlike energy.

"I'll soon teach 'em a lesson," he cried cheerily to Mr Mackay. "When they tackle Jock Gillespie, they'll find their match; and, ye know, when I say a thing I mean a thing!"

Thereupon he bounced down the companion, telling Jerrold and me to follow him; which, as may be supposed, we did with the greatest alacrity, "Old Jock" not often inviting us to his sanctum.

"Here, lads," he said, emptying out an old arm-chest which was stowed under his bunk on to the floor, "lend a hand, will ye?"

Of course we did "lend the hand" he requested thus politely in a tone of command, only too glad to overhaul the stock of weapons tumbled out all together from the chest.

There were a couple of Martini-Henry rifles, sighted for long ranges; three old Enfields of the pattern the volunteers used to be supplied with some years ago; a large bore shot-gun; and a few revolvers of various sorts--one of the latter making my eyes glisten at the sight of it, for it was just suited to me, I thought.

The captain seemed to antic.i.p.ate my wish, even before I could give it utterance.

"Do ye know how to fire a pistol?" he asked Jerrold and me, looking from one to the other of us, with a profound sniff of interrogation. "Have either of ye handled ere a one before?"

"Oh, yes, sir," said I; while Tom Jerrold laughed.

"Don't you remember, cap'en," he cried, "giving me that fat one there, the Colt revolver, last voyage when you thought there was going to be a mutiny; and how you instructed me how to use it?"

"Oh, aye, I remember. I clean forgot, lad; this bother about the s.h.i.+p has turned my head, I think," snorted he, not a bit angrily though.

"Well, take the same weapon again now, lad, as you're familiar with it; and you, youngster, have you got any choice?"

"I'd like this one, sir," I replied, fixing on my original selection, as he turned to me and asked this question, "if you'll let me have it. I won't hurt it."