The Coral Island by Robert Michael Ballantyne (interesting books to read in english TXT) 📖
- Author: Robert Michael Ballantyne
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looked down into the phosphorescent waves that gargled around the
ladder, and streamed out like a flame of blue light in the vessel’s
wake. My thoughts were very sad, and I could scarce refrain from
tears as I contrasted my present wretched position with the happy,
peaceful time, I had spent on the Coral Island with my dear
companions. As I thought upon Jack and Peterkin anxious
forebodings crossed my mind, and I pictured to myself the grief and
dismay with which they would search every nook and corner of the
island, in a vain attempt to discover my dead body; for I felt
assured that if they did not see any sign of the pirate schooner or
boat, when they came out of the cave to look for me, they would
never imagine that I had been carried away. I wondered, too, how
Jack would succeed in getting Peterkin out of the cave without my
assistance; and I trembled when I thought that he might lose
presence of mind, and begin to kick when he was in the tunnel!
These thoughts were suddenly interrupted and put to flight by a
bright red blaze which lighted up the horizon to the southward, and
cut a crimson glow far over the sea. This appearance was
accompanied by a low growling sound, as of distant thunder, and, at
the same time, the sky above us became black, while a hot stifling
wind blew around us in fitful gusts.
The crew assembled hastily on deck, and most of them were under the
belief that a frightful hurricane was pending; but the captain
coming on deck, soon explained the phenomena.
“It’s only a volcano,” said he. “I knew there was one hereabouts,
but thought it was extinct. Up there and furl top-gallant-sails;
we’ll likely have a breeze, and it’s well to be ready.”
As he spoke, a shower began to fall, which we quickly observed was
not rain, but fine ashes. As we were many miles distant from the
volcano, these must have been carried to us from it by the wind.
As the captain had predicted, a stiff breeze soon afterwards sprang
up, under the influence of which we speedily left the volcano far
behind us; but during the greater part of the night we could see
its lurid glare and hear its distant thunder. The shower did not
cease to fall for several hours, and we must have sailed under it
for nearly forty miles, perhaps farther. When we emerged from the
cloud, our decks and every part of the rigging were completely
covered with a thick coat of ashes. I was much interested in this,
and recollected that Jack had often spoken of many of the islands
of the Pacific as being volcanoes, either active or extinct, and
had said that the whole region was more or less volcanic, and that
some scientific men were of opinion that the islands of the Pacific
were nothing more or less than the mountain tops of a huge
continent which had sunk under the influence of volcanic agency.
Three days after passing the volcano, we found ourselves a few
miles to windward of an island of considerable size and luxuriant
aspect. It consisted of two mountains, which seemed to be nearly
four thousand feet high. They were separated from each other by a
broad valley, whose thick-growing trees ascended a considerable
distance up the mountain sides; and rich level plains, or meadow-land, spread round the base of the mountains, except at the point
immediately opposite the large valley, where a river seemed to
carry the trees, as it were, along with it down to the white sandy
shore. The mountain tops, unlike those of our Coral Island, were
sharp, needle-shaped, and bare, while their sides were more rugged
and grand in outline than anything I had yet seen in those seas.
Bloody Bill was beside me when the island first hove in sight.
“Ha!” he exclaimed, “I know that island well. They call it Emo.”
“Have you been here before, then?” I inquired.
“Ay, that I have, often, and so has this schooner. ‘Tis a famous
island for sandal-wood. We have taken many cargoes off it already,
and have paid for them too; for the savages are so numerous that we
dared not try to take it by force. But our captain has tried to
cheat them so often, that they’re beginnin’ not to like us overmuch
now. Besides, the men behaved ill the last time we were here; and
I wonder the captain is not afraid to venture. But he’s afraid o’
nothing earthly, I believe.”
We soon ran inside the barrier coral-reef, and let go our anchor in
six fathoms water, just opposite the mouth of a small creek, whose
shores were densely covered with mangroves and tall umbrageous
trees. The principal village of the natives lay about half a mile
from this point. Ordering the boat out, the captain jumped into
it, and ordered me to follow him. The men, fifteen in number, were
well armed; and the mate was directed to have Long Tom ready for
emergencies.
“Give way, lads,” cried the captain.
The oars fell into the water at the word, the boat shot from the
schooner’s side, and in a few minutes reached the shore. Here,
contrary to our expectation, we were met with the utmost cordiality
by Romata, the principal chief of the island, who conducted us to
his house, and gave us mats to sit upon. I observed in passing
that the natives, of whom there were two or three thousand, were
totally unarmed.
After a short preliminary palaver, a feast of baked pigs and
various roots was spread before us; of which we partook sparingly,
and then proceeded to business. The captain stated his object in
visiting the island, regretted that there had been a slight
misunderstanding during the last visit, and hoped that no ill-will
was borne by either party, and that a satisfactory trade would be
accomplished.
Romata answered that he had forgotten there had been any
differences between them, protested that he was delighted to see
his friends again, and assured them they should have every
assistance in cutting and embarking the wood. The terms were
afterwards agreed on, and we rose to depart. All this conversation
was afterwards explained to me by Bill, who understood the language
pretty well.
Romata accompanied us on board, and explained that a great chief
from another island was then on a visit to him, and that he was to
be ceremoniously entertained on the following day. After begging
to be allowed to introduce him to us, and receiving permission, he
sent his canoe ashore to bring him off. At the same time he gave
orders to bring on board his two favourites, a cock and a paroquet.
While the canoe was gone on this errand, I had time to regard the
savage chief attentively. He was a man of immense size, with
massive but beautifully moulded limbs and figure, only parts of
which, the broad chest and muscular arms, were uncovered; for,
although the lower orders generally wore no other clothing than a
strip of cloth called MARO round their loins, the chief, on
particular occasions, wrapped his person in voluminous folds of a
species of native cloth made from the bark of the Chinese paper-mulberry. Romata wore a magnificent black beard and moustache, and
his hair was frizzed out to such an extent that it resembled a
large turban, in which was stuck a long wooden pin! I afterwards
found that this pin served for scratching the head, for which
purpose the fingers were too short without disarranging the hair.
But Romata put himself to much greater inconvenience on account of
his hair, for we found that he slept with his head resting on a
wooden pillow, in which was cut a hollow for the neck, so that the
hair of the sleeper might not be disarranged.
In ten minutes the canoe returned, bringing the other chief, who
certainly presented a most extraordinary appearance, having painted
one half of his face red and the other half yellow, besides
ornamenting it with various designs in black! Otherwise he was
much the same in appearance as Romata, though not so powerfully
built. As this chief had never seen a ship before, except,
perchance, some of the petty traders that at long intervals visit
these remote islands, he was much taken up with the neatness and
beauty of all the fittings of the schooner. He was particularly
struck with a musket which was shown to him, and asked where the
white men got hatchets hard enough to cut the tree of which the
barrel was made! While he was thus engaged, his brother chief
stood aloof, talking with the captain, and fondling a superb cock
and a little blue-headed paroquet, the favourites of which I have
before spoken. I observed that all the other natives walked in a
crouching posture while in the presence of Romata. Before our
guests left us, the captain ordered the brass gun to be uncovered
and fired for their gratification; and I have every reason to
believe he did so for the purpose of showing our superior power, in
case the natives should harbour any evil designs against us.
Romata had never seen this gun before, as it had not been uncovered
on previous visits, and the astonishment with which he viewed it
was very amusing. Being desirous of knowing its power, he begged
that the captain would fire it. So a shot was put into it. The
chiefs were then directed to look at a rock about two miles out at
sea, and the gun was fired. In a second the top of the rock was
seen to burst asunder, and to fall in fragments into the sea.
Romata was so delighted with the success of this shot, that he
pointed to a man who was walking on the shore, and begged the
captain to fire at him, evidently supposing that his permission was
quite sufficient to justify the captain in such an act. He was
therefore surprised, and not a little annoyed, when the captain
refused to fire at the native, and ordered the gun to be housed.
Of all the things, however, that afforded matter of amusement to
these savages, that which pleased Romata’s visitor most was the
ship’s pump. He never tired of examining it, and pumping up the
water. Indeed, so much was he taken up with this pump, that he
could not be prevailed on to return on shore, but sent a canoe to
fetch his favourite stool, on which he seated himself, and spent
the remainder of the day in pumping the bilge-water out of the
ship!
Next day the crew went ashore to cut sandal-wood, while the
captain, with one or two men, remained on board, in order to be
ready, if need be, with the brass gun, which was unhoused and
conspicuously elevated, with its capacious muzzle directed point
blank at the chief’s house. The men were fully armed as usual; and
the captain ordered me to go with them, to assist in the work. I
was much pleased with this order, for it freed me from the
captain’s company, which I could not now endure, and it gave me an
opportunity of seeing the natives.
As we wound along in single file through the rich fragrant groves
of banana, cocoa-nut, bread-fruit, and other trees, I observed that
there were many of the plum and banian trees, with which I had
become familiar on the Coral Island. I noticed also large
quantities of taro-roots, yams, and sweet potatoes, growing in
enclosures. On turning into an open glade of the woods, we came
abruptly upon a cluster of native
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