Chapter Twenty.
Nero, who was an early riser, woke me up at daybreak, or I should have slept much longer; for I had been tired out with the fatigue and excitement of the night before. As soon as I was up, I looked into the cabin, and found the woman was fast asleep; her straw hat was off, but she had lain down in her clothes. Her black hair was hanging about her shoulders. Having only seen Jackson with his bushy beard, I had been somewhat surprised when I first saw the men on their landing so comparatively clear of hair on their face; my astonishment at the clear white skin of a woman—and in this instance, it was peculiarly white and pallid—was very great. I also perceived how much more delicate her features were than those of the men; her teeth, too, were very white, and Jackson’s were discoloured and bad; I longed to see her eyes, but they were closed. Any other difference I could not perceive, as she had drawn the blanket close up to her chin.
“This is then a woman;” said I to myself: “yes, and it’s very like what I used to see in my dreams.” I looked a little longer, and then, hearing Nero coming into the cabin behind me, and afraid that she would awake, I made a hasty retreat.
I remained at this part of the cabin considering what I should do. I thought I would light a fire, and go down for a fish to broil on the embers for her breakfast, so I called Nero to come down with me. On arriving at the pool, I found all the seamen fast asleep under the tent they had made with the boat’s sails; and they appeared to be much the same as Jackson used to be after he had got drunk the night before; I presumed, therefore, that such was their state, and was not far wrong. Nero went into the pool and brought out a fish, as I ordered him, and I then walked to the boat to examine it. This took me half an hour, and I was sorry that none of the men were awake, that so I might ask any questions I wished. I examined the pitch-kettle, and the boat’s sails, and the breakers. Breakers are small casks, holding about six to seven gallons of water, and are very handy for boats. I remained about an hour, and then went back to the cabin, carrying a fagot on my shoulder, Nero following with the fish in his mouth. We were met by the woman, who came out of the cabin; she no longer had the blanket round her, for it was a beautiful bright morning, and very warm.
“Nero is bringing you your breakfast,” said I, “so you ought to like him.”
“I dare say I shall, if we are to be companions in future,” replied she.
“Do you want anything?” said I.
“Yes, a little water, if you can get me some.”
I filled the kid from the spring, put it down by her, and then took out the inside of the fish, and fed the birds, who were crowding round me.
The woman washed her face and hands, braided up her hair, and then sat down on the rock. In the mean time, I had lighted my fagot, cleaned the fish, and waited till the wood was burnt to ashes before I put the fish on the fire. Having then nothing to do, I thought that reading would amuse the woman, and I went in for the Bible.
“Shall I read to you?” said I.
“Yes,” replied she with some astonishment in her looks.
I read to her the history of Joseph and his brethren, which was my favourite story in the Bible.
“Who taught you to read?” said she, as I shut the book, and put the fish on the embers.
“Jackson,” said I.
“He was a good man, was he not?” replied she.
I shook my head. “No, not very good,” said I, at last. “If you knew all about him, you would say the same; but he taught me to read.”
“How long have you been on this island?” said she.
“I was born on it, but my father and mother are both dead, and Jackson died three years ago—since that I have been quite alone, only Nero with me.”
She then asked me a great many more questions, and I gave her a short narration of what had passed, and what Jackson had told me; I also informed her how it was I procured food, and how we must soon leave the island, now that we were so many, or the food would not last out till the birds came again.
By this time the fish was cooked, and I took it off the fire and put it into the kid, and we sat down to breakfast; in an hour or so we had become very sociable.
I must, however, now stop a little to describe her. What the men had told me was quite true. She had lost her husband, and was intending to proceed to England. Her name was Reichardt, for her husband was a German, or of German family. She was, as I have since ascertained, about thirty-seven years old, and very tall and elegant; she must have been very handsome when she was younger, but she had suffered much hardship in following her husband as she had done, through all the vicissitudes of his travels.
Her face was oval; eyes black and large; and her hair black as the raven’s wing; her features were small and regular; her teeth white and good; but her complexion was very pallid, and not a vestige of colour on her cheeks. As I have since thought, it was more like a marble statue than anything I can compare her to. There was a degree of severity in her countenance when she did not smile, and it was seldom that she did. I certainly looked upon her with more awe than regard, for some time after I became acquainted with her; and yet her voice was soft and pleasant, and her manners very amiable; but it must be remembered I had never before seen a woman. After breakfast was over, I proposed going down to where the seamen lay, to see if they were awake; but I told her I thought that they would not be.
“I will go with you, as I left a basket with some things of mine in the boat, and it will be as well to bring them up at once.”
We therefore set off together, I having ordered Nero to stay in the cabin. On our arrival at the pool, we found the men still fast asleep; and by her directions I went into the water to the boat, and brought out a basket and a small bundle which she pointed out.
“Shall I wake them?” said I.
“No, no,” replied she; “so long as they sleep, they will be doing no harm. But,” said she, “we may as well take some potatoes up with us; fill both these handkerchiefs,” continued she, taking two out of the bundle. I did so, and she took one and I the other, and we returned to the cabin.
“Are these all the birds that you have for food?” said she, looking at the pile in the cabin.
“Yes,” replied I. “But what are we to do with the potatoes?”
“We can roast them by the fire if we like,” said she; “but at present we had better take them into the cabin. Did you plant all these flowers and creepers which grow over the cabin?”
“Yes,” replied I. “I was alone and had nothing to do, so I thought I would make a garden.”
“They are very pretty. Now that I am back, you can go down to the men if you please, and tell them, when they wake up, that I wish to have the smallest of the boat’s sails, to make a screen of. Tell the mate—he is the most civil.”
“I will,” said I. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes, bring up a few more potatoes; they will let you take them if you say that I told you.”
“Shall I take Nero with me?”
“Yes, I do not want his company, for I am a little afraid of him.”
I called Nero, who came after me, and went down to the pool, when I found that the men had all woke up, and were very busy, some lighting a fire, some washing potatoes, and some trying to catch the fish in the pool.
“Oh, here he is. Come, boy, what have you got for our breakfast? We’ve been trying to catch some of these fish, but they’re as quick as eels.”
“Nero will soon catch you what you want,” replied I. “Here, Nero, in.”
Nero plunged in, and soon brought out a fish, and I then sent him in for another.
“Thanks, lad,” said the mate, “that will be enough for our breakfast. That seal of yours is a handy fellow, and well trained.”
While the other men were getting breakfast, one of them went up to Nero, I believe with the intention of making friends with him, but Nero rejected his advances, and showed his sharp teeth, snapping at him several times. The man became angry, and caught up a piece of rock to throw at the seal. He aimed at the animal’s nose, and narrowly missed hitting it. Had he done so, he would probably have killed it. This made me very angry, and I told the man not to do so again; upon this, he caught up another, and was about to throw it, when I seized him by the collar with my left hand, and with my right drawing my American knife, I threatened to stab him with it, if he attacked the beast. The man started back, and in so doing, fell over a piece of rock, on his back. This quarrel brought the mate to us, along with two or three of the men. My knife was still lifted up, when the mate said:
“Come, my hearty, no knives, we don’t allow them. That’s not English. Put it up; no one shall hurt the beast, I promise you. Bob, you fool, why couldn’t you leave the animal alone? You forget you are among savages here.”
At this, the other men burst out into a laugh.
“Yes,” observed one; “I can swear, when I get back, that the natives of this island are savages, who eat raw flesh, have seals for playmates, and don’t wear clothes enough for common decency?”
This made them laugh more, and the man who had attacked Nero, and who had got upon his legs again, joined with the others; so all was again good humour. The men sat down to their breakfast, while I examined the boat again, and afterwards asked many questions, with which they were much amused, every now and then observing, “Well, he is a savage!”
After they had breakfasted, I made Nero catch another fish, and sent him up to the cabin with it, as I was afraid that the man might do him an injury, and then told the mate that the woman had desired me to bring up some potatoes.
“Take them,” said he; “but you have nothing to carry them up with. Here, fill the pail, and I will go to the cabin with you.”
“She told me that I was to ask you for a small boat’s sail, to hang up as a screen.”
“Well, she shall have the boat’s mizen. We don’t want it. I’ll carry it up.”
The mate threw the sail and yard over his shoulder, and followed me up to the cabin. On our arrival, we found the missionary’s wife sitting on the platform, Nero lying not far from her, with the fish beside him. The mate took off his hat, and saluted my new companion, saying, that he hoped she was comfortable last night.
“Yes,” replied she, “as much so as I could expect; but I turned this good lad out of his cabin, which I do not wish to do again, and therefore I requested the sail for a screen. Now, John Gough, what do you intend to do?” continued she.
The mate replied, “I came up here to see what quantity of provision the lad might have. By his account, it will not last more than a month, and it will take some time before we can reach where we are likely to fall in with any vessel. Stay here we cannot, for we shall only eat the provision and lose time; therefore the sooner we are off the better.”
“If you take all the provision, of course you will take the lad with you?” replied she.
“Of course we will.”
“And my chest, and my seal?” inquired I.
“Yes, your chest, certainly; but as for your seal, I do not know what to say to that—he will be starved in the boat, and if you give him his liberty, he will do well enough.”
“What you say is very true,” replied the woman. “I am afraid, boy, that you will have to part with your friend. It will be better for both of you.”
I made no reply; for it cut me to the heart to think of parting with Nero; but still I had sense enough to perceive that what they said was right.
The mate then went into the cabin, and examined the heap of dried birds which I had collected, and having made his calculation, said that there were sufficient for three weeks, but not more.
“And when do you think of leaving this island?” inquired the woman.
“The day after to-morrow, if I can persuade the men, madam,” replied he; “but you know they are not very easy to manage, and very thoughtless, especially now that they have so unexpectedly fallen in with liquor.”
“That I admit,” replied she; “but as they will probably take the liquor in the boat, that will not make so great a difference.”
“I shall go down and speak to them, now they’re all sober,” replied the mate, “and will let you know in the evening; or to-morrow morning perhaps, will be better.” The mate then saluted her, by touching his hat, and left us.