Situated as we were, we did not feel ourselves at liberty to expostulate against the obvious unreasonableness of their demands. We were, in truth, indebted to them for our maintenance while among them, and for the assistance they rendered us in fitting up our craft; and, as a suitable requital for these favors, and to remunerate them for their hospitality, we solemnly assured them, that, should fortune so far prosper us, as to enable us once more to reach our native country, we would send to them two hundred muskets, ten casks of powder, with a corresponding quantity of balls and flints. Besides this, we gave them assurances of having several articles of ornament, such as beads, belts, combs, and trinkets of various kinds.
On the 27th of October, 1832, we set sail, having the boat in which we had escaped from the ship, and which we had repaired as well as we were able, and the canoe which had been constructed by the natives especially for our use. It was agreed, that three of our number, viz. Davis, Meder, and Alden, should remain on the island as hostages, and that three of the natives (two chiefs, and one of the common class) should accompany us, to see that the agreement made with them should be faithfully executed. Fearing that the natives residing on the other part of the island might come upon us and prevent our going, we took our departure in the night. We soon found that our boats leaked so badly that it would be next to madness to proceed, and we returned in the course of the night. Our unexpected return gave great offence; but we insisted that to go to sea in that condition would be certain destruction. They at length consented to assist in repairing the canoe and boat, and to suffer us to remain long enough to complete our arrangements more to our mind.
We were detained by these operations about a month, and then again took our leave of the spot where we had remained so long against our will; though we would not conceal the fact, that the rude kindness of the natives had so entirely overbalanced their faults, that, on parting with them, we experienced emotions of regret, and were quite overpowered with a sense of our obligations to them for the many favors which they had bestowed upon us. They had regarded and treated us as beings of a higher order than themselves; and our conduct had inspired them with a veneration and confidence almost unbounded. As a proof of this, three of their number were committed to our care, and were entirely willing to place themselves at our disposal.
Seven of our number now took the canoe, viz., Bouket, Sedon, Andrews, Hulet, and the three natives. Captain Barnard, Rollins, Nute, and myself preferred the ship's boat. We were accompanied on our passage the first day by a large number of the natives. At night, as we had then succeeded in getting beyond the reef, they left us, and we continued our course.
FOOTNOTES:
[3] The Englishman before mentioned, Charles Washington, told us that this compass was left there about thirty years before, which was the time when captain James Wilson, of the ship Duff, was there. But from circumstances it appeared that he was mistaken as to the time, and that it was one which had belonged to captain Henry Wilson, who was shipwrecked there in the Antelope, in 1783, and of whose voyage and disasters a most interesting and well-known account was published by Mr. Keate. Its preservation for about fifty years is certainly remarkable.—Edit.
CHAPTER VI.
Regret at having undertaken the voyage in boats.—Storm, and damage in consequence of it.—Loss of the canoe and the provisions on board.—Danger of perishing from famine.—On the fifteenth day, when nearly exhausted with fatigue and hunger, they discover a small island.—Approach of eighteen canoes filled with natives, who make prisoners of them all.—Cruelty of the natives; and return with their prisoners to the island.—Reception there.—The prisoners distributed among the captors.
We had not proceeded far before we had reasons for regretting, that we had entered upon the perilous undertaking of navigating the waters of that region in boats so poorly adapted to the purposes we had in view. There came on a violent storm of rain, the wind blowing hard, and the waves threatening to swallow us each moment of the night. To our dismay, the rudder of the canoe, owing to the imperfect manner in which it had been constructed, was unshipped, and for a time the destruction of those on board seemed inevitable. Fortunately we continued to keep company. By great exertion we made out to replace the rudder in the morning, and then proceeded. In the course of the day the rudder was again unshipped; but, with less difficulty than before, we succeeded in fastening it to its place with ropes, so that it answered tolerably well as a substitute for a better one. Happy would it have been for us, if this had been the worst of the disasters of our voyage. Our mast next went by the board; and during the whole of the next night, we lay drifting at the mercy of the winds and waves. In the mean time the canoe sprung a leak, and we found it impossible to bail out the water as fast as it came in. In this extremity we lost no time in shifting all our lading into one end of the canoe; and by tearing up our old clothes, and stuffing them into the crack, we at length stopped the leak. In this sad plight we continued on, meeting with no very serious accident till the fifth day from the time of leaving the island; when, just at the setting of the sun, owing to some mismanagement, a light puff of wind capsized the canoe! Fortunately no one was drowned. All but three swam to our boat; those who remained continued through the night to cling to the canoe. With great difficulty we kept our boat from being stove in pieces by coming in contact with the canoe. During all this time it rained very hard, and never had we experienced a more dismal night. In the morning we tried to get the canoe right side up; but finding that impossible, we concluded to abandon it entirely. We took from it a few cocoa-nuts, and, as our last resort, all took refuge in the boat. We saved the compass, and did not so much regret the loss of the canoe, as it had cost us already an incalculable amount of anxiety, toil, and suffering.