CHAPTER X
THE BARRIER REEF
BEFORE Tamate left Motu-motu for the Fly River he went to Australia. The Harrier—a little ship that took them from village to village in New Guinea—was broken and battered by the wild waves that surged on the shores of the island. But she had become so useful that the workers in New Guinea could not do without something in her stead while she was in dock under repair. Mr. Chalmers went to get another boat to do her work.
The Harrier crossed safely from New Guinea to the coast of Australia through stormy seas. She came to the great Barrier Reef that lies along the shore of that part of Australia. At some parts the reef is more than fifty miles out to sea, at others it runs almost close to the rocks of the shore. It has openings through which ships may enter the deep water within it. The Harrier made for one of these some distance north of Cooktown and entered it safely.
Although the night was stormy, and the wind against them, the crew were in great spirits, and sang “Homeward Bound” as they worked. They thought of their wives and the other friends who would welcome them in port. It was Thursday evening, and now that they were safe within the Barrier Reef they hoped to enter the harbour next morning.
But the weather was against them. Though they carried sail all night, they found when morning came that they were very little farther south than they had been the night before. They could not sail straight into Cooktown. They had to tack backwards and forwards between the shore and the reef. The wind was so strong that it carried away some of the Harrier’s sails. The anchor was let go beside Three Islands, and the ship lay there till repairs were finished.
At four o’clock on Friday afternoon she set sail again. In the evening the captain began to hope that if he tacked once more out towards the reef he might bring her into Cooktown harbour with the return tack.
Tamate was in bed and half asleep. He heard the captain come down and go to the chart-room. Could there be any danger? He was too sleepy to trouble about that. A few minutes afterwards he was dreaming of striking a rock—bump, thump, scrape!
But was he dreaming? He started up wide-awake. In a minute he was dressed and on deck.
All hands were at work. The sails were hauled down. Then the ship’s boat was launched. She carried an anchor out to deep water. As soon as it held, the sailors turned the windlass with all their strength. They hoped to heave the Harrier off the rocks; but no, she was firm. All night long each wave drove her against the reef. As the tide fell she leaned over to one side more and more till her crew could scarcely move from place to place on her deck. There was much work to do. They had to drag on deck all the heavy things that were on board, so that if she righted again with the evening tide they might throw them into the sea. They hoped that if she was as light as possible they might heave her off into deep water again.