CHAPTER XVI.
The Reception
THE schooner St. Kilda, which conveyed the second return party to Pitcairn Island, leaving Norfolk Island on the 18th of December, 1863, reached its destination on the 2d of February, 1864, the voyage being on the whole a pleasant one. It was night when the little ship reached the end of her voyage, a beautiful night, calm and clear, and the unsuspecting folks on shore did not dream of seeing on the morrow the long absent faces of relatives and friends, and were preparing to retire to rest when a musket’s sharp report from over the water broke the stillness. On board all was excitement and bustle, muskets firing, the young men hallooing and burning flash lights to attract the attention of those on shore, even calling some of them by their names, as the vessel was close to the land.
The perfect Babel of sounds soon succeeded in rousing, not the peaceful inhabitants only, but their terror as well. Leaving their homes, they hurried down to that part of the land overlooking the sea, whence the noise proceeded, to try to find out the cause of such a commotion. An undefinable dread took possession of their hearts when they saw the lights and heard the repeated sharp reports of the muskets across the water. The children were cautioned not to expose themselves, but to remain hidden behind the thick shrubs and trees, lest a stray ball should hit them, for they did not know that nothing but powder was put in the barrels. No answering response was made from the shore to those on board, the frightened islanders deeming it more prudent to maintain perfect silence and wait until morning to learn the cause of all the disturbance.
Very early the next morning two of the men went off in their canoes, and were agreeably surprised to find that the formidable foe of the previous night was only a party of old friends come to settle again in their former home. As soon as possible the boat was lowered and the passengers taken ashore. They were not a little amused to find that the girls on the island had by no means recovered from their fright, but, on the approach of the first persons who landed, ran away in different directions to hide themselves, and could scarcely be persuaded by their mothers to come out and greet their friends. By degrees, however, their extreme shyness wore off, and soon they were chatting away with one another about all that had taken place since their long separation.
With the exception that the once-cultivated grounds were all overrun with weeds, and the houses mostly were in ruins, there did not seem to be, to the eyes of the older people, at least, any change in the island. But to the younger people the change from the island they had just left made a great impression, the dwelling houses and kitchens, in their ugly bareness and smoke-begrimed appearance, contrasting unfavorably with the neatly-built houses and tidy kitchens they had been accustomed to. The ovens, too, where most of the cooking was done were only holes dug in the ground, the required heat being obtained from a number of small stones which were placed over a pile of wood after the fire had been kindled to heat the stones. The covering for such ovens consists of leaves, and over these a thick layer of earth, which effectually prevents the escape of the steam, which so thoroughly and so well cooks the food that is placed within.
The appearance, too, of the little village was so different from the place where they had lately lived! Instead of a long row of houses neatly standing side by side, facing a broad and well-paved street, here were only a few humbly-thatched dwellings—only two of which were habitable—half hidden amongst the thick growth of trees which surrounded them. But the general appearance, so different, was none the less beautiful, and the sight of the orange groves, displaying their wealth of golden fruit, was a very pleasing picture to the young folks, who had never seen such a sight before. Near to these could be seen the breadfruit trees, with their large, beautiful leaves, growing side by side with the glossy, dark-leaved fei, or mountain plantain, its heavy bunch of fruit being supported in an upright position by a stout stalk shooting direct from the center of the leaves, while here and there a cocoanut tree lent its graceful aid to beautify the scenery. Towering over all, and lovely in their delicate, light-green foliage, were the wide-spreading branches of the mighty banyan tree, whose roots, as they hang from the boughs overhead, prove such a strong temptation to the boys and girls to go swinging on them. Sometimes an accident happens when swinging on the roots of the banyan trees, but in no instance has it ended fatally, and in one case only were there any bones broken.
Everything about the island, and the manner of cooking and living in general, interested the young people greatly. Never before had they heard such a chorus of cock crowing in the early morning, or the endless chirpings of numberless chickens, as they followed their busy, clucking mothers. The boys and girls, to whom such a free, wild life was a desirable change from the confinement of a long voyage, entered heartily into the fun of going out in search of hens’ eggs, an abundance of which was found all over the island. The time to them passed quickly, like one long holiday, for in the unsettled state of things they were not confined to any school duties.