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|-|-|-|-|-|-|- -


M234
PAUL AND DIEDRICH ARE MAROONED IN A GREAT UNIKNOWN LAND.


Marooned on Australia
BEING THE NARRATION BY DIEDRICH BUYS OF
HIS DISCOVERIES AND EXPLOITS IN TERRA
AUSTRALIS INCOGNITA ABOUT THE YEAR 1630
BY
ERNEST FAWENC
Author of
“Tales of the Austral Tropics.” “The Secret of the Australian Desert"
J “The History of Australian Exploration” &c.
BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY
ſº








PREFACE
In the following romance I have endeavoured
to associate the tradition of De Gonneville's visit
to Australia with the historical fact of the wreck
of the Batavia, and the marooning of two of the
mutineers. The wreck of the Batavia is perhaps
one of the most murderous tragedies that ever
happened in any part of the world. One of the
ruffians confessed, before being hanged, to having
killed and assisted to kill, twenty-five defenceless
people. A full account of the wreck and the
massacre will be found in Pinkerton's Early
Voyages.
I have taken a liberty with history in intro-
ducing Captain Sharpe, the buccaneer, as in
reality he never visited the Australian coast,
although some of his crew did. I must also con-
fess to having taken some freedom with chrono-
logy as, under the name of Hoogstraaten, I have
introduced Abel Janz Tasman many years before
5


vi PREFACE.
his actual advent on the western coast of Aus-
tralia; and De Witt's voyage of discovery really
took place before the wreck of the Batavia. I
trust, however, that in a romance these inaccu-
racies will be pardoned.
In the appendix the reader will find an ac-
count of the setting up of the great Cross by
De Gonneville, and the record of Sir George
Grey regarding the head carved on the Rock.
ERNEST FAWENC.


Chap.
. THE WRECK of THE BATAVIA, . .
II.
III.
IW.
CONTENTS
WE START For THE NobTH,
A STRANGE PEOPLE, .
THE FRENCHMAN's CRoss, .
. THE FIGHT IN THE BAY,
WI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
PAUL DIscovers GoLD, .
ANOTHER PIRATE JUNK, .
PAUL's TREACHERY, .
I FIGHT A DUEL, .
. A STORM, . . . . . . . .
XI.
XII.
XIII.
| XIV.
XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
THE REBELLION,
AzoLTA's STRATAGEM, .
THE PIRATE FLAG, .
WE ENTERTAIN THE PIRATE CAPTAIN,
WE DESTRoy THE Mongol, JUNK, .
A STRANGE Discovery, .
THE GREAT CATASTROPHE,
RESCUE By DUTCH SHIPs,
APPENDIX, . . . . . . .
Page
11
31
41
52
65
77
89
101
113
125
138
150
163
176
188
196
205
219





ILLUSTRATIONS
-
PAUL AND DIEDRICH ARE MARooned IN A GREAT UN-
KNowN LAND . . . . . . . . . Frontis.
CHART showING THE RouTE TAKEN by DIEDRICH AND
PAUL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PAUL DREw HIs SHORT Sword AND STooD on THE
DEFENSIVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DIEDRICH RALLIES THE QUADRUcos AND RECAPTURES
THE Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .


MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA
CHAPTER I
The Wreck of the Batavia—The Mutiny—Return of
Pelsart—Marooned.
EROM CORNELIS 1 Even now after
all the suffering and danger I have
gone through, that man's face, the
face of the tempter, comes back to me as
vividly as ever.
My father was a substantial merchant of
Harlem, and in that town I was born, being
the second son. That was the age of dis-
covery, and the thirst for it was inherent in
nearly every youth. The wonderful success
of the Dutch East India Company had fired
all men with enthusiasm, and as I grew
towards manhood, I longed to make one of
the many bands of adventurers who often
11


12 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
left for the East. So persistent did I become
that my father at last consented to my
going, thinking that a voyage would pro-
bably cure me. Having some influence
with several of the directors of the great
company, he obtained for me a subordinate
position as clerk to the supercargo on board
of the Batavia, one of a fleet of eleven ships
about to sail from the Texel to Java.
Jerom Cornelis was the supercargo. He
had been an apothecary in Harlem, and as
such I had known him for some time. He
was a man of ability and education, and I
had a boyish admiration for him. Now I
know him to have been a man whose talents
were marred by an intense, almost childish
vanity, and a disposition, cruel and relent-
less as the tiger's. As a lad of eighteen, I
saw nothing but the wonderful fascination
he exercised, and listened entranced when
he dazzled my imagination with pictures of
future greatness in the rich islands of the
eastern SeaS. -
Our voyage was a stormy one, and as the
Batavia had over two hundred souls on
board, the discomfort was great. I shared
a cabin with Cornelis, and in every way that


THE WRECK OF THE BATAVIA. 13
singular man strove to win my affection.
Why he did so I cannot say even to this day.
We had been nearly two months at sea,
when Cornelis confided to me a plan he had
formed, in conjunction with the pilot and
some other mutinous spirits, to seize the ship
and turn pirate. I endeavoured to dissuade
him, but without avail; he bound me over to
secrecy and assured me that my life was safe
whatever happened, as he would not allow
me to take an active part in it, which I cer-
tainly had no intention of doing. The plot,
however, was frustrated by the weather and
other causes, and although I am certain it
came to the ears of our commander, Captain
Pelsart, he did not, unfortunately, hang the
mutineers out of hand as one would have
expected from a man of his determination.
Now one would have thought that this
would have revealed to me the true character
of Cornelis, but such an infatuated fool was I,
and so beguiled by his specious tongue, that
I still remained his friend and admirer.
We had now doubled the great southern
cape, and storm after storm burst upon us
with relentless fury. One by one we lost sight
of our consorts and at last found ourselves


14 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
alone; driven out of our course into an un-
known sea.
To add to our distress, Captain Pelsart
was confined to his berth with sickness and
the vessel was in charge of the pilot, who
apparently lost all reckoning. It was on
the morning of the 4th June, 1629, for the
date is indelibly engraven on my memory,
that our voyage was brought to a fatal ter-
mination by the vessel striking on a reef of
rocks. When I got on deck there was no-
thing visible but white surf and foam every-
where, and we had to wait until daylight, the
ship bumping heavily meanwhile.
Daybreak showed us to be in the neigh-
bourhood of a group of rocky islands, one of
which was close to us. Finding that the
ship was irretrievably damaged Captain
Pelsart proceeded to land the passengers
and crew on the nearest island. Great con-
fusion ensued and many of the sailors
broached some casks of wine in the cargo
and got drunk. Provisions were landed,
but very little water, and as none could be
found on the island, our captain, after two
days, started with a boat's crew to the main-
land, which we could see in the distance and


THE WRECK OF THE BATAVIA. 15
which was supposed to be the mysterious
continent known as Terra Australis.
I had been separated from Cornelis in the
turmoil of the wreck, and indeed it was not
until the Batavia was utterly broken up that
he came ashore almost dead. He had been
floating for two days on the topmast of the
ship, carried backwards and forwards by the
current, until at last he drifted near enough
to gain the land.
On regaining strength he assumed com-
mand, in the absence of the captain, and in
spite of all the bloody deeds of that guilty
man I will say that he restored some sort of
order amongst the demoralized crew and
passengers. One of the petty officers named
Weberhayes was despatched with some thirty
men or more, including some French soldiers
in the pay of the Company, to a large island
visible to the eastward. If successful in
finding water he was to light two fires. The
water supply consisting only of rain in the
holes in the rock, another smaller party were
conveyed to a neighbouring islet.
All this was done in furtherance of a plan
maturing in the mind of Cornelis. He
retained about him all the ruffians on whom


16 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA,
he could rely when the time came to act.
This soon arrived. For Pelsart not returning
Cornelis threw off the mask. He assembled
all his followers at a meeting at which I was
forced to attend, and here they all swore a
solemn oath to stand by each other, and if
Pelsart had gone on to Java and returned
with a ship they would endeavour to capture
it, if not they would build one out of the
remains of the Batavia, and start north on
a piratical cruise. But first, the mouths of
those who could not be trusted had to be
silenced for ever.
That night I was awakened by shrieks,
groans, and cries for mercy. Cornelis and
his myrmidons were butchering in cold blood
the helpless people whom they had not
admitted to the conspiracy.
I could do nothing during that night of
horror, but try and close my ears to the
piteous cries of the victims. Next morning,
with their lust for murder still unsated, they
went over to the small island and recom-
menced their fiendish work on the defence-
less people. Unfortunately for Cornelis,
however, some few escaped and during the
night succeeded in making a raft and cross
(M234)


THE WRECK OF THE BATAVIA. 17
ing to the large island, where Weberhayes
and his party were. They informed him of
the butchery that had taken place and put
him on his guard.
The vanity of Cornelis now got the as-
cendency of him. He had himself pro-
claimed Governor-general of the barren,
rocky islet we were on, which was christened
“Batavia's Grave”. He had the merchants'
chests broken open, and from the stuffs con-
tained therein uniforms were made for a
chosen body-guard. This being done, it was
determined to exterminate Weberhayes and
his men.
Not knowing of the escape of some of the
victims, they rowed up confidently, expect-
ing to take the party by surprise, but were
surprised themselves. Weberhayes and his
followers, armed only with such rude
weapons as clubs and stones, fell upon them
suddenly, killed some, and forced the others
to make a hasty retreat.
Incensed at this repulse, Cornelis led a
fresh assault in person and I was ordered
into the boat. I had no stomach for the
fight, and did not feel particularly sorry when
we got more soundly beaten than before.
(M 284) B


THE WRECK OF THE BATAVIA. 19
horror of that time, although I have seen
blood flow like water since. Five wretched
women who had been spared from the mas-
sacre, two of them being the daughters of the
chaplain, were stabbed to death by these
devils, and how I escaped a knife through
my heart I know not.
At last one morning a sail was in sight,
and aided by a fair wind a large ship came
swiftly on and soon dropped anchor half-
way between the island of Weberhayes and
“Batavia's Grave”. Hastily arming them-
selves a large boat's crew from our island
started to board the ship. Weberhayes was,
however, before them. As Pelsart—for it
was he with the Sardam frigate—left the
ship, intending to land, he was intercepted
by Weberhayes who told him the true state
of the case. They returned on board and
awaited the coming of the other boat. The
mutineers, in their gaudy uniforms, were
allowed to come well within range. They
were then hailed and ordered to drop their
weapons overboard and come on board; which
they did, and were at once put in irons. Pel-
sart then landed, but the rest made no resist-
ance and were secured, I being amongst them.


20 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
We were kept close prisoners on the island
for many days whilst the sailors of the Sar-
dam tried to recover the treasure lost in the
Batavia. Then one day we were taken on
board. Some of us were interrogated, some
not. I had to confess that I had accom
panied one of the armed boats which attacked
Weberhayes. There was a short consultation
in the cabin, then the deadly work of re-
tribution commenced. One after another
the murderers were run up to the yard-arm,
and then their bodies were thrown into the
sea. Cornelis was hung from a higher yard
than the others, in acknowledgment of his
leadership. They all died sullenly and de-
fiantly. *
As I expected a like death, and had now
become used to scenes of bloodshed, I looked
on in apathetic despair. At last when it
seemed that my turn had come, for there was
nobody but myself and a sailor named Paul
left, the executions ended; for the ropes were
unreeved from the blocks, the anchor raised,
some sails set, and the ship stood in for the
mainland. Not a word was said to either of
us. Paul was an old sailor, and one who had
kept his hands as free from bloodshed as


THE WRECK OF THE BATA VIA. 21
possible. He looked inquiringly at me, but
I could only do the same to him. Neither
of us knew what this meant.
When within a short distance of the land
the ship hove to, and a boat was lowered.
Our irons were struck off, and we were or-
dered to get in. A short row took us to a
spot where there was easy landing on a
beach, sheltered by a rocky reef which broke
the surf. When the boat grounded we were
ordered out; a couple of bags of biscuit, a
breaker of fresh water, a tomahawk, and a
cutlass were passed on to the beach. As the
sailor who placed these things down stooped
near me he whispered something that gave
me a clue to our fate. He was one of
Pelsart's men and came from my native
town of Harlem. The boat's crew shipped
their oars and pulled rapidly back to the
Sardam.
Paul muttered a terrible curse and looked
at me. There was no longer any doubt.
We were marooned on the coast of the
great unknown South Land. To die at the
hands of the giant savages said to inhabit
it, or the more dreadful strange beasts.
What the friendly sailor had whispered to


22 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
me was, “Keep your heart up. Ships may
be round here soon.” "
So far as I know they never came; when
the Sardam's masts sank beneath the hori-
zon, both Paul and I had looked our last
upon an European sail for many long years.
CHAPTER II.
A lonely Night—We make acquaintance with the Natives
—Waiting for a Ship—We start for the North—A
long hard Journey.
HE loneliness of the night that soon
closed around us was such as I had
never experienced before. Every strange
sound or cry of a night-bird startled us from
our uneasy sleep on the sand: both of us
were heartily glad when daylight banished
some of the unknown terrors that had
haunted us through the hours of darkness.
After our meagre meal of biscuit and
water, I proposed that we should make an
* On his second voyage of discovery Tasman was instructed
to call at the Abrolhos, and endeavour to find the two men left
by Pelsart; to learn from them all they had found out about
the country, and if they desired it, to give them a passage to
Java. The record of this second voyage of Tasman's has, how-
ever, been either lost or destroyed.


WE START FOR THE NORTH, 23
excursion a short distance inland, and find
out what sort of a place it was where we
were abandoned. Paul agreed; and this I
must confess here, that, although in after
adventures we took opposite sides, and to
avenge a great wrong I had to consent to
his death, yet during the first years of our
miserable exile Paul was the best companion
a man could have had.
We hid our water and provisions in a
secure place, as we only intended to make a
short excursion; then we climbed the low
rocks at the back of the beach and found
ourselves on a sandy flat, covered with coarse
wiry grass. Beyond was a thicket or close
forest of low trees and towards this we made
our way, Paul armed with the hatchet and I
with the cutlass.
We found the thicket barren and grassless,
and beyond again was an opening in which
we saw, as we thought, a large village of
white huts. We listened, but hearing no
sound we advanced cautiously towards it.
We soon found out our mistake. What we
supposed were huts were big mounds of
earth built up, as I now know, by a large
light-coloured ant. Paul climbed up on the


24 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
highest of one of these, which was nearly ten
feet, and from the top called to me that he
could see a low range of hills in the distance,
then he came down hastily and whispered
that he saw smoke rising a short distance
away.
After talking the matter over we agreed
that, as we were bound to come in contact
with the inhabitants at some time or other,
it would be just as well to have it over at
once, so we advanced with outward boldness
in the direction of the smoke. I confess
that my heart sank at the thought of meeting
these savage and formidable giants, who
were reported to have killed and eaten many
of the Company's sailors, but I kept a good
face and we were soon close to the place.
We came upon them unexpectedly, for they
were squatting round two or three fires
cooking shell-fish. They raised a great
hubbub when they saw us, and most of them
ran away, but some raised their lances in a
threatening manner.
Both Paul and I gained courage when we
saw these Indians, for they were not giants
at all, being rather undersized, with thin
legs and arms. They were black and quite


WE START FOR THE NORTH. 25
naked. We shouted to them, and, having
read of such things, I broke off a green
bough and held it up. This appeared to
please them for they lowered their lances,
and after some delay allowed us to approach.
One of them then gave a peculiar cry, and
the rest of the tribe, including the women
and children, approached timidly from their
hiding-places. -
Conversation was of course impossible,
but we made them understand at last that
we wanted to find out where they obtained
their fresh water. They led us to a sandy
patch of ground where there was an old
tree with white bark. Here a hole had
been dug and covered with boughs. On
tasting the water it proved to have a some-
what sweet flavour but was quite fit to
drink.
Thus relieved of one of our chief causes of
anxiety, we determined to make friends with
these wretched Indians and, if possible, live
with them until another discovery-ship
visited the coast; for I believed in the
warning whisper of the sailor. I can never
understand why my life was spared. Not
on account of my youth, for a poor ship's


26 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
boy, younger than I, was hanged. However,
it matters little now.
I pass over the time we spent on this por-
tion of the coast, vainly waiting for the ship
that never came. We accustomed ourselves
to go without clothes, like the Indians, and
they taught us to hunt and what roots and
berries were fit to eat. On the other hand
our cutlass and tomahawk were very useful,
as they had only tools of blunt stone. We
kept our clothes carefully, in case of being
rescued, but in the course of nearly two years
this hope grew faint, and then a bold pro-
ject entered my head. I began to think that
to the north this great Terra Australis must
run up very close to Java, and that, if we
could make our way there, we might be able
to cross by the aid of a raft or canoe to some
of the islands and get in the track of the
Company's ships. Moreover, the blacks,
pointing to the north, had told us that up
there lived people who wore clothes. Not
like ours, but still they did not go naked.
Inquiring still further I found that these
people lived on the same land that we were
on, the natives being confident that there
was no big water to cross. They had never


WE START FOR THE NORTH. 27
seen these people themselves, as they were a
long way off, but they had heard of them
from other Indians.
Paul was quite ready to go, when I con-
fided my plan to him, for life amongst these
poor Indians was of the most sordid kind,
and we could not stand the torment of the
swarms of flesh-flies, as could the Indians.
They had, however, been very kind to us;
for, after all, they could have murdered us
at any time and secured the cutlass and
hatchet, which they much coveted.
I consulted with Paul how we could
reward them, and we finally smashed up the
old water-keg, which was now almost useless,
and breaking the iron hoops into convenient
lengths for knives, distributed them amongst
the men of the tribe, who were more de-
lighted with this than if we had given them
wallets full of gold.
We had vessels chopped out of soft wood
for carrying water, we had learnt how to
make fire with two sticks, one old man was
coming with us as far as he knew the country,
and they gave us a stick with notches cut on
it which would ensure our friendly reception
by the neighbouring tribe, of whom we had


WE START FOR THE NORTH. 29
our existence, did not trouble us or express
surprise. -
It was a rough journey and we were nearly
starved several times. At last we came to
a tribe who displayed great hostility at our
appearance although none of the others had
done so. In fact one tribe had entertained
us most hospitably for many months during
which it rained incessantly. These Indians,
however, would not let us approach them,
although it seemed to me that they dis-
played more fear than anything else.
This made me think that perhaps we were
drawing near to the neighbourhºod of the
strange people who, being evidently more
civilized, would in all probability be feared
by these other Indians. This I afterwards
discovered to be the case.
We found it much harder travelling
amongst these hostile or frightened tribes
than before, also the days were much hotter
and the sun now went right over our heads
at noonday so that we had no shadows,
which frightened Paul, although usually a
bold fellow enough. Moreover, he began to
be afraid that we were approaching the
country of the giants who had slain the


A STRANGE PEOPLE. 31
out the eatable parts of these trees so that
we fared better; and, strange to say, in that
region we found no inhabitants, nor traces of
any. No old camps, no marks of their stone
tomahawks on the tree trunks, no traces of
man at all. Although this made us wonder
it was a great relief to us; and on that
account game was plentiful, there being no
Indians to keep the animals in check. So
we grew stronger and in better heart, tra-
velling slowly and resting often.
The weather was delightfully fine and
water plentiful. In this country there is
very little difference in the seasons, save that
one part of the year is wet and the remainder
dry. The rain comes from the north-west,
and during the dry months the wind blows
from the exactly opposite direction, namely,
the South-east.
CHAPTER III.
The Head on the Rock—A strange People—We are
made Welcome—King Quibibio.
T was early one morning that we sud-
denly came to a Rock on which we


A STRANGE PEOPLE. 33
both of us that we felt a strong inclination
to beat a hasty retreat. For you must re-
member that we had now been about four
years living either with savages or by our-
selves in a wilderness.
“Shall we follow the path?” I whispered
to Paul, for I felt afraid to speak loud.
He looked around and then answered in
the same low tone:
“Let us look over the ridge.”
I nodded assent, and carefully and cau-
tiously we advanced to the top. Hiding
behind a heap of rocks we looked over.
What did we see?
The ridge we were on sloped abruptly
down the other side, into a beautiful open
valley, through which ran a broad river. We
saw green patches like cultivated fields,
thickets of tall trees, low houses with white
walls, and, above all, human beings, clothed
and apparently wearing a kind of head-dress.
Paul and I gazed speechless with amazement.
Then, to my astonishment, he burst out cry-
ing and sobbing, and I could not help but
follow his example.
When we were somewhat calm, we re-
traced our footsteps and, having repassed
(M234) C


34 - MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
the Rock, halted to debate how we should
best approach this strange people. All
through our wanderings we had carried with
us our jerkins and breeches that we might
not appear naked before any civilized race
we met. We had, of course, never worn
them, and they were still in a fair state of
preservation, though weather-stained. Some
distance back we had crossed a small runlet;
to this we returned and proceeded to make
our toilet as best we were able. We washed
ourselves carefully, and then did what we
could to put our wild hair and beards in
order. This was hard work, for the cutlass
was too blunt for such work; but by lighting
a fire and using the glowing ends of sticks
we singed each other's redundant locks down
to fair proportions. After we had dressed
ourselves, feeling very strange in our un-
accustomed clothing, we shook hands with
each other and went to meet whatever fate
was in store for us.
We had scarcely risen to our feet when
we were alarmed by a loud outcry from the
very spot on the ridge we had just left.
Then followed a strange sound, like the
blowing of a horn, and after that all was still.


A STRANGE PEOPLE. 35
I said to Paul:
“Let us go on and get it over.”
He assented, and we walked up the ridge.
When about half-way up we saw a party
of men approaching. They were dressed in
a garment like a long shirt, belted round the
waist, and wore small turbans. They were
all armed and advanced rapidly towards us;
one man in front, who wore a shell slung
over his shoulder (which was the occasion
of the noise we had heard), was pointing to
the ground. Evidently it was the discovery
of our barefooted tracks that had alarmed
them. So intent were they in looking on
the ground that it was not until they were
comparatively close that they observed us.
They stopped short, in silence, although
some lifted their weapons.
We made up our minds for instant death,
and stood awaiting it, our only weapon
being the almost useless cutlass, which I had
thrust in the belt of my jerkin. The toma-
hawk had long since been worn out, and we
had thought it better not to carry native
weapons.
To our intense astonishment one man
suddenly uttered a shout, and all the raised


86 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
weapons fell. The cry was taken up, and
whilst some ran back towards the valley, the
others approached with smiles and gestures
of welcome. To this, you may be sure, we
were nothing loath to respond, and we soon
found ourselves being conducted in state
towards the valley.
The man who seemed to be in authority
spoke volubly in his own tongue, but we
could only shake our heads in reply. I
noticed that all the party wore sandals of
hide, made, as I found out afterwards, from
the skin of the jumping animal I have
already spoken of
We were led in a friendly fashion past
the Rock with the head carved on it, and
then it was that I remarked for the first
time that all our escort were beardless, like
the head. Both Paul and I, as I may here
well state, were fair men, like most of my
countrymen, and although our skins were
burnt nearly black, our blue eyes and yellow
hair showed at once that we were not native
Indians.
We were led down into the valley by a
broad well-trodden pathway, and on reach-
ing the foot found many people assembling


A STRANGE PEOPLE. 37
to see us, having been roused by those who
ran back. I noticed but few things then,
for our excitement was too great, only that
the women wore a garment like the men,
and the men being all beardless, the only
distinction in the appearance of the sexes
was that the women wore their hair long,
prankt with flowers, parrots' wings, and
other adornments.
We soon approached a larger cluster of
houses, which I supposed to be the heart of
the town, although the town was scattered
all up and down the valley. The houses
were much the same in design, being but
one story high, with flat roofs; but this
ugliness was relieved by the sides being made
sloping, like the sides of a pyramid. Some
of the houses were larger than others by
reason of having wings thrown out. They
were built of mud and coated with a kind of
whitewash to preserve them from the rain.
There were flowering shrubs and beautiful
trees everywhere, for the valley seemed to
be most fertile. -
Presently we approached what appeared
to be the largest of the houses in the town,
if such a scattered lot of houses could be


38 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
called a town. There seemed to be a good
deal of bustle going on, and when we arrived
close the crowd parted and a fine-looking
man came forward, dressed but little better
than the rest, with the exception that his
turban was bright red whilst all the others
wore white.
He approached us eagerly and looked
curiously at us, then said something in a
language different from what the others
had been using, which sounded somewhat
familiar to me, but which I still could not
understand. He repeated it, and catching a
word that sounded like “ar-me” I said it
after him. This delighted him hugely, and
he looked at me so kindly that, instinctively,
I held out both my hands which he seized
and shook warmly, then, leaning forward
kissed me on both cheeks. Paul followed
my example, and all the people standing
around seemed as pleased as possible.
The man with the red turban—whom I
may as well say at once was the chief, King
Quibibio—led us into the house. For the
moment we could scarcely see, the room
being darkened to keep out the flesh-flies,
which here, as in all parts of Terra Aus-


A STRANGE PEOPLE. 39
tralis, are the greatest possible torment.
But as they will not enter a darkened
room, the Quadrucos, which is the name of
these people, keep their houses darkened.
Our eyes soon grew accustomed to the dim
light, and we found the interior delightfully
cool, on account of the thickness of the walls.
There were skins and other kinds of mats
about the floor but no seats of any kind, for
these people always sit or recline on the
ground.
The king motioned us to be seated, setting
the example by lying down on a rug. He
then called out an order in his own language
and a boy came in with two cups made of
shells, filled with what I now know to be
green cocoa-nut milk. After being so long
used to tepid, brackish water I thought it
the most delicious beverage I had ever tasted.
The boy took back the empty cups and
presently came in with a large earthenware
bowl of water. He washed our feet, which
we submitted to quietly enough, and then
proceeded to fasten on each of us a pair of
sandals, such as were worn by all the others.
This seemed to give the king the liveliest
satisfaction, and after motioning the boy to


40 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
leave he resumed his attempts at conver-
sation.
I may as well here mention that the
investiture of the sandals made us members
of the family. The meaning of it I will de-
scribe later on.
Pointing to himself the king said, “Qui-
bibio”, then he pointed to me and I replied,
“Diedrich”, this, after some repetitions, he
succeeded in mastering. Paul was much
easier, and then we practised on the king's
name until we had it perfectly.
We now had time to look about the room,
which was spacious and lofty, and although
destitute of any furniture but the rugs and
mats, seemed exactly suited to the climate.
Doorways opened in two or three directions,
and before them hung curtains or screens of
reeds. Seeing our curiosity the king led us
outside, through the doorway by which we
had entered, and taking us a little distance
away pointed to the wall. We then saw
one reason why they were made sloping.
Shallow steps, or rather a stairway, was cut
in them to enable the inhabitants to easily
reach the flat roof.
Quibibio ascended, and we followed him


THE FRENCHMAN's CROSS. 41
on to a flat roof surrounded by a low para-
pet. I never saw a lovelier sight than that
beautiful valley presented. The white houses
seemed to nestle in clumps of verdure, the
cultivated fields, though easily discernible,
were not separated by walls, for these people
possessed no domestic animals, and they
rather regarded the fields as serving as a
lure to bring in the big jumping animals
from the neighbouring hills. It was a most
peaceful scene, and, coming to it suddenly,
as we did, out of the great desolate wilder-
ness, we could scarce believe but that we
were dreaming.
CHAPTER IV.
A Prince and Princess—The Frenchman's Cross—
Quadruco Customs—Weapons and Drill.
N descending we found an ample repast
laid out on the floor. It consisted of
various kinds of game, birds, fish, and boiled
herbs. We also found awaiting us two more
people, whom Quibibio, by signs, gave us to
understand were his son and daughter. I
was rather astonished to find these young


THE FRENCHMAN's CROSS. 43
river descended, or at least the small stream
it then was, in a series of cascades. Zolca
led us up an easy ascent by the side of this
gorge, and we suddenly found ourselves
within sight of the ocean. At our feet lay
a well-sheltered bay, overlooked by the rise
we were on, and beyond was the sea un-
studded by a sail. Some large-sized canoes
were lying near the beach, and on the rise
on which we stood were several men, some
with shells slung across their shoulders.
Zolca waited quietly until I happened to
turn my head slightly, and then I started
with surprise, for close to us was reared a
wooden Cross, some thirty feet in height.
We approached, and when near it Zolca
bent his knee as Roman Catholics do. Paul
and I, being of course of the Reformed Reli-
gion, did not do so, until it struck me that
it would be policy to follow Zolca's example.
I whispered this to Paul, and we then both
knelt down.
Then we examined the cross. It was firmly
put together and well planted in the earth;
but the inscription that had been cut on it,
of which I could but detect a few letters,
had been almost entirely defaced by the


THE FRENCHMAN'S CROSS. 45
I now saw what course to pursue, and felt
thankful that my boyish love of reading
about discoveries had given the information.
“Gonneville! Gonneville!” I said eagerly,
and the delighted native repeated it. Then
he insisted on our returning with him, and
on arriving at what may be called the palace,
he produced a Latin missal, inside of which
I could trace in faded characters:
“Jean Binot Paulmier de Gonneville.
Honfleur, 1503.”
After deciphering it I read it aloud, much
to the pleasure of the two natives, for Qui-
bibio had now joined us. Zolca next produced
an old-fashioned, short sword, evidently of
French make, but there was no inscription
on it. Struck by a sudden thought, I drew
the old cutlass I had carried so long and
presented it to Zolca, making him under-
stand that it was a present. He seemed at
first so pleased with the wretched weapon
that he could only look at it with delighted
eyes; then he put his hands on my shoulders
and kissed me on both cheeks, a French
custom handed down, I presume, from
Gonneville's time. I heartily wished the


46 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
performer had been his sister, Azolta, who
had entered the room and was gazing shyly
at us.
I now, having got a footing, as it were,
tried to show them by signs, and drawings
on the ground with my finger, what had
happened to us; how our ship had been
wrecked, how we had lived amongst the
Indians—at which both father and son
showed signs of disgust,-how we had walked
on and on until we came to their country.
They seemed to readily comprehend it all,
and from that time we were as one of the
race, and from the date of giving him the
cutlass Zolca was my brother. We at once
assumed the Quadruco dress, and every one
was our friend.
I will now give some account of these
people, it being of course what I have since
learned.
They are, or, alas! were, of a light colour,
with dark hair and eyes, and as I said
before, beardless. They were well built,
averaging about five feet eight or nine;
extremely good-looking, especially the
women, many of the young girls being
nearly as beautiful as Azolta. Their dress,


THE FRENCHMAN'S CROSS. 47
which was woven out of the woolly pod of
a bush, was a single garment like a long
shirt, with a girdle round the waist; it
reached a little below the knee, and was the
same in both sexes. The men wore a tur-
ban, but the women wore only ornamental
head-dresses of flowers and feathers. They
had little occasion to work, the valley being
so fertile, and the hunting was merely a
pastime and an exercise. The men had but
one wife (Quibibio's was dead), and family
affection seemed very strong between them.
They had a simple kind of religion, which I
don't think was much thought of, and con-
sisted merely in a belief in a Great Spirit,
who sometimes was kind, and sometimes
angry. They had plenty of dances and
games, but very few rites or ceremonies.
The tradition of their origin was that
their forefathers, with their wives, came
from some far-away island in two large
canoes; that they found the valley they
lived in almost uninhabited, save for some
scattered families of savages who fled at
sight of them, and they settled down and
had lived there ever since.
Of their wars with the Indians, and with


48 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
two other nations who came from the sea in
big boats, I shall have to speak presently,
as I had to take my part in them.
The cocoa-nuts growing in groves up and
down the valley of the river were, they told
me, brought by their ancestors from the
land from which they came. This I could
most readily believe, as we had seen none
throughout our long journey; nor would
the arid country we passed through have
supported them. So far as I could make
out the Quadrucos, at the time of our visit,
numbered 800 souls.
I applied myself diligently to learning
the language, and with two such teachers as
Zolca and his sister it was easy work. Paul
did not make such rapid progress, on account
of his want of education, but he could soon
make himself understood.
One day Zolca came to me in great glee
and showed me the old cutlass, polished up
and made as sharp as a razor. Little did I
then think to what use I should one day see
that keen blade put! I asked him who did
it, and he took me to a large house I had
never yet entered. In it we found many
men at work sharpening and cleaning


THE FRENCHMAN's CROSS. 49
swords, hatchets, and heavy knives, but all
very coarsely and roughly made. I was
astonished at the sight, for I had no idea
that they had any knowledge of metals, but
Zolca informed me that these weapons had
been taken from the dead bodies of their
enemies, belonging to the two tribes who
came from the sea and fought them.
By this time we could fairly understand
each other, and Quibibio approached me on
a subject which had evidently been troubling
him.
“When would I teach them to make
swords?”
On inquiry it turned out that de Gonne-
ville when he left promised to return, and
told the then king, Arosca, that he would
bring back men who would teach them how
to make metal, and also how to fight like
his people. -
I hesitated before replying, and then told
the king that I was afraid no metal existed
in his land, but that Paul and I would go
through the weapons they had, and teach
his people how men fought in our country.
In saying this I, of course, relied upon Paul,
who had once seen military service. This
(M234) D


50 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
answer satisfied Quibibio, and I held a con-
sultation with Paul, who readily agreed to
do something that would raise his im-
portance.
Next day, then, we inspected the weapons
they made themselves, putting on one side
those captured from the enemy. We found
that not only did they all possess serviceable
bows and arrows, but, in addition, most of
the men were expert slingers, and all could
throw the lance with precision. They had,
however, no system of fighting, each man
acting independently, and this was due to
the enemies they had had to deal with.
On first coming to the land, some hun-
dreds of years ago, no doubt, their only foes
were the native Indians, whom they called
Papoos, and these they easily vanquished.
Still, however, they had occasional trouble
with them, so a beaten path was marked
out around the settlement, and this was
traversed twice a day by sentinels. As
every Quadruco wore sandals, it was easy
to detect a barefooted footmark crossing
the path, and it was this which led to our
detection. The Indians, however, grew to
fear them greatly, which was the cause of


THE FRENCHMAN'S CROSS. 51
the abandoned tract of country Paul and
I had passed over.
Then a fresh enemy arose. Men came
from the sea in great canoes, half the size of
Gonneville's, and nearly as high out of the
water. These men were of two races, and
although they both attacked the Quadrucos,
they also fought between themselves when
they met.
Fortunately they had not appeared until
the settlement was numerous enough to
resist them, and as yet, though some of them
had actually landed, none had succeeded in
getting beyond the shore. These people
used bows and arrows, swords, and another
weapon which, by its description, I took to
be a blow-pipe. A look-out was constantly
kept for these marauders, and the shell which
was ingeniously turned into a trumpet was
sounded as the signal of danger.
Paul was now made captain, and took the
work with pleasure, for I think he felt sore
that I had been made so much of, and was
anxious to also attract admiration.
With my assistance he divided his men
into archers, slingers, and a small body of
swordsmen, all of them also being armed


52 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
with lances. In addition, finding that they
had no notion of the use of the shield,
—strange to say, for even the Papoos knew
about that, we set some of the artificers
to work and soon had some light wooden
shields covered with hide, which we taught
them how to use, for I had been trained to
arms in Harlem, as all youths of my position
Were.
Time passed quickly and happily. The
Quadrucos were delighted with their new
employment, and as for me, so long as I
could look in Azolta's dark eyes and hear
her soft voice, I wanted no more.
CHAPTER W.
The Blowing of the War-Shell—The Fight in the Bay—
Burning a Mongol Junk.
HE season of rains had passed over, and
the valley was one mass of verdure and
flowers. Azolta, Zolca, and I were wander-
ing along in the early morning when the
harsh note of the war-shell came from sea-
ward, and was taken up and repeated again
and again. It was a most discordant sound


THE FIGHT IN THE BAY. 53
in such a scene of peace, and no wonder that
Azolta started and clung to me. Zolca's
eyes blazed, and he ran towards the men who
were approaching with the tidings. Two
large vessels had appeared on the horizon,
evidently bearing down towards the settle-
ment.
Thanks to our constant training there
was no confusion in gathering our forces.
The archers mustered together under Paul;
I had charge of the slingers; and Zolca led
the small body of men armed with swords
and shields. The women had been instructed
to prepare plenty of food, and also to have
long strips of the stuff of which they made
their dresses ready for the wounded. Then
we marched to the shore, old Quibibio lead-
ing.
The two vessels were still at some con-
siderable distance, so we halted on the top
of the rise and watched them approach.
Suddenly I recognized our coming enemies
from old engravings in the books of travel,
which I had read. They were Mongols I
could tell by their strangely-shaped vessels,
with their huge lop-sided sails. I had seen
many pictures of these ships and of the


54 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
people. I turned to an old Quadruco near
me and asked:
“Have not these people heads like this.”
—showing the back of my hand—“and tails
on their heads?”
“Yes,” he answered.
So I knew then that these were Mongol
junks that were approaching, and had not
much fear, for I had heard that my country-
men in Java used these Mongol people to
work in the fields.
We had erected strong barricades at the
foot of the low hills commanding the bay,
and along here the slingers and archers were
posted in alternate parties. Zolca and his
swordsmen lay in readiness to rush down
and encounter any who might succeed in
reaching the land in spite of our volleys of
arrows, spears, and stones.
As there was still ample time, the women
went round distributing food and drink to
the men, and it was a pretty sight to see
with what coolness and cheerfulness they did
it. But the fact was that Paul's organiza-
tion, rude as it was, had infused great con-
fidence in them, after the loose disorderly
way they had fought before. Azolta herself


THE FIGHT IN THE BAY. 55
brought me some food, and when she looked
at me before going away I saw that there
were tears in her glorious eyes. Then before
I knew what I was doing, I caught her in
my arms and kissed her. And this, on the
eve of battle, was our first kiss.
The wind now dropped, and the Mongol
pirates put out sweeps and came down more
rapidly. Evidently some amongst them
knew the way, for they came straight into
the bay, one leading, and as soon as they
got as near the shore as they dared they
anchored, lying close alongside each other.
All our men kept under cover and main-
tained a perfect silence, as they had been
ordered to do. In this silence we could
plainly hear the shouts and orders of the
pirates who seemed to be all talking at once.
I had small concern as to the result, for I
had heard the Company's sailors speak most
contemptuously of these Mongols. In this,
however, I erred.
Heavy, clumsy boats were now dropped
into the water and filled with men, and some
of them pulled towards my side of the bay,
for Paul and I were now posted on opposite
sides. I noticed, however, that only about


THE FIGHT IN THE BAY. 57
The Mongols showed but little fight and
were cut down and killed without mercy,
whilst some of the Quadrucos received but
slight wounds. My men kept up a relent-
less fire on the other two boats as they
clumsily turned round, and they must have
finally reached their ships half full of dead
and dying.
While this was going on Paul told me he
had the greatest difficulty in keeping his
men close, and had he not succeeded it
would have spoilt all. The Mongols, al-
though making a great clamour on board
their junks at witnessing the repulse of their
party, evidently believed that their strata-
gem had succeeded, for the remainder of
their boats, five in number, now made for
what they thought was the unguarded side
of the bay. Zolca and his men immediately
started round to assist Paul, and I and most
of my men followed; which was fortunate,
for the leader of this party was more
cautious, and ordered his boats to land at
different points, so that the attack was at
five places at once.
This, however, did not save him or his
force, for from their cover Paul's men sud-


58 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
denly assailed them with such a hurricane of
arrows, &c., that they dared not approach.
This leader, however, kept his boats out of
the very shallow water and ordered a num-
ber of his men overboard, to land everywhere.
The manoeuvre caused delay, and by this
time Zolca had arrived, closely followed by
me and my men, and the pirates struggling
in the water, unable to use their weapons
properly, were all killed, excepting a few
who managed to regain their boats which
made back for the junks.
None of our men had been killed and only
a few slightly wounded, so well had we
taught them to keep under cover, whilst the
pirates had lost a boat and over a hundred
men killed, besides the wounded. By the
capture of the boat we gained a great num-
ber of weapons of all kinds, and from the
dead bodies many more were taken.
Naturally there was much rejoicing
amongst the Quadrucos, and when I met
Azolta she kissed me of her own accord.
Meantime the pirates showed no signs of
leaving, and, as I now know, these piratical
junks were packed full of men.
Paul drew my attention to what they


THE FIGHT IN THE BAY. 59
were doing, which appeared to be throwing
one another overboard. He explained to me
that they were simply killing those who
were very badly wounded, and throwing the
bodies overboard, this, seemingly, being
their barbarous practice.
We next held a conference and came to the
conclusion that the Mongols intended to wait
until night before attempting another on-
slaught. After our men had eaten a good
meal, and had some relaxation, we formed
small camps round the bay, where it would
be handy for them to reach their posts when
wanted; a close watch being, of course, kept
on the pirates.
The bay was now alive with sharks, at-
tracted by the dead, but all the bodies we
could get I ordered to be taken to the rocky
headlands and thrown into the outer sea. So
we soon got rid of the sight of these hideous,
yellow, flat-faced monsters, with their bald
heads and black tails.
I now called Paul and Zolca on one side
and communicated to them an idea which I
had conceived. The moon rose about two
hours after dark, and it was most likely that
the pirates would make their attempt shortly


60 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
before daylight. I therefore proposed to
utilize these two hours of darkness by at-
tacking in our turn. It was now only an
hour or so past noon, so that we had ample
time to prepare. When I explained my
plan Paul grasped it at once, and Zolca,
although he did not fully comprehend how
it was to be done, would, after the success
of the morning, have done anything we
desired. I sent for some of the most expert
bowmen, and with them we went back to
the town, which was rash; but then we could
have reached the shore in time had there
been any sign of another attack. Paul made
these men practise shooting up in the air,
so that the arrows would fall straight down
as if from a height; he measured off a certain
distance, and after a short time they grew
very skilful at it, making the arrows drop
almost exactly within the mark every time.
Meanwhile Zolca and I started some of
the women to make three huge bundles of
dry palm-leaves; and these, when finished,
were bound together at the top, and a loop
attached. We then put them to soak in the
palm-oil that we used for our lights at night.
Our preparations were now complete, and


THE FIGHT IN THE BAY. 61
we had nothing to do but wait and watch
until nightfall. There is but little twilight
in this country, and as soon as it became too
dusk for the Mongols to see us we sent men
to collect all the available canoes. When
quite dark Paul and I took the smallest
canoe and set out for the pirate junks.
Our intention was to cut those boats adrift
which had not been taken on board again,
but were towing astern. We did not paddle,
but I propelled the canoe from the stern by
means of a lance, while Paul lay in the prow
with one of the sharpest swords we could get,
ready in his hand. It was very dark, and
once under the tall side of the junk we were
comparatively safe.
It was a strange feeling to be so close to
these wretches, and hear them jabbering and
quarrelling overhead. No order appeared to
be kept, for they all seemed talking at the
same time and none listening. Cautiously
we made our way under the stern, which,
sloping outwards, completely sheltered us.
Here we noted what we wanted to see for
our next move, and then I gently impelled
the canoe towards the boats. The tide was
rising so that the junks swung shoreward,


62 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
which was just what we wanted. Four boats
were towing astern, and after a few noiseless
cuts from the keen blade they were floating
towards the land. No alarm had been given,
and in a few moments the three boats be-
longing to the other junk were adrift and
following the first four.
We did not wait any longer, but I sculled
the canoe straight away at right angles. It
was lucky I did so, for a tremendous uproar
arose on both ships, somebody having caught
sight of the boats drifting away. Thinking
that whoever had cut the boats loose must
be on board, they directed a shower of
arrows after them, taking no heed in our
direction. Some of the pirates jumped
overboard, but doubtless the sharks took
all save one, and he actually swam to one
of the boats, and was there transfixed by
an arrow from one of his own countrymen,
for his dead body lay in the bottom when
the boats stranded—which they very soon
did, for the tide here rises thirty feet or
more and makes very rapidly.
We landed at another part of the beach
and began our preparations for the real
assault. Zolca was delighted with our safe


64 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
we had been before was reached in safety,
and on the great, creaking rudder we hung
one of our fire-bundles, the other two we
suspended anywhere we could, driving them
fast into their places with three swords we
had brought with us for the purpose. Hav-
ing a lance with us, with a bundle of this
same stuff at the head, we floated back a bit,
lighted this at the hot coals, and touched off
the fire-bundles. All this we were enabled
to do unobserved, for the sterns of these
junks overhang the water a long way, so
that it was like a roof over us; moreover,
the pirates were all under cover, expecting
another shower of arrows.
The oil-soaked bundles burst into im-
mediate flame. Paul hurled the burning
spear on board, where it set fire to the roof
of their cooking-house, and we paddled
desperately back without any harm. Zolca
ordered one more volley, and we drew out of
the circle of light and waited.


PAUL DISCOVERS GOLD, 65
CHAPTER WI.
The End of the Pirate Junks—Paul discovers Gold—
Azolta and I are betrothed—Death of Quibibio.
WAS in great hopes that if the junk
took fire properly it would communicate
the flames to the other one, for these un-
wieldy vessels are built of most inflammable
materials. This was not the case. The
other junk's crew cut their cable, and drifted
out of reach before the fire got fierce hold;
then they put out their sweeps and went
out to sea, leaving their companions to their
fate. The moon now rose, and we had a
full view of the scene. Truth to tell, the
spear hurled on board by Paul had done
more damage than our fire-bundles. It had
ignited the top of the cook-house, and from
there it had run up the huge sail and masts,
whilst the only damage our fire-bundles had
done was to burn the rudder and a hole in
the upper part of the stern. This, however,
was sufficient to put the junk at our
mercy.
The Mongols were apparently working
hard to extinguish the fire, but without
(M234) E


66 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
much avail, for the masts, rigging, and
sails were soon all aflame, and presently
came tumbling about their ears.
Zolca had all the boats drawn round in a
circle to prevent the escape of any of the
pirates who might jump over, whilst others
on shore watched for the same purpose. I did
not see any try it, although the junk burned
for some hours, until she seemed to have
nothing left to burn. Still she did not sink,
and we kept our watch all night. When
daylight broke she lay there, black and
smoking, but with no signs of life on board.
I feel pretty certain that when they saw
they were doomed, most of them voluntarily
sought death in the flames, for I have since
learnt that suicide is a custom of these
people. Zolca and some of his men boarded
her, and found that she had been burnt clean
out, nothing but the hull being left.
Whilst engaged in this we heard a great
shouting from the shore, and soon learned
that the other junk had run on a reef of
rocks just outside the bay, and was now
lying on her side with the waves breaking
over her. As there is a tremendous surf at
this place there was little chance for any of


PAUL DISCOVERS GOLD. 67
the pirates to have escaped, but to make
sure Zolca placed a guard there; but none
were ever seen, and the waves soon made
short work of the wreck. When the tide
was nearly full we towed the burnt vessel
as far up the sand as we could, and there
broke her up, and got a quantity of iron
from her.
Things having come to this happy issue,
and all our enemies being destroyed,—that is,
for the time, for we did not relax any vigi-
lance in watching for others, life went on
easily and happily, especially for me with
my beautiful Azolta.
Soon after our victory over the Mongol
pirates Azolta and I were publicly betrothed
amidst great rejoicing. Quibibio now seemed
to have reached all he had desired. He had
been the one to witness the return of men
from, as he supposed, De Gonneville's coun-
try, who had taught his people how to fight,
and now I was betrothed to his daughter,
and had promised to live and die in his
country. Zolca, too, was untiring in his
devotion to me, and would have laid down
his life for me.
Paul had set his affections on a very


70 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“There is this valley, and—there is
more.”
While the tempter thus spoke I saw my
ord home in Harlem, my parents, who had
doubtless mourned me both as dead and
guilty, and a longing to return came over
me. Then the loving eyes of Azolta, soon
to be my wife, blotted out the picture, and
I knew my duty.
Since my exile and residence amongst
the Quadrucos I had learned to look at
things from a far different stand-point than
the ignorant boy who sailed from the Texel.
Then I saw no harm in the Company oc-
cupying the lands of the natives, dispossess-
ing and making slaves of them. I had
been taught no better. Now I saw the
wickedness of it, and the idea of these
peaceful, happy people, who had sheltered
us in our distress and treated us with honour
and distinction, being handed over to the
rapacity of the Company, and the tender
mercies of its servants, struck me with
horror, and I vowed in my heart that I
would fight to the last drop of my blood in
their defence, even against my own people.


72 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
that. Some discovery-ship will poke her
nose into that bay some fine morning, and
then the thing is done.”
“But don't let yours be the hand to do
it,” I replied.
“I am wearied here,” he answered, “and
above all, it is so easy to get away; where
those clumsy junks go, we can go, and
what Master Francis Pelsart did in his boat,
from where the Batavia's bones lie, we can
do easily from here in a better boat, which
we will build.”
“I would sooner cut off my right hand
than consent,” I replied. “These people
have adopted us, and here I will live and
die!”
“For the sake of a pretty savage!” sneered
Paul.
Mad with sudden rage at this allusion to
Azolta, I drew the short sword I now always
wore, and was about to fall on Paul, who
drew his and stood upon the defensive.
For a moment we faced each other, then
Paul dropped the point of his weapon.
“Let us not quarrel, friend Diedrich,” he
said; “we have been through too many
perils together to try to slit each other's





PAUL DISCOVERS GOLD. 73
-
skins now. I will forget this mad scheme
of mine, though in truth I am tired of this
life.”
I knew he was but feigning, but I held
out my hand and he shook it, and we re-
turned our weapons to our belts. But from
that day there was ill-blood between Paul
and me.
I understood it all now. It was not the
monotony of the life, for Paul was too rough
to mind that; it was the discovery of the
gold that had so changed him. Here it
was useless to him—no better than common
rock; but once free, with the knowledge
of its locality, and he could enjoy himself
to the end of his days.
Azolta noted my abstraction, but I could
not tell her the cause, for I was meditating
whether or not I should confide in Zolca.
For Paul had not given up his purpose, of
that I had felt sure, and although he could do
nothing by himself, still he must be watched.
The death of Quibibio decided me.
The old king died happy. These people
did not fear death in the least. All his
wishes and hopes had been fulfilled. His
son Zolca, who would succeed him in the


74 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
mildly paternal rule which was all that
was demanded from the king of the Quad-
rucos, was a noble fellow; his daughter was
about to be married to me, who was as an
adopted son; his enemies by sea had been
beaten and destroyed. He was ready to
die, and he died calmly, smilingly, with the
three of us kneeling beside him.
He was buried beside his ancestors, and
Zolca now reigned in his place. The mourn-
ing did not last long, for death was looked
upon as inevitable; and it in no way delayed
my marriage to Azolta.
Paul and I were married on the same day,
and I took up my quarters in the palace.
Since our outbreak we had been ostensibly
on the old terms, but in my heart I knew
that Paul had in no way relinquished his
purpose.
Zolca now being in supreme command, I
resolved to take him into my confidence.
It was a long task, for I had to explain
things to him which he had not the experi-
ence to grasp. In the first place I had to
find out if he knew about the gold; to my
astonishment he did, and said he could take
me straight there. Of course he did not


PAUL DISCOVERS GOLD. 75
know about the value of gold, but he had
noticed the yellow stuff in the rocks when
he had been out hunting. I now explained
to him that this yellow stuff was what all
white men craved. That some would do
anything for it. That if they came to hear
of it being here they would come in big
ships and take it, driving him and his
people out of the valley to wander amongst
the Papoos, if they did not do worse. That
they would have weapons which his people
could not resist. He seemed scarcely to
understand me, for in his simple mind
all men of my colour were friends, “amis”
as the Norman captain had taught his an
Cestors.
To explain things I asked him what he
thought the Mongol pirates would have done
had they beaten us instead of our beating
them.
“Killed us all,” he replied promptly.
“That is what the white men would do,
only in another fashion,” I told him.
Then, my boyish reading coming back
again, I related the story of the Conquest
of Mexico and all its horrors.
“Deedrick,” he said at last, that being


ANOTHER PIRATE JUNK. 77
“But, brother,” said the bewildered prince,
“why are you not like the others?”
I said that some men had stricter notions
than others, and I had had very strict pa-
rents; moreover, I loved Azolta more than
all the gold in the world.
Poor Zolca! He got up and walked about;
then, cast himself on the ground again
and I saw great tears in his eyes. It was
his first experience of human nature. Of
course he had never felt for Paul as he did
for me, still he had believed in him. At
last he sprung up and his eyes were blazing.
“Deedrick! I will kill him before he shall
harm my people!”
Prophetic words!
-
CHAPTER VII.
Paul attempts Flight—Another Pirate Junk—The Fight
between the Junk and the Proa—An ancient Gold-
mine.
UT for the grief and anxiety occasioned
me by Paul's conduct I should now
have been perfectly happy. With my bride
Azolta, and my brother Zolca, and congenial


ANOTHER PIRATE JUNK. 79
Quadrucos not to rush on like a rabble, but
to do everything according to method—pro-
ceeded to the spot. We found that several
footprints of the Papoos had been found,
crossing and recrossing the beaten path
which the sentinels patrolled. As these
were not very formidable foes, Zolca and his
men proceeded in pursuit of them, and Paul
and I returned. Before leaving the place,
however, Paul asked me if I had seen the
paintings in the caves near where we were.
I had heard of them from Zolca, who pro-
fessed not to know by whom they had been
done, but I had never visited the place.
Paul led me to it. They were gigantic
figures, without mouths, dressed in long
robes, with halos around their heads. There
were also characters resembling written
words on the walls of the cave. I imagined
they had been done by the Quadrucos who
first landed.
As we went slowly home I noticed that
Paul seemed most friendly, he talked about
the hardships and dangers we had gone
through together, and what a happy life we
had suddenly dropped on. In fact I never
saw him more subdued and affectionate.


80 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
Zolca did not return that day, evidently his
pursuit had led him further than he ex-
pected.
I slept soundly, to be awakened at sunrise
by my name being loudly called from out-
side the house. Hurrying out I found
Namoa, one of the principal men of the
valley, in a state of great excitement. As
day broke, the sentinels on watch for the
pirates saw a boat with a white sail leaving
the bay. They then missed one of the
largest of the boats we had captured from
the Mongols.
Paul had started for Java!
I concealed all signs of emotion, and with
Namoa made inquiries. We found that
Paul had taken with him his wife and her
two brothers. How he had wrought upon
them to join him I cannot say, but they
must have been secretly at work for some
time, preparing the sail and mast, &c. This,
then, accounted for his plausible manner the
night before, to lull my suspicions to rest.
Zolca's absence was another chance in his
favour, and he seized the opportunity.
I treated the matter lightly, explained
that Paul had only gone to try how the


ANOTHER PIRATE JUNR. 81
boat would sail, as we intended rigging
masts on all of them. I surmised that he
meant it as a surprise for us, that was the
reason he had said nothing about his in-
tended trip.
When Zolca returned, which he did in a
few hours, having followed the Papoos for a
long distance but failed to overtake them, it
was quite a different thing, and his eyes
showed me that the untamable savage was
still latent in him.
However, I had thought the matter over,
and had come to the conclusion that Paul
never would reach Java. In the first place,
even if he escaped shipwreck, he had a most
hazy idea as to its whereabouts; in all pro-
bability he would land on some strange is-
land, peopled with savages, and he and his
party would be murdered. I considered it
would be a miracle if he reached Java, unless
he was picked up by one of the Company's
discovery-ships. Then again, he could not
carry a sufficiency of provisions and water
to last him through calm weather, when he
could not sail. He had spoken of Captain
Pelsart's voyage in the boat, but Pelsart was
a navigator with a well-built boat, not a
(M234) F


82 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
clumsy Mongol affair; also he had a boat's
crew of trained sailors. Altogether I looked
upon it as a rash and desperate enterprise
that only an ignorant man would undertake,
and one sure to bring destruction on the
heads of the parties engaged in it.
All this I confided to Zolca, who, I think,
understood most of my reasoning and felt
reassured. Suddenly our conversation was
interrupted by the blowing of the sentinel's
shell from seaward. We hastened there and,
to our intense surprise, found that the boat
with the white sail was returning. Now,
although I was glad that this, to a certain
extent, confirmed what I had already told
Namoa and the rest, still I knew that Paul
was not coming back willingly, and this idea
was soon made a certainty, for, almost im-
mediately, a Mongol junk came into sight.
Paul was evidently running back to escape
a worse fate.
I drew Zolca on one side and told him the
tale I had told Namoa and urged him to ac-
cept it as the best policy. We could settle
with Paul privately, meantime we wanted
his help to fight the pirates. To this he
agreed, and when finally the boat ran up to


ANOTHER PIRATE JUNK. 83
the beach, I hailed Paul in our own language
and told him how to act. He was sharp
enough to see the situation, and it was
evident that the other Quadrucos had no
suspicion of the attempted flight. Paul's
companions would, of course, divulge it
presently, but not until we had dealt with
the junk, and I was anxious to avoid any
disunion in our ranks with an enemy in sight.
After our last fight I had carefully gone
over the bay and found out the channel
leading into it. Also, that this channel
passed close to one of the headlands of the
bay. On this knowledge my plans had long
since been formed in case of another attack.
As the junk, which was much larger than
either of the former two, drew near, we all
took up our stations as before, with the
exception that a body of bowmen under
Namoa, stationed themselves on the head-
land commanding the channel.
Apparently these pirates knew the en-
trance into the bay quite well, and this
puzzled me exceedingly, also why they per-
sisted in coming, seeing that they got no-
thing but hard knocks for their pains. I
found out the reason soon afterwards.


ANOTHER PIRATE JUNK. 85
This was taken up and repeated round the
bay. Evidently another vessel was in sight.
The Mongols, who were in a better position
to look seaward than we were, now began
getting their boats on board again, with
much shouting and noise. Then they got
out long sweeps, and, aided by the wind,
which had changed to the south-east, put
out to sea, passing under the headland,
where Namoa gave them a volley which
must have made great havoc.
The other vessel was now in full sight,
bearing down rapidly on the junk, which
seemed anxious to escape. The new-comer
was smaller than the junk, not so high out
of the water, and much cleaner built. She
was propelled both by sail and oars, and
Zolca, who had joined me, told me that she
belonged to the nation of brown men of
whom his father had told me. I know now
that she was a Malay proa. She was evi-
dently bent upon attacking the junk, and
the matter being thus taken out of our
hands, we all crowded to the two headlands
to witness the encounter.
Seeing that they could not get away, the
Mongols took in their oars, lowered their


86 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
sails, and assembled their men on the side
the Malays were approaching. When the
proa was near enough they discharged such
a flight of arrows at her deck that, from
where we stood, it looked like a cloud flying
from one ship to the other. This reception
in no way daunted their assailants, who
returned the compliment, and swept up
alongside the junk with the intention of
boarding. We saw their dark figures, seem-
ingly much more active than the Mongols,
leaping on to the deck of the junk and being
cut down.
Then the Mongols attempted to board the
proa, but were repulsed; and that was the
last that we actually saw of the fight, for
the wind had freshened, and the two vessels,
locked together, were soon carried beyond
reach of our sight, that is, so far as the
details of the combat were concerned. But
they continued side by side until dusk came
. on. Before that, however, a dense smoke
had arisen from one of them, and when it
fell dark the watchers on the headland saw
a great light for many hours.
Now this was almost the last we saw of
any of these pirates, though we had one


ANOTHER PIRATE JUNK. 87
more visit; but we had worse visitors in
Store.
The battle being over without any loss on
our side—having fortunately had someone
else to do the fighting for us—a most dis-
agreeable duty remained. This was the
trial of Paul and his accomplices. By my
advice Namoa was taken into our confidence,
and also another of the head men.
The culprits were brought to the palace,
and after due admonition were taken to the
great cross of Gonneville, for which the
people had a superstitious reverence, and
there made to vow that they would never
be led to make such an attempt again, under
penalty of death for a repetition of the
fault. Paul, by my advice, had pleaded that
he only wanted to make a trial of the boat,
but he was deprived of his red turban and
had to wear a white one in future — a
punishment for which he did not care the
snap of a finger, but which, in the eyes of
the Quadrucos, was a great degradation.
If Zolca had had his way he would have
made the punishments death, I verily be-
lieve, so much had I worked on his feelings
by my description of what was to be ex-


88 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
pected if the East India Company discovered
the gold. I persuaded him, however, to
make the sentences lenient, in order not to
make the offence appear too important.
I now wished to see the place where the
gold was, and Zolca and I went there one
morning. To my astonishment I saw dis-
tinctly, by the signs, that pits had been
formerly dug there, and that a large area
of land had been disturbed at one time. As
the Quadrucos knew nothing of the value of
gold it must have been done before their
coming to the country. But there was no
doubt that it had been the work of some
people, for, searching further, I found where
one hill had been almost quarried away, and
great heaps of broken rocks were to be seen
in different places. I remembered the
characters in the cave Paul had shown me,
and it suddenly occurred to me that they
were like the copies I had seen in books of
Mongol characters.
Was this an ancient gold-mine, formerly
worked by these people, and had the secret
of the place been preserved for generations
amongst them? Did this, then, account for
their persistent endeavours to effect a land-


PAUL's TREACHERY. 89
ing? As I now know that these people are
of great antiquity, and religiously preserve
their traditions, I believe that I then arrived
at the right solution.

CHAPTER VIII.
A Dutch Ship comes in Sight—Paul's Treachery—The
Captain lands.
HREE years passed peacefully and hap-
pily, undisturbed even by the wretched
Papoos. Paul seemed to have at last given
up his mad notion of endeavouring to reach
Java and return to civilization.
One day it struck me to ask Zolca about
the carven stone head, and he told me that
it was done by a Quadruco in the reign of
his grandfather; that this man was very
clever at the work, and had done many
heads, and also made figures out of mud.
Some of these he showed me, and I was much
struck with them, also with the thought of
this savage genius living and dying unknown
amongst his countrymen; whereas, had he
been in Europe, he might have been taught
to be a great sculptor.


PAUL's TREACHERY. 91
the headlands, noticing how much the
formation of the bay resembled our own,
when, happening to look towards the north,
I was astonished to see a full-rigged ship in
the distance. Hastily calling Zolca I drew
his attention to it, explaining that these
were the enemies to be feared far more
than the pirates. The wind was light, and
she was coming on under easy sail, ap-
parently examining the coast-line as closely
as she dared. The tide had risen considerably,
and the line of breakers had nearly disap-
peared, so that the entrance to the bay
looked smooth and inviting.
I had been extremely puzzled what to do,
but had now made up my mind and com-
municated my idea to Zolca. By my advice
we removed all our clothing and made our-
selves as like the Papoos as possible; then,
retaining all our weapons, we patrolled the
headland in full view of the ship. My
stratagem succeeded. When opposite the
bay she hove to and lowered a boat, evident-
ly with the intention of examining the bay
and surrounding country. My instructions
were to make a hostile demonstration, but
to avoid bloodshed; fire arrows over their


92 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
heads and around them, but on no account
to hit anybody.
The boat came swiftly in, and I noticed
the admiration in Zolca's eyes, who had only
seen the clumsy rowing of the pirates. Once
inside the bay we commenced our mimic
warfare. The crew lay on their oars, and the
officer in charge stood up and endeavoured
by signs to make us understand that he
wished to land peacefully. Of this we took
no heed, but shot our arrows all around the
boat. I could see that the men were getting
uneasy, and at last the officer lost patience,
and drawing a long-barrelled pistol fired at
us. I had warned the others not to show any
fear if this should happen; and we only re-
doubled our gestures of defiance, making as
if we would rush into the water, on which
the crew precipitately backed out. The
officer then tried to land in other places, but
we followed the boat round until at last he
gave it up and returned to the ship. Ap-
parently his report of us and the country
was so unfavourable that she hoisted all sail,
and, keeping well out from the coast, went
on down south before a fair wind, and I had
every anticipation that she would pass the


PAUL's TREACHERY. 93
mouth of our bay during the dark hours of
the night.
My feelings were very strange at thus
frightening my countrymen off the coast,
when a few years back I would have hailed
them with tears of joy; but the change
in Paul had so affected me that I could
not believe that they would keep faith,
even if we allowed them to land and make
friends. I was rarely glad, however, that
we had succeeded in disgusting them with
the country without shedding blood, and
still more pleased when, on reaching home,
we found that the ship had not been sighted,
so that she must have passed in the
night.
Still she was a looming danger. She had
gone south, and would possibly come back
again. Paul said little, and displayed no
great interest when he heard of the vessel.
I have said that in this country the seasons
were wet and dry, rather than hot and cold.
The wet season was now approaching, and
squalls from the north-west were frequent.
The buildings of the Quadrucos were built
on rising ground, they having had some
bitter experiences of former floods in the


94 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
river; but for all that I pointed out to Zolca
ancient flood-marks, or what I took to be
such, above the site of their present habita-
tion. He only laughed and said that no
such flood had occurred as far as their tradi-
tions went back.
Strict orders had been issued that, in the
event of the strange ship showing from the
south, everyone was to remain out of sight.
The canoes were removed to a secluded cove,
and all marks of occupation effaced from the
seaward view. I even proposed taking down
Gonneville's Cross, which was a standing in-
vitation for a ship to send in and examine
it. Zolca, however, would not hear of it, in
fact I am sure the people would not have
allowed us to do it. He, however, suggested
that we should mask it with boughs in the
event of the ship appearing.
My forebodings were too true. Early one
morning the glint of a white sail to the
southward told us that the discovery-ship
was on her way back. The Cross was easily
hidden behind some palm-trees which we cut
down for the purpose, and we anxiously
waited for what would result.
The day was fine, the ship came on at a


PAUL's TREACHERY. 95
fair rate of speed, and in about a couple of
hours or less was abreast of the bay.
It will be remembered that between our
bay and the one to the north there was a
great resemblance, and, having formerly
passed our bay in the night and not know-
ing of its existence, I was in great hopes
that they would take it to be the one where
they had tried to land before, and not think
it worth while to examine it again. It
would have all happened just as I wished
but for the treachery of my old comrade
Paul.
Suddenly she changed her course and
came close in to the shore. Astonished at
this manoeuvre I looked round for the cause,
which was not far to find. Whilst all eyes
had been fixed seaward, the traitor had
removed the screen of boughs from the Cross,
and, not content with this, had climbed the
post and fastened a long streamer of red
stuff to the top.
Zolca's eyes were like burning coals, and
had the culprit been in sight it would have
fared hard with him. I saw that we must
act quickly.
“Order the men back to the town,” I said.


96 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
“Let Namoa see that they all retain their
arms and keep in readiness. Also,” and I
looked Zolca straight in the eyes, “order
them to secure Paul, dead or alive!”
Our only hope now was to prevent Paul
having any communication with the landing-
party. The men drew quietly back to the
town, and Zolca and I and about a dozen
men awaited the coming of the boat which
had been lowered and was heading towards
U18.
We stood grouped on the beach; at our
backs, on the crest of the rise, towered the
great Cross of De Gonneville, which a second
Judas had just contaminated. We must have
presented a strange picture to the officers
who sat in the stern of the approaching boat.
She ran lightly up the beach and two
sailors jumped out and held her, one on each
side, while the officers landed. I advanced
a few paces to meet them. One was a Swag-
gering, red-faced fellow, with a long, blonde
moustache curled at the ends, the very type
of men I have seen reeling out of the taverns
in Harlem. The other was grave and dig-
nified, and to him I naturally addressed
myself.


PAUL's TREACHERY, 97
“May I inquire, sir, your name, and that
of your vessel?”
Both men started and stared in amaze-
ment, and no wonder, at hearing themselves
thus addressed by an inhabitant of Terra
Australis.
“Who are you, in the name of wonder?”
stammered one at last.
“I am from Holland, and was shipwrecked
here many years ago. I have adopted this
country as my own, and am now one of these
people. This,” I said, motioning to Zolca to
come forward, “is Prince Zolca, the chief of
this country, who bids you welcome.”
Zolca, who had been tutored by me, held
out his hand and the officer I had been
addressing took it respectfully. The fellow
with the red face curled his moustache and
looked on with a sneer.
“May I inquire the name of your ship?”
continued the officer.
Now I knew that this question would be
asked and had puzzled much over the
answer. I determined to tell the truth,
for I had undergone my undeserved punish-
ment.
“My name is Diedrich Buys, of Harlem,

(M234) G


98 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
I was clerk on board the Batavia. Although
innocent of any misdeed I was found amongst
the mutineers and marooned here by Com-
mander Pelsart.”
“Incredible!” said the officer. “”Tis over
a thousand leagues from here to where the
Batavia struck on the Abrolhos.”
“It took us four years to reach here,” I
said.
“Ah! I heard that two men had been put
on shore. Where is your companion?”
“He is here, but absent just now.”
“My name,” said the officer I had spoken
to, “is Hoogstraaten, commander of the
Selwaert; this is my second officer, Herr
Arendsoon.”
The gentleman indicated inclined his head
haughtily, and I gave him an equally stiff
nod.
“Prince Zolca,” I said, “wishes me to
ask you gentlemen to his house. I will
guarantee your safety.”
Commander Hoogstraaten bowed an assent;
I heard the other whisper something about
“a trap”, but he was frowned down.
We first went to the Cross, and I told
Hoogstraaten of De Gonneville's visit and


PAUL's TREACHERY. 99
how we had been welcomed as friends of his.
He had read of the Norman's voyage and
was deeply interested in what I told him.
We then went forward to the scattered town
of the Quadrucos. Hoogstraaten looked with
intelligent interest on the strange and novel
sights, whilst Arendsoon dawdled along,
twirling his moustache and leering at any
of the pretty girls we passed; for the Quad-
rticos, after their usual simple, harmless
fashion, had lined the sides of the path-
way to see the strangers, although there was
no rude pushing or crowding.
Arrived at the palace I invited the two
officers in, and Azolta received them as I
had instructed her to do. The boy brought
cups of green cocoa-nut milk, and Zolca and
I pledged our guests. While a meal was
being prepared in another room, for we had
enlarged the palace, I showed Hoogstraaten
the Latin missal and sword left by De
Gonneville. Zolca despatched some men to
the boat's crew with refreshment.
During our meal I related the details of
our journey to the commander, who was
anxious to get some knowledge of the coun-
try for the Company. I could only assure


100 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
him that all we had passed through was
barren and unprofitable. The natives were
half-starved wretches who just managed to
live, and that was all. There was nothing
whatever to induce the Company to form
settlements. Even the valley we were in
was but a small patch of fertile country
surrounded by a wilderness.
Hoogstraaten, who was evidently devoted
to his work, seemed much pleased at obtail-
ing so much reliable information of the
unknown land, and when we rose from our
meal, to which the strangers had done ample
justice, he gladly acceded to my invitation
for a stroll up the valley. Arendsoon, who
had greatly annoyed me by staring openly
and admiringly at Azolta during our repast,
excused himself on the ground of being
unused to walking, so he stayed behind.


102 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
drew my sword and begged that the matter
might be settled there and then.
“You have a right to demand it,” said
the commander.
“I will not fight with a mutineer and a
savage,” said Arendsoon, offering to return
his weapon to its sheath.
“Nay, sir, but you will!” returned
Hoogstraaten in a voice of thunder. “You
have grossly outraged this gentleman's”
(and he put a stress on the word) “hospi-
tality, and you shall give him satisfaction
or go back to Batavia in irons!”
“Come on, then,” he said sullenly; but
Zolca, calling to me to wait, ran into the
house and brought out the French sword,
which was more of a match for the hanger
worn by my adversary, than the rude
weapon I carried.
We had scarcely crossed blades before I
knew that I was his master, and I saw by
the coward look in his eyes that he knew it
as well. I played with him for a bit, and
when I had driven him round until his
breath came in short gasps and he was
evidently at my mercy, I gave him a slight
wound in the shoulder, enough to afford


104 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
Zolca returning on shore to see that an
ample supply of fresh provisions, cocoa-
nuts, &c., was sent off for the crew.
Meantime I followed the captain into his
cabin, where, his curiosity still being insati-
able, he questioned me about the history of
the Quadrucos, and speculated as to their
origin, being evidently a man devoted to
such scientific questions.
We were interrupted by the arrival of the
canoes with the provisions, and with them
came a note from Zolca written in the signs
I had taught him. It read:
“Come ashore at once!”
Hastily bidding adieu to the good captain,
and telling him that my presence was needed
at the town, I went on deck. The sailors
were all crowded to the side, looking down
with curiosity on the natives who were
passing up the provisions. Arendsoon was
also on the deck with his arm in a sling.
As I passed him he gave a scowl. Then he
beckoned to me.
“See here, Herr Mutineer!” he said; “I
know the secret of your little valley. Your
friend in the bilboes was more communica-
tive than you.”


I FIGHT A DUEL. 105
I turned cold at heart, but would not let
the villain see it, and passed on with a look
of unconcern.
I told Namoa, who was in charge, that, if
the captain permitted, the natives could go
on board in small parties and examine the
vessel, but in case of misunderstanding they
must go unarmed. Then I took a canoe
and paddled to the beach.
It was true what the scoundrel had said.
He had been in communication with Paul.
The sentinels were not to be blamed, for their
orders were that Paul was not to be allowed
to escape. They were too simple to suspect
anything. Paul had seen Arendsoon from
one of the narrow windows of the house,
had called to him, and they had then held
a long conversation in their own language.
This happened when we were away up the
valley. We alone were to blame for afford-
ing the opportunity.
I had not had a chance to speak to
Azolta before. She told me that after the
officer held the conversation with Paul he
had commenced to pester her with his atten-
tions trying to express his admiration by
looks and gestures. She, in her innocence,


110 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA,
“Yes, why?” added Zolca. “You could
have done it at any time.”
I gazed at them for a moment in surprise.
Then I remembered their training.
“It was better not,” I answered. “We
must keep friends with the captain.”
I passed a restless night, and early in the
morning went down to the beach. The ship
swung at her anchor, and I could not help
feasting my eyes on her familiar outline,
and ceased to wonder at the infatuation of
poor Paul. I began to feel something of it
myself.
Zolca joined me, and fell to talking
about the vessel, and I told him about the
sails and their management. Then we took
a canoe, and went on board to ask the cap-
tain to breakfast. He readily agreed, and
after being introduced to the first officer,
Herr Wanstrooken, we left for the shore.
During breakfast the captain explained
that he was anxious to see the country
outside of the valley; not that he doubted
my word as to its undesirability, but in his
report to the Company he was desirous of
saying that he had examined this place
himself. We agreed to make the excursion,


I FIGHT A DUEL. 111
taking an armed party with us, and men
to carry what provisions and baggage we
wanted, as we intended to be out one night
OT more.
We left about ten o'clock, Zolca staying
behind in case of any trouble arising. The
captain took two sailors with him with fire-
arms, so that we were a strong party. We
went by the Rock with the head carved on
it, of which Hoogstraaten made a sketch.
We then took a sweep round the head of the
valley, and camped that night at a small
spring.
The secret of the gold having been be-
trayed to Arendsoon, I had made up my
mind to take counsel with the commander
of the vessel, although I felt that he would
insist upon its being his duty to communi-
cate the information to the Company. How-
ever, we were in for it, and must make the
best terms we could. It would be better to
tell this man voluntarily, than allow him to
find it out by accident. It would retain his
friendship and assistance.
He was not much surprised, and told me
that there had long been a floating rumour
of the existence of gold in Terra Australis.


114 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
ample provisions with us. I promised the
commander that, as we returned, we would
go by way of the gold-mine.
The day was oppressively hot, and al-
though no clouds were visible—nothing but
a thick haze—a low and constant mutter of
thunder seemed to rumble around us. We
were all tired when we reached the river,
and enjoyed a swim in a large pool which
was in the bed just where we came on it.
After eating and resting we went on to
the bay in which the river discharged itself.
The captain drew my attention to the
clouds now gathering in the north-west;
dark and sullen they looked, lit up every
now and again by lurid flashes of light-
ning.
“We are going to have a gale,” said
Hoogstraaten, “and I am glad that my ship
is in safe quarters.”
I had heard from the natives that at
times terrific winds blew from the north-
west, but none of great magnitude had
occurred during my residence with them.
As we stood on the beach, gazing at the
bay, the captain, to my great surprise, burst
into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Com-
-


A STORM. 115
ing from a grave and serious man like my
companion, I could scarcely believe my ears.
“Truly, Master Diedrich Buys,” he said
at length, when he had exhausted his mirth,
“I have found you out properly! You and
your friends were, I verily believe, the mock
Indians who opposed our landing when I
examined this bay on our way south.”
I now knew the cause of his laughter, and
joined heartily in it.
“Were you the officer in the boat?” I
asked.
“I was indeed, and your arrows whistled
sharply enough about my ears.”
It was now my turn to laugh, as I assured
him that our fire was harmless; the men being
instructed to aim wide.
“I am glad to hear it,” he replied, “for I
should be loath to think you would have
willingly harmed your countrymen, and to
tell you the truth I wondered greatly that
none of us were hit. I must confess that I
fired as straight as I knew how.”
Heavy clouds had now gathered over the
sky, and a moaning wind had arisen. One
of the oldest of the Quadrucos came to me
and said:
*


116 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
“We are going to have a great storm, such
as I remember once many years ago. We
will make places to sleep under behind that
ridge, where the wind will not touch us.”
This was of course spoken in the Quad-
ruco tongue, and Hoogstraaten looked at
me inquiringly.
“He predicts a great storm, and is going
to erect shelters for us.”
“Ask him about your bay,” said the
captain.
I guessed at what he meant, and the
Quadruco returned answer:
“The waters of the bay are never much
troubled, no matter how strong the wind
blows.”
This relieved the captain's mind.
“Wanstrooken is a good sailor,” he said,
“and knows well what to do. I can rest
easy.”
We strolled to the headland and watched
the gathering storm. The clouds lying near
the horizon to the north-west were of inky
blackness, and were cleft every minute by
jagged streaks of lightning. The sea looked
sullen and angry, and the white crests of
waves were already showing.


A STORM. 117
When we got back we found that the
Quadrucos had erected strong comfortable
shelters of bark, fresh cut from the trees.
That night the wind was something terrible.
We lay under the protection of the ridge,
but above our heads the storm hurtled, rag-
ing amongst the forest trees and rending
and tearing the branches. Nothing could
stand against its fury.
Towards morning the rain ceased some-
what, and when the dull daylight came,
Hoogstraaten and I fought our way to the
headland to see the turmoil of the sea.
The two sailors accompanied us. The wind
and rain had not allowed the sea to rise
as high as one would have expected, but
the surges that shattered themselves in
spray at the foot of the headland seemed to
shake it under our feet. Squalls of rain
kept sweeping across the ocean, and in the
interval between two of these one of the
sailors gave a great shout of alarm.
The captain looked up and gripped my
arm with a clutch of iron, as a cry of horror
burst from his lips. A ship under a rag of
storm-sail was driving right on towards us!
A ship! The Selwaert!


A STORM. 123
had promised. Their punishment was to
depend on their good behaviour between
then and the time they reached Batavia.
As soon as the weather became somewhat
calm, the captain and his men set to work
to build a new boat to depart in. It was
tiresome work, for they could only dismantle
the wreck at low-tide, but once they got well
under way they were able to employ the
time of high-tide in the work of construction.
As I have said the tide on this coast rises
over thirty feet, so there would be ample
depth to float over the reef a boat of the
size they were building in Wreck Bay, as
we had christened it.
In due time the boat was finished, rigged,
and sailed down to our bay, to the admira-
tion of the Quadrucos, who felt almost as
though they had built it themselves. She
was large enough to carry all of the survivors,
and in a few weeks the captain anticipated
being able to make a start. The end of the
stormy season was now nearly at hand, and
once the steady breeze from the south-east
set in, the voyage to Batavia could be accom-
plished with little danger.
From Hoogstraaten, who had been on the


THE REBELLION. 125
CHAPTER XI.
Disappearance of five of the Mutineers—They come back
again—One turns Blacksmith and Armourer—Mar-
riage of Zolca—The Rebellion.
I AM now approaching the tragedy which
has since often troubled my conscience.
Was it justice or murder? I cannot say;
then I thought it was justice, but now,
looking back, I see that if by chance I
misjudged, if I did not sufficiently allow for
the pressure of circumstances, and the mad
infatuation of the man, it was murder!
It wanted but a week to the captain's
departure, when five of the mutineers dis-
appeared. Naturally we thought they had
taken to the bush, intending to remain
hidden until Hoogstraaten left, not relishing
the prospect of risking their necks at Batavia.
These five men were the worst and most un-
ruly of the lot, and I by no means wished
them to be left behind to corrupt the people
with their vices. I therefore helped all I
could, in the search we made for them, but
without avail. Not a trace could we find,


126 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
and at last we had to give it up, trusting
that the Papoos would account for them.
It was with great regret that we parted
with the captain. He told me that, after the
benefits and assistance he had received, he
would so word his report that we were not
likely to be disturbed. He could truthfully
affirm that our valley was but an oasis in
the midst of a desert. As for the gold, the
secret would never be divulged by him. He
also promised that, if put in charge of an-
other ship, he would visit us again. We
went to the headland and waved him a last
farewell as his little craft shot out to sea
before the steady trade-wind.
Paul had shown no anxiety to leave; so I
began to think that his last narrow escape
had sickened him.
We returned to the town, and Zolca and I
were discussing our late visitor, when Namoa
came with the astounding intelligence that
the five missing men were in the town, and,
in fact, had never left it. They had been
concealed in Paul's house all the time.
When accused of this Paul admitted it,
but defended himself by saying: that he
was not going to see countrymen and fellow-


THE REBELLION. 129
Berghen came to me one day and said:
“Captain Diedrich"—which was the title
they gave me—“have we your permission
to go up north to where the Selwaert was
wrecked, and bring the rest of the wood and
iron down here, and anything else we can
find that may be useful?”
“Do you propose going by land or sea?”
I asked.
“By sea, Herr Captain; with the wind
that now blows from morning till night we
can sail either north or south.”
“You can go,” I said, “but Wegelhoe and
another man must stay behind as surety, for
you know well I cannot yet trust you!”
I saw a sly smile steal over Berghen's face,
which he instantly repressed.
“You can keep any two of us you like,
Captain. We have promised to obey orders
and behave ourselves. Have we not done
so?”
“I have no fault to find,” I returned;
“but for what purpose do you want to re-
cover the wood and iron?”
“There are many things which will be
useful in the settlement. I have worked
at several trades, and can work in iron.”
(M 234) I


130 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
I believed him so far, but did not credit
that it was for the benefit of the settlement
they desired to go north. However, it
mattered little now. If they intended to
try and escape, Batavia was the only port
they could make for, and by this time, or
long before, Hoogstraaten would have ar-
rived there, and their reception would be
anything but friendly. To make matters
certain, however, I assured Berghen that, in
case of any treachery, the two hostages
would straightway be executed.
Wegelhoe, who was of an indolent disposi-
tion like many big men, made no objection
to remaining as hostage, and the party, led
by Paul, departed in two of the largest boats
we had taken from the Mongols. By Zolca's
permission some of the male relations of
Paul accompanied him.
My fears apparently were unfounded.
Zolca and I visited the place several times
in one of the boats and always found them
steadily at work. Berghen was evidently a
man who, if he had been possessed of good
principles, would have made his way in the
world, for he was decidedly a born organizer.
They had formed a camp on shore, and


THE REBELLION, 13I
worked a certain time each day, and I could
see that Zolca was much struck by the order
and method that prevailed.
“If we come to a fight, Diedrich,” he
said, “we must kill that man first.”
Instinctively he recognized the master-
spirit for evil amongst the men.
In due time nearly all the remains of the
wreck were brought down to our bay, and
stacked in safety. I had dreaded the dis-
covery of wine or spirits about the vicinity,
but Hoogstraaten had taken all provisions
away that had been preserved.
Berghen now had a forge erected, having
manufactured a rude pair of bellows, and it
was pleasant to hear the ring of his hammer,
as he turned out rough, but well-tempered
swords, knives, &c.
The wet and stormy season came on again
and passed. Everybody seemed contented
and at peace. The natives never tired of
watching Berghen at work, and some of them
quickly learnt the rudiments of the art. I
had grown more familiar with the man, and
lost much of my dislike to him.
“Captain,” he said to me one day, “have
you looked well for minerals about here? I


182 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
should say that both copper and iron
exist.”
I had to confess that I was not skilled in
recognizing the ores of these metals, and he
then asked to be allowed a party to make
search for them. As Paul had, of course,
told them of the presence of the gold, it
mattered little whether Berghen found the
place or not, so I gave my consent, or rather
obtained Zolca's, for I left the control of the
Quadrucos entirely with him. Berghen was
out for many weeks, two or three days at a
time, then one day he announced his success.
He had found both iron and copper, and
showed me the stones he had brought in.
One was sheeny and bright, with many
colours, another was of a crumbly nature
with dark green patches over it, these were
samples of copper ore; the third was heavy
and dark, and had a metallic ring when
struck, this was iron.
Berghen then said that he knew how to
construct rude smelting works, with which
he could extract the metal from the ore, if I
would give him a party of men to assist him,
and to carry in a sufficient quantity of ore.
Suddenly a thought struck me, and I


THE REBELLION. 133
asked, if, during his search for the metal, he
had come across the gold mine. A moment's
hesitation confirmed me in the thought that
he had, and meant to keep it secret from me.
Then he answered boldly, “Yes,” he had.
I asked him what he thought of it, seeing
that he had had experience in other coun-
tries.
He replied that there was gold there still,
no doubt, but that whatever nation had
worked the mine formerly had probably
taken the best of the gold away. This was
my idea, too, and after some further conver-
sation I told him that I would ask Zolca to
let him have the men he required.
My suspicions, never quite lulled, had
been again roused by the man's hesitation in
replying to me about the discovery of the
gold; but how was I, with my short experi-
ence of the world, and Zolca, with his simple
nature, to suspect the hellish plot that was
ripening in secret.
Zolca was about to be married, and a great
ceremony was to be held in honour of the
occasion. The preparations for this, and the
building of a new house for Azolta and my-
self, engaged all our attention.


134 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
Zolca was married, with such pomp and
show as we could muster, to one of Namoa's
daughters—thought by many to be the
fairest girl amongst the Quadrucos. All the
sailors attended and had places of honour,
although I noticed that but for the presence
of Berghen, and the mysterious authority
that he exercised, some of them would have
been rather too free in their manner. It
was wonderful how that scoundrel Berghen
kept his plans quiet and curbed the tongues
of his men. I heard afterwards that he had
been in his youth an officer in the army of
Saxony, and had been sentenced to execu-
tion for treachery, but had managed to
escape. All the time he was with me he
acted the part of the rough sailor.
It was not until another stormy season
had passed that the conspirators threw off
the mask and suddenly overwhelmed us
with misfortune. Two years had elapsed
since Hoogstraaten left, and I was now the
father of two children, a little girl with
Azolta's eyes having come to us.
The outburst was planned by a master
hand. One night I was rudely awakened
to find myself in the grasp of the giant


136 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
Berghen now gave one of the men orders
to bring up Azolta and Zolca's bride. The
man went and presently came back saying
that they were not to be found. Berghen
turned in fury on Wegelhoe. “You fat
knave, did I not tell you that they were to
be securely confined in a room and a guard
set over them?”
The giant drew his hand across his heavy
forehead. “Himmell Captain” (Berghen
had assumed that rank), “did not you tell
me expressly that I must not interfere with
the women?”
“Bah! I meant here,” and he waved his
hand over the town. “I gave you strict
orders about the ladies,” he said, glancing at
me, “that they were to be treated with
every respect, but to be closely guarded;
but your fat brains will not hold two ideas
at once!”
Wegelhoe lifted his cap and scratched his
head as though to stir his brains up, but he
remained silent under the rebuke. Berghen
had become the officer once more, and they
all felt it. He meditated for an instant;
then addressed me again.
“Captain Diedrich, I am about to release


188 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA,
CHAPTER XII.
Azolta's Stratagem—We are Rescued and retake the Town
—The Camp on the Headland—The White Flag.
HE plot to which we had fallen victims
had been most cunningly contrived
and carried out. Through Paul's relatives
—and I have before mentioned that family
feeling was very strong amongst the Quad-
rucos—a large number of natives had been
seduced into joining the mutineers. There
could have been no feeling of discontent
amongst them; it was done by working
on their simplicity and love of change and
novelty. Berghen, too, had excited their
admiration by his mechanical skill.
The manufacture of the breast-plates,
caps, pike-heads, and other weapons had
been carried on secretly for nearly the
whole time the forge had been erected. A
watch had been kept, and on my approach
these things had always been at once con-
cealed.
The day was breaking as the men returned,
bringing the weapons they had mustered.


AZOLTA's STRATAGEM. 139
Fortunately the show was big enough to
prevent suspicion, although Berghen glanced
grimly at some stringless bows and headless
8.TTOWS.
Berghen, who seemed desirous to keep
on good terms with me, now had us un-
bound and marched into one of the sailors'
houses. An armed guard was set round,
with orders to shoot us if we attempted to
get out. I doubted much if these men
would have shot at their king if he had
tried to escape, but the experiment was too
dangerous to risk. A weary day passed,
but a woman's wit was working for us,
destined to lead to the undoing of even
such a crafty leader as Master Berghen.
In the afternoon Azolta came back alone
into the town. I did not, of course, see what
passed, but she had an interview with Ber-
ghen, during which she managed, by means
of such broken scraps of the Dutch lan-
guage as she had picked up from me, to
make him understand that she had come
back to learn the fate of her husband.
Berghen conducted her to our place of con-
finement and called me out. His complete
success so far had not yet developed the


AZOLTA'S STRATAGEM. 141
Her next proposal was that Zolca should
leave in her place, take command of these
men, and by a sudden onslaught rescue us
before daylight. I have already mentioned
the close resemblance of the twins, which ex-
tended to their height, and the plan seemed
perfectly easy and feasible.
I did not at once give my consent, for I
dreaded, if it should be discovered, that Ber-
ghen's vengeance would be sharp and sure.
However, at last I was persuaded, and as
evening was drawing on, the work of dis-
guising Zolca commenced. Alas! my wife's
beautiful hair had to be sacrificed. They
had left us our short swords, and with one
of these I shore her long locks. These she
nimbly interwove in the head-dress she was
wearing and put them on Zolca's head. The
transformation was complete, and I felt no
fear but what it would deceive the guard.
Some more touches were added, then Azolta
assumed Zolca's turban and belted on his
sword. At dusk he issued forth, and took
his way unchallenged to the place of meeting.
In order to lull all suspicion in the watching
sentries, Azolta accompanied him to the door-
way and bade him farewell in sight of them.


142 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
Our great fear was that Berghen would
intercept and speak to the supposed Azolta;
but we were fortunate, he was then on his
return from the beach where, as I afterwards
found out, he had been overlooking the re-
moval of the boats and canoes. In a short
time we were able to assure ourselves that
Zolca was safe. Later on Berghen came
with a sailor, who brought food and lights;
but I guessed that his coming was merely
an excuse to see that all was right. Azolta,
with a sullen look on her face, could not be
told from Zolca, and after a few words with
me he departed satisfied.
Then commenced a long and weary vigil,
for I felt no inclination to sleep. Azolta,
who was tired out, slept on one of the mats,
and I sat and watched the glow of the fire
through the narrow doorway, for there were
no doors to the houses, and the duty of our
guard was to keep a sleepless watch on the
narrow aperture.
During the early part of the night there
seemed to be a great stir, but this died down,
and about midnight, when the watch was
relieved and the great Wegelhoe took charge,
all was silent.


AZOLTA'S STRATAGEM. 143
As the hours stole on I began to grow
anxious. If anything happened, and Zolca
did not come, it would be better for us to
cut our way out, or die fighting, than wait
for morning to discover the exchange of
prisoners. My gloomy forebodings were
suddenly put to flight. A loud command
in Zolca's voice, so close that it startled even
me, broke the silence, and a deadly volley
of arrows stretched most of the guard low.
Then came a rush of feet as with a loud
shout they rushed on, my brother's war-cry
sounding loud above all.
He had found over a hundred men
assembled, and with them had crept up
unperceived, close to our place of confine-
ment.
As we issued forth, with Azolta in our
midst, the sluggish Wegelhoe, who had been
snoring by the fire, reared up his great
length, and seizing his pike made at us with
it uplifted for a sweeping blow. I jumped
on one side, and stabbed him under the arm
which, being raised, left part of his body
unprotected by back- or breast-plate. He
fell like the log he was, and waving my
bloody sword, I shouted to Zolca, and


144 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
Namoa to rally the rest of the people and
we would retake the town.
They now poured down to assist us with
their concealed weapons, but Berghen, who
had at once grasped the position of affairs,
was not so foolish as to sacrifice his men
against overwhelming odds. Mustering his
traitorous natives, he and his sailors formed
a rear-guard, and covered their retreat to the
shore. Following the example of Paul and
myself, they had worn native dress and
saved their European clothes. These they
had again assumed, and being dressed in
leather breeches and high boots, with iron
breast-plate, back-plate and cap, they defied
our arrows, whilst from behind them their
allies poured disastrous volleys into our
lightly-clad ranks. Seeing this we con-
tented ourselves with driving them out of
the town, meaning to resume the attack
with more caution in the daytime.
We returned to collect the dead and
wounded. Zolca was for despatching all
who wore Berghen's badge, but I begged
their lives, representing how they had been
led astray by men with stronger minds.
Wegelhoe still lived, and on examining his
...-


M234
DIEDRICH RALLIES THE QUADRUCOS AND RECAPTURES THE TOWN.





AZOLTA'S STRATAGEM. 145
wound I came to the conclusion that the
sword-blade had missed any vital part. I
hoped he would live, as he would serve as a
hostage, to some extent, in the event of any
reverse befalling us.
When daylight broke we mustered our
men, and found that at least a hundred
males, besides women and children, had gone
over to the enemy's camp. This included
all who were connected with the family
Paul's wife came from, either by blood or
marriage, and Zolca and I were relieved to
find that the disloyalty had not spread be-
yond. '
But where had they gone to? In the re-
treat of last night, the sailors had not been
accompanied by more than twenty men. We
were soon to find out. Mustering about two
hundred Quadrucos, Zolca and I marched
to the beach, leaving the town in charge of
Namoa, in case of a sudden attack from an
unexpected quarter.
Berghen, we found, had provided against
failure as well as success. Knowing how
great were the odds against him, in case of
any mishap happening he had stocked a
camp on the southern headland with provi-
(M 284) K


146 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
sions, and all the time we had been prisoners,
both men and women had been at work
throwing up a rampart of earth around this
camp, which, being on the headland, could
only be approached across a narrow neck of
land. All the boats had been secured, and
were on an inner beach under cover of the
garrison of the camp. Fresh water could be
obtained by digging above high-water mark,
and fish were plentiful. He was a clever
general, was Master Berghen, but I saw him
hanged for all that.
We held a council of war to discuss the
situation and could only come to one con-
clusion: that we could not starve them out,
and that to carry the place by assault would
mean a great loss of men, whilst a repulse
would be fatal. That they must be rooted
out somehow we all agreed, for with the
boats, they could cross the bay at night,
land at any unguarded point, and harry us
continually.
When we had finished, that is to say, when
we had arrived at no conclusion, I strolled
over to the forge and smelting place. Here I
found a lot of stone broken up, which at once
reminded me of the white stone in which I


AZOLTA's STRATAGEM. 147
had seen the gold. Secretly, then, they had
been obtaining the gold, whilst feigning to
be smelting iron. I could not help feeling a
good deal of contempt for myself, for being
so easily hoodwinked. All the tools, and
everything likely to be of any use, had been
carried away.
Zolca now called to me that some one in
the enemy's camp was trying to attract our
attention. On looking, I saw a man stand-
ing on the top of the earthwork, waving a
white flag.
We marched towards the camp and halted
out of bow-shot. I then advanced alone,
and the man with the white flag, the mean-
ing of which I had explained to Zolca, met
me half-way. -
“Well, Captain Diedrich,” said Berghen,
“you have fairly turned the tables on me,
thanks to that drowsy-headed knave, whom
you thrust so cleverly under the arm-pit. I
bear you no malice, for I love a fair fighter,
but why should more blood be spilt? This
country is surely large enough for us both to
live in.”
To this I could only reply that it was not.
That during the whole time they had been


148 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
friendly guests of ours they had been plot-
ting our destruction. How was it possible
to trust them?
“I have a fair offer to make,” he went on,
ignoring my accusation, which, of course, he
could not answer. “You do not want or
care for the gold. Let us build a vessel, we
have ample timber left for it, and after
getting as much gold as we can, let us go in
peace.”
“To return with a crew of ruffians and
cannon, and massacre us all!”
“We may return, I admit, but not with
that purpose. Did I behave harshly or
cruelly when I had it in my power?”
Truth to tell he had not, but he had har-
boured a purpose in so doing. Before he
died Paul confessed to me the whole of the
plot. Berghen intended to keep us prisoners
for a few days, until, by kind treatment and
large promises, he had persuaded more of the
natives to join him and disarmed the re-
mainder. His intention then was to repeat
the massacre of the Batavia, and all of us,
men, women, and children, would have been
ruthlessly put to the sword.
Of course I knew nothing of this at the


AZOLTA'S STRATAGEM. 149
time, or I would have held no parley with
the ruffian.
“And if I accept your terms will you give
up Paul and all your weapons?”
“As for the arms, that is no matter, but
as for giving up Paul, that is another
question, for I suppose you mean to give him
a short shrift!”
“He is the traitor who has brought all
this trouble on us! But for him the Sel-
waert would have passed on without know-
ing of our existence.”
“At least he is not responsible for this
last attempt, I planned this unaided, and it
was only after strong persuasion, and a few
threats, that he joined us.”
“Those are my terms,” I said, “and I will
not depart from them.”
We parted at this, and I returned to my
party and told Zolca and Namoa-Berghen
planted the white flag on the rampart as he
climbed over.
What happened in the camp I learnt after-
wards. Berghen assembled his men and
informed them of the conditions. So far as
the sailors were concerned they cared little
for Paul, so long as their own necks were


150 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
safe, and had he not overheard what was
said there is no doubt that he would have
been privately seized and handed over to us;
but he did overhear it, and not liking the
prospect he addressed the Indians in their
own language, telling them what was pro-
posed, and what his fate would be when
King Zolca got him in his power. At once
they rose, and Berghen and his men found
themselves surrounded by an angry crowd
with bows drawn and arrows pointed at
them. This put a stop to the negotiations.
Berghen had to give in, and mounting the
rampart he pulled up the staff with the white
flag, made us a mocking bow, and hostilities
were resumed.
CHAPTER XIII.
A Night Attack—Appearance of The Bachelor's Delight—
- The Pirate Flag—We evacuate the Valley.
HE hostilities were mostly on the side of
the beleaguered party. They had erected
double ramparts, and well sheltered behind
them they defied us with impunity, for they


152 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
No matter what our loss might be we must
exterminate them.
The moon rose about the middle of the
night, and soon afterwards one of the men
on watch drew my attention to a light out
at sea. My heart leaped! Could it be
Hoogstraaten; if so the camp was at our
mercy.
The light was stationary some distance
from the shore, and as the fires in Berghen's
camp were still alight, they were no doubt
waiting for daylight to land, attracted by
them.
Daylight came tardily, and revealed a ship
lying off the shore; but she certainly was
not one of our ships, even I could tell that
by her build. When it was quite light there
was a movement of men on her decks, and
one going aft ran up a flag at her peak. The
lazy morning wind freshened for a moment
and blew it out. It was black, with some-
thing in white in the centre. The black
flag] What did I know about it? It was
the flag Cornelis had talked of sailing under
—it was the pirate flag of murder!
In an instant a shout burst from the
enemy's camp, the sailors there were cheer-


154 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
very short space of time we were on the
march; but none too soon, for messenger
after messenger began to arrive with tidings.
First that boats were putting off from the
ship filled with men. Then that they had
landed. At last that they had formed into
a band and were marching towards the
town.
However, our people were now well on the
way, and leaving them in charge of Namoa,
Zolca and I, with about a hundred men,
remained behind on the ridge commanding
the valley, from whence we could safely
harass the enemy should they start in pur-
suit; for we could easily evade them and
inflict great damage on all who should
attempt to attack us. For I began to enter-
tain hopes that, by constantly annoying them
from the fastness of the woods and moun-
tains, I could soon induce them to leave.
The pirates came on slowly and cautiously,
evidently expecting an attack. When they
found the town deserted they seemingly
suspected a trap, for they sent single men
ahead to examine the country. We had left
Wegelhoe behind, for evidently he was of no
value as a hostage, and we had no mind to


156 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
bring against us; for we could safely in-
flict such loss upon them that they would
not be likely to renew the attempt.
They did not try it, however. Finding
that they had the town to themselves, they
took possession of such houses as they
wanted. Unseen by them, we kept watch
on their doings. They brought their ship
into the bay, and put her on the beach, and
cleaned her thoroughly, she being, as I
afterwards heard, leaky and very foul with
barnacles. But they never gave us a chance
to cut any of them off, for they marched to
and fro in compact bodies, well armed.
Meantime they played havoc with our
valley. What houses they did not occupy
they wantonly destroyed. They cut down
the cocoa-nut trees to get the fruit. What-
ever would burn they burnt.
At the end of a fortnight the ship was
again afloat, and anchored in the bay. Now
commenced excursions to the gold-mine, and
heaps of stone began to accumulate on the
beach. The wretched Quadrucos who had
sided with Paul had to do the carrying of
these loads, and dearly they must have re-
pented of their conduct.


THE PIRATE FLAG, 157
At night we heard screams from the
women, and one by one they began to
straggle into the bush whenever opportunity
offered, and we found them wounded, beaten,
and dying. When the pirates discovered
that they were deserting, they chained them
together, and drove them, so chained, back-
wards and forwards to the mine. But our
opportunity had now come, and we hovered
around, and not a day passed but what we
killed or wounded one of them.
One day we captured one of the crew.
He was away from the others, and out of
their sight, examining some stones, when
Zolca crept behind him and felled him to
the ground. While still senseless he was
carried away and secured in the camp.
When he came to himself we found that he
could speak my language slightly, from
having served on board one of our ships.
He was an Englishman, and when he found
that we did not intend to kill or torture
him, he became communicative.
The vessel, he said, was English—that is,
so far as an outlawed pirate could be said to
belong to any nation. Her crew comprised
men of all countries, but mostly Englishmen,


WE ENTERTAIN THE PIRATE CAPTAIN. 163
CHAPTER XIV.
We entertain the Pirate Captain—Return of Hoogstraaten
with two Ships — They attack the Pirate — The
Mutineers are tried and hanged.
TH: captain came, guided by the English-
man and accompanied by one of his
officers. He was most elaborately dressed,
and wore costly lace at his cuffs and neck.
He had no arms but a light rapier. The
officer was more soberly attired, and was also
unarmed, save for a hanger, or short sword.
This gentleman, for although pirates, both
he and the captain were undoubtedly such,
could speak my language fluently, and had
evidently come to act as interpreter.
After our first greeting, he assured me
from the captain that my advice had been
taken, and that Paul, Berghen, and company,
were now safe in heavy irons, with a sentry
over them. I asked him if their seizure had
not surprised them, and he laughed as at a
good joke, as he recounted their wonder and
amazement.
I presented the captain and his lieutenant


164 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
to Azolta and King Zolca, and I had to
conceal my smiles as I translated, for their
benefit, the flowery compliments of the
captain. Our conversation was somewhat
hampered, as the lieutenant had to translate
to me, and I in turn to the others.
We then went amongst the people, and
both men seemed much struck with their
appearance, and the beauty of the women.
Whilst so engaged, our meal was laid, and on
our return we sat down to it, and our guests
seemed to most heartily enjoy the strange
dishes. After it was over, some of the girls
entertained us with dances peculiar to the
Quadrucos, of which the captain and lieu-
tenant did not seem as though they could
have enough.
When the time arrived for the departure
of our guests, I had an escort of picked men
to accompany them to the outskirts of the
town, an attention which seemed greatly to
please this singular man.
When we parted he said that his men
would march out of the town at daylight,
when we would be at liberty to enter it, and
resume possession. That he would be busy
preparing for sea all the morning, as he


WE ENTERTAIN THE PIRATE CAPTAIN, 165
intended to leave by the afternoon's tide,
but if King Zolca and I would visit him on
board at noon, he would be only too happy.
Circumstances beyond our control prevented
us from fulfilling this engagement.
In the morning Zolca and I, with an ad-
vanced guard, marched down the valley to
once more take possession of our town. I
could see tears in my comrade's eyes as he
saw the ruin that had been wrought. The
men, too, gazed fiercely around, and I saw
that Paul's fate was sealed this time.
We went to look for the prisoners, and
found them heavily manacled in one of the
houses. Berghen addressed me with a reck-
less laugh.
“So you have won the game in the long
run, Captain Diedrich! Well, it's the for-
tune of war, and must be accepted.”
I could not find words to answer him. I
could not revile a helpless prisoner, but the
thought of our wrongs made my blood boil.
I set trusty sentinels over them, and left
without looking at Paul.
About the middle of the morning the
women and children began to arrive, and
those who still had houses left went to them


166 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
and made ready to entertain their less for.
tunate countrymen.
Almost at the same time a messenger
came in from the beach with the astounding
intelligence that two more ships were out-
side the bay. We hastened to the rise, and
then I noticed that the great Cross of
Gonneville had been wantonly cast down.
Although not superstitious I did not like
to see this, and the natives raised a wail of
lamentation.
Outside the bay lay two ships, flying the
flag of Holland, and my heart warmed at
the sight. On board the pirate ship the
English flag was floating instead of the
black one formerly displayed. There seemed
a good deal of bustle on her decks, and I
guessed she was preparing for a fight.
A boat from one of the ships now entered
the bay and rowed to Captain Sharpe's ship,
and an officer went on board. He remained
some short time and then, re-entering the
boat, pulled for the beach, and I went down
to meet him. What was my delight at recog-
nizing Wanstrooken. We greeted each other
warmly, and he inquired of the strange ship,
being seemingly somewhat suspicious of her.


WE ENTERTAIN THE PIRATE CAPTAIN. 167
Now I had no mind to see Captain Sharpe
taken and hanged as a pirate, for although
doubtless he richly deserved it, still the man
had behaved honourably to me, and I would
not betray him. I therefore replied that
she was an English ship, and they had been
here some weeks repairing and cleaning the
hull of their vessel.
He then asked if I had seen anything of
the five mutineers, and I told him of how
they had treacherously made us prisoners
and taken possession of the town; but that,
thanks to the English captain, we had them
safe in irons in the town. This proved to
be a most unfortunate speech of mine.
He immediately expressed a wish to see
them, saying that Hoogstraaten was captain
of one of the ships, and had put in here
partly to see me and partly to look for them.
I could only accompany him back to the
town. As we went he gave me an account
of their voyage to Batavia and the dangers
they experienced.
When we opened the door of the house
the culprits gave a start of dismay as they
recognized the visitor. It was as though
the executioner had looked in at them.


168 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
The officer gazed round at them in silence.
Suddenly Berghen spoke.
“Herr Wanstrooken, I trust before you
hang us that you will blow that cursed
pirate out of the water. The wretch who
betrayed us.”
“What does this mean?” said Wanstrooken,
glancing at me somewhat sternly. “Herr
Diedrich says she is an English ship.”
“English ship she may be,” replied Ber-
ghen; “but for all that she is the well-known
pirate ship, The Bachelor's Delight, com-
manded by the notorious Captain Sharpe.”
Wanstrooken gave me a glance of anger
which I returned, for my conscience was easy;
I had told the truth if not quite all the truth.
Wanstrooken hurried to the shore as fast
as he could, and springing into his boat,
bade the men give way smartly. As he
passed the stern of the pirate he shouted
something to which Captain Sharpe took off
his hat and made an ironical bow. Im-
mediately after, the English flag was hauled
down and the black flag flaunted defiantly
in its place. The delay he had gained had
enabled him to get his ship clear and ready
for action.


172 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
purpose to assure them of my innocence
with regard to the Batavia mutiny. He
brought me loving messages from them, and
I felt I never could thank him enough for
having done, of his own accord, the thing I
most desired, namely, my justification to my
family.
Next morning early the boats arrived
from the ships, bringing off the captain
of the other vessel and some of the
superior officers. Wanstrooken, I was sorry
to hear, had been badly wounded and was
confined to his cabin. The ships had
entered the bay at daylight and were now
anchored where the pirate vessel had lain.
The proceedings were short. The four
prisoners, for Paul, of course, was not in-
cluded in this trial, were adjudged guilty of
both mutiny and desertion, either of them
punishable with death. They were straight-
way taken on board and hanged at the yard-
arm in their irons. The bodies were then
taken out to sea and thrown overboard.
They all maintained a sullen silence to the
last.
I tried to put off Paul's trial and certain
condemnation as long as possible, and in this


WE ENTERTAIN THE PIRATE CAPTAIN, 173
matter Hoogstraaten unconsciously helped
Ine.
The latter, I may mention, came of a
wealthy family, and was a man of consider-
able private means. He told me that he
and my father had joined in bringing me
out a few presents, and invited Zolca and
me on board to see them.
“I have brought you these,” he said, “in
case you are again visited by the Malays or
Mongols;” and he showed me two brass
cannons and a stand of firearms. He told
us that he had also a plentiful supply of
powder and ball, and moreover, he would
leave a sailor with us who was a good
gunner, and who would superintend the
mounting of the guns in the best position,
and also give us instruction in the use of
them. This man he would pick up again
on his return.
On my asking him of his destination, he
smiled slightly.
“To no less a place, Diedrich, than the
Abrolhos of Frederic Houtman, where you
first made acquaintance with the land of
Terra Australis. I am going to try and
recover two casks of rix-dollars which went


176 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
CHAPTER XV.
The Trial of my Comrade—He wounds Zolca—The Death
of Paul—We destroy the Mongol Junk.
HE captain left for the Abrolhos the next
morning, and now a stern duty re-
mained to be undertaken.
Paul had been kept in confinement and
closely watched, only his wife being per-
mitted to see him. Namoa had been in-
trusted with the charge of him, and there
was no danger of his escaping, for the Quad-
rucos had only to look around at their ruined
homes and ravaged valley to renew afresh
their determination to wreak vengeance on
the traitor.
If I could have saved Paul I would. This
I solemnly aver, but it was not to be; his
deeds had been too black.
I was determined, however, that he should
have a trial such as was the custom of
civilized nations, and persuaded Zolca that
it would make more impression on the
people.
Namoa and five other men of standing


WE DESTROY THE MONGOL JUNK. 177
were then selected, and Paul was warned
that the next morning he would be tried for
his life.
He asked permission to see me, and, of
course, the request was granted. That
evening I went to him. He told his wife
to leave the house, and we were alone. I
sat down by him, and, truth to tell, my
heart was heavier than if I had had to face
the executioner in the morning. I took my
guilty comrade's hand, and we sat for some
time in silence.
“I am sorry that they did not capture
Captain Sharpe,” he said at last.
To this there was no answer to be made,
for I thought differently.
“Diedrich,” Paul went on, “I did not ask
to see you to upbraid you, but you could
have saved me if you would.”
“How?” I asked.
“When you made terms with Captain
Sharpe you could have stipulated that he
should take me away and give the others up.”
Now, this was another proof of how these
men, who were ready to mutiny at any
moment, were equally ready to sacrifice
their friends to save themselves. Paul
(M234) M


WE DESTROY THE MONGOL JUNK. 179
I left him towards the middle of the
night, and his wife went back to keep him
company. He had hinted several times that
I should assist him to escape to the bush,
but I refused to listen. Not to save Paul's
life ten times over would I be guilty of such
treachery to Zolca, my brother.
Paul was tried in a large open space in
the centre of the town, all the inhabitants
being present, grouped round in a circle. I
had to preside, as none of the others knew
anything about such a mode of procedure.
Retribution amongst uncivilized races is
short and sharp, without any pretence at
trial.
Paul met his coming fate boldly enough.
He did not evince any outward fear, al-
though he must have known that death was
hanging over his head.
Speaking in the Quadruco language, I
appealed to Paul to confess his guilt, and
prepare to meet his end; for, if I had had
any doubt as to what his fate was to be, one
look at Zolca's face would have been suffi-
cient to tell me. The fair valley, now a
scene of desolation; the ruined houses; the
wreck of what had been a flourishing and


180 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
fruitful settlement, were there to witness
against Paul.
In answer to my appeal Paul acknow-
ledged his misdeeds, and owned that he
could no longer be trusted.
I then made an appeal on his behalf, try-
ing to explain, as well as I could in their
language, that Paul had been led away by
his desire to return to his own people, and
that we should keep him a close prisoner
until the return of Captain Hoogstraaten
from the Abrolhos, who would take him
away altogether.
My speech had no effect; I could see that
in the faces of all present.
Zolca sprang to his feet and commenced
a fiery oration, pointing to all the wreck and
desolation around, which excited his audience
to frenzy, and I wonder now that they did
not rise and slaughter all of those of their
own people who had gone over to the pirates.
At the conclusion Zolca turned and asked
me what to do. In reply I turned to those
around, and asked them what punishment
they decreed.
“Death!”
The whole crowd shouted the doom, but


182 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
strips torn from our dresses, managed at last
to staunch the bleeding. A litter was soon
made, and on it we carefully conveyed the
senseless body to his house.
The dismay of Azolta and Zolca's wife
may be imagined, but the former retained
her presence of mind, and took her place by
her wounded brother. I was almost in
despair myself, as I had no knowledge of
surgery, and knew that the wound wanted
skilful treatment which I could not apply to
it, in fact might make matters worse.
In this extremity some one called from
outside:
“Captain Diedrich!”
Going out I ſound the Dutch gunner left
behind by Hoogstraaten, who had witnessed
the trial from some distance. He asked me
about the king, and I told him my trouble.
“That is the reason I came to you,” he
said. “I have often assisted the surgeon,
and when we had that scuffle with the pirate
there were a good many cutlass wounds to
be attended to. I have some material for
dressing in my kit, and if you will allow me
I will examine the king's wound.”
I could have fallen down and worshipped


WE DESTROY THE MONGOL JUNE. 185
ship, escaping the first battery, could be
safely bombarded. I think he prayed that
a junk might turn up, and, strange to say,
his prayer was answered. He was a burly
fellow of the name of Hessel, and I am sure
that he thoroughly enjoyed his life amongst
the Quadrucos, about fifty of whom he had
drilled into good musketry-men.
A watch was kept on the headland, day
and night, for the return of Hoogstraaten,
and one night a light was seen to the north-
ward. This, of course, could not be the
discovery-ships, and when the news was
brought to me I went and woke Hessel the
gunner. He chuckled at the news.
“Wait until daylight, Herr Diedrich, and
you will see how I will make the rogues
skip!”
He betook himself and his picked men to
the battery on the headland, and there
awaited the coming of the enemy, and dawn.
Zolca, aroused from his uneasy sleep by
the stir and bustle, sent over to me to know
what it was about. I went to him and told
him. Instantly he insisted on being taken
to the beach, so that he might witness the
engagement in which he could take no part.


A STRANGE DISCOVERY. 189
our hands, so far as this matter was con-
cerned.
Zolca had momentarily benefited by the
excitement of watching the fight, but I
prayed for the return of Hoogstraaten, who
had a surgeon on board, for a reaction set
in, and the king seemed to grow weaker
again.
Meantime the many busy hands had
almost restored the town, and, although it
would take several years before the cocoa-nut
trees grew to their former height and beauty,
nearly all other signs of invasion had dis-
appeared; so that when at last the welcome
arrival of Hoogstraaten's vessels was an-
nounced, he could hardly believe that we
could have done so much in such a short
time.
He was deeply grieved at the news of
Zolca's illness, and how it was caused, and
said viciously to me:
“Now, if you had let me hang that fellow
with the others this would never have
happened!”
The surgeon, too, looked grave, and told
me that the king would never recover the
use of his left arm. Otherwise, he would


190 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
probably soon get strong enough to go
about.
Hoogstraaten was highly interested in
the account of the discomfiture of the junk,
and the able manner in which Hessel had
handled his guns. He warmly praised him,
and the burly fellow grinned all over his face
with pleasure, for Hoogstraaten was a man
both loved and feared by his crew. He was
the man of that age and those seas, and I
trust that his name as a navigator and dis-
coverer will live for ever.
In return he told me that they had been
successful in their search for the two casks
of rix-dollars, and that he had been able to
map out the coast more accurately than his
predecessors had done.
Under the care of the surgeon, Zolca grew
better, and was able to walk about with his
useless arm in a sling. Hoogstraaten had
delayed his departure as long as he possibly
could, in order that Zolca might have the
attendance of the surgeon. He now had to
leave, and it was with the deepest regret I
parted from him. Wanstrooken had re-
covered, and the little cloud between us
had passed away.


192 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
the north I proposed to Zolca to take the
largest boat we had, and with a few men
sail up to the bay where I first saw Hoog-
straaten, or “Wreck Bay” as we had named
it. Zolca was tired of inactivity and gladly
consented.
We started, taking some of our men with
their firelocks, and a good supply of pro-
visions. Azolta could not accompany us on
account of the children.
Leaving the bay we found the shore to
the north fringed with mangroves, so that
we could not see dry land. Creeks and
openings were common amongst these trees,
and up some of them we went; but they led
to nowhere, and we always had to return.
Dismal-looking places these creeks were.
Nothing could be seen on either hand but
mud and ooze and the stems of these strange
trees which grow in a distorted manner from
many roots, and when the tide is low these
roots are left bare.
Here I saw for the first time the crocodile,
such as I had seen in pictures of Egypt. It
was like a huge lizard, and it lay on a little
patch of sand, basking in the sun. Neither
Zolca nor the Indians had ever seen this


194 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
who was always restless now. In the
middle of the night he roused me up and
drew my attention to a light on the other
side of the bay.
“Papoos!” he whispered.
I did not think so, for I knew from my
experience that the Papoos made many fires
when they camped. Here there was but
one. I persuaded Zolca to wait until day-
light, for he proposed to steal round and
fire a volley into the camp in the dark-
ness. By my advice he agreed to wait
until it was light enough to find out the
cause of the fire.
When morning came we went round and
found that the Papoos had been there and
set fire to a dry log, which had been smoul-
dering for some days; the wind during the
night had freshened it into a flame. But this
was not all, the Papoos had been there in
large numbers and a fight had taken place.
A fight and more than a fight; a feast as
well—for these black Indians are cannibals
and eat one another.
Zolca and the other Quadrucos looked at
the remnants of human bodies in deep dis-
gust, for the Quadrucos were very dainty


THE GREAT CATASTROPHE, 197
in our well-built houses we heeded not the
growing storm, and slept soundly through
all its increasing fury. In the morning we
found that a great gale was blowing, the river
was running strong, and the sea was raging
on the outside coast.
All day the turmoil increased, and towards
dusk the bay itself began to feel the in-
fluence of the wind, and the rollers from the
ocean swept in, and broke in surf upon the
beach, smashing our boats, and hurling them
on the sand."
That night no one slept much, the river
was overflowing its banks, and flooding our
plantations, and, sheltered though we were
in the valley, the tempestuous blasts that
swept up from seaward, seemed to make the
very earth tremble. Never before did man
witness such a war of the elements.
Foot by foot, the river began to rise with
great rapidity. The rain never ceased, but
fell in continuous sheets. Now and again,
a vivid flash of lightning, followed almost
*The hurricanes that break on the north-west coast of Australia
equal in fury the typhoons of the northern tropic. Vessels
belonging to the pearling fleet have been carried far into the
mangroves and left high and dry. They are locally known as
“willy-willys”.


198 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
instantaneously by a deafening peal of thun-
der, illuminated the valley, and afforded a
view of the terrifying scene. Still the river
encroached on the level ground, and began
to invade the houses.
Suddenly, a sound broke on my ear, com-
ing from seaward, a roar, such as I had
never heard before—a roar that seemed to
unite in its voice, sea, storm, and flood!
Some instinct told me what it was, and
calling to the others, I shouted to them to
make for the ridge. Azolta had one child,
I had the other and had also to help poor,
crippled Zolca. His wife followed us, and
in the darkness, we plunged into the muddy
flood, and made for the ridge.
I called to the rest of the Quadrucos, but
they were watching the upper part of the
river, and did not heed the great roar rush-
ing up from the sea. Closer it came, and
the water suddenly leapt up about us, and
we had to swim amidst eddies and whirl-
pools. We were torn apart, and the child
escaped from my grasp.
When I regained the surface I was swept
against someone who was battling helplessly
against the furious tide, and felt that it was


THE GREAT CATASTROPHE. 199
Zolca. A flash of lightning showed me the
ridge, close to us, and with my assistance
Zolca reached it, and sank exhausted on the
muddy slope, although the water still surged
and swept around us.
Suddenly, I heard a cry! Yes! even
through that din and confusion I heard it,
although now it seems scarcely believable.
“Deedreek! Deedreek! Save me!”
I left Zolca, and splashed through the
water in the direction I had heard the cry.
Another kindly flash and glare, and cannon-
ade of thunder, showed me Azolta clinging
to the stem of a tree. I plunged in, and
brought her to the land, and then literally
felt my way back to where I had left Zolca,
and found him. He managed to get up
and scramble to higher ground, and in a
short time, we three, the sole survivors of
the overwhelming calamity that had befallen
us, met together. -
As yet, in the darkness, we did not know
the worst, but we knew, at least, that the
worst had befallen ourselves. Our children
and Zolca's wife must have perished, and of
the Quadruco people I dared not think. A
gleam of lightning showed me an over-hang-


200 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
ing rock which I knew, and under its shelter
I managed to get my two companions saved
somewhat from the pitiless rain and wind.
Zolca and Azolta sank down exhausted,
and I could only sit with my back against
the rock and think. I knew what had
happened. The long-continued gale had
backed the tide up in the gorge I have
before mentioned as terminating the end of
the valley. This blocked the outflow of the
flood-waters of the river, and they, of course,
commenced to overflow the valley. Then,
hurried on by the fierce blast from the
north-west, an immense tidal wave had
swept into the bay, rushed up the gorge,
beating back the flood-waters, hurling them
on to the doomed valley, and burying every-
thing under fathoms of salt water and mud-
laden flood.
The fitful gleams of vivid lightning showed
me the surface of a storm-swept sea where
once was our valley.
In abject misery the weary night passed
over, and when the lagging dawn at last
asserted itself, I could see nothing but an
estuary of tossing, yellow water, still pelted
by the terrible rainfall.


208 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
memory failed me, and I found that it only
fatigued me to try and piece my scattered
fancies together.
I desisted, and went along the shore to
gather food. I was fortunate enough to find
a large fish, stranded by the tide, in a hole
in a flat rock, and in addition easily ob-
tained a large quantity of shell-fish.
I returned to my lair where the fire was
smouldering, gathered wood to keep it burn-
ing all through the night, and when dark-
ness fell, lay down to sleep on the sand.
All fear or dread of loneliness had departed,
I felt almost contented as I lay and watched
the beautiful southern constellations, until
sleep gradually stole over me, and I slum-
bered dreamlessly until morning. The air
was soft and balmy, and the sun just rising
when I awoke. There was a little ripple on
the water and I stood gazing out on the
peaceful scene, and drinking in the fresh
morning air. I felt strong and well, re-
freshed by my night's sleep, and turned to
go and hunt for my breakfast.
But what was that! I gasped with as-
tonishment and then—shouted for joy!
Three large ships, standing close inshore,


218 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
“He lives on his estate outside of Amster-
dam,” he returned, “where we will soon visit
him, and also see the great chart of his
voyages laid down in the Groote Zaal in the
Stadhuys of that city.”
The count, I found afterwards, was an
enthusiatic patron of oversea-discovery. He
was the soul of generosity, and no broken-
down sailor or penniless adventurer ever
appealed to him for assistance in vain.
I have little more to add. Hoogstraaten
heard my account of the disaster with the
most profound grief and sorrow.
My brother, when he found what friends
I had, surrendered at discretion; but I
merely took enough of my father's property
to supply my simple wants.
I live near Hoogstraaten's estate, and he
and Count Van de Burg are the only friends I
have, or want; for my heart is far away in
two graves in the lonely land of Terra
Australis.


APPENDIX, 221
high, and painted over, placed on an eminence in
view of the sea. This they did with much cere-
mony on the day of Pentecost, 1504; the Cross
being carried by the captain and his officers, all
barefooted, accompanied by the King Arosca and
the principal Indians. After them followed the
crew under arms, and singing the Litany. They
were accompanied by a crowd of Indians, to
whom they gave to understand the meaning of
the ceremony as well as they could. Having set
up the Cross, they fired volleys of their cannon
and small arms, charging the Indians to keep
carefully and honour the monument they had
set up.
“Having refitted the ship, and being willing,
after the manner of those who discover strange
countries, to bring some of the natives back with
them, they persuaded the King Arosca to let
them have one of his sons, promising the father
that they would bring him back in twenty moons,
with others who should teach them the use of
firearms, and how to make mirrors, axes, knives,
and other things they used amongst Christians.”
Being unable to keep his word as to the return


222 MAROONED ON AUSTRALIA.
of Prince Essomeric, the tradition goes that De
Gonneville settled some of his property on him,
gave him his name, and married him to a relative,
as some compensation. What the relative thought
of it does not appear. The grandson of Essomeric
by this marriage is said to have been a priest,
and, under the name of J. B. Paulmier, was canon
of the Cathedral Church of St. Pierre de Lizieux
The fact of the carven stone head is thus told
by Sir George Grey, who discovered it in the
north-west, about that part of the coast where
De Gonneville was supposed to have landed:—
“I was moving on when we observed the profile
of a human face and head cut out in a sandstone
rock which fronted the cave. This rock was so
hard that to have removed such a large portion
of it with no better tools than a knife and
hatchet made of stone, such as the Australian
natives generally possess, would have been a
work of great labour. The whole of the work
was good, and far superior to what a savage race
could be supposed capable of executing. The
only proof of antiquity that it bore about it was
that all the edges of the cutting were rounded,