THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 * .THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 HI 
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF MARK WILLIS.
 
 THE 
 
 ADVENTURES OF MARK WILLIS. 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 MRS. GEOKGE CUPPLES, 
 
 AUTHOR OF " THE STORY OF OUR DOLL,'' "THE LITTLE CAPTAIN, 1 
 ETC. ETC. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW; 
 EDINBUUOH; AND NEW YORK 
 
 1877.
 
 -7 
 
 r z -/ 
 c ??-<* 
 
 I. SETTING OUT IN LIFE, 1 
 
 II. FIRST DATS AT SEA, 26 
 
 III. DOWN THE TROPICS, 51 
 
 IV. AFRICAN COAST-TRADE, 71 
 
 V. PRIVATE TRADERS, 98 
 
 VI. WATCHING THE SLAVER, 119 
 
 VII. CHINA, ... 138 
 
 VIII. HOMEWARD BOUND, 153
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF MARK WILLIS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SETTING OUT IN LIFE. 
 
 'SAY, Mark," shouted a boy about thirteen years 
 of age to another who was sitting under the 
 I <hade of the noble lime-trees in the old ' Col- 
 lege Green,' Bristol "I say, are you not going 
 with us to Clifton this afternoon 1 " 
 Mark sighed as he answered, " No, Bently, I can't go." 
 "Why, what's come over you, Mark?" replied his 
 friend. " You were always ready to enjoy our half- 
 holidays, and now you do nothing but sit here moping 
 and making yourself miserable. Come along; I know 
 your mother would like you to go, she said to me this 
 morning she hoped you would, at any rate." 
 
 " Oh yes, I know that ; but I tell you I cannot come; "
 
 8 MEDITATING. 
 
 and Mark rose up and walked away in the direction ot' 
 his home, leaving Jack Bently standing staring at him. 
 
 " Well," he said, as he joined some other boys who 
 were waiting for him, " I can't make the fellow out. 
 He must -have taken his father's death dreadfully to heart; 
 or it may be because people say they are poor now, and 
 will have to come down in the world. Well, it's a pity, 
 whatever the reason is, for Mark was a good fellow." 
 
 When the boys were gone, Mark, who had only walked 
 to the other side of the green, came back to his seat, and 
 sat down once more with the same -listless look about 
 him. He pulled a book out of his pocket and began to 
 read, but soon put it away again ; and, leaning his back 
 against one of the trees, he gazed through the entrance 
 to the green at the masts of the ships, the flapping sails, 
 and small craft plying about the river. He closed his 
 eyes and listened to the strange medley of sounds : the 
 busy hum of men; the rush of carriage wheels; the Heave- 
 yo of the sailors as they warped a ship, newly arrived, to 
 its berth ; and to the swift run of the crane as it dropped 
 its heavy burden with a dull thud into the hold. Above 
 all came the sudden swell of the organ booming through 
 the open door of the cathedral, and Mark opened his 
 eyes to exclaim, "Oh, I wish 'old Fritz' would stop! 
 We have enough of it every day, I'm sure ; but he's 
 practising, I suppose, some of his great pieces." 
 
 He drew the book again from his pocket and read very
 
 A FKIEND IN NEED. 9 
 
 steadily for some time, as long as the organ was played; 
 but when the last notes had died away, Mark stopped 
 too, and was preparing to go home in real earnest, when 
 a cheery voice close to him said, " Why, how now ! not 
 away with the boys, Mark?" 
 
 " No, sir," said Mark, smiling, and sitting down again 
 beside the new-comer ; " I was listening to your music, 
 Mr. Offenbach. I began by wishing you would stop ; but 
 it did me so much good, that I wished you would go on." 
 
 " That shows me there is something wrong here," said 
 the organist, tapping Mark on the head with his cane ; 
 " or perhaps here," and he gave a sudden poke at his 
 heart. " Come now, my boy," he continued, "let's have 
 the trouble out." 
 
 Father Fritz, as the boys called him, was a German 
 by birth ; and though in reality not past the prime of 
 life, he was so bald, so short and stout, that he looked 
 quite old, and, especially when he had his spectacles on, 
 quite venerable. He was so extremely good-natured that 
 he was a great favourite with the boys employed as 
 choristers, and it was quite a common thing for them to 
 go with their troubles to him, for he was wonderfully 
 clever at helping them out of a difficulty. It was dis- 
 tinctly understood among the boys that he was far more 
 learned than the master, or even than the very bishop 
 himself, for he could speak several, if not all, the lan- 
 guages, living and dead.
 
 10 HAVING THE TROUBLE OUT. 
 
 Mark turned slightly away from his kind friend and 
 hung down his head, for somehow a tear had dropped 
 into the corner of his eye, and he dared not raise his hand 
 to rub it off. But Mr. Offenbach had seen it quite plainly; 
 he saw everything, somehow, though he moved about so 
 slowly, and always appeared to be in a perfect brown 
 study. " The truth is, my dear boy," he said, gently 
 putting his arm round the boy's neck, " I've observed 
 you for several days. I am told you don't sing with the 
 others, and I know it is true, for I miss your voice 
 and one of the best contraltos it is too, and of course it 
 is missed easily. Now, there's something wrong. Come, 
 Mark, I lost my father too. Yours was very fond of 
 you, wasn't he ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Mark, choking back a sob bravely ; " but 
 it isn't that I mean, not altogether. Well, I will tell 
 you, Mr. Fritz ; you have helped me before now." 
 
 "That's right, my boy," was the reply; "I may not 
 be able to help you, but a burden shared is easier 
 carried." 
 
 Then Mark told how, by his father's death, he and 
 his mother and two brothers were now left in very 
 straitened circumstances, and how it was decided they 
 were to live in a small house near the harbour, where 
 his mother might be able to take in lodgers. What dis- 
 tressed Mark was, that he knew his mother was doing 
 this for his sake, that he might attend school and get a
 
 WANTING TO GET ON IN THE WORLD. 1 1 
 
 good education. She had been advised to go into the 
 country instead, where her limited means would keep 
 her and the two little boys comfortably, and Mark might 
 get a situation as junior clerk in some of the many ware- 
 houses in Bristol. But this she had distinctly refused to 
 do, and had therefore lost many friends. ' And now," 
 said Mark, " after my mother has made her arrange- 
 ments, and is beginning to get settled in her mind about 
 it, I feel I cannot live this life any longer. I cannot let 
 her work for me, and I must do something to give her 
 back all the comforts she had before my father died." 
 
 " That is a right spirit, my boy," said Mr. Offenbach ; 
 " but what can a boy like you do ? You must wait 
 patiently, and when your education is finished, no doubt 
 some of your father's friends will step forward to help 
 you to a good situation." 
 
 " But I cannot wait," said Mark, impatiently. " I 
 must do something now. I've thought it all over a 
 hundred times, and it forces itself into my mind con- 
 stantly. It nearly drives me mad to sit quietly there, 
 day after day, at these weary lessons, or in the quiet, 
 gloomy cathedral to sit singing, while I know my mother 
 must work, she who never soiled a finger before, and all 
 for me, to keep me chained down to school, and afterwards 
 to a stool in an office. No ; I must leave it all. I must 
 be" 
 
 Mark stopped suddenly, as if he were afraid to speak
 
 12 RENOWNED HEROES. 
 
 out the words which would fix his position in life, or as 
 if he had never brought his thoughts to so decided 
 a termination. 
 
 "You must be what?" said Mr. Fritz. "Ah," he 
 said, " I think I guess;" and he looked at the book Mark 
 had been reading, but which had fallen on the grass, 
 and as it lay open the organist saw it was a manuscript 
 book and not a school-book, but had at the head of one 
 of the pages the title, " Eminent Men of Bristol." 
 "You want to follow in their steps," continued Mr. 
 Fritz, laughing and rubbing his hands. " Who have we 
 here ? " and he began to read from the book. " ' Sebastian 
 Cabot, who sailed from this harbour in the Matthew, 
 accompanied by other ships, on a voyage of discovery, 
 and in the course of the same year touched Newfound- 
 land being the first person who ever set foot on the 
 mainland of America. In returning home he sailed along 
 the coast as far as Florida ; and by virtue of this visit 
 North America became annexed to the English Crown/ 
 Veiy good," said Mr. Fritz ; " I believe this said Cabot 
 was the son of a Venetian, but born in Bristol, and to 
 him England stands indebted for her magnificent pos- 
 sessions in the New World. But he was a man, you see, 
 when he set out, and a rich one too. Well, well, let us 
 turn to the next. ' Old Dampier, the gallant buccaneer, 
 having sailed from Bristol, with two armed vessels, on 
 an expedition in search of Spanish treasure-ships, anchored
 
 A MAX CLOTHED IN GOATS' SKINS. 13 
 
 off the island of Juan Fernandez. Perceiving a light on 
 shore during the night, he sent a boat to reconnoitre, 
 which, not returning, the pinnace went in search ; but 
 soon came back from the shore with abundance of cray- 
 fish, and a man clothed in goats 1 skins, who looked more 
 wild than their first owners. This man was Alexander 
 Selkirk the original of Kobinson Crusoe who was 
 taken to Bristol after having been on the island four 
 years and four months.' 
 
 " It all comes to this, I see," said Mr. Offenbach, shut- 
 ting the book, " that you want to go to sea. You want 
 to leave your mother alone to fight for herself ; and, per- 
 haps, break her heart to part with you, for you are her 
 eldest child, I think. You want to become a great dis- 
 coverer, or a buccaneer, or a man clothed in goats' skins. 
 But, my boy, before you can be one or the other, you 
 have a hard life before you. Think well of it, my boy. 
 A sailor's life is the hardest life in the world." 
 
 " I hare thought of it, Mr. Fritz. You are very severe 
 upon rue," said Mark, the tears standing in his eyes. 
 "It is to help my mother I want to go. I don't mind 
 the hard life ; it's twice as hard living this quiet life here. 
 I don't want to be a discoverer, or anything but a sailor; 
 and by-and-by a captain of a ship, like my mother's 
 brother, my uncle John." 
 
 -Mr. Fritz sat thinking, quietly poking his cane into 
 the grass at his feet, and whistling under his breath the
 
 14 MARK'S MIND is RELIEVED. 
 
 first notes of a new symphony. Mark became impatient, 
 and interrupted his reverie by saying, " Won't you help 
 me, Mr. Fritz ? Could you speak to my mother about it 
 for me? I feel that I could do something. I'm sure I 
 should get on and make money. I will" he ended, 
 standing up suddenly with determination in his attitude. 
 
 "Well, I suppose somebody must do it," said Mr. Fritz, 
 taking off his spectacles, and pulling out his watch. 
 " Tell your mother I will do myself the honour of call- 
 ing upon her this evening at six o'clock. It is a dis- 
 agreeable task you have given me, Mark ; but I may do 
 it better than another, seeing I have a mother of my own, 
 who was placed in similar circumstances. Not exactly : 
 I did not go to sea, but my rock ahead was that great old 
 organ in there," he said, laughing. Then he continued, 
 " Remember, I'm a punctual man, Master Mark, as be- 
 comes the assistant organist of St. Augustine's. Good- 
 bye till six o'clock." 
 
 Mark now went straight home, feeling as if a load had 
 been lifted off his mind, and very much pleased to think 
 it was lying on the shoulders of " Father Fritz " instead. 
 
 When he went into the parlour he found his mother 
 sitting sewing. They were still in the old house where 
 his father had died, but were to leave it in a few days for 
 the humbler one close to the river ; and Mark could not 
 help shuddering when he looked round the comfortable 
 room and thought of that other incongenial house, so dif-
 
 FATHER FRITZ IS COMING. 
 
 15 
 
 MAI;K AND HIS MOTHER. 
 
 ferent from what they had been accustomed to. For 
 some days Mark had been very silent and gloomy, but 
 now he appeared quite different, as he came into the 
 room, and announced that " Father Fritz " was coming
 
 1C) THE EXPECTED VISITOR ARRIVES. 
 
 at six o'clock. " You have never seen him, mamma," 
 said Mark, a little excitedly ; " but you will be sure to 
 like him ; he's awfully clever, and knows exactly how 
 to advise you about anything that is troubling you." 
 
 Mrs. Willis did not ask why Mr. Offenbach was 
 coming : she had a presentiment that her boy was mak- 
 ing up .his mind to take some decided step, but she never 
 thought it was to take him from her altogether ; still she 
 was a little nervous about it, and kept her eyes fixed on 
 her work, fearing to read the truth in her son's face. 
 Fortunately the maid-servant came in with the dinner; 
 and during the time it lasted, neither mother nor sdn 
 spoke about the intended visit, but mutually avoided the 
 subject. 
 
 As the clock was striking six, the loud rat-tat sounded 
 on the knocker, and Mark hastened to meet the kind- 
 hearted organist. " Shall I come in with you, sir?" said 
 Mark, showing by his breathing how agitated he really 
 was, and evidently was much relieved when Mr. Offenbach 
 said, " Not at present, Mark ; not for half an hour and 
 five minutes." Mark could not help smiling, as he went 
 to his own room, at " Father Fritz's" odd habit of being 
 accurate to a moment; and also to see that he had on his 
 blue spectacles, a sure sign he had some weighty business 
 on his mind. It seemed a long half-hour; but punctually 
 to the minute Mark was sent for, and he crept into the 
 parlour like one guilty in spite of himself. He was sur- 
 
 (326)
 
 WHAT CAME OF HIS VISIT. 17 
 
 prised, however, to find his mother more composed than 
 he could have believed possible, and he wondered how 
 Mr. Fritz had managed to soothe her so effectually, but 
 he could not ask then how the news had been broken. 
 For a moment his mother's lip quivered, and she looked 
 as if she were going to cry again, as she had evidently 
 been doing before Mark entered, but she held out her 
 hand to him and drew him close to her as she said, 
 " Poor boy, it's a foolish step this, but I know it is from 
 a sincere desire to help me. But will nothing induce 
 you to give it up, my son? " 
 
 " mother, please don't ask me ! " said Mark, sobbing. 
 " I can't live here now. I must get away from it all. 
 I've long wanted to be a sailor. I would have been, 
 even if papa had lived. I could never have gone into one 
 of these hateful offices." 
 
 It was therefore all settled that Mark should go one 
 voyage Mr. Offenbach and his mother hoping that 
 on his return he would have had enough of it. and would 
 then settle down to his lessons once more. Mrs. Willis 
 herself called upon the owners of her brother's ship, and 
 was received very kinkly by the head of the firm, who pro- 
 mised to keep Mark's name in remembrance for the first 
 ship of theirs that sailed. While they were waiting, Mrs. 
 Willis removed to her new house, which was close to the 
 river and harbour ; and if Mark had been anxious to try 
 the life of a sailor before, he was eager now. His bed- 
 
 (326) 2
 
 18 
 
 THE NEW HOME BY THE RIVER. 
 
 room window had a view of the river at the lower por 
 tion, called the " Welsh Back," toward the docks. 
 There was always some vessel going out or coming in, 
 with the usual exciting stir ahout the harbour and river's 
 bank. And he often managed to get on board some of 
 the vessels. One afternoon a ship anchored almost 
 
 THE "BLUE-BELL" AT HER MOORINGS. 
 
 opposite his very window, and he could lie in bed and 
 see the men working aloft in the early summer mornings. 
 The captain of the ship, the Blue-Bell, hearing that Mrs. 
 Willis had two rooms to let, came on shore and took
 
 PLEASING NEWS FOR MARK. 19 
 
 them for himself and his wife, who arrived the next day. 
 Captain Walker was soon made acquainted with Mark's 
 intentions, and the two became great friends, Mark 
 spending every spare moment on board the Blue-Bell. 
 There was every prospect that in the end he would sail 
 in this ship, as no message had been sent from his uncle's 
 firm ; but one great objection to it was, it was a guano 
 ship, bound for the Peruvian coast ; and, by what he had 
 heard some of the men saying, it was by no means a 
 pleasant business. He greatly preferred the idea of going 
 to the East Indies, or to China, where his uncle sailed 
 to, though his mother did not like to contemplate such a 
 long voyage as that. One morning, however, when 
 Mark's patience was nearly exhausted, his mother re- 
 ceived a letter from " Price and Co.," asking her to call 
 with her son the next forenoon at their office. Accord- 
 ingly, they set out together, Mark trying, but in vain, to 
 hide his extreme pleasure before his mother. Mr. Price 
 seemed to be pleased with Mark's appearance, and stated 
 that he had been trying to get him a berth on board an 
 Indiaman, but had not been successful. The only ship 
 they had leaving port for some time was the Stratton, a 
 large brig, going to the Canary Islands "And," he added, 
 as if by the way, " also bound for the Gaboon River." 
 
 " And where, may I ask, is the Gaboon River?" said 
 Mrs. Willis. 
 
 " It's down the west coast, ma'am," said Mr. Price,
 
 20 BOUND APPRENTICE. 
 
 hurriedly, no doubt wishing to hide what precise coast he 
 referred to. " We get palm oil, ivory, and sometimes gold 
 dust thereabouts." Here the attention of Mr. Price was 
 claimed by other visitors, on business of probably a more 
 important nature. Mark and his mother therefore left 
 as soon as the arrangement had been completed by their 
 jointly signing an indenture as apprentice to the firm ; 
 this being done in the outer office, and duly witnessed, 
 so as to bind either side to fulfil their engagement, under 
 legal penalties. 
 
 That same evening, while Mrs. Willis sat busily at 
 work upon Mark's clothes, he got his Atlas at her request, 
 and looked up the exact whereabouts of the Gaboon 
 River. " Here it is, mamma," said Mark, delightedly. 
 " See, I sail all down the Atlantic Ocean, past France 
 and Spain and Madeira, to the Canaries ; then, after, 
 past the Cape de Verds, and down the west coast of 
 Africa to the Gaboon." 
 
 " The west coast of Africa, did you say, Mark?" said 
 Mrs. Willis, in evident distress. " Why, that is a most 
 unhealthy place ; it is the very region of ague and fever. 
 
 my boy, I wish you had not persevered in this notion 
 of yours." 
 
 ' : Nonsense, mamma," said Mark, cheerily. " It is a 
 famous place to make money in. I mean to take some 
 small looking-glasses, and some fine glass beads; I'm told 
 
 1 can exchange them with the natives for an elephant's
 
 LAUGHING ALL FEARS AWAY. 21 
 
 tusk, or a cocoa-nut full of gold-dust, or something more 
 valuable still. The steward of the Slue-Sell has been 
 telling me all about it. He says they will even give 
 pieces of gold for old bits of iron, and used-up hatchets, 
 and red cotton handkerchiefs, but that the most valuable 
 thing of all is an old brass kettle." 
 
 " If cotton handkerchiefs are so valuable as all that, 
 Mark," said Mrs. Willis, smiling, " I think I must buy 
 you some additional ones ; they must be worth their 
 weight in gold. But for all that, my boy, I tremble 
 when I think of the danger you run from the climate." 
 
 " Here, Mark, take mine," said little Harry, tugging 
 his small handkerchief out of his pocket. " Old iron, did 
 you say? I know where to find an old horse-shoe; I'll 
 run and fetch it." 
 
 " I'm sure we might give Mark the brass kettle that's 
 in the kitchen ; we could use the copper one," said 
 Charles. " Shall we go and ask Polly to give it to us?" 
 
 " No, no," said Mark; "it's rather large. I mean to 
 get some other things that will take up little room." 
 
 They were interrupted by a visit from Captain Walker, 
 who came to hear how the matter had been settled with 
 Price and Co., and where Mark was to sail to. He laughed 
 at Mrs. Willis's fears about the fever, and said it was a 
 famous ship the Stratton, and a sure captain; and as for 
 the voyage, it was so short that she would be having the 
 boy back before she knew, which certainly was an ad-
 
 22 ALWAYS BE READY ! 
 
 vantage. When next he met Mark alone, however, he 
 shook his head, and warned him against ever sleeping a 
 night on shore, and gave him many valuable hints about 
 the way he ought to set to work to ingratiate himself with 
 the captain and crew of the Stratton. " It's a hard life, 
 my boy," he said ; " but you can make it easier by 
 always being ready ; a willing and cheery ' Ay, ay ' goes 
 a great way ; it's only the lazy and idle who are treated 
 harshly, as a general rule." 
 
 Mark was very busy during these days, storing his 
 goods for barter at the bottom of his sea-chest. He did 
 not trouble himself much about his outfit, but left that 
 to his mother and his kind-hearted friend the organist, 
 who proved a most valuable counsellor, and seemed to 
 know exactly what a boy going to sea ought to have, 
 and where it was to be bought to the saving of a good 
 deal of money. Mark and his two little brothers were 
 never tired of arranging and rearranging his store of 
 small looking-glasses, strings of glass beads, and numer- 
 ous odds and ends designed for barter. Much to the 
 amusement of both Mr. Offenbach and Mrs. Willis, 
 Harry had insisted upon sending the old horse-shoe as 
 his share in the speculation; and Charles, not being able 
 to coax his mamma to part with the brass kettle, had 
 packed up an old rusty pistol, which, as it took up very 
 little room, found a place beside the horse-shoe. 
 
 The time glided all too quickly past for poor Mrs.
 
 BIDDING GOOD-BYE. 23 
 
 Willis, but the day came at last, when, everything being 
 ready, Mark was to go on board the barque. There is 
 no necessity to dwell on the sad parting : suffice it to say 
 that Mrs. Willis tried to be as composed as possible for 
 the boy's sake, knowing that he was going out into the 
 world to make his way that he might help her. He 
 was rowed away at last in one of the boats belonging to 
 the Blue-Bell, which Captain Walker had kindly placed 
 at his service, and, seeing that it would be a comfort to 
 the mother, he had jumped in beside him at the last 
 moment to see him safely " aboard." Mr. Offenbach 
 was with him also, which helped to break the parting 
 for Mark ; and as for Charles and little Harry, they were 
 so anxious that he should see them waving their hand- 
 kerchiefs, after they could not distinguish the figures in 
 the boat, that they quite forgot they were not to see 
 their brother for many, many weeks. 
 
 " Well, I hope he'll be able to get something with my 
 pistol," said Charles. " He might get a great lump of 
 gold ; then --YC wr' Id go back to the old house, and keep 
 a carriage ; at any rate, I mean to buy a pony." 
 
 " And I mean to buy a pony too," said Harry; " but 
 then we haven't got a stable to put them in. Oh, I 
 know : I'll buy a hobby-horse, like the one the Bentlys 
 have ; we can keep it anywhere, you know. I do hope 
 Mark will get a lot of money for my horse-shoe." Hav- 
 ing this prospect to look forward to, they could scarcely
 
 24 GOING "ABOARD." 
 
 understand why their mother cried so much, and fretted 
 to have Mark back again already. 
 
 Mark was soon safely on board the Stratton, and as 
 the captain was still on shore, Mr. Sprent, the second 
 mate, received them. It turned out he was an old friend 
 of Captain Walker's, and he readily promised to look after 
 Mark. " We are not hard on the boys in this ship," he 
 said, laughing in an undertone ; " if they do their work 
 well, the captain has some little pet notion about train- 
 ing them ; but if they shirk work, there's no quarter 
 allowed." 
 
 " Well, I don't think you will have much trouble with 
 my young friend here," said Captain Walker, shaking 
 the second mate by the hand before he prepared to de- 
 scend the accommodation-ladder to his boat. " Good-bye, 
 my lad," he cried ; " and a good voyage to you ! " 
 
 Mark watched them till they were out of sight, keep- 
 ing his eyes fixed on that part of the boat where " good 
 old Father Fritz " was sitting fluttering his handkerchief 
 out every now and then as a last farewell greeting. 
 
 A very short time afterwards, the captain having come 
 on board, and the tide serving, they were tugged down 
 the river, and the steamer casting off, they lay at anchor 
 in the King's Roads, close to a large frigate just newly 
 arrived. It was a lovely moonlight night, and the 
 frigate looked so grand and large in the uncertain light, 
 that Mark felt sorry for a little to think he belonged to
 
 FIRST NIGHT AT SEA. 25 
 
 such a small vessel in comparison. He had been so 
 busy all day, that he had scarcely time to think of home, 
 and of his mother; but now that darkness had set in, and 
 he was told he must " turn in," his heart began to feel 
 heavy enough. His hammock was slung down in the 
 half-deck, in a little clear space amongst the cargo, where, 
 after tumbling out several times in his attempt to get in, 
 he at last succeeded, and covering himself as carefully as 
 he could, fell asleep thinking of his mother and brothers, 
 and of the long tkne that must elapse before he saw 
 them again. 

 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FIRST DAYS AT SEA. 
 
 *AEK was roused from a deep sleep by the 
 sound of heavy thumps, and a wild cry, call- 
 ing, " All hands to heave up anchor ! " He 
 at first doubted whether he was included in 
 the term " hands," or not ; but fearing it 
 must be so, he hurried to get out and dress 
 himself in haste in order to get on deck. The moon had 
 set, and it was scarcely yet daybreak ; but the tide suited, 
 while the wind also was favourable ; by help of which 
 the Stratton, as soon as she had got under weigh, moved 
 steadily away from land down the Bristol Channel. 
 
 The shipping in the roads dwindled ; even the noble 
 frigate ceased to be distinguishable from them. The 
 surges rose longer and crisper, with wrinkling foam ; the 
 freeze freshened, till the barque, as her sails were suc- 
 cessively hoisted, bent over from it ; every now and then 
 slowly rising erect again and balancing herself, then slant-
 
 GOING DOWN CH ANNUL. 27 
 
 ing as before, while she took long sliding plunges through 
 the water. The spray flew, the gulls hovered, and here 
 and there the red sail of a fishing-boat dipped up and 
 down ; on one side, from the Welsh coast, the sparkle of 
 a lighthouse began to fade before the sunrise, which on 
 the other side dawned splendidly over the hills of Somer- 
 setshire. Mark knew that he saw those hills for the 
 last time for many a day, perhaps for the very last time. 
 The waters of the Channel broadened in front, and be- 
 came a flood of light, heaving and weltering awfully, like 
 the future before him. He heard the rough pilot, with his 
 purple face and tremendous voice, raging at every one 
 on board, not even sparing the mates ; nor would he pro- 
 bably have spared the captain himself, had the latter re- 
 mained on deck. It was from this ill-tempered official 
 that Mark received his first orders as one of the ship's 
 company. 
 
 " Here, ye young useless Piawauwau," growled the 
 pilot to the boy ; " are you a passenger aboard ?" 
 
 " No, sir," replied Mark, as respectfully as he thought 
 du. ; 'I am an apprentice." 
 
 " Thought so one o' the hard bargains, too ! Just 
 you lay aloft then, and loose that maintawps'l ; and be 
 quick about it." 
 
 Mark hesitated for a moment, but the second mate, 
 Mr. Sprent, in a friendly whisper, advised him to go, and 
 showed him the way. Mark was a good climber, with a
 
 28 OBEYING THE FIRST ORDER. 
 
 courageous spirit and a steady head, and he had often 
 gone up the rope-ladders of vessels in dock, though never 
 before when in motion so dizzily. He ran up now, 
 mounted through the " lubber's-hole " in the round-top, 
 and continued the ascent by the more difficult rigging of 
 the top-mast ; here he almost faltered, but he felt that 
 his safety lay in hurrying on and not looking down, so 
 he was not long in getting high enough. He knew the 
 sail that was meant, but he did not know how to begin 
 unfastening it, when he found he had another friend to 
 guide him from the mast in front. 
 
 " Don't you see the end of the gasket, man?" called 
 out a boy who was busily engaged there. 
 
 Mark loosed the sail successfully, and shouted back in 
 reply, "Thank you!" 
 
 " Thank you for nothing," roared the boy rudely ; 
 " hail the deck, can't yer ? Let 'em know all's clear to 
 hoist away." Mark followed his directions, but nar- 
 rowly escaped being hoisted up himself with the sail, 
 which would probably have jerked him off and sent him 
 sheer down. He had a firm hold, however, and got 
 safe down again to the deck a more trying thing than 
 the ascent had been, yet a satisfaction to have managed 
 in that sudden way. As for the rough pilot, who shortly 
 afterwards left the barque, outside Lundy Island, he had 
 done Mark good by thus pushing him, as it were, straight 
 off into the business of his profession. The brunt of the
 
 SETTING THINGS TO RIGHTS. 29 
 
 difficulty had been got over, and he did not now fear to 
 do what a mate might order, or what a sailor might desire 
 by way of help ; besides which, the boy who had lately 
 befriended him, though by no means of an amiable dis- 
 position, stood committed, so to speak, as a neighbourly 
 acquaintance. 
 
 Setting things to rights and stowing them away, and 
 
 STOWING AW AT. 
 
 making certain arrangements among the cargo, was now 
 for a number of days the main business of all. The 
 necessary working of the ship had, of course, to be at- 
 tended to ; but as the weather continued steady, this did 
 not much interfere with the other duties just mentioned.
 
 30 "SILENCE THEKE, ALL HANDS ROUND ! " 
 
 The Stratton was a large barque, of about 520 tons 
 burthen, Avith a crew, including the captain and mates, of 
 twenty all told. We have said before that Mark had his 
 hammock slung in the half-deck, which was shared with 
 the carpenter and cooper, while the men occupied the 
 forecastle. On the first day going out, Mark was asked 
 by one of the apprentices who had his berth with the 
 men, to help him carry the bread-barge along with their 
 allowance of biscuits, which he very readily did. There 
 he saw one or two of the men, only just recovering from 
 the dissipation they had been indulging in on shore, 
 lying stretched in their beds, while one or two more sat 
 round on their chests. One very tall man, called " Long 
 Jack," to distinguish him from Jack Jones and Jack 
 Maurice, no sooner saw the bread-barge than he called 
 out, " Come, silence there, all hands round ;" then turning 
 to Mark and his companion, he bade them set it in the 
 middle, and in the most solemn manner imaginable 
 asked a blessing on it. 
 
 Mark thought they must be a very serious set of men, 
 especially as all had responded most heartily to Long 
 Jack's Amen. " There, it's best to get them things 
 attended to at oncet ; that's to serve ye the whole voyage, 
 my lads," said Long Jack ; and seeing Jem, the oldest 
 apprentice, laughing, he called out quite angrily, " What 
 are ye grinning at there ? do ye take us for heathenses ? 
 Come, I vote he be made to say one himself."
 
 SELECTING THE WATCHES. 31 
 
 " Ay, ay ! " shouted every one ; and Jem was seized by 
 two of the men and crushed down on to the deck on his 
 knees, and made to say after Long Jack what he had 
 repeated before. This ceremony being performed to 
 every one's satisfaction, they set to to tidy up the place, 
 pitching out the old pieces of rope and sails that had 
 been stowed away there while the barque lay in the 
 harbour. 
 
 When the selecting of the watches had taken place, 
 Mark had been chosen by Mr. Sprent, the second mate, 
 and he was very glad to find Jack Maurice was to be in 
 his watch also. He had taken a fancy to him from the 
 first, and Jack seemed inclined to treat him kindly, for 
 once or twice he had given him a hint when he saw the 
 boy was at a loss how to proceed. Fortunately for Mark, 
 the weather was most favourable ; and though he suffered 
 from sea-sickness, it was only a very slight attack, and by 
 the time they were at the mouth of the Bristol Channel 
 he felt perfectly well, and was able to mount the rigging 
 to take his farewell peep of England, as they stood out 
 from the Land's End with the Lizard Point bearing on 
 the north-east. As the ship took her departure from 
 this point, Mr. Sprent called our hero to help him mark 
 off the ship's course on the chart. He took such an 
 evident interest in the operation, that the second mate 
 offered to teach him navigation. " Do you intend to 
 stick by the sea as a profession?" he had said kindly
 
 32 LEARNING NAVIGATION. 
 
 and with a smile ; and when Mark replied in the affirma- 
 tive, he said, " Well, my boy, I promised Captain "Walker 
 to look after you; but for that matter, this is the ship to 
 come to if you really want to learn. The captain takes 
 a sort of pride in training his apprentices, and boasts 
 that every one passes the examinations with credit. But 
 he'll keep you hard at it, I give you warning." 
 
 " I'm not afraid, sir," said Mark ; " I am very anxious 
 to get on as quickly as possible ; and I am much obliged 
 to you for offering to help me." 
 
 Very often through the night, during their watch, Mr. 
 Sprent would call Mark to show him how they took an 
 observation, or explained how the ship's course was found 
 by the log; and sometimes the captain would do the 
 same, seeming to take a pleasure in answering any ques- 
 tions Jem, the other apprentice, or Mark might ask. 
 Captain Trehern was a man in the prime of life, stout 
 and robust, with the repute of being able and intrepid, 
 and, as the men said, a salt of the first water. He was 
 rather morose and distant in his manners, but had high 
 honourable feelings, which led him to take an interest in 
 the boys placed under his charge ; and to such an extent 
 did he carry this notion, that his officers spoke of it as a 
 peculiar crotchet or hobby, which, though they shrugged 
 their shoulders at it. must be put up with. The chief 
 mate, Mr. Yoyser, was a very intelligent man, master of 
 his profession, but very stern and passionate, and exceed-
 
 THE " STRATTON'S " OFFICERS. 33 
 
 ingly jealous of his authority. He was short, thick-set, 
 and strongly built, with a weather-beaten face, a strong, 
 muscular arm, and a fist that could have dealt a blow 
 equal to a marlin-spike. Mr. Sprent, on the other hand, 
 was tall, though well and firmly made, and had served a 
 regular apprenticeship to the sea, and was an active sea- 
 man. Mr. Dodds, the third mate, called by the men 
 " the Dickey," was a young man just newly out of his 
 four years' apprenticeship ; a hulking, clumsy young 
 fellow, with a large face, and his feet generally in light 
 pumps, that gave them a swelled look. As for the men, 
 they were all pretty much alike, with the exception of 
 Jack Maurice, who was middle-aged, and more refined in 
 his manners. He was very much respected by both the 
 officers and men, and though he was quiet and almost 
 distant to his shipmates, they liked him, whispering 
 among themselves that there was some secret trouble 
 stowed snugly away under Jack Maurice's guernsey, that 
 made him dullish at times. Yet occasionally he was cheery 
 enough, and when these humours were on him he would 
 sometimes join in spinning a yarn for the public benefit. 
 The Stratton ran swiftly on her course for many days 
 in succession before the trade-wind from the north-east, 
 which stood more or less south-westwards to the tropical 
 latitudes. This sent her rolling and dipping along, for 
 the most part with very little change of sails ; sometimes 
 with studding-sails extended on one side by booms, which 
 
 1326) 3
 
 34 STRANGE CREATURES OF THE DEEP. 
 
 made her look like a disabled bird, as she slid from one 
 deep blue billow to another, now and then wetting the 
 lower corners of the canvas. The flying -fish came 
 fluttering out of the wave-sides, and occasionally fell on 
 board, as the dolphins or the bonitoes chased them ; the 
 porpoises gambolled in a shoal across the ship's bows, and 
 disappeared when one was struck at, though without 
 effect, by the three-pronged "grains; " now and then a 
 whale was seen spouting ; or the great " black-finners," 
 with horns on their backs, were seen heaving up and sink- 
 ing again. The floating sea-weed soon covered the water, 
 till the barque appeared to move through a sea of moss ; 
 and the heat, and the tossing, and the fiery glow of the 
 brine at night, showed that they were crossing the bend 
 of the great Gulf Stream. Sharks were seen, and the 
 weather became more fickle, with occasional squalls, or 
 thunder-clouds that passed as yet with a flash or two and 
 a muttering rumble. 
 
 They spoke a ship bound homeward for England, and 
 gave their own name, with the report " All's well ; " after 
 which the only break to the dulness as yet was the talk- 
 ing about the first sight they would have of land, and 
 speculations among the few who had never crossed the 
 Equator, how Neptune would treat them when he came 
 on board. All this while the work of the ship had chiefly 
 consisted of beating off rust from anchors and chain- 
 cables, scraping the bottoms of boats, scouring brass-
 
 36 WORK ON SHIP-BOARD. 
 
 work, greasing masts, painting and mending, or making 
 spun-yarn out of old hawsers. Very dull work, but very 
 hard too, under the hot sun ; and so important did the 
 chief mate think it, that he kept all hands at it the whole 
 day, not allowing the usual turn of " watches." The 
 captain, of course, gave his authority for it all, and Mr. 
 Yoyser quite prided himself on his own ingenuity in find- 
 ing out fresh work of the kind. But a gale grew up in 
 the midst of it, interrupting all this, much to the relief 
 of the grumbling seamen, and certainly not less to the 
 delight of Mark Willis. Was it for this rust-beating 
 and pitch-scraping, thought he, that he had given up 
 being a chorister in St. Augustin's, and hearing Mr. Offen- 
 bach's glorious music, and learning the classics, and living 
 happily at home with his mother and little brothers, even 
 above the despised stationer's shop? And he watched the 
 horizon as it banked up with clouds that night before 
 going below to his hammock, feeling scarcely afraid of 
 the coming storm, though not a little excited. 
 
 Through his sleep he seemed to feel it growing and 
 growing ; till in the middle of a dream, that carried him 
 peacefully back to the little parlour at Bristol, the ceiling 
 suddenly seemed to have opened, and a great voice roared 
 down, " All hands reef topsails ! Bear a hand ! " 
 
 " Ay, ay ! " shouted the carpenter. " Come, tumble 
 out, youngster," he cried ; but Mark was already out and 
 half- dressed. " Take time, my lad, and put on your
 
 A ROUGHISH NIGHT. 37 
 
 jacket," he continued; "we'll have a roughish night of 
 it, or I'm mistaken." 
 
 Mark made his way on deck as well as the violent 
 motion of the ship would allow, but it was with the 
 greatest difficulty he could keep his feet. 
 
 " Brace round the yards ! " he heard the chief mate 
 shouting through the trumpet ; and Mark hurried forward, 
 when the ship gave a sudden roll, and he fell flat on his 
 face, and a heavy sea being shipped the next moment, 
 he was nearly washed overboard ; but, fortunately, Long 
 Jack seized hold of him, and pushed him forward to a 
 place of safety. 
 
 " Here, you young nuffing-at-all," was shouted in his 
 ear, and Mark was pulled into the galley by black Sambo 
 the cook. " Did you t'ink you had your sea-legs on all 
 right? Ah, but you wrong; nebber were in a gale before^ 
 Here, drink dat," and Sambo poured out some brandy 
 from a small flask and held it to Mark's lips. 
 
 The ship was now scudding before the wind, and the 
 waves seemed to Mark to be running mountains high. 
 The weather was so rough that the cook couldn't get 
 breakfast, and with great difficulty managed to boil some 
 coffee about noon. Everything about decks, such as 
 boats, water-casks, and galley, had been lashed doubly 
 fast, for the power of the wind in such a gale was tre- 
 mendous. It was impossible to draw a breath when look- 
 ing to windward; and, to get along decks, Mark found it
 
 38 A LULL IN THE STORM. 
 
 was necessary to draw himself along by the bulwark or 
 life-lines ; indeed, he was often obliged to make himself 
 fast, as the others did, to ropes stretched from the stern 
 to the bows, so that they might be pulled along by 
 those "aft" or "forward." There was a lull for about 
 an hour, and Mark had been thinking it must be all over; 
 but Jack Maurice told him it was only gathering strength, 
 and they would have a tough night of it. 
 
 "You don't think there is great danger, do you?" 
 said Mark, his lip quivering in spite of him when he 
 thought of his mother. 
 
 " There's always danger, my lad," said Maurice ; " but 
 hark! there's the order for another reef; the captain 
 Bees we are to have more of it." 
 
 " Pass the word to take in another reef, Mr. Yoyser. 
 Close-reef them this time," said the captain, who was 
 trying to keep a footing on the quarter-deck. 
 
 The larboard or first-mate's watch had just gone below, 
 but the one watch was considered sufficient for the pre- 
 sent. Mark was bravely attempting to get into the 
 mizzen-rigging to go aloft, but the captain, fearing he 
 would tumble overboard, ordered him down, and called 
 to him to help the mates and himself as they pulled with 
 all their might at the rope which drew the windward 
 end of the topsail -yard towards the storm, in order 
 that the men might be able to pull up the sail in reef- 
 ing it. The sail, however, was too much distended by
 
 " CALL THE WATCH, BOY ! " 39 
 
 the blast to let this be done, and every moment was 
 precious. 
 
 " Luff ! luff! " shouted Captain Trehern to the man at 
 the wheel, hollowing his hand to his mouth to carry the 
 sound. " Bring the ship to the wind, Maurice ! " 
 
 The wheel did its part only too quickly in that heavy 
 sea ; for the ship flew up toward the gale, and was on the 
 point of broaching-to, another name for destruction in 
 the circumstances. Seeing the helmsman vainly straining 
 to reverse the wheel again, the captain ran staggering up 
 to his assistance. 
 
 " Call the watch, boy ! " roared the captain into Mark's 
 ear in passing. " For your life quick ! " 
 
 Mark rushed below, and roused the other men with 
 difficulty, for they had been wearied, and had scarce fallen 
 asleep. The immediate danger was over when they got 
 on deck, the Stratton having been got sideways to the 
 wind again ; but the scene was truly a terrifying one to 
 more experienced eyes than Mark's, and the other top- 
 sail had still to be set right from where it hung driven 
 into the rigging of its mast. This once done by their 
 united efforts, the barque weathered it well ; and advan- 
 tage was taken of another short lull in the gale to get 
 a low-staysail set along between her fore and main-masts, 
 which helped to steady her from rolling. She was then, 
 to use the nautical phrase, " brought by the wind on 
 the starboard-tack," with her head to the northward.
 
 40 LAND SIGHTED. 
 
 Mark saw no more until he felt lie was nearly up to the 
 arm-pits in water, in which Jem was floundering, having 
 been washed to leeward, and almost overboard. Mark 
 caught hold of him by the hair, and then gave him a 
 hand, which he grasped. Fortunately, all the lee-ports 
 had been triced up, and she quickly freed herself from 
 the immense weight of water, which otherwise must have 
 caused her to founder. At midnight the gale was at its 
 height ; after that the sea became more regular, and con- 
 sequently less dangerous; the mainstay-sail being set, 
 the barque lay throughout the night in safety. For 
 some days it continued to blow, without much variation 
 as to the violence or course of the wind, during which 
 time, as it was impossible to cook in the galley, they had 
 to live on raw pork and biscuits. After this the wind 
 moderated, and the sea went down. All necessary sail 
 was set, and once more they stood on their course. A 
 very few days after land was sighted from the mast-head, 
 which proved to be the lofty Peak of Teneriffe, which 
 showed itself high above the clouds, more than 'a hun- 
 dred miles distant. Early the next morning they anchored 
 at Santa Cruz, capital of the island of Teneriffe, when, to 
 the captain's great indignation and dismay, he was informed 
 by the health-officer they must ride out a quarantine of 
 eight days. After breakfast Mr. Sprent went in one of 
 the boats to the mole with some orders from the captain, 
 and, to Mark's great delight, he was allowed to acconi-
 
 A GLIMPSE AT THE NATIVES. 
 
 41 
 
 PEAK OF TEXERIFFBL 
 
 ^* > --' 
 
 pany him, though they were 
 
 not permitted to land. Jack 
 
 Maurice was also one of the 
 
 boat's crew, and while they 
 
 waited in the boat, he held an animated conversation 
 
 in Spanish with some of the men who stared at them 
 
 from the shore. They were the most wretched-look- 
 
 ing objects that Mark had ever seen. Some were 
 
 dressed in coarse shirts and trousers, while others 
 
 of them had no shirts at all ; and many of the
 
 42 LONGING TO GO ASHORE. 
 
 boys had a covering of some kind, made of goafs- 
 skin. 
 
 " I wish we could go on shore and see the island," said 
 Mark to Jack Maurice. " Do you think it is likely we 
 shall be allowed to do it before we sail? " 
 
 " Well, I don't think so, my boy," replied Maurice. 
 " I hear we're to go to another of these islands, either 
 Grand Canary or Gomero, and there won't be a minute 
 of spare time." 
 
 " How I should like to climb to the top of that moun- 
 tain," said Mark. " I wonder if any person has ever 
 managed to reach the very pinnacle? " 
 
 " Oh yes," said Maurice, laughing. " Why, for that 
 matter, I've been up myself ; and a tough business it was, 
 I can tell you." 
 
 " You, Maurice ! " said Mark, in some surprise. " Oh, 
 I wish you would tell me about it." 
 
 " Not now, my boy," said Maurice kindly; " for here 
 comes the order to out oars and pull aboard ; but when 
 we have a spell of leisure time, mayhap I'll give you 
 the whole yarn of that expedition ashore." 
 
 Mark often thought that if Maurice's history was 
 known it would be worth hearing ; he was such a superior 
 man to any of the others, and knew so much about dif- 
 ferent countries, and their manners and customs, that 
 Mark was often surprised. He generally took care, how- 
 ever, not to show his knowledge before his shipmates..
 
 A SEA-LAWYER. 43 
 
 always saying in a whisper, with a quiet laugh, " It's not 
 a comfortable thing, my lad, to be set down as a sea- 
 lawyer; in the fo'ks'l they'd call it book-talk, if they 
 heard it, so we'll keep it quiet between ourselves." Yet 
 he always seemed glad to have a quiet hour with Mark, 
 and would answer any amount of questions the boy 
 chose to ask. The very first opportunity Mark claimed 
 Maurice's promise, and mounting the rigging, they got 
 into the round -top, their favourite place of retreat. 
 Maurice stood for some time with his eyes fixed on the 
 land, and his arms crossed, and with a strange abstracted 
 look in his face, that always made Mark wish and long 
 to hear more about his history. But it was impossible to 
 draw anything from him of a personal character ; for 
 Mark had heard some of the men saying he did not like 
 to be questioned, and had even turned away from his 
 questioner with an angry oath the only time he had 
 ever been heard to make use of a wrong word. 
 
 " Ay, my boy," he said, with a sigh, " the last time I 
 was in this harbour it was under very different circum- 
 stances. Hark ye, if I tell ye some of my past life, not 
 a word of it below. Yes ; when I lay here last, I was 
 boatswain of a large foreign craft; but that's neither here 
 nor there. Here I am nothing but an A B aboard this 
 barque Stratton; and what's more, I'm likely to keep that 
 to the end of the chapter, as the saying is. Well, when 
 I was a youngster like you I was crazy about seeing the
 
 44 MAURICE'S "YARN." 
 
 world. I used to read dozens of books of travel and ad- 
 venture ; from that I determined to see the places myself, 
 so there wasn't a port I touched at, no matter where, but 
 I managed to get ashore and see everything there was to 
 be seen. When I was aboard the Spaniard that I men- 
 tioned, we touched at this port, and by the captain's 
 orders I set out with a gentleman passenger we had aboard 
 to climb that mountain. I remember reading somewhere 
 that Teneriffe means the White Mountain, the peak 
 being mostly always covered with snow. It was about 
 four o'clock one afternoon we set out on horseback to 
 visit the Peak. We had a muleteer with us, and a guide. 
 After ascending about six miles, we arrived towards sun- 
 set at the most distant habitation from the sea, which 
 was in a hollow, and here we found an aqueduct of open 
 troughs or spouts, that conveyed the water down from 
 the head of the hollow. Here our servants watered the 
 horses, and filled some small barrels with water to serve 
 us on our expedition. While this was being done my 
 companion and I walked into the hollow, which was very 
 pleasant, being full of trees that gave out a strong sweet 
 smell. Near the houses were some fields of maize and 
 Indian corn; and we were told that on several parts on 
 this side of the island they had two crops of it in the 
 year. But we might be more comfortable, Mark, my 
 boy," he interrupted himself to say, " if we took a seat on 
 the foretopsail-yard there," pointing above ; and when
 
 ASCENDING TENERIFFE. 
 
 45 
 
 they were comfortably seated, and Maurice had lighted 
 his pipe, he proceeded, 
 
 " Mounting again, we travelled for some time on a 
 steep road, and got into the woods and the clouds just 
 as it grew dark, but fortunately, owing to the road being 
 bounded with laurel and brushwood, we could not lose 
 our way. We went on for about a mile further, till we 
 came to the upper edge of the wood above the clouds, 
 where we alighted, made a fire, and had our supper, and 
 went to sleep under the bushes. A little after ten, the 
 moon shining brightly, we mounted again, and travelled 
 for two hours over a very bad road ; but this brought us 
 to a part covered with shingle, which we rode over for 
 about an hour at a pretty good pace. The air now began 
 to be sharp and cold, and the wind blew strong from the 
 south-west. By the advice of our guide we alighted 
 here, intending to rest till about four in the morning, 
 as there was a cave where we might sleep ; the mouth of 
 it was built up to about a man's height to prevent the 
 wind and cold from getting in, and we lighted a great 
 fire with some dry shrubs we found scattered about, and 
 fell asleep; but we soon wakened again, for our skin 
 itched so dreadfully that we fancied it must be caused 
 by a plague of fleas, but our guide explained it was 
 owing to the cold thin air, want of rest, and sleeping in 
 our clothes. We crept very close to the fire, so close 
 that one side was nearly scorched while the other was
 
 46 A CAVERN AND A WELL. 
 
 benumbed with cold, so that we spent a most miserable 
 night. 
 
 " In the -morning we set out again; but the road being 
 so steep, we were compelled to leave the horses in the 
 charge of one of the servants, and go the rest of the way 
 on foot. We walked hard to keep ourselves warm, and 
 after much fatigue, owing to the steepness of the road, 
 and the loose and sandy soil, we reached the top of a 
 rising hill. Here we found a great many huge loose 
 stones, some of them about ten feet every way, and 
 though the .road was not so steep, we were compelled to 
 leap from one to another of these stones. Among them 
 we found a cavern, and in it a well. Some poor people, 
 who earn a living by gathering brimstone, put down a 
 ladder, and we went down by it into the cavern. We 
 found it was spacious within, almost ten yards wide and 
 twenty in height, and covered with water except just 
 where the feet of the ladder stood. The water, two 
 fathoms deep, was there frozen to the inner edges of the 
 cave ; and when we tried to drink of it we couldn't, it 
 was so dreadfully cold. Another quarter or half a mile 
 brought us to the bottom of the real peak, or sugar-loaf, 
 which is very steep. Though it is only about half a 
 mile in length, it was so difficult to climb owing to 
 the intense cold and the loose, crumbling side we were 
 forced to stop, I believe, forty times to rest ourselves, as 
 our hearts panted and beat fearfully. When we set out
 
 48 UP OX THE " PEAK." 
 
 in the morning, the sun was just coming out of the clouds, 
 which were spread out under us at a great distance down- 
 ward. We saw from the peak the tops of several of the 
 other islands, and they seemed to be strangely near us. 
 When we were rested we began to look about us. We 
 found the peak is hollow, like a bell, and the bottom of 
 this caldron is about forty yards wide; and in many places 
 we saw smoke and steam coming out in puffs. The heat 
 of the ground was very great, and we even felt it through 
 the soles of our shoes. The biimstone here seemed to 
 be of all colours, azure, blue, green, violet, yellow, and 
 scarlet. All the top of the island shows evident marks 
 of some terrible convulsion that has happened in Teneriffe; 
 for the sugar-loaf is nothing else than earth mixed with 
 ashes and stones, thrown out of the bowels of the earth, 
 and the great square stones I spoke of before, when the 
 peak was a volcano. 
 
 " We had got up all safe enough, and now, after see- 
 ing everything of any consequence, and admiring the 
 extraordinary and uncommon appearance of the clouds 
 below us at a great distance, we began to think of going 
 down again, when " 
 
 " Oh, do tell me how the clouds looked ! " said Mark, 
 interrupting Jack. 
 
 " Well, they seemed like the ocean, only the surface 
 of them was not so blue or smooth ; but they had the 
 appearance of very white wool ; and where this cloudy
 
 A NARROW ESCAPE. 49 
 
 ocean, as we may call it, touched the shore, it seemed to 
 foam like billows breaking on it. We then turned to 
 go down, but Mr. Tibbit, our passenger, made us stop 
 till he had rolled over a large piece of rock for some 
 scientific purpose of his own. He was a short man or 
 rather, his legs were far too short for his body, which was 
 built on a large enough scale and in giving the final 
 push he lost his balance, and away went the stone, with 
 him rolling after it, down the steep side. Fortunately 
 he had not rolled down the steepest side, else he would 
 never have been seen more for we had already pitched 
 some stones over from that quarter, and they rolled quite 
 out of sight but it was quite steep enough, I can tell 
 you; and there I had to dig my way down, making 
 steps in the side of the hill as well as I could, with the 
 help of the guide, till we reached the unfortunate gentle- 
 man. Another stone had rolled over of itself after he 
 slipped, and had pinned him firmly by the skirts of his 
 coat, and the danger was, if he moved, the stone would 
 push him still further down. There he sat, yelling and 
 crying out that he was slipping, and offering large sums 
 of money to us if we saved him. We got him hauled up 
 at last by the help of the guide's stick and our belts ; but 
 I got my left hand severely cut, as you may see by the 
 mark it has left, caused by another rock rolling down and 
 crushing it before I was aware it was upon me. So, you 
 see, I bear the stamp of Teneriffe on me still."
 
 50 
 
 THE END OF THE YARN. 
 
 " Starboard watch, ahoy!" now sounded from below, 
 and both of them had to hurry down. Mark was still 
 more puzzled about Jack Maurice, and unable to make 
 out how, once being a boatswain, he had not risen higher, 
 instead of being reduced to sail as a common seaman ; for 
 as he went on he spoke in a way that showed he had 
 been something better in former days, and had received 
 a very fair education.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 DOWN THE TROPICS. 
 
 a few days there was enough of occupation to 
 keep them from wearying in preparing a part of 
 the hold to take on board the wine destined as 
 a portion of her cargo for home, as it was known 
 it improved by being taken to a hot climate. 
 Besides this, Mr. Yoyser set every spare hand 
 to repair the rigging, so that Mark had scarcely a moment's 
 leisure. But a day before the quarantine expired, Maurice 
 called to him to lend a hand at the sail he was mending, 
 and Mark gladly seated himself to the task. 
 
 " I am glad our quarantine is nearly at an end now," 
 said Mark. "I'm very anxious to get to Africa; for 
 somehow I think it will be a much more interesting 
 place than here. I've read a good deal about the strange 
 trees in Africa, for one thing ; and then the natives are 
 so savage; but here it's all so tame." 
 
 ' There's a lot of interesting things to be seen here
 
 52 STRANGE TREES. 
 
 though, for all that," said Maurice. " I'll be bound you 
 would like to see the caves they turn into houses in some 
 parts of these islands ; and as for trees, there isn't a stranger 
 one to be seen anywhere than the raining-tree of the 
 Canaries." 
 
 " The raining-tree! why, what is it like?" said Mark. 
 
 " It is a kind of laurel, and has very wide-spreading 
 branches. Every morning a mist comes up from the sea 
 and rests on the thick leaves, and then oozes out by drops 
 during the day. The trees spring from the rocks at the 
 end of some of the long narrow valleys, and this helps 
 to attract the mist all the better. It is an evergreen, 
 and grows to a great size. The water that drops from 
 it supplies every family in the neighbourhood, and there 
 are regular people appointed to give out the supplies." 
 
 " It must be the most curious tree that ever grew," 
 said Mark ; " don't you think so, Maurice, or do you 
 know of any others ? " 
 
 " Well, I have seen one more curious still," replied 
 Maurice ; " that was the cow-tree ; and I have been told 
 of one like the raining-tree here, called the pitcher-plant, 
 but I've never seen it myself. I've heard this tree has 
 a sort of small bag, shaped like a pitcher, at the foot of 
 the stalk of each leaf, with a neatly-fitted lid, and having 
 a kind of hinge that passes over the handle of the pitcher 
 and joins it to the leaf. The pitcher-plant is often 
 covered with birds, all sipping the water out of the
 
 KEEPING ONE'S EYES OPEN. 53 
 
 lids they open to catch the rain ; but no sooner has the 
 cloud passed away than the goblet closes itself firmly, so 
 that the plant always keeps some for its own nourish- 
 ment." 
 
 " And the cow-tree," said Mark, " what is it like?" 
 
 " It grows in South America, in one of the most un- 
 fruitful parts of it. It clings to the steep side of a rock, 
 and has dry, corky -like leaves, and its large woody roots 
 can hardly find sufficient depth of soil to grow in. For 
 several months no rain falls upon it, but the pores are so 
 constructed as to suck in the heavy dews that fall every 
 night in hot countries. But though the leaves look dry 
 and the branches seem to be dead, when the trunk is 
 pierced out comes a sweet kind of milk. You get the 
 most of it just at sunrise, and the natives there crowd 
 from all quarters to fill their bowls for their breakfasts." 
 
 " Well, it's all very curious," said Mark. " I have 
 heard of a butter-tree, and I believe it grows in Africa, 
 but I never heard of a cow-tree before. There must be 
 every kind of thing, in plants and trees, that one needs." 
 
 " Ay, my boy," said Maurice, " this is a wonderful 
 world ; and people lose a good deal of pleasure, I can tell 
 you, by going about it with their eyes shut. I've been 
 with many a shipmate ashore at some strange port, and 
 they would laugh at me for wanting to go into the country 
 to see what sort of trees, and birds, and animals were to 
 be found. They liked much better to get drunk at some
 
 04: PROMISING TO LEND A HELPING HAND. 
 
 drinking-shecl ; for there's always rum to be had, some- 
 how, at the smallest port that is, if there's nothing else." 
 
 " Well, Maurice, I only hope we shall be allowed to get 
 ashore together at the Gaboon, that's all," said Mark, 
 laughing. " I promise you I'll keep my eyes very 
 wide open indeed." This being a good opportunity, 
 Mark confided to his companion the notion he had of 
 trading in a small way on his own account, which seemed 
 to amuse the worthy seaman not a little, but he heartily 
 entered into the idea, and promised to lend a helping 
 hand. 
 
 The casks of wine were not long of being secured in 
 the hold, along with some hogsheads of barilla, and the 
 Stratton proceeded again without delay on her course. 
 The only circumstance of any consequence that happened 
 between their leaving the port of Santa- Cruz and the 
 Gaboon s River was an encounter with a waterspout. 
 The weather had been very sultry and hot, and clouds 
 began to gather heavily, and a sudden squall came on. 
 The sea appeared to be raised in a great heap, and whirled 
 and bubbled, the upper part being lost in the mass of 
 spray and foam, which was driven rapidly round. The 
 column moved slowly forward, sometimes quite straight, 
 sometimes being curved, and again taking a twisted form. 
 On it came with a rushing noise, like the roar of a cata- 
 ract, making the barque quiver from stem to stern. For- 
 tunately, the second mate had observed it in time, and had
 
 AN UNWELCOME ENCOUNTER, 
 
 55 
 
 WATEKSPOUT. 
 
 ordered the foremost carronade to be got ready, when it 
 was discharged at it with such good effect that it gradually 
 became more transparent, and vanished into the clouds. 
 Every one heaved a sigh of relief as it thus disappeared, 
 for, but for Mr. Sprent's promptitude, the vessel might 
 have been dismasted, and left a total wreck. That
 
 56 PETER, THE CABIN-BOY. 
 
 evening, in the second dog-watch, or between the hours 
 of six and eight, many stories were related about these 
 strange phenomena of Nature. After several yarns had 
 been spun by the older hands, Peter, the cabin-boy, who 
 was listening very earnestly, suddenly said, " Oh, but I 
 could tell you about a stranger spout than any o' yourn," 
 and he turned up his small nose with a strong expression 
 of contempt. 
 
 "Ay, boy, could ye?" said Long Jack; "then out 
 with it; but mind ye, if ye don't make your words good. 
 I'll try the weight o' this rope-end across ye it'll 
 help to take some o' your impudence and fool-hardiness 
 out o' ye, mayhap." 
 
 " Come, now, don't frighten the youngster," said Jack 
 Jones, instituting himself as umpire. " Let's have the 
 yarn, boy, and we'll see you get fair play." 
 
 Peter, who was by no means easily put down, as Mark 
 knew to his cost, gave a hitch to his belt, and began his 
 story in the most approved seaman's style. " It was in 
 the Indian Ocean that the ship I sailed my first voyage 
 in lay becalmed. She was a big lump of a brig, and 
 sailed as if she was water-logged. Well, there we were, 
 in as dead a calm as ever ye see'd, when all of a sudden 
 the waters got black as ink, and the sea rose in moun- 
 tains over the ship's side, and away we went almost fly- 
 ing through the water. Every one of us was shinning 
 up the rigging like mad to stow the sails, and I had just
 
 PETER'S YARN. 57 
 
 got out on a yard to pass round the weather gasket, when 
 down comes a great black cloud, and up goes the sea to 
 meet it close to our bows, and the two together lifts our 
 lump of a brig up, and away it goes with us flying 
 through the air. We hadn't time to give ourselves up 
 for lost when down it dropped us with such a crash that 
 the mainmast jumped right out of its socket ; and if it 
 hadn't been for the ropes and tackle, would have shot 
 itself right up into the clouds, like the arrow from a bow. 
 But that wasn't the strangest part of it, for on taking 
 our bearings, what does the captain find but we had been 
 carried as much as a good three days' sail, and instead o' 
 being near to the Chagos Islands, we had been blown 
 back to the Cape of Good Hope, a distance of " 
 
 "Hold hard, ye young rascal!" cried Long Jack. 
 " None o' your crammers. We're not to be took in wi' 
 sich stuff." 
 
 " I tell ye it's true. Was I not there myself? And 
 what's more, if ye ax any man ye meet at the Cape, he'll 
 say the same. For there was a laugh against the cap- 
 tain, d'ye see ? For when the waterspout caught up the 
 brig, it took the captain, who was walking about the 
 quarter-deck, and whirled him up like a feather ; and 
 there's no saying but what he may have been took up 
 into the blue sky altogether, and set astride a star or 
 some'at, had he not caught hold of the truck, and then 
 slid down the skysail-mast to the rigging. He told us
 
 58 A STRANGE PENNANT. 
 
 about it next day, and we grinned at it. But, d'ye see, 
 he wore a wig ; and, sure enough, his head was as bare 
 as my hand, and his wig was nowhere to be found. The 
 next morning, when I was aloft, I see'd something flut- 
 tering out from the truck ; and I climbed up to see what 
 it could be for it looked like some strange bird when 
 what was this but the captain's best wig a-hanging like 
 a red pennant ; and, moreover " 
 
 " Hold hard !" shouted some of the men, though they 
 could not keep from laughing either. " Give him a 
 taste of the rope's-end, Jack, to teach him to spin sich 
 yarns to his betters." 
 
 But Peter had already made off. and had escaped to a 
 place of safety, grinning from ear to ear. 
 
 A day or two after this, Mark was up the rigging, 
 when he observed a strange bird seated on the fore-top- 
 gallant yard. The weather was rough at the time, and 
 the sail was close furled, the vessel leaning over a good 
 deal ; but in spite of this he made his way cautiously 
 out along the foot-rope to have a better view of it, when 
 to his surprise it sat quite still, and allowed him to 
 come close up to it. He then stretched out his hand, 
 but to his further surprise it allowed him to catch 
 hold of it, merely uttering a rough hoarse cry. Mark 
 was not long in carrying his prize down below, when 
 the captain, who happened to be on the deck, observed 
 him.
 
 RESTING ON THE VARD. 
 
 59 
 
 HARK CATCHINO A BOOBY. 
 
 " Oh, so you've managed to catch a booby, have 
 you?" he said, taking it out of Mark's hands. 
 
 " Is it a booby, sir?" said Mark. " I have read about 
 them; but I thought it was a dark bird, only having
 
 60 GIVING THE BOOBY ITS LIBERTY. 
 
 gray and brownish colours about it, and black feet and 
 bill. Now this one has a brown back, white breast, and 
 pink bill." 
 
 " Yes; but this is a booby, my boy. The one you 
 have read about is a noddy : indeed, I believe they all 
 belong to the same family; though, more properly speak- 
 ing, the booby belongs to the Grannet or Solan Goose 
 family. But what are you going to do with this speci- 
 men 1 " 
 
 " Well, I don't know, sir," said Mark. " I should like 
 to keep it very much ; but, I suppose, I could not man- 
 age it." 
 
 " You might get the steward to show you how to stuff 
 it," said the captain. 
 
 But Mark did not like the idea of taking the bird's 
 life after allowing itself to be caught in such a quiet 
 manner. " I think if I cannot keep it alive, sir," he 
 said, " I will give it its liberty." 
 
 " Well, then, look at this," said the captain, who had 
 been watching something in the water. 
 
 And Mark stepped forward, and looking to where the 
 captain pointed, saw a fish floating on the top of a wave, 
 evidently in a death struggle. 
 
 " He has received some deadly wound from an adver- 
 sary below," said the captain. " Now fling the booby up 
 in the air." 
 
 Mark did as the captain told him ; and the next
 
 THE CAPTAIN'S CONDESCENSION. 61 
 
 moment the bird had swooped down on the dying fish, 
 and appeared to swallow it up bodily, though it seemed 
 to be larger than itself. A few moments after, some- 
 thing dark came fluttering down, as if from the clouds 
 themselves, but the ship was passing too rapidly on her 
 course for Mark to make out distinctly what it was. 
 
 " Ah," said the captain, " see how everything falls a 
 prey to one another ! There has been a frigate-bird over- 
 head, and he has swooped down to force the booby to 
 disgorge the fish he has swallowed, for the ' frigate ' is 
 the great enemy of the stupid Sulafusca, or booby. On 
 the islands and rocky shores where the booby settles, they 
 catch fish all day long for the benefit of those voracious 
 birds who are waiting to attack and rob them ; for the 
 frigate-birds can neither swim nor dive, and the only fish 
 they can take for themselves is the flying-fish. But they 
 are the swiftest birds that range the ocean." 
 
 Mark was quite sorry when the captain turned to go 
 to the cabin, for he spoke so kindly that it was impos- 
 sible not to feel interested in the conversation. But he 
 had to be content ; for though he would have liked to 
 have asked some questions about the other sea-birds^ he 
 knew it was a great condescension and a stretch of good- 
 nature and courtesy for the commander of the good barque 
 Stratton to take any notice whatever of a mere ship's 
 apprentice. 
 
 The wind being favourable, they reached the mouth of
 
 62 AT ANCHOR IX THE GABOON. 
 
 the Gaboon River late in the evening, and anchored five 
 miles from land. It was impossible for 3Iark to sleep 
 that night : and it felt so stifling below, that he flung 
 himself down at one of the open ports to wait impatiently 
 for morning. Hitherto his life at sea had been mono- 
 tonous enough, and the work by no means agreeable, but 
 that was now a thing of the past, when he realized that 
 he was close to the land. "With all his old ideas of the 
 delight of first beholding a strange great country like 
 Africa, he kept peering into the gloom towards the shore, 
 in the vain endeavour to make out the form of the woods, 
 the slopes, the mountains, with the opening of the wide 
 river, and the uncouth huts and fantastic structures he 
 expected to see. At any rate, he enjoyed what is the 
 most thrilling pleasure of this kind ever experienced by 
 the novice at sea the blended hum of the multitudinous 
 noises of the forest, occasionally breaking out into separate 
 notes, with now and then the still more exciting sounds 
 produced by human inhabitants, whilst the very smell of 
 the earth and leaves came wafted by the fitful land-breeze 
 to the deck. Always uppermost in his mind, however, 
 came his fancy about bartering with the natives, by means 
 of his small stock of articles prepared for the purpose, in 
 order to obtain possession of gold dust, ivory, and such 
 valuables, which the African coast produced. He had his 
 mother's benefit in view; a consideration rising in his 
 mind, through warm affection, above even the boyish
 
 WATCHING FOR DAYBREAK. 
 
 63 
 
 delight in adventure and in seeing the world for its own 
 sake. 
 
 When day broke next morning, he was considerably 
 
 SCENE ON THE WEST COAST OP AFRICA. 
 
 disappointed at the general appearance of the land. It 
 was low, on the whole, though overspread with wild 
 wood; here and there topped by feathery palms, and 
 parted by lines of plumy cocoa-nut trees along the shore. 
 A streak of white sand ran beneath them, on either side
 
 64 LYING OUTSIDE THE BAR. 
 
 of the wide opening of the river, which sent its dingy 
 flood to mingle gradually with the green of the sea, which 
 expanded away in all the exquisite blueness of the tropical 
 ocean. On one side of the entrance to the Gaboon was 
 the inner anchorage, with the trade settlement and native 
 village beyond, backed by a slight eminence, on which 
 the factory stood, with a flag waving over it, and some 
 appearance of rude fortification. Two or three merchant 
 vessels, with their decks roofed over, lay before it; and, 
 to Mark's great delight, further out was a man-of-war 
 steaui cruiser, showing British flags. Still further out, a 
 great canoe full of people, both native and European, ap- 
 peared to be on its way to the cruiser ; in the middle of 
 it was raised something like an immense umbrella, and 
 an awning besides ; while at the same time an English 
 ensign was displayed from a flagstaff above. As it ap- 
 proached the cruiser, a salute was fired from the latter, 
 showing that some important personage must be at hand. 
 It was, indeed, no other than the chief African potentate 
 of the river His Majesty King Glass himself. Here 
 was something already answering to our hero's expecta- 
 tions, and it was not long before he was favoured by an 
 opportunity of seeing things more closely at the Gaboon* 
 The Stratton still lay outside the bar. over which there 
 was not always sufficient water to take vessels safely at 
 that season, till the tides reached a greater height. Such 
 being the case, the jolly-boat was ordered to be lowered
 
 IN THE JOLLY-BOAT. 65 
 
 away, as the captain was going to send his " list " of 
 articles for sale to a resident merchant for inspection ; 
 and also to make arrangements to pay the king's " dash," 
 or harbour dues. Mr. Sprent was to go, with five of the 
 best hands on board, as the boat might be difficult to 
 manage in crossing the bar. 
 
 Mark ventured to say in a whisper to the second mate, 
 ' May I go too, sir?" 
 
 And looking down at the boy's anxious face, he re- 
 plied, " Well, perhaps you may. But it's a rough pas- 
 sage, and not free from danger." 
 
 " Oh, I don't mind that a bit, sir," said Mark, hastily, 
 but with due respect, making Mr. Sprent laugh outright 
 at his eagerness. And accordingly, when the boat was 
 ready, Mark was the first to step into her. 
 
 They now approached the bar, or that under-water 
 bank of sand and mud across the entrance of the river, 
 which is always found towards the mouths of the great 
 African streams, and of which there are sometimes two or 
 three even in succession. Although the Stratton, with 
 her cargo, could not safely get across this, there was at 
 present in such still water no sign of the obstruction, ex- 
 cept here and there a wandering streak, or a winding 
 patch of the brown river-water, almost distinct from the 
 green and blue of the sea. Another mark of its presence, 
 in a more alarming way, was suddenly visible in the 
 shape of two or three back-fins of ground-sharks, which 
 
 (326) 5
 
 66 ALLIGATORS. 
 
 rose black and wet over the surface where the boat crossed, 
 seeming to follow it with an interest that made the boy 
 shiver. The slight danger soon passed, however, after 
 which these odious objects vanished; and it was not long 
 before the boat fairly entered the river and steered to the 
 landing-place. They had not reached this, indeed, before 
 an additional illustration of the dangers to be found in an 
 African river became visible to Mark. On the hot mud 
 under the opposite bank near a low thicket of the 
 tangled mangroves, whose roots were left bare by the 
 tide there lay what Mark took for three or four drifted 
 logs, or fallen stems of trees, with the bark half off. One 
 of the men, as he pulled his oar, gave a meaning sign to 
 Mark. 
 
 "What do you think these are, lad?" he whispered, 
 looking over his shoulder. 
 
 Mark followed his glance, and saw a slight motion of 
 one of the supposed logs. It seemed to roll itself up a 
 little more, stretching itself full in the sun, till he made 
 out the shape of a hideous foot, and saw, with a start, a 
 pair of huge jaws yawning drowsily, as it were, in the 
 distance. 
 
 " A crocodile ! " he exclaimed, in the same undertone. 
 i- Yes; it must be." 
 
 " Alligators," muttered the seaman, scowling, as if he 
 had some unpleasant recollection in connection with them. 
 " Sink the brutes ! I wish I had but a slap at 'em ! "
 
 PREPARING TO TRADE. 67 
 
 On shore, a sort of procession was in movement in the 
 direction of the harbour, which proved to be " Will 
 Glass," the king's nephew, on his way to pay a visit to 
 the steam cruiser. He was followed by six or seven of 
 his numerous wives, and was arrayed in a full-dress Eng- 
 lish uniform, said to have cost upwards of 60. 
 
 During this time, Mr. Sprent was busily engaged with 
 one of the resident merchants, making arrangements for 
 the exchange of the Stratton's cargo of " assorted notions " 
 for the produce of the country, which in this case was to 
 be palm oil, gold dust, and ivory. 
 
 The list having been put up conspicuously in the mer- 
 chant's store, so that the traders, purchasers, and idlers 
 might see what was for sale, and all the other arrange- 
 ments being made, he returned to the boat, where the 
 men and Mark soon joined him. It was late in the after- 
 noon when the boat left the landing-place, on its way 
 back to the ship. The sky had darkened, and a squall of 
 some kind was evidently about to come off the land; if, 
 indeed, something more violent was not to be feared. 
 This quickened the movements of the boat's crew ; 
 and they pushed briskly off, bending to the oars with 
 a will. On reaching the mouth of the river, however, 
 they found the water beginning to bubble like a boil- 
 ing caldron, through which they could make but slow 
 way. Before them there was now real danger on the 
 bar, increased by the state of the weather. When they
 
 68 
 
 DANGER. 
 
 had first entered, the time of high-water was not far past, 
 but it was now the extreme ebb, or low-water, so that the 
 bar became terribly distinct. It formed one broad band 
 
 CROSSING THE BAR. 
 
 of roaring surf, shaped like a half-moon, round the mouth 
 of the river, without -a break that could be discovered to 
 escape through. Happily for them, there was an advan- 
 tage for the moment from the very approach of the squall, 
 if rightly taken in time, but which insured their destruc- 
 tion if they delayed.
 
 " PULL ALL ! " 69 
 
 " Step the mast there ! " cried Mr. Sprent, as the first 
 puffs of heavy air began to blow from over the woods. 
 " Up with the sail quick, for your lives, men ! " 
 
 It was done ; and the ropes that drew down the lower 
 corners of the canvas were hauled to their place, Mark 
 being stationed by the mate at the more important of 
 the two, while Mr. Sprent himself watched for the right 
 moment to steer between the angry surges as they ran 
 together into foam. 
 
 " Now, boy," said he hoarsely, " our lives depend on you 
 letting go when I give the word ; but I will trust you." 
 
 Mark answered by a glance of grateful determination, 
 and away the boat went, oars and sail jointly shooting the 
 boat far in and up on the rising breaker. They outran 
 it, and were tossed on, heaving sideways up to another. 
 
 " Pull all bend and break 'em ! " shouted the mate. 
 " Now in-oars hold on with the sheet, my boy." There 
 was a moment w r hen they seemed flung helplessly away, 
 and all that Mark could do was to cling to his seat, with 
 the precious rope clutched in his hands. He thought of 
 the sand-bank below, and of the horrible ground-sharks 
 that came to mind with it. One skilful turn of the 
 rudder by Mr. Sprent, and they were safe so far ; but 
 the squall was upon them next moment, with a whistle 
 and a howl, sending the spray along into their eyes. 
 
 " Let go the sheet ! " cried the mate, and it flew loose 
 at the word. u Down sail out oars ! " The free waves
 
 70 IN SAFETY ONCE MORE. 
 
 of the open water were beneath them, and on went the 
 boat, the rowers pulling stoutly for the ship, which they 
 soon reached in safety. 
 
 By that time a regular tornado was upon them ; one 
 startling flash of lightning after another, with terrific 
 peals of thunder between, told what would have been the 
 boat's fate if it had been delayed a little longer. The 
 wind roared through the rigging, the rain fell by bucket- 
 fuls in one continuous stream, and the vessel groaned at 
 her anchor, rolling from side to side. Still the cable 
 held well, and she rode it out unhurt. By midnight the 
 worst was past, and the weather turned by degrees to 
 its former course.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AFRICAN COAST-TRADE. 
 
 }EXT day, with the help of the flood- stream from 
 inland, the tide enabled them to be piloted 
 up to the proper moorings inside, when the 
 Stratton was then housed over in the custo- 
 mary way with awnings and deals ; after 
 which she proceeded with the regular trade of the place. 
 The necessary kroomen were on board, who were to 
 attend to the boat service ; and the captain had departed 
 for his residence on shore, leaving the vessel in the charge 
 of the mates, who, with the crew, were to despatch and 
 receive the cargo. For a time every one was so much 
 occupied, that Mark had no opportunity of attending to 
 his own speculations, and had half given up the idea of 
 it altogether, when one day Peter, the cabin-boy, tapped 
 him on the shoulder, and beckoning to him in a mysteri- 
 ous way, disappeared up the rigging, where our hero was 
 not long in following him. When he had reached the
 
 / '1 A NEW TRADER. 
 
 round-top, he found Peter standing with a small basket 
 in his hand, evidently having some very precious articles 
 there, judging by the careful way in which he was holding 
 it. Mark had been somewhat surprised at Peter's summons, 
 for they had never been very good friends all the voyage ; 
 Peter delighting to teaze and worry Mark on any and 
 every occasion. To such a height had he carried his 
 mischievous tricks, that only two days before they had 
 reached the Gaboon, Mark had determined to free him- 
 self in a most effective manner from his tormentor, and, 
 accordingly, he had turned upon Peter, and after a severe 
 fight, the men being there to see everything was " fair 
 and above board," Mark was declared the victor. They 
 both bore the marks of the conflict on their faces, and 
 Peter had only been able to have the bandage taken off 
 his eye that very morning. Mark was therefore more 
 than surprised to hear that Peter wanted to ask his 
 advice in a friendly way, and to discover that this boy 
 also, like himself, had notions of trading with the natives ; 
 nay, what was more to the point, he seemed to know how 
 to set about it. 
 
 " I say, shipmate," he said, as Mark's head appeared 
 above the edge of the round-top, " if you like I'll put 
 you up to a thing or two at this here coast. But what 
 am I saying? It isn't likely such a greenhorn as you 
 be's, has thought of bringing aught to barter with the 
 natives."
 
 A RARE SHOW. 73 
 
 " There you are mistaken," said Mark ; " I'm not 
 quite so green as you think, for I've got a lot of things. 
 I brought them on purpose." 
 
 " Well, now, who'd have a- thought he'd have known 
 it ! " said Peter, surveying him out of his right eye and 
 screwing up his left, in imitation of Jack Jones. 
 
 " But what have you brought me up here for ? " said 
 Mark. "Was it to look at that basket of yours? have 
 you got your private cargo stowed in there ? " 
 
 " You're about right there," said Peter, beginning to 
 unfasten the lid ; " and what's more, I mean to give you 
 a private peep ; " then drawing himself up, he began to 
 call out as he had heard some showmen do in Bristol : 
 " Gather round, tumble round, gather round; the show 
 is about to commence. Here you will see as rare a 
 show of African fetiches as ever your eyes see'd. They 
 are destined to become the property of his African 
 majesty, King Piawauwau, and his threescore of wives ; 
 likewise there's here a valibble assortment of leg-rings, 
 wrist-rings, and nose-rings, all for these same queens 
 and princesses, and lovely dears they will look with 
 them " 
 
 " Come, Peter, stop your nonsense," said Mark, be- 
 ginning to lose patience, and sitting down on the floor, 
 preparatory to going off altogether ; " if you mean to 
 show me the things, do it at once, the watch will be 
 called directly."
 
 PETER S TREASURES. 
 
 PETER SHOWING HIS TREASURES. 
 
 "Well, then, shut your eyes and open your month 
 no, I mean wisy wersa, as the captain said this morning. 1 '
 
 THE CONTEXTS OF THE BASKET. 75 
 
 Mark opened the lid of the basket, and to his surprise 
 the principal objects that were packed away were two 
 small dolls, very nicely dressed. " Why, whatever can 
 have possessed you to bring out dolls to Africa ? " said 
 Mark, laughing heartily. 
 
 " I knowed he was green," said Peter, taking out the 
 dolls very cautiously, and showing the further contents 
 of his basket. " You wait a few days, and see if my dolls 
 won't bring in more than all your cargo put together. 
 Now, what do you think of these, then, by way of a 
 change ? " 
 
 " I should suppose they will be as valuable as the 
 dolls," said Mark. "I do declare, they are some old 
 window-curtain rings ! " 
 
 "Right again, my boy," said the incorrigible Peter; 
 " I bought the whole boiling o' them at a broker's shop 
 for half-a-crown ; and here's the small uns that hooked 
 into the big uns." 
 
 " But what will you do with them ? " said Mark. 
 
 " Sell them to the king, in course ; doesn't his wives 
 wear dozens of sich on their legs and arms ! The little 
 uns, they're for the noses ; or if they don't like them for 
 that, why then I takes this wire, I twist off a piece so, 
 I ties it on so, and says I, ' Ladies fair I begs your 
 parding ladies black, here's ear-rings for you in a 
 trice/ " 
 
 This seemed to be the whole contents of the basket,
 
 76 PETER'S SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 with the exception of a small bag of cowrie-shells, a few 
 red glass beads, and two old pocket-knives. 
 
 " What made you think of the rings ? " said Mark, 
 beginning to think Peter was not to be despised ; " were 
 you ever here before ? " 
 
 " No; and don't mean to come again, if I knows it," re- 
 plied Peter; " but I'll tell you how I happens to get them : 
 our ship lay for some weeks 'long'side of a brig that had 
 just come in from Africa, and one o' the boys and I got 
 very thick, and he told me a lot about the place, and 
 what a deal he could have made if he had only taken out 
 some things ; so, when I comes to hear we were bound 
 for this port, I goes on shore and smuggles them things 
 aboard, and stows them away snug. I'll tell you what 
 it is, shipmate, you may thank your stars you are aboard 
 this ship, for in many a one the men would search your 
 chest, and walk off with everything valibble they took a 
 fancy to ; but they knows better aboard the Stratton 
 than to touch the boys' things." 
 
 "Was it your friend that told you about the dolls? " 
 said Mark, laughing. 
 
 " Yes, it was ; it was his own idea, certainly, and see if 
 it doesn't turn out a good one. He was about the longest 
 headed chap I ever see'd ; 'cos why, he was a Yankee born, 
 and they know what they are about, let me tell you." 
 
 "But how are you going to manage to barter your 
 things ? " inquired Mark.
 
 HOW THE CAPTAIN TRADES. 77 
 
 " That's the rub," said Peter. " Now, in course, I 
 have been turning the matter over, as you may be sure. 
 I have been keeping my ears pretty wide open, for I 
 hears a good deal of the talk going on in the cabin. 
 This is the skipper's second trip to this quarter, and he 
 knows the ways of the place. He lost a good deal of his 
 cargo last time, by trusting it to some o' them native 
 carriers." 
 
 " How was that ? " said Mark ; " did they steal it 1 " 
 
 " Well, some folks would call it stealing. You see, 
 these men get the cargo, and take it away up into the 
 country to sell, promising to bring back goods in exchange. 
 Well, they often take such a time about it, a-purpose to 
 tire out the captains, that the ships are forced to leave 
 before they come back, if they ever do come back." 
 
 "And what is the captain going to do now?" said 
 Mark. " The merchants here seem to be pretty well 
 supplied." 
 
 " Yes, another day or two will finish the market here," 
 said Peter ; " and so the captain is thinking of sending 
 the native gold- taker and a boat's crew up one of the 
 rivers, to a place where he fancies trade can be carried on 
 with the natives themselves, after which there's a talk 
 that we are to sail for some other part of the coast." 
 
 " But what has all this to do with us and our chance 
 of bartering the things we have? " said Mark. 
 
 " Just this," replied Peter: " Jack Maurice was in last
 
 78 GREAT DELIBERATIONS. 
 
 night speaking to the mates, for Jack knows this coast, 
 and can speak a little Spanish or some other foreign 
 lingo. He ! s going in the boat, and so is Mr. Sprent. 
 Now, I was a-thinking, if you get Maurice to speak a 
 word for us, we might he took too. I know you are a 
 sort of a chum of Jack's ; hut if you got me took with 
 you, I'd help you to get along, for I know they'll cheat 
 you, they are so cunning, and you are so green." 
 
 Mark passed over the last remarks ; but willingly 
 promised to do his hest to get them hoth included in the 
 boat's crew. That same afternoon the captain came on 
 deck, and after he had gone ashore again, Peter man- 
 aged to give Mark, who was standing beside the chief 
 mate, a nudge, and a knowing wink and a shrug. By 
 this Mark understood there was some important piece of 
 information to be communicated. When the mate had 
 gone away, Mark proceeded up into the round-top, where 
 he was not disappointed in finding Peter. It seemed 
 that the captain had intimated that no more cargo was 
 to be sent ashore ; but as he was very anxious to push 
 on, a boat was to be got in readiness to start early next 
 morning. 
 
 " You see, the captain he says we have just arrived in 
 the nick of time, seeing that it was a day or two after 
 the beginning of ' the little dry season,' as them darkies 
 call it. It only lasts six weeks, and down comes the 
 rain for months after."
 
 A BOAT EXPEDITION. 79 
 
 ' Well, then, we had better make good use of our 
 time now," said Mark, laughing. " I'll go and look for 
 Maurice directly." 
 
 After a little persuasion Maurice was prevailed upon 
 to get them both taken, and Mark made up a parcel 
 of his goods, including the horse-shoe and pocket-pistol. 
 He also had a small pocket- compass, and an old pinch- 
 beck watch, the sight of which nearly drove Peter crazy 
 with delight. These things were carefully hidden about 
 their bodies, by the ingenious Peter, who explained that 
 only one thing was to be shown at once. 
 
 To the boys' intense satisfaction, they were permitted 
 to go ; and though the boat was to leave at a very early 
 hour, they were ready long before the hour of starting. 
 
 " What have you done with your dolls ? " said Mark. 
 " Have you got them with you? " 
 
 " In course ; it's not very likely I'd have left them 
 behind," said Peter. " I've got them stowed away in 
 the bag of grub ; I'm steward, you know." 
 
 In passing up the river, Mark was much interested in 
 watching the surrounding scenery, or rather the strange 
 trees and various plants. It appeared to him to be a 
 country of mangroves, and nothing else but mangroves ; 
 for the region of mud and slime is the peculiar kingdom 
 of this singular tree. It seemed to take possession of 
 the ground by its thousand roots that shoot out from its 
 trunk, or by the long fibrous hair that hung down from
 
 80 ROWING UP THE RIVER. 
 
 the branches, and also by its numberless fruits which, 
 before falling, send forth large roots, drop into the water 
 by thousands, and are supported in an upright position 
 by the weight of their roots, till they are at length 
 carried by the tide to take possession of some new bank 
 of mud. The mangroves rose at some parts of the river 
 like an impenetrable bank of grayish verdure. Had it 
 not been for the occasional sight of a beautiful king- 
 fisher, a parrot, or a touraco, the sight of these gloomy 
 mangroves would have proved very monotonous : but even 
 their harsh notes were so scarce, that the repose of these 
 solitudes was seldom disturbed. 
 
 Passing between the little islands of the Gaboon, it 
 was some relief to come apon a canoe belonging to one of 
 the mission-stations, and to exchange a hearty salute 
 with them : and but for this circumstance, nothing hap- 
 pened to enliven the scene till they got further into the 
 interior. It was a pleasure to find that here the aspect 
 of nature changed considerably, and that the vegetation 
 became more varied. Mark was interested in seeing the 
 enimbas, a large kind of palm, which, Jack Maurice told 
 him, though it did not produce much oil, was very useful 
 as ready-made planks in the construction of their houses, 
 and with shingles, which are easily prepared for the pur- 
 pose of roofing. 
 
 " I should like very much to go on shore," said Mark 
 to Jack. " I'd like to see how they build their houses."
 
 THE SIGHTS UP THE RIVER. 
 
 81 
 
 THE MISSION-STATION CANOE. 
 
 " They don't build them at all," said Jack Maurice, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Not build them," replied Mark ; " why, then, what 
 do they do ? " 
 
 (326) 6
 
 82 A SWEET HOUSE. 
 
 " They sew them. Every bit of a hut here away is 
 sewn together bit by bit ; a hammer and nail is not 
 brought into use at all." 
 
 " Have you seen one done ? " asked Mark, greatly 
 interested. 
 
 " Oh yes ; and since you are anxious to know, I'll 
 build one right away," said Jack. " First," he con- 
 tinued, " you strip your planks. They are the branches, 
 or rather the ribs, of the enimbas leaves, about eighteen 
 feet in length, and very thick and narrow. They are 
 quite level on the sides, and perfectly straight. The 
 leaves are used in the place of tiles, and are -ranged side 
 by side, and fastened together by wooden pegs. The 
 thread which they use is, of course, a fibre taken from 
 another of the palm family, and is called ojono. It is 
 easily bent, and is very s'trong. I think I have reason 
 to remember that ojono. You see, boy, it is a species 
 of what they call rotang-thorn. I was walking about the 
 woods one day, helping that same old gentleman I told 
 you about before, that went up Teneriffe, and all of a sudden 
 something gripped me by the leg. I hollered out, and 
 back came the old gentleman in no end of a hurry, to 
 find out what was up, when there he found I was hard 
 and fast caught by two hooks, like a great fish. That 
 old gentleman told me lots of things, and when he had 
 cut me free, explained to me that this was a rotang, and 
 showed me it was armed with a kind of a bent hook,
 
 CATCHING A TARTAR. 85 
 
 fastened in pairs on each side of the stalk, like the flukes 
 of an anchor ; and I can tell you they don't let you free 
 so easily, if once they lay hold." 
 
 Mr. Sprent now ordered that the boat should be 
 steered in the direction of a small cove, where they 
 might rest and refresh themselves during the extreme 
 heat of the day. Seizing this opportunity, Mark and 
 Peter went strolling a little way into the interior, in the 
 hope that they might be able to catch a parrot, or 
 perhaps a young monkey ; but, as it turned out, poor 
 Peter caught a Tartar instead. He was poking his nose 
 into the bushes, and peering cautiously into the trees, 
 when all of a sudden his eyes lighted upon something 
 like a bag made of leaves hanging at the end of a branch. 
 In a moment Peter had pulled it off, and was proceeding 
 to examine it more closely, when in a moment out flew 
 a perfect shower of ants, most singular in their appear- 
 ance, being large, light-coloured, and long-bodied. They 
 swarmed round the head and face of the hapless Peter, 
 inflicting a sharp and severe mark, and forcing both the 
 boys to run back to their companions in as great a state 
 of terror as if a dozen of savages were after them. 
 
 At this time they were also interested in watching a 
 very remarkable red ant, close, to the place where they 
 were resting. Mr. Sprent discovered these creatures 
 marching in close column through the grass, and it was 
 evident they were observing a peculiar order of advance.
 
 84 A FORMIDABLE ARMY. 
 
 The division proceeded in two compact rows, being some- 
 how entwined one with the other, so that the whole 
 troop might have been raised at the end of a stick in 
 masses. They had constructed also two long equal 
 walls two or three inches in height, and equally distant 
 the one from the other. Between these two walls a 
 perfect stream of ants flowed on, carrying provisions or 
 larvse, which perhaps they had taken from some hostile 
 republic. In the midst of those who were labouring so 
 hard, were a number of large-headed ones, apparently 
 directing the march. They carried no burdens; but they 
 possessed a formidable pair of piercers, and were evi- 
 dently the soldiers of the colony, and watched over its 
 safety. They also acted as scouts on the flank of the 
 double wall, collected the fugitives, urged on those 
 who lagged behind, and repelled the attack of every 
 enemy. Mark learned afterwards that great respect is 
 paid to these travelling ants, and that they are very 
 seldom molested by the natives; indeed, they are some- 
 what superstitious about them, and when they encounter 
 them they will pluck a leaf from the nearest tree and 
 place it gently on the ground, thinking that this act will 
 secure them against misfortune. 
 
 After some little delay, caused by their guide mistak- 
 ing the way, they arrived at their destination. They 
 first came upon a single hut, which proved to be the out- 
 post of a village half hidden by the surrounding trees, and
 
 A WARLIKE TRIBE. 
 
 85 
 
 which had thus been placed in a position of defence. To 
 Mr. Sprent's surprise, he discovered he had come upon a 
 warlike tribe, and not the people he had been in search of 
 at all. A small hill, or rising ground, was speedily 
 covered with a host of warriors, large and small ; chil- 
 dren even rushed to join the company, brandishing wea- 
 pons suited to their height, whilst in the centre stood the 
 chief, carrying javelins and war-knives enough to stock a 
 citadel. Mr. Sprent now left the boat in the keeping 
 of the men, and taking Jack Maurice and the two lads, 
 with the native interpreter, made signs that a canoe 
 should be sent out to enable them to land. 
 
 In a few minutes they had landed, and were in the 
 presence of the chief. He was a man about forty, large, 
 muscular, and hard-featured, with a projecting forehead,
 
 6 FRIENDLY NEGOTIATIONS. 
 
 long lank amis, and his breast tattooed in a most dis- 
 agreeable fashion. His only garment was the shaggy 
 skin of some animal wrapped round his waist. He re- 
 ceived them in a very stern and severe manner ; but the 
 eloquence of the interpreter, and the hope of obtaining 
 presents, softened him in the end. Though the visit of 
 the party was not expected, and though they had not come 
 into actual contact with white people before, they ap- 
 peared only half surprised, perhaps because they had heard 
 something of the white men. Mr. Sprent hastened to dis- 
 tribute some tobacco-leaves amongst the company, which 
 put them all into good-humour; and when a long-handled 
 knife was added as the chief's " dash," they showed their 
 formidable rows of filed teeth while smiling kindly upon 
 them. The chief now invited Mr. Sprent and his little 
 land-party to enter the village quite close at hand, which 
 had more the appearance of a kind of fortress, having at 
 each end of the wide street or double line of huts a rude 
 guard-house. 
 
 While Mr. Sprent was occupied with the chief, Peter 
 and Mark, in looking about them, discovered a Mussulman 
 trader who had just arrived with a caravan from the 
 interior. It was at once decided that Mark should begin 
 to trade forthwith ; and for this purpose he got some of his 
 beads, and going to the place Avhere the trader had taken 
 up his temporary abode along with a young slave, pre- 
 sented the bunch of bright glass baubles.
 
 PETER S DISCOMFITURE. 
 
 87 
 
 THE MUSSULMAN TRADER. 
 
 Peter, who was hovering round the door to see that 
 his friend was not imposed upon, was horrified to find 
 that the Mussulman had quietly taken possession of the
 
 88 TRADING ON OXE's OWN ACCOUNT. 
 
 beads, and was making signs to our hero to be off about 
 bis business. " Why, that's cool, and no mistake," 
 said Peter; "come, none of that, if you don't give 
 them beads up, you rascal, I'll make you remember it 
 you thief! " 
 
 To all these words, and many more besides, the trader 
 turned a deaf ear, and the boys were forced to leave the 
 beads in his hands, knowing that Mr. Sprent would not 
 on any account stir up a quarrel for the sake of a few 
 paltry beads, and might also forbid them to carry on 
 their private speculations any further. 
 . " I'll tell you what it is," said Peter, flourishing his 
 hand above his head in a very determined manner: " we'll 
 have nothing to do with them traders ; we'll set to 
 work among the natives themselves, and my advice is, 
 let's try the females." 
 
 It was arranged that they should return to their boat 
 for the night, or rather that a small tent should be 
 erected on the shore close to where the boat lay, and , 
 that they should " camp out " there. The chief was 
 very anxious that Mr. Sprent and his small party should 
 remain in the village ; but having a strong prejudice 
 against the natives, and fearing that they might attack his 
 boat during the night, the mate declined the invitation. 
 Seeing, however, that not only the chief but many of the 
 warriors were by no means pleased at this arrangement, 
 Mr. Sprent asked our hero to remain with Peter and the
 
 A NIGHT ON SHORE. 89 
 
 interpreter, to show that he was not afraid of them, but 
 that his sole wish for retiring to his boat was that he 
 might be in readiness to land the goods he had brought 
 early next morning. 
 
 Both Mark and Peter were highly delighted, and with 
 Mr. Sprent's permission were allowed to take their bags 
 containing the things they wanted to barter with the 
 natives. Fortunately, the interpreter had taken a fancy 
 to both the lads, and also to Mark's small pocket-com- 
 pass, which, at Peter's suggestion, was placed in Jack 
 Maurice's hands, and the said Combo was informed that 
 if he helped them to dispose of the other things they 
 had, the compass was to be given to him for his " dash," 
 or commission. 
 
 Under his escort the two boys made the tour of the 
 village, and saw that this particular tribe of the Gaboon 
 district were particularly skilful in the working of iron. 
 They made great war-knives, and many short ones for 
 various uses, along with adzes, and excellent hatchets of 
 remarkable shape. One of these hatchets or knives repre- 
 sented the profile of a bird's head, set on a very arched 
 neck which served for the handle ; a groove divided the 
 beak into two parts, while a hole was pierced to repre- 
 sent the eye. The blades were of good workmanship, and 
 much better than those supplied to the natives by foreign 
 merchants. They were also chased with ornamental 
 devices, sometimes even inlaid with copper in a very
 
 UU NATIVE TOOLS. 
 
 tasteful manner. Their stock of tools surprised Mark by 
 its simplicity. It consisted chiefly of t\vo small portable 
 anvils, one of them being fixed to the ground, whilst the 
 other is used as a hammer. They heat the iron by a wood 
 fire, which is kept alight by a double pair of bellows very 
 ingeniously made. It is a piece of wood several inches in 
 height, in which two parallel cavities are cut in the form 
 of a cylinder, each of which is fitted at its extremity with 
 a tube to convey the blast. Each of these cavities is 
 covered with a very flexible skin, to which a wooden 
 handle is fastened; and the covering, as it is alternately 
 raised and lowered, draws in and gives out the air. 
 These bellows, so simple and easy in their structure, 
 Mark was informed by Mr. Sprent afterwards, are known 
 over the whole of the African continent ; and as for the 
 strange bird-shaped knife, he was horrified to find it was 
 used on sacrificial occasions. A single blow on the 
 temple inflicts a mortal wound, and the bent part serves 
 afterwards for the work of decapitation. 
 
 The most dangerous arm of this interesting but peculiar 
 tribe, however, is the cross-bow, with which they shoot small 
 poisoned arrows of bamboo. This weapon requires great 
 strength on the part of the archer, to set it ; but as 
 it is discharged with a very slight pressure, it can be 
 fired from the shoulder like a gun, and shoots with great 
 precision. The bow, with its poisoned arrow, which is 
 very deadly, is more used in the hunting-ground than on
 
 NATIVE DANCING. 91 
 
 the battle-field ; for the necessity of being seated in order 
 to load the weapon makes it awkward in a struggle. 
 
 After the two boys had been through the village and 
 had seen everything of consequence, they returned to the 
 chief's dwelling. Tom-toms were speedily brought out, 
 as well as other rude musical instruments, and the whole 
 village began to dance. It was all Mark could do to 
 keep Peter in order, for he laughed immoderately when- 
 ever he looked at any of the women ornamented with the 
 ito, who had taken care to spread these appendages out 
 to the utmost, s as to derive the proper fluttering motion. 
 Two long rows of dancers, men and women, each con- 
 ducted by a leader, wound about before the orchestra, 
 followed and retreated from one another by turns, waxed 
 more and more animated every moment, and were finish- 
 ing with the most extraordinary gambols, when suddenly 
 they were interrupted by hearing a great shout, and 
 away ran every one to see what was the matter. Off ran 
 Mark and Peter with the rest, when, after a time, they 
 came upon two white men with guns. They were 
 directing three negi'oes who were busily engaged in 
 skinning a great serpent, two of them hauling at a rope 
 fastened to the creature's neck, while a third was busily 
 engaged cutting the dreadful creature open, which he did 
 by sliding down its body as if it had been a pole. 
 
 The two serpent-hunters turned out to be Mr. Sprent 
 and Jack Maurice, and so rejoiced were the natives at
 
 92 
 
 A FORMIDABLE EXEMY. 
 
 SERPENT-HUNTING. 
 
 the death of such a formidable enemy, that the chief in- 
 sisted they should turn back and be entertained by the 
 whole tribe, the chief giving his wife up as a hostage for the 
 safety of the boat and merchandise. There was certainly 
 in nature nothing more formidable than this full-grown 
 " puff adder." Mr. Sprent good-naturedly explained how 
 he and Jack Maurice had come upon it with its body 
 buried in the tawny soil. 
 
 " Was it quite covered up, sir? " said Mark.
 
 KILLING THE PUFF ADDER. 93 
 
 " No, my boy," replied Mr. Spreut ; " it had just left 
 its flat, cruel-looking head lying on the ground, and free 
 from sand. It lay very steady, confident in its deadly 
 power, with a most malignant glare in its eyes ; but with 
 all its terrible venom, we had a more deadly one for it." 
 
 " Did you shoot it, sir ? " 
 
 " Shoot it ! not at all. Who would waste good 
 powder and shot on such a villain ? " 
 
 " Then how did you kill it with a lasso ? I know 
 Jack can use it," said Mark. 
 
 " Well, my boy, I'll not puzzle you any more. What 
 will you say if I tell you we killed it with a little 
 tobacco juice?" 
 
 " With tobacco juice, sir ; that is indeed very strange. 
 How did you manage it ? " 
 
 " Well, we rubbed some of the tobacco oil on a stick. 
 Fortunately, Jack had a pipe as old as the hills, which 
 turned out a good deal of oil, and while he made the 
 villain bite the stick, I squirted a lot of juice in its face, 
 and in a very short time he was dead." 
 
 " Is this serpent very poisonous, sir ? " said Mark. 
 
 " It is so very ; and they are more dreaded by the 
 natives than almost any other of the numerous poisonous 
 snakes of Africa. This mainly comes from its indolent 
 nature. Other snakes, more active, will move rapidly 
 away upon the approach of man ; but the puff adder will 
 frequently lie still, either too lazy to move, or dozing
 
 94 PETER'S GREAT FETICH. 
 
 beneath the warm sun. Its broad, ace of clubs-shaped 
 head, its thick body and suddenly tapered tail, and its 
 checkered back, are all evidences of its poisonous 
 nature." 
 
 " Why do they call it a puff adder ? " inquired Mark. 
 
 " Because it has a practice of puffing out, or swelling 
 the body, when irritated," replied Mr. Sprent. " But 
 what is this?" he said, drawing Mark's attention to a 
 group of natives, who were evidently in a state of excite- 
 ment about something extraordinary. They had been 
 walking up together from .the place where the serpent 
 had been killed to the village during the above conversa- 
 tion, and Mark had not observed that Peter was not with 
 them. 
 
 Drawing near, they discovered that it was none other 
 than that incorrigible young individual who was the cause 
 of all the howling, screaming, and yelling. He had taken 
 this opportunity of exhibiting One of his dolls, and as it 
 opened and shut its eyes, the natives were wild in their 
 expressions of admiration at it. Peter kept calling 
 out, " Moondah, moondah ! fetich, great fetich ! " every 
 time he did so giving a pull to the wire, which either 
 jerked the eyes open or shut. In a very short time 
 the chief of the village heard of it, and came out to see 
 this wonder-fetich for himself. By the help of the in- 
 terpreter, Peter was giving the chief to understand that 
 " for a consideration " it might become his. They were
 
 CHEATING THE NATIVES. 95 
 
 in the act of negotiation when Mr. Sprent and Mark 
 came up, and as Peter did not see them, they kept out 
 of sight to see how the matter would end. 
 
 The chief offered some knives, and then some pearls ; 
 but Peter shook his head, and pointed to a massive brace- 
 let made of gold upon one of the arms of his wife. 
 
 " I must say he is not modest," said Mr. Sprent ; 
 " why, that bracelet might be a fortune to him." The 
 chief hesitated ; but seeing this, the wily Peter drew out 
 the other doll, which was made of wood and jointed, and 
 bending its legs and arms into all sorts of shapes, offered 
 it into the bargain. This proved irresistible, and they 
 were carried away in state to the fetich hut, and placed 
 amongst the other grotesque figures there; Peter having 
 got the bracelet in retui'n. 
 
 " Oh, Mr. Sprent," said Mark, " Peter ought not to be 
 allowed to cheat the savages ; he must have made them 
 believe these dolls were gods." 
 
 " "Well, I don't think they will worship them," said 
 Mr. Sprent, laughing, not being so scrupulous as our 
 hero. " They are very fond of any figure resembling a 
 European, and though they do not exactly worship them, 
 so far as I know, they are very fond of having them. If 
 Peter had not brought these dolls, it would have made no 
 difference, for everything there is fetich." 
 
 " But do they worship nothing, then?" asked Mark. 
 
 " I can scarcely say they do," said Mr. Sprent. " They
 
 96 RELIGION OF THE NATIVES. 
 
 have a certain fear regarding the wandering spirits of 
 the dead ; and they believe in the existence of genii, as 
 possessing great power in inflicting evil. They have an 
 implicit belief in the virtue of a multitude of talismans ; 
 and of fetiches, which they suppose possess the power of 
 preserving them from sickness, or from the accidents of 
 war. The little ornament of tiger's claws, which the 
 women wear round their necks, is called moondah ; the 
 finely-cut plate on their fishing tackle is called the same ; 
 and so is the little particle of burnt ashes of a leopard's 
 brain, which the warrior hides under his eotton drawers, 
 and grasps at the moment of battle to give him courage. 
 This is regarded as a very powerful fetich, but there is 
 one more powerful still." 
 
 As Mr. Sprent stopped, and looked smilingly at 
 Mark, apparently wishing to be asked what this extra- 
 ordinary thing was, Mark was not long in gratifying 
 him. " They are certainly a very queer race,'' he said. 
 " Will Peter's dolls be more powerful than the leopard's 
 brain?" 
 
 " No, not half so powerful, my boy," said Mr. Sprent ; 
 " what do you say to the ashes from the burnt flesh or 
 bones of a white man ! " 
 
 "Oh, how dreadful!" said Mark, shuddering. "I 
 wonder they don't burn us up at once, then, as that 
 might supply a whole tribe." 
 
 " They won't do any such thing, my boy," said Mr.
 
 WHAT THEY PRIZE MOST. 97 
 
 Sprent ; " they are beginning, even away up in the in- 
 terior, to dread the name of a white man, and are too 
 anxious to trade with him for the things they value so 
 highly. It is a pity our ship could not have got up this 
 river ; for we should have driven a brisk trade here, and 
 got home all the sooner." 
 
 "Is it likely we shall stay much longer here, sir?" 
 said Mark eagerly. 
 
 " Do you mean the boat, or the Stratton ? I expect, so 
 far as we are concerned, to be away very soon ; for we 
 have not brought the kind of things they value very 
 highly. They are great hunters, and it is guns they 
 prize most ; but I dare say we shall get our cargo dis- 
 posed of, for they have just had a grand elephant hunt, 
 before we arrived, and the chief tells the interpreter he 
 has some large tusks." 
 
 " So, then, we go home after that, sir, at any rate ! " 
 said Mark. 
 
 " No, my boy ; we sail directly for Old Calabar. It 
 will be a relief, at all events, to get out into blue water 
 once more, if only for a short time." 
 
 (33(3)
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PRITATE TRADERS. 
 
 next day, the merchandise was brought up 
 the TiDage, when a bride trade commenced; 
 r. Sprent ciondurting it on die "round" 
 steam, namely, pulling out one of every ar- 
 sle, from a needle to a gun. As it had only 
 been a nutter of speculation on the part of the captain, 
 who had been told a native trading-place existed already, 
 they had only small, fight articles with them, such as 
 beads, small looking-glasses, tobacco and pipes, worsted 
 caps, flints, knives, and a few guns. 
 
 When Mr. gprent had disposed of everything, Jack 
 Maurice kindly took in hand to sariit Mark with his 
 bag of articles, each of which produced much merriment 
 amongst the crew of the Stratttm't boat, when it was 
 displayed. 
 
 -By all that's comical, boy, what possessed you to 
 bring a horse-shoe? " amid one of the men.
 
 MARK'S HORSE-SHOE. 99 
 
 " And he was right, and showed his sense," said 
 Maurice; "aren't the darkies fond of charms and such 
 like ; and don't we nail up a horse-shoe to the foremast 
 ourselves afore we go a voyage ? It's worth all their 
 fetiches put together ! " 
 
 " That's true," said another ; " but then, how are you 
 to get them darkies to know that? They have never seen 
 a British ship, very likely ; our boat has been the largest 
 thing of the kind that has come their way. It strikes 
 me, they don't use their canoes very much, leastways 
 they don't seem to be good at handling them ! " 
 
 " No ; because they have come from the interior," said 
 Jack ; " but I'll tell you what we'll do : Como shall tell 
 them we use a horse-shoe to frighten away evil spirits 
 from our ships, or to insure good luck during the voyage. 
 I was forgetting, Master Como bound himself to help 
 you lads in the matter ; has the rascal not kept his 
 word ? " 
 
 " Oh, we were interrupted by you and the mate kill- 
 ing that brute of a serpent," said Peter ; " but for that 
 matter, he hasn't troubled his head about us further than 
 by taking us through the village ; for he fell in with a 
 sweet young creature of a darkie, and he's been a gali- 
 wanting with her ever since." 
 
 " Then he has forgot the compass, boy," said Maurice ; 
 " but not a word of it till after we get the goods dis- 
 posed of."
 
 100 AN AMICABLE ARRANGEMENT. 
 
 When Como fairly understood what was required of 
 him, he entered into the business with great spirit, 
 saying, " Ya, ya, me see ; leab it to me, me get gold- 
 dust for dis 'ere." 
 
 Disappearing with the horse-shoe, carefully rolled in 
 a bright-coloured handkerchief, they waited to see the 
 result ; and very soon after, a native, who stood next in 
 rank to the chief, came back with him to hold a grand 
 palaver about it. He offered knives and pearls, and all 
 sorts of native produce ; but Como gave him to under- 
 stand that nothing but gold would do in this case, know- 
 ing that Mark could not stow away a great elephant's 
 tusk. The prime minister seemed to be near his wit's 
 end, when Jack Maurice turned to walk away to the boat, 
 carrying the coveted treasure with him, and he at once 
 bade the interpreter ask Jack to give him a few minutes 
 to consider whether he could get the gold-dust or not. 
 After a good deal of running backwards and forwards on 
 the part of the prime-minister, an amicable arrangement 
 was come to, in which Mark's horse-sho became the pro- 
 perty of the king ; and he in return the happy possessor 
 of a small bag of gold-dust. As it was late, it was de- 
 cided to postpone the business till next morning; but 
 before that time arrived they were forced to leave in a 
 desperate hurry, barely escaping with their lives. 
 
 The confusion was caused by Como having eloped 
 with the dark girl through the night, and by some means
 
 COMO IN TROUBLE. 101 
 
 or other the circumstance became known, when the angry 
 father and still angrier betrothed, an immense and 
 dreadfully formidable-looking fellow, went off in pursuit 
 of the fugitives. The indignation of the whole tribe was 
 roused ; and had it not been for the carefulness of Mr. 
 Sprent, who had insisted upon a good watch being kept 
 night and day, they might all have been murdered while 
 they slept. As it was, they had difficulty in getting the 
 boat off before the natives were upon them with knives 
 and tomahawks, yelling and shrieking like demons. 
 
 " If Master Como turns up again, and I come athwart 
 him," said Jack Maurice, " I'll give him something he 
 won't forget in a hurry, for the fright he has given us." 
 
 " It's my impression he is hidden in one of the huts 
 in the village," said Mr. Sprent, wiping the 'moisture 
 from his forehead, as they rested on their oars v beyond 
 the reach of the natives. 
 
 " Then if so be's that that's the case, sir," said Long 
 Jack, grinning, " he'll never hact as interpreter again. 
 I'd have thought twice before I hinterfered with that 
 savage's sweetheart ; did you see the gentleman's teeth, 
 ain't they sharp-filed ? " 
 
 " Ain't they ! " said Peter, shuddering, and pretending 
 to be dreadfully afraid. " I hope we won't see them, or 
 rather feel the strength of them on our bodies." 
 
 They were startled at this moment by hearing a loud 
 shout and then a groan of agony, and Mr. Sprent at once
 
 102 ON SHORE AGAIN. 
 
 ordered the boat to be rowed with caution towards the 
 part of the bank from whence the noise had proceeded. 
 What was their astonishment to find the unhappy fugi- 
 tive Como, stripped naked, and tied to a post. 
 
 " It would serve him out to give him a good fright," 
 said Mr. Sprent ; " come, lads, pull for that clear space 
 on the opposite side ; we'll have our dinner there before 
 we set the fellow at liberty." 
 
 " If I may make so free, sir," said Maurice. " it would 
 be better to keep by this side ; for the water is shallow 
 there, and by the nature of the vegetation I should say 
 it would be a good place for a lion or an alligator to 
 hide in." 
 
 The men having received orders to pull, Mr. Sprent 
 took Maurice's advice, and steered past the place where 
 Como was tied, paying no attention to his howls and 
 yells, till they were fairly round the projecting point, 
 when they landed, and " all hands " were despatched to 
 collect wood for a fire. When they had managed to 
 light it, Long Jack, who had gone to take a peep at Como, 
 and also to see that no natives were in the neighbourhood, 
 now returned, and being a kind-hearted man, begged that 
 the unfortunate interpreter should be set at liberty; " for," 
 he said, "if youjceep him much longer, he'll go out of 
 his mind ; and what makes me more sorry for the poor 
 wretch is, they have gone and shaved off his wool, and 
 left him with a poll as bare as Peter's old captain's was."
 
 COMO AT LIBERTY. 
 
 103 
 
 LIGHTING A FIRE. 
 
 Mr. Sprent at once agreed to this, and Como was set 
 at liberty, being brought back by Peter and Baba, a boy
 
 104 SAFE ON THE " STRATTON*S " DECK. 
 
 belonging to the mission station, in great triumph. 
 While they rested, Como amused them by relating how 
 he had managed to escape, and then how he had been 
 captured, which caused much merriment, especially when 
 it came out that he had not been content with carrying 
 off the girl, but had managed to get the household furni- 
 ture, such as it was, of her betrothed, and his canoe into 
 the bargain. 
 
 " It's a wonder to see you alive, Como," said Mark ; " I 
 cannot understand how he let you off so easily." 
 
 " Easy ! " cried Como, " and him took my har, and 
 mine clothes, and mine all things ! " 
 
 " Be thankful he didn't bite the life out of you with 
 them teeth of his," said Peter ; " but perhaps he means 
 to come back and finish you slick off after he gets the 
 gal and the goods safely stowed." 
 
 This idea was so dreadful to poor Como, that nothing 
 would satisfy him but they must set off at once ; and it 
 was only when they reached the side of the Stratton, and 
 he found himself safely on the deck once more, that 
 he seemed to breathe in a natural manner. Peter was 
 constantly playing some joke upon him, such as shouting 
 out that he saw several canoes, and warlike men standing 
 in the bows; and he kept appealing to Mark if he did not 
 notice one especially, who appeared to be sharpening a 
 long row of white teeth. 
 
 " Me stay at the station again," said poor Como,
 
 DULL DAYS. 105 
 
 " me go no more expeditions ; hate black fellows, all 
 rascals." 
 
 Every one had laughed at this remark of Como's, for 
 though he was a half-caste by birth, he was blacker than 
 many of the natives of the Gaboon ; but he insisted that, 
 as his father had been an Englishman, he was entitled to 
 consider himself a " white man " also, regardless of his 
 colour, which was certainly against him. 
 
 A few days afterwards, the cheering news was passed 
 round that the Stratton was to weigh anchor that after- 
 noon, when she would proceed to the trading stations in 
 the district of the Cameroons. The dull routine of the 
 daily duties, the broiling sunshine by day, and the chilling 
 rain by night, was enough to quench any amount of energy ; 
 and even Peter, the life of the Stratton's crew, began to 
 hang his head in rather a dispirited manner. As for 
 Mark, he more than once found himself longing for 
 home and his old life there, for he felt himself reduced to 
 a machine to pull, to let go, to eat, to sleep, to wake 
 again. But great was the excitement, and cheering the 
 bustle, when all hands turned up to prepare the ship for 
 sea ; it was surprising how even the fever-stricken ones 
 ran or shuffled about the deck, lending their small but 
 willing aid. 
 
 The Stratton now cleared the land, and after making 
 the first mouth of the five rivers of Beas, stood in to 
 resume trade in that quarter, where numerous oppor-
 
 106 TRADING FOR PALM-OIL. 
 
 tunities for barter were to be found ; the leading object 
 being, however, to fill up with palm-oil, which was 
 abundant in that quarter. 
 
 The blacks here were of a tribe apparently disposed to 
 peaceful avocations, and for the most part engaged in 
 turning the soil to account. The manufacture of palm- 
 oil had been carried on to a considerable extent, and stores 
 of this commodity had been laid up to wait the arrival of 
 the first trading ship ; consequently, an active scene of 
 barter now went on with the Stratton, though she had to 
 be on her guard against frequent tricks on the part of the 
 dealers. One of these was to produce large calabashes 
 and jars seemingly full of the pure oil ; but, in fact, only 
 containing it at the top, by means of a false bottom, the 
 contents underneath consisting of nothing but water. 
 The captain and mate were far too old stagers to be thus 
 deceived into a loss of several shillings on each cask. 
 
 During this time an incident occurred producing a lively 
 idea of the nature of the country, with the dangers to 
 which life in Africa is exposed. Two women were return- 
 ing from their work in the fields, the one leading a little 
 child by the hand, when all at once a huge lion, who had 
 been lying in ambush at the foot of a small clump of 
 trees, sprang out, and seizing hold of the child, made off 
 with it to a part of the jungle. The women were so 
 bewildered, that they stood for a few moments transfixed 
 with horror; but when the lion had got half-way across
 
 A DANGEROUS NEIGHBOURHOOD. 
 
 107 
 
 LYING IN AMBUSH. 
 
 the clearing, they set up a great shout, and ran with all 
 their might towards the jetty, which was not far distant. 
 Fortunately, a good many of the natives were assembled 
 there at the time ; and when the captain of the Stratton heard 
 what had happened, he at once gave orders that half of
 
 108 HUNTING FOR THE LION. 
 
 the crew should proceed to the rescue of the unfortunate 
 child. Armed with guns and pistols, and a few carrying 
 cutlasses, they were not long in reaching the place where 
 the women had seen the lion disappear. Forming them- 
 selves into an organized band under the charge of Mr. 
 Sprent and Long Jack, they boldly encircled the clump 
 of jungle the lion was hiding in, and while Peter and 
 Mark volunteered to climb a tree to see if they could 
 observe him in that fashion, every one stood silent and 
 almost breathless. 
 
 Suddenly they heard a faint wail, as if from the stolen 
 child, and it was with difficulty the mother could be made 
 to restrain herself, or held back from rushing in to save 
 it at the risk of both their lives. Mark was the first to 
 appear, when he stated that the lion was lying at the end 
 of an open space, about a yard away from the child, and 
 that his strong impression was that the brute could 
 easily be shot, provided he continued to lie in the same 
 position. Unfortunately, at this part all the strong trees 
 had been cut down, and it was considered almost im- 
 possible that one could be found strong enough to bear 
 the weight of any but a boy ; and the natives were quite 
 unskilled in the use of fire-arms. 
 
 " I see no way for it," said Mr. Sprent, " but to trust to 
 you, Mark. Do you think you could take a steady aim? It 
 will be better to get the brute out, at any rate ; we will then 
 have a better chance to get a shot at him in the open field."
 
 MARK DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF. 109 
 
 Very proud was Mark, when, with the captain's gun 
 in his hands, he crept cautiously back to the wood again, 
 which when he had reached, he found to his great delight 
 that the lion had evidently fallen asleep, and had turned 
 his head in a better direction for a shot. At that moment 
 Peter, who had been swinging from branch to branch like 
 a monkey, suddenly lost his footing, and came crashing 
 through the trees close to where the lion was lying. Up 
 he sprang with an angry growl, that made more than 
 the hapless Peter's heart quake, and was about to spring 
 upon him, when Mark, taking as steady an aim as he 
 possibly could, fired. Out rushed the lion, apparently 
 unhurt, and in the confusion Mark fancied he must have 
 shot Peter instead, to judge by the yelling and groaning 
 that followed. But the lion had been wounded, and very 
 severely too, and after staggering about for a minute, 
 uttering deep groans and growls, Mr. Sprent, with the 
 help of Long Jack, soon finished him by firing several 
 charges into him. 
 
 " You have done well, my boy," said Mr. Sprent to Mark 
 as they stood together by the carcass of the dying animal. 
 " See, this is where your shot struck, just below his ear; a 
 very good shot indeed. Did you practise much at home ?" 
 
 " Not with a gun, sir," said Mark ; " but one of the 
 boys had a large revolver it had six chambers in it and 
 we used to practise firing at an old door, where we drew 
 a circle with chalk."
 
 110 ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. 
 
 " Ah," said Mr. Sprent, laughing, " I've tried that sort 
 of thing myself, and very good sport we made of it too." 
 
 Peter had been dragged out of the bush where he had 
 fallen into, and after a good deal of talking was persuaded 
 he was not in the least hurt, with the exception of a 
 few scratches. The child, too, seemed to have been 
 stunned with terror, more than anything else, and was 
 carried away in the arms of her delighted mother. When 
 the lion had been skilfully skinned by some of the natives, 
 Mr. Sprent ordered one of the men to take it on board, 
 and as they were passing along the path, he turned to 
 Mark, who was close behind him, and said, " Won't your 
 mother be pleased when you lay that down for a hearth- 
 rug ! " 
 
 " sir," said Mark, "am I really to get the skin; is 
 that what you mean ? " 
 
 " Of course," said Mr. Sprent; " haven't you the best 
 right to it ? " 
 
 " If I may make so bold, sir," said Peter, " I think I 
 deserve a piece of the skin, for I've had more to bear 
 than Mark has, though I wasn't so lucky as to shoot him 
 exactly." 
 
 "No, it's not likely," said Mr. Sprent; "I have a 
 notion you'd make tracks out of the way of a kangaroo, if 
 it gave a jump at you." 
 
 " Well, sir, I think you would have jumped too, if you 
 had seen the horrid glare, like fire, a-coming out of them
 
 VISITORS TO THE " STRATTOX." Ill 
 
 dreadful eyes, and heard the roar close to your very ears, 
 it was enough to make your hair stand on end." 
 
 " That's to say if you had hair," said Mark; "there was 
 no danger of yours doing anything of the kind, for it's 
 rather of the woolly order." 
 
 That same afternoon, two man-of-war boats came along- 
 side the Stratton, and the two officers in command came 
 on board. It turned out they were in search of a slaver, 
 which was supposed to be lying at anchor in a bight of 
 the river, but would not embark her slaves for several 
 days. The natives at that part were supposed to be 
 not only savage, but given to all sorts of villany ; and 
 as this was the first time English vessels of war had 
 visited these waters, it was thought that a demonstra- 
 tion to show the power of England would have a good 
 effect upon the natives in favour of future traders. The 
 captain of the Stratton, accordingly, gladly promised any 
 assistance in his power, and ordered a strict watch to be 
 kept on deck. 
 
 The evening had now set in, and heavy clouds gave 
 promise of a gloomy night ; the men had stowed them- 
 selves away as best they could, and all, save the look-out, 
 were fast asleep; while the officers were keeping it up 
 with the captain and mates in the cabin. 
 
 The wind roared through the rigging, the rain fell 
 incessantly in one continuous stream, and flash and 
 peal came quicker on one another. The glimmering of
 
 112 
 
 A STOKM APPROACHING. 
 
 WATCHING THE SLAVER. 
 
 the cabin lamp was lost amidst the flaring of the light- 
 ning, which one moment lit up with the light of day, 
 the next left a pitchy darkness. At the first flash, Mr. 
 Herbert, the captain of the man-of-war's cutter, rushed 
 to the ladder and scrambled on deck, hallooing for the 
 watch and for the Stratton's crew, as if the command of 
 the Stratton had passed into his hands entirely. 
 
 For the first five or six minutes he shouted for his 
 pistols and for his cutlass, calling upon each of his officers, 
 but with little or no effect. The truth being, they were dead 
 asleep on the cabin floor. It then gradually dawned upon 
 him that "the freshes," which is similar to the bore in 
 India, was soaring past, causing the vessel to groan at her
 
 IX IMMINENT DANGER. 113 
 
 anchor. At every flash could be seen the startled strag- 
 glers endeavouring to scramble aft, at their wit's end to 
 avoid coming in contact with the empty casks which were 
 pitching and rolling about the deck. And now a new 
 danger beset them, for the brig, being only half-laden, 
 rolled so heavily that it was feared she would turn keel up. 
 
 In this emergency, the men who had collected aft were 
 kept staggering from side to side ; as she heeled over to 
 starboard, " Larboard side," was shouted, and away 
 they went, at the imminent risk of being crushed. 
 Scarcely had they succeeded in reaching the bulwarks, 
 when the vessel recovered herself and rolled over to port. 
 ' Starboard side," roared Mr. Herbert and Mr. Sprent 
 together, who had now come on deck, and back again 
 they ran ; doing this for nearly two hours, till the tornado 
 had passed, and the commotion of the waters had sub 
 sided. 
 
 In the scramble, poor Peter had been rescued from an 
 awkward position, where he lay heels up jammed 
 amongst some casks. " Oh," he shouted, or rather 
 groaned, " it all comes o' me deceiving them poor darkies 
 about them dolls ; they've let their evil spirit get me ! 
 I'll have no more to do with them dolls! I wish I'd 
 taken Mark's advice, greenhorn though he be! " 
 
 When dragged out by Jack Maurice and Mark, he mis- 
 took his rescuers for naked savages going to eat him ; 
 and, consequently, was preparing to sell his life as dearly
 
 114 ' DOLLIE DARKIE.' 
 
 as he could, when a flash of lightning revealed the faces 
 of his shipmates. " Blow me, but I was a-thinking I 
 was to be cooked and eaten, or wisy iversa, as the captain 
 says." 
 
 " Come, you sea-lawyer ye, stand on your own pins," 
 said Jack Maurice. " I've enough to do to steady my- 
 self. But what was that you were saying about a doll, 
 and cheating honest darkies ? " 
 
 " You shut up, Jack, and don't tell tales out o' school ; 
 besides, a man ain't responsible for his figures o' speech 
 when his keel is uppermost." 
 
 " He was crying for a dollie to play with wasn't he 
 now, Mark!" said Maurice, laughing; "pretty little 
 dear," and Maurice chucked him under the chin. 
 
 From that time, till the end of the voyage, poor Peter 
 went under the name of Dollie Darkie, to his intense disgust. 
 
 The daylight dawned upon a dismal scene : a cold, 
 drizzling rain hid the land like a fog, and the unwhole- 
 some vapours from the shore gave to the air a feeling of 
 infection, which made one think of fever and ague ; and, 
 consequently, every one was as dull and spiritless as 
 possible. Mr. Herbert called his men together without 
 delay ; and up they came, rubbing their bruised heads 
 and limbs, and growling like a lot of angry bears. The 
 Stratton's boat was got in readiness to accompany the 
 man-of-war boats, and they shoved off and made for up 
 the river. As they progressed, the shores appeared even
 
 OUR HERO ASHORE. 115 
 
 more thickly wooded than at the entrance, which screened 
 them from the rays of the sun, that a little before noon 
 began to blaze out and disperse the mists of the morn- 
 ing. The solitude of the woods was enlivened by a 
 variety of birds; while parrots and paroquets, with their 
 shrill and odious screams, were flying overhead, their 
 brilliant plumage contracting with the shrubs and colour 
 of the scenery. 
 
 A little after noon, the boats were run in-shore, and 
 all hands were permitted to land and rest. Mark and 
 Peter, accompanied by a boy belonging to the man-of- 
 war boats, called Layton, set out at once to search for 
 cocoa-nuts, which they were not long in discovering. 
 Layton at once scrambled up the trees and pitched the 
 fruit down to Mark and Peter, ordering them to take 
 them to the men at a little distance off. 
 
 " I say, Mark," said Peter, " I don't like this horder- 
 ing-about son of a middy. I wote that we go off on our 
 own hook, and leave him to carry his own nuts." 
 
 " Well, I don't mind if I do," said Mark ; " he does 
 give himself airs ; and he's younger than we are. We'll 
 let him see, that though he can order about the men be- 
 longing to his boat, he can't order us." 
 
 Accordingly, when they had carried the next load of 
 nuts to the men, they started off in the opposite direction, 
 after they had explained to Jack Maurice "their little 
 game." Going more into the interior, they came upon a
 
 GATHERING COCOA-NUTS 
 
 OATHKIUXO COCOA-NUTS. 
 
 whole colony of monkeys leaping from bough to bough, 
 and staring at them with chattering wonder.
 
 A MONKEY TRAP. 117 
 
 " I'd like to catch one o' them young ones," said Peter. 
 " I've sort o' set my heart upon taking back a monkey 
 to a little girl what stays in a little shop in Bristol. She 
 axed me to do it, and I'd like to keep my word, if 
 possible." 
 
 " I daresay we can manage that," said Mark, laughing. 
 
 '' And how is it to be done? Shall I go back and get 
 Long Jack's gun ? " 
 
 " Not unless you want to have a dead one. Look 
 here," said Mark, and he pulled a red handkerchief from 
 his pocket, and fastening it to the end of the branch 
 of a tree, drew Peter behind a bush; "you watch that 
 side, and I shall take this," he said, " and I shall be 
 much mistaken if one of these monkeys don't fall into a 
 trap." 
 
 In a few minutes, first one large monkey and then 
 another came swinging down to have a peep at the bright 
 red object, followed by a troop of little ones, who elbowed 
 each other, and chattered and cried, in their eagerness to 
 get a good view. One very small one, but evidently full 
 of spirit and daring, ran along a branch of the tree close 
 above where the handkerchief was fastened ; and, while 
 the other monkeys applauded, he hooked his tail on to the 
 branch and let himself hang down so as to catch hold of 
 the handkerchief with his claws. When too late, he dis- 
 covered his arms were not quite long enough, and before 
 he could swing himself back again, Mark had pitched
 
 118 A CLEVER TRICK. 
 
 his jacket over him, which he had stripped off for the 
 purpose, and had him secure in his hands. 
 
 " Well, now, but that was neatly done," said Peter 
 admiringly ; " however did you learn to catch monkeys?" 
 
 "Oh, out of the books you laugh at me for reading," 
 said Mark. " Have you never heard that monkeys are 
 about the most curious and prying animals in existence?" 
 
 " No, I never heard that," said Peter ; " but I wish I 
 could catch another. I am afraid, though, they've all 
 taken fright." 
 
 " Well, never mind," said Mark ; " you don't want two, 
 and I make you a present of this one upon the condition 
 you help me, first opportunity, to catch a young parrot." 
 
 This Peter cordially promised to do, and the two 
 worthies returned to show their prize to their com- 
 panions.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WATCHING THE SLAVER. 
 
 HEN the men had rested sufficiently, they set 
 ou t again, pulling and sailing alternately, 
 singing as they went, till dusk. Many 
 canoes had been noticed towards the close of 
 the day, although only one had been boarded; 
 the people who belonged to her, on the 
 boat's approaching, jumped overboard and swam ashore, 
 dreading the jaws of an alligator less than close contact 
 with a white man. A supply of yams, bananas, and 
 roasted corn was obtained from the deserted canoe, and 
 some articles were deposited as payment. 
 
 Mr. Herbert sought out a snug creek where he might 
 lie for a day or two undiscovered, and from whence he 
 could pounce upon the Spanish slaver as she shipped her 
 slaves. This having been found, boughs were cut and 
 distributed to form a screen for the boats, and every pre- 
 caution taken to prevent discovery ; such as cooking only
 
 120 SPYING. 
 
 by dusk, keeping the men within bounds, and forbidding 
 the use of fire-arms. Hpwever, amusements were not 
 wanting ; there was bathing, the number of bathers being 
 a security against attack from alligators, who were so 
 frightened that they were glad to get out of the way. 
 They succeeded in getting a supply of yams from the 
 adjoining swamp ; also in taking a few fish, which were 
 cooked for the officers. On the evening of the second 
 day one of the officers was despatched by Mr. Herbert 
 with two Kroomen in the canoe, armed with a musket, 
 and wrapped in his blanket-frock and trousers. Silently 
 they sped over the water till they approached the 
 slaver, when they glided noiselessly round her, almost 
 coming in contact with a large canoe which just then left 
 her side and went paddling to the shore. The Kroomen 
 urged their small canoe under the slaver's stern, and as 
 they drew near voices could be distinguished in the cabin. 
 The officer stood up and managed to reach the sills of 
 the cabin-window: telling the men to keep the canoe 
 steady, he raised himself by his hands till he could see 
 into the cabin. There sat the-captain, with his first and 
 second officers, with pistols before them; also several 
 natives, the most conspicuous of whom wore a cocked 
 hat, a marine officer's dingy dress-coat and epaulettes, 
 a cavalry sword, and a white shirt which reached half- 
 way to his knees, while his legs and feet were bare. 
 This was evidently the redoubtable King Jacket, and
 
 A NIGHT EXPEDITION. 121 
 
 the others were members of his court : some had striped 
 shirts on; some only a waistcoat; but none wore trousers. 
 They were full of importance; and, by the earnestness of 
 their conversation, it was evident they were concluding a 
 bargain. Quietly the officer lowered himself down, and 
 returned to the boats, not without feeling thankful, no 
 doubt, that he had escaped unhurt. It was concluded 
 that the slaves would be embarked about midnight ; and, 
 consequently, Mr. Herbert determined upon paying the 
 slaver a visit. The boats were not long preparing, 
 and the pinnace pushed out, leaving the cutter and 
 the Stratton's boat to follow. After pulling for some 
 time, and steering for a particular light, which was in- 
 tercepted by a dark body, it proved to be the slaver. 
 " Give alongside, and five dollars to the first man who 
 boards!" shouted Mr. Herbert. The boat sheered along- 
 side, the promised reward doing more to create confusion 
 than an eighteen-pound shot would have done. Instead 
 of the oars being tossed, they were jerked in anyhow ; 
 the bowman, instead of holding on with the hook until 
 the boat was fast, simply held till the boat was alongside, 
 and scrambled into the slaver's chains ; the efforts of the 
 others to get up the side pushed the boat off, and the 
 current hurried her astern. Mr. Herbert was at no time 
 famed for command of temper, now he was perfectly 
 outrageous ; the boat had dropped so far astern that it 
 was a full quarter of an hour before she again got along-
 
 122 LABOUK LOST. 
 
 side. The boat-hook was still hanging to the chain- 
 plates, and by its side was the unfortunate bowman, nearly 
 exhausted, endeavouring to hide himself from the slaver's 
 crew, who were apparently in the utmost consternation. 
 
 The hold was ransacked, but no slaves could be found. 
 Everything was in apparent readiness, however : the 
 slave-deck laid, the platform rigged over the side ; even 
 the tubs, which are only used in slave-ships, were on 
 deck. But, as there were no Africans on board, it was use- 
 less to think of seizing her, as an action of damages might 
 be brought against the captors. Mr. Herbert, therefore, 
 was forced reluctantly to give her up; and, as the time 
 allowed for the expedition was nearly ended, they re- 
 turned without further delay to their ship. 
 
 Some days after, the Stratton's cargo of palm-oil being 
 shipped, she set sail, to the delight of every one on board, 
 for old England. On passing the mouth of one of the 
 rivers, they sighted the sloop -of -war, Psyche, and 
 observed that her boats were engaged firing into a large 
 canoe that was attempting to make its escape up one 
 of the tributaries. Maurice gave it as his opinion that 
 this must be one of the slaver's boats that had been 
 sent down to spy if the coast was clear, and had been 
 observed. Whether this was the case or not, Mark 
 never discovered ; and, indeed, his thoughts were so full 
 of home, and what they would all say to him on his 
 return, that he did not take the amount of interest in the
 
 A WARM RECEPTION. 
 
 123 
 
 MltlNU ON THE SLAVEU S BOAT. 
 
 fate c.f the slaver that he would have done at another 
 time.
 
 124 A TIMELY RESCUE. 
 
 As the ship glided along almost imperceptibly, yet get- 
 ting over the sea wonderfully well, Mark and Peter took 
 up their position in the tops, for the sake of having a 
 last glimpse of the coast before it faded from their sight 
 for ever. 
 
 " Holloa ! " shouted Peter, " what's that on the hori- 
 zon 1 A boat with a signal hoisted ! " 
 
 Mark strained his eyes in the direction Peter pointed, 
 and came to the same conclusion, when he immediately 
 hailed the deck. 
 
 No time was lost in bearing down for the boat, which 
 proved to have escaped from a wreck four days before. 
 There were six men on board of it, all in the utmost 
 state of distress and misery from want of food and water, 
 having had neither the one nor the other since they left 
 the ship. They were quickly hoisted on board, and had 
 their wants supplied, and in a few days were quite able 
 to assist the Stratton's crew in the discharge of their 
 duty. 
 
 With the exception of this incident, nothing occurred 
 to break the usual monotonous routine of their life on 
 shipboard. The weather was favourable in the extreme, 
 and after a very quick passage the Strattnn reached the 
 Bristol Channel one breezy morning, got her pilot, and 
 beat up to the King's Roads, where a tug brought her 
 speedily up the river into the well-known old port, 
 crowded with shipping, and alive with the usual stir.
 
 IX PORT ONCE MORE. 
 
 125 
 
 HELP IN SIGHT. 
 
 Then came the bustle of warping in to her berth, amidst 
 the " Yo heave ho ! " of the crew, and the excitement on
 
 126 HOME, SWEET HOME. 
 
 the wharves. Mark felt proud, as well as full of emotion ; 
 for it brought strangely to mind the time when he used, 
 as a mere school-boy, to look at the foreign vessels 
 coming in from distant regions : the sailors with great 
 broad-leaved straw hats, all with something in their hand 
 for shore tropical birds and fruits, calabashes, monkeys, 
 rude wooden carvings, which they had bartered for a 
 clasp-knife or a string of beads. And here it was all 
 realized, with himself as one of the jovial party, and his 
 own actual recollections to go back upon. He had many 
 curiosities to take home among them a gorgeous parrot, 
 in a cage which Long Jack had made for him ; and it 
 may well be believed that he made the best of his way 
 for the dear old door, bounding up the stair, at the top 
 of which he was clasped in his mother's arms, while his 
 brothers danced about him in the wildest ecstacies. 
 
 Many happy days passed by, during which Mark en- 
 joyed the delight of being at home again to the fullest 
 decree. By day he roved through the streets with his 
 brothers and their companions sometimes accompanied 
 by his shipmate Peter often telling them stories of his 
 adventures ; and at night it was still pleasanter sitting 
 Avith his mother for one of the hearers. Bristol, how- 
 ever, was not a place where one who had tasted the ex- 
 citement of a sailor's life could long bear to be idle ; 
 Mark began to be restless, and though he had no wish to 
 try the African coast again, he was bent oh carrying out
 
 AFLOAT AGAIN. 127 
 
 the profession. It so happened that his uncle, Captain 
 John Price, had been appointed to the command of a fine 
 ship bound for China, belonging to the same owners as 
 the Stratton, and this circumstance decided our hero's 
 course, for his uncle was enabled to offer him a berth as 
 first-class boy on board the Flambor/mgh. 
 
 A good departure was made down Channel, and the 
 ship made a rapid passage down the Atlantic without 
 anything particular occurring. She rounded the Cape 
 of Good Hope in rongli weather, but escaped disaster of 
 any kind, after which she made her way through the 
 Indian Ocean very much in the same fortunate manner ; 
 the incidents being all of the nature which skilful cap- 
 tains approve, though scarcely worth mentioning in the 
 way of adventure. So accurate had been the course steered, 
 that the first land sighted was one of the Nicobar Islands, 
 towards the mouth of the Straits of Malacca, into which 
 the Flamborouyh duly entered, and might then be said 
 to be fairly on the beaten way for China. Here the real 
 difficulties of the voyage commenced, as the danger in 
 navigating these straits is great. They had constantly to 
 be on the look-out for treacherous shoals and sharp reefs 
 of coral ; in addition to which there was the necessity of 
 caution against piratical proas and other suspicious craft. 
 Many of these were seen, both in the distance and near 
 at hand; but the FJamborough being too big for them, 
 they were content as yet merely to hover about her and
 
 128 TROPICAL SIGHTS. 
 
 stand away again, not quite liking the appearance of her 
 long guns and carronades. The small arms were always 
 kept ready to welcome such guests, and they would have 
 found a few hearts of oak prepared to give them a warm 
 reception, had they tried boarding. Such troubles were 
 almost fully made up for by the novelties continually 
 presented, in every shape of which tropical shores are 
 capable. Every now and then the shore was in view, 
 where the scenery was wildly beautiful ; now luxuriantly 
 wooded to the very water's edge, and now running up 
 into magnificent mountains. The odd thing v/as, too, 
 that while these far surpassed anything Mark had con- 
 ceived for oddity, at the same time he was always feel- 
 ing familiar with them, as if he had seen them before. 
 He could not help fancying that he knew the odd little 
 Chinese pilot with a tail to his head, and his toes curled 
 up, and bright-coloured clothes who took the ship up 
 
 PENINSULA OF SHA.N-TSAY. 
 
 to Whampoa ; and as to the first junk he saw near the 
 land, singular as it looked in its antiquated style, still it 
 was exactly what he had expected. 
 
 Whampoa is the anchorage for large vessels going up
 
 A CHINESE COMPRADORE. 129 
 
 the Si-Kiang or Tigris river on the way to Canton, from 
 which large city it is distant about ten miles ; a very 
 heavy pull for the boats of the various ships on their 
 way up to town. Here a Chinese compradore, a most 
 essential character to every European ship, took charge 
 of the Flamboro'ugli in all matters of general business : 
 and a very funny individual he was, with his long finger- 
 nails like bird's claws ; his variety of petticoats ; and his 
 pigeon English, which made Mark think of a child talk- 
 ing. The anchors were no sooner down than myriads 
 of native beggars surrounded the new ship, floating on 
 all sorts of articles, from a sanpan or river -boat to a 
 plank, or even a couple of bladders joined together. 
 Among these an old Chinese woman appeared in a kind 
 of dingey or canoe with a hood, accompanied by five or 
 six little native children, from three to eight years of 
 age. When they came alongside, they sang out in 
 pigeon English, " Beef-war, soup-war ! " 
 
 The steward fetched them a bone that had been well 
 polished before, whereupon the old woman cried out in 
 great disdain, " All bone- war no good war want beef- 
 war ! " tapping the children on the stomachs all the 
 time to point out their emptiness, though they were 
 really very fat, chubby little creatures. The children 
 were so well trained in their parts, that they did their 
 best to make their stomachs look as empty as possible, 
 in corroboration of the old woman's statement. 
 
 (336) 9
 
 130 SIGHTS IN THE RIVER. 
 
 " Me jump overboard, you throw me one bottley," 
 screamed one of the little urchins. 
 
 The steward allowed Mark to go to his pantry for one, 
 and when it was pitched over into the water, three of 
 the little children, scarcely able to walk, jumped into 
 the river to secure the prize, which is a much coveted 
 one. As soon as the bottle had been thrown, the old 
 woman flung pieces of wood into the water, which the 
 children seized and stuck under their arms, paddling 
 away after the coveted treasure. When the successful 
 one had returned to the boat, the woman patted him 
 most affectionately, in token of her approval ; but when 
 the others returned empty-handed, she cuffed them 
 soundly till they screamed. 
 
 " you female monster ! " cried the good-natured 
 steward ; " you shall have no beef-war for your cruelty. 
 Did you expect the whole three to get the bottle ? Be 
 off with you, I say." 
 
 At Whampoa the great river divides into several 
 branches, flowing steadily, the country being luxuriant on 
 either side, with a dazzling sky, that allowed but little 
 to be seen around. Midway, however, ran what is called 
 the Pearl Stream, leading to Canton, where everything 
 connected with the cargo had to be done ; and as Mark 
 was able to make one of a boat's crew when the captain 
 went up to the factories, it was not long before his time 
 came for enjoying the sights in this way.
 
 AN INTERVIEW. 
 
 131 
 
 No sooner had they got to their destination, than, to 
 Mark's intense delight, Captain Price put aside his 
 
 ENTRANCE TO THE RIVER LEADING TO CANTON. 
 
 " captain's face " and manner, and became the jovial 
 Uncle John of memorable days in Bristol. ' ; Well, my 
 boy," he said as Mark entered the cabin, having been 
 requested to go to the captain by the steward ; " how 
 have you been getting along during the voyage ? com- 
 fortable, I hope ! " 
 
 " Oh yes, sir," replied Mark in a tone of deference, 
 as he still stood somewhat in .awe of the captain ; " I
 
 132 JOVIAL UNCLE JOHN. 
 
 like coining to China better than going to Africa, 
 sir." 
 
 Why, how's this two sirs in one sentence?" said 
 Captain Price, laughing ; " come, come, my boy, give us 
 your hand, now that we are in port. I'm not the captain 
 except before strangers or during the hours of duty ; I 
 am old Uncle John, mind that." Seeing that Mark 
 was a little overcome, he added hastily, " I'm going up 
 to the factories this afternoon, how would you like to go 
 with me ? " 
 
 " Oh, I should like to go very much indeed,'' said 
 Mark, with brightening eyes. 
 
 ;< Very well, we shall get Mr. Sutton to let you off 
 from your watch. Upon the whole, he has given me a 
 favourable account of you during the cruise, and now we 
 must have a sort of a holiday together." 
 
 "Oh, how kind of you, Umrle John!" replied Mark 
 gratefully. " Do you know, I almost wished I had gone 
 in another ship at the beginning of the voyage, for Mr. 
 Sutton was so severe. I think he was harder upon me, 
 because I was your nephew, than upon the other boys." 
 
 "Very likely," said the captain, laughing; "but one 
 of the things he said to your credit was, that he was 
 glad you never took advantage of that fact, but did your 
 duty without fear or favour to the last. I hope you've 
 got over your dislike to the old FJamborough f " 
 
 '' Oh yes," replied Mark ; " and now that you are like
 
 AN OLD FRIEND IN THE " FLAMBOROUGH." 133 
 
 the Uncle John we had in Bristol, and have dropped the 
 quarter-deck, I'm awfully glad I came ; and I know 
 we shall have a jolly time ashore." 
 
 "Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Captain Price; "and so I'm 
 different on board ship, am I ? a sort of a bear perhaps., 
 eh, boy ! " 
 
 " Not that exactly," said Mark, getting near the door. 
 " but something very like the ogre in the story you used 
 to frighten us with long ago." 
 
 It was almost escaping from our memory to mention 
 that our friend Peter had sailed in the Flarnborough. 
 At Mark's earnest request, his uncle had taken him as 
 cabin-boy; and now when Mark left the cabin he sought 
 out his friend and communicated to him the good tidings. 
 
 " It's all very well for you to say, Ain't it jolly! " said 
 Peter sulkily ; " for my part, I wish I'd never listened to 
 you about coming in this here ship." 
 
 " Why, Peter, I've heard you say, over and over again, 
 my uncle was the best captain you ever served," replied 
 Mark. 
 
 " And suppose I have said that," said Peter, " does it 
 halter the matter ? We've been good chums all the cruise ; 
 I've taught you a wrinkle or two, you'll not deny, and 
 now you ain't quite so green but what you can pass 
 muster afore that aggrivatin' first-mate. I've told you 
 over and over again he put upon you, and let that lazy 
 lubber Tucker shirk his work afore his verv nose. Ami
 
 134 SULKY PETER. 
 
 now that I've got to like you, sort o', here you comes to 
 tell me you're to go ashore, and be made a gentleman of, 
 and go about with the captain; and you'll get so high 
 and mighty that you'll not care to speak a word to the 
 likes o' me, though I'm the best seaman o' the two. 
 I've a good mind to make a bolt of it, and get aboard 
 some foreign craft, and never be heard tell o' more." 
 
 " You'll do nothing of the kind," said Mark earnestly. 
 " You don't know what a kind, good-natured man my 
 uncle is ashore; I could bet you a guinea, if I asked him 
 he would take you with us." 
 
 " I'll not believe it," said Peter. " He's too much of 
 the gentleman to do it." 
 
 When the boat was ready to start on its first trip up 
 to Canton, Peter was of the party, though, strange to 
 say, he appeared more sulky than pleased, and caused 
 Mark to say, as he took his place beside him, " Well, 
 Master Grim-phiz, I wish I hadn't asked you to come." 
 
 The river was like a flood of light well deserving its 
 name of " Pearl" as they pulled along with the tide; and 
 everything upon or about it was correspondingly wonder- 
 ful to see, often making it difficult for our hero to keep 
 stroke with his oar. Immense plantations of rice, skirted 
 by bananas and still stranger fruit-trees, extended along 
 the banks ; the roots here and there seeming the only 
 thing that kept the water from overflowing its bounds. 
 Pretty little country-houses, of the genuine Chinese
 
 STRAKGE SIGHTS. 135 
 
 pattern, with their sloping, pointed, indented roofs, and 
 their coloured tiles inlaid with different hues, were 
 scattered here and there, under shady trees ; while pa- 
 godas of various styles raised their heads on little 
 eminences in the neighbourhood of the villages, and 
 
 IMPERIAL GARDENS CHINA. 
 
 attracted attention at a great distance. A number of 
 fortifications, looking more like roofless houses than any- 
 thing else, commanded the bank at various points ; and 
 soon the villages followed one another in quick suc- 
 cession, mostly composed of miserable huts, built on
 
 136 CHINESE JUXKS. 
 
 piles, driven into the water; while before them lay in- 
 numerable boats, which also served as dwellings. 
 
 Busier became the scene on the river, and greater the 
 number of ships and inhabited boats. Here were some 
 junks of most extraordinary shape, having poops that 
 hung far over the water, and provided with large windows 
 and galleries, and covered in with a roof like a house. 
 Some of these vessels were of immense size and burthen ; 
 but what amused the boys the most was seeing the flat, 
 broad, and long Chinese men-of-war, mounting twenty 
 or thirty cannons. 
 
 " Look! " cried Peter, unable to restrain himself longer, 
 even in the captain's presence ; " if they haven't gone 
 and got two eyes painted into the prow ! " 
 
 " Yes, my lad," said the captain good-naturedly ; " the 
 Chinese believe that these painted eyes help them to find 
 their way through the water better." 
 
 The mandarins' boats, with their painted sides and 
 windows, their carved galleries, and pretty little silk 
 flags, giving them the appearance of the most charming 
 houses, next attracted the attention of the boys. The 
 finest sight of all, however, was the flower -boats, with 
 their upper galleries ornamented with flowers and gar- 
 lands." 
 
 " I should like to get on board of one," replied Mark ; 
 " were you ever in one, sir ? " 
 
 " Oh yes, often," said the captain. " There is a large
 
 THE FLOWER-BOATS. 137 
 
 apartment divided into cabinets. They adorn the walls 
 with mirrors and silk hangings, and they have glass 
 chandeliers, and coloured paper lanterns, with lovely 
 little baskets of fresh flowers swinging between, which 
 makes them look like fairy palaces." 
 
 In addition to these vessels, there were thousands of 
 small boats, some at anchor, some crossing and passing 
 in all directions, with fishermen casting their nets, and 
 men and children amusing themselves by swimming. 
 All this ceaseless activity and never-ending bustle formed 
 such a peculiar feature, that though it was somewhat be- 
 wildering, it is needless to say it was highly enjoyed by 
 Mark and his friend Peter.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 they passed onwards, another branch of the 
 river would open, lost in a glare of light, 
 amidst glimpses of curious occupations and 
 trades, of which Mark had often heard, and 
 which his uncle promised to let him see by- 
 and-by. At length they were amidst the 
 confusion of the landing-place for the European factories, 
 where the captain went on shore along with the compra- 
 dore ; allowing Mark and Peter also to accompany him. 
 The men, too, had leave by turns to see what they could 
 of the Eastern city, which then alone was accessible to 
 ordinary visitors from the barbarian world, as the 
 Celestials style other countries, however civilized. 
 
 Afterwards, along with his uncle, under guidance of 
 Quang Choo, the compradore, Mark had his first stroll 
 through the streets and lanes of Canton, including even 
 a part of the inner town, beyond the fortified states.
 
 VISITING THE SHOPS. 139 
 
 Quang Choo was a sharp fellow, who thoroughly under- 
 stood the sights most worth seeing in Canton. He had 
 not gone far before he said, in his pigeon English, " I 
 say, cappen, you see jeweller's shop. Here's fust-rate 
 shop number one jeweller, this chap." 
 
 " I don't want to see a jeweller's shop particularly," 
 said Captain Price ; " I prefer to see the town." 
 
 " You no want buy anything for young or old misses 
 at home?" said Quang Choo, with a sly chuckle. " Well, 
 heave along ; but young boy want to see, p'raps." 
 
 " Well, you may have a peep into one, boys," said the 
 captain ; " but mind, look sharp." 
 
 There were many beautiful specimens of carving and 
 filigree work in the shop they entered ; but what 
 attracted their attention the most was the birds'-feather 
 ornaments, which consisted of gilt or gold head-combs, 
 brooches and ear-rings, on which were firmly fixed with 
 glue strips of the bright blue feathers of the kingfisher, 
 cut into small patterns, through which the gold ground 
 appeared, and having the exact effect of enamelled work. 
 They next went into several porcelain shops, where they 
 saw them not only busily at work in the act of manufac- 
 turing the dishes, but engaged in painting them also. 
 Each lad had a small bowl of one colour, and when he 
 had painted in all the parts of the design intended to be of 
 that colour, he passed the plate on to his. neighbour, who 
 added his colour ; and so on all round the room, where
 
 HO 
 
 PETER S REFLECTIONS OX LIFE ASHORE. 
 
 sat ten or twelve lads, till the pattern was completed. 
 They looked so stiff, and the work appeared to be so 
 monotonous, that Peter could not help whispering to 
 
 BAKIXG OF PORCELAIN. 
 
 Mark, " After all, I'd rather be afloat than one of them 
 painting chaps; ay, I'd rather be in a stiffish ga'e 
 even." 
 
 After leading them in and out, up and down the 
 narrow streets, or passages rather, of the city, Captain 
 Price could not stand the fatigue any longer, and leaving 
 the two boys to the care of Quang Choo, made off to the 
 river. The day was very sultry, unusually so for that 
 time of the year ; and the flagstones were muddy and 
 greasy from rain that had fallen the day before. The 
 air was stagnant, too, from the confinement of closely- 
 packed and overhanging houses, and the swarms of
 
 IN SEARCH OF A SEDAN-CHAIR. 141 
 
 people ; and the horrible odour of cabbage- water made 
 the air suffocating. " I tell you what it is, Mark," said 
 Peter, " I'm blowed if I can stand this much longer. I 
 feel sort o' squeamish, for the first time in my life: we 
 must hire one of them sedan-chairs atween us, or a 
 couple, for that matter." 
 
 Mark had no objections, and away they went in search 
 of a sedan-chair, which seemed to be about the last 
 tiling to be found when one wanted it in the city of Can- 
 ton. As they passed along the streets, while Peter kept 
 his eyes wide open for the chair, Mark carefully observed 
 all the buildings worth seeing. He noticed that the 
 houses were narrow -fronted, but extending considerably 
 to the rear. They had no windcws, the centre of each 
 front being open ; and consisted merely of a carved and 
 painted framework, displaying the contents of the shop 
 on either hand. The back was closed with a large 
 panelling, on which figures of gods, men, animals, and 
 flowers were painted, with a vast deal of gilding and 
 finery. A few of the houses had upper stories, reached 
 by pretty carved balustrade-stairs ; and as every article 
 for which space can be found seemed to be hung up for 
 display, both inside the shops and around the front, 
 Mark felt, as he entered the bazaar, as if he were diving 
 into an ocean of cloths, silks, and flags. 
 
 All this time Peter had been busily engaged bargain- 
 ing with a group of sedan-chair bearers, and by the time
 
 142 
 
 MORE VISITS. 
 
 Mark and Quang Choo came up, had succeeded in en- 
 gaging three : one for himself, carried by two bearers 
 one at either end ; another of the same kind for Mark ; 
 while Quang Choo, being rather heavy, took his seat in 
 the largest, which was borne by four men. 
 
 It was a great relief to emerge from the crowded 
 bazaar, pass through the gateway in the massive city 
 
 SEDAN-CHAIR. 
 
 wall, and proceed, through comparatively shady lanes, to 
 one or two Chinese gentlemen's houses and gardens, 
 which Quang Choo entered unceremoniously. He also 
 took them, without a word of introduction, to visit one 
 of the temples ; and instead of the priests refusing them 
 admittance, they were most courteous. The vergers
 
 FINGER-NAILS FOR SALE. 143 
 
 showed the altars, the various images, the cloisters, and 
 refectories, with great alacrity, extending their hands 
 afterwards for a fee. One of the vergers here stepped 
 forward and offered to sell his finger-nails to the boys. 
 " Well, but if this ain't a curiosity," said Peter ; " see, 
 Mark, if this chap's nails ain't four or five inches long ! " 
 
 " Good for English number one to buy," said the 
 verger ; " cappens always buy Chinamen's nails." 
 
 " Well, here's a cappen who won't be such a flat," said 
 Peter, turning both his lip and his pug nose up to show 
 his disgust. " They must think a good deal of themselves, 
 with a vengeance." 
 
 "I think we have seen enough," said Mark; "! for 
 one, at anyrate, will be very glad to get on board the 
 Flamborouyh." 
 
 " And here's number two to that," said Peter, laugh- 
 ing ; " so, as we are both agreed, let's be off." 
 
 On their way back to the ship that evening they 
 witnessed a very amusing incident. Among the royal 
 methods for raising the supplies in China is that of a 
 certain portion being exacted from the proceeds of the 
 day's work of each labourer, whatever his occupation 
 may be. The mandarins are employed in collecting the 
 imperial dues in their junks on the river ; and as the 
 FlatiiboroufjTi 's boat was passing down, a brisk chase was 
 being given to a small sanpan, the boatman doing every- 
 thing in his power to escape. At one time he got behind
 
 144 ON BOARD A CHINESE MAN-OF-WAR. 
 
 a large ship to avoid being seen, and as soon as the 
 mandarin junk had gone round one way, the boatman in 
 the sanpan would dexterously row off the other. This 
 exciting game went on for some time ; but the mandarin 
 junk being armed with long swivel-guns, did not hesitate 
 to throw a shot into the unfortunate sanpan, regardless 
 of the consequences to the boatman. 
 
 " Now I call that mean," cried Peter, in a great state 
 of excitement, when the poor boatman was seen struggling 
 to escape from the wreck of his small boat. 
 
 " It would have been better had he lain-to," said 
 Mark. 
 
 " I don't see that at all," replied Peter. " He deserved 
 to get off for being so plucky." 
 
 One afternoon Captain Price took Mark with him to 
 join a party from one of the English man-of-war ships 
 who were going to pay the Chinese one a visit. They 
 found it in a perfect state of confusion, everything upper- 
 most and nothing at hand ; and no more respect seemed 
 to be paid to the commander and his officers by the rest 
 of the crew than one sailor pays to another in the fore- 
 castle of an English ship, notwithstanding the chief bore 
 the rank of an admiral. They were playing with 
 Chinese cards, and engaged in all sorts of games. Some 
 of the guns were half run-out, some half run-in, and the 
 shot was strewn about the decks in all directions. On 
 this occasion the Chinese deemed it necessary to fire a
 
 PETER IN CHARGE. 145 
 
 salute in honour of their distinguished visitors, which 
 consisted of two guns, three being a royal one. It was 
 all the English men-of-war officers could do to keep their 
 gravity to see them fired ; and they must have taken more 
 than three minutes to fire them, though they seemed to 
 think they were extra sharp in doing it. 
 
 That same afternoon, on Mark's return, he found Peter 
 in close altercation with one of the chopps, whose duty it 
 was to supply the crew with tea hot out of the coppers. 
 The men had set Peter to see that the jars were kept full, 
 and as they emptied them almost as quickly as they were 
 filled, Peter had a pretty hard time of it. 
 
 As Mark stepped on board Peter had laid violent 
 hands on the pigtail of one of the unfortunate delinquents, 
 and seeing Mark, he shouted out, " Holloa, shipmate, 
 lend a hand till I dock this here tail short off." 
 
 " Oh, save me tail ; me get tea plenty !" shouted the 
 unfortunate Chinaman. 
 
 " Very well," said Peter magnanimously ; " mind you 
 get it better quality too, else I'll not let you off so easily 
 next time." 
 
 This lawless proceeding not only produced a more 
 plentiful supply, but of much better quality ; and Mark, 
 who now took Peter's place, so that he could watch the 
 Chinese weigher, found his work very easy indeed in 
 consequence. This being the case, he could enjoy 
 watching Peter looking after the weigher. Too-talee- 
 
 (326) 10
 
 146 A CHINESE WEIGHER. 
 
 talee ! " cried the Chinaman, meaning in plain English 
 two hundredweights, three quarters, and three pounds ; 
 but it often happened that his " too-tallee-tallee" was 
 several pounds short of the weight, and always on the 
 side of the Chinese merchant. There he sat, this 
 Chinese weigher, with a hat a good five feet in diameter ; 
 and there stood Peter, his short snub nose peering into 
 the scale for somehow, as Mark said, Peter seemed to 
 see with his nose and keeping a sharp look upon the 
 Chinaman. Seeing his mistake, he at once pounced upon 
 him, giving him such a hearty cuff to refresh his memoiy, 
 as threw the Chinaman, his pigtail, and his hat con- 
 siderably off their centre of gravity. 
 
 " You lubberly son of a Chinawoman," cried Peter, 
 " let me catch you at any more of your cheating, and I'll 
 give you such a docking that your own father won't 
 know you." 
 
 " You hold you tongue !" shouted one of the Chinese 
 merchant's clerks, who was seated alongside the capstan, 
 with his desk, stool, pigtail, and finger-nails that might 
 more aptly be called talons from their length. " You 
 one lubber yourself, number one lubber." 
 
 Fortunately one of the mates came on deck at the time, 
 else it was evident the Chinese clerk would have been 
 forced to try the strength of his nails in his own defence. 
 
 On the following day Mark went up to town with 
 his uncle, where he witnessed the celebrated Chinese
 
 CHINESE FEAST OF LANTERNS. 147 
 
 Feast of Lanterns. From all the houses, at the corners 
 of the roofs, from high posts, from indeed every upright 
 thing, were hung innumerable lanterns, made of paper or 
 gauze, and most artistically ornamented with gods, 
 animals, and warriors. All kinds of refreshments and 
 fruits were laid out, with lights and flowers, in the form 
 
 CHINESE FEAST OF LANTERNS. 
 
 I 
 
 of half pyramids, on large tables in the courts and gardens 
 of the different houses, and even in the streets them-
 
 148 A FLOATING SURGERY. 
 
 selves. The people wandered about the streets, gardens, 
 and courts until nearly midnight, when the edible portions 
 of the pyramids were eaten by their proprietors ; and 
 though the crowds in passing may have looked at the 
 eatables with a scrutinizing glance, not a single fragment 
 was touched. The feast continued through five or six 
 days, during which time at eventide every corner of the 
 city was decorated with streamers and brightly illumi- 
 nated. Spectators paraded the streets in crowds, letting 
 off crackers, rockets, and squibs, and ingenious fireworks 
 of numberless variety. This feast is intended to show 
 their respect for the spirits of their departed ancestors. 
 
 A day or two afterwards, one of the men being ill, the 
 captain sent Mark to the floating apothecary's shop. 
 Mark had been very desirous to see the interior of this 
 strange and novel shop, and very gladly undertook the 
 commission. It was situated a short distance from the 
 shore, and consisted of the hull of an old ship, with three 
 flag-staffs where the masts once stood, having three flags 
 flaunting in the breeze, to indicate the whereabouts of 
 the enterprizing English surgeon. The between-decks 
 was fitted up like a modern surgery or apothecary's shop 
 in London ; and he seemed to be getting on in a most 
 flourishing manner, not only among the English shipping, 
 but amongst the Chinese, the better half of whom at 
 Whampoa live upon the water in their sanpans. Mark 
 had a good opportunity of inspecting these close at hand,
 
 A STRANGE SIGHT. 149 
 
 when he found they had only a covering of mats made of 
 native reeds or bamboo stretched over the sanpans, upon 
 sticks bent like the half of an English hoop. These 
 boats are kept beautifully clean, especially those belong- 
 ing to the washerwomen, who daily holy-stone them, as 
 sailors do the decks of their vessels, till the interior is as 
 white as the driven snow. Every sanpan is provided 
 with a sail, as well as paddles and oars ; the sail consists 
 of a mat, larger or smaller according to the size of the 
 sanpan ; in the management of which they are very ex- 
 pert, and can sail at a surprising rate. 
 
 When Mark reached the apothecary's floating shop, a 
 number of seamen from all nations were waiting to be 
 served, some evidently there to buy drugs for themselves, 
 others for their shipmates, it might have been ; for, 
 judging by the noise they made, it was impossible to 
 suppose they were suffering. Mark got into a corner to 
 wait his turn, and stood watching the busy scene, when 
 a great stir took place outside, and on turning to look 
 out of the port-hole, near which he stood, he discovered 
 that the commotion was caused by the approach of a 
 sanpan with the body of a Chinaman being towed after 
 it attached to a rope. The body had been picked up by 
 the boatman; and as the surgeon had pronounced it 
 lifeless, and no person had come forward to claim it, it 
 was dragged in-shore behind some sedge, to which it was 
 tied by the neck, and there left.
 
 150 DUCK-HOUSES. 
 
 "I'm glad I ain't a Chinaman, I am," said a tall, 
 strong, weather-beaten English sailor, biting off a fresh 
 piece of tobacco. " It's comfortable to think that we get 
 a clean suit, a good piece of sail-cloth to keep out the 
 water, and a shot at our feet to take us safe down." 
 
 " Ay, you're right there, shipmate," said another man, 
 with his back to Mark, but whose voice seemed familiar 
 to him. " It's not an agreeable feeling for a man to find 
 his countrymen ain't particular about his body. But 
 see, there are the ducks coming out to it ! " 
 
 Mark looked in the direction pointed out, and he saw 
 what he had at first taken for a dog-kennel. A flat 
 flooring, he discovered, was placed across a sanpan, over 
 which was erected a roofing, composed of boards slanting 
 upwards from the sides and meeting at the top. The 
 ducks were kept in these erections in flocks of from three 
 to four hundred. The owner or person in charge of the 
 ducks had them under extraordinary training. Upon 
 their being let out, they scrambled for the shore as fast 
 as their feet and wings- would carry them, to feed in the 
 swampy places, or in the paddy-fields where the rice grew. 
 
 " When he wants to pen them up again," said the 
 sailor, who seemed to take an interest in the ducks 
 especially, " he just whistles, and away they scamper 
 to their sanpan, tumbling over each other to be first in 
 the race; for, you see, the last gets a good whopping for 
 his laziness, though for that matter the poor beast scarcely
 
 MARK MEETS AN OLD FRIEND., 151 
 
 ever deserves it, seeing they all try hard to be first, and 
 somebody must be last." 
 
 All this time the other sailor had been staring hard at 
 our hero, who was too much interested in watching the 
 ducks to pay any attention to him. When he turned 
 round, however, his heart gave a great jump, for, to his 
 astonishment, there stood his old and tried friend Jack 
 Maurice. 
 
 "Bless me, boy, how you have growed!"said the 
 worthy Jack, catching hold of Mark's extended hand. 
 
 " I can't say you look well," said Mark, " for it's just 
 the very opposite. What have you been doing to your- 
 self to make you look so white and thin ? " 
 
 " Well I've been ill," replied Jack ; " but if I only 
 could get out to the salt ocean once more, I'd be as right 
 and as tight as a man could be. But who's to take me 
 with this white chalky figure-head?" 
 
 " Where's your ship you came out in?" said Mark. 
 
 "Gone off and left me," said Maurice sulkily; "but 
 mind you, I don't blame any one but this here Jack 
 Maurice's own self. I got on the spree, boy." 
 
 "You, Jack !" said Mark in astonishment. "I never 
 knew of you being the worse of drink in my life." 
 
 " Ah, but the old fiend once used to be my master ; 
 and what's more, he got the better of me once again, 
 though I fancied I had quite cured the demon." 
 
 Mark said nothing more, having to make haste back
 
 152 MARK MADE HAPPY. 
 
 with the medicine ; but as he knew the man who was ill 
 was scarcely expected to recover, he hoped he would be 
 able to induce his uncle to take his old friend Jack 
 Maurice on board when they sailed. Searching his uncle 
 out, he found him beside the sick man, who seemed to be 
 a great deal worse ; and when the medicine had been 
 administered, and the man had fallen asleep, the captain 
 returned to the cabin, bidding Mark follow him. " I 
 fear poor Tom is going," he said to Mark. " He is a 
 man I had a great respect for. It will be long before I 
 get another to fill his place." 
 
 Here was a very good opportunity to introduce Jack 
 Maurice and his case, and Mark launched out into such 
 an animated description of his good qualities as an able- 
 bodied seaman, that Captain Price, having his " Uncle 
 John's face " on, could do nothing else but agree " to 
 have a look at him." To Mark's great delight, his uncle 
 was pleased with Jack, and though he said with a smile 
 he would have liked had he been " in better condition," 
 it was arranged that Maurice should take up his quarters 
 on board the Flamborough at once, as a safeguard against 
 the temptations that beset a sailor's path even in China.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 HOMEWARD BOUND. 
 
 ,HORTLY before leaving Whampoa, Peter fell 
 overboard while in the act of drawing a bucket 
 of water. The tide was very strong at the time; 
 but the second-mate, observing a great many 
 Chinese about with their sanpans, did not order 
 a boat to be lowered, as he felt certain the boatmen would 
 pick him up. He was quite mistaken, however; for though 
 they made a dart to pick up the bucket, they left the 
 unfortunate Peter to sink or swim, from a fear, perhaps, 
 of losing caste, or from the strong prejudice they had 
 against Europeans. Peter had been fortunate in seiz- 
 ing hold of a rope fixed in the chains, and though a good 
 swimmer he must soon have been drawn under and 
 drowned, had not the captain, who saw his perilous posi- 
 tion from the cabin window, rushed on deck and ordered 
 a boat to be lowered to his rescue just in time to save 
 him.
 
 154 LEAVING CHINA. 
 
 " You're too bad a penny to lose, Peter," said the mate, 
 as he gave him his hand to help him on deck. 
 
 "Thank you kindly, sir," said the incorrigible Peter, 
 determined to take the mate's speech as a compliment. 
 " I'm glad to think I'd ha' been missed from this here 
 craft." 
 
 More than one of the men who were standing near 
 laughed outright, for it was well known that there was 
 no love lost between the second-mate and Peter. 
 
 Having completed this cargo of tea, the Flamborough 
 dropped down clear of the shipping, Quang Choo follow- 
 ing in his sanpan, letting off a great many crackers erected 
 on a long pole. This was his parting chin-chin, or thanks 
 for the captain's patronage ; an expense he could well 
 afford, according to Mark's idea, from the proceeds of his 
 office, and the way he had contrived to fleece the captain. 
 The Chinese pilot being on board, he took them without 
 accident to the mouth of the Bogue, and three days after 
 they reached Hong- Kong, where they filled up with bales 
 of raw silk, which occupied three or four days more. 
 After thus completing the cargo, they stood for Macao, 
 on the other side of the river's mouth, where they took in 
 some stores for the voyage home. A day or two after- 
 wards, the Flamlorough tripped her anchor with a fair 
 wind, and set sail for old England. 
 
 They were not destined, however, to get quit of the 
 Chinese coast without a sample of the violent weather
 
 A TYPHOON. 
 
 155 
 
 which often marks those latitudes. The first night there 
 was a heavy banking-up of the clouds, and before morning 
 the Flamborough was overtaken 
 by one of the well-known hurri- 
 canes peculiar to that region under 
 the name of typhoon. One or two 
 junks were seen labouring against 
 it to reach the land in time to 
 escape, but it was too late for that; 
 and when the white rush of the 
 gale began to attain its height, 
 
 A TYPHOON.
 
 156 STRUGGLES FOR LIFK. 
 
 there was too much reason to fear that one of the unfortu- 
 nate junks, at least, fell a victim to the storm. Happily 
 it was not against the course of the English ship ; they 
 had been warned by the barometer, so as to reduce canvas 
 before the worst of the gale came, and were thus enabled 
 to weather it out without serious damage. At one point, 
 indeed, towards daybreak, there was a moment when 
 things went very hard with them ; the third of three 
 immense seas struck the ship before she could well rise to 
 it, and the volume of water fairly broke along the decks, 
 green and weltering. The caboose on deck was loosened 
 from its fastenings; booms, spars, and boats floated hither 
 and thither; while no one knew whether he had hold of 
 the ship or not. Mark had swallowed more brine than 
 in his whole previous experience; and poor Peter was 
 only stopped by the mizzen-shrouds from being swept 
 overboard, where nothing could have saved him. The 
 ship was on her beam-ends, leaning heavily, as if never to 
 rise ; and the captain, helping the men at the wheel, and 
 shouting for axes to cut away a mast, could neither be 
 heard nor obeyed. Providentially the good ship righted 
 herself at last with a convulsive effort, and rose on the 
 billow, streaming water at every outlet ; the gale was by 
 this time past the worst; and before long, with additional 
 sail set to steady her, they were heaving away on their 
 course before it. 
 
 All went well till she was passing through the Straits
 
 A CUNNING TRICK. 157 
 
 of Banca, between Borneo and the Malayan coasts. The 
 weather was splendid, the breeze favourable, and the 
 worst dangers of the shoals were past ; but here they in- 
 curred more than one serious risk from the evil designs 
 of the Dayak pirates who infest that vicinity. One 
 set of these made a very cunning attempt to board the 
 Flamborourjli in the night, by means of a trick not 
 uncommon with them, and through which there is 
 reason to think many crews have been murdered. In 
 these straits it is a frequent circumstance to see large 
 portions of turfy soil floating along with the current, 
 covered with long wild grass, and sometimes with the 
 addition of stumps of trees. Jack Maurice, who knew 
 the coast well, and was well acquainted with these pirates, 
 when he discovered that the captain was a comparative 
 stranger to this part of the world, gave him a few hints 
 regarding them. He explained that these portions of 
 floating earth were often imitated by the pirates, by 
 constructing a raft or something like it, capable of hold- 
 ing a number of cut-throats, armed to the teeth ; and 
 over whom a covering of this same turfy soil and grass 
 is laid, which is well calculated to deceive strangers. 
 So prepared, Jack explained that those pirates float 
 down upon the vessels in the night, and having succeeded 
 in boarding them, murder the sleeping crew, and plunder 
 the cargo. 
 
 A sharp look-out was therefore kept, and by what
 
 158 ON THE WATCH. 
 
 followed it proved to be anything but unnecessary. One 
 evening, Jack's quick eyes observed one of those dens of 
 villany quietly dropping down on their starboard-bow, 
 and he immediately reported it to the officer of the watch. 
 Two six-pounders had been kept in readiness for them, 
 besides abundance of small arms ; and just as the pirates 
 were dropping quietly into their bow, and within nice reach, 
 a gun was fired to let them see those on board the Flatn- 
 borough were not dozing. They still took no notice, but 
 came gliding down, thinking they would deceive them, 
 and make them think it was indeed nothing but a float- 
 ing mass of earth. The captain now took more effectual 
 efforts to put them on the right scent. He ordered that 
 the other six -pounder should be fired, which was 
 promptly done, the contents going clean through them. 
 The howling inside could be plainly heard, but by some 
 means they managed to sheer off, and the Flamlorough 
 saw them no more. 
 
 Light winds and. calms now rendered the situation of 
 the ship still more dangerous in this respect, and though 
 the treacherous Malays appeared to have received a lesson, 
 yet it proved that this had only forced them to display 
 themselves more decidedly in their true colours. The 
 currents had brought the Flamborough unusually near the 
 land, at a point showing signs of more civilized habitation, 
 where caution seemed to be necessary against attack. 
 The chief care now taken was to avoid risk of grounding ;
 
 BECALMED. 
 
 159 
 
 and being at last quite becalmed, the anchor was dropped, 
 and the night came on, leaving all hands wearied with 
 the exertion of the day. Anchor-watch alone was kept) 
 but it proved that fatigue had rendered the men careless, 
 so that they dozed at their posts. 
 
 It so happened that Peter, being very thirsty, went up 
 
 THE " FLAMBOROUGH " BECAXMED. 
 
 on deck for a drink of water, when he fancied he heard 
 suppressed voices through the dusk, with the slight plash 
 of oars in the water. He at once gave the alarm, caus- 
 ing the captain to spring on deck ; and happily the guns 
 were still loaded, in consequence of the recent attempts 
 upon the ship. They had scarcely time to take their
 
 160 ATTACKED BY MALAY PIRATES. 
 
 stations, before two or three crowded Malay proas were 
 closing from either side upon the ship ; but, being steadily 
 aimed at with the carronades, into several of which extra 
 charges of grape and canister were put, these vessels were 
 soon thrown into disorder. They, in fact, found that the 
 Flamborough was much better armed and more numer- 
 ously manned than they doubtless had supposed. Just 
 at the critical moment, however, all was nearly lost by 
 the addition of another enemy, in the shape of a small sail- 
 boat which had been lying in there, as if quietly taking 
 advantage of the anchorage. This vessel, which turned 
 out to be a so-called native trader, must have thought to 
 take advantage of the Flamborouyh's position by helping 
 the pirates ; and they now made a stealthy attempt to 
 board over the stem, where danger was not looked for. 
 Mark was the first to perceive the new peril. He fired 
 a ship's pistol at the aggressors, thus bringing some of 
 the men to his help ; the result being that they were 
 driven down with loss. Meanwhile the Malays in the 
 proas gave way, and drew off discomfited ; and as a 
 breeze began to ruffle the water, enabling the ship to 
 lift her anchor and gain open water, she was now in a 
 position to defy further attack. Alarm had been caused 
 on shore, where the people of the village were obliged to 
 appear friendly to European vessels, well knowing the 
 power of Rajah Brooke with his steam-cruisers in the 
 Straits.
 
 OUR HERO IN DANGER. 161 
 
 In the act of repelling this attack, our hero, Mark, 
 had got what ho thought a mere prick in the leg from an 
 arrow, shot by the native crew of the sail-boat, being 
 one amongst several which were aimed at the deck. It 
 gave him but little pain at first, and he was thinking no 
 more about it, when one of the men asked another how 
 it had been fired. 
 
 " He blowed it out of his mouth through a cane," 
 said Bill Hooper. 
 
 " Then I'm blessed if it wasn't one o' their sumpitans," 
 replied Jack Maurice. ''It's poisoned! It's deadly, it 
 is." 
 
 " He's a dead man," said another sailor; " it's the rank 
 upas-venom there's no 'arthly cure for't." 
 
 Mark turned pale, and naturally thought his last morn- 
 ing had come, when he saw the streaks of dawn breaking 
 before them in the east. 
 
 Captain Price, however, when he came aft, looked upon 
 the matter not quite so desperately. He knew more of 
 the Malay poisons than most men, and said that when 
 the arrows had been some time dipped, as was most likely 
 the case, they lost much of their virulence ; and instantly 
 applied sulphuric acid and caustic. While he was doing 
 this, Jack Maurice came in to see how he was getting on ; 
 for it may be supposed his former friendship for the lad 
 when aboard the Stratton had ripened into sincere affec- 
 tion. 
 
 (326) 1 1
 
 162 POISONED ARROWS. 
 
 " Come, old ship," said the captain good-naturedly, in 
 reply to Maurice's respectful inquiry, " you must give us 
 none of your long faces here ; the lad will be all right in 
 a trice. I am of opinion he will feel no bad effects what- 
 ever." 
 
 " I hope so, sir," said Maurice. " I've had some ex- 
 perience of them Malays, and I know they don't believe 
 their poison is altogether deadly, though the Kayans be- 
 lieve it." 
 
 " Have you seen their arrows, Jack? " said Mark. 
 
 " Oh yes, often," replied Maurice. " They carry them 
 about in a bamboo case hung at the side, and at the 
 bottom of the quiver is the poison of the upas. The 
 arrow is a piece of wood sharp-pointed, and put into a 
 socket, made of the pith of a tree, which fits the tube of 
 the blow-pipe. The natives carry a small calabash for 
 these arrow-heads, and on going into action prepare a 
 number, and dip the points in the poison, as its deadly 
 power does not continue long." 
 
 " I have heard so too," said the captain ; " and my 
 belief is, that as we came so very unexpectedly, they 
 would only have old ones with them. I have been told 
 they fire them very dexterously." 
 
 "Yes, sir; I believe they do," said Maurice. " When 
 they face an enemy the box at the side is open, and 
 whether advancing or retreating they fire fast and aim well. 
 Some hold four spare arrows between the fingers of the
 
 CONCERNING THE SUMPITAX. 163 
 
 hand which grasps the sumpitan, but most of them take 
 their side-case." 
 
 " You seem to know a great deal about them, Maurice," 
 said the captain. " How is that? " 
 
 " I was taken prisoner once, sir, and had to serve 
 aboard one of them proas for ever so long ; and a hard 
 time I had of it till I made my escape." 
 
 " But how do they fire the arrows from their mouth ? " 
 inquired Mark. 
 
 " In advancing, the sumpitan is carried at the mouth, 
 and sloping upwards, which they fire by the force of their 
 breath." 
 
 " To what distance will the arrows go?" inquired the 
 captain. 
 
 " To a distance of twenty yards with certainty, sir/' 
 replied Maurice. " Beyond that their aim is not steady, 
 from the lightness of the arrow ; but on a calm day the 
 range may be a hundred yards." 
 
 When the captain was left alone with Mark, after Jack 
 Maurice had left the cabin, he said to his nephew, " I 
 like your friend Jack very much ; he seems to be a very 
 intelligent man, and it is my impression he must have 
 seen better days. I mean by that, that he converses as if 
 he had been well educated, and might hold a better 
 position than a common sailor." 
 
 "Oh yes, uncle," said Mark, "I am quite sure Jack 
 must have been a gentleman born. T know once he
 
 164 TOUCHING AT ST. HELENA. 
 
 spoke to me, when we were in the Stratton, of his college 
 days; but he seemed to be vexed he had done it, and he 
 always was very close about his friends." 
 
 " Well, as we may say he has in a manner saved the 
 ship from these bloodthirsty cut-throats, we must see what 
 can be done for him with the owners." 
 
 Whether Mark had received any poison in the arrow- 
 wound or not cannot be said ; but he became so listless, that 
 all his usual flow of spirits and animation seemed to have 
 left him. The captain and Jack Maurice did their utmost 
 to cheer him, but without effect ; and poor Peter, who now 
 became as a dog in faithfulness to his friend, played off his 
 merriest pranks, but could not succeed in drawing out the 
 faintest smile. As they were likely to be short of that 
 most important part of a ship's stores, water, the captain 
 decided upon touching at St. Helena. He was the more 
 desirous to do this that he might get advice for Mark. As 
 they drew near the island Mark recovered somewhat, and 
 showed some interest, and seemed even pleased to get a view 
 of it. As they sailed round the point and caught a sight of 
 the large but plain-looking whitewashed house, the former 
 residence of Bonaparte, and the garrison for the troops, 
 overlooking the sea, Mark appeared almost his old self 
 again. While the water was being got on board, the 
 captain desired Jack to take Mark and Peter on shore 
 to the doctor's house. After he had prescribed for him, 
 they had a good walk through James's Town, the princi-
 
 THE ROUGH PILOT. 165 
 
 pal place in the island, lying near the foot of Ladder Hill, 
 on the top of which the barracks are built. They were 
 much interested in seeing the strong fortifications, and the 
 battery of large guns, slung in chains on the top, a shot 
 from any of which must crush through an enemy's ship 
 with fearful effect. On their return to the harbour, a ship 
 came in with one of the sailors on board in a dreadful 
 state from scurvy. The people on shore resorted to a 
 singular means for his cure. This consisted in burying 
 his legs in the earth in a newly-dug hole, where he was 
 to be kept for four hours ; but as the Flamborough was 
 to leave in a very short time, they had no means of dis- 
 covering if he was really cured or not. 
 
 Though Mark had in a measure appeared to be 
 improving after leaving St. Helena, he fell back into 
 the same listless state he was in before even into a 
 worse state. The captain was very glad when they 
 entered the British Channel, and after a time got their 
 pilot on board. It happened to be the same one who 
 had taken the Straiten down when Mark first went to 
 sea. And now he discovered that under a rough coat 
 and gruff voice and manner could be hidden a very kind 
 heart. 
 
 "Why, what's come over ye, boy? "he said, when 
 Mark came on deck, his legs scarcely able to carry him. 
 " I think I mind o' seeing ye go out as hearty a lad as 
 need be ; and, if I recollect right, I gave ye your first
 
 166 MAUK IN DANGER, OF BEING A LAND-LUBBER. 
 
 MARK'S OLD FRIEND. 
 
 touch of sea discipline. Didn't I mast-head you, or 
 some 'at ? " 
 
 " You sent me aloft, at anyrate," said Mark, smiling 
 faintly, " before I had my sea-legs on ; but I was all the 
 better of it." 
 
 " In course," said the pilot, with a merry twinkling of 
 his weather eye ; " and what you want now is a little 
 coddling ; but mammy at home will do that in style. 
 Shouldn't wonder, now, but what she goes and overdoes 
 it, and you turns out a land-lubber in the end." 
 
 Mark was about to make some indignant response to 
 this latter statement, but somehow the mention of his 
 mother's name had upset him. He felt his heart give a 
 bound when he thought of how she would receive him, 
 and how she would coddle him, as the pilot called it, and
 
 PETER STANDING UP FOR HIS FRIEND. 167 
 
 his whole soul went out towards her; and, being in such 
 a weak state at anyrate, he fairly broke down, and, in 
 spite of the rough pilot's presence, cried like a girl. 
 
 " What's this you've been a- doing or a-saying to Mark 
 Willis ? " said Peter, who came up at the moment. "I'd 
 fight ye, ye sea-lion, if ye had two fins to fight with ; but 
 as you han't, ye are sort o' protected." 
 
 Instead of being angry at Peter's impertinent remark, 
 the rough pilot was the very opposite ; and when the 
 boat was got out for the captain to take Mark home, he 
 insisted upon him leaning upon his arm. " It's only the 
 left one, but it's next the heart," he said, which remark 
 made Peter, who was standing by, quite penitent, and he 
 exclaimed under his breath, " He's a good un, he is! " 
 
 In a short time Mark was at home, lying snugly on his 
 mother's little couch by the side of a blazing fire, and 
 feeling that every wish of his heart was gratified. " If I 
 could only see Father Fritz, mother," he had said, " my 
 happiness would be complete ; " and of course one of the 
 boys was instantly despatched to fetch him. As Mr. 
 Fritz said afterwards, he verily believed, had he refused 
 to come, he would have been carried off by main force. 
 Indeed, Mark's two brothers were not only devoted to 
 Mark, they were his veriest slaves. He was in their eyes 
 a hero indeed; for had ho not shot "a savage pirate," 
 and been wounded in a sea-fight, and behaved himself 
 like one of the famous people in history ?
 
 168 CONCLUSION. 
 
 It was days before Mark was strong enough to go to the 
 cathedral ; but it came at last, and Mr. Fritz played some 
 of his very finest music, that brought the tears rolling up 
 into the sick boy's eyes, for he knew his old friend was 
 playing with his whole heart and soul, sending up a song 
 of thanksgiving for the safe return of the lad, and for his 
 recovery. No one spoke of the sea any more. Kind- 
 hearted Uncle John set sail once more in the Flamborouyh 
 for a distant port ; and though Mark heard all about it, he 
 appeared to take no interest at the time, and his mother's 
 heart was glad. But after that day in the cathedral 
 Mark began to recover rapidly, and would wander away 
 to the old favourite seat in the college green, within 
 sound of the organ, and dream again of being at sea and 
 coming home a captain. The sea-breezes seemed to 
 strengthen him ; and every returning day his wish to be 
 afloat again grew stronger and stronger, till Mrs. Willis 
 saw there was no use to struggle against it. The ham- 
 mock and sea-chest were got out once more, and Mark 
 sailed away as happy as if this had been his first voyage, 
 and as eager as ever to behold the strange sights in dis- 
 tant lands.
 
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