BY 
 
 C.A.HENTY
 
 UNIV. OF CALIF. LIBRARY, LOS ANGELES
 
 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS
 
 THE LIEUTENANT TALKS TO STEVE ABOUT GOING TO SEA.
 
 WITH 
 
 COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 
 
 A TALE OF 
 
 THE EXPLOITS OF' LORD COCHRANE IN 
 SOUTH AMERICAN WATERS 
 
 BY 
 
 G. A. HENTY 
 
 Author of " Under Drake's Flag," " The Dash for Khartoum," " In Greek 
 Waters," " The Lion of St. Mark," " Through Russian Snows," etc. 
 
 WITH TWELVE ILLUSTRATIONS BY W, H. MARGETSON 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1896, BY 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 TWOW OWCTOHY 
 
 IINTINO AND BOOKBINDINO COMPANY 
 KEW YORK 
 
 UNIV. OF 
 
 CALIF. LIBRARY, LOS ANGELES
 
 Stack 
 Annex 
 
 PR 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 IN the annals of British sailors there is no name that should 
 stand higher than that of Lord Cochrane. In some respects 
 he resembled that daring leader and great military genius, the 
 Earl of Peterborough. Both performed feats that most men 
 would have regarded as impossible, both possessed extraordi- 
 nary personal bravery and exceptional genius for war, and a 
 love for adventure. Both accomplished marvels, and neither 
 was appreciated at his full value by his countrymen, both 
 having a touch of originality that amounted in the case of 
 Peterborough to absolute eccentricity. In other respects they 
 had little in common. Cochrane' s life was passed in one long 
 struggle on behalf of the oppressed. He ruined his career in 
 our navy, and created for himself a host of bitter enemies by 
 his crusade against the enormous abuses of our naval adminis- 
 tration, and by the ardour with which he championed the 
 cause of reform at home. Finding the English navy closed to 
 him he threw himself into the cause of oppressed nationalities. 
 His valour and genius saved Chili from being reconquered by 
 the Spanish, rescued Peru from their grasp, and utterly broke 
 their power in South America. Similarly he crushed the 
 Portuguese power in Brazil and ensured its independence, 
 and then took up the cause of Greece. In all four enter- 
 prises his efforts were hampered by the utter corruption of the 
 governments of these countries, just as his efforts on behalf of 
 British sailors and of the British people at large had brought 
 upon him the hatred and persecution of a government as cor-
 
 VI PREFACE 
 
 rupt as those of Chili, Brazil, and Greece. He was rewarded 
 only with the basest ingratitude, and returned home after hav- 
 ing expended a large part of his fortune and permanently in- 
 jured his health in the inestimable services he had rendered. 
 In other respects besides those exploits connected with the 
 sea, his genius was remarkable. After retiring from active 
 service he devoted himself to inventions, and some of these 
 paved the way to later scientific achievements, giving him a 
 place alongside the Marquis of Worcester. 
 
 Of Lord Cochrane it can be said that he was the victim of 
 his generous enthusiasm for the oppressed. During the greater 
 portion of his life he rested under a heavy cloud, and it was 
 only in extreme old age that he had the satisfaction of having 
 his name rehabilitated, and of regaining the honours and rank 
 of which he had been so unjustly deprived. 
 
 G. A. HENTY.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. PAGB 
 
 I. OFF TO SEA, n 
 
 II. IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO, 3 1 
 
 III. A CYCLONE, 51 
 
 IV. A RESCUE, 71 
 
 V. AGAIN ON THE ISLAND, 9 2 
 
 VI. HOME, in 
 
 VII. COCHRANE'S CAREER, 131 
 
 VIII. THE BASQUE ROADS, 149 
 
 IX. IN CHILI, 162 
 
 X. WRECKED, 179 
 
 XI. A DANGEROUS COMPANION, 198 
 
 XII. DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN, 217 
 
 XIII. PRIZE-MONEY, 235 
 
 XIV. A PRISONER, 253 
 
 XV. FRIENDS IN NEED, . * -~~r .... 273 
 
 XVI. AN INDIAN GUIDE, 291 
 
 XVII. DOWN THE RIVER, . . . . . . . 310 
 
 XVIII. CAPTURED BY INDIANS, 329 
 
 XIX. IN BRAZIL, . 347 
 
 XX. FRESH TRIUMPHS, 369
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE LIEUTENANT TALKS TO STEVE ABOUT GOING TO SEA, 
 
 Frontispiece, 1 1 
 
 "WE WENT AT THE TREACHEROUS MALAYS WITH A WILL, 
 
 AND DROVE THEM BACK," 36 
 
 STEPHEN CRAWLS TO THE RESCUE OF HIS CHUM, JOYCE, . 90 
 
 COCHRANE SCATTERS THE FRENCH FLEET IN THE BASQUE 
 
 ROADS BY HIS TERRIBLE EXPLOSION-SHIP, . . . .159 
 
 " THE SHIP FELL WITH A CRASH THAT THREW STEVE AND 
 
 THE CAPTAIN OFF THEIR FEET," 190 
 
 "WITH A SHOUT, STEPHEN SNATCHED UP HIS SWORD AND 
 
 RUSHED AT THE ASSASSIN," 221 
 
 STEPHEN BEATS OFF THE GREAT WAR-CANOE SINGLE-HANDED, . 232 
 
 STEPHEN is BOUND AND BROUGHT BEFORE THE GOVERNOR OF 
 
 SAN CARLOS, 269 
 
 STEPHEN MAKES A DASH FOR LIBERTY, AND GRAPPLES WITH 
 
 THE GUARD, . . ., ? . "T~ . . . 282 
 
 "THE ANIMAL WAS ON THE POINT OF SPRINGING WHEN STE- 
 PHEN FIRED," 311 
 
 PITA TRIES STEPHEN'S PLAN IN ORDER TO ESCAPE FROM THE 
 
 WHIRLPOOL, 328 
 
 "MY DEAR BOY," EXCLAIMED LORD COCHRANE, "THANK GOD 
 
 INDEED THAT I SEE YOU ALIVE," 371
 
 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 OFF TO SEA 
 
 AM sure I do not know what to do with you, 
 Steve," Lieutenant Embleton said one afternoon 
 as he and his son were sitting upon a bench on 
 the cliff at Ramsgate, looking over the sea. 
 "Upon my word I don't see my way at all; 
 this peace has stranded most of us, and at any rate, so far as 
 I am concerned, there is not a ghost of a chance of my ob- 
 taining employment not that I am fit for it if I could get it. 
 I have been nearly ten years ashore. Every one of us who 
 sailed under Cochrane have been marked men ever since. 
 However, that is an old story, and it is no use grumbling 
 over what cannot be helped ; besides, that wound in my hip 
 has been troubling me a good deal of late, and I know I am 
 not fit for sea. I don't think I should have minded so much 
 if I had got post rank before being laid on the shelf. The 
 difference of pension, too, would have been a help, for good- 
 ness knows it is hard work making ends meet on a lieutenant's 
 half-pay. However, that is not the question now. The thing 
 
 II
 
 12 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 that I have got to consider is what is the best thing to do with 
 you. 
 
 " Yes, I know you are ready to do anything, lad, and it is 
 not your fault that you are not in harness ; but, in the first 
 place, I found it hard to spare you, and in the next, I wanted 
 you to stick to your books as long as you could. I grant there 
 are many officers even in His Majesty's service who are as 
 rough as if they had come in through the hawse-hole, but it 
 tells against them. However, as you are past fifteen, I think 
 now that you will do ; and as you have been working steadily 
 with me for the past four years, you have got a lot into your 
 head that will give you an advantage over boys sent to sea 
 two years younger. 
 
 " You are well up in navigation, and can take an observa- 
 tion as well as any old sailor, either by sun, moon, or stars. 
 You can steer a boat in heavy weather, and knot and splice ; 
 you know the sails and ropes, and can go aloft as quickly as a 
 monkey, and do anything that your strength permits. There 
 have been plenty of opportunities for teaching you all this on 
 short coasting voyages and on board ships driven in here by 
 stress of weather. I suppose, Steve, however much we may 
 talk of other professions, it comes to the sea at last. I know 
 that you have always wanted it, but if I could have seen any 
 opening for you on land I would rather that you had taken to 
 it than have gone afloat. You see what it has done for me, 
 lad. It is a poor trade, though as long as it's war-time there 
 is excitement enough to make up for the shortness of the pay. 
 However, as I have told you many a time, there is no chance 
 whatever of my getting you a midshipman's berth. 
 
 " I have not the slightest influence at the admiralty, and the 
 navy has been so reduced since the war ended that they must 
 have fifty applications for every vacancy; besides, now that 
 there is no fighting to be done, I don't know that the merchant
 
 OFF TO SEA 13 
 
 service isn't the best, for it is dull work indeed being years on 
 a station when there is no chance of a brush with an enemy or 
 the capture of a prize. In the merchant service you can have 
 at least a change, and a smart young fellow who knows his 
 business and has gentlemanly manners, has much better chances 
 of coming to the front than he would have in the royal navy. 
 So I think the time has come when I must bring myself to 
 make a move in the matter. ' ' 
 
 " Thank you, father ; I know very well that in studying with 
 you I have learned a lot more than I should have done if I 
 had gone to sea two years ago ; but I do want to be working 
 and earning something, instead of being an expense to you, 
 and, as you know, I would prefer the sea to anything else." 
 
 " It is Hobson's choice, lad ; it is the sea or nothing. And 
 after all, I think the mercantile navy is as good a profession 
 as a lad can take to, that is if he has no influence to back him 
 on shore. I wrote a fortnight ago to a friend in London. 
 He is the owner of four or five vessels, and it happened, a 
 good many years ago now, that I recaptured one of them with 
 a valuable cargo that had been taken by a French privateer. 
 I was sent home in her, and when he came down to Plym- 
 outh, where I took her in, we became great friends. We 
 were about the same age, and the loss at that time would 
 have been a very serious one to him. I stayed with him once 
 or twice when I was in town. I have not seen him for some 
 years now one cannot afford to run about on a lieutenant's 
 half-pay but I remembered him the other day when I was 
 thinking things over in every light, and wrote to him. I told 
 him how we were situated, and asked him if he would put 
 you on board one of his ships, and this morning I had an 
 answer from him saying that he would gladly do so. He 
 said that he would take you as an apprentice without fees, 
 and that at any time, should anything better turn up, or you
 
 14 \VITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 see your way to getting into a firm with a larger fleet and 
 better chance of advancement, he would cancel your indent- 
 ures. No kinder offer could be made, and if you are willing 
 I will write this evening to accept the offer, and tell him that 
 I will go up with you in the hoy directly I hear from him 
 that you are wanted." 
 
 " Thank you very much, father; I am awfully glad that it 
 can be managed without expense, though I should be quite 
 willing to go before the mast and work my way up. ' ' 
 
 " I know you would, Steve, but it is much better to start 
 fair, for ship-owners prefer to take a young mate who has 
 regularly served as an apprentice than a man who has only 
 been trained before the mast; for although the latter may 
 have picked up enough to scrape through his examination, he 
 is rarely a good navigator, and works out his reckoning by 
 rule of thumb, which is all very well as long as the weather is 
 fine and he can get his observation at noon, but breaks down 
 directly it comes to having to depend upon a glimpse of the 
 moon through the clouds, or the chance of getting a star." 
 
 Lieutenant Embleton had been a dashing and gallant officer, 
 but his career in the service had been ruined by the fact that 
 he had served under Lord Cochrane, both in the Pallas, the 
 Imperieuse, and the Speedy. The latter was a little sloop 
 mounting fourteen four-pounder guns, in which not only did 
 Lord Cochrane capture many gun-boats and merchantmen, 
 but on the 6th of May, 1801, he took the Gamo, a Spanish 
 frigate, carrying six times as many men as the Speedy and 
 seven times her weight of shot, an exploit that so aroused the 
 jealousy of Earl St. Vincent that for a long time Lord Coch- 
 rane could not obtain employment. Three years later, when 
 Lord Melville succeeded St. Vincent as first lord of the ad- 
 miralty, Lord Cochrane was appointed to the Pallas, in 
 which he again did excellent service ; and distinguished him-
 
 OFF TO SEA 15 
 
 self still more when, in the Imperieuse, he attacked the whole 
 French fleet in the Basque Roads, driving three or four of 
 their battle-ships ashore, capturing three others, and compel- 
 ling the rest to take to flight. 
 
 But the honour and popular applause gained by Lord 
 Cochrane was, in the opinion of the authorities, more than 
 neutralized by his fearless exposure, from his place in Parlia- 
 ment, where he sat as one of the members for Westminster, 
 of the scandalous abuses then prevailing in the navy. All 
 attempts to silence him by the offers of valuable appointments 
 being in vain, Lord Cochrane was subjected to a persecution 
 altogether without precedent in parliamentary history. In the 
 court-martial which was held upon Lord Gambier for his 
 failure to assist Cochrane in the action in the Basque Roads, 
 the admiralty went so far as to forge charts, and so to show 
 that the admiral could not come to Cochrane's assistance, and 
 Gambier was not only acquitted, but received a vote of thanks 
 from the House of Commons for the victory in which he had 
 taken no part. For four years Lord Cochrane received no 
 appointment, but at the close of 1813 his uncle, Sir Alex- 
 ander Cochrane, was selected for the command of the fleet on 
 the North American station, and nominated Cochrane his flag 
 captain, an appointment resting entirely with him, and with 
 which government could not interfere. 
 
 He did not, however, sail, for just as he was about to em- 
 bark, a relation, who was engaged in stock exchange opera- 
 tions in conjunction with a foreign adventurer, carried out 
 some dishonest transactions, those who were his dupes believ- 
 ing that he was acting under information obtained from Lord 
 Cochrane. As soon as the latter heard a report of the affair 
 he left his ship, came up to London, and demanded an inves- 
 tigation. Then followed one of the most disgraceful parodies 
 of justice ever performed in this country. Lord Cochrane
 
 16 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 was arrested, tried, and by means of a partisan judge, false 
 evidence, and measures more unscrupulous even than those of 
 Judge Jeffreys, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment. A 
 servile House of Commons obeyed the orders of ministers to 
 expel him from their body. His name was struck off the 
 order of the Bath, and his insignia torn down from St. 
 George's Chapel with every mark of indignity. 
 
 Public indignation at the disgraceful means that had been 
 taken to secure his conviction rose to such a height, that it 
 was only by the persuasions of Lord Cochrane's friends that 
 a riot was prevented. The citizens of Westminster at once 
 re-elected him as their member, no one venturing to oppose 
 him. After remaining in prison for some months he effected 
 his escape and presented himself in the House of Commons. 
 He was seized and carried back to prison, where he was 
 thrown into a dungeon, and there kept until his health so 
 suffered that his persecutors, fearing that fatal consequences 
 would ensue, were obliged to place him in more wholesome 
 quarters. Here he remained until the conclusion of his year's 
 sentence. He then paid the fine of a thousand pounds, to 
 which he had also been sentenced, and on the very day of 
 his release from prison took his place in the House of Com- 
 mons, and resumed his work as one of the leaders of the re- 
 form party. 
 
 Eighteen months later he was subjected to fresh persecu- 
 tion, and was tried for his escape from prison and fined a 
 hundred pounds. A penny subscription was at once started, 
 and eleven hundred pounds collected in this way, afforded a 
 signal proof of the intensity of the feeling in his favour. This 
 sum was used to pay the fine, and to reimburse him for the 
 former fine to which he had been subjected. All Lord 
 Cochrane's efforts to obtain a new trial, or an expression of 
 an opinion from the House as to the illegality of the proceed-
 
 OFF TO SEA 17 
 
 ings of his judge, Lord Ellenborough, were ineffective, the 
 House, on each occasion when he brought the matter forward, 
 obeying the orders of ministers and voting against his motions 
 by an overwhelming majority. He had, however, the satis- 
 faction of knowing that the nation at large was heartily with 
 him, and recognised the gross injustice from which he had 
 been a sufferer. 
 
 The hostility upon the part of the admiralty and govern- 
 ment extended to those who had borne part in his glorious 
 exploits at sea, and Lieutenant Embleton was put on half-pay 
 after the action of the Imperieuse against the French fleet, and 
 found himself without any prospect of future employment, and 
 without even a chance of obtaining a nomination for his son 
 to a midshipman's berth. The blow was at first a very keen 
 one, but it was less bitterly felt after the conclusion of peace 
 and the great reduction of the navy, as his fate was only that 
 of thousands of other officers ; and he had now come to feel 
 that the effects of his wound, for which he received a small 
 addition to his half-pay, rendered him unfit for further ser- 
 vice, even could he have obtained an appointment. He had, 
 since leaving the navy, lived in a little cottage at Ramsgate, 
 where from his garden he could obtain a view of the sea and 
 the passing ships. The education of his son afforded him 
 employment for some hours a day. His favourite position 
 was on a bench in the garden, from which he could watch 
 through a telescope mounted on a tripod the passing ships, 
 criticise the state of their rigging and sails, and form conjec- 
 tures as to their destination. 
 
 It was a great pang to him to part with Stephen, but he felt 
 that he could no longer keep him by his side ; and he was 
 sure that the careful training he had given him in all nautical 
 matters would enable the lad to make his way in the mercan- 
 tile navy. A fortnight after his conversation with Steve, the
 
 18 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 lieutenant received a letter from his friend in London, saying 
 that one of his ships that had returned a fortnight before was 
 now unloaded, and would at once begin to fit out for a fresh 
 voyage, and it would be therefore as well for him to bring 
 Stephen up, so that he might have the advantage of seeing the 
 whole process of preparing a ship for sea. He gave a warm 
 invitation to Lieutenant Embleton to stay with him for a 
 week or two, and on the following day father and son went 
 on board a Ramsgate hoy, and thirty-six hours later arrived 
 in the port of London. They were warmly received by Mr. 
 Hewson. 
 
 " I think your boy is fortunate that the Tiger should be 
 the first ship he will sail in," he said that evening. " I regard 
 the captain as my best officer. He is a good seaman and a 
 capital navigator, and he is of a most kindly disposition ; 
 therefore, I can put the boy under him with the certainty 
 that he will be well treated and cared for. In the next 
 place, the Tiger does not, like my other ships, make regular 
 voyages to and from a foreign port, but carries on the business 
 of a trader among the East Indian islands. It is not every 
 one to whom such a business could be safely intrusted ; but I 
 have great confidence in Captain Finder. He is a good man 
 of business, thoroughly conscientious, and accustomed to the 
 ways of the treacherous natives of those islands. The Tiger 
 is more heavily armed than usual, and has more than once 
 beaten off the attacks of their piratical craft, and there is no 
 fear of Finder's being caught napping. 
 
 " She will in the first place take a cargo to Calcutta, re- 
 serving a portion of her hold for my goods for trading among 
 the islands. When she has landed her freight at Calcutta she 
 will cruise in the Archipelago for some months, as long, in 
 fact, as Finder finds that he can carry on a really good busi- 
 ness with the natives. Then she will return to Calcutta and
 
 OFF TO SEA 19 
 
 fill up with freight for her return voyage. Thus, you see, 
 your boy will gain a good deal of varied experience, and will 
 see, perhaps, as much adventure and excitement as he would 
 meet with in a score of ordinary voyages, and will have the 
 advantage of being under a kind commander, who will in- 
 struct him in the rudiments of navigation." 
 
 " Nothing could be better," Mr. Embleton said warmly. 
 " It is the voyage of all others that would be to the boy's taste, 
 and I shall be satisfied indeed at his being in such good 
 hands. As to navigation, it is practice only that he wants. 
 I have taught him all that I know myself, and he can take a 
 lunar, or work his reckoning out from a star observation, as 
 accurately as I could do it myself." 
 
 "Is that so, Mr. Embleton? I am glad indeed to hear 
 it. Then there is no doubt about the future of your boy, if 
 he is steady and industrious. I am pleased to hear it for my 
 own sake, if for nothing else; for although Finder's mates 
 are capital sailors, and in all other respects able officers, they 
 are not men of Finder's type. They can take, of course, a 
 rough observation at noon, and work it out by rule of 
 thumb and the aid of tables, but beyond that they can do 
 nothing. They have not received the education to enable 
 them to grapple with mathematical problems, even of the 
 simplest kind ; and although, in case of Finder falling sick, 
 they might manage under favourable circumstances to bring 
 the ship home, they would fare very badly if they had a long 
 spell of bad weather and could not get an observation at noon 
 for days or even weeks together. It will be a satisfaction to 
 me to know that in case of anything happening to the cap- 
 tain there is someone on board who could, in such a case, take 
 a lunar or shoot a star. Well, to-morrow morning we will go 
 down to the docks, and I will hand your boy over to Finder. 
 I should, of course, be very glad to have him here, but I
 
 20 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 think it is of great advantage to a boy to see everything done 
 from the first step. She is going to have an entirely new fit- 
 out both of standing and running rigging, so she has been 
 stripped entirely, and has nothing but her three lower masts 
 above the deck. ' ' 
 
 Accordingly, after breakfast next day Mr. Hewson sent 
 for a hackney-coach and they drove down to the docks. 
 
 "That is the Tiger," Mr. Hewson said as he stopped at 
 the side of a fine craft. " She is six hundred tons, three 
 years old, and a fast sailer. She is not much to look at at 
 present, but when she is in full dress she is a handsome 
 vessel. ' ' 
 
 " She looks fast," Mr. Embleton said. " And for myself, 
 I would rather command a craft of that size than one of 
 greater tonnage." 
 
 The Tiger at present certainly did not show to advan- 
 tage. Her deck was begrimed with dirt. A body of riggers 
 were at work in parcelling and serving with spun-yarn the 
 eyes of the shrouds. An officer in a rough canvas suit was 
 superintending the work. 
 
 "That is Mr. Staines, the first mate," Mr. Hewson said. 
 " He would not be happy if he was not on board from the 
 very first hour that the riggers were beginning their work. 
 Good morning, Mr. Staines!" he went on, raising his 
 voice. " Is Captain Finder on board ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir," the mate said, touching his cap, and then 
 went aft to the poop-cabin, from which the captain came out 
 as his visitor stepped on board. He also was in a working 
 suit. 
 
 " Good morning, Mr. Hewson ! " he said. " We are all 
 in the rough, you see. One hardly expects visitors on her 
 first day of fitting out. ' ' 
 
 " We all know that, captain. This is Lieutenant Embleton
 
 OFF TO SEA 21 
 
 of the royal navy, and this is his son, of whom I was speaking 
 to you two days ago. ' ' 
 
 " I am glad to meet you, sir," the captain said, shaking 
 hands with Mr. Embleton. " Every sailor knows you by 
 reputation as being one of Lord Cochrane's officers. It will 
 be a pleasure to me to do all I can for your son.^' 
 
 " You will find him very different to most of your appren- 
 tices, Finder. He has had the advantage of his father's 
 teaching, and, theoretically at any rate, he is already well up 
 in his work. When I tell you that he can take a lunar, or an 
 observation from a star, you may imagine that he will not re- 
 quire much teaching in navigation." 
 
 " I am glad indeed to hear it, Mr. Hewson heartily glad ; 
 there ought to be two men on board a ship who can do that, 
 for there is never any saying what might happen if there is 
 only one. It has made me anxious many a time, when we 
 had a bad spell of weather, as to how the Tiger would get on 
 if I happened to be washed overboard by a sea or killed by a 
 falling spar. Well, Master Embleton, I can see that I shall 
 have no difficulty in making a first-rate sailor of you. Have 
 you come to stay ? ' ' 
 
 "Yes, sir. My father thought it would be good for me 
 to be on board from the time the fitting-out began." 
 
 " Quite right, lad. You will then learn as much in a fort- 
 night as you would in a year at sea. I always make a point 
 of being here myself, and my first officer wouldn't allow any- 
 thing to prevent his seeing that everything was right from first 
 to last. But I don't think that you will be able to sleep on 
 board for the next fortnight." 
 
 " Of course not," Mr. Embleton said. " I intend to take 
 a lodging for him as close to the dock-gate as I can. Perhaps 
 you may know of a tidy place. ' ' 
 
 " He can't do better than lodge with us," the captain said.
 
 22 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " Mr. Staines and I always put up at the same place. We 
 give them notice when we are going to begin to fit out, and 
 they keep the rooms for us. We both slept there last night. 
 The house is kept by a nice clean woman, the widow of a 
 skipper who t was lost with his craft about ten years ago. I 
 have no doubt she can put the lad up too, and he can mess 
 with us. I will go round with him myself; till we get the 
 shrouds up, one is quite enough to look after the riggers. ' ' 
 
 "I thank you very much, captain. That will be in all 
 respects more pleasant for the boy than lodging by him- 
 self." 
 
 The matter was speedily arranged. Mr. Embleton then 
 took Stephen to a clothing shop and bought him two suits of 
 rough canvas. 
 
 " You will find it dirty work, Steve. There is no keeping 
 free of the tar. By the way, Captain Finder, I have not 
 ordered Steve's outfit yet, for I know that on some lines the 
 apprentices dress like midshipmen, on others they don't; so I 
 put it off until I saw you." 
 
 " I always like the apprentices on board my ship to be 
 dressed as midshipmen," the captain replied. "There will 
 only be three on board as far as I know. I make a point of 
 messing with my officers, and if there are only two or three 
 apprentices on board they take their meals with us, it does 
 them good ; and I don't at all approve of their mixing with 
 the men forward. I should say, Mr. Embleton, get him one 
 good suit for going ashore, another rougher suit for duty on 
 board, half-a-dozen duck suits for the tropics, and two or three 
 suits of dungaree for slipping on over the others when there 
 is dirty work to be done. The cap is sufficient to indicate 
 the officer. As for the rest of his outfit, your own experience 
 will tell you what is needed. Railton in Leadenhall Street is 
 a man I can recommend. He keeps the house badges for the
 
 OFF TO SEA 23 
 
 caps, and turns out his work well. I generally get my togs 
 there, and find him as cheap as anyone. ' ' 
 
 " Thank you ! I will take Steve with me as far as that in 
 the hackney-coach, and get him measured. Then he can be 
 back here again by the time you knock off for dinner, and will 
 then put on his slops and get to work." 
 
 Steve returned to the lodgings just as the captain and first 
 mate came in to dinner. Then he carried one of his canvas 
 suits down to the ship, put it on, and was soon at work having 
 his first lesson in seizing ropes. For a fortnight the work con- 
 tinued, and Stephen greatly pleased the captain and first mate 
 by his attention and willingness, working all the time as a 
 rigger's boy, and paying the greatest attention to all the 
 minutiae of the work. Saturday afternoons and Sundays he 
 spent at Mr. Hewson's, where his father was still staying, his 
 host refusing to listen to any talk of his leaving until the Tiger 
 sailed. Another four days were spent in planing decks and 
 painting inside and out. The work was scarcely finished when 
 the cargo began to come on board. As soon as this was the 
 case, the second and third mates and the other two appren- 
 tices joined. Like Mr. Staines, Towel and Pasley, the second 
 and third mates, had both made their way up from the fore- 
 castle ; both were active young men and good sailors, who had 
 laboriously mastered the very small amount of bookwork that 
 was needed, in addition to practical seamanship, to pass their 
 examinations, but who, like the majority of their class of that 
 time, knew nothing of navigation beyond taking a rough obser- 
 vation at mid-day and working it out by rule of thumb on the 
 tables. Mr. Staines presented Stephen to them. 
 
 "This is our new apprentice," he said; " his father is a 
 lieutenant in the royal navy, one of Lord Cochrane's men, and 
 a great friend of the owner. Stephen Embleton is the lad's 
 name, and some day he will make a fine officer. He has been
 
 24 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 at work here since the morning the riggers came on board, 
 and is not afraid to put his hands into the tar-pot, as you can 
 see from his appearance. He has learned a lot from his father, 
 so we won't have the trouble with him we generally do have 
 with Johnny-raws." 
 
 " That is right, youngster," the second mate said heartily ; 
 " if you will learn anywhere, you will learn here, for a better 
 captain never commanded a ship. No passengers, I hope, 
 Staines?" 
 
 " No ; I believe that the skipper has had two or three appli- 
 cations, but although the owner has no objection to his tak- 
 ing them, he considers the trouble is more than they are 
 worth. Of course, he would make something out of their 
 passage, but there would, almost certainly, be some cantan- 
 kerous beggars among them, and of course the table costs a 
 good deal more when there are passengers, especially as he 
 will have the apprentices to mess with him. I am sure I am 
 glad, indeed, that we sha'n't be bothered with them." 
 
 The other two apprentices were about Stephen's age. Both 
 had made one trip in the Tiger, and were at first a little 
 inclined to patronize the new-comer. The day before the 
 Tiger hauled out into the river, the owner and Mr. Embleton 
 came down to look over her. Great was the change that three 
 weeks had made in her appearance. Her deck was beautifully 
 white, the lofty spars well scraped and freshly varnished, and 
 the network of new rigging set her off to the greatest advan- 
 tage. The new suit of sails were all bent, and lay loose in 
 their gaskets ready for dropping. Four guns were ranged 
 along either side. 
 
 " She is a handsome craft indeed," Mr. Embleton said as 
 he stood on the wharf alongside, taking in every detail of her 
 outfit with the eye of a seaman. ' ' What are the guns twelve- 
 pounders ? ' '
 
 OFF TO SEA 25 
 
 " Yes, but there is a long eighteen down in the hold, which 
 will be mounted as a pivot as soon as she gets among the 
 islands. The others are well enough when you come to close 
 quarters, but the long gun generally keeps the pirates from 
 getting there; they don't like being peppered before they 
 come within fighting distance. I believe the captain would 
 rather part with all the other guns than sail without Long 
 Tom." 
 
 "That I would," Captain Finder, who had just joined, 
 remarked. " Five times has the pivot-gun made them sheer 
 off without venturing to come to close quarters ; and, indeed, 
 I have never had to loose the broadside guns but three times, 
 in each of which they came suddenly round the corner into a 
 bay where we were lying at anchor." 
 
 As they had had notice of the owner's intention to come 
 down, the officers were all in their new uniforms, and after 
 Captain Finder had shown his guests round the ship, they sat 
 down together to dinner in the cabin. 
 
 "You have plenty of freeboard, I see," Mr. Embleton 
 said, as, after returning on deck, he looked over the side. 
 
 " Yes, I never will load down my ships," Mr. Hewson 
 said, " and will never take cargo within twenty per cent, of 
 their full carrying power. I have as little as possible stowed 
 either quite forward or quite aft, so that they have not only 
 plenty of freeboard, but are buoyant in a heavy sea. I am 
 sure it pays. I don't insure my ships, and I have not lost 
 one in the last sixteen years. The insurance money saved 
 makes up for the loss of freight, and I have the satisfaction of 
 knowing that I have done all in my power to insure the safety 
 of my officers and men." 
 
 "And very good policy, Hewson," Mr. Embleton said 
 warmly. " I see scores of ships passing inside the Goodwins 
 so loaded down that I would not be on board in a heavy gale
 
 26 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 for all the money in the bank, and the state of their sails often 
 shows that they are badly cared for in all other respects. The 
 system of insurance is no doubt a good one, but it has been 
 so scandalously abused that it may safely be said that it has 
 largely increased the annual number of wrecks and loss of life. 
 Were it not for insurance, owners would, in their own interest, 
 be driven to see that their ships were made in every respect 
 seaworthy, well provided with gear of all kinds, well manned, 
 and above all, not overloaded. Insurances are responsible 
 for a large proportion of our marine disasters. ' ' 
 
 As, if the wind continued favourable, the Tiger would drop 
 down the river as soon as she got out of dock, which would 
 be at a very early hour the next morning, it was necessary 
 that Stephen should be on board that evening. He, how- 
 ever, went back with his father to Mr. Hewson's, spent the 
 afternoon at Exeter 'Change seeing the wild beasts, and re- 
 turned by eight o'clock to the ship. 
 
 The Tiger made a quick voyage to Calcutta. She rounded 
 the Cape without encountering bad weather, and was only 
 twice obliged to shorten sail during the whole passage. 
 Stephen enjoyed his life exceedingly. He was in the first 
 officer's watch, and became a great favourite with Mr. Staines. 
 He astonished his fellow -apprentices, as soon as they were 
 fairly on their way, by producing his quadrant and taking 
 observations at the same time as did the captain and mates ; 
 still more so when he took lunar and star observations, work- 
 ing them all out by figures instead of from the tables in the 
 nautical almanac. He found at first some little difficulty in 
 obtaining accuracy when the vessel was rolling, but he was 
 not long in overcoming this, and the captain found that he 
 was able to place the ship's position on the chart quite as cor- 
 rectly as he did himself. 
 
 " I would give a lot, Steve," the first mate said, when they
 
 OFF TO SEA 27 
 
 had been out a fortnight, " if I could work things out as you 
 do. I have gone over and over again to fellows who advertise 
 that they teach navigation, but it is of no use, I can't make 
 head or tail of all the letters and zigzigs and things. I have 
 tried and I have tried till my head ached, but the more I 
 study it the more fogged I get about it. There does not 
 seem to me to be any sense in the thing, and when I see you 
 sit down and figure away with all those letters and things, it 
 beats me altogether. ' ' 
 
 "It is not difficult when you have begun from the begin- 
 ning," Stephen said. " Of course, as my father wanted to 
 teach me navigation, he taught me just the things that led up 
 to the problems that you are talking about, so that it really 
 was not hard, but if I had to do any other sort of mathe- 
 matical questions I should be just as much puzzled as you are. 
 Then you see, my father explained every step as it came, and 
 as one led to another, I learnt them without meeting with any 
 one special difficulty ; but I can quite see that it would be 
 very hard for anyone to learn to work it out without having 
 been coached from the start. ' ' 
 
 " I shall never try again. I think I could find a port by 
 reckoning and the sun, but as for the moon and stars I give 
 them up altogether. There are hundreds of skippers, nay 
 thousands of them, who don't know more than I do." 
 * This was indeed the case, and the skilful navigators had 
 less advantage over experienced men who worked by rule of 
 thumb than is now the case, as the instruments were com- 
 paratively rough and the chronometers far less accurate than 
 at present, and even those most skilful in their use were well 
 satisfied if at the end of a long voyage they found that they 
 were within twenty miles of their reckoning. 
 
 "It is different work now, lad, to what it used to be two 
 years ago. Now one walks up and down the deck, and
 
 28 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 though there may be twenty sail in sight, one pays no more 
 attention to them than one would to as many sea-birds. 
 Then every sail was watched, and one was up in the tops 
 with one's glass twenty times a day, for there was no saying 
 whether it was a friend or an enemy. One's watch at night 
 was a watch then, for there was never any saying whether a 
 French privateer might not come looming out of the darkness 
 at any moment ; and if a vessel of about our size was made 
 out a mile off, it was all hands on deck, and cast the lashings 
 off the guns, and stand by till she was out of sight again. 
 Now one jogs along, and all that you have got to look out 
 for, is to see that you don't run foul of another craft, or let 
 one run foul of you. Yes, we had a rough time of it in those 
 days, and I ain't sorry that they are over." 
 
 " But you look out sharp for pirates when you are among 
 the islands, don't you, Mr. Staines? " 
 
 " Ay, lad; but when one sees a Malay pirate, there is no 
 mistaking her for anything else. At night it is generally a 
 stark calm, and whether one is lying idle, with the sails 
 hanging flat against the mast, or whether one is at anchor, 
 one knows that they can't come upon us under sail, and on a 
 still night one can hear the beat of their oars miles away. 
 There is never any fear of being surprised as long as there is 
 a hand wide awake and watchful on deck. Calms are the 
 greatest curse out there ; the ship lies sometimes for days, ay 
 and for weeks, with the water as smooth as grease, and every- 
 thing that has been thrown overboard floating alongside, and 
 the sun coming down until your brain is on the boil. ' ' 
 
 " You have storms sometimes, don't you? " 
 
 " Sometimes, not very often ; but when it does blow, it 
 blows fit to take your head off, and you have nothing to do 
 but to cruise under bare poles, and hope that nothing will 
 get in your way. There is one thing, they are not gales like
 
 OFF TO SEA 29 
 
 we have here, but cyclones, and instead of getting blown 
 along for hundreds of miles, you go round and round, so that 
 if there is no land within fifty miles of you when the storm 
 strikes, the chances are that you are safe. If you can but lie 
 to, you can manage at last to edge out of it on the side that 
 is furthest from land. A cyclone is no joke, I can tell you ; 
 but if you get warning enough to get your canvas stowed and 
 to send down your light spars, and have got a ship like the 
 Tiger under you in good trim, not too light, not too heavy, 
 you ought to be able to live through it. There is no better 
 sailor nor one more familiar with the islands than the skipper. 
 He is not fond of carrying on, and perhaps at times we think 
 him a little too prudent, but he generally turns out right ; any- 
 how, it is a fault on the right side. 
 
 "I have sailed under him fifteen years now. I was third 
 mate when I first joined his ship ; not this, you know, but 
 the old Gertrude. I have never had a cross word with him, 
 nor have the other two mates. He expects every man to do 
 his duty, as is right enough ; but if that is done well, every- 
 thing goes on smooth. I don't think that there are ten of the 
 crew who have not been with the skipper for years. When 
 we get back to port and the crew are paid off, it is always, 
 ' When will you want us again, captain ? ' and no matter 
 whether it is in a fortnight or in a couple of months, pretty 
 nearly every man will turn up." 
 
 "That speaks for itself, both as to the owner and the 
 skipper, and the mates too, Mr. Staines." 
 
 11 Well, we have not much to do with it. Unless a man 
 does his duty, and does it pleasantly and without cursing and 
 swearing, he won't make two voyages under the skipper; in- 
 deed he won't make one. Three years ago Towel was laid up 
 with a hurt he got on the voyage before, and we had to get a 
 new second mate at the last moment, for Pasley had not got
 
 30 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 his certificate then, and couldn't take Towel's place. The 
 man was highly recommended, and was a good sailor, but he 
 was a bully, and a foul-mouthed one, and the skipper put him 
 on shore at the Cape, and paid his passage home out of his own 
 pocket though I know the owner returned it to him after- 
 wards, and said that he had done quite right. I tell you, lad, 
 you are lucky in making your first voyage on board the Tiger, 
 for, putting aside everything else, I don't know a single ship, 
 except Hewson's, where the apprentices mess with the master 
 and mates, and are treated as they are here. 
 
 " I daresay you wonder why some of us have not been 
 apprentices, but it is only the last two or three years that 
 Hewson's ships have carried them. Before that there was 
 always a fourth mate to each of his ships, so that there were 
 two officers in each watch ; but the ships have such a good 
 name, and the owner had so many applications from friends 
 with sons who wanted to go to sea, that three years ago he 
 made the change. But he is mighty particular who he takes, 
 and all his indentures contain a clause that unless the reports 
 by the captains they sail under are favourable, the owner has 
 the right of returning the premium he received and of cancel- 
 ling the indentures. I can tell you, lad, that if every owner 
 took as much pains for the comfort of his officers and crews 
 as Mr. Hewson does, Jack would have a deal better life than 
 is now the case. ' '
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 31 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 
 
 THE stay at Calcutta was a short one, and as soon as the 
 cargo for that port was unladen, the Tiger again sailed. 
 The apprentices had a run ashore, but each had gone with one 
 of the mates, as in so large a city the boys, if alone, might 
 well have got into trouble. Stephen went with the first mate, 
 and was glad at the arrangement, as Mr. Staines had fre- 
 quently been there before and knew the town well, and 
 Stephen therefore saw a great deal more of it than he would 
 have done had he been alone. He was delighted with the 
 native bazaar, and would have laid out much of his spare cash 
 there, had not Mr. Staines prevented him. 
 
 "Time enough when you get back, Stephen. But if you 
 have got any money to spend you had better go with me to a 
 stall where, the last two voyages I have been here, I laid in a 
 stock of articles useful for trading with the Malays looking- 
 glasses, beads, brass buttons, bright handkerchiefs, and things 
 of that sort. I don't say but that one might get them cheaper 
 in London ; but in the first place, one always finds plenty of 
 things there to spend one's money on ; and in the second 
 place, the people here know exactly the sort of goods needed 
 in the islands, and one can get them all at one stall instead of 
 having to hunt about in a dozen shops for them. We are each 
 allowed to trade on our own account up to a certain amount ; 
 and, as a rule, I find that when I get back here I can sell the 
 curiosities I buy down in the islands for about four times as 
 much as the goods cost me, so if you do the same you will 
 have more money to buy things with here than if you bought 
 them now. But for most of the things you pick up you will
 
 32 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 find you can get a much better price in London than you can 
 here." 
 
 " What sort of things do you buy there, Mr. Staines? " 
 
 " The skins of birds, carved wood-work, Malay arms, models 
 of canoes, and things of that kind. The bird skins are the 
 best, especially if you know anything about them. I have 
 got as much as two or three pounds for a rare skin that I ex- 
 changed for a twopenny looking-glass and half a dozen brass 
 buttons, but of course that was an exceptional case ; for, as a 
 rule, they will average two or three shillings apiece. You had 
 better buy a big pot of arsenical soap, which acts as a preserv- 
 ative to keep away insects, also two or three air-tight tin 
 boxes ; they will hold the things you buy here, and you can 
 fill them with trade goods." 
 
 Steve took the advice, and expended four out of the five 
 pounds his father had given him on sailing. The mate laid 
 out twenty pounds in similar purchases, and then they re- 
 turned to the ship, which was anchored a mile down the riv- 
 er, followed by three coolies carrying their purchases. The 
 other apprentices similarly laid out their spare cash. 
 
 " You have done well, lads," the captain said, as they were 
 at dinner on the evening before sailing. " You must not ex- 
 pect to make a very great deal by your trading, although, no 
 doubt, you will get a handsome return for your money. To 
 do really well you must have some knowledge of what birds 
 are rare and what are common, and I should advise you when 
 we get home to spend any time that you have to spare in vis- 
 iting the Museum and examining the birds there. No doubt 
 you will be able to find out from one of the attendants which 
 are rare ones, and might be able to consult some books on the 
 subject. You may have the luck to come across skins that 
 are altogether new; and, at any rate, a little knowledge would 
 enable you to exchange your goods to a very much greater
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 33 
 
 advantage than you could otherwise do. A knowledge of that 
 kind is always useful to a sailor, who in his wanderings 
 may well get from the natives rare and valuable specimens in 
 natural history, and there are always plenty of collectors ready 
 to pay good prices for them. I have often regretted that I 
 did not pay attention to such matters when I was young ; for 
 besides paying well, it gives a great interest to visits to little- 
 known places, and I have heard of two or three captains who 
 have made a good deal of money by it." 
 
 For two months after getting among the islands no serious 
 adventures were met with. Trading went on steadily. Several 
 times large native craft were seen, but these sheered off when 
 they saw that the Tiger was well armed and prepared for 
 defence. As most of the places touched at had been visited 
 by the captain on previous voyages, the natives hailed his 
 return with expressions of apparent pleasure ; but however 
 friendly their bearing, there was never any abatement of the 
 vigilance by the captain and his officers. Only a certain 
 number were allowed to come on board to trade. The seamen 
 always carried cutlasses by their side and a brace of pistols in 
 their belts, and even when they went ashore for wood or water 
 two boats were always sent, half the men with loaded muskets 
 keeping guard while the others worked, and the guns of the 
 ship were loaded and trained in readiness to open fire in case 
 of any hostile demonstration on the part of the natives. Occa- 
 sionally, when a chief had paid a visit to the ship and invited 
 the captain to a feast on shore, a strong guard armed to the 
 teeth accompanied him, and a boat lay by the ship's side in 
 readiness to land another party if necessary. 
 
 " They are the most treacherous race on earth," the cap- 
 tain said one day when the third officer remarked that they 
 seemed very friendly. " You can never trust them for a 
 moment ; they will shake hands with you with one hand and 
 3
 
 34 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 stab you with the other. Numbers of ships' companies have 
 been massacred owing to the captains putting faith in appear- 
 ances, and allowing too many of the copper-coloured scoundrels 
 to get on board at once. As long as you make a rule that not 
 more than twenty or thirty can come on the deck, and that 
 all boats must keep at a distance, you are safe, but you must 
 never let yourself be caught napping. I have had one or two 
 very narrow escapes, for it is twenty-five years now since I 
 first came among these islands. 
 
 " I had just passed as a third mate when I made my first 
 voyage here. The captain was an easy-going man, and was 
 quite taken in by the appearance of friendliness on the part of 
 the natives. The first mate, too, was a good sailor, but new 
 to the islands, and too fond of his grog; but luckily the 
 second mate had been here before. His ship had once been 
 attacked and nearly half the men killed before they could 
 beat the Malays overboard, and he was always in a fidget. 
 
 " I was only about twenty at the time, and, like a young 
 fool, thought that it was pure cowardice on his part ; how- 
 ever, at his earnest request I carried a brace of double- 
 barrelled pistols in my pocket, and, unknown to the captain 
 and the first mate, he persuaded a dozen of the crew to do 
 the same, and got the captain to let him keep the cannon 
 loaded with grape, though the latter made no secret that he 
 regarded this precaution as altogether uncalled for. The 
 natives came on board as usual, at first only two or three 
 canoe loads, but gradually the number of Malays on deck 
 became larger and larger, and quite a crowd of boats were 
 clustered round. I could see that Pearson, the second mate, 
 was in a fidget ; he glanced at me significantly two or three 
 times, and I began to think myself that he might be right. 
 We were both of us engaged in bartering with the natives, 
 and I noticed that" Pearson put the goods under his charge
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 35 
 
 close to one side of the deck, so that standing behind them 
 he leant against the bulwark and could not be taken in rear. 
 I ordered a couple of the men to move my lot also. Both of 
 those I spoke to were, I knew, among those Pearson had per- 
 suaded to carry pistols in their pockets. 
 
 " 'I don't like the look of things, Mr. Finder,' one of 
 them, an old hand, whispered to me. 
 
 " 'No more do I, Jack,' I said. 'Just slip below and 
 bring up four of those boarding-axes. Put one of them 
 down among Mr. Pearson's goods and make a sign to him 
 that it is for his use, put the other three down in front of me, 
 and then do you and Bob Hawkins take your places between 
 me and Mr. Pearson, as if you were going to lend us a hand 
 with the trade ; then if there is a shindy the four of us will be 
 able to make a hard fight of it anyhow.' 
 
 " He did as I told him, and the second officer nodded to 
 me approvingly. Things went on quietly for another five 
 minutes, then I heard a heavy blow given, followed by a 
 fall ; and, as if this was the signal, the quiet crowd of 
 natives became in a moment a mob of yelling fiends ; screams 
 filled the air, pistol-shots rang out, and you may guess we fell 
 to work, in earnest. I fancy we did not throw away a shot 
 between us, and cleared a space in front of us, then snatching 
 up the axes we made at them tooth and nail. We first fought 
 our way aft. The first mate was fighting like a demon ; he 
 had caught up a handspike, and, being a very powerful man, 
 kept off his assailants fairly till we cut our way through and 
 joined him. The moment he was free from the group that 
 was attacking him, he rushed forward, sweeping the natives 
 over with his handspike like ninepins. Two of us kept on 
 each side of him. There was just breadth enough on the 
 deck to give free play to our axes, and though the Malays 
 came at us furiously, they could not stand the blows of our
 
 36 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 heavy weapons. The cook and the steward came rushing up 
 behind us. 
 
 "'Turn the cannon on the canoes!' Pearson shouted. 
 ' Depress them as much as you can, and give it them hot.' 
 
 " I had no time to look round, but half a minute later I 
 heard one of the cannon go off, followed by yells and screams 
 from the water. 
 
 " 'Train two of them along the deck,' I shouted, 'but 
 don't fire until you have orders.' 
 
 " The Malays were swarming up from the canoes and join- 
 ing the crowd in front of us, and I saw a rush of some of our 
 fellows up on to the top of the forecastle. We could make 
 no way now, and it was as much as we could do to hold our 
 own. I fought on until I thought the guns were ready ; then, 
 looking round, saw the two men standing behind them with 
 lighted matches. 
 
 " ' The cannon are trained to sweep the deck, Conklin ! ' 
 but it was not until I touched him and shouted in his ear 
 again that the mate heard me. 
 
 " ' Now ! ' Pearson yelled, ' throw yourselves on to them, 
 cut down one or two of the rascals, and when I shout ' Run ! ' 
 get back behind the guns. ' 
 
 " The thought of what was coming gave us fresh strength. 
 We went at them with a will, and drove them back a couple 
 of yards. Then Pearson shouted ' Run ! ' and back we went 
 aft as hard as we could tear, Pearson and I almost dragging 
 Conklin with us. As we passed between the guns, with the 
 Malays close at our heels, both men fired ; the guns were 
 crammed almost to the mouth with bullets, and the execution 
 was awful. In a moment we dashed at them again, while the 
 men forward, who had armed themselves with the capstan- 
 bars, ran down the ladder and fell upon them. In another 
 minute it was all over. The Malays who remained alive
 
 "WE WENT AT THE TREACHEROUS MALAYS WITH A WILL AND DROVE 
 THEM BACK."
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 37 
 
 sprang over the bulwark, and we discharged the remaining 
 five cannons into the canoes, smashing up numbers of them, 
 and the rest paddled for the shore for their lives. We had 
 time now to look around. It was an awful sight. Over 
 fifty Malays lay dead, together with eleven of our men, be- 
 sides the captain. If it had not been for Pearson not a soul 
 would have lived to tell the tale. After it was over, we 
 found that, as the crowds on deck had increased, most 
 of our old hands, who were the men that had taken the 
 pistols, had gradually gathered near the forecastle. Some 
 of the others had joined them, and when the outbreak 
 came, they had for a time been able to make a stout resist- 
 ance, until one of their number, who was on the forecastle 
 when the fight began, shouted to them that we were train- 
 ing the cannon forward, and they then made a rush up and 
 joined him. 
 
 " Every man who had been among the natives had been 
 cut down at the first alarm. Out of the twenty-eight hands 
 on board when the fight began only sixteen remained. Many 
 of these had desperate wounds from the Malay creases, and 
 two of them died a day or two afterwards. Conklin had been 
 very badly cut about. None of the wounds ought to have 
 been dangerous, but he had heated his blood by drink, and 
 that in a hot climate is fatal, so we buried him ten days after 
 the fight. Thus, you see, we lost two officers and thirteen 
 men, and all for want of taking precautions. Of course we 
 sailed at once for Calcutta, and luckily had fine weather on 
 the way ; we should have fared badly with but half a crew 
 had we fallen in with a hurricane. Pearson was a good 
 navigator, and, after taking six more hands on board at 
 Calcutta, he brought her home safely. The owners made 
 us both handsome presents, and the next voyage he sailed as 
 first mate and I as second. So it turned out a lucky stroke
 
 38 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 for both of us. Three years later he went as captain, and a 
 year afterwards I sailed as his first mate." 
 
 " When was it you had your other adventure, captain? " 
 " That was in the year before. I did not sail with Pearson 
 that year, for he was promoted suddenly to a ship ready to 
 sail. It was a piece of luck for him. One of the owners 
 went down to the docks late one afternoon and found the 
 captain blind drunk. So he was sent straight on shore, and 
 Pearson got his billet. I was very sorry that I could not go 
 with him, as after that business we became great friends, and 
 in his report of the affair he gave me more credit than I 
 deserved for my idea of getting those hatchets up, which, he 
 said, alone enabled us to make a successful defence. I had 
 the more cause to regret his transfer, since the captain was an 
 obstinate man, as we found out during the voyage, and just 
 as much inclined to treat the natives with contempt as my 
 former skipper had been. However, the man appointed to 
 take Pearson's place as first mate was a sharp fellow, and 
 lucky he was so. We were lying one night in a harbour 
 where the natives had appeared particularly friendly the day 
 before. Purvis, the mate, suggested to the captain that it 
 would be as well to have the watches kept as if at sea, but the 
 old man pooh-poohed the idea. 
 
 "'I don't like it,' the mate said to me; ' those fellows 
 were too friendly. They did not bargain over the goods, but 
 took them at our own terms, which is not their way. I be- 
 lieve they did it just to lull us into a sense of security. As 
 soon as the skipper turns in for the night I will get the guns 
 quietly loaded, and you and I will keep watch, while I will 
 order the crew to turn in all standing, so as to be ready to 
 tumble out at once. It is mighty hard to keep awake on 
 these soft nights when the anchor is down, and with neither 
 you nor I on deck the betting is two to one that the hands on
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 39 
 
 anchor watch will drop off to sleep. The skipper will be 
 snoring by ten o'clock, and you had better turn in now. I 
 will see to getting the guns loaded, and to having plenty 
 of ammunition handy. I will call you at four bells. If we 
 are going to be attacked it is likely to be just as day is break- 
 ing.' 
 
 " 'You had better call me at two bells,' I said, 'and then 
 you can get three hours' sleep and be up at eight bells. It 
 won't begin to get light until after that, and you may be sure 
 that if I hear any sound I will wake you at once.' 
 
 "So we arranged it, and at one o'clock he came down 
 quietly. I had only taken off my shoes and carried these in 
 my hand, so as to avoid making any noise that might wake 
 the skipper, as I went out on deck. 
 
 " ' Everything is quiet,' the mate said, 'and has been ever 
 since you turned in. Even that is not natural, for, as you 
 know, the natives when they have been doing a trade gen- 
 erally keep on feasting and making a row half the night. 
 Keep your ears well open, for there is no trusting the watch. 
 Every time I have gone forward I have found them sound 
 asleep. Naturally they think that, as there is only an anchor 
 watch, there can be no fear of disturbance ; so you must trust 
 to your own ears and not to theirs.' 
 
 " ' All right ! ' I said ; ' I will keep awake never fear.' 
 
 " I think if I had not been confident that the first mate was 
 not the man to take alarm easily, I should have had difficulty 
 in keeping my eyes open, for the night was sultry and not a 
 breath of air was moving. I went forward to the two men on 
 watch and told them that they must keep a sharp look-out, 
 for that it was likely enough we might be attacked before 
 morning. Then I lit my pipe and paced up and down the 
 deck, stopping occasionally to listen intently. It was nearly 
 eight bells when I thought I heard a grating sound on shore.
 
 40 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 I walked forward and found, as I expected, that the two men 
 on watch were half-asleep. ' Wake up, you fools ! ' I said ; 
 ' there is something moving.' Again I heard the low grating 
 sound. 
 
 " ' Did you hear that? ' I asked. 
 
 " The men were wide awake now. 
 
 " 'Yes, sir, I heard a noise; but I don't know what it 
 was.' 
 
 " ' They are launching their canoes,' I said. ' I will call 
 the first officer.' 
 
 " I went aft. Purvis woke directly I touched him. 
 
 "'I fancy they are launching their canoes,' I said. 'I 
 have twice heard a grating sound.' 
 
 " He was up in a moment. We stood listening intently 
 for some minutes. There was certainly a movement on shore, 
 but it was difficult to say of what kind. It was just a low 
 confused murmur. 
 
 " 'You are are right,' the mate said presently; 'look at 
 the water.' 
 
 " For a moment I scarcely understood him ; then I saw 
 what he meant. It had been as smooth as oil before ; it was 
 no longer so, but it was broken with tiny ripples as if dis- 
 turbed by the faintest possible breeze. 
 
 " ' These ripples must be made by launching the canoes,' 
 he went on. ' A strong body of men might carry them 
 almost noiselessly down that sandy beach and put them in 
 the water without making a splash, but the stir made in 
 wading and in lowering them down, however quietly, would 
 break up this glassy surface, and the ripples once started 
 would run out here. Anyhow we will get the men out. 
 Tell them to come noiselessly. We will serve out the arms 
 and ammunition to them, but we won't load the guns till we 
 have something more to go upon. It may be some time be-
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 41 
 
 fore they attack. I think it is likely enough that they will 
 wait until they hear the boats which I have no doubt they 
 have sent for coming up, before they make a move.' 
 
 " ' Shall I wake the skipper? ' 
 
 " ' Certainly not. As likely as not he would blow us all 
 up and send the men back to their bunks again. He has 
 made up his mind that there is no danger, and the obstinate 
 beggar would risk our having all our throats cut rather than 
 own there was any ground for alarm.' 
 
 " I went into the forecastle and roused the men, warning 
 them to muster as quietly as possible. Half an hour passed 
 without the slightest sound being heard. Then the men 
 fidgeted and whispered together, and were evidently of opin- 
 ion that they had been turned out on a false alarm. 
 
 " ' Hush, men ! ' Purvis said sharply, ' I can hear some- 
 thing. ' 
 
 " You could have heard a pin drop in a moment, and I be- 
 lieve every man held his breath. There was a sort of quiver 
 in the air rather than a sound, and Watkins the boatswain, 
 who had been years and years in vessels trading among the 
 islands, said : ' You are right, Mr. Purvis, that is sweeps ; 
 and what is more, it is not one boat, but I should say half a 
 dozen.' 
 
 " ' That is what I think,' the mate said. ' How far off 
 should you say they were ? ' 
 
 " ' It is difficult to tell. I should say three or four miles. 
 That is the best of these proas. A canoe, if the men take 
 pains with their paddling, will come within a hundred yards 
 of you before you hear them, but as the proas row oars, you 
 can make them out a long way off on a still night like this. ' 
 
 " ' Well, we will wait a few minutes longer before we wake 
 the skipper,' Purvis said to me. ' He will swear that he does 
 not hear any noise at all, and that it is all our fancy. In
 
 42 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 ten minutes there will be no mistaking it. Watkins, you had 
 better get up that boarding-netting ' for among these islands 
 all the ships carry them, and very useful they are in repelling 
 an attack. 
 
 " ' I have got it handy,' the boatswain said, and soon 
 brought it on deck. ' Shall we lash it up, sir? " 
 
 " No ; we had better wait till the captain comes out. It 
 won't take above a couple of minutes, especially if you run it 
 all along by the bulwarks.' 
 
 " In a few minutes the sound of the oars was unmistakable, 
 and Purvis went in to call the captain. 
 
 " ' What is it? ' the skipper said as the mate knocked. 
 
 " 'There are five or six proas coming towards us, sir, and 
 we have reason to believe that the canoes on shore are all 
 launched and ready to attack us.' 
 
 " ' 1 believe it is all nonsense,' the skipper said angrily as 
 he came from his door. ' You are always fidgeting about 
 pirates, Mr. Purvis.' 
 
 " He came out on deck, listened a moment, and then said : 
 ' Stuff and nonsense ! What, have you got the men out ? 
 Send them to their bunks at once ! ' 
 
 " ' With the greatest respect to you, sir, I shall do nothing 
 of the sort, and if I did the men would not obey me. They 
 can all hear the proas, and we are not going to submit to 
 have our throats cut tamely. Mr. Pinder thoroughly agrees 
 with me, and so does the boatswain, that these proas can be 
 coming for no good purpose at this time of night, and it were 
 madness not to be ready for them. What do you say, Mr. 
 Pinder ? ' 
 
 " ' I entirely agree with you, sir,' I replied. 
 
 " ' This is rank mutiny ! ' the skipper said furiously. 
 
 " ' I would rather be tried for mutiny than have my throat 
 cut here. Now, sir, will you give orders, or shall I ? '
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 43 
 
 " ' I will give no orders,' the captain said. ' In the morn- 
 ing I will have you put in irons.' 
 
 " Purvis, giving a short laugh, turned on his heel. ' My 
 lads,' he said, ' you have heard the sound of the oars, and 
 know as well as I do that we shall shortly be attacked, and 
 shall have to fight hard for our lives. The captain is of opin- 
 ion that we are all mistaken, and wants us to turn in again. 
 What do you say ? Will you have your throats cut or 
 not?' 
 
 " There was an angry growl from the sailors. 
 
 " ' Very well, then, set to work and load the guns ball at 
 first, but keep your grape handy, we shall want it before we 
 have done. Do it quietly ; it is as well these fellows on shore 
 should not know what we are up to. As soon as you have 
 loaded, rig up the boarding-nettings.' 
 
 " In a moment all was bustle. There was no need to run 
 the guns in, for that was already done, the captain insisting 
 upon our always having the ports closed, in order, as he said, 
 that the natives might see that our intentions were perfectly 
 friendly. Consequently, the men were enabled to load the 
 guns without noise, moving about the deck on their naked 
 feet like shadows. Then the boarding-nettings were triced 
 up, arms distributed amongst the men, each having a board- 
 ing-pike, a cutlass, and a brace of pistols. By the time that 
 this was done, we judged by the sound of the sweeps that the 
 pirates were not more than a mile away. Lanterns were got 
 up on deck and placed in readiness to be lighted and run up 
 to the yard-arm, so as to throw some light down on the water. 
 
 " ' Now, we will call the old man again. Obstinate as he 
 is he can't help hearing the oars now, and I know that he is 
 plucky enough, and will fight the ship well as soon as he is 
 once convinced that there is danger.' 
 
 " We went together to the skipper's.
 
 44 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " ' Captain,' Purvis said in a loud voice, ' Finder and I 
 have come to tell you that the proas are within a mile of us, 
 and to ask you to take the command and fight the ship.' 
 
 " We heard the skipper tumble out of his bunk again with 
 an angry exclamation. He opened the door without a word 
 and went straight up on to the poop. He listened a moment, 
 and then ran down again. 
 
 " ' I beg your pardon, Mr. Purvis,' he said hastily, ' but I 
 have been wrong, and there is no doubt we are going to be 
 attacked. I am heartily sorry for what I have said, and I 
 thank you for your watchfulness.' 
 
 " ' Say no more about it, captain. We are ready to begin 
 as soon as you give the orders. ' 
 
 " ' I will throw on some things and be out again in a 
 minute ; ' and in less than that time he turned out again. 
 
 " ' You have the guns loaded ? ' he asked. 
 
 " 'Ay, ay, sir, and the boarding-nettings up.' 
 
 " ' Can you make them out yet ? ' 
 
 " ' No, sir. By the sound, they are keeping close in to 
 the shore. I have got the kedge anchor in a boat. Shall I 
 lower it and row a couple of ship's-lengths and drop it there, 
 then we can warp her round, so as to bring all our guns to 
 bear ? I deferred doing that to the last, so that the fellows 
 on shore should not know we were on the alert.' 
 
 " ' Yes ; do so at once, Mr. Purvis.' 
 
 " The boatswain and two hands were at once called to the 
 boat, which was then lowered and rowed off in the direction 
 the mate pointed out. The anchor was let drop, and the 
 boat returned to the ship, paying out the hawser over the 
 stern. The captain had taken his place on the forecastle, and 
 was looking anxiously ahead. 
 
 "'I see them,' he exclaimed at last; 'they are coming 
 out from behind that low point half a mile away. Haul on
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 45 
 
 the hawser and bring her broadside to bear on them. Get 
 the guns across to the starboard side, Mr. Finder.' 
 
 " The ship was pierced for eight guns a side, and by the 
 time the ship was swung round, they were all in position. 
 The proas, now no more than a quarter of a mile away, were 
 heading straight for us. 
 
 " ' Take a steady aim, lads,' the captain said, ' and fire as 
 soon as you are sure of your shot.' 
 
 " In quick succession the guns spoke out. At the reports 
 wild yells broke from the proas, and from the shore, now 
 astern of us. 
 
 " ' Load as quick as you can with grape,' the captain 
 shouted. 
 
 " There had been five proas when the first gun was fired, 
 but before we had reloaded one had disappeared, and there 
 was shouting and confusion in one of the others. It was 
 evident that she also was in difficulties. 
 
 " ' Don't fire until I give the word.' 
 
 " The three proas were within fifty yards of us when he 
 gave the order, and the eight guns poured their contents into 
 the crowded decks. The effect was terrible. Two of the 
 proas ceased rowing altogether, and some of the oars of the 
 other dropped into the water and hampered the efforts of those 
 who still continued to row. 
 
 " ' The port watch will repel boarders. The starboard 
 watch will load again,' the captain ordered. 
 
 " There was way enough on the proas to bring them all 
 alongside, but either the men at the steering oars were all 
 killed or they had lost their heads, for, instead of bringing 
 them up alongside, they simply came up bows on. As they 
 struck the side the Malays tried to climb up, but, attacking as 
 they did only at three points, our men had little difficulty in 
 keeping them off, thrusting through the nettings with their
 
 46 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 boarding-pikes, and giving the Malays no time to attempt to 
 chop down the nettings with their creases. 
 
 " ' Are you all loaded ? ' the captain shouted. 
 
 " ' Ay, ay, sir,' came from the guns. 
 
 " ' Train them so as to take the proas between wind and 
 water,' the captain said ; ' then run the port guns back to 
 their places ; we shall be attacked on that side directly.' 
 
 " The sea indeed was sparkling with phosphoric fire, as a 
 crowd of canoes from the shore paddled out towards us. The 
 steward now lit and ran up half a dozen lanterns. We got the 
 guns over in time, but before we could load them the Malays 
 were swarming up the side. 
 
 " ' Take three men, Finder, and load the guns,' cried the 
 captain ; ' we will keep these fellows off. ' 
 
 " The same order was given to the boatswain with regard 
 to the guns on the starboard side. It was exciting work, for 
 spears were flying in showers, stink-pots were hurled over the 
 nettings, and the yelling and shouting were deafening. Our 
 men were sticking to their pikes, for they had been ordered to 
 keep their pistols in reserve in case the pirates obtained a foot- 
 ing on deck. There were two little guns on the poop, and 
 when I had loaded the guns on the port side the captain sent 
 me up to load these. I crammed them with bullets up to the 
 muzzle, and then ran them to the poop railing, and placed 
 one of the hands there with a lighted match. We had a 
 tough ten minutes of it, and if the canoes had come up at the 
 same time as the proas it would have gone hard with us; but 
 the last broadside that had been poured in had sunk two of the 
 big craft, and the other had drifted away, so that, in fact, we 
 had only the shore canoes to cope with. We had hard work 
 to keep them back, but none of the natives managed to cross 
 the netting along the waist of the ship, though a few shoved 
 themselves through holes that they hacked with their creases.
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 47 
 
 " Some managed to swarm up by the cable on to the bows, 
 but three men who were stationed there disposed of them be- 
 fore enough could gain a footing to be dangerous. The cap- 
 tain had been keeping the guns in reserve in case the proa that 
 had dropped behind at first should come on, but he now saw 
 that she was low in the water, and that many of the Malays 
 were jumping overboard. He therefore shouted out : 
 
 ' ' ' Give them both broadsides. Aim into the thick of 
 them. ' 
 
 "That broadside settled it; seven or eight of their big 
 canoes were smashed up ; several of the others turned and 
 paddled to the shore ; and a moment later, the men who were 
 attacking us leapt into the boats alongside and followed their 
 example. 
 
 "' Load as quickly as you can,' the captain cried, 'and 
 give them a parting salute. ' We ran the two little quarter- 
 deck guns over and peppered them with bullets, and the other 
 guns joined in as soon as they were reloaded. 
 
 " That finished the matter. Our loss was not heavy, con- 
 sidering what a hard fight it had been. We had but two 
 killed, and seven or eight wounded by their spears ; while 
 they must have suffered frightfully. In the morning the cap- 
 tain called the crew aft, and made a speech thanking them for 
 their conduct, and saying that they owed their safety and that 
 of the ship to the first mate and myself, and that the night's 
 work would be a lesson that he should never forget. He pri- 
 vately said the same thing to us, and there was no doubt that 
 it was the first mate who saved the ship. 
 
 " This and the other affair were a lesson to me as well as to 
 the captain. No matter how friendly the natives might ap- 
 pear, from that day I have never anchored among the islands 
 without having half my guns double-shotted, and the other 
 half loaded with grape ; and there is always an officer and
 
 48 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 half a watch on deck, so that, whatever happens to us, it will 
 not be because I have been caught napping. On both those 
 occasions the captains well-nigh lost ship and crew by their 
 carelessness. ' ' 
 
 For several weeks they cruised among the islands bartering 
 goods with the natives of sea-coast villages. At most of these 
 the captain had touched on previous voyages, and as soon as 
 the ship was recognized the canoes came off freely. Stephen 
 gradually got rid of the goods he had purchased at Calcutta. 
 Knowing nothing of the respective value of the bird skins, he 
 was guided simply by their rarity. Of skins of which num- 
 bers were brought on board, he bought none, however brill- 
 iant the plumage ; but whenever he saw one that was new to 
 him he at once made an offer for it. But as this was seldom, 
 his box filled but slowly, until one day he went ashore with 
 the captain, the first mate, and twelve sailors armed to the 
 teeth, to pay a visit to the chief. On the few occasions on 
 which he had landed he always carried with him a hand-bag 
 filled full of trade goods. On the present occasion, after the 
 feasting had gone on for some time, he stole out from the 
 chief's hut. The men were sitting down in front drinking 
 palm wine, but keeping a vigilant eye upon the movements of 
 the natives. Presently one of the Malays came up to him and 
 touched his bag, as if to ask what were its contents. He 
 brought out two or three small looking-glasses, some large 
 brass necklaces, and a few of the cheap bangles and rings set 
 with coloured glass, used by the Hindoo peasant women. The 
 native pointed to a hut near, and beckoned to Steve to follow 
 him. 
 
 "Jim, you may as well come with me," Stephen said to 
 one of the sailors. " I think this fellow wants to trade with 
 me ; but they are treacherous beggars, and I don't care about 
 going with him by myself."
 
 IN THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 49 
 
 The sailor got up and followed him across to the hut. The 
 Malay was evidently a chief of some importance, and Stephen 
 thought that he might be possessed of articles of a better class 
 than those usually offered. In one corner of the hut stood a 
 seaman's chest with several small cases round it. It needed 
 but a glance to show that the latter were two chronometers 
 and three quadrants. 
 
 " The scoundrels have been plundering a ship, Jim." 
 
 ' ' Ay, ay, your honour, there is not much doubt about that. 
 I should like to knock the black villain on the head." 
 
 The chief caught the tone of anger, and made a variety of 
 signs to the effect that there had been a great storm, and that 
 a ship had been driven ashore and wrecked. 
 
 " Ay, ay, that is all very well," the sailor growled ; " but 
 that won't do for us. Those chronometers would never have 
 floated, and them polished cases have never been in the water." 
 
 " Never mind, Jim ; it won't do to look suspicious." He 
 pointed to the chronometers, and asked by signs how much 
 was wanted for them. He took out four looking-glasses, two 
 brass chains, and three or four bead necklaces. The chief 
 looked doubtful; but when Stephen added a crimson silk 
 handkerchief he closed with the bargain at once. He would 
 indeed have given them for the looking-glasses alone if Stephen 
 had held out for them, for he regarded the chronometers with 
 a certain sense of dread ; they were to him mysteries, having 
 made, when first brought ashore, a ticking noise, and were 
 generally considered to be in some way alive. They were, 
 therefore, left out in the air for some days, and it was then 
 found that they were, as supposed, dead. None of the other 
 natives would have given them house-room ; but the chief, 
 who was less superstitious than the majority of the tribe, had 
 brought them into his hut, although he had not had sufficient 
 courage to break them up for the sake of the brass.
 
 50 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Having disposed of these the chief opened the lid of the 
 chest. He took out some clothes and held them up, but 
 Stephen shook his head decidedly. Then he brought out a 
 gold watch and a heavy bag ; he untied the latter, and 
 handed it to Stephen for inspection. The lad had difficulty 
 in repressing an exclamation, for it was full of guineas, but 
 put it down and placed the watch beside it, assumed an air of 
 indifference, and then made up another pile of about equal 
 value to the first, but threw in a couple of dozen brass 
 buttons. The chief nodded, and Stephen slipped the bag 
 and watch into his coat pocket. While this transaction 
 had been going on, Jim had carried the boxes containing 
 the chronometers and quadrants to his comrades. 
 
 "Anything more, sir?" he asked, as he appeared at the 
 door of the hut. 
 
 " Nothing more to carry, Jim, as far as I am concerned ; 
 but there is a good pea-jacket and some togs in that chest. I 
 have no doubt that it belonged to the captain of the ship ; 
 they have cut off all the buttons. I will buy them for you." 
 
 The coat and trousers, and half a dozen shirts were, to 
 Jim's great delight, purchased for him. Stephen then ex- 
 amined the whole contents of the chest, thinking that some 
 papers might be found that would give a clue to the name of 
 the ship that it had belonged to, but nothing of the sort was 
 discovered. However, he bought the whole of the clothes, 
 and, calling in the sailors one by one, divided them among 
 them, and then went back and joined the captain. 
 
 " I have been doing some trading, captain," he whispered 
 to him. "It is white plunder ; and I have no doubt that a 
 ship has been surprised and her crew massacred somewhere 
 near here. I have bought the chronometers and quadrants, 
 and they have certainly not been in the water ; also the con- 
 tents of a sea-chest, which I divided among the men. . There
 
 A CYCLONE 51 
 
 were no papers of any kind, but from the appearance of the 
 chronometers, I should say that they cannot have been here 
 long." 
 
 The captain nodded. 
 
 " We will talk it over when we get on board, Steve. We 
 will be off at once, for these fellows are beginning to get 
 drunk with this beastly liquor of theirs, and it is best that we 
 should get out of the place before there is any excuse for a 
 quarrel." 
 
 A few minutes later they took their seats in the boat and 
 rowed off to the ship. 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 A CYCLONE 
 
 AS soon as they arrived on board, Captain Finder ex- 
 amined the chronometers and pronounced them to be 
 excellent ones. 
 
 " I would not wind them up until it is Greenwich time 
 as they now stand, and would then compare them with our 
 own." 
 
 "Of course, sir," Stephen said, " I have bought these not 
 for myself but for the ship." 
 
 " Not at all, Steve; you have traded as you have a right 
 to do, and the ship has nothing to do with it. At the same 
 time I don't know whether you will be able to keep or sell 
 them. I must give notice on our return home that such 
 things have been found here under circumstances that leave 
 no doubt that the crew of the ship to which they belonged 
 have been massacred, and the ship herself burned. No doubt 
 owners of vessels that have been missing will call at the office
 
 52 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 to inspect the chronometers. I do not say that anyone would 
 have a legal right to them ; they have been absolutely lost 
 and gone out of their possession, and you have bought them 
 in the way of fair trade. ' ' 
 
 " If they wish to have them back again, sir, of course I 
 will give them up." 
 
 " Well, at any rate, if you did so, lad, you would get a 
 reward proportionate to their value. However, they may 
 never be claimed. Owners whose ships are missing, and who 
 have received the insurance money, are not likely to trouble 
 themselves further in the matter." 
 
 "This is not all I have, sir," Stephen went on. " I also 
 got this gold watch and this bag of money. I suppose the 
 chest belonged to the captain, and that he carried this gold 
 with him for the purchase of stores. ' ' 
 
 " You are a lucky fellow, Steve. Come down into my 
 cabin and we will count the money. Two hundred guineas," 
 he went on, when they had finished; "well, that is about 
 the best bit of trade that I have seen done ; you had better 
 hand this over to me to keep." 
 
 " Oh, I don't mean it to be kept, sir," Stephen said ; "it 
 would not be fair at all. I would not think of it. It is like 
 prize-money, and ought to be divided in the same way. I 
 don't mind keeping the gold watch just now, but if we find 
 out the name of the ship when we get back to England, I 
 should wish to send it to the widow of the captain, and the 
 money too, if it belonged to him." 
 
 "There is no chance whatever of that, lad. No captain 
 would be fool enough to bring out a lot of gold like that on 
 his own account. It was certainly ship's money that he 
 would hold for making advances to the crew ; as for the 
 purchase of stores, he would pay for them by bills on the 
 owner. But still, you are no doubt right about the watch,
 
 A CYCLONE 53 
 
 and the poor fellow's widow would, doubtless, be glad to 
 have it ; as to the gold, I will take charge of it for the 
 present. We will talk the matter over again later on ; there 
 is no occasion to come to any decision about it. At present 
 it is entirely yours. I don't think that you have any right to 
 give up a sum of money like this without, at any rate, very 
 careful consideration. It is a sum that, divided up into 
 shares, would give but a very small amount to each on board, 
 while it might be of the most material service to you some 
 day or other. But please oblige me by saying nothing what- 
 ever about it at present. Whatever decision is arrived at in 
 matters of this sort, somebody is sure to feel aggrieved, and it 
 is astonishing what little things upset a crew, especially on a 
 voyage of this kind, where there is no such controlling influ- 
 ence over the men's minds as that exercised by touching at 
 ports where there are authorities to whom, in case of neces- 
 sity, the captain can appeal." 
 
 " Very well, sir, I will, of course, do as you wish. Shall 
 I say anything about the watch ? ' ' 
 
 " Yes ; there is no objection to your doing that, especially 
 as that must be mentioned in any inquiries we may make as 
 to any ship being missing, and there is no need for any 
 secrecy about it. I shall also mention the money to the 
 officers ; they will appreciate the offer that you have made, 
 and agree with me, I am sure, that it will be better that 
 nothing should be said to the crew." 
 
 That evening the first mate said to Stephen : " The captain 
 has been telling us about that bag of money you got hold of, 
 Steve, and we all think that your offer to treat it as if it were 
 prize-money is a very kind one, but we agree with him that 
 it would be a mistake. In the first place, the money wouldn't 
 go far. In any matter of that sort the ship, that is to say the 
 owners, take a large share to begin with, the officers take some.
 
 54 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 shares, and the men's shares would not come to a pound a 
 .head. A pound a head would only suffice for them to have 
 a drunken spree on shore, but they are just as well without 
 that, and, as the captain says, it is astonishing what little 
 things upset sailors' minds. They might take it into their 
 head that as you got two hundred pounds in that hut there 
 might be a lot more, and they would be wanting to land and 
 to turn the village upside down, and there would be blood- 
 shed and all sorts of trouble. The old saying, ' Least said, 
 soonest mended,' comes in here strongly. We have, so far, 
 got on very well with the natives this voyage, and I hope 
 that we shall continue to do so to the end. I quite allow that 
 we should all of us be glad to give a sharp lesson to that vil- 
 lage ashore. They have been plundering, and I have no 
 doubt murdering, the crew of some ship. Still, we have no 
 evidence of that, and we can't attack the village on mere sup- 
 position. They have been friendly enough with us, partly 
 because we have been here before, and the captain gets on 
 well with them, but more because they are perfectly well 
 aware that we are always on guard, and that there is no 
 chance whatever of their catching us asleep. In nine cases 
 out of ten it is the carelessness and over-confidence of sailors 
 that tempt the natives to take advantage of it ; they would 
 never have shown you these things if they had had any idea 
 of attacking us." 
 
 Next morning the operation of filling up the water-tanks 
 was completed, and at noon the orders were given to weigh 
 anchor. Steve saw how rightly the captain had foreseen 
 what was likely to happen, for no sooner was the order given 
 than two of the men came aft as a deputation from the crew. 
 
 " What is it, lads ? " he asked. 
 
 "Well, captain, the boat's crew that went ashore yester- 
 .day came off with a lot of togs that must, in course, have
 
 A CYCLONE 55 
 
 been taken from some seaman's chest. Now, it seems to us as 
 that chest could not have been there by fair means, and that, 
 like enough, they had been murdering and looting some 
 vessel here ; and, for aught we know, the place may be full of 
 plunder of some sort or another, and that, may be, there are 
 twenty or thirty other seamen's chests there, and other goods. 
 It seems to us, sir, that these chaps ought to be punished, and 
 that we should try to get as much of the plunder they have 
 got hidden as we can ; therefore, the crew beg that you will 
 sanction our going ashore and tackling them." 
 
 " No, lads, I can't sanction that," the captain said. "It 
 is true that Mr. Embleton was offered by one of their chiefs 
 some chronometers and the contents of a sea-chest. He bought 
 the chronometers, and he also bought the contents of the chest 
 and divided them among the men who went ashore. The 
 chief made signs to him that these things had been saved from 
 a ship that had been wrecked, and it is possible that it may 
 be so. It may not have been wrecked on this island, and 
 those things may have been the share of one of the canoes 
 from here that assisted in looting her ; at any rate, we have 
 no proof that the vessel was boarded and captured. If it had 
 been done here, I think we should have seen more signs of it 
 among the natives who have come out to the ship or on shore. 
 There would have been more trade goods about handker- 
 chiefs, and beads, and so on, and they would not have been 
 anxious to trade with us. At any rate, there are no grounds 
 for attacking a village that has, during the last three or four 
 days, traded peacefully with us, as they have done on several 
 different occasions when I have put in here. Even if there 
 were no other reason, I should refuse to allow them to be 
 attacked, because the news of the affair would spread from 
 island to island, and next time we were in these seas we 
 should do no trade, and should certainly be attacked if we
 
 56 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 gave them a chance. Of course I shall report the circum- 
 stances connected with the discovery of this chest at Calcutta, 
 and endeavour to find out what ship has been lately missing ; 
 beyond that we can do nothing in the matter. We are 
 traders ; if we are attacked we do our best to beat off the 
 assailants, but it would be altogether beyond our business to 
 attack sea-side villages because we find that they are in the 
 possession of ships' goods, for were we to do so we should 
 soon put an end to all trade in these islands. Go back and 
 tell your comrades this, and then muster at once and heave 
 the cable short." 
 
 The orders were obeyed, but it was evident that there was 
 a lack of the usual briskness and willingness. However, before 
 the ship had been many hours on her way, matters settled 
 down and the work went on as usual. 
 
 " You see, lad," the first officer said to Stephen as the sails 
 were sheeted home, and the Tiger glided away from her 
 anchorage, " the captain was quite right, and if it had been 
 known on the ship that you had got that money, there would 
 have been a good deal more trouble than there was. It would 
 have been no good to tell them that, no doubt, it was the 
 ship's money. Sailors are like children ; they would have 
 argued that if you could obtain two hundred pounds from 
 one hut, they would each be likely to get as much in a gen- 
 eral loot of the village. You see, giving them those togs 
 you bought was enough to stir them up, and things would 
 not have passed off so pleasantly had they known about the 
 money. 
 
 "I do not say that there would have been a mutiny, or 
 anything of that sort, because the great majority of them have 
 sailed for years under the skipper ; still, there would have been 
 great discontent and grumbling, and if there happened to be 
 among the new hands one or two sea-lawyers, they might
 
 A CYCLONE 57 
 
 have workqd upon the men, and caused a great deal of 
 trouble. ' ' 
 
 " I see that, sir," Steve said. 
 
 "Well, there is no harm done, lad, and you will see that 
 in a day or two the matter will have been forgotten. But it 
 is a lesson that you may profit by ; it is always best to avoid 
 anything that, even remotely, is likely to set sailors talking 
 together. All crews are not as trustworthy as the Tiger's, 
 and you would be astonished what mischief two or three cun- 
 ning, plausible rascals can do among a crew, if they have got 
 ever so small a grievance to work upon." 
 
 A week later the ship was passing along the coast of a 
 small island when Joyce, the eldest apprentice, who was ex- 
 amining the shore through a glass, said to the second officer : 
 
 ' ' There is a wreck of some sort, sir, in among those black 
 rocks. ' ' 
 
 "So there is," the mate said, shading his eyes with his 
 hand. " I see it plainly enough now that you call my atten- 
 tion to it." 
 
 He went aft and reported it to the captain, who came out 
 and examined it carefully with his glass. 
 
 "It is a wreck certainly, and not the work of the natives 
 this time," he said. " She has been blown on shore and 
 left almost high and dry; her spars are all gone, the bul- 
 warks are swept away, and though I cannot see the line of her 
 broadside, I fancy that she has broken in two. Anyhow, as 
 we have hardly steerage way, we shall lose no time by sending 
 to find out what ship she is. Mr. Towel, you might as well 
 lower the gig. Take six men ; let them all take muskets and 
 pistols with 'them. As Mr. Joyce was the first to make her 
 out he may as well go with you. If you see no signs of natives, 
 you can land and ascertain whether she has been plundered. 
 It may be that she has not been discovered yet by the na-
 
 58 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 tives. If you see any of them about, content yourself with 
 getting the ship's name and port from her stern." 
 
 The boat was lowered. 
 
 " You may go too, Steve," he added as Stephen was look- 
 ing down into the boat. " It is Mr. Archer's turn ; but as 
 he has got a touch of fever this morning, he is better sitting 
 under the shade of that sail than in an open boat." 
 
 " Thank you very much, sir," Stephen said, and, running 
 below, shoved his pistols into his pocket. 
 
 " You have got water in the boat? " the captain asked the 
 mate just as Steve returned on deck. 
 
 "The keg is about half- full, sir," he said as one of the 
 sailors lifted and shook it. 
 
 4 Hand them another down from the long-boat, ' ' the cap- 
 tain said, turning to one of the men ; " it is better always to 
 make sure. Mr. Towel," he went on, leaning over the side, 
 "one is never sure of the weather for an hour, and I don't 
 altogether like the colour of the sky now. But if there are no 
 signs of change aloft, and you see the natives have not been 
 near the place, give a look round beyond the rocks for any- 
 thing that might show whether some of the crew got ashore 
 fires made, or anything of that sort. Should you see signs, 
 we will fire a gun or two when you return, and lay off for 
 a few hours to give them a chance of coming down to the 
 beach." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," the mate said, " I will take a look round 
 for them ; but from the way she has been thrown up I should 
 doubt whether there is the slightest chance of anyone having 
 got ashore." 
 
 The captain nodded, then the mate gave the word, and the 
 boat pushed off from the ship. Four men rowed, two sat in the 
 bow, Mr. Towel and the two apprentices sat aft. They were 
 some three miles from shore. There was a ripple on the water,
 
 A CYCLONE 59 
 
 but the wind was very light. There was, however, a ground- 
 swell that had caused the Tiger to roll, but which was scarcely 
 perceptible in the boat. Steve remarked on this. 
 
 " No," the mate said, " these long swells do not affect a 
 boat in the least. I have often gone ashore on the west coast 
 of Africa, when one was scarcely conscious in the boat of 
 there being any swell on at all, and yet the vessels at anchor 
 outside were rolling almost gunwale under. Still, I would 
 rather that we had not got it, it is a sign that there is wind 
 somewhere, and I agree with the skipper that it is an unnatu- 
 ral-looking sky. Still, it may be hours yet before there is any 
 change. ' ' 
 
 Half an hour's rowing took them to shore. "She could 
 not have picked out a worse place, lads," the mate said 
 when they approached the wreck. ' ' You see there are black 
 heads sticking out of the water all round, and it must have 
 been a tremendous sea to have carried that ship right through 
 them and chucked her up there where there are not two feet 
 of water." 
 
 "The Lady Vernon, London," Joyce exclaimed at this 
 moment, " I can make out her name plainly." 
 
 " Then your eyes are better than mine, Joyce, for I can't 
 say I can read it yet. Row easy, men, and you in the bow 
 keep a sharp look-out on the water. If we were to come 
 bow-on to a hidden rock we should have to wait ashore until 
 another boat came out to fetch us. ' ' 
 
 Rowing very gently the boat kept on her course until 
 within half a length of the ship, then she ran quietly up on a 
 flat rock some seven or eight inches under water. They could 
 see now that the captain's conjecture was correct. The ship 
 had broken her back, having, as she was carried in on the 
 crest of a great wave, dropped on a sharp ledge of rocks about 
 amidships. The sea had rushed in through the hole in her
 
 60 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 side, and had torn away all her planking and most of her 
 timbers forward, while the after part of the ship had held 
 together. The hold, however, was gutted of its contents. 
 
 " The natives have not been here since," Steve said as he 
 pointed ahead where, apparently far out of reach of the water, 
 lay a quantity of wreckage, splinters of planks, bits of timber, 
 bales of goods, and a great litter of loose cargo. 
 
 "It is of no use climbing up above," the mate said in 
 answer to an offer on Joyce's part to endeavour to reach the 
 deck. ' ' The waves, you see, have rushed in through the 
 stern windows, and have made a clean sweep of everything. 
 Half the deck has burst up and gone. We will have a look 
 at the things on shore. Step out, lads, and pull the boat a 
 bit higher up. ' ' 
 
 This was done, and they waded through the water knee- 
 deep to shore. The wreckage lay a hundred yards further up, 
 on ground quite twenty feet higher than that on which they 
 were standing. The bales were all marked with the ship's 
 name. There were no signs of casks or boxes, these had 
 doubtless been smashed into splinters. Among the wreckage 
 five skeletons were found. They searched further inland, but 
 could discover no sign whatever of life between the shore and 
 a dense forest that began four or five hundred yards away. 
 
 "It is certain that no one has escaped," the mate said. 
 " In the first place, no living creature could have ever gained 
 his feet if cast up by such a sea as that must have been. The 
 first wave that struck her after she was thrown up there must 
 have swept the decks clean and finished them all at one blow. 
 In the next place, if by a miracle any of them did get safely 
 ashore, you may be sure that they would have buried their 
 comrades the next morning. You see, it is sand up there 
 where the wreckage lies, and it would not have taken long to 
 scrape a hole deep enough and large enough to bury them.
 
 A CYCLONE 61 
 
 Ah! the captain is getting impatient," he exclaimed, as the 
 sound of a gun came cross the water. " No wonder," he 
 went on as he looked at the sky. 
 
 They had been about an hour on shore, and had been so 
 fully occupied in examining the wreckage, and in looking for 
 some signs that might tell them if any of the crew had gained 
 the shore, that they had paid no attention whatever to the 
 weather. A great change had taken place since they had left 
 the ship. The wind had entirely died away, and a darkness 
 had crept over the sky ; it was not a cloud, but a sort of dull 
 vapour. 
 
 " Quick, lads, to the boat," the mate said, " there is not a 
 moment to be lost. There is a storm brewing, and the sooner 
 we are on board the better. ' ' 
 
 They ran through the water, got into the boat, and pushed 
 her off. 
 
 " Be careful, men ; paddle quietly until we are well beyond 
 the rocks. Keep a sharp look-out forward." Another gun 
 was fired from the ship as he spoke. " Steady, men, 
 steady ! " he said ; " you can row as hard as you like when we 
 get outside, but it is of no use knocking a hole in her to start 
 with." 
 
 As soon as they were beyond the rocks they bent to the 
 oars. At the mate's orders, the two apprentices and the 
 sailors in the bow took their seats by the rowers and double- 
 banked the oars. 
 
 " The skipper is getting every rag of sail off her," the mate 
 said, as he looked ahead. " There is another gun ! It is 
 getting darker and darker, I don't suppose they can make us 
 out. Give way, lads." 
 
 The gloom deepened rapidly. The ship continued to fire 
 guns every minute or two, and it was well she did so, for the 
 mate had now lost sight of her.
 
 62 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 "Which way do you think it will come, sir?" Stephen, 
 who was at the stroke-oar, asked. 
 
 The mate shook his head. "There is no knowing," he 
 said. " If it is inshore, the Tiger will lay her bones by that 
 wreck behind us. We can't be above a mile away from her 
 by the sound of that last gun. But it will be a close thing, I 
 can hear the wind coming." 
 
 Even those rowing were conscious of a low moaning sound. 
 
 "It comes from behind I think," the mate said in answer 
 to a look from Stephen. Suddenly a puff of wind from be- 
 hind rippled the water round them and then died away again. 
 " Row, lads," the mate exclaimed, " I can see the ship now, 
 she is not half a mile away ; five minutes will do it." 
 
 The men strained at the oars and the boat sprang forward 
 at every stroke. They could hear the moaning sound growing 
 louder and louder. 
 
 " The captain has got her head off shore," the mate said ; 
 " he has been towing her round. They have just hoisted the 
 boat up. He has got the little storm-jib on her. Now, lads, 
 another four or five hundred yards and we shall be along- 
 side." 
 
 It was a race with the storm, but the odds were too great. 
 They were but a hundred yards from the ship when the roar 
 rose into a wild scream, and a line of white water sprang 
 towards them with fearful velocity. 
 
 " In oars, men ! " the mate shouted. " Throw yourselves 
 flat in the bottom of the boat, quick ! " 
 
 The order was executed almost as soon as given. The 
 mate, too, slipped off his seat on to the floor-board, while 
 still retaining hold of the tiller. The next moment the 
 storm struck them. It was well that the boat was still flying 
 through the water with the way full on her ; had she been 
 lying motionless she would probably have sunk like a stone
 
 A CYCLONE 63 
 
 under the force of the blow. As it was she leapt forward like 
 a horse under a spur. They passed but half a length or so 
 from the ship. The latter had not yet gathered way, but lay 
 pressed down until her bow was well-nigh level with the 
 water. As the mate looked up he saw the captain holding on 
 by the shrouds. Each waved a hand and then the boat flew 
 on, and in a minute the ship was out of sight. The mate 
 shouted in the ear of the sailor who rowed the stroke-oar and 
 who was lying next to him : 
 
 " Crawl forward and try and fix the floor-board there, so 
 as to show a few inches above the bow to act as a head-sail. 
 If she broaches to, it is all up with us. As you go along tell 
 each man to shift himself a bit more aft. Her stern must be 
 well down or I can never keep her straight. If you can't fix 
 the floor-board, get up the mast ; tie up the foresail in a roll, 
 and then hoist it, that will give hold enough to the wind." 
 
 The man nodded and made his way forward ; he endeav- 
 oured to carry out the first part of his orders, but the moment 
 he raised the floor-board above the level of the gunwale it was 
 wrenched from his hands and blown ahead. With the aid of 
 two other men he managed to step the mast. The mate 
 waved his hand to him to say that that would do for the 
 present. The man, however, prepared the sail ready for 
 hoisting, rolling it up tightly and winding a cord round and 
 round it ; then he hooked the head on to the traveller on the 
 mast, and lay down at its foot, holding the halliard in readi- 
 ness to hoist it. The water was still perfectly smooth, and 
 the boat flew straight before the wind without any tendency 
 to broach to. Stephen, after the stroke-oar had gone for- 
 ward, crept aft until he was beside the mate, and there lay 
 for a time, feeling half-stupefied by the tremendous roar of the 
 cyclone. 
 
 Captain Finder was, as every good officer should be, most
 
 64 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 particular about his boats, and always had them built specially 
 from his own design. They were broader than usual, and 
 had a flat floor and a deep keel, thus they were extremely 
 buoyant, their lines resembling those of the surf-boats on the 
 west coasts of India and Africa, while their deep keels en- 
 abled them to sail close to the wind. The men chafed some- 
 times when, on their way to shore, they found themselves 
 passed by the narrow boats of other ships ; but the captain 
 was perfectly indifferent to this, and used to say to other 
 skippers who laughed at him for what they called his "wal- 
 nut shells : ' ' 
 
 " A boat is not made for racing ; she is made to carry her 
 crew in a heavy sea. My boats will live where yours would 
 be swamped in five minutes, and with their great beam they 
 will carry all sail, while you would not dare show a shred of 
 canvas. It makes no difference to me whether I get to shore 
 five minutes earlier or later ; properly handled, the smallest of 
 my boats ought to weather any ordinary gale, while the long- 
 boat would be as safe to cross the Atlantic in as the Tiger 
 herself, though I don't say that she would be as comfortable. " 
 
 The crew, every one of whom had many a time grumbled 
 at the contrast between their beamy craft and the smart gigs 
 of most other ships, now felt the advantage. The boat sped 
 lightly along, raising her head higher and higher out of the 
 water whenever a fresh blast of wind added to her speed, and, 
 save for the sound of the rushing water against the sides, 
 might have been at rest, for any motion that could be per- 
 ceived. In half an hour the sea began to get up ; as soon as 
 it did so the mate made a signal to the man at the halliards, 
 and the sail was drawn up. Tightly as it was rolled, the dif- 
 ference was at once perceptible, and the boat flew along faster 
 than before. The men were now sitting up in the bottom of 
 the boat ; they knew that the battle with the storm had as yet
 
 A CYCLONE 65 
 
 scarcely begun, and that when the sea once got up they would 
 have a terrible time of it. In an ordinary ship's-boat the 
 prospect would have been absolutely hopeless ; but the Nor- 
 wegian pilot-boats whose model the captain had pretty 
 closely followed are able successfully to ride out the heaviest 
 gale in the North Sea, and the mate and the two apprentices, 
 the latter of whom had often heard from Captain Finder, 
 with whom the matter was a pet hobby, of the wonderful 
 power of these craft in a gale, entertained a strong hope that 
 she would live through whatever might come. As the sea 
 rose, a small portion of the foresail was loosed, then more 
 was freed, until the whole of the little sail was drawing, and 
 the speed with which it dragged the boat along saved her from 
 being swamped by the following waves. But in another hour 
 the water no longer ran in waves, it was broken up in a con- 
 fused and tumultuous sea ; the greater part of the sail was 
 again bound up, for there was no longer the same risk of be- 
 ing swamped, and it was necessary to moderate the boat's 
 speed in such a tumult of water. 
 
 " What makes it like this ? " Stephen shouted. 
 
 "The circular motion of the wind," the mate replied in 
 a similar tone of voice. " I dare say we have made two or 
 three circles already." 
 
 " There is a compass in the locker behind you, sir." 
 
 The mate nodded. 
 
 " That may be useful when the storm is over, but would 
 not help us now, and might get broken." 
 
 That Stephen could quite understand, for the motions of 
 the boat were so sudden and unexpected that the crew often 
 grasped at the thwarts and gunwale, fearing they would be 
 thrown right out of her. At one moment a wave seemed to 
 rise underneath her, and almost chuck her into the air, then 
 she would sink between two masses of water, that looked as if
 
 66 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 they would tumble over and fill her, then she would dash 
 head-forward at a wave that rose suddenly in front of her. 
 For a time it seemed to all on board as if her destruction was 
 imminent, but as the buoyant little craft struggled bravely on, 
 shipping no more water than one man with the bailer could 
 free her of as fast as it came aboard, in the shape of spray, 
 they began to breathe again more freely. 
 
 It was now nine hours since the gale had burst upon them, 
 and there were no signs of an abatement, when, as they were 
 on the top of a wave, the mate shouted : 
 
 " There are breakers ahead." 
 
 Every head was lifted, and when the boat rose again on a 
 wave they could see a line of white foam ahead of them as far 
 on either side as the eye could see through the mist. 
 
 " Keep a look-out for a break in the line, Wilcox," the 
 mate shouted. 
 
 The man forward waved his hand, and, holding to the 
 mast, stood up. A minute later he turned and shouted some- 
 thing to the man next to him, and the message was passed 
 from mouth to mouth to the mate. 
 
 " It is not a reef, sir ; it is a low sandy coast." 
 
 "Take your places on the thwarts," the mate shouted, 
 " and get your oars out." 
 
 The men did so. Then, in a momentary lull in the blast, 
 the officer said : 
 
 " Get ready to pull for your lives when I give the word. 
 Our only chance is to go in on the top of a wave. The in- 
 stant we touch the ground and she loses her way, jump out 
 and stick your heels in the sand." 
 
 They approached the edge of the surf rapidly. 
 
 " Stick your oars in deep and check her way," the mate 
 shouted. 
 
 He stood up in the boat when they were within fifty yards
 
 A CYCLONE 67 
 
 of the point where the waves curled over and fell with a 
 roar like thunder on the beach. Two or three waves passed 
 under her, then he saw one of greater height approaching. 
 
 " Row, lads ! row for your lives ! " 
 
 The wind helping them, they flew forward. The wave 
 rose higher and higher behind them it looked almost as 
 steep as a wall and an involuntary cry broke from several 
 of the men as the boat's stern rose up it. 
 
 " Row ! row ! " the mate shouted. 
 
 But six strokes were pulled and then the wave fell over 
 with a crash, and in a moment they were shooting along with 
 the speed of an arrow in the midst of a mass of seething foam. 
 
 " Get ready to jump ! " the mate shouted. 
 
 His voice was lost, but the action which accompanied it 
 was understood. They were flying up a steep slope, when 
 suddenly the motion became slower, then there was a bump. 
 
 ' ' Hold to her, lads, if you can ; every man spring over- 
 board." 
 
 For a moment they seemed drawn backwards by the rush 
 of the water, then the boat became fixed, and a moment later 
 the water left them. 
 
 " Now, all together before the next wave reaches her." 
 
 With a united effort they lifted and ran the boat her own 
 length further up. The next wave barely reached the boat's 
 stern. Before another came she was well up on the sand. 
 Then the mate pointed upwards. The roar of the surf and 
 the howl of the wind would have drowned any words, but 
 his gesture was sufficient. Most of the men had, like their 
 officer, lost their hats, but those who had not done so took 
 them off. Several of them, including Stephen and Joyce, 
 threw themselves on their knees, the others stood with bent 
 heads, and all uttered a fervent thanksgiving for their pres- 
 ervation from what had seemed almost certain death. The
 
 68 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 mate was the first to move. He went to the side of the boat, 
 and began to take double handfuls of sand, and to throw them 
 into her. The others looked at him in surprise, but he made 
 signs that the wind might lift the boat up, whirl her round, 
 and dash her to pieces ; then all set to at the work, which 
 they continued until the boat was half-full of sand. Then 
 the two barrels of water were carried up, together with a bag 
 of biscuits and a bottle of rum from the locker, where a sup- 
 ply was always kept in case of an emergency like the present. 
 They went on beyond the brow of the sand-hill, and ensconced 
 themselves in a hollow at its foot, where they were completely 
 sheltered from the wind. The mate got out his jack-knife, 
 and managed to get the cork out of the bottle, and pouring 
 water from one of the breakers into a tin pannikin that 
 formed part of the boat's equipment, gave a ration of grog 
 to each, and served out a biscuit all round. 
 
 As soon as these were eaten and the grog drank, they threw 
 themselves on the sand and were soon fast asleep, utterly worn 
 out with the prolonged strain they had gone through. 
 
 When they woke, day was just breaking. The mate was 
 the first to leap to his feet. 
 
 "Tumble up, lads," he said, "we must have had twelve 
 hours' sleep. The storm is over. ' ' 
 
 All were soon at the top of the sand-hill. A heavy sea was 
 still breaking on the sands, but there was scarce a breath of 
 wind, and the sea, though rough and agitated, was no longer 
 covered with white heads, and looked bright in the rosy light. 
 The boat lay where they had left it, securely anchored by 
 the weight of the sand it contained. Their next glance was 
 inland. For a quarter of a mile away the sand covered 
 everything, then a few bushes rose from it ; beyond were 
 some stunted trees, and a hundred yards further a thick forest 
 bordered the sandy belt as far as they could see on either hand.
 
 A CYCLONE 69 
 
 It was evidently a large island, for two or three miles away 
 the country rose hill beyond hill, culminating in a jagged 
 mountain dome twenty miles distant. 
 
 " Do you know where we are, sir? " Stephen asked, as the 
 mate stood silently looking at the peak. 
 
 " No, I wish I did. I have either never seen that hill be- 
 fore, or, if I have, it has been from some other side that gave 
 it quite a different outline. You see, we were nine hours in 
 the gale, and during that time I fancy we must have run 
 nearly a hundred miles ; but I do not suppose we are half 
 that distance from the point where we started, for we are 
 sure to have gone round and round several times in the first 
 hour or two. The island we were at, was some fifty or sixty 
 miles from the coast of Sumatra, and possibly it is there that 
 we have been cast ashore ; but, on the other hand, we may 
 have gone quite in another direction. Anyhow, there is no 
 denying that we are in an awkward fix. It matters little 
 enough which of the islands we have hit upon, the natives are 
 all pirates and scoundrels, and the possession they prize most 
 is a human head. The first thing to do, lads, is to draw the 
 charges from our muskets and pistols and to reload them, 
 then we will have a consultation." 
 
 This was done, and then they went down to the boat. 
 
 " I half expected it," the mate went on, after examining 
 her ; " the shock has started the butts of three planks on one 
 side, and two on the other. We will get the sand out first 
 and turn her over, bottom upwards." 
 
 This was done. 
 
 " I think we might make a shift to cobble it up," the mate 
 said. " Some of the wood here is as hard as iron, and we 
 might cut some pegs and fasten the planks into their place 
 again. I don't suppose we shall be able to make them 
 water-tight, but we might caulk them up with pitch or gum
 
 70 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 from some of the trees. But that is not the first thing to 
 think of; it is no use having a boat if we have not food or 
 water to put into her. These biscuits would last us two or 
 three days, and the water, if we are careful, as long again, 
 but that is not enough to start with on a long cruise. The 
 place we have to make for is Timor. Do you think that you 
 could find your way there, Steve, and how far is it? " 
 
 " I was looking at the chart the last day I was on board, 
 sir, and I noticed that Timor lay to the south of where we 
 were then, and I should say it was something like six or seven 
 hundred miles away." 
 
 " Well, it is of no use starting on such an expedition as 
 that with such a stock of provisions as ours, so I propose that, 
 in the first place, we see what is to be found in the forest. It 
 will be hard if we do not find a supply of fruit. If we can 
 collect a store enough we might venture upon making a start. 
 You see, we must keep well off the land, for if we were made 
 out from any of the coast villages, we should have one of their 
 craft after us in no time ; but, in any case, I should say we 
 had better stay here for a week. If the Tiger got safely 
 through that gale, you may be sure the captain will be 
 cruising about looking for us. He has sufficient faith in his 
 boats to feel pretty positive that if we have not been cast 
 ashore we are still afloat. ' '
 
 A RESCUE 71 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 A RESCUE 
 
 were soon in the forest. It required care and 
 1 caution to make their way through the tangled growth 
 of climbing canes and vines. Some of these were armed with 
 terrible thorns, and as they had no hatchets to chop their way 
 through them they were often obliged to make detours to 
 escape these obstacles. Orchids of brilliant colours and fan- 
 tastic shapes grew thickly on the trees, ants in countless 
 numbers swarmed up and down the trunks, and many an 
 angry exclamation was wrung from the seamen as a bite as 
 sharp as the sting of a wasp told that some of these insects had 
 crawled up the legs of their trousers or made their way down 
 their neck. 
 
 " Unless we are going to live on ants," the mate said rue- 
 fully as he gave a savage slap at his leg, ' ' it seems to me we 
 are likely to starve, for I have seen nothing whatever to eat 
 since we entered the wood. Even if some of the trees did 
 bear fruit I don't see how we are going to get at it, for one 
 would be eaten alive by these little brutes before we reached 
 the top. ' ' 
 
 " I vote we turn back, Mr. Towel," one of the men said. 
 " I would rather put to sea and take my chance than keep on 
 being stung by these ants, when there doesn't seem the least 
 hope of our finding anything." 
 
 " There doesn't seem much chance here, Nixon. I think 
 we had best get out of the wood and follow the edge along. 
 We may come to some place where it is more open, and may 
 even strike on a stream. If we could do that we might patch 
 up the boat and pull up stream a bit. Anyhow, I don't
 
 72 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 think it is any use pushing on here. My jacket is torn in a 
 dozen places already by the thorns." 
 
 "One of them has nearly taken my eye out," another 
 grumbled ; and indeed all were bleeding from the gashes they 
 had received from the thorns. They made their way back 
 carefully, and there was a general exclamation of satisfaction 
 when the light could be seen ahead through the trees. As 
 soon as they were out on the sands shirts were hastily pulled 
 off and a hunt for ants carried out. 
 
 "It is lucky the bites don't swell up," Joyce said, " or I 
 should be a mass of bumps. It is as bad as if one had been 
 attacked by a swarm of bees. Yet there is only a little red 
 spot to show for each bite. ' ' 
 
 As soon as they had freed themselves from the ants they 
 started along the edge of the forest. After walking for two 
 miles they gave a shout of joy, for a river some fifty yards 
 wide issued from the forest. The sand-hills had hidden it 
 from sight until they were close upon it. 
 
 "Thank God, we sha'n't die of thirst," the mate said. 
 " It will be a hard job to get our boat here, but it has got to 
 be done. Even if we could launch it through the surf there 
 would be no getting in through the rollers on the bar, at least 
 I should not like to try it. So we have got to drag her here 
 somehow. It will be a tough job, but as there seems no 
 chance of getting food in any other way we must undertake it. 
 Hurrah!" he exclaimed suddenly, "there are some cocoa- 
 nut trees on the other side of the river. That settles it. Let 
 us be off back again at once. ' ' 
 
 They returned in much better spirits than they had before 
 felt. On the way they went a short distance into the forest, 
 and cut off a number of thorns some two inches long and 
 seemingly as hard as iron. They breakfasted on a biscuit, 
 with a full allowance of water, and then set to work at the
 
 A RESCUE 73 
 
 boat. The thorns answered their purpose as nails admirably, 
 and the planks soon were securely fastened into their places 
 against the stem ; but without nails to clench the planks to- 
 gether, it was evident to them all that the boat would not 
 float five minutes. They stood looking at it discontentedly. 
 
 " What is to be done with it? " said Mr. Towel. " Can 
 anyone make a suggestion ? ' ' 
 
 " I should think, sir," Stephen said, " that if we could 
 get some strong fibre, or some of those thin climbers that 
 barred our way they were not thicker than string, but there 
 was no breaking them, and I should think that they would do 
 that with them we could sew the planks together and caulk 
 them afterwards with the threads from a bit of the leg of one 
 of our drill trousers." 
 
 " A capital idea, Stephen. At any rate, it would be worth 
 trying." 
 
 " I will go and fetch some of those climbers, sir, and some 
 long thorns to make the holes with." 
 
 " We may as well all go, Stephen ; we have nothing to do 
 here, and at any rate it is cooler in the forest than it is on the 
 sands. We shall want a good stock of thorns, for we are sure 
 to break lots of them in making the holes." 
 
 " I have a thing in my knife that will do for that, sir," 
 Joyce said ; and he produced from his pocket a knife with 
 many blades, one of them being a long pricker. "It was 
 given to me the day before we sailed, and I have always 
 wondered what use that thing could ever be. Here is a use 
 for it at last." 
 
 " Capital, Joyce ! That is just the thing. There is flint 
 and steel, and a tinder-box in the locker, and our best plan 
 will be to make a fire and heat that pricker of yours red-hot. 
 It would make the work a great deal easier, and there will be 
 less risk of breaking it or of splitting the wood. So now we
 
 74 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 will collect dry wood and creepers and leave the thorns 
 alone. ' ' 
 
 This was done ; but when they returned to the edge of the 
 forest all agreed that they should lie down there in the shade 
 until the sun had lost its power, for their position being al- 
 most on the equator the heat out on the sand was unbearable. 
 
 "It will be as well for one to keep a watch, lads," the 
 mate said. "We have seen no signs of natives, but there 
 may be some about. The sun is nearly overhead, so it will 
 be another four or five hours before we can set to work. I 
 will take the first watch. In an hour I will wake Mr. Joyce ; 
 Mr. Embleton will follow him ; then you, Nixon ; that will 
 take us on till it's time to move." 
 
 These arrangements were carried out, and as the sun sank 
 towards the horizon the party went down to the beach. 
 Some rotten wood was crumbled up and a fire quickly made, 
 then the work of boring the holes began, and was kept up all 
 night. As it was necessary to put them very closely together, 
 and the piercer had to be heated two or three times for each 
 hole, two worked by turns while the rest slept, and by sunrise 
 the holes were all finished. Then the work of sewing the 
 planks together began, the boat being turned on its side to 
 allow the string, as they called it, to be passed backwards and 
 forwards. In two hours their work was completed. Stephen 
 cut off four or five inches of duck from the bottom of each leg 
 of his trousers, and unravelling the thread he and the mate 
 pressed it into the seams as fast as the sewing was completed. 
 
 " I think that that will do," the mate said, looking with a 
 satisfied air at the work. " Now, what it wants is a little 
 tallow to rub in ; but there is no candle handy." 
 
 " When I was on watch, sir, I saw lots of bees flying in 
 and out of the trees. If we could light on a hive the wax 
 would do first-rate."
 
 A RESCUE 75 
 
 "So it would, Steve. However, until we can find one I 
 fancy we shall get on well enough. Five minutes' bailing 
 occasionally will keep her dry enough, I am sure, at any rate 
 for river work. Now we have got the big job before us ; let 
 us have a try how we can move her." 
 
 The nine men put their strength to the boat, but they 
 found that the deep keel buried itself in the sand, and that 
 they could not drag her along. Then they tried carrying 
 her, the mate, the two boys, and two men on one side, and 
 the other four men on the other. She was a heavy weight, 
 but they could just manage it, and carried her for some twenty 
 yards before they put her down. 
 
 " This will never do," the mate said. " We can't use 
 our strength to advantage, else the weight would not be too 
 great for us. Let us go up to the wood, lads, and chop 
 four poles, turn her over, and lay her down on them. In 
 that way I don't think we shall have much difficulty about it." 
 
 It took them longer than they expected, for the wood was 
 so tough that their cutlasses produced but little impression 
 upon it. After an hour's hard work, however, they cut 
 four poles, each about twelve feet long. With these they re- 
 turned to the boat, laid the poles down on the sand at equal 
 distances apart, and turned the boat over upon them ; then 
 a man took each end of a pole, the two boys taking one 
 end together, and at a word lifted the boat with comparative 
 ease. It was very hard work under the blazing sun, and they 
 had to stop every hundred yards or so to rest their arms. 
 Still they were successful, and after three hours' toil they 
 reached the river. The oars had been lost when they landed, 
 and they determined to take the bottom boards out and cut 
 them into paddles. The first thing, however, was to bathe. 
 
 " Don't go far out," the mate said, " there may be sharks 
 or alligators in the river for aught we know. ' '
 
 76 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Greatly refreshed by their dip, they took the boards out of 
 the boat, carried them up into the shade of the trees, and 
 with their jack-knives fashioned them into rude paddles, with 
 thin creepers strips of wood tying down the handles to add to 
 their strength. This took them all the afternoon. When the 
 sun had lost its power they put the boat into the water, and 
 made an experimental trip in her, and were glad to see that 
 the seams were almost water-tight, and that it would need 
 but an occasional use of the bailer to keep her clear. They 
 at once paddled across the river to the opposite side, and 
 then pulling the boat up made a rush for the cocoa-nut trees 
 that they had seen the day before. 
 
 " How are we to get up?" Joyce inquired, looking with 
 dismay at the smooth trunks. 
 
 " I learnt that on the west coast of Africa," the mate re- 
 plied. " I was there two years and got to know, I think, all 
 there was to know with regard to steering a boat in a surf; 
 climbing a cocoa-nut tree is easy work in comparison. Fetch 
 the head-rope of the boat. ' ' 
 
 This was done, and he asked who volunteered for the first 
 climb. 
 
 " I will try it, Mr. Towel," Joyce said, " if you will show 
 me how." 
 
 " Stand by the side of the tree, Joyce. Now I will put 
 this rope round you and round the tree, leaving a certain 
 amount of slack in the loop. Now you get a grip of the tree 
 with your knees. Then with your hands you shift the loop 
 up as high as you can, and lean against it. Get a sort of 
 purchase, and so shift your knees a bit higher. No doubt 
 you will feel it awkward at first, but after a little practice you 
 will find no difficulty whatever in going up at a fair rate of 
 speed." 
 
 In spite of his experience aloft Joyce found it hard work to
 
 A RESCUE 77 
 
 climb the tree. As soon as he was at the top he broke off 
 the nuts and dropped them ; when he had picked two nuts 
 for each of the party he descended. 
 
 " They are not a bit like cocoa-nuts," Stephen remarked 
 as the first came to the ground. " They look more like 
 queer-shaped gourds." 
 
 "They do, lad," the mate agreed. "But you see they 
 are not ripe yet, while those we get in England are over- 
 ripe ; instead of the inside nut being enveloped in fibre the 
 whole thing is soft, and, you see " here he suited the action 
 to the word " you can cut a hole down right through, and 
 then all that you have got to do is to drink the milk. ' ' 
 
 The men followed the officer's example, and were soon 
 taking long draughts of the sweet, cool liquor, which differs 
 widely indeed from that of the ripe cocoa-nut. 
 
 " How is it that the milk is so cool, sir? " Steve asked. 
 
 " That is more than I can tell you, for no matter how hot 
 the weather, the milk of fresh cocoa-nuts is always cool ; why 
 it should be so I have no idea. ' ' 
 
 After they had drunk the milk they broke open the nuts 
 and scraped the soft cream-like paste which lined the inside, 
 and which, when the nut ripened, would have become hard and 
 solid. 
 
 " You will find them of different degrees of ripeness," the 
 mate said. " Some of them will furnish us with drink, some 
 with food, and as there are trees along here as far as we can 
 see, we need not worry ourselves as to victuals. Well, we 
 have done our work for the day and will make this our camp, 
 and talk over what is the best thing to do next. ' ' 
 
 After much deliberation it was decided that they should 
 paddle up the river the next day, leaving two of their number 
 at the edge of the forest to keep a look-out for the ship. 
 
 "It is as well to see what there is on the river," the mate
 
 78 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 said. " Of course if we come to a village we shall let our- 
 selves drop down quietly again. And we must keep a sharp 
 look-out as we go ; it would never do to let them get a sight 
 of us, for none of the natives of these islands are to be trusted, 
 and I am sure that none of us wish to have our heads used as 
 a decoration in their huts. What I hope to come upon is the 
 site of an abandoned village. These people often shift their 
 quarters. They have no belongings to speak of to move, and 
 a couple of days' labour is enough for them to put up fresh 
 huts. But in the places they have occupied we are sure to 
 find bananas ; and if we can but get a boat-load of them we 
 shall be victualled for a voyage, and after waiting, long 
 enough to give the ship a chance of finding us, the sooner 
 we are off the better. Many of these islands are inhabited by 
 tribes that spare no one who falls into their hands, and it 
 would be better to take our chance on the sea than to re- 
 main here. There are a good many little Dutch settlements 
 scattered about. What we have got to do is to light upon 
 one of these. There is no mistaking them for native vil- 
 lages, and once we can get a point of departure we shall 
 have no difficulty in laying our course either for Timor or 
 Java. Stephen, I shall leave you as the junior officer here to- 
 morrow. Wilcox will stay with you. If you see the ship 
 you will light a big fire and throw green leaves on it to make 
 as big a smoke as possible. They would know at once that 
 it was a signal, for the natives would do nothing to attract 
 notice, especially if their intentions were hostile." 
 
 "All right, sir ! We will keep a sharp look-out. You 
 won't be away many hours, I suppose? " 
 
 " Certainly not. We don't want to do any exploring. 
 All we want to do is to look for food, and the most likely 
 food for us to find is a troop of monkeys among the trees 
 overhanging the river. As a t/iJe, I. should not like to shoot
 
 A RESCUE 79 
 
 the beasts. They are too much like human beings. But if 
 we can get a supply of meat it will be welcome, no matter 
 what it may be. Of course we should not shoot many, for a 
 couple of days would be the outside that meat would keep 
 good here." 
 
 " But might not firing a gun bring the natives down on 
 you, sir?" Stephen said. 
 
 " Oh, we have seen no signs of natives ! " the mate said 
 impatiently, " and there mayn't be any within miles and 
 miles of us, probably not nearer than those hills; for I 
 believe it is there that they principally do what cultivation 
 there is in the first place, because it is cooler, and in the 
 next place because there are, we know, tremendous swamps 
 in the low land of Sumatra, though whether this is Sumatra 
 or not I cannot say." 
 
 The next morning the boat started as soon as a supply of 
 cocoa-nuts, sufficient for the day, had been thrown down, 
 two or three of the sailors adopting the means the mate had 
 taught Joyce, and going up the trees very much more quickly 
 than he had done. 
 
 " What do you think of this 'ere business, Master Stephen ? " 
 Wilcox said as they watched the boat making its way slowly 
 against the current. 
 
 " I don't know, Wilcox, what to think of it." 
 
 "I calls it a risky affair," the sailor said after a pause. 
 " Mr. Towel is a good officer, I don't say as he isn't, but I 
 would rather see an older head on his shoulders just at present. 
 It is all very well for him to say as there may be no natives 
 within twenty miles; but how is he to know that? There 
 may be a village just round the turn of the river. All these 
 chaps are pirates when they get a chance, every mother's son 
 of them, and there may be half a dozen war-canoes lying a 
 mile up this river. It would be natural that they should be
 
 80 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 somewhere near its mouth, ready to start out if a sail is 
 sighted, or news is brought to them that there is a ship 
 anchored off a coast village within a few hours' row. As to 
 firing a gun, in my opinion it is just madness. As he says 
 himself, meat won't keep two days, and it is just flying in 
 the face of Providence to risk attracting the attention of the 
 natives, for the sake of a day's rations of fresh meat. 
 
 " It was all very well to bring the boat up here so as to lie 
 out of sight of any canoes that happened to be passing along 
 the shore ; but I would much rather have left her where she 
 was, though I allows it would have been risky. I would 
 have just chucked the sail over her and covered that with an 
 inch or so of sand, so that it would not have been noticed 
 by a boat a short way out. But if there is a village up here, 
 why, a boat might come down any moment to do some 
 fishing, and there we should be caught at once ; as for get- 
 ting away with them makeshift paddles, it would not be 
 worth even thinking of. I hope our chaps will come back 
 without having seen a monkey or a village, or as much as a 
 banana, then the mate won't be hankering to go up again ; 
 and I should make free to advise him to get the boat up 
 amongst the trees here till we have decided that the ship 
 won't come, and agree to make a start." 
 
 " I am with you to some extent, Wilcox, and I do think 
 that it is a risky thing going up the river. If we were to fill 
 up with cocoa-nuts they would last us for a week anyhow, 
 and then when we saw another grove of them we could land 
 and load up again." 
 
 " You can't take an observation, I suppose, Mr. Stephen, 
 and find out in a rough way whereabouts we are? " 
 
 Steve shook his head. " No, Wilcox. If I had had my 
 quadrant I might have got near enough to have made a rough 
 guess, for I have got that watch I bought in my pocket, and I
 
 A RESCUE 81 
 
 have timed it every day with the chronometers, and find that 
 it does not gain more than half a minute a day, so that at the 
 present moment it is not much more than a minute out by 
 them, and if I had had the quadrant I could have made a 
 pretty close calculation. We were about a degree and a half 
 south at noon before that cyclone struck us, but I don't see 
 that that would help us now." 
 
 " It is a pity, sir," the sailor said, " for it would help us 
 wonderful if we could find out our position within fifty miles 
 or so." 
 
 " I wish we could, Wilcox ; " and Stephen sat for some 
 time thinking. At last he said, " I might, anyhow, find out 
 in a rough sort of way whether we have been blown north or 
 south. We will see if we can find a perfectly straight stick, 
 ten or twelve feet long. If I fix that upright in sand the 
 shadow would help us. It was the 25th of March yesterday, 
 and the sun at noon would therefore be exactly overhead of 
 the line at twelve o'clock. Therefore, if we have been 
 blown north, we should get a very short shadow to the south 
 at twelve o'clock; whereas if we have been blown south, 
 there would be a shadow north. It might not be more than 
 an inch long ; but even that would tell us something. ' ' 
 
 They selected a long straight stick, drove it deeply into 
 the sand, walked round it several times so as to assure them- 
 selves that it was perfectly upright, and then returned again 
 to the shelter of the trees. An hour later the sound of a gun 
 came to their ears. 
 
 " He has found some of them monkeys," Wilcox growled. 
 
 Three more shots were heard. " How far are they off, do 
 you think ? " Stephen asked. 
 
 " I dunno, sir. If it was on the open sea and calm like 
 this, I should say they might be two or three miles, bvft in 
 this 'ere forest there ain't no saying at all. I don't reckon
 
 82 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 they would be above two miles anyhow, that is if the stream 
 is as strong up there as it is here. They were making very 
 slow way against it when they started. I reckon they have 
 been gone about an hour, and they would not have got more 
 than two miles away against this stream. Well, I hope that 
 they will be content now and turn back again." 
 
 Half an hour passed, then they heard a gun again ; it was 
 quickly followed by another and another. 
 
 " More monkeys," Wilcox exclaimed in a tone of disgust. 
 
 " I hope it is monkeys," Stephen said. "Listen. There 
 are four more shots close together. ' ' 
 
 The sailor leapt to his feet. " I believe you are right, sir, 
 that cussed firing has brought the natives down upon them. 
 They would not want to keep on firing at the monkeys. We 
 shall hear in a minute if they fire again. They have all 
 emptied their pieces. If they load quick and fire again it 
 will be a bad sign. There they are ! " he broke off as two 
 shots were heard. "I am afraid that settles it, sir, and 
 settles us too, for if they are attacked there ain't a ghost of a 
 chance of their getting away, and there won't be much more 
 chance of our doing so." 
 
 Four more shots were heard, and then all was quiet. 
 " Now, sir, we will be getting pretty deep in among these 
 trees, keeping close to the bank, so that we can look through 
 the bushes without being seen. If the boat comes along all 
 right, there ain't no harm done; if it don't come along after 
 a bit, we shall know what has happened." 
 
 Picking up his gun, Wilcox was about to turn off into the 
 wood when Stephen said : 
 
 " We had better take three or four cocoa-nuts each, Wil- 
 cox. There is no saying whether we shall come back to this 
 place, and it is as well to have something to eat." 
 
 Each tied some nuts together, threw them over their
 
 A RESCUE 83 
 
 shoulders, and started along the river bank. The stream 
 was bordered by a thick undergrowth, which afforded an 
 effectual screen for anyone behind it. After going for about 
 a quarter of a mile they stopped to listen. There was a faint 
 throbbing sound in the air. 
 
 " Paddles ! " Steve exclaimed. 
 
 " Ay, and native paddles, sir. Our men don't paddle like 
 that, and I fancy," he went on after listening again, " there 
 is more than one canoe. That settles it, sir. There isn't a 
 chance of our ever seeing our mates again." 
 
 " Oh, don't say that, Wilcox ! Even if some have been 
 killed, the others may have been taken prisoners. I can't 
 believe they have all been murdered." 
 
 " Well, I hope not, sir, but it looks very black. If they 
 had pounced upon them sudden, and there had been no fight- 
 ing, they might have kept them prisoners a day or two till 
 they made a grand feast and killed them ; but that firing we 
 heard settles it to my mind. I should say there ain't no 
 manner of doubt that our fellows will have killed some of the 
 niggers, and I expect that the two canoes closed in on them, 
 and then it would be all over in a minute." 
 
 When the canoes were within a quarter of a mile the rowers 
 broke into a sort of chant, with occasional wild shouts and 
 yells. 
 
 " There they come," Wilcox said as two long canoes, pad- 
 dling abreast, rounded a turn in the river a short distance 
 away. "There must be something like fifty men in each 
 canoe. ' ' 
 
 In a short time the canoes came along at a high rate of 
 speed. The sailor gave a sudden exclamation of fury. 
 
 " What K it? " Steve asked. 
 
 " Don't you see, sir, in the stern of each of the canoes, 
 piled up by the steering oar, there are some heads. ' '
 
 84 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " I can't look at them," Stephen said, drawing back from 
 his peep-hole through the leaves. 
 
 "They are whites," the sailor muttered. "There ain't 
 no doubt about it. I would give all my pay for the voyage 
 to have the Tiger's crew here, that we might give them mur- 
 dering villains a volley. " 
 
 But Stephen did not hear him ; he had thrown himself 
 down, and the tears were running down his cheeks. The loss 
 of the second mate, who had always been cheery and kind, 
 and of his fellow apprentice, Joyce, completely unnerved him. 
 Up to now he had hoped, but what before had been doubt as 
 to their fate had now been converted into certainty. 
 
 " Don't give way, Master Steve," the sailor said, stooping 
 over him and laying his hand on his shoulder. " It is a bad 
 job, there ain't no denying it. What happened to them half 
 an hour ago may happen to us before long ; we have got to be 
 up and doing, sir." 
 
 "You are right, Wilcox," Steve said, as he rose to his 
 feet. " In the first place, could you count the heads ? " 
 
 " No ; there was a pile of them in each boat ; there may 
 have been three, there may have been four in each." 
 
 " Well, one thing is certain, Wilcox ; we must find out if 
 any of them are still alive, and if so we must try and get them 
 out of the Malays' hands." 
 
 " I am ready to try, sir. When a chap sees such a thing as 
 that he don't seem to care much for his life; and at least if 
 we are caught we can polish off a few of the villains before we 
 go under, so I am game to do anything you may order." 
 
 " It is not for me to order, Wilcox; I am only a young 
 apprentice, and you are an experienced sailor ; and now 
 that we are alone and in danger together, it is for you to 
 lead." 
 
 " Well, if that is the way you look at it, sir, I am willing
 
 A RESCUE 85 
 
 to do all I can ; and if we find there is any of our mates alive 
 we will get them out if it is possible, never fear." 
 
 " Do you think those canoes are going to put to sea?" 
 Steve asked. 
 
 " Not they ; they have just gone down to the mouth of the 
 river to see whether that boat came from a ship lying off the 
 shore or whether it was alone. There, do you hear those yells ? 
 They have got out of the canoes, and found the place where 
 we camped last night. We walked about there a good bit, 
 and it ain't likely they will be able to find out whether there 
 was seven or nine of us. Besides, I don't think they will look 
 much, for they would take it for certain we should all go up 
 the river together ; and so we should have done if it had not 
 been that you and I were left behind to look out for a sail." 
 
 In half an hour the two canoes came back again. They 
 both kept well over to the opposite side of the river to avoid 
 the full force of the current, and the sailor and Stephen at- 
 tempted to count the heads in their sterns. They could not 
 make out the number, but were inclined to agree that the 
 two dark masses were about the same size. 
 
 " I think there can only be three in each boat," Stephen 
 said. " In that case one man may have been made prisoner ; 
 at any rate, Wilcox, we will go on and see." 
 
 As soon as the canoes had gone round the bend of the 
 river, they proceeded on their way. The ground presently 
 became exceedingly swampy, and they could see by the pieces 
 of dead wood and litter caught among the bushes, that in 
 times of flood the river must overflow its banks and extend 
 a long distance into the forest. From time to time they had 
 to wade waist-deep across channels by which the water from 
 the marsh was draining slowly into the river. Before crossing 
 these, at Wilcox's suggestion they each cut down a bush and 
 beat the water with it.
 
 86 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " I expect there are no end of alligators in this swamp," 
 the sailor said; "and I know that the natives, before they 
 cross streams where the brutes are likely to be hiding, beat 
 the water with sticks or bushes to frighten them away." 
 
 It was hard work walking, for they often sunk knee-deep in 
 the wet soil, but after toiling for nearly an hour they heard a 
 confused noise ahead, and could ere long make out the beating 
 of drums and the wild shouts of Malays, mingled with a deep 
 roaring sound made by horns. They now went on more 
 cautiously, and presently could make out through the trees a 
 large native village standing upon rising ground by the side 
 of the river. Creeping cautiously to the edge of the bush 
 they could see that a large number of men, women, and chil- 
 dren were assembled in an open space between the houses and 
 the water. The women were bringing bundles of wood, and a 
 column of smoke rising in the centre of the crowd showed 
 that the preparation for a feast had begun. 
 
 " If we had but one of our ten-pounders loaded with grape 
 with us," Wilcox said, " I would pour a volley into those 
 black devils if it cost me my life afterwards." 
 
 " What do you think they are going to do, Wilcox?" 
 
 " I reckon there ain't much doubt about it," the sailor 
 replied ; " they are going to make a feast of our mess-mates." 
 
 Stephen uttered an exclamation of horror and disgust. 
 " Do you mean to say that they are cannibals, Wilcox ? " 
 
 " In course I can't say for certain, Master Steve. Some of 
 these tribes are cannibals and some ain't, and I reckon by 
 what I see going on that those villains are. Are you a good 
 climber, sir ? " 
 
 " Do you mean climbing a tree ? I have never had much 
 practice at that, Wilcox, but I dare say I could manage it." 
 
 " Well, sir, you are lighter and more active than I am, and 
 I was thinking that if you could get up to the top of this tree
 
 A RESCUE 87 
 
 you would have a view down over the village. The leaves are 
 pretty thick, and as the niggers are busy there is not much 
 chance of their looking about for a man up a tree. You see 
 the village ain't above a hundred and fifty yards away, and 
 the ground ain't more than twenty feet above the river. I 
 should say that this tree was seventy or eighty feet high, so 
 that from the top you can get a view pretty well over the 
 place ; if there is one of our chaps there he may be lying tied 
 up somewhere. Of course he might be in a hut, but it is 
 much more likely that they would have just chucked him down 
 until they wanted him. I think if you got on my shoulder 
 you would be able to get hold of that lowest branch where it 
 bends down, and climb along it to the trunk ; after that the 
 branches come pretty thick together." 
 
 " I think I could manage that easily enough." 
 
 " Well, then, here goes," the sailor said, and took up his 
 post beneath where the bough was lowest. " If you can't 
 reach it from my shoulder, sir, you step on my head. I can 
 hold you easy enough. You keep the trunk as far as possible 
 between you and the village." 
 
 " The leaves are thick up high," Steve said, looking up at 
 the tree; "directly it gets above the level of these smaller 
 trees it spreads its branches out well." 
 
 " Now, jump upon my back, sir, and then climb upon my 
 shoulders. You had best take hold of my hands to steady 
 yourself." 
 
 It was necessary, as the sailor had suggested, for Steve to 
 stand upon his supporter's head before he could get hold of a 
 branch sufficiently strong to bear his weight. As soon as he 
 did so he drew himself up, and was soon climbing the main 
 trunk. The higher he got the more convinced was he that 
 he would not be observed by the natives, for the trees behind 
 him formed a background, and therefore he could not be
 
 88 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 seen against the sky. He kept, however, as the sailor had 
 told him, on the other side of the trunk, and when he had 
 gained the smaller branches at the top of the tree he looked 
 out through an opening in the foliage. The village seemed 
 to lie almost at his feet, and he could see every object on the 
 ground. It was not long before he perceived a figure lying 
 full length in front of one of the huts, close to the spot where 
 the people were gathered. It was certainly an European, 
 and from the whiteness of the trousers he felt sure that it 
 was either the mate or Joyce. He counted the number of 
 huts, and found that the one beside which the figure was 
 lying was the eighth in the line facing the river. There 
 were two lines of huts with a sort of street between them. 
 Behind the second row the rise on which the village was 
 situated fell rapidly away and the jungle grew almost up to 
 the back of the huts. Those in the second line stood some- 
 what further apart than those in the first, and he observed 
 that the sixth house in the back line was opposite the eighth 
 in the front. Having gathered this information he descended 
 the tree. 
 
 " What news, sir?" the sailor asked, as Stephen dropped 
 from the bough to his side. 
 
 '" There is one of our comrades lying by the huts, Wilcox. 
 I can tell by his white ducks that it is either Mr. Towel or 
 Joyce; whether he is alive or dead, of course I can't say. I 
 did not see him move, but no doubt he would be tied hand 
 and foot. I saw nothing of the others, and there would be 
 no reason why he should be treated differently from them if he 
 were dead." 
 
 " You may be sure of that. Well, that is better than I 
 had hoped. If we can save one it will be something." 
 
 " I have been examining the ground," Stephen went on, 
 " and we could work round close up to the second row of
 
 A RESCUE 89 
 
 huts. We must count six of them, then go along by the side 
 of the sixth and cross the street to the hut opposite. The 
 prisoner is lying in front of that, I mean on the river side of 
 it. Of course, there is no doing anything until the sun has 
 set, except that we might work round to that hut. It will be 
 easier to get through this horrid swamp before it gets dark 
 than afterwards, and there will be less fear of our stumbling 
 and breaking a branch. What time do you think it is now? " 
 
 " I don't think it is more than eight bells yet," Wilcox 
 said. " It is a lot of hours to wait, and I would give a good 
 bit to be out of the swamp before it gets dark. Howsomever, 
 if we keep along by the river coming back we can't lose our 
 way, that is one comfort. Well, let us work round at once, 
 and then we shall see how the land lies. It is like enough 
 that as soon as they have got a big fire made up, and the 
 cooking begun, they will most of them turn in for a sleep till 
 the heat of the day is over, and begin their feast after sun- 
 down. They generally do sleep half the day, and then keep 
 it up half the night." 
 
 Accordingly they started through the wood, and in a 
 quarter of an hour found themselves at the foot of the rising 
 ground on which the village stood. They had counted the 
 huts, and now crawled up through the thick bushes and stood 
 within a few yards of the sixth hut. The swamp had been 
 very deep on the way, and they had had the greatest difficulty 
 in getting through it. Stephen had once sunk below his waist 
 in the mud, and would have been unable to extricate him- 
 self, had not the sailor held on by a young tree with one 
 hand while he stretched out the other to him. 
 
 " I am all right now as far as colour goes, Wilcox. Now, 
 do you stay here and I will crawl along by the side of the 
 hut and have a look up and down the street. I did not see a 
 soul between the row of huts when I was in the tree. ' '
 
 90 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 When Stephen peeped out by the side of the hut he saw 
 that there were several people about, apparently returning 
 from the spot where they had congregated. He rejoined his 
 companion, and they waited an hour. By this time perfect 
 silence had fallen on the village. The heat was intense, and 
 even in the forest all sound had ceased, as if birds and insects 
 were alike indulging in a mid-day sleep. 
 
 "I will go and have a look again now," Stephen said. 
 " If I find no one about I will cross the street and try to cut 
 the ropes, and bring him here at once. If there is a guard 
 over him I will come back again to you. We ought to be 
 able to silence the guard without his giving the alarm, espe- 
 cially as he is likely to be half-asleep." 
 
 " You had better leave your pistols here, Master Steve, and 
 take your cutlass. A pistol-shot now would bring the whole 
 village down on us, and we should have no chance of getting 
 through the swamp with a hundred of those fellows after us. 
 You had better draw your sword, and leave the scabbard and 
 belt here. In the first place, it is handier to have the sword 
 ready ; and it is not so likely to knock against anything when 
 you have got it in your hand as it would be trailing behind 
 you as you crawl along. I shall be on the look-out, sir, and 
 shall be by your side in a brace of shakes if you hail." 
 
 Stephen parted the bushes, and then stepped lightly to the 
 corner of the hut. Not a soul was to be seen moving about, 
 and he dashed across to the house opposite, crawled along by 
 its side, and then looked round. The great fire had burned 
 low, and Stephen shuddered as his eye fell upon the mass of 
 embers and thought of what was lying below them. There 
 was no one about the whole of the natives had retired to 
 their huts. In another moment he was beside the prisoner. 
 It was Joyce. Bands of cord - like creepers were wrapped 
 round his legs ; his wrists were tied together, and from them
 
 STEPHEN CRAWLS TO THE RESCUE OF HIS CHUM, JOYCE.
 
 A RESCUE 91 
 
 a rope went to a peg fo ar feet beyond him, extending his 
 arms at full length beyond his head. A similar fastening 
 from his ankles kept his legs at full stretch in the other direc- 
 tion. Fastened thus, the Malays evidently considered that 
 there was no necessity for a guard over him. 
 
 "Joyce, old fellow," Stephen whispered in his ear, "are 
 you conscious ? ' ' 
 
 The lad opened his closed eyes with a start. 
 
 " Don't speak," Stephen went on. 
 
 " Is it really you, Steve, or am I dreaming ? " 
 
 " You are awake enough, Tom. I am here with Wilcox and 
 will soon get these things off you." Drawing his jack-knife 
 he cut the bonds. ' ' Do you think that you can walk, Tom ? ' ' 
 
 " Yes, the things were not very tight, only being pegged 
 out like this I could not move an inch." 
 
 Stephen was lying down by his side while he cut the fasten- 
 ings. He now looked round again. 
 
 " There is no one in sight, Tom, but you had better wriggle 
 yourself along until you get to the corner of the hut. ' ' 
 
 As soon as they were round the corner they stood up. As 
 they did so, the sailor put his head out through the bushes 
 and waved them a silent cheer. Stephen went first, and as 
 soon as he saw that the street was empty he beckoned to his 
 companion, and they ran across to the other side; a moment 
 later they joined the sailor. The latter gave a grip to Joyce's 
 hand, and then held out to him a cocoa-nut he had just cut 
 open in readiness. This he siezed eagerly and took a long 
 drink. 
 
 " I was choking with thirst," Joyce gasped, as he finished 
 the contents of the nut. 
 
 "Take care how you go through the bushes," the sailor 
 whispered, as he turned and led the way; "everything is so 
 quiet that a rustle might be heard."
 
 92 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 They went along with the greatest caution. Their bare 
 feet fell noiselessly on the spongy soil, but sometimes as they 
 sank into the mud the suck of the air as they drew them out 
 made a sound that startled them. At last they reached the 
 tree where they had left all the cocoa-nuts with the exception 
 of the one that the sailor had brought on. When they 
 stopped, Joyce threw himself down and burst into tears. 
 
 " Leave me alone," he said, as Stephen began to speak to 
 him, " I shall be better directly, but it has been awful. I 
 will tell you about it afterwards. I tried to make up my mind 
 to stand it bravely, and it is the getting out of it when there 
 did not seem to be a chance in the world that has upset me." 
 
 In five minutes he rose again to his feet. "I am ready to 
 go on now, ' ' he said. 
 
 " Yes, I think it is time to be moving, sir. As soon as 
 those beggars wake up and find you have gone, they will set 
 out in chase, and the longer start we get the better. ' ' 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 
 
 OVER such ground it was impossible to hurry, but in three- 
 quarters of an hour they reached the edge of the wood. 
 ' ' I have been thinking that we had better take to the water 
 for a bit," Stephen said. " They are sure to think that you 
 have made for the coast, and they will not be long in finding 
 our footmarks. Though I don't know much about the Malays, 
 I expect they can follow a track like all other savages. The 
 only thing to settle is whether we shall swim across the river 
 and go along in that direction, or keep on this side. We
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 93 
 
 have not seen anything of alligators, and I don't think the 
 sharks ever cross the bars and come into fresh water." 
 
 " All right, sir ! If you think it is best to cross, I am 
 ready," Wilcox said. " A dip will do us good, for the heat 
 in that wood is enough to roast an ox ; besides, it will wash 
 the mud off us. But we must look about for a log to put the 
 gun and our pistols and the ammunition on, we must not 
 risk wetting that." 
 
 There were many pieces of drift-wood by the edge of the 
 water, and choosing one of them they fastened the weapons 
 and cartridges on the top, and then, entering the water and 
 pushing it before them, swam over to the opposite side. Then 
 taking the arms again they let the log drift down the river, 
 and keeping in the water ankle-deep they followed the stream 
 down to the sea, and continued their course along the sand 
 washed by the surf. 
 
 " How long a start do you think we shall get, Wilcox?" 
 Stephen asked. 
 
 " I should say that two hours is as much as we can hope 
 for." 
 
 " Well, we shall be a good long way off by that time. I 
 feel a new man after that swim. ' ' 
 
 " So do I," Joyce said, speaking more briskly than he had 
 hitherto done. 
 
 " Well, we had better set off at a trot," the sailor said. 
 " I expect those beggars can run a good deal faster than we 
 can. The great thing is for us to get so far away before it 
 gets dark that they won't be able to see our figures. If it is 
 eight bells before they fairly set off after us, they will only 
 have a little better than two hours and a half. They are sure 
 to be thrown out for a bit at the mouth of the river. They 
 will see our footsteps at the water side, but won't know 
 whether we have crossed or have kept along on that side.
 
 94 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Very likely some of them will go one way and some the other, 
 still they are sure to have a talk and a delay. They ought 
 not to travel twice as fast as we have, at any rate, and they 
 would have to do that to catch us before it is dark." 
 
 They set off at a brisk trot. The sand was fairly hard below 
 the spot where the surf rushed up over it, and the walking 
 was easy in comparison to that in the swamp or on loose sand. 
 Still it was hot work. The sun blazed down upon them, 
 there was not a breath of wind, and they were drenched with 
 perspiration. They kept on steadily, however, slackening 
 only occasionally into a walk for two or three minutes, and 
 then going on again at a sharp pace. 
 
 " They won't catch us before it gets dark," the sailor said 
 confidently. " I reckon we must be making near seven 
 knots an hour, and even a Malay could not go at fourteen ; 
 besides, they will have to keep a sharp look-out for footmarks 
 in the sand above water-mark, as we might at any time come 
 up from the water and take to the forest. Anyhow, we must 
 keep it up as long as we can go. We ain't running for amuse- 
 ment, it is for a big prize, for our lives depend on our keeping 
 ahead." 
 
 Anxiously they watched the sun as it sank down towards 
 the horizon, and there was an exclamation of satisfaction as 
 it disappeared below the water. 
 
 " Another half-hour and we shall be able to take it easy," 
 Stephen said. " I should not think they would keep up 
 the search after dark, and then we could safely take to the 
 forest. The wind is springing up already, and this light 
 drifting sand will cover all signs of our footsteps before morn- 
 ing." 
 
 " We had better keep in the water as long as we can, 
 Master Steve. They can't trace our footsteps here, but they 
 might under the trees. These sort of chaps are like dogs. I
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 95 
 
 expect they can pretty well follow you by smell, and the 
 hope of getting heads will keep them at it as long as there is 
 the slightest chance of their overtaking us. ' ' 
 
 " Well, we may as well be on the safe side anyhow, Wilcox, 
 and will keep on here as long as we can drag our feet along. 
 We have got no boots to pinch our corns, and every time the 
 surf rushes up it cools our feet, so we ought to be able to keep 
 on till eight bells in the middle watch, by that time I should 
 think we shall have gone something like forty miles from that 
 river." 
 
 "All that," the sailor agreed. "It was about four bells 
 when we swam across, and in the four hours we have cer- 
 tainly gone twenty-four knots, and I should say a bit further 
 than that. If we only make three knots for the next six hours, 
 we shall have logged over forty by eight bells, and I should 
 say that even the Malays will hardly come as far as that, 
 especially as the men who take this side won't be sure that 
 we have not gone the other, and have been caught by their 
 mates. ' ' 
 
 They kept steadily on, but their speed gradually abated, 
 and for the last two hours before the hands of Stephen's 
 watch pointed to twelve o'clock, they stumbled rather than 
 walked. 
 
 " I think that will do," he said at last, " it is nearly eight 
 bells now. Let us tread in each other's footsteps as well as 
 we can, so that there shall only be one line of marks. ' ' 
 
 The change from the firm sand to the yielding drift in 
 which their feet sank three or four inches finished them, and 
 although they had not more than a hundred yards to walk to 
 the trees, it seemed to them that they would never get there. 
 At last they reached the edge of the forest, staggered a few 
 paces in, and then without a word dropped down and almost 
 instantaneously fell asleep.
 
 96 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 The sun was high when they woke. Stephen was the first 
 to get on to his feet. He went to the edge of the trees and 
 looked across. To his satisfaction he saw that the drifting 
 sand had obliterated all trace of their passage. 
 
 "Then I vote," Wilcox said, when he was told the news, 
 " that we go a bit further into the wood and camp there for 
 the day. I am just aching from head to foot." 
 
 " I think we must go on a bit further, Wilcox. You see 
 there are no cocoa-nuts here, and we must keep on until we 
 come to a grove of them. The trees are never far apart, and we 
 may not have a mile to go. We certainly can't stay here all 
 day without something to eat and drink. You see we threw 
 our nuts away when we started." 
 
 "I suppose you are right, sir," the sailor said, slowly get- 
 ting up onto his feet ; " but it is hard, after such a run as we 
 made yesterday, to have to get up anchor again. ' ' 
 
 " Well, we can take it easily, Wilcox, and we will stop at 
 the first cocoa-nut tree we come to. Now, Tom, as we go 
 along you shall tell us about yesterday ; we have not heard a 
 word yet." 
 
 " Well," began Joyce, " we paddled up the river, as you 
 know. It was as much as we could do sometimes to make 
 head against the current. I suppose we had been gone about 
 an hour when we saw a troop of monkeys on the boughs of a 
 tree overhanging the water. They did not seem a bit afraid 
 of us, but chattered and screamed. We shot three of them. 
 I did not fire, for I could not bring myself to kill one of 
 them. It was like shooting at a child. We picked them out 
 of the water and put them in the boat, and then paddled on 
 again. We had just got to a turn in the river when two big 
 canoes came round the corner. It was of no use our trying 
 to get away, for they could go six feet to our one. Mr. 
 Towel stood up in the stern and held both his arms up to
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 97 
 
 show that we were friendly, but directly afterwards a shower 
 of spears came whizzing down at us. One hit Jackson, who 
 was in the bow, somewhere in the body. He fired at them, 
 and then fell down in the bottom of the boat. Then the 
 rest of us fired, and for a moment they sheered off, but the 
 men had just time to reload their guns when the Malays 
 came at us. The men fired again, and a moment later the 
 canoes ran alongside. We took to our pistols, but the Malays 
 came leaping on board like demons. 
 
 " I don't know anything more about that part of the busi- 
 ness, for I got a crack on the head with a club, and did not 
 know anything more till I was hauled on shore and chucked 
 down. Then I saw them bring from the canoes the heads of 
 all the others. It was frightful. Then they dragged the 
 bodies out from the bottom of the canoes. They had all been 
 stripped, and I believe I should have fainted if a big Malay 
 had not given me a tremendous kick, and made me walk up 
 to the village. As soon as I got there they tied me up and 
 staked me out. There was a tremendous noise and shouting 
 and yelling, but what was done I don't know, as I could see 
 nothing but the sky and the wall of the hut. It was an aw- 
 ful time ; first because I knew that sooner or later they would 
 kill me, and in the next place, because I was driven pretty 
 nearly mad by the flies and things that settled on my face. 
 Of course I could not brush them away, and all that I could 
 do was to shake my head, and they did not seem to mind 
 that. It seems ridiculous that, after seeing one's friends killed 
 and knowing that one is going to be killed oneself, one should 
 worry over flies, but I can tell you I went nearly out of my 
 mind with irritation at the tickling of their feet. It seemed 
 to me that I was there for ages, though I knew by the height 
 of the sun that it was only about noon. The thirst, too, was 
 fearful, and I made up my mind that the sooner they came and
 
 98 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 killed me the better. I found myself talking all sorts of non- 
 sense, and I do think that I should have gone out of my mind 
 before the day was over. When first I heard your voice I 
 thought it must be a dream, like some of the other ideas that 
 came into my mind. I had thought of you both when I was 
 first fastened up, and wondered whether the Malays would find 
 you. I had even thought at first that if you only knew where 
 I was you might try to get me away after dark if I was not 
 killed before that, and you can guess my feelings when I be- 
 came convinced that it was really you. How did you know 
 what had happened ? ' ' 
 
 " You must have been insensible for a good bit, Tom. We 
 heard the firing, and thought that there was too much of it 
 for shooting monkeys, and that you must have been attacked, 
 so we made our way along among the bushes by the bank. 
 Presently the two canoes came down, and we made out some 
 heads in the stern of each boat. They went to the mouth of 
 the river, to see, no doubt, if there was a ship there. They 
 came back again in half an hour. We tried to count the 
 heads, and both of us thought that there were about the same 
 number in each boat. Of course we could not be sure, but 
 we determined to come on to the village and find out for cer- 
 tain. I climbed up a high tree a short distance from it the 
 one where we came upon the cocoa-nuts and made you out 
 lying beside a hut. i knew by the white ducks that it was 
 either you or poor Towel. Then we worked round, waited 
 until the village had gone off to sleep, and then came for 
 you. You see the Malays had no idea that there were any 
 more whites about, and therefore took no trouble about 
 you. No doubt they thought that the boat had escaped from 
 a wreck, and that all who had got away in her had gone up 
 the river together. Ah ! there is a cocoa-nut. I am glad 
 our walk is over, for I am beginning to feel hot and thirsty. ' '
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 99 
 
 " So am I, and stiff and sore all over." 
 
 The cocoa-nut tree was the first of a grove. Stephen, who 
 was by far the most active of the party, soon climbed one of 
 the trees, and threw a score of nuts down. They went a 
 little distance further back into the forest. Each consumed 
 the contents of four nuts, then two of them lay down to sleep 
 again, while the other kept watch. The march was not re- 
 sumed until after sunset. They had another meal of cocoa- 
 nuts before they started, and each took three nuts for use on 
 the journey. They again walked at the edge of the water, as 
 they had done the day before. It was by far the pleasantest 
 way, and they kept on until daylight appeared, and then again 
 went into the wood. 
 
 " I should think now," Stephen said, as after a good sleep 
 they ate a cocoa-nut breakfast, " that we need not bother any 
 more about the Malays of that village. It is quite possible 
 that we passed another last night, though of course the sand- 
 hills would have prevented our seeing it. The question is 
 now, what are we to do next ? ' ' 
 
 "That is what I was thinking all the time that we were 
 walking last night," Joyce said. "We can't keep on tramp- 
 ing and living on cocoa-nuts for ever." 
 
 "That is quite certain, Tom, but there is no reason why 
 we should do so. There must be some villages on this coast, 
 and when we start this evening I vote we keep along here in- 
 stead of going down to the water. Where there is a village 
 there must be fishing canoes, and all we have got to do is to 
 take one, and put to sea. I don't mean to say that we can 
 get in and push straight away, for we must have some pro- 
 visions ; but when we have found a village we can hide up 
 near it, and get as many cocoa-nuts as we can carry. Besides, 
 there are sure to be bananas and other fruit-trees close by, and 
 after laying our cocoa-nuts down by the edge of the water,
 
 100 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 we can go up and cut as many bananas as we like, and then 
 we shall have enough food to last us ten days or so. There is 
 one comfort, wherever we may land there cannot be a worse 
 lot of Malays than there are about here." 
 
 "That is a capital plan, Master Stephen," Wilcox said. 
 " I have not been thinking of a village, except as to how to 
 get past it ; but, as you say, there is no reason why we should 
 not make off in a canoe." 
 
 The next night they kept along just inside the trees, and 
 had walked but two hours when they found that these ended 
 abruptly, and that they stood on the edge of a clearing. 
 
 " Here is your village, Stephen." 
 
 "Yes; one hardly hoped to find one so soon. Well, the 
 first thing is to go down and search in the sand-hills for 
 canoes. ' ' 
 
 Four or five were found lying together in a hollow some 
 twenty yards beyond high-water mark. They examined them 
 carefully. 
 
 " Any of them will do," Wilcox said, " but I think this is 
 the best one. It is a little larger than the others, and the 
 wood feels newer and sounder. I expect she is meant for four 
 paddlers, and she will carry us and a fair cargo well." 
 
 "That is settled, then," Stephen said. "I propose that 
 we go back some little distance from the village, get our 
 cocoa-nuts at once, and bring them back and hide them in 
 the bushes not far from where the clearing begins. It will 
 save time to-morrow." 
 
 " Why should we not go to-night? " Joyce asked. " It is 
 only about nine o'clock now, and if we get the cocoa-nuts 
 near here, we can make two or three journeys down to the 
 boat with them, and be off before midnight." 
 
 " So we might, Tom. What do you say, Wilcox? " 
 
 "The sooner the better, says I," the sailor replied. " As
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 101 
 
 Mr. Joyce says, we can be off by eight bells easy, and we shall 
 be out of sight of this village long before daybreak." 
 
 "Well, Wilcox, will you and Mr. Joyce get the cocoa- 
 nuts, and while you are doing it I will creep round this clear- 
 ing and get bananas. I can see lots of their broad leaves 
 over there. As I get them I will bring them to this corner, 
 and by the time you have got a store of nuts, I shall have a 
 pile of bananas. I think you had better go four or five hun- 
 dred yards away before you cut the nuts, for they come down 
 with such a thump that any native who is awake here might 
 very well hear them." 
 
 "We will go a bit away, sir," Wilcox said, "but if we 
 take pains to let them drop each time just as there is a puff of 
 wind, there is no fear of their hearing them." 
 
 They separated, and Stephen, entering the clearing, soon 
 came upon a banana tree with long bunches of the fruit. Two 
 of these were as much as he could carry, and his portion of 
 the work was soon done, and indeed he had carried them 
 down to the water's edge before his companions had brought 
 three loads of cocoa-nuts to the point where he had left them. 
 He helped to take these down, then the canoe was lifted and 
 carried to the edge of the water, being taken in far enough to 
 float each time the surf ran up. Then the fruit was placed 
 in it. 
 
 " I wish we had poor Mr. Towel with us to take her through 
 the surf," Wilcox said. 
 
 " I wish we had ; but fortunately it is not very heavy." 
 
 " No, sir ; it is sure not to be," the sailor said. " I have 
 noticed that they always put their villages at points where the 
 surf is lighter than usual. I suppose the water is shallower, 
 or deeper, or something. I don't know what it is, but there 
 is certainly a difference. Besides, there has been no wind to 
 speak of since we landed, and the waves are nothing to what
 
 102 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 they were then. Now, gentlemen, as I am more accustomed 
 to this sort of thing than you are, I will take the place in the 
 stern, where I can steer her a bit. The moment she floats as 
 the surf comes in, and I see the chance is a good one, I will 
 give the word ; then we will all paddle as hard as we can, and 
 go out as the surf draws back, so as to meet the next wave 
 before it breaks. Everything depends on that." 
 
 They took their places in the canoe, and grasped the pad- 
 dles that they had found in her. Two or three waves passed 
 under them, and then they saw one higher than the others 
 approaching them. 
 
 "We will go out on the back of this one," Wilcox said. 
 "Paddle the moment the surf lifts the canoe, and don't let 
 her be washed up a foot." 
 
 The wave fell over with a crash, and a torrent of foam 
 rushed up towards them. 
 
 "Now," Wilcox exclaimed, as the white line reached the 
 bow, " paddle for your lives ! " 
 
 For a moment, in spite of their desperate efforts, they were 
 carried upwards, then the canoe seemed to hang in the air, 
 and they were riding forward with the speed of an arrow on 
 the receding water. 
 
 "All you know," Wilcox shouted, and as the rush of 
 water ceased they drove her ahead to meet the next wave. It 
 rose higher and higher. The canoe reached it, and, as it 
 passed under them, stood almost upright. Two or three more 
 desperate strokes, and they heard a crash behind them. 
 
 " Row, row ! " Wilcox shouted, as they felt the boat drawn 
 backwards. It was but for a few seconds, then they moved 
 ahead again, passed over the next wave, and were safe. They 
 now settled to steady paddling, and before they had gone 
 many hundred yards from shore they no longer felt the long 
 smooth rollers, over which the canoe glided insensibly.
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 103 
 
 By daylight the land they had left was far behind them, 
 the low-lying coast had sunk from their view, and the hills 
 behind were almost shrouded from sight by the mist that rose 
 from the swamps. 
 
 " It was well we rescued Mr. Joyce before it was dark," the 
 sailor said to Stephen. " One night in those swamps is enough 
 to lay any white man up with fever. That was why I was so 
 anxious to get him away at once. I did not think that they 
 would kill him straight off. If they had wanted him for the 
 feast they would have cut off his head when they caught him. 
 I expect they would have kept him for some other occasion ; 
 but I wanted to get him out of it before the mists began to 
 rise from the swamps. Now, sir, as we are well away, shall I 
 put her head north or south ? ' ' 
 
 "I don't think it matters much, Wilcox. There is some 
 high land just ahead now, we may as well make in that di- 
 rection as any other ; but if we get to a small island on the 
 way, I should think that it would be safest to land there, and 
 wait for a few days anyhow, as we agreed before, to see if 
 there are any signs of a sail. At any rate, we won't go near, 
 by daylight, any island likely to be inhabited." 
 
 After paddling for some hours they saw a low island that 
 seemed to be about a quarter of a mile in diameter, and 
 headed towards it. Before they reached it, however, Wilcox 
 said : 
 
 ' ' Do you know, Mr. Joyce, I have been thinking for some 
 time that I knew that hill we were pointing to, and, now we 
 have opened it out a bit more, I feel sure of it." 
 
 The lads ceased paddling, and looked intently at the hill, 
 now some twelve miles away. It had a flat top that seemed 
 to be split asunder by a crack running through it. 
 
 " I know it now," Stephen exclaimed excitedly, " it is the 
 island where that wreck was."
 
 104 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 "That is it, sure enough, sir. I have been thinking it 
 was so for some time, but it is only now that I have caught 
 the light through that gap at the top. It was more open 
 from the point where the Tiger lay when we started for 
 shore, but if we row on for a mile or two and then make 
 straight for it, I think we shall just about strike the point 
 where the wreck is lying. No, I think we had better wait a 
 while, Mr. Joyce," he said, as the latter dipped his paddle in 
 the water and turned the boat's head towards the island. 
 
 " I think we had better wait till the sun gets pretty low. 
 We know there ain't any villages near the wreck, for she 
 must have been there a good month afore we found her, and 
 it was certain then that no native had been near her. Still 
 there may be some higher up on the slopes, and they might 
 make us out, so it is better that we should not get within six 
 or eight miles of land before it begins to be dark. We could 
 not go to a better place. First of all, there are no natives ; 
 secondly, we may pick up all sorts of useful things about the 
 shore. We did not see anything but bales and wreckage 
 where we landed, but it was all rock there. Now some of 
 the casks and things may have floated along, and have been 
 cast up upon the sand. Then, it is about the likeliest point 
 for sighting the Tiger. The skipper would naturally say to 
 himself, There is no saying where the boat has gone to, but 
 if it is anywhere near the island where we lost them, they 
 would be likely to make for the wreck in hopes of finding 
 some provisions cast up there ; and so he would sail round to 
 have a look. ' ' 
 
 " I think he would," the boys both agreed, letting the 
 boat drift quietly. They made a hearty meal of bananas and 
 cocoa-nut milk, and then all lay down in the canoe and dozed 
 for some hours. The two lads were roused by Wilcox say- 
 ing :
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 105 
 
 " I think, gentlemen, we can paddle on quietly now; the 
 sun will be setting in less than an hour." 
 
 Resuming their seats, they paddled gently on until the sun 
 disappeared, then quickened their pace, and in another hour 
 reached the shore. They had no difficulty in landing, for 
 the side on which the wreck was lying was sheltered by the 
 island itself from the rollers, and it was a sandy beach. 
 
 " I don't think that we are far from the spot," Wilcox 
 said, " for we made straight for that crack on the hill, and 
 kept it open all the while. I reckon we can't be more than 
 half a mile from where the wreck was lying. 
 
 " I don't suppose we shall see anything of that, the cyclone 
 must have finished it. However, we will walk along the 
 shore till we get to the spot. We cannot mistake that. We 
 will keep a bit back from the sea. We may light upon some- 
 thing as we go, but it will be sure to be well inland ; you 
 know we saw how far the sea washed things up beside the 
 wreck. ' ' 
 
 The night was too dark, however, for them to distinguish 
 objects ten yards away, and they soon came down to the 
 water's edge again, following it until the character of the 
 shore changed and rocks took the place of the sand. 
 
 " That is all right," the sailor said ; " now I think we had 
 better go back to the boat again till we get daylight. It 
 would never do to walk across these rocks in the dark with 
 naked feet. It was bad enough when it was light, but we should 
 cut our feet to pieces if we tried it now. There is no hurry 
 about it, as we are within half a mile of the wreck. We 
 know that everything is pretty well smashed up that went 
 ashore there, so that we are far more likely to find something 
 on the sands, and we shall see the Tiger just as well from 
 where the canoe is as from the wreck. The first thing to 
 look for is water. I don't say that the cocoa-nuts would not
 
 106 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 supply us for another week ; but if we are going to stay here 
 long and for my part I don't see anything better to do we 
 must either find another cocoa-nut grove or water." 
 
 "I dont think we are likely to find another cocoa-nut 
 grove," Stephen said. 
 
 "Why not, sir? They have them mostly on all these 
 islands. ' ' 
 
 " That is true," Stephen agreed ; " but I should say it is 
 just because there are none here that there are no villages any- 
 where about." 
 
 " I did not think of that, sir ; yes, I expect you are right ; 
 and in that case it is still more necessary to hunt for water. 
 If we can find it within four or five miles either side of the 
 wreck we are all right, because the Tiger could not come 
 here without our seeing her ; but I should not like to be 
 much further away. However, most of these islands have 
 water, especially when they are hilly ; and as we have been 
 lucky so far, it will be hard if we don't find a stream of some 
 sort along ten miles of shore. ' ' 
 
 The next morning they set out on a tour of exploration. 
 They were not long before they came upon many relics of 
 the wreck : planks, spars, and remains of the cargo. They 
 lay nearly two hundred yards from the shore, and bore no 
 signs of the rough usage that had marked the wreckage among 
 the rocks. 
 
 "Hurrah! there are some tubs," Joyce shouted, as they 
 reached the top of a low sand-hill. They broke into a run, 
 and were soon standing beside six casks, lying a short dis- 
 tance apart. 
 
 " Salt junk," Wilcox said, as they looked at the cask they 
 first came to, " and no bad thing either ; cocoa-nuts are good 
 for drink, but that soft, pulpy stuff inside don't go very far ; 
 and after a chap has been eating it for a week he wants to
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 107 
 
 get his teeth into something more substantial. This ain't no 
 good," he went on, giving a kick at the next cask, "unless 
 the natives come up and we open trade with them. These 
 are goods they shipped at Calcutta. This is better," he went 
 on, as he looked at the next ; " this 'ere is biscuits ; and with 
 biscuits and salt junk, and a banana now and then, no man 
 need grumble." 
 
 The next two were, like the second, filled with trade ar- 
 ticles ; the last was a cask of flour. 
 
 "Well, we can stop here a couple of months if we like, 
 gentlemen, if we can but hit upon water ; for that, of course, 
 we must look beyond the line of sand ; a river can cut through 
 it, but a little stream would find its way underneath the sand 
 to the sea. ' ' 
 
 As they approached the rocky ground, which rose like a 
 ridge, and could be traced far inland, the sailor said : " This 
 is the most likely spot. Any water that came down from the 
 hills would run along at the foot of these rocks to the sea. ' ' 
 
 " I think that you are right, Wilcox ; the foliage looks 
 brighter along by the rocks than it does anywhere else, and I 
 should not be surprised if we found a stream there." 
 
 As they approached the rocks within a hundred yards, the 
 hope became a certainty, for there was some growth of verd- 
 ure. They quickened their steps and ran forward, but, to 
 their disappointment, there was no stream, however small. 
 
 " We have got to dig for it," Wilcox said ; " there is water 
 not far down, I will swear." 
 
 The soil was chiefly composed of sand, and they set to work 
 with their hands to scrape a hole in it. They had got but a 
 foot down when the soil became moist, and a foot lower water 
 began to ooze out of the sides into the hole. 
 
 " Thank God for that ! " the sailor said reverently, "that 
 makes it safe. This evening, when it gets cool, we will bring
 
 108 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the paddles here, and will soon dig a hole for our well. We 
 can't do better than roll a tub here and sink it in the hole, 
 and bring the' canoe to the edge of that rock down by the sea, 
 then we have only got to chop some boughs and make a sort 
 of hut, and we shall be as comfortable as if we were back 
 home." 
 
 "It is curious finding a rock here," Joyce said presently, 
 as they made their way over to it. ' ' For all the distance that 
 we have gone along by the sea, it has been nothing but sand : 
 it is rum black-looking stuff, too." 
 
 " I expect it is lava," Stephen said. " There are lots of 
 volcanoes among these islands, and I believe that high hill 
 is one, and that if we were to climb up we should find there 
 was a crater there. You see we are just in a line with that 
 gap, and this rock goes exactly in that direction. I expect 
 that in some eruption ever so long ago, the crater split there, 
 and the lava poured down here into the sea." 
 
 " Very likely that is it, Stephen ; it must have been a long 
 time ago anyhow; you see there are big trees growing on it." 
 
 In ten minutes they arrived at the spot where the wreck 
 had been ; her keel remained there, but with this exception 
 she had entirely disappeared. They took another look among 
 the wreckage, cut off some lengths of rope and coiled them 
 up, and also a sail, which the sailor pronounced to be a top- 
 gallant sail. This they rolled up, fastened it by short pieces 
 of rope, and then, the sailor taking the middle and the lads 
 the ends on their shoulders, they carried it to what they al- 
 ready called their " well." 
 
 " We will set to work at once to rig up a tent under the 
 shade of these trees," the sailor said, " it will keep the night 
 mists off better than branches ; and we will bring another 
 sail over to cover the ground and keep the mist from rising 
 inside."
 
 AGAIN ON THE ISLAND 109 
 
 " What are we going to cook our junk in ? " Joyce asked 
 suddenly. 
 
 The sailor looked at his companion in dismay. " Dash 
 my timbers," he said, "I never thought of that; that is a 
 go. Perhaps we can manage it in the native way : they boil 
 things by putting water into a big shell, and dropping hot 
 stones into it until it boils. We have not got any shells, but 
 we might find a hollow in the rock that will hold water. ' ' 
 
 " That is all very well, Wilcox ; but how are we going to 
 heat our stones ? ' ' 
 
 "You have done me there, Master Stephen," the sailor 
 said, in a tone of utter disgust; "we have not got flint or 
 tinder." 
 
 "We might manage the tinder easily enough," Stephen 
 said, " by using rotten wood ; but tinder is of no use with- 
 out steel. We shall have to eat our biscuits without meat, 
 Wilcox, unless we can light a fire by rubbing two sticks to- 
 gether." 
 
 " That ain't to be done, sir; I have seen white men try it 
 over and over again, and I have tried it myself, but it ain't 
 no manner of good. The Almighty has given us a lot of 
 knowledge that he has not given to these black fellows, but he 
 has balanced it up by giving them the knack of lighting a 
 fire which he has not given to us. I never heard of a white 
 man who could make fire in that way." 
 
 "Well, I will have a try, anyhow," Joyce said; "there 
 can't be anything special about a Malay that he can make fire 
 more than a white man." 
 
 "You may try as much as you like, Master Joyce," the 
 sailor said, shaking his head solemnly, "but mark my words, 
 you won't be able to do it. It is a pity, too, for with all this 
 wood that has been drying as if on purpose for us, we could 
 have had one without being afraid of the smoke."
 
 110 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 "Well, we must not grumble; we have got a lot to be 
 thankful for ; and we can do without meat well enough. ' ' 
 
 "Yes, Mr. Joyce," Wilcox said reluctantly; "only, you 
 know, I wish we had not come across that cask of salt junk, 
 then one would never have thought about it; but seeing it 
 there, and not being able to cook it, is enough to make a saint 
 grumble, I should say." 
 
 " Not if he were really a saint, Wilcox. However, don't 
 make up your mind that you are not going to get your teeth 
 into that junk till I give up the hope of making a fire. ' ' 
 
 " Well, sir, we will roll the three barrels over here, and 
 then set about rigging up the tent. There is nothing like 
 being busy." 
 
 By nightfall they had got the tent up. They had had some 
 argument over the best site. All would have preferred to 
 have erected it on the low ground, near their well, but finally 
 a point was decided upon, some little distance higher a level 
 spot being found on the rock where some trees offered every 
 convenience for pitching it, and the surface of the rock was 
 fairly flat. A few armfuls of coarse grass sufficed to fill up the 
 inequalities, and render it even enough for sleeping on. Here 
 they had the advantage of getting the sea-breeze, and of 
 having a wide view across the water, while trees growing be- 
 hind them completely hid the tent from being seen from the 
 higher ground. Before erecting it they had deepened the 
 well, and found that the water was clear and good, and that 
 it flowed in so abundantly there was no fear whatever of the 
 supply falling short. 
 
 The next morning Wilcox and Joyce started for an early 
 walk, with a view to seeing whether there were any things 
 thrown up on the sand beyond the rock. Stephen was to stay 
 behind at the tent and keep watch for a sail. 
 
 " I will leave the gun behind with you, Master Stephen,"
 
 HOME 111 
 
 Wilcox said ; " Mr. Joyce has got his pistols, and I have my 
 cutlass. If you want us back, or if you make out a sail, you 
 fire it off; we will come back as quick as we can. Don't you 
 fidget if we are some time away ; casks may have floated a 
 good bit along before they got thrown up, and it is just as well 
 to see the thing through now, and then we sha'n't have to do 
 it again. We will keep a good look-out for a sail too, for it 
 is like enough that we may be a long way beyond the sound 
 of the gun. You see we can make out from here that a mile 
 further on the trees come down to near the sea again, just as 
 they did on the other island. We will take some cocoa-nuts 
 with us, in case we should not light upon any there. We 
 sha'n't be uneasy about you, because we know for certain that 
 there ain't any natives near; and, in the same way, you need 
 not trouble yourself about us. ' ' 
 
 "All right, Wilcox ! I will see whether I can't get some 
 junk cooked for you, ready for a meal at sunset." 
 
 The sailor smiled grimly. " All right, sir; if I find some 
 meat cooked for me, I will guarantee that I will eat it, even if 
 it is as tough as an alligator." 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 HOME 
 
 AS soon as his companions had left him, Stephen went off 
 and brought up as much dried wood as he could carry, 
 among it a piece of plank that was almost rotten. This he 
 crumbled up. Then he set the cask of salt junk on end, and 
 with a heavy piece of rock hammered away until he forced the 
 head in. Then he took out a good-sized piece of meat and put 
 it into the well. The water here was constantly changing, a
 
 112 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 current flowing through it towards the sea. Then he brought 
 up two or three more loads of wreckage and sat down under 
 the awning, for it could scarcely be termed a tent, as both 
 ends were open to allow a free passage for the air. Here he 
 sat for some hours, occasionally getting up and looking over 
 the sea to the right and left. It was not until it was nearly 
 noon and the sun was overhead that he could try the experi- 
 ment upon which he relied to obtain fire. When it was nearly 
 vertical he went down to the well, opened his watch-case, and 
 dipped the glass carefully into the water. He thought of trying 
 to take it out of the case, but the risk of breaking it would 
 have been too great. Carrying it very carefully, he went up 
 to the tent again and sat down beside his little heap of crumbled 
 wood and held the watch-glass full of water over it. 
 
 As he expected, he found that it made an admirable burning- 
 glass, its only drawback being that it was only available when 
 the sun was overhead. Almost instantaneously as the focus 
 fell upon the wood the latter began to smoke, and in less than 
 a minute a flame sprang up. Some small splinters that he had 
 got ready were placed on it, and in a very short time a fire was 
 blazing. As soon as the wood was well alight he had poured 
 off the water and very carefully wiped the glass and the rim 
 that held it. He went a short distance away as soon as the 
 fire was burning well, and was pleased to find that no smoke 
 was given off, the sun having dried the wreckage until not the 
 slightest particle of moisture remained in it. He now kept a 
 sharp look-out along the shore, but it was not until nearly five 
 o'clock that he saw his companions issue from the trees a mile 
 and a half away and move along the sand. He went down to 
 the well, took out the meat, and brought it up and laid it on 
 the rock to dry. He felt sure that by this time the water 
 would have removed the greater portion of the salt, and that 
 he would now be able to roast it satisfactorily.
 
 HOME 113 
 
 He had already got two forked twigs as a support for his 
 spit, and, taking the ramrod from the gun, thrust it through 
 the meat. He had ceased putting on fresh wood the moment 
 he saw the others come from the forest. The fire soon sank 
 down to a mass of glowing embers, over which he put the 
 meat, the ends of the ramrod being supported by the forked 
 twigs. He turned it round and round occasionally to prevent 
 it from burning, and although he had himself been indifferent 
 as to whether they could obtain means for cooking the junk, 
 he felt a ravenous appetite as the odour of the meat rose. 
 Just as he came to the conclusion that the meat must be 
 cooked through, Wilcox and Joyce arrived. They stopped in 
 amazement as their eyes fell on the fire. 
 
 " Come on, Wilcox," Stephen said with a laugh. " Don't 
 stand staring there. Dinner is ready, and I am only waiting 
 for you to begin." 
 
 " I am downright famished," the sailor said as he came up. 
 " I would not have believed it if I had not seen it. How on 
 earth did you manage it ? " 
 
 " Not by rubbing pieces of wood together, Wilcox, but by 
 filling my watch-glass with water and using it as a burning- 
 glass ; it lit the wood in less than a minute ; only it would 
 not do, you know, unless the sun was right overhead, and 
 I had to wait until twelve o'clock before I tried the experi- 
 ment." 
 
 The meat was cut up into three huge portions, and, using 
 biscuits as plates they speedily set to work upon it. 
 
 "You have pretty well got rid of the salt," Wilcox said 
 after his first mouthful. "It is well-nigh as good as roast 
 meat. How did you do that, sir ? " 
 
 "It was in the well for seven or eight hours," Stephen 
 replied. "The water was running through it, so that it was 
 as good as putting it into a river. Salt meat is best boiled,
 
 114 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 but as I had no pot to boil it in, I thought I would try and 
 roast it ; and, as you say, the water has got rid of the salt 
 altogether. ' ' 
 
 "It is the best bit of meat that I have eaten since I left 
 England," Wilcox said. " Well, I don't mind now if we stop 
 here for another month. We have meat and biscuits, and I 
 reckon, Mr. Stephen, that you will be able to think of some 
 plan for making flap-jacks out of the flour, and we have found 
 a cocoa-nut grove. So we shall be able to live like kings. ' ' 
 
 The next morning Stephen was again left in charge of the 
 fire, and the other two started to fetch a fresh load of cocoa- 
 nuts, saying that they should be back by twelve o'clock, and 
 should expect to find that he had got something new for them. 
 After putting a piece of meat into the well Stephen made a 
 fresh experiment. Fishing out a great lump of fat from the 
 cask, he first washed it carefully to get rid of the salt, then 
 put it into half a cocoa-nut shell, placed this on some hot 
 embers and fried the fat until most of it melted, and then 
 squeezed the remainder between two flat stones. Then he 
 poured the fat into another cocoa-nut half full of milk, put 
 three or four pounds of flour on a flat rock, made a hollow in 
 the middle as he had seen the servant do at home while mak- 
 ing pastry, poured the liquor gradually into this, mixing it 
 up with the flour until he had made the whole into dough. 
 Then he cleared away a portion of the embers, and dividing 
 the dough into flat cakes placed these on the hot ground. Half 
 an hour later he cleared another space from embers, and 
 turned the cakes over, and in twenty minutes they were baked 
 through. They were pronounced excellent by his companions 
 as they ate them with their meat. 
 
 " We must not be too lavish," Stephen said, " as we do not 
 know how long we may have to wait here. I propose for break- 
 fast that we have biscuits only, then for dinner we will have
 
 HOME 115 
 
 some meat and biscuits again, and for supper cold meat and 
 cakes. How much meat do you think there is, Wilcox ? ' ' 
 
 " There is supposed to be a hundred and a half in that cask, 
 Mr. Embleton." 
 
 " Well, that will last us just about a month," Stephen said, 
 "at a pound and a half each a day. I propose that we have 
 that allowance for a fortnight, and if there are no signs of 
 the ship by that time we can then reduce ourselves to three- 
 quarters of a pound a day. At that rate it will last for six 
 weeks altogether. The flour and the biscuits would last twice 
 as long, but we must keep a good stock of them on hand, so as 
 to have a store if we take to the canoe again." 
 
 This proposal was agreed to. They had, however, been 
 there about a week when early one morning Joyce discovered 
 a sail far away on the horizon. In great excitement they 
 hurried down to the canoe, which had been brought along and 
 hauled up on the rocks. 
 
 " Put her into the water to see if the sun has opened her 
 seams. ' ' 
 
 Finding that it had done so, they rilled her and then hauled 
 here just beyond the edge of the water. Then they went up 
 to their tent again. 
 
 "There ain't much wind," the sailor said, "and it will 
 die away altogether in an hour or two. It is no good our 
 doing anything until we see which way she is heading. If it 
 is the Tiger, I reckon she is making for this spot, and we can 
 wait till the afternoon anyhow before we take to the canoe. 
 If it is only a chance ship, and we find she is bearing a 
 course that brings her anywhere near us, we must take to 
 the canoe at once. I should say she is a good fiVe-and- 
 twenty miles away, but anyhow we can get out to her before 
 the evening breeze springs up." 
 
 By nine o'clock they made out that the ship was certainly
 
 116 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 heading in their direction. Then the wind left her, and pres- 
 ently they saw her swing broadside on to them. 
 
 " She is very like the Tiger" Joyce said. " She is just 
 about the same size and barque-rigged, but we cannot see her 
 hull." 
 
 "She is the Tiger sure enough," Wilcox said. "Her 
 heading this way made it pretty well certain, but I think I 
 could swear to her now. ' ' 
 
 " Well, I vote we start for her at once. What do you say, 
 Stephen?" 
 
 " I think so, Tom. Certainly it will be a long row in the 
 heat, but that does not matter. We had better put a stock 
 of biscuits and cocoa - nuts on board. One never knows 
 about the weather here, and before night there might be 
 another cyclone, then she might have to run for it. We 
 should have to make for the nearest land, and might not be 
 able to get back here for two or three days." 
 
 As they had eaten their first meal there was no reason for 
 any delay. The canoe was emptied out, a store sufficient 
 for two or three days put on board, and they were soon on 
 their way. They took the bearings of the ship by various 
 points of the island, before they started, lest it should come 
 over thick. 
 
 " It ain't no use hurrying," Wilcox said as they dipped 
 their paddles in the water. " We have got a good five hours' 
 pull before us, and whether it is five or seven it don't make 
 much difference." 
 
 They had each cut a square of canvas with which to cover 
 their heads and shoulders, and at short intervals they dipped 
 these in the sea and so kept off at least a portion of the ex- 
 treme heat. The boat was much less heavily laden than it 
 had been on their previous journey, and went lightly through 
 the water. In spite of their agreement to take it easy their
 
 HOME 117 
 
 impatience to reach the ship, on whose upper sails their eyes 
 were fixed as they paddled, prevented their doing so, and for 
 the first two hours they rowed at almost racing pace. Then 
 the heat of the sun began to tell upon them, their efforts 
 slackened, and their pace decreased materially. However, 
 they could now make out the line of the hull above the 
 horizon, and knew that she could not be at most more than 
 some eight miles away, and in little more than two hours 
 they were within half a mile of her. It was their old ship 
 the Tiger. By this time they could see that they were ob- 
 jects of eager curiosity on board, and presently they heard 
 loud cheers come across the water. 
 
 " They have made us out," Joyce said. " Of course, at 
 first they took us for a native canoe, for they would be look- 
 ing for the gig. They don't know yet what bad news we 
 have to tell them." 
 
 In a few minutes they were alongside, but as soon as they 
 were within hail the captain had shouted out : 
 
 "Are all well?" 
 
 " No, sir," Joyce, who was in the bow, shouted back, " I 
 am sorry to say that Mr. Towel and the rest have all been 
 killed by the Malays." 
 
 The news effectually damped the feeling of delight that had 
 been excited on board when it was known that the canoe 
 contained three of the boat's party, for whose safety the 
 greatest anxiety had been felt, the captain alone having 
 entertained any hopes that the gig could have lived through 
 the storm. However, as they climbed up the ladder to the 
 deck they were shaken warmly by the hand by officers and 
 crew, and then the captain requested Joyce and Stephen to 
 come down to his cabin, while Wilcox went forward to tell 
 the story to the crew. The first and third mates also came 
 into the cabin. Joyce then, as the senior, told the story of all
 
 118 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 that had happened from the time the cyclone had burst upon 
 them. 
 
 "You see, sir," he said when he came to the conclusion, 
 " I owe my life entirely to Stephen and Wilcox." 
 
 "I see that plainly enough, Mr. Joyce," the captain said 
 gravely. " They behaved admirably both in that and in the 
 whole subsequent proceedings. You were lucky indeed in 
 hitting on the spot where we were separated. We were four 
 hundred miles away when we got out of the cyclone. The 
 wind has been very light, and we have gone close to every 
 island we have passed on our way here. It was, of course, 
 most doubtful whether you would be able to find the place 
 where the wreck was, for you too might have been carried 
 hundreds of miles in an entirely different direction, and with- 
 out your instruments you would have had but a small chance 
 of discovering your position or finding your way here. Still, 
 it seemed the only chance. Of course I could not tell 
 whether when you landed you found the wreck had been 
 stripped by the natives; but if you had not done so it seemed 
 to me you would certainly make your way there if you could, 
 for you would know there were no natives near, and you 
 might, for all I could tell, have found various stores cast up 
 that would enable you to live for a long time. 
 
 " It has been, as you say, a sad business indeed. Six lives 
 have been lost, and, as it appears to me from your story, un- 
 necessarily; it was a grievous mistake going up that river. I 
 can understand Mr. Towel's anxiety to obtain a stock of 
 provisions of some sort to victual the boat for a long cruise, 
 but he should have endeavoured to ascertain first, by follow- 
 ing the bank on foot, whether there were any native villages 
 there before venturing up in the boat ; and to fire guns until 
 he had ascertained that there were no enemy near, is another 
 instance of that fatal carelessness that costs so many lives.
 
 HOME 119 
 
 However, the poor fellow of course acted for the best, and 
 he has paid dearly for his error. That expedient of yours for 
 lighting a fire, Steve, was a very ingenious one, and does you 
 a great deal of credit. I don't think that it would have oc- 
 curred to me. Altogether, young gentlemen, you seem to 
 have behaved extremely prudently and well. I am sorry to 
 tell you that your comrade Archer was washed overboard in 
 the cyclone, and two of the men were killed by being struck 
 by a spar that got adrift." 
 
 The news of Archer's death greatly destroyed the pleasure 
 of the lads at finding themselves safely on board the Tiger 
 again, and they took up their work with very sorrowful hearts. 
 
 For another two months the Tiger continued her cruise 
 among the islands without any adventure occurring. By the 
 end of that time they had disposed of their goods and had 
 taken in a large number of the native productions in exchange, 
 and the ship's course was laid north again for Calcutta, where 
 they filled up with Indian produce and then sailed for home. 
 
 Five months later they arrived in the Thames, the only 
 bad weather they had encountered being a storm as they en- 
 tered the Channel. They anchored at Gravesend, and the 
 captain told Stephen to land and take a post-chaise up to 
 London, and report to Mr. Hewson that the Tiger would 
 come up on the tide next morning. It was eight o'clock in 
 the evening when Stephen arrived at his employer's. Mr. 
 Hewson received him with great kindness. 
 
 " I am always very glad when I hear that one of my ships 
 is safe in port," he said ; " for however great my confidence, 
 there are times when human skill and strength are of no avail. 
 I did not expect that the Tiger would be back for another 
 month or so, and am heartily glad to hear that she has re- 
 turned. All has gone well, I hope? " 
 
 " I am sorry to say, sir, that we have lost altogether nine
 
 120 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 lives, including those of Mr. Towel, the second officer, and 
 Archer, my fellow apprentice." 
 
 " That is bad indeed," Mr. Hewson said in a tone of great 
 concern. " How did it happen ? " 
 
 Stephen related briefly the events that had brought about 
 the misfortunes. "I am sorry indeed," Mr. Hewson said 
 when he had concluded ; " but it is a consolation to me that 
 none of the lives were lost from any deficiency in the ship's 
 gear or appointments. The boat must have been an excellent 
 one indeed to have carried you in safety through a cyclone, in 
 which, as we know, the stoutest ships will sometimes founder. 
 As to the accident on board, it was one of those things that 
 too often occur in a heavy gale, and that cannot be provided 
 against. Of course, I shall hear from the captain all details 
 of that affair. As to your adventure on shore, you must give 
 me a much fuller account when you have had some supper. 
 I shall release you at once from duty, and you had better go 
 down by the coach to-morrow morning to Dover. I know 
 that your father is anxious to see you. He wrote to me about 
 three weeks ago, asking me when I expected the Tiger to be 
 home. I know what his reason is, but I think that he would 
 wish to be the first to speak to you about it himself. ' ' 
 
 " There is nothing wrong, sir, I hope? " 
 
 " No, lad, in no way. It is another matter altogether." 
 
 Supper was brought up, and Stephen did full justice to it, 
 for the ship had touched nowhere on her way home from Cal- 
 cutta, and after feeding so long almost entirely on salt meat, 
 he thoroughly enjoyed the change of fresh provisions. The 
 next morning he started by the seven o'clock coach for Dover, 
 and arrived there at eight that evening. 
 
 " You have grown indeed, Stephen ! " his father said after 
 the first delighted greetings were over. " Let me think. 
 You have been away nearly eighteen months. That does
 
 HOME 121 
 
 make a good deal of difference ; still, you have grown more 
 than I should have expected. I used to think that you would 
 be rather short, but now you bid fair to be a good average 
 height, and you have widened out amazingly. Where are 
 your traps, lad ? Have you ordered them to be sent up from 
 the coach office ? ' ' 
 
 " I have not brought any down with me, father. The Tiger 
 only got to Gravesend at five o'clock yesterday afternoon, and 
 the captain sent me up by post-chaise to tell Mr. Hevvson that 
 she was in. I got to his place at eight, and he told me that 
 I had better start by this morning's coach, as he knew that you 
 were anxious to see me." 
 
 " He didn't tell you what for, Stephen? " 
 
 " No, sir. He said that he thought that you would prefer 
 to tell me yourself. ' ' 
 
 " Well, Stephen, I have been anxiourf for you to get home, 
 for I had a letter from Lord Cochrane about three weeks ago. 
 He told me that he had not forgotten the promise he had 
 made me, to give you a berth if he ever had a chance. He 
 said that the opportunity had come now, for that he had been 
 offered the command of the Chilian navy, and should be shortly 
 starting as soon, in fact, as he could make his' arrangements 
 and get his house off his hands. He said that he thought it 
 would be five or six weeks before he was able to sail, and that 
 he would take you out with him as his flag-midshipman. Of 
 course I wrote to him at once, saying where you were, and 
 that you might be home any day, but that, on the other hand, 
 you might not be back for two or three months. However, if 
 you arrived in time I was sure that you would be delighted at 
 the chance of serving under him ; still I said that of course I 
 could not ask him to keep the berth open for you. Well, he 
 wrote in reply that he would, at any rate, give me a month, 
 but if at the end of that time I had not heard of you, he
 
 122 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 must appoint some one else ; for, as he said, ' I know nothing 
 of the Chilian language, and of course I shall want some one 
 to blow up in English.' ' 
 
 Stephen laughed. " That would be splendid, father. I 
 have been very happy on board the Tiger, and certainly 
 should not like to leave her to sail on any other trading ship. 
 No one could be kinder than the captain and the mates have 
 been. But of course I should like awfully to serve with Lord 
 Cochrane, especially as I have heard so much of him from 
 you. But why have the Chilians appointed a foreigner to 
 command their fleet ? Are they fighting with anyone ? ' ' 
 
 " They are fighting the Spanish, Stephen. They have gone 
 into the war to aid Peru, or rather to free Peru from her op- 
 pressors. The Chilians have only just started a navy of their 
 own, and it is altogether outnumbered by the Spanish ; but 
 they wisely think that with such a man as Cochrane, who is a 
 host in himself, who has won against much greater odds, they 
 will be able to hold their own, and I have no doubt you will 
 have a stirring time. I only wish that I had been able to go 
 with him. He was good enough to say so in his letter to 
 me. That is unfortunately out of the question. However, 
 Stephen, you must choose for yourself. There is no saying 
 what may come of this business. You know that Lord 
 Cochrane is a hot-headed man, and one who does not mince 
 matters. The Chilians, I believe, are the brightest and most 
 energetic of any of the South American peoples, but that, you 
 know, is not saying a great deal. Cochrane is sure to be 
 maddened by delays and difficulties of all kinds, and if so he 
 will certainly speak out in a way that will ruffle their feelings 
 greatly, and may bring on trouble. 
 
 " He is what is called an impracticable man, Stephen. He 
 is himself the soul of honour and generosity, and so is alto- 
 gether unable to refrain from giving vent to his indignation and
 
 HOME 123 
 
 disgust when he sees these qualities lacking in others. He 
 has ruined his own career here by his intolerance of wrong, 
 whether the wrong was inflicted upon himself or upon others. 
 He has rather injured than benefited the cause of our seamen 
 by the intemperate zeal with which he pressed his reforms, and 
 by allying himself heart and soul with the ultra-radicals. Such 
 a man as he may get on well with a people like the South 
 Americans, his dashing bravery, his frankness, and his disre- 
 gard of ceremony will render him popular among the people 
 at large, but will raise up for him enemies innumerable among 
 the governing class. I cannot, therefore, for a minute think 
 that the present arrangement will be a permanent one. I say 
 all this to assure you that you cannot expect to find a perma- 
 nent career in the service of Chili ; but, on the other hand, 
 you will have the advantage of fighting under the bravest 
 officer of modern times. 
 
 " You will, I have no doubt, take part in some brilliant feats. 
 And to have served under Cochrane will, as long as you live, 
 be a feather in your cap, just as I feel that it is a great honour 
 for myself, although it has been to my pecuniary disadvantage, 
 to have done so. I have exchanged letters with Mr. Hewson 
 on the subject. He has behaved with the greatest kindness 
 in the matter, and agrees with me that it would in some 
 respects be a great advantage to you. He has offered in the 
 kindest possible way to allow your apprenticeship to run on 
 while you are with Cochrane, just as if you were still serving 
 with his own ships, and whenever you may return to England 
 he will reinstate you in his service, the time you have been 
 away counting just the same as if you had been with him. I 
 expressed a doubt whether your apprenticeship would count ; 
 but he said that any master being, from any circumstances, 
 unable to teach a trade to an apprentice, as he covenanted to 
 do, could, with the consent of that apprentice, hand him over
 
 124 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 to another employer ; and that as you will be learning the sea 
 as efficiently on the coast of Chili as elsewhere, be could loan 
 you, as it were, to Lord Cochrane. Besides, of course, there 
 is no real necessity for passing through an apprenticeship in 
 order to become an officer. Large numbers of men do, in 
 fact, become officers without ever having been apprenticed, as 
 it is only necessary to serve so many years at sea, and to pass 
 an examination. Still, there are advantages the other way. 
 All ship-owners prefer a man who has -served an apprentice- 
 ship in a good line of ships, as he would naturally be better 
 mannered and better educated, and therefore better fitted for 
 the position of an officer in ships carrying passengers. In that 
 way it would be as well that you should obtain your discharge 
 at the end of your term of apprenticeship from Mr. Hewson, 
 although I have some doubts whether your sea-service under a 
 foreign flag would be allowed to count by the examiners if you 
 went up to pass as a mate. Upon the other hand, lad, you 
 are now in a good service, and are certain to get on if you re- 
 main in it ; and you have less chance of being shot than if 
 you go with Cochrane." 
 
 " I don't know that, father. I can tell you I have had just 
 as close a shave under Captain Finder as I could have under 
 Lord Cochrane. Only three of us out of nine got through ; 
 the other six were killed and eaten by the Malays ; and if the 
 Spaniards killed a man, at least they will not eat him. Oh, I 
 should certainly like to go with Lord Cochrane !" 
 
 " I thought you would. As far as one can see there is no 
 chance of our being engaged in any naval wars for many years 
 to come, for all Europe is in alliance with us, and is likely to 
 continue so; and even if we have trouble with any of them, 
 our fleet is so overpoweringly strong that even a coalition of 
 all the other powers of Europe could not stand against us at 
 sea. It is a good thing no doubt for the nation ; but such a
 
 HOME 125 
 
 peace as this is likely to be, gives no chance for naval men to 
 distinguish themselves. I must say that I consider you are 
 fortunate indeed to have this opportunity of seeing some 
 service under the man who, of all others, is distinguished for 
 dash and bravery. He is the Lord Peterborough of the pres- 
 ent day." 
 
 " Who was he, father ? " 
 
 11 He was a military man in the days of Queen Anne. He 
 performed extraordinary feats of bravery in Spain, and in many 
 other respects his character bore a strong resemblance to that 
 of Lord Cochrane. Well, Stephen, we had better lose no time, 
 and I propose that we go up to town again to-morrow morning. 
 No doubt he would like to 'see you, and there is nothing 
 like settling the thing finally ; and one interview is worth a 
 dozen letters. Let me see." Mr. Embleton consulted the 
 sailing-list. "As there is no boat sailing to-morrow, we will 
 take the coach. It would be better anyhow, for there is never 
 any saying with certainty when the packets will arrive. With 
 a strong southerly wind they may do it in two tides, though 
 it is only once in a hundred times that they manage it ; still, 
 even three tides would be very fair. But we could not risk the 
 chances, and it is a duty to let Lord Cochrane know as early 
 as possible, as no doubt he has many applications, and would 
 be glad to be able to say that the matter was finally settled. ' ' 
 
 They arrived in town the next evening and called upon 
 Lord Cochrane the first thing after breakfast next day. On 
 Mr. Embleton sending in his name he was at once admitted. 
 
 " I am heartily glad to see you, old friend," Lord Cochrane 
 said as he rose from the table, at which he was writing. " So 
 this is your boy ! His appearance saves me asking questions. 
 When did he get back ? ' ' 
 
 " He arrived in town on Monday evening, came down on 
 Tuesday to Dover, and returned here with me last night."
 
 126 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " You have indeed lost no time. Well, young sir, what do 
 you think of going out with me ? " 
 
 " I should like it above everything, my lord, and I am 
 deeply grateful to you for offering me the post." 
 
 "It is to your father, lad, that you should be grateful, and 
 not to me, for he earned it for you. So you have had eigh- 
 teen months in the eastern seas? " 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "A very good school, I should say, Embleton; one has to 
 keep one's eyes open there." 
 
 " Yes indeed. He told me on the way up yesterday of an 
 adventure he had had with the Malays, and as only three out 
 of a boat - load of nine escaped, it must have been a pretty 
 sharp business." 
 
 "If only three escaped it must have been sharp indeed," 
 Lord Cochrane said, "and they must have had marvellous 
 luck in getting out of the Malays' hands. He shall tell me all 
 about it on our voyage out. Now, come along with me." 
 
 He led the way to the dining-room, where Lady Cochrane 
 was sitting, while her two children, of four and five years old, 
 were playing about. 
 
 " My dear," he said, " this is Lieutenant Embleton, whom 
 you have heard me speak of a score of times as a most gallant 
 officer, and a most ill-used man. This is his son, who is, you 
 know, going out with us as my flag - midshipman ; he has 
 been eighteen months in the Indian Archipelago. And let 
 me tell you, the Malays are much more serious foes than 
 the Spaniards. You know, youngster, one of the chief duties 
 of an admiral's midshipman is to make himself agreeable to 
 the admiral's wife and family, if there are such incumbrances. 
 He goes errands for her, attends her when she goes shopping, 
 is a sort of head nurse to the children, and in our service he 
 is generally nicknamed the admiral's poodle. However, as
 
 HOME 127 
 
 soon as I get out there, I hope to find more attractive work 
 for you, and until I do, I am sure my wife and the children 
 will be glad they have someone with them to speak English." 
 
 " I shall be very glad to be of any service I can," Stephen 
 said earnestly. 
 
 "I am afraid," Lady Cochrane said with a smile, "that 
 we shall have very little opportunity of availing ourselves of 
 your services. When we once get out there you will be 
 carried off by Lord Cochrane, and he will never set foot on 
 shore again unless when absolutely driven to it." 
 
 " Is your time for sailing fixed yet, Lord Cochrane? " the 
 lieutenant asked. 
 
 "We shall sail on the i5th of August from Boulogne, so 
 that your son will have three weeks to make his preparations." 
 
 "Three days would be sufficient," Embleton said, with a 
 smile. " Naval outfitters are not so busy as they used to be, 
 and would furnish an admiral's kit, if necessary, in that time. 
 Is there any particular uniform, sir ? " 
 
 " No, it is something like our own ; and if you rig him out 
 in an ordinary midshipman's uniform that will be good enough. 
 Thank goodness, this weary waiting is over. It is now four- 
 teen months since I accepted the offer of the Chilian govern- 
 ment sent me by their agent, Don Jose Alvarez. I was to 
 put off my departure so as to look after the building and 
 equipment of a war steamer for the service, but there have 
 been incessant delays owing to want of money. It has been 
 enough to madden one ; and, after all, I have to go without 
 her, and we sail in the Rose. She is one of the sloops sold out 
 of the navy, and is now a merchantman. I daresay they would 
 have kept me dawdling about here for months to come if it 
 hadn't been that they have been getting the worst of it out 
 there, and it at length occurred to them that the admiral's 
 place is in command of his fleet, and not to act as a sort of
 
 128 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 foreman in looking after a single ship being built. We shall 
 embark at Rye, but, of course, it will be more handy for you 
 to send or bring him to Boulogne. I expect that we shall be 
 there on the i3th, so as to have time to shake down before we 
 start. Your son had better be there on that day. I will draw 
 up his commission as my flag-midshipman at once, and will 
 hand it to you when you dine with me, which I trust you 
 and your son will do this evening. It is very fortunate that 
 I am disengaged, for just at present I am going through a 
 painful round of farewell dinners from my political friends." 
 
 " I shall be very glad to do so, sir," Mr. Embleton said, 
 " and will not detain you farther now." 
 
 As soon as they left Lord Cochrane they went to see Mr. 
 Hewson. 
 
 "It is all arranged, I suppose?" the latter said as they 
 entered. 
 
 ' ' Yes, we have just left Lord Cochrane ; but in the first 
 place, Stephen, who is not much accustomed to return thanks, 
 has asked me to say in his name how extremely obliged he is 
 for your most kind offer to allow him to remain on the books 
 of your fleet. ' ' 
 
 " Say no more about it, Embleton. I am very pleased that 
 I can be of any service to you, and to the lad also. Captain 
 Finder has spoken most warmly to me of his conduct during 
 the voyage. He behaved in all respects excellently ; and 
 although, happily, the captain was not laid up, and was there- 
 fore able to attend himself to the details of navigation, he 
 says that had he been disabled he should have felt no uneasi- 
 ness on that score, Stephen's observations being to the full as 
 accurate as his own. He especially speaks of him in tones of 
 commendation for his conduct in that unfortunate boat affair. 
 Every credit is due to the sailor Wilcox who was with him 
 through it ; but the latter himself told the captain that he
 
 HOME 129 
 
 felt so certain that all those in the boat had been killed, that 
 he should not have undertaken the risk of going near the 
 Malay village had it not been for the lad's insisting. He 
 says, too, that although junior to Joyce the lad they rescued 
 Stephen was really the leader ; that many of his suggestions 
 were most valuable. Wilcox is particularly strong on the 
 manner in which the lad contrived to kindle a fire by using 
 his watch - glass filled with water as a burning - glass. Alto- 
 gether, I feel sure that your boy will make an excellent officer 
 as he goes on, and I am glad that he will now have the oppor- 
 tunity of seeing some active service under Cochrane. 
 
 " I agree with what you said in your letter, that the berth 
 is by no means likely to be a permanent one. As soon as 
 Cochrane has relieved them from the state in which they now 
 are, they are sure to be jealous of him, and he is the last man 
 in the world to put up with slights, or to hold on to an ap- 
 pointment when he sees that he is no longer wanted. Still, 
 it will do the lad a great deal of good and make a man of him, 
 and his experience will put him outside the general category 
 of mercantile sailors. I have got his chests here; they were 
 sent up yesterday. I shall, of course, try and find out who 
 was the captain of that ship whose chronometers he bought. 
 Captain Finder has told me all about it, and Stephen is abso- 
 lutely entitled to the money he got. At the same time his 
 offer to divide it was a generous one, but Captain Finder and 
 the mates are all dead against accepting it, and I agree with 
 them. The money would be a mere trifle all round, but it 
 will be a comfortable little sum for him. And it will, I am 
 sure, be a satisfaction to him to be able to purchase his outfit 
 now without trenching on your purse, especially as, going out 
 as Cochrane's own midshipman, he must take a much larger 
 outfit than usual, as he will, of course, have to accompany the 
 admiral on all public occasions. Now, I suppose he will
 
 130 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 like to go down to the dock and say good-bye to them there. 
 The Tiger began unloading yesterday, and a good many of 
 the hands will be paid off to-morrow." 
 
 Captain Finder and the first and third officers expressed 
 their sincere regret that Stephen was not going to sail with 
 them on the next voyage, and Joyce was greatly cut up 
 about it. 
 
 " I wanted you to go down with me to stay with my father 
 and mother near Oxford," he said. " I wrote to them from 
 Gravesend and I had a letter this morning, in which they 
 told me to make you promise to come down before we sailed 
 again." 
 
 "I may be back again in a year," Stephen replied, "and 
 if I am I think Mr. Hewson will appoint me to the Tiger 
 again." 
 
 The captain undertook to dispose of Stephen's collection of 
 curios and bird skins for him, and also, if no news was ob- 
 tained as to the lost ship, he would, when he sailed again, 
 hand the chronometers and quadrants over to Mr. Hewson to 
 keep for him. 
 
 Mr. Hewson that evening again talked over the question of 
 the bag of money with Lieutenant Embleton, and convinced 
 the latter that Stephen was entitled to keep the money, to 
 which his right was, he declared, unquestionable. Stephen's 
 father was of the same opinion himself, and argued the ques- 
 tion only because he felt that the fact that the money was 
 really extremely useful at the present time, might render him 
 unable to judge the matter fairly. He really had no answer 
 to the reasons given by his friend, who, he was well assured, 
 would not urge the matter upon him did he not feel that 
 Stephen was really entitled to keep the money, which had 
 entirely and absolutely passed out of the possession of its 
 former owners, whoever they were.
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 131 
 
 "I never heard," he said, " that anyone who was lucky 
 enough to recover treasure in an old wreck had his right to 
 retain it questioned, and here not even the wreck remained. 
 So we will keep it and spend it, Hewson ; but if you ever 
 discover the owners of that ship let me know, and I shall be 
 prepared to discuss the question with them." 
 
 ''We shall never discover them, my good sir," Hewson 
 said. " How can any man in the world say that that money 
 belongs to a ship that has disappeared in the Malay Archi- 
 pelago? The only possible clue is that afforded by the 
 chronometers, and here again it is unlikely in the extreme 
 that the owners of the ship, that has, perhaps, been sailing 
 the seas for thirty or forty years, would be able to swear to 
 her chronometers. Lastly, there is no shadow of proof that 
 the chest in which the money was found came from the same 
 ship as the chronometers ; they may be the proceeds of two 
 different acts of piracy. You will never hear anything about 
 it." 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 
 
 " \7OU promised, father," Stephen said one evening, " that 
 I you would, some time or other, tell me more about the 
 days when you served with Lord Cochrane." 
 
 "Well, lad, I will tell you now. The first time I ever saw 
 him was on the day when he joined the Hind at Sheerness, in 
 June, 1793. I was a young midshipman on board her, and I 
 can tell you we were all astonished at his appearance, for he 
 was between seventeen and eighteen a tall, gawky fellow. 
 I believe he had had a commission in the army, but that his 
 taste lay altogether in the direction of the sea, and that he
 
 132 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 obtained his appointment to us by the influence of his uncle, 
 who was a post-captain at the time. Well, you know we gen- 
 erally entered at the age of fourteen, and you may imagine 
 our surprise and amusement at a fellow arriving to begin, who 
 was as old as the senior mid on board. Lord though he was, 
 there was no nonsense about Cochrane. He was a very pleas- 
 ant fellow, and I never saw anyone work so hard to learn his 
 profession as he did. He actually satisfied even our first lieu- 
 tenant, who was a rough, hard-working fellow, who had made 
 his way up after having got his promotion from the main- 
 deck, or having, as we used to call it, come in at the hawse- 
 holes. 
 
 " He was an admirable seaman, heart and soul in his work, 
 and ready to take off his coat and put on a suit of slops and 
 work himself. He took rather a dislike at first to Cochrane, 
 first because he was a lord, in the second place, because he 
 considered that he had taken to the profession too old to 
 learn, and lastly because be brought a chest on board alto- 
 gether beyond regulation size. Jack Larmour soon made 
 short work of that. He called up the carpenters, and bade 
 them saw a portion off the chest, cutting it through just on 
 one side of the keyhole, so that the lock was now in the cor- 
 ner. Cochrane only laughed and said nothing, but I have no 
 doubt the lieutenant expected him to say something hasty and 
 so get himself into trouble. However, Jack soon changed 
 his opinion of the new mid. The earnest desire of Cochrane 
 to learn, and his willingness to put on a rough suit and work, 
 showed that he was of the right stuff, and made him at last a 
 prime favourite of the first lieutenant's. 
 
 " I was only with him then a couple of months, for I was 
 transferred to another ship, and did not come across him again 
 until he was appointed by Lord Keith to the command of the 
 Speedy, lying at Port Mahon. He had done a good deal of
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 133 
 
 knocking about by that time, for the Hind was sent out to 
 the coast of Norway, where it was suspected that French pri- 
 vateers used the fiords as hiding-places. On the return of the 
 Hind from Norway, Cochrane's uncle was appointed to the 
 Thetis, and the Hind's crew were transferred to her. The 
 Thetis went out with a squadron for the protection of the 
 islands of Nova Scotia, and so well was Cochrane thought of 
 that in January, 1795, he was appointed by the admiral of 
 the station acting third lieutenant of the Thetis, and was soon 
 after transferred, with the same rank, to the Africa ; and in 
 July was confirmed in his rank, though he had been but two 
 years at sea. In the Africa he coasted up and down, be- 
 tween Canada and Florida, looking out for ships of the 
 enemy, but in the following January he rejoined the Thetis, 
 whose first lieutenant had just been promoted. He then 
 passed as lieutenant, and was afterwards appointed to the 
 Speedy. 
 
 " The difficulty of his not having served the regulation 
 time had been got over by his uncle in a way which was not 
 uncommon then, and may be still practised for aught I know. 
 His uncle thought that he might one day wish to join the 
 navy, and had therefore entered his name in the books of the 
 various ships he commanded, so that nominally he had 
 formed part of the ship's complement in the Vesuvius, Caro- 
 lina, La Sophie, and Hind, and had therefore belonged to 
 the service for the regulation period. It is a bad practice, 
 lad, but in the case of Cochrane was the means of providing 
 the king's navy with as gallant an officer as ever trod quarter- 
 deck. I went down with him from Gibraltar to Port Mahon 
 with another midshipman who, like myself, had just passed, 
 and was to join the Speedy. We were hoping to gain an op- 
 portunity for distinguishing ourselves, and getting a step. 
 
 " Our first sight of the craft was a grievous disappointment.
 
 134 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 She was a brig of 158 tons, and as she carried eighty-four 
 men and six officers, you may imagine how we were crowded 
 on board. Her armament consisted of fourteen four-pound- 
 ers, ridiculous little weapons that were no more good than as 
 many blunderbusses. I remember Cochrane putting fourteen 
 balls into his pockets, and walking up and down the quarter- 
 deck, saying that he was probably the only commander who 
 had ever carried a whole ship's broadsides in his pockets. 
 
 " He was awfully disgusted, as you may imagine, with his 
 craft, and he applied for two twelve pounders, to be used for 
 stern-chasers. When he got them on board he found that 
 there was not room for them to be worked. He had them 
 fired off a few times, but the brig was so weakly built that 
 the timbers would not stand the concussion. He was there- 
 fore obliged to send them on shore again. There was only a 
 height of five feet even in the captain's cabin, and I remem- 
 ber that Cochrane used to open the skylight and put his head 
 up through it in order to shave himself, placing the soap-dish 
 in front of him on the quarter-deck. However, we were a 
 pleasant party on board. Cochrane was strict in the per- 
 formance of duty, but an excellent fellow to sail with, anx- 
 ious for the comfort of men and officers, and without a shadow 
 of nonsense about him. His first lieutenant had served for a 
 few months in that rank, Rogers and I were acting-lieuten- 
 ants, and there was a doctor, and one midshipman, Lord 
 Cochrane's brother. Lord Cochrane at that time was twenty- 
 four, or nearly so, his first lieutenant was a year older, Rogers 
 and I twenty-one. 
 
 ' ' We had a busy time on board the Speedy. We were 
 continually up and down the coast, popping into quiet creeks 
 and little ports in search of French privateers, and overhaul- 
 ing merchantmen, besides bearing what share we could in the 
 general operations.
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 135 
 
 ' ' Our first prize was a French privateer of six guns and 
 forty-eight men. We had been ordered to convoy fourteen 
 merchantmen from Cagliari to Leghorn, and saw a strange 
 craft take possession of a Danish brig under our escort. We 
 crowded on every inch of canvas, and set off in pursuit. The 
 Speedy was not misnamed. Whatever her defects, she was cer- 
 tainly fast, and Cochrane had managed to add to the canvas 
 she carried when he first took the command. The main 
 boom was sprung, and he obtained from the dockyard another 
 spar to replace it. This, however, was a good deal longer 
 than the original, and the dockyard authorities decided that 
 it must be taken down considerably. Instead of doing this 
 Cochrane had about an inch cut off from each end, and had 
 the spar replaced and hoisted. When the dockyard people 
 came on board they did not notice that its length was un- 
 altered, and as soon as we got out some more cloths of canvas 
 were added to the mainsail, and we were thus enabled to 
 carry a considerable spread of canvas for so small a craft. 
 We soon overtook the prize, which surrendered at once, and 
 then set off in chase of the privateer, which we overhauled, 
 the sight of our long row of port-holes and crowded decks no 
 doubt leading the Frenchmen to suppose we were a great deal 
 stronger than he was, though in point of fact his six guns car- 
 ried a much heavier weight of metal than our fourteen pop- 
 guns together. 
 
 " Four days later five armed boats rowed out from Monte 
 Cristo towards the convoy, which was lying becalmed. The 
 brig got out sweeps to endeavour to interpose between them 
 and her charges. Two vessels, however, which were lagging 
 behind the others were boarded and captured. To our de- 
 light we soon afterwards saw a dark line on the water, and, 
 directly it reached us, set off in pursuit of the captured mer- 
 chantmen, which were headed towards Monte Cristo. The
 
 136 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 breeze soon freshened, and we presently overhauled and re- 
 captured them, and then set off in pursuit of the armed boats. 
 These, however, reached the shelter of the shore battery 
 before we could overtake them; as our duty was to protect 
 the convoy and not to cut out prizes, we hauled our wind and 
 followed our charges, and a week later arrived with them all 
 safely in Leghorn roads, and started to join Lord Keith's 
 squadron off Genoa, which he was blockading at sea while the 
 Austrians beleaguered it on the land side. Here we cruised 
 outside the town for a few days ; then Massena surrendered, 
 and the Speedy was ordered to cruise off the Spanish coast. 
 
 ' ' On our way we captured a native craft off Elba, and a 
 Sardinian vessel laden with oil and wool, which was a prize to 
 a French privateer. We towed her into Leghorn, and again 
 started, and captured the next day a Spanish privateer of ten 
 guns and thirty-three men. Five gun-boats came out from 
 Bastia in chase, but we took the prize in tow, and kept up a 
 running fire with the gun-boats until, after chasing us for some 
 hours, they gave it up. We took several other prizes, and 
 sunk a privateer lying under shelter of a battery. We again 
 took our prizes back into Leghorn, indeed it seemed that we 
 were never to get away from that place, for, starting again, we 
 captured a French privateer, and then fell in with the frigates 
 Mutine and Salamine, which. handed over to us a number of 
 French prisoners that they had taken, and we had to carry 
 them and our prize back to Leghorn. At last we got fairly 
 away, and reached Port Mahon, capturing a Neapolitan 
 vessel with a French prize crew on board. 
 
 " As far as I can remember nothing particular happened for 
 the next three months, except that we got damaged in a storm 
 and were six weeks refitting at Port Mahon. Three days 
 after leaving the port we were off Majorca. There were several 
 strange craft in sight ; we picked out the largest and started in
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 137 
 
 chase, when a French craft came out, and we altered our 
 course to meet her. After exchanging fire with us for some 
 time she drew off, but got too close inshore and drove on the 
 rocks. As it was evident that she would become a wreck, we 
 left her and captured one of the other ships. 
 
 " The activity of the Speedy caused the Spanish authorities 
 to make special efforts to capture her, and she once nearly fell 
 into the hands of a Spanish frigate, which had been painted as 
 a merchantman. However, she opened her ports too soon ; and 
 fortunately we were prepared for the situation. Cochrane had 
 had our craft painted in imitation of a Danish brig, which was 
 trading on the coast, and whose appearance was familiar to the 
 Spanish authorities, and a Danish quartermaster had been 
 shipped to answer inconvenient questions. 
 
 ' ' Directly we discovered the real nature of the supposed 
 merchant ship, by her opening her ports, we ran up Danish 
 colours, and on the ship's name being demanded gave that of 
 the Danish brig. The Spaniard, however, was not quite satisfied, 
 and lowered a boat, whereupon we ran up the quarantine flag, 
 and the Danish quartermaster, on the boat coming within hail 
 and then stopping at a prudent distance, informed them that 
 he had come from the African coast, where the plague was at 
 that time raging. The boat pulled off to the frigate, which at 
 once made sail and left us in solitude. It was a narrow escape, 
 though possibly we might have made as good a fight of it as 
 we did afterwards. 
 
 " Cruising about we took a considerable number of prizes. 
 Our luck, indeed, was extraordinary, and we all anticipated 
 that the prize-money would amount to a large sum. It was on 
 the 4th of May that our first serious adventure began. We 
 had captured some prizes off Barcelona, and a swarm of gun- 
 boats came out to try to retake them. However, we kept them 
 at bay until the prizes had got off, and the following night
 
 138 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 returned to our station off the town. We found that there 
 was a strict watch being kept ashore, for the gun-boats at once 
 came out, but when we sailed towards them they made for the 
 shore, keeping up a fire at us as they retired. 
 
 " Again we drew off and again they came out, and twice 
 during the day they did the same, always returning when we 
 sailed in to meet them. Their fire was exceedingly accurate, 
 and after each skirmish with them we had to draw off and 
 repair damages. It seemed to us that there must be some 
 object in the gun-boat's action, and that they were trying to 
 decoy us to go close inshore, where some larger ship might be 
 ready to come out against us. Just before daybreak on the 
 6th we again ran in towards Barcelona. As we did so we saw 
 a large ship creeping along under the land, as if making for 
 the port. We at once sailed to cut her off, when, instead of 
 trying to avoid us, she changed her course and sailed towards 
 us, and we saw that she was a Spanish frigate. Two or three 
 of our fellows had expressed an opinion that had we attacked 
 the Spaniard under whose guns we had run three months 
 before, we might have taken her. Lord Cochrane, as soon as 
 she was made out to be a frigate, said to them : 
 
 " ' You shall now have a fair fight, gentlemen ;' and ordered 
 the boatswain to pipe all hands for action. 
 
 "I tell you, lad, it seemed to me that our chances were slight 
 indeed, for nearly half our men and two of the officers were 
 away in prizes, and, including officers and boys, we had but 
 fifty-four men on board, so it was probable that the enemy 
 had five or six times that number, while he had thirty-four 
 guns to our fourteen miserable little pieces. I thought it 
 certain we should be blown out of the water, and I fancy 
 everyone else thought the same. However, we held on straight 
 towards her. She fired a gun and hoisted Spanish colours. 
 At that time we were almost abreast of her, and Cochrane,
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 139 
 
 who had the American colours ready, ordered them to be run 
 up. This gave us time to get on to the other tack, and hold 
 on till a little out of her direct line of fire. Then we at once 
 pulled down the stars and stripes and hoisted the British 
 ensign. The Spaniard fired a broadside, to which we made 
 no reply. Our guns were trebly shotted, but Cochrane had 
 given orders that not a shot was to be fired until we were 
 alongside the Spaniard, as our fire would do no damage what- 
 ever to the ship. As we headed for her they fired another 
 broadside, but, like the first, this did us no harm, and round- 
 ing up under her stern Cochrane ran us alongside. 
 
 "Our yards became locked in the Spaniard's rigging, and 
 we then poured in our broadside, which at this distance did 
 considerable damage on her main deck, the first discharge 
 having, as we afterwards learned, killed the Spanish captain 
 and boatswain. Our guns had been elevated to their full 
 extent, for of course she towered high above us. While our 
 shot struck up through her main -deck, the Spanish guns roared 
 overhead, cutting up our rigging, but doing us no harm what- 
 ever below, while our fire continued to work havoc among 
 them. We heard the order shouted to board, but were pre- 
 pared for this, and at once pushed off far enough to prevent 
 them from leaping on to our deck, while the men caught up 
 the muskets that had been ranged in readiness against the 
 bulwark, and poured a volley into them as they appeared at 
 the side in readiness to jump down. Then we gave them 
 another broadside, and closed up again. Twice again they 
 attempted to board, but each time failed, and the fight went on. 
 
 " Our fellows were thoroughly excited, and ready for any- 
 thing, but it was clear that the present state of affairs could 
 not last much longer. Our rigging and sails were cut to pieces, 
 and the masts might at any moment go, and the frigate would 
 then only have to cut herself free, draw off a short distance,
 
 140 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 and sink us. Cochrane, who was as cool as a cucumber, went 
 along among the men at their quarters, and told them that 
 they had either got to take the frigate or be taken themselves, 
 in which case they would probably get no quarter, as the 
 Spaniards would be maddened at the loss they had suffered 
 from so insignificant a foe. ' It needs,' he said, ' but a few 
 minutes' hard fighting to settle the matter.' All replied that 
 they were ready. Cochrane was always up to fun, and he 
 called a portion of the crew away from the guns, and told 
 them to damp some powder and blacken their faces. You 
 never saw such figures as they were when they came up. 
 Cochrane ordered them to board at the enemy's bow, while 
 the rest of the crew were to board by the waist. 
 
 " Guthrie, the doctor, volunteered to take the helm, and 
 when Cochrane gave the order the rest of us, men and boys, 
 sprang on to the deck of the Spaniard. Through the wreaths 
 of smoke they had caught sight of our preparations, and, be- 
 lieving that we intended to board by the bow, the greater 
 portion of their crew were gathered there. The appearance 
 of our fellows' faces as they emerged from the smoke and 
 leapt upon the deck, and with loud shouts rushed at them, 
 struck them with astonishment. I was with this party, and, 
 excited as I was, could scarcely refrain from bursting out 
 laughing at their dismay. Our men certainly were enough to 
 surprise anyone. Bathed in sweat, worked up to a pitch of 
 wild excitement, naked to the waist, with their faces and 
 bodies streaked with the powder, one could understand that 
 the superstitious Spaniards, already depressed by their vain 
 efforts to overpower so puny an assailant, thought that they 
 were attacked by foes straight from the infernal regions. As 
 they stood hesitating and aghast, we went at them, while 
 Cochrane, with the force that had boarded at the waist, fell 
 upon them in rear.
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 141 
 
 " Recovering themselves, the Spaniards made a rush to the 
 waist, defending themselves stoutly, and for a while it seemed 
 as if their numbers must in the end prevail. The Spanish 
 colours were still flying at her peak, and Cochrane, observing 
 them, told one of the sailors to make his way aft and haul 
 them down. As soon as the Spaniards saw their flag dis- 
 appear, they thought that the officers must have surrendered, 
 and at once threw down their arms. Without giving them 
 time to think, or for their officers to rally them, they were 
 hurried down into the hold, and cannon were run round, 
 loaded with grape, and pointed down the hatchways in case 
 they should make an effort to retake the ship. As for us, we 
 could hardly believe in our good luck. The fight had lasted 
 an hour and a half, and our loss had been exceedingly small. 
 Our first lieutenant, Parker, had been severely wounded in 
 several places, three sailors were killed, and seventeen 
 wounded. We found that our prize was the Gamo frigate, 
 with a crew of three hundred and nineteen men, mounting 
 thirty-two guns, firing a broadside weight of one hundred and 
 ninety pounds, while we had only fourteen small guns. 
 
 " She was between six and seven hundred tons, and in the 
 fight had lost her captain, boatswain, and thirteen seamen 
 killed and forty-one wounded, her casualties thus exceeding 
 the whole number of our officers and crew. Even in the an- 
 nals of our navy there is no instance of so successful an action 
 against such disproportionate odds. We naturally congratu- 
 lated ourselves upon our fortunes being as good as made. 
 Cochrane would, of course, at once receive post-captain's rank, 
 Parker would receive a step, and I should get at least a second 
 lieutenantship. Cochrane's brother was placed in command 
 of the prize, and we sailed with him to Port Mahon. As I 
 have already told you, the jealousy of Lord Exmouth and the 
 hot temper of Cochrane caused the overthrow of our hopes.
 
 142 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Cochrane, after three months' delay, obtained his post rank, 
 of which they could not deprive him, as, having captured a 
 vessel of superior force, he was entitled to it. They refused, 
 however, to promote Parker, which was simply scandalous and 
 altogether in defiance of the usages of the service, and it was 
 sometime before I got a berth again. However, after we had 
 repaired damages, matters went on for a time as before. 
 
 ' ' After taking some prizes we met the Kangaroo, whose 
 captain was senior to Cochrane, and requested him to act with 
 him in an attack upon the fort of Almanara, which we silenced, 
 and brought off a Spanish privateer. The two captains then 
 determined to attack Oropesa, where the forts were supported 
 by a twenty-gun ship and three gun-boats, which had put in 
 there with ten merchantmen under their convoy. Cochrane 
 had fitted out, at his own expense, a Spanish privateer of six 
 guns which he had captured, as a tender to the Speedy, and 
 had appointed his brother to command her ; and in broad 
 daylight the Kangaroo, Speedy, and tender sailed in to the at- 
 tack. The Kangaroo engaged the forts, while we and young 
 Cochrane directed our attention to the war -ship and gun- 
 boats. It was as hot an action as any in which I ever took 
 part. For some hours the firing was incessant. At the end 
 of that time the Kangaroo 's fire was evidently telling on the 
 forts, while the fire of our antagonists was slackening. 
 
 "Just as we thought that victory was assured, a twelve-gun 
 felucca and two more gun-boats arrived from Valencia to assist 
 the fort. This reinforcement inspired the Spaniards with fresh 
 spirit, and their cannonade against us again became very heavy. 
 We turned our attention entirely to the new-comers, with such 
 effect that we drove them off, and then hammered away again 
 at our old opponents, and had the satisfaction at last of sinking 
 all four of them, while three of the merchantmen, which had 
 been in the line of fire, had also gone down. The action had
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 143 
 
 lasted nine hours, and both we and the Kangaroo had used up 
 nearly all our ammunition. The felucca and the two gun- 
 boats from Valencia had again come up, and we had but a 
 few shot left. We were forced to put a bold face on it ; ac- 
 cordingly, the Kangaroo weighed her anchor, stood in close to 
 the fort, and again anchored as if to pound it at close quarters, 
 while we headed straight for the felucca and gun-boats. Fort- 
 unately they did not await our coming, but turned tail and 
 returned to Valencia. 
 
 " The Kangaroo' s boats and ours were now lowered, and 
 made for the remaining merchantmen. Four of them cut 
 their cables and ran ashore, where they were under the pro- 
 tection of a large body of troops on the beach. We could 
 soon have driven these off had we had any ammunition left, 
 but as it was, we were obliged to content ourselves with the 
 capture of the other three ships. On our return to Port 
 Mahon, after this really successful action, we found to our 
 disgust that instead of the Gamo being purchased as usual by 
 government, she had been sold for a mere song to the Alge- 
 rines, thereby depriving us of the prize-money we had ex- 
 pected to get for her. Cochrane was especially enraged, for 
 had the Gamo been purchased, we could have been transferred 
 to her from the Speedy, and would have been in a position to 
 do very much more than in that wretched little craft. It was, 
 however, but a piece of the treatment that we had been re- 
 ceiving. The extraordinary number of prizes we had taken 
 excited the jealousy of the senior officers on the station, for 
 indeed we had captured more than all the other cruisers to- 
 gether ; and the result was that our prizes were all sold for 
 anything they would fetch, and owing to the ridiculous sums 
 for which they were given away, and the rascality of the prize 
 agents, we did not receive a tithe of the prize-money that 
 should have come to us.
 
 144 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " This ill-will resulted in bringing our career to an end. 
 On our return to Port Mahon we were ordered to escort an 
 extremely slow old mail-packet to Gibraltar. What rendered 
 it more ridiculous was that we were to carry the mail-bags, 
 and only to hand them over to the old tub on her arrival at 
 Gibraltar, and were then to return without communication 
 with the shore. It was supposed that while engaged on this 
 duty we should at least be able to take no further prizes, but 
 we were so much faster than our convoy that while she crawled 
 along we were able to run in and explore bays and creeks. In 
 one several merchantmen were lying. As we bore in towards 
 them they weighed their anchors and ran ashore. As soon as 
 it was dark we sent our boats in and set fire to them, and as 
 one was laden with oil it made a blaze that could be seen fifty 
 miles away. Unfortunately three French line-of-battle ships 
 were within that circle the Indomptable, the Dessaix, and 
 the Formidable and they ran in to ascertain the cause of the 
 fire. At daybreak we made out three large ships in the dis- 
 tance, and imagining they were Spanish galleons on their way 
 home from South America, at once prepared to chase them. 
 As the light broadened out we saw our mistake, and made 
 them out to be line-of-battle ships. They at once crowded all 
 sail and bore down towards us. 
 
 " 'I fear this time, Embleton,' Cochrane said to me, ' it 
 is all up with us. We will do our best to get away, but the 
 chances are small. There is one good thing, they are flying 
 the French flag, and we may expect vastly better treatment at 
 their hands than we should get from the Spaniards, who would 
 as likely as not refuse to acknowledge a surrender, and sink 
 as without mercy.' We got every stitch of sail on her, and as 
 the wind was very light, put out our sweeps. The French- 
 men, however, had more wind than we had, and gained on 
 us fast. We threw our fourteen pop-guns overboard to lighten
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 145 
 
 her, for even Cochrane felt that it was useless to think of 
 fighting now. The three vessels separated so as to ensure 
 that we should not slip past them, and the Dessaix, which was 
 nearest to us, began firing broadside after broadside each time 
 she tacked, keeping her bow-chasers going all the time, and 
 cutting up our rigging. For three hours this continued. We 
 threw over all the ammunition and stores, but slowly and 
 gradually the Dessaix crept up to us. Just as she was abeam 
 Cochrane put the helm hard down, and we spun round to 
 make a desperate attempt to run between the enemy. We 
 were received with a broadside from the Formidable, and the 
 Dessaix immediately tacked in pursuit. 
 
 " In less than an hour she came up within musket -shot, and 
 yawing to bring all her guns to bear, poured in a broadside 
 that I thought would have annihilated us. Fortunately she 
 had answered her helm so quickly that as she came round her 
 guns bore ahead of us, and the round shot struck the water 
 under our bows. The grape, however, cut up the rigging, 
 riddled the sails, and damaged the masts, and as the next 
 broadside would assuredly have sunk us, Cochrane ordered the 
 flag to be hauled down. Nothing could have been kinder 
 than our treatment. The captain declined to accept Coch- 
 rane's sword, begging him to continue to wear it though a 
 prisoner. In our thirteen months' cruise we had taken or 
 retaken upwards of fifty vessels, one hundred and twenty-two 
 guns, and five hundred and thirty-four prisoners. After our 
 capture the French line-of-battle ships took us and our lubberly 
 convoy into Algeciras. It was trying to be lying there almost 
 within range of the guns of Gibraltar. Two or three days 
 later Sir James Saumarez sailed in with a powerful squadron. 
 The French at once put out boats, carried anchors ashore, and 
 warped in until they grounded, so as to prevent being attacked 
 on both sides. The tide brought the British ships so fast up
 
 146 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the bay that in the hurry of the work the French ships still 
 lay head to shore, and were therefore helpless to offer any 
 defence to the expected attack. The greater part of the 
 French sailors were at once sent ashore to the powerful Span- 
 ish batteries there, and a very effective fire was opened upon 
 the British ships. Nothing, however, could have prevented 
 the capture of the French vessels had there been any wind. 
 
 "There was, however, scarce a breath on the water, and 
 the British, being unwilling to anchor under the heavy fire of 
 the batteries, were swept past by the strong current. Their 
 fire, however, severely damaged the ships of war, and sunk 
 several gun-boats. The Hannibal alone managed to tack and 
 made inshore, thinking to place herself inside the Frenchmen, 
 not knowing that they were aground. In so doing she 
 ran ashore, and was there exposed to the broadsides of the 
 French ships and the fire of the batteries and gun - boats. 
 Captain Ferris, who commanded her, continued to reply to 
 their fire until most of his guns were dismounted, and a third 
 of his crew killed or wounded ; then, seeing that the efforts 
 of the rest of the squadron to come back to his assistance were 
 vain, he was forced to haul down his flag. The next day a 
 boat with a flag of truce came across from Gibraltar, with 
 propositions for the release of the crews of the Hannibal and 
 Speedy. There was no regular system of exchange at that 
 time, but as the French did not know what to do with their 
 prisoners, we were all released on giving our parole not to 
 serve again until French prisoners of our own rank were given 
 in exchange for us. This was done a few days afterwards. 
 
 " Three days later the Spanish admiral at Cadiz arrived 
 with six ships of the line, several frigates and gun-boats, and 
 the French men-of-war having been warped off the ground 
 and their damages repaired, the whole sailed away six days 
 after the action, followed by the British squadron, which came
 
 COCHRANE'S CAREER 147 
 
 up to them at dusk. As soon as it became quite dark, Captain 
 Keith in the Superb dashed in between the two sternmost 
 ships two Spanish men-of-war each mounting a hundred 
 and twelve guns, poured a broadside into each of them and 
 then shot ahead, and presently engaged a third Spanish man- 
 of-war, the San Antonio. In the darkness, aided by the 
 smoke of the Superb 's guns, she was not seen at all by either 
 of the two Spanish ships between which she had passed, and 
 each concluded that the other was an enemy, and a furious 
 cannonade commenced between them. One of them lost her 
 foretop-mast, the sails of which, falling over her own guns, 
 caught fire ; the other, still supposing her to be an enemy, 
 poured broadside after broadside into her, and then approached 
 to board. In the confusion the yards of the two vessels be- 
 came entangled together, and the second ship also caught fire. 
 Both ships burned until they blew up, nearly all on board per- 
 ishing, the few survivors being picked up by the boats of the 
 Superb, which was at the time engaged in taking possession of 
 the third Spanish ship-of-war, which had struck to her. The 
 officers and men of this ship were released in exchange for 
 those of the Hannibal and Speedy. We were therefore free to 
 serve again, but were all sent back to England and put on half- 
 pay, and peace having soon after been patched up I remained 
 without a chance of employment. 
 
 " Fortunately my parents at that time were alive, and I got 
 on better than some of my comrades. Poor Parker was es- 
 pecially badly treated by the authorities. Cochrane in vain 
 attacked the admiralty, but the hostility to him extended to 
 his officers. He himself had a serious grievance, for the long 
 delay before he had obtained his promotion caused several 
 junior officers to pass over his head, but annoying as this 
 was it affected him less than the cruel treatment of Parker. 
 Some years passed before that officer obtained his promotion.
 
 148 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Despairing of getting it, he took a little farm, married, and 
 settled there with his family. Cochrane persevered so strenu- 
 ously on his behalf that at last he was made commander, and 
 was ordered to join the Rainbow sloop in the West Indies. 
 He sold off everything, even his house and furniture, in order 
 to enable him to obtain his outfit, and proceeded to take up 
 his command. On arriving at Barbadoes he reported himself 
 to the admiral, who knew nothing about the Rainbow, but 
 supposed that she might be some newly-purchased craft fitting 
 out at the Bermudas. Parker went there, but could hear 
 nothing of her, and then returned to Barbadoes, when it be- 
 came evident that no such vessel was in existence. 
 
 ''He returned to England a ruined man. He had ex- 
 pended his whole capital, amounting to upwards of a thousand 
 pounds, in settling his family during his absence, and in pro- 
 viding for his outfit and voyage. The first lord of the admi- 
 ralty expressed polite surprise that such a mistake should have 
 occurred, and promised compensation for his loss and another 
 command on the first opportunity. Neither promise was 
 kept, and Parker's spirit and health gave way under his mis- 
 fortunes, and he sank into the grave. Cochrane, finding that 
 he too had small chance of employment, went up to Edin- 
 burgh and worked hard at the university there until war 
 broke out again in 1803, when he applied for a ship, and ob- 
 tained, after a threat to retire altogether from the service, 
 the command of an old brig. That was one of the many old 
 craft purchased from men of influence in exchange for their 
 votes. 
 
 "She had been used as a collier, and was unable to sail 
 against the wind. Cochrane was ordered to watch Boulogne, 
 but in a short time he found that if a wind on-shore sprung up 
 nothing could save the ship. He reported this to the admiral, 
 and orders were then sent to him to cruise north of the Ork-
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 149 
 
 neys to protect the fisheries. There were no fisheries to pro- 
 tect, and the order was simply a sentence of exile. He re- 
 mained here for nearly fifteen months, and during the whole 
 of that time not so much as a single ship was ever seen from 
 the masthead. He returned to England on the ist of Decem- 
 ber, 1804, and found that Lord St. Vincent had just been 
 compelled to retire from the admiralty. Cochrane's claims 
 were urged by his friends on Lord Melville, his successor, and 
 with such force that he was transferred to the Pallas, a new 
 thirty-two gun frigate." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 
 
 A FEW days afterwards the lieutenant said, "Now, Stephen, 
 as you have nothing to do this evening I will go on with 
 my yarn. Lord Cochrane had not forgotten me, and on 
 the day that he was appointed to the Pallas he wrote to me 
 saying that he had applied for me as second lieutenant, and 
 that Lord Melville had promised to appoint me. Two days 
 later I got the official appointment with orders to join at 
 once. I found Cochrane in a very bad temper. He said, 
 ' What do you think, Embleton, that confounded cruise of 
 mine in the Arab has ruined me in the opinion of the sailors. 
 Why, if I had been appointed to a hundred-gun ship on the 
 day when we returned together after the loss of the Speedy, I 
 could have got volunteers enough for her in twenty-four hours. 
 Now the dismal tale told by the crew of the Arab of our exile 
 in the North Sea, and the fear, no doubt, that I am going to 
 be sent off to some similar station, has so frightened them 
 that I have not had half a dozen men apply, and I actually 
 shall have to impress a crew.'
 
 150 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " 'I expect, sir,' I said, ' that when we get hold of a few 
 prime seamen, and I tell them that they are as sure of prize- 
 money with you as if it was already divided, they will soon 
 spread the news, and we shall not be long before we fill up. ' 
 
 "So it turned out ; luckily, among the first haul that Coch- 
 rane made, there were two or three of the Speedy 1 s old crew. 
 I took them in hand, and told them that so far from being in 
 disgrace any longer, Lord Cochrane had a commission to 
 take a month's cruise off the Azores before joining the fleet, 
 and that that job alone was likely to fill every man's pock- 
 ets. In a very short time we had the pick of the best men 
 in Plymouth, and sailed in the middle of January, 1805, 
 for the Azores. Instead of making straight for the islands, 
 Cochrane ran down the coast of Spain and then worked up 
 towards the Azores, thereby putting us on the track of any 
 Spanish vessels bound from the West Indies to Cadiz. A 
 day or two later we captured a large ship bound from Ha- 
 vana laden with a valuable cargo. Having learned from the 
 prisoners that the ship was part of a large convoy we pro- 
 ceeded on our course, and a week later captured another 
 even more valuable prize, as she contained in addition to the 
 usual cargo some diamonds and ingots of gold and silver. 
 
 " Two days later we took another, the richest of the three, 
 having on board a large quantity of dollars ; and the next 
 day caught a fine privateer with more dollars on board. 
 These four prizes were sent in to Plymouth. As we only 
 had a month this brought the work to a close, and we re- 
 turned to Plymouth. We had a serious adventure on the 
 way back, for in heavy weather we fell in with three French 
 line-of-battle ships. They at once made after us, and with 
 half a gale and a heavy sea they gained on us fast. As we 
 had taken out the dollars from the prizes and had them on 
 board the Pallas, the thought of losing them was even more
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 151 
 
 vexatious than the idea of seeing the inside of a French 
 prison. The Pallas was a very crank vessel, and her lee 
 main-deck guns were under water, and even the quarter-deck 
 carronades were at times immersed. However, the French- 
 men came up so fast that it was necessary, at any cost, to 
 crowd on more sail. Cochrane had all the hawsers brought 
 up, and with these got up preventer stays, and then every sail 
 was spread. 
 
 " This drove her bows-under through the seas. Still they 
 came up to us, but they were also plunging so heavily that 
 they too were unable to fire a gun. Presently we had one on 
 each side of us, with less than half a mile interval between 
 us. The third was a quarter of a mile further away. The sit- 
 uation was a very unpleasant one, for now that they were up 
 to us, they would be able to shorten sail a little and occasion- 
 ally fire at us with their broadside guns. Cochrane gave orders 
 for the whole crew to be ready to shorten sail when he gave 
 the word, and that every sail should come down simultane- 
 ously. It was a critical movement, but it was well executed. 
 Cochrane himself shouted the orders, and in a moment 
 down came every sail. The helm at the same moment was 
 put a-weather. Had it not been for the hawsers with which 
 we had stayed the masts, everything must have gone out of 
 her as we wore round, rolling in the trough of the sea. As 
 soon as she was round, up went her sails again, and we went 
 off on the opposite tack to that on which we had before been 
 running. 
 
 " The French were altogether unprepared for such a ma- 
 noeuvre in such a heavy gale as was now blowing, and it was 
 a long time before they could shorten sail and get on the op- 
 posite tack, indeed they ran on some miles before they could 
 do this, while we were rushing along at the rate of thirteen 
 knots an hour in the opposite direction ; so they were a very
 
 152 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 long distance away before they were fairly after us. By this 
 time darkness was coming on, and when morning broke they 
 were altogether out of sight, and we continued our course to 
 Plymouth. An election was on, and while we were lying two 
 months in Plymouth Cochrane stood as candidate for Honi- 
 ton, but was defeated. He refused to bribe, and his oppo- 
 nent therefore won hands down, as he paid the usual sum of 
 five pounds for each vote. After the election was over, Coch- 
 rane sent ten guineas to each of the men who had voted for 
 him, saying that he had sent it as a reward for their having 
 refused to accept the bribes of his opponent. 
 
 "The expenditure was considerable, but, as Cochrane cal- 
 culated, it ensured his return at the next election whenever 
 that might take place, as each voter naturally calculated that 
 if he had paid ten guineas a vote after he was beaten, there 
 was no saying what he would pay if he were returned. At the 
 end of May we sailed in charge of a convoy for Quebec, and 
 brought one back again. It was dull work, and we were 
 heartily glad when on our return we were ordered to cruise off 
 Boulogne and then to join the squadron of Admiral Thorn- 
 borough, which was to operate on the French and Spanish 
 coast. There we captured a ship at anchor under the guns of 
 a battery, and also a fast-sailing lugger, and then joined the 
 squadron at Plymouth, and sailed thence on the 24th of March, 
 1806. We captured some fishing-boats, but let them go, and 
 from information gained from the men brought off two prizes 
 laden with wine, and during the week captured several other 
 ships, and then rejoined the squadron, which we supplied with 
 wine sufficient to last them for some considerable time. 
 
 "Leaving the fleet again, we heard that some French cor- 
 vettes were lying up the Garonne ; and after dark we came to 
 an anchor, and the boats, manned by the whole crew except 
 about forty men under the command of the first lieutenant,
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 153 
 
 rowed up the river to capture one of them, which was lying a 
 few miles up under the protection of two batteries. About 
 four o'clock in the morning we heard heavy firing. The 
 boats had, after a smart fight, captured a corvette which 
 mounted fourteen guns. No sooner had they taken possession 
 than two other corvettes came up. The guns of the prize 
 were turned upon them and they were beaten off, and the 
 prize was brought safely down the river. In the meantime 
 our position had not been a pleasant one. Soon after daylight 
 three strange craft were seen making for the mouth of the 
 river. They were clearly enemies, and as we had only forty 
 hands on board, things looked very blue. 
 
 " ' We must make them think that we are strong-handed,' 
 Cochrane said to me ; and he ordered the men aloft to fasten 
 up the furled sails with rope-yarn and to cast off the gaskets 
 and other ropes. Then he waited until the enemy approached, 
 while the men remained on the yards knife in hand. When 
 he gave the word they cut the rope-yarns, and the sails all fell 
 together. This naturally produced the impression upon the 
 Frenchmen that we had a very strong crew, and directly the 
 cloud of canvas fell they hauled their wind and made off along 
 the shore. Every hand on board, officers and men, hauled at 
 the sheets, and we were soon in chase. We gained rapidly 
 upon them, divided the crew among the bow-guns, and opened 
 fire. Scarcely had we fired half a dozen shots when the cap- 
 tain of the foremost vessel ran his ship ashore. 
 
 " The shock brought down her masts, and the crew landed 
 in her boats. We ran as close as we dared, and fired several 
 broadsides into her to prevent her floating with the rising tide. 
 The other two corvettes came back to assist their comrade, but 
 when we sailed boldly towards them, firing our bow - guns 
 again, the one nearest to us also deliberately ran ashore, and 
 was, like the first, dismasted. The third boat made for the
 
 154 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 river, but by our superior sailing we cut her off, whereupon 
 she also ran herself ashore, and was abandoned by her crew. 
 I don't know that I ever saw forty men laugh so much as did 
 our fellows at seeing three strong corvettes thus deliberately 
 run ashore and destroy themselves, when, if any one of the 
 three had attacked us single-handed, we could have made no 
 real resistance. The prize captured by the boats now came 
 down, and the Pallas rejoined the squadron. Admiral Thorn - 
 borough wrote a very warm despatch as to the gallantry of the 
 affair, but no notice was taken of it at the admiralty, and the 
 first lieutenant did not receive the promotion that he deserved. 
 After two or three other affairs we were ordered to sail into 
 the Basque Roads to reconnoitre a French squadron lying there. 
 This, after a brush with a French frigate and three brigs, we 
 succeeded in doing, and discovered that there were five men- 
 of-war, two heavy frigates, three smaller frigates, and three 
 brigs. A few days later we sailed inshore, and the boats 
 landed and destroyed two of the French signal stations and 
 carried the battery and spiked its guns. 
 
 ' ( A day or two afterwards we had a sharp fight in the 
 Basque Roads. A frigate and three brigs came out to meet 
 us. We disabled one of the brigs, drove the frigate on to a 
 shoal, and were on the point of capturing it when two other 
 frigates came out to her assistance, and as we had lost several 
 spars when we ran aboard the first frigate we were obliged to 
 make off. After this we returned to England. Another elec- 
 tion was coming on. Cochrane stood again for Honiton, and 
 was returned to parliament without spending a penny. On 
 the 23rd of August he was appointed to the command of the 
 Imperieuse, and the crew of the Pallas was turned over to her, 
 and on the 2Qth of November we joined the fleet again. We 
 took several prizes, and returned to Plymouth in February. 
 While we were there another election came on. As Honiton
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 155 
 
 was sick of Lord Cochrane and Cochrane was sick of Hon- 
 iton, he stood this time for Westminster, and was returned. 
 He presently brought forward in the House of Commons a 
 motion with reference to the abuses in the navy, the only 
 result of which was that he was at once ordered to join the 
 Imperieuse. 
 
 " In September we sailed to join Lord Collingwood's fleet 
 in the Mediterranean. I need not go through all the events 
 of that cruise. We took a great many prizes, and had a good 
 many actions with batteries. Spain joined France, and we had 
 a brisk time of it and gained an immense amount of credit, 
 and should have gained a very large amount of prize-money 
 had it not been for the rascality of the prize-court at Malta, 
 which had, I believe, been instigated by some one in London 
 to adopt as hostile an attitude as possible towards Lord Coch- 
 rane. The most important and exciting affair that we had 
 was our defence of Fort Trinidad, close to the town of Rosas. 
 Lord Cochrane' s orders had been to assist the Spaniards against 
 the French, and he had done a great deal that way by landing 
 strong parties, who blew up roads, blocked communications, 
 and rendered the passage of bodies of French troops difficult 
 if not impossible. When we arrived off Rosas the French 
 had already invested the town. The marines of the Excellent 
 had been holding Fort Trinidad ; but had suffered severely 
 from a battery erected by the French upon a hill commanding 
 it. They were withdrawn on the arrival of the Imperieuse, 
 and their place taken by our marines. 
 
 " It was a rum place that fort. The side towards the sea 
 sloped gradually but steeply, and two forts were placed one 
 above another, like big steps. Above these stood a tall tower, 
 very strongly built. The forts had no guns ; but had they had 
 them they could not have used them against the enemy's battery 
 on the high cliff, for the tower stood in their way and so pro-
 
 156 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 tected them from the French fire. We defended the place for 
 a long time, even after the town of Rosas had itself fallen. 
 Several attempts at assault were made, but all were repulsed. 
 The last was the most serious. The enemy had made a breach 
 at the foot of the tower, but to reach it they would have to 
 scale the cliff on which it stood, by means of ladders. Coch- 
 rane prepared for the assault in a very curious way. Just below 
 the breach was a sort of vault, some forty feet deep, under the 
 tower. Cochrane knocked away a portion of the arched roof 
 of this vault, so that on reaching the top of the breach the 
 French would see a great gulf in front of them. With timbers 
 and planks he erected a sort of slide from the breach down 
 into this vault, and covered it with grease, so that those trying 
 to descend would shoot down to the bottom and remain there 
 prisoners until released. 
 
 " When he had completed this he laid trains to blow up 
 the magazines in case it was necessary to evacuate the fort. 
 Being thus prepared, he waited for the assault. Commanded 
 as the tower was by the batteries on the cliff, nothing could 
 be done to prevent their making this breach, and for the same 
 reason there were no means of preventing the scaling parties 
 placing their ladders and climbing up. Interior barricades 
 were, however, formed, and when they made an attack before 
 daybreak we repulsed them with ease. Forty of the enemy 
 who got on to the top of the breach were destroyed by our 
 musketry fire as soon as they reached it ; shells were dropped 
 down upon those waiting below, hand-grenades thrown, and 
 after suffering severe loss they drew off. The French erected 
 fresh batteries, and at last the place became absolutely unten- 
 able ; so we took to the boats, blew up the castle, and got 
 safely on board the Imperieuse. After capturing some more 
 prizes and doing other service the Imperieuse returned to Ply- 
 mouth, and Cochrane was appointed to go out and take the
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 157 
 
 command of some fire-ships, and to attack the French fleet in 
 the Basque Roads. 
 
 "Admiral Gambier, who was in command of our fleet on 
 that coast, was in strong opposition to the plan, and had de- 
 nounced the effort as desperate; but the ministry were ex- 
 tremely unpopular, and they desired to strike a blow that 
 would excite enthusiasm. They themselves did not believe 
 in success, but offered Cochrane the command in order that, 
 should it fail, the blame could be thrown wholly on his 
 shoulders. He at first declined altogether to have anything 
 to do with it, and drew up a memorandum showing the num- 
 ber of batteries that would have to be encountered, and the 
 extreme improbability of their ever arriving near enough to 
 the French squadron to do them any harm. His objections 
 were overruled, and he was ordered to sail for the Basque 
 Roads, where six transports prepared as fire - ships were to 
 join him. This appointment caused, as was natural, very 
 great dissatisfaction among the captains commanding the 
 ships in Gambier's squadron. They were all senior to Cch- 
 rane, and regarded his appointment on such a service as being 
 a slur, and indeed an insult on themselves personally, their 
 anger however being excited rather against Lord Gambier 
 than against Cochrane himself. The fleet, indeed, was in a 
 state of general disorganization approaching mutiny, at the 
 inactivity in which they had been kept and at various meas- 
 ures that had been carried out by the admiral. As he might 
 have had to wait for a long time before the fire-ships arrived 
 from England, Cochrane obtained from Gambier several craft 
 which he fitted up as fire-ships. The others, however, arrived 
 from England, and Cochrane wanted to make the attack on 
 the night they joined, before the French could gain any 
 knowledge of the nature of the attempt that was going to be 
 made against them. But Lord Gambier refused to consent,
 
 158 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 and the result was that the French did get notice of our inten- 
 tions and were prepared. 
 
 " In order to avoid the danger, the enemy's ten men-of-war 
 struck their topmasts and got all their sails on deck, his four 
 frigates alone remaining in sailing order. These were placed 
 half a mile in front of the men-of-war, and lay in shelter of an 
 immense boom, specially designed to arrest the approach of an 
 enemy at night. In addition to the fire-ships, Cochrane had 
 prepared two or three vessels as what he called explosion-ships. 
 These were intended not so much to damage the enemy as to 
 terrify them, and to prevent their sending boats to divert the 
 course of the fire-ships. A solid foundation of logs had been 
 first laid on the keel, so as to form an extremely solid floor 
 and to give the explosion an upward tendency. On these 
 were placed a large number of empty spirit and water casks 
 set on end. Into these fifteen hundred barrels of powder 
 were emptied ; the space around them was filled in with 
 timber and sand, so as to form a solid mass, and over the 
 powder casks were laid several hundred shells and some three 
 thousand hand-grenades. 
 
 " The French deemed their position impregnable. Their 
 men-of-war were ranged close together in two lines, and the 
 frigates and guard-boats they considered would be sufficient 
 to divert any fire-ships that might make their way round the 
 boom. Half a gale was blowing on shore. Cochrane himself 
 went in the explosion-ship that led the advance. 
 
 " The night was dark, and when Cochrane reached what he 
 thought was the vicinity of the advanced ships of the French 
 he lit the fuse, and with the officer and four men with him 
 took to the boat and rowed away. They made but little way 
 against the wind and sea, and the fuse, instead of burning for 
 fifteen minutes as intended, only burned half that time. This, 
 however, was really the means of saving the lives of those on
 
 COCHRANE SCATTERS THE FRENCH FLEET IN THE BASQUE ROADS BY 
 HIS TERRIBLE EXPLOSION-SHIP.
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 159 
 
 board the boat. She was nearly swamped by the effect of the 
 explosion ; but as its force, as intended, took place upwards, 
 the shells and grenades exploded far overhead, scattering their 
 contents over a wide area, and the boat itself lay inside the 
 circle of destruction. We on board the Imperieuse, which 
 was anchored three miles away, felt the shock as if the ship 
 had struck heavily on a rock. For a moment the sky seemed 
 a sheet of fire. Then came the crash of the exploding shells 
 and the rattle of the grenades, and then a roar as the frag- 
 ments and pieces of wreck fell into the sea. 
 
 " The fire-ships were very badly handled. Many of them 
 were lighted over four miles from the enemy, some were put 
 on the wrong tack before they were left by the crews ; and 
 although there were upwards of twenty in number only four 
 reached the enemy's position, and not one did any damage 
 whatever. Nevertheless, the desired effect was produced 
 the explosion-vessel was alongside the boom when she blew 
 up and completely shattered it. The enemy were so appalled 
 by the explosion that, believing the fire-ships were equally 
 formidable, they not only made no attempt to divert their 
 course, but with one exception all the French ships cut their 
 cables ; and when morning dawned, the whole of their fleet 
 except two ships were helplessly ashore. The tide had ebbed, 
 and they all lay over on their side, with their bottoms exposed 
 to fire, and had Lord Gambier sent but two or three ships in 
 to complete the work of destruction not one of the powerful 
 French squadron would have escaped. 
 
 ' ' The forts had begun to open upon us, therefore we sailed 
 away towards the fleet that was lying ten miles off, and on 
 getting within signalling distance, Cochrane signalled that all 
 the enemy's ships except two were on shore, and that the 
 frigates alone could destroy them. Beyond acknowledging 
 the signals no notice was taken, and it was not until eleven
 
 160 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 o'clock that the fleet got up anchor, and then, sailing in to 
 within three miles and a half of the road, anchored again. 
 By this time the tide had risen, and most of the enemy's ships 
 were already afloat. Furious at seeing the result of this attack 
 absolutely thrown away, Cochrane ordered the anchor to be 
 weighed, and allowed his vessel to drift towards the enemy. 
 He could not get up sail, as he knew that he should be at once 
 recalled if he did so, he therefore drifted until but a short 
 distance from the enemy. Then at half-past one he suddenly 
 made sail and ran towards them, hoisting at the same time the 
 signal ' in want of assistance,' and engaged three line-of- battle 
 ships. On seeing this several ships were sent to our assistance, 
 but before they came up, one of the men-of-war hauled down 
 her colours and was taken possession of by us. The ships that 
 came up engaged and captured the two other French men-of- 
 war, while another was deserted by her crew and set on fire. 
 
 " The signal for our recall was now hoisted by the admiral, 
 and was obeyed by most of the other ships, a frigate and four 
 brigs, however, taking upon themselves to remain with the 
 Imperieuse. However, they were prevented from destroying 
 the vessels that still lay at their mercy by another peremptory 
 order of recall. That brought the service of the Imperieuse 
 and my service to an end, and the service of Cochrane also. 
 We were ordered back to England, and Lord Garnbier's de- 
 spatch as to the affair was so scandalously untrue that Cochrane 
 denounced it in parliament. Gambier demanded a court- 
 martial, and as he had the support of an utterly unscrupulous 
 government, a scandalously partial judge, and false witnesses 
 backed by forged charts, the result was a certainty. The 
 public indignation was excited to the highest pitch by the 
 shameless manner in which the trial was conducted, and al- 
 though Cochrane's career in the service was ruined, he became 
 perhaps the most popular character in the country.
 
 THE BASQUE ROADS 161 
 
 " He was, as you know, afterwards imprisoned and ex- 
 pelled the house, and has suffered persecutions of all kinds. 
 Westminster, however, has remained faithful to him, and has 
 returned him at every election, and he has never relaxed his 
 strenuous efforts to obtain naval reforms and to vindicate his 
 own character. On both points I need hardly say that I am 
 heart and soul with him, and so terrible is the persecution to 
 which he has been in a variety of ways exposed, that I cannot 
 blame him if his zeal has at times outrun his discretion. Most 
 other men would, like poor Parker, have sunk under such 
 treatment as he has received. As I told you, we did not get 
 anything like a tithe of the prize-money we should have re- 
 ceived for our captures, and his share of it was more than 
 spent in his litigation with dishonest officials. Fortunately, I 
 laid out a portion of my share of the prize-money in buying 
 this house, and invested the remainder in the funds, and it 
 has enabled me to live in comfort, which I certainly could not 
 have done had I been wholly dependent upon my half-pay. 
 Although it has been most annoying remaining for so many 
 years unemployed, I do not regret having served with Coch- 
 rane in the Speedy, the Pallas, and the Imperieuse, for indeed 
 no three ships of their size ever inflicted such damage upon 
 the enemy's commerce, captured so many ships, or performed 
 more gallant exploits. When I am dead I shall leave instruc- 
 tions that the words, ' He served with Cochrane in the Speedy, 
 the Pallas, and the Imperieuse,' 1 shall be placed on my tomb- 
 stone. They will be by far the most striking testimony that 
 could be written as to my career as a sailor."
 
 162 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 IN CHILI 
 
 SEEING that a boat was advertised to sail from Dover to 
 Calais on the nth of August, Lieutenant Embleton and 
 Stephen went over there on the evening before; going on 
 board at seven in the morning, they arrived at Calais at mid- 
 day. Mr. Hewson had obtained passports for them, and they 
 went on next morning by diligence to Boulogne. Stephen's 
 chest was at once taken on board the Rose. Making inquiries 
 at the mairie they learned that Lord Cochrane had arrived 
 with his family on the previous day from England, and had 
 put up at the Cheval Blanc Hotel. They therefore went there 
 and engaged rooms, and then called upon Lord Cochrane. 
 
 "You have arrived in good time, Embleton," he said as 
 they entered. ' ' When did you come ? ' ' 
 
 " Two hours ago we got in from Calais, and I have just 
 been on board the Rose and left my lad's traps there ; then 
 I found out at the mairie that you had arrived and had 
 put up here, and we have also taken up our quarters in the 
 house. ' ' 
 
 "We laugh at these French official regulations," Lord 
 Cochrane said, " but they have their advantages. If this had 
 been an English town you might have spent half the day in 
 looking for me. I have not been on board the Rose yet ; in 
 fact, she only arrived here last night, and as the cabins have 
 been engaged for some time there was no occasion to hurry 
 about it. In fact, this morning I have been engaged in lay- 
 ing in a good stock of wine, not for the voyage but for use in 
 Chili. Of course one gets it here a good deal cheaper than 
 in England, as one saves the duty ; and besides, I might have
 
 IN CHILI 163 
 
 had some trouble with the custom-house here if it had been 
 sent over. I don't suppose they would admit their own wine 
 and brandy without charging some duty upon it. Are you 
 ready to enter upon your duties, Mr. Embleton ? ' ' 
 
 " Quite ready, my lord." 
 
 " Well, I have nothing for you to do, and as far as I am 
 concerned your duties will be a sinecure until the day we 
 arrive in Chili. Katherine, you must take this young gentle- 
 man in hand." 
 
 Lady Cochrane smiled. "I am new to command, Mr. 
 Embleton. Lord Cochrane has not been to sea since our 
 marriage six years ago, and consequently I am altogether in 
 ignorance of the powers of an admiral's wife. Are you fond 
 of children? " 
 
 "I don't know anything about them, Lady Cochrane; I 
 have never had any little brothers and sisters. Of course some 
 of my school-fellows had them, and it always seemed to me 
 that they were jolly little things when they were in a good 
 temper. ' ' 
 
 " But not at other times, Mr. Embleton ? " 
 
 ''Well, no," he said honestly, "they did not seem particu- 
 larly nice when they got in a passion." 
 
 "My children don't get into passions," Lady Cochrane 
 said with a laugh, " at least very, very seldom." 
 
 " Don't praise them up too much, Katherine," her husband 
 said. " Children are naturally plagues; and though unfortu- 
 nately I have been so busy a man that I Lave not had time to 
 do more than make their casual acquaintance, I don't expect 
 that they differ much from others; and besides, even I fly 
 into passions occasionally " 
 
 " Occasionally? " 
 
 "Well, pretty often, if you like I certainly shall not be 
 surprised if I find that they take after me."
 
 164 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 The next two days were spent by Mr. Embleton and Stephen 
 in exploring Boulogne. 
 
 " I have often looked at the place from the sea," the lieu- 
 tenant said, "as we were cruising backwards and forwards, 
 keeping a bright look-out to see that Bonaparte's boat flotilla 
 did not put to sea, but I did not expect that I should some 
 day be walking quietly about the streets." 
 
 "Lady Cochrane seems very nice, father," Stephen said 
 presently, as they strolled along the wharves watching the 
 French fishing-boats come in. 
 
 " She is very nice ; and so she ought to be, for she has 
 cost Lord Cochrane a fortune. She was a Miss Barnes, and 
 was an orphan of a family of good standing in the Midlands ; 
 she was under the guardianship of her cousin, who was high 
 sheriff of Kent when Cochrane first met her. He fell in love 
 with her and was accepted ; he was at that time living with 
 his uncle, the Hon. Basil Cochrane, who had realized a large 
 fortune in the East Indies, and was anxious that Cochrane 
 should marry the only daughter of an official of the admiralty 
 court. Even had he not been attached to Miss Barnes the 
 proposal was one that was signally distasteful to Cochrane. 
 He had been engaged in exposing the serious malpractices 
 by which the officials of the admiralty court amassed great 
 fortunes at the expense of the seamen, and for him to have 
 benefited by these very malpractices would have seemed a 
 contradiction of all his principles. His uncle in vain pointed 
 out to him that the fortune he himself would leave him, and 
 that which he would obtain by the marriage, would suffice to 
 reinstate the Earls of Dundonald in their former position as 
 large landowners. 
 
 " Cochrane's determination was unshaken and he married 
 Miss Barnes, so his uncle cut him out from his will entirely 
 and broke off all acquaintance with him. I am sure, how-
 
 IN CHILI 1G5 
 
 ever, he has never for a moment regretted his choice. I be- 
 lieve that she makes him as perfectly happy as it is possible 
 for a man of his restless disposition to be." 
 
 On the 1 5th of August, 1818, the Rose sailed from Bou- 
 logne, and Lieutenant Embleton, who had remained on board 
 with his son until she got under way, returned to England. 
 
 "Do you know anything about this Chilian business?" 
 Lord Cochrane asked Stephen as they walked up and down 
 the deck together on the following morning. 
 
 " My father told me a little about it, sir, but he said that 
 he had not paid much attention to the matter until he re- 
 ceived your kind offer to take me." 
 
 " Well, lad, it is well you should know something about 
 the rights and wrongs of the struggle in which you are going 
 to take part. You know that the Spaniards obtained their 
 possessions in South America partly by right of discovery, 
 and partly by the papal bull that settled the matter. The 
 Portuguese were given the east coast, while to Spain were 
 handed, besides the islands, the vast territories of Mexico and 
 Central America and the whole of the western portion of 
 South America. In extent it considerably surpassed that of 
 Europe, and its natural wealth, had it been properly admin- 
 istered, would have been fabulous. The Spaniards, however, 
 thought but of two things : one was to force the natives to 
 embrace their religion, the other to wring all they possessed 
 from them. The first caused the death of great numbers of 
 the Indians ; the second brought about the virtual enslave- 
 ment of the whole of the native races. 
 
 " The tyranny practised by the Spaniards upon these poor 
 people was inconceivable. Tens of thousands, I may say 
 hundreds of thousands, perished from the labour exacted from 
 them in the mines, and the whole people were kept in a state 
 of poverty that the Spanish officials might be enriched, and
 
 1G6 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 that the annual amount of gold and silver sent to Spain might 
 be obtained. No doubt it was the successful revolt of the 
 North American colonies against us that first inspired these 
 down-trodden people with the hope of shaking off the intol- 
 erable yoke under which they suffered. The first leader they 
 found was Francesco Miranda, a creole of Venezuela, that is 
 to say, he belonged to a Spanish family long settled there. 
 He came over to Europe in 1790, and two years later took 
 part in the French Revolution. Hearing that revolutionary 
 movements had taken place in Mexico and New Granada 
 against Spain he obtained a promise of assistance from Pitt, 
 who naturally embraced the opportunity of crippling Spain, 
 which was hostile to us, and in 1794 went out and threw 
 himself into the struggle, which continued with but doubtful 
 success for some years. 
 
 " In 1806 Miranda obtained some valuable aid from my 
 uncle, Sir Alexander Cochrane, who was then in command of 
 the West Indian station, and things looked much brighter for 
 the cause of independence. But unfortunately a few months 
 later Pitt died, the Whigs came into power, and as usual a 
 feeble policy succeeded a strong one, and all aid was with- 
 drawn from Miranda. The result was that, for a time, the 
 Spaniards were able to crush the insurgents. In 1810 Mi- 
 randa again organized a revolt in Venezuela; but he was 
 unable to cope with the power of Spain, and two years later 
 he was taken a prisoner and sent to Madrid, where he died in 
 prison. However, his work had not been without result, for 
 the same year that he commenced his unfortunate venture in 
 Venezuela a revolt broke out in Mexico headed by a priest 
 named Miguel Hidalgo. This was conducted in a barbarous 
 fashion and was speedily crushed. Two leaders of a better 
 type, Morelos and Rayon, still continued to carry on the 
 war, but their forces were defeated in 1815, and though I
 
 IN CHILI 167 
 
 believe there has been occasional fighting since then, matters 
 have been comparatively quiet. 
 
 " In South America things went better. In 1809 a revolt 
 broke out at Quito ; it was headed by a man named Na- 
 renno. His force, however, was never strong enough to 
 seriously menace the power of Spain. However, for five 
 years he maintained a guerilla warfare, fighting with des- 
 perate bravery until he was captured and sent to Spain, 
 where I believe he also died in prison. So far a great deal 
 of blood had been shed, great destruction of property effected, 
 and Spain had been put to a vast expense, but the situation was 
 practically unaltered. A change was, however, at hand. 
 Bolivar, a native of Caracas, had been brought up in Europe, 
 but, stirred by the news of the struggle that his countrymen 
 were maintaining, he went out in 1810 to join Miranda in 
 Venezuela. When the latter was defeated and taken prisoner 
 Bolivar crossed into New Granada, where an insurrection had 
 broken out, and his knowledge of European methods of war- 
 fare and discipline soon placed him at the head of the move- 
 ment there, and two years after his arrival he was appointed 
 Captain-general of New Granada and Venezuela. 
 
 " The title was an empty one, and in a very short time he 
 was defeated and forced to fly from the country by a formi- 
 dable Spanish army, which was sent out in 1815 to crush the 
 rebellion. Bolivar fled to Jamaica, where he remained but a 
 few months. He organized a considerable force in Trinidad 
 in 1816, and landed again on the mainland. The cruelties 
 perpetrated by the conquering Spaniards upon the population, 
 had stirred up so intense a feeling of hatred against them that 
 Bolivar was speedily joined by great numbers of men. He 
 gained success after success, swept the northern provinces 
 clear of the Spaniards, founded the republic of Colombia, of 
 which he was elected president, drove the tyrants out of New
 
 168 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Granada, and marching south freed the province of La Plata 
 from the Spanish yoke. While these events had been taking 
 place in the northern and western provinces the national 
 movement had extended to Chili. Here in 1810 the people 
 rose, deposed the Spanish Captain-general Carrasco, and set 
 up a native government, of which the Count De La Con- 
 quista was at the head. 
 
 "The movement here was not so much against Spain, 
 whose sovereignty was still recognized, as against the Spanish 
 governor, and to obtain a series of reforms that would mitigate 
 the tyranny that had been exercised. Naturally, however, 
 these reforms were obnoxious in the extreme to the Spanish 
 authorities, and in 1811 the Spanish troops attempted to 
 overthrow the new government. They were, however, un- 
 successful ; the revolution triumphed, and the rule of Spain 
 was formally thrown off, and Chili declared an independent 
 state. This was a good beginning, but troubles set in almost 
 directly. Three brothers, of the family of Carrera, set to 
 work to turn the popular movement to their own benefit, and 
 by their intrigues overthrew the National Congress, and es- 
 tablished a new government with the elder of them as its 
 head. So much dissatisfaction was caused by the corruption 
 and misgovernment of the Carreras, that the Spaniards en- 
 deavoured to reconquer Chili. 
 
 "When the danger was imminent a new actor came to 
 the front. General O'Higgins, a man of Irish descent, whose 
 father had been a Spanish viceroy of Peru, was put at the 
 head of affairs in November, 1813, and the Spaniards, who had 
 won their way to the capital, were forced by his good general- 
 ship to retire again. The intrigues of the Carreras, however, 
 still divided the forces of Chili, and the Spaniards again ad- 
 vanced from Peru. O'Higgins, seeing the danger, effected a 
 junction with the forces of the Carreras, and offered to give
 
 IN CHILI 169 
 
 them his support, and to resign his position in their favour, 
 if they would co-operate with him. The Carreras, however, 
 held aloof with their bands from the battle, and left O'Higgins 
 and his little body of 900 men to oppose 4000 Spanish troops. 
 The natural result was the defeat of the Chilians. On the 
 ist of October O'Higgins, with his little party, were attacked 
 at Rancagua by the Spaniards, and for thirty-six hours resisted 
 their continuous attacks. The Carreras' force was but a short 
 distance away, and both sides expected them to attack the 
 Spaniards in rear. They preferred, however, that their rival, 
 as they regarded him, should be destroyed, and held aloof. 
 
 " At last O'Higgins, with but 200 men all that now sur- 
 vived of his force was driven into the great square of the town, 
 and surrounded on all sides. He still resisted, however, until 
 half his force had fallen, and then, although seriously wounded, 
 he placed himself at the head of the survivors, cut his way 
 through the enemy, and effected his retreat. The extraordinary 
 valour displayed by the Chilians in this battle stirred our Eng- 
 lish blood, and we felt that here was a people who had not, 
 like the rest of the South American races, become absolutely 
 demoralized by centuries of misgovernment by the Spaniards. 
 At the time, however, their cause seemed lost. The Carre- 
 ras submitted without trying to strike another blow, and 
 O'Higgins, with the handful of survivors from Rancagua, and' 
 some hundreds of fugitives, crossed the Andes into La Plata, 
 where they remained for two and a half years in exile. 
 General San Martin, who fought under Bolivar, and had taken 
 the leading part in aiding La Plata to obtain its freedom, felt 
 himself strong enough at the beginning of 1817 to aid O'Hig- 
 gins to recover Chili from the Spaniards, who had been carry- 
 ing out wholesale confiscations and persecutions among all 
 who had taken any part in the revolution. 
 
 " In February they crossed the Andes with 5000 men, fell
 
 170 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 upon the main Spanish army, of about the same strength, which 
 was encamped on the heights of Chacabuco, a position from 
 which they overawed all the large towns. Having the advan- 
 tage of surprise, they completely defeated the Spaniards, and 
 in a very short time drove them altogether out of Chili. The 
 republic was again established, and the presidency offered to 
 San Martin. He declined the honour, however, and it was 
 then conferred upon O'Higgins. He and his council saw that 
 it was impossible to hope for permanent peace so long as the 
 Spaniards were able to gather armies in Peru, and pour them 
 down into Chili whenever they chose, so he lost no time in 
 sending Don Jose Alvarez over here to endeavour to raise 
 money in the name of the republic to build war-ships, and 
 enlist public sympathy on their behalf. 
 
 "Among other things he was commissioned to offer me the 
 command of the Chilian fleet as soon as one should be creat- 
 ed ; and as my sympathies were very strongly with the brave 
 people who were struggling against tyranny, I at once ac- 
 cepted, but have been detained in England upwards of a year 
 trying to get the war-steamer that we have been building com- 
 pleted. At last the Chilians have concluded that as they 
 cannot get the steamer they may as well get me, and so you 
 see I am on my way out." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," Stephen said ; "I shall feel a great in- 
 terest now in the cause of the Chilians. My father told me 
 they were righting against the Spaniards, but I did not interest 
 myself much in the matter, and thought much more of the 
 honour of serving under you than of the Chilian cause. Now 
 that I know that they are really a brave people, struggling to 
 maintain their freedom, I shall feel proud of fighting in so 
 good a cause." 
 
 " How old are you, Mr. Embleton?" 
 
 " I was sixteen some months ago, sir."
 
 IN CHILI 171 
 
 The admiral nodded : "A very useful age for work ; you 
 are old enough to hold your own in a fight, not old enough to 
 begin to think that you know all about everything. Now, 
 tell me all about that affair of yours when you lost your ship. 
 Tell me everything you can think of, just as it happened. 
 Don't exaggerate your own share in it, but, on the other hand, 
 let me know what you did and what you said. You see I 
 know very little about you as yet ; but if you will tell me all 
 the details of the business I shall be able to form some idea 
 as to how far I shall be able to entrust the carrying out of my 
 orders to you, and to confide in your ability to discharge any 
 special missions on which I may employ you. You see, Mr. 
 Embleton, the conduct of the Chilians in that matter of the 
 Carreras shows that, however bravely they may fight, as yet 
 they have not much idea of subordination. They know nothing 
 of sea-service, and the chances are that interest and family will 
 go further in obtaining the appointment of officers to ships 
 than any question of abilities ; and it will be very useful for 
 me to have some one I can trust even if only a junior officer 
 to see that my orders are carried out when I cannot be pres- 
 ent myself; therefore, I want to gather from your story exactly 
 how you would be likeiy to behave under difficult circum- 
 stances. We will sit down in these two deck-chairs ; and you 
 shall tell me the story exactly as you would tell it to your 
 father. Remember that I am in no hurry. This voyage is 
 going to last a good many weeks. The more you tell the 
 story in detail the better I shall be pleased." 
 
 So closely did the admiral question Stephen as to every 
 detail that it took many hours to tell the story. Even when 
 he mentioned about the idea that by putting some water in 
 his watch-glass he could, when the sun was overhead, use it as 
 a burning-glass, the admiral stopped him to inquire about the 
 watch.
 
 172 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 "Is it the one you are carrying now ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Then let me look at it. Handsome watch, youngster; 
 did your father give it to you? " And then Stephen had to 
 break off from his story, and to tell exactly how it came into 
 his possession the whole history of his trading, and its result. 
 The story was not brought to a conclusion until the following 
 afternoon. 
 
 " Very good, Mr. Embleton," Lord Cochrane said ; " now 
 I know a great deal more about you than I did before, and 
 feel that I can employ you without hesitation in matters in 
 which brain as well as courage is required. If I had heard 
 your story before I would have taken out that sailor as my 
 coxswain. Between you, you showed a great deal of resource, 
 and, as far as I can see, the credit of the matter may be di- 
 vided between you. Your getting your fellow-midshipman out 
 of the hands of the Malays was well managed. You took every 
 precaution possible to throw them off the scent. You acted 
 very wisely in deciding to make for that wreck when you dis- 
 covered its position ; and you showed good powers of resource 
 in your arrangements there, especially in the matter of getting 
 fire. I hear from your father that you are well up in naviga- 
 tion, and altogether I congratulate myself on having a young 
 officer with me whom I can trust. It was, of course, a mere 
 matter of chance I appointed you simply in order to oblige 
 your father, who is a gallant officer, and who has suffered in 
 his profession owing to having served under me. Among 
 the many applications made to me were some for young 
 officers who possessed very high testimonials of conduct and 
 good service, and I may say frankly that I was more than a 
 little tempted to regret that I had selected one of whose con- 
 duct I knew nothing, although I felt sure that your father's 
 son would assuredly have no lack of courage and ability.
 
 IN CHILI 173 
 
 However, I am now well content that I made the choice 
 I did, indeed I feel sure that I could not have made a better 
 one." 
 
 It was a long voyage, for the Rose met with such bad 
 weather off the Cape that she was at first unable to weather 
 it, and it was ten weeks from the date of her sailing before 
 she entered the harbour of Valparaiso. The voyage had been 
 of advantage to Stephen. In the rough weather off the coast 
 he had volunteered for duty, and had shown activity and 
 courage, going aloft to reef or furl sails in the worst weather. 
 He had, too, by his readiness at all times to take the children 
 off Lady Cochrane's hands, to play with them, and to tell 
 them stories, gained the warm approbation of their parents, 
 and, before they arrived at Valparaiso, the admiral treated 
 him with a kindness and cordiality such as he might have 
 shown to a young nephew acting as his flag-midshipman. 
 Lord Cochrane was received at Valparaiso, and at Santiago, 
 the capital, with enthusiasm dinners, fetes, and balls were 
 given in his honour ; and although he cared but little for 
 such things, it could not but be gratifying to him, after the 
 cruel treatment he had met with from those for whom he had 
 performed such brilliant services, to find that elsewhere his 
 reputation stood at the highest point. 
 
 Stephen, who of course accompanied the admiral on all 
 occasions, enjoyed these festivities very much more than did 
 Lord Cochrane. To him it was all quite new, and very pleas- 
 ant. He shone in the reflected light of the admiral, and 
 was made a great deal of by the young Chilian ladies, the 
 only drawback being his ignorance of the language. He had, 
 however, on the way out, picked up a little from some Chilian 
 passengers on board the Rose, and it was not long before he 
 was able to talk to a certain extent to his partners in the 
 dances. Nevertheless, much as he enjoyed himself, he was by
 
 174 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 no means sorry when, on the 22nd of December, Lord Coch- 
 rane, who had received his commission as Vice-admiral of 
 Chili, and Commander-in-chief of its naval forces, hoisted 
 his flag on board the principal ship of the Chilian navy. 
 
 He had arrived none too soon. A large Spanish force was 
 advancing from Peru against Santiago, their formidable fleet 
 were masters of the sea, and they were fitting out a naval 
 expedition for an attack on Valparaiso. The Chilian admiral, 
 Blanco Encalada, had succeeded in capturing a Spanish fifty- 
 gun frigate, which had been renamed the <?' ' Higgins ; but 
 this was only a temporary success ; and with his undisciplined 
 and badly-equipped fleet he was quite unable to withstand the 
 threatened attack of the Spaniards. Lord Cochrane had to 
 encounter troubles from the outset. Among the Chilian fleet 
 was the Hecate, an eighteen-gun sloop that had been sold out 
 of the British navy, and purchased by two men, Captains 
 Guise and Spry, as a speculation. They at first attempted to 
 sell her at Buenos Ayres, but, failing to do so, had brought 
 her on to Chili, where the government had bought the ship, 
 and had appointed them to command her. They, and an 
 American captain named Worcester, had obtained a consider- 
 able influence over Admiral Encalada, and seeing that this 
 influence would be shaken by Lord Cochrane's ascendency, 
 they formed an intrigue to persuade the Chilian admiral to 
 insist upon retaining the chief command, or upon dividing it 
 with Lord Cochrane. 
 
 Admiral Encalada, however, refused to allow himself to be 
 made their tool, saying that he would wish for no greater 
 honour than that of serving under so distinguished an officer 
 as Lord Cochrane ; for a time, therefore, their intrigue was 
 defeated. No sooner had he hoisted his flag on board the 
 O' Higgins than Lord Cochrane set to work with his usual en- 
 ergy to complete the outfit of his little fleet. This consisted,
 
 IN CHILI 175 
 
 in addition to the O' Higgins, of the San Martin and Lautaro 
 both of which had been East Indiamen : the former carried 
 56 guns, the latter 44 the Hecate, now called the Galvarino, 
 of 1 8 guns; the Chacabuco, of 20 ; the Aracano, of 16 ; the 
 Puyrredon, of 14. The Spanish fleet consisted of three frig- 
 ates : the Esmeralda, of 44 guns ; the Bengenza, of 42 ; and 
 the Sebastian, of 28; and four brigs: one of 22 guns, and 
 three of 18. There was also a schooner carrying one heavy 
 gun and 20 small ones ; the rest were armed merchantmen : 
 the Resolution, of 36 guns ; the Cleopatra, of 28 ; the Fer- 
 nando, of 26 ; the La Focha, of 20 ; and the Guarmey and 
 San Antonio, of 18 each. 
 
 On the 1 6th of January, leaving Admiral Blanco to com- 
 plete the equipment of the Galvarino, the Aracano, and the 
 Puyrredon, Lord Cochrane sailed with the O' ' Higgins, San 
 Martin, Lautaro, and Chacabuco. From the day the admi- 
 ral's flag was hoisted to that upon which he sailed, Stephen's 
 life had undergone a sudden and complete change. From 
 morning until night he was engaged in rowing from the flag- 
 ship to the other vessels, and in carrying orders, ascertaining 
 how certain portions of the work were getting on, and report- 
 ing to the admiral, or going on shore to the dockyard with 
 urgent requisitions for stores required. Lord Cochrane him- 
 self was equally busy. He went from ship to ship, and stood 
 by the captains while the crews were put through their exer- 
 cises in making and shortening sails, practising the drill and 
 cutlass exercise on the deck, or working the guns. Hard as was 
 the work imposed upon them by the constant drills, the en- 
 thusiasm and energy of the admiral so communicated itself to 
 most of the officers and seamen that astonishing progress was 
 made in the four weeks that elapsed before sailing. Though 
 it could hardly be said that the smartness of the crews equalled 
 that which would be shown by British men-of-war's men, the
 
 176 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 work was very fairly done, and the admiral felt convinced 
 that his ships would be worked and manoeuvred far more 
 rapidly than those of the Spaniards. 
 
 Stephen had from the first messed with the ship's officers. 
 Lord Cochrane had said to him on the day when he hoisted 
 his flag: "As my flag-midshipman, Mr. Embleton, I could 
 very well have you, as well as my flag-lieutenant, at my table, 
 but I think that it would be better for you to mess with the 
 officers. I find that in the Chilian service the midshipmen 
 do not mess by themselves, as is the case with us, but have a 
 common mess with the lieutenants. There are certainly con- 
 siderable advantages in this arrangement; though it might 
 not work well in our navy, where boys are much more mis- 
 chievous and given to pranks than are those of southern 
 people. They do not enter so young into the service, and 
 the six midshipmen on board are none of them younger than 
 yourself. They are all members of good old families here, 
 and there is therefore no need of so strict a line of distinction 
 between midshipmen and lieutenants as there is with us. The 
 system is more like that which prevails in our army, where 
 the youngest ensigns associate when off duty on terms of 
 equality with their elders. Mingling with them you will 
 acquire the language far more rapidly than you would do were 
 you to take your meals at my table. Moreover, I think that 
 it will be a more pleasant and natural life for you, while it 
 will avoid any appearance of favouritism and be altogether 
 better." 
 
 Stephen bowed. Fond as he was of the admiral, he felt 
 himself that it would be more pleasant to associate with lads 
 of his own age, than to be always on his best behaviour. He 
 already knew all the officers, having met them at the various 
 entertainments at Valparaiso. He had found them pleasant 
 young fellows, though their airs of manliness and gravity had
 
 IN CHILI 177 
 
 amused him a good deal, but he wished that he had in ad- 
 dition his old friend Joyce, with whom he could occasionally 
 skylark, quarrel, and make it up again, after the manner of 
 boys. The ward - room was large and airy, and there was 
 ample space for the party. At meals they consisted of the three 
 lieutenants, the surgeon, purser, and seven midshipmen. As 
 he had never been accustomed to a rough life in the cock- 
 pit of a British man-of-war, the contrast to his former condi- 
 tion was not so strong as it would have been to a midshipman 
 in the royal service ; but the somewhat stiff courtesy that pre- 
 vailed among the Chilian officers in their relations to each 
 other differed widely from the frank heartiness at Captain 
 Finder's table. When the meals were over, however, the air 
 of restraint softened a little, and Stephen soon became on 
 intimate terms with the other midshipmen, three or four of 
 whom had never been to sea before. 
 
 " Is this like life on board your ships ? " one of them asked 
 him a few days after he had joined. 
 
 " Not a bit, Don Enriques. To begin with, the midship- 
 men never dine with the lieutenants, and they don't live half 
 as well as we do. In the next place, you are a great deal 
 more serious, and a great deal more dignified than English 
 midshipmen are. With us they are always playing tricks 
 with each other. We may be officers on board the ship, but 
 when we are among ourselves we are just like other boys of 
 the same age. ' ' 
 
 " But you do not consider yourself a boy, Don Estevan ? " 
 
 " I do indeed," Stephen laughed; "and no one thinks 
 himself a man until he is quite a senior midshipman." 
 
 " But if you play tricks on each other you must quarrel 
 sometimes ? ' ' 
 
 " Oh, yes, we quarrel, and then we have a fight, and then 
 we are good friends again."
 
 178 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " Ah ! Do you fight with swords or pistols ? " 
 
 Stephen laughed. " We fight with our fists." 
 
 "What, like common people! " the young Chilian said, 
 greatly shocked. 
 
 " Just the same, except that we fight a little better. That 
 is the way we always settle quarrels among boys in England, 
 and a very good way it is. One gets a black eye or some- 
 thing of that sort, and there is an end of it. As for fighting 
 with swords or pistols, I do not know what would happen if 
 two midshipmen were to fight a duel. In the first place they 
 would get into a frightful row, and in the second place they 
 would be the laughing-stock of the whole fleet. Of course, 
 in a country like this, where a blow is considered as the 
 deadliest of insults, things are different ; but in England it is 
 not viewed in the same light. Everyone knows something of 
 boxing, that is, of the proper way of using the fists, and it 
 has come to be the national way of fighting among the com- 
 mon people and among boys of all classes. ' ' 
 
 " And would you, for example, Don Estevan, consent to 
 fight with a boy or with a man of the peasant class if he in- 
 jured you ? ' ' 
 
 " Certainly I would," Stephen said. " I don't know that 
 I would fight a big man, because evidently I should have very 
 little chance with him; but if I quarrelled with a fellow my 
 own age, we should of course pitch into each other without 
 any question of rank. ' ' 
 
 Exclamations of surprise broke from the other midshipmen 
 as Stephen made these statements in very broken Spanish. 
 He was questioned over and over again by them to make sure 
 that they had not misunderstood him. 
 
 " You seem to think it terrible," Stephen said ; " but you 
 don't stand on rank yourselves when you fight. When you 
 board an enemy's ship you fight with a sailor who attacks
 
 WRECKED 179 
 
 you, and don't stop to discuss with him whether he is one of 
 gentle blood, like yourself, or a mere peasant. For the time 
 being you put yourself on an equality with him, and it is a 
 pure matter of strength and skill. It is just the same with us 
 in most matters. We stand on our rank the same as you do, 
 but when our blood is up we put all that aside and fight with- 
 out caring whether our opponent is a nobleman or a peasant, 
 and when it is all over we shake hands and don't feel that 
 there is any bad blood between us. ' ' 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 WRECKED 
 
 ON the fifth morning when the ships got up anchor there 
 were no signs of movement on board the Chacabuco, nor 
 was any attention paid to the admiral's signals. 
 
 " Mr. Embleton, take one of the gigs, row on board, and 
 report what is the matter there. ' ' 
 
 Stephen did so. The approach of the boat was apparently 
 unobserved, and the companion-ladder was not lowered. He 
 therefore ordered the men to cease rowing ; presently an 
 officer appeared at the side. 
 
 " The admiral wishes to know what is the matter, and why 
 you do not obey his signals," Stephen said sharply, standing 
 up in the stern-sheets. 
 
 "The crew are in a state of mutiny," the officer said, 
 " and they refuse to get up the anchor." 
 
 Stephen returned with the message. The admiral at once 
 gave orders for the frigate to bear down on the Chacabuco, 
 and the crew were mustered at quarters. When she came 
 within a cable's length of the Chacabuco the frigate was
 
 180 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 thrown up into the wind, and the admiral shouted : " Unless 
 the anchor is a-peak in five minutes we will blow you out of 
 the water." 
 
 There was no mistaking the earnestness of the tone, and 
 many of the men sprang at once to the capstan bars, and the 
 anchor was soon out of the water. " Make sail," Lord 
 Cochrane again ordered, " and keep along close beside us." 
 
 A few minutes later the fleet were all under sail, and that 
 afternoon entered the port of Coquimbo. As soon as the 
 anchors were let go the admiral's gig was lowered, and he 
 went on board the Chacabuco. 
 
 ' ' What is all this about ? " he asked the captain, who re- 
 ceived him at the gangway. 
 
 " The men say that they are overworked, your excellency; 
 that they are kept hard at it all day making and taking off 
 sail, and that they want to leave the ship." 
 
 " Muster the crew, sir," Lord Cochrane said briefly. The 
 crew silently assembled. The port - holes of the C? Higgins 
 were all opened, and the men could be seen standing at the 
 guns. 
 
 "Now, men," Lord Cochrane said, "I give you five 
 minutes to pick out the twelve men who have been the ring- 
 leaders in this mutiny. You will iron them and bring them 
 on board the flag-ship, where they will be tried and punished 
 for their offence. What ! is there a ship's crew of Chilians 
 so regardless of their duty, so careless of the honour of their 
 country, that they are ready to disgrace themselves by turning 
 into a pack of mutineers, merely because they are required to 
 do extra work to fit them for fighting the enemies of their 
 country? I am willing to believe that you have suffered 
 yourselves to be misled, and that you did not understand the 
 magnitude of the crime that you were committing. There, 
 six bells are striking. You have five minutes to put your
 
 WRECKED 181 
 
 ringleaders into a boat. See that you do not exceed that 
 time, for as soon as my watch tells me that five minutes have 
 gone, I give the order to fire. One broadside will be suf- 
 ficient to send the Chacabuco to the bottom. Gentlemen," 
 he said, turning to the officers, " at the end of the five 
 minutes, if my orders have not been carried out, you will take 
 to the boats and leave the ship, and as soon as you have done 
 so we shall open fire. ' ' 
 
 He then turned on his heel, went down the ladder, and 
 rowed back to his ship. As he left he saw there was a great 
 uproar on board the Chacabuco as the sailors disputed among 
 themselves who had been their leaders in the matter. Two 
 boats were lowered at once, and just before the expiration of 
 the given time twelve men were put on board them ironed, 
 and were then rowed to the flag-ship. A signal was made for 
 the first lieutenant of each of the other ships of the squadron 
 to come on board, and a court-martial was at once held upon 
 the mutineers. The man who was shown to have been at the 
 bottom of the whole affair, was sentenced to be hung, and the 
 rest to terms of imprisonment. The admiral remitted the 
 death sentence and changed it to ten years in jail, and the 
 culprit and the other prisoners were taken on shore and 
 handed over to the civil authorities. Having thus given a 
 wholesome lesson, Lord Cochrane proceeded northward to 
 Callao Bay, where he intended to attack a considerable naval 
 force gathered there. 
 
 They were protected by the batteries of Callao and of San 
 Lorenzo, a little island in the bay, mounting in all one hun- 
 dred and sixty guns, in addition to those on board the Spanish 
 war-ships, which consisted of a few frigates, two brigs, and 
 eight gun-boats. To attack such a force lying under the guns 
 of their batteries was too perilous an enterprise for even Coch- 
 rane to undertake. He determined, however, to make an
 
 182 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 attempt to do them at least some damage. He knew that 
 two American men-of-war were expected to arrive in Callao, 
 and he made some slight changes in his flag - ship and the 
 Lautaro, hoisted the American flag, and sailed towards the 
 harbour. The Carnival was at the time being carried on, 
 and there was the less chance that a vigilant watch would be 
 kept up by the forts and ships. Unfortunately a dense fog 
 came on, and for eight days the Chilians were forced to re- 
 main inactive. At the end of that time, hearing a heavy 
 firing, and believing that one of his ships must have gone into 
 the bay and had been attacked by the enemy, Cochrane stood 
 in the direction of the sound. The other ships did the same, 
 when the fog clearing up in a moment, they discovered each 
 other, and found a small gun-boat lying close to them. 
 
 This they captured at once, and learned that the firing was 
 a salute in honour of the viceroy, who had been paying a visit 
 to the batteries, and was now returning to the town in a brig- 
 of-war which was crowding all sail. The fog again closed in, 
 and hoping the capture of the gun-boat had not been noticed, 
 Lord Cochrane determined to risk a partial engagement rather 
 than withdraw without firing a shot, as a retreat now would 
 raise the spirits of the Spaniards and depress those of the 
 Chilians. Accordingly the O ' Higgins and the Lautaro stood 
 on, each having a boat ahead sounding. The wind fell very 
 light, and instead of going in and engaging the Spanish ships 
 as he intended, Lord Cochrane was forced to anchor at some 
 distance from them. The moment that the two Chilian vessels 
 were made out through the fog the ships and batteries opened 
 fire upon them, showing that the capture of the gun-boat had 
 been observed and the sailors and garrison called to the guns. 
 
 For two hours the ships were exposed to a heavy fire from 
 the batteries and ships. They replied steadily, their aim being 
 chiefly directed against the northern angle of one of the prin-
 
 WRECKED 183 
 
 cipal forts, whose fire especially annoyed them. As soon as 
 a little breeze sprang up, anchors were weighed, and the two 
 ships sailed to and fro in front of the batteries returning their 
 fire, until Captain Guise, who commanded the Lautaro, was 
 severely wounded, and his ship at once retired from action. 
 Neither of the other Chilian vessels ventured within range 
 from first to last. The flag-ship being thus left alone exposed 
 to the whole fire of the enemy, Lord Cochrane was ultimately 
 obliged to relinquish the attack. He retired to an island 
 three miles distant from the port, and for five weeks blockaded 
 Callao. 
 
 " This is dull work, Mr. Embleton," the admiral said one 
 day, as he paced up and down the quarter-deck. " What can 
 one do with four badly-equipped ships, one of which has lost 
 its commander, who though not friendly to me was at least an 
 officer of courage, the other two commanded by men who 
 are afraid to bring their ships within range of the enemy's 
 guns, and all badly manned, badly provisioned, and by no 
 means in fighting trim. If the Spaniards would but sail out 
 to engage us, we might do something, but they have dis- 
 mantled their frigates, and nothing will tempt the gun-boats 
 to move out from the forts. The only consolation is that the 
 spectacle of our blockading the place successfully cannot but 
 rouse the spirit of the Chilians, and induce them, I hope, to 
 make an effort to put a force on the sea capable of completely 
 crippling the Spaniards." 
 
 At the end of five weeks the little fleet proceeded to Huacho, 
 a short distance north of Callao. The bulk of its inhabitants 
 were secretly in sympathy with the Chilians, and the Spanish 
 garrison evacuated the place and fled almost immediately the 
 ships opened fire. The order was given for boats to be 
 lowered, and Lord Cochrane himself landed to see that there 
 was no scramble for the property of the government. Of this
 
 184 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 a large quantity was found in the stores, together with a con- 
 siderable amount of money, which was of even more impor- 
 tance to the Chilians, whose treasury was empty, and who 
 were crippled in all their operations by want of specie. During 
 April and May Lord Cochrane cruised up and down the 
 Peruvian coast. Several landings were effected, and valuable 
 captures made of money and stores. 
 
 The property of the Peruvians was always respected, and the 
 admiral spared no pains to convince the inhabitants that the 
 Chilians were their friends and were hostile only to the Span- 
 iards their oppressors. Several ships laden with stores for the 
 Spanish troops also fell into their hands. Towards the end of 
 the cruise a sail was observed at some distance in the offing. 
 As, at the moment, the boats were about to effect a landing to 
 capture a fort from which the Spaniards had been driven by 
 the fire of the ships, the admiral turned to Stephen and said : 
 
 "Mr. Embleton, please to take command of the second 
 cutter. She is a fast sailer, and I have no doubt that you 
 can overhaul that brig in a couple of hours. The boat's crew 
 are already on board and armed, but I don't suppose you 
 will meet with any resistance. When you have boarded her 
 you will take command of her and navigate her to Val- 
 paraiso. I shall be returning there in the course of two or 
 three days." 
 
 Stephen touched his hat and ran below. He was delighted 
 at the prospect of his first command, though it was not a very 
 important one. He had brought the best of his chronometers 
 with him, and snatching up this, his quadrant, and a pocket 
 compass, he at once descended the ladder to the boat, which 
 had been hailed by the admiral and ordered to lie there, the 
 petty officer who commanded being transferred to another 
 boat. The crew consisted of twelve men. As the breeze was 
 off shore Stephen ordered the masts to be stepped at once, and
 
 WRECKED 185 
 
 the two lug-sails hoisted. The crew were glad to escape the 
 labour of carrying down stores from the fort and transporting 
 them to the ship, and sat down contentedly in the bottom of 
 the boat, while Stephen himself took the tiller. The brig was 
 hull-down when seen from the boat, and Stephen calculated 
 that she was six or seven miles out. She was steering south 
 and had evidently less wind than that which was taking the 
 cutter fast through the water. He made his course to a point 
 some four miles south of the brig, so as to cut her off, and it 
 was not long before it was evident to him that he should 
 succeed in doing so. 
 
 They were within two miles of the ship when he saw the 
 sailors talking earnestly together and looking towards the 
 shore. Glancing round he saw that the tops of the hills were 
 enveloped in clouds, a sign, as experience had already taught 
 him, of the approach of a gale. The brig, which had evi- 
 dently not noticed the boat, had also observed the threatening 
 aspect of the clouds, and as Stephen again looked ahead, 
 began to shorten sail. 
 
 " Had we not better return? " one of the Chilians asked. 
 
 " Certainly not," Stephen said. " The wind is against us, 
 and the storm will burst before we could get back, so that we 
 should be much better off in that brig than we should be in 
 this open boat. Get out oars, men, and help her along. The 
 wind is freshening already. If it rises much more the brig 
 will run away from us." 
 
 The wind indeed got up rapidly, and the oars had to be 
 laid in while the cutter was still a mile off from the brig. She 
 had evidently been observed, and an attempt was being made 
 to hoist some of the upper sails that had been lowered ; but 
 the boat was now flying through the water, and in a quarter 
 of an hour ran up on the leeward side of the brig. The sails 
 were dropped, the bow man caught, hold of the chains with
 
 186 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 his boat-hook, and Stephen and the rest of the crew at once 
 scrambled on board, cutlass in hand. 
 
 There was, however, no resistance. The crew of the brig 
 were as numerous as the boarders, but the successes of the 
 Chilians had created such an effect that the captain cried out, 
 as they leaped on board, that they surrendered. Stephen's 
 first order was to get the cutter up, and tackles were soon 
 hooked on to her, and she was raised from the water and laid 
 bottom upwards on deck. While this was being done the 
 Peruvian crew were ordered to shorten sail. 
 
 It was none too soon, for the brig was heeling far over, and 
 the wind momentarily increasing in strength. The Chilians 
 gave a cheer as soon as the boat was safely on board, and in a 
 very short time the sail was reduced to double-reefed top-sails. 
 Under these and a storm-jib she was laid head to wind. The 
 sky was now entirely obscured, the land was no longer visible, 
 and the sea was beginning to rise. 
 
 "Is it going to be a heavy gale, do you think? " Stephen 
 asked the Peruvian captain. 
 
 " Very heavy, I think. I have seen it coming on since day- 
 break, but I hoped to get to Callao before it burst. We are 
 heavily laden, and in no state for facing a great gale." 
 
 " What have you on board ? '.' 
 
 " Military stores and ammunition." 
 
 "Any money?" 
 
 " I believe so, senor. There are twenty boxes sealed up in 
 the lazarette." 
 
 " Now, tell me what you would have done if we had not 
 captured you? You know your ship better than I do. Would 
 you lie-to or let her run ? ' ' 
 
 " I should put her before the wind, senor, and at once; it 
 will be dangerous to do so when the sea gets up." 
 
 " Well, put two of your best men at the helm, captain, and
 
 WRECKED 187 
 
 give them the necessary orders. I know what ought to be 
 done, but I do not know enough of your language to make sure 
 that I shall not make a mistake. Man the braces, all hands, ' ' 
 he shouted. " Now, obey the captain's orders as if they were 
 mine." 
 
 The manoeuvre was safely executed, and the brig brought 
 before the wind. She felt the relief at once, and sped rapidly 
 before the storm on an even keel. 
 
 " How far will this gale extend beyond the coast? " 
 
 " There is no saying, senor. An ordinary gale will seldom 
 be felt above a hundred or a hundred and fifty miles; but a 
 big one, as this will I think be, may take us a thousand miles 
 before we can get on our course again." 
 
 " Are there any dangers to be feared? " 
 
 " If we go far enough we may get among some islands ; but 
 on the course that we are steering we shall run some hundreds 
 of miles before we reach them." 
 
 " You have got a chart, I suppose ? " 
 
 " I have a chart of the coast, senor, but nothing beyond. 
 We only do a coasting trade." 
 
 " Then the look-out is a bad one if the wind holds like this," 
 Stephen said. " However, there is nothing to do now." 
 
 The gale continued to increase in violence, and in a couple 
 of hours Stephen ordered the main topsail to be lowered on 
 to the cap and there secured. It was a dangerous service, and 
 was undertaken by the Chilians, who are far more handy sailors 
 than the Peruvians. Stephen felt grateful when the last of 
 them stepped on to the deck again. Small as was the amount 
 of sail that was now spread, the brig flew before the wind with 
 alarming rapidity, the sea seeming to stand up on each side 
 of her. The foremast bent so much under the pressure that 
 Stephen had to order preventer-stays to be rove. These were 
 with great difficulty and risk fastened above the hounds and
 
 188 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 taken well aft, where they were tightened by tackles, and the 
 strain on the mast considerably relieved. 
 
 " I wish we could get down that upper spar," he shouted to 
 the captain ; "its pressure helps to keep her head down." 
 
 After watching it for some minutes he ordered the stays 
 and runners to be cut, at the same time calling all hands aft. 
 Scarcely had the men gathered there than the vessel plunged 
 her head into the sea. There was a loud report, and the top- 
 gallant mast fell over her bows with a crash. Two of the 
 Chilians with axes crawled out along the bowsprit and cut 
 away the gear that held the spar alongside, and the wreckage 
 at once floated away. The jib-boom was then got in, and 
 the vessel felt the relief and lifted her head more buoyantly 
 over the seas. For four days the gale continued, her bul- 
 warks were carried away, and the waves swept her decks con- 
 tinually. One tremendous roller carried away the boats, the 
 caboose, and all the deck fittings, together with four of the 
 Chilians and six of the Peruvian sailors. The straining had 
 opened her seams, and although the pumps had been kept 
 going as long as the crew had been able to work at them, the 
 water had been gaining steadily, and even the Chilians, who 
 had kept on doggedly long after the Peruvians had thrown 
 themselves down exhausted and hopeless, now ceased what 
 was evidently a useless labour. 
 
 The mainmast had been cut away, and was towed by a long 
 hawser from the stern, thereby aiding to keep the vessel dead 
 before the wind. Stephen felt that there was nothing to be 
 done but to wait for the end. There were no materials for 
 making a raft, and indeed the constant wash of the seas would 
 have rendered the task an almost impossible one, even had 
 there been spars at hand; but a raft, could one have been 
 manufactured, would have prolonged life but for a few hours. 
 They were now, he calculated, fully a thousand miles from the
 
 WRECKED 189 
 
 land, and there was no chance whatever of any vessel coming 
 across them in these unfrequented seas. From the time the 
 gale burst upon them he had but twice thrown himself down 
 for a short sleep, and had eaten no food save a dry biscuit or 
 two. The Peruvian captain agreed with him that the vessel 
 would float but a few hours longer. She rose but sluggishly 
 upon the seas, and several times she had plunged her head so 
 deeply into them that Stephen thought that she was going to 
 dive bodily down. 
 
 Night fell. He and the captain^lay down on two of the 
 sofas aft, while the crew were all in the forecastle. None 
 expected to see the morning light ; but Stephen left the door 
 open, saying to the captain: 
 
 "It will make no difference; but I should rather make a 
 struggle for my life before I die, than be drowned like a rat in 
 a hole." 
 
 The Peruvian, who had shown much cool courage during 
 the storm, shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " It makes no difference," he said, as he rolled a cigarette 
 and lighted it ; "we have done all that we could. As for me, 
 I would as lief be drowned here as outside. But I don't think 
 that there will be much choice ; we shall have no warning 
 when she goes ; she will plunge down head -foremost." 
 
 Stephen was too worn-out to reply, but he felt that what 
 the captain said was true. But even the thought that when he 
 woke it would be but for a short struggle for life was insuffi- 
 cient to keep him awake, and in a minute or two he dropped 
 off to sleep. How long he slept he could not tell ; he was 
 awakened suddenly by a tremendous crash that threw him on 
 to the floor. He struggled to his feet and rushed out almost 
 instinctively, in obedience to his train of thought before sleep- 
 ing. As he issued out of the poop a wave poured down from 
 above, and for a moment he shrunk back. He was conscious
 
 190 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 that the ship was fast. There was no longer any movement ; 
 but the sea struck against the stern with a force that made the 
 vessel quiver. As to going forward it was out of the question, 
 for each wave swept right over her. The Peruvian had joined 
 him at the door. 
 
 " Our voyage has ended, senor." 
 
 "Yes, as far as the ship is concerned; but if she holds 
 together until morning there will be a chance of getting 
 ashore. ' ' 
 
 As he spoke a great wave struck the vessel. She rose on it, 
 moved a few yards further forward, and then fell again with a 
 crash that threw them both off their feet. 
 
 " There is not much chance of that," the Peruvian said as 
 he rose again, taking up the conversation at the point at which 
 it had been broken ; " an hour or two will see the end of her, 
 perhaps even less." 
 
 "It felt to me as if she struck all over," Stephen said, 
 "and I should think she is on a flat ledge of rock. I don't 
 think that the wind is blowing as hard as it was when we lay 
 down. There are some stars shining. At any rate, we may as 
 well go in again and wait. We should only be swept over- 
 board if we tried to go forward." 
 
 He turned to re-enter the cabin, but was nearly carried off 
 his feet by a torrent of water that swept along the passage. 
 
 " That last wave has smashed her stern in," he said to the 
 Peruvian; " we must stand outside." 
 
 They seated themselves on the deck, with their backs to the 
 poop. The cataract of water which from time to time swept 
 over them from above, fell beyond them and rushed forward. 
 
 " Her head is lower than her stern," the Peruvian remarked. 
 " I begin to think she may hold together until morning ; she 
 has not lifted again." 
 
 It seemed, indeed, as if the storm had made its last effort in
 
 "THE SHIP FELL WITH A CRASH THAT THREW STEVE AND THE 
 CAPTAIN OFF THEIR FEET."
 
 WRECKED 191 
 
 the great surge that had shifted the vessel forward. For 
 although the waves still struck her with tremendous force, and 
 they could hear an occasional rending and splintering of the 
 timbers astern, she no longer moved, although she quivered 
 from end to end under each blow, and worked as if at any 
 moment she would break into fragments. 
 
 "The foremast has gone," Stephen said presently. "I 
 suppose it went over her bows when she struck. I am afraid 
 none of the men have escaped. I can't make out the head of 
 the vessel at all." 
 
 "They may have been washed ashore; but it is probable 
 that the fall of the mast imprisoned them," the captain said; 
 " and as the stern is raised a good many feet, they must have 
 been drowned at once. Poor fellows, there were some good 
 men among them." 
 
 " I wish we had had them all aft," Steve exclaimed in a 
 tone of deep regret. " Of course, we never thought of this ; 
 and indeed there was but small room for them in your little 
 cabin. It seemed that death would come to us all together, 
 and that their chances in the fo'c's'le were as hopeless as ours 
 in the stern cabin." 
 
 "It is the will of God," the Peruvian said philosophically ; 
 " and it is probable their turn has come only a few hours 
 before ours." 
 
 They sat silently for a long time. At last Stephen said : 
 " The sea is certainly going down, and I can make out the 
 outlines of the land. I think day will soon be breaking. We 
 must have slept a good many hours before she struck. ' ' 
 
 He took out his watch, but it was too dark to see the face. 
 He opened the case and felt the position of the hands : "It 
 is half-past three," he said. " In another half-hour we shall 
 have light enough to see where we are." 
 
 Gradually the dawn spread over the sky, and they could
 
 192 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 make out that the shore was some three hundred yards away, 
 and that trees came down almost to the water's edge. They 
 lay at the mouth of a small bay. As the captain had sup- 
 posed, the ship's bows were under water, and only a few inches 
 of the top-gallant fo'c's'le were to be seen. Another half- 
 hour and the sun was up. Long before this Stephen had ex- 
 plored the wreck astern. Several feet had been torn off, and 
 the water flowed freely in and out of the cabin. It was 
 evident that the ship had been carried on the crest of the great 
 wave beyond the highest point of the reef across the mouth of 
 the bay, and to this fact she in some degree owed her preserva- 
 tion, as the waves broke some twenty yards astern of her, and 
 so spent a considerable portion of their force before they struck 
 her. Looking astern, the sea was still extremely heavy, but it 
 no longer presented the angry appearance it had done on the 
 previous day. The wind had almost dropped, the waves were 
 no longer crested with white foam. 
 
 "In an hour or two we shall be able to get ashore," Stephen 
 said. ' ' We have been saved well-nigh by a miracle, captain. ' ' 
 
 " Saved so far," the captain said ; " but we cannot say yet 
 what is in store for us. These islands are, for the most part, 
 inhabited by savage natives, who will make short work of us 
 if we fall into their hands." 
 
 " Well, we must hope for the best," Stephen said. " We 
 have been preserved so far, and we may trust we shall be pre- 
 served through other dangers. As soon as the sea goes down 
 we must haul the foremast alongside, cut away the ropes, and 
 drift ashore on it. It would be no great distance to swim 
 now, but there is no hurry, and we had best find out whether 
 we cannot get hold of some provisions. I see there are some 
 boxes and casks on the shore ; I suppose they have been washed 
 out of the stern. One of the first things will be to get some 
 arms. ' '
 
 WRECKED 193 
 
 " There are several cases of muskets down in the hold," the 
 captain said, " and a large quantity of ammunition, but it will 
 be a difficult business to get at it. ' ' 
 
 "We shall have plenty of time," Stephen said, "that is, 
 if the natives do not interfere with us. However, the first 
 thing is to find something to eat, for I am half famished. ' ' 
 
 " I have no doubt we shall find something in the steward's 
 cabin," the captain said. " Fortunately it is the first inside 
 the door, and has not shared the fate of the stern cabin. If 
 Jacopo had slept there last night, instead of going forward 
 with the crew, he would have been saved also." 
 
 They opened the door of the cabin, and uttered an exclama- 
 tion of surprise as they saw the steward quietly asleep in his 
 bunk. 
 
 "Why, Jacopo, you lazy rascal," the captain shouted, " I 
 have just been mourning for you, and here you are, sleeping 
 as quietly as if you were safe in port. ' ' 
 
 The man sat up with an air of bewilderment. " Why, what 
 has happened, captain ? " he asked. " The sun is shining, and 
 there is no motion. I did not think to see the morning." 
 
 " Oh, you rascal ! " the captain said, pointing to an empty 
 bottle lying in the bunk, " you thought that it was all over, 
 and so you emptied one of my bottles of aguardiente, and 
 have slept like a hog all night. ' ' 
 
 "Pardon me, captain," the man said, with a shamefaced 
 expression ; " everyone said that the ship could not live until 
 morning, so I thought I would take a good drink so as to 
 know nothing about it." 
 
 "And you did not feel even the crash when we were 
 wrecked ? ' ' 
 
 " Wrecked! " the man repeated, as he ran to the door; 
 " are we wrecked after all ? " He uttered a cry of horror as 
 he looked round.
 
 194 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " It might have been worse," the captain said ; " at least 
 we three have been saved, though, in your case, you are far 
 from deserving it. Now, look about and do your duty. We 
 want breakfast ; see you get it, and quickly, and I will say 
 nothing more about that bottle of spirits you stole. Now, 
 what have you got here ? ' ' 
 
 " Two fine hams, captain, and some bunches of onions, and 
 half a barrel of flour, and some salt beef and a skin of wine." 
 
 " Not so bad," the captain said. " Well, make a fire and 
 do us some slices of ham ; are there any biscuits left ? " 
 
 " Yes, captain, there is half a barrel." 
 
 " Then we will make shift with the biscuit and the ham ; 
 but see that you are quick about it, for this English officer and 
 I are both famished." 
 
 "Where am I to make a fire, captain? the caboose is 
 gone." 
 
 " Never mind about that; the iron plate is still fixed to the 
 deck, make up your fire on that. Look about in the other 
 cabins and break up anything that will supply you with wood. 
 Now, seftor, we will get off the after hatch while this rascal 
 is cooking breakfast, and have a look at the state of things 
 below." 
 
 " I am afraid we shall find most of the cargo cleared out," 
 Stephen said. 
 
 " No, I do not think so. There is a strong bulkhead just 
 below where we are standing. The things you see on shore 
 were in the small hold under the cabin that was used for the 
 ship's stores, while the main contains the cargo. We got at 
 the lazarette from a hatch under the table of the cabin. It 
 was not convenient, but it was an advantage, having a separate 
 place when we loaded up with hides, and there was no fear of 
 the sailors getting at the things. We did not carry a great 
 store five or six barrels of flour, a few sacks of potatoes and
 
 WRECKED 195 
 
 onions, a barrel or two of biscuits, and a couple of casks of 
 salted meat, a barrel of coffee and one of sugar." 
 
 " Well, then, in that case the sea has saved us the trouble of 
 getting them on shore, captain, for there are at least a dozen 
 casks of one kind or another on the beach. Now, really the 
 principal things are the arms. If we get up a case of a dozen 
 muskets and a barrel of ammunition we shall do. Of course, 
 they will be at the bottom. ' ' 
 
 " Yes, above them are bales of soldiers' clothes. They will 
 be too heavy for us to lift out. They were heavy enough 
 when they were dry, and the three of us could not lift them 
 out, sodden as they must be with water." 
 
 ' ' Then we must get up a sort of derrick. There are plenty 
 of blocks and ropes on that foremast. The difficulty will be 
 about light spars. We shall have to go ashore and cut down 
 two or three young trees to make our tripod with. 
 
 " I think, captain, we had better make up our minds to live 
 on board until we have got this job done. There is less fear 
 of our being attacked by natives, and we could do nothing 
 in the way of searching for game until we get something to 
 shoot it with. We must make a raft of some sort for coming 
 backwards and forwards with. There are plenty of bits of 
 timber on the beach that will do for that." 
 
 Breakfast was greatly enjoyed, and it was not until an hour 
 afterwards that the sea was sufficiently smooth for them to 
 begin their preparations for landing. The foremast was 
 dragged alongside, the shrouds cut away, and the running 
 rigging unrove and coiled on deck ready for future use. A 
 couple of coils were fastened to the mast, and late in the after- 
 noon the captain and Stephen swam ashore, taking with them 
 the end of one of the coils, while Jacopo remained on board 
 to pay out the other, so that until the main raft was made the 
 mast could be towed backwards and forwards. As soon as
 
 196 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 they were on shore they hauled at their rope and brought the 
 mast to the beach. Then they set to work examining the 
 casks. As the captain had predicted, most of the contents of 
 the lazarette had been cast up, and they found that they had an 
 ample supply of food to last them for some months. The mast 
 had towed so easily that they agreed that it would be the best 
 way to use it as the main portion of their raft. They dragged 
 pieces of timber close to the mast and lashed them side by side 
 there, so as to form a platform some three feet wide on each 
 side of it, the length varying trom four to twelve feet, accord- 
 ing to that of the pieces of timber. 
 
 Having accomplished this, after two or three hours' hard 
 work, they took their places on it, and shouted to Jacopo, 
 who hauled them back to the side of the wreck. They had 
 fastened one end of the other rope to a tree, and at daylight 
 next morning they again landed, and proceeded with their 
 knives to cut down three young trees of some four inches in 
 diameter. This took them the best part of the day. The 
 heads were then cut off, leaving three stout poles of some four- 
 teen feet in length, and with these they returned to the ship, 
 taking with them a bag of coffee-berries and a supply of sugar. 
 They had found on breaking open the cask that the sugar was 
 somewhat damaged by the sea-water, but this had not pene- 
 trated far, and by drying and repounding that touched by the 
 water, no great harm would have been done. The next 
 morning the shears were erected, and they set to work. It 
 took them two days' labour before they could clear enough of 
 the cargo out to get at the cases. They were not troubled 
 much by water, for at the stern-post there was but a depth of 
 four feet on the reef, while at her bows there was nearly 
 twenty. Working as they did at the after-hatchway, there 
 were but five feet of water below, and the uppermost tier of 
 cases was consequently above the water-level. The barrels of
 
 WRECKED 197 
 
 cartridges were still further on, and it was the fourth day be- 
 fore they were reached. 
 
 Three of these barrels were got up, and when two cases of 
 muskets had been opened, the weapons cleaned, and made 
 ready for service, they felt a sense of security to which they 
 had been strangers since they arrived at the island. There 
 was now an urgent matter to be attended to. Hitherto they 
 had drunk wine at their meals, but the contents of the skins 
 were getting very low, and it had become absolutely neces- 
 sary that they should without delay search for water. As 
 there were hills of some size in the interior, they felt confident 
 that there must be plenty to be found. The great point was 
 whether it would be in the neighbourhood, or at a distance from 
 the ship. This was a vital question, for useful as their raft was 
 for coming and going between the wreck and the shore, it was 
 far too heavy and clumsy for transporting their valuables any 
 distance ; and without hatchets or carpenters' tools they could 
 not construct a raft by breaking up the deck, and the cutting 
 down of trees with their pocket-knives was not to be thought of. 
 
 Accordingly the three set out on foot one morning, each 
 carrying a musket and a store of ammunition, a portion of 
 cooked ham, and some biscuits, together with a bottle con- 
 taining the last of their stock of wine. When they rounded 
 the point of the little bay they gave a shout of satisfaction, for 
 but fifty yards away a small stream flowed from the forest 
 across the sand into the sea. 
 
 "What a pity we did not search for this before," Stephen 
 said, as throwing themselves down each scooped a hole in the 
 sand, and took a long drink of the fresh water. " We could 
 have saved our wine for some special occasion." 
 
 They agreed at once to follow the stream up, as by this 
 means they would leave no trace of footmarks, and might be 
 able to find some suitable spot for an encampment.
 
 198 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 
 
 r pHEY had gone but a few hundred yards up the stream 
 1 when they heard the sound of a waterfall, and presently 
 they came upon a perpendicular cliff some eighty feet high, 
 over the edge of which the water fell unbrokenly. 
 
 " It would be a splendid place to camp at the edge of this 
 pool," the captain said. " We should have our bath always 
 ready at hand, and even on the hottest days it would be cool 
 in the shade of the trees." 
 
 "It would not be a nice place to be caught by the na- 
 tives," Stephen said. "Even if we fortified ourselves, they 
 would only have to get up above and throw rocks down 
 at us." 
 
 The Peruvian regarded this risk as trifling in comparison 
 with the advantages of the situation. Stephen, however, 
 determined to climb to the top of the cliff, and examine the 
 position there ; so leaving the others lying in indolent enjoy- 
 ment by the pool, he set to work to find a way up. He had 
 to go fully a quarter of a mile along the foot of the cliff before 
 he could find a place where it could be ascended. Once on 
 the crest, he followed the edge back until he came to the top 
 of the waterfall. To his surprise he found that this flowed 
 almost directly from a little lake of some three hundred yards 
 in diameter. For about fifteen yards from the fall on either 
 side the rock was bare ; and although the level of the little 
 lake was some three feet below it, Stephen had no doubt that 
 in the case of a heavy tropical rain the water would rush 
 down from the hills faster than the gap through which it fell
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 199 
 
 below could carry it off, and that at such a time it would 
 sweep over the rock on either side, and fall in a torrent thirty 
 yards wide down into the pool. 
 
 The view, as he stood on the patch of bare rock, was a 
 striking one. The tree - tops of the forest between the cliff 
 and the shore were almost level with his feet, some of the 
 taller trees indeed rising considerably higher than the ground 
 on which he stood. Beyond, a wide semicircle of sea ex- 
 tended, broken by several islands, some small, others of con- 
 siderable size. Behind him the ground rose, in an appar- 
 ently unbroken ascent, to a hill, which he judged to be some 
 three or four miles away. 
 
 " This would be a grand place for a hut," he said to him- 
 self. " Of course we could not put it on the rock, for we 
 might be swept away by a sudden flood, and besides there 
 would be no shade. But just inside the edge of trees we 
 should do splendidly." 
 
 He found, in fact, that at a distance of twenty yards from 
 the edge of the bare rock it was but the same distance from 
 the edge of the pool to the brow of the cliff. 
 
 "We could only be attacked on one side here," he said. 
 " And though we could not cut down the trees, we might 
 make a defence with creepers twined in and out among the 
 trunks that would be quite sufficient against a sudden attack ; 
 and with such a store of muskets as we have got we might 
 keep a whole tribe at bay. The question is how to get the 
 casks and things up here." 
 
 Going to the edge he found that one of the trees had a 
 large arm overhanging the cliff. 
 
 " By fixing a block there," he said, " we might bring them 
 up from below without difficulty." 
 
 Looking over, he shouted to the two men below. 
 
 "I have found a place here," he said, "where we can
 
 200 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 make ourselves very comfortable, and with a little labour de- 
 fend ourselves from any number of savages. ' ' 
 
 "How can we get the things up?" the captain shouted 
 back. 
 
 "Easily enough. We have but to fix a block to the arm 
 of this tree over my head, and we can then run them up 
 without difficulty. Come up, captain. You will see at once 
 the advantages of the position." 
 
 In a quarter of an hour the Peruvian captain joined him, 
 and, when Stephen explained his plan, agreed that it was a 
 good one. 
 
 "As you say," he said, "we can only be attacked along 
 this narrow place, and we could strengthen it so that they 
 would hardly venture to try it." He broke off suddenly. 
 " There are two cases of swords in the hold. I never 
 thought of them before. They might not be much good for 
 cutting trees, but they would do for chopping down bushes, 
 and especially those long creepers, which, being as tough as 
 cables, would blunt our knives in no time. If I remember 
 rightly, the cases were stowed just under the barrels of ammu- 
 nition we got out, so there won't be much trouble in getting 
 at them." 
 
 "That would be first-rate," Stephen said. "As there is 
 nothing to do now, we had better go back to the ship, and 
 get one of the cases out at once. When we have done that, 
 we can begin the work of rolling the barrels along the sand to 
 the stream." 
 
 " It will be terrible work getting them to the foot of the 
 cliff," the captain said. 
 
 " Yes, too heavy altogether. We must knock the heads in 
 on the shore, fill the contents into the sacking that holds the 
 clothes, carry them on our backs to the foot of the falls, and 
 then sling them up. There are any number of bales, so that
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 201 
 
 they can remain up here until we get the empty barrels up, 
 and fill in the stuff again. It will be time enough to set to 
 work at our fence when we have got everything up." 
 
 A week later they were established in their new camp. 
 The sugar, coffee, and other articles were all repacked in the 
 casks, which were headed up again to protect them from the 
 weather and the assaults of insects, portions sufficient for a 
 week's consumption only being left out. The labour had been 
 great, but the Peruvian captain seconded Stephen's efforts 
 well. The steward, however, grumbled frequently, and had 
 many times to be spoken to sharply by the captain. Another 
 week was spent in fortifying the position. Young trees were 
 cut down and stuck in the earth two feet apart in the inter- 
 vals between the trees. A wattle-work of the tough, thorny 
 creepers was interwoven across the little promontory, eight 
 feet high. This was painful work, for, however careful they 
 were, they frequently tore their hands with the spikes. 
 
 When this was done a similar defence was made along at 
 the edge of the water to within a short distance of the falls. 
 This was carried to the height of five feet only. A tent had 
 been erected with canvas brought from the wreck, thrown 
 over a pole, fixed between two trees, and in a smaller one by 
 its side the barrels were stowed. 
 
 "Now, captain," Stephen said, as they spent a day in 
 absolute rest after their labours, " there is one more thing to 
 be done." 
 
 "What is that, senor ? " 
 
 " It is that gold. You said there were five hundred thousand 
 dollars, which comes to a hundred thousand pounds in our 
 money. That, as we know, is lying safely in the stern, for 
 we looked the day after the wreck. So long as it is there it 
 is safe enough, but the next storm that comes will certainly 
 smash up the wreck altogether, and the boxes may be swept
 
 202 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 into the deep water between her and the shore. Now at the 
 present moment we may consider that gold to be common 
 property. If a Spanish ship ever comes here she will,* of 
 course, capture it ; if, on the other hand, an English or a Chil- 
 ian vessel arrives, I shall hand it over to them as their law- 
 ful prize. If neither of them come, which is most likely by 
 far, it is worth nothing to anyone. I think we ought to get 
 it ashore, and bury it in the sand above high-water mark." 
 
 " I think that that would be a very good plan," the captain 
 agreed. " We may manage in time to get away somehow, 
 and even if we cannot take it all, we might take some of it. 
 There will be no great trouble in getting it ashore. The 
 boxes weigh a hundred pounds each. There are twenty of 
 them, and the raft would take them in three or four journeys. 
 If we make an early start, we ought to get the job done 
 easily enough in a day. The gold is of no use to us now ; 
 but we may be here for years, and if it is long before we get 
 away, the Spaniards may be driven out of Peru as they have 
 been out of Chili. Your admiral will have gone home. There 
 will be no one to claim the treasure ; the Spanish government 
 has lost it, the Chilian has never gained it, and it will be a sort 
 of windfall that we can with a clear conscience divide between 
 ourselves." 
 
 " If you don't mind, captain, I think that it would be a 
 very good plan to say nothing whatever to Jacopo about 
 this business of the gold. I own I don't like the fellow. In 
 the first place, he is abominably lazy, and never does anything 
 like his share of the work ; in the second place, to my mind 
 he is an evil-looking scoundrel. I don't want to deprive him 
 of a share of the money if the time ever comes when we may 
 talk of dividing it, but in the meantime there is no reason 
 why he should know it has been moved. That day when we 
 examined it and found it was safe, I noticed an evil look come
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 203 
 
 into his eyes, and, unless I am greatly mistaken, the idea 
 struck him that if he were to rid himself of us, he would be 
 master of all that treasure. There will be no difficulty in 
 carrying out the matter without his knowing it. When we 
 were moving the stores he often remained behind under the 
 pretence of cooking, and we have only to say that we are going 
 to overhaul the cargo and see if we can find anything else that 
 may be useful to us some day, and he will be glad enough to be 
 left in charge here." 
 
 " I think that you are right," the captain agreed. " I have 
 no reason to doubt Jacopo's honesty, still the thought of so 
 much wealth, although it is of no more value here than so 
 much sand, may excite his avarice. Many a man's throat has 
 been cut in Peru for a score of dollars or less, and it is just as 
 well not to put any temptation in the fellow's way. You and 
 I at the present moment would exchange all that gold for a 
 stout twenty-feet boat, well provisioned ; but to him it would 
 be simply wealth beyond his dreams, and it is just as well not 
 to put any ideas into his mind by ever mentioning fhe stuff 
 before him." 
 
 The gold was brought on shore and buried in the sand at 
 the foot of a tall tree standing just beyond the highest water- 
 mark. The work took them two days, as some time was spent 
 in making a further search in the cargo, from which was fished 
 up a bail of linen trousers and coats, which formed the undress 
 uniform during the heat of summer. Some shoes were also 
 found, and Stephen and the captain returned to the fort, each 
 laden with a large bundle. Stephen was especially glad at the 
 discovery of the light clothes. Those in which he had started 
 on the chase of the brig were so shrunk with sea water as to 
 be almost unwearable, and he had been going about in Spanish 
 uniform, which he found most uncomfortably hot. He was 
 almost barefooted, and the shoes were even more highly
 
 204 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 prized than the light clothing. The captain had also lost all 
 his effects, but Jacopo had saved his scanty wardrobe. 
 
 " We are now prepared for everything," Stephen said. " I 
 don't think shipwrecked mariners were ever better set up. 
 We have clothes sufficient for a lifetime, a great stock of 
 weapons and ammunition, and provisions enough for a couple 
 of months at least. The last is our weakest point, I admit. 
 But there is the whole island as a hunting-ground. We must 
 begin and set to work to explore, captain. The ham has gone 
 long ago, and I have been longing for some time for a change 
 from salt meat ; besides, we want sbme fruit or vegetables 
 badly. We have stuck to work well, and deserve a holiday. 
 The first thing to do will be to climb to the top of the hill and 
 get some idea of the size of the island. I begin to think that 
 it cannot be inhabited, for if it had been they would surely 
 have discovered the wreck before now." 
 
 "That is not certain," the captain replied. "It may be 
 a large island, and the villages may lie on the other side. 
 However, we have certainly grounds for hope that we have got 
 it all to ourselves. One thing I am anxious to find is some 
 sheltered spot or cave where we can pass the rainy season. 
 The place where we now are is charming in such weather 
 as this, that is for ten months in the year ; but it is not a 
 perch I should choose in such a gale as that which cast us 
 ashore. ' ' 
 
 "No; it would certainly be unpleasant. I should not 
 think there is much chance of our finding a cave except on 
 the sea-shore caves are by no means common articles. How- 
 ever, we shall no doubt be able to light on some sheltered 
 place where we can take up our abode during the rain. But, 
 first of all, we must find out whether the island is really un- 
 inhabited ; there will be all sorts of things to do as soon as we 
 can assure ourselves of that.
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 205 
 
 " I should be rather glad of one good gale, captain a gale 
 strong enough to break up the vessel altogether. Of course, 
 it has been a perfect treasure-house to us, but I never go on 
 board without a shudder at the thought of the fo'c's'le just 
 below the level of the water. ' ' 
 
 " It is no more than standing at the edge of a graveyard," 
 the captain said philosophically. 
 
 " Yes, that is true, and I know that even if we could have 
 got at them the first day, taken them ashore and buried them, 
 it would have been an unpleasant business." 
 
 "Very," the Peruvian agreed; " things have turned out 
 for the best they are buried at sea instead of being buried on 
 land. For myself, my regret that the ship did not lie on an 
 even keel was not because we could have got at the bodies 
 and buried them, but because in there we should have found 
 many things that would have been useful. We should prob- 
 ably have got an axe or two, some tools, canvas, needles, 
 and twine, all of which would have been very valuable to 
 us." 
 
 "Well, all the same, captain, I shall be glad when a gale 
 knocks the ship to pieces. Besides, as long as she is there 
 she would be seen at once by any canoe coming along on this 
 side of the island, and on going on board the natives would 
 see that some of the crew must have survived, and that things 
 have been brought up and taken ashore ; then there would 
 be sure to be a search after us." 
 
 "Yes, you are right there, senor ; I had not thought of 
 that. No doubt it is desirable that she should disappear." 
 
 ' ' Do you think that we could blow her up, captain ? There 
 is plenty of powder on board. ' ' 
 
 The Peruvian shook his head. " We could shatter her, 
 but portions would still remain sticking up above water, and 
 the explosion would be heard fifty miles round, and the cloud
 
 206 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 of smoke be seen from all the islands within that distance, 
 and there would soon be canoes coming to see what had caused 
 it. No ; it will be best to let her remain as she is until she 
 breaks up with the first gale." 
 
 The next morning they started, taking Jacopo with them. 
 The captain proposed leaving him behind, but Stephen pointed 
 out that if left alone for a long day the man might not im- 
 probably swim off to the ship to assure himself that the gold 
 was still in its position. 
 
 "He might do that," the captain agreed; "but, like 
 most of his class, he is superstitious, and I doubt whether he 
 would go on board the wreck alone. Still, it will be better to 
 take him with us. It is certain that there is no fear of our 
 hut being disturbed during our absence, and if we should 
 come upon natives three of us are better than two." 
 
 It took them four hours to reach the summit of the hill, 
 the undergrowth of creepers being so dense that they were 
 often compelled to cut a way through it. At last they 
 reached the summit ; as they did so they stopped in surprise. 
 Before them was a cup-shaped depression some two hun- 
 dred yards across, the centre being a hundred feet below the 
 edges. 
 
 "It is the crater of an old volcano," the Peruvian said ; 
 "it is ages since it was active, so that we need have no fear 
 or uneasiness on that score." 
 
 The interior was clothed with verdure. Here and there 
 black crags showed through the foliage, but elsewhere all was 
 smooth and smiling. The slope was regular, and it was evi- 
 dent that, as the captain said, long ages had gone by since 
 there had been any disturbance. Vegetation had grown up 
 and died, until a soil thick enough to conceal all the rocks, 
 that had at one time no doubt thickly strewn the bottom, had 
 been buried.
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 207 
 
 "What is that down in the centre?" Stephen said. 
 " There seems to be a patch clear of trees, and there are some 
 figures of some kind there. See, on the other side what 
 looks like a regular path has been cut through the trees and 
 bushes. Perhaps it is a burying-place ; at any rate we will 
 go and see. " 
 
 They walked round to the other side of the crater. From 
 there they could obtain a view of the side of the island oppo- 
 site to that on which they had landed. It was far less ex- 
 tensive than they had expected, the hill sloping steeply 
 down, and the sea was but a quarter of a mile away. A great 
 number of islands studded the ocean, and some of those at a 
 distance appeared considerably larger than that upon which 
 they had been cast. 
 
 "Thank goodness," Stephen exclaimed, "the island is 
 evidently uninhabited ; now we can wander about freely." 
 
 "Yes; we might have saved ourselves all the trouble of 
 fortifying that position," the captain said. 
 
 " It gave us something to do, captain, and did us good in 
 that way. Besides, parties of natives from the other islands 
 may land here sometimes. Now let us go down and explore 
 the crater. ' ' 
 
 They descended the path and soon stood in the bottom of 
 the crater. This they saw was a veritable graveyard. In 
 the centre was a rough structure built of large stones sloping 
 inwards, and forming a rough representation of a hut. They 
 had evidently been placed there centuries before, for they 
 were green with age; lichens and mosses grew upon them, 
 and here and there small shrubs sprang up in the crevices. 
 What had once been an entrance was closed with a great flat 
 slab of rock. Round this central cairn were some eight or 
 ten smaller ones. 
 
 These were evidently of comparatively recent origin, and
 
 208 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 one of them was surrounded by a hedge of spears, on some 
 of which hung pieces of tattered cloth of native manufact- 
 ure. Round the central hut were arranged four figureheads 
 of ships ; while in a circle stood a number of the hideous 
 idols carried by many of the South Sea Islanders in their war- 
 canoes. 
 
 " I should say that this accounts for the island being unin- 
 habited," Stephen said. " I suppose there are still traditions 
 of this having been a volcano, and that the mountain and 
 perhaps the whole island is sacred, and only used as a burial- 
 place for some very great chiefs." 
 
 He went across to the grave surrounded by spears. 
 
 " Here," he said, " are a dozen skeletons piled together 
 sacrifices, I suppose, on the tomb of a chief. If it had not 
 been for these spears and skeletons, I should have said, from 
 the appearance of the cairns, that they must all be at least a 
 hundred years old, perhaps a great deal more." 
 
 " All the better," the Peruvian said. " I hope it will be 
 a hundred years before they come to bury anyone else here. ' ' 
 
 " They must come here a good deal oftener than that," 
 Stephen said. " These gods of theirs are all new, or at any 
 rate freshly painted. Besides, the place is evidently kept with 
 some care ; and I should think very likely the people of the 
 other islands make pilgrimages here once a year or so to offer 
 sacrifices to the god supposed to reside in that central cairn, 
 and to keep his house in order. I think that we cannot do 
 better than follow this path back and see where it goes to. 
 It may not extend beyond the crater ; but if it continues 
 through the forest down to the shore it will be evident that it 
 has recently been visited, for things grow so fast in a climate 
 like this that in a year a path would be completely blocked 
 up by vegetation. Where is Jacopo ? " 
 
 "There he is at the top of the crater ; he did not come
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 209 
 
 down with us, and no doubt considered that the place was 
 likely to be haunted by spirits." 
 
 They ascended the path to the top of the crater. The 
 ground here was bare for a short distance, and Stephen saw 
 that two lines of stones marked the course of the path to 
 the trees. It did not lead down towards the sea, but was 
 carried obliquely round the top of the hill until it reached the 
 edge of the forest on the side of the island on which they had 
 landed. Two rude images marked the spot where it entered 
 the forest. It now led down in a direct path six feet wide. 
 This was completely clear of shrubs, and not the smallest shoot 
 of brushwood showed above the soil. Wherever the ground 
 descended steeply rude steps had been cut ; the trees on each 
 side of the path had been barked on the side facing it. Here 
 and there sticks, some ten feet high, with pieces of coloured 
 cloth hanging from them, stood along the side of the path. 
 The path itself was almost like a trough, the centre being 
 fully two feet lower than the general level. 
 
 " It must be used very frequently," the Peruvian said, 
 " and has probably been used for ages. No doubt in the 
 rainy season the water helps to hollow it out, but the work 
 must have been begun by human feet." 
 
 Jacopo kept closely behind the others, crossing himself 
 frequently and muttering invocations to the saints. They 
 followed the path until it came out at the head of a deep 
 inlet. 
 
 " It is a useful road to the top of the hill," Stephen said. 
 " It has not taken us more than three-quarters of an hour 
 coming down, while we were six times as long in going up, 
 and hard at work all the time. Look there ; there is no mis- 
 take as to the numbers who come here," and he pointed to 
 the patches of ashes and charred wood scattered thickly on the 
 sand above the water-line, all along the edge of the inlet.
 
 210 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " There can be no doubt about that," the Peruvian said ; 
 " the place must be constantly visited, or at any rate by a 
 great number at a time. However, I don't know whether 
 that need disturb us. They evidently go straight up to wor- 
 ship or sacrifice and come straight down again, and all that 
 we have got to do is not to fire a gun when they are on the 
 island. However, we may as well look along the shore to see 
 if there are any further paths into the forest. ' ' 
 
 They examined carefully, but could see no signs that the 
 natives had gone inland at any other point. 
 
 " We may as well go along the shore now," Stephen said; 
 " then we shall see how far this inlet is from our bay." 
 
 They were turning to start when there was a rustle among 
 the undergrowth, followed by a short, deep sound. Jacopo 
 dropped his musket and fell on his knees. The captain 
 crossed himself hastily ; but Stephen dashed forward towards 
 the spot where the sound had come, shouting : 
 
 " Come along, captain, it is a pig." 
 
 There was a rush as he entered the bushes, and a dozen 
 pigs dashed off. He levelled his musket and fired at the 
 hindmost, and gave a shout of delight as it rolled over. 
 
 "Fresh meat, captain," he exclaimed as the Peruvian 
 joined him ; " and there are at least a dozen others who have 
 made off. Hurrah ! there is no fear of starving ; we may be 
 sure that this is not the only herd on the island." 
 
 The pig was dragged out on to the sea - shore ; it was a 
 young animal, although nearly full grown. Jacopo was now 
 in his element ; he cut the pig open, eviscerated it, carried 
 it down to the edge of the water, washed it, tied the legs 
 together, and with his sword cut down a sapling and thrust 
 it through them. 
 
 "We will carry the pig, sefior, as you shot him. That is 
 but a fair division of labour," the captain said, raising one end
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 211 
 
 of the pole on his shoulder, while Jacopo took the other. 
 They had gone but a hundred yards further when the trees 
 near the beach grew less densely, and the ground beneath 
 them was covered by a plant with large leaves and yellow 
 flowers. Stephen, who was walking ahead, went up to ex- 
 amine them. 
 
 " Hurrah, captain ! " he shouted, "they are wild melons." 
 
 The others laid down the pig and ran up to him. The 
 patch extended as far as they could see ; the plants covered the 
 ground and climbed the trees by means of the rattans, festoon- 
 ing them with their bright leaves and flowers and fruit of all 
 degree of ripeness. On the ground they found no ripe fruit. 
 There were evident signs that this was a favourite resort of the 
 pigs, and that they devoured the fruit as fast as it ripened. 
 
 "We will fence in a large patch of this," Stephen said; 
 " there will be plenty for the pigs and us too. I never felt 
 thankful that a pig could not climb before," he laughed, as he 
 cut a melon hanging overhead. Although somewhat wanting 
 in flavour the fruit seemed to the three men, after their priva- 
 tion for upwards of a month from green vegetables or fruit, 
 to be delicious. " How do you suppose that it got here, 
 captain? " 
 
 ' ' The seed may have been carried by birds from some place 
 where melons are cultivated," trie captain said ; " possibly 
 even from the mainland. I have heard that seeds are carried 
 immense distances in that way. It may be that some seeds 
 were washed overboard from a passing ship and some were 
 cast ashore here. I do not care how they came here, I am 
 well contented to find them." 
 
 " We will carry away the seeds of those we eat and plant 
 them near our camp," said Stephen; "we shall soon get a 
 supply without having to come here to fetch them. Besides, 
 these will attract the pigs and enable us to get fresh meat
 
 212 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 without having the trouble of scrambling through the forest, 
 and tearing ourselves and our clothes to pieces with thorns." 
 
 They cut as many melons as they could carry in addition to 
 the pig, and then proceeded on their way. They followed the 
 shore but a quarter of a mile further, when to their satisfaction 
 they found themselves at the bay at the mouth of which the 
 wreck was lying, and in another half-hour they were at home. 
 
 " We are certain to see boats coming," Stephen said, as he 
 stood at the edge of the cliff and looked out over the sea, 
 " unless they come from some of the islands on the other side 
 and coast round to their landing-place. But on the other 
 hand, there is the disadvantage that as they come in to the 
 inlet they can hardly help seeing the wreck. We must make 
 it a rule when we go down, to walk in the stream until we get 
 to the edge of the sea, and then to keep along on the wet 
 sand where our footprints will disappear directly. In that 
 way they would have no clue whatever to the direction in 
 which to look for us." 
 
 " Yes, it would be as well to observe that precaution," the 
 Peruvian said. " When we once get a melon patch here we 
 shall not have any reason to go down there very often. We 
 have got everything we want from the wreck, and we have all 
 the coast along to the left to explore, where we may make 
 some useful discoveries." 
 
 Two days later they again went to the sea - shore and 
 followed it to the left, leaving Jacopo this time behind. They 
 had gone but a mile when they came upon a thorny bush 
 covered with fruit, which the Peruvian pronounced to be 
 guavas ; they ate some of these and then proceeded on their 
 way, and before long came upon a group of trees bearing a 
 fruit considerably larger than an orange. Stephen had seen 
 these when cruising on his first voyage among the islands, and 
 pronounced them to be bread-fruit.
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 213 
 
 "Let us go no further," the Peruvian said; "we have 
 found enough good things for one day, let us leave the rest 
 for to-morrow." 
 
 Stephen laughed. "At any rate, it is a good excuse for get- 
 ting back again ; and indeed I am quite ready to do so, for I 
 have a strong desire to see what Jacopo has been up to in 
 our absence, and would be willing to make a wager with you 
 that we don't find him at the hut." 
 
 They gathered a quantity of the bread-fruit and passed the 
 guava bush reluctantly. 
 
 " We must set to work to make a basket, captain," Stephen 
 said; " we want such a thing badly. We can each make a 
 good - sized bag out of sacking, which will do very well for 
 melons and bread-fruit, but we want something that we can 
 carry things like guavas in without crushing them." 
 
 On their return to the camp they found, as Stephen ex- 
 pected, that Jacopo was absent, and at once set out along the 
 edge of the cliff until they reached the point at which they 
 obtained a view into the bay. The wreck lay apparently 
 deserted. 
 
 " Let us sit down and watch," Stephen said ; " he may not 
 have reached it yet. No, there he is." As he spoke, a figure 
 came out from the door of the poop. " Just as I thought, 
 captain. He has gone down to see if the gold is there. Look 
 at him." Jacopo was evidently furious; they could see him 
 waving his arms and stamping angrily on the deck, and then 
 he went to the side and shook his fist in the direction of the 
 tent. 
 
 " That fellow is dangerous, captain," Stephen said gravely. 
 
 The captain nodded. 
 
 " The safest plan will be to shoot him at once." 
 
 "No, we cannot do that; we had better tell him frankly 
 to-night that we have moved the gold and buried it, lest the
 
 214 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 vessel should go to pieces in a storm, that we intend to give it up 
 to any Spanish or Chilian ship that may come here ; but that 
 if it is a long time before we are rescued we shall then divide 
 the gold between us, and that he will get a fair share of it." 
 
 " It would be better to shoot him," the captain said. "You 
 were right, it is evident that he has been thinking over that 
 money, and that as likely as not he has determined to possess 
 the whole of it. However, we shall see how he behaves. I 
 may as well tell him as soon as he arrives ; when he sees that 
 we mean fair by him he may possibly be content, at any rate 
 for a time, especially as he must know as well as we do how 
 small is the chance of a ship coming along. We are altogether 
 out of the line of traffic. Ships going round the Horn keep 
 far south of this on their way to China, while those for Peru 
 and Chili keep up the coast; and there is no traffic at all 
 from Peru or Chili to China or India. ' ' 
 
 " Now that we have everything we want here, captain, and 
 know that we can hold on for a long time, we ought to begin 
 to think over our plans for the future. If we had tools we 
 could certainly build a craft that would carry us to Chili ; but 
 it would be a terrible business to build one with nothing but 
 our swords to. cut down trees, hew out the timbers, and shape 
 planks. Still, if there is nothing else to be done we must do 
 that. It is only a matter of time and patience, and we shall find 
 that the hours hang very heavy on our hands when all our 
 necessary work is done here. I should think that we ought 
 to be able to build a craft of twenty tons in a couple of years 
 at the outside ; at any rate, I can think of no other plan for 
 getting away." 
 
 " I have been thinking that we might steal a canoe when 
 the natives come here," the Peruvian said. 
 
 " I daresay we might, captain ; but if, as is probable, they 
 come in large canoes, three of us would make but very little
 
 A DANGEROUS COMPANION 215 
 
 speed with one of them, and we should be pursued and over- 
 taken in no time. You may be sure that they don't spend 
 the night up on the hill, and probably when they go up they 
 will leave some of their number on the beach to look after the 
 canoes, and cook. But even if we did get away we could do 
 nothing with such a canoe." 
 
 " I don't know," the captain said; "we might land with 
 her on some small island, fit a deep keel on to her, and get up 
 a couple of masts and lug-sails, which, of course, we should 
 make beforehand." 
 
 " Yes, we might do that," Stephen agreed ; " but the diffi- 
 culty of carrying off the boat would be immense. And besides, 
 she would have to be victualled ; we should have to take food 
 and water for a long journey. And to get our barrels filled 
 with fresh water on board would be a long task, and utterly 
 impossible to carry out in the short time that we should have 
 to spare, even if the beach was entirely deserted." 
 
 " Yes, I see it is very difficult," the captain agreed ; " but I 
 would not mind running the risk rather than undertake two 
 years' hard labour." 
 
 " I would not mind running the risk either, captain, if I saw 
 any probability of success, but I own that this seems an 
 impossibility. However, it may be that sometimes a small 
 party comes alone, and that we could get possession of a 
 canoe of manageable size. At any rate, we may as well prepare 
 for such a chance before setting to work to build. We have 
 plenty of canvas from the fore- topgallant sail and head-sails 
 of the brig, and can make a couple of lug-sails fit for a large 
 canoe and a couple for a smaller one, and get the spars ready ; 
 that would not take us a great deal of time, and if a bit of 
 luck does fall in our vay we should be ready to avail ourselves 
 of it. That fellow has swam ashore now, so we had better be 
 going back to the hut."
 
 216 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 A quarter of an hour after they reached it Jacopo appeared. 
 He stopped in surprise when he saw them. 
 
 "So you have been off to the wreck, Jacopo," the captain 
 said. " We found as much fruit as we could carry, and have 
 brought it straight back again ; and finding that you had gone 
 we went along the cliff and saw you on the deck. I suppose 
 you went off to see if the gold was all safe. We have seen to 
 that ; we did not like to leave it there, for the ship will break 
 up in the first gale, and the boxes might be swept into the 
 deep water and be lost, so we carried it ashore. The gold, 
 you know, is not ours, it is the property either of the Spanish 
 or the Chilian government, and we shall hand it over to the 
 first ship of either of these nations that may come along. If, 
 however, as is likely enough, no ship comes near the island 
 for years, and the Spanish, as may well be, have by that 
 time lost their possessions on the west coast altogether, we 
 may then consider it to be ours, and if we get away we propose 
 to divide it into three equal shares. As officers we have a 
 right to a larger share than you ; but we have agreed that if 
 you do your work here with us willingly and cheerfully we 
 shall not stand on our rights, but shall give you an equal por- 
 tion of it with ourselves. At present the gold is of no more 
 value to any of us than so much sand, beyond the fact that if 
 we build a craft, as the senor and I have been talking of do- 
 ing, the boxes will be found excellent ballast, otherwise it is 
 not worth a thought either way. ' ' 
 
 " You are very good, senor," Jacopo said humbly, " and I 
 can promise that you shall have no reason to complain of me ;" 
 and without another word he turned, cut off a portion of the 
 pig that was hanging from a bough near, and proceeded to 
 prepare a meal. 
 
 "I hope that that has made the matter all right," the 
 Peruvian said in a low voice to Stephen ; " but we must watch
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 217 
 
 him closely for a short time and see how he goes on. If he 
 looks at the matter sensibly he must see that, as I said, the 
 gold is of no value to any of us at present." 
 
 ''He spoke too humbly altogether in my opinion," said 
 Stephen ; " but as it is evident that so long as we are here our 
 interests are all alike, and that the three of us will have a 
 better chance of escape than one would alone, he may give up 
 all thought of the gold until the time approaches for us to 
 make a start. ' ' 
 
 The next day they went down, unlaced the fore-topgallant 
 sail from its yard where it lay on the beach, upon which it had 
 been washed up after they had stripped the mast, and pro- 
 ceeded to cut from it two lug-sails, so as to save themselves 
 the trouble of carrying the entire canvas up to the tent. 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 
 
 THE work of making up the sails occupied the next three 
 days. Some of the canvas was unravelled for use as 
 twine, and holes were made with long, sharp thorns. Jacopo, 
 when not engaged in cooking, worked diligently, seldom 
 joining in the conversation between the captain and Stephen, 
 a conversation which turned principally upon the best method 
 of building and launching the proposed boat. Stephen's pro- 
 posal was that they should, if possible, first get up the deck 
 planks, which could be done by driving wedges between them 
 and the beams, and after one was taken up, the work of the 
 wedges could be aided by poles used as levers. When all the 
 planks had been taken up as far forward as the water would 
 permit them to work, he proposed to blow up the after -part of
 
 218 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the ship, by which means they would obtain a large amount of 
 beams and timbers that could be utilized for the boat, at much 
 less cost of labour than would be entailed by the cutting down 
 of trees. He proposed that the explosion should take place at 
 night, as the roar and flash would be supposed by the natives 
 of the islands near to be something supernatural connected 
 with the spot evidently held in such veneration. 
 
 " Even were they to row across to see if anything had taken 
 place," he said, " which is about the last thing that they would 
 be likely to do, they would no doubt make for their usual 
 landing-place ; and as the greater portion of the ship above 
 water would have disappeared, anything that remained would 
 not be likely to catch their eye." 
 
 He calculated that if the plan succeeded they ought to be 
 able to build a boat of the required size in six months at the 
 outside. The preparation of the planking had been the most 
 arduous portion of the plan they had first laid out, and this 
 would be done away with altogether; and as the nails would 
 doubtless draw out of the planks, and they would obtain plenty 
 of bolts and fastenings from the fragments of the wreck, the 
 building of their boat was now comparatively simple, and 
 Stephen even fancied that they might complete it in four 
 months. No word was spoken as to the gold, but Stephen 
 felt that a difficulty might finally arise out of it. He himself 
 considered it as a lawful prize for the Chilian government ; but 
 the Peruvians were two to one against him, and although they 
 might have no desire to return it to the Spaniards, who were 
 detested by the great majority of Peruvians, they might set up 
 a claim to it on their own account. However, he dismissed 
 the idea from his mind as one that must be left to be de- 
 termined by circumstances. 
 
 For a month they laboured assiduously. The planks were 
 successfully taken up, and then, after much consideration,
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 219 
 
 preparations were made for blowing up the vessel. The 
 powder barrels were brought up, fuses were made, each six 
 feet long, passing from barrel to barrel, and the chain of 
 barrels was laid from the stern to the point where the-deck 
 was level with the water. This plan was adopted in order 
 that the whole fabric should be shaken and broken up, while, 
 had the whole force of the explosion taken place at one point, 
 it would have entirely destroyed the timber there, while 
 perhaps leaving a considerable portion still standing above 
 the water. 
 
 The success of the explosion was complete, and in the 
 morning there was no sign of the ship above water, while the 
 bay was covered with floating wreckage. It took some time 
 to collect this and bring it to shore, and then to tow it to the 
 spot they had decided upon as being best suited for the launch. 
 It was near the point of the bay, and the beach here sloped 
 more steeply than elsewhere. 
 
 Their first work was to erect a platform sloping still more 
 steeply, and covered with pieces of timber too short for other 
 work. The craft would thus be built at an angle which would 
 ensure her sliding down into the water, and during the prog- 
 ress of building she could be retained in her place by ropes 
 fastened to a tree behind, and by blocks of wood under her 
 stern-post. Among the timbers, one was found long enough 
 to serve as a keel, and when this was laid down, and the stern- 
 post and stem were fitted to it and securely bolted, they felt 
 that the most difficult part of the work was done. Great 
 labour was required to get out the copper bolts from the 
 timbers, and in some cases the wood had to be split up before 
 they could be extracted. The work of getting out the ribs, 
 and fastening them in their places, was much less arduous 
 than they had expected, for the greater portion of the timbers 
 of the brig had come on shore, and among these they were able
 
 220 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 to find many with curves fairly suited to their requirements. 
 Some required hacking off with cutlasses, while on to others 
 pieces of planks were nailed to get the required curve. By 
 the -end of five months the hull was planked and decked, and 
 all felt proud of their work. It was caulked with oakum 
 obtained from some of the least serviceable of the ropes of the 
 brig, dipped in a resin that they found oozing from some 
 trees. 
 
 The fore-topmast of the brig furnished a suitable mast, and 
 was stepped and stayed ; a bowsprit, boom, and gaff were con- 
 structed from the light spars ; a mainsail, a foresail, and jib had 
 been manufactured during the long evenings ; and when the 
 boat was completely rigged, the timbers down which she was 
 to glide were smeared with lard, and carried down as far as 
 possible under water, being kept in their places by heavy 
 stones placed on the ends. It was a great day when the shores 
 were knocked away, the ropes that held her stern being previ- 
 ously cast off, and she at once moved rapidly down into 
 the water amid a shout of triumph from her constructors. She 
 drew about three feet of water, and they calculated that when 
 they had got the ballast, stores, and water on board she would 
 sink another foot, and would then have three feet of free-board. 
 
 They had already laid in a large stock of pork, which they 
 had salted, obtained the salt by filling pools in the rock with 
 salt water, which was replenished as fast as it evaporated. A 
 great stock of melons had also been cut. The barrels had 
 been carefully examined, and placed in the lake to swell and 
 become water - tight. Now that the boat was once in the 
 water they were anxious to be off without the smallest pos- 
 sible delay, for were the natives to appear just at this moment 
 all their labours would be thrown away. As soon, therefore, 
 as they had gone on board, and found that the craft was per- 
 fectly water - tight, they hauled her towards the spot where
 
 "WITH A SHOUT, STEPHEN SNATCHED UP HIS SWORD AND RUSHED 
 AT THE ASSASSIN."
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 221 
 
 they had buried the gold, dug up the boxes, and carried 
 them down to the water's edge. The boat was then hauled 
 in until she was in four feet of water. Stephen and Jacopo 
 waded out, carrying the boxes on their heads, then the cap- 
 tain lifted them on board, and, taking them below, packed 
 them along her keel. 
 
 By this time it was late in the afternoon, and they cal- 
 culated that by beginning at daybreak, they would get the 
 greater portion of their stores and water on board next day. 
 It was a moonlight night, and, after indulging in supper and 
 a long talk over the next day's work, they lay down to sleep. 
 
 It was some time before Stephen fell into a light sleep, 
 being too excited at the thought of their approaching deliver- 
 ance to compose himself to a sound slumber. He was awa- 
 kened by a slight movement, and, turning round, saw in the 
 moonlight Jacopo kneeling by the captain with a knife up- 
 lifted. With a shout Stephen sprung up, grasped his sword, 
 which he had, ever since the gold was hidden, placed by his 
 side when he lay down, and rushed at the Peruvian. The 
 knife had, however, descended twice, and the assassin gained 
 his feet just as Stephen fell upon him. So quick had been 
 the latter 's movement that the edge of his sword fell on the 
 side of the murderer's face before he had time to place him- 
 self on guard. With a howl of pain and rage he sprang out 
 from the end of the tent, and rushed to the narrow opening 
 left in their barricade. 
 
 Stephen pursued him hotly, but the Peruvian was quicker 
 footed, and, dodging among the trees, presently left him be- 
 hind. Stephen returned to the tent, stirred up the fire to a 
 blaze, and then bent over the captain. He saw at once that 
 the latter was dead, the knife having twice struck him in the 
 region of the heart. Stephen took up one of the loaded mus- 
 kets and sat down at the entrance of the barricade. He felt
 
 222 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 completely crushed at the blow. His early suspicions of 
 Jacopo had gradually died out, for the man had worked will- 
 ingly and steadily ; he had seemed perfectly contented with 
 the prospect, and entered as keenly into the building of the 
 cutter as Stephen and the captain had done. But it was evi- 
 dent now that he had all along meditated the murder, and 
 had only delayed until the craft was built and fitted, the gold 
 in its place, and everything ready for sailing save putting the 
 stores on board, which he could manage by himself. 
 
 An hour before everything seemed clear, now Stephen 
 blamed himself that he had prevented the captain from shoot- 
 ing the villain, on the day when the latter discovered that the 
 gold had gone. And yet the act would have been murder, 
 for there was no proof that Jacopo intended to play them 
 false. What, Stephen asked himself, was he to do now ? He 
 was certain that the murderer would not permit him, without 
 an effort, to sail away, and that he would be able to hide 
 among the trees, and to spring out at any moment upon him 
 as he came past laden with barrel or sack. It was not even 
 clear how he could get a wink of sleep, for at any moment 
 the assassin might crawl up and stab him. 
 
 So Stephen passed the night. He watched attentively for 
 the slightest sound, but he did not think that the fellow was 
 likely to return that night, for he was certain that he had 
 wounded him very severely ; and besides, the scoundrel 
 would feel sure that he would keep a vigilant watch. As 
 soon as day broke he got up, and went to the tent to verify a 
 thought that had struck him during his watch. He counted 
 the muskets ; there were but twenty-two. A cold perspira- 
 tion broke out on his forehead ; his worst fears were realized. 
 Jacopo had managed during the last day or two to take two 
 of the muskets and carry them away with him, so that should 
 his intentions to murder his two companions miscarry, he
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 223 
 
 would be able to wage war against them. He would cer- 
 tainly have provided himself with a good store of ammuni- 
 tion. Difficult as the position had seemed before, the dif- 
 ficulties and dangers were increased tenfold now he knew that 
 the Peruvian was provided with firearms. 
 
 There would be no occasion for an open attack. The fel- 
 low would only have to hide up in the undergrowth and shoot 
 him down as he passed. It was a danger against which there 
 was no providing ; at any moment from the time he left the 
 tent he would be liable to be shot down by the invisible foe. 
 Moving about almost mechanically, Stephen boiled some water 
 in a very thin-skinned gourd, which they had found the best 
 substitute for a kettle. It was necessary to use a fresh one 
 frequently, but they were plentiful in the woods, and a sup- 
 ply was always kept on hand. As soon as it boiled, he threw 
 in a handful of coffee that had been roasted and pounded a 
 day or two before, laid a chop cut from the pig on the em- 
 bers, and put biscuits on to toast beside it. He had no 
 thought of being in danger, for he felt sure that Jacopo would 
 not run the risk of approaching the tent. After the meal was 
 cooked and eaten, he sat for a long time pondering over what 
 had best be done. 
 
 His first impulse had been to take to the woods, carrying a 
 couple of muskets and a store of provisions sufficient for a day 
 or two, and to hunt the Peruvian down. In this case each 
 would be ignorant of the other's position and movements, 
 and neither would have any advantage over the other ; but, 
 on the other hand, while he was hunting Jacopo, the latter 
 might be putting a sufficient store of melons and perhaps the 
 carcase of a pig on board the boat, and making off with it. 
 The gold was there, and the assassin would be ready to run 
 any risk to get away with it. He would doubtless prefer to 
 silence the only voice that could give evidence against him,
 
 224 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 but he would know that the chance of Stephen's ever making 
 his escape by himself would be so small that it might be dis- 
 regarded. Stephen thought that, at any rate, the risk of the 
 Peruvian's attempting to set sail that day was small. He 
 would be suffering intense pain from the wound, and would 
 probably be incapable of making any great exertion ; but 
 most of all he trusted to Jacopo's thirst for vengeance to keep 
 him for a while on the island. Eager as he might be to sail 
 away with the gold, he might well postpone his departure for 
 a few days, until he had avenged himself for the wound that 
 had been inflicted on him. 
 
 Jacopo had one advantage over him. He could select a 
 spot where he would at once command the path down to the 
 shore and keep his eye upon the cutter, while from the camp 
 Stephen was unable to obtain a view into the bay. 
 
 As he was thinking the matter over, Stephen's eye fell 
 upon the block and rope by which the barrels had been 
 hoisted up. It had for a long time been disused, for they 
 had found it much shorter to clear a path from the spot where 
 they descended from the cliff direct to the little bay, thereby 
 saving at least two - thirds of the distance, a matter of im- 
 portance while they were engaged upon their boat-building. 
 The idea at once presented itself that he might leave the spot 
 by this means without the knowledge of the Peruvian, and 
 would thereby turn the tables on him. He was about to put 
 the loop at the end of the rope around his body, and swing 
 himself over, when he hesitated. He might be driven to 
 adopt the same plan that he credited Jacopo with the inten- 
 tion of following. After some thought, he took some seventy 
 pounds of salt pork from the barrel and put it in a sack, round 
 which he fastened the rope in such a manner that as soon as 
 the strain on it was relieved it could be shaken off. Then he 
 climbed out on to the bough, and poured a little melted lard
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 225 
 
 on the sheave of the block to prevent it from creaking. Then 
 he lowered the barrel down, shook off the fastening, and drew 
 up the rope again. 
 
 Then he sent down a large sack full of melons ; this done, 
 there was nothing to do but to wait until dusk. He kept up 
 a good fire all day, thinking it probable that Jacopo would 
 have placed himself where he could see the smoke rising. 
 He calculated that the man would suppose that he would be 
 likely to attempt to leave his post after dark, and would then 
 place himself somewhere on the path to shoot him as he went 
 past. As soon as it was dark, he lowered four of the mus- 
 kets, with a bag of ammunition, and then followed himself. 
 He first carried the muskets and ammunition down to the 
 shore, and then made two trips with the pork and melons. 
 Then he rolled one of the water-casks, that had already been 
 filled, down the sand into the sea, and, entering the water 
 breast-deep, pushed it before him until he came to the rope 
 from the stern of the craft to the shore. Returning, he 
 fetched the pork, melons, muskets, and ammunition. Then 
 he waded and swam out to the cutter, holding his sword in 
 his teeth, pulled himself noiselessly up, and then, sword in 
 hand, descended into the cabin, where he thought it was just 
 possible that the Peruvian might be sleeping. The light of 
 the moon was sufficient to show him that it was empty. 
 
 Ascending to the deck again, he slackened out the head- 
 rope attached to a heavy stone that served as an anchor ; 
 then he hauled on the rope ashore until he felt the stern touch 
 the sand. Making fast the rope, he lowered himself down 
 and waded to shore. Then he brought off the muskets and 
 ammunition, pork and melons on his head, and lastly got 
 the barrel of water alongside, put a sling round it, fastened 
 the main halliards to it, and hoisted it on board. He was 
 now in a position to make off, but still altogether inadequately
 
 226 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 provisioned for such a voyage as he meditated, and after some 
 thought he determined to return on shore. 
 
 He had at first thought of remaining on board and hoisting 
 the sail. This would attract the attention of Jacopo as soon 
 as it was light enough for him to see it, and probably in his 
 fury at being outwitted the man would rush frantically down, 
 and try to get on board ; but in that case Stephen should 
 have to shoot him in cold blood, which he felt he could not 
 bring himself to do. 
 
 He decided finally upon going on shore, where he could 
 meet the man on equal terms. He accordingly hoisted the 
 sail, and then landed with a couple of loaded muskets, taking 
 his place behind a tree a short distance up the path, and wait- 
 ing until morning. The various journeys had taken him 
 some time, and it was now, he judged, about three o'clock. 
 As soon as it was light his watch began in earnest. Contrary 
 to his expectations, it was fully an hour before he heard any 
 sign of Jacopo coming. He accounted for the delay on the 
 supposition that the Peruvian would think perhaps that al- 
 though he had outwitted him and got on board, he must be 
 altogether unprovided with stores, and unable, therefore, to 
 put to sea. He would suppose then that he had returned to 
 shore, especially as there were no signs of him on board the 
 craft. 
 
 At last he saw him coming down the path with a stealthy, 
 crouching step, with one musket slung behind him, and the 
 other in his hand ready for instant action. He was a dread- 
 ful sight. His face was bound up with a sleeve cut from his 
 shirt. His forehead was encrusted and his hair matted with 
 dried blood, with which also his linen jacket and trousers 
 were thickly stained. Stephen had chosen a tree round whose 
 foot was a thick growth of bush, and he now proceeded to 
 put into execution the plan that he had decided upon. Stoop-
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 227 
 
 ing behind the trunk of the tree, he thrust up from among 
 the bushes his cap on the top of a ramrod, taking care that 
 the upper part only just showed above the leaves. Almost 
 instantly Jacopo levelled his rifle and fired. Stephen gave a 
 loud cry and dropped the cap. The Peruvian, with a yell of 
 exultation, threw away the gun, drew his knife, and bounded 
 forward. As he came up, Stephen sprang out, and brought 
 the butt end of his gun down with all his strength on the 
 Peruvian's head, striking him senseless to the ground. Ste- 
 phen picked up the murderer's knife and placed it in his belt, 
 took the musket from his shoulder, and then with a cord he 
 had brought with him bound his feet, and turning him over 
 fastened his wrists tightly together. 
 
 Then he raised him, and placed him in a sitting position 
 against the tree, passed the cord several times round him and 
 the trunk, knotting it firmly behind the tree. Then he went 
 away to the stream and cut a couple of gourds, filled them 
 with water, and returned. Jacopo had now opened his eyes, 
 and was looking round him in a dazed condition. When he 
 saw Stephen approaching he made a struggle to rise. 
 
 " It is of no use, Jacopo," Stephen said quietly ; " your 
 power of mischief is at an end. You have murdered your 
 captain, and you would have murdered me, so now your life 
 is justly forfeited. Did I give you the fate you deserve, I 
 would bring down the body of your victim, tie it to you, and 
 leave you to die of thirst. Fortunately for you I am a Brit- 
 ish officer, and I cannot be both judge and executioner." 
 
 The Peruvian's reply was a volley of curses and execrations. 
 
 ''Will you drink some water?" Stephen asked, without 
 paying any attention to his words. 
 
 The Peruvian's only reply was to spit furiously at him. 
 Stephen placed one of the gourds on the ground close to him, 
 saying : " You will think better of it presently," poured the
 
 228 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 contents of the other over Jacopo's head ; and then returning 
 to the boat, brought off another coil of rope with which he 
 still more securely fastened Jacopo to the tree, and then went 
 up to the tent. He spent the day in carrying down the store 
 of provisions, arms, and ammunition, asking Jacopo each 
 time he passed him whether he would have some water. For 
 some time the prisoner refused ; but the agony of thirst 
 caused by the fever of his wounds at last overcame his reso- 
 lution, and he cried loudly, as Stephen approached him, for 
 water. Stephen held the gourd to his lips until he drank off 
 the whole of its contents, then he went and refilled both 
 gourds, poured one over the man's head, set the other down 
 beside him, and continued his work. 
 
 By nightfall he had carried everything on board, and there 
 remained but to take the other water-casks alongside. Jacopo 
 had drunk several gourds full of water during the day, but by 
 evening he became delirious from fury and the fever of his 
 wounds ; Stephen therefore undid all his fastenings save those 
 round his ankles, and took up his post near him. All night 
 the man raved incessantly. From time to time Stephen got 
 up and poured water between his lips, and in the morning 
 cut a very ripe melon, squeezed the juice from the pulp, and 
 gave it to him to drink. Then he went down and towed the 
 other water-barrels to the cutter and got them on board, and 
 afterwards returned to his prisoner. For three days the 
 delirium continued. Stephen kept the bandages round his 
 head constantly moistened with water, and gave him melon 
 juice to drink. The third night the ravings sank to a whis- 
 per, and presently became silent, and Stephen thought that 
 all would soon be over. However, the man's breathing be- 
 came quiet and regular, and in the morning he opened his 
 eyes with consciousness in them. 
 
 " You here still !" he murmured, as Stephen bent over him.
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 229 
 
 " Yes, Jacopo ; villain as you are, I could not leave you to 
 die." 
 
 ' ' How long have I been here ? " the man murmured after 
 a long pause. 
 
 "It is four days since you attacked me. Now that you are 
 sensible, I shall set sail, but I will first carry you to the side 
 of the stream. Now that you have got through the fever you 
 will recover. I have left at the tent one of the muskets and a 
 store of ammunition, so that you will be able to shoot pigs; 
 and there is, as you know, an abundance of melons, bread- 
 fruit, and guavas, and I daresay you will discover other things 
 ere long. I trust that in the time that is before you, you will 
 repent of your sins, and try and make your peace with God. 
 I have buried the body of the man you murdered." 
 
 With some difficulty Stephen got Jacopo on to his back, 
 carried him to the stream, and laid him down at its edge in 
 the shade of the trees ; then he placed within reach of him a 
 number of melons, bread-fruit, and some biscuits. He had 
 long since taken the rope off his ankles. 
 
 " I do not understand why you have done all this for me. 
 I would have killed you if I could ; you have treated me as 
 if I were your brother. I know that it is of no use my 
 asking you to take me with you, but will you do me one last 
 favour ? ' ' 
 
 " Certainly, if it is in my power, Jacopo." 
 
 " Will you bring the musket and ammunition down here? 
 I could not go near there again. ' ' 
 
 Stephen nodded. " I will get them for you," he said, and 
 at once started for the tent. He first pulled this and the 
 store-tent down, rolled them together, and lowered them to 
 the side of the pool, climbed out and cut the fastening of the 
 block, and let it and the rope fall beside them. He then threw 
 over the case of swords which he had not thought worth tak-
 
 230 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 ing away, and then getting the gun and ammunition, he re- 
 turned to Jacopo. 
 
 "There they are," he said. "Here are three hundred 
 rounds of ammunition ; by the side of the pool under the cliff 
 you will find the two tents, the rope, and ten spare swords, 
 which may prove useful to you. Here are three gourds full 
 of water close to your hand, and by reaching over you can 
 fill them as often as you like. In a week I have no doubt 
 that you will be strong enough to walk. Is there anything 
 else I can do ? " 
 
 "There is nothing, sefior. May God bless you for your 
 kindness ! ' ' 
 
 "And may God pardon you! " Stephen said; adding as 
 he turned away, " It may be that some day a passing ship 
 may carry you off." 
 
 Then turning he walked slowly back to the shore. Wretch 
 as this man was, he felt a pang at leaving him behind. But 
 he was sure that even if he could overcome his repugnance to 
 him as the murderer of the captain, he could not take him 
 with him, for he would never be safe for a moment. With 
 returning health and strength would come afresh the lust for 
 the gold, which might soon overcome any feeling of gratitude 
 for the treatment that he had received. 
 
 When he reached the shore near the boat, he cast off the 
 stern rope and then swam on board, hoisted the jib and fore- 
 sail, pulled up the anchor, and took his place at the tiller. 
 
 The breeze was a very light one, and for a time the cutter 
 moved along but slowly, but as it got beyond the shelter of 
 the land it felt the wind, and began to spin fast through the 
 water. Stephen's spirits, which had been greatly depressed 
 for the last few days, rose as the little craft heeled to the 
 breeze. Nearly six months had been spent on the island, but 
 at last he was free. As to his course, he had but the sun by
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 231 
 
 day and the stars by night to guide him ; but he knew that 
 the vessel had been blown almost due west, and that by head- 
 ing east he should make the coast either of Chili or Peru. He 
 found to his satisfaction that the boat would keep her course 
 very near the wind, that she came about easily and rapidly, 
 and was certainly swift under her canvas. 
 
 She carried no topmast, as they had agreed that, with only 
 three hands, it would be better to avoid all complications of 
 gear. In the middle of the day the wind fell a good deal. 
 At the time he was abreast of a large island, and he presently 
 saw a war canoe shoot out from the shore. Lashing the tiller, 
 he ran down below, brought up the twenty - three muskets, 
 loaded them all, and laid them against the bulwark astern. 
 Then he took his place at the helm again, and looked anx- 
 iously across the water in the hope of seeing a dark line that 
 would tell of the breeze freshening again. He knew enough, 
 however, of the winds prevalent among the islands to be sure 
 that it would not strengthen much for the next two or three 
 hours. From the number of paddles going on each side of 
 the canoe he calculated that she must carry from forty to fifty 
 men. His hope was that they would be unacquainted with 
 firearms, and would draw off when he began to fire. 
 
 When they came within about four hundred yards he took 
 up a musket and fired, taking aim at some little distance from 
 the side of the boat. At the report the paddles ceased in- 
 stantly, and for a time it was evident that great confusion 
 reigned among the rowers. While this was going on Stephen 
 reloaded his piece. After some five minutes' delay the men 
 recommenced paddling, but at a pace that contrasted strongly 
 with the rapid and eager stroke which they had before rowed. 
 Stephen waited this time until they were within two hundred 
 and fifty yards, and then lying down on the deck and resting 
 the barrel on the bulwarks, he took a steady aim and fired.
 
 232 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 One of the men standing up in the bow fell overboard. The 
 paddling ceased again, and a hubbub of voices was heard. As 
 she lay motionless, Stephen fired shot after shot. One or two 
 of these hit the canoe, two or three others went wide, but the 
 rest did execution among the crowded mass. By the noise it 
 was evident that some wished to go on, others to retire, and 
 after discharging twelve shots, Stephen began to hastily reload 
 the pieces he had fired. 
 
 The cessation of fire apparently reassured the war party, for 
 when he had reloaded six of them the paddles again began to 
 work. Stephen at once recommenced firing, and his eighth 
 shot brought down a chief who was standing prominently in 
 the stern, and was evidently in command. His fall had an 
 instantaneous effect. With a yell of terror the natives ceased 
 paddling. Then some began to back and others to row, and 
 the canoe turned slowly round and then sped away at a rate 
 as fast as it had come up, although the number of paddlers was 
 markedly decreased. Satisfied that they would not return, 
 Stephen reloaded all the muskets and then went below for his 
 first meal on board. The cabin would have seemed a poor 
 place to yachtsmen, with its rough beams and timbers and its 
 discoloured planking, but no yachtsman ever felt prouder of a 
 craft than Stephen did of the boat in whose building he had 
 taken a share. There were no bulk -heads, the hull being 
 open from end to end. The water - cask and provisions had 
 been stowed aft the mast. 
 
 One of the barrels served as a table, the iron plate that had 
 been taken from the floor of the ship's galley had been placed 
 forward of the mast on a layer of sand three inches thick, and 
 a forecastle hatch had been placed above it to serve as an exit 
 for the smoke. A store of wood, the result of their ship- 
 building operations, was piled in the bow. Stephen did not 
 trouble to cook, but boiled some water over some chips of
 
 STEPHEN BEATS OFF THE GREAT WAR-CANOE SINGLE-HANDED.
 
 DEATH OF THE CAPTAIN 233 
 
 wood, made himself a cup of coffee, or rather the half of a 
 small gourd of coffee, ate a melon and a biscuit, and presently 
 went up on deck again. At three o'clock a light breeze sprung 
 up, and this, an hour later, strengthened to a heavy blow. 
 Stephen sailed on until midnight, then reefed the mainsail 
 and fastened the boom amidships, lowered the foresail and 
 hauled the jib to weather, and having thus laid the cutter head 
 to wind, lay down on the deck and slept soundly until day- 
 break. The next day he passed two or three islands, but all 
 at a considerable distance. Beyond these no land was visible, 
 and he hoped that he was fairly beyond the Archipelago with 
 its hostile natives. 
 
 Day after day passed without incident. Stephen always lay 
 to at night for a few hours, and calculated that the rate at 
 which he sailed during the remaining eighteen was, allowing 
 for calms, some four knots an hour. On the sixth day the 
 appearance of the sky changed, and Stephen prepared for bad 
 weather by fully reefing his mainsail. The clouds banked up 
 rapidly and the wind rose. It was southerly, and the boat 
 tore rapidly through the water. Two hours later Stephen let 
 the foresail run down, and under the reduced sail the boat 
 went more lightly and easily over the rising sea. By evening 
 he had stowed the mainsail altogether, and slackening the jib 
 sheet held on his course. By midnight it was blowing a gale. 
 He raised the gaff four or five feet, put lashings round the sail 
 to prevent its blowing out, and then hauling on the weather 
 sheet let her lay to, taking now his place at the tiller, so as to 
 be able to bring her head up did she pay off the wind. 
 
 It was an anxious night, but the little craft was lightly 
 ballasted and buoyant, and rose to the seas without taking any 
 great quantity of water over the bows. For two days the 
 storm continued. Stephen never left the tiller during that 
 time save to run below at intervals and snatch a mouthful of
 
 234 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 food. After the first two or three hours he had felt no fear 
 whatever as to the ability of the craft to weather the gale, but 
 it was a long strain, and he was deeply thankful when the wind 
 abated sufficiently for him to be able to hoist the reefed main- 
 sail again and to lie to comfortably. As soon as this was done 
 he went below, and slept for twelve hours. The sun was shin- 
 ing brightly when he awoke, a light breeze was blowing, and 
 save for a long swell the sea had gone down. He indulged in a 
 hearty breakfast before proceeding on his way. Then he shook 
 out the reefs in the mainsail, hoisted it, got up the foresail, 
 slacked off the weather sheet of the jib, and again headed east. 
 One morning ten days later he saw the sun rise behind a 
 broken outline instead of the line of the horizon, and knew 
 that this could be nothing but the hills of the mainland. 
 Lofty as these were he might be still a hundred and fifty miles 
 from them, but the weather was fair, the wind fresh, the boat 
 travelling at six knots an hour, and by mid-day to-morrow 
 he would be close to land. Whether it was Chili or Peru 
 that lay ahead of him he had no means of knowing, but he 
 believed it was the former, for he had headed rather to the 
 south of east and felt sure that he should strike the coast some- 
 where on the long seaboard of Chili. He was the more con- 
 vinced of this as two days before he had seen an island far 
 to the north of him and guessed it to be either San Felix or 
 San Ambrose, and had shaped his course rather more to the 
 south in consequence. That night he was too excited to turn 
 in as usual, but held on his course. By morning the land lay 
 little more than twenty miles away, and he recognized at once 
 the outline of the hills that he had passed when sailing north, 
 and knew where Valparaiso lay, some fifty miles further south. 
 He changed his course accordingly, and at four o'clock in the 
 afternoon dropped his stone anchor a hundred yards off the 
 quay of the Chilian port.
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 235 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 
 
 STEPHEN busied himself in stowing away his sails. By 
 the time he had done so a small crowd had collected on 
 the quay looking with surprise and wonder at the little craft 
 with its unpainted sides and rough appearance. In a short 
 time a boat with a port official rowed alongside, and stepping 
 on deck the officer looked round in surprise at seeing only one 
 person on board. Stephen had, before arriving at the port, 
 donned a clean suit of linen trousers and jacket ; his cap was 
 out of all shape, and the badge on its front had faded into a 
 blur ; he was barefooted, and his hair had grown almost to his 
 shoulders. The aspect of the boat was almost as surprising as 
 that of its solitary occupant. There were no signs of paint 
 visible, the work was rough, the stanchions of various sizes, 
 some new in appearance, and some blackened with age and 
 sea-water. 
 
 " Who are you, sefior?" the official asked, "and what 
 craft is this ? ' ' 
 
 " The craft has no name, senor, though we who built her 
 thought of naming her the Deliverer. I myself am Stephen 
 Embleton, flag-midshipman to Admiral Lord Cochrane. May 
 I ask if the admiral is now in port?" 
 
 " He is," the official replied. 
 
 ' ' May I beg you to send off a shore boat by which I may 
 despatch a message to the admiral? " 
 
 "Your story is a strange one," the official said gravely. 
 " I myself have seen the young officer, you state yourself to be, 
 in company with the admiral, but I am bound to say that I do 
 not recognize you. ' '
 
 236 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " I am not surprised at that," Stephen said with a smile. 
 " In the first place, I should imagine that my face is the colour 
 of mahogany from wind and sun ; in the second, my hair has 
 not been cut for six months ; and lastly, this suit of clothes, 
 though excellent in its way, is scarcely in accordance with my 
 rank." 
 
 " I will myself row off to the admiral's ship," the official said, 
 " and convey your message to him. What shall I tell him? " 
 
 "I thank you, sir. Will you please say that Stephen 
 Embleton is on board this craft, that I am alone, and for 
 certain reasons cannot leave it, and pray him either to come 
 himself or to send a trusted officer with a party of sailors to 
 take charge of it." 
 
 The official saluted him gravely. He was by no means sure 
 of the sanity of this young fellow, but his curiosity had been 
 aroused by his appearance and that of his craft, and he there- 
 fore condescended to undertake a mission that at ordinary 
 times he would have scorned. Stephen watched the boat row 
 alongside a frigate anchored a mile away. Shortly after- 
 wards he saw a stir. A boat was pulled up to the accommo- 
 dation ladder. A party of sailors then took their places in her, 
 and two figures came down the gangway and the boat pushed 
 off. A few minutes later it reached the side of the cutter. 
 Stephen saluted as Lord Cochrane sprang nimbly on board. 
 
 " My dear lad ! " the admiral exclaimed, grasping his hand, 
 " I gave you up for lost many months ago, and we have all 
 mourned for you deeply. Where have you been ? what have 
 you been doing ? what on earth have you done to yourself? 
 and where did you get this extraordinary craft ? " 
 
 " I have been cast away on an island some twelve hundred 
 miles to the west. Only three of us were saved. We built 
 this craft between us. One of my comrades is dead, the other 
 remains on the island, and I have sailed her back single-handed.
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 237 
 
 I think this, sir, will account for my somewhat strange ap- 
 pearance. ' ' 
 
 "Fully, fully, lad. Well, you must tell me all about it 
 afterwards. Why did you not come direct in the boat to my 
 ship instead of sending for me? " 
 
 " Because I was afraid of anyone else coming on board until 
 you had sent someone you could trust to take possession of 
 her." 
 
 " Why, bless me ! " Lord Cochrane said with a laugh, " I 
 should not have taken her to be as valuable as all that. She 
 is most creditable as a specimen of the work of three ship- 
 wrecked men, and I should say from her appearance as I rowed 
 up to her that she was fairly fast. She might be worth a good 
 deal as an exhibition if you had her in the Thames, but she 
 would not fetch many hundred dollars here ; though I have no 
 doubt that, when properly painted up and in trim, she would 
 make an excellent little coaster." 
 
 " It is the cargo and not the ship, sir, that is valuable." 
 
 " What does it consist of ? " 
 
 " It consists of gold, sir. There are five hundred thousand 
 dollars stowed in boxes. ' ' 
 
 The admiral looked at him in astonishment. 
 
 " Five hundred thousand dollars, Mr. Embleton ! Are you 
 in earnest ? ' ' 
 
 " Quite so, sir ; the ship you sent me off to with twelve 
 hands was laden with military stores and money for the pay- 
 ment of the Spanish troops. I was fortunate enough to get 
 on board and capture her just before the storm burst. When 
 she was wrecked, on an island of whose name I am ignorant, 
 her stern, where the gold was stowed, was fortunately in only 
 four feet of water, and we had, therefore, no difficulty in get- 
 ting at the boxes and carrying them on shore, where we buried 
 them until we had built this craft."
 
 238 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 The admiral ran down the companion into the cabin and 
 saw the boxes lying side by side along the length of the keel. 
 
 " I congratulate you heartily," he said to Stephen, " this is 
 by far the richest prize that has fallen into our hands. You 
 did perfectly right in sending for me, for, in faith, I would not 
 trust this treasure out of my sight on any consideration, until 
 I handed it over to the Chilian government, after taking care 
 to deduct the fleet's share of the prize - money. It will be 
 welcome, I can tell you, for the pay of the fleet is terribly in 
 arrear. The treasury is empty, and there are no means of 
 refilling it. Properly speaking, the whole of the fleet's share 
 of the money should go to you, but the rules of the service are 
 arbitrary." 
 
 The conversation had been in English, and the admiral 
 going on deck ordered the officer, who had remained sitting 
 in his gig, to tow the cutter alongside the flag -ship. The 
 officer at once gave the necessary orders. Two of the men 
 jumped on board and hauled up the anchor, and nothing but 
 the presence of the admiral prevented a burst of laughter 
 among the boat's crew as the stone came to the surface. As 
 it was, there was a broad grin on their faces. The two men 
 resumed their places in the boat, and the cutter was towed to 
 the side of the flag-ship. Lord Cochrane ordered a whip to 
 be sent down with slings, and himself superintended the bring- 
 ing up of the boxes, whose weight in comparison to their size 
 excited lively surprise among the sailors who brought them up 
 to the deck. The slings were placed round them one by one, 
 and they were hoisted to the deck of the frigate, and carried 
 into the admiral's cabin. 
 
 After the last box had been swung up, the admiral and 
 Stephen went up the accommodation ladder to the deck. The 
 officers were gathered round the boxes wondering at their 
 weight.
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 239 
 
 " What should you say they have in them, gentlemen?" 
 Lord Cochrane asked. 
 
 " I should say that they contained specie," the captain said, 
 " had it not been out of the question that so great an amount 
 could be collected in Chili." 
 
 " I am happy to inform you, gentlemen, that those boxes 
 contain Spanish gold, and that they are a lawful prize captured 
 from the enemy by a boat's crew from this ship, under the 
 command of my flag-midshipman, Mr. Embleton. Everyman 
 on board, therefore, in proportion to his rank, will come in 
 for a share of prize-money, and for this you will have to thank 
 your fellow -officer here. ' ' 
 
 Hitherto none of them had recognized Stephen, but had 
 been wondering who the strange figure was that had come on 
 board with the admiral. They still looked almost incredulous, 
 until Stephen stepped forward and held out his hand to his 
 special friends and addressed them by name. 
 
 " Why, is it really you, Don Estevan? We had all given 
 you up for lost. We are glad, indeed, to see you again." 
 
 The other officers all came round and heartily greeted 
 Stephen, all asking questions together about his long absence 
 and the wonderful prize of which the admiral had spoken. 
 
 "I will answer as many questions as I can presently," 
 Stephen protested ; " but, in the first place, I must have a 
 bath, and change my clothes, and have my hair cut. Are my 
 things still on board, and is anyone else in my cabin? " 
 
 He learned to his great satisfaction that his cabin was as he 
 had left it. 
 
 " For weeks the admiral hoped that you would return. 
 There was, indeed, much anxiety about the boat when we saw 
 the storm coming on. Whether you had gained the brig be- 
 fore it burst, of course none of us knew. We could only 
 hope that you had done so. The storm was a terrible one
 
 240 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 here. While some thought that the brig might have foundered 
 at once when it struck her, it was certain that if she weathered 
 the first blow she would have to run for it. It was one of the 
 worst storms, people here say, that has been experienced on 
 the coast for many years, alike in its fury and in its duration, 
 and all agreed that she would have been blown at least a thou- 
 sand miles off the land before the gale spent its force. As the 
 wind continued in the same quarter for a long time it would 
 have taken the brig weeks to beat back against it ; but when 
 two months passed without your return, all concluded that 
 you had either sunk before gaining the ship, or that she had 
 gone down in the gale, or been wrecked among some of the 
 islands into whose neighbourhood she must have been blown. 
 However, the admiral continued to hope long after the rest of 
 us had given you up. At the end of two months he appointed 
 me his flag -midshipman, to fill your place, as he especially 
 said, until your return. This being the case, I have not 
 shifted my berth, and your cabin has remained unoccupied." 
 
 One of the officers gave orders that a tub should be at once 
 taken to Stephen's cabin, filled with water, and that the ship's 
 barber should hold himself in readiness when called upon. 
 
 When Stephen came out, an hour later, dressed in uniform, 
 and with his hair a reasonable length, he was told that the 
 admiral had requested his presence in his cabin as soon as he 
 was dressed, but had ordered the message not to be given to 
 him until he came on deck. 
 
 "Now, lad, let me hear the whole story," he said; "but 
 first fill your glass from that bottle. I should imagine that you 
 have almost forgotten the taste of wine." 
 
 "I have not touched it since two days after we were 
 wrecked, sir; but on the whole we have not done at all badly 
 with regard to food." 
 
 " In the first place, what has become of your boat's crew?"
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 241 
 
 " They are all dead, sir. Some were killed or washed over- 
 board during the storm ; the rest were drowned at the time of 
 the wreck." 
 
 " That is a bad business. However, begin at the beginning, 
 and tell the story your own way. I have plenty of time to 
 listen to it, and the fuller you make it the better." 
 
 Stephen related the story, from the time of his leaving the 
 ship until he had anchored in the bay. As he saw that the 
 admiral wished to have full details, he told the story at length, 
 and the sun was setting by the time he brought it to a con- 
 clusion. 
 
 "You have done wonderfully well, lad," Lord Cochrane 
 said warmly when he had ceased speaking, "wonderfully well 
 indeed ; no one could have done better. The arrangements 
 throughout were excellent, and you showed a noble spirit in 
 delaying your departure for four days in order to assist the 
 poor wretch who had murdered your companion, and would 
 have murdered yourself in his greed for gold. I do not praise 
 you for bringing the treasure back here ; it is the conduct that 
 I should expect from every British officer ; but, at the same 
 time, it is clear that you had it in your power to leave it 
 buried on that island, so that you could have gone back in 
 some craft, and brought it away with you. I shall represent 
 your conduct in the strongest light to the government. By the 
 rules of the service, of course, you are entitled only to a junior 
 officer's share of the ship's portion of the prize-money, but I 
 shall certainly suggest that your case shall be specially con- 
 sidered. Now, I will take you ashore with me. I am going 
 to a dinner given by the president, and I shall create a sensa- 
 tion when I state that I have, after deducting a fifth for the 
 fleet's share of the prize-money, four hundred thousand dollars 
 to hand over to them. 
 
 " I shall take you first to my wife. She will be delighted
 
 242 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 to see you again, and so will the children. You can give her 
 an outline of your story. If you had been three days later 
 you would not have found me here. For the last four months 
 I have been endeavouring to get my ships fitted out, but in 
 vain, and I am putting to sea no stronger than when I came 
 back, and there can be no doubt that, profiting by their last 
 lesson, the Spaniards will have made Callao stronger than 
 before. However, we will do something which shall be 
 worthy of us, though I fear that it will not be the capture of 
 Callao." 
 
 A few minutes later the admiral's gig was alongside, and the 
 admiral, his captain, and Stephen went ashore. Lady Coch- 
 rane greeted Stephen as warmly and kindly as her husband 
 had done, and the children were exuberant in their delight at 
 the return of their friend. 
 
 "He has a wonderful story to tell you, my dear," Lord 
 Cochrane said. " It has taken him more than three hours to 
 give me the details, and you will have a greater treat listening 
 to them this evening than I shall have at this state dinner. ' ' 
 
 "It was too bad, Don Estevan," one of his friends said to 
 Stephen next morning, "that the admiral should have taken 
 you on shore with him yesterday after you had been with him 
 all the afternoon. We had been looking forward to having 
 you all to ourselves, and hearing your story. You may 
 imagine that we are all burning with curiosity to hear how it 
 is that you came back all alone in that curious craft astern, 
 and, above all, how you have brought with you this prize- 
 money. All we have heard at present is that the whole of the 
 boat's crew that went with you are dead. I promised the 
 others that I would not ask any questions until our morning's 
 work was over, so that we could hear your story together." 
 
 " It is just as well not to tell it by driblets," Stephen said. 
 " It is really a long story, as it consists of a number of small
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 243 
 
 things, and not of any one special incident. It can hardly be 
 cut as short as I should like to cut it, for I am but a poor hand 
 at a yarn. ' ' 
 
 After the usual work of exercising the men at making sail, 
 preparing for action, and gun and cutlass exercise had been 
 performed, anchor again cast, ropes coiled up, and everything 
 in apple-pie order, the Chilian officers rallied round Stephen, 
 and, taking his seat on the breech of a gun, he told them the 
 story, but with a good deal less detail than he had given to 
 Lord Cochrane. This relation elicited the greatest admiration 
 on the part of his hearers. The fact that he and two others 
 alone, and without any tools save swords, should have built 
 the stout little craft astern, and that he should, single-handed, 
 have sailed her some thirteen or fourteen hundred miles was 
 to them nothing short of marvellous. All had, the afternoon 
 before, gone on board of her, and had seen that she only 
 wanted paint to be a handsome little boat. Unaccustomed to 
 manual labour, it seemed wonderful that three men two of 
 whom were officers should have even attempted such work 
 with only the materials from a wreck to build with. 
 
 Stephen had passed very lightly over his four days' nursing 
 of Jacopo, but this incident surprised them more than any- 
 thing else, save the construction of the cutter. That, after the 
 man had murdered the captain and attempted to shoot Ste- 
 phen, with the intention of obtaining possession of the whole 
 of the gold, the latter should have nursed him back to life in- 
 stead of finishing him at once, seemed to them an incompre- 
 hensible piece of folly. 
 
 "But the man was a murderer, sefior; he deserved death. 
 Why should you have troubled about him, especially when, as 
 you say, the natives might have come at any moment and 
 taken the craft that had cost you so much pains and labour, 
 and carried off the treasure. ' '
 
 244 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 ' ' You see, when he became powerless, he was no longer an 
 enemy," Stephen replied. "He was a criminal, it is true; 
 but the temptation had been great. The man saw a chance of 
 possessing himself of what to him was a fabulous treasure; 
 better men than he have yielded to such a temptation ; and 
 though I do not say that he did not deserve death, the punish- 
 ment of seeing the failure of his plans, and of being left, 
 probably for life, a prisoner on that island, was a severe one 
 indeed. He will, at any rate, have time to repent of his sins, 
 and some day he may be picked up by a passing vessel, and 
 thus be able to retrieve his errors. At any rate, he will do no 
 harm there." 
 
 " Well, no ill came from it," one of the officers said ; "but 
 I own that, for my part, as soon as I had knocked him 
 down, I should have put my musket to his head and blown 
 out his brains, and should never have repented the action 
 afterwards. ' ' 
 
 "I might have done so," Stephen said, "had I overtaken 
 him directly after he had murdered my companion ; but, you 
 see, twenty-four hours had passed, and I had had time to think 
 how great had been the temptation to which he had yielded. 
 Besides, everything had gone well ; I had obtained possession 
 of the cutter, and had partially victualled her ; I had complete- 
 ly turned the tables on him, and instead of his lying in wait for 
 me I was lying in wait for him. He was practically at my 
 mercy, as I could have shot him down without giving him any 
 chance whatever. When one has got things all his own way 
 one can afford to be lenient. The man had been already very 
 severely wounded, and his power for doing . harm was at an 
 end. At any rate, I am very glad now that I did not kill 
 him. And you must remember that I owed him something 
 for his work upon the cutter, from which he was not now to 
 profit, but which was to afford me the means of returning
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 245 
 
 here and bringing back the treasure from which we shall all 
 obtain some benefit." 
 
 " That is all true, Don Estevan; but the real reason of all 
 was that you pitied the poor wretch, and so were ready to 
 run a great risk to succour him. We might not have acted 
 as you did, but at least we shall all love you the better for it. 
 As to the prize-money, it is ridiculous that our share of it 
 should be as large as yours, and I hope the government will 
 see that, under the circumstances, you have a right to a hand- 
 some slice of it, for indeed, after the wreck of the vessel, it 
 seems to me that their claim to it was fairly lost." 
 
 " I cannot see that. It was never out of my possession." 
 
 " I don't know," the other laughed. " They were two to 
 one against you, and probably held the opinion that they had 
 as much right to its possession as you." 
 
 "If they had been Spaniards it might have been so," 
 Stephen agreed ; "but ycfa see the treasure had never been 
 theirs, and from the moment that the ship surrendered they 
 had nothing whatever to do with it." 
 
 " Nothing except to take possession of it, and I grant that 
 the temptation to do so must have been strong. ' ' 
 
 "I felt that," Stephen replied ; "but until the vessel was 
 completed and victualled and a means of escape open, the 
 gold was absolutely useless, and therefore the question as to 
 its possession would not really arise until we neared land. I 
 did think it probable that the two Peruvians might then put 
 in a claim to at least one of the boxes of money each ; and I 
 had made up my mind that if they would content themselves 
 with this, I should be willing for them to land somewhere 
 along the coast with it, rather than run the risk of a fight, 
 especially as I could not possibly have kept awake night and 
 day, and they must therefore have had me in their power. I 
 am sure that the captain meant honestly, and under the cir-
 
 246 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 cumstances his claim to a portion of the money, that he and 
 his companion had done as much as I had to save, would not 
 have been an unfair one." 
 
 " It would have been terrible had the natives arrived when 
 you were building the boat, Don Estevan." 
 
 "It would have been terrible for them," Stephen said, 
 " but it would have hurt us but little, for had they discovered 
 our fort they could never have taken it. With our twenty- 
 four muskets we could have held it against any number of 
 savages, while as for the boat it would have been useless to 
 them, and they could scarcely have injured it. Even when 
 it was finished there was nothing on board to attract them. 
 They might have knocked away the props and tumbled her 
 over, but they would have had to blockade us in our fort 
 while they did anything to her ; for otherwise we could have 
 moved along the cliff to a point where we should have com- 
 manded the boat, and could there have kept up a fire that 
 would have speedily driven them from her. 
 
 " No ; we had no fear whatever of the natives from the 
 time we had once finished our wattle-work of thorny creepers 
 until the day when we got her into the water. After that 
 we were certainly horribly anxious, for they might have taken 
 it into their heads to tow her away with them, for the purpose 
 of breaking her up at their leisure for the sake of the bolts and 
 nails." 
 
 In the afternoon Lord Cochrane took Stephen ashore with 
 him. ''The president and the council desire to thank you 
 personally, Mr. Embleton, as I told you last night as we came 
 off. After dinner I gave them a brief recital of your advent- 
 ure, and said publicly that I considered you were entitled to 
 a handsome share of the prize-money which you had almost 
 miraculously brought back, and the president thoroughly en- 
 dorsed my views. The money is of the greatest consequence
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 247 
 
 to them at the present moment, for they are absolutely crip- 
 pled, so much so that I deemed it right, some time back, to 
 offer to hand over to them my share of the prize-money for 
 the captures we had effected. They declined the offer, to my 
 regret, for though I am far from being a rich man, I would 
 willingly have given the money in order to get to sea again." 
 
 Stephen was warmly thanked by President O'Higgins for 
 his great service to the republic, and highly complimented on 
 his conduct. He announced to him that he and the council 
 had decided to present him with the sum of twenty-five thou- 
 sand dollars as a recognition of his services. 
 
 " We consider," he said, " that you deserve a much larger 
 sum, but the circumstances of the state are such that we feel 
 it is impossible for us to do more than the barest justice at 
 the present time. We have, however, decided upon raising 
 you at once to the rank of lieutenant. Lord Cochrane told 
 me last night that such promotion, before you had served your 
 full time, was quite contrary to the rules of the service ; but 
 we considered this an altogether exceptional case, and that 
 you have amply proved yourself to be fully capable of carry- 
 ing out the duties of any rank to which you may attain." 
 
 Stephen in a few words thanked the president and the coun- 
 cil very heartily, and then retired with the admiral. 
 
 " That is a nice little nest-egg for you, Stephen," the lat- 
 ter said. "I consider that it ought to have been fifty thou- 
 sand, but their necessities are so great that they cannot afford 
 to be generous. ' ' 
 
 "I consider that it is immense, sir," Stephen replied, 
 " and had never any thought of a reward for doing my duty." 
 
 " You will not want the money out here, lad," the admi- 
 ral went on; "at any rate, your share of the ship's prize- 
 money will be ample for anything that you may require. If 
 you like, therefore, I will hand over your box along with my
 
 248 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 own share of the prize-money to the firm here who act as my 
 bankers, and they will give you an order on their bankers in 
 London, which you can send to your father to draw and in- 
 vest in your name or otherwise, as you may prefer. 
 
 " Thank you very much, sir. You will, I hope, be kind 
 enough to let me continue to perform the duties of your flag- 
 midshipman." 
 
 " You will become my flag-lieutenant, Stephen. The post 
 is vacant, for Don Valdes was yesterday appointed to the com- 
 mand of the Independencia, an American - built corvette of 
 twenty-eight guns that has been purchased and fitted out." 
 
 On the 1 2th of September, 1819, the fleet set sail from 
 Valparaiso. It consisted of the O 'Htggins, San Martin, 
 Lautaro, Independenda, Galvarino, Araucano, and Pnyrredon, 
 mounting in all two hundred and twenty guns. There were 
 also two old merchant ships to be used as fire-vessels. On 
 the agth they entered the Callao roads. The next day Lord 
 Cochrane sent in a boat with a flag of truce, and challenged 
 the Viceroy to come out for a fair fight. The challenge was 
 rejected, although the Spanish fleet was nearly twice as strong 
 as that of Chili. 
 
 On the night of the 2nd an attack was made, but failed, 
 owing to the rockets, from which much had been hoped, turn- 
 ing out useless. They had been manufactured in Chili by 
 Spanish prisoners, and had been so badly constructed that 
 they inflicted far more damage upon the men who fired them 
 than upon those against whom they were aimed. On the 5th 
 a fire-ship was despatched with the intention of destroying the 
 booms that protected the harbour ; but a sudden calm came 
 on, and the ship was riddled with shot from the Spanish guns 
 and was fast sinking when she exploded, but was too far 
 distant from the booms to injure either them or the shipping. 
 Finding himself thus unable to get at the enemy, Lord Coch-
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 249 
 
 rane was obliged to abandon for a time his project of taking 
 Callao. 
 
 The fresh supply of provisions promised from Chili had not 
 arrived, and sickness broke out on board the fleet. The admiral 
 continued to watch the port for some weeks, despatching an 
 expedition which captured the town of Pisco, and obtaining the 
 much-needed provisions. On the 2ist of November the sick 
 were sent off to Valparaiso in charge of the San Martin, the 
 Independencia, and the Araucano, while with the remainder of 
 the fleet Lord Cochrane sailed to the mouth of the river Guay- 
 aquil, where he captured two large Spanish vessels, mounting 
 together thirty -six guns and laden with timber. After a delay 
 of a fortnight, occasioned by a mutiny attempted by Captains 
 Guise and Spry, he sent one of his ships with the prizes to 
 Valparaiso, left two others to watch the Peruvian coast, and 
 started alone in his flag -ship with the intention of under- 
 taking the capture of Valdivia; for at that time the southern 
 portion of what is now Chili remained in the hands of the 
 Spaniards. 
 
 Valdivia was a very strongly fortified place, and was re- 
 garded as impregnable by the Spaniards ; and it was from 
 this port that they directed their attacks upon Chili from the 
 south, just as they did on the north from Callao. To reach 
 it he therefore had to sail south from the Guayaquil along the 
 coast of Peru and then past that of Chili. On approaching 
 the fortress he hoisted Spanish colours and made a signal for a 
 pilot. The Spaniards, having no idea that there was a Chilian 
 war -ship on that coast, at once sent one off, together with an 
 officer and four men. These were promptly made prisoners. 
 The pilot was ordered to take the ship through the channels 
 leading to the port, and much information was obtained from 
 the other prisoners as to the fortifications of the place. As 
 they sailed up the channel, the idea that the stranger was an
 
 250 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 enemy occurred to the commander of the fortress, and the 
 non-return of the boat with the officer confirming this sus- 
 picion, a heavy fire was opened upon the O' Higgtns ; she did 
 not reply, but continued her work of investigating the chan- 
 nel, and then withdrew out of range. 
 
 Two days were spent in further reconnaissances of the 
 approaches, and on the third day a brig was captured entering 
 the port. She carried some important despatches, and twenty 
 thousand dollars for the payment of the troops. Having 
 ascertained the nature of the difficulties to be encountered, 
 Lord Cochrane sailed away to Concepcion, two hundred miles 
 distant, and obtained from the Chilian governor a force of two 
 hundred and fifty soldiers under Major Beauchef, a French 
 officer in their service. He there found a Chilian schooner, 
 which he attached to his service, and a Brazilian brig, which 
 volunteered its aid ; with them he sailed for Valdivia. On 
 the night of the 29th they were off the island of Quiriquina. 
 Owing to the incompetence of his officers the admiral had 
 been obliged to personally superintend everything that was 
 done on board, and when the ship was becalmed lay down for 
 a few minutes' sleep, leaving orders that he was to be called 
 at once if a breeze sprung up. A breeze did spring up ; the 
 officer of the watch was asleep, and a sudden gust carried the 
 vessel on to a sharp rock, where she hung beating heavily. 
 
 They were then forty miles from the mainland, and the 
 brig and schooner were both out of sight. For a short time a 
 panic took place among the crew, and officers and men made 
 for the boats. The admiral, followed by Stephen, rushed on 
 deck, pistol in hand, and the former soon succeeded in calming 
 the panic, his authority among the men being unbounded. He 
 pointed out that the boats would carry but a hundred and 
 fifty men, and that there were six hundred on board, so that 
 were a rush to take place to the boats, they would assuredly
 
 PRIZE-MONEY 251 
 
 be overcrowded and perhaps sink, while, should any gain the 
 shore, the occupants would be made prisoners, and would 
 certainly be put to death by the Spaniards. Their only hope, 
 therefore, was to get the ship off. 
 
 On sounding the well it was found that there were five feet 
 of water in the hold. The pumps were out of order, the car- 
 penter utterly inefficient, and Lord Cochrane, taking off his 
 coat, himself set to work to repair them, ordering Stephen to 
 keep the men at work baling with buckets ; the captain being 
 under arrest for disobedience to orders, and the one other 
 lieutenant absolutely incompetent. When the pumps were got 
 to work it was found that they and the buckets sufficed to 
 prevent the water from rising, and preparations were at once 
 made to get the vessel off the rock. There was danger that 
 when this was done she might sink, but Lord Cochrane pointed 
 out that the leak was not likely to increase, and declared he 
 had no doubt that she would swim as far as Valdivia. The 
 anchors were got out astern, the crew set to heave on them, 
 and it was not long before she floated off. But it was found 
 that the water had entered the magazine, and that the whole 
 of the ammunition, except a little on deck and in the cartridge- 
 boxes of the soldiers, was rendered unserviceable. 
 
 This accident would, with a less determined commander, 
 have put an end to their enterprise ; but Lord Cochrane relied, 
 not upon the ship's guns but upon the men, and considered 
 that as these could not fire they would be obliged to trust to 
 their bayonets, and that the chances of success would not 
 therefore be diminished. In the morning they were joined 
 by the schooner and brig, and on approaching Valdivia as 
 many men as possible were transferred to the two small ves- 
 sels. The admiral went on board the schooner, and ordered 
 the O'Higgins to stand out to sea, as he intended she should 
 be used only in case of necessity. The channel leading up to
 
 252 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the town was three-quarters of a mile in width, and was com- 
 manded by six large forts on the western shore, two on the 
 eastern, and a very large fort on an island, with six minor 
 forts well situated for defence. The position was all but im- 
 pregnable, and, indeed, the surf was so heavy that it was im- 
 possible for a landing to be effected save at a spot close to 
 Fort Ingles. 
 
 Having made all his preparations, Lord Cochrane sailed on 
 to the port, and boldly entered the channel. The troops 
 were all sent below, while the two little vessels entered, and 
 anchored boldly off Fort Ingles. The swell was so heavy that 
 even the landing-place was unapproachable. The boats had 
 been towed on the lee side of the ships, and when shouted to 
 to send a boat ashore an answer was given that these had been 
 lost in a storm. The Spaniards, however, were not satisfied, 
 and alarm -guns were fired and troops brought up from the 
 other forts. No hostile steps were taken, however, until, some 
 time later, one of the boats drifted astern. The Spaniards 
 had no longer any doubt as to the nature of the two vessels, 
 and Fort Ingles at once opened fire upon them, the first shot 
 passing through the brig and killing two men. It became 
 necessary, therefore, to land at once, in spite of the surf. They 
 had but two launches and a gig altogether ; Lord Cochrane 
 took charge of the gig, while Major Miller, who commanded 
 the marines of the O* Higgins, embarked on board one of the 
 launches. 
 
 They got safely through the swell, and in spite of a heavy 
 fire from the Spanish troops effected a landing. They at once 
 rushed upon the Spaniards, who came down from the forts 
 to oppose them, and drove them back at the point of the 
 bayonet. The second boat quickly arrived from the brig, 
 both returning to the ships, and in less than an hour three 
 hundred men had landed. From the spot where they had
 
 A PRISONER 253 
 
 obtained a footing, the only approach to Fort Ingles was by a 
 precipitous path which could only be passed in single file. 
 The fort itself was only accessible by a ladder that had been 
 drawn up, as soon as the party driven back from the landing- 
 place had returned. An attack seemed well-nigh hopeless ; 
 but the Chilians' confidence in their leader was unbounded, 
 and none doubted but that success would attend their efforts. 
 It was already late in the afternoon when they landed, and 
 while waiting for darkness to cover the operations, they were 
 sheltered by the nature of the ground from the fire of the large 
 body of troops which had assembled in the fort. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 A PRISONER 
 
 AS soon as it was dark the admiral prepared for the attack. 
 From the prisoners he had learned all details as to the 
 fort, and found that while almost impregnable from the river 
 face, the flank of the fort was defended chiefly by a strong 
 palisading. He detached a small party of marines, under 
 Ensign Vidal, to endeavour to enter at that point. Another 
 party then silently moved forward to the direct attack of the 
 fort, and as soon as it had taken up its position under the 
 wall, the main body advanced, cheering and firing. The 
 enemy at once opened a heavy fire of artillery and musketry, 
 but in the dark they were unable to take aim, and but little 
 damage was caused by their fire. The movement had the 
 result intended of occupying the whole attention of the eight 
 hundred men in the fort, and of drowning any noise that 
 might be made by those tearing down the palisades. 
 
 With great exertions Ensign Vidal succeeded in getting up
 
 254 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 a couple of the beams ; he and his men passed through the 
 opening, used the beams as a bridge across a wet ditch inside 
 the palisade, and then advanced noiselessly until near the 
 Spaniards, into whom they fired a volley. The Spaniards 
 were seized with a sudden panic at finding themselves thus 
 unexpectedly taken in flank, and instantly took to flight. The 
 moment the fire of the marines told the admiral that the flank 
 attack had succeeded, he led the main body round to the rear 
 of the fort. The Spaniards, as they poured out there, com- 
 municated their panic to a body of three hundred troops 
 drawn up behind in reserve, and the whole fled towards the 
 next fort, followed hotly by the Chilians, who bayoneted 
 numbers of them, and pressed so closely on their heels that 
 they entered the works, one after the other, with them, driv- 
 ing them from fort to fort, together with two hundred men 
 who had been placed with a battery of guns on rising ground 
 to sweep the rear of the forts. 
 
 The last of these, the castle of Coral, was stormed with 
 scarcely any opposition, the enemy thinking only of escape. 
 Numbers of them got away in boats to Valdivia, while the 
 rest plunged into the forests behind the forts. Little over a 
 hundred prisoners were taken, and a like number of men were 
 killed, their panic having been too great for anything like re- 
 sistance to be offered. On the Chilian side the loss was seven 
 men killed and nine wounded. The fall of all the western 
 forts practically entailed that of Valdivia, for while prepara- 
 tions were being made to attack the eastern forts, the O' Hig- 
 gins appeared off the mouth of the river, and the Spaniards, 
 seeing this reinforcement to their foes, at once abandoned the 
 remaining forts and the town, and retreated into the interior. 
 The booty taken by the Chilians included fifty tons of gun- 
 powder and ten thousand cannon - shot. One hundred and 
 seventy thousand musket cartridges, a large number of mus-
 
 A PRISONER 255 
 
 kets, and one hundred and twenty-eight cannon also fell into 
 the hands of the victors. A large ship with valuable stores, 
 together with a quantity of plate taken by the Spaniards from 
 Chilian churches, also were captured. 
 
 The value of the conquest was not, however, to be reckoned 
 by the amount of spoil taken. Its effect on the struggle was 
 enormous. It raised the spirits of the Chilians to the highest 
 pitch, whilst it brought home to the mind of the Spanish 
 government the hopelessness of continuing a struggle against 
 an enemy so well led, and capable of carrying out the most 
 desperate enterprises. 
 
 Although Lord Cochrane was received with unbounded 
 enthusiasm by the population at large on his return to Val- 
 paraiso, his success had excited the jealousy of the minister of 
 marine and other officials, and by them he was treated with 
 the grossest ingratitude. They even proposed to bring him 
 ^o court - martial for having exceeded his orders ; and al- 
 though the indignation the proposal excited compelled them 
 to abandon this, it was but to resort to other measures hostile 
 to him. 
 
 It was months before the fleet received their share of the 
 prize-money of the capture of Valdivia, in spite of the ad- 
 miral's earnest efforts on their behalf. His own share, which 
 was sixty-seven thousand dollars, he never received at all. He 
 failed altogether in his endeavour to obtain a fleet of sufficient 
 force to attempt the capture of Callao, and for many months 
 was kept in a state of inactivity. So irritating was the perse- 
 cution to which he was subjected, that on the i4th of May he 
 tendered his resignation. 
 
 The resignation was refused, but nothing was done. 
 O'Higgins, who was an honest man, was practically power- 
 less, as the entire government was in the hands of a senate of 
 five members, which assumed dictatorial powers, and without
 
 256 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 whose approval nothing whatever could be done. It was de* 
 termined, however, to raise an army for the liberation of 
 Peru ; and although Lord Cochrane had vainly asked the year 
 before for a small land force to capture Callao, an army was 
 now raised without difficulty by the dictators, and General 
 San Martin was placed in command. This man had rendered 
 good service to Chili when, in conjunction with O'Higgins, 
 he had led the movement of independence ; but his success 
 had turned his head. He was vain and arrogant, and at the 
 same time dilatory and vacillating. He, like the dictators, 
 was jealous of the success and popularity of Lord Cochrane, 
 and was bent upon thwarting him to the utmost. His army, 
 four thousand two hundred strong, was embarked at Valpa- 
 raiso in the ships of the squadron. Lord Cochrane proposed 
 to him to land at Chilka, the nearest point to Lima and 
 Callao. San Martin, however, chose Pisco, and the troops 
 were landed there on the i8th of September. For fifty days 
 they remained there doing nothing, the fleet being compelled 
 to remain inactive off the port. 
 
 On the 28th of October they were re-embarked. San Mar- 
 tin again refused to listen to Lord Cochrane's proposal for a 
 vigorous attack upon Callao and Lima, and requested to be 
 landed at Ancon, a port as unsuitable for the purpose as was 
 Pisco. Lord Cochrane, however, determined that the fleet, 
 furnished at such expense and effort by Chili, should not be 
 wholly wasted, and when he sent his ships in to anchor off the 
 port, he retained the O' Higgins, the Independencia, and the 
 Lautaro, with the professed intention of blockading Callao at 
 a distance. His real intention was, however, to cut out the 
 Esmcralda from under the guns of the forts, and also to carry 
 off another ship, on board which, as he had learned, a million 
 dollars were embarked. The Esmeralda was a forty-four gun 
 frigate, and was considered the finest Spanish war -ship in the
 
 A PRISONER 257 
 
 Pacific. She lay under the protection of three hundred guns 
 on shore, and a strong boom moored by chains at short inter- 
 vals ; while near her lay twenty-seven gun-boats and several 
 vessels that had been armed for the defence of the port. Only 
 two or three of his officers knew of his intentions until a few 
 hours before his intended attack, when he issued a proclama- 
 tion to the seamen and marines, telling them that they had 
 now an opportunity for dealing the enemy a mortal blow, and 
 repeating the triumph of Valdivia. 
 
 Volunteers were asked for, and the whole of the sailors and 
 marines from the three ships offered to follow Lord Cochrane 
 wherever he might lead them. This was a much larger force 
 than he required, and one hundred and eighty sailors and 
 eighty marines were chosen for the work. This force was 
 gradually transferred to the flag -ship, and the other two vessels 
 sailed out of the bay just before darkness came on, as if in 
 chase of some ship they had sighted a ruse well calculated 
 to lull the Spaniards into security. The men intended for 
 the service then took their places in fourteen boats that lay 
 hidden behind the flag-ship. All were dressed in white, with 
 a blue band on the left arm, in order that they might distin- 
 guish each other in the dark. At ten o'clock the boats 
 pushed off in two directions, commanded respectively by 
 Captain Crosby and Captain Guise, while the admiral led the 
 way in his launch. It was just twelve o'clock when the boats 
 arrived at a small opening in the boom. The oars had been 
 muffled, and so perfectly had silence been observed, that the 
 admiral's launch ran against a guard-boat lying at the entrance, 
 without its approach having been observed by the Spaniards. 
 There was a hasty challenge by the startled officer in com- 
 mand, to which the admiral himself replied by threatening 
 the occupants of the boat with instant death if they gave the 
 slightest alarm.
 
 258 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 The threat, and the appearance of the boats dashing in 
 through the opening, had its effect. No word was spoken by 
 the Spaniards, and in a few minutes the flotilla of vessels 
 rowed down in line upon the frigate, and boarded her at a 
 dozen points simultaneously. The Chilians had been ordered 
 not to use their pistols, but to rely wholly on their cutlasses. 
 The sentries on the frigate shouted the alarm, and the Span- 
 iards, snatching up their arms, rushed up from below. Many 
 were cut down at once by the Chilians, the rest retreated to 
 the forecastle and made a gallant stand, and it was not until 
 the Chilians had made three charges upon them that they gave 
 way, some leaping overboard, and others running below. The 
 Spanish marines gathered on the quarter-deck, and they too 
 fought with great bravery. Not one among them asked for 
 quarter or sought safety in flight, but continued the struggle 
 until the last man fell. 
 
 The admiral himself had been very unfortunate. He had 
 swung himself up into the main-chains the moment his boat 
 touched the frigate, and was about to leap upon the deck of 
 the Esmeralda when he was struck on the head by a Spanish 
 sentry with his clubbed musket and fell back into the boat. 
 He fell upon one of the rowlocks, which entered his back near 
 the spine, inflicting a very severe injury, from whose effects he 
 suffered for several years after. In spite of the agony caused 
 by the wound he again clambered up on to the deck, and was 
 almost immediately shot through the thigh. He bound a 
 handkerchief tightly round it, and managed to direct the 
 operations until the capture was complete. The affair occu- 
 pied but a quarter of an hour, the Chilian loss being eleven 
 killed and thirty wounded, while a hundred and sixty of the 
 Spaniards fell. While this was going on, the garrison of the 
 forts, awakened by the uproar, ran to their guns and opened 
 fire on the Esmeralda, several of the Spaniards, among them
 
 A PRISONER 259 
 
 their captain, and two or three of the Chilians, being killed 
 or wounded by their shot. 
 
 It happened that in the harbour at the time were two neutral 
 frigates one British, the other an American. It had been 
 arranged between them and the Spanish authorities that in the 
 event of a night attack they were to show lights in a particu- 
 lar position, so that they might not be fired upon. This they 
 did, but by the admiral's orders similar lights were at once 
 hoisted on board the Esmeralda, thus causing much confusion 
 among the Spaniards. Both the neutral frigates were hit sev- 
 eral times, while but few shots struck the Esmeralda. Lord 
 Cochrane was now forced by his wounds to leave it to Captain 
 Guise, the next senior officer, to carry out the orders that he 
 had previously given, namely, that the brig with the bullion 
 on board was first to be captured, then that every ship was to 
 be attacked and cut adrift. The success of these operations 
 was certain, as the Spaniards, directly they saw the Esmeralda 
 captured, had taken to their boats and made for shore, and 
 the whole of the Spanish vessels might have been either burnt 
 or captured. Captain Guise had all along thwarted the ad- 
 miral's plans to the utmost of his power, had fomented sev- 
 eral mutinies, and should have been tried and shot long before. 
 He now, instead of carrying out the orders, cut the Esmeral- 
 dd 1 s cables, hoisted her sails, and steered through the opening 
 in the boom. 
 
 Although marred by the treachery, or at any rate gross 
 misconduct of Cochrane's subordinates, the capture of the 
 Esmeralda exercised almost as great an influence on the 
 fortunes of the struggle as did that of Valdivia. It was a 
 death-blow to the Spanish naval force in the Pacific; for 
 although they had still two frigates and some smaller craft 
 in those waters, they never afterwards ventured to put to 
 sea, of which the Chilians now became absolute masters.
 
 260 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 The action, in fact, ensured the success of the Chilian effort 
 to free Peru. 
 
 San Martin now requested Lord Cochrane to re-embark the 
 army once more, and carry it to Huacha. This was done, and 
 there San Martin remained without doing any more than he 
 had done at the two other ports. After having landed him 
 the fleet returned to Callao, where they used every effort to 
 tempt the Spanish war-ships to venture out, but without suc- 
 cess. The effect, however, of these operations showed itself 
 in other ways. On the 3rd of December six hundred and fifty 
 Peruvian soldiers deserted from the Spanish service, and two 
 days later forty officers followed them, and from that time 
 defections took place almost daily. 
 
 San Martin now made no secret of his intention to assume 
 the dictatorship of Peru. He had for so many months kept 
 his army inactive, in order that he might in time be able to 
 enforce his authority. What he would not do, however, was 
 accomplished by Lord Cochrane. Weary of the long delay he 
 offered in the following March to capture Lima if two thous- 
 and soldiers were assigned to him. This offer was refused, 
 but after some time he obtained a force of six hundred. With 
 these he effected a landing at port after port along the coast, 
 and so harassed the Spaniards that, on the 6th of July, Lima 
 capitulated and Peru was free. San Martin at once pro- 
 claimed himself protector of Peru, and appointed two of his 
 creatures as chief ministers. Lord Cochrane in vain attempted 
 to obtain from him payment for the sailors of the fleet, who 
 had been very many months without receiving a penny. 
 
 San Martin insolently replied that he would pay nothing 
 whatever to Chili, but that he would make Lord Cochrane a 
 Peruvian admiral if he would leave the service of Chili for 
 that of Peru. Lord Cochrane knew that Chili would decline 
 to pay for work that had been done to make Peru, like itself,
 
 A PRISONER 2G1 
 
 free and independent, since it was now as prostrate at the feet 
 of San Martin as it had been at those of the Spaniards. The 
 army it had raised had betrayed it and taken service under San 
 Martin, as had the two mutinous scoundrels, Captains Guise 
 and Spry. Lord Cochrane, therefore, determined to take by 
 force the money due to the fleet. At Ancon there was a large 
 amount of treasure seized from the Spaniards. It had been 
 deposited by San Martin there, and in the middle of September 
 the admiral landed, and took possession of it without opposi- 
 tion. Of the two hundred and eighty-five thousand dollars 
 found there, he paid a year's arrears to every officer and man 
 in the fleet, taking nothing, however, for himself, and reserv- 
 ing the small surplus for the pressing wants and equipments of 
 the fleet. 
 
 In June, 1822, Lord Cochrane returned to Valparaiso, 
 from which he had been absent twenty months. He was 
 received with a popular ovation ; but his enemies were still 
 at work, and struck at him in the matter upon which he was 
 most sensitive, by refusing any payment whatever to his of- 
 ficers and men, many of whom almost died of starvation. 
 
 In October a revolution broke out in Chili, and such in- 
 dignities were heaped upon the admiral himself that upon the 
 1 2th of the month he formally resigned his commission, and 
 in January, 1823, quitted Valparaiso in a vessel chartered by 
 himself, taking with him several European officers and gentle- 
 men, who, like himself, were tired of Chilian ingratitude, and 
 were ready to follow him in whatever service he engaged. 
 
 Stephen had taken no part in the later operations of the 
 fleet. After the capture of the Esmeralda he had been 
 knocked down and very severely injured by a splinter, caused 
 by a shot from the Spanish batteries passing through the bul- 
 wark close to where he was standing. Lord Cochrane had 
 sent him, with other wounded, in one of the small war -ships
 
 262 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 down to Valparaiso, and there he was tenderly nursed by 
 Lady Cochrane. It was three months before he fairly re- 
 covered his strength, and as soon as he was convalescent he 
 took a berth in a craft that was sailing with stores and pro- 
 visions for the fleet. They had been out four days when she 
 was caught in a storm on-shore. In vain they tried to beat 
 out ; the vessel was a poor sailer, and drifted to leeward faster 
 than she could work to windward. 
 
 ' ' What sort of ground tackle have you ? ' ' Stephen asked 
 the captain. 
 
 " I have two good anchors, senor lieutenant, but the cables 
 are rather old." 
 
 ' ' I should advise you to have them brought up on deck and 
 overhauled, and if you find any specially bad places we can 
 cut them out and splice the ends again." 
 
 The cables were brought up, but it needed a very short 
 examination only to show Stephen that they were old and 
 worn from end to end. " It will go hard with us if we have 
 to rely upon these," he said. " They would not hold a bluff- 
 bowed craft like this two minutes ; the very first roller that 
 struck her would snap them like pack-threads. The worst of 
 it is, captain, that if we escape being drowned we have but the 
 inside of a prison to look to, for we are off the Peruvian 
 coast now, and any of us who get to shore will be seized at 
 once. ' ' 
 
 " With such a sea as this, senor, there is little chance of 
 any of us being saved if we once strike. We are now some- 
 where off the mouth of the San Carlos river. In calm weather 
 there would be water enough on the bar for us to run in, but 
 not now ; we should strike and go to pieces to a certainty." 
 
 " Well, that would depend ; we might bump over it. But 
 even if we did break up on the bar, we should have a much 
 better chance than we should if we went ashore anywhere
 
 A PRISONER 263 
 
 else. Instead of being dashed on the beach by the waves, 
 and then being swept out again, we should be likely to be 
 carried on into the still water behind the bar, and so of making 
 our way to shore. There are eight of the crew and ourselves. 
 You had better get up ten small casks those wine barrels 
 would do very well let the liquor run off, then bung them 
 up again, and fasten life-lines round them ; with their help we 
 should have a fair chance. ' ' 
 
 "It is worth trying at any rate," the captain agreed. 
 "The surf on the bar will be tremendous, but if we could 
 stick to the casks we might get through it." 
 
 " Do you think that you are north or south of it now, 
 captain ? ' ' 
 
 " North, perhaps two or three miles." 
 
 " Well, we will go on fighting as long as we can, captain ; 
 it is of no use throwing away a chance, and the wind may 
 possibly drop or shift so as to enable us to make off shore ; 
 but if we do not see the land before three o'clock I would 
 turn and run in towards it, and then when we get near enough 
 to see objects plainer, head for the south until you see the 
 entrance. When you do we will go straight for it. It is 
 better at any rate to do it while there is daylight to help us." 
 
 The barrels were got up and prepared to serve as life-buoys. 
 They had just finished when Stephen made his way a short 
 distance up the rigging. " I can see the line of surf, captain ; 
 it is not more than three miles away. You had better take 
 a look at it you may be able to tell where we are. I think 
 I can make out a place of some size a short distance along." 
 
 The captain joined him. " Just as I thought," he said ; 
 " that is San Carlos, and the mouth of the river is about a 
 mile beyond it." 
 
 "Then you may as well bear away for it at once the 
 sooner we get it over the better."
 
 264 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 "Make your casks fast to something, men," the captain 
 ordered, as he stepped on deck. " The surf will get higher as 
 we get inshore, and will, I have no doubt, sweep our decks. 
 When the time comes let each man go to his barrel with his 
 knife in his hand ready to cut the lashings just before we 
 strike." 
 
 In half an hour the captain made out the entrance to the 
 river and headed the ship for it. 
 
 " There is a heavy sea indeed on the bar," Stephen said as 
 they neared the line of breakers. " You see, I have changed 
 my togs since the gale began, for I saw that unless the wind 
 changed we should find ourselves in difficulties. We have 
 not much mercy to expect as Chilian sailors. I should have 
 none if it were known that I am a naval officer. Will you 
 tell the men that if we get ashore and I too am saved, they 
 had best hold their tongue about my rank. In the first place 
 it would do me harm, and in the next it would damage you 
 all were it known you had one of Cochrane's officers on board, 
 for it would show at once that you were on your way to our 
 fleet ; whereas if it is supposed that you are merely an ordi- 
 nary coaster you may be let off unharmed." 
 
 " There is not much chance for us either way," the captain 
 said. "If we fall into the hands of the Spaniards they will 
 probably hang us at once, while the country people may cut 
 our throats so as to save themselves the trouble of handing us 
 over to the Spaniards. We are no more than a hundred miles 
 from the frontier, and if we do get to shore our best chance 
 will be to try and make our way down the coast, travelling at 
 night and lying up in the daytime. But anyhow I will tell 
 the men what you say. ' ' 
 
 " Get all the sail upon her you can, captain the faster she 
 is travelling the more chance she has of getting over the bar. ' ' 
 
 " I will shake out the mainsail," the captain said. " Then
 
 A PRISONER 265 
 
 all hands had better gather aft the masts are sure to fall over 
 her bows as soon as she strikes. ' ' 
 
 In a few minutes the ship was nearing the breakers at a 
 high rate of speed. The men were all gathered aft, each with 
 his barrel. Stephen held his breath as they mounted the last 
 great wave outside the surf. Borne along by the great wind 
 and the impetus of the waves, the vessel plunged head-fore- 
 most into the surf, which poured in cataracts on to her deck. 
 There was a slight shock, which caused the vessel to tremble, 
 but she was swept along by the fury of the surf. Another 
 wave lifted her high into the air, and as it passed from under 
 her she struck again. This time the shock was tremendous. 
 Every man was thrown off his feet, the masts went over with 
 a crash, and most of the hands were swept overboard by the 
 torrent that poured in over the stern. Stephen had grasped 
 one of the back-stays, and though it seemed to him for a mo- 
 ment that his arms were being pulled from their sockets, he 
 still maintained his grasp. Another and even greater sea than 
 those that had preceded it thundered down upon them. There 
 was a forward move and then another crash, and Stephen felt 
 himself floating in the water, holding on to the keg. Glanc- 
 ing round he saw that the ship had gone altogether. She had 
 broken up completely, and the sea was covered with floating 
 timbers. 
 
 The danger from this was greater than from the waves, and 
 he let go his hold of the barrel and dived, swimming under 
 water at right angles to the run of the waves as long as he 
 could hold his breath. When he came up he looked round. 
 He was beyond the wreckage, and was also inside the line of 
 surf. Had the wave carried the ship her own length farther 
 she would have been out of danger. The river bank was but 
 a couple of hundreds yards away. The water was still rough, 
 but it was a long heavy swell rather than a stormy sea, and
 
 266 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Stephen, who had kicked off his shoes before the ship struck, 
 at once swam for the shore, and was not long in reaching 
 it. After resting for a minute or two he walked along the 
 bank, and soon made out four barrels that had men still cling- 
 ing to them. Gradually, too, these made their way ashore ; 
 the swimmers were all men who had been carried away by 
 the first wave that had swept over the boat. Of the others 
 he could see no signs. He thought he could make out two 
 or three barrels in the middle of the wreckage, but of this he 
 was not sure, and had little doubt that those who were with 
 him at the time the ship went to pieces had all been killed by 
 the floating timber. 
 
 " Now, men," he said, when the four survivors had joined 
 him, ' ' shall we keep together or try to make our way sepa- 
 rately?" 
 
 The men consulted together, and then said that they thought 
 they would have more chance of making their way south were 
 they to separate. Stephen was glad of this decision, which 
 he had no doubt was arrived at from the fear that if they were 
 taken, and he was recognized to be an Englishman, it would 
 make their treatment worse than it would otherwise be. He 
 himself much preferred to go alone ; he had no authority over 
 these men, and five men together were more likely to attract 
 attention than one alone. Looking across the river they saw 
 a number of people on the opposite bank. They were evi- 
 dently inhabitants of the town, who, having seen the ship 
 running for shore, had come down to watch her fate, and to 
 give any assistance in their power. Stephen saw that they 
 were waving their hands for them to make up the bank, where 
 there might be a ferry-boat to take them over. He pointed 
 this out to the men, and said, " I am afraid we shall be pur- 
 sued ere long. Of course, at present they take us for their 
 own people ; but when they see that we do not cross, they
 
 A PRISONER 267 
 
 will suspect the truth, and will send over to see whether 
 we have taken shelter in some village there may be on this 
 side. When they hear that we have not done so, they 
 will guess that we are Chilians, and there will be a hot 
 pursuit for us. We will walk together for a little way along 
 the bank as if going in the direction that they point to. 
 They are not likely to stay long where they are ; some will 
 go back to the town now that there is nothing to see, 
 others will no doubt remain on the bank to collect wreck- 
 age that may he washed ashore, a few may go on to the 
 ferry and wait there for us. If there are any boats in the 
 river you may be sure they will soon put out to collect float- 
 ing casks and bales." 
 
 The little crowd was indeed just beginning to break up, 
 and after going a short distance Stephen and his companions 
 left the river and started south. After going two or three 
 hundred yards they shook hands and separated, the sailors 
 striking more inland, while Stephen took for the present a 
 course that ran parallel with the sea - coast. It was already 
 growing dark, and Stephen was worn out with the excite- 
 ment of the day, so that after going on for an hour, he lay 
 down in a clump of trees and went to sleep. It was broad 
 daylight when he awoke, and on walking to the edge of the 
 trees he saw a village a few hundred yards in front of him. 
 He made a long detour to pass it, and was proceeding along 
 a well-beaten path when he heard the sound of horses' hoofs 
 behind, and looking round saw four Spanish troopers riding 
 towards him. Escape was out of the question, and he walked 
 quietly on in the faint hope that they might pass without 
 stopping him. This, however, was improbable ; his hair was 
 matted with sea water, his clothes still wet his whole appear- 
 ance too evidently that of a shipwrecked man. They stopped 
 when they reached him.
 
 268 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " You are one of the men who were cast ashore last 
 night ? " a sergeant said. 
 
 " I am," Stephen replied frankly. 
 
 " My orders are to take you back to San Carlos. Where 
 are your companions ? " 
 
 " I do not know," Stephen replied. "We separated at 
 once; I went my way and they went theirs." 
 
 " You are a Chilian," the man said; " anyone can tell it 
 by your speech." 
 
 Stephen by this time spoke the language so fluently indeed 
 that he could have passed as a native. There was, however, 
 sufficient difference between the dialects of Peru and Chili 
 for it to be seen at once that he was not a Peruvian. He 
 did not reply directly to the question. 
 
 " We were on a trader," he said. " The captain and four 
 of the men were lost ; five of us gained the shore. We were 
 not on an armed ship, and cannot be considered enemies." 
 
 " The whole race of you are enemies," the sergeant said. 
 " You are rebels and traitors every one of you. Gomez, do 
 you and Martinez take this man back to San Carlos, and 
 hand him over to the governor. I will ride on with Sancho 
 and see if we can come up with the other fellows ; as there 
 are half a dozen parties out in search we are pretty sure to lay 
 hands on them before nightfall. ' ' 
 
 On the way back Stephen, as he walked between the two 
 horsemen, debated whether it would be better to allow them 
 to remain under the impression that he was a Chilian, or de- 
 clare himself an English officer. In the former case he would 
 most likely be shot without ceremony, in the latter he might 
 probably be sent up to Callao or Lima. It might make no 
 difference in his fate, but at least might delay it ; and if he 
 could but manage to communicate his position to Lord Coch- 
 rane, the latter would certainly take instant steps to offer one
 
 STEPHEN IS BOUND AND BROUGHT BEFORE THE GOVERNOR OF 
 SAN CARLOS.
 
 A PRISONER 269 
 
 or more of the many Spanish officers who were prisoners in 
 his hands in exchange for him, or would threaten that if any 
 harm came to him he would give no quarter to Spanish 
 officers in future. At any rate the latter seemed to promise 
 him the better chance, and accordingly when on his arrival 
 at San Carlos he was taken before the governor, he replied 
 boldly to the question, " Who are you?" 
 
 " I am Lieutenant Stephen Embleton, flag officer to Ad- 
 miral Cochrane." 
 
 The words created a sensation among the officers standing 
 behind the governor. 
 
 " You dare to say this ! " the governor exclaimed furiously. 
 
 "I am giving a simple answer to your question, senor," 
 Stephen said quietly. " When we ask the Spanish officers 
 who fall into our hands what their names are, they reply as I 
 have done, truthfully, and they are treated as I expect to be 
 treated, honourably ; especially as I have not been captured 
 by you when in arms, but have simply had the misfortune to 
 be shipwrecked on your coast." 
 
 The quiet tone of the reply had its effect. The officers 
 spoke a few words together in a low tone, and the governor 
 said more calmly than he had before spoken : 
 
 " How am I to know that this story is true ? " 
 
 " I have no means of proving it now," Stephen replied ; 
 " but if I am taken to Callao, a message sent to Lord Coch- 
 rane under a flag of truce would speedily bring back a letter 
 verifying my story." 
 
 " But how did you come to be on board that craft that was 
 wrecked ? ' ' 
 
 " I was wounded, senor, at the action in the port of Callao. 
 A splinter caused by a shot from one of your batteries struck 
 me when on the deck of the Esmeralda. I was sent down to 
 Valparaiso. Your surgeon can examine me and will find that
 
 270 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the wound has but lately healed. Being anxious to rejoin my 
 ship as soon as possible, I did not wait for a ship of war going 
 up, but took passage in a Chilian trader." 
 
 " Doubtless conveying stores to the Chilian fleet," the gov- 
 ernor remarked. 
 
 " She may have had stores of that kind on board," Stephen 
 said, " but that was no affair of mine. I simply took a pas- 
 sage in her, and paid for it. The admiral is expecting me, 
 and will, I am sure, be ready to exchange an officer of su- 
 perior rank for me." 
 
 By the governor's orders Stephen was now taken into 
 another room. In a quarter of an hour he was brought back 
 again. The governor had left the room, but a Spanish col- 
 onel said to him : 
 
 " It has been decided to send you to Callao, where, no 
 doubt, inquiries will be made into the truth of your story, 
 and his excellency the Viceroy will himself decide upon your 
 fate." 
 
 Stephen bowed. 
 
 " I can have no doubt, sefior, that his excellency will treat 
 me with the same courtesy with which some score of Spanish 
 officers are at present treated by Lord Cochrane ; especially 
 as he will know that were I which I cannot for a moment 
 believe badly treated, it is in the power of our admiral to 
 carry out wholesale reprisals. ' ' 
 
 The colonel made no reply, but ordered the guards to re- 
 move the prisoner. An hour later a young Spanish officer 
 entered. 
 
 "I have been ordered to accompany you to Callao," he 
 said courteously. " I take four men with me, and I am told 
 that I am to be responsible for your safety. It would be 
 painful indeed for me to have to take any stringent measures 
 to prevent you from escaping on the road, and if you will
 
 A PRISONER 271 
 
 give me your parole not to attempt evasion it will be far more 
 pleasant for us both." 
 
 " If you will give me a little time to think it over," 
 Stephen replied, " I will give you an answer. It is too serious 
 a matter for me to decide at once. However, whether I ac- 
 cept or refuse I thank you greatly for your courtesy in making 
 me the offer." 
 
 "We shall start in an hour's time," the Spaniard said. 
 "A meal, of which you are doubtless much in need, will be 
 brought to you at once, and when 'you have concluded it I 
 will return for your reply." 
 
 He then left the room, and in two or three minutes a sol- 
 dier entered with a substantial meal. As he ate it Stephen 
 thought the matter over. It did not seem to him that with 
 four soldiers and an officer watching him he could have much 
 chance of making his escape, and, even did he succeed in 
 doing so, he would almost certainly be retaken, as he could 
 have but a short start, and his dress and Chilian speech would 
 attract instant attention. If overtaken he might be shot at 
 once, and he therefore decided that his chances would be 
 better as a prisoner at Callao than as a fugitive in a hostile 
 country. Accordingly when the officer returned he at once 
 gave him his parole not to attempt to escape upon the journey. 
 
 " I am very glad that you have so decided," the Spaniard 
 said. " I will send you at once a suit of clothes to ride in. 
 Your attire would at once attract attention and might lead to 
 unpleasantness. We have a long journey before us, and may 
 as well make it as agreeable as we can under the circum- 
 stances. ' ' 
 
 Stephen thanked him heartily for the offer, which he gladly 
 accepted, for he felt ashamed of his appearance in his rough 
 clothes, now shrunk and water-stained. The servant who 
 brought the suit of clothes brought also a large basin of water,
 
 272 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 soap, and a towel, and Stephen was therefore able to make his 
 toilet in comfort. The suit was an undress uniform white 
 breeches, jacket of the same material, with white braid, a pair 
 of high riding-boots, and a broad-brimmed hat. As soon as 
 he dressed himself, his guard conducted him downstairs. The 
 officer and the four troopers were already mounted, and a 
 horse stood ready for Stephen. Without a word he mounted, 
 the officer took his place beside him, and the troopers falling 
 in behind, he rode out through the gate. 
 
 " I thank you heartily for your thoughtfulness in providing 
 me with the means of making myself respectable." 
 
 " You certainly look better," the young officer said. " Now 
 permit me to introduce myself. My name is Filippo Con- 
 chas ; my uncle is the governor here, and it is to that I owe 
 the pleasure of this excursion with you." 
 
 " I should not have thought that a ride of five or six hun- 
 dred miles was a pleasure, Don Filippo. ' ' 
 
 "Oh, yes, it is, when one can go one's own pace, and 
 travel only in the morning and evening. Moreover, one gets 
 terribly tired of a small provincial town, especially in times 
 like these, when things are not going quite so pleasantly as 
 one might wish, and one knows that half the inhabitants are 
 bitterly hostile to one. Besides, sefior, I have an attraction 
 at Callao, and in fact am betrothed to a fair cousin, the 
 daughter of another uncle who is the chief naval authority at 
 the port. My uncle, that is the one here, is a strict disciplin- 
 arian, and as all leave is stopped owing to the doings of your 
 admiral's ships, I am kept here ; so, of course, directly I 
 heard that you were to be sent to Callao I applied to him to 
 appoint me to command the escort, and as I was the first 
 applicant he had no excuse for refusing, although he was not 
 in the most pleasant of humours. However, that I did not 
 care about as long as I got my leave. He has gone down to
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 273 
 
 the river with several of his officers to inspect the goods, of 
 which a large quantity has been cast ashore. If he had been 
 here I should not have ventured to effect this transformation 
 in your appearance until to-morrow. Are you a good rider, 
 senor ? ' ' 
 
 "No, indeed," Stephen replied, "I have had no oppor- 
 tunities for practice." 
 
 "It does not matter much," Don Filippo said; "I dare- 
 say you will be a good rider at the end of our journey, and 
 your not being so at present will afford me an excuse for not 
 making fatiguing journeys; so all is for the best, you see." 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 
 
 DON FILIPPO did all in his power to make the journey a 
 pleasant one for Stephen. They travelled on an average 
 about twenty-four miles a day, twelve in the morning soon 
 after sunrise, and as much in the cool of the evening. During 
 the heat of the day they halted, sometimes in the shade of a 
 grove, sometimes at the hacienda where they breakfasted. 
 The young officer chatted freely to Stephen about himself and 
 his life, and as they lay in the shade during the long hours of 
 the heat, Stephen related his own adventures on his first 
 cruise, and in reply to questions of the Spaniard, repeated to 
 him what he had heard from his father of Cochrane's exploits. 
 Don Filippo treated him in every way as a friend and an 
 equal, and no one who saw them together would have dreamt 
 that he was a prisoner. Even at night no guard was placed 
 at the door of his chamber, the Spaniard having absolute faith
 
 274 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 in the honour of an English officer. The journey occupied 
 nearly three weeks, by the end of which time Stephen was 
 perfectly at home on horseback. As they approached Callao 
 Don Filippo's gaiety deserted him. 
 
 "I do not conceal from you, Don Estevan, that I am 
 anxious about you, very anxious. You can hardly under- 
 stand the deep and bitter hostility that has been excited in 
 the minds of my countrymen by the doings of your admiral. 
 Our hold on Peru when you arrived here was absolute, and it 
 was morally certain that, with the aid of the ships and 
 men on their way out, we should have very soon recaptured 
 Chili again. All that has changed. Our armies have been 
 defeated, our ships captured by inferior forces, our prestige 
 destroyed ; we find ourselves insulted in our ports, our ships 
 cut out from under our guns, the Peruvians ready at any 
 moment to revolt, our flag almost swept from the Pacific, and 
 with every prospect that the broad dominions won for Spain 
 by Pizarro and Cortez will be wrested from us. You can 
 hardly imagine the wrath and humiliation of every Spaniard 
 at the misfortunes that have fallen upon us, the more so that 
 these misfortunes have been inflicted by a naval force that we 
 deemed absolutely contemptible. 
 
 " All this is due to Admiral Cochrane and his English offi- 
 cers. In the next place, in addition to the political hate 
 there is the religious one. It is by heretics that we have been 
 defeated, as we were defeated centuries ago by your people 
 and the Dutch. You know how great is the power that the 
 priests wield. We have still the Inquisition among us, and 
 though its power in Spain is comparatively slight, the institu- 
 tion still flourishes on this side of the Atlantic. All this 
 makes me anxious for you. No doubt your admiral would 
 exchange some of his prisoners for you, or might, did he learn 
 it, retaliate upon them for any ill-treatment dealt to you, but
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 275 
 
 you see he may never get to know in time. He may hear 
 that the ship in which you sailed was lost, but he may sup- 
 pose that all hands were lost with it, for the four Chilian sail- 
 ors were captured an hour or two after you were, and were at 
 once shot. I am sorry now that I undertook this journey. 
 We have been friends and comrades since we started, and I 
 cannot bear the thought that any evil should befall you. You 
 have an absolute right to good treatment, for your admiral 
 has always treated his prisoners with the greatest kindness and 
 consideration, but I regret to say that in the present state of 
 the feelings of the Spaniards I am not certain that such treat- 
 ment will be meted out to you." 
 
 " We must hope for the best, Don Filippo," Stephen re- 
 plied. " I do not blind myself to the fact that my position 
 is not free from danger, but I confide in the honour of your 
 countrymen." 
 
 " Unhappily," the young officer said gloomily, " the ideas 
 of honour on this side of the Atlantic differ materially from 
 those in the old country. It has been so ever since we set 
 foot in this country. Acts of treachery have been performed 
 by men who at home would shrink from any deed that savoured 
 of dishonour ; and although even here one Spaniard would not 
 transgress the code towards another, there are too many who 
 feel no scruples whatever as to any course that they may pur- 
 sue towards one of another race and another religion." 
 
 Stephen nodded. 
 
 " I understand that, Don Filippo, and I own that, while I 
 have no great fear of ill-treatment on the part of the military 
 and civil authorities, I feel that should I fall into the hands of 
 the Inquisition my chance would be a slight one. From what 
 I have heard I know that its power is so great that even the 
 most powerful of the civil authorities have to give way to it. 
 Of course, being a British subject, they have no shadow of
 
 276 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 right to meddle with me, and if they do so and it becomes 
 known in England, it will be a very serious matter ; but my 
 fate might never be known, and even did it come to the 
 admiral's ears that I had been brought a prisoner here, any 
 application on his part might be met by a statement that I had 
 been shot while attempting to escape, or that I died of fever 
 in prison, and he would never be able to obtain any proof to 
 the contrary." 
 
 " I am but too well aware of it," the young Spaniard re- 
 plied. " Men are constantly missing not military men, but 
 merchants, land-owners, and others who have been known to 
 entertain liberal opinions. No one knows what has become of 
 them. No one dares to make inquiry. I tell you, senor, that 
 I, a Spaniard, acknowledge that the state of affairs here is 
 detestable, and I am not surprised at the efforts of the colonies 
 to break away from us. Even in the middle ages in Spain 
 priestly tyranny was never carried to a greater point than still 
 prevails here. We have been here for centuries, and what have 
 we done for the countries under our sway? So far from en- 
 riching, we have impoverished them. The great proportion 
 of the population are little more than slaves, and we are hated 
 as bitterly as Cortez was hated by the Mexicans when he over- 
 threw the empire of Montezuma. It is three years since I 
 came out here full of enthusiasm, and eager to bear a part in 
 putting down the rebellion of Chili. Now I feel that Chili 
 was more than justified, and that ere long we shall lose all the 
 possessions that the swords of our ancestors won for us, and 
 which were regarded with so much natural pride by Spaniards ; 
 and the worst of it is, that it is the outcome of our own work, 
 our own oppression and misgovernment. Were I to speak 
 like this in public, not even the influence of my two uncles could 
 save me. I too should disappear and be heard of no more. 
 I have been thinking, ' ' he went on after a few minutes' silence,
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 277 
 
 " for the last two or three days whether it would not be better 
 for me to give you back your parole and to suffer you to es- 
 cape. Of course I should be blamed, but the offence would 
 not be a tithe of the gravity of that of speaking as I have just 
 spoken to you. ' ' 
 
 " I would not think of such a thing, Don Filippo," Stephen 
 replied warmly. " I would not take my freedom at the cost 
 of involving in my trouble one who has behaved so kindly to 
 me. I have still a great hope that everything will turn out 
 well, and that I shall be exchanged for some officer in the 
 admiral's hands. He is sure to hear of my being at Callao, for 
 his last letter said that many deserters were coming in, and 
 from some of these he is likely to learn that I am a prisoner ; 
 and in that case he would not, I am sure, lose a day in send- 
 ing in a flag of truce with a request for my exchange, and 
 a notice that if this was refused he would quickly follow it by 
 retributive measures if any harm befell me. ' ' 
 
 The Spaniard did not reply. He felt sure that every pains 
 would be taken by the authorities to prevent the news of his 
 companion's capture becoming public ; and his uncle, on ap- 
 pointing him Stephen's escort, had laid strict injunctions on 
 him to say nothing of the matter on his arrival at Callao until 
 he had delivered his prisoner over to the authorities, and had 
 received permission from them to speak of it. On the follow- 
 ing day they entered the town. As they rode to the house of 
 the military governor no one paid any heed to their passage ; 
 it was but two young officers returning perhaps from Lima or 
 from some other station. On reaching the governor Filippo 
 went up alone to make his report, leaving Stephen in charge of 
 the soldiers. He was absent half an hour. 
 
 " I have said all I could for you," he said gloomily on his 
 return. "The governor is one of the old type, obstinate, 
 bigoted, and arrogant. I have not been all this time with
 
 278 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 him ; in fact only a few minutes. He dismissed all I had to 
 say with a wave of the hand : 
 
 " ' You will take the prisoner, Lieutenant Conchas, to the 
 military prison, and hand him over to the governor there. 
 Until you hear further you will maintain an absolute silence as 
 to his arrival here, and will simply state that you are here on 
 a short leave. ' 
 
 " I had nothing to do but to bow and retire, but if possible 
 I will send a message to your admiral that you are here. At 
 present, however, that is out of the question ; for while I was 
 waiting in the anteroom I learned that the blockading fleet 
 has sailed away, and that there is no news whatever as to the 
 direction which it has taken. It is very unfortunate, but you 
 may be assured that, as soon as it returns, I will somehow or 
 other communicate with the admiral." 
 
 Remounting they rode to the prison. They said good-bye to 
 each other before they reached its door, for, as Filippo said, 
 it would be better that he should part ceremoniously. 
 
 " We must not show any affection for each other," he said, 
 " or, should the English admiral learn that you are here, or 
 should you manage to make your escape, suspicion would at 
 once light upon me. Believe me, Don Estevan, I shall do all 
 in my power to aid you." 
 
 The parting inside was therefore brief. Don Filippo handed 
 Stephen over to the chief official of the prison, saying that 
 the orders of the governor were, that he was to be kept apart 
 from all other prisoners and allowed no communication with 
 anyone. 
 
 " Adieu, senor. I trust that you have had no cause to 
 complain of your treatment during your journey hither." 
 
 " None whatever," Stephen said gravely. " You have 
 treated me with the courtesy that an officer has a right to 
 expect at the hands of his captors."
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 279 
 
 The young Spaniard bowed, saluted the prison officer, and 
 left without another word. The governor struck a bell, and 
 on an assistant entering he gave Stephen into his charge. 
 " Place him in the end cell of the long corridor," he said. 
 " If it is occupied at present, remove whoever is there to 
 another cell. This prisoner is to hold no communication with 
 others, and an extra strict watch must be kept on him. He is 
 one of the heretic officers of the Chilian fleet, and will want 
 looking after closely. ' ' 
 
 The cell happened to be untenanted, and Stephen was at 
 once conducted there. It was apparently intended as a place 
 of confinement for officers who had fallen into disgrace. It 
 was some twelve feet square, and contained a table and a 
 chair. From the window, which was very closely barred, 
 a view of the bay could be obtained, and Stephen felt that his 
 quarters were better than he had expected. As soon as he was 
 alone he examined the apartment more closely. Looking 
 down as well as he could between the bars he could see the top 
 of a wall some twenty yards away, and decided that a court- 
 yard surrounded the building, so that even could he find any 
 means of descending from his window it would be necessary 
 afterwards for him to climb this wall. At present, however, 
 he had no idea of trying to escape. To do so would, were he 
 caught, greatly prejudice his case, and might be used as an ex- 
 cuse for his instant execution. However, he concluded that 
 if he could loosen the bars it would be as well to do so with- 
 out loss of time, as it might be necessary to make the attempt 
 at very short notice. 
 
 Upon examining the bars he found that they were so 
 strongly built into the wall that it would be a task demanding 
 a very long time to execute. Turning from this he examined 
 the door. The framework was massive, and he had noticed as 
 he had entered that it was fastened outside by two heavy iron
 
 280 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 bolts. "There is not much to be done that way," he said. 
 " Now I must wait to see how my meals are brought in. The 
 only possible way that I can think of is that of overpowering 
 the warder and getting out in his clothes. I don't suppose 
 that there is much order or discipline in a Spanish prison, and 
 if I could once get down into the yard after dark, I might walk 
 quietly out if there is a gate open, or climb that wall if there 
 isn't." 
 
 That evening his supper was brought in by the warder into 
 whose charge he had been given. He was accompanied by 
 another armed with sword and musket. 
 
 " Two of them," Stephen said to himself, as, after retiring 
 without having spoken a word, his guards closed and bolted 
 the door behind them. "I think I could manage them at 
 a pinch. It seems to me that an escape is possible, but the 
 question is what should I do with myself when I got out. 
 If the fleet had been still off the town I might have made 
 along the shore, stolen a boat, and rowed out ; but as it 
 has gone there is nothing to be done that way. A journey on 
 foot from here to the frontier and down through Chili would 
 be a tremendous affair. I should be pursued, and as it would 
 be guessed that I had gone that way, orders would be sent to 
 every town and village to look after me, and a man in the 
 dress of a Spanish officer on foot would be remarked by every 
 soul I met." 
 
 Three days passed without incident, but at dinner-time 
 on the fourth he thought that the warder, as he placed the 
 hunch of bread on the table, gave him a significant glance. 
 As soon as the door was closed he seized the bread and pulled 
 it to pieces. Inside was a tiny pellet of paper. He opened 
 and smoothed it out. In a female hand was written in tiny 
 characters : " The Inquisition has demanded you. You will be 
 handed over to - morrow. If it be possible, make an escape
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 281 
 
 to-night. If you can do so, turn to your right from the front of 
 the prison, take the second street on the left, and knock three 
 times on the fifth door on the right-hand side. A friend will be 
 awaiting you. If you cannot escape, hope still. We will try 
 other means. Destroy this when read. ' ' 
 
 Stephen read it through three or four times to be sure that 
 he had his instructions by heart, then he put the paper 
 into his mouth, chewed it up and swallowed it. 
 
 " It must be done when they bring in my supper," he said 
 to himself. "I know that I am the last to be served in 
 this corridor, for I can hear them stop at the door next to me 
 before they come here. That is an advantage, as they would 
 go straight down the corridor on leaving me. The first thing 
 is to tear up these two rugs into strips, and make ropes for 
 binding them. Of course I shall have to tackle the soldier 
 first. The warder has evidently been bribed and he will 
 make no resistance. When I have once overpowered the sol- 
 dier, I may get some hints from the other as to which is my 
 best way of getting put of this. Of course this is Filippo's 
 doing. What a good fellow he is to run such a risk ! There 
 is one thing, if I once get fairly out of the cell I will be killed 
 rather than be taken and handed over to the Inquisition." 
 
 Although he had not once been visited between meals, 
 he thought it prudent not to begin the work of making his 
 rope until the sun was getting low. When it did so he 
 tore up the blankets, twisted and knotted together the 
 strips, and then sat down to await the coming of the 
 jailers. He had already tried to wrench off one of the 
 legs of the table, but it was too heavy and strongly made 
 for him to succeed. He then thought of using the chair, 
 but he could not feel certain of stunning the soldier with 
 the first blow, and the latter might fire off his musket, or 
 shout so loudly as to give the alarm ; he therefore determined
 
 282 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 to trust to his hands alone. He knew that he was greatly 
 superior in strength to any of the little Spanish soldiers, 
 and that with the advantage of surprise he ought to be able to 
 succeed without noise. 
 
 About an hour after it became dark he heard the footsteps 
 come to the next cell, then he took his place close against the 
 wall by the side of his door and waited. 
 
 As the bolts were drawn back he took a deep breath. The 
 warder as usual came in first, followed closely by the armed 
 guard. As the latter entered, Stephen sprang upon him, and 
 his hands closed upon the man's throat with so fierce a 
 grip that the musket fell instantly from the fellow's hands. 
 Without losing his grasp in the slightest Stephen whirled 
 him round and threw him against the warder, whom the shock 
 brought to the ground, Stephen hurling the already almost 
 insensible soldier upon him. Seizing the musket he brought 
 the butt end down upon the soldier's head with a force amply 
 sufficient to stun him ; then he rolled him off the warder's 
 body and helped the latter to his feet. 
 
 " I was obliged to be rough with you," he said, " in order 
 that that fellow when he comes to his senses may confirm your 
 story that you were at once knocked down. Of course I 
 shall tie and gag you both." 
 
 " Yes, and before you go you had better give me a tap with 
 that musket. You need not hit me quite so hard as you 
 did him, but it must be hard enough to make a good bump. 
 You needn't be afraid of hurting me. I am well paid for 
 anything that may happen, though indeed I did not expect it 
 to come like this." 
 
 " In the first place I am going to take your clothes," Stephen 
 said. "You can say that you were insensible when I stripped 
 you ; but first I want you to tell me how I can get out." 
 
 "You won't have much difficulty about that," the man
 
 STEPHEN MAKES A DASH FOR LIBERTY, AND GRAPPLES WITH THE 
 GUARD.
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 283 
 
 replied. "When we have taken round supper our work is 
 done for the night, and half of us are free to go out and spend 
 the evening. You turn down the first staircase you come to, 
 follow it to the bottom, then take the corridor to the right 
 and go on until you come to an open door. Two soldiers 
 will be standing there on sentry, but they ask no questions of 
 the warders. You had better wait when you get in sight of 
 the door till you see that no one else is going out, or it might 
 be noticed that you were a stranger and questions might be 
 asked you. Now you had better lose no time, or the others 
 may be out before you get there, and the door be shut." 
 
 As he spoke he was taking off his uniform, which consisted 
 of a dark jacket, trousers, and cap, and a brown belt from 
 which hung a sword. Stephen put them on, then tightly 
 bound the insensible man, whose lungs were now playing, 
 stuffed a portion of the rug into his mouth and fastened it there 
 with a strip tied at the back of the head. Then he similarly 
 bound and gagged the warder, and then gave him a heavy 
 blow on the head, feeling that it was best for the man himself 
 that it should be a severe one. Then he took the sentry's 
 musket and hid it under the bed, so that, if by any chance he 
 managed to free himself of his bonds, he could not fire it to 
 give the alarm. Then putting the cap on his head Stephen went 
 out, bolted the door, and proceeded down the corridor. Fol- 
 lowing the instructions that had been given him he made his 
 way towards the door. Just as he neared it he saw a group of 
 three or four warders going out together, and waiting for a 
 moment till they had disappeared boldly followed them, and 
 passed between the sentries into the open air. So rapidly 
 and easily had the escape been managed that he could scarcely 
 believe that he had escaped from the hands of the military 
 authorities, still less from the fate that would have awaited 
 him had he fallen into the hands of the Inquisition. Not
 
 284 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 knowing which was the front of the building, he followed the 
 lane, upon which the side door opened, to its end, and then 
 finding that he was now at the rear of the prison he returned ; 
 and gaining the street in which was the main entrance, fol- 
 lowed out his instructions and tapped three times at the door 
 of the house indicated. There was a little pause and then it 
 was opened a short distance. 
 
 " Is it you, senor? " a female voice asked. 
 
 " It is the man whom you are, I believe, expecting, and who 
 received your message." 
 
 With an exclamation of gladness the woman opened the 
 door and, as he entered, closed it behind him. 
 
 "Follow me, senor," she said ; "there is nothing in the 
 passage to run against. ' ' 
 
 A few steps further Stephen heard a door open, a flood of 
 light poured into the passage, and his guide said " Quick ! " 
 He entered and she closed the door behind him. 
 
 "Thanks to the saints that you have escaped, senor! " a 
 voice said. " It seemed to us well-nigh impossible that you 
 could do so ; but, knowing how brave and enterprising you 
 English are, Filippo said that he had great faith that you 
 might manage it." 
 
 Stephen now saw that the speaker was a young and very 
 pretty girl. 
 
 " I am speaking to the Senorita Inez Conchas," he said 
 respectfully. " How can I thank you and Don Filippo suffi- 
 ciently for your action in my behalf. You have saved my 
 life, for assuredly had I not known that I should be handed 
 over to the Inquisition no thought of making my escape to- 
 night would have entered my mind." 
 
 " It is all Filippo's doing," she said. " He made me write 
 the letter, and got me to come here because he could not come 
 himself I and my old nurse with me. She is sitting in the
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 285 
 
 front room on watch ; it was she who opened the door to you. 
 You see, we could not be sure whether the note would reach 
 you ; the man whom we bribed might have turned traitor and 
 given it to the governor. My nurse arranged it ; for it would 
 never have done for Filippo to have appeared in the matter, 
 and I am so well known in the place that it would have been 
 very dangerous. However, we hoped that all would be well, 
 for half the man's bribe was not to be paid to him until you 
 were free. However, we placed her at the corner of the street 
 this afternoon in order to watch if anyone came to this house 
 or stopped to look at it earnestly. The people are away in the 
 country, and my nurse, who knew the woman who is left in 
 charge here, got her to lend her the key until to-morrow morn- 
 ing, on some excuse or other. Filippo brought me round 
 just before dark; there is an entertainment to-night at the 
 Viceroy's, and he had to be there. Indeed, it was the best 
 place he could be, as no suspicion can now fall upon him of 
 having aided in your escape. How did you manage it, 
 senor?" 
 
 Stephen briefly related how it had been brought about. 
 
 " That was well done indeed ! " the girl said, clapping her 
 hands merrily. "I scarce thought that it could be your 
 knock when you came, for we had agreed that if you did man- 
 age to make your escape it would not be until very late, and 
 it seemed impossible that you could have got out so early. 
 However, that is all the better, as you will now have a long 
 start. Now, sefior, the first thing for you to do will be to put 
 on the disguise Filippo has prepared for you in that bag on the 
 table. Here is a piece of burnt cork for darkening your eye- 
 brows and eyelashes, and a false moustache that will quite 
 change your appearance. I will go into the next room with 
 nurse ; when you are dressed you can call, and I will come 
 back."
 
 286 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 As soon as he was alone Stephen opened the bag and drew 
 out an attire such as would be worn by a respectable Peruvian 
 merchant. This he put on, darkened his eyebrows, and stuck 
 on the moustache, and acknowledged when he viewed himself 
 in a small mirror that he should not have known himself. On 
 his opening the door the girl came in from the other room 
 again. 
 
 " We have talked over, Filippo and I, the way you had 
 best go, and we both agree that the journey south would be 
 altogether too dangerous. It will naturally be supposed that 
 you have gone that way, and the news will be sent down by 
 horsemen, so that the troops and the authorities will be on 
 the look-out for you everywhere. We both think that, although 
 the journey is very long and toilsome, your best plan will be 
 to ride straight inland, cross the Andes, and come down into 
 Brazil. You are not likely to be questioned on that line, 
 which no one would imagine that you would be likely to 
 take. You may meet with adventures on the way, but you 
 English people are fond of adventures. At any rate that plan 
 will be safer for you, and indeed for us." 
 
 " Why for you, senorita ? " 
 
 " If you were to be captured," she said, " you would be 
 questioned as to who aided you, and there are means in these 
 prisons by which they can wring the truth from the strongest 
 and bravest. There are tortures, senor, that flesh and blood 
 could not withstand." 
 
 "You are right, Donna Inez," Stephen said gravely. 
 "For myself I should be ready to run the risk of getting 
 through to the south, but what you have said decides me. I 
 would die rather than say a word that could betray you and 
 your cousin. But no one can say what one would do under 
 fiendish tortures ; therefore I at once accept your plan." 
 
 " That is right," the girl said. " Filippo said that he was
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 287 
 
 sure that for our sake you would consent to it. Now for your 
 instructions. Nurse will, in the first place, take me home ; 
 then she will return here ; she will be back in half an hour. 
 She will take away with her the things that you have worn, 
 and will to-night cut them up and burn them, so that no trace 
 may remain of your visit here. When she returns she will 
 guide you through the town. At a cottage a quarter of a 
 mile outside a muleteer with two animals is awaiting you ; he 
 does not know who you are, but believes you to be a Brazilian 
 who has been on this side of the continent for some years, 
 chiefly in Chili, and so speak that language, and now, being 
 afraid to proceed by water, are about to return by the passes. 
 How far you will be able to get him to accompany you I can- 
 not say, but at present he has promised to take you over the 
 Andes. The best course to take then you can talk over with 
 the muleteer. You will find many details of the various 
 routes in a letter Filippo has given him for you. And now 
 adieu, senor. We shall think of you often, and I shall pray 
 for your safe return to your friends. Possibly we may meet 
 again someday, for Filippo has a powerful relation who, it is 
 expected, may some day be the Spanish ambassador in Lon- 
 don, and he says that he shall try and get him to take him on 
 his staff." 
 
 "I should indeed be glad if it could be so, sefiorita. I 
 shall to the end of my life entertain the liveliest feelings of 
 gratitude to you and Don Filippo for your kindness. Have 
 you a pencil and paper ? " 
 
 The girl pointed to the table, on which stood writing 
 materials. Stephen wrote his father's address upon it and 
 handed it to her. 
 
 " That is my address in England," he said. " I pray you, 
 when you return to Spain, to beg Don Filippo to write to me 
 there, and I am sure to get it sooner or later. Directly I receive
 
 288 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 his letter I shall make a point of taking a passage for Spain in 
 order to thank you more fully and heartily than I can now do. 
 It would be dangerous were I to write to you here." 
 
 She nodded. "Adieu, senor." 
 
 " Adieu, senorita. May your life with Don Filippo be as 
 happy as you both deserve ! ' ' 
 
 He put the hand she gave him to his lips. A minute later 
 she and her nurse left the house, and Stephen remained won- 
 dering over the events that had happened. 
 
 " It is certainly the best plan," he said to himself. "I 
 daresay there will be lots of hardships to go through, but it 
 will be a glorious trip. Fancy going down the Amazon from 
 almost its source to the sea ! The senorita said nothing 
 about money, but Filippo has shown himself so thoughtful in 
 every other way that I have no doubt he has not forgotten 
 that for such a journey some money at least will be required. 
 Happily I am now in a position to pay anything he may ad- 
 vance me, so I need not scruple to take it. He told me that 
 his father was very rich, but that money was very little good 
 to him in Peru, and that he had a very handsome allowance, 
 but no means whatever of spending it, especially in such a 
 place as San Carlos. I will write him a line or two now, and 
 will give it to the old woman after I have read his letter." 
 
 He sat down and wrote a note expressive of his warmest 
 gratitude to Filippo, and concluded : " In other matters too I 
 am deeply your debtor, but this fortunately I can, as I told you, 
 discharge far more easily than I can my debt of gratitude. As 
 soon as I reach England I will pay in the amount to a house 
 having connections in Spain, and order them to have it placed 
 to your account with some good firm there, with instructions to 
 write to you saying that they hold it payable to your order. My 
 name will not be mentioned, so that in case of any accident the 
 money will not be traceable to me. My other and greater debt
 
 FRIENDS IN NEED 289 
 
 must for ever remain unpaid, but to the end of my life I shall 
 remain the debtor of you and Donna Inez. Wishing you both 
 a long life and every happiness together, I remain always your 
 grateful friend. ' ' 
 
 He folded the letter up and put it into his pocket, and then 
 waited until he heard the three knocks on the door. Stephen 
 blew out the candle, went along the passage to the front door, 
 opened it, and went out. Without a word the old woman 
 turned and walked along the street. He followed at a short 
 distance, and was presently in a busy thoroughfare. Twenty 
 minutes' walking took them beyond the town, and they pres- 
 ently stopped at a cottage where a candle was burning in the 
 window. 
 
 " This is the house, senor," she said, speaking for the first 
 time. 
 
 She went up to the door and tapped at it. It was opened 
 by a man in the attire of a muleteer. 
 
 " This is the senor who will accompany you, Gomez," she 
 said. "Now, senor, my work is done." And she turned 
 to go. 
 
 " Wait a moment," he said. " Gomez has a letter for me, 
 and I want to read it before I give you a note that I wish you 
 to take back and to hand to Donna Inez." 
 
 " Here is the letter, senor," the muleteer said. 
 
 Stephen took it to the light and opened it. It was a long 
 one, but he skipped the first part, which was full of directions 
 and hints for the journey. Running his eye down it fell upon 
 some figures, and he read : " Gomez will hand you a bag con- 
 taining eight hundred dollars. This, I have no doubt, will be 
 sufficient for your journey down the Amazon and to pay your 
 passage-money home. You are heartily welcome to it. Some 
 day, if it please you, you can pay me back ; but if aught befalls 
 you on your way down do not let the thought of this paltry debt
 
 290 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 trouble you in any way. I know not whether this will ever 
 reach your hands, but pray that it may do so, and that I may 
 have the satisfaction of knowing that Inez and I have had some 
 part in saving the life of a brave English gentleman. ' ' Then 
 with a few more words of adieu the letter closed. 
 
 Stephen had already felt that there was some money in the 
 pockets of his trousers, and he now handed his letter to the 
 old woman and pulled out some gold. 
 
 " No," she said, drawing back ; " I would die to please my 
 young mistress, but not one penny would I touch from the 
 hand of a foreign heretic." 
 
 A minute later and she was gone. The muleteer laughed at 
 her outbreak. "Well, well," he said, "how people differ; 
 now, for my part, when I receive payment for the work of 
 my mules I care not in the least whether it comes from a 
 heretic's pockets or those of a good Catholic. But I did not 
 know that you Brazilians were heretics, senor." 
 
 " As a rule we are not," Stephen said, " but my case is an 
 exception ; I will tell you more about it on the journey. 
 Callao is not the town where it is safe to be a heretic." 
 
 " No, indeed," the muleteer said with a laugh ; " however, 
 it is no business of mine, senor. A gentleman whose name I 
 know not, but to whom I was recommended by a cousin of 
 mine, who is a relation of the old woman who has just left us, 
 made a bargain with me to take you to the Amazon or a river 
 running into it. He agreed to give me my own terms. He 
 paid me a third of the money in advance, and said that you 
 would pay me the remainder at the end of the journey. He said 
 that you were a Brazilian, and spoke Chilian better than our 
 tongue ; though, indeed, they are so much alike that one 
 passes as well as the other, or did till this war began. That 
 account of you may be true or it may not, it is no business 
 whatever of mine. A man says to me, I want you to carry a
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 291 
 
 bag of salt to such a place. I agree as to the terms, and it is 
 no matter to me whether the sack contains salt or sand as long 
 as the weight is the same. Your things all came up here to- 
 day, senor your wallet, and your sword, and a brace of pis- 
 tols, a rifle and a bird gun. You will find everything right. 
 I understood that it was your wish, for some reason which was 
 again no business of mine, to start as soon as you arrived, and 
 I have three mules standing saddled in the stable if you are 
 ready to start. ' ' 
 
 " I should certainly be glad to do so, Gomez. I have, 
 as you say, my reasons for wanting to be off as soon as 
 possible." 
 
 Accordingly the three mules were at once brought round, 
 the baggage divided between them, and five minutes later, 
 after blowing out the candle and locking the door behind 
 him, the muleteer mounted and rode off with Stephen. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 
 
 " f\F course, we must go through Lima," Stephen said, as 
 
 U they started. 
 
 "Assuredly, senor; the roads over the passes all start 
 from there, and it would take us a long circuit to avoid the 
 town." 
 
 " Oh, there is no occasion to avoid it," Stephen said. 
 " It is about five miles, is it not ? " 
 
 "That is the distance; but, as the road ascends a good 
 deal, we generally count it as six. It is a fine city, Lima, 
 and I hope that it will not be very long before we shall be
 
 292 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 able to enjoy it without the presence of the Spaniards; we 
 think they cannot remain here much longer. If the Chilian 
 army would but move from the sea-coast, the whole country 
 would be up in arms. We would rather have done without 
 the Chilians if we could, for there has never been any great 
 friendship between them and the Peruvians. I do not say 
 between them and us, for I am almost as much Chilian as 
 Peruvian, seeing that I was born within half a mile of the 
 frontier and high up in the hills. But there is more money 
 to be made here. In the first place, the Peruvians have more 
 towns beyond the passes, and there is more traffic; and in 
 the next place, in Chili most men are ready to work if there 
 is money to be made, whereas most of the Peruvians are too 
 lazy to pick up gold if it lay at their feet. Most men in our 
 business come from the hills." 
 
 "And why don't the Peruvians and Chilians like each 
 other?" 
 
 " Who can tell. The Chilians have a colder climate, and 
 the people for the most part came from the north of Spain ; 
 they are hardier and more active ; then, too, they are not 
 so strict in church matters, and here they call them heretics, 
 and a Peruvian hates a heretic a great deal worse than he does 
 the father of all evil. We muleteers pray to the saints for pro- 
 tection on our journeys, and before we start on along expedi- 
 tion burn a few candles at the shrine of our patron saint, and 
 we never pass a shrine or a wayside cross without making a 
 prayer ; but we don't concern ourselves with other people's 
 religion ; that is their business, not ours. But that is not so 
 with the Spaniards, and the Peruvians are just as bad. You 
 may kill a man in a knife fight, and no one cares much about it ; 
 but if you were to pass a village shrine without raising your 
 sombrero they would be ready to tear you in pieces as a 
 heretic. ' '
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 293 
 
 "What is the country like when you once get over the 
 mountains? " 
 
 " It is a tree country, and generally flat. Here you see the 
 hillsides are mostly bare ; but on the other side of the ranges 
 of mountains for there are two chains the forest grows 
 almost to the top, and, as I have heard, they extend thousands 
 of miles over the country beyond. In these great forests 
 there are swamps and rivers, great rivers. Very few white 
 men know where they rise or how they go, but they all run 
 into the largest of them all, which, when it gets near the sea, 
 is called the Amazon, but which has many names at different 
 points of its course. They say that some of these rivers have 
 many rapids and falls, and on almost all of them there are 
 Indians who are more dangerous still ; some of them, they 
 say, eat men who fall into their hands. 
 
 " It is a terrible journey that you are undertaking, senor. 
 One thing is certain : you must take with you some man of 
 courage and resolution, one who at least knows something of 
 the country. No man knows much ; but there are men, 
 Indians, who make it their business either to trade or to guide 
 traders. Of course, they never go very far, but they have 
 gone far enough to know much of the nature of the dangers 
 and difficulties." 
 
 " Do you think that you would be able to find me such a 
 man?" 
 
 "There are many," the muleteer said; "but it is not 
 everyone that can be trusted. I know of one man who, if he 
 happened to be at home and disengaged, would suit you well, 
 if he would undertake such a journey. He would go if any- 
 one would, for no dangers terrify him, and he has made, be- 
 fore now, perilous expeditions with officers and others who 
 have sought to discover the sources of the rivers. He lives in 
 a village but a few miles from the summit of the pass, and if
 
 294 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 you have not as yet decided on your route, he will, at any 
 rate, if he cannot go himself, give you better advice than you 
 can obtain from anyone else I know of." 
 
 They passed through the city of Lima unnoticed. There 
 were still numbers of people in the streets, and the sound of 
 musical instruments came from the open windows. Parties of 
 ladies stood on the balconies and were enjoying the coolness 
 of the night air, and it was evident that Lima had no thoughts 
 of going to bed for a long time yet. 
 
 "You would hardly see a soul in the streets while the sun 
 is high," the muleteer said, upon Stephen remarking on the 
 number of people still about. "The whole town goes to 
 sleep from eleven to four or five, the shops are all closed, and 
 save on a business of life or death no one would think of 
 going out. About six the day really begins, and goes on 
 until one in the morning ; then people sleep till five or six, 
 and for a time the streets are busy ; the marketing is done 
 then, the ladies all go to early mass, the troops do their exer- 
 cises ; by nine the streets begin to thin, and by ten they are 
 deserted." 
 
 Stephen was much struck with the appearance of the town, 
 which had been laid out with great care, the streets running at 
 right angles to each other, and being all precisely the same 
 width, dividing the town into regular blocks. It contained 
 at that time some 70,000 inhabitants. He was surprised at 
 the want of height in the houses, comparatively few of which 
 had more than one story. On remarking on this to the 
 muleteer, the latter said : 
 
 "It is because of the earthquakes ; nowhere are there such 
 bad earthquakes as here. If it were not for that Lima would 
 be perfect. The country round is very fertile, there is an 
 abundance of pure water, the climate is healthy, and it lies 
 600 feet above the sea. But the earthquakes are terrible;
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 295 
 
 there has not been a bad one lately, but it might come at any 
 time. Every twenty or thirty years there is a very bad one. 
 The worst were those of 1687 and 1746; the first destroyed 
 every house in Lima, and the second was almost as bad, but 
 was much worse at Callao. There they not only had the 
 earthquake, but a tumult of waves such as never was before 
 seen. The sea went right over the town, and almost every 
 soul there, and at other towns along the coast, perished. 
 There were twenty-three ships in the harbour at Callao ; nine- 
 teen of these were sunk and the other four carried half a mile 
 inland. Since then there has been nothing like that, but the 
 Indians say that we may expect another before long. I don't 
 know what they go by, but people say that they predicted the 
 others long before they came. Have you ever felt an earth- 
 quake, seiior ? ' ' 
 
 " No. There was a very slight shock when I was at Val- 
 paraiso, but it was not much more than the rumble a heavy 
 wagon makes in the street, and did no damage whatever." 
 
 " I have never felt a great earthquake," the muleteer said, 
 " but I have felt little ones. The animals always know when 
 they are coming, and when I see the mules uneasy and appre- 
 hensive, I always choose some level spot where there is no 
 fear of rocks coming rolling down on us, and halt there. The 
 first shock may be so slight that one hardly feels it, but the 
 mules know all about it. They straddle their legs and brace 
 themselves up or else lie down on the ground. When I see 
 them do that I know that the next shock is going to be a smart 
 one, and I lie down too. It is nothing when you are out in the 
 country, but in the towns it is terrible. People rush out into 
 the streets screaming with fear. If they are near a church 
 they make for that ; if not, they kneel down in the streets, 
 where they are pretty safe, the houses being so low and mostly 
 thatched. I have never seen one severe enough to bring the
 
 296 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 
 
 houses down, but I have seen them crack, and parapets tumble 
 down, and great pieces peel off the walls. What with the 
 dust, and the screams of the women and children, and the 
 ringing of all the church bells, it is enough to shake a man's 
 courage I can tell you." 
 
 After proceeding some ten miles farther, by a road always 
 ascending and often steep, a halt was made. The muleteer 
 removed the valises and packs, gave a double handful of corn 
 to each animal, and then, hobbling them, allowed them to 
 wander about to pick up what they could. He and Stephen 
 partook of some of the food they had brought with them, and 
 then wrapping themselves in their cloaks lay down for a few 
 hours' sleep. At daylight the journey was renewed. So they 
 travelled on, halting for five or six hours in the heat of the 
 day, and riding in the morning early, and late on into the 
 evening. The climate, however, scarcely necessitated the 
 mid-day halt, and at night they were glad to wrap themselves 
 in a blanket in addition to the cloak. At last the summit of 
 the pass was reached. In front of them rose another chain of 
 mountains almost as lofty as that which they had climbed. 
 Between these great ranges lay a plain varying in width. 
 Several towns and small villages were visible. 
 
 " That is Jauja to the right," the muleteer said, " and that 
 is Pasco to the left ; they are both large towns. They do not 
 look so very far apart from here. But the air of the moun- 
 tains is so clear it is difficult to judge distances. You would not 
 take them to be much more than twenty miles from us ; they 
 are nearly three times as far, and are fully eighty miles apart. ' ' 
 
 " Where does the guide of whom you spoke live? " 
 
 " It is some twenty miles down ; it is where the roads from 
 the two towns fall into this pass. It is convenient for him, 
 because he is in the track of merchants going either north or 
 south."
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 297 
 
 No stay was made on the top of the pass, for the wind was 
 strong and piercing. There were snow-covered peaks on either 
 hand, and so they hurried onwards, although they had already 
 done a long morning's march. Five miles farther they halted 
 in a wood, and although they had already made a descent of 
 some thousand feet they were glad to light a fire. On the 
 following day they halted early at a solitary hut standing at 
 the junction of two roads. 
 
 " Bravo ! " the muleteer said as the door opened and a man 
 came out at the sound of the mules' feet ; " here is Pita him- 
 self. I thought we should find him, for, since the war began, 
 trade has gone off greatly, and he was likely to be out of em- 
 ployment. Well met, Pita ; I was in hopes that I should find 
 you here, for the senor has need of the services of a bold 
 fellow like yourself." 
 
 "Enter, senor," the Indian said gravely, lifting his som- 
 brero, for he was dressed in Peruvian fashion. "It is long 
 since I have seen you, Gomez." 
 
 " Yes, a full year," the muleteer replied ; " it was at Cuzco, 
 and you were just starting with a party of traders." 
 
 The hut contained little furniture, but there was a pile of 
 skins, the proceeds of the Indian's hunting since his return 
 from his last expedition. He took off three or four of them, 
 threw them on the ground, and motioned Stephen to take a 
 seat while he busied himself in preparing a meal. Nothing 
 was said of business until this was served. When it was 
 finished the Indian rolled three cigars, and when these were 
 lighted, and three cups of excellent coffee made, Pita said : 
 
 " Now, sefior, in what way can I serve you? " 
 
 " I want to go down the Amazon to the coast." 
 
 " It is a long journey, long and difficult ; I have never been 
 so far. The farthest point that I have reached has been Barra, 
 where the Madeira falls into the Solimoes."
 
 298 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 "That is the Amazon," Gomez explained. " It is called 
 the Maranon here in Peru, but from the frontier it is known 
 as the Solimoes." 
 
 "As far as the frontier," Pita went on, "there are no 
 great difficulties, and there are many towns on the banks ; 
 beyond that to Barra there are but one or two villages. The 
 Mozon begins at Llata, some two hundred miles north of this. 
 The road is a good one, for we pass through Pasco and 
 Huanuco ; there you can take boat, which will carry you as 
 far as the frontier, and beyond that you will have to take 
 another, for no Peruvians will venture so far from here." 
 
 "The senor wishes to escape towns," Gomez said. " He 
 has no papers, and wishes to escape questioning. You know 
 what Spanish authorities are, and how suspiciously they view 
 the passage of a stranger. Could you not take him down the 
 Madeira ? ' ' 
 
 "It is a terrible journey," the Indian said. " Very few 
 white men have ever descended the river. Tht^t ;vre bad falls 
 and bad Indians. I myself have never gone down it more 
 than a few hundred miles. It would need much courage, 
 senor, and even then things might turn out badly. I would 
 not undertake such a journey single-handed, though with a 
 good comrade I might venture it. You could not get a 
 boat unless you bought one, and, as a rule, men travel on light 
 rafts, as these are safer on the rapids than boats. That way 
 has the advantage of being a good deal shorter than going 
 round by the Maranon, but the difficulties and dangers are 
 very much greater." 
 
 " Do you love the Spaniards? " Stephen asked. 
 
 The Indian's face darkened. 
 
 " They have been the destroyers of our race," he said ; 
 " the oppressors of our country. I hate them with all my 
 heart."
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 299 
 
 " Then I may tell you at once," Stephen said, " that I am 
 an Englishman. I am one of the officers of the English 
 admiral who commands the fleet that has destroyed their war- 
 ships and is blockading their towns. I was wrecked on the 
 Peruvian coast and thrown into prison. They were about to 
 hand me over to the Inquisition as a heretic when I escaped, 
 so you can understand the danger that I should run in passing 
 through any of their towns. I speak, as you hear, the Chilian 
 dialect, therefore I would be detected as a stranger at once, 
 and as I could give no satisfactory reply to questions, and have 
 no papers, I should at once be seized and sent back again to 
 Callao." 
 
 The Indian nodded gravely. He had heard of the misfort- 
 unes that had befallen the Spaniards, and knew that the fleet 
 that had inflicted such damage upon them was commanded by 
 an Englishman. 
 
 "The senor is provided with money," Gomez said. " I 
 did not myself know that he was an Englishman, though I 
 suspected from the manner in which I was hired that he had 
 trouble with the Spaniards." 
 
 " I would have told you so, Gomez," Stephen said, " but 
 I thought it better that you should not know, so that if I 
 were seized by the Spaniards you could declare that you were 
 wholly ignorant of my being an Englishman, and believed 
 that I was only a trader travelling on business." 
 
 "They would not have believed me," Gomez laughed. 
 " You had no goods with you, and your speech showed that 
 you were not a Peruvian. I have often wondered on the way 
 to what nation you belonged, and how it was that one so 
 young could be ready to undertake so desperate an enterprise 
 as you proposed ; but now that I know you are an officer 
 under the terrible English admiral I can well understand it." 
 
 " I would do much," Pita said, " for any enemy of the
 
 300 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Spaniards ; and more for this reason than for the sake of 
 money. I am ready to undertake to do my best to take you 
 i n safety to Barra ; beyond that I would not go. The river 
 below that is, as I hear, quite open, and you could journey 
 down without difficulty save such as you would meet with 
 from the Portuguese authorities ; but the distance would be 
 too great for me to return. Even from Barra it would be a 
 journey fully two thousand miles home again." 
 
 " What would be your terms for taking me to Barra? " 
 
 " I do not say that I would take you there, senor; I only 
 say that I would try and do so. As I tell you, I have never 
 journeyed far down the Madeira myself, and know not what 
 the difficulties may be. For that reason I shall want half the 
 money paid to me when we reach Cuzco, near which live my 
 wife and family, and I must leave this with them in case I 
 never return. I will think over what pay I shall require for 
 myself and my comrade. It is not a matter upon which one 
 can decide at a word." 
 
 " I can quite understand that, Pita. I must of course 
 keep sufficient in hand to pay my expenses down to Para, 
 where I can doubtless obtain a passage by an English ship. 
 But I am ready to pay any sum you may ask that is within my 
 means. Now, Gomez, we had better go out and look to the 
 mules, and leave Pita to himself to think the matter over." 
 
 " The Indian will not overcharge you," Gomez said when 
 they were outside the hut; " the pay of these men is small. 
 They value their lives lightly, and when, like Pita, they once 
 take to the life of a guide, either to those who are searching 
 for mines or to traders, they never settle down. They are 
 proud of the confidence placed in them, and of their own 
 skill as guides, and so long as they can earn enough to keep 
 their families during their absence and a very little suffices 
 for that they are contented."
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 301 
 
 " I suppose there are mines to be discovered yet, Gomez ? " 
 ' ' Assuredly there are, ' ' the muleteer said confidently. ' ' The 
 Spaniards have worked rich mines ever since they came here, 
 but great as is the treasure that they have taken away, it is 
 still insignificant compared with the store of gold among the 
 Incas when they came here. Every Peruvian on this side of 
 the Andes dreams of gold, and there are thousands of men 
 who, -as soon as they earn enough money to buy tools and 
 provisions, set off to search for gold-mines or buried treasure. 
 It is certain that the Incas buried a vast quantity of their 
 treasure rather than see it fall into the hands of the Spaniards, 
 and it has never been discovered. It is generally believed 
 that the secret of the hiding-place is known to Indians, who 
 have handed down the secret from father to son. This may 
 be true or it may not. So many thousands of Indians have 
 either been killed by the Spaniards or have died in their 
 mines, that it may well be that all who knew the secret died 
 centuries ago. But I do not say that it may not be known 
 to some of them now ; if so, it is more likely that these may 
 be among the tribes beyond the boundaries of Peru. There 
 are vast tracts there where neither Spaniards nor Portuguese 
 have penetrated. The whole country is one great forest, or, 
 in some places, one great desert.' 
 
 " The Indians of Peru have become, for the most part, an 
 idle, shiftless race. Centuries of slavery have broken their 
 spirit altogether, and had the secret been known to many of 
 them, it would have been wrung from them long since, espe- 
 cially as all are now Catholics and go to confession, and 
 would never be able to keep such a secret from leaking out. 
 It is true that there are little Indian villages among the 
 mountains where the people are still almost independent, and 
 here the secret may still be handed down ; but I doubt if it 
 will ever be known. Doubtless it is guarded by such terrible
 
 302 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 oaths that those who know it will never dare to reveal it. 
 Pita has gone, in his time, with a score of expeditions in 
 search of the treasure ; most 01 these thought that they had 
 obtained some clue to it, but nothing was ever discovered, 
 and I doubt whether Pita himself was ever earnest in the 
 search. 
 
 " In some respects he is like ourselves, in others he is still 
 an Indian, and has a full share of Indian superstitions, so 
 that his Christianity is no deeper than his skin. He would 
 do his best to guide those who employed him to the neigh- 
 bourhood where they thought that the treasure was hidden, 
 but I doubt whether he would do anything to assist in their 
 search, or would really try to gather from the Indians any 
 clue as to its whereabouts." 
 
 " But at any rate, the natives could not very well have 
 carried away their gold-mines." 
 
 "Not carried them away, senor no; and that the 
 Spaniards had such rich mines at first shows that they did 
 learn from the natives by torture, I daresay where most of 
 these were situated ; but they got more silver than gold, and 
 even now there is gold to be found in the sands of most of 
 the rivers in South America, so that I think it was from wash- 
 ings more than mines that the Spaniards got their gold. Still, 
 we all think that there must have been rich gold-mines in the 
 times before the Spaniards, and that when the natives saw 
 how villainously their monarch and all his chief men were 
 treated, and how the Spaniards thought of nothing but gold 
 and silver, they may have blocked up the entrances to all 
 their richest mines, and in a few years all signs of the sites 
 would be covered by thick vegetation. You see, senor, these 
 things are talked over whenever a few of us get together, and 
 though there are not many other things that we do know, 
 you will scarcely meet a Peruvian who could not talk with
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 303 
 
 you for hours about the lost treasure and the lost gold-mines 
 of the Incas. 
 
 " There are many places that I know of where the sand is 
 rich enough to pay well for washing, but they are all far 
 away from habitations. A man would have to carry his 
 stores and provisions and tools with him ; and then, it is 
 hard work, and a Peruvian does not care for hard work. As 
 to the natives, there would be no keeping them at it, they 
 would desert and run away at once ; for not only do they 
 hate work, but, above all things, they hate to work for gold. 
 They look upon gold as an accursed thing, which brought 
 about the conquest of the country by the Spaniards, and the 
 centuries of oppression that have befallen their race ; and 
 even should a native alight upon a rich spot he would go 
 away and never say a word about it, fearing that if he did, 
 all sorts of trouble would fall upon him. ' ' 
 
 " Pita is a fine-looking Indian, Gomez." 
 
 " Yes, senor ; he is a mixture, that is, he is of pure Indian 
 blood, but he belongs to two tribes. His father was a native 
 of one of the villages highest up among the hills. He too 
 was a hunter and guide. In one of his journeys down in the 
 plain country he married the daughter of one of the chiefs of 
 the wild Indians, and Pita was their son. I don't know 
 which tribe it was that his mother belonged to, but I know 
 that they lived in the forests on one of the greater rivers. 
 Pita is not one who talks much of himself, or who talks much 
 at all, but I know that he has the reputation of being one of 
 the most daring hunters and guides in the country, and that 
 he has gone through many adventures while travelling with 
 traders. He has always been trustworthy and faithful to his 
 employers. As he says, he cannot promise to take you safely 
 down the Madeira, but if any man can do it, he will." 
 
 Half an hour later they returned to the hut, where the
 
 30'i WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Indian was sitting in precisely the same attitude in which they 
 had left him. 
 
 " Well, Pita, have you arrived at a conclusion? " Gomez 
 asked. 
 
 " I have thought it over," he said, " and I calculate that it 
 may be a year before I return, and the risk is great. Can the 
 senor afford to pay three hundred and sixty -five dollars? 
 That is for the services of myself and my comrade. He has 
 no wife or family, and will therefore need less pay than I, 
 who will have to leave money behind for mine. The senor 
 will be at no other expense until he arrives at Barra, except 
 for such things as tea and sugar, and any liquor he may wish 
 to put on board at starting. If the senor cannot afford that, I 
 will guide him down along by the foot of the mountains until 
 we can cross over into Chili. It will be an arduous journey, 
 but without perils, and we shall pass through few villages." 
 
 " How long will that take, Pita ? " 
 
 "It would be a long journey, senor. As a bird flies it 
 would be seven or eight hundred miles ; but winding round 
 the foot of the hills it would be two thousand." 
 
 " I would rather try the other, Pita," Stephen replied ; for 
 the thought of the passage by water through unknown forests, 
 and then down the Amazon, exercised a strong fascination 
 over him, and the idea of a toilsome journey of two thousand 
 miles was the reverse of attractive. The war was, he was 
 sure, nearly over. He might arrive in Chili only to find that 
 the admiral had gone away ; and even when he reached the 
 frontier he had another journey to make before he reached 
 Valparaiso, whereas when he arrived at Para he could sail 
 direct for England. 
 
 ' ' I could afford to pay you the terms you ask, ' ' he went 
 on, " and shall still have enough left to take me from Barra 
 home. ' '
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 305 
 
 "Then, so be it," the Indian said; " to-morrow we will 
 start for Paucartambo, which lies but a few miles from the 
 Mayutata. We shall pass through Cuzco on our way. You 
 have arms, I see, senor? " 
 
 " Yes, and some ammunition, but I shall want a larger sup- 
 ply before we start. ' ' 
 
 At daybreak next morning they set out, the Indian walking 
 ahead. Once or twice Stephen pushed his mule forward to 
 endeavour to enter into conversation, but he could get but 
 few words from him, and had to drop back to Gomez, who 
 was willing enough to talk. 
 
 " It is no use trying to get anything out of Pita, senor. If 
 you can get him in the mood by a camp fire, he may tell you 
 some of his adventures ; but the natives are not given to talk- 
 ing overmuch, and Pita, when he is once on his way as guide, 
 will go on without saying a word for hours. I have made 
 several journeys with him, and it is always the same. Of 
 course there is nothing for him to look after here, but it is a 
 sort of habit. I have no doubt that he could tell you how 
 many birds have crossed the road to-day. He has noticed 
 every lizard, could tell you where a mule belonging to the last 
 party has made a false step, how many there were travelling 
 together, and all about them. He takes it all in j and though 
 here it might just as well be left alone, this watchfulness might 
 save your life afterwards." 
 
 Day after day they journeyed on. Stephen did not enter 
 Cuzco. As the capital of the Incas he felt an interest in it, 
 but cared little for it as a great Spanish town whose glory had 
 almost departed ; and it was not worth running any risk when 
 nothing was to be gained by visiting it. He therefore re- 
 mained at Pita's Indian hut a few miles away, while 
 Gomez went into the town with the guide to get the stores 
 they required. Pita's comrade returned with them. Stephen
 
 306 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 was greatly surprised at the man's appearance. Pita himself 
 was, for an Indian, tall ; he was spare in frame, but very 
 sinewy; his muscles stood up beneath the brown skin like 
 cords. Hurka was so short that he was almost a dwarf, and, 
 save for his face, he might have been taken for a boy of four- 
 teen. He possessed none of Pita's gravity, but was soon 
 laughing and chatting with the Indian's wife and children, 
 and was evidently a special favourite with them. His face was 
 bright and intelligent. 
 
 "You would not think, senor," Gomez said as, after tell- 
 ing him what they had purchased in the city, he stood watch- 
 ing Hurka, who was running backwards and forwards between 
 the hut and the mules, carrying in packages, " that that little 
 chap is one of the best guides on this side of the Andes. He 
 and Pita are, I should say, the two best ; and whenever they 
 can, they work together. He is a wonderful shot better 
 than Pita. He can swim like a fish ; and he does not seem to 
 know what fatigue is. He and Pita are like brothers, although 
 they are so different in their ways ; and it is wonderful to see 
 how they get on together. I would not mind where I went 
 with them, for they can find their way through the thickest 
 forest, and are up to every device that can be useful to trav- 
 ellers. I have never heard of their losing anyone under their 
 charge, except, of course, from disease and heat, and perhaps 
 a few shot by Indians. That is a thing that may always hap- 
 pen, there is no guarding against it especially when you have 
 got men with you who will go their own way, and make 
 light of any idea of taking precautions. Sometimes they have 
 had to fall back altogether when they have been with gold or 
 treasure seekers, but never when they were with trading parties. 
 
 "In the forest country the natives are generally ready 
 enough to trade, but there are parts where they never allow a 
 white party to penetrate. Whether it is that there is really a
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 307 
 
 treasure, or an extraordinary rich gold-mine, or whether it is 
 only that in some sections the tribes are more hostile than in 
 others, no one knows for certain, but there is no doubt that 
 when any party approaches certain localities troubles begin 
 directly. As they go through the forest, arrows come flying 
 thick through the tangle of creepers, and poisoned darts from 
 blow-pipes. The foes are invisible, but they make themselves 
 felt, and it soon breaks down the courage of the bravest to be 
 shot at when you never get a chance of shooting back in re- 
 turn. Both Pita and Hurka have been with parties that have 
 been attacked and forced to fall back ; but it has not been 
 their fault, for they always warn those who employ them that 
 the dangers are too great to be overcome. Still, men who 
 think that they have got a clue to hidden wealth always seem 
 to consider that their guides are interested in preventing their 
 getting it, and will listen to no advice till they find out for 
 themselves that the danger has not been exaggerated, and that 
 it is certain death to push on further." 
 
 " I wonder that neither of them has been killed," Stephen 
 said. 
 
 " It is a wonder, senor, and some have even declared that 
 they must be in league with the Indians ; but it is due to 
 their understanding the native way of fighting. While white 
 men stand up and fire away into the bush, they quickly throw 
 themselves down behind the trunk of a tree, and then crawl 
 into the forest and fight in the same way as the Indians do ; 
 and they say that more than once those two alone have made 
 the natives fall back, and so enabled the whites to retreat. 
 You will see that they will both take bows and arrows with 
 them ; and though they would use their rifles if openly 
 attacked, in these battles in the forests, or when hunting in 
 dangerous neighbourhoods, they use their bows in preference 
 to the rifles."
 
 308 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 The next day the journey was continued, and in ten days 
 they reached a stream which, as the Indians told Stephen, ran 
 into the Beni, one of the principal feeders of the Madeira. 
 Here was a village occupied wholly by Indians and half-castes. 
 A large canoe was purchased, and the loads of the two mules 
 stowed in it, a store of bread and fruit was obtained from the 
 natives, together with ten skins sewn up as bags, and intended 
 to be inflated and used for the construction of a raft. Two 
 days were spent in making their preparations, and then Stephen 
 took leave of Gomez, to whom he gave a handsome present, in 
 addition to the sum that had been agreed upon. By this time 
 Stephen had come to appreciate the good qualities of Hurka, 
 whose unfailingly good temper and gaiety had lightened the 
 journey, and whose humorous stories of his adventures, and 
 of the obstinacy and folly of his employers, raised a smile 
 even on the impassive face of Pita. 
 
 Stephen was delighted when the canoe pushed out into the 
 stream, and they began their journey down the thousands of 
 miles of river that had to be traversed before they reached the 
 eastern sea-coast. Pita sat in the stern of the canoe, Hurka 
 in the bow, while Stephen had a comfortable seat in the 
 middle, separated from them by two piles of stores and 
 provisions. Over him was a roof of green boughs, supported 
 by four poles, connected by others, to which a thin curtain of 
 cotton-stuff was attached. It was all made in one piece, and 
 was rolled up in the daytime to allow the passage of air, but 
 at night could be dropped all round so as to form a protection 
 against insects and the vapours from the water. The tent 
 was large enough for the three men to sleep in comfortably ; 
 and in the centre was a small stove, in which fire was kept 
 burning for cooking purposes in the daytime, and to counter- 
 act the dampness of the air at night. As soon as it was dark, 
 and the insects became troublesome, the Indians threw on the
 
 AN INDIAN GUIDE 309 
 
 fire branches that they cut fresh every day from shrubs grow- 
 ing on the banks. This caused a pungent odour which effect- 
 ually prevented insects from making their way in through the 
 leafy roof. 
 
 During the daytime the canoe was generally kept close to 
 one shore or the other, so as to be under the shade of the 
 overhanging forest trees ; at night they sometimes tied up to 
 a tree, but more often one or other of the Indians sat in the 
 stern of the boat giving an occasional stroke with his paddle 
 to keep her drifting down in the centre of the current. While 
 it was light they always had their guns close at hand, and 
 sometimes brought down a bird from the trees overhead. 
 Baited hooks on a long line were towed astern. They seldom 
 caught anything during the day, but at night they frequently 
 captured a few fish. This, however, was more often done by 
 spearing them, the Indians having bought spears for the pur- 
 pose at the village. On these occasions Stephen took his place 
 in the bow with two lighted torches of resinous wood ; the 
 light attracted the fish, which were speared by the Indians, 
 who seldom missed striking them, however far beneath the 
 surface, though Stephen failed even to catch sight of them. 
 
 The fish formed the main staple of their food, helped out by 
 the birds, which were, for the most part, of the pigeon tribe, 
 though larger and differing much in plumage from the English 
 species. They had brought from Cuzco a hundred pounds of 
 flour, which was sewed up in two skins, so that in case of a 
 misfortune to the canoe it would be uninjured by water. 
 From this the Indians made flat cakes, which were an excellent 
 substitute for bread. 
 
 For the first ten days Hurka while paddling generally sung 
 Spanish songs that he had picked up, but gradually he ceased 
 doing so, and became as taciturn as Pita himself. 
 
 " The Indians on this part of the river," he told Stephen,
 
 310 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 "are generally of a peaceful nature, and are quite willing to 
 trade, but, as we have no merchandise, they would look upon 
 us with some suspicion ; and, moreover, the tribes are often at 
 war with each other, and in that case it is always better that 
 travellers should avoid them. Consequently it is better to 
 travel silently." 
 
 For the same reason they generally timed themselves so as 
 to pass the Indian villages at night, the fire on such occasions 
 being kept very low, and ashes being drawn up over the em- 
 bers so as to completely extinguish the light until the village 
 was well behind them. Shooting was, for the time, entirely 
 given up. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 
 
 THE time passed pleasantly to Stephen as he reclined on a 
 heap of skins and blankets watching the forests that 
 bordered the stream, or looking up through the overhanging 
 canopy at the birds and monkeys, the latter of which afforded 
 him great amusement by the way in which they chattered and 
 gesticulated. The mothers with the little ones climbed to 
 the top of the trees, while the males" came boldly out on the 
 lower branches to bid defiance to those in the boat. Often 
 he slept, for the heat, and the almost noiseless fall of the 
 paddles, and the tranquil easy motion of the canoe made him 
 exceptionally drowsy. One day his eye fell upon something 
 on a large branch of a tree that bent down to within twelve 
 feet of the water. It was only some ten yards ahead when he 
 noticed it. It was partly hidden by foliage, and for a mo-
 
 'THE ANIMAL WAS ON THE POINT OF SPRINGING WHEN STEPHEN 
 FIRED."
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 311 
 
 ment it seemed to him to be a thickening of the branch. He 
 would have passed it without a thought had it not been for a 
 slight movement ; then a glance showed him that it was an 
 animal of some kind lying almost flattened upon the tree. 
 
 He caught up his rifle just as it rose to a crouching attitude, 
 and was upon the point of springing upon Pita. The gun was 
 loaded with shot only, but as he threw up the muzzle and 
 fired almost instantly, the beast gave a terrible roar. Its 
 spring was arrested, and it fell headlong into the water within 
 a foot of the side of the boat. A tawny head, with two rows 
 of big white teeth, arose from the water almost abreast of him, 
 and a great paw was raised to strike at the boat, but Hurka's 
 rifle cracked out, and the animal sank again below the water. 
 
 " You have saved my life, sefior," Pita said gravely. " It 
 was a jaguar, and had you not fired it would have struck me 
 down and crushed in my skull with a blow of its paw. I 
 wonder I did not see it, but I was thinking at the time that 
 we had best tie up for an hour or two so as to pass the next 
 village, which is a large one, after dark." 
 
 " It was almost hidden among those leaves," Stephen said, 
 " and had it not moved I should not have noticed it." 
 
 " I think you blinded it, sefior," Hurka said. " I saw it 
 rise to spring, and snatched at my rifle just as you fired. I 
 think the charge struck it between the eyes, for I saw a sort of 
 blur there just as it fell. I should have been too late ; for 
 though I might have hit it as it was in the air, it would 
 assuredly have come down on Pita. 
 
 " It was not like you, Pita. This comes of thinking while 
 you are paddling instead of keeping your eyes on everything." 
 
 " I was wrong," the Indian replied. "I should have known 
 that an attack by a jaguar was always possible ; but this is the 
 first that we have seen since starting, and I had no thought 
 of danger in my mind. I will be more careful in the future.
 
 312 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 It must have been well hidden, for you did not see it your- 
 self, Hurka, until it moved for its spring." 
 
 " That is true," the little Indian replied. " The English- 
 man's eyes must be quick indeed, and his nerve steady. It 
 was seeing him catch up his gun that first called my attention 
 to it. You have laid us both under a great obligation, senor, 
 for Pita is my best friend, and were aught to befall him I 
 should feel that I had lost part of myself. Perhaps before the 
 journey comes to an end we may be able to show you how 
 grateful we are." 
 
 "It is nothing worth talking about," Stephen said. "In 
 a journey like this, comrades may well save each other's lives 
 more than once." 
 
 " That is true, senor ; but it is our duty to save your life if 
 need be, and it is turning the tables upon us for you to be the 
 means of saving ours. However, you will not find us lacking 
 when the time comes. Already we have agreed that this time 
 of all others we must carry our business through successfully. 
 You are not like these Spaniards. To them we are Indian 
 dogs, mere dust under their feet, a people whose services they 
 buy as they buy those of our mules ; but you have treated us 
 as if we had been comrades of the same colour as you yourself, 
 have insisted upon our eating with you, and have talked with 
 us as if we were friends together ; and you will find that it is 
 so if danger arises. We Indians are not accustomed to kind- 
 ness or consideration from our Spanish masters. Could they 
 do without us they would not suffer an Indian to exist in the 
 land ; but they need our labour, and so bear with us. But 
 we, on our part, never forget that our ancestors were lords of 
 this country, that they received these white strangers with 
 kindness, and were repaid by the grossest treachery and in- 
 gratitude, and that, not contented with seizing our land and 
 our possessions, they murdered all our princes and leaders,
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 313 
 
 and reduced all whom they did not slay to slavery, keeping 
 us only that we might work the mines and till the fields for 
 them. 
 
 " Centuries have passed since then, but there has been no 
 change; they are still our masters, we their beasts of burden. 
 They may pay us for our services, but they have no thought 
 or consideration for us. We may risk our lives for them, but 
 they value ours no more than if we were dogs. Save among 
 the muleteers, Jike Gomez, who long ago ceased to be Span- 
 iards, and are now Peruvians, they look upon us as a con- 
 quered race, and as to friendship or a kindly thought for an 
 Indian, they think more of their dogs than they do of us. 
 Therefore, sefior, you may guess that Pita and I do not feel 
 towards you only as a master who pays us, but as one who has 
 treated us as if we were the same colour as himself, and even 
 the service you have rendered Pita binds us less to you than the 
 kindness that you have shown us. If all Englishmen are like 
 you it would be a blessing indeed to this country if, after your 
 famous admiral had driven out the Spaniards, he would him- 
 self reign over the land and bring some of his people here to 
 govern us. 
 
 "The white Peruvians are no better than the Spaniards. 
 They are the same blood, and have the same ideas, and save 
 that they are cowards, while the Spaniards, to do them justice, 
 are often brave, there is little to choose between them. They 
 are as proud of their white blood, and they despise us as 
 heartily ; they are as greedy of gold, but too indolent to work 
 for it ; and when the Spaniards have gone they will be despots 
 as hard and as tyrannical as our present governors. We hope 
 for the change, though we know well that it will do but little 
 for us ; while, if the people of your race came as masters of 
 the land, we might have some share of freedom and happi- 
 ness. Tales have reached even us that across the western
 
 314 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 ocean you rule over a people dark like ourselves, but infinitely 
 more numerous than we were when the Spaniards first set foot 
 here ; and that your rule is a good and just one, and that the 
 natives are happy and contented, and that there are the same 
 laws for them as for us. Do you think, senor, that there is 
 any chance of your admiral and your people coming here? " 
 
 " I am afraid not, Hurka. We English here are in the 
 service of Chili. We are free ourselves, and our sympathies 
 are with all men who are struggling to be free ; but we have 
 no idea of conquest here, and were Peru to offer to come 
 under our rule we should not accept it. We have already wide 
 possessions in North America and elsewhere, and need no fur- 
 ther territories, especially in a climate that is unfitted for us. 
 We might rule it as we do India, but the Peruvians would 
 never be contented, and we should never attempt to keep 
 them in subjection did they wish us gone. India, the country 
 you speak of, is inhabited by many races and religions. Be- 
 fore we went, there were incessant wars, and were we to leave 
 they would at once recommence. The people, then, feel that 
 our rule is a real benefit, and that they are far happier under 
 it than they were under their native rulers. When we went 
 there we had no thought of conquering it ; we only went there 
 to trade. It was because we were attacked that we defended 
 ourselves, and there are still portions of the country that are 
 altogether independent, and so long as the native sovereigns 
 leave us alone we are well contented that things should remain 
 as they are. We do not enrich ourselves at the expense of 
 the natives. They have to pay taxes to keep up the expenses 
 of the army and administration there, but England draws no 
 revenue from India. It does not, as Spain did, enrich itself 
 with the plunder of the land ; and it is free to people of all 
 nations to trade there as we do ourselves. Individuals may 
 gain wealth there by commerce, or by the growth of indigo
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 315 
 
 and other things that we cannot raise at home, but as a nation 
 we obtain no revenue whatever from India. The army there 
 is for the most part raised from the people, who are free to 
 enlist or not as they please, and who fight as faithfully for us 
 as they would have done for their own rulers." 
 
 " Then what do you gain by being there ? " Hurka asked. 
 
 ' ' We gain in the trade that is carried on by our merchants 
 selling English goods there, and buying Indian produce. The 
 army and the civil government furnish employment to large 
 numbers of Englishmen. These are the only material advan- 
 tages that, so far as I know, we gain ; although of course it is 
 a matter of pride and satisfaction to Englishmen that they 
 rule over so great a country, and that our presence there is of 
 enormous advantage to the people." 
 
 "And are there no gold or silver mines there ? " Pita asked. 
 
 " No ; at any rate nothing that has been worked since we 
 went there." 
 
 "Ah, if you would but come here," Hurka exclaimed, 
 " what a blessing it would be to us ! and I am sure that the 
 Indians, when they knew that they would be fairly treated, 
 would no longer preserve the secrets of the Incas, but would 
 gladly open to you mines that have been hidden ever since the 
 Spaniards came, and hand over vast treasures that have been 
 left untouched all these years. They are useless to them, 
 and are hidden only because they hate the Spaniards, and 
 know that did they discover these mines they would compel 
 the people to work at them as their fathers did ; and ere long 
 we should disappear altogether." 
 
 While they had been talking they had floated quietly down 
 the stream, and Pita said that they were now but a few miles 
 from the next village, and had better tie up until darkness 
 came on. 
 
 "Have you any desire for gold, seiior ? " Hurka* asked.
 
 316 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 after they had secured the canoe to an overhanging branch, 
 and the two Indians had rolled and lighted their cigarettes. 
 
 " Not particularly, Hurka. I suppose everyone would like 
 gold ; but I have already enough to live upon, having been 
 very fortunate in aiding to capture a vessel carrying a large 
 sum for the payment of the Spanish troops. If I were to 
 search for gold it would be rather for the sake of the advent- 
 ure than for the treasure. ' ' 
 
 ' ' You are the first white man I have ever met, senor, who 
 would not undertake any risk in order to gain a fortune, and 
 the richest are as ready to adventure their gold in any enter- 
 prise that promises even a chance of success, as the poorest 
 are willing to risk their lives." 
 
 " The adventure itself would be very exciting," Stephen 
 said, " and I do not say that I should not like to take part in 
 one, just as I am glad to have the chance of such an adventure 
 as going down the Amazon ; but it would certainly be the 
 excitement, and not the chance of making money, that would 
 attract me. I don't say for a moment that I should refuse a 
 share in the treasure, only that I would not run any great 
 risks for the sake of the treasure alone. I suppose that every 
 one could do with more than he has ; for even if you have 
 nothing to wish for, it would at least be a pleasure to give it 
 away. 
 
 " I have been fortunate, although I am still very young. 
 I have been through a great many adventures, and if I were 
 to settle quietly down at home now, I have more to look back 
 upon than most men." 
 
 Day after day they floated down, sometimes on a broad 
 tranquil sheet with a scarce perceptible current, and at others 
 in a rapid headlong stream pent up between narrow banks. 
 The volume of water had vastly increased since they started, 
 owing to the number of streams that had flowed into the
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 317 
 
 Beni, some of these being so large that they would be con- 
 sidered good-sized rivers in Europe. At last, a month after 
 starting, Hurka said that next day they would reach the con- 
 fluence of the Beni and the Madeira. 
 
 " There is a mission-station there, and if the senor likes to 
 pause there for a day or two before descending the river he 
 can do so." 
 
 " Not at all, Hurka. In the first place, I shall be asked a 
 great many questions which would be difficult to answer, and 
 in the second, even two days in a mission-station would be 
 frightfully dull." 
 
 " Very well, senor, then we will pass straight into the river 
 and halt a few hours' journey further down." 
 
 " Why should we halt at all? " 
 
 " We shall want to construct a raft, senor. There are 
 many dangerous rapids in the Madeira besides the falls, and 
 the river is beginning to rise. You were noticing yesterday 
 how thick the water had become, and some of the streams 
 that run into it are laden with mud. That shows that the 
 rain has begun on the western slopes. The Madeira is gen- 
 erally in flood two days before the Beni, and the water will 
 be running down in a great stream; therefore it will be neces- 
 sary to make our raft. We need not desert the canoe, but 
 can let it float alongside of us, or we can haul it on to the 
 raft ; it will be convenient for sleeping in." 
 
 " We had better land at once and make our raft," Pita 
 said, " before we reach the Madeira. I know of no high bank 
 for a very long distance after we have entered the great river 
 where we could manage it." 
 
 " Then by all means let us do so at once," Stephen said, 
 " and perhaps we may get some sport." 
 
 Accordingly the boat was headed towards shore. When 
 they reached the side they found that the Beni itself had risen,
 
 318 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 and the bank, usually seven or eight feet out of water, was 
 now little more than a foot above its level. 
 
 "You may get some birds," Hurka said, "but nothing 
 else. The instinct of the beasts tells them that the river is 
 nearly full, and doubtless indeed the low-lying parts of the 
 forest are already submerged. They will be off before this, 
 and will travel on till they come to ground that is always 
 above the floods. Some will, doubtless, be caught and per- 
 ish. Such as climb will take to trees, but hunger will de- 
 stroy them." 
 
 " How far do the floods extend? " 
 
 "In some places a hundred miles, and on the Amazon 
 itself, as I have heard, a great deal further." 
 
 They paddled along close to the bank until they reached a 
 spot where it was bordered by a vast number of reeds, many 
 of them as thick as Stephen's arm. 
 
 " Now we are going to make our raft," Hurka said. 
 " These reeds are far better than solid branches. They are 
 very light, and we fasten them but loosely together, so that 
 they can give to the water. When we have made it, we shall 
 then want four young saplings. These we shall lash together 
 firmly in a square, and under each corner we fasten the skins, 
 and one also in the middle of each pole ; you know we have 
 brought eight with us. First we make the raft itself with the 
 rushes. It is made about four feet larger each way than the 
 frame with the skins. This frame is laid on the raft, and is 
 fastened loosely to it. Thus you see the raft itself is complete 
 without the poles and skins, which, so long as it holds to- 
 gether, simply rest in it, but if the raft gets broken up the 
 skins will support the poles. We generally lash a few cross 
 poles to the frame, and on these we sit, for the water splashes 
 up between the reeds, making everything wet. As we are 
 going to take our canoe with us, we shall not want the cross
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 319 
 
 poles, but shall lay her on the reeds and get on board her. 
 We shall pick out the largest reeds we can get to place under 
 the spot where she will lie, and shall only get out of the boat 
 when it is necessary to go to the front or sides of the raft to 
 pole her off from any floating tree or other danger." 
 
 It took them two days to complete the raft, the second 
 day's work being carried on afloat, for the stream rose very 
 rapidly. The lashings of the reeds were of leather thongs, so 
 tied that while they were held firmly in their places there was 
 great deal of play, an advantage that Stephen discovered as 
 soon as they were afloat again on the stream. The rapidity 
 with which the river was running raised it in a series of sharp 
 waves, and a rigid raft would have had one end or the other 
 constantly immersed. The raft, however, undulated with the 
 water almost as a carpet of the same size would have done, the 
 lashings of the buoyant reeds permitting each side to rise and 
 fall, while the structure upon it lifted or fell with the motion. 
 The canoe half floated and was half supported by the raft 
 below it, and Stephen was surprised to find how slight the 
 motion was even in the broken water. Presently the two 
 Indians left the canoe, and seating themselves on the poles, 
 paddled towards the shore to the left, and getting out of the 
 current made their way along the edge of the forest. 
 
 "We are close now," Hurka said, "to the Madeira, and 
 the struggle of the two swollen rivers will raise a turmoil so 
 great that even this raft might break up in the waves." 
 
 This Stephen could well believe when the canoe reached 
 the angle where the rivers joined. The width was nearly two 
 miles, and the scene presented the appearance of the sea in a 
 violent gale, except that it was a chaos without order or regu- 
 larity. The cross currents seemed to crash against each other, 
 hurling the spray many yards in the air. Waves leapt up in 
 conical form as if lifted bodily from below. The position of
 
 320 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the centre of the stream changed continually as one current or 
 the other gained the mastery. Here and there were whirl- 
 pools and eddies that would have engulfed an ordinary boat 
 in a moment. The whole was white with foam. 
 
 " It is like a huge boiling pot," Stephen said as he watched 
 it. 
 
 "No boat ever made could live in it," Hurka said. " I 
 have seen boats on the great waves that break on the coast, 
 but there was an order in the waves, and those skilled in the 
 work could wait their opportunity and come in on the top 
 of one of them. Here all is confusion, and a boat would be 
 thrown into the air by one of those suddenly rising lumps of 
 water, and if caught between two of the waves would be 
 crushed like a shell. No one would think of descending the 
 river when the Beni and the Madeira are in flood, except by 
 doing as we are doing now, keeping in the dead-water, or, if 
 in canoes, making their way through the submerged forest. 
 But even this would be hazardous work, for the canoe might 
 be torn by unseen boughs below the surface of the water. 
 Therefore at times like these, most men wait until the floods 
 have abated, unless they are in a great hurry, and this is sel- 
 dom, for neither Indians nor Peruvians are ever in haste about 
 anything. 
 
 "The greatest danger to inexperienced travellers is that of 
 being lost in the forest. Many streams come in, and when 
 the water is very high it is difficult to know whether one is 
 crossing a tract denuded of wood or one of the many channels 
 of the river ; and once lost in the forest a traveller's fate is 
 sealed, for the current there is insufficient to enable him to 
 judge in which direction is the main river, for he may be in 
 a back eddy or in the current from a cross channel. The 
 trees are so interlaced with creepers that every foot of the way 
 has to be cut, while among the foliage are snakes of all kinds,
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 321 
 
 from the great boas to the little tree snakes, a bite from which 
 causes death in a few minutes. There too are starving jaguars, 
 leopards, and wild cats, who, once they get over the terror 
 caused by the inundation, are all on the look - out for food. 
 Amidst all these enemies the inexperienced traveller speedily 
 loses his presence of mind and even his reason. 
 
 ' ' Once when I was going down this very river we heard 
 a noise of wild laughter, intermingled with strange piercing 
 cries. We knew at once that it was a traveller lost in the 
 forest. It took us two hours to cut our way to the spot where 
 we heard the sounds. We guessed who were the sufferers. 
 Two Spaniards had hired a large canoe, and had taken with 
 them six village boatmen. They had refused my offer to go 
 with four men of my tribe who were accustomed to the river 
 and its dangers, as we demanded a much higher sum than the 
 villagers were ready to go for, and we said when we saw them 
 put off that they would never get down to the mission. When 
 we reached the spot one man was lying dead at the bottom of 
 the canoe. One of the Spaniards and one of the villagers 
 were missing, having no doubt leapt overboard in their mad- 
 ness. The others were all raving madmen, some with scarce 
 strength to raise themselves in the boat, others making the 
 dreadful laughing and screaming that we had heard. 
 
 " When they saw us they took us, I believe, for devils, and 
 it was not until we had lassoed the strongest that we were 
 able to overpower them. We bound them and laid them at 
 the bottom of our canoe and took them down to the mission, 
 which was some fifty miles below us. I was told afterwards 
 that only one of them ever recovered his senses ; the others 
 either died raving or were hopelessly mad. From the one 
 who recovered it was learned that as soon as they came to the 
 point where the stream became rapid they made for the edge 
 of the forest. At night they tied up their canoe to a tree, but
 
 322 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 in the morning when they awoke they found that the line had 
 become untied, and that they had drifted into the forest. 
 There they had been three days when we found them. They 
 had lost all idea of direction, and had we been a few hours 
 later the last voice would have been silenced, and when the 
 flood subsided the canoe and its occupants would have rotted 
 away, and no one would ever have known the fate that had 
 befallen them." 
 
 "How do you find your way through a flooded forest, 
 Hurka?" 
 
 " It is born in us as it is born in birds to make their way 
 back to their nests. It may be that a careful examination 
 would show that the trunks on one side are more thickly 
 covered with creepers than the other ; but we do not need to 
 take notice of such things, or if we notice them it is without 
 knowing it, as we are sure of our direction. We have seen 
 Spanish travellers who had the things with which they said 
 they could direct their course at sea, with a card that goes 
 round and round and always when it is steady points in one 
 direction. This is no doubt very useful out on the plains or 
 in a forest where there are no obstacles, but here where the 
 woods are intercepted by numberless streams and with wide 
 swamps, such a machine is useless to any one unless he is inti- 
 mately acquainted with the country and the course of the 
 streams. Even Indian dwellers on the shores of the river 
 often, in the times of floods, get lost in the forest and lose their 
 lives, so changed is the aspect of everything by the water." 
 
 " It must be terrible," Stephen said, as he glanced between 
 the trunks of the trees at the still, dark water under the thick 
 canopy. " Of course the sun must be a help." 
 
 " We do not often see the sun in times of flood, senor. 
 Rain often falls very heavily, and even when it does not do so 
 there is, you see, a mist in the air rising from this vast expanse
 
 DOWN THE RIVER '323 
 
 of water. Besides, it is only when it is directly overhead that 
 the sun's rays penetrate the foliage, and at that time it is too 
 high for the shadows to afford much guidance. Among us, 
 three shots of a gun at regular intervals is a call for aid, but in 
 flood time it is a useless one, for the Indians, like the wild 
 beasts, all leave, save when their huts are on eminences, and 
 the chances of the shots being heard by human ears are small 
 indeed. To one lost in the forest at other times it is all but 
 certain death, but when the floods are out a man would do 
 wisely to fire the first shot into his own head." 
 
 Day after day they travelled on, keeping just far enough 
 out to get the benefit of the current without allowing them- 
 selves to be drawn towards the centre of the river. Even this 
 at times was very difficult, especially when they were passing 
 round curves, for much of the water, instead of following the 
 channel, made its way through the forest to the next bend in 
 the river, and they had the greatest difficulty in preventing 
 themselves from being drawn in among the trees by the current. 
 At such times they were forced to launch the canoe overboard, 
 to roll up the bottom of the raft, and to lay the great bundle 
 of rushes across the poles now supported by the inflated skins. 
 Only then by vigorous paddling, in which Stephen bore his 
 part, were they able to tow this behind them across the current 
 until they reached a point where the force of the stream was 
 confined to the regular channel. At one point, where the 
 river was broader than usual and the current in consequence 
 slower, they crossed to the other bank. 
 
 " We are getting near the rapids now," Hurka said, " and 
 this bank is the least dangerous of the two. Hitherto we have 
 had nothing but the force of the stream to contend with, but 
 now we shall have rocks. It is for this that we constructed 
 the raft. Up to now we should have done far better to have 
 come down in the canoe alone, but, once among the rocks, a
 
 324 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 touch would break her up, while the raft can scrape against 
 them without injury. You will see that the aspect of things 
 will change altogether ; the banks where the rapids are, are 
 high and steep, and the inundations will cease for a time. 
 Once beyond the falls we shall again be in a flat country, and 
 the inundations will extend almost all the way down until we 
 reach the Amazon." 
 
 ' ' There is no way of avoiding the rapids, I suppose ? ' ' 
 Stephen asked. 
 
 " None but by getting out and carrying everything round. 
 At the falls this has to be done ; there are no other means of 
 passing them. In some respects it is safer to go down the 
 rapids now than it is in the dry season, for the greater portion 
 of the rocks are far below the surface, and we shall pass over 
 small falls without even noticing them." 
 
 The days as a rule passed pleasantly enough, save where 
 the voyagers had to work against cross currents, but at night, 
 when they tied up to a tree, the noise was prodigious. The 
 howling and roaring of wild beasts was incessant. Monkeys 
 chattered in terror, and occasionally an almost human scream 
 proclaimed that one of them had been seized by a snake, or 
 some other enemy. The hissing of reptiles could at times be 
 distinctly heard, and Stephen often thought that he could hear 
 their movements in the boughs above him. 
 
 At length they approached the rapids, and the stream be- 
 came still more impetuous. The Indians had cut long poles, 
 and as they drifted down one stood at each corner of the raft, 
 using their poles occasionally as paddles to keep it straight. 
 Stephen remained in the canoe in the centre. He would 
 gladly have shared in any work that was to be done, but here 
 he felt that he could be of no use. 
 
 "To-morrow we shall be in the full force of the rapids, 
 sefior," Hurka said. " I should advise you to lay yourself
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 325 
 
 down in the bottom of the canoe and to pass the day in sleep. 
 It will be safer so should there be an accident, for, with your 
 weight at the bottom, the canoe will be more likely to keep 
 upright than it otherwise would. You cannot aid us, and the 
 speed at which we shall do the next hundred miles will be 
 great indeed. In eight hours we shall be at the foot of the 
 rapids. ' ' 
 
 " I will sit down at the bottom of the canoe, but I must see 
 what is going on. I am accustomed to the aspect of a sea 
 in a violent gale, and this great body of water, however fast 
 it rushes, will not be more trying to the nerves than such a 
 scene as that. There is one thing that I should wish you to 
 do. Let each tie a light rope round his waist and fasten the 
 other end to the canoe, and then if the raft does go to pieces 
 you will be able to get on board, and at any rate, if she upsets 
 we shall be together. ' ' 
 
 "We will do it if you wish, senor, but there would be 
 danger of our capsizing the canoe." 
 
 " Not so much danger as there would be of the canoe up- 
 setting if I were alone in it, for I should be powerless even 
 to keep her straight, and she would go broadside on to a rock 
 and be dashed to pieces. ' ' 
 
 " The senor is right, Hurka," Pita said gravely ; " we will 
 do as he wishes. But the ropes must be long, so that if we 
 are flung off the raft there will be no sudden pull on the 
 canoe. Should there be such a misfortune I will shout to 
 you, and we will then swim towards the boat, taking up the 
 ropes as we go, but putting no strain upon them ; when we 
 reach the boat, one will aid the senor to steady it while the 
 other climbs in ; after that it will be easier to get the second 
 on board." 
 
 " You still think that it is better to make a passage than to 
 carry the whole kit and the canoe over? "
 
 326 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " It would take many weeks, senor. Besides, though I 
 have never been here before, I have heard that the difficulties 
 are so great that the river Indians never attempt to carry even 
 a light canoe over. I am at your service, senor, and am will- 
 ing to try if you give the order, but I have been told by 
 Indians that when the river is, as now, in flood, the danger is 
 by no means great. Of course, we shall keep out of the full 
 strength of the current. ' ' 
 
 Accordingly they started the next morning, and an hour 
 after setting out were in the sweep of the rapids. The passage 
 was an intensely exciting one. The Indians stood, paddle in 
 hand, one at each corner of the front of the raft ; their poles 
 lay ready to snatch up in case any rock was approached, 
 but the paddles were needed to keep the raft from being 
 dragged out into the full force of the current. Here the 
 water rose in steep ridges, and had the raft got among these 
 it would have been torn to pieces almost instantly. At the 
 same time it was desirable not to go too near the shore, as the 
 risk from submerged rocks would be greater there. But 
 Stephen saw that unless rocks came absolutely above the sur- 
 face they would be swept over them, as the raft drew but two 
 or three inches of water. Except in the middle, the stream 
 rushed along with a surface broken only by tiny eddies. It 
 was only by seeing how they flew past the banks that any idea 
 could be formed of the speed at which they were travelling. 
 
 In eight hours it was over. Several times the paddlers had 
 to exert themselves to the utmost to avoid spots where great 
 swells of water showed that there were rocks below the sur- 
 face, but on no occasion did the Indians have to use their 
 poles. The bed of the river widened sharply at the foot of 
 the rapids, and just as Stephen congratulated himself that the 
 passage had been safely made, he saw by an increase in the 
 labour of the Indians that something was wrong. Standing
 
 DOWN THE RIVER 327 
 
 up in the canoe he perceived that they had been shot out of 
 the current into the back-water formed by the sudden widen- 
 ing of the stream, and that in this back - water was a very 
 strong eddy sweeping round and round in a circle. This was 
 about a hundred yards in diameter, with a depression in the 
 centre, and round this the raft was carried at a rate that defied 
 the efforts of the two paddlers to check. 
 
 At one moment they were within twenty yards of a flat 
 forest -covered shore, and the next were near the edge of the 
 torrent pouring down the rapids. In vain the paddlers tried 
 to edge the raft out little by little from the whirlpool. Not 
 only was the current too strong for them, but its surface was 
 dotted with floating logs and branches of trees that, like them- 
 selves, coursed round and round. As long as all were trav- 
 elling at the same rate and in the same direction the danger 
 of a collision was comparatively slight, but more than once 
 when the rowers succeeded in gaining a short distance tow- 
 ards the outside edge of the whirlpool, they were forced to 
 desist suddenly and paddle straight with the current, to avoid 
 a great log bearing down upon them. 
 
 Pita took a lariat from the canoe and prepared to throw it, 
 so as to catch one of the branches when they neared the shore. 
 He tried several times, but the distance was too great ; and 
 indeed it was necessary to catch the trees at some little dis- 
 tance before reaching the point opposite to them, in order to 
 pull diagonally across the current, for a jerk when the canoe 
 was at right angles would have torn the raft to pieces. 
 
 " Could we launch the canoe and paddle out of the whirl- 
 pool in that? " Stephen said. 
 
 "We might do that," Hurka replied, "but a touch from 
 any of these logs would sink her in a moment ; and besides, 
 we should be sorry to lose the raft, for we have no skins to 
 make floats, and the rushes of which we constructed it only
 
 328 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 grow in the quiet waters of the upper river. We might take 
 to the canoe as a last resource, but we should be very loth to 
 doit." 
 
 "How long would the lariats be, tied together, with that 
 piece of thin rope you brought to check the raft in dangerous 
 places ? ' ' 
 
 " The rope is a hundred and fifty yards long, senor; the 
 lariats reach about thirty yards." 
 
 " That would be plenty," Stephen said. " My idea is that 
 you might fasten the end of the rope to an arrow and shoot 
 it among the trees. It might not catch the first time, but no 
 doubt it would after a few trials. The rope will, of course, be 
 coiled up so as to pay out easily, and we could pull it in or pay 
 it out as we went round and round. Each time as we approach 
 the shore we could pull on it a little and edge the raft a few 
 feet out, slackening out again as we came to the nearest point 
 to the trees. If there were any logs in our way of course we 
 should not pull ; thus, by choosing our opportunity, we might 
 get her out little by little till we are outside the full force of 
 the stream." 
 
 The Indians did not quite understand Stephen's plan, but 
 at once agreed to try it. Pita chose his heaviest arrow and 
 lashed the end of the rope firmly to it, close to the feathers. 
 Stephen knotted the lariats to the rope, and coiled them up so 
 that they would run out easily, and they then prepared for the 
 first attempt.
 
 PITA TRIES STEPHEN'S PLAN IN ORDER TO ESCAPE FROM THE 
 WHIRLPOOL.
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 329 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 
 
 DRAWING the bow till the point of the arrow almost 
 touched the wood, Pita stood like a statue until the boat 
 was opposite to the trees, then he loosed it, and it flew far into 
 the foliage. The instant the boat reached the opposite side 
 of the whirlpool Stephen and Hurka drew in the rope hand 
 over hand. 
 
 " Leave go, Hurka," Stephen said as the rope tightened. 
 " I will try as we pass whether it has caught in the trees." 
 
 As the canoe passed on he put a slight strain on the rope. 
 It yielded for a moment, and then flew through his fingers 
 rapidly. 
 
 "It has caught on something," he said. " Now, haul in 
 rapidly this time, Hurka, as soon as we pass the opposite 
 point, so as to get the strain on as quickly as we can. Pita, 
 do you keep your eye on the logs, and shout if there is any- 
 thing in the way." 
 
 As soon as they had passed the half-way point on their way 
 back to the shore, Stephen and Hurka began to pull. They 
 could get but little tension on the rope, for the boat was trav- 
 elling almost as fast as they could pull it in. Still, once or twice 
 they were able to put their strength on it for a moment, and 
 the raft moved a foot or two through the water. Again and 
 again this manoeuvre was repeated, and little by little they 
 gained ground, until at last they edged the raft so near to the 
 edge of the current that the two Indians, seizing their paddles, 
 were able to get her into the still water beyond. They rowed 
 to the trees, and there tied up. 
 
 "That was a good plan, senor," Pita said. "I should
 
 330 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 never have thought of it. I did think of shooting an arrow 
 across to the trees, but I saw that the jerk would be so great 
 that it would tear the raft to pieces." 
 
 It was some time before Stephen was inclined to talk ; for 
 the exertion necessary to pull the rope in at a rate exceeding 
 that at which the boat was travelling towards the trees, coming 
 as it did after the excitement of the passage down the rapids, 
 had completely exhausted him. He was drenched with per- 
 spiration, and was glad to lie still in the bottom of the canoe 
 for a time. 
 
 " Well, what next, Pita? " he asked when his breath came 
 quietly. 
 
 " We shall float down as before, sefior. It is a flat country 
 for the next fifty miles, and the great inundations will rob the 
 river of its power. We shall have several more rapids to pass, 
 but I do not think they will be worse than these. Then we 
 shall get to the falls. There are several small ones, round 
 which we shall have to carry our boats, and there is a great 
 one where the whole river leaps down a hundred feet in a 
 mass. On still nights you can hear it, I am told, nigh a hun- 
 dred miles away. It is the greatest fall in South America, 
 though a traveller I once met told me that in North America 
 there was a fall that was higher, but that there was nothing 
 like the same quantity poured over it as over this at flood- 
 time. Once beyond that there remain no more falls or rapids, 
 and a ship can sail up there from the Amazon. Good-sized 
 craft do come up sometimes, for there is a mission-station 
 there, and the fathers carry on a trade with the Indians, who 
 come from the lower districts to purchase goods. ' ' 
 
 " I shall be very glad when the water gets clear enough for 
 us to take to fishing again," Stephen said. " We have caught 
 no fish of late, and have got but a few birds, and I am getting 
 very tired of these cakes."
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 331 
 
 Another three weeks and Stephen stood at the foot of the 
 fall of the river Madeira. The flood of water that poured 
 down in one unbroken sheet was enormous. The noise was 
 like that of continual thunder, and Stephen, as he stood 
 watching the swollen waters at his feet and feeling the very 
 ground shake beneath them, felt spell-bound at the grandeur of 
 the scene. The mission-house was inhabited by only two or 
 three old monks, and from them they learned that there had 
 been a bad outbreak of fever there, several had died, and the 
 rest were so weakened that it had been determined that the 
 monks, with the exception of these men, who had passed 
 through many fevers and were thoroughly acclimatized, should 
 go down by boat to Barra, and remain there until the season 
 of the floods terminated and the sun had dried the inundated 
 country. 
 
 Stephen was glad of a rest, for since entering the rapids the 
 work had been hard and continuous. The Indians would have 
 undertaken all the portage round the various falls and bad 
 rapids, but he insisted on doing his share of the work, and had 
 day after day toiled with heavy weights over a rough country. 
 It was all over now, and the prospect of a week spent at the 
 mission before proceeding on their voyage was very pleasant. 
 
 " You must be careful," one of the monks said, " not to 
 stray too far from the house. The natives of the neighbour- 
 hood have long since been Christianized, but we are visited by 
 parties from long distances belonging to some of the other 
 tribes who are still wholly wild and eat human flesh. Here 
 they behave peaceably, because they credit us with super- 
 natural powers, seeing the respect and devotion with which 
 we are regarded by the natives here, of whom indeed we 
 generally keep a strong body on guard during the time that 
 the strangers most frequently visit us ; that is to say, at the time 
 that the floods are out. At that time most of the people who
 
 332 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 live near the river are forced to retire to a great distance from 
 their homes, and being deprived of their usual pursuits, they 
 take that opportunity of coming here to purchase the articles 
 they require. I do not say that they would harm you, but 
 assuredly they might do so, and it would therefore be best for 
 you to keep near the mission-house. Here you are safe from 
 any danger whatever, for even the wildest Indian would not 
 venture to set foot inside these walls, fearing that if they did, 
 some terrible calamity might befall them." 
 
 Stephen took the advice, for although he was not much 
 affected by what the old man said, Pita and his companion 
 both confirmed his words, and told him that many bad Ind- 
 ians, who would kill and eat any white man who entered 
 their district, frequently visited these mission-houses. 
 
 "Always carry your gun with you, senor. They have not 
 the same terror of firearms as their forefathers had, but they 
 have heard enough to know that they are weapons of war, 
 and much more formidable than their own bows and arrows, 
 or the poisoned darts of their blow-pipes." 
 
 Stephen accordingly never went out, even to visit the falls, 
 where he spent the greater portion of his time, without his 
 rifle. Generally one or other of the Indians accompanied 
 him, but seeing that no strangers visited the mission-house, 
 they gradually abstained from doing so. Stephen preferred 
 being alone the tremendous roar of the water rendered con- 
 versation impossible and he was quite content to lie and 
 dreamily watch the flood pouring down unceasingly. On the 
 evening before the day on which they were to start, the moon 
 was shining brilliantly, and Stephen, taking his gun as usual, 
 went out without mentioning his intention to his companions, 
 and strolled down to take a last quiet look at the mighty fall, 
 whose fascination grew upon him the oftener he looked at it 
 and came to realize more and more its marvellous power and
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 333 
 
 energy. He had been seated there for about an hour, when, 
 without the slightest warning that anyone was near him, he 
 received a sudden blow on the head that rolled him over 
 unconscious. When he recovered his senses he found himself 
 in the bottom of a small canoe paddled by three Indians. 
 
 Overhead he could see the branches of trees, and knew from 
 this that they were following the bank of the river. Pres- 
 ently, to his surprise, they turned sharply off, and were at 
 once in the gloom of the forest. They paddled for an hour, 
 and then tied up the canoe to a tree. One of them lit a torch 
 at the fire that smouldered on a flat stone, and the three 
 gathered round it. Stephen could see that they were closely 
 examining his rifle, pistols, watch, and money. Few remarks 
 were made, but Stephen gathered from, the tone that they 
 were well satisfied with the capture. 
 
 " I have fallen into bad hands this time," he said to him- 
 self. " There is no doubt about their being stranger Indians. 
 I can understand my arms being regarded by them as a most 
 valuable capture, but why they did not finish me at once, in- 
 stead of taking me away with them, is more than I can under- 
 stand, unless it be that they are cannibals." 
 
 After examining his bonds and assuring themselves that 
 they were tight, the Indians lay down to sleep, but in the 
 morning continued their journey as soon as daylight broke. 
 From the absence of undergrowth and of lianas stretching 
 from tree to tree anywhere low down, Stephen came to the 
 conclusion that they were following what was in the dry sea- 
 son a track through the forest. The Indians were quite young 
 men, and laughed and talked without any of the gravity that 
 distinguished the older men among the natives. For some 
 hours they paddled on, then their progress was stopped by a 
 deep tangle of creepers stretching from tree to tree across their 
 way. There was an exclamation of surprise and, as Stephen
 
 334 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 thought, of apprehension ; they began to talk rapidly and 
 eagerly together, one pointing in one direction and another 
 in quite an opposite one. 
 
 " They have lost the path," he said to himself, " perhaps 
 they took the wrong turn at starting." 
 
 The argument between them was an animated one, until 
 one pointed to a ray of sunlight that penetrated the foliage 
 and fell on the trunk of a tree near the water's level. All 
 looked surprised and even graver than before. The head of 
 the canoe was turned, and they started in the direction from 
 which they had come, by which Stephen concluded that they 
 had unwittingly made half a circuit. They now paddled 
 steadily and gravely, watching the darts of sunlight, and evi- 
 dently steering by them. Before they had gone far the char- 
 acter of the forest changed, the trees grew somewhat further 
 apart ; but an undergrowth of smaller trees rendering it ex- 
 tremely difficult for them to force their canoe onward, their 
 knives had frequently to be brought out to cut a way through 
 the creepers. Angry words were frequently exchanged be- 
 tween them, each, it was evident to Stephen, accusing the 
 others of being the cause of the disaster. The quarrel be- 
 came more and more embittered, until at last two of them 
 started up, and, drawing their knives, fell furiously upon one 
 another. In the struggle they almost capsized the boat, and 
 catching at each other to save themselves, both went over- 
 board together. 
 
 The struggle was continued in the water, the men stabbing 
 each other fiercely, while the Indian on board endeavoured in 
 vain by his shouts to induce them to abandon the strife. 
 Presently one of them, struck to the heart, threw up his arms 
 and sank ; the other turned to swim back to the boat, but 
 after one or two feeble strokes he too sank lower and lower, 
 and the water soon closed over his head. The remaining Ind-
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 335 
 
 ian stood for a time immovable, with terror and consterna- 
 tion in his face, and then he shook his fist threateningly at 
 Stephen, whom he evidently regarded as being in some way 
 the author of their misfortune, and then, taking up his paddle, 
 proceeded to row. His manner, however, was indecisive. 
 He had lost all confidence, and turned aside whenever the 
 way was barred by creepers, instead of trying to cut through 
 them. At times he ceased paddling altogether, and sat gazing 
 restlessly around him, at other times he paddled with feverish 
 energy. Some water had come in over the gunwale during 
 the struggle between the Indians, and Stephen managed to 
 turn round, face downwards, to take a hearty drink. 
 
 When evening came on, the Indian was paddling almost 
 mechanically, when from a branch of a tree above something 
 dropped down. For a moment Stephen could not discern its 
 nature. There was a swift, rapid movement, a piercing cry 
 from the Indian, followed by the sound of cracking bones, 
 and then the man was lifted bodily out of the boat. Stephen 
 could now see two great coils wrapped round his body, and 
 the head of a gigantic python ; then, overcome by the horror 
 of the scene, he became unconscious. When he recovered he 
 found that the canoe had drifted away from the tree. He 
 now set to work desperately to loose his bonds, and after 
 great efforts and suffering severe pain, succeeded in getting 
 one hand loose. After that the rest was easy, and in a few 
 minutes he was free. Seizing the paddle he rowed away from 
 the scene of the tragedy, and presently tied up to a young 
 sapling, whose head was just above the water. 
 
 His next step was to examine the contents of the canoe. 
 It contained, however, nothing but two or three fish dried in 
 the sun, and some cakes, of whose composition he was igno- 
 rant, save that they were certainly not made of flour. Having 
 satisfied his hunger and taken a long drink from the water
 
 336 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 alongside, he fired his rifle three times, but no answering 
 sound came back. Knowing that he might only be paddling 
 away from the river, he stretched himself in the bottom of 
 the canoe, and resolutely postponing all thought of his posi- 
 tion until daybreak, fell asleep. He awoke as soon as it was 
 light again, loaded and fired his gun three times, and again 
 listened for a response. 
 
 "It is of no use my waiting here," he said to himself, after 
 some thought. " Pita has no shadow of a clue as to what has 
 become of me, and as I may be thirty miles away from him 
 it would take an army to find me. I had better try and push 
 on until I get to dry land. I may then be able to work round 
 the inundations until I reach the rocky ground and can make 
 my way along it to the mission." As soon as the sun rose he 
 was able to determine the points of the compass, and paddled 
 steadily on, his eyes fixed upon the trees above him. Other 
 snakes might be lurking or wild beasts taking refuge in the 
 branches. That there were many of these indeed he was sure, 
 by the number of uneasy howls that he had heard before the 
 sun rose. Several times as he rowed he caught sight of leop- 
 ards and jaguars in the trees ; one of the latter, unobserved 
 until he had passed beyond the branches, sprang down from 
 above, narrowly missing the stern of the canoe, and starting 
 in pursuit as soon as it came to the surface again. Stephen, 
 however, was able to drive the boat through the water at a 
 much higher rate than the beast could swim, and it was not 
 long before he had left it far behind him. 
 
 He continued to paddle all day, but felt that his nerves 
 were beginning to fail him, and it was only by a great effort 
 that he was able to keep a fixed direction by the aid of the 
 sun through the leaves. He tied up again at night, and 
 paddled all the next day, finding to his gratification in the 
 afternoon that the water now did not average more than four
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 337 
 
 feet deep. By noon the next day he saw a break in the line 
 of water, and a few minutes later stood on dry ground. He 
 did not attempt to go further, but throwing himself down fell 
 at once into a deep sleep. It was evening when he awoke ; 
 the fire still burned on the hearth in the canoe ; he had been 
 careful to keep it alight by breaking off pieces of dead wood 
 from the trees. He now collected a large store, built up a 
 pile a few feet beyond the water - level, and bringing some 
 brands from the fire set it alight. His scanty stock of pro- 
 visions was now nearly exhausted ; he ate half of what re- 
 mained, and then lay down before the fire with his pistols 
 ready at hand in case any wild beast should come near. The 
 next morning he started in what he believed to be the right 
 direction, keeping near the edge of the inundation. His 
 memory of what happened afterwards was vague and indis- 
 tinct. He remembered that for several days he kept on, 
 sometimes plucking fruit as he went, and occasionally firing a 
 gun three times. Rapidly his strength failed as he went on, 
 he often stumbled and fell from exhaustion and hunger, and 
 the power of thought altogether deserted him. 
 
 At times he fancied he saw men approaching, but only to 
 find that his imagination had converted trees into moving 
 objects. He had long since left the edge of the inundation. 
 He was parched with thirst, his mind wandered, incoherent 
 cries proceeded from his parched lips. At last he thought he 
 saw a native village before him ; as he drew towards it figures 
 came out from the huts and gazed at him. A moment later 
 he fell headlong to the ground, and lay there insensible. 
 
 When he came to himself he felt so weak that he could 
 neither turn nor raise his head, but lay wondering vaguely 
 where he was. As he looked upwards he thought he was still 
 dreaming, for the well-known face of Pita was looking down 
 upon him.
 
 338 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " Do you know me? " It was certainly Pita's voice, and 
 being unable to move, Stephen closed his eyelids quickly in 
 reply to the question. 
 
 " The saints be praised ! " the Indian exclaimed, using the 
 ejaculation common among the Peruvians. ' ' He knows me, 
 Hurka he is sensible again, after all this time." 
 
 Hurka hurried up on the other side of Stephen. " It is 
 true ! " he exclaimed ; " he knows me also." 
 
 The Indian brought a gourd, and poured some liquor into 
 Stephen's mouth. " Do not talk," he said; "we shall 
 have plenty of time for that later on." 
 
 Stephen closed his eyes obediently. Even now he was not 
 certain but that he was still in a dream. So many times of 
 late he had had a vague fancy that his Indian guides were 
 still with him that he doubted the evidence both of eye and 
 ear. However, he soon went off to sleep again. When he 
 awoke, Hurka was at hand, and ready to pour some hot broth 
 down his throat. It was long before he was strong enough to 
 ask questions, and the Indian positively refused to talk. At 
 last the time came when he was able to be propped up into a 
 sitting position on his bed, which was composed of leaves 
 covered with blankets. 
 
 " I am strong enough to hear about it now, Pita. Tell me 
 where I am and how you come to be here." 
 
 "Hurka will tell," the Indian replied; "it is a long 
 talk." 
 
 Stephen looked to Hurka, who at once began. 
 
 "When you did not return that evening, senor, Pita and 
 I went out to search for you. We knew where you generally 
 sat, but you were gone. We went to the mission, got some 
 torches, and searching in the sand between the rocks we 
 found traces of Indians' feet, and were able to follow them up 
 to a point nearly a mile below the falls. There they ceased,
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 339 
 
 and we were sure that you had been carried off in a canoe. 
 As we found no sign whatever of blood or marks of a struggle 
 we felt sure that you had not been wounded, but concluded 
 that you had been suddenly seized, bound, and carried off. 
 We roused some of the mission Indians, and I with three of 
 them took to our canoe and paddled down the river for twelve 
 hours. As we had no weight to carry and had four paddles, 
 we felt sure that by that time we should have overtaken you 
 had they held on down the river, for we concluded by the 
 footmarks that there were but three of them, and they had 
 your weight in the boat. 
 
 ' ' They could hardly have counted on being pursued so 
 closely, and would not, therefore, have made any special 
 effort. Then we turned and paddled back, keeping close to 
 the trees in hopes of getting some sign of where the canoe had 
 entered the forest. We found none, and as soon as we got 
 to the mission, I set out to follow Pita, who had started in- 
 land. We thought it likely that the Indians had come across 
 the inundations, and that he might obtain some news as to 
 which tribe they belonged to. Of course he followed the 
 high ground and passed through several Indian villages, but 
 he was sure that they had not come from these, for in that 
 case they would have gone on foot to the mission instead of 
 taking the trouble to pass through the forest in a canoe. He 
 walked sixty miles the next day and then reached the farthest 
 edge of the inundation, and leaving the high ground followed 
 it. 
 
 " He had taken with him a bag of flour from the mission, 
 and kept on for a week ; then he thought he must have gone 
 beyond the spot where you had been landed. He had 
 walked, he thought, fifty miles a day, and was more than three 
 hundred from the high ground, and concluded that unless the 
 canoe had come a long distance up the river they would never
 
 340 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 have made so long a passage through the forest. Then he 
 went back again, keeping further away from the water. Four 
 days later he came upon a group of Indian huts, and there 
 heard that a strange white man had arrived at a village 
 twenty miles distant, two days before. None knew from 
 whence he came, for he had fallen down as soon as he arrived, 
 and was lying ill. Pita could not understand how you could 
 have arrived in such a state, unless indeed you had killed 
 your captors after landing, and had then wandered in the 
 forest until you chanced upon the village. He hastened there, 
 greatly disturbed in his mind, in the first place, at the thought 
 of your illness, and next because the tribe was a very savage 
 one and ate human flesh. 
 
 " When he entered the village the natives crowded round 
 him. He was an Indian like themselves, but his dress showed 
 that he consorted with the hated white men. Pita, however, 
 pushed them aside, and to their astonishment spoke to them 
 in their own language. Pita's mother, indeed, had been one 
 of that very tribe, and her father a great chief among them, 
 so that when he told them who he was, he was heartily wel- 
 comed and treated with great respect. It was lucky for me 
 that he arrived, for only the day before I too, when I gained 
 news of your whereabouts, had reached the village, and upon 
 entering had at once been made prisoner. I gathered from 
 what I could understand of their language that I was to be 
 eaten. I think that the manner in which you entered their 
 village, and the mystery as to how you could have come 
 there, saved your life. It seemed to them as something su- 
 pernatural, and they were attending you carefully in order 
 that if you recovered they might learn from you how you had 
 come there, after which they would no doubt have killed 
 you. Pita had some difficulty in obtaining my release, but 
 upon his saying that, although belonging to another tribe, I
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 341 
 
 was a great friend of his, they handed me over to him. Since 
 then we have been as natives of the village. We have taken 
 it by turn to nurse you, and by turns have hunted with the 
 men. ' ' 
 
 " How long have I been here ? " 
 
 " Nigh six months, senor." 
 
 " Six months ! " Stephen repeated ; " surely not, Hurka. 
 I never could have been ill all that time ; I must have died 
 long ago." 
 
 " You were ill for six weeks, senor, with fever. When at 
 last that passed away, your mind did not come back to you. 
 Sometimes you raved about a great snake that was about to 
 seize you ; sometimes you thought that you were wandering 
 in the forest ; more often you lay quiet and without saying 
 anything. We gave you plenty of food and you got stronger, 
 but there was no change in your mind. A month before 
 your mind came back the fever seized you again, and we had 
 little hope that you would live ; but we had got medicine 
 from the mission, and just when it seemed to us that you 
 were on the point of death, you fell into a deep sleep, and 
 when, after lying for twenty hours so, you opened your eyes 
 and knew Pita, we found that your mind had come back to 
 you again. That is all." 
 
 "And you and Pita have remained here for six months 
 nursing me! " Stephen said, holding out his hand to the 
 Indian ; " you are indeed good comrades and faithful friends, 
 and I owe my life to you." 
 
 The exhaustion caused by listening to Hurka's story pre- 
 vented Stephen from saying more, and in two minutes he 
 dropped off to sleep. The next day he related to the two 
 Indians the story of his passage through the forest. 
 
 " It was wonderful indeed that you should have alighted 
 upon my mother's village," Pita said. "It was not to this
 
 342 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 that the three Indians belonged, but to another thirty miles 
 away. Their disappearance has been the subject of much 
 talk. It was at first thought that they had lost their way in 
 the inundation and so perished, but when their canoe was 
 discovered at the edge of the water-mark, long after the in- 
 undation had ceased, no one could account for it. The vil- 
 lage was but three or four miles from the spot where the 
 canoe was found, and there was no possibility of their missing 
 their way. They could hardly have been all three devoured 
 by wild beasts, unless, indeed, they had fallen in with a herd 
 of peccaries; and this, it is now thought, must have been 
 their fate. Fortunately, no one associated your coming with 
 the discovery of the canoe. ' ' 
 
 Gradually Stephen regained strength, but it was some weeks 
 before he was fit to travel again. 
 
 " I suppose," he said one day to Hurka, " that you will 
 follow the track straight through the forest to the mission, 
 instead of going all the way round as you did." 
 
 " I don't know yet, seiior. We shall have some difficulty 
 in getting away. Our skill with the bow and gun have so 
 impressed them that they want to make Pita their chief and 
 keep him here, and they want to adopt me into the tribe for 
 the same reason. Till you began to get stronger we could 
 roam about as we liked alone, but of late we have noticed 
 that we are always watched, and Pita has been told that un- 
 less he consents to remain, you and I will both be killed and 
 eaten. Pita has put off giving them a decided answer, but 
 he cannot do so much longer ; and now that you are well 
 enough to travel, we shall have to make off as soon as we can. 
 He has been told that if he and I consent to remain with 
 them, they will take you to a place among the hills, eight 
 days away, where you can find much gold and return rich to 
 your own country."
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 343 
 
 " It is very awkward, Hurka, but I should think that you 
 and Pita can contrive some plan for getting off." 
 
 The little Indian nodded. 
 
 "We can mannage that," he said. "We have only been 
 waiting until we were sure that you were strong enough to 
 travel. I know that even now you could not go far, but 
 once in the forest, we shall be able to outwit them and to 
 travel slowly. Pita and I have been hiding up a store of 
 food for the journey, and if you are willing we will try to 
 make our escape to-night. There have, for the last fortnight, 
 been men posted round us as soon as it became dark, but we 
 shall be able either to crawl through them or to dispose of 
 any who may bar our way." 
 
 Pita presently returned from hunting. He carried a dozen 
 large pigeons in his hand. 
 
 "We must go to-night," he said briefly. " I have been 
 told that I must give an answer to-morrow. ' ' 
 
 " I have been telling the sefior," Hurka said, " and he is 
 ready to make the attempt at once ; but I wish that they had 
 given you a day or two longer, for there will be extra vig- 
 ilance to-night." 
 
 Pita made a gesture of contempt. 
 
 " They will but throw away their lives," he said. "Let 
 us go out." 
 
 As they walked along the village the women looked curi- 
 ously at them, while men watched them closely with scowling 
 looks. 
 
 " Do you see that large tree at the edge of the forest, 
 sefior ? " Pita asked presently ; "it has lost its bark, and the 
 trunk is white. ' ' 
 
 " I see it, Pita." 
 
 " Well, sefior, as soon as we start to-night do you make 
 straight for that. We will join you there. Do not stop if
 
 344 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 there should be fighting, and have no fear for us. The great 
 point is for you to get to the edge of the forest. You are 
 not strong enough to run fast yet ; but once in the forest we 
 shall be all right. The night is dark, for the moon will not 
 rise till some hours after sunset. Do you think that you will 
 be able to find the tree ? ' ' 
 
 " I think so, Pita. I will fix its bearings in my mind, and 
 notice the direction I have to take on leaving the hut. I wish 
 I had my gun and pistols." 
 
 " You can have my gun when we are once in the forest, 
 senor ; but we must fight at first with our bows. There are 
 a hundred and fifty men here, and as we wish above all things 
 to hide the way we have gone, a gun must not be fired unless 
 we are so surrounded that escape is impossible." 
 
 " How shall we leave the hut, Pita ? " 
 
 11 By the back. We will cut a hole through that mud wall 
 as soon as it gets dark ; but we must not leave until all save 
 the watchers are asleep, or we should have them all down 
 upon us instantly, on the alarm being raised. When we are 
 through them, Hurka and I will run in another direction, 
 and make a long round before we come back to the tree, so 
 that they will not know in which direction to seek for us. 
 They will be sure, indeed, that we shall take to the forest ; 
 but it would be useless for them to begin the search for us 
 until the morning, and they will be in no great haste, for 
 they will know that you are not strong enough to walk very 
 far, and that when they once strike on our track they will 
 have no difficulty in overtaking us." 
 
 " I feel strong enough to walk a good distance," Stephen 
 said. 
 
 "You may feel so, senor; but you have not tried. For 
 months your limbs have done no work, and they will soon 
 feel it. Besides, even had you your full strength and vigour,
 
 CAPTURED BY INDIANS 345 
 
 the Indians could easily outwalk you, for they would run in 
 fourh ours as much as you could do in eight. If we escape, 
 it must be by craft, and not by speed." 
 
 " I am quite sure that you will do all that you can, Pita, 
 but remember that it is my express wish that you should not 
 throw away your lives in a vain attempt to save mine. I will 
 do all that I can ; but if they come close to us, and I can go 
 no further, I charge you to leave me, and to make your way 
 to the river. You have already done too much for me, by 
 throwing away eight months of your lives in this wretched 
 place. Few indeed would have done so much, and it is 
 my most earnest wish that you should not sacrifice your 
 lives for my sake in a hopeless struggle against overpower- 
 ing odds." 
 
 Hurka laughed. "That is not our way, senor. We are 
 comrades, and comrades stick to each other to the last. You 
 are our employer, and we have undertaken to carry you 
 through all dangers. You have been kind and good to us, 
 and our lives are yours. We shall either all get together to 
 the mission, or none of us will reach it. In all other mat- 
 ters we are ready to obey your orders, but our lives are our 
 own to dispose of as we choose." 
 
 They had by this time re-entered their hut, and Pita at 
 once began to examine the wall, and to decide where it had 
 best be cut through. After some conversation with Hurka 
 they determined to make the hole in the side wall, near the 
 rear corner of the hut. 
 
 ' ' They are more likely to be watching at the back, ' ' Hurka 
 explained to Stephen, "as it is there they will consider it 
 most likely we should make the attempt to escape. We can 
 begin the hole as soon as night comes on, but we must not 
 complete it until the village is quiet. The knives will make 
 no noise in cutting through this soft stuff, and the moment
 
 346 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the hole is large enough, and the part remaining is so thin that 
 we can push it down, one of us will stand, bow in hand, 
 ready to shoot any of the watchers who may stop before it. 
 Once out, senor, do not make straight for the tree, or the men 
 at the back of the house will attack you. Turn sharp off, 
 and run along close to the backs of the next huts until you 
 are fifty or sixty yards away, then strike out for the tree. ' ' 
 
 Accordingly, as soon as it was dark the two Indians began 
 to cut through the wall. When they considered that they 
 were nearly through, they thrust the blades of the knives in. 
 As- long as they found the wall still firm they continued to 
 remove further portions of the earth, until, on pushing the 
 knife through, they found that it moved freely, and knew that 
 they were within half an inch or so of the outside ; then they 
 continued their work until the hole was large enough for them 
 to be able to issue out one at a time as soon as the thin skin 
 remaining was cut away. This, as they told Stephen, would 
 be but the work of a moment, for, starting at the top to- 
 gether, they should run their knives round the edge of the 
 hole down to the ground, and let the whole of the wall so 
 separated fall inside together, when they could ease it down 
 noiselessly to the ground. The sounds in the village dimin- 
 ished, but they could, by listening attentively, hear an occa- 
 sional footstep outside. 
 
 "Will each of them watch at a given spot?" Stephen 
 asked. 
 
 " No, there is no chance of that ; the five or six men on 
 guard will wander round and round as they please, sometimes 
 separately and sometimes together more often together, for 
 they have never got over the mystery of your arrival, and 
 have, as I have noticed several times when I have returned 
 late, an objection to coming near the hut. I have often seen 
 them cross the road to the other side when they came along,
 
 IN BRAZIL 347 
 
 in order to keep as far away from the hut as possible. Of 
 course, we have never given them any explanation of your 
 coming here, but have said that your memory is weak, and 
 that all we know is that you were with us at the mission, and 
 that we found you here." 
 
 Presently Pita announced that the time had come. He 
 handed his gun to Stephen, while Hurka swung his across his 
 back. Each of them took up their bows, drew half a dozen 
 arrows from the quivers, and held them in readiness for in- 
 stant use. They then placed the bows against the wall, close 
 to the hole, opened their long knives and thrust them through 
 the thin wall together, then each swept his knife down until 
 it reached the ground, and cut along it until the inclosed strip 
 gave way and fell inwards. They caught it as it moved, low- 
 ered it gently down, and then Hurka crept through the hole 
 into the open air. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 IN BRAZIL 
 
 PITA followed him, while close on the latter's heels Stephen 
 came out, and turning off at once behind the next hut, 
 started at a run. 
 
 As he did so he caught the sound of the twang of a bow- 
 string, followed by a stifled cry and a fall, then came a loud 
 yell, checked almost before it was uttered. But the alarm had 
 been given, and loud shouts rose from several throats. He 
 ran, as directed, some fifty yards behind the huts, and then 
 turned and struck off across the open towards the tree. No 
 sooner had he done so than he felt the justice of what the
 
 348 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Indian had said. His feet seemed heavy and his joints stiff, 
 and it needed an effort to maintain the speed at which he 
 started, until he stopped at the tree, panting and trembling 
 from head to foot. He had been conscious while he ran of a 
 great uproar in the village, but his whole mind was centred 
 on his efforts, and it was not until he paused that he heard 
 the full volume of the outcry. A hundred voices were shout- 
 ing, dogs were barking, and the women's cries could be 
 heard in the uproar. Far away to the left he heard occa- 
 sional shouts, and it was in. this direction that the men of the 
 village were evidently running. The two Indians had no 
 doubt led the chase in the opposite direction to that which he 
 had taken. Stephen was wondering how far they would go 
 before turning, when, almost noiselessly, the two men ran up 
 to the tree. 
 
 "We have shaken them off," Hurka said; ''there were 
 but two who followed closely enough to keep us in sight, 
 and our arrows soon stopped them. Now let us go. ' ' 
 
 Pita led the way, Hurka followed him, placing as he did so 
 one end of his bow in Stephen's hand, saying, " Our eyes are 
 more accustomed to the dark than yours. Keep hold of the 
 bow and follow me closely." 
 
 As soon as they were well in the forest the darkness was to 
 Stephen absolute, and had it not been for the bow he could 
 not have followed the little Indian, although treading almost 
 on his heels. He appreciated more strongly than he had ever 
 done before how much keener were the faculties of the Indians 
 in some respects than his own, for they went along at a brisk 
 rate, making their way through the trees with as little hesita- 
 tion as if it had been broad daylight. Occasionally there was 
 a pause for an instant as Pita slashed through a creeper barring 
 his way. 
 
 " How can he see them ? " Stephen asked.
 
 IN BRAZIL 349 
 
 " He does not see them, senor, he feels them. He holds 
 his bow at arm's-length before him, and so touches even the 
 smallest of the lianas ; the large ones he can see plainly enough, 
 and so could he the small ones were they level with the eye. 
 It is those that are but a foot or two above the ground that are 
 dangerous. ' ' 
 
 " It is marvellous to me how you can see anything, Hurka, 
 for I cannot make out even the outline of your figure." 
 
 " We were born so, senor. Life in these forests accustoms 
 the eyes to see in darkness. It is the same with the wild 
 animals that run at night." 
 
 It was not long before Stephen's breath began to come in 
 short gasps. The perspiration streamed from him, but he held 
 on until Pita came to a halt. 
 
 " We will stop till you get your breath again, senor. There 
 is no fear of them to-night, but we must hold on until morning, 
 so as to get as long a start as possible before they can find 
 our track and take up the pursuit. Until we have light we 
 can do nothing to disguise our trail, but we will stop fre- 
 quently, and go at a slower pace, so that you shall not become 
 exhausted. It would never do to wear you out at the begin- 
 ning of our journey." 
 
 All through the night the march was continued. They 
 stopped at frequent intervals for a minute or two, and Stephen 
 found himself able to keep up with them without any great 
 difficulty, although long before morning broke he felt terribly 
 exhausted. At last Pita said : 
 
 "In two hours it will be dawn. We will wait here, sefior, 
 and you can take a short sleep before we go on again." 
 
 Without a word Stephen dropped on to the ground, and 
 almost instantaneously went off to sleep. When he awoke it 
 was broad daylight. Hurka was beside him. 
 
 "We must be moving now, senor," he said. "Pita has
 
 350 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 been away for half an hour, and has just signalled to me to 
 join him." 
 
 Stephen rose to his feet heavily. He felt stiff and sore all 
 over, but the feeling wore off after he had walked a short 
 distance. From time to time a cry like the note of a bird was 
 heard, and towards this they directed their steps. They 
 found Pita standing by the edge of a stream some fifteen 
 yards wide, and without a word he entered the water as they 
 came up and began to walk down it. 
 
 " I should have thought," Stephen said to Hurka, " that it 
 would be safer to go the other way for a bit, because they 
 would naturally suppose that we should come this way." 
 
 " That is just the reason why Pita is leading us down it," 
 he said. " It is, of course, the way we should take to get 
 down to the Madeira, and because it is so they will think that 
 we would surely go the other in order to deceive them. No 
 doubt some will go up and some will go down, but in that case 
 we shall not have so many to fight. ' ' 
 
 A mile further another stream fell into that which they were 
 following, and they turned up this and walked until they 
 came to a bough some eight feet above the water. Pita 
 sprung up and hauled himself on to it, then he leaned over and 
 stretched his hands down to Stephen, and, with a strength the 
 latter had hardly given him credit for, hauled him up beside 
 him, and then similarly aided Hurka. They made their way 
 along the bough to the main trunk, then followed another 
 great bough on the other side, and dropped from its extremity 
 nearly thirty yards away from the bed of the stream ; then 
 they struck off through the wood until they came upon another 
 stream, and after following it for another half an hour left it 
 by another tree as before. 
 
 " Now we can go on," Pita said, " it will take them hours 
 to find our track. ' '
 
 IN BRAZIL 351 
 
 They now continued their course steadily, Pita before they 
 started taking off Stephen's boots and wrapping a broad band 
 of soft leather he had brought with him round and round his 
 feet. 
 
 "The heels of your boots make tracks an Indian might 
 almost follow in the dark. You had better throw them into 
 the next clump of bushes you come to ; we can get another 
 pair at the mission." 
 
 In the course of the day they crossed two other streams, 
 and at each of them took measures as before to throw the 
 Indians off their track. They kept on till nightfall, and then 
 Stephen and Pita lay down, Hurka saying that he would watch 
 until midnight. 
 
 "You don't think the Indians will follow at night?" 
 Stephen asked. 
 
 "There is no fear of that, senor. They dread the wild 
 beasts ; there are so many in these forests, and they can scent 
 a human being a long distance away. We have chosen this 
 tree because, as you see, the lower branch is near the ground, 
 and it will be easier to climb up into it if I give the alarm." 
 
 The next morning shortly after starting they came to a 
 bank of a stream larger than any of those they had passed on 
 the previous day. Here they had a short consultation, and 
 then Hurka and Pita set to work to cut down a large number 
 of great rushes growing in the water, taking care to cut them 
 some inches below its level. With the aid of some creepers 
 a raft capable of sustaining them all was speedily made, and 
 on this they took their places, and the Indians having cut two 
 poles to steer by, they pushed off into the middle of the stream. 
 The current was very sluggish, and they would have made but 
 small way had not the two Indians poled vigorously. Stephen 
 was thankful indeed for the change ; upon the previous day he 
 had only been enabled to keep up with the greatest difficulty,
 
 352 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 and had felt that another day's labour would bring him to a 
 stand-still. 
 
 " They will walk quite as fast as we are going," he said 
 presently. 
 
 " Yes, senor, faster ; but they are probably still far behind 
 us. They will, no doubt, find our trail at the points where 
 we have left the streams, but, thanks to the pains we have taken 
 to throw them off, will lose much time in having to search 
 very carefully up and down every stream they come to. It 
 will be the same if they trace us to the spot we started from 
 on this raft ; some must go up and some down, and both sides 
 of the stream must be carefully searched. We are going nearly 
 as fast as they will be able to do ; besides, now we can travel 
 at night. If they do not overtake us by evening, of which I 
 think there is no chance, we shall be so far ahead by next 
 morning that we shall be perfectly safe." 
 
 The Indians seemed tireless ; all through the next night, 
 whenever Stephen awoke he found them still at work. Soon 
 after daybreak they stopped at a spot where there was 
 another great bed of rushes, numbers of these they cut down, 
 largely increasing the size of the raft, and adding to its 
 stability. It was now some twelve feet long and eight wide, 
 and composed of a great bed of rushes two feet deep, and 
 which, with their weight upon it, floated more than a foot 
 above the water. Four days later they emerged from the 
 forest on to the Madeira. The stream by which they had 
 corne had received on its way so many accessions that it was 
 now a river of some size. It took them four days of hard 
 work to make their way up to the mission-station, although 
 the distance was but fifty miles, and it was only by keeping 
 close to the shore, and utilizing every eddy and back-water, 
 that they succeeded in stemming the current. 
 
 The mission had now its full number of occupants, and
 
 IN BRAZIL 353 
 
 they were received with the greatest kindness. Their effects 
 had all been carefully stowed away in case they should ever 
 return, although none thought that there was the least proba- 
 bility of their doing so, as nothing had been heard of them 
 since six months before, when an Indian brought a message 
 from Pita begging a supply of quinine for his white companion. 
 
 They waited some days at the mission. Stephen had re- 
 gained much of his strength during his journey on the raft, 
 and was willing to make a start at once; but the good 
 fathers of the mission insisted upon his staying with them for 
 a few days, and he felt that he benefited a great deal by the 
 good food and wine they gave him. There was no longer 
 any occasion for their original raft, and although it had done 
 them good service they were all glad when they took their 
 places in the canoe and started with a steady stroke down the 
 river. It was no longer a rapid stream, and the falls, though 
 still grand, were as nothing in comparison to the scene they 
 presented when the river was in full flood. Still, there was 
 enough stream to help them materially, and to allow the Ind- 
 ians to lay in their paddles at times and let the boat drift by 
 itself. 
 
 At the mission-house they had taken in a supply of food 
 sufficient to last them to Barra, and as they were able to 
 catch as many fish as they could eat, they fared well. The 
 journey took them three weeks of somewhat monotonous 
 travelling. There was no change in the scenery, a thick for- 
 est bordered the river on both sides; but as they got lower 
 down there were clearings and small villages, and they met a 
 few boats passing between these or going up to the mission. 
 It was a glad day indeed to Stephen when the great river 
 entered the still mightier Amazon, which was here several 
 miles wide. Crossing it they made their way to Barra, a 
 place of considerable size, with churches and many large
 
 354 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 buildings. His long companionship with the two Indians 
 had, by this time, made Stephen as familiar with the Peru- 
 vian Spanish as with the Chilian, and enabled him to pass 
 with great advantage among the Portuguese -speaking Brazil- 
 ians as a native of Peru, since, had he been known to be a 
 Chilian, they might have doubted whether he was a good 
 Catholic, and he would, moreover, be viewed with disfavour 
 by the Portuguese officers as one of a nation who had rebelled 
 against Spain, his lawful master. He therefore, on landing, 
 made his way to an hotel close by, representing himself as a 
 traveller who had come down from Peru by the Madeira, and 
 who wished to continue his journey down the- Amazon to 
 Para. 
 
 Stephen's next step was to purchase some clothes ; those in 
 which he left Peru, as well as the suit in the wallets, were 
 unfit to wear. The first had remained at the mission during 
 his long absence ; he had indeed discarded it as worn out, 
 but was glad to find it there on his return, for the other suit 
 had been torn into absolute rags during his journey through 
 the woods. He had no difficulty in obtaining country - cut 
 garments, and his host, who had looked somewhat doubtfully 
 upon him on his first arrival, was evidently relieved in his 
 mind when he came down from his room in his new purchases. 
 
 " How are you thinking of travelling, senor? Do you de- 
 sire to have a boat to yourself, or would you travel in a pub- 
 lic boat? There are many such constantly going up and 
 down the river. Some go through to Para, but the greater 
 number stop far short of it, making voyages only two or three 
 hundred miles up or down, and stopping at all the villages ; 
 these are cheaper than the long-distance boats, and you would 
 have no difficulty in exchanging into another when it reaches 
 its furthest point." 
 
 " I do not care which it is," Stephen replied, " and would
 
 IN BRAZIL 355 
 
 as soon take a passage in a local craft as in another. Indeed, 
 there is the advantage that if one does not find one's com- 
 panions agreeable one can make a change and try one's luck 
 in another boat." 
 
 "Then, if you are content with that, senor, you will not 
 have long to wait. If not to-morrow, on the next day there 
 is sure to be a boat going down the river." 
 
 " I also wish to take passages up the river for these Indians, 
 who have served me most faithfully and well, and whom I re- 
 gard as my friends." 
 
 "There will be no difficulty about that either, senor. 
 Boats go occasionally from here up to the frontier, and 
 sometimes beyond it." 
 
 Stephen talked the matter over with Pita and Hurka, and 
 found that they would prefer to make a bargain for themselves 
 with some native boat carrying merchandise. 
 
 " We shall be more at home so, senor; we shall go at a 
 much lower price than it would cost by a boat carrying pas- 
 sengers ; indeed, by offering to help at the oars when the cur- 
 rent is strong, we shall probably pay nothing whatever for 
 our passage, as they are glad enough of help going up stream. 
 All we shall have to do will be to buy our own provisions at 
 the villages we stop at, just as the boatmen will do." 
 
 " You must give me an address where a letter will find you, 
 Pita. Is there anyone at Lima to whose care I could send 
 it?" 
 
 " Yes; Juan Fernandez, a merchant, in Santa Maria Street 
 of Callao, number ten, knows me well, and has several times 
 recommended me to traders and gold-seekers as a trustworthy 
 guide, and if you address Pita, Indian guide, care of Sefior 
 Juan Fernandez, he will, I know, keep it for me until I call 
 upon him." 
 
 "You will understand, Pita, that in paying you and Hurka
 
 356 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 only the balance of wages agreed on, I do so because I have 
 no more money with me than is needed to carry me home ; 
 it in no way represents the deep obligation which I feel tow- 
 ards you both." 
 
 " Say no more of that, senor ; we have done our duty, and 
 should have done as much had you been one to whom we felt 
 bound in no way beyond our agreement, but with you it has 
 been altogether different. Had we been men of your own 
 race you could not have treated us more kindly. We have 
 been comrades and companions. If we saved your life, you 
 must remember that you saved mine ; say nothing, therefore, 
 of an obligation. Hurka and I will always remember our 
 journey with you as one of the most pleasant that we ever 
 took. The toil has not been great, for we always went with 
 the stream, while as to danger, we have both passed through 
 many vastly greater perils. If you are satisfied with our ser- 
 vices we are content, and more than content." 
 
 Two days later Stephen took his place in a large boat, with 
 a long cabin on deck, carrying a mast and great sail. He 
 parted with the Indians with deep regret, and watched them 
 as, after looking after the boat until it had gone far down, 
 they turned and went along the shore to a little craft on 
 which they had arranged for a passage, and which was to start 
 half an hour after he sailed. Then Stephen turned round to 
 look at his fellow-passengers. One end of the deck was re- 
 served for the whites. Here was a priest who had been up at 
 Barra on a visit, two traders who had disposed of their mer- 
 chandise and were returning to Para, an old Portuguese official, 
 his wife, and two daughters, who had, he learnt, been staying 
 for a month with a married daughter- at Barra; besides these, 
 there were three or four petty traders, who had come up from 
 villages on the bank to replenish their stock of goods. 
 
 In the fore-part of the vessel were fully a score of natives,
 
 IN BRAZIL 357 
 
 among whom were several women. An awning was extended 
 over the after part of the upper deck, and it was not long be- 
 fore Stephen entered into conversation with his fellow-pas- 
 sengers. Hitherto he had thought of nothing but obtaining 
 his passage, laying in a stock of provisions for he was warned 
 that each passenger catered for himself and saying last words 
 to his Indian companions ; he had, therefore, had no time to 
 obtain news of what was going on. After telling them that 
 he had come down the Madeira, and had been laid up for 
 more than eight months by illness, he said to the priest : 
 
 " I have now been some sixteen months away from all 
 news, and feel like a man who has dropped from the moon." 
 
 "Then you are ignorant," the priest said in surprise, 
 " that the southern portion of Brazil has declared Dom Pedro 
 emperor. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Dom Pedro ! ' ' Stephen repeated in surprise. ' ' Is his 
 father, King John, then dead? " 
 
 " No, he has returned to Portugal. You know that he 
 was driven from that country by the French, and retired 
 here and ruled over Brazil." 
 
 " That I know," Stephen said ; "also that there were in- 
 cessant plots and insurrections." 
 
 " That was so. Well, the war being over in Europe, the 
 Portuguese wanted their king back among them again, and 
 last year King John returned there, leaving Dom Pedro as 
 his lieutenant and regent. The Portuguese having got back 
 their king wanted to bring Brazil back to its former position 
 as subject to Portugal. This provoked a great opposition in 
 the southern provinces, and Dom Pedro was persuaded to 
 throw off his allegiance to his father. In October the inde- 
 pendence of the colony was publicly declared, and by this 
 time Dom Pedro has probably assumed the title of Emperor 
 of Brazil. How long he will maintain the title I am unable
 
 358 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 to say. Our northern provinces of Para, Bahia, and Maran- 
 ham are still Portuguese, and are held by a large number of 
 Portuguese troops. They have a strong navy, which keeps 
 the sea and compels the few ships of Dom Pedro to remain in 
 port under shelter of the guns of their batteries. There can 
 be but one end to it. The insurrection will be crushed, 
 Dom Pedro sent to Europe as a prisoner, and all who sup- 
 ported him executed, or, if their lives are spared, all their 
 possessions will be confiscated. 
 
 " Truly it is a sad time for Brazil. Everywhere there are 
 two parties, the one for independence, the other for the 
 Portuguese ; but such as hold to the former naturally keep 
 silent. What may happen in the future no man knows ; but 
 at present none have any hope that the southern provinces 
 can resist the great force the Portuguese can bring against 
 them by sea and land. The mass of the people take no in- 
 terest in the struggle. The natives, who are indeed the mass, 
 care nothing whether they are governed from Lisbon or from 
 Rio ; they have to pay their taxes whoever is master. Of the 
 whites, those families who have long been settled here are 
 silent, that is to say, they are for independence ; while those 
 who have relations and connections in Portugal vehemently 
 and loudly support its cause, and persecute all whom they sus- 
 pect of entertaining opinions to the contrary. But all these 
 things concern the population of the great towns ; we in the 
 interior take but little heed of them. Here we cultivate our 
 fields, we say our masses, we carry on our trade, and politics 
 interest us but little. If they do interest us, at least we do 
 not speak of them. Silence is golden, my son, as you have 
 doubtless learnt for yourself in Peru. How came so young a 
 man as you to undertake so terrible a journey as you have 
 made?" he asked, changing the conversation. 
 
 " It may be, father, that I did not sufficiently recognize
 
 IN BRAZIL 359 
 
 that silence was golden. In any case my friends recom- 
 mended me to take a long journey, because they thought it 
 would be better and safer for me to travel to Brazil ; and as 
 there were reasons against my taking a passage by sea, there 
 was nothing for me but to strike across the continent." 
 
 " You must possess courage and resolution to have vent- 
 ured out on such a journey. Nevertheless, I can understand 
 that your risk was greater had you remained. You have 
 heard, I suppose, that Peru is now independent?" 
 
 "No, indeed," Stephen replied. "Was there a great 
 battle?" 
 
 " There was no fighting at all. The Chilian fleet so 
 hemmed in the Spaniards that neither supplies nor reinforce- 
 ments could reach them, so they agreed to evacuate the coun- 
 try. San Martin was made dictator, or rather made himself 
 so; but so great were the oppressions and tyrannies of him- 
 self and his officers that there was a revolution some months 
 ago, and San Martin had to fly to Chili, where he has since 
 remained, as far as I know." 
 
 " It served him right, ' ' Stephen said. ' ' He was an ignorant, 
 vain, and traitorous brute, and if the Peruvians had hung him 
 he would only have got his deserts. ' ' 
 
 " I can understand, my son," the priest said with a smile, 
 " that Peru was not a healthy place for you; and I should 
 doubt whether, if you come to take an interest in politics here, 
 Brazil will be a safer place of residence for you than Peru." 
 
 The voyage was pleasant but very slow. When the wind 
 was favourable a great sail was hoisted ; when it was not, the 
 boat drifted down the river. The passengers passed the time 
 away in eating many meals, consisting principally of the bread 
 and fruit they purchased at the villages where the boat stopped, 
 and in sipping coffee and smoking innumerable cigarettes. 
 Of an evening the three ladies brought out guitars, and there
 
 360 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 was much singing by them and the male passengers, several of 
 whom were able to take a turn at the musical instruments. 
 Lines were put over, and occasionally fish caught. So week 
 after week passed. The passengers changed frequently, but 
 Stephen found all to be cheerful and sociable. Twice he had 
 to change his craft for another of precisely the same size, rig, 
 and slowness. The shores afforded but slight amusement, 
 being low, and for the most part wooded, and indeed the 
 river was for a time so wide that the land on either hand was 
 invisible. Once or twice they met with strong winds, and 
 the waves got up rapidly. The craft rolled heavily, and the 
 passengers were for the most part prostrated by terror and 
 sea-sickness. 
 
 At length after two months' passage they entered that 
 branch of the great river upon which Para is situated, and a 
 few days later moored alongside the. quays of the town. 
 Stephen at once went to an hotel, gave a Peruvian name, and 
 then, having indulged in a bath and a very comfortable meal, 
 sallied out into the town. In the streets were large numbers 
 of Portuguese soldiers ; while a short distance down the bay 
 several fine ships of war lay at anchor. A good many mer- 
 chant ships were moored alongside the quays, and Stephen 
 determined on the following day to ascertain about them. 
 On his return to the hotel he found a Spanish official talking 
 to the landlord. 
 
 "This is the gentleman," the latter said, motioning to 
 Stephen. 
 
 ' ' I have to ask you for your papers, ' ' he said politely. 
 
 "I have none, sen or," Stephen replied. "I have just 
 arrived from Peru, having come down by the river Madeira 
 into the Amazon." 
 
 "But how did you pass the frontier without papers? " the 
 official said in an altogether changed manner.
 
 IN BRAZIL 361 
 
 " Simply because there is no frontier line on the Madeira, 
 and so far as I know no Portuguese official or soldier within at 
 least fifteen hundred miles. At any rate, I have never been 
 asked for papers until now." 
 
 "But how is it that you started without papers?" the 
 official said sternly. 
 
 ''It was a matter that I never thought of, sefior. I had 
 been engaged in a quarrel, and the authorities wanted me to 
 leave. My friends furnished me with money, and I left at an 
 hour's notice. I have gone through several perils by the way, 
 was captured by Indians, who took all that I possessed, and 
 would certainly have taken the papers had I had them about me. 
 I was nearly killed and eaten, and was only saved by the cour- 
 age and fidelity of two native guides who accompanied me. ' ' 
 
 " Well, senor, this is not a time when strangers can travel 
 about Brazil without papers. You may be an emissary of the 
 usurper, Dom Pedro." 
 
 " If I had been," Stephen said quietly, "I should have 
 come up the coast, and should hardly have gone round by 
 Peru and returned here after a journey that has occupied me 
 some eighteen months. It was only after I arrived at Barra 
 that I learned that King John had left the country, and that 
 his son Dom Pedro had been appointed regent." 
 
 The officer looked doubtful. " Your story may be a true 
 one," he said. " I shall lay it before the authorities. Until 
 you hear their decision you will remain here in the hotel." 
 
 " I am quite willing to do so," Stephen said. "In the 
 meantime, senor, you will hear from the captain of the Bahia, 
 now lying at the wharf, that I have come at least five hundred 
 miles down the Amazon to this place, and there is one Senor 
 Vaquez, who is now in this hotel, or is at any rate putting up 
 here, who came down with me all the way from Barra." 
 
 The official at once sent upstairs for the trader, who was
 
 362 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 fortunately in his room, and who at once confirmed Stephen's 
 statement, that they had travelled together from Barra, and 
 had left there some nine weeks before. 
 
 " This must be taken, senor," the officer said, " to relieve 
 you from any suspicion of having come here from the insurgent 
 provinces. At the same time there remains the fact that you 
 have entered Brazil without passports or other necessary 
 papers, a matter which will have to be considered by the 
 authorities. At the same time, pending their decision, there 
 will be no occasion for you to confine yourself to the hotel, as 
 the offence can hardly be considered a very serious one. ' ' 
 
 Two hours later Stephen was sent for to the governor's. 
 Here a few more questions were put to him as to the absence 
 of papers, and he was then asked what were his intentions 
 as to the future. 
 
 "By your own confession," the officer who interrogated 
 him said, "you are a fugitive from justice, and although we 
 do not concern ourselves with crimes committed beyond our 
 frontiers, we must concern ourselves with the movements of 
 fugitives from justice who enter Portuguese territory without 
 proper papers." 
 
 "I intend to take ship to Europe," Stephen replied. 
 " My family have business connections there. I shall probably 
 stay there until I hear that I can return home." 
 
 " Very well, senor. So long as you remain here you will be 
 under surveillance, but otherwise your movements will not be 
 interfered with." 
 
 Stephen bowed and withdrew. At the hotel that evening 
 he learned news that surprised him and altered his plans. 
 Some officers who had dined there were talking together, and 
 Stephen, who was sitting near them drinking his coffee and 
 smoking his cigarette, heard to his surprise the name of Lord 
 Cochrane.
 
 IN BRAZIL 363 
 
 " There can be no doubt as to the truth of the news," one 
 said. "Not only has this English adventurer accepted the 
 offer of Dom Pedro to take command of his fleet, but they say 
 he is already on his way, and is expected to arrive at Rio in a 
 few weeks. I am afraid that he will give us some trouble." 
 
 "Not he," another said scornfully. "One of our ships 
 could dispose of the whole of the insurgent fleet. They are, 
 as we know from our friends there, but armed merchantmen, 
 the Pedro Primeiro being the only real war-ship among them. 
 Moreover, their equipments are villainously bad, and their 
 manning worse, the only real sailors they have being our 
 countrymen, who will bring the ships over to us when the first 
 gun is .fired. Even the Englishman can do nothing with such 
 ships as these against three well-appointed fleets like ours. ' ' 
 
 " He did wonders on the other side," one of the other offi- 
 cers said. 
 
 "I grant you he did, but the odds were nothing like so 
 great. The Chilians are better sailors by far than the people 
 here, and could at least be relied upon to be faithful. I should 
 think it likely that he will throw up his command in disgust 
 as soon as he sees what this so-called fleet is, andxhow hopeless 
 it is to struggle against such tremendous odds. ' ' 
 
 " I hope that it may be so, major. I own the force of your 
 arguments, and the apparent hopelessness of any attempt to 
 meet us at sea; but after what he did on the other side I can- 
 not but think that he will at least give us some trouble, and 
 at any rate make our conquest of the insurgent provinces less 
 easy than we have anticipated. The man's reputation alone 
 will inspire even those who regard their position as most hope- 
 less, with some sort of energy. Hitherto I have never thought 
 that there would be any resistance whatever, but anticipated 
 that they would surrender as soon as our fleet appeared off 
 their shores and our troops landed ; but I think now that this
 
 364 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 Englishman may infuse some of his own mad spirit into these 
 indolent Brazilians, and that they will make at least a show 
 of resistance." 
 
 "All the worse for them," the captain laughed. "There 
 will only be so many more confiscations and so much more 
 plunder for the troops. I hope myself that they will resist, 
 for otherwise we shall gain but little prize-money or plunder." 
 
 "I think we shall get plenty of both in any case," the 
 other said. " Two-thirds of the people down there are rebels, 
 and whether there is resistance or not their possessions of all 
 kinds will be justly forfeited." 
 
 "That is so; but it is the government who will forfeit 
 them, and but a small proportion indeed will fall to the share 
 of the army and navy. ' ' 
 
 The conversation then turning upon other subjects, Stephen 
 rose and strolled out of the room, and going down to the 
 wharf seated himself on a balk of timber to think the matter 
 out. That Lord Cochrane should have been driven to resign 
 his position in Chili he could well understand, for he had 
 wondered many times that he put up with the treatment that 
 he received and the utter ingratitude that had been the sole 
 reward of his great services ; but it was singular indeed that 
 just as he himself arrived on the eastern coast of the continent 
 he should receive the news that Cochrane would ere long 
 appear on the coast to take command of the Brazilian fleet. 
 Of course, now his plans would be changed, and instead of 
 going to England he should endeavour to make his way down 
 to Rio, and there join the admiral. 
 
 The question was how it was to be done ? The journey 
 by land would be out of the question ; the distance was al- 
 most as vast as that he had already travelled, and he would 
 be exposed to constant questioning. Upon the other hand , 
 it was certain that no ships would be sailing from Para to
 
 IN BRAZIL 365 
 
 Rio. He might get down to Bahia, but the same difficulty 
 would present itself. It seemed to him that there was but 
 one possible method of reaching Rio, namely to take pas- 
 sage by ship to the Cape de Verde Islands, and there to 
 take another ship bound for Rio. The distance was great, 
 but under favourable circumstances the journey might be 
 made in a few weeks. 
 
 The next morning he was early down at the wharf. There 
 were several ships lading for Europe, but one of them was 
 English, and this he learned on going on board would, unless 
 driven east by stress of weather, make for the Azores direct 
 without touching at St. Vincent. There were, however, two 
 Portuguese vessels that would touch at Cape de Verde, and 
 would stay some days there. One of these would start the 
 next day. 
 
 In this he secured a passage forward for a very small sum, 
 on his saying that he knew something of the sea, and was 
 willing to make himself useful. He had only now to purchase 
 a few rough clothes suitable for the voyage, and he was ready 
 for the start. The time the voyage would take did not much 
 trouble him. It might be a month or six weeks yet before 
 the admiral reached Brazil ; and if what was said of the 
 fleet were true, the work of getting it fit for sea would be a 
 long one, as his experience in Chili had taught him. Even, 
 then, if the voyage was much longer than he expected, he 
 might still be in time to join the admiral before he sailed. 
 He went on board that night, and in the morning put on his 
 rough clothes and assisted to make sail. In a short time the 
 vessel dropped down the river, and in a few hours was fairly 
 out at sea. 
 
 Stephen messed with the crew forward, and seeing his 
 readiness to assist, and his handiness when aloft, he soon 
 became popular with them, though they constantly expressed
 
 366 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 their surprise that a Peruvian should be so good a sailor. The 
 wind was favourable and steady, and although the vessel was 
 becalmed for three or four days, she dropped anchor in the 
 port of Santiago three weeks after leaving Para. The mate 
 of the vessel had been very friendly with Stephen during the 
 voyage, and said to him the day before they arrived, that if 
 he wished to go on to Europe he was sure that the captain 
 would give him a free passage, as he was as good a hand as 
 the best of the crew. 
 
 "To tell you the truth, senor," Stephen said, "I don't 
 want to get to Europe, but to Rio. I have friends there who 
 will give me employment, but the only way that I could see 
 to manage it was to come here and take a passage in the first 
 ship bound there." 
 
 " Very well. I will inquire directly we get in if there is a 
 ship in harbour bound there, and if so you shall be rowed 
 straight on board, which will save you the expense of living 
 on shore, and perhaps a lot of bother with the authorities, 
 who are always prying into people's business." 
 
 There were eight or ten vessels in harbour when they ar- 
 rived ; and the mate, after going ashore, brought back word 
 that one was a British ship bound for Rio. 
 
 " She will probably sail in the morning," the mate said ; 
 " and as the port officials have already been on board and 
 checked off the passengers, we can take you off after dark 
 without risk of any bother. ' ' 
 
 Accordingly, as soon as it was dark two hands rowed 
 Stephen across to the English barque. 
 
 "What do you want, my man?" the mate asked when 
 he stepped on deck. 
 
 "I want a passage to Rio," Stephen replied in English. 
 "I am a sailor and am ready to work my way if the 
 money I have is not sufficient to pay for a passage. I do
 
 IN BRAZIL 367 
 
 not look like it at present, but I am one of Lord Coch- 
 rane's officers, and as he is now either at Rio or within a 
 short distance of it, I wish to join him there." 
 
 The mate went into the captain's cabin, and on coming 
 out again asked Stephen to follow him. The captain looked 
 at him attentively. 
 
 " This is rather a strange yarn of yours." 
 " It is a strange one, captain, but it is true." 
 " If you are one of Cochrane's officers what are you doing 
 here ? and why are you masquerading in that dress ? Have 
 you already served with him? " 
 
 " I was his flag-lieutenant on the Chilian coast." 
 The captain repeated incredulously : " Why, I should not 
 guess you to be above twenty." 
 
 " That is about my age, sir ; but what I say is nevertheless 
 the fact. My story is too long to tell you now ; but, briefly, 
 I was wounded in the cutting out of the Esmeralda, and was 
 sent back to be cured at Valparaiso. On my way up in a 
 coasting craft to rejoin, I was wrecked on the Peruvian coast 
 and made prisoner. I escaped by the aid of friends, and find- 
 ing it impossible to make my way down to Chili, I crossed 
 the Andes and came down by the great rivers to Para. There 
 I heard that Lord Cochrane was about to assume the com- 
 mand of the Brazilian fleet. It was absolutely impossible to 
 make my way there direct, either by land or sea, and I there- 
 fore took passage here in that Portuguese lying a hundred 
 yards away, and now want to be taken on to Rio. The 
 stock of money with which I started is reduced to twenty 
 pounds. I must have something when I land, as the admiral 
 may not have arrived ; but I am ready to pay fifteen for my 
 passage, and equally willing, if that is not sufficient, to work 
 my way before the mast." 
 
 "Well, sir," the captain said, "if you are oneofCoch-
 
 368 
 
 rane's officers I shall be proud to carry you without any 
 charge for the passage ; but you can, if you like, pay five 
 pounds for the cost of your food, which, as it belongs to the 
 owner, I have no right to give away. Are the clothes you 
 stand in all your kit ? " 
 
 " No ; I have a bundle on deck with another and some- 
 what more respectable suit. I bought it at Bahia, and al- 
 though it is hardly the dress one would choose on board a 
 ship, it is at least respectable, being that of a Brazilian mer- 
 chant." 
 
 " I will lend you some togs for the voyage," the mate said. 
 " We have no passengers on board, so that if they don't quite 
 fit you it won't matter, although I think that we are pretty 
 much of a size." 
 
 Stephen warmly thanked the captain and mate for their 
 kindness, and then went to the gangway and told the men 
 waiting in the boat to inform the mate that it was all right, 
 and that he had arranged for a passage. 
 
 The voyage was a pleasant one. The mate's clothes fitted 
 Stephen very well, and he messed with the captain and of- 
 ficers, who were pleasant companions. They were five weeks 
 on the voyage, and Stephen was delighted, on arriving at 
 Rio, to hear that Lord Cochrane was still there, but that the 
 fleet would put to sea in a few days. He resumed his Brazil- 
 ian dress, and, after renewed thanks to the captain for his 
 kindness, was rowed ashore as soon as the port officials had 
 paid their visit.
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 369 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 
 
 NO sooner had Stephen reached the landing-place than he 
 hired a native boat to take him off to the flag-ship, 
 which, with several of her consorts, was lying some little dis- 
 tance off the shore and in front of the Naval establishment. 
 Several others were close in by the wharfs. 
 
 "They look in a slovenly state indeed," he said to him- 
 self, "infinitely worse than the Chilian ships did when we 
 first got out there. There are two or three by the flag-ship 
 that look in a fair state of order, but the rest might be a fleet 
 of big colliers, with their yards up and down anyhow, their 
 rigging all slack, and everything dirty and untidy." 
 
 In ten minutes they were alongside of the flag-ship, whose 
 appearance presented a strong contrast to that of the others. 
 
 Telling the boatman to bring up his bundle after him, 
 Stephen ascended the ladder. A petty officer came up to him 
 as he stepped on to the deck. 
 
 "What is your business?" he asked him in Portuguese, 
 which Stephen now spoke fluently. 
 
 ' ' I wish to speak to the admiral. ' ' 
 
 The sailor looked at him from head to foot. " Have you 
 an appointment with him? " 
 
 "I have not, but he will see me, nevertheless, when he 
 knows that I am here. ' ' 
 
 On looking round while the man hesitated, Stephen saw the 
 admiral speaking to an officer in captain's uniform. The petty 
 officer, after some hesitation, went up to the officer on watch, 
 who at once came over to Stephen. 
 
 "You want to speak to the admiral?"
 
 370 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 " I do, lieutenant. I see him yonder, and if you will be 
 good enough to inform him that Lieutenant Embleton is here 
 and ready to report himself for duty, you will find that he will 
 not mind being disturbed." 
 
 The officer looked at him doubtfully. "You have neither 
 the appearance of an Englishman nor of a lieutenant," he said. 
 
 ' ' That may be, sir, but it does not alter the fact. ' ' 
 
 At this moment the captain left the admiral's side and 
 walked forward. 
 
 " What is it, Lieutenant Romoro? " he asked as he passed 
 them. 
 
 " This gentleman," and he hesitated over the word, " says 
 that he is Lieutenant Embleton, and desires to speak to the 
 admiral." 
 
 ' ' Lieutenant Embleton ! ' ' the captain repeated in English ; 
 "not the admiral's flag-lieutenant in Chili, surely ? If so, Lord 
 Cochrane will be delighted to see you ; he has spoken of you 
 to me several times. He believed you to be dead, and but 
 yesterday he was saying how he missed your services. ' ' 
 
 " I am the man, sir," Stephen replied. "I have been 
 eighteen months in crossing the continent, and to get here 
 from Para had to make the voyage to the Cape de Verde and 
 back again." 
 
 " I congratulate you on your escape," the captain said, 
 shaking his hand warmly. " My name is Crosbie, I am Lord 
 Cochrane' s flag-captain, I will take you to him at once." 
 
 The admiral had left the deck and retired to his cabin. 
 Captain Crosbie took Stephen there, and at once knocked at 
 the door and entered. 
 
 " Excuse my troubling you now, admiral," he said, "but 
 my object will, I am sure, excuse my intrusion. I have a 
 gentleman here that you will, I know, be glad to meet." 
 
 Lord Cochrane looked earnestly at Stephen ; he had not
 
 "MY DEAR BOY," EXCLAIMED LORD COCHRANE, "THANK GOD INDEED 
 THAT I SEE YOU ALIVE."
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 371 
 
 seen him since he had sent him down to Valparaiso after the 
 capture of the Esmeralda. The two years that had elapsed 
 had greatly changed his appearance, and he had grown from a 
 tall lad of eighteen into a powerful young man. A flash of 
 recognition came into his face, he made a step forward and 
 exclaimed : " Good heavens, can it be " 
 
 " Stephen Embleton, sir. I have come on board to report 
 for duty." 
 
 " My dear boy, my dear boy," Lord Cochrane said, 
 holding out both hands and wringing those of Stephen, "I 
 am glad to see you indeed. I thank God that I see you alive 
 and well again, which I never dreamt that I should do, for I 
 thought that you had died or had been tortured to death in 
 the dungeons of that accursed Inquisition at Callao. But where 
 have you sprung from, where have you been all this time, by 
 what miracle are you here ? ' ' 
 
 " I escaped the night before I was to be handed over to the 
 Inquisition," Stephen replied, "then finding it impossible to 
 make my way down to Chili I crossed the Andes and have 
 come down the Amazon. I had an unfortunate adventure 
 which detained me for eight months ; at least, I thought it 
 unfortunate at the time, but I cannot think it so now, as I 
 have just arrived in time to join your lordship here." 
 
 ' ' And now, admiral, if you will excuse me I will be off to 
 my duties," Captain Crosbie put in. "I could not deny 
 myself the pleasure of bringing in Mr. Embleton, but his story 
 will assuredly be a long one, and, as you know, my hands are 
 pretty full." 
 
 " Well now, lad," the admiral said when they were alone, 
 "sit down and tell me all about it. Here I am with my old 
 worry again, but worse. I thought the Chilians were as bad as 
 could be in matters of business, but these fellows are infinitely 
 worse. I have had no end of trouble with them, and have
 
 372 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 been obliged to threaten, three or four times already, to resign. 
 As it is, I have only been able to get four ships out of a dozen 
 ready, and even these, with the exception of this ship, are in a 
 shameful state, and deficient in every necessary. What is 
 worse, I cannot even rely upon the crews, which I always 
 could do in the Chilian service. Well, before you begin your 
 story, I must tell you that I did not forget you, but tried 
 every means in my power to effect your release. When I got 
 a letter from my wife mentioning that you had sailed in that 
 store-ship that had been so long missing, I set about making 
 inquiries, and sent a boat ashore with a white flag to inquire 
 if any such ship had been wrecked on the coast, for there had 
 been a heavy gale at the time that she was making her pas- 
 sage. I was informed that she and all hands had been lost. 
 
 ' ' From some deserters, however, I learned that this was a lie ; 
 a few sailors had got ashore and had been killed. I then sent 
 a frigate down to the place where the wreck had been and 
 sent a letter ashore to the governor. He replied that an Eng- 
 lish officer had been captured, and had been sent to Callao 
 and handed over to the authorities there. When the frigate 
 returned with the news I sent a furious letter ashore to the 
 governor. He replied that he was not before aware that the 
 officer in question had belonged to the ship that was wrecked, 
 and that the person I spoke of had escaped from prison and 
 had not been recaptured. A few days after this a fresh gov- 
 ernor was appointed at Callao. I wrote to him, and he gave 
 me substantially the same reply that the other had done. 
 However, I opened negotiations with a merchant there and 
 got him to make inquiries. He sent word that he had talked 
 to some of the prison officials, and that they told the same 
 story as the governor had done ; they said that you had, in 
 some extraordinary way, overpowered two prison officials and 
 had made your escape. Of course I did not believe this,
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 373 
 
 and supposed that instructions had been given to all the 
 people connected with the prison to tell the same story. So 
 I sent again to the merchant, and told him to use whatever 
 means were necessary to get at the truth, as bribery will do 
 anything on that coast. He found that the new governor on 
 taking the command had found a book with a record as to the 
 disposition of the prisoners on leaving. Some were marked 
 merely discharged, others as returned to their regiments, many 
 as having died in prison. There were also a large number of 
 official documents relating to these matters, and among them 
 the governor found an order for you to be handed over to the 
 Inquisition on the day following that on which you were said 
 to have escaped. As soon as I heard this, it seemed to me 
 that there was no doubt about your fate. You had been 
 handed over, and this cock-and-bull story was only intended 
 to throw dust in my eyes if I captured Callao. I therefore 
 sent a demand to the Peruvian authorities for your release and 
 surrender, saying what I had learned ; and in reply they de- 
 clared that I had been misinformed, for that you had escaped, 
 and that the authorities of the Inquisition denied positively 
 that you had ever been handed over to them. 
 
 " I wrote a strong letter in reply, saying that no one ever 
 believed the word of an inquisitor, and that if it should ever 
 be my good fortune to capture Callao I would burn their 
 buildings to the ground, and hang every official, priest, and 
 layman belonging to it. There the matter dropped. Of 
 course I did not get the chance of carrying my threat into 
 execution, but if I had done so I should have certainly carried 
 it out ; and even if I had found afterwards that I had been 
 mistaken about you I should not have regretted it, for they 
 have deserved the fate a hundred times over. Well, tell me 
 about your escape ; the story afterwards must keep. You 
 know the state the Chilian navy was in when I took the com-
 
 374 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 mand ; well, this is much worse, and the factions here are 
 even more bitter and unscrupulous than they were in Chili, 
 impossible as that may seem to you." 
 
 " The affair was a very easy one, sir, for it was by bribery 
 rather than force that I got away." And he then related the 
 manner in which he had been befriended by Don Filippo 
 Conchas and his cousin. 
 
 ' ' A noble young fellow ! ' ' the admiral exclaimed when he 
 brought his story to a conclusion. " Of course there are fine 
 fellows among the Spaniards as among other nations, but we 
 have heard only of their worst side, that told by people 
 who hated them bitterly. Well, I shall like them better in 
 future, and I hope some day that I may run across that young 
 fellow and his wife no doubt she is his wife long ere this. 
 Let us call Crosbie in. He is a fine fellow, and I am very 
 certain he will be heartily glad to have you with him, for at 
 present he has not a soul he can rely on." 
 
 On Captain Crosbie's arrival the admiral told him that 
 Stephen was ready to set to work at once, in any capacity in 
 which he could make himself useful. 
 
 " I shall be glad indeed of his aid," the captain said, " for 
 there is not an officer or man who knows his work. ' ' 
 
 " Knows ! " the admiral repeated ; " there is not a man 
 who has the faintest idea of it. I should have liked Stephen, 
 above all things, for our first lieutenant, but our complement 
 is complete." 
 
 "I think you might manage it," Captain Crosbie said 
 after a few minutes' reflection. " No captain has yet been 
 appointed to command the Carolina. You might appoint 
 Morales to it. He belongs to a powerful family here, and 
 they would be pleased at his promotion. So it might be a 
 politic step, as well as serving our purpose by making a va- 
 cancy for Embleton."
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 375 
 
 " That would be just the thing," the admiral said. 
 
 " I am sure I should be delighted," Captain Crosbie went 
 on, " for Morales is of very little use ; and with Mr. Embleton 
 to aid me I should be able to get the crew into something like 
 shape in half the time that it would take me to do it single- 
 handed." 
 
 ' ' Very well, then ; the thing is done. I have full powers 
 to make any changes and appointments in the fleet, so I will 
 write out the orders at once. If you will send Lieutenant 
 Morales in here, Captain Crosbie, I will announce his promo- 
 tion to him and tell him to take up his duties at once, and 
 then Embleton can enter upon his as soon as he has provided 
 himself with a uniform." 
 
 Stephen was about to leave the room with Captain Crosbie 
 when the admiral stopped him. 
 
 "I have no doubt that you are short of cash, Stephen," 
 he said, " and just at the present moment of course you can- 
 not draw upon your bankers in England, for your father will 
 naturally have long since believed you dead, and the account 
 will be transferred to himself; so I must be your banker for 
 the present. Here are two hundred and fifty dollars. Tell 
 the fellows who make your uniform Crosbie will tell you 
 where to go to that you will pay them something extra to 
 get one suit finished by to-morrow. We shall sail in a couple 
 of days. ' ' 
 
 After thanking the admiral, Stephen retired just as the lieu- 
 tenant entered the cabin. On asking the captain- as to the 
 address of the best firm of tailors the latter said : 
 
 "I am just going ashore myself to see about some stores 
 from the dockyard, and will go there with you. As I am 
 known to them they will probably sharpen up more than if 
 you, a stranger, went by yourself." 
 
 As they rowed ashore Stephen learned from Captain Cros-
 
 376 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 bie that the fleet ready for sea consisted, in addition to the 
 flag-ship, of one fine frigate, the Piranza, the Maria da Gloria, 
 a converted merchantman mounting thirty-three small guns, 
 and the Liberal, about the same size. 
 
 " We take with us two old vessels that will be used as fire- 
 ships, and the Carolina and another ship that are not yet 
 equipped will join us later on. We are first going to attack 
 Bahia, where we shall have all our work cut out. The Portu- 
 guese have three line-of-battle ships, five frigates, five corvettes, 
 a brig, and a schooner. The worst of the thing is that we can- 
 not depend upon our crews. I think that our ship will be all 
 right, but the others are all largely manned by Portuguese, 
 who are as likely as not to mutiny directly we get near the 
 enemy, and to take the ships over to them. Besides that, our 
 equipments are simply miserable the cartridges are all unfit 
 for service, the fuses of the shells are absolutely untrustworthy, 
 the powder is wretched, the marines know nothing either of 
 working the big guns or of the use of the small ones, and are 
 moreover an insolent, lazy set of rascals, and consider them- 
 selves as something infinitely superior to the sailors. Lord 
 Cochrane will doubtless add to his own great reputation by 
 the deeds he will perform here, but assuredly he will find that 
 he will be harassed well-nigh to death by the different fac- 
 tions, and will have difficulties placed in his way at every turn, 
 will be unable to obtain justice for his crews, and will ere 
 long find his position altogether insufferable. The emperor 
 is well-intentioned and honest, but is altogether devoid of 
 any real power, and he is as completely in the hands of the 
 clique of schemers round him, as was the President of Chili. 
 There is not an English officer now in the service of Dom 
 Pedro who would not be delighted to leave it if they could 
 obtain an appointment at one-fourth of the pay elsewhere. ' ' 
 
 On the 3rd of April the little squadron set sail. They
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 377 
 
 arrived off Bahia on the ist of May, and the Portuguese 
 fleet at once sailed out of the harbour to meet them. The 
 force was altogether too formidable to be engaged by four ill- 
 manned and ill-equipped ships, but Lord Cochrane manoeuvred 
 so that he was able with his flag-ship to cut off the four rear- 
 most ships of their fleet. He signalled at once to his consorts 
 to join him in attacking these vessels, but to his astonishment 
 and anger the signal was disregarded, and not one of them 
 made the slightest movement to join him. Hoping that when 
 they saw him actively engaged they would bear down and 
 take part in the fight, he opened fire upon the Portuguese ; 
 but the guns and powder were alike so defective, and the 
 crews so incapable of handling them, that he did but little 
 damage to the enemy and was forced to draw off. He found 
 that the Portuguese on his other three ships had absolutely 
 refused to obey their captains' orders, and even on the flag- 
 ship the Portuguese employed in sending up ammunition from 
 below, had so wilfully delayed in their work that the guns 
 were often idle for want of ammunition. 
 
 He wrote at once a very strong letter to the Brazilian 
 authorities as to the manning and equipment of the ships, and 
 declared that he could do nothing until these matters were 
 remedied, for that it was necessary for one - half of the 
 squadron to be incessantly watching the other. However, 
 it was not in his nature to wait until his complaints were 
 attended to, for his experience had already taught him that 
 this would be to condemn himself to protracted inactivity. 
 He consequently sailed to the nearest Brazilian port, and there 
 transferred all the best men and the most serviceable fittings to 
 his flag -ship and the Maria da Gloria. Leaving the other 
 vessels to remain in port until properly refitted and until their 
 captains could obtain disciplined and sufficient crews, he 
 sailed with the Maria da Gloria for Bahia. As the commander
 
 378 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 of the smaller ship, Captain Beaurepaire, was an active and 
 efficient officer, good results were soon obtained by the 
 change. Several small captures were made of vessels coming 
 in with supplies. The port was completely blockaded, and 
 the Portuguese squadron, cowed by Cochrane's great repu- 
 tation, dared not venture out to engage him. 
 
 After remaining there for three weeks the admiral returned 
 to the port to see how the other ships were getting on, and in 
 six days was back again. The Portuguese fleet had ventured 
 out, but as soon as Lord Cochrane arrived they withdrew 
 again. A week later information was obtained from a ship 
 captured while attempting to leave the port, that the Portuguese 
 were seriously thinking of evacuating the place altogether, 
 before the fire-ships that were, they had learned, in course of 
 preparation, should arrive. The admiral despatched the 
 Maria da Gloria to the port to lay in water and victuals for 
 three months. The other ships there were also to be vict- 
 ualled, and the Piranza was directed to join at once. In the 
 meantime Lord Cochrane determined to increase, if possible, 
 the alarm of the Portuguese, though he had now only the flag- 
 ship off the port. 
 
 The enemies' fleet lay ten or twelve miles up the bay under 
 shelter of the guns of the fort. 
 
 "As to attacking them by daylight," he said when talking 
 over the matter with Captain Crosbie and Stephen, " it would 
 be altogether too desperate. Were this ship manned with 
 English sailors I would do it without hesitation, and even 
 with Chilians a good deal might be effected ; but although the 
 crew have gained greatly in discipline since we got rid of the 
 Portuguese, I could not count upon them. The Chilians had 
 gradually gained experience and confidence in themselves, but 
 our crew are altogether new to the work and could not be 
 trusted to fight against such enormous odds. Still, by going
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 379 
 
 up at night we might get in among their fleet unnoticed, and 
 might even capture one or two vessels. At any rate, it would 
 heighten their alarm even to know that we had got up through 
 the channel into their midst." 
 
 As soon as it became dark on the evening of the 1 2th of 
 June the Pedro Primeiro sailed up the river, sounding her way 
 as she went. Absolute silence was observed on board the 
 ship. Unfortunately just as they reached the outermost 
 vessels the wind began to drop so light that the ship could 
 hardly stem the tide that was running out ; however, she made 
 her way some little distance further. Even in the darkness so 
 large a ship was noticed ; the alarm was given and the drums 
 beat to quarters on board the Portuguese ships of war. In 
 answer to a hail as to who she was the answer was given, 
 "An English ship." This satisfied the Portuguese; but as 
 the wind had now altogether failed and the tide was growing 
 in strength nothing more could be done. An anchor was 
 dropped, but with enough chain to allow it to drag on the 
 ground, and stern foremost she drifted out from the shipping 
 and regained her old position at the mouth of the river. 
 But although no material advantage had been gained the 
 moral effect more than answered the admiral's hopes. When 
 it became known that his ship had been in the midst of the 
 Portuguese squadron, something like a panic took place on 
 board, and this was increased by the news they received that 
 the fitting out of the fire-ships had almost been completed. 
 
 Dependent, as the garrison and shipping were, almost en- 
 tirely upon provisions brought by sea, they were already very 
 seriously inconvenienced by the blockade. Accordingly, on 
 the 2nd of July the whole squadron of war-ships, and seventy 
 merchantmen and transports carrying the troops, evacuated 
 Bahia. All on board the flag-ship were delighted when they 
 saw the great fleet sail ; " for even Lord Cochrane had felt that
 
 380 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 even with the whole of his little squadron it would be a 
 desperate undertaking to attempt to attack them when sup- 
 ported by the guns of their forts ; now, however, that they 
 were at sea he could at least harass them, for if the ships of 
 war turned upon him he could bear away. Already an immense 
 service had been performed, for the evacuation of Bahia prac- 
 tically handed over the whole of the province of that name to 
 Brazil. The admiral had not been joined by the two ships left 
 in port, but the Maria da Gloria had returned/and the Caro- 
 lina and Nitherohy, which had been left at Rio to complete 
 their outfit, came up three hours after the Portuguese sailed. 
 
 He directed these three ships to pick up any Portuguese 
 vessels that lagged behind or made off to the right or left 
 hand, while with the flag-ship he followed close on the rear 
 of the main body. The Portuguese had intended to make for 
 Maranham, where another squadron was lying, but Cochrane 
 pressed them so closely that they were forced to abandon this 
 plan and continue to sail south. The men-of-war did not 
 attempt to turn on their pursuer, but kept steadily on, while 
 the merchant ships and transports scattered right and left in 
 order to escape from the reach of his guns. Those that did 
 so were all picked up by the other Brazilian ships, while Lord 
 Cochrane pursued the main body. Five days after they had 
 sailed, he sent off the other vessels with their prizes to Per- 
 nambuco, the nearest port, with a despatch to the minister of 
 marine, informing him that half the enemy's army, their col- 
 ours, cannon, ammunition, stores, and baggage had already 
 been taken. He stated that he should continue the pursuit, 
 directing his attention at present to the transports, in order 
 that he might if possible capture the whole of the troops and 
 so lessen the risk of any future operations by the Portuguese 
 against Brazil. After effecting this he should, he said, direct 
 his operations against their war-ships.
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 381 
 
 For another week he followed the flying fleet. Each night 
 he swept down among them, capturing many vessels and caus- 
 ing the utmost confusion and alarm among the rest. He 
 chased them past the equator and more than half-way to Cape 
 Verde, and then left them to make their way back to Portu- 
 gal, and report that a single vessel had driven thirteen ships 
 of war home, accompanied by only thirteen of the seventy 
 vessels that had started under their protection. The pursuit 
 would not have terminated even then, but would have been 
 pressed until the rest of the convoy fell into his hands, but 
 several of the transports had made their escape during the 
 night attacks, and Lord Cochrane was anxious to prevent 
 them from carrying their troops safely into Maranham. Upon 
 abandoning the pursuit, therefore, he sailed for that port, and 
 entered the river with Portuguese colours flying. 
 
 The authorities at once sent off an officer to congratulate 
 their supposed friend on his safe arrival, and to express their 
 satisfaction at this reinforcement to their strength. On arriv- 
 ing on board, the officer found that he had fallen into a trap. 
 Lord Cochrane announced to him that the flag-ship would be 
 followed by a numerous fleet with a military force, and that 
 resistance would therefore bring about the destruction of the 
 place and the capture of the fleet and garrison, and he then 
 sent him on shore with letters to the governor to the same 
 effect. 
 
 "You will already have learned," he said, "of the flight 
 of the naval and military forces from Bahia. I have now to 
 inform you of the capture of two-thirds of the transports and 
 troops with all their stores and ammunition. I am anxious 
 not to let loose the imperial troops upon Maranham, exasper- 
 ated as they are at the injuries and cruelties exercised towards 
 them and their countrymen, as well as by the plunder of the 
 merchants and churches at Bahia."
 
 382 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 The letter had a prompt effect, and on the following day a 
 deputation came off and surrendered the city and forts. The 
 Portuguese troops were at once embarked on their ships and 
 allowed to sail to Europe, as, had they learned the truth, 
 they might again have obtained possession of the forts and 
 town, which the admiral had no means of preventing 
 them from doing. The delight of the people at being free 
 from the dominion of the Portuguese was unbounded, and 
 they would have massacred the civilians remaining had not 
 Lord Cochrane interfered and allowed all who were willing, 
 to take the oath of allegiance to Brazil. Many of the lead- 
 ing Portuguese merchants and traders did so, but the admiral 
 was obliged to remain two months in the port to protect them 
 from the effect of the exasperation of the native population. 
 But although compelled to remain inactive for a time, the 
 admiral continued his work by sending off Captain Grenfell 
 with a Portuguese brig, which he had seized in the river, to 
 Para, the last stronghold remaining to the Portuguese, to fol- 
 low there the example that he had set him, by reporting the 
 capture of Bahia and Maranham, and announcing the coming 
 of a great fleet and demanding immediate surrender. 
 
 The expedient was again completely successful. Astounded 
 and cowed at the disasters that had befallen their countrymen, 
 Para and the ships of war in the harbour at once surrendered, 
 and the troops were embarked without delay for Portugal. 
 Thus, in the course of six months, Lord Cochrane had with 
 practically but one righting ship put an end to the Portuguese 
 domination in Brazil, had captured three strong fortresses, 
 driven three large bodies of troops across the Atlantic, taken 
 an immense number of prizes, a vast quantity of naval and 
 military stores, and had annexed to Brazil a territory more 
 than half as large as Europe, a record unapproached in the 
 world's history. Upon his return to the capital Lord Coch-
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 383 
 
 rane was received with the greatest enthusiasm. The emperor 
 came on board and personally tendered him his thanks. The 
 title of Marquis of Maranham was bestowed upon him, and he 
 was made a privy-councillor of Brazil. 
 
 These, however, were but empty honours. His sailors re- 
 mained unpaid ; by a system of wholesale fraud they received 
 but an insignificant fraction of the prize-money due to them ; 
 for the Portuguese faction were still predominant in the Bra- 
 zilian ministry, and Lord Cochrane was so openly insulted 
 that he felt his position untenable. He remained, however, 
 for a year longer in the service, in order to obtain for his 
 sailors some portion of the arrears of pay and of the insignifi- 
 cant amount of prize-money that was admittedly their due. 
 His Designation could not be much longer delayed, but finally 
 it was brought about by accident. He was cruising in the 
 Piranza, to which he had shifted his flag, when he was carried 
 far out to sea by strong easterly winds. These increased to a 
 heavy gale, when it was discovered that many of the spars 
 were so unserviceable that sail could not be set on them. 
 
 The rigging was absolutely rotten, as were the provisions 
 on board. He could do nothing but run before the gale as 
 long as it lasted, and by that time he had sailed far across the 
 Atlantic. Return was impossible for him, seeing the condi- 
 tion of the ship, and the fact that there was not more than a 
 week's supply of wholesome food remaining. He therefore 
 decided that the only chance of safety was to continue his 
 voyage to England. This he did, and reached Portsmouth 
 in safety, and his first step was to advance ^2000 to refit the 
 ship. But his enemies in Brazil made out that his voyage to 
 England was an absolute desertion, and sent instructions to 
 the officers and crew no longer to obey his orders. He there- 
 fore sent off the letter of resignation he had so long intended. 
 Thus, at the close of his two commands, in which he had 

 
 384 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 brought about the expulsion of the Spaniards from the west- 
 ern coast of South America, and that of the Portuguese from 
 the eastern, Lord Cochrane, so far from having reaped any 
 personal benefit from his splendid services and daring ex- 
 ploits, was absolutely a poorer man by ^20,000 than when 
 he left the shores of England. 
 
 Stephen had, by Lord Cochrane's advice, resigned his com- 
 mission as soon as the admiral saw that there was no hope of 
 obtaining fair treatment from the Portuguese faction, who 
 determined that the sailors should derive no benefit from the 
 work they had done. 
 
 " Chili was bad," he said; " but in Chili there was some 
 honest popular feeling, and this acted as a check and pre- 
 vented the council carrying their rascally course too far. In 
 Brazil there is practically no public opinion. The people are 
 on a level with those in Peru, and naturally indolent ; they 
 have grown so accustomed to oppression that they dare not 
 protest against any iniquity. I foresee that it will not be 
 long before I, too, shall resign ; indeed, I would gladly do 
 so now, were it not that I am forced to stay here to do what I 
 can to obtain justice for the fleet. You are but one-and- 
 twenty and your life is before you ; you have had enough 
 adventures to last an ordinary man for his lifetime, and you 
 have acquired some six or seven thousand pounds by your 
 rescue of that treasure, and your Chilian prize - money as 
 lieutenant of the flag-ship. Here you ought to get more than 
 that, but I can see already that the fleet will be cheated out 
 of a great share of their prize-money. Still, however meagre 
 the amount the scoundrels may consider themselves bound to 
 dole out, you ought to get a thousand out of them as your 
 share of the capture of a hundred ships, to say nothing of the 
 men-of-war and the stores. With six or seven thousand 
 pounds you can buy a ship, command her yourself and go in
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 385 
 
 for trade ; you can settle down on a little estate in the coun- 
 try, or buy yourself a share in some business. Were there 
 any chance of further fighting here, I would keep you with 
 me gladly, but as it is it would be a pure waste of time for 
 you to remain." 
 
 Stephen took the advice, resigned, and went home. He 
 had, of course, written to his father as soon as he arrived in 
 Brazil, and when the vessel touched at Plymouth he posted 
 a letter to prepare him for his arrival at home. He found 
 him somewhat altered, but the lieutenant said : "I am in ex- 
 cellent health now, Stephen. Your disappearance, and Coch- 
 rane's letter telling me that he feared that he could give me 
 no hope whatever, broke me down a good deal, and I felt 
 myself that I was going downhill rapidly. However, I have 
 l)een picking up fast ever since I got your letter giving me an 
 account of your journey across South America. Now that I 
 have you home again I shall soon be completely myself. I 
 have invested all that money of yours in good securities, and 
 as soon as I got your letter I sent the order, as you requested 
 me, to Spain, for Don Filippo Conchas. I received a letter 
 from him two months later acknowledging its receipt, and 
 saying how pleased he and his wife were to hear of your safe 
 arrival on the sea-coast, for they had long before given you 
 up. Don Filippo said that he was a captain now, and that 
 his regiment, the i5th Cavalry, was stationed at Seville, and 
 that he hoped, when I had news again of you, I would write 
 to him there." 
 
 " I shall go out myself, father, in the course of a month or 
 two, to pay him a visit. He and his wife saved my life at 
 the risk of disgrace and punishment to themselves, and I 
 promised them that if I should get safely home I would go 
 over to see them, and I will certainly do so." 
 
 " Quite right, Stephen. The sin of ingratitude is one of
 
 386 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 the meanest and basest that a man can commit, and I will spare 
 you willingly on s'ich an errand." 
 
 Captain Conchas and his wife were indeed delighted to see 
 Stephen, and he spent a very pleasant fortnight with them. 
 On the occasion of his first visit to London he made inquiries 
 of Mr. Hewson, and found that Wilcox, the sailor who had 
 been with him when they so nearly fell into the hands of the 
 natives, was still in his service ; and when, some time after- 
 wards, the ship which he was in returned to port, he had 
 Wilcox down to Ramsgate, and installed him in the place of 
 gardener and general factotum there. When Lord Cochrane 
 returned to England Stephen went at once down to Ports- 
 mouth. 
 
 " I should have done better if I had come back with you, 
 Embleton. I should have spared myself nearly two years of 
 trial, humiliation, and disgust, and should have been a good 
 many thousand pounds in pocket. What are you doing with 
 yourself ? ' ' 
 
 "I am doing nothing at present, sir. These two long 
 absences of mine, and the belief that I was dead, knocked 
 my father down completely. He recovered a bit, but gradu- 
 ally went back again, and I fear that he has not long to live. 
 However, my presence with him is a great satisfaction to him, 
 and for the present I cannot think of leaving him." 
 
 " Quite right, lad. A man's first duty is to his father, 
 especially when his father has been a kind one, and you are 
 quite right in sticking to him until the end." 
 
 For this reason Lord Cochrane abstained from urging 
 Stephen to accompany him, when, shortly afterwards, he was 
 offered the command of the naval forces of Greece, which was 
 at the time engaged in its struggle for independence. Stephen 
 was the more pleased at his decision to stay at home with his 
 father, that intrigues and want of means caused some eighteen
 
 FRESH TRIUMPHS 387 
 
 months to pass before Lord Cochrane proceeded to take up 
 his command. Even his experience of Chili, Peru, and 
 Brazil had hardly prepared the admiral for the corruption, the 
 incapacity, the faction, and the rascality of the Greeks. His 
 efforts were always crippled; and although he accomplished 
 all that a man could do in their service, and obtained many 
 minor successes, he never had an opportunity of repeating the 
 exploits that had made him famous in the service of his own 
 country and in those of Chili and Brazil. When the battle of 
 Navarino had practically put an end to the war he returned to 
 England for a short time, heartily wearied of his struggle 
 against men whom he pronounced arrogant, ignorant, des- 
 potic, and cruel, and " who were collectively the greatest 
 cowards that I have ever met." 
 
 He returned after a short stay in England, but found that, 
 now that his services were no longer indispensable, he was 
 treated with such insolence that he resigned his commission 
 and returned home, suffering from a sort of mental fever, the 
 result of the trials, troubles, and disappointments that he had 
 met with during his four years in the service of Greece. In 
 1831 he succeeded, on the death of his father, to the earldom 
 of Dundonald, and applied himself to the work of obtaining 
 restitution of the ranks and honours of which he had been so 
 unjustly deprived. After the Reform Bill had passed in 1832, 
 and the clique that had persecuted him so long had lost office, 
 a free pardon was granted him, he was restored to his position 
 in the royal navy, and gazetted rear-admiral. But naturally 
 the Earl of Dundonald was still dissatisfied. The term " free 
 pardon ' ' for an offence that he had never committed galled 
 him, and while he now devoted himself to various inventions 
 connected with steam-engines and war-ships, he never ceased 
 to strive for a full recognition of the injustice to which he had 
 been subjected. His father had been devoted to scientific
 
 388 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 inventions, and as the earl inherited that talent many of his 
 inventions were of the highest scientific value. 
 
 In 1848 Lord Dundonald was appointed admiral of the 
 North American and West Indian fleet. Later still in life 
 other recognitions of his character and services were bestowed 
 upon him. He had been restored to his honours as Knight of 
 the Bath by the Queen in 1854. He was appointed Rear- 
 admiral of the Fleet, and a month later was named by Prince 
 Albert as honorary Brother of the Trinity House. He died 
 on the 3ist of October, 1860, at the age of eighty-five. 
 
 Stephen Embleton went no more to sea. Contrary to his 
 fears, his father lived for many years, but was a confirmed 
 invalid, and suffered so severely from his old wound that he 
 never went beyond the limit of his garden. Four years after 
 his return from Brazil Stephen married, and before his father's 
 death the cottage had to be enlarged to make room for the 
 increasing number of its occupants ; and Stephen Embleton 
 continued to reside there until, a few years ago, he died at a 
 great age. 
 
 THE END.
 
 " Wherever English is spoken one imagines that Mr. Henty's 
 name is known. One cannot enter a schoolroom or look at a 
 boy's bookshelf without seeing half-a-dozen of his familiar 
 volumes. Mr. Henty is no doubt the most successful writer 
 for boys, and the one to whose new volumes they look forward 
 every Christmas with most pleasure." Review of Reviews. 
 
 A LIST OF BOOKS 
 FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 ... By ... 
 
 G. A. HENTY GORDON STABLES 
 
 G. M. FENN ROBERT LEIGHTON 
 
 S. BARING-GOULD HARRY COLLINGWOOD 
 
 KIRK MUNROE ROSA MULHOLLAND 
 
 F. FRANKFORT MOORE ALICE CORKRAN, ETC 
 
 Published by 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 153 to J57 Fifth Avenue & J- New York
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXG PEOPLE 
 
 G. A, HENTY'S POPULAR STORIES FOR BOYS 
 
 NEW VOLUMES FOR 1897-98 
 
 Mr. Henty, the most popular writer ol Books of Adventure in England, 
 adds three new volumes to his list this fall books that will delight thousands 
 of boys on this side who have become his ardent admirers. 
 
 WITH FREDERICK THE GREAT 
 
 A Tale of the Seven Years' War. With 12 full -page illustra- 
 tions. 12mo, $1.50. 
 
 The hero of this story while still a youth entered the service of Fred- 
 erick the Great, and by a succession of fortunate circumstances and 
 perilous adventures, rose to the rank of colonel. Attached to the staff 
 of the king, the rendered distinguished services in many battles, in one 
 of which he saved the king's life. Twice captured and imprisoned, he 
 both times escaped from the Austrian fortresses. 
 
 The story follows closely the historic lines, and no more vivid descrip- 
 tion of the memorable battles of Rossbach, Leuthen, Prague, Zorndorf, 
 Hochkirch, and Torgau can be found anywhere than is here given. 
 Woven in this there runs the record of the daring and hazardous adven- 
 tures of the hero, and the whole narrative has thus, with historic accu- 
 racy, the utmost charm of romance. 
 
 A MARCH ON LONDON 
 
 A Story of Wat Tyler's Rising. With 8 full-page illustra- 
 tions by W. H. MAKGETSON. 12mo, $1.50. 
 
 The story of Wat Tyler's Rebellion is but little known, but the hero 
 of this story passes through that perilous time and takes part in the 
 civil war in Flanders which followed soon after. Although young he is 
 thrown into many exciting and dangerous adventures, through which 
 he passes with great coolness and much credit. Brought into royal favor 
 he is knighted for bravery on the battlefield, and saving the lives of 
 some wealthy merchants, he realizes fortune with his advancement and 
 rank. New light is thrown on the history of this time and the whole 
 story is singularly interesting. 
 
 WITH MOORE AT CORUNNA. 
 
 A Story of the Peninsular War. With 12-full page illustra- 
 tions by WAL PAGET. 12mo, $1,50. 
 
 A bright Irish lad, Terence O'Connor, is living with his widowed father, 
 Captain O'Connor of the Mayo Fusiliers, with the regiment at the time 
 when the Peninsular war began. Upon the regiment being ordered to 
 Spain, Terence received a commission of ensign and accompanied it. 
 On the way out, by his quickness of wit he saved the ship from capture 
 and, instead, aided in capturing two French privateers. Arriving in 
 Portugal, he ultimately gets appointed as aid to one of the generals of a 
 division. By his bravery and great usefulness throughout the war, he 
 is rewarded by a commission as Colonel in the Portuguese army and 
 there rendered great service, being mentioned twice in the general orders 
 of the Duke of Wellington. The whole story is full of exciting military 
 experiences and gives a most careful and accurate account of the vari- 
 ous campaigns.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUSG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A, HENTY 
 
 " No country nor epoch of history is there which Mr. Henty does not know, 
 and what is really remarkable is that he always writes well and interestingly." 
 New York Times, 
 
 AT AGINCOURT 
 
 A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. With 12 full-page 
 Illustrations by WALTER PAGET. Crown 8vo, olivine 
 edges, $1.50. 
 
 The story begins in a grim feudal castle in Normandie, on the old 
 frontier between France and England, where the lad Guy Aylmer had 
 gone to join his father's old friend Sir Eustace de Villeroy. The times 
 were troublous and soon the French king compelled Lady Margaret de 
 Villeroy with her children to go to Pans as hostages for Sir Eustace's 
 loyalty. Guy Aylmer went wi h her as her page and body-guard. Paris 
 was turbulent and the populace riotous. Soon the guild of the butchers, 
 adopting white hoods as their uniform, seized the city, and besieged 
 the house where our hero and his charges lived. After desperate fighting, 
 the white hoods were beaten and our hero and his charges escaped from the 
 city, and from France. He came back to share in the great battle of 
 Agincourt, and when peace followed returned with honor to England. 
 
 ON THE IRRAWADDY 
 
 A Story of the First Burmese War. With 8 full-page Illus- 
 trations by W. H. OVEREND. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 
 $1.50. 
 
 The hero having an uncle, a trader on the Indian and Burmese 
 rivers, goes out to join him. Soon after war is declared by Bur- 
 mah against England and he is drawn into it. His familiarity with the 
 Burmese customs and language make him of such use that he is put 
 upon Sir Archibald Campbell's staff. He has many experiences and 
 narrow escapes in battles and in scouting. With half-a-dozen men he 
 rescues his cousin who had been taken prisoner, and in the flight they are 
 besieged in an old ruined temple. His escape and ultimate successful 
 return to England show what a clear head with pluck can do. 
 
 WITH COCHRANE THE DAUNTLESS 
 
 A Tale of the Exploits of Lord Coehrane in South American 
 Waters. With 12 full-page Illustrations by W. H. 
 MARGETSON. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero of this story, an orphaned lad, accompanies Coehrane as 
 midshipman, and serves in the war between Chili and Peru. He has 
 many exc ting adventures in battles by sea and land, is taken prisoner 
 and condemned to death by the Inquisition, but escapes by a long and 
 thrilling flight across South America and down the Amazon, piloted by 
 two faithful Indians. His pluck and coolness prove him a fit companion 
 to Coehrane the Dauntless, and his final success is well deserved.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 " Boys like stirring adventures, and Sir. Henty Is a master of this method 
 of composition." Xew York Times. 
 
 A KNIGHT OF THE WHITE CROSS 
 
 A Tale of the Siege of Rhodes. With 12 full-page Illustra- 
 tions by RALPH PEACOCK, and a Plan. Crown 8vo, olivine 
 edges, $1.50. 
 
 Oervaise Tresham, the hero of this story, joins the Order of the 
 Knights of St. John, and leaving England he proceeds to the stronghold 
 of Rhodes. Subsequently, Gervaise is made a Knight of the White 
 Cross for valor, while soon after he is appointed commander of a war- 
 galley, and in his first voyage destroys a fleet of Moorish corsairs. Dur- 
 ing one of his cruises the young knight is attacked on shore, captured 
 after a desperate struggle, and sold into slavery in Tripoli. He succeeds 
 in escaping, however, and returns to Rhodes in time to take part in the 
 splendid defence of that fortress. Altogether a fine chivalrous tale of 
 var'cd interest and full of noble daring 
 
 THE TIGER OF MYSORE 
 
 A Story of the War with Tippoo Saib. With 12 full-page 
 Illustrations by W. H. MAKGETSON, and a Map. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Dick Holland, whose father is supposed to be a captive of Tippoo Saib, 
 goes to India to help him to escape. He joins the army under Lord 
 Cornwallis, and takes part in the campaign against Tippoo. Afterwards, 
 he assumes a disguise, enters Seringapatam, the cap tal of Mysore, res- 
 cues Tippoo's harem from a tiger, and is appointed to high office by the 
 tyrant. In this capacity Dick visits the hill fortresses, still in search of 
 his father, and at last he discovers him in the great stronghold of Savan- 
 droog. The hazardous rescue through the enemy's country is at length 
 accomplished, and ttie yonng fellow's dangerous mission is done. 
 
 THROUGH RUSSIAN SNOWS 
 
 A Story of Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations by W. H. OVEREND, and 3 Maps. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero, Julian Wyatt, after several adventures with smugglers, by 
 whom he is handed over a prisoner to the French, regains his freedom 
 and joins Napoleon's army in the Russian campaign, and reaches Moscow 
 with the victorious Emperor. Then, when the terrible retreat begins, 
 Julian finds himself in the rear guard of the French army, fighting des- 
 perately, league by league, against famine, snow-storms, wolves, and 
 Russians. Ultimately he escapes out of the general disaster, after rescu- 
 ing the daughter of a Russian Count ; makes his way to St. Petersburg, 
 and then returns to England. A story with an excellent plot, exciting 
 adventures, and splendid historical interests.
 
 BOOKS FOR TOUSO PEOPLE 
 
 BY Q, A. HENTY 
 
 Here we have Mr. George Henty the Boys' Own Author." Punch. 
 
 WLF THE SAXON 
 
 A Story of the Norman Conquest. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 12 full-page Illustrations by RALPH PEACOCK. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero is a young thane who wins the favor of Earl Harold and be- 
 comes one of his retinue. When Harold becomes King of England Wulf 
 assists in the Welsh wars, and takes part against the Norsemen at the 
 Battle of Stamford Bridge. When William of Normandy invades Eng- 
 land, Wulf is with the English host at Hastings, and stands by his king 
 to the last in the mighty struggle. Altogether this is a noble tale. 
 Wulf himself is a rare example of Saxon vigor, and the spacious back- 
 ground of stormf ul history lends itself admirably to heroic romance. 
 
 BERIC THE BRITON 
 
 A Story of the Roman Invasion. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 12 full-page Illustrations by W. PARKINSON. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, 1.50. 
 
 This story deals with the invasion of Britain by the Roman legionaries. 
 Beric, who is a boy-chief of a British tribe, takes a prominent part in 
 the insurrection under Boadicea: and after the defeat of that heroic 
 queen (in A.D. 62) he continues the struggle in the fen-country. Ulti- 
 mately Beric is defeated and carried captive to Rome, where he is trained 
 in the exercise of arms in a school of gladiators. Such is the skill which 
 he there acquires that he succeeds in saving a Christian maid by slaying 
 a lion in the arena, and is rewarded by being made librarian in the palac-*, 
 and the personal protector of Nero. Finally he escapes from this irksome 
 service, organizes a band of outlaws in Calabria, defies the power of 
 Rome, and at length returns to Britain, where he becomes a wise ruler 
 of his own peoole. 
 
 WHEN LONDON BURNED 
 
 A Story of the Plague and the Fire. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 12 full-page Illustrations by J. FINNEMOBE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero of this story was the son of a nobleman who had lost bis estates 
 during the troublous times of the Commonwealth. Instead of hanging 
 idly about the court seeking favors. Cyril Shenstone determined to main- 
 tain himself by honest work. During the Great Plague and the Great Fire, 
 which visited London with such terrible results, Sir Cyril wa* prominent 
 among those who brought help to the panic-stricken inhabitants. This 
 tale has rich variety of interest, both national and personal, and in the 
 hero you have an English lad of the noblest type wise, humane, and 
 unselfish.
 
 BOOKS FOX rOUXG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 1 Ask for Henty, and see that you get him." Punch. 
 
 THE DASH FOR KHARTOUM 
 
 A Tale of the Nile Expedition. By G. A. HENTY. With 10 
 full-page Illustrations by JOHN SCHONBERO and J. NASH. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 In the record of recent British history there is no more captivating page 
 for boys than the story of the Nile campaign, and the attempt to rescue 
 General Gordon. For, in the difficulties which the expedition encount- 
 ered, in the perils which it overpassed, and in its final tiagic disappoint- 
 ments, are found all the excitements of romance, as well as the fascination 
 which belongs to real events. 
 
 .BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE 
 
 A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 12 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The adventures of the son of a Scotch officer in French service. The 
 boy, brought up by a Glasgow bailie, is arrested for aiding a Jacobite 
 agent, escapes, is wrecked on the French coast, reaches Paris, and serves 
 with the French army at Dettingen. He kills his father's foe in a duel, 
 and escaping to the coast, shares the adventures of Prince Charlie, but 
 finally settles happily in Scotland. 
 
 UNDER DRAKE'S FLAG 
 
 A Tale of the Spanish Main. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 
 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 A story of the days when England and Spain struggled for the suprem- 
 acy of the sea. Tne heroes sail as lads with Drake in the Pacific expe- 
 dition, and in his great voyage of circumnavigation. The historical 
 portion of the story is absolutely to be relied upon, but this will perhaps 
 be less attractive than the great variety of exciting adventure through 
 which the young heroes pass in the course of their voyages. 
 
 WITH WOLFE IN CANADA 
 
 Or, The Winning of a Continent. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 
 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Mr. Henty here gives an account of the struggle between Bri'ain and 
 France for supremacy in the North American continent. The fall of 
 Quebec decided that the An<jlo-Saxon race should predominatp in the 
 New World ; and that Enjlish and American commerce, the English 
 language, and English literature, should spread right round the globe.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 ' Mr. Henty Is one of the best of story-tellers for young people." Spectator. 
 
 BY PIKE AND DYKE 
 
 A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. By G. A. HENTY. 
 With 10 full-page Illustrations by MAYNAKD BROWN, and 
 4 Maps. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 In this story Mr. Henty traces the adventures and brave deeds of an 
 English boy in the household of the ablest man of his age William the 
 Silent. Edward Martin, the son of an English sea-captain, enters the 
 service of the Princa as a volunteer, and is employed by him in many 
 dangerous and responsible missions, in the discharge of which he passes 
 through the great sieges of the time. 
 
 BY ENGLAND'S AID 
 
 Or, The Freeing of the Netherlands (1585-1604). By G. A. 
 HENTY. With 10 full-page Illustrations by ALFRED PEABSE, 
 and 4 Maps. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The story of two English lads who go to Holland as pages in the service 
 of one of "the fighting Veres. " After many adventures by sea and land, 
 one of the lads finds himself on board a Spanish ship at the time of the 
 defeat of the Armada, and escapes only to fall into the hands of the Cor- 
 sairs. He is successful in getting back to Spain, and regains bis native 
 country after the capture of Cadiz. 
 
 IN THE HEART OF THE ROCKIES 
 
 A Story of Adventure in Colorado. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by G. C. HINDLEY. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, SI. 50. 
 
 Prom first to last this is a story of splendid hazard. The hero, Tom 
 Wade, goes to seek his uncle in Colorado, who is a hunter and gold- 
 digger, and he is discovered, after many dangers, out on the plains with 
 some comrades. Going in quest of a gold mine the little band is spied 
 by Indians, chased across the Bad Lands, and overwhelmed by a snow- 
 storm in the mountains. 
 
 BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST 
 
 Or, With Cortez in Mexico. By G. A. HENTY. With 10 full- 
 page Illustrations by W. S. STAGEY, and 2 Maps. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 With the Conquest of Mexico as the ground-work of his story, 
 Mr. Henty has interwoven the adventures of an English youth. 
 He is beset by many perils among the natives, but by a ruse he obtains 
 the protection of the Spaniards, and after the fall of Mexico he succeeds 
 in regaining his native shore, wit h a fortune and a charming Aztec bride.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXQ PEOPL& 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 " No living writer of books for boys writes to better purpose than Mr. G. A. 
 Henty." Philadelphia Press. 
 
 TRUE TO THE OLD FLAG 
 
 A Tale of the American War of Independence. By G. A. 
 HENTY. With 12 full-page Illustrations by GORDON 
 BROWNE. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 A graphic and vigorous story of the American Revolution, which paints 
 the scenes with great power, and does full justice to the pluck and de- 
 termination of the soldiers during the unfortunate struggle. 
 
 THE LION OF ST. MARK 
 
 A Tale of Venice in the Fourteenth Century. By G. A. HENTY. 
 With 10 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 A story of Venice at a period when her strength and splendor were put 
 to the severest tests. The hero displays a fine sense and manliness which 
 carry him safely through an atmosphere of intrigue, crime, and blood- 
 shed. He contributes largely to the victories of the Venetians at Porto 
 d'Anzo and Chioggia, and finally wins the hand of the daughter of one 
 of the chief men of Venice. 
 
 THE LION OF THE NORTH 
 
 A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus and the Wars of Religion. By 
 G. A. HENTY. With 12 full-page Illustrations by JOHN 
 SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 In this story Mr. Henty gives the history of the first part of the Thirty 
 Years' War. The issue had its importance, which has extended to the 
 present day, as it established religious freedom in Germany. The army 
 of the chivalrous King of Sweden was largely composed of Scotchmen, 
 and among these was the hero of the story. 
 
 IN GREEK WATERS 
 
 A Story of the Grecian War of Independence (1821-1827). 
 By G. A. HENTY. With 12 full-page Illustrations by W. S. 
 STACEY, and a Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Deals with the revolt of the Greeks in 1821 against Turkish oppression. 
 Mr. Beveridge and his son Horace fit out a privateer, load it with 
 military stores, and set sail for Greece. They rescue the Christians, 
 relieve the captive Greeks, and fight the Turkish war vessels.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOVtrCt PEOPLti 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 ' Mr. Henty's books never fall to Interest boy readers." Academy. 
 
 WITH CLIVE IN INDIA 
 
 Or, The Beginnings of an Empire. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 12 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE, and a Map. 
 Crown Hvo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The period between the landing of Clive in India and the close of his 
 career was eventful in the extreme. At its commencement the English 
 were traders existing on sufferance of the native princes; at its close they 
 were masters of Bengal and of the greater part of Southern India. The 
 author has given a full account of the events of that stirring time, while 
 he combines with his narrative a thrilling tale of daring and adventure. 
 
 THE YOUNG CARTHAGINIAN 
 
 A Story of the Times of Hannibal. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 12 full-page Illustrations by C. J. STANILAND, R.I. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 There is no better field for romance- writers in the whole of history than 
 the momentous struggle between the Romans and Carthaginians for the 
 empire of the world. Mr. Henty has had the full advantage of much un- 
 exhausted picturesque and impressive material, and has thus been enabled 
 to form a striking historic background to as exciting a story of adventure 
 as the keenest appetite could wish. 
 
 FOR THE TEMPLE 
 
 A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. By G. A. HENTY. With 10 
 fall-page Illustrations by S. J. SOLOMON, and a colored 
 Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Mr Henty here weaves into the record of Josephus an admirable and 
 attractive story. The troubles in the district of Tiberias, the march of the 
 legions, the sieges of Jotapata, of Gamala, and of Jerusalem, form the 
 impressive setting to the figure of the lad who becomes the leader of a 
 guerrilla band of patriots, fights bravely for the Temple, and after a brief 
 term of slavery at Alexandria, returns to his Galilean home. 
 
 THROUGH THE FRAY 
 
 A Story of the Luddite Riots. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 
 full-page Illustrations by H. M. PAGET. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The story is laid in Yorkshire at the commencement of the present cen- 
 tury, when the high price of food induced by the war and the introduction 
 of machinery drove the working-classes to desperation, and caused them 
 to band themselves in that wide-spread organization known as the Luddite 
 Society. There is an abundance of adventure in the tale, but its chief 
 interest lies in the character of the hero, and the manner in which he 
 is put on trial for his life, but at last cornea victorious "through the fray."
 
 10 BOOKS FOR YOUSG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 < The brightest of all the living writers whose office It is to enchant the 
 boys." Christian Leader. 
 
 CAPTAIN BAYLEY'S HEIR 
 
 A Tale of the Gold Fields of California. By G. A. HENTY. 
 With 12 full-page Illustrations by H. M. PAGET. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 A frank, manly lad and his cousin are rivals in the heirship of a consider- 
 able prop? rty. The former falls into a trap laid by the latter, and while 
 under a false accusation of theft foolishly leaves England for America. 
 He works his passage before the mast, Joins a small band of hunters, 
 ci oases a tract of country infested with Indians to the Californian gold 
 diggings, and is successful both as digger and trader. 
 
 IN FREEDOM'S CAUSE 
 
 A Story of Wallace and Brace. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 
 full-page Illustrations by GOBDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Relates the stirring tale of the Scottish War of Independence. The 
 hero of the tale fought under both Wallace and Bruce, and while the 
 strictest historical accuracy has been maintained with respect to public 
 events, the work is full of "hairbreadth 'scapes" and wild adventure. 
 
 A JACOBITE EXILE 
 
 Being the Adventures of a Young Englishman in the Service 
 of Charles XII. of Sweden. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 
 full-page Illustrations by PAUL HAKDY, and a Map. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Sir Marmaduke Carstairs, a Jacobite, is the victim of a conspiracy, and 
 he is denounced as a plotter against the life of King William. He flies to 
 Sweden, accompanied by his son Charlie. This youth joins the foreign 
 legion under Charles XII., and takes a distinguished part in several 
 famous campaigns against the Russians and Poles. 
 
 CONDEMNED AS A NIHILIST 
 
 A Story of Escape from Siberia. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 
 full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero of this story is an English boy resident in St. Petersburg. 
 Through two student friends he becomes innocently involved in various 
 political plots, resulting in his seizure by the Russian police and his exile 
 to Siberia. He ultimately escapes, and, after many exciting adventures, 
 he reaches Norway, and thence home, after a perilous journey which lasts 
 nearly two years.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUKG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 " Mr. Henty IB one of our most successful writers of historical tales." 
 
 Scotsman. 
 
 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR 
 
 The Adventures of a Westminster Boy. By G. A. HENTT. 
 "With 8 full-page Illustrations by J. SCHONBERG. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Harry Sandwith, a Westminster boy, becomes a resident at the chateau 
 of a French marquis, and after various adventures accompanies the 
 family to Paris at the crisis of the Revolution. Imprisonment and death 
 reduce their number, and the hero finds himself beset by perils with the 
 three young daughters of the house in his charge. After hair-breadth 
 escapes they reach Nantes. There the girls are condemned to death in 
 the coffinships, but are saved by the unfailing courage of their boy- 
 protector. 
 
 ST. GEORGE FOR ENGLAND 
 
 A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, $1.50. 
 
 No portion of English history is more crowded with great events than 
 that of the reign of Edward III. Cressy and Poitiers ; the destruction of 
 the Spanish fleet ; the plague of the Black 'Death ; the Jacquerie rising; 
 these are treated by the author in " St. George for England." The hero of 
 the story, although of good family, begins life as a London apprentice, 
 but after countless adventures and perils becomes by valor and good 
 conduct the squire, and at last the trusted friend of the Black Prince. 
 
 A CHAPTER OF ADVENTURES 
 
 Or, Through the Bombardment of Alexandria. By G. A. 
 HENTY. With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. H. OVER- 
 END. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 A coast fishing lad, by an act of heroism, secures the interest of a ship- 
 owner, who places him as an apprentice on board one of his fhips. In 
 company with two of his fellow-apprentices he is left behind, at Alex- 
 andria, in the hands of the revolted Egyptian troops, and is present 
 through the bombardment and the scenes of riot and blood-shed which 
 accompanied it. 
 
 HELD FAST FOR ENGLAND 
 
 A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 This story deals with one of the most memorable sieges in history- 
 the siege of Gibraltar in 1779-83 by the united forces of France and 
 Spain. With land forces, fleets, and floating batteries, the combined re- 
 sources of two great nations, this grim fortress was vainly besieged and 
 bombarded. The hero of the tale, an English lad resident in Gibraltar, 
 takes a brave and worthy part in the long defence, and it is through his 
 varied experiences that we learn with what bravery, resource, and te- 
 nacity the Rock was held for England.
 
 12 00JT<? FOR roVXG PKOPLtf 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 " Among writers of storiea of adventures for boys Mr. Henty stands In the 
 very first rank." Academy. 
 
 FOR NAME AND FAME 
 
 Or, Through Afghan Passes. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations by GORDON BKOWNE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 An interesting story of the last war in Afghanistan. The hero, after 
 being wrecked and going through many stirring adventures among the 
 Malays, finds his way to Calcutta and enlists in a regiment proceeding to 
 join the army at the Afghan passes. He accompanies the force under 
 General Roberts to the Peiwar Kotal, is wounded, taken prisoner, carried 
 to Cabul, whence he is transferred to Candahar, and takes part in the 
 final defeat of the army of Ayoub Khan. 
 
 ORANGE AND GREEN 
 
 A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 8 full -page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The record of two typical families the Davenants, who, having come 
 over with Strongbow, had allied themselves in feeling to the original in- 
 habitants ; and the Whitefoots, who had been placed by Cromwell over 
 certain domains of the Davenants. In the children the spirit of conten- 
 tion has given place to friendship, and though they take opposite sides 
 in the struggle between James and William, their good-will and mutual 
 service are never interrupted, and in the end the Davenants come hap- 
 pily to their own again. 
 
 MAORI AND SETTLER 
 
 A Story of the New Zealand War. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The Renshaws emigrate to New Zealand during the period of the war 
 with the natives. Wilfrid, a strong, self-reliant, courageous lad, is the 
 mainstay of the household. He has for his friend Mr. Atherton, a botan- 
 ist and naturalist of herculean strength and unfailing nerve and humor. 
 In the adventures among the Maoris, there are many breathless moments 
 in which the odds seem hopelessly against the party, but they succeed in 
 establishing themselves happily in one of the pleasant New Zealand 
 valleys. 
 
 A FINAL RECKONING 
 
 A Tale of Bush Life in Australia. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 8 full -page Illustrations by W. B. WOLLEN. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero, a young English lad, after rather a stormy boyhood, emi- 
 grates to Australia and gets employment as an officer in the mounted 
 police. A few years of active work on the frontier, where he has many a 
 brush with both natives and bush-rangers, gain him promotion to a cap- 
 taincy, and be eventually settles down to the peaceful life of a squatter.
 
 BOOKS FOR TOUKG PEOPLE 13 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 ' Mr. Henty's books are welcome visitors in the home circle." Daily News. 
 
 THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE 
 
 Or, With Peterborough in Spain. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by H. M. PAGET. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 There are few great leaders whose lives and actions have so completely 
 fallen into oblivion as those of the Earl of Peterborough. This is largely 
 due to the fact that they were overshadowed by the glory and successes 
 of Marlborough. His career as General extended over little more than 
 a year, and yet, in that time, he showed a genius for warfare which has 
 never been surpasred. 
 
 THE DRAGON AND THE RAVEN 
 
 Or, The Days of King Alfred. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations by C. J. STANI&AND, B.I. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 In this story the author gives an account of the fierce struggle 
 between Saxon and Dane for supremacy in England, and presents a vivid 
 picture of the misery and ruin to which the country was reduced by the 
 ravages of the sea-wolves. The hero, a young Saxon thane, takes part in 
 all the battles fought by King Alfred. He is d i iven from his home, takes 
 to the sea, and resists the Danes on their own element, and being pursued 
 by them up the Seine, is present at the long and desperate siege of Paris. 
 
 FACING DEATH 
 
 Or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit. A Tale of the Coal Mines. 
 By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full-page Illustrations by 
 GOKDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 " Facing Death " is a story with a purpose. It is intended to show that 
 a lad who makes up his mind firmly and resolutely that he will rise in 
 life, and who is prepared to face toil and ridicule and hardship to carry 
 out his determination, is sure to succeed. The hero of the story is a 
 typical British boy, dogged, earnest, generous, and though "shamefaced" 
 to a degree, is ready to face death in the discharge of duty. 
 
 BY SHEER PLUCK 
 
 A Tale of the Ashanti War. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations by GORDON BKOWNE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The author has woven, in a tale of thrilling interest, all the details of 
 the Ashanti campaign, of which he was himself a witness. His hero, 
 after many exciting adventures in the interior, is detained a prisoner by 
 the king just before the outbreak of the war, but escapes, and accom- 
 panies the Englit-h expedition on their march to Coomassie.
 
 14 BOOKS FOR TOVNG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 " Mr. Henty might with entire propriety be called the boys' Sir Walter 
 Scott." PtiilaOelphia Press. 
 
 THE CAT OF BUBASTES 
 
 A Story of Ancient Egypt. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 A story which will give young readers an unsurpassed insight into the 
 customs of the Egyptian people. Amuba, a prince of the Rebu nation, is 
 carried with his charioteer Jethro into slavery. They become inmates of 
 the house of Ameres, the Egyptian high-priest, and are happy in his 
 service until the priest's son accidentally kills the sacred cat of Bubastes. 
 In an outburst of popular fury Amerce is killed, and it rests with Jethro 
 and Amuba to secure the escape of the high-priest's son and daughter. 
 
 ONE OF THE 28 
 
 A Tale of Waterloo. By G. A. HENTY. With 8 full-page Il- 
 lustrations by W. H. OVEREND, and 2 Maps. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero of this story, Ralph Con way, has many varied and exciting 
 adventures. He enters the army, and after some rough service in Ire- 
 land takes part in the Waterloo campaign, from which he returns with 
 the loss of an arm, but with a substantial fortune. 
 
 STURDY AND STRONG 
 
 Or, How George Andrews made his Way. By G. A. HENTY. 
 With 4 full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 The history of a hero of everyday life, whose love of truth, clothing 
 of modesty, and innate pluck, carry him, naturally, from poverty to af- 
 fluence. George Andrews in an example of character with i>pthing to 
 cavil at, and stands as a good instance of chivalry in domestic life. 
 
 TALES OF DARING AND DANGER 
 
 By G. A. HENTY. With 2 full -page Illustrations. Crown 
 8vo, 75 cents. 
 
 Containing five stories, varied in scene and character, but all of ad- 
 venturous interest and telling of youthful heroism under dangerous and 
 trying circumstances on land and on sea. 
 
 YARNS ON THE BEACH 
 
 By G. A. HENTY. With 2 full-page Illustrations. Crown 
 8vo, 75 cents. 
 
 This book should find special favor among boys. The yarns are spun 
 by old sailors, and are admirably calculated to foster a manly spirit.
 
 BOOKS FOR TOVXG PEOPLE 
 
 BY G. A. HENTY 
 
 "Sorely Mr. Henty should understand boys' tastes better than any man 
 living." The Times. 
 
 ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S EVE 
 
 A Tale of the Huguenot Wars. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 
 full-page Illustrations by H. J. DRAPER, and a Map. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 81.50. 
 
 The hero, Philip Fletcher, is a right true English lad, but he has a 
 French connection on his mother's side. This kinship induces him to 
 cross the Channel in order to take a share in that splendid struggle for 
 freedom known as the Hugutnot wars. Naturally he sides with the 
 Protestants, distinguishes himself in various battles, and receives rapid 
 promotion for the Zealand daring with which he carries out se\ eral secret 
 missions. It is an enthralling narrative throughout. 
 
 REDSKIN AND COW-BOY 
 
 A Tale of the Western Plains. By G. A. HENTY. With 12 
 full-page Illustrations by ALFRED PEABSE. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The central interest of this story is found in the many adventures of an 
 English lad who seeks employment as a cow-boy on a cattle ranch. His 
 experiences during a " round-up " present in picturesque form the to'l- 
 some, exciting, adventurous life of a cow-boy; while the perils of a 
 frontier settlement are vividly set forth in an Indian raid, accompaniid 
 by pillage, capture, and recapture. The story is packed full of breezy 
 adventure. 
 
 WITH LEE IN VIRGINIA 
 
 A Story of the American Civil War. By G. A. HENTY. With 
 10 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE, and 6 Maps. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The story of a young Virginian planter, who, after bravely proving his 
 sympathy with the s'aves of brutal masters, serves with no less courage 
 and enthusiasm under Lee and Jackson through the most exciting events 
 of the struggle. He has many hairbreadth escapes, is several times 
 wounded, and twice taken prisoner; but his courage and readiness and, 
 in two cases, the devotion of a black servant and of a runaway slave 
 whom he had assisted bring him safely through all difficulties. 
 
 THROUGH THE SIKH WAR 
 
 A Tale of the Conquest of the Punjaub. By G. A. HENTY. 
 With 12 full-page Illustrations by HAL HURST, and a 
 Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1-50. 
 
 Percy Groves, a spirited English lad, joins his uncle in the Pnnjanb, 
 where the natives are in a state of revolt. When the authorities at Lahore 
 proclaim war Percy joins the British force as a volunteer, and takes a 
 distinguished share in the famous battles of the Punjaub.
 
 16 BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 BY ROBERT LEIGHTON 
 
 1 Mr. Lelghton'B place Is In the front rank of writers of boys' books." 
 
 Standard. 
 
 THE GOLDEN GALLEON 
 
 Illustrated, crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 This is a story of Queen Elizabeth's time, just aftf r the defeat of the 
 Spanish Armada. Mr. Leighton introduces in his work the great s?a- 
 fighters of Plymouth town Hawkins, Drake, Raleigh, and Richard 
 Grenville. 
 
 OLAF THE GLORIOUS 
 
 By ROBERT LEIGHTON. With 8 full -page Illustrations by 
 
 RALPH PEACOCK. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 This story of Olaf , King of Norway, opens with his being found living 
 as a bond-slave in Esthonia, and follows him through his romantic youth 
 in Russia. Then come his adventures as a Viking, his raids upon the 
 coasts of Scotland and England, and his conversion to Christianity. He 
 returns to Norway as king, and converts his people to the Christian 
 faith. 
 
 WRECK OF "THE GOLDEN FLEECE " 
 
 The Story of a North Sea Fisher-boy. By ROBERT LEIGHTON. 
 
 With 8 full-page Illustrations by FRANK BBANGWYN. 
 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 The hero is a parson's son who is apprenticed on board a Lowestoft 
 fishing lugger. The lad suffers many buffet* from his shipmates, while 
 the storms and dangers which he braved are set forth with intense f ower. 
 
 THE THIRSTY SWORD 
 
 A Story of the Norse Invasion of Scotland (1262-63). By 
 ROBERT LEIGHTON. With 8 full-page Illustrations by 
 ALFRED PEARSE, and a Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 
 $1.50. 
 
 This story tells how Roderic MacAlpin, the sea-rover, came to the Isle 
 of Bute ; how he slew his brother in Rothesay Castle ; how the earl's 
 eldest son was likewise slain; how young Kenric now became king of 
 Bute, and vowed vengeance against the slayer of his brother and father ; 
 an I fin. Hy, how this vow was kept, when Kenric and the murderous 
 sea-rover met at midnight and ended their feud in one last great fight. 
 
 THE PILOTS OF POMONA 
 
 A Story of the Orkney Islands. By ROBERT LEIGHTON. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by JOHN LEIGHTON, and a Map. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Halcro Ericson, the hero, happens upon many exciting adventures and 
 hardy experiences, through which he carries himself with quiet courage. 
 The story gives a vivid presentation of life in these far northern islands.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUA'G PEOPLE IT 
 
 BY KIRK MUNROE 
 
 THE "WHITE CONQUERORS" SERIES 
 
 WITH CROCKETT AND BOWIE 
 
 Or, Fighting for the Lone Star Flag. A Tale of Texas. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by VICTOR PERARD. Crown 8vo, 
 
 <R1 9^ 
 
 pl.ZO. 
 
 The story is of the Texas revolution in 1835, when American Texans 
 under Sam Houston, Bowie, Crockett, and Travis, fought for relief from 
 the intolerable tyranny of the Mexican Santa Ana. The hero, Rex 
 Hardin, son of a Texan ranchman and graduate of an American military 
 school, takes a prominent part in the heroic defense of the Alamo, the 
 terrible scenes at Golead, and the final triumph at San Jacinto. The 
 historical side of the story has been carefully studied and its localities 
 rendered familiar by a special trip to Texas, undertaken by the author 
 for that purpose within a year. 
 
 THROUGH SWAMP AND GLADE 
 
 A Tale of the Seminole "War. By KIRK MUNROE. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations by VICTOB PERARD. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 In this new story Mr. Munroe opens to view an exceedingly interesting 
 period of American history the period of the Seminole War in Florida. 
 Coacoochee, the hero of the story, is a young Indian of noble birth, the 
 son of Philip the chieftain of the Seminoles. He is a boy at the time of 
 the beginning of the Seminole troubles and grows up to lead his tribe in 
 the long struggle w hich resulted in the Indians being driven from the 
 north of Florida down to the distant southern wilderness. It is full of 
 strange adventure, of stirring incident and rapid action. 
 
 AT WAR WITH PONTIAC 
 
 Or, The Totem of the Bear. A Tale of Keel coat and Redskin. 
 
 By KIRK MUNROE. With 8 full-page Illustrations by 
 
 J. FINNEHORE. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 A story of old days in America, when Detroit was a frontier town and 
 the shores of Lak* Erie were held by hostile Indians under Pontiac. 
 The hero, Donald Hester, goes in search of his sister Edith, -who has 
 been captured by the Indians. Strange and terrible are his experiences ; 
 for he is wounded, taken prisoner, condemned to be turned, and con- 
 trives to escape. In the end there is peace between Pontiac and the 
 English, and all things terminate happily for the hero. One dares not 
 skip a page of this enthralling story. 
 
 THE WHITE CONQUERORS 
 
 A Tale of Toltec and Aztec. By KIRK MUNROE. With 8 full- 
 page Illustrations by W. S. STACET. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 This story deals with the Conquest of Mexico by Cortes and his 
 Spaniards, the "White Conquerors," who, after many deeds of valor, 
 pushed their way into the great Aztec kingdom and established their 
 power in the wondrous city where Montezuma reigned in barbaric 
 splendor.
 
 18 BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 BY HARRY COLLINQWOOD 
 
 THE LOG OF A PRIVATEERSMAN 
 
 By HARRY COLLINGWOOD. With 12 full-page Illustrations by 
 W. RAINEY, R.I. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 1.50. 
 
 In the war between Napoleon and the British, many privateers were 
 sent out from England to seize and destroy the French merchant vessels. 
 On one of these George Bowen went as second mate. Long distance 
 duels at sea, fights at close quarters, tierce boarding attacks, capture and 
 recapture, flight and pursuit, storm and wreck, fire at sea and days with- 
 out food or water in a small boat on the ocean, are some of the many 
 thrilling experiences our hero passed through. 
 
 THE LOG OF "THE FLYING FISH." 
 
 A Story of Aerial and Submarine Peril and Adventure. By 
 HARRY COLLING WOOD. With 12 full-page Illustrations by 
 GORDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 In this story the aim of the author has been, not only to interest and 
 
 amuse, but also to stimulate a taste for scientific study. 
 
 THE MISSING MERCHANTMAN. 
 
 By HARRY COLLINGWOOD. With 6 full-page Pictures by W. 
 
 H. OVEREND. Crown 8vo, 1.00. 
 
 A fine Australian clipper is seized by the crew ; the passengers are 
 landed on one deserted island, the captain and a junior officer on another ; 
 and the young hero of the story is kept on board to navigate the ship, 
 which the mutineers reftt as a private vessel. After many adventures 
 Ned succeeded in carrying off the ship, and in picking up the captain 
 and the passengers. 
 
 THE CONGO ROVERS 
 
 A Tale of the Slave Squadron. By HARRY COLLINGWOOD. 
 With 8 full-page Ilhistrations by J. SCHONBERG. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, SI. 50. 
 
 The scene of this thrilling tale is laid on the west coast of Afr'ca 
 among the slavers. 
 
 THE ROVER'S SECRET 
 
 A Tale of the Pirate Cays and Lagoons of Ciiba. By HARRY 
 COLLINGWOOD. With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. C. 
 SYSIONS. Crown 8vo, 1.00. 
 
 The hero of " The Rover's Secret," a young officer of the British navy, 
 narrates his peculiar experiences in childhood and his subsequent perils 
 and achievements. 
 
 THE PIRATE ISLAND 
 
 A Story of the South Pacific. By HARRY COLLIN-GWOOD. 
 Illustrated by 8 full-page Pictures by C. J. STANILAND 
 and J. R. WELLS. Olivine edges. Crown 8vo, 1.50. 
 This story details the adventures of a lad who was found in his infancy 
 on board a wreck, and is adopted by a fisherman. Going to sea, he 
 forms one of a party who, after being burned out of their ship, are 
 picked up by a pirate brig and taken to the "Pirate Island," where 
 they have many thrilling adventures.
 
 BOOKS FOR TOUXG PEOPLE 19 
 
 BY PROFESSOR A, J. CHURCH 
 
 LORDS OF THE WORLD 
 
 A Story of the Fall of Carthage and Corinth. By Professor 
 A. J. CHURCH. With 12 full-page Illustrations by RALPH 
 PEACOCK. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 1.50. 
 
 The scene of this story centres in the destruction of Carthage by the 
 Romans. The young hero is captured by the Romans, but wearing the 
 dress of his twin sister, escapes death. Entering the army of Carthage 
 he is in the thick of the long conflict and passes through many thrilling 
 adventures. He is present at the final scene, and that awful catastrophe 
 is most vividly told. The story is full of valuable historical details and 
 the interest never Sags. 
 
 TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO 
 
 Or, The Adventures of a Roman Boy. By Professor A. J, 
 CHURCH. With 12 full-page Illustrations by ADRIEN 
 MARIE. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1-50. 
 
 The hero is a young Roman who has a very chequered career, being 
 now a captive in the hands of Spartacns, again an officer on board a 
 vessel detailed for the suppression of the pirates, and anon a captive 
 once more, on a pirate ship. 
 
 BYS. BARING-GOULD 
 
 GRETTIR THE OUTLAW 
 
 A Story of Iceland. By S. BARING-GOULD. With 10 full- 
 page Illustrations by M. ZENO DIEMER, and a Colored 
 Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, SI. 50. 
 No boy will be able to withstand the magic of such sc r nes as the fight 
 
 of Grettir with twelve bearserks, and the wrestle with Karr the Old in 
 
 the chamber of the dead. 
 
 BY F. FRANKFORT MOORE 
 
 HIGHWAYS AND HIGH SEAS 
 
 Cyril Harley's Adventures on Both. By F. FRANKFORT 
 MOORE. With 8 full-page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 The story belongs to a period wben highways meant post-cbaisrg, 
 
 coaches, and highwaymen, and when high teas meant privateers and 
 
 smugglers. 
 
 UNDER HATCHES 
 
 Or, Ned Woodthorpe's Adventures. By F. FRANKFORT MOORE. 
 
 With 8 full-page Illustrations by A. FORESTIER. Crown 
 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1-50. 
 
 In rescuing another lad from drowning, Ned Wbodthorpe is taken on 
 board a convict ship. After a feries of exciting events the convicts and 
 crew obtain the mastery. Ultimately the ship is recaptured and Ned 
 and his friends escape from their troubles.
 
 20 BOOK3 FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN 
 
 " Mr. Penn is in the front rank ol writers for boys." Li verpool Mercury. 
 
 DICK O' THE FENS 
 
 A Romance of the Great East Swamp. By GEORGE MANVILLE 
 FENN. With 12 full-page Illustrations by FRANK DADD. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 81.50. 
 
 Dick o' the Fens and Tom o' Grirasey are the sons of a squire and a 
 farmer living on the edge of one of the vast fen wastes, and their adven- 
 tures are of unusual interest. Shooting and fishing experiences are intro- 
 duced in a manner which should stimulate the faculty of observation, and 
 give a healthy love for country life ; while the record of the fen-men's 
 stealthy resistance to the great draining scheme is full of the keenest in- 
 terest. The ambushes and shots in the mist and dark, the incendiary 
 fires, and the bursting of the sea-wall, are described with Mr. Fenn's 
 wonted skill in the management of mystery. 
 
 BROWNSMITH'S BOY 
 
 By GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. With 6 page Illustrations. 
 
 Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 The career of " Brownsmith's Boy " embraces the home adventures of 
 an orphan, who, having formed the acquaintance of an eccentric old gar- 
 dener, accepts his offer of a home and finds that there is plenty of romance 
 in a garden, and much excitement even in a journey now and then to 
 town. In a half-savage lad he finds a friend who shows his love and 
 fid' lity principally by pretending to bean enemy. In "Brovrnsmith's 
 Boy " there is abundance of excitement and trouble within four walls. 
 
 YUSSUF THE GUIDE 
 
 Being the Strange Stoiy of Travels in Asia Minor. By GEORGE 
 MANVILLE FENN. With 8 full-page Illustrations by JOHN 
 SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, SI. 00. 
 
 Deals with the stirring incidents in the career of a lad who has been 
 almost given over by the doctors, but who rapidly recovers health and 
 strength in a journey through Asia Minor. The adventures are many, 
 and culminate in the travelers being snowed up for the winter in the 
 mountains, from which they escape while their captors are waiting for 
 the ransom that does not come. 
 
 THE GOLDEN MAGNET 
 
 A Tale of the Land of the Incas. By GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. 
 
 With 12 full-page Pictures by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 
 
 8vo, olivine edges. $1.50. 
 
 The tale of a romantic lad, who leaves home to seek his fortune in 
 South America by endeavoring to discover some of that treasure which 
 legends declare was ages ago hidden by the Peruvian rulers and priests, 
 to preserve it from the Spanish invaders. He is accompanied by a faith- 
 ful companion, who does true service, and shows the greatest courage 
 during the strange and exciting adventures which befall them.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUNQ PEOPLE 81 
 
 BY CEORCE MANVILLE FENN 
 
 " Mr Manville Fenn may be regarded as the successor In boyhood's affec- 
 tions of Captain Mayne Reid. 1 ' Academy. 
 
 NAT THE NATURALIST 
 
 A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern Seas. By GEORGE 
 MANVILLE FENN. Illustrated by 8 full-page Pictures by 
 GEORGE BROWNE. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 Nat and his uncle Dick go on a voyage to the remoter islands of the 
 Eastern seas, and their adventures there are told in a truthful and vastly 
 interesting fashion. The descriptions of Mr Ebony, their black com- 
 rade, and of the scenes of savage life, are full of genuine humor. 
 
 QUICKSILVER 
 
 Or, A Boy with no Skid to his Wheel. By GEORGE MANVILLE 
 FENN. With 10 full-page Illustrations by FRANK DADD. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 Dr. Grayson has a theory that any boy, if rightly trained, can be made 
 into a gentleman and a great man ; and in oider to confute a friendly 
 objector decides to select from the workhouse a boy to experiment with. 
 He chooses a boy with a bad reputation but with excellent instincts, and 
 adopts him, the story narrating the adventures of the mercurial lad who 
 thus finds himself suddenly lifted several degrees in the social srale. 
 The idea is novel and handled with Mr. Fenn's accustomed cleverness. 
 
 DEVON BOYS 
 
 A Tale of the North Shore. By GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. 
 
 With 12 full-page Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 
 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1. 50. 
 
 The adventures of Sep Duncan and his school friends take place in the 
 early part of the Georgian era, during the wars between England and 
 France. The scene is laid on the picturesque rocky coast of North 
 Devon. Fishermen, smugglers, naval officers, and a stern old country 
 surgeon play their parts in the story, which is one of honest adventure, 
 with the mastering of difficulties in a wholesome manly way, mingled 
 with sufficient excitement to satisfy the most exacting reader. 
 
 MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKEN 
 
 Her Voyage to the Unknown Isle. By GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. 
 With 8 full-page Illustrations. " Crown 8vo, 81.00. 
 
 A stirring story of adventure in the Eastern seas, where a lad shares 
 the perils of his father, the captain of the merchant ship The Petrel. 
 
 " Jules Verne himself never constructed a more marvelous tale. It 
 contains the strongly marked features that are always conspicuous in 
 Mr. Fenn's stories a racy humor, the manly vigor of his sentiment, and 
 wholesome moral lessons." Christian Leader.
 
 22 BOOKS FOR YOUXQ PEOPLE 
 
 BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN 
 
 "No one can find his way to the hearts of lads more readily than Mr. Fenn." 
 
 NoUingTiam Guardian. 
 
 BUNYIP LAND 
 
 The Story of a Wild Journey in New Guinea. By GEOKGE 
 MANVILLE FENN. Wi th 6 f ull - page Illustrations by GORDON 
 BROWNE. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 " Bunyip Land " is the story of an eminent botanist, who ventures into 
 the interior of New Guinea in his search for new plants. Years pass 
 a A ay, and he does not return; and though supposed to be dead, his 
 young wife and son refuse to believe it ; and as soon as he is old enough 
 young Joe goes in search of his father, accompanied by Jimmy, a native 
 black. Their adventures are many and exciting, but after numerous 
 perils they discover the lost one, a prisoner among the blacks, and bring 
 him home in triumph. 
 
 IN THE KING'S NAME 
 
 Or, The Cruise of the Kestrel. By GEOKGE MANVILLE FENN. 
 Illustrated by 12 full-page Pictures by GORDON BROWNE. 
 Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 "In the King's Name " is a spirited story of the Jacobite times, con- 
 cerning the adventures of Hilary Leigh, a young naval officer in the pre- 
 ventive service off the coast of Sussex, on board the Kestrel. Leigh is 
 taken prisoner by the adherents of the Pretender, amongst whom is an 
 early friend and patron who desires to spare the lad's life, but will not 
 release him. The narrative is full of exciting and often humorous 
 incident. 
 
 MENHARDOC 
 
 A Story of Cornish Nets and Mines. By GEORGE MANVILLE 
 FENN. With 6 full-page Illustrations by C. J. STANILAND, 
 E.I. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 The scene of this story is laid among the granite piles and tors of Corn- 
 wall. Adventures are pretty plentiful, but the story has for its strong 
 base the development of character of the three boys. The sketches of 
 Cornish life and local coloring are based upon experience in the bay, 
 whose fishing village is called here Menhardoc. This is a thoroughly 
 English story of phases of life but little touched upon in boy's literature 
 up to the present time. 
 
 PATIENCE WINS 
 
 Or, War in the Works. By GEORGE MANVILLE FENN. With 
 6 full-page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 A graphic narrative of factory life in the Black Country. The hero and 
 his three uncles set up *' a works," but find that the workmen are deter- 
 mined to have no new-fangled machinery. After a series of narrow 
 escapes and stirring encounters, the workmen by degrees find that no 
 malice is borne against them, and eventually a great business is built up, 
 and its foundation laid on the good will of the men.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXG PEOPLE 23 
 
 BY DR, GORDON STABLES 
 
 A NAVAL CADET 
 
 A Story of Adventure by Sea. By GORDON STABLES, M.D., 
 C.M. Illustrated, crown 8vo, 1.25. 
 
 FOR LIFE AND LIBERTY 
 
 A Story of Battle by Land and Sea. By GORDON STABLES, 
 M.D., C.M. With 8 full-page Illustrations by SIDNEY 
 PAGET. 12mo. 1.50. 
 
 The fctory of an English hoy who runs from home and joins the south- 
 ern army in the late Civil War. He is accompanied by his chum, who 
 enters the navy, and their various adventures in the great conflict are set 
 forth with great vigor and are unfailing in interest. 
 
 TO GREENLAND AND THE POLE 
 
 A Story of Adventure in the Arctic Regions. By GORDON 
 STABLES, M.D., C.M. With 8 full-page Illustrations by 
 G. C. HINDLEY, and a Map. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 
 $1.50. 
 
 The unfailing fascination of Arctic venturing is presented in this story 
 with new vividness. The author is himself an old Arctic voyager, and 
 he deals with deer-hunting in Norway, sealing in the Arctic Seas, bear- 
 stalking on the ice-floes, the hardships of a journey across Greenland, 
 and a successful voyage to the back of the North Pole. 
 
 WESTWARD WITH COLUMBUS 
 
 By GORDON STABLES, M.D., C.M. With 8 full-page Illustra- 
 tions by ALFRED PEARSE. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, 1.50. 
 The hero of this story is Columbus himself. His career is traced from 
 boyhood onward through the many hazardous enterprises in which he 
 was at various times engaged. The narrative deals chiefly, however, 
 with the great naval venture which Colnmbus conducted across the At- 
 lantic, and which resulted in the discovery of the American continent. 
 
 TWIXT SCHOOL AND COLLEGE 
 
 A Tale of Self-reliance. By GORDON STABLES, M.D., C.M. 
 With 8 full-page Illustrations by W. PARKINSON. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, 1.50. 
 
 The hero is presented by his father with an outlying cottage and 
 garden on the farm, and the gift is turned to pleasant account as a place 
 of residence for a whole menagerie of pets dear to the heart of most 
 healthy-minded boys.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXQ PEOPLE 
 
 STORIES OF ADVENTURE BY SEA AND LAND 
 
 mJLFRIC THE WEAPON THANE 
 
 The Story of the Danish Conquest of East Anglia. By CHARLES 
 W. WHISTLER. With 6 illustrations by W. H. MAUGETSON. 
 Crown 8vo, $1 25. 
 
 A tale In which is set forth : How Wulfric saved the Danish warrior's life ; 
 how he fought in the Viking ship ; how he was accused falsely ; how he joined 
 King Badmund, as his weapon-tbane ; how he fought for the king; and how 
 he won the lady Osritha and brought her to his home. 
 
 TOMMY THE ADVENTUROUS 
 
 The Story of a Brother and Sister. By S. E. CAHTWIUGHT. With 
 3 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 THORNDYKE MANOR 
 
 A Tale of Jacobite Times. By MARY C. ROWSELL. With 6 full- 
 page Illustrations by L. LESLIE BHOOKE. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 Tborndyke Manor is an old house near the mouth of the Thames which is 
 convenient, on account of i'a secret vaults and situation, as theba^is of opera- 
 tion in a Jacobite conspiracy. Its owner finds himself suddenly involved in 
 the closest meshes of the plot. He is conveyed to the Tower, but his inno- 
 cence is triumphantly proved by his sister. 
 
 TRAITOR OR PATRIOT 
 
 A Tale of the Rye-House Plot. By MARY C. ROWSELL. With 6 
 full-page Pictures Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 " A romantic love episode, whose true characters are life-like beings, not 
 dry sticks, as in many historical tales.'' Graphic. 
 
 HAL HUNGERFORD 
 
 Or, The Strange Adventures of a Boy Emigrant. By J. R. HUTCH- 
 INSON. With 4 full-page Illustrations by STANLEY BERKELEY. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 "There is no question whatever as to the spirited manner In which the story 
 is told ; the death of the mate of the smuggler by the teeth of the dog is espe- 
 cially effective." London Spectator. 
 
 SIR WALTER'S WARD 
 A Tale of the Crusades. By WILLIAM EVERARD. Illustrated by 
 
 WALTER PAGET. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 " A highly fascinating work, dealing with a period which is always sugges- 
 tive of romance and deeds of daring."- Schoolmaster. 
 
 COUSIN GEOFFREY AND I 
 
 By CAROLINE AUSTIN. With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. 
 PARKINSON. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 The only daughter of a country gentleman finds herself unprovided for at 
 her father's death, and for some time lives as a dependent. She finally makes 
 a brave attempt to earn her own livelihood, and she succeeds in doing this. 
 
 HUGH HERBERT'S INHERITANCE 
 
 By CAROLINE AUSTIN. With 6 full page Illustrations by C. T. 
 GARLAND. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 "A story that teaches patience as well as courage in fighting the battles of 
 life." Daily Chronicle.
 
 BOOKS FOR TOUXQ PEOPLE 25 
 
 STORIES OF ADVENTURE BY SEA AND LAND 
 
 SOU'WESTER AND SWORD 
 
 By HUGH ST. LEGEK. With 6 full-page Illustrations by HAL 
 HURST. Grown 8vo, $1.50. 
 
 " As racy a tale of life at sea and war adventure as we have met with 
 for some time." London Athtnceum. 
 
 WITH THE SEA KINGS 
 
 A Story of the Days of Lord Nelson. By F. H. WINDER. 
 
 With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. S. STACEY. Crown 
 
 8vo, 1.50. 
 
 An English lad thought to become a Lord High Admiral like his hero. 
 Nelson, so he ran away from home and joined a privateer. After taking 
 part in the capture of a French frigate, he was captured by Corsairs and 
 sold into slavery. He escaped, and his subsequent bravery in a sea fight 
 brought him an interview with Nelson, and promotion. 
 
 THE CAPTURED CRUISER 
 
 Or, Two Years from Land. By C. J. HYNE. With 6 full-page 
 
 Illustrations by F. BRANGWYN. Crown 8vo, SI. 25. 
 This realistic story of modern naval warfare deals with the capture, 
 during the recent war between Chili and Peru, of an armed cruiser. The 
 heroes and their companions break from prison in the harbor of Valpa 
 raiso, board this warship in the night, overpower the watch, escape to 
 sea, and, after marvelous adventures, lose the cruiser near Cape Horn. 
 
 THE LOSS OF JOHN HUMBLE 
 
 What Led to It, and what Came of It. By G. NORWAY. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by JOHN SCHONBERG. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 John Humble, an orphan, is sent to sea with his uncle, the captain of 
 the Erl King, but in the course of certain adventures is left behind at 
 Portsmouth. He escapes to a Norwegian vessel, which is driven from 
 her course and wrecked. The survivors experience the miseries of a 
 long sojourn in the Arctic circle, but ultimately they succeed in making 
 their way home again. 
 
 HUSSEIN THE HOSTAGE 
 
 Or, A Boy's Adventures in Persia. By G. NORWAY. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by JOHN SCHONBEBG. Crown 8vo, 
 olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 A narrative of the adventures of the young Prince Hussein and his 
 faithful follower, Askar, in their endeavor to fiee their oppressed tribe 
 from the Persian yoke. 
 
 A PRISONER OF WAR 
 
 A Story of the Time of Napoleon Bonaparte. By G. NORWAY. 
 
 With 6 full-page Illustrations by ROBERT BARNES, 
 
 A.B.W.S. Crown 8vo, S1.25. 
 
 "More hairbreadth escapes from death by starvation, by ice, by fight- 
 ing, etc., were never before surmounted." The Ouardian.
 
 26 BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 STORIES OF ADVENTURE BY SEA AND LAND. 
 
 A STOUT ENGLISH BOWMAN 
 
 Being a Story of Chivalry in the Days of Henry III. By 
 EDGAR PICKERING. With 6 Illustrations. Price, $1.25. 
 
 IN PRESS-GANG DAYS 
 
 By EDGAR PICKERING. With 6 full-page Illustrations by W. 
 S. STACEY. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 " It is of Marryat we think as we read this delightful story ; for it is 
 not only a story of adventure with incidents well conceived and ar- 
 ranged, but the characters are interesting." London Academy. 
 
 AN OLD-TIME YARN 
 
 Wherein is set forth Divers Desperate Mischances which 
 Befell Anthony Ingram and his shipmates in the West 
 Indies and Mexico with Hawkins and Drake. By EDGAR 
 PICKERING. Illustrated with 6 full-page Pictures drawn 
 by ALFRED PEARSE. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 "Excellent is the description of Mexico and of the dungeons of the 
 
 Inquisition, while Don Diego Polo is a delightful mixture of bravery 
 
 and humor, and his rescue of the unfortunate prisoners is told with 
 
 great spirit." London Guardian. 
 
 SILAS VERNEY 
 
 A Tale of the Time of Charles II. By EDGAR PICKERING. 
 
 With 6 full-page Illustrations by ALFRED PEARSE. Crown 
 
 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 "Mr. P.ckering reels off the narrative with spirit, rather reminding 
 us of Mr. Stevenson in such books as 'Kidnapped.' " London Times. 
 
 AN OCEAN OUTLAW 
 
 A Story of Adventure in the good ship Margaret. By HUGH 
 ST. LEGER. With 6 page illustrations by WM. RAINEY, 
 E.I. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 This is a breezy sea-yarn in which the reader is made acquainted with 
 Jimmy Ducks, cabin-boy aboard the good ship Margaret. For little 
 Jimmy is a tip-top sailor-man in the making merry in fair weather, handy 
 in a gale, and a hero at cutlass work, and all his cleverness was needed 
 wh>n he and his messmates came to tackle the Ocean Outlaw and his 
 castaway crew.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXO PEOPLE ST 
 
 STORIES OF ADVENTURE BY SEA AND LAND 
 
 GOLD, GOLD, IN CARIBOO 
 
 A Story of Adventure in British Columbia. By OLIVE 
 PHILLIPPS-WOLLEY. With 6 full-page Illustrations by 
 G. C. HINDLEY. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 Ned Corbett and his companion, Steve Chance, set out with a pack- 
 train in order to obtain gold on the upper reaches of the Frazer river. 
 Many difficulties lie in their path, but after innumerable adventures, and 
 a life-and-death struggle with the Arctic weather of that wild region, 
 they find the secret gold mines for which they have searched. 
 
 HIS FIRST KANGAROO 
 
 An Australian Story for Boys. By AKTHUR FERRES. With 6 
 Illustrations by P. B. S. SPENER. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 A CHAMPION OF THE FAITH 
 
 A Tale of Prince Hal and the Lollards. By J. M. CALLWELL. 
 
 With 6 full -page Illustrations by HERBERT J. DRAPER. 
 
 Crown 8vo, $1.50. 
 
 This story deals with the merry escapades of Prince Hal and his favor- 
 ite, Sir John Oldcastle. Then the narrative deepens when the Prince 
 ascends the throne as Henry V., while his old comrade becomes a Lollard 
 and a champion of the new faith. As such, Sir John Oldcastle endures 
 many hardships, but finally is captured by treachery and burnt at the 
 stake. 
 
 THE WIGWAM AND THE WAR-PATH 
 
 Stories of the Bed Indians. By ASCOTT K. HOPE. Illustrated 
 
 by GORDON BROWNE. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 " Mr. Hope's ' Wigwam and War-path' is notably good ; it gives a very 
 vivid picture of life among the Indians." Spectator. 
 
 THE SEVEN WISE SCHOLARS 
 
 By ASCOTT K. HOPE. Illustrated by GORDON BROWNE. Square 
 8vo, $1.50. 
 
 YOUNG TRAVELLERS' TALES 
 
 By ASCOTT R. HOPE. With 6 full-page Illustrations by H. J. 
 
 DRAPER. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 "Possess a high value for instruction as well as for entertainment. 
 His quiet, level humor bubbles up on every page." Daily Chronicle. 
 
 ROBINSON CRUSOE 
 
 New Edition. With 100 Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 
 
 New Edition. With 100 Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.00.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUXO PEOPLE 
 
 SOME STORIES OF ADVENTURE 
 
 " HALLOWE'EN AHOY ! 
 Or, Lost on the Crozet Is- 
 lands. By HUGH ST. LEGEK. 
 With 6 page Illustrations. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.50. 
 
 An. exciting story of shipwreck 
 and adventure in the South Atlan- 
 tic. The Hiilnwe'en is found a 
 derelict with only a girl on board, 
 and after many experiences it is 
 sailed to England. 
 
 REEFER AND RIFLEMAN 
 A Tale of the Two Services. 
 By J. PERCY GROVES. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 THE SEARCH FOR THE 
 
 TALISMAN 
 A Tale of Labrador. By 
 
 HENRY FRITH. Illustrated. 
 
 Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 FAMOUS DISCOVERIES BY 
 
 SEA AND LAND 
 Illustrated. Crown 8 vo,$ 1.00. 
 
 STORIES OF THE SEA IN 
 FORMER DAYS 
 
 Narratives of Wreck and Bes- 
 cue. Illustrated. Crown 
 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 FROM THE CLYDE TO 
 
 THE JORDAN 
 By HUGH CALLAN. With 30 
 
 Illustrations and a Map. 
 
 Crown 8vo, $1.50. 
 
 An interesting story of a bicycle 
 trip through Europe and Palestine. 
 
 UNDER THE BLACK 
 
 EAGLE 
 
 By ANDREW HILLIARD. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vx>, $1.00. 
 The adventures of a young Eng- 
 lish lad who was imprisoned in 
 Russia and sent to Siberia, from 
 which he escaped across Asia. 
 
 JACK O'LANTHORN 
 A Tale of Adventure. By 
 HENRY FRITH. Illustrated. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 THE WAR OF THE AXE 
 
 Or, Adventures in South Af- 
 rica. By J. PERCY GROVES. 
 Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 
 $1.00. 
 
 TALES OF CAPTIVITY 
 
 AND EXILE 
 
 By W. B. FORTESCUE. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 HISTORICAL STORIES 
 
 A THANE OF WESSEX 
 
 Being a Story of the Great 
 Viking Raids into Somerset. 
 By CHARLES W. WHISTLER. 
 Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 
 $1.25. 
 
 BROTHERS IN ARMS 
 
 A Story of the Crusades. 
 By F. BAYFORD HARRISON. 
 Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 
 $1.00. 
 
 TWO GALLANT REBELS 
 
 A Story of the Great Straggle 
 
 of La Vendee. By EDGAR 
 
 PICKERING. Illustrated. 
 
 Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 STORIES OF OLD RENOWN 
 Tales of Knights and Heroes. 
 By ASCOTT K. HOPE. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, $1.25, 
 
 STIRRING EVENTS OF 
 HISTORY 
 
 Illustrated. Crown 8vo, $1.00.
 
 BOOKS FOR YOITXG PEOPLE 29 
 
 ADVENTURES IN TOYLAND 
 
 By EDITH KING HALL. With 8 Colored Plates and 72 other 
 Illustrations by ALICE B. WOODWARD. Square 8vo, 82.00. 
 
 The story of what a little girl heard and saw in a toy shop. 
 
 TO TELL THE KING THE SKY IS FALLING 
 
 By SHEILA E. BBAINE. With 85 Illustrations by ALICE B. 
 WOODWARD. Square crown 8vo, $1.75. 
 
 A most original fairy tale, in which Henny Penny, Ducky Daddies, 
 and other old friends are met. 
 
 THE WHISPERING WINDS 
 
 And the Tales that they Told. By MARY H. DEBENHAM. 
 With 25 Illustrations by PAUL HARDY. Crown 8vo, $1 .00. 
 
 " We wish the winds would tell us stories like these." 
 
 London Academy. 
 
 THINGS WILL TAKE A TURN 
 
 By BEATRICE HARRADEN, author of ' ' Ships that Pass in the 
 Night." Illustrated. 12mo, $1.00. 
 
 It is the story of a snnny-hearted child, Rosebud, who assists her 
 grandfather in his dusty, second-hand bookshop. 
 
 NAUGHTY MISS BUNNY 
 
 Her Tricks and Troubles. By CLARA MULHOLLAND. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, 75 cents. 
 "This naughty child is positively delightful," Land and Water. 
 
 UNLUCKY 
 
 A Fragment of a Girl's Life. By CAROLINE AUSTIN. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, 75 cents. 
 A touching story of an unlucky girl at odds with her stepmother. 
 
 LAUGH AND LEARN 
 
 The Easiest Book of Nursery Lessons and Nursery Games. 
 By JENNETT HUMPHREYS. Charmingly Illustrated. Square 
 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 "One of the best books of the kind imaginable, full of practical teach- 
 ing in word and picture, and helping the little ones pleasantly along a 
 right royal road to learning." Graphic.
 
 30 
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUNG 1'EOl'LE 
 
 SOME BOOKS FOR GIRLS 
 
 Nell's School Days. A Story 
 of Town and Country. By 
 H. P. GETHEN. With 4 Il- 
 lustrations. Price, $1.00. 
 
 Violet Vereker's Vanity. By 
 
 ANNIE E. ARMSTBONO. With 
 6 Illustrations by G. D. 
 HAMMOND. Crown 8vo, 
 01.25. 
 
 The story of a girl with one 
 weakness, which she finally over- 
 came. 
 
 Three Bright Girls. A Story 
 of Chance and Mischance. 
 By ANNIE B. ARMSTRONG. 
 With 6 full-page Illustra- 
 tions by W 7 . PARKINSON. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 "Among many good stories for 
 girls this is undoubtedly one of 
 the very best." Ttachers 1 Aid. 
 
 A Very Odd Girl. Life at the 
 Gabled Farm. By ANNIE 
 E. ARMSTRONG. With 6 
 full-page Illustrations by 
 S. T. DADD. Crown 
 $1.25. 
 
 " We can heartily recommend 
 the book, for it is not, only bright 
 and interesting, but also pure and 
 heaHhy in tone and teachirg." 
 The Lady. 
 
 White Lilac : Or, The Queen 
 of the May. By AMY WAL- 
 TON. Illustrated. Crown 
 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 By MARGARET PARKER 
 For the Sake of a Friend. 
 
 A Story of School Life. Il- 
 lustrated. Crown 8vo, $1. 00. 
 
 A bright story of two good girl 
 fr ends. 
 
 A Daughter of Erin. By 
 VIOLET G. FINNY. With 4 
 Illustrations. Price, $1.00. 
 
 Under False Colors. A Story 
 
 from Two Girls' Lives. By 
 SARAH DOUDNEY. With 6 
 full-page Illustrations by 
 G. G. KILBURNE. Crown 
 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 A story which has in it so strong 
 a dramatic element that it will at- 
 tract readers of all ages and of 
 either sex. The incidents of the 
 plot, arising from the thoughtless 
 indulgence of a deceptive freak, 
 are exceedingly natural, and the 
 keen interest of the narrative is 
 sustained from beginning to end. 
 
 Miss Willowburn's Offer. 
 
 By SARAH DOUDNEY. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 " Sarah Doudney has no superior 
 as a writer of high-toned stories ; 
 pure in style, original in concep- 
 tion, and with skilfully wrought- 
 out plots." Chrvtian Leader. 
 
 The Secret of the Old House. 
 
 A Story for Children. By 
 EVELYN EVERETT GREEN. 
 With 4 full -page Illustra- 
 tions by L. LESLIE BROOKE. 
 Crown 8vo, $1.00. 
 "Tim, the little Jacobite, is a 
 charming creation." Academy. 
 
 By M. CORBET-SEYMOUR 
 A Girl's Kingdom. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, $1. 00. 
 Olive and her story will receive 
 welcome from all girls. 
 
 Dulcie King: A Story for 
 Girls. Illustrated. Crown 
 8vo, $1.00. 
 
 " An extremely graceful, well- 
 told tale."
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUNG PKOPLE 
 
 SOME BOOKS FOR GIRLS 
 
 A GIRL'S LOYALTY 
 
 By FRANCES ARMSTRONG. With 8 Illustrations by JOHN H. 
 BACON. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 Helen Grant received from her grandfather on his death-bed a secret 
 message. This influenced her whole life, but she was loyal to her trust 
 and to her friends. 
 
 A FAIR CLAIMANT 
 
 Being a Story for Girls. By FRANCES ARMSTRONG. With 8 
 full-page Illustrations by GERTRUDE D. HAMMOND. Crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 An exciting story of a young girl, the rightful heir to a large fortune, 
 
 who has been kept out of it, but who most honorably regains it, after 
 
 much trial and difficulty. 
 
 THE CLEVER MISS FOLLETT 
 
 By J. K. H. DENNY. With 12 full-page Illustrations by GER- 
 TRUDE D. HAMMOND. Crown 8vo, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 The story of a great fortune and its attendant train of misfortunes. 
 
 THE HEIRESS OF COURTLEROY 
 
 By ANNE BEALE. With 8 page Illustrations by T. C. H. 
 CASTLE. Crown 8vo, cloth elegant, olivine edges, $1.50. 
 
 " Miss Anne Beale relates how the young ' Heiress of Courtleroy ' had 
 such good influence over her uncle as to win him from his intensely felfish 
 ways in regard to his tenants and others." London Guardian. 
 
 A TRUE CORNISH MAID 
 
 By G. NORWAY. With 6 full-page Illustrations by J. FINNE- 
 
 MORE. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 A story of the Cornish coast when the press-gang brought terror into 
 all its seaports, and smuggling was an everyday practice. The heroine 
 of the tale is sister to a young fellow who gets into trouble in landing a 
 contraband cargo and shooting the officer in charge of the press-gang. 
 
 GIRL NEIGHBORS 
 
 Or, The Old Fashion and the New. By SARAH TYTLER. With 
 8 full-page Illustrations by C. T. GARLAND. Crown 8vo, 
 $1.00. 
 
 " ' Girl Neighbors ' is a pleasant comedy, not FO much of errors as of 
 prejudices got rid of, very healthy, very agreeable, and very well writ- 
 ten." London Spectator.
 
 32 
 
 BOOKS FOR I'OUXG PEOPLE 
 
 SOME BOOKS FOR GIRLS 
 
 By ALICE CORKRAN 
 Down the Snow Stairs. 
 
 Or, From Good-night to 
 Good-morning. By ALICE 
 CORKRAN. With 60 charac- 
 ter Illustrations by GORDON 
 BROWNE. Square crown 
 8vo, olivine edges, $1.25. 
 "A gem of the first water, bear- 
 ing upon every one of its pages the 
 signet mark of getiius. . . . All 
 is told with such simplicity and 
 perf ct naturalness that the dream 
 appears to be a solid reality. It is 
 indeed a Little Pilgrim's Progress. " 
 Christian Leader. 
 
 Margery Merton's Girlhood. 
 
 By ALICE CORKBAN. With 
 6 full-page Illustrations by 
 GORDON BROWNE. Crown 
 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 The experience of an orphan 
 girl who in infancy is left by her 
 father, an officer in Ind a, to the 
 care of an elderly aunt residing 
 near Paris. 
 
 Meg's Friend. By ALICE 
 CORKRAN. With 6 full-page 
 Illustrations by ROBERT 
 FOWLER. Crown 8vo, $1.25. 
 Meg has been brought up by a 
 woman who abuses the trust. She 
 is removed to a lady's school and 
 is ultimately taken into the house 
 of a mysterious benefactor who 
 proves to be her grandfather. Af- 
 ter a long separation she once more 
 meets the friend of her childhood. 
 
 Adventures of Mrs. Wish- 
 ing-to=Be. ByALicECoRK- 
 RAN. With 3 full- page 
 Pictures in colors. Crown 
 8vo, 75 cents. 
 A book of; charming fairy tales 
 in which Cinderella, Little Bo- 
 Peep, and other old friends ap- 
 pear. 
 
 Joan's Adventures at the 
 
 North Pole and Elsewhere. 
 By ALICE CORKRAN. Illus- 
 trated. Crown 8vo, 75 
 cents. 
 A beautiful dream-land story. 
 
 By ROSA MULHOLLAND 
 Banshee Castle. Illustrated. 
 
 Crown 8vo, $1.50. 
 
 The story of three bright and 
 lively youti^ girls who fall heir to 
 an o.d ca^ile in the west of Ireland. 
 Their struggles to live in it. on Jit- 
 tle money, and their strange expe- 
 riences, are deeply interesting. 
 
 Four Little Mischiefs. Il- 
 lustrated. Crown 8vo, 75 
 cents. 
 " A charming bright story about 
 
 real children." Watchman. 
 
 Giannetta. A Girl's Story of 
 Herself. Illustrated. Crown 
 8vo, $1.50. 
 "Extremely well told and full 
 
 of interest. 1 ' Academy. 
 
 Hetty Gray : Or, Nobody's 
 Bairn. Illustrated. Crown 
 8vo. $1.00. 
 "Hetty is a delightful creature, 
 
 piquant, tender, and true. '' Lon- 
 
 </</ World. 
 
 The Late Miss Hollingford. 
 
 Illustrated. Crown 8vo, 75 
 
 cents. 
 
 This story wa<< a special favorite 
 of Charles Dickens, and the title 
 was chosen by him. 
 
 By MRS. R. H. READ 
 Dora : Or, A Girl without a 
 
 Home. Illustrated. Crown 
 
 8vo, $1.25. 
 
 " It is no slight thing to gt a 
 
 story so pure and healthy as this." 
 
 Academy. 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 153 ^ 5 e 7 w F Y f o? k Ave "
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 UNIV 
 
 . OF CALIF. LIBRARY, LOS ANGELES