K 
 
 
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Thia book may be kept 
 
 '="OURTFFN DAVC5 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/littlesavageOOmarr 
 
THE NOVELS 
 
 OF 
 
 CAPTAIN MARRYAT 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 R. BRIMLEY JOHNSON 
 
This Edition of Captain Marryafs No'velsy 
 
 made exclusi<vely for members of the 
 
 NEW YORK YACHT CLUB 
 
 is strictly limited to one hundred copies. 
 
 '■€::^^u'^G<^t^L-r'Wa. 
 
 Copy No. / 6 
 
 PRINTED FOR 
 
 H. A. VAN LIEIF, Esq. 
 
 A^' 
 
NEW YORK YACHT CLUB EDITION 
 
 THE LITTLE SAVAGE 
 
 BY 
 CAPTAIN MARRY AT 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CROSCUP AND COMPANY 
 
 MDCCCXCVI 
 

Contents 
 
 Chapter 
 
 I 
 
 Chapter 
 
 II 
 
 Chapter 
 
 III 
 
 Chapter 
 
 IV 
 
 Chapter 
 
 V 
 
 Chapter 
 
 VI 
 
 Chapter 
 
 VII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 VIII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 IX 
 
 Chapter 
 
 X 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XI 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XIII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XIV 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XV 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XVI 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XVII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XVIII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XIX 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XX 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXI 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXII 
 
 VAGZ 
 I 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 19 
 23 
 
 32 
 3B 
 
 43 
 
 51 
 
 57 
 64 
 70 
 
 77 
 
 83 
 
 89 
 
 96 
 
 102 
 
 107 
 
 112 
 
 119 
 
 126 
 
 132 
 
VI 
 
 Contents 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXIII . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXIV . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXV . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXVI . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXVII . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXVIII . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXIX . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXX . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXI . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXII . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXIV . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXV . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXVI . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXVII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXVIII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XXXIX . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XL 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLI 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLII . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLIII . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLIV . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLV . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLVI . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLVII . 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLVIII 
 
 Chapter 
 
 XLIX . 
 
 PAGE 
 140 
 
 148 
 
 162 
 168 
 
 171 
 
 181 
 185 
 
 204 
 208 
 211 
 217 
 223 
 229 
 
 242 
 
 248 
 
 253 
 258 
 262 
 
List of Etchings 
 
 Poking our calves, and making them pull instead of 
 
 MYSELF (Ch. xliii.) , . , Fronttspiect 
 
 PAGE 
 He CREPT VERY SOFTLY OUT OF HIS BED-PLACE TOWARDS ME 21 
 
 At last the birds came, and I procured some of 
 
 their eggs . . . . .89 
 
 The whole of them laid hold of the cask . . 114 
 
 i beheld a face that seemed to me wonderfully fair 
 
 and beautiful • . . . . 23o 
 
 * The MEN WOULD HAVE MADE SHORT WORK WITH YOU, IF i 
 
 HAD NOT interposed' .... 264 
 
 Drawn and Etched by W, G. Tennick. 
 
Prefatory Note 
 
 The Little Savage and Valerie were both posthumous 
 works, and neither of them entirely written by Marryat. 
 There is a reference, in The Life and Letters of Captain 
 Marryat by his daughter Florence Marryat, to " The Little 
 Savage^ only two chapters of the second volume of which 
 were written by himself." 
 
 This sentence may be variously interpreted, but most 
 probably implies that Marryat wrote all Part I (of the first 
 edition) and two chapters of Part II, that is — as far as the 
 end of Chapter xxiv. The remaining pages may be the 
 work of his son Frank S. Marryat, who edited the first 
 edition, supplying a brief preface to Part II : — 
 
 ^' I cannot publish this last work of my late father 
 without some prefatory remarks, as, in justice to the public, 
 as well as to himself, I should state, that his lamented 
 decease prevented his concluding the second volume. 
 
 The present volume has been for some time at press, 
 but the long-protracted illness of the author delayed its 
 publication." 
 
 The Little Savage opens well. The picture of a lad, 
 who was born on a desert island — though of English 
 parents — and really deserves to be called a savage, growing 
 up with no other companionship than that of his father's 
 murderer, is boldly conceived and executed with some 
 power. The man Jackson is a thoroughly human ruffian, 
 who naturally detests the boy he has so terribly injured, 
 and bullies him brutally. Under this treatment Frank's 
 animal passions are inevitably aroused, and when the 
 lightning had struck his tyrant blind, he turns upon him 
 with a quiet savagery that is narrated with admirable 
 detachment. 
 
X Prefatory Note 
 
 This original situation arrests the reader's attention and 
 secures his interest in Frank Henniker's developement 
 towards civilisation and virtue. The boy is very 
 intelligent and naturally affectionate. His experience 
 of absolute solitude after Jackson's death serves to bring 
 out his sympathies with animals and flowers ; while, on 
 the arrival of Mrs Reichardt, the somewhat didactic 
 missionary's widow, he proves himself a loyal and capable 
 comrade under kind treatment. 
 
 The later chapters of the book are, unfortunately, 
 somewhat inferior to the rest, and it is much to be 
 regretted that Marryat did not live to finish his work. 
 
 It has been here reprinted, with some corrections, from 
 the first edition. H. Hurst, 1 848, 1849. 
 
 R. B. J. 
 
The Little Savage 
 
 Chapter I 
 
 I AM about to write a very curious history, as the reader 
 will agree with me when he has read this book. We 
 have more than one narrative of people being cast away 
 upon desolate islands, and being left to their own resources, 
 and no works are perhaps read with more interest ; but I 
 believe I am the first instance of a boy being left alone 
 upon an uninhabited island. Such was, however, the case ; 
 and now I shall tell my own story. 
 
 My first recollections are, that I was in company with a 
 man upon this island, and that we walked often along the 
 sea-shore. It was rocky and difficult to climb in many 
 parts, and the man used to drag or pull me over the 
 dangerous places. He was very unkind to me, which 
 may appear strange, as I was the only companion that he 
 had ; but he was of a morose and gloomy disposition. 
 He would sit down squatted in the corner of our cabin, 
 and sometimes not speak for hours — or he would remain 
 the whole day looking out at the sea, as if watching for 
 something, but what I never could tell ; for if I spoke, he 
 would not reply ; and if near to him, I was sure to receive 
 a cuff or a heavy blow. I should imagine that I was 
 about five years old at the time that I first recollect 
 clearly what passed. I may have been younger. I may 
 as well here state what I gathered from him at different 
 times, relative to our being left upon this desolate spot. 
 It was with difficulty that I did so ; for, generally 
 
 L.S. A 
 
2 The Little Savage 
 
 speaking, he would throw a stone at me if I asked 
 questions, that is, if I repeatedly asked them after he had 
 refused to answer. It was on one occasion, when he was 
 lying sick, that I gained the information, and that only by 
 refusing to attend him or bring him food and water. He 
 would be very angry, and say, that when he got well 
 again, he would make me smart for it -, but I cared not, 
 for I was then getting strong, whilst he was getting 
 weaker every day, and I had no love for him, for he had 
 never shown any to me, but always treated me with great 
 severity. 
 
 He told me, that about twelve years before (not that I 
 knew what he meant by a year, for I had never heard the 
 term used by him), an English ship (I did not know what 
 a ship was) had been swamped near the island, in a heavy 
 gale, and that seven men and one woman had been saved, 
 and all the other people lost That the ship had been 
 broken into pieces, and that they had saved nothing — that 
 they had picked up among the rocks pieces of the wood 
 with which it had been made, and had built the cabin in 
 which we lived. That one had died after another, and 
 had been buried (what death or burial meant, I had no 
 idea at the time), and that I had been born on the island ; 
 (How was I born ? thought I) — that most of them had died 
 before I was two years old; and that then, he and my 
 mother were the only two left besides me. My mother 
 had died a few months afterwards. I was obliged to ask 
 him many questions to understand all this ; indeed, I did 
 not understand it till long afterwards, although I had an 
 idea of what he would say. Had I been left with any 
 other person, I should, of course, by conversation, have 
 learnt much ; but he never would converse, still less 
 explain. He called me. Boy, and I called him, Master. 
 His inveterate silence was the occasion of my language 
 being composed of very few words ; for, except to order 
 me to do this or that, to procure what was required, he 
 never would converse. He did however mutter to him- 
 self, and talk in his sleep, and I used to lie awake and 
 
The Little Siivage 3 
 
 listen, that I might gain information; not at first, but 
 when I grew older. He used to cry out in his sleep 
 constantly. — " A judgment, a judgment on me for my 
 sins, my heavy sins — God be merciful ! " But what 
 judgment, or what sin was, or what was God, I did 
 not then know, although I mused on words repeated so 
 often. 
 
 I will now describe the island, and the way in which 
 we lived. The island was very small, perhaps not three 
 miles round ; it was of rock, and there was no beach nor 
 landing place, the sea washing its sides with deep water. 
 It was, as I afterwards discovered, one of the group of 
 islands to which the Peruvians despatch vessels every 
 year to collect the guano, or refuse of the sea birds which 
 resort to the islands ; but the one on which we were was 
 small, and detached some distance from the others, on 
 which the guano was found in great profusion ; so that 
 hitherto it had been neglected, and no vessel had ever 
 come near it. Indeed, the other islands were not to be 
 seen from it except on a very clear day, when they appeared 
 like a cloud or mist on the horizon. The shores of the 
 island were, moreover, so precipitous, that there was no 
 landing place, and the eternal wash of the ocean would 
 have made it almost impossible for a vessel to have taken 
 off a cargo. Such was the island upon which I found my- 
 self in company with this man. Our cabin was built of 
 ship-plank and timber, under the shelter of a cliff, about 
 fifty yards from the water; there was a flat of about 
 thirty yards square in front of it, and from the cliff there 
 trickled down a rill of water, which fell into a hole dug 
 out to collect it, and then found its way over the flat to 
 the rocks beneath. The cabin itself was large, and 
 capable of holding many more people than had ever lived 
 in it ; but it was not too large, as we had to secure in it 
 our provisions for many months. There were several 
 bed-places level with the floor, which were rendered soft 
 enough to lie on, by being filled with the feathers of 
 birds. Furniture there was none, except two or three old 
 
4 The Little Savage 
 
 axes, blunted with long use, a tin pannikin, a mess kid 
 and some rude vessels to hold water, cut out of wood. 
 On the summit of the island there was a forest of under- 
 wood, and the bushes extended some distance down the 
 ravines which led from the summit to the shore. One of 
 my most arduous tasks was to climb these ravines and 
 collect wood, but fortunately a fire was not often required. 
 The climate was warm all the year round, and there 
 seldom was a fall of rain ; when it did fall, it was generally 
 expended on the summit of the island, and did not reach 
 us. At a certain period of the year, the birds came to the 
 island in numberless quantities to breed, and their chief 
 resort was some tolerably level ground — indeed, in many 
 places, it was quite level with the accumulation of guano 
 — which ground was divided from the spot where our 
 cabin was built by a deep ravine. On this spot, which 
 might perhaps contain about twenty acres or more, the sea 
 birds would sit upon their eggs, not four inches apart from 
 each other, and the whole surface of this twenty acres 
 would be completely covered with them. There they 
 would remain from the time of the laying of the eggs, 
 until the young ones were able to leave the nests and fly 
 away with them. At the season when the birds were on 
 the island, all was gaiety, bustle, and noise, but after their 
 departure it was quiet and solitude. I used to long for 
 their arrival, and was delighted with the animation which 
 gladdened the island, the male birds diving in every 
 direction after fish, wheeling and soaring in the air, and 
 uttering loud cries, which were responded to by their 
 mates on the nests. 
 
 But it was also our harvest time ; we seldom touched 
 the old birds, as they were not in flesh, but as soon as the 
 young ones were within a few days of leaving the nests, 
 we were then busy enough. In spite of the screaming and 
 the flapping of their wings in our faces, and the darting 
 their beaks at our eyes, of the old birds, as we robbed 
 them of their progeny, we collected hundreds every day, 
 and bore as heavy a load as we could carry across the 
 
 
The Little Savage 5 
 
 ravine to the platform in front of our cabin, where we 
 busied ourselves in skinning them, splitting them, and 
 hanging them out to dry in the sun. The air of the island 
 was so pure that no putrefaction ever took place, and during 
 the last fortnight of the birds coming on the island, we 
 had collected a sufficiency for our support until their return 
 on the following year. As soon as they were quite dry 
 they were packed up in a corner of the cabin for use. 
 
 These birds were, it may be said, the only produce of 
 the island, with the exception of fish, and the eggs taken 
 at the time of their first making their nests. Fish v/ere to 
 be taken in large quantities. It was sufficient to put a line 
 over the rocks, and it had hardly time to go down a fathom 
 before anything at the end of it was seized. Indeed, our 
 means of taking them were as simple as their voracity was 
 great. Our lines were composed of the sinews of the legs 
 of the man-of-war birds, as I afterwards heard them named ; 
 and, as these were only about a foot long, it required a 
 great many of them knotted together to make a line. At 
 the end of the line was a bait fixed over a strong fish-bone, 
 which was fastened to the line by the middle ; a half-hitch 
 of the line round one end kept the bone on a parallel with 
 the line until the bait was seized, when the line being 
 taughtened, the half-hitch slipped off and the bone remained 
 crossways in the gullet of the fish, which was drawn up by 
 it. Simple as this contrivance was, it answered as well as 
 the best hook, of which I had never seen one at that time. 
 The fish were so strong and large, that, when I was young, 
 the man would not allow me to attempt to catch them, 
 lest they should pull me into the water ; but, as I grew 
 bigger, I could master them. Such was our food from 
 one year's end to the other ; we had no variety, except 
 when occasionally we broiled the dried birds or the fish 
 upon the embers, instead of eating them dried by the sun. 
 Our raiment, such as it was, we were also indebted to the 
 feathered tribe for. The birds were skinned with the 
 feathers on, and their skins sewn together with sinews, 
 and a fish-bone by way of a needle. These garments were 
 
6 The Little Savage 
 
 not very durable, but the climate was so fine that we did 
 not suffer from the cold at any season of the year. I used 
 to make myself a new dress every year when the birds 
 came ; but by the time that they returned, I had little left 
 of my last year's suit, the fragments of which might be 
 found among the rocky and steep parts of the ravine where 
 we used to collect firing. 
 
 Living such a life, with so few wants, and those 
 periodically and easily supplied, hardly varied from one 
 year's end to another, it may easily be imagined that I had 
 but few ideas. I might have had more, if my companion 
 had not been of such a taciturn and morose habit ; as it 
 was, I looked at the wide ocean, and the sky, and the sun, 
 moon, and stars, wondering, puzzled, afraid to ask ques- 
 tions, and ending all by sleeping away a large portion of 
 my existence. We had no tools except the old ones, which 
 were useless — no employment of any kind. There was a 
 book, and I asked what it was for and what it was, but I 
 got no answer. It remained upon the shelf, for if I looked 
 at it I was ordered away, and at last I regarded it with a 
 sort of fear, as if it were a kind of incomprehensible 
 animal. The day was passed in idleness and almost 
 silence ; perhaps not a dozen sentences were exchanged in 
 the twenty-four hours. My companion always the same, 
 brooding over something which appeared ever to occupy 
 his thoughts, and angry if roused up from his reverie. 
 
 Chaper II 
 
 The reader must understand that the foregoing remarks 
 are to be considered as referring to my position and amount 
 of knowledge when I was seven or eight years old. My 
 master, as I called him, was a short square-built man, about 
 sixty years of age, as I afterwards estimated from recol- 
 lection and comparison. His hair fell down his back in 
 thick clusters and was still of a dark color, and his beard 
 
The Little Savage 7 
 
 was full two feet long and very bushy ; indeed, he was 
 covered with hair, wherever his person was exposed. He 
 was, I should say, very powerful had he had occasion to 
 exert his strength, but with the exception of the time 
 at which we collected the birds, and occasionally going 
 up the ravine to bring down faggots of wood, he seldom 
 moved out of the cabin unless it was to bathe. There 
 was a pool of salt water of about twenty yards square, 
 near the sea, but separated from it by a low ridge of 
 rocks, over which the waves only beat when the sea was 
 rough and the wind on that side of the island. Every 
 morning almost we went down to bathe in that pool, as 
 it was secure from the sharks, which were very numerous. 
 I could swim like a fish as early as I can recollect, but 
 whether I was taught, or learnt myself, I cannot tell. 
 Thus was my life passed away ; my duties were trifling ; 
 I had little or nothing to employ myself about, for I had 
 no means of employment. I seldom heard the human 
 voice, and became as taciturn as my companion. My 
 amusements were equally confined — looking down into 
 the depths of the ocean, as I lay over the rocky wall 
 which girded the major portion of the island, and watching 
 the motions of the finny tribes below, wondering at the 
 stars during the night season, eating, and sleeping. Thus 
 did I pass away an existence without pleasure and without 
 pain. As for what my thoughts were I can hardly say, 
 my knowledge and my ideas were too confined for me to 
 have any food for thought. I was little better than a 
 beast of the field, that lies down on the pasture after he 
 is filled. There was one great source of interest however, 
 which was, to listen to the sleeping talk of my companion, 
 and I always looked forward to the time when the night 
 fell and we repaired to our beds. I would lie awake for 
 hours, listening to his ejaculations and murmured speech, 
 trying in vain to find out some meaning in what he would 
 say — but I gained little ; he talked of " that woman " — 
 appearing to be constantly with other men, and muttering 
 about something he had hidden away. One night, when 
 
8 The Little Savage 
 
 the moon was shining bright, he sat up in his bed, which, 
 as I have before said, was on the floor of the cabin, and 
 throwing aside the feathers upon which he had been 
 lying, scratched the mould away below them and lifted 
 up a piece of board. After a minute he replaced every- 
 thing, and lay down again. He evidently was sleeping 
 during the whole time. Here, at last, was something to 
 feed my thoughts with. I had heard him say in his sleep 
 that he had hidden something — this must be the hiding 
 place. "What was it ? Perhaps I ought here to observe 
 that my feelings towards this man were those of positive 
 dislike, if not hatred ; I never had received one kind word 
 or deed from him, that I could recollect. Harsh and 
 unfeeling towards me, evidently looking upon me with 
 ill-will, and only suffering me because I saved him some 
 trouble, and perhaps because he wished to have a living 
 thing for his companion, — his feelings towards me were 
 reciprocated by mine towards him. What age I was at 
 the time my mother died, I know not, but I had some 
 faint recollection of one who treated me with kindness and 
 caresses, and these recollections became more forcible in 
 my dreams, when I saw a figure very different from that 
 of my companion (a female figure) hanging over me or 
 leading me by the hand. How I used to try to continue 
 those dreams, by closing my eyes again after I had woke 
 up ! And yet I knew not that they had been brought 
 about by the dim recollection of my infancy ; I knew not 
 that the figure that appeared to me was the shadow of 
 my mother ; but I loved the dreams because I was 
 treated kindly in them. 
 
 But a change took place by the hand of Providence. 
 One day, after we had just laid in our yearly provision of 
 sea birds, I was busy arranging the skins of the old birds, 
 on the flat rock, for my annual garment, which was joined 
 together something like a sack, with holes for the head 
 and arms to pass through ; when, as I looked to seaward, 
 I saw a large white object on the water. 
 
 " Look, master," said I, pointing towards it. 
 
The Liitle Savage 9 
 
 *' A ship, a ship ! " cried my companion. 
 
 " Oh," thought I, ** that is a ship ; I recollect that he 
 said they came here in a ship." I kept my eyes on her, 
 and she rounded to* 
 
 " Is she alive ? " inquired I. 
 
 " You're a fool," said the man ; " come and help me 
 to pile up this wood that we may make a signal to her. 
 Go and fetch some water and throw on it, that there may 
 be plenty of smoke. Thank God, I may leave this cursed 
 hole at last ! " 
 
 I hardly understood him, but I went for the water 
 and brought it in the mess kid. 
 
 " I want more wood yet," said he. ** Her head is this 
 way, and she will come nearer." 
 
 " Then she is alive," said I. 
 
 " Away, fool ! " said he, giving me a cuff on the head ; 
 ** get some more water and throw on the wood." 
 
 He then went into the cabin to strike a light, which he 
 obtained by a piece of iron and flint, with some fine dry 
 moss for tinder. While he was so employed, my eyes 
 were fixed on the vessel, wondering what it could be. 
 It moved through the water, turned this way and that. 
 " It must be alive," thought I ; "is it a fish or a bird ? " 
 As I watched the vessel, the sun was going down and 
 there was not more than an hour's daylight. The wind 
 was very light and variable, which accounted for the 
 vessel so often altering her course. My companion came 
 out with his hands full of smoking tinder, and putting it 
 under the wood, was busy blowing it into a flame. The 
 wood was soon set fire to, and the smoke ascended several 
 feet into the air. 
 
 " They'll see that," said he. 
 
 " What then, it has eyes ? it must be alive. Does 
 it mind the wind ? " inquired I, having no answer to 
 my first remark, " for look there, the little clouds are 
 coming up fast," and I pointed to the horizon, where 
 some small clouds were rising up and which were, 
 as I knew from experience and constantly watching 
 
lo The Little Savage 
 
 the sky, a sign of a short but violent gale, or tornado, 
 of which we usually had one, if not two, at this season 
 of the year. 
 
 " Yes ; confound it," replied my companion, grinding 
 his teeth, " it will blow her off! That's my luck." 
 
 In the meantime, the smoke ascended in the air and 
 the vessel approached nearer and nearer, until she was 
 within, I suppose, two miles of the island, and then 
 it fell quite calm. My companion threw more water 
 on to increase the smoke, and the vessel now hauling 
 up her courses, I perceived that there were people on 
 board, and while I was arranging my ideas as to what 
 the vessel might be, my companion cried out — ** They see 
 us, they see us ! there's hope now. Confound it, I've 
 been here long enough. Hurrah for old England ! " and 
 he commenced dancing and capering about like a madman. 
 At last he said, 
 
 "Look out and see if she sends a boat, while I go into 
 the cabin." 
 
 " What's a boat ? " said I. 
 
 " Out, you fool ! tell me if you see anything," 
 
 " Yes, I do see something," replied I. " Look at the 
 squall coming along the water, it will be here very soon ; 
 and see how thick the clouds are getting up : we shall 
 have as much wind and rain as we had the time before 
 last, when the birds came." 
 
 " Confound it," replied he, " I wish they'd lower a 
 boat, at all events ; " and so saying, he went into the 
 cabin, and I perceived that he was busy at his bed- 
 place. 
 
 My eyes were still fixed upon the squall, as I watched 
 it advancing at a furious speed on the surface of the 
 water ; at first it was a deep black line on the horizon, 
 but as it approached the vessel, it changed to white ; the 
 surface of the water was still smooth. The clouds were 
 not more than ten degrees above the horizon, although 
 they were thick and opaque — but at this season of the 
 year, these tornadoes, as I may call them, visited us ; 
 
The Little Savage ii 
 
 sometimes we had one, sometimes more, and it was only 
 when these gusts came on that we had any rain below. 
 On board of the vessel — I speak now from my after 
 knowledge — they did not appear to be aware of the 
 danger ; the sails were all set and flapping against the 
 masts. At last, I perceived a small object close to the 
 vessel ; this I presumed was the boat which my companion 
 looked for. It was like a young vessel close to the old 
 one, but I said nothing ; as I was watching and wondering 
 what effect the rising wind would have upon her, for the 
 observations of my companion had made me feel that it 
 was important. After a time, I perceived that the white 
 sails were disappearing, and that the forms of men were 
 very busy, and moving on board, and the boat went back 
 to the side of the vessel. The fact is, they had not 
 perceived the squall until it was too late, for in another 
 moment almost, I saw that the vessel bowed down to the 
 fury of the gale, and after that, the mist was so great that 
 I couldn't see her any more. 
 
 *' Is she sending a boat, boy ? " cried my companion. 
 
 *'I can't see her," replied I; "for she is hidden by 
 the wind." 
 
 As I said this, the tornado reached to where we stood, 
 and threw me off my legs to the entrance of the cabin ; 
 and with the wind came down a torrent of rain, which 
 drenched us, and the clouds covered the whole of the 
 firmament, which became dark; the lightning darted 
 in every direction, with peals of thunder which were 
 deafening. I crawled into the cabin, into which the rain 
 beat in great fury and flowed out again in a small river. 
 
 My companion sat near me, lowering and silent. For 
 two hours the tornado lasted without interruption ; the 
 sun had set, and the darkness was opaque. It was im- 
 possible to move against the force of the wind and the 
 deluge of water which descended. Speak, we did not, 
 but shut our eyes against the lightning, and held our 
 fingers to our ears to deaden the noise of the thunder, 
 which burst upon us in the most awful manner. My 
 
12 The Little Savage 
 
 companion groaned at intervals, whether from fear, I 
 know not ; I had no fear, for I did not know the danger, 
 or that there was a God to judge the earth. 
 
 Gradually the fury of the gale abated, the rain was 
 only heavy at intervals, and we could now hear the 
 beating of the waves, as they dashed against the rocks 
 beneath us. The sky also cleared up a little, and we 
 could dimly discern the white foam of the breakers. I 
 crawled out of the cabin, and stood upon the platform in 
 front, straining my eyes to see the vessel. A flash of 
 lightning, for a second, revealed her to me ; she was 
 dismasted, rolling in the awful breakers, which bore 
 her down upon the high rocks, not a quarter of a mile 
 from her. 
 
 ** There it is," exclaimed I, as the disappearance of 
 the lightning left me in darkness, more opaque than 
 ever. 
 
 ** She's done for," growled my companion, who, I was 
 not till then aware, stood by my side. " No hopes this 
 time, confound it ! " Then he continued for some time 
 to curse and swear awfully, as I afterwards discovered, 
 for I did not then know what was cursing and swearing. 
 
 " There she is again," said I, as another flash of 
 lightning revealed the position of the vessel. 
 
 ** Yes, and she won't be there long ; in five minutes 
 she'll be dashed to atoms, and every soul perish." 
 
 " What are souls ? " inquired I. 
 
 My companion gave me no reply. 
 
 " I will go down to the rocks," said I, " and see what 
 goes on." 
 
 " Go," said he, " and share their fate." 
 
 Chapter III 
 
 I LEFT him, and commenced a careful descent of the 
 precipices by which we were surrounded, but, before 
 
The Little Savage 13 
 
 I had gone fifty paces, another flash of lightning was 
 followed up by a loud shriek, which arrested my steps. 
 Where the noise came from, I could not tell, but I heard 
 my companion calling to me to come back. I obeyed 
 him, and found him standing where I had left him. 
 
 " You called me, master ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did ; take my hand, and lead me to the cabin." 
 
 I obeyed him, wondering why he asked me so to do. 
 He gained his bed-place, and threw himself down on it. 
 
 " Bring the kid full of water," said he — " quick ! " 
 
 I brought it, and he bathed his head and face. After a 
 time, he threw himself back upon the bed-place, and 
 groaned heavily. 
 
 " O God ! it's all over with me," said he at last. "I 
 shall live and die in this cursed hole." 
 
 ** What's the matter, master ? " said I. 
 
 He gave me no answer, but lay groaning and occasionally 
 cursing. After a time, he was still, and then I went out 
 again. The tornado was now over, and the stars were to 
 be seen here and there, but still the wind was strong and 
 the wild clouds flew fast. The shores of the island were 
 one mass of foam, which was dashed high in the air and 
 fell upon the black rocks. I looked for the vessel, and 
 could see nothing — the day was evidently dawning, and 
 I sat down and waited its coming. My companion was 
 apparently asleep, for he lay without motion or noise. 
 That some misfortune had happened, I was convinced, but 
 what, I knew not, and I passed a long time in conjecture, 
 dividing my thoughts between him and the vessel. At 
 last the daylight appeared — the weather was moderating 
 fast, although the waves still beat furiously against the 
 rocky shore. I could see nothing of the vessel, and I 
 descended the path, now slippery and insecure from the 
 heavy fall of rain, and went as near to the edge of the 
 rocks as the breaking billows would permit. I walked 
 along, occasionally drenched by the spray, until I arrived 
 where I had last seen the vessel. The waves were 
 dashing and tossing about, as if in sport, fragments of 
 
14 The Little Savage 
 
 timber, casks, and spars ; but that was all I could see, 
 except a mast and rigging, which lay alongside of the 
 rocks, sometimes appearing above them on the summit 
 of the waves, then descending far out of my sight, for I 
 dared not venture near enough to the edge to look over. 
 "Then the vessel is dashed to pieces, as my companion 
 said," thought I. ** I wonder how she was made." I 
 remained about an hour on the rocks, and then turned 
 back to the cabin. I found my companion awake, and 
 groaning heavily. 
 
 " There is no ship," said I, " nothing but pieces of 
 wood floating about." 
 
 " I know that," replied he ; " but what do I care 
 now ? " 
 
 " I thought by your making a smoke, that you did 
 care." 
 
 " Yes, I did then, but now I am blind, I shall never see 
 a ship or anything else again. God help me ! I shall die 
 and rot on this cursed island." 
 
 " Blind, what is blind ? " inquired I. 
 
 " The lightning has burned out my eyes, and I can see 
 nothing — I cannot help myself — I cannot walk about — I 
 cannot do anything, and I suppose you will leave me here 
 to die like a dog." 
 
 " Can't you see me ? " 
 
 " No, all is dark, dark as night, and will be as long as I 
 live." And he turned on his bed-place and groaned. " I 
 had hope, I lived in hope — it has kept me alive for many 
 weary years, but now hope is gone, and I care not if I die 
 to-morrow." 
 
 And then he started up and turned his face towards me, 
 and I saw that there was no light in his eyes. 
 
 " Bring me some more water, do you hear ? " said he, 
 angrily. ** Be quick, or Til make you." 
 
 But I now fully comprehended his condition, and how 
 powerless he was. My feelings, as I have before said, 
 were anything but cordial towards him, and this renewed 
 violence and threatening manner had its effect. I was 
 
The Little Savage 15 
 
 now, I suppose, about twelve or thirteen years old — 
 strong and active. I had more than once felt inclined 
 to rebel, and measure my strength against his. Irritated, 
 therefore, at his angry language, I replied — 
 
 ** Go for the water yourself." 
 
 " Ah ! " sighed he, after a pause of some seconds, 
 ** that I might have expected. But let me once get you 
 into my hands, I'll make you remember it." 
 
 ** I care not if I were in your hands," replied I ; *' I am 
 as strong as you." For I had thought so many a day, and 
 meant to prove it. 
 
 ** Indeed ! " well, come here, and let us try." 
 
 " No, no," replied I ; " Fm not such a fool as you say I 
 am — not that I'm afraid of you ; for I shall have an axe in 
 my hand always ready, and you will not find another." 
 
 ** I wish that I had tossed you over the cliffs when you 
 were a child," said he, bitterly, " instead of nursing you 
 and bringing you up." 
 
 ** Then why have you not been kind to me ? As far 
 back as I can remember you have always treated me ill ; 
 you have made me work for you ; and yet never even 
 spoken kindly to me. I have wanted to know things, and 
 you have never answered my questions, but called me a 
 fool, and told me to hold my tongue. You have made me 
 hate you, and you have often told me how you hated me 
 — you know you have." 
 
 " It's true, quite true," replied he, as if talking to him- 
 self. **I have done all that he says, and I have hated 
 him. But I have had cause. Come here, boy." 
 
 " No," replied I •, "do you come here. You have been 
 master, and I have been boy, long enough. Now I am 
 master and you are boy, and you shall find it so." 
 
 Having said this, I walked out of the cabin and left him. 
 He cried out, ** Don't leave me," but I heeded him not, 
 and sat down at the edge of the flat ledge of the rock 
 before the cabin. Looking at the white dancing waves, 
 and deep in my own thoughts, I considered a long while 
 how I should behave towards him. I did not wish him to 
 
1 6 The Little Savage 
 
 die, as I knew he must if I left him. He could not obtain 
 water from the rill without a great chance of falling over 
 the cliff. In fact, I was now fully aware of his helpless 
 state ; to prove it to myself, I rose and shut my own eyes ; 
 tried if I could venture to move on such dangerous 
 ground, and I felt sure that I could not. He was then in 
 my power ; he could do nothing ; he must trust to me for 
 almost everything. I had said, let what would follow, I 
 would be master and he boy ; but that could not be, as 
 I must still attend upon him, or he would die. At last the 
 thought came suddenly upon me — I will be master, never- 
 theless, for now he shall answer me all my questions, tell 
 me all he knows, or he shall starve. He is in my power. 
 He shall now do what I have ever tried to make him do, 
 and he has ever refused. Having thus arranged my plans, 
 I returned to the cabin, and said to him : 
 
 " Hear what I say — I will be kind to you, and not leave 
 you to starve, if you will do what I ask." 
 
 " And what is that ? " replied he. 
 
 **■ For a long while I have asked you many questions, 
 and you have refused to answer them. Instead of telling 
 me what I would know, you have beaten or thrown 
 stones at me, called me names, and threatened me. I now 
 give you your choice — either you shall promise to answer 
 every question that I put to you, or you may live how 
 you can, for I shall leave you to help yourself. If you 
 do as I wish, I will do all I can to help you, but if you 
 will not, thank yourself for what may happen. Recollect, 
 I am master now ; so take your choice." 
 
 " Well," replied he slowly, " it's a judgment upon 
 me, and I must agree to it. I will do what you wish." 
 
 "Well, then, to begin," said I, "I have often asked 
 you what your name was, and what was mine. I must 
 call you something, and Master I will not, for I am master 
 now. What is your name ? " 
 
 He groaned, ground his teeth, and then said, ** Edward 
 Jackson." 
 
 *' Edward Jackson ! very well ; and my name ? " 
 
The Little Savage 17 
 
 " No, I cannot bear the name. I cannot say it," replied 
 he, angrily. 
 
 " Be it so," replied I. " Then I leave you." 
 
 "Will you bring me some water for my eyes? they 
 burn," said he. 
 
 "No, I will not, nor anything else, unless you tell me 
 my name." 
 
 " Frank Henniker — and curses on it." 
 
 " Frank Henniker. Well, now you shall have the 
 water." 
 
 I went out, filled a kid, and put it by his side. 
 
 "There is the water, Jackson; if you want anything, 
 call me. I shall be outside." 
 
 " I have gained the mastery," thought I, — " it will be 
 my turn now. He don't like to answer, but he shall, 
 or he shall starve. Why does he feel so angry at my 
 name ? Henniker ! what is the meaning of Henniker, 
 I wonder ? I will make him tell me. Yes, he shall tell 
 me everything." I may here observe, that as for pity 
 and compassion, I did not know such feelings. I had 
 been so ill-treated, that I only felt that might was right ; 
 and this right I determined upon exercising to the utmost. 
 I felt an inconceivable pleasure at the idea of my being 
 the master, and he the boy. I felt the love of power, 
 the pride of superiority. I then revolved in my mind 
 the daily task which I would set him, before he should 
 receive his daily sustenance. He should talk now as 
 much as I pleased, for I was the master. I had been 
 treated as a slave, and I was now fully prepared to play 
 the tyrant. Mercy and compassion I knew not. I had 
 never seen them called forth, and I felt them not. I sat 
 down on the flat rock for some time, and then it occurred 
 to me that I would turn the course of the water which 
 fell into the hole at the edge of the cliff; so that if he 
 crawled there, he would not be able to obtain any. I 
 did so, and emptied the hole. The water was now only 
 to be obtained by climbing up, and it was out of his 
 power to obtain a drop. Food, of course, he could 
 
 L.S. B 
 
i8 The Little Savage 
 
 obtain, as the dried birds were all piled up at the farther 
 end of the cabin, and I could not well remove them ; but 
 what was food without water ? I was turning in my 
 mind what should be the first question to put to him ; 
 and I had decided that I would have a full and particular 
 account of how the vessel had been wrecked on the 
 island, and who were my father and mother, and why 
 I was named Henniker — when I was roused by hearing 
 Jackson (as I shall in future call him) crying out, " Boy, 
 boy ! " " Boy, indeed," thought I — " no longer boy," 
 and I gave no reply. Again he called, and at last he 
 cried out, "Henniker," but I had been ruffled by his 
 calling me boy, and I would not answer him. At last 
 he fairly screamed my name, and then was silent. After 
 a moment, I perceived that he crawled out of his bed- 
 place, and feeling by the sides of the cabin, contrived on 
 his hands and knees to crawl in the direction of the hole 
 into which the water had previously been received j and 
 I smiled at what I knew would be his disappointment 
 when he arrived there. He did so at last : put his hand 
 to feel the edge of the hole, and then down into it to 
 feel for the water; and when he found that there was 
 none, he cursed bitterly, and I laughed at his vexation. 
 He then felt all the way down where the water had 
 fallen, and found that the course of it had been stopped, 
 and he dared not attempt anything further. He dashed 
 his clenched hand against the rock. " Oh ! that I had 
 him in this grasp — if it were but for one moment. I 
 would not care if I died the next." 
 
 " I do not doubt you," replied I to him, above, ** but 
 you have not got me in your hands, and you will not. Go 
 in to bed directly — quick," cried I, throwing a piece of 
 rock at him, which hit him on the head. ** Crawl back as 
 fast as you can, you fool, or I'll send another at your head 
 directly. Til tame you, as you used to say to me." 
 
 The blow on the head appeared to have confused him ; 
 but after a time he crawled back to his bed-place, and 
 threw himself down with a heavy groan. 
 
The Little Savage 19 
 
 Chapter IV 
 
 I THEN went down to the water's edge to see if I could 
 find anything from the wreck, for the water was smooth, 
 and no longer washed over the rocks of the island. Except 
 fragments of wood, I perceived nothing until I arrived at 
 the pool where we were accustomed to bathe ; and I found 
 that the sea had thrown into it two articles of large dimen- 
 sions — one was a cask of the size of a puncheon, which lay- 
 in about a foot of water farthest from the seaward ; and 
 the other was a seaman's chest. What these things were 
 I did not then know, and I wish the reader to recollect 
 that a great portion of this narrative is compiled from after 
 knowledge. The cask was firm in the sand, and I could 
 not move it. The chest was floating ; I hauled it on the 
 rocks without difficulty, and then proceeded to open it. It 
 was some time before I could discover how, for I had never 
 seen a lock, or a hinge in my life ; but at last, finding that 
 the lid was the only portion of the chest which yielded, I 
 contrived, with a piece of rock, to break it open. I found 
 in it a quantity of seamen's clothes, upon which I put no 
 value ; but some of the articles I immediately comprehended 
 the use of, and they filled me with delight. There were 
 two new tin pannikins, and those would hold water. There 
 were three empty wine bottles, a hammer, a chisel, gimlet, 
 and some other tools, also three or four fishing-lines many 
 fathoms long. But what pleased me most were two knives, 
 one shutting up, with a lanyard sheath to wear round the 
 waist ; and the other an American long knife, in a sheath, 
 which is usually worn by them in the belt. Now, three 
 or four years back, Jackson had the remains of a clasp 
 knife — that is, there was about an inch of the blade remain- 
 ing — and this, as may be supposed, he valued very much ; 
 indeed, miserable as the article was, in our destitute state 
 it was invaluable. 
 
 This knife he had laid on the rock when fishing, and it 
 
20 The Little Savage 
 
 had been dragged into the sea as his line ran out ; and he 
 was for many days inconsolable for its loss. "We had used 
 it for cutting open the birds when we skinned them, and, 
 indeed this remains of a knife had been always in request. 
 Since the loss of it, we had had hard work to get the skins 
 off the birds ; I therefore well knew the value of these 
 knives, which I immediately secured. The remainder of 
 the articles in the chest, which was quite full, I laid upon 
 the rocks, with the clothes, to dry ; of most of them I did 
 not know the use, and consequently did not prize them at 
 the time. It was not until afterwards, when I had taken 
 them to my companion, that I learned their value. I may 
 as well here observe, that amongst these articles were two 
 books, and, from the positive commands of my companion, 
 not to touch the book in the cabin, I looked upon them 
 with a degree of awe, and hesitated upon taking them in 
 my hand ; but, at last, I put them out to dry on the rocks, 
 with the rest of the contents of the chest. 
 
 I felt the knives, the blades were sharp ; I put the lan- 
 yard of the clasp knife round my neck ; the sheath knife, 
 which was a formidable weapon, I made fast round my 
 waist, with a piece of the fishing lines, which I cut off; 
 and I then turned my steps towards the cabin, as night 
 was coming on, though the moon was high in the heavens, 
 and shining brightly. On my return, I found Jackson in 
 his bed-place ; he heard me come in, and asked me, in a 
 quiet tone, whether I would bring him some water ? I 
 answered, 
 
 " No, that I would not, for what he had said about me, 
 and what he would do, if he got me into his power. I'll 
 tame you," cried I. ''I'm master now, as you shall find." 
 
 *' You may be," replied he, quickly, " but still, that is 
 no reason why you should not let me have some water. 
 Did I ever prevent you from having water ? " 
 
 " You never had to fetch it for me," I rejoined, ** or 
 you would not have taken the trouble. What trouble 
 would you take for me, if I were blind now, and not you ? 
 I should become of no use to you, and you would leave 
 
J 
 
The Little Savage 21 
 
 me to die. You only let me live that you might make me 
 work for you, and beat me cruelly. It's my turn now — 
 you're the boy, and I'm the master." 
 
 The reader must remember that I did not know the 
 meaning of the word "boy"; my idea of it was, that it 
 was in opposition to " master," and boy, with me, had the 
 same idea as the word " slave." 
 
 "Be it so," replied he, calmly. ** I shall not want 
 water long." 
 
 There was a quietness about Jackson which made me 
 suspect him, and the consequence was, that although I 
 turned into my bed-place, which was on the ground at the 
 side of the cabin opposite to his, I did not feel inclined to 
 go to sleep, but remained awake, thinking of what had 
 passed. It was towards morning when I heard him move 5 
 my face being turned that way, I had no occasion to stir 
 to watch his motions. He crept very softly out of his 
 bed-place towards me, listening, and advancing on his 
 knees, not more than a foot every ten seconds. " You 
 want me in your grasp," thought I, " come along," and I 
 drew my American knife from its sheath, without noise, 
 and awaited his approach, smiling at the surprise he would 
 meet with. I allowed him to come right up to me ; he 
 felt the side of my bed, and then passed his right hand 
 over to seize me. I caught his right hand with my left, 
 and passing the knife across his wrist, more than half 
 divided it from his arm. He gave a shriek of surprise and 
 pain, and fell back. 
 
 "He has a knife," exclaimed he, with surprise, holding 
 his severed wrist with the other hand. 
 
 " Yes, he has a knife, and more than one," replied I, 
 " and you see that he knows how to use it. Will you 
 come again ? or will yon believe that I'm master ? " 
 
 " If you have any charity or mercy, kill me at once," 
 said he, as he sat up in the moonlight, in the centre of the 
 floor of the cabin. 
 
 " Charity and mercy," said I, " what are they ? I never 
 heard of them." 
 
0.1 The Little Savage 
 
 "Alas! no," replied he, "I 
 a judgment on me — a judgment on me for my many sins ; 
 Lord, forgive me ! First my eyes, now my right hand 
 useless. What next, O Lord of Heaven ? " 
 
 *'Why, your other hand next," replied I, "if you try 
 it again." 
 
 Jackson made no reply. He attempted to crawl back to 
 his bed, but, faint with loss of blood, he dropped senseless 
 on the floor of the cabin. I looked at him, and satisfied 
 that he would make no more attempts upon me, I turned 
 away, and fell fast asleep. In about two hours, I awoke, 
 and looking round, perceived him lying on the floor, where 
 he had fallen the night before. I went to him and 
 examined him — was he asleep, or was he dead ? He lay 
 in a pool of blood. I felt him, and he was quite warm. 
 It was a ghastly cut on his wrist, and I thought, if he is 
 dead, he will never tell me what I want to know. I knew 
 that he bound up cuts to stop the blood. I took some 
 feathers from the bed, and put a handful on the wound. 
 After I had done it, I bound his wrist up with a piece of 
 fishing-line I had taken to secure the sheath knife round 
 my waist, and then I went for some water. I poured some 
 down his throat ; this revived him, and he opened his eyes. 
 
 " Where am I ? " said he faintly. 
 
 "Where are you ? — why, in the cabin," said I. 
 
 " Give me some more water." 
 
 I did so, for I did not wish to kill him. I wanted him 
 to live, and to be in my power. After drinking the water 
 he roused himself, and crawled back to his bed-place. I 
 left him then, and went down to bathe. 
 
 The reader may exclaim — What a horrid tyrant this 
 boy is — why, he is as bad as his companion. Exactly — I 
 was so — but let the reader reflect that I was made so by 
 education. From the time that I could first remember, I 
 had been tyrannised over ; cufled, kicked, abused and ill- 
 treated. I had never known kindness. Most truly was 
 the question put by me, " Charity and mercy — what are 
 they ? " I never heard of them. An American Indian 
 
The Little Savage 23 
 
 has kind feelings — he is hospitable and generous — yet, 
 educated to inflict, and receive, the severest tortures to and 
 from, his enemies, he does the first with the most savage 
 and vindictive feelings, and submits to the latter with indif- 
 ference and stoicism. He has, indeed, the kindlier feelings 
 of his nature exercised ; still, this changes him not. He 
 has been from earliest infancy brought up to cruelty, and he 
 cannot feel that it is wrong. Now, my position was worse. 
 I had never seen the softer feelings of our nature called 
 into play ; I knew nothing but tyranny and oppression, 
 hatred and vengeance. It was therefore not surprising 
 that, when my turn came, I did to others as I had been 
 done by. Jackson had no excuse for his treatment of me, 
 whereas, I had every excuse for retaliation. He did know 
 better, I did not. I followed the ways of the world in 
 the petty microcosm in which I had been placed. I knew 
 not of mercy, of forgiveness, charity, or goodwill. I knew 
 not that there was a God ; I only knew that might was 
 right, and the most pleasurable sensation which I felt, was 
 that of anxiety for vengeance, combined with the conscious- 
 ness of power. 
 
 After I had bathed, I again examined the chest and its 
 contents. I looked at the books without touching them. 
 " I must know what these mean," thought I, ** and I will 
 know " My thirst for knowledge was certainly most 
 remarkable, in a boy of my age ; I presume for the simple 
 reason, that we want most what we cannot obtain ; and 
 Jackson having invariably refused to enlighten me on any 
 subject, I became most anxious and impatient to satisfy the 
 longing which increased with my growth. 
 
 Chapter V 
 
 For three days did Jackson lie on his bed ; I supplied him 
 with water, but he did not eat anything. He groaned 
 heavily at times, and talked much to himself, and I heard 
 
24 The Little Savage 
 
 him ask forgiveness of God, and pardon for his sins. I 
 noted this dovi^n for an explanation. On the third day, he 
 said to me, 
 
 " Henniker, I am very ill. I have a fever coming on, 
 from the wound you have given me. I do not say that I 
 did not deserve it, for I did, and I know that I have treated 
 you ill, and that you must hate me, but the question is, 
 do you wish me to die ? " 
 
 *' No," replied I; **I want you to live, and answer all 
 my questions, and you shall do so." 
 
 "I will do so," replied he. "I have done wrong, and 
 I will make amends. Do you understand me ? I mean to 
 say, that I have been very cruel to you, and now I will do 
 all you wish, and answer every question you may put to 
 me, as well as I can." 
 
 ** That is what I want," replied I. 
 
 " I know it is, but my wound is festering and must be 
 washed and dressed. The feathers make it worse. Will 
 you do this for me ? " 
 
 I thought a little, and recollected that he was still in my 
 power, as he could not obtain water. I replied, " Yes, I 
 will." 
 
 *'The cord hurts it, you must take it off." 
 
 I fetched the kid of water, and untied the cord, and 
 took away the feathers, which had matted together with 
 the flow of blood, and then I washed the wound carefully. 
 Looking into the wound, my desire of information induced 
 me to say, " What are these little white cords, which are 
 cut through ? " 
 
 " They are the sinews and tendons," replied he, " by 
 which we are enabled to move our hands and fingers j now 
 these are cut through, I shall not have the use of my hand 
 again." 
 
 *' Stop a moment," said I, rising up, "I have just 
 thought of something." I ran down to the point where 
 the chest lay, took a shirt from the rock, and brought it 
 back with me, and tearing it into strips, I bandaged the 
 wound. 
 
The Little Savage 25 
 
 " Where did you get that hnen ? " said Jackson. 
 
 I told him. 
 
 " And you got the knife there, too," said he, with a 
 sigh. I replied in the affirmative. 
 
 As soon as I had finished, he told me he vi^as much 
 easier, and said, 
 
 " I thank you." 
 
 '' What is I thank you ? " replied I. 
 
 '* It means that I am grateful for what you have done." 
 
 ** And what is grateful ? " inquired I again. " You 
 never said those words to me before." 
 
 '* Alas, no," replied he ; ** it had been better if I had. 
 I mean that I feel kindly towards you, for having bound 
 up my wound, and would do anything for you if I had the 
 power. It means, that if I had my eyesight, as I had a 
 week ago, and was master, as I then was, that I would not 
 kick nor beat you, but be kind to you. Do you understand 
 me ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied I, " I think I do ; and if you tell me all 
 I want to know I shall beheve you." 
 
 " That I will as soon as I am well enough ; but now I 
 am too ill — you must wait a day or two, till the fever has 
 left me." 
 
 Satisfied with Jackson's promise, I tended him carefully, 
 and washed and dressed his wound for the two following 
 days. He said that he felt himself much better, and his 
 language to me was so kind and conciliatory, that I hardly 
 knew what to make of it ; but this is certain, that it had a 
 good effect upon me, and gradually the hatred and ill-will 
 that I bore to him wore off, and I found myself handling 
 him tenderly, and anxious not to give him more pain 
 than was necessary, yet without being aware that I was 
 prompted by better feelings. It was on the third morning 
 that he said, — 
 
 ** I can talk to you now ; what do you want to know .'* " 
 
 " I want to know the whole story of how we came to 
 this island, who my father and mother v/ere, and why you 
 said that you hated me and my name .? " 
 
26 The Little Savaore 
 
 O" 
 
 " That," said Jackson, after a silence of a few minutes, 
 " will take some time. I could soon tell it you if it were 
 not for the last question, — why I hated your name ? But 
 the history of your father is so mixed up with mine, that I 
 cannot well tell one without the other. I may as well begin 
 with my own history, and that will be telling you both." 
 
 " Then tell it me," replied I, " and do not tell me what 
 is not true." 
 
 " No ; I will tell you exactly what it was," replied 
 Jackson; '*you may as well know it as not. — Your father 
 and I were both born in England, which you know is your 
 country by birth, and you also know that the language we 
 talk is English." 
 
 " I did not know it. Tell me something about England 
 before you say any more." 
 
 I will not trouble the reader with Jackson's description 
 of England, or the many questions which I put to him. It 
 was night-fall before he had finished answering, and before 
 I was satisfied with the information imparted. I believe 
 that he was very glad to hold his tongue, for he complained 
 of being tired, and I dressed his wound and wetted the 
 bandage with cold water for him before he went to sleep. 
 
 I can hardly describe to the reader the effect which this 
 uninterrupted flow of language had upon me ; I was 
 excited in a very strange way, and for many nights after 
 could not sleep for hours. I may say here, I did not 
 understand a great proportion of the meaning of the words 
 used by Jackson ; but I gathered it from the context, as I 
 could not always be interrupting him. 
 
 It is astonishing how fast ideas breed ideas, and how a 
 word, the meaning of which I did not understand when it 
 was first used, became by repetition clear and intelligible ; 
 not that I always put the right construction on it, but if 
 I did not find it answer when used at another time to my 
 former interpretation of it, I would then ask and obtain 
 an explanation. This did not however occur very often. 
 As for this first night, I was positively almost drunk with 
 words, and remained nearly the whole of it arranging and 
 
The Little Savage 27 
 
 fixing the new ideas that I had acquired. My feelings 
 towards Jackson also were changed — that is, I no longer 
 felt hatred or ill-will against him. These were swallowed 
 up in the pleasure which he had afforded me, and I looked 
 upon him as a treasure beyond all price, — not but that 
 many old feelings towards him returned at intervals, for 
 they were not so easily disposed of, but still I would not 
 for the world have lost him until I had obtained from him 
 all possible knowledge; and if his wound did not look 
 well when I removed the bandage, I was much more 
 distressed than he was. Indeed, there was every prospect 
 of our ultimately being friends, from our mutual depend- 
 ence on each other. It was useless on his part, in his 
 present destitute condition, to nourish feelings of animosity 
 against one on whose good offices he was now so wholly 
 dependant, or on my part, against one who was creating 
 for me, I may say, new worlds for imagination and thought 
 to dwell on. On the following morning, Jackson narrated 
 in substance (as near as I can recollect) as follows : — 
 
 "I was not intended for a sailor. I was taught at a 
 good school, and when I was ten years old, I was put into 
 a house of business as a clerk, where I remained at the 
 desk all day long, copying into ledgers and day-books, in 
 fact, writing what was required of me. This house was 
 connected with the South American trade." 
 
 " Where is South America ? " said I. 
 
 ** You had better let me tell my story," replied Jackson, 
 " and after I have done, you can ask any questions you 
 like, but if you stop me, it will take a week to finish it ; 
 yesterday we lost the whole day." 
 
 " That's very true," replied I, " then I will do so." 
 
 "There were two other clerks in the counting-house — 
 the head clerk, whose name was Manvers, and your father, 
 who was in the counting-house but a few months before 
 me. Our master, whose name was Evelyn, was very 
 particular with both your father and myself, scanning our 
 work daily, and finding fault when we deserved it. This 
 occasioned a rivalry between us, which made us both very 
 
28 The Little Savage 
 
 active, and I received praise quite as often as he did. On 
 Sunday, Mr Evelyn used to ask your father and me to 
 spend the day. We went to church in the forenoon and 
 dined with him. He had a daughter a little younger than 
 we were. She was your mother. Both of us, as we grew 
 up, were very attentive to her, and anxious to be in her 
 good graces. I cannot say which was preferred at first, but 
 I rather think that if anything I was the favourite, during the 
 first two years of our being acquainted with her. I was more 
 lively and a better companion than your father, who was 
 inclined to be grave and thoughtful. We had been about 
 four years in the counting-house, when my mother died — 
 my father had been dead some time before I went into it 
 — and at her death I found my share of her property to 
 amount to about ^2500. But I was not yet twenty-one 
 years of age. I could not receive it for another year. 
 Mr Evelyn, who had till then every reason to be satisfied 
 with my conduct, used to joke with me, and say that as 
 soon as I was of age, he would allow me, if I chose it, to 
 put the money in the business, and thus obtain a small 
 share in it — and such was my intention, and I looked 
 forward to bright prospects and the hope of one day being 
 married to your mother, and I have no doubt but such 
 would have been the case, had I still conducted myself 
 properly. But, before I was of age, I made some very 
 bad aquaintances, and soon ran into expenses which I could 
 not afford — and the worst was, that I contracted a habit 
 of sitting up late at night, and drinking to excess, which 
 I never have since got over, which proved my ruin then, 
 and has proved my ruin through life. This little fortune 
 of mine not only gave me consequence, but was the cause 
 of my thinking very highly of myself. I now was more 
 particular in my attentions to Miss Evelyn, and was 
 graciously received by her father ; neither had I any reason 
 to complain of my treatment from the young lady. As for 
 your father, he was quite thrown into the back-ground. 
 He had no property nor hope of any, except what he 
 might hereafter secure by his diligence and good conduct ; 
 
The Little Savage 29 
 
 and the attention I received from Mr Evelyn, and also the 
 head clerk, who had an idea that I was to be a partner and 
 consequently would become his superior, made him very 
 melancholy and unhappy — for I believe that then he was 
 quite as much in love with Miss Evelyn as I was myself; 
 and I must tell you, that my love for her was unbounded, 
 and she well deserved it. But all these happy prospects 
 were overthrown by my own folly. As soon as it was 
 known that I had property left to me, I was surrounded by 
 many others who requested to be introduced to me, and 
 my evenings were passed in what I considered very good 
 company, but which proved the very reverse. By degrees 
 I took to gambling, and after a time, lost more money than 
 I could afford to pay. This caused me to have recourse to a 
 Jew, who advanced me loans at a large interest to be repaid 
 at my coming of age. Trying to win back my money, I at 
 last found myself indebted to the Jew for the sum of nearly 
 ;^looo. The more that I became involved, the more reck- 
 less I became. Mr Evelyn perceived that I kept late hours, 
 and looked haggard, as I well might ; indeed, my position 
 had now become very awkward. Mr Evelyn knew well 
 the sum that had been left me, and how was I to account 
 to him for the deficiency, if he proposed that I should put 
 it into the business ? I should be ruined in his opinion, 
 and he never, I was convinced, would entrust the happi- 
 ness of his daughter to a young man who had been guilty 
 of such irregularities. At the same time, my love for her 
 nearly amounted to adoration. Never was there a more 
 miserable being than I was for the last six months previous 
 to my coming of age, and to drown my misery I plunged 
 into every excess, and seldom, if ever, went to bed but in 
 a state of intoxication. Scheme after scheme did I propose 
 to enable me to conceal my fault, but I could hit upon 
 nothing. The time approached ; I was within a few days 
 of coming of age, when Mr Evelyn sent for me and then 
 spoke to me seriously, saying, that out of regard to the 
 memory of my father, with whom he had been very 
 intimate, he was willing to allow me to embark my little 
 
30 The Little Savage 
 
 capital in the business, and that he hoped that by my good 
 conduct and application I might soon become a useful 
 partner. I stammered some reply which surprised him; 
 and he asked me to be more explicit. I stated that I 
 considered my capital too small to be of much use in such 
 a business as his, and that I preferred trying some quick 
 method of doubling it j that as soon as I had so done 
 I would accept his offer with gratitude. * As you please,' 
 replied he coolly ; * but take care, that in risking all, you 
 do not lose all. Of course, you are your own master,' 
 and so saying, he left me, apparently much displeased and 
 mortified. But circumstances occurred, which exposed the 
 whole affair. When in company with my evening com- 
 panions, I stated my intentions of trying my fortune in 
 the East Indies, not seriously, but talking at random. 
 This came to the ears of the Jew of whom I had borrowed 
 the money ; he thought that I intended to leave the 
 kingdom without taking up my bonds, and immediately 
 repaired to Mr Evelyn's counting-house, to communicate 
 with the head clerk, and ascertain if the report was correct, 
 stating also the sums I was indebted to him. The head 
 clerk informed Mr Evelyn, and on the day upon which I 
 became twenty-one years of age, he sent for me into his 
 private room, and, after some remonstrances, to which I 
 replied very haughtily, it ended in my being dismissed. 
 The fact was, that Mr Evelyn had, since his last interview 
 with me, made inquiries, and finding out I had been living 
 a very riotous life, he had determined upon my leaving 
 his service. As soon as my first burst of indignation was 
 over, I felt what I had lost ; my attachment to Miss 
 Evelyn was stronger than ever, and I bitterly deplored my 
 folly, but after a time, as usual, I had recourse to the 
 bottle, and to drowning my cares in intemperance. I 
 tried very hard to obtain an interview with Miss Evelyn 
 previous to my quitting the house, but this Mr Evelyn 
 would not permit, and a few days after, sent his daughter 
 away, to reside, for a time with a relation in the country. 
 I embarked my capital in the wine trade, and, could I have 
 
The Little Savage 31 
 
 restrained myself from drinking, should have been success- 
 ful, and in a short time might have doubled my property, 
 as I stated to Mr Evelyn ; but now, I had become an 
 irreclaimable drunkard, and when that is the case, all hope 
 is over. My affairs soon became deranged, and, at the 
 request of my partner, they were wound up, and I found 
 myself with my capital of ;£'l5oo reduced to ;j^iooo. 
 "With this, I resolved to try my fortune in shipping ; 
 I procured a share in a brig, and sailed in her myself. 
 After a time, I was sufficiently expert to take the command 
 of her, and might have succeeded, had not my habit of 
 drinking been so confirmed. When at Ceylon, I fell sick, 
 and was left behind. The brig was lost, and as I had 
 forgotten to insure my portion of her, I was ruined. 
 I struggled long, but in vain — intemperance was my 
 curse, my bane, the millstone at my neck, which dragged 
 me down : I had education, talents, and energy, and at 
 one time, capital, but all were useless ; and thus did I sink 
 down, from captain of a vessel to mate, from mate to 
 second mate, until I at last found myself a drunken sailor 
 before the mast. Such is my general history ; to-morrow, 
 I will let you know how, and in what way, your father 
 and I met again, and what occurred, up to this present time." 
 
 But I was too much bewildered and confused with 
 what he had told me, to allow him to proceed, as he 
 proposed. 
 
 " No, no,*' replied I. " I now recollect all you have 
 said, although I do not understand. You must first 
 answer my questions, as to the meaning of words I never 
 heard of before. I cannot understand what money is, 
 what gaming is, and a great many more things you have 
 talked about, but I recollect, and can repeat every word 
 that you have said. To-morrow, I will recall it all over, 
 and you shall tell me what I cannot make out ; after that, 
 you can go on again." 
 
 " Very well," replied he, "I don't care how long it 
 takes me to answer your questions, for I am not very 
 anxious to tell all about your father and myself." 
 
32 The Little Savage 
 
 Chapter VI 
 
 I CAN hardly describe to the reader the effect which these 
 conversations with Jackson had upon me at first. If a 
 prisoner were removed from a dark cell, and all at once 
 introduced into a garden full of fruit and flowers, which 
 he never before had an idea were in existence, he could 
 not have been more filled with wonder, surprise, and 
 pleasure. All was novelty and excitement, but, at the 
 same time, to a great degree, above my comprehension. 
 I had neither language nor ideas to meet it, and yet, 
 I did, to a certain degree, comprehend. I saw not clearly, 
 but sometimes as through a mist, at others through a 
 dark fog, and I could discern little. Every day, however, 
 my increased knowledge of language and terms gave me 
 an increased knowledge of ideas. I gained more by con- 
 text than I did by any other means, and as I was by 
 degrees enlightened, so my thirst for information and 
 knowledge became every day more insatiable. 
 
 That much that I considered I understood was erroneous, 
 is certain, for mine was a knowledge, as yet, of theory 
 only. I could imagine to myself, as far as the explanation 
 I received, what such an object might be, and, having 
 made up my ideas on the matter, I was content ; further 
 knov/ledge, would however incline me to think, and 
 occasionally to decide, that the idea I had formed was 
 incorrect, and I would alter it. Thus did I flounder 
 about in a sea of uncertainty, but still of exciting interest. 
 
 If any one who has been educated, and has used his 
 eyes in a civilised country, reads an account of people 
 and things hitherto unknown to him, he can, from the 
 description and from his own general knowledge, form 
 a very correct idea of what the country contains. But 
 then he has used his eyes — he has seen those objects, 
 between which the parallel or the difference has been 
 pointed out. Now I had not that advantage. I had seen 
 
The Little Savage ^^ 
 
 nothing but the sea, rocks, and sea-birds, and had but 
 one companion. Here was my great difficulty, which, I 
 may say, was never surmounted, until I had visited and 
 mixed with civilisation and men. The difficulty, however, 
 only increased my ardour. I was naturally of an ingenious 
 mind, I had a remarkable memory, and every increase 
 of knowledge was to me a source of delight. In fact, 
 I had now something to live for, before I had not ; and 
 I verily believe, that if Jackson had been by any chance 
 removed from me at this particular time, I should soon 
 have become a lunatic, from the sudden drying up of 
 the well which supplied my inordinate thirst for know- 
 ledge. 
 
 Some days passed before I asked Jackson to continue 
 his narrative, during which we lived in great harmony. 
 Whether it was that he was deceiving me, and command- 
 ing his temper till he had an opportunity of revenge, 
 or whether it was that his forlorn and helpless condition 
 had softened him down, I could not say, but he appeared 
 gradually to be forming an attachment to me ; I was 
 however on my guard at all times. His wounded wrist 
 had now healed up, but his hand was quite useless, as 
 all the tendons had been severed. I had therefore less 
 to fear from him than before. At my request that he 
 would continue his history, Jackson related as follows : — 
 
 " After sailing in vessel after vessel, and generally 
 dismissed after the voyage for my failing of intemperance, 
 I embarked on board a ship bound to Chili, and after 
 having been on the coast for nearly a year, we were 
 about to proceed home with a cargo, when we anchored 
 at Valdivia, previous to our homeward voyage, as we 
 had some few articles to ship at that port. We were 
 again ready for sea, when we heard from the captain, 
 that he had agreed to take two passengers, a gentleman 
 and his wife, who wished to proceed to England. The 
 cabin was cleared out, and every preparation made to 
 receive them on board, and in the evening the boat was 
 sent on shore for the luggage. I went in the boat, as 
 L.s. c 
 
34 The Little Savage 
 
 I thought it likely that the gentleman would give the 
 boat's crew something to drink ; nor was I wrong — he 
 gave us four dollars, which we spent immediately in one 
 of the ventas, and were all more or less intoxicated. It 
 had been arranged that the luggage should first be 
 carried on board, and after that, we were to return for 
 the passengers, as we were to sail early in the morning. 
 We pulled off with the luggage, but on our arrival on 
 board, I was so drunk, that the captain would not 
 allow me to return in the boat, and I knew nothing 
 of what had passed until I was roused up the next 
 morning to assist in getting the ship under weigh. 
 We had been under weigh two or three hours, and 
 were clearing the land fast, when the gentleman passenger 
 came on neck ; I was then coiling down a rope on the 
 quarter-deck, and as he passed by me, I looked at 
 him, and I recognised him immediately as your father. 
 Years had passed — from a stripling he had grown a man, 
 but his face was not to be mistaken. There he was, 
 apparently a gentlemen of property and consideration; 
 and I, what was I ? a drunken sailor. All I hoped was, 
 that he would not recognise me. Shortly afterwards he 
 went down again, and returned escorting his wife on 
 deck. Again I took a furtive curious glance, and per- 
 ceived at once that she was that Miss Evelyn whom I had 
 once so loved, and by my folly had lost. This was 
 madness. As they stood on the deck enjoying the cool 
 sea breeze, for the weather was delightfully fine, the 
 captain came up and joined them. I was so confused at 
 my discovery, that I knew not what I was about, and I 
 presume was doing something very awkwardly ; for 
 the captain said to me — * Jackson, what are you about, 
 you drunken hound ? I suppose you are not sober 
 yet.' At the mention of my name, your father and 
 mother looked at me, and as I lifted up my head to 
 reply to the captain, they eyed me earnestly, and then 
 spoke to each other in a low tone ; after which they 
 interrogated the captain. I could not hear what they 
 
The Little Savage ^^ 
 
 said, but I was certain they were talking about me, and 
 that they had suspected, if they had not recognised me. 
 I was ready to sink to the deck, and, at the same time, 
 I felt a hatred of your father enter my heart, of which, 
 during his Hfe, I never could divest myself. It was as I 
 supposed ; your father had recognised me, and the 
 following morning he came up to me as I was leaning 
 over the gunwale admidships, and addressed me, — 
 * Jackson,' said he, * I am sorry to find you in this 
 situation. You must have been very unfortunate to have 
 become so reduced. If you will confide your history to 
 me, perhaps I may, when we arrive in England, be able 
 to assist you, and it really will give me great pleasure.' 
 I cannot say that I replied very cordially. *Mr Henniker,' 
 said I, * you have been fortunate by all appearances, and 
 can therefore afford compassion to those who have not 
 been so -, but, sir, in our positions, I feel as if pity was 
 in reality a sort of triumph, and an offer of assistance an 
 insult. I am content with my present position, and will 
 at all events not change it by your interference. I earn 
 my bread honestly. You can do no more. Times may 
 change yet. It's a long road that has no turning to it. 
 I wish you a good morning.' So saying, I turned from 
 him, and walked away forward, with my heart full of 
 bitterness and anger. From that hour he never spoke 
 to me or noticed me again, but the captain was more 
 severe upon me, and I ascribed his severity most unjustly 
 to your father. We were about to go round Cape Horn, 
 when the gale from the S.E. came on, which ended in 
 the loss of the vessel. For several days we strove up 
 against it, but at last the vessel, which was old, leaked 
 so much from straining, that we were obliged to bear 
 up and run before it, which we did for several days, the 
 wind and sea continuing without intermission. At last 
 we found ourselves among these islands, and v/ere com- 
 pelled occasionally to haul to the wdnd to clear them. 
 This made her leak more and more, until at last she 
 became water logged, and we were forced to abandon 
 
^6 The Little Savage 
 
 her in haste during the night, having no time to take 
 anything with us ; we left three men on board, who 
 were down below. By the mercy of Heaven we ran the 
 boat into the opening below, which was the only spot 
 where we could have landed. I think I had better stop 
 now, as I have a good deal to tell you yet." 
 
 "Do then," replied I; "and now I think of it, I will 
 bring up the chest and all the things which were in it, and 
 you shall tell me what they are." 
 
 I went down and returned with the clothes and linen. 
 There were eight pair of trousers, nine shirts, besides 
 the one I had torn up to bandage his wounds with, two 
 pair of blue trousers, and two jackets, four white duck 
 frocks, some shoes, and stockings. Jackson felt them 
 one by one with his hands, and told me what they were, 
 and how worn. 
 
 " Why don't you wear some of them ? " inquired I. 
 
 "If you will give me leave, I will," replied he. "Let 
 me have a duck frock and a pair of trousers." 
 
 I handed the articles to him, and then went back for 
 the rest which I had left on the rocks. 
 
 When I returned, with my arms full, I found that he 
 had put them on, and his other clothes were beside him. 
 " I feel more like a Christian now," said he. 
 
 " A Christian," said I, " what is that ? " 
 
 " I will tell you by-and-bye. It is what I have not 
 been for a long, long while," replied he. "Now, what 
 have you brought this time ? " 
 
 " Here," said I, " what is this ? " 
 
 " This is a roll of duck, to make into frocks and 
 trousers," replied he. "That is bees'-wax. He then 
 explained to me all the tools, sailing-needles, fish-hooks, 
 and fishing-lines, some sheets of writing-paper, and two 
 pens, I had brought up with me. " All these are very 
 valuable," said he, after a pause, " and would have added 
 much to our comfort, if I had not been blind." 
 
 " There are more things yet," said 1 5 " I will go and 
 fetch them." 
 
The Little Savage t^^j 
 
 This time I replaced the remaining articles, and brought 
 up the chest. It was a heavy load to carry up the rocks, 
 and I was out of breath when I arrived and set it down 
 on the cabin-floor. 
 
 ** Now, I have the whole of them," said I. " Now, 
 what is this ? " 
 
 " That is a spy-glass — but, alas ! I am blind — but I will 
 show you how to use it, at all events." 
 
 ** Here are two books," said I. 
 
 ** Give them to me," said he, " and let me feel them. 
 This one is a Bible, I am quite sure by its shape, and the 
 other is, I think, a Prayer-book." 
 
 " What is a Bible, and what is a Prayer-book ? " replied I. 
 
 " The Bible is the Word of God, and the Prayer-book 
 teaches us how to pray to him." 
 
 " But who is God ? I have often heard you say, * O 
 God ! ' and * God damn ' — but who is he ? " 
 
 **I will tell you to-night before we go to sleep," replied 
 Jackson, gravely. 
 
 " Very well, I shall remind you. I have found a little 
 box inside the chest, and it is full of all manner of little 
 things — strings and sinews." 
 
 " Let me feel them ? " 
 
 I put a bundle into his hand. 
 
 " These are needles and thread for making and mending 
 clothes — they will be useful bye-and-bye." 
 
 At last the whole contents of the chest were overhauled 
 and explained : I could not well comprehend the glass 
 bottles, or how they were made, but I put them with the 
 pannikins, and everything else, very carefully into the chest 
 again, and hauled the chest to the farther end of the cabin, 
 out of the way. Before we went to bed that night, Jack- 
 son had to explain to me who God was, but as.it was only 
 the commencement of several conversations on the subject, 
 I shall not at present trouble the reader with what passed 
 between us. Jackson appeared to be very melancholy after 
 the conversation we had had on religious matters, and was 
 frequently agitated and muttering to himself. 
 
^8 The Little Savage 
 
 Chapter VII 
 
 I DID not on the following day ask him to resume his 
 narrative relative to my father and mother, as I perceived 
 that he avoided it, and I already had so far changed as to 
 have consideration for his feelings. Another point had 
 now taken possession of my mind, which was, whether it 
 were possible to learn to read those books which I had 
 found in the chest, and this was the first question that I 
 put to Jackson when we arose on that morning. 
 
 *' How is it possible ? " replied he. " Am I not blind — 
 how can I teach you ? " 
 
 " Is there no way ? " replied I, mournfully. 
 
 "Let me think. — Yes, perhaps there is a way — at all 
 events we will try. You know which book I told you was 
 the Prayer-book .'' " 
 
 " Oh yes ! the small, thin one," 
 
 " Yes — fetch it here. Now," said he, when I put it 
 into his hand, " tell me j is there a straight line down the 
 middle of the page of the book, so that the words and 
 letters are on both sides of it ? " 
 
 " Yes, there is," replied I; *'in every page, as you call 
 it, there is a black line down the middle, and words and 
 letters (I suppose they are) on both sides." 
 
 ** And among the letters, there are some larger than 
 others, especially at the side nearest to the margin." 
 
 "I don't know what margin is." 
 
 " I mean here," replied he, pointing to the margin of 
 the page. 
 
 " Yes, there are." 
 
 "Well then, I will open the book as near as I can guess 
 at the Morning service, and you tell me if you can find 
 any part of the writing which appears to begin with a 
 large round letter, like — what shall I say ? — the bottom of 
 a pannikin." 
 
 " There is one on this leaf, quite round." 
 
The Little Savage 39 
 
 ** Very well — now get me a small piece of stick, and 
 make a point to it." 
 
 I did so, and Jackson swept away a small place on the 
 floor of the cabin. 
 
 ** Now," said he, " there are many other prayers which 
 begin with a round O, as the letter is called ; so I must 
 first ascertain if this one is the one I require. If it is, I 
 know it by heart, and by that shall be able to teach you 
 all the letters of the alphabet." 
 
 "What's an alphabet?" 
 
 " The alphabet is the number of letters invented to 
 enable us to read and write. There are twenty-six of 
 them. Now look, Frank ; is the next letter to O the 
 shape of this ? " and he drew with the pointed stick the 
 letter U on the ground. 
 
 " Yes, it is," rephed I. 
 
 " And the next is like this," continued he, drawing the 
 letter R, after he had smoothed the ground and effaced 
 theU. 
 
 *' Yes," replied I. 
 
 " Well then, to make sure, I had better go on. OUR 
 is one word, and then there is a little space between ; and 
 next you come to an F." 
 
 " Yes," replied I, looking at what he had drawn and 
 comparing it with the letter in the book. 
 
 " Then I believe that we are all right, but to make sure, 
 we will go on for a little longer." 
 
 Jackson then completed the word " Father," and " which 
 art," that followed it, and then he was satisfied. 
 
 ** Now," said he, " out of that prayer I can teach you all 
 the letters, and if you pay attention, you will learn to read." 
 
 The whole morning was passed in my telling him the 
 different letters, and I very soon knew them all. During 
 the day, the Lord's Prayer was gone through, and as I 
 learnt the words as well as the letters, I could repeat it 
 before night ; I read it over to him twenty or thirty times, 
 spelling every word, letter by letter, until I was perfect. 
 This was my first lesson. 
 
40 The Little Savage 
 
 " Why is it called the lord's Prayer ? " said I. 
 
 "Because, when our Lord Jesus Christ was asked by 
 His followers in what way they ought to address God, 
 He gave them this prayer to repeat, as being the most 
 proper that they could use." 
 
 " But who was Jesus Christ ? " 
 
 " He was the Son of God, as I told you yesterday, and 
 at the same time equal with God." 
 
 " How could he be equal with God, if, as you said 
 yesterday, God sent him down to be killed ? " 
 
 *' It was with his own consent that he suffered death ; 
 but all this is a mystery which you cannot understand at 
 present." 
 
 " What's a mystery ? " 
 
 "That which yoai cannot understand." 
 
 "Do you understand it yourself?" 
 
 " No, I do not J I only know that such is the fact, but 
 it is above not only mine, but all men's comprehension. 
 But I tell you honestly that, on these points, I am but a 
 bad teacher ; I have paid little attention to them during my 
 life, and as far as religion is concerned, I can only give you 
 the outlines, for I know no more." 
 
 "But I thought you said, that people were to be 
 punished or rewarded when they died, according as they 
 had lived a bad or good life ; and that to live a good life, 
 people must be religious, and obey God's commands." 
 
 " I did tell you so, and I told you the truth ; but I did 
 not tell you that I had led a bad life, as I have done, and 
 that I have neglected to pay obedience to God's word 
 and command." 
 
 " Then you will be punished when you die, will you not?" 
 
 " Alas ! I fear so, child," replied Jackson, putting his 
 hands up to his forehead and hiding his face. " But there 
 is still time," continued he, after a pause, and " O God of 
 mercy ! " exclaimed he, " how shall I escape ? " 
 
 I was about to continue the conversation, but Jackson 
 requested that I would leave him alone for a time. I went 
 out and sat on a rock, watching the stars. 
 
The Little Savage 41 
 
 ** And those, he says, were all made by God," — 
 " and God made everything," thought I, " and God lives 
 up beyond those stars." I thought for a long while, and 
 was much perplexed. I had never heard anything of God 
 till the night before, and what Jackson had told me was 
 just enough to make me more anxious and curious ; but he 
 evidently did not like to talk on the subject. I tried after 
 a time, if I could repeat the Lord's Prayer, and I found that 
 I could, so I knelt down on the rock, and looking up to a 
 bright star, as if I would imagine it was God, I repeated 
 the Lord's Prayer to it, and then I rose up and went to 
 bed. 
 
 This was the first time that I had ever prayed. 
 
 I had learnt so much from Jackson, latterly, that I could 
 hardly retain what I had learnt ; at all events, I had a very 
 confused recollection in my brain, and my thoughts turned 
 from one subject to another, till there was, for a time, a 
 perfect chaos ; by degrees things unravelled themselves, 
 and my ideas became more clear ; but still I laboured under 
 that half-comprehension of things, which, in my position, 
 was unavoidable. 
 
 But now my mind was occupied with one leading object 
 and wish, which was to learn to read. I thought no more 
 of Jackson's history and the account he might give me of 
 my father and mother, and was as willing as he was that it 
 should be deferred for a time. "What I required now was 
 to be able to read the books, and to this object my whole 
 mind and attention were given. Three or four hours in the 
 earlier portion of the day, and the same time in the latter, 
 v/ere dedicated to this pursuit, and my attention never tired 
 or flagged. In the course of, I think, about six weeks, I 
 could read, without hesitation, almost any portion of the 
 Bible or Prayer-Book. I required no more teaching from 
 Jackson, who now became an attentive hearer, as I read to 
 him every morning and evening a portion of the Gospel or 
 Liturgy. But I cannot say that I understood many portions 
 which I read, and the questions which I put to Jackson 
 puzzled him not a little, and very often he acknowledged 
 
42 The Little Savage 
 
 that he could not answer them. As I afterwards discovered 
 this arose from his own imperfect knowledge of the nature 
 of the Christian religion, which, according to his statement 
 to me, might be considered to have been comprised in the 
 following sentence : " If you do good on earth, you will 
 go to heaven and be happy ; if you do ill, you will go to 
 hell and be tormented. Christ came down from heaven to 
 teach us what to do, and how to follow his example ; and 
 all that we read in the Bible we must believe." This may 
 be considered as the creed imparted to me at that time. I 
 believe that Jackson, like many others, knew no better, and 
 candidly told me what he himself had been taught to believe. 
 
 But the season for the return of the birds arrived, and 
 our stock of provender was getting low. I was therefore 
 soon obliged to leave my books, and work hard for Jackson 
 and myself. As soon as the young birds were old enough, 
 I set to my task. And now I found how valuable were 
 the knives which I had obtained from the seaman's chest ; 
 indeed, in many points I could work much faster. By 
 tying the neck and sleeves of a duck frock, I made a bag, 
 which enabled me to carry the birds more conveniently, 
 and in greater quantities at a time, and with the knives I 
 could skin and prepare a bird in one quarter of the time. 
 With my fishing-lines also, I could hang up more to dry at 
 one time, so that, though without assistance, I had more 
 birds cured in the same time than when Jackson and I 
 were both employed in the labour. The whole affair, liow- 
 ever, occupied me from morning to evening for more than 
 three weeks, by which time the major portion of my 
 provender v/as piled up at the back of the cabin. I did 
 not, however, lose what I had gained in reading, as Jackson 
 would not let me go away in the morning, or retire to my bed 
 in the evening, without my reading to him a portion of the 
 Bible indeed he appeared to be uncomfortable if I did not 
 do so. 
 
 At last, the work was ended, and then I felt a strong 
 desire return to hear that portion of Jackson's history 
 connected with my father and mother, and I told him so. 
 
The Little Savage 43 
 
 He did not appear to be pleased with my communication, 
 or at all willing to proceed, but as I pressed him hard and 
 showed some symptoms of resolution and rebellion, he 
 reluctantly resumed his narrative. 
 
 Chapter VIII 
 
 ** I WISH you to understand," said he, " that my unwill- 
 ingness to go on with my history, proceeds from my being 
 obliged to make known to you the hatred that subsisted 
 between your father and me ; but if you will recollect, 
 that we both had, in our early days, been striving to gain 
 the same object — I mean your mother — and also that he 
 had taken, as it were, v/hat I considered to have been my 
 place, in other points — that he had been successful in life, 
 and I had been unfortunate, you must not then be surprised 
 at my hating him as I did." 
 
 " I understand nothing about your feelings," replied I ; 
 " and why he injured you by marrying my mother, I can- 
 not see." 
 
 " Why I loved her." 
 
 "Well, suppose you did, I don't know what love is, 
 and therefore cannot understand it, so tell me the story." 
 
 " Well then, when I left off, I told you that we had 
 ventured to land upon this island by running the boat into 
 the bathing-pond, but in so doing, the boat was beaten to 
 pieces, and was of no use afterwards. We landed, eight 
 persons in all — that is, the captain, your father, the 
 carpenter, mate, and three seamen, besides your mother. 
 We had literally nothing in the boat except three axes, 
 two kids, and the two pannikins, which we have indeed 
 now, but as for provisions or even water we had none of 
 either. Our first object, therefore, was to search the 
 island to obtain water, and this we soon found at the rill 
 which now runs down by the side of the cabin. It was 
 very fortunate for us that we arrived exactly at the time 
 
44 The Little Savage 
 
 that the birds had come on the island, and had just laid 
 their eggs ; if not, we must have perished with hunger, 
 for we had not a fish-hook with us or even a fathom of 
 line. 
 
 "We collected a quantity of eggs, and made a good 
 meal, although we devoured them raw. While we were 
 running about, or rather .climbing about, over the rocks, 
 to find out what chance of subsistence we might have on 
 the island, the captain and your father remained with your 
 mother, who sat down in a sheltered spot near to the 
 bathing-pool. On our return in the evening, the captain 
 called us all together that he might speak to us, and he 
 said that if we would do well we must all act in concert ; 
 that it also would be necessary that one should have the 
 command and control of the others ; that without such 
 was the case, nothing would go on well •, — and he asked 
 us if we did not consider that what he said was true. We 
 all agreed, although I, for one, felt little inclination to do 
 so, but as all the rest said so, I raised no objections. The 
 captain then told us that as we were all of one opinion, 
 the next point, was to decide as to who should have the 
 command — he said, that if it had been on ship-board, he of 
 course would have taken it himself, but now we were on 
 shore he thought that Mr Henniker was a much more 
 competent person than he was, and he therefore proposed 
 that the command should be given to him, and he, for one, 
 would willingly be under his orders. To this proposal, 
 the carpenter and mate immediately agreed, and at last 
 two of the seamen. I was left alone, but I resisted, 
 saying, that I was not going to be ordered about by a 
 landsman, and that if I were to obey orders, it must be 
 from a thorough-bred seaman. The other two sailors 
 were of my way of thinking, I was sure, although they 
 had given their consent, and I hoped that they would join 
 me, which they appeared very much inclined to do. Your 
 father spoke very coolly, modestly, and prudently. He 
 pointed out that he had no wish to take the command, and 
 that he would cheerfully serve under the captain of the 
 
The Little Savage 45 
 
 vessel, if it would be more satisfactory to all parties that 
 such should be the case. But the captain and the others 
 were positive, saying that they would not have their 
 choice disputed by such a drunken vagabond as I was, and 
 that if I did not like to remain with them, I might go to 
 any part of the island that I chose. This conference ended 
 by my getting in a passion, and saying that I would not be 
 under your father's orders ; and I was seizing one of the 
 axes to go off with it, when the captain caught my arm 
 and wrested it from me, stating that the axe was his 
 property, and then telling me that I was welcome to go 
 where I pleased. 
 
 " I left them, therefore, and went away by myself to 
 where the birds were hatching, as I wished to secure a 
 supply of eggs. When the night closed in, I lay down 
 upon the guano, and felt no cold, for the gale was now 
 over, and the weather was very mild. 
 
 " The next morning, when I awoke, I found that the 
 sun had been up some time. I looked for the rest of my 
 companions whom I had quitted, and perceived that they 
 were all busily at work. The sea was quite calm ; and, 
 when the vessel went down after we left, many articles 
 had floated, and had been washed to the island. Some of 
 the men were busy collecting spars and planks, which 
 were near the rocks, and pushing them along with the 
 boat-hooks to the direction of the bathing pond, where 
 they hauled them over the ridge, and secured them. Your 
 father and mother, with the carpenter, were on this ledge 
 where we now are, having selected it as a proper place for 
 building a shelter, and were apparently very busy. The 
 captain and one of the seamen were carrying up what spars 
 and timber could be collected to where your father was 
 standing with the carpenter. All appeared to be active, 
 and working into each others hands ; and I confess that, 
 as I looked on, I envied them, and wished that I had been 
 along with them ; but I could not bear the idea of obeying 
 any orders given by your father ; and this alone prevented 
 my joining them, and making my excuses for what I had 
 
46 The Little Savage 
 
 done and said the previous night. I therefore swallowed 
 some more birds' eggs raw, and sat down in the sun, 
 looking at them as they worked. 
 
 " I soon perceived that the carpenter had commenced 
 operations. The frame of this cabin was, with the assist- 
 ance of your father, before it was noon, quite complete and 
 put up J and then they all went down to the bathing place, 
 where the boat was lying with her bottom beaten out. 
 They commenced taking her to pieces and saving all the 
 nails ; the other men carried up the portions of the boat as 
 they were ripped off, to where the frame of the cabin had 
 been raised. I saw your mother go up with a load in her 
 hand, which I believed to be the nails taken from the boat. 
 In a couple of hours the boat was in pieces and carried up, 
 and then your father and most of the men went up to 
 assist the carpenter. I hardly need tell what they did, as 
 you have the cabin before you. The roof, you see, is 
 mostly built out of the timbers of the boat ; and the lower 
 part out of heavier wood ; and a very good job they made 
 of it. Before the morning closed in, one of the sides of 
 the cabin was finished ; and I saw them light a fire with 
 the chips that had been cut off with the axes, and they 
 then dressed the eggs and birds which they had collected 
 the first day. 
 
 " There was one thing which I had quite forgotten 
 when I mutinied and left my companions, which was, the 
 necessity of water to drink ; and I now perceived that 
 they had taken possession of the spot where the only 
 water had as yet been found. I was suffering very much 
 from thirst towards the close of the day, and I set off 
 up the ravine to ascertain if there was none to be found in 
 that direction. Before night I succeeded in finding some, 
 as you know, for you have often drunk from the spring 
 when you have gone up for firewood. This gave me 
 great encouragement, for I was afraid that the want of 
 water would have driven me to submission. By way of 
 bravado, I tore ofi', and cut with my knife, as many boughs 
 of the underwood on the ravine as I well could carry, and 
 
The Little Savage 47 
 
 the next morning I built a sort of wigwam for myself on 
 the guano, to show them that I had a house over my head 
 as well as they had ; but I built it farther up to the edge 
 of the cliff, above the guano plain, so that I need not have 
 any communication with those who I knew would come 
 for eggs and birds for their daily sustenance. 
 
 " Before the night of the following day set in, the cabin 
 was quite finished. 
 
 " The weather became warmer every day, and I found 
 it very fatiguing to have to climb the ravine two or three 
 times a day to procure a drink of water, for I had nothing 
 to hold water in, and I thought that it would be better 
 that I should take up my quarters in the ravine, and build 
 myself a wigwam among the brushwood close to the 
 water, instead of having to make so many journeys for so 
 necessary an article. I knew that I could carry eggs in 
 my hat and pocket-handkerchief sufficient for two or three 
 days at one trip ; so I determined that I would do so j and 
 the next morning I went up the ravine, loaded with eggs, 
 to take up my residence there. In a day or two I had 
 built my hut of boughs, and made it very comfortable. 
 I returned for a fresh supply of eggs on the third day, 
 with a basket I had constructed out of young boughs, and 
 which enabled me to carry a whole week's sustenance. 
 Then I felt quite satisfied, and made up my mind that I 
 would live as a hermit during my sojourn on the island, 
 however long it might be ; for I preferred anything to 
 obeying the orders of one whom I detested as I did your 
 father. 
 
 " It soon was evident, however, how well they had done 
 in selecting your father as their leader. They had fancied 
 that the birds would remain on the island, and that thus 
 they would always be able to procure a supply. Your 
 father, who had lived so long in Chili, knew better, and 
 that in a few weeks they would quit their nesting place. 
 He pointed this out to them, showing them what a mercy 
 it was that they had been cast away just at this time, and 
 how necessary it was to make a provision for the year. 
 
48 The Little Savage 
 
 But this they could not Imagine that it was possible to do 
 without salt to cure the birds with ; but he knew how 
 beef was preserved without salt on the continent, and 
 showed them how to dry the birds in the sun. While 
 therefore I was up in the ravine, they were busy collecting 
 and drying them in large quantities, and before the time of 
 the birds leaving they had laid up a sufficient supply. It 
 was he also that invented the fishing lines out of the 
 sinews of the legs of the birds, and your mother who 
 knotted them together. At first, they caught fish with 
 some hooks made of nails, but your father showed them 
 the way to take them without a hook, as you have learnt 
 from me, and which he had been shown by some of the 
 Indians on the continent. Owing to your father, they 
 were well prepared when the birds flew away with their 
 young ones, while I was destitute. Previous to the flight, 
 I had fared but badly, for the eggs contained the young 
 birds half formed, and latterly so completely formed that I 
 could not eat them, and as I had no fire and did not under- 
 stand drying them, I had no alternative but eating the 
 young birds raw, which was anything but pleasant. I 
 consoled myself, however, with the idea that your father 
 and mother and the rest were faring just as badly as myself, 
 and I looked forward to the time when the birds would 
 begin to lay eggs again, when I resolved to hoard up a 
 much larger supply while they were fresh. But my 
 schemes were all put an end to, for in two days, after a 
 great deal of noise and flying about in circles, all the birds, 
 young and old, took wing, and left me without any means 
 of future subsistence. 
 
 "This was a horrid discovery, and I was put to my 
 wits' ends. I wandered over the guano place, and, after 
 the third day of their departure, was glad to pick up even 
 a dead bird with which to appease my hunger. At the 
 same time, I wondered how my former companions got on, 
 for I considered that they must be as badly ofi' as I was. 
 I watched them from behind the rocks, but I could 
 perceive no signs of uneasiness. There was your mother 
 
The Little Savage 49 
 
 sitting quietly on the level by the cabin, and your father 
 or the captain talking with her. I perceived, however, 
 that two of the party were employed fishing off the rocks, 
 and I wondered where they got their fishing-lines, and at 
 last I concluded that it was by catching fish that they 
 supported themselves. This, however, did not help me — 
 I was starving, and starvation will bring down the pride of 
 any man. On the fifth day, I walked down to the rocks, 
 to where one of the seamen was fishing, and having 
 greeted him, I told him that I was starving, and asked for 
 something to eat. 
 
 ** * I cannot help you,' replied he ; * I have no power to 
 give anything away ; it is more than I dare do. You must 
 apply to Mr Henniker, who is the governor now. What 
 a foolish fellow you were to mutiny, as you did ; see what 
 it has brought you to.' 
 
 *« < Why,' replied I, * if it were not for fishing, you 
 would not be better off than I am.' 
 
 " ' Oh yes we should be ; but we have to thank him for 
 that — without him, I grant, we should not have been. 
 We have plenty of provisions, although we fish to help 
 them out.' 
 
 " This puzzled me amazingly, but there was no help 
 for it. I could starve no longer, so up I went to the level 
 where your father was standing with the captain, and in a 
 swaggering sort of tone, said that I had come back, and 
 wanted to join my comrades. The captain looked at me, 
 and referred me to your father, who said that he would 
 consult with the rest when they came to dinner, as without 
 their permission he could do nothing, and then they both 
 turned away. In the meantime I was ravenous with 
 hunger, and was made more so by perceiving that two 
 large fish were slowly baking on the embers of the fire, 
 and that your mother was watching them ; however, there 
 was no help for it, and I sat down at some little distance, 
 anxiously waiting for the return of the rest of the 
 party, when my fate would be decided. My pride was 
 now brought down so low that I could have submitted to 
 
 L.S. D 
 
50 The Little Savage 
 
 any terms which might have been dictated. In about two 
 hours they were all assembled to dinner, and I remained 
 envying every morsel that they ate, until the repast was 
 finished ; when after some consultation, I was ordered to 
 approach — which I did — and your father addressed me : 
 ' Jackson, you deserted us when you might have been 
 very useful, and when our labour was severe ; now that 
 we have worked hard, and made ourselves tolerably com- 
 fortable, you request to join us, and partake with us of 
 the fruits of our labour and foresight. You have provided 
 nothing, we have — the consequence is that we are in com- 
 parative plenty, while you are starving. Now I have 
 taken the opinion of my companions, and they are all 
 agreed, that as you have not assisted when you are wanted, 
 should we now allow you to join us, you will have to work 
 more than the others to make up an equivalent. It is 
 therefore proposed that you shall join us on one condition, 
 which is, that during the year till the birds again visit the 
 island, it will be your task to go up to the ravine every 
 day, and procure the firewood which is required. If you 
 choose to accept these terms, you are permitted to join, 
 always supposing that to all the other rules and regulations 
 which we have laid down for our guidance, you will be 
 subject as well as we are. These are our terms, and you 
 may decide as you think proper.' I hardly need say, that 
 I gladly accepted them, and was still more glad when the 
 remnants of the dinner were placed before me ; I was 
 nearly choked, I devoured with such haste until my 
 appetite was appeased. 
 
 "When this was done, I thought over the conditions 
 which I had accepted, and my blood boiled at the idea 
 that I was to be in a manner the slave to the rest, as I 
 should have to work hard every day. I forgot that it was 
 but justice, and that I was only earning my share of the 
 years' provisions, which I had not assisted to collect. My 
 heart was still more bitter against your father, and I 
 vowed vengeance if ever I had an opportunity, but there 
 was no help for it. Every day I went up with a piece of 
 
The Little Savage 51 
 
 cord and an axe, cut a large faggot of wood, and brought 
 it down to the cabin. It was hard work, and occupied 
 me from breakfast to dinner-time, and I had no time to 
 lose if I wanted to be back for dinner. The captain 
 always examined the faggot, and ascertained that I had 
 brought down a sufficient supply for the day's con- 
 sumption." 
 
 Chapter IX 
 
 ** A YEAR passed away, during which I was thus employed. 
 At last, the birds made their appearance, and after we had 
 laid up our annual provision, I was freed from my task, 
 and had only to share the labour with others. It was now 
 a great source of speculation how long we were likely to 
 remain on the island 5 every day did we anxiously look 
 out for a vessel, but we could see none, or if seen, they 
 were too far off from the island to permit us to make 
 signals to them. At last we began to give up all hope, 
 and, as hope was abandoned, a settled gloom was per- 
 ceptible on most of our faces. I believe that others would 
 have now mutinied as v/ell as myself, if they had known 
 what to mutiny about. Your father and mother were the 
 life and soul of the party, inventing amusements, or narrat- 
 ing a touching story in the evenings, so as to beguile the 
 weary time ; great respect was paid to your mother, which 
 she certainly deserved ; I seldom approached her ; she 
 had taken a decided dislike to me, arising, I presume, 
 from my behaviour towards her husband, for now that 
 I was again on a footing with the others, I was as insolent 
 to him as I dared to be, without incurring the penalty 
 attached to insubordination, and I opposed him as much 
 as I could in every proposal that he brought forward — 
 but your father kept his temper, although I lost mine but 
 too often. The first incident which occurred of any con- 
 sequence, was the loss of two of the men, who had, with 
 
52 The Little Savage 
 
 your father's permission, taken a week's provisions, with 
 the intention of making a tour round the island, and 
 ascertaining whether any valuable information could be 
 brought back ; they were the carpenter and one of the 
 seamen. It appears that during their return, as they were 
 crossing the highest ridge, they, feeling very thirsty, and 
 not finding water, attempted to refresh themselves by 
 eating some berries which they found on a plant. These 
 berries proved to be strong poison, and they returned 
 very ill — after languishing a few days, they both died. 
 
 " This was an event which roused us up, and broke the 
 monotony of our life ; but it was one which was not very 
 agreeable to dwell upon, and yet, at the same time, I felt 
 rather pleasure than annoyance at it — I felt that I was of 
 more consequence, and many other thoughts entered my 
 mind which I shall not now dwell upon. We buried them 
 in the guano, under the first high rock, where, indeed, the 
 others were all subsequently buried. Three more months 
 passed away, when the other seaman was missing. After 
 a search, his trousers were found at the edge of the rock. 
 He had evidently been bathing in the sea, for the day on 
 which he was missed, the water was as smooth as glass. 
 Whether he had seen something floating, which he wished 
 to bring to land, or whether he had ventured for his own 
 amusement, for he was an excellent swimmer, could never 
 be ascertained — any more than whether he had sunk with 
 the cramp, or had been taken down by a shark. He never 
 appeared again, and his real fate is a mystery to this day, 
 and must ever remain so. Thus were we reduced to four 
 men — your father, the captain, the mate, and me. But 
 you must be tired — I will stop now, and tell you the 
 remainder some other time." 
 
 Although I was not tired, yet, as Jackson appeared to 
 be so, I made no objection to his proposal, and we both 
 went to sleep. 
 
 While I had read the Bible to Jackson, I had often been 
 puzzled by numbers being mentioned, and never could 
 understand what was meant, that is, I could form no idea 
 
 \ 
 
The Little Savage ^^ 
 
 of the quantity represented by seventy or sixty, or what- 
 ever it might be. Jackson's answer was, *' Oh ! it means 
 a great many ; I'll explain to you bye-and-bye, but we have 
 nothing to count with, and as I am blind, I must have 
 something in my hand to teach you." I recollected that at 
 the bathing pool there were a great many small shells on 
 the rocks, about the size of a pea ; there were live fish in 
 them, and they appeared to crawl on the rocks. I collected 
 a great quantity of these, and brought them up to the 
 cabin, and requested, Jackson would teach me to count. 
 This he did, until he came to a thousand, which he said 
 was sufficient. For many days I continued to count up to 
 a hundred, until I was quite perfect, and then Jackson 
 taught me addition and subtraction to a certain degree, by 
 making me add and take away from the shells, and count 
 the accumulation, or the remainder. At last, I could 
 remember what I had gained by manipulation, if I may use 
 the term, but further, I could not go, although addition 
 had, to a degree, made me master of multiplication, and 
 subtraction gave me a good idea of division. 
 
 This was a new delight to me, and occupied me for 
 three or four weeks. At last I had, as I thought, learned 
 all that he could teach me in his blind state, and I threw 
 away the shells, and sighed for something more. 
 
 Of a sudden it occurred to me, that I had never looked 
 into the book which still lay upon the shelf in the cabin, 
 and I saw no reason now that I should not ; so I mentioned 
 it to Jackson, and asked him why I might not have that 
 book ? 
 
 "To be sure you may," replied he; "but you never 
 asked for it, and I quite forgot it." 
 
 " But when I asked you before, you were so particular 
 that I should not open it. What was your reason then ? " 
 
 Jackson replied — " I had no reason except that I then 
 disHked you, and I thought that looking into the book 
 would give you pleasure. It belonged to that poor fellow 
 that was drowned ; he had left it in the stern-sheets of the 
 boat when we were at Valdivia, and had forgotten it, and 
 
54 The Little Savage 
 
 we found it there when we landed on the island. Take it 
 down, it will amuse you." 
 
 I took down the book, and opened it. It was, if I 
 recollect right, called " Mavor's Natural History." At all 
 events, it was a Natural History of Beasts and Birds, with 
 a plate representing each, and a description annexed. It 
 would be impossible for me to convey to the reader my 
 astonishment and delight. I had never seen a picture or 
 drawing in my life. I did not know that such things 
 existed. I was in an ecstasy of delight as I turned over 
 the pages, hardly taking sufficient time to see one object 
 before I hastened on to another. For two or three hours 
 did I thus turn over leaves, without settling upon any one 
 animal ; at last my pulse beat more regularly, and I com- 
 menced with the Lion. But now what a source of 
 amusement, and what a multitude of questions had to be 
 answered by my companion. He had to tell me all about 
 the countries in which the animals were found ; and the 
 description of the animals, with the anecdotes, were a 
 source of much conversation j and, what was more, the 
 foregrounds and backgrounds of the landscapes with 
 which the animals were surrounded produced new ideas. 
 There was a palm-tree, which I explained to Jackson, and 
 inquired about it. This led to more inquiries. The lion 
 himself occupied him and me for a whole afternoon, and it 
 was getting dark when I lay down, with my new treasure 
 by my side. I had read of the lion in the Scriptures, and 
 now I recalled all the passages ; and before I slept I 
 thought of the bear which destroyed the children who had 
 mocked Elisha the prophet, and I determined that the first 
 animal I would read about the next morning should be the 
 bear. 
 
 I think that this book lasted me nearly two months, 
 during which time, except reading a portion every night 
 and morning to Jackson, the Bible and Prayer-book were 
 neglected. Sometimes I thought that the book could not 
 be true j but when I came to the birds, I found those which 
 frequented the island so correctly described, that I had no 
 
The Little Savage ^^ 
 
 longer any doubt on the subject. Perhaps what interested 
 me most were the plates in which the barn-door fowls and 
 the peacock were described, as in the background of the 
 first were a cottage and figures, representing the rural 
 scenery of England, my own country ; and in the second 
 there was a splendid mansion, and a carriage and four 
 horses driving up to the door. In short, it is impossible 
 to convey to the reader the new ideas which I received 
 from these slight efforts of the draftsman to give effect to 
 his drawing. The engraving was also a matter of much 
 wonder, and required a great deal of explanation from 
 Jackson. This book became my treasure, and it was not 
 till I had read it through and through, so as almost to 
 know it by heart, that at length I returned to my Bible. 
 All this time I had never asked Jackson to go on with his 
 narrative ; but now that my curiosity was appeased, I made 
 the request. He appeared, as before, very unwilling ; but 
 I was pertinacious, and he was worried into it. 
 
 " There were but four of us left and your mother, and 
 the mate was in a very bad state of health ; he fretted very 
 much, poor fellow, for he had left a young wife in England, 
 and what he appeared to fear most was, that she would be 
 married again before he could get home. It ended in a 
 confirmed liver complaint, which carried him off nine 
 months afterwards ; and thus was one more of our com- 
 panions disposed of. He died very quietly, and gave me 
 his sleeve-buttons and watch to deliver to his wife, if ever 
 I should escape from the island. I fear there is little 
 chance of her ever receiving them." 
 
 ** Where are they ? " said I, recollecting how I had seen 
 him Hft up the board under his bed-place. 
 
 " I have them safe," replied Jackson, " and if necessary, 
 will tell you where to find them." 
 
 This reply satisfied me, and I allowed him to proceed. 
 
 " We buried him in the guano, by the side of the two 
 others, and now we were but three. It was at this time 
 that your mother was confined and you were born ; that 
 is about three months after the death of the mate. We 
 
$6 The Little Savage 
 
 had just finished laying in our stock of birds for the year 
 when she was taken ill, sooner than was expected, and it 
 was supposed that it was occasioned by over-exertion at 
 the time. However, she got up very well without any 
 medical assistance, and your father was much pleased at 
 having a son, for he had been married five years without 
 any prospect of a family. I ought to observe that the loss 
 of our companions, one after another, had had the effect 
 of bringing those that remained much closer together ; I 
 was treated with more kindness by both your father and 
 mother, and the captain, and I returned it as well as my 
 feelings would permit me, for I could not altogether get 
 rid of my animosity to your father. However, we became 
 much more confidential, that is certain, and I was now 
 treated as an equal. 
 
 " Six months passed away and you had become a thriving 
 child, when a melancholy occurrence " — here Jackson 
 covered up his face with his hands and remained for some 
 time silent. 
 
 " Go on," said I, " Jackson, I know that they all died 
 somehow or another." 
 
 ** Very true," replied he, recovering himself. ** Well, 
 your father disappeared. He had gone to the rocks to 
 fish, and when I was sent to bring him home to dinner, he 
 was nowhere to be found. It was supposed that a larger 
 fish than usual had been fast to his line, and that he had 
 been jerked off the rocks into the water and the sharks had 
 taken him. It was a dreadful affair," continued Jackson, 
 again covering his face. 
 
 " I think," replied I, " that any man in his senses would 
 have allowed the fish to have taken the line rather than 
 have been dragged into the water. I don't think that the 
 supposed manner of his death is at all satisfactory." 
 
 "Perhaps not," replied Jackson; "his foot may have 
 slipped, who knows ? we only could guess ; the line was 
 gone as well as he, which made us think what I said. 
 Still we searched everywhere, but without hope ; and our 
 search — that is the captain's and mine, for your poor 
 
The Little Savage si 
 
 mother remained with you in her arms distracted — was the 
 cause of another disaster — no less than the death of the 
 captain. They say misfortunes never come single, and 
 surely this was an instance of the truth of the proverb.'* 
 
 " How did he die ? " replied I, gravely, for somehow 
 or other I felt doubts as to the truth of what he was say- 
 ing. Jackson did not reply till after a pause, when he 
 said — 
 
 ** He was out with me up the ravine collecting firewood, 
 and he fell over the high cliiF. He was so injured that he 
 died in half an hour." 
 
 *'What did you do?" 
 
 "What did I do — what could I do but go back and 
 break the news to your mother, who was distracted when 
 she heard it ; for the captain was her friend, and she could 
 not bear me." 
 
 " Well go on, pray," said I. 
 
 " I did all that I could to make your mother comfortable, 
 as there now were but her, you, and I, left on the island. 
 You were then about three years old ; but your mother 
 always hated me, and appeared now to hate me more and 
 more. She never recovered the loss of your father to 
 whom she was devotedly attached ; she pined away, and 
 after six months she died, leaving you and me only on the 
 island. Now you know the whole history, and pray do 
 not ask me any more about it." 
 
 Chapter X 
 
 Jackson threw himself back in his bed-place and was 
 silent. So was I, for I was recalling all that he had told 
 me, and my doubts were raised as to the truth of it. I did 
 not like his hurrying over the latter portion of his narrative 
 in the way which he had done. What he had said about 
 my mother was not satisfactory. I had for some time 
 been gradually drawing towards him, not only shewing. 
 
^8 The Little Savage 
 
 but feeling, for him a great increase of goodwill; but 
 suspicion had entered my mind, and I now began to feel 
 my former animosity towards him renewed. A night's 
 sleep, however, and more reflection, induced me to think 
 that possibly I was judging him too harshly, and as I 
 could not afford to quarrel with him, our intercourse 
 remained as amicable as before, particularly as he became 
 more and more amiable towards me and did everything in 
 his power to interest and amuse me. 
 
 I was one day reading to him the account of a monkey 
 given in the book of Natural History, in which it is said 
 that that animal is fond of spirits and will intoxicate itself, 
 and Jackson was telling me many anecdotes of monkeys on 
 board of the vessel he had sailed in, when it occurred to 
 me that I had never thought of mentioning to him or of 
 ascertaining the contents of the cask which had been 
 thrown into the bathing-pool with the seaman's chest, and 
 I did so then to Jackson, wondering at its contents and 
 how they were to be got at. 
 
 Jackson entered into the question warmly, explaining to 
 me how and where to bore holes with a gimlet, and 
 making two spiles for me to stop the holes with. As soon 
 as he had done so, curiosity induced me to go down to the 
 pool where the cask had been lying so long, in about a 
 foot-and-half water. By Jackson's directions I took a 
 pannikin with me, that I might bring him a specimen of 
 the contents of the cask, if they should prove not to be 
 water. I soon bored the hole above and below, following 
 Jackson's directions, and the liquor, which poured out in a 
 small stream into the pannikin, was of a brown colour and 
 very strong in odour, so strong, indeed, as to make me 
 reel as I walked back to the rocks with the pannikin full 
 of it. I then sat down, and after a time tasted it. I 
 thought I had swallowed fire, for I had taken a good 
 mouthful of it. "This cannot be what Jackson called 
 spirits," said I. " No one can drink this — what can it 
 be ? " Although I had not swallowed more than a table- 
 spoonful of it, yet, combined with the fumes of the liquor 
 
The Little Savage 59 
 
 which I had inhaled when drawing it off into the pannikin, 
 the effect was to make my head swim, and I lay down on 
 the rock and shut my eyes to recover myself. It ended in 
 my falling asleep for many hours, for it was not much 
 after noon when I went to the cask, and it was near sun- 
 set when I awoke, with an intense pain in my head. It 
 was some time before I could recollect where I was, or 
 what had passed, but the pannikin full of liquor by my 
 side first reminded me ; and then perceiving how late it 
 was, and how long I must have slept, I rose up, and taking 
 the pannikin in my hand, I hastened to return to the cabin. 
 
 As I approached, I heard the voice of Jackson, whose 
 hearing, since his blindness, I had observed, had become 
 peculiarly acute. 
 
 *' Is that you, Frank ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied I. 
 
 " And what has kept you so long — how you have 
 frightened me. God forgive me, but I thought that 
 I was to be left and abandoned to starvation." 
 
 "Why should you have thought that ? " replied I. 
 
 " Because I thought that some way or another you 
 must have been killed, and then I must have died, of 
 course. I never was so frightened in my life, the idea 
 of dying here all alone — it was terrible." 
 
 It occurred to me at the time that the alarm was all for 
 himself, for he did not say a word about how sorry he 
 should have been at any accident happening to me, but 
 I made no remark, simply stating what had occurred, and 
 my conviction that the contents of the cask were not 
 drinkable. 
 
 " Have you brought any with you ? " inquired he, 
 sharply. 
 
 " Yes, here it is," said I, giving him the pannikin. 
 
 He smelt it, and raised it to his lips — took about 
 a wine-glassful of it, and then drew his breath. 
 
 " This is delightful," said he ; " the best of old rum, 
 I never tasted so good. How big did you say that the 
 cask was ? " 
 
6o The Little Savage 
 
 I described it as well as I could. 
 
 ** Indeed, then it must be a whole puncheon — that will 
 last a long while." 
 
 " But do you mean to say that you really like to drink 
 that stuff? " inquired I. 
 
 " Do I like to drink it ? yes, it is good for men, but it's 
 death to little boys. It will kill you. Don't you get fond 
 of it. Now promise me that you will never drink a drop 
 of it. You must not get fond of it, or some sad accident 
 will happen to you." 
 
 " I don't think you need fear my drinking it," replied I. 
 " I have had one taste, as I told you, and it nearly burnt 
 my mouth. I shan't touch it again." 
 
 ** That's right," replied Jackson, taking another quantity 
 into his mouth. " You are not old enough for it ; bye- 
 and-bye, when you are as old as I am, you may drink it, 
 then it will do you good. Now, I'll go to bed, it's time 
 for bed. Bring the pannikin after me and put it by my 
 side. Take care you don't spill any of it." 
 
 Jackson crawled to his bed, and I followed him with 
 the pannikin, and put it by his side, as he requested, and 
 I returned to my own resting-place, without however 
 having the least inclination to sleep, having slept so long 
 during the day. 
 
 At first Jackson was quiet, but I heard him occasion- 
 ally applying to the pannikin, which held, I should say, 
 about three half-pints of liquor. At last he commenced 
 singing a sea song ; I was much surprised, as I had never 
 heard him sing before ; but I was also much pleased, as it 
 was the first time that I had ever heard anything like melody, 
 for he had a good voice and sang in good tune. As soon 
 as he had finished, I begged him to go on. 
 
 ** Ah ! " replied he, with a gay tone I had never heard 
 from him before. " You like songs, do you ? my little 
 chap. Well, I'll give you plenty of them. 'Tis a long 
 while since I have sung, but it's a * poor heart that never 
 rejoice th.' The time was when no one in company could 
 sing a song as I could, and so I can again, now that I 
 
The Little Savage 6i 
 
 have something to cheer my heart. Yes, here's another 
 for you. I shall rouse them all out by-and-bye, as I get 
 the grog in — no fear of that — you find the stuff, and I'll 
 find songs." 
 
 I was surprised at first at this unusual mirth ; but 
 recollecting what Jackson had told me about his intemper- 
 ance, I presumed that this mirth which it produced was 
 the cause why he indulged so much in it ; and I felt less 
 inclined to blame him. At all events, I was much pleased 
 with the songs that he sang to me one after another for 
 three or four hours, when his voice became thick, and, 
 after some muttering and swearing, he was quite silent, 
 and soon afterwards snored loudly. I remained awake 
 some time longer, and then I also sank into forgetful- 
 ness. 
 
 When I awoke the next morning, I found Jackson still 
 fast asleep. I waited for him for our morning meal ; but, 
 as he did not wake, I took mine by myself, and then 
 I walked out to the rock, where I usually sat, and looked 
 round the horizon to see if there was anything in sight. 
 The spy-glass, from having been in sea water, was of no 
 use, and I did not know what to do with it ; nor could 
 Jackson instruct me. After I had been out about an hour 
 I returned, and found Jackson still snoring, and I deter- 
 mined to wake him up. I pushed him for some time 
 without success ; but, at last he opened his eyes, and said : 
 
 ** My watch already ? " 
 
 " No," said I ; ** but you have slept so long, that I have 
 waked you up." 
 
 He paused, as if he did not know my voice, and then 
 said : 
 
 " But I can't see anything ; how's this ? " 
 
 "Why, don't you know that you're blind, Jackson?" 
 replied I, with amazement. 
 
 " Yes, yes ; I recollect now. Is there anything in the 
 pannikin ? " 
 
 " Not a drop," replied I ; " why, you must have drunk 
 it all." 
 
62 The Little Savage 
 
 " Yes, I recollect now. Get me some water, my good 
 boy •, for I am dying with thirst." 
 
 I went for the water ; he drank the whole pannikin, 
 and asked for more. 
 
 "Won't you have something to eat ?" said I. 
 
 ** Eat ? oh no J I can't eat anything. Give me drink ; " 
 and he held out his hand for the pannikin. I perceived 
 how it trembled and shook, and I observed it to him. 
 
 " Yes," replied he, " that's always the case after a 
 carouse, and I had a good one last night — the first for 
 many a year. But there's plenty more of it. I wish you 
 would get me a little more now, Frank, just to steady 
 me ; just about two or three mouthfuls, no more ; that is, 
 no more till night-time. Did I make much noise last 
 night?" 
 
 " You sang several songs," replied I, " with which I 
 was much amused." 
 
 " I'm glad that you liked them. I used to be con- 
 sidered a good singer in my day ; indeed, if I had not 
 been such good company, as they term it, I had not 
 become so fond of drinking. Just go and fetch me about 
 half an inch high of the pannikin, my good fellow, that's 
 all I want now." 
 
 I went down to the cask, drew of the quantity that he 
 requested, and brought it to him. He drank it off; and, 
 in a few moments, appeared to be quite himself again. 
 He then asked for something to eat, and commenced 
 telling me a variety of stories relative to what he termed 
 jolly parties in his former days ; so that the day passed 
 very agreeably. As the night closed in, he said : 
 
 " Now, Frank, I know you want to hear some more 
 songs ; so go down and bring me up a full pannikin, and 
 I will sing you plenty." 
 
 I complied with his request, for I was anxious to be 
 again amused as I was the night before. The con- 
 sequence was that this night was, in the early portion of 
 it, but a repetition of the previous one. Jackson took 
 the precaution to get into his bed-place before he 
 
The Little Savage 6^ 
 
 commenced drinking ; and, as soon as he had taken his 
 second dose, he asked me what sort of songs I liked. 
 My reply naturally was, that I had never heard any one 
 sing but him, and therefore could not say. 
 
 " What did I sing to you last night ? " said he. 
 
 I replied as well as I could. 
 
 " Ah," said he, " they were all sea songs ; but now I 
 will give you something better." 
 
 After a little thought, he commenced singing a very 
 beautiful and plaintive one, and certainly much better 
 than he had sung the night before ; for he now was 
 sober. The consequence was, that I was still more 
 delighted ; and, at my request, he sang several others ; 
 but at last his speech became rapid and thick, and he 
 would not sing any more, using some very coarse 
 expressions to me when I asked him. For a time he 
 was silent, and I thought that he was going to sleep, 
 and I was reflecting upon the various effects which the 
 liquor appeared to have upon him, when I heard him 
 talking and muttering, and I listened. 
 
 " Never mind how I got them," said he ; " quite as 
 honestly as other people, Old Moshes. There they are, 
 do you choose to buy them ? " Then there was a pause, 
 after which he commenced : ** They're as pure diamonds 
 as ever came out of a mine. I know that, so none of 
 your lies, you old Jew. Where did I come by them ? 
 that's no concern of yours. The question is, will you 
 give me the price, or will you not ? Well, then, I'm off. 
 No, I won't come back, you old thief." Here he swore 
 terribly, and then was silent. 
 
 After a while he recommenced — 
 
 "Who can ever prove that they were Henniker's 
 diamonds ? " 
 
 I started up at the mention of my father's name ; I 
 rested with my hands on the floor of the cabin, breathless 
 as to what would come next. 
 
 " No, no," continued Jackson, " he's dead, and food for 
 fishes — dead men tell no tales — and she's dead, and the 
 
64 The Little Savage 
 
 captain's dead, all dead — yes, all , " and he gave a bitter 
 groan and was silent. 
 
 The day was breaking, and I could just see him as he 
 lay ; but he said no more, and appeared to breathe 
 heavily. As the sun rose, I got out of my bed-place ; 
 and, now that it was broad daylight, I looked at Jackson. 
 He was lying on his back ; his brow was covered with 
 large drops of perspiration, and his hands were clenched 
 together. Although asleep, he appeared, by the con- 
 vulsive twitching of the muscles of his face, to be 
 suffering and in great agony. Occasionally he groaned 
 deeply, and his lips appeared to move, but no sound 
 proceeded from them. I perceived that the pannikin 
 of liquor was not finished, one-third at least having been 
 left. 
 
 Chapter XI 
 
 I THEN went out of the cabin and took my usual seat, and 
 began to reflect upon what I had heard. He had talked 
 about diamonds j now I knew what diamonds were, so 
 far as they were of great value, for I had read of them 
 in the Bible, and Jackson had explained the value of 
 precious stones to me, and had told me of diamonds of 
 very great value indeed. Then he said that they were 
 Henniker's diamonds — he must have meant my father, 
 that was positive. And that no one could prove they 
 were his — this implied that Jackson had no right to them % 
 indeed how could he have ? And then I recalled to mind 
 his having a secret hiding place under his bed, where I 
 presumed the diamonds were deposited. I then turned 
 over in my mind what he had told me relative to the 
 death of my father, the captain, and my mother, how 
 confused he Vv^as, and how glad he was to get rid of the 
 subject, and how unsatisfactory I thought his account was 
 at the time. After much cogitation, I made up my mind 
 
The Little Savage 6$ 
 
 that Jackson had not told me the truth, and that there 
 was a mystery yet to be explained ; but how was I to 
 get at it ? There was but one way. The liquor made 
 him talk. I would supply him with liquor, and by 
 degrees I would get the truth out of him. At the same 
 time I would not allow him to suppose that he had said 
 anything to commit himself, or that I had any suspicions. 
 
 How naturally do we fall into treachery and deceit, 
 from the evil in our own hearts, without any assistance 
 or example from the world. How could I have learnt 
 deceit ? Isolated as I had been, must it not have been 
 innate ? 
 
 I returned to the cabin, and woke Jackson without 
 much difficulty, since he had not drunk so much as on 
 the previous night. 
 
 ** How are you this morning ? " said I. 
 
 " Not very well ; I have had some bad dreams." 
 
 " Well you sang me some beautiful songs," replied I. 
 
 ** Yes, I recollect," said he ; " but I fell asleep at last." 
 
 " Yes, you refused to sing any more, and went off in 
 a loud snore." 
 
 Jackson got out of his bed-place, and I gave him his 
 meal. We talked during the whole day about singing, 
 and I hummed the air which had pleased me most. 
 
 " You have got the air pretty correct," said he ; " you 
 must have an ear for music. Have you ever tried to 
 sing ? " 
 
 " No, never ; you know I have not." 
 
 ** You might have tried when I was not with you. 
 Try now. I will sing a tune, and then do you repeat 
 it after me." 
 
 He did so, and I repeated it. 
 
 " Very good," said he. " Let's try the compass of 
 your voice." 
 
 He ran up the gamut, and I followed him. 
 
 "I think you can go higher than I can," said he, "how- 
 ever you go quite high enough, so now I'll give you a 
 singing lesson." 
 
 L.s. E 
 
66 The Little Savage 
 
 Thus were we occupied at intervals during the whole 
 day, for Jackson would not allow me to try my voice 
 too much at first. As the evening fell, he again asked 
 me to fetch some liquor, and as I had three quart wine 
 bottles, as I before mentioned, which I had found in the 
 chest, I took them down to fill, as it would save me many 
 trips, and be more convenient in every respect. 
 
 I brought them up full, and Jackson stopped them up 
 with some of the rags which I had torn to bind round 
 his wrist, and put them all three in his bed-place. 
 
 " That will be a much better arrangement," said he, 
 " as now I can pour out the liquor into the pannikin as 
 I want it ; besides, I mean to take a little water with 
 it in future. It's not quite so good with water, but 
 it lasts longer, and one don't go to sleep so soon. Well, 
 I httle thought that I should have such a comfort sent 
 me after all my sufferings. I don't so much care now 
 about staying here. Go and fetch some water in the 
 pannikin." 
 
 That night was a repetition of the first. Jackson sang 
 till he was intoxicated, and then fell fast asleep, not 
 talking or saying a word, and I was disappointed, for I 
 remained awake to catch anything he might say. It 
 would be tedious to repeat what took place for about 
 a month ; — suffice it to say it was very rarely, during 
 that time, that Jackson said anything in his sleep, or 
 drunken state, and what he did say I could make nothing 
 of. He continued, in the daytime, to give me lessons 
 in singing, and I could now sing several songs very 
 correctly. At night, he returned to his usual habit, and 
 was more or less intoxicated before the night was over. 
 I perceived, however, that this excess had a great effect 
 upon his constitution, and that he had become very pale 
 and haggard. Impatient as I felt to find out the truth, 
 I concealed my feelings towards him (which had certainly 
 very much changed again since the discovery I had made 
 and the suspicions I had formed) and I remained on the 
 best of terms with him, resolving to wait patiently. He 
 
The Little Savage d^j 
 
 had spoken once, and therefore I argued that he would 
 speak again, nor was I wrong in my calculations. 
 
 One night, after he had finished his usual allowance 
 of liquor, and had composed himself for sleep, I observed 
 that he was unusually restless, changing his position in 
 his bed-place every few minutes, and, at last, he muttered, 
 ** Captain James. Well, what of Captain James, eh ? " 
 
 A thought struck me that he might reply to a question. 
 
 ** How did he die ? " said I, in a low clear voice. 
 
 " Die ? " replied Jackson, " he fell down the cliff. Yes, 
 he did. You can't say I killed him. No — never put 
 my finger on him." 
 
 After that, he was silent for some time, and then he 
 recommenced. 
 
 ** She always said that I destroyed them both, but I 
 did not — only one — yes, one, I grant — but I hated him — 
 no, not for his diamonds — no, no — if you said his wife 
 indeed — love and hate." 
 
 " Then you killed him for love of his wife, and hate of 
 himself?" 
 
 " Yes, I did. Who are you that have guessed that ? 
 Who are you ? I'll have your life." 
 
 As he said this, he started up in his bed-place, awakened 
 by his dream, and probably by my voice, which he had 
 replied to. 
 
 " Who spoke ? " said he. ** Frank Henniker, did you 
 speak ? " 
 
 I made no reply, but pretended to be sound asleep, as 
 he still sat up, as if watching me. I feigned a snore. 
 
 ** It could not have been him," muttered Jackson, ** he's 
 quite fast. Mercy, what a dream ! " 
 
 He then sank down in his bed-place, and I heard the 
 gurgling noise which told me that he had put the bottle of 
 liquor to his mouth, and was drinking out of it. From 
 the time that the gurgling lasted, he must have taken a 
 great deal. At last, all was quiet again. 
 
 " So I have discovered it at last," said I, as my blood 
 boiled at what I had heard. ** He did murder my father. 
 
68 The Little Savage 
 
 Shall I kill him while he sleeps ? " was the first thought 
 that came into my troubled mind. " No, I won't do that. 
 "What then, shall I tax him with it when he is awake, and 
 then kill him ? " but I thought, that, as he was blind, and 
 unable to defend himself, it would be cowardly, and I 
 could not do that. What then was I to do ? and as I 
 cooled down, I thought of the words of the Bible, that we 
 were to return good for evil ; for Jackson, of whom, 
 when I read it, I asked why we were told to do so, had 
 explained it to me, and afterwards when I came to the 
 part which said, " Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord," he 
 had told me that there was punishment for the wicked 
 hereafter, and that was the reason why we were not to 
 obey the Jewish law of " an eye for an eye, and a tooth 
 for a tooth," which I had referred to. This portion of the 
 Bible he had well explained, and certain it is that it pre- 
 vented my raising my hand against him that night. Still, 
 I remained in a state of great excitement ; I felt that it 
 would be impossible for me to be any longer on good 
 terms with him, and I revolved the question in my mind, 
 till at last, worn out by excitement, I fell fast asleep. 
 
 A short time before daylight, I started up at what I 
 thought was a faint cry, but I listened, and hearing 
 nothing more, I again fell asleep, and it was broad 
 daylight when I arose ; my first thoughts were naturally 
 of Jackson, and I looked at where he lay, but he was no 
 longer there — his bed-place was empty. I was astonished, 
 and after a moment's thought, I recollected the cry I had 
 heard in the night, and I ran out of the cabin and 
 looked around me, but I could see nothing of him. 
 I then went to the edge of the flat rock upon which 
 the cabin was built and looked over it ; it was about 
 thirty feet from this rock to the one below, and nearly 
 perpendicular. I thought that he must have gone out in 
 the night, when intoxicated with liquor, and have fallen 
 down the precipice ; but I did not see him as I peered 
 over. " He must have gone for water," thought I, and 
 I ran to the corner of the rock, where the precipice was 
 
The Little Savage 69 
 
 much deeper, and looking over, I perceived him lying 
 down below without motion or apparent life. I had, then, 
 judged rightly. I sat down by the side of the pool of 
 water quite overpowered ; last night I had been planning 
 how I should destroy him, and now he lay dead before me 
 without my being guilty of the crime. "Vengeance is 
 mine, saith the Lord," were the words that first escaped 
 my lips ; and I remained many minutes in deep thought. 
 At last it occurred to me that he might not yet be 
 dead ; I ran down the cliff, and, clambering over the 
 rocks, arrived breathless at the spot where Jackson lay. 
 He groaned heavily as I stood by him. 
 
 " Jackson," said I, kneeling down by him, " are you 
 much hurt ? " for all my feelings of animosity had vanished 
 when I perceived his unhappy condition. His lips moved, 
 but he did not utter any sound. At last he said, in a low 
 voice, " Water." I hastened back as fast as I could to 
 the cabin, got a pannikin half full of water, and poured 
 a little rum in it out of the bottle. This journey and 
 my return to him occupied some ten minutes. I put it to 
 his lips, and he seemed to revive. He was a dreadful 
 object to look at. The blood from a cut on his head had 
 poured over his face and beard, which were clotted with 
 gore. How to remove him to the cabin I knew not. 
 It would be hardly possible for me to carry him over 
 the broken rocks which I had climbed to arrive at 
 where he lay , and there was no other way but what 
 was longer, and just as difficult. By degrees he appeared 
 to recover ; I gave him more of the contents of the 
 pannikin, and at last he could speak, although with 
 great pain and difficulty. As he did so he put his hand 
 to his side. He was indeed a ghastly object, with his 
 sightless eyeballs, his livid lips, and his face and beard 
 matted with blood. 
 
 ** Do you think you could get to the cabin, if I helped 
 you ? " said I. 
 
 ** I shall never get there — let me die where I am,** 
 said he. 
 
70 The Little Savage 
 
 "But the cut on your head is not very deep," replied I. 
 
 " No, I don't feel it ; — but — my side — I bleed inwardly 
 — I am — broken to pieces," said he, pausing and gasping 
 between each word. 
 
 I looked at his side, and perceived that it was already 
 black and much swollen. I offered him more drink, which 
 he took eagerly, and I then returned for a further supply. 
 I filled two of the wine-bottles with water and a small 
 drop of spirits as before, and went back to where he lay. 
 I found him more recovered, and I had hopes that he 
 might still do well, and I told him so. 
 
 ** No, no," replied he ; ** I have but a few hours to live 
 — I feel that. Let me die here, and die in peace." 
 
 He then sank into a sort of stupor, occasioned, I presume, 
 by what I had given him to drink, and remained quite quiet, 
 and breathing heavily. I sat by him waiting till he should 
 rouse up again ; for more than an hour I was in a very 
 confused state of mind, as may well be imagined, after 
 what had passed in the night. 
 
 Chapter XII 
 
 What I most thought of was obtaining from him, now 
 that he was dying, the full truth as to the deaths of my 
 father and mother. 
 
 Jackson remained so long in this state of stupor, I feared 
 that he would die before I could interrogate him; but 
 this, as it proved, was not to be the case. I waited 
 another hour, very impatiently I must acknowledge, and 
 then I went to him and asked him how he felt. He replied 
 immediately, and without that difficulty which he appeared 
 before to have experienced. 
 
 " I am better now — the inward bleeding has stopped ; 
 but still I cannot live — my side is broken in, I do not think 
 there is a rib that is not fractured into pieces, and my spine 
 is injured, for I cannot move or feel my legs 5 but I may 
 
The Little Savage 71 
 
 live many hours yet, and I thank God for His mercy in 
 allowing me so much time — short indeed to make repara- 
 tion for so bad a life, but still nothing is impossible with 
 God." 
 
 ** Well, then," replied I, " if you can speak, I wish you 
 would tell me the truth relative to my father's death, and 
 also about the death of others ; as for my father I know 
 that you murdered him — for you said so last night in your 
 sleep." 
 
 After a pause, Jackson replied — **I am glad that I did, 
 and that you have told me so — I wished to make a full 
 confession even to you, for confession is a proof of repent- 
 ance. I know that you must hate me, and will hate my 
 memory, and I cannot be surprised at it ; but look at me 
 now, Frank, and ask your own heart whether I am not 
 more an object of pity than of hatred. * Vengeance is 
 mine, saith the Lord ! ' and has not His vengeance fallen 
 upon me even in this world ? Look at me ; here I am, 
 separated from the world that I loved so much, with no 
 chance of ever joining it — possessed of wealth which would 
 but a few months ago have made me happy — now blind, 
 crushed to pieces by an avenging God, in whose presence 
 I must shortly appear to answer for all my wickedness — 
 all my expectations overthrown, all my hopes destroyed, 
 and all my accumulated sins procuring me nothing, but, it 
 may be, eternal condemnation. I ask you again, am I not 
 an object of pity and commiseration ? " 
 
 I could but assent to this, and he proceeded. 
 
 " I will now tell you the truth. I did tell the truth up 
 to the time of your father and mother's embarkation on 
 board of the brig, up to when the gale of wind came on 
 which occasioned eventually the loss of the ship. Now 
 give me a little drink. 
 
 " The vessel was so tossed by the storm, and the waves 
 broke over her so continually, that the between-decks were 
 full of water, and as the hatches were kept down, the heat 
 was most oppressive. When it was not my watch I 
 remained below, and looked out for another berth to sleep 
 
72 The Little Savage 
 
 in. Before the cabin bulkheads on the starboard side, 
 the captain had fitted up a sort of sail-room to contain the 
 spare sails in case we should require them. It was about 
 eight feet square, and the sails were piled up in it, so as 
 to reach within two feet of the deck overhead; though 
 the lower ones were wetted with the water, above they 
 were dry, and I took this berth on the top of the sails as 
 my sleeping place. Now the state-room in which your 
 father and mother slept was on the other side of the cabin 
 bulkhead, and the straining and rolling of the vessel had 
 opened the chinks between the planks, so that I could see 
 a great deal of what was done in the state-room, and could 
 hear every word almost that was spoken by them. I was 
 not aware of this when I selected this place as my berth, 
 but I found it out on the first night, the light of the candle 
 shining through the chinks into the darkness by which I 
 was surrounded outside. Of course, it is when a man is 
 alone with his wife that he taiks on confidential subjects ; 
 that I knew well, and hoped by listening to be able to 
 make some discovery; — what, I had no idea of; but, with 
 the bad feelings which stimulated me, I determined not to 
 lose an opportunity. It was not till about a week after I 
 had selected this berth, that I made any discovery. I had 
 had the watch from six to eight o'clock, and had gone to 
 bed early. About nine o'clock your father came into the 
 state-room. Your mother was already in bed. As your 
 father undressed, your mother said, *Does not that belt 
 worry you a great deal, my dear ? ' 
 
 ***No,' replied your father, 'I am used to it now; it 
 did when I first put it on, but now I have had it on four 
 days, I do not feel it. I shall keep it on as long as this 
 weather lasts ; there is no saying what may happen, and it 
 will not do to be looking for the belt at a moment's 
 warning.' 
 
 " * Do you think then that we are in danger ? ' 
 " * No, not particularly so, but the storm is very fierce, 
 and the vessel is old and weak. We may have fine weather 
 in a day or two, or we may not ; at all events, when 
 
 I 
 
The Little Savage 'j'Tf 
 
 property of value is at stake, and that property not my 
 own, I should feel myself very culpable, if I did not take 
 every precaution.' 
 
 " ' Well — I wish we were safe home again, my dear, 
 and that my father had his diamonds, but we are in the 
 hands of God.' 
 
 " * Yes, I must trust to Him,' replied your father. 
 
 ** This circumstance induced me to look through one of 
 the chinks of the bulkhead, so that I could see your father, 
 and I perceived that he was unbuckling a belt which was 
 round his body, and which no doubt contained the 
 diamonds referred to. It was of soft leather, and about 
 eight inches wide, sewed lengthways and breadthways in 
 small squares, in which I presumed the diamonds were 
 deposited. After a time your mother spoke again. 
 
 " * I really think, Henniker, that I ought to wear the 
 belt.' 
 
 " * Why so, my dear ? ' 
 
 " * Because it might be the means of my preservation in 
 case of accident. Suppose now, we were obhged to 
 abandon the vessel and take to the boats -, a husband, in 
 his hurry, might forget his wife, but he would not forget 
 his diamonds. If I wore the belt, you would be certain 
 to put me in the boat.' 
 
 ***That observation of yours would have force with 
 some husbands, and some wives,' retorted your father 5 
 '■ but as I have a firm belief in the Scriptures, it does not 
 affect me. What do the Proverbs say ? " The price of a 
 virtuous woman is far above rubies •, " and a good ruby is 
 worth even more in the market than a diamond of the 
 same size.' 
 
 " * Well, I must comfort myself with that idea,' replied 
 your mother, laughing. 
 
 " * Supposing we be thrown upon some out-of-the-way 
 place,' said your father, * I shall then commit the belt to 
 your charge. It might soon be discovered on my person, 
 whereas, on yours, it would stand every chance of being 
 long concealed. I say this because, even in a desert, it 
 
74 The Little Savage 
 
 would be dangerous to have it known by unscrupulous and 
 unprincipled men that anyone had so much wealth about 
 him.' 
 
 " * Well,' replied your mother, * that is also comfortable 
 for me to hear, for you will not leave me behind, because 
 I shall be necessary to conceal your treasure.' 
 
 " * Yes,' replied your father, laughing, * there is another 
 chance for you, you see.' 
 
 ** Your father then extinguished the light, and the con- 
 versation was not renewed -, but I had heard enough. 
 Your father carried a great treasure about his person — 
 wealth, I took it for granted, that if I once could obtain, 
 and return to England, would save me from my present 
 position. My avarice was hereby excited, and thus another 
 passion equally powerful, and equally inciting to evil deeds, 
 was added to the hate which I already had imbibed for 
 your father. But I must leave off now." 
 
 Jackson drank a little more, and then remained quiet, 
 and as I had had no food that day, I took the opportunity of 
 returning to the cabin, with the promise that I would be 
 back very soon. In half an hour I returned, bringing with 
 me the Bible and Prayer-book, as I thought that he would 
 ask me to read to him after he had made his confession. 
 I found him breathing heavily, and apparently asleep, so I 
 did not wake him. As I looked at him, and recalled to 
 mind his words, " Am not I an object of pity ? " I confessed 
 that he was, and then I asked myself the question. Can 
 you forgive him who was the murderer of your father ? 
 After some reflection, I thought that I could. Was he not 
 already punished ? Had not the murder been already 
 avenged ? It was not possible to retain animosity against 
 one so stricken, so broken to pieces, and my heart smote 
 me when I looked at his disabled hand, and felt that I, 
 boy as I was, had had a share in his marring. At last he 
 spoke. 
 
 " Are you there, Frank ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied I. 
 
 *' I have had a little sleep," said he. 
 
 i 
 
The Little Savage 75 
 
 ** Do you feel easier ? " inquired I kindly. 
 
 " Yes, I feel my side more numbed, and so it will 
 remain till mortification takes place. But let me finish my 
 confession ; I wish to relieve my mind, not that I shall die 
 to-night, or perhaps to-morrow, but still I wish it over. 
 Come nearer to me, that I may speak in a lower voice, and 
 then I shall be able to speak longer." 
 
 I did so, and he proceeded. 
 
 " You know how we were cast upon this island, and 
 how I behaved at first. When I afterwards took my place 
 with the others, my evil thoughts gradually quitted me, 
 and I gave up all idea of any injury to your father. But 
 this did not last long. The deaths of so many, and at last 
 the captain your father and your mother being the only 
 ones left on the island besides myself, once more excited 
 my cupidity. I thought again of the belt of diamonds, 
 and by what means I should gain possession of it ; and the 
 devil suggested to me the murders of the captain and of 
 your father. I had ascertained that your father no longer 
 carried the belt on his person when we all used to bathe 
 at the bathing-pool ; it was, therefore, as your father had 
 proposed, in your mother's keeping. Having once made 
 up my mind, I watched every opportunity to put my 
 intentions into execution. It was the custom for one of 
 us to fish every morning, as your mother would not eat the 
 dried birds, if fish could be procured, and I considered 
 that the only chance I had of executing my horrible wish 
 was when your father went to fish off the rocks. We 
 usually did so off the ledge of rocks which divide the 
 bathing-pool from the sea, but I found out another place, 
 where more fish, and of a better quality, were to be taken, 
 which is off the high wall of rocks just below. You know 
 where I mean, I have often sent you to fish there, but I 
 never could go myself since your father's death. Your 
 father took his lines there, and was hauling in a large fish, 
 when I, who had concealed myself close to where he 
 stood, watched the opportunity as he looked over the rock 
 to see if the fish was clear of the water, to come behind 
 
'jt The Little Savage 
 
 him and throw him ofF into the sea. He could not swim, 
 I knew, and after waiting a minute or two, I looked over 
 and saw his body, just as it sank, after his last struggles. 
 I then hastened away, and my guilty conscience induced me 
 to ascend the ravine, and collect a faggot of firewood to 
 bring home, that no suspicions might be entertained j but 
 my so doing was the very cause of suspicion, as you will 
 afterwards perceive. I returned with the wood, and the 
 captain observed, when I came up to the cabin : 
 
 << « Why, it's something new for you to collect 
 wood out of your turn, Jackson. Wonders will never 
 cease.' 
 
 ** ' The fact is, that I am becoming very amiable,' replied 
 I, hardly knowing what to say, and afraid to look either of 
 them in the face, for your mother, with you on her lap, 
 was standing close by. 
 
 " * Has my husband caught any fish, do you know, 
 Jackson ? ' said your mother, ' for it is high time that he 
 came home.' 
 
 " « How can I tell ? ' replied I. ' I have been up the 
 ravine for wood.' 
 
 " * But you were down on the rock two hours ago,' 
 replied your mother, * for Captain James saw you coming 
 away.' 
 
 ** *That I certainly did,' replied the captain. 'Had he 
 caught any fish when you were with him ? ' 
 
 " They must have perceived my confusion when I said, 
 * Yes, I was on the rocks, but I never went near Henniker, 
 that I'll swear.' 
 
 " * You must have been near him, even when I saw 
 you,' replied the captain. 
 
 " * I never looked at him, if I was,' replied I. 
 
 "*Well, then, one of us had better go down and see 
 what he is about,' said the captain. * Shall I leave 
 Jackson with you ? ' 
 
 " * Yes, yes,' replied your mother, much agitated, * for I 
 have my forebodings j better leave him here.' 
 
 The captain hastened down to the rocks, and in a 
 
 li 
 
The Little Savage 77 
 
 quarter of an hour returned very much heated, saying, 
 
 * He is not there ! ' 
 
 " * Not there ? ' replied I, getting up, for I had seated 
 myself in silence on the rock during the captain's absence : 
 
 * that's very odd.' 
 
 " * It is,' replied the captain. * Jackson, go and try if 
 you see anything of him, while I attend to Mrs Henniker.' 
 
 " Your mother, on the captain's return, had bowed her 
 head down to her knees, and covered her face with her 
 hands. I was glad of an excuse to be away, for my heart 
 smote me as I witnessed her condition. 
 
 *' I remained away half-an-hour, and then returned, 
 saying that I could see nothing of your father. 
 
 ** Your mother was in the cabin, and the captain went 
 in to her, while I remained outside with all the feelings of 
 Cain upon my brow. 
 
 " That was a dreadful day for all parties — no food was 
 taken. Your mother and the captain remained in the 
 cabin, and I dared not, as usual, go in to my own bed- 
 place. I lay all night upon the rocks — sleep I could not ; 
 every moment I saw your father's body sinking, as I had 
 seen it in the morning. The next morning the captain 
 came out to me. He was very grave and stern, but he 
 could not accuse me, whatever his suspicions might have 
 been. It was a week before I saw your mother again, for 
 I dared not intrude into her presence ; but, finding there 
 was no accusation against me, I recovered my spirits, and 
 returned to the cabin, and things went on as before. 
 
 Chapter XIII 
 
 One thing, however, was evident, that your mother had 
 an aversion — I may say a horror — of me, which she could 
 not conceal. She said nothing, but she never could look 
 at me ; and to any question I put, would seldom make 
 reply. Strange to say this treatment of hers produced 
 
yS The Little Savage 
 
 quite a different effect from what might have been 
 anticipated, and I felt my former love for her revive. 
 Her shrinking from me made me more familiar towards 
 her, and increased her disgust. I assumed a jocose air 
 with her, and at times Captain James considered it his 
 duty to interfere and check me. He was a very powerful 
 man, and in a contest would have proved my master ; this 
 I knew, and this knowledge compelled me to be more 
 respectful to your mother in his presence, but when his 
 back was turned I became so disgustingly familiar, that 
 at last your mother requested that whether fishing or 
 collecting wood, instead of going out by turns we should 
 both go, and leave her alone. This I could not well 
 refuse, as Captain James would in all probability have 
 used force if I had not consented, but my hatred to him 
 was in consequence most unbounded. However, an 
 event took place which relieved me from the subjection 
 which I was under, and left me alone with you and your 
 mother. Now I must rest a little. Wait another hour, 
 and you shall know the rest." 
 
 It was now late in the evening, but there was a bright 
 moon which shone over head, and the broad light and 
 shadow made the rocks around us appear peculiarly wild 
 and rugged. They towered up one above the other till 
 they met the dark blue of the sky in which the stars 
 twinkled but faintly, while the moon sailed through the 
 ether, without a cloud to obscure her radiance. And in 
 this majestic scenery were found but two living beings 
 — a poor boy and a mangled wretch — a murderer — soon 
 to breathe his last, and be summoned before an offended 
 God. As I remained motionless by his side, I felt, as 
 I looked up, a sensation of awe, but not of fear; I thought 
 to myself — " And God made all this and all the world 
 besides, and me and him. The Bible said so : " and my 
 speculation then was as to what God must be, for 
 although I had read the Bible, I had but a confused idea, 
 and had it been asked me, as it was of the man in the 
 chariot by Philip, " Understandest thou what thou 
 
The Little Savage 79 
 
 readest ? " I most certainly should have answered. No. 
 I remained for nearly two hours in this reverie, and at 
 last fell asleep with my back against the rock. I was, 
 however, wakened up by Jackson's voice, when he asked 
 in a low tone for water. 
 
 ** There it is," said I, handing it to him. ** Have you 
 called long ? " 
 
 " No," replied he ; "I asked but once." 
 
 " I have been asleep," said I. 
 
 As soon as he had drunk, he said — 
 
 " I will finish now ; my side begins to burn." 
 
 He then proceeded — 
 
 " It was about four months after your father's death 
 that Captain James and I went together to the ravine to 
 collect firewood. We passed under the wall of rock, 
 which you know so well, and went through the gap, as 
 we call it, when Captain James left the water-course and 
 walked along the edge of the wall. I followed him ; we 
 both of us had our pieces of rope in our hands with 
 which we tied the faggots. Of a sudden his foot slipped, 
 and he rolled down to the edge of the rock, but catching 
 hold of a small bush which had fixed its roots in the 
 rocks, he saved himself when his body was hanging half 
 over the precipice. 
 
 ** * Give me the end of your rope,* said he to me, per- 
 fectly collected, although in such danger. 
 
 ** * Yes,' replied I, and I intended so to do, as I perceived 
 that if I refused he could still have saved himself by the 
 bush to which he clung. 
 
 **But the bush began to loosen and give way, and 
 Captain James perceiving it cried out — 
 
 " * Quick, quick, the bush is giving way ! ' 
 
 ** This assertion of his determined me not to give him 
 the rope. I pretended to be in a great hurry to do so, 
 but entangled it about my legs, and then appeared 
 occupied in clearing it, when he cried again — 
 
 " * Quick ! ' — and hardly had he said the word when 
 the root of the bush snapped, and down he fell below. 
 
8o The Little Savage 
 
 "I heard the crash as he came to the rock beneath. 
 See the judgment of God — am I not now precisely in 
 his position, lying battered and crushed as he was ? 
 After a time I went down to where he lay, and found 
 him expiring. He had just strength to say * God forgive 
 you,' and then he died. It was murder, for I could have 
 saved him and would not, and yet he prayed to God to 
 forgive me. How much happier should I have felt if he 
 had not said that. His * God forgive you ' rang in my 
 ears for months afterwards. I returned to the cabin, and 
 with a bold air stated to your mother what had happened, 
 for I felt I could say, this time, I did not do the deed. She 
 burst out into frantic exclamations, accusing me of being 
 not only his murderer but the murderer of her husband. I 
 tried all I could do to appease her, but in vain. For many 
 weeks she was in a state of melancholy and despondency, 
 that made me fear for her life ; but she had you still 
 to bestow her affections upon, and for your sake she 
 lived. I soon made this discovery. She was now wholly 
 in my power, but I was awed by her looks even, for a 
 time. At last I became bolder, and spoke to her of 
 our becoming man and wife ; she turned from me with 
 abhorrence. I then resorted to other means. I prevented 
 her from obtaining food ; she would have starved with 
 pleasure, but she could not bear to see you suffer. I 
 will not detail my cruelty and barbarity towards her; 
 suffice to say, it was such that she pined away, and 
 about six months after the death of the captain she died, 
 exhorting me not to injure you, but if ever I had an 
 opportunity, to take you to your grandfather. I could 
 not refuse this demand, made by a woman whom I as 
 certainly killed by slow means as I had your father by 
 a more sudden death. I buried her in the guano, by 
 the side of the others. After her death my life was a 
 torture to me for a long while. I dared not kill you, 
 but I hated you. I had only one consolation, one hope, 
 which occasionally gave me satisfaction ; the consolation, 
 if so it could be called, was — that I had possession of 
 
The Little Savage 8i 
 
 the diamonds ; the hope — that I should one day see 
 England again. You see me now — are they not all 
 avenged ? " 
 
 I could not but feel the truth of Jackson's last sentence. 
 They were indeed avenged. 
 
 After a short pause, he said to me — 
 
 <* Now, Frank, I feel that the mortification in my side 
 is making great progress, and, in a short time I shall 
 be in too great pain to talk to you. I have made a full 
 confession of my crimes ; it is all the reparation I can 
 make to you. Now, can you forgive me ? for I shall 
 die very miserable if you do not. Just look at me. Can 
 you feel resentment against one in my wretched state ? 
 Recollect that you pray to be forgiven as you forgive 
 others. Give me your answer." 
 
 " I think — yes, I feel that I can forgive you, Jackson," 
 replied I. "I shall soon be left alone on this island, 
 and I am sure I should be much more miserable than 
 I shall be, if I do not forgive you. I do forgive you." 
 
 ** Thanks ; you are a good boy, and may God bless 
 you. Is it not nearly daylight ? " 
 
 " Yes, it is. I shall soon be able to read the Bible 
 or Prayer-book to you. I have them both here." 
 
 *' The pain is too severe, and becomes worse every 
 minute. I shall not be able to listen to you now ; but 
 I shall have some moments of quiet before I die ; and 
 then " 
 
 Jackson groaned heavily, and ceased speaking. 
 
 For many hours he appeared to suffer much agony, 
 which he vented in low groans ; the perspiration hung 
 on his forehead in large beads, and his breathing became 
 laborious. The sun rose and had nearly set again before 
 Jackson spoke ; at last he asked for some drink, 
 
 "It is over now," said he faintly. "The pain is 
 subsiding, and death is near at hand. You may read to 
 me now ; but, first, while I think of it, let me tell you 
 where you will find your father's property." 
 
 "I know," rephed I; "in your bed-place under the 
 
 L.S. F 
 
 . 1/- 
 
 \^ 
 
82 The Little Savage 
 
 board. I saw you remove it Vv'hen you did not see 
 me." 
 
 " True. I have no more to say ; it will all be over 
 soon. Read the burial service over me after I am dead ; 
 and now, while still above, read me what you think I 
 shall hke best ; for I cannot collect myself sufficiently 
 to tell you what is most proper. Indeed I hardly know. 
 But I can pray at times. Read on." 
 
 I did so, and came upon the parable of the prodigal 
 son. 
 
 " That suits me," said Jackson. " Now let me pray. 
 Pray for me, Frank." 
 
 ^' I don't know how," replied 1 5 " you never taught me." 
 
 *' Alas, no ! " 
 
 Jackson was then silent. I saw his pale lips move 
 for some time. I turned away for a few moments ; when 
 I came back to him, he was no more ! His jaw had 
 fallen ; and this being the first time that I had ever 
 faced death, I looked upon the corpse with horror and 
 dismay. 
 
 After a few minutes I left the body, and sat down on 
 a rock at some distance from it, for I was somewhat 
 afraid to be near to it. On this rock I remained till the 
 sun was sinking below the horizon ; when, alarmed at 
 the idea of being there when it was dark, I took up my 
 books and hastened back to the cabin, I was giddy from 
 excitement, and not having tasted food for many hours. 
 As soon as I had eaten, I lay down in my bed-place, 
 intending to reflect upon what I was to do, now that 
 I was alone ; but I was in a few moments fast asleep, 
 and did not wake until the sun was high. I arose much 
 refreshed, and, seeing my Bible and Prayer-book close 
 to my bed-place, I recollected my promise to Jackson that 
 I would read the burial service over his body. I found 
 the place in the Prayer-book, for I had read it more than 
 once before ; and, having just looked over it, I went with 
 my book to where the body lay. It presented a yet more 
 hideous spectacle than it had the night before. I read 
 
The Little Savage 83 
 
 the service and closed the book. " What can I do ? " 
 thought I. "I cannot bury him in the guano. It will 
 be impossible to carry the body over these rocks." Indeed, 
 if it had been possible, I do not think I could have touched- 
 it. I was afraid of it. At last I determined that 1 would 
 cover it up with the fragments of rocks which lay about in 
 all directions, and I did so. This occupied me about two 
 hours, and then, carrying the bottles with me, I gladly 
 hastened away from the spot, with a resolution never to 
 revisit it. I felt quite a relief when I was once more in 
 the cabin. I was alone, it was true, but I was no longer 
 in contact with the dead. I could not collect my thoughts 
 or analyse my feelings during the remainder of the day. 
 I sat with my head resting on my hand, in the attitude of 
 one thinking ; but at the same time my mind was vacant. 
 I once more lay down to sleep, and the following morning 
 I found myself invigorated, and capable of acting as well 
 as thinking. I had a weight upon my spirits which I could 
 not at first account for ; but it arose from the feeling that 
 I was now alone, without a soul to speak to or communi- 
 cate with •, my lips must now be closed till I again fell in 
 with some of my fellow-creatures— and was that likely ? 
 We had seen some of them perish not far from us, and 
 that was all, during a period of many years. 
 
 Chapter XIV 
 
 I WAS now, by Jackson's account, nearly fourteen years 
 old. During fourteen years but one vessel had been seen 
 by us. It might be fourteen more, or double that time 
 might elapse, before I should again fall in with any of my 
 fellow-creatures. As these thoughts saddened me, I felt 
 how much I would have sacrificed if Jackson had remained 
 alive, were it only for his company ; I would have forgiven 
 him anything. I even then felt as if, in the murderer of 
 my father, I had lost a friend. 
 
 That day I was so unsettled I could not do anything ; I 
 
84 The Little Savage 
 
 tried to read, but I could not; I tried to eat, but my 
 appetite was gone. I sat looking at the ocean as it rolled 
 wave after wave, sometimes wondering whether it would 
 ever bring a fellow-creature to join me ; at others I sat, 
 and for hours, in perfect vacuity of thought. The evening 
 closed in ; it was dark, and I still remained seated where I 
 was. At last I returned to my bed, almost broken- 
 hearted ; but fortunately I was soon asleep, and my sorrows 
 were forgotten. 
 
 Another morning was gladdened with a brilliant sun, 
 the dark blue ocean was scarcely ruiHed by the breeze that 
 swept over it, and I felt my spirits much revived, and my 
 appetite returned. After taking a meal, I remembered 
 what Jackson had told me about the belt with the 
 diamonds, and I went up to his bed-place, and turning out 
 the bird's skins and feathers, I raked up the gravel, which 
 was not more than two inches deep, and came to the board. 
 I lifted it up, and found underneath a hole, about a foot 
 deep, full of various articles. There were the watch and 
 sleeve buttons of the mate, some dollars wrapped in old 
 rags, a tobacco-box, an old pipe, a brooch with hair form- 
 ing initials, some letters which were signed J. Evelyn, and 
 which I perceived were from my grandfather, and probably 
 taken by Jackson after my mother's death. I say letters, 
 because they were such, as I afterwards found out, but I 
 had not then ever seen a letter, and my first attempt to 
 decipher written hand was useless, although I did manage 
 to make out the signature. There was in the tobacco-box 
 a plain gold wedding-ring, probably my mother's ; and 
 there was also a lock of long dark hair, which I presumed 
 was hers also. There were three or four specimens of 
 what I afterwards found out to be gold and silver ores, a 
 silver pencil-case, and a pair of small gold ear-rings. At 
 the bottom of the hole was the belt ; it was of soft leather, 
 and I could feel a hard substance in it sewed in every 
 square, which of course I presumed were the diamonds, 
 but I did not cut one of the divisions open to see what was 
 in them. It had on the upper part of it, in very plain 
 
The Little Savage 85 
 
 writing, " The property of Mr J. Evelyn, 33, Minories, 
 London." I examined all these articles one after another, 
 and having satisfied my curiosity, I replaced them in the 
 hole for a future survey. I covered the hole with the 
 board, and put back the gravel and the feathers into the 
 bed-place. This occupied me about two hours, and then 
 I again took my former position on the rocks, and remained 
 in a state of listless inactivity of body and mind the re- 
 mainder of that day. 
 
 This state of prostration lasted for many days — I may 
 say for weeks, before it was altogether removed. I could 
 find no pleasure in my books, which were taken up, and 
 after a few moments laid aside. It was now within a 
 month of the time that the birds should come to the 
 island. I was in no want of them for sustenance ; there 
 were plenty left, but I almost loathed the sight of food. 
 The reader may inquire how it was that I knew the exact 
 time of the arrival of the birds ? I reply that the only 
 reckoning ever kept by Jackson and me was the arrival 
 of the full moons, and we also made a mark on the rock 
 every time that the moon was at the full. Thirteen moons 
 were the quantity which we reckoned from the time of 
 the birds appearing on the island one year, until their 
 re-appearance the next ; and twelve moons had now 
 passed. At length, tired with everything, tired of myself, 
 and I may say, almost tired of life, I one day took it into 
 my head that I would take some provisions with me and 
 a bottle to hold water, and go up the ravine, and cut 
 firewood which should last me a long while; and that 
 I would remain up there for several days, for I hated the 
 sight of the cabin and of all that was near to it. The 
 next day I acted upon this resolution, and slinging my dry 
 provisions on my shoulder, I set off for the ravine. In an 
 hour I had gained it ; but not being in a hurry to cut 
 wood, I resolved upon climbing higher up, to see if I 
 could reach the opposite side of the island ; that is, at 
 least, get over the brow of the hill, to have a good view 
 of it. I continued to climb until I had gained a smooth 
 
86 The Little Savage 
 
 grassy spot, which was clear of brushwood ; and as I sat 
 down to rest myself, I observed some blue flowers which 
 I had never seen before, indeed I did not know that there 
 was a flower on the island. As I afterwards discovered, 
 they were one of the varieties of Gentianellas. I looked 
 at them, admired them, and felt quite an affection for 
 them ; they were very pretty, and they were, as well as 
 myself, alone. Jackson, when I was pointing out the 
 English cottages in the landscapes of ** Mavor's Natural 
 History," had told me a great deal about gardening in 
 England, and how wild flowers and trees were trans- 
 planted and improved by culture; how roses and other 
 plants were nailed up the walls, as I had observed in the 
 engravings, and how they were watered and kept ; and 
 as I sat down looking at the flower, the thought occurred 
 to me. Why should I not take it with me, and keep it for 
 myself? I can water it, and take care of it. I resolved 
 that I would do so, for I already looked upon the plant 
 as a treasure. I took it up carefully with my American 
 knife, leaving sufficient mould about the roots, and then 
 I proceeded to ascend the hill ; but before I had gone 
 another hundred yards, I found at least a dozen more 
 of these plants in flower, all finer than the one I had dug 
 up, and three or four others very different from these, 
 which were also quite new to me. I was puzzled what 
 to do ; I put down the plants I had dug up and continued 
 my ascent, not having made up my mind. After half-an- 
 hour's climbing, I gained the summit, and could perceive 
 the ocean on the other side, and the other half of the island 
 lying beneath me. It was very grand from the height 
 I stood on, but I observed little difference between one 
 side of the island and the other ; all was rugged barren 
 rock as on my side, with the exception of the portion close 
 to me ; this had brushwood in the ravine, which appeared 
 to be a sort of cleft through the island. All was silent 
 and solitary ; not a bird was to be seen, and nothing that 
 had life could I discover. I was about to return, when 
 I thought I might as well go down the ravine facing me 
 
The Little Savage 87 
 
 for a little way, and see what there was in it. I did so, 
 and discovered some other plants that I had not seen on 
 my side of the island. There were also some fern trees, 
 and some twining plants running up them, and I thought 
 to myself, Why, these plants are what I saw in the picture 
 of the English cottages, or very like them. I wonder if 
 they would run up my cabin ? and then all at once the 
 idea came to me that I would plant some of them round 
 the cabin, and that I would make a garden of flowers, 
 and have plants of my own. The reader can hardly 
 imagine the pleasure that this idea gave me ; I sat down 
 to ruminate upon it, and felt quite happy for the time. 
 I now recollected, however, that the cabin was built on 
 the rock, and that plants would only grow in the earth. 
 At first this idea chilled me, as it seemed to destroy all 
 my schemes, but I resolved that I would bring some earth 
 to the rock, and make my garden in that way. I at first 
 thought of the guano, but Jackson had told me that it 
 was only used in small proportions to enrich the soil, and 
 would kill plants if used by itself. After an hour's con- 
 sideration, during which I called to mind all that Jackson 
 had told me on the subject, I made up my mind I would 
 return to the cabin, and on my return ascertain how low 
 down the ravine I could obtain earth for my garden ; 
 I would then carry the earth to the cabin, make a soil 
 ready for the plants and flowers, and then, when all was 
 ready, I would go up the ravine, collect what I could, and 
 make my garden. I did so. I found that I could get 
 soil about one-third of the way up the ravine, a quarter 
 of a mile below where the brushwood grew ; and having 
 ascertained that, I returned to the cabin, threw down my 
 provisions which were to have lasted me a week, and as 
 it was late, I decided that I would not commence opera- 
 tions until the following day. 
 
 I took out of the chest a duck frock, and tying up the 
 sleeves and collar, so as to form a bag of the body of the 
 frock, I set oiF the next morning to begin my task. That 
 day I contrived to carry to the cabin ten or twelve bags of 
 
8S The Little Savage 
 
 mould, which I put round it in a border about four feet 
 wide, and about a foot deep. It occupied me a whole 
 week to obtain the quantity of earth necessary to make the 
 bed on each side of the cabin ; it was hard work, but it 
 made me cheerful and happy to v/hat I had been before. 
 I found that the best cure for melancholy and solitude was 
 employment, so I thus obtained valuable knowledge as 
 well as the making of my garden. When I had finished 
 carrying the mould, I started off for the ravine with two 
 bags to hold the plants which I might collect, and after a 
 day's toil, I returned with my bags full of small shrubs, 
 besides a bundle of creepers to plant against the sides of 
 the cabin. The following day was occupied in planting 
 everything I had procured. I was sorry to see that the 
 leaves and flowers hung down, but I watered them all 
 before I went to bed. The next morning I was delighted 
 to perceive that they had all recovered and were looking 
 quite fresh. But my garden was not full enough to please 
 me, and I once more went up the ravine, selecting other 
 plants which had no flowers on them, and one or two other 
 shrubs, which I had not before observed. When these 
 were planted and watered, my garden looked very gay and 
 full of plants, and then I discovered the mould came down 
 for want of support at the edges ; I therefore went and 
 picked up pieces of rock of sufficient size to make a border 
 and hold up the mould, and now ail was complete, and I 
 had nothing to do but to go on watering them daily. This 
 I did, and recollecting what Jackson had said about the 
 guano, I got a bag of it, and put some to each plant. The 
 good effect of this was soon observable, and before the 
 birds came, my garden was in a very flourishing condition. 
 I cannot express to the reader the pleasure I derived 
 from this little garden. I knew every plant and every 
 shrub, and talked to them as if they were companions, 
 while I watered and tended them, which I did every night 
 and morning, and their rapid growth was my delight. I 
 no longer felt my solitude so irksome as I had done. I 
 had something to look after, to interest me, and to love ; 
 
The Little Savage 89 
 
 they were alive as well as I was ; they grew, and threw 
 out leaves and flowers ; they were grateful for the care 
 I bestowed upon them, and became my companions and 
 friends. 
 
 I mentioned before that during the latter portion of the 
 time I was with Jackson, he had taught me to sing several 
 songs. Feeling tired, in my solitude, of not hearing the 
 human voice, I found myself at first humming over, and 
 afterwards singing aloud, the various airs I had collected 
 from him. This afforded me much pleasure, and I used 
 to sing half the day. I had no one to listen to me, it is 
 true, but as my fondness for my garden increased, I used 
 to sit down and sing to the flowers and shrubs, and fancy 
 that they listened to me. But my stock of songs was not 
 very large, and at last I had repeated them so often that I 
 became tired of the words. It occurred to me that the 
 Prayer-book had the Psalms of David at the end of it, set 
 to music. I got the book, and as far as the airs that I 
 knew would suit, I sang them all ; never were Psalms, 
 probably, sung to such tunes before, but it amused me, 
 and there was no want of variety of language. 
 
 Every three or four days I would go up the ravine, and 
 search carefully for any new flower or shrub which I had 
 not yet planted in my garden, and when I found one, as I 
 often did, it was a source of great delight. 
 
 Chapter XV 
 
 At last the birds came, and I procured some of their eggs, 
 which were a very agreeable change, after living so long 
 upon dried meat. My want of occupation occasioned me 
 also to employ some of my time in fishing, which I seldom 
 had done while Jackson was alive j and this created a 
 variety in my food, to which, for a long while, I had been 
 a stranger. Jackson did not care for fish, as to cook it we 
 were obliged to go up the ravine for wood, and he did not 
 
go The Little Savage 
 
 like the trouble. When the birds came, I had recourse to 
 my book on Natural History, to read over again the 
 accounts of the Man-of-War birds, Gannets, and other 
 birds mentioned in it ; and there was a vignette of a China- 
 man with tame cormorants on a pole, and in the letter-press 
 an account of how they were trained and employed to 
 catch fish for their masters. This gave me the idea that 
 I would have some birds tame, as companions, and, if 
 possible, teach them to catch fish for me ; but I knew that 
 I must wait till the young birds were fit to be taken from 
 the nest. 
 
 I now resolved that during the time the birds were 
 mating, I would go to the ravine and remain there several 
 days, to collect bundles of firewood. The firewood was 
 chiefly cut from a sort of low bush, like the sallow or 
 willow, fit for making baskets, indeed fit for anything 
 better than firewood ; however, there were some bushes 
 which were of a harder texture, and which burnt well. 
 It was Jackson who told me that the former were called 
 willow and used for making baskets, and he also shewed 
 me how to tie the faggots up by twisting the sallows 
 together. They were not, however, what Jackson said 
 they were — from after knowledge, I should say that they 
 were a species of Oleander or something of the kind. 
 
 Having roasted several dozen of eggs quite hard, by 
 way of provision, I set off one morning, and went to the 
 ravine. As Jackson had said before, I had to walk under 
 a wall of rock thirty feet high, and then pass through a 
 water-course to get up to the ravine, which increased the 
 distance to where the shrubs grew, at least half a mile. 
 It was over this wall that the captain fell and was killed, 
 because Jackson would not assist him. I gained the thicket 
 where the bushes grew, and for three days I worked very 
 hard, and had cut down and tied about fifty large faggots, 
 when I thought that I had collected enough to last me for 
 a long while ; but I had still to carry them down, and this 
 was a heavy task, as I could not carry more than one at a 
 time. It occurred to me that if I threw my faggots over 
 
The Little Savage 91 
 
 the wall opposite to where they had been cut down, I 
 should save myself nearly a mile of carriage, as otherwise 
 I had to walk all the way to the water-course which divided 
 the wall of rock, and then walk back again. Indeed, where 
 I cut down the wood was not more than a quarter of a 
 mile from the bathing-pool, and all down hill. I was 
 delighted at this idea, which I wondered had never 
 occurred to Jackson, and I commenced putting it into 
 execution. The top of the wall of rock was slippery from 
 the constant trickling of the water over the surface, but 
 this was only in some places. I carried my faggots down 
 one by one, and threw them over, being careful not to 
 lose my footing in so doing. I had carried all but three 
 or four, and had become careless, when, on heaving one 
 over, my heels were thrown up, and before I could recover 
 myself I slid down the remainder of the ledge and was 
 precipitated down below, a distance of more than thirty 
 feet. I must have remained there many hours insensible, 
 but at last I recovered and found myself lying on the 
 faggots which I had thrown down. It was my falling on 
 the faggots, instead of the hard rock, which had saved my 
 life. I rose as soon as I could collect my scattered senses. 
 I felt very sore and very much shaken, and the blood was 
 running out of my mouth, but there were no bones broken. 
 I was, however, too ill to attempt anything more that day. 
 I walked home at a very slow pace and went to bed. A 
 sound sleep restored me, and in a day or two I was quite 
 recovered. I watered my plants, which I found drooping, 
 as if they had grieved at my being so long away from 
 them, and then I returned to where my faggots had been 
 left ; and to lighten my labour I resolved to carry them 
 down to the bathing-pool and stack them up there on the 
 rocks near to it. I mention this for reasons that the reader 
 will comprehend bye-and-bye. This occupied me two 
 days, for I was not inclined, after my fall, to work hard ; 
 and very glad was I when the labour was over. 
 
 The young birds were now hatched, but I had to wait 
 four or five weeks before they were fit to be taken. I 
 
92 The Little Savage 
 
 began again to find solitude tedious. The flowers in my 
 garden had all bloomed and withered, and there was not 
 so much to interest me. I recommenced reading the Bible, 
 and the narratives in the Old and New Testaments again 
 afforded me pleasure. I hardly need say to the reader that 
 I read the Bible as I would have read any other book — 
 for amusement, and not for instruction, I had learnt little 
 from Jackson — indeed, as regards the true nature of the 
 Christian religion, I may say, nothing at all. I do not 
 believe that he knew anything about it himself. It is true 
 that the precepts in the New Testament struck me, and 
 that I was more interested about Our Saviour than anybody 
 else ; but I could not comprehend him, or his mission. In 
 short, I read in darkness ; and I may say that I almost knew 
 the Bible by heart without understanding it. — How could 
 I.** How many thousands are there who do the same, 
 without having an excuse to offer for their blindness ! 
 
 At last the time for taking the birds arrived, and I had 
 then sufficient employment to keep me from being 
 melancholy. I collected quite as many as we had done 
 wheij Jackson and I had to be provided for ; and with my 
 new knives my labour was comparatively easy. As soon as 
 I had completed my provision, I went back to take the 
 young birds which already I had selected and left for that 
 purpose. It was high time, for I found that when I went 
 to take them they were ready to fly. However, after a 
 good battle with the old birds (for I had taken six young 
 ones — two from each nest, which arrayed a force of six 
 old ones against me, who fought very valiantly in defence 
 of their offspring), I succeeded in carrying them off, but 
 followed by the old birds, who now screamed and darted 
 close to me as they came pursuing me to the cabin. As 
 soon as I got safe back, I took the young birds into the 
 cabin, tying each of them by the leg with a piece of 
 fishing line, and the other end of the line I fastened to 
 some pieces of rock which I had collected ready on the 
 platform outside of the cabin. The old birds continued to 
 persecute me till it was dark, and then they went away, and 
 
The Little Savage 93 
 
 I, tired with my day's labour, was not sorry to go to 
 sleep. 
 
 When I woke up the next morning, I found the old 
 birds on the platform, in company with the young ones, I 
 presume trying to persuade them to fly away with them ; 
 but the lines on their legs prevented that. They did not 
 leave at my approach for some little while ; at last they 
 all took wing, and went off to sea ; but in the course of a 
 few minutes they returned with some small fish in their 
 mouths, with which they fed their young ones. They 
 continued to do this for the two following days, when 
 there was a general break up, announcing the departure of 
 the main body, which, after much soaring and wheeling in 
 the air, flew off in a northerly direction. The six parent 
 birds, who were with their young ones at the cabin, 
 appeared for some time very uneasy, flying round and 
 round and screaming wildly ; at last they soared in the air 
 with loud shrieks, and flew away after the main body, 
 which was still in sight — their love for their young over- 
 powered by their instinctive habits. I was not sorry when 
 they were gone, as I wanted to have my new family all to 
 myself. I went down to the rocks and caught a fish, which 
 was large enough to supply them for three or four days. 
 I fed them with the inside of the fish, and they ate it very 
 heartily. For several days they appeared very uneasy ; 
 but gradually they settled, and not only appeared to know 
 me, but to welcome my coming, which was to me a source 
 of great pleasure. 
 
 I now neglected my flowers for the birds, which were 
 the more animated of the two ; and I sat down for hours 
 on the platform with my six companions, who I must own 
 were not over-lively and intelligent, but they were alive, 
 and had eyes. They seldom roused up, unless I brought 
 them fish, of which they had a supply four times a day, 
 and then they would stand on their legs and open their 
 beaks far apart, each waiting for its share. They were a 
 great happiness to me, and I watched their gradual increase 
 of plumage and of size, which was very rapid. I gave 
 
94 The Little Savage 
 
 them all names out of my Natural History book. One was 
 Lion, then Tiger, Panther, Bear, Horse, and Jackass (at 
 the time that I named them, the last would have been very 
 appropriate to them all) ; and as I always called them by 
 their names as I fed them, I soon found, to my great joy, 
 that they knew them well enough. This delighted me. I 
 read my books to them by way of amusement ; I sang my 
 songs to them ; I talked to them ; I would even narrate 
 the various histories out of the Bible to them, such as that 
 of Joseph and his brethren, &c. ; and the stolid air with 
 which the communications were received made me almost 
 imagine they were listened to. 
 
 After a time, I took the line off the legs of two of them, 
 with the precaution of first cutting their wings, and these 
 two became much more lively, following me into the cabin 
 and generally staying there during the night. As I found 
 that no attempt was made to escape, I let them all loose, 
 after having cut their wings, and they all behaved equally 
 well with the two first to which I had given their liberty. 
 
 The perfect obedience and good behaviour of my new 
 companions again gave me leisure that was not altogether 
 desirable, as it left a vacuum to fill up. But I returned to 
 my garden. I could do no more at present but water my 
 plants and look at the increased daily growth of the 
 climbers, as they now boldly ascended the sides of the 
 cabin ; but I thought it was high time to go up into the 
 ravine and about the island, to see if I could not add to my 
 collection. 
 
 One morning I set off up the ravine. I was not success- 
 ful, so I contented myself with carrying, by the long road, 
 those faggots which I had left behind me on the day when 
 I fell over the precipice. This labour I finished, and then 
 returned to the cabin, where I was met by my birds with 
 half-extended wings and open mouths, as if they were very 
 glad to see me, and very hungry into the bargain. I ought 
 to observe that my birds appeared now to separate into 
 pairs, male and female, as their difference of plumage 
 denoted. Lion and Horse were always side by side, as 
 
The Little Savage 95 
 
 were Jackass and Bear, and Tiger and Panther. I now- 
 fed them one by one, calling them by name, to which they 
 immediately responded, and if anyone came who was not 
 called, it was switched for its trouble. 
 
 The next morning I set off on another voyage of dis- 
 covery after plants, and this time I resolved upon trying 
 what I could find among the crevices of the rocks, for I 
 had seen at a distance what appeared to me to be a 
 very pretty flower on the ledge of one of the clefts. 
 I did not go up the ravine this time, but commenced 
 climbing the rocks behind where the cabin was built. 
 It was hard work, but I was not easily discouraged, and 
 after a couple of hours I arrived at a level which I had 
 in view when I commenced my labour, and here I was 
 amply rewarded, for I found several plants quite new to 
 me, and a variety of ferns, which I thought very beautiful, 
 although they had no flowers. The scene, from where 
 I stood, was awful and beautiful. I looked down upon 
 the rocks below, and the cabin, which appeared very 
 small, and I thought that I could see my birds like dots 
 upon the platform. It was a bright day and smooth water, 
 I could clearly distinguish the other islands in the distance, 
 and I thought that I saw something like a white speck 
 close to them — perhaps it was a vessel. This made me 
 melancholy, and I could not help asking myself whether 
 I was to remain all my life upon the island, alone, or if 
 there were any chance of my ever being taken off* it. As 
 I looked down upon the cabin, I was surprised at the 
 steepness of the rocks which I had climbed, and felt 
 alarmed, as if I never should be able to get back again. 
 But these thoughts were soon chased away. I turned 
 from the seaward, and looked inland. I found that on one 
 side of me there was a chasm between the rocks, the 
 bottom of which was so far down that I could not see 
 it ; and on the other side the rock rose up as straight as a 
 wall. My attention was soon diverted by discovering 
 another plant, and I now commenced my task of digging 
 them all up. I obtained, with the ferns, about twenty new 
 
g6 The Little Savage 
 
 varieties, which I made up in a bundle ready for carrying 
 down slung round my neck, for I knew that I should 
 require both hands to descend with. Then I sat down to 
 rest myself a little before I commenced my return, and 
 after I had been seated a few minutes, I thought I would 
 sing a song by way of amusement. 
 
 Chapter XVI 
 
 I HAVE before said that, tired of repeating the words of 
 the songs which Jackson had taught me, I had taken those 
 of Psalms in metre, at the end of the Prayer-book, by way 
 of variety ; and, as far as metre went, they answered very 
 well, although people would have been surprised to have 
 heard Psalms sung to such quick and varied measure 
 The Psalm I chose this time was the first — " How blest 
 is he who ne'er consents ; " and I began accordingly ; but 
 when I came to the end of the line, to my astonishment 
 I heard a plaintive voice, at a distance, repeat after me 
 ** con-sents." I looked round. I thought I must have 
 been deceived, so I continued — ** By ill advice to walk." 
 This time I could not be mistaken — ** to walk " was re- 
 peated by the same voice as plainly as possible. I stopped 
 singing, lost in wonder. There must be somebody on the 
 island as well as myself, thought I ; for I never had heard 
 an echo before, except when it thundered, and such echoes 
 I had put down as a portion of the thunder. " Who's 
 there ? " cried I. " Who's there ? " replied the voice. 
 " It's me ! " ** It's me ! " was the answer. I did not 
 know what to make of it. I cried out again and again, 
 and again and again I heard what I said repeated, but no 
 answer to my questions. I thought I was insulted by 
 somebody, and yet, when I listened, the voice that spoke 
 came from the face of the rock on the other side of 
 the chasm, and no one could be there without my seeing 
 them. This made me think that I was mistaken, and that 
 
The Little Savage 97 
 
 there could not be anybody, but still I could not solve the 
 mystery. At last I became frightened, and as the sun was 
 now setting, I determined to get back to the cabin. I did 
 so, and went down much faster than I had gone up, for as 
 it grew dark I became the more alarmed. The only thing 
 that re-assured me was the softness and plaintiveness of 
 the voice — not like Jackson's, but as of someone who 
 would not think of injuring me. 
 
 Although I was, generally speaking, quiet and content 
 with my isolated position, yet it was only when I was 
 employed or amused with my favourites. At times, I 
 could not find anything to do, and was overcome by 
 weariness. I would then throw away my books, and 
 remain for hours thinking upon the probability of my ever 
 again seeing a fellow creature; and a fit of melancholy 
 would come over me, which would last many days. I 
 was in one of these moods, when it occurred to me, that, 
 although I had seen the other side of the island from the 
 summit, I had not gone down to the beach to explore it ; 
 and I resolved that I would do so, making a trip of three 
 or four days. When my knives had become blunt, 
 Jackson had told me how to sharpen them, by rubbing 
 the blades upon a hard flat piece of rock, wetted with 
 water. This I had found to answer very well, and I now 
 determined I would try and sharpen one of the old axes 
 in the same way, so as to make it serviceable, for I was 
 very much afraid of breaking my knives in cutting down 
 the brushwood, and I knew how much more rapidly it 
 could be done with an axe. I picked out a large stone, 
 suitable for the purpose, and with a kid of water at hand, 
 I set-to to sharpen the axe. It was a long job, but in a 
 day or two I had succeeded admirably, and the axe was 
 in good order. I then thought how I could leave my 
 birds for so many days, as they would require food. At 
 last, I considered that if I caught two large fish and cut 
 them up, they would be sufficient for their sustenance. 
 I did so, and provided with a packet of dried birds for 
 food, tied up in a duck frock, with my Natural History 
 L.s. G 
 
98 The Little Savage 
 
 book for amusement, a pannikin to get water in, my axe 
 on my shoulder, and my knives by my side — I first kissed 
 all the birds, and told them to remain quiet and good till 
 I came back — I set off on a bright clear morning on my 
 tour of examination. 
 
 In a couple of hours I had gained the summit of the 
 island, and prepared for my descent, by sitting down and 
 eating my dinner. I observed that, as before, the water 
 on the other side of the island was quite smooth, com- 
 pared to what it was on the side where I resided. It 
 was, in fact, from the prevailing winds during the year, 
 the lee side of the island. Having rested myself suffici- 
 ently, I commenced my descent, which I accomplished in 
 little less time than it took me to ascend from the other 
 side. As I neared the rocks by the shore, I thought I 
 perceived something occasionally moving about on them. 
 I was not mistaken, for as I came closer, I found that 
 there were several large animals lying on the rocks, and 
 occasionally dropping into the sea close to them. 
 
 The sight of anything living was to me of great interest. 
 I determined to get nearer, and ascertain what animals 
 they were. At last, by creeping along from rock to rock, 
 I arrived to within forty yards of them. I recollected 
 some animals of the same shape in my book of Natural 
 History, which, fortunately, I had with me in the duck 
 frock, and sitting down behind the rock, I pulled it out, 
 and turned over the pages until I came to a print which 
 exactly answered to their appearance. It was the Seal. 
 Having satisfied myself on that point, I read the history 
 of the animal, and found that it was easily tamed, and 
 very affectionate when taken young, and also might 
 be easily killed by a blow on the nose. These, at least, 
 were for me the two most important pieces of information. 
 It occurred to me that it would be very pleasant to have 
 a young seal for a playmate (for the Gannets, after all, 
 were not very intelligent), and I resolved to obtain one 
 if I could. I put down my duck frock with my provisions 
 behind the rock, and taking my axe in my hand, I 
 
 J 
 
The Little Savage 99 
 
 cautiously advanced to where the animals lay. There 
 were about twenty of them all together on one rock, but 
 they were all large, and seemed to be about five or six 
 feet long. I could not see a small one anywhere, 
 so I walked in behind the rocks farther to the right, 
 towards another rock, where I saw another batch of 
 them lying. As I neared them, I saw by herself a seal 
 with a young one by her side, not more than two feet 
 long. This was what I wanted. They lay at some 
 distance from the water, upon a low rock. I watched 
 them for some time, and was much amused at the prattling 
 which passed between the old and the young one. I 
 thought that to obtain the young one, I must of course 
 kill the old one, for I perceived that it had large teeth. 
 I considered it advisable to get between them and the 
 water, that they might not escape me, and I contrived so 
 to do before I made my appearance. As soon as the old 
 one perceived me running to them, it gave a shrill cry, 
 and then floundered towards the water ; as we came close 
 together, it showed its teeth, and rose upon its flappers 
 to defend itself and its young one, which kept close to 
 its side ; but a blow on its nose with the axe rendered it 
 motionless, and apparently dead. Delighted with my 
 success, I seized hold of the young one and took it in 
 my arms, and was carrying it away, when I found myself 
 confronted with the male seal, which, alarmed by the cry 
 of the female, had come to her assistance. It was much 
 larger than the female, with more shaggy hair about the 
 neck and shoulders, and apparently very fierce. I could 
 not pass it, as it was in shore of me, and I had just time 
 to drop the young seal, and leap behind a rock on one 
 side, with my axe all ready. The animal reared itself on 
 the rock to pass over to me, when I saluted it with a blow 
 on the head, which staggered it. I had lost my presence 
 of mind by the creature coming upon me so unexpectedly, 
 and my blow was not well aimed, but before it could 
 recover the first blow, another on its nose tumbled it 
 over, to all appearance lifeless. I then hastened to gain 
 
loo The Little Savage 
 
 the other side of the rock, where I had left the young 
 seal, and found that it had crept to its mother's body, and 
 Vv^as fondling it. I took it in my arms, and retreated to 
 where I had left my duck frock, and throwing everything 
 else out, I put the animal in, and tied up the end, so that it 
 could not escape. I then sat down to recover myself from the 
 excitement occasioned by this first engagement I had ever 
 been in, quite delighted with my newly-acquired treasure. 
 I then thought what I should do. It was now within 
 an hour of dark, and was too late to return to the other 
 side of the island, or I would have done so, as I was 
 anxious to get my seal home. At last I decided that I 
 would go farther from the beach, and take up my quarters 
 for the night. I collected my provision, and with my seal 
 under my arm, I walked away about one hundred yards 
 from the water's edge, and took up a position under a 
 large rock ; here I ate my supper, and then untied the line 
 which closed up the frock, and had a parting look at my 
 little friend before I went to sleep. He had struggled a 
 good deal at first, but was now quiet, although he occa- 
 sionally made attempts to bite me. I coaxed him and 
 fondled him a good deal, and then put him into his bag 
 again, and made him secure, which appeared to annoy him 
 very much, as he was not half as quiet in a bag as he was 
 when I held him in my lap. I then took my book to read 
 over again the history of the seal, and I found that their 
 skins were valuable, and also that they gave a great deal 
 of oil, but I had no use for oil, though I thought that their 
 skins might be very comfortable in my bed-place. I shut 
 my book and lay down to sleep, but I could not obtain any 
 till near daylight, I had been so excited, and was so anxious 
 about my treasure. The sun shining in my eyes woke me 
 up ; I found my seal was lying very quiet -, I touched him 
 to see that he was not dead, and the cry that he gave 
 assured me to the contrary. I then walked back to where 
 I had left the bodies of the parents. I found on examina- 
 tion that they were both dead, and also that their furs 
 were very beautiful, and I resolved that I would have their 
 
The Little Savage loi 
 
 skins. But here was a difficulty. If I took off the skins, 
 I could not carry them with me, and I was anxious to get 
 the young one home, lest it should die of hunger, so I 
 decided that I would first take home the young one, give it 
 food and v/arm it, and then return and skin the old ones. 
 
 I therefore made my breakfast, and leaving the remainder 
 of my provision in a cleft in the rock, that I might not 
 have the trouble of bringing it again, I set off on my 
 return, and used such diligence that I was back at the 
 cabin by noon. I found my birds all well, and apparently 
 quite satisfied with the provision that I had left them, for 
 they were most of them asleep, and those that were awake 
 did not notice my arrival. 
 
 " Ah," thought I, " you only like me for what I give 
 you ; next time I go away I will leave you hungry, and 
 then when you see me come back, you will all flutter your 
 wings with gladness." 
 
 I was puzzled where to put my seal so as to keep him 
 safe : at last I decided upon opening the seaman's chest 
 and putting him in that. I did so, and gave him a piece of 
 fish which the birds had not eaten. The little creature 
 devoured it eagerly, and I took my lines and went down 
 to catch some fish for a further supply. In half an hour 
 I returned with two large fish, and I then took the seal 
 out of the chest and fed him again. He ate very heartily ; 
 and I was glad to perceive that he appeared much tamer 
 already. I threw some of the insides of the fish to the 
 birds, who were now become of very inferior interest to 
 me. Having fed my animals, I then thought of myself, 
 and, as I took my meal, I arranged that the next morning 
 I would go over to the other side of the island, skin the 
 two seals, and spread out the skins on the rocks to dry, 
 and would leave them there till I had a better opportunity 
 of bringing them to the cabin ; at present I could not be 
 away from my new acquaintance, which I wished to make 
 tame and fond of me. Having fed him again in the 
 morning, I put down the lid of the chest, and then started 
 for the lee side of the island. 
 
 '/ 
 
102 The Little Savage 
 
 Chapter XVII 
 
 I ARRIVED early, skinned both the seals, and dragged the 
 skins up from the water-side, though with difficulty, 
 especially that of the large one, to the rock where I had 
 taken up my quarters the night before. Here I spread 
 them out to dry, putting large pieces of rock upon the 
 edges, that they might not be blown away. It was nearly 
 dusk when I had finished, but I set off, and an hour after 
 dark arrived at the cabin ; for now that I knew my way 
 so well, I got over the ground twice as fast as I did 
 before. I crawled into my bed-place in the dark, and 
 slept soundly after my fatigue. I awoke the next morning 
 with the plaintive cry of my seal in the chest, and I 
 hastened to get some fish to feed him with. I took him 
 out and fed him ; and was astonished how tame the little 
 animal had become already. He remained very quietly 
 with me after he had been fed, nestling close to my side, 
 as if I had been his mother, and even making a half 
 attempt to follow me when I left him. 
 
 My birds appeared very dull and stupid, and I observed 
 also that they were very dirty, and always rushed to the 
 kid when it was full of water, trying to get into it. This 
 made me think that they required bathing in salt water, 
 and I took one down to the bathing-pool, with a long 
 line to its leg, and put it in. The manner in which the 
 poor creature floundered, and dipped and washed itself, 
 for several minutes, proved my supposition correct ; so, 
 after allowing it half an hour for its recreation, I took it 
 back, and went down with the others until they had all 
 indulged in the luxury of a bath ; and from that time, as 
 I took them down almost every day, it was astonishing 
 how much brighter and sleeker their plumage became. 
 
 I remained a week in the cabin, taming my seal, which 
 now was quite fond of me ; and one night, as I was going 
 to bed, he crawled into my bed-place, and from that time 
 
The Little Savage 103 
 
 he was my bed-fellow. At the end of a week I went 
 over to the other side of the island, and contrived to 
 carry up the two skins to the summit. It was a hard 
 day's work. The day afterwards I conveyed them to the 
 cabin, and, as they were quite dry, I put them into my 
 bed-place to lie down upon, as I did not like the smell of 
 the birds' feathers, although I had so long been accus- 
 tomed to them. 
 
 And now, what with my seal, my birds, and my garden, 
 and the occupation they gave me, the time passed quickly 
 away, until, by my reckoning, it was nearly the period for 
 the birds to come again. I observed, as the time drew 
 near, that my birds were uneasy. They had paired, as I 
 mentioned before, and when their plumage was complete, 
 it was evident that they had paired male and female, as I 
 had supposed. They had not been tethered for a long 
 while, and appeared to me now very much inclined to fly, 
 especially the male birds. At first I thought that I would 
 cut all their wings, as I was fearful that they would join 
 the other birds on their arrival, but observing that they 
 were so fond of their mates, I resolved to cut the wing of 
 the females only, as I did not think that the male birds 
 would leave them. I did so, and took my chance ; for 
 since I had the seal for a companion, I did not care so 
 much for the birds as before. At last the birds came, 
 and took possession of the guano-ground as usual, and I 
 went for fresh eggs 5 at the same time I found that my 
 females were scratching, as if they would make their 
 nests, and a few days afterwards they began to lay. I 
 then thought that as soon as they had young ones they 
 would wish to go away, so I took the eggs that were 
 laid, to prevent them, but I found that as fast as I took 
 away the eggs they laid more, and this they did for nearly 
 two months, supplying me with fresh eggs long after the 
 wild birds had hatched, and left the island. The male 
 birds, at the time that the females first laid their eggs, 
 tried their wings in short flights in circles, and then flew 
 away out to sea. I thought that they were gone, but I 
 
104 The Little Savage 
 
 was deceived, for they returned in about a quarter of an 
 hour, each with a fish in its beak, which they laid down 
 before their mates. I was much pleased at this, and I 
 resolved that in future they should supply their own food, 
 which they did ; and not their own food only, but enough 
 for the seal and me also when the weather was fine, but 
 when it was rough, they could not obtain any, and then I 
 was obliged to feed them. The way I obtained from 
 them the extra supply of fish was, that when they first 
 went out, I seized, on their return, the fish which they 
 brought, and as often as I did this they would go for 
 more, until the females were fed. 
 
 But I had one difficulty to contend with, which was, 
 that at the time the birds could not obtain fish, which was 
 when the weather was rough, I could not either, as they 
 would not take the bait. After some cogitation, I decided 
 that I would divide a portion of the bathing-pool farthest 
 from the shore, by a wall of loose rock which the water 
 could flow through, but which the fish could not get out 
 of, and that I would catch fish in the fine weather to feed 
 the seal and the birds when the weather was rough and 
 bad. As soon as I had finished curing my stock of pro- 
 visions and got it safely housed in the cabin, I set to work 
 to make this wall, which did not take me a very long while, 
 as the water was not more than two feet deep, and the 
 pool about ten yards across. As soon as it was finished, I 
 went out every day, when it was fine, and caught as many 
 fish as I thought I might require, and put them into this 
 portion of the bathing-pool. I found the plan answer well, 
 as the fish lived, but I had great difficulty in getting them 
 out when I wanted them, for they would not take the 
 bait. 
 
 As my birds were no longer a trouble to me, but rather, 
 on the contrary, a profit, I devoted my whole time to my 
 seal. I required a name for him, and reading in the book 
 of Natural History that a certain lion was called Nero, I 
 thought it a very good name for a seal, and bestowed it 
 on him accordingly, although what Nero meant I had no 
 
The Little Savage 105 
 
 idea of. The animal was now so tame that he would cry 
 if ever I left him, and would follow me as far as he could 
 down the rocks; but there was one part of the path 
 leading to the bathing-pool which was too difficult for 
 him, and there he would remain crying till I came back. 
 I had more than once taken him down to the bathing-pool 
 to wash him, and he was much pleased when I did. I 
 now resolved that I would clear the path of the rocks, 
 that he might be able to follow me down the whole way, 
 for he had grown so much that I found him too heavy to 
 carry. It occupied me a week before I could roll away 
 and remove the smaller rocks, and knock off others with 
 the axe, but I finished it at last, and was pleased to find 
 that the animal followed me right down and plunged into 
 the water. He had not been down since I had made the 
 wall of rock to keep the fish in, and as soon as he was in, 
 he dived and came out with one of the fish, which he 
 brought to land. " So now," thought I, " I shall know 
 how to get the fish when I want them — I shall bring you 
 down, Nero." I may as well here observe that Nero very 
 soon obeyed orders as faithfully as a dog. I had a little 
 switch, and when he did wrong, I would give him a slight 
 tap on the nose. He would shake his head, show his 
 teeth, and growl, and then come fondly to me. As he 
 used to follow me every day down to the pool, I had to 
 break him ofF going after the fish when I did not want 
 them taken, and this I accomplished. No one who had 
 not witnessed it, could imagine the affection and docility 
 of this animal, and the love I had for him. He was my 
 companion and playmate during the day, and my bed- 
 fellow at night. We were inseparable. 
 
 It was at the latter portion of the second year of my 
 solitude that a circumstance occurred, that I must now 
 relate. Nero had gone down to the pool with me, and I 
 was standing fishing off the rocks, when he came out of 
 the pool and plunged into the sea, playing all sorts of 
 gambols, and whistling with delight. I did not think 
 anything about it. He plunged and disappeared for a few 
 
io6 The Little Savage 
 
 minutes, and then would come up again close to where my 
 line was, but he disturbed the fish and I could not catch 
 any. To drive him farther off, I pelted him with pieces 
 of rock, one of which hit him very hard, and he dived 
 down. After a time I pulled up my line, and whistling to 
 him to return, although I did not see him, I went away to 
 the cabin, fully expecting that he v/ould soon follow me, 
 for now he could walk (after his fashion) from the cabin 
 to the pool as he pleased. This was early in the morning, 
 and I busied myself with my garden, which was now in 
 great luxuriance, for I had dressed it with guano; but 
 observing about noon that he had not returned, I became 
 uneasy, and went down to the pool to look for him. He 
 was not there, and I looked on the sea, but could not 
 perceive him anywhere. I called and whistled, but it was 
 of no use, and I grew very much alarmed at the idea that 
 my treasure had deserted me. " It could not be because 
 I threw the pieces of rock at him," thought I ; "he would 
 not leave me for that." I remained for two or three hours, 
 watching for him, but it was all in vain ; there was no 
 seal — no Nero, — my heart sank at the idea of the animal 
 having deserted me, and for the first time in my life, as far 
 as I can recollect, I burst into a flood of tears. For the 
 first time in my life, I may say, I felt truly miserable — my 
 whole heart and affections were set upon this animal, the 
 companion and friend of my solitude, and I felt as if exist- 
 ence were a burden without him. After a while, I retraced 
 my steps to the cabin, but I was miserable, more so than I 
 can express. I could not rest quiet. Two hours before 
 sunset, I went down again to the rocks, and called till I 
 was hoarse. It was all in vain ; night closed in, and again 
 I returned to the cabin, and threw myself down in my 
 bed-place in utter despair. 
 
 " I thought he loved me," said I to myself, ** loved me 
 as I loved him ; I would not have left him in that way." 
 And my tears burst out anew at the idea that I never 
 should see my poor Nero again. 
 
 The reader may think that my grief was inordinate and 
 
The Little Savage 107 
 
 unwarrantable, but let him put himself in my position — a 
 lad of sixteen, alone on a desolate island, with only one 
 companion — true, he was an animal, and could not speak, 
 but he was affectionate ; he replied to all my caresses ; he 
 was my only companion and friend, the only object that I 
 loved or cared about. He was intelligent, and I thought 
 loved me as much as I loved him, and now he had deserted 
 me, and I had nothing else that I cared about or that cared 
 for me. My tears flowed for more than an hour, till at 
 last I was wearied and fell asleep. 
 
 Chapter XVIII 
 
 It was early in the morning, and yet dark, when I felt 
 something touch me. I started up — a low cry of pleasure 
 told me at once that it was Nero, who was by my side. 
 Yes, it was Nero, who had come back, having climbed up 
 again the steep path to the cabin, to return to his master. 
 Need I say that I was overjoyed, that I hugged him as if 
 he had been a human being, that I wept over him, and that 
 in a few minutes afterwards we were asleep together in 
 the same bed-place. Such was the fact, and never was 
 there in my after life, so great a transition from grief to 
 joy. 
 
 " Oh ! now, if you had left me," — said I to him, the 
 next morning, when I got up j " you naughty seal, to 
 frighten me and make me so unhappy as you did ! " Nero 
 appeared quite as happy as I was at our reunion, and was 
 more affectionate than ever. 
 
 I must now pass over many months in very few words, 
 just stating to the reader what my position was at the end 
 of three years, during which I was alone upon the island. 
 I had now arrived at the age of near seventeen, and was 
 tall and strong for my years. I had left off wearing my 
 dress of the skins of birds, having substituted one of the 
 
io8 The Little Savage 
 
 seaman's shirts, which I had found in the chest. This, 
 however, was the whole of my costume, and although, had 
 it been longer it would have been more correct, still, as I 
 had no other companion but Nero, it was not necessary to 
 be so very particular, as if I had been in society. During 
 these three years, I think I had read the Bible and Prayer- 
 book, and my Natural History book, at least five or six 
 times quite through, and possessing a retentive memory, 
 could almost repeat them by heart ; but still I read the 
 Bible as a sealed book, for I did not understand it, having 
 had no one to instruct me, nor any grace bestowed upon 
 me. I read for amusement, and nothing more. 
 
 My garden was now in a most flourishing condition, 
 the climbing plants had overrun the cabin, so as to com- 
 pletely cover the whole of the roof and every portion of it, 
 and they hung in festoons on each side of the door-way. 
 Many of the plants which I had taken up small, when I 
 moved them, had proved to be trees, and were now waving 
 to the breeze, high above the cabin roof; and everything 
 that I had planted, from continual watering and guano, had 
 grown most luxuriantly. In fact, my cabin was so covered 
 and sheltered, that its original form had totally disappeared, 
 it now looked like an arbour in a clump of trees, and from 
 the rocks by the bathing-pool it had a very picturesque 
 appearance. 
 
 I had, of course, several times gone up the ravine, and 
 now that my axe had become useful, I had gradually 
 accumulated a large stock of wood down by the bathing- 
 pool, more than I could use for a long while, as I seldom 
 lighted a fire, but the cutting it was employment, and 
 employment was to me a great source of happiness. I 
 had been several times to the other side of the island, 
 and had had more encounters with the seals, of which I 
 killed many, for I found their skins very comfortable and 
 useful in the cabin. I had collected about three dozen 
 of the finest skins, which were more than I required, but 
 I had taken them for the same reason that I had collected 
 the firewood, for the sake of employment, and in this 
 
The Little Savage 109 
 
 instance, I may add, for the sake of the excitement which 
 the combats with the seals afforded me. 
 
 I have not narrated any of these conflicts, as I thought 
 that they might weary the reader, I must, however, state 
 what occurred on one occasion, as although ludicrous, it 
 nearly cost me my life. I had attacked a large male seal, 
 with a splendid fur, for I always looked out for the best 
 skinned animals. He was lying on a rock close to the 
 water, and I had gone into the water to cut him off and 
 prevent his escape by plunging in, as he would otherwise 
 have done ; but as I aimed the usual blow at his nose, 
 my foot slipped on the wet rock, and I missed the animal, 
 and at the same time fell down on the rock with the axe 
 in my hand. The animal, which was a male of the largest 
 size, seized hold of my shirt (which I then wore) with 
 his teeth, and, plunging with me into the sea, dived down 
 into the deep water. It was fortunate that he had seized 
 my shirt instead of my body, and also that I could swim 
 well. He carried me along with him — the shirt, for a 
 few seconds, drawn over my head, when, disembarrassing 
 myself of the garment, by slipping my head and arms out, 
 I left it in his possession, and regained the surface of the 
 water, almost suffocated. It was fortunate that I did 
 not wear sleeve-buttons ; had I had them, I could not 
 have disengaged myself, and must have perished. I 
 climbed the rock again, and turning round, I perceived 
 the seal on the surface, shaking the shirt in great wrath. 
 This was a sad discomfiture, as I lost not only my shirt 
 but my axe, which I dropped when I was dragged into 
 the water ; nothing was saved except my knife, which 
 I carried by a lanyard round my neck. Why I mention 
 this circumstance particularly, is, that having felt great 
 inconvenience for want of sleeve-buttons to hold the 
 wristbands of my shirt together, I had thought of making 
 use of those of the mate, which the reader may recollect 
 had been given with his watch into Jackson's care, to 
 take home to his wife ; but on second consideration I 
 thought it very possible I might lose them, and decided 
 
no The Little Savage 
 
 that the property was in trust, and that I had no right 
 to risk it. This correct feeling on my part, therefore, 
 was probably the saving of my life. 
 
 I have only now to mention my birds, and of them I 
 can merely say that they went on as before ; they bathed 
 constantly, at the right season they laid eggs, the male 
 birds caught fish and brought them to the cabin, and 
 they were just as stupid and uninteresting as they were 
 at first ; however, they never left me, nor indeed shewed 
 any intention to leave me, after the first season of the 
 birds returning to the island. They were useful but not 
 very ornamental, and not at all interesting to one who 
 had such an intelligent companion as Nero. 
 
 Having now brought up my history, in a few words, 
 until the time referred to, I come to the narrative of what 
 occurred to produce a change in my condition. I have 
 said that in the chest there was a spy-glass, but it had 
 been wetted with salt-water, and was useless. Jackson 
 had tried to shew me how to use it, and had shewn me 
 correctly, but the glasses were dimmed by the wet and 
 subsequent evaporation from heat. I had taken out all 
 the glasses and cleaned them, except the field-glass as 
 it is called, but that being composed of two glasses, the 
 water had penetrated between them, and it still remained 
 so dull that nothing could be distinguished through it, 
 at the time that Jackson was shewing me how to use 
 the instrument ; it was therefore put on one side as 
 useless. A year afterwards, I took it out, from curiosity, 
 and then I discovered that the moisture between the two 
 glasses had been quite dried up, and that I could see 
 very clearly through it, and after a little practice I could 
 use it as well as anybody else. Still I seldom did use 
 it, as my eyesight was particularly keen, and I did not 
 require it, and as for any vessel coming off the island, 
 I had gradually given up all thoughts of it. It was one 
 evening when the weather was very rough and the sea 
 much agitated, that I thought I saw something unusual 
 on the water, about four miles distant. I supposed at 
 
The Little Savaoce 1 1 
 
 o 
 
 first It might be a spermaceti whale, for numbers used 
 to play round the island at certain seasons, and I used 
 to watch their blowing and their gambols, if I may use 
 the term, and Jackson often told me long stories about 
 the whale fisheries j but a ray of the setting sun made 
 the object appear white, and I ran for the glass, and 
 made out that it was a boat or a very small vessel, with 
 a sail out, and running before the gale right down to 
 the island. I watched it till it was dark with much 
 interest, and with thoughts of various kinds chasing each 
 other ; and then I began to consider what was best to 
 do. I knew that in an hour the moon would rise, and 
 as the sky was not cloudy, although the wind and sea 
 were high, I should probably be able to see it again. 
 *' But they never can get on shore on this side of the 
 island," thought I, "with so much sea. Yes they might, 
 if they ran for the bathing-pool." After thinking a while, 
 I decided that I would go down to the bathing-pool, 
 and place lighted faggots on the rocks on each side of 
 the entrance, as this would shew them where to run for, 
 and how to get in. I waited a little longer, and then 
 taking my spy-glass and some tinder with me, I went 
 down to the pool, carried two faggots to the rocks on 
 each side, and having set them on fire and taken up others 
 to replace them as soon as they were burnt out, I sat 
 down with my spy-glass to see if I could make out where 
 the boat might be. 
 
 As the moon rose, I descried her now within a mile of 
 the island, and her head directed towards the beacon lights 
 made by the burning faggots. I threw another faggot on 
 each and went down for a further supply. The gale had 
 increased, and the spray now dashed over the rocks to 
 where the faggots were burning, and threatened to extin- 
 guish them, but I put on more wood and kept up a fierce 
 blaze. In a quarter of an hour I could distinguish the 
 boat ; it was now close to the island, perhaps three hundred 
 yards distant, steering not directly for the lights, but more 
 along shore. The fact was that they had hauled up, not 
 
112 The Little Savage 
 
 knowing how they could land until they had observed the 
 two lights clear of each other, and then they understood 
 why they had been made ; and a moment afterwards they 
 bore up right for the entrance to the bathing-pool, and 
 came rushing on before the rolling seas. I still trembled 
 for them, as I knew that if the sea receded at the time that 
 they came to the ledge of rocks at the entrance, the boat 
 would be dashed to pieces, although their lives might be 
 saved, but fortunately for them, it was not so — on the 
 contrary, they came in borne up on a huge wave which 
 carried them clear over the ledge, right up to the wall 
 of rock which I had made across the pool, and then the 
 boat grounded. 
 
 " Hurrah ! well done, that," said a voice from the boat. 
 " Lower away the sail, my lads ; all's right." 
 
 The sail was lowered down, and then, by the light of 
 the fire, I discovered that there were several people in the 
 boat. I had been too much excited to say anything 5 
 indeed, I did not know what to say. I only felt that I was 
 no more alone, and the reader may imagine my joy and 
 delight. 
 
 Chapter XIX 
 
 As soon as the sail was lowered, the men leaped over 
 the sides of the boat into the water, and waded to the 
 rocks. 
 
 " Who are you ? " said one of the men, addressing me, 
 " and how many of you are there here ? " 
 
 " There is no one on the island but myself," replied 1 5 
 " but I'm so glad that you have come." 
 
 *' Are you ? Then perhaps you'll tell us how to get 
 something to eat, my hearty ? " replied he. 
 
 " Oh yes, wait a little, and I'll bring you plenty," 
 replied I. 
 
 "Well, then, look smart, that's a beauty, for we are 
 
The Little Savage 113 
 
 hungry enough to eat you, if you can find us nothing 
 better." 
 
 I was about to go up to the cabin for some birds, when 
 another man called out — 
 
 ** I say — can you get us any water ? " 
 
 " Oh yes, plenty," replied I. 
 
 " Well then, I say, Jim, hand us the pail out of the 
 boat." 
 
 The one addressed did so, and the man put it into my 
 hands, saying, " Bring us that pail, boy, will you ? " 
 I hastened up to the cabin, filled the pail full of water, 
 and then went for a quantity of dried birds, with which I 
 hastened down again to the bathing-pool ; I found the 
 men had not been idle, they had taken some faggots off 
 the stack and made a large fire under the rocks, and 
 were then busy making a sort of tent with the boat's 
 sails. 
 
 *' Here's the water, and here's some birds," said I, as 
 I came up to them. 
 
 " Birds ! what birds ? " said the man who had first 
 spoken to me, and appeared to have control over the rest. 
 He took one up and examined it by the light of the fire, 
 exclaiming, " Queer eating, I expect." 
 
 "Why, you didn't expect a regular hotel when you 
 landed, did you, mate ? " said one of the men. 
 
 " No, if I had, I would have called for a glass of grog," 
 replied he. "I suspect I might call a long while before I 
 get anyone to bring me one here." 
 
 As I knew that Jackson called the rum by the name 
 of grog, I said, "There's plenty of grog, if you want 
 any." 
 
 " Is there, my hearty, — where ? " 
 
 ** Why, in that cask that's in the water on the other side 
 of your little ship," replied I. "I can draw you some 
 directly." 
 
 " What ! in that cask ? Grog floating about in salt 
 water, that's too bad. Come here all of you — You're in 
 earnest, boy — no joking I hope, or you may repent it." 
 
 L.S. H 
 
114 The Little Savage 
 
 " I'm not joking," said I — " there it is." 
 
 The man, followed by all the rest, excepting one of the 
 party, waded into the water, and went to the cask of rum. 
 
 " Take care," said I, " the spiles are in." 
 
 " So I see — never fear, my hearty — come now all of 
 us." So saying, the whole of them laid hold of the cask 
 by the chains, and lifting it up, they carried it clean out of 
 the water, and placed it on the rocks by the side of the 
 pool. 
 
 " Hand us the little kid out of the boat, Jim," said the 
 man ; " we'll soon see if it's the right stuff." 
 
 He took out the spiles, drew off some of the liquor, and 
 tasting it, swore it was excellent. It was then handed 
 round, and all the men took some. 
 
 ** We're in luck to-night ; we're fallen upon our legs," 
 said the first man. " I say, Jim, put them dried chickens 
 into the pitch-kettle along with some taters out of the bag 
 — they'll make a good mess ; and then with this cask of 
 grog to go to, we shan't do badly." 
 
 " I say, old fellow," said he, turning to me, " you're 
 a regular trump. Who left you on shore to get all ready 
 for us ? " 
 
 ** I was born here," replied I. 
 
 " Born here ! well, we'll hear all about that to-morrow 
 — just now, we'll make up for lost time, for we've had 
 nothing to eat or drink since Wednesday morning. Look 
 alive, my lads ! get up the hurricane-house. Jim, put the 
 pail of water into the kettle, and send the islander here 
 for another pailful, for grog." 
 
 The pail was handed to me, and I soon returned with 
 it full; and, as I did not see that they had a pannikin, 
 I brought one down and gave it to them. 
 
 " You're a fine boy," said the mate ; (as I afterwards 
 found out that he was). " And now, I say, where do you 
 hold out .? Have you a hut or a cave to live in ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied I; I have a cabin, but it is not large 
 enough for all of you." 
 
 " No, no ! we don't want to go there — we are very 
 
The Little Savage 1 1 5 
 
 well where we are, alongside of the cask of rum ; but 
 you see, my lad, we have a woman here." 
 
 " A woman ! " said I ; " I never saw a woman. Where 
 is she ? " 
 
 ** There she is, sitting by the fire." 
 
 I looked round, and perceived that there was one of the 
 party wrapped up in a blanket, and with a wide straw hat 
 on the head, which completely concealed the form from 
 me. The fact is, that the woman looked like a bundle, 
 and remained by the fire quite as inanimate. At my saying 
 that I never saw a woman, the man burst into a loud 
 laugh. 
 
 *' Why, did you not say that you were born on the 
 island, boy ? " said the mate at last. " Were you born 
 without a mother ? " 
 
 "I cannot recollect my mother — she died when I was 
 very young ; and therefore I said, that I had never seen 
 a woman." 
 
 " Well, that's explained ; but you see, my lad — this is 
 not only a woman, but a very particular sort of a woman -, 
 and it will not do for her to remain here after we have had 
 our supper — for after supper, the men may take a drop too 
 much, and not behave themselves; so I asked you about 
 your cabin, that you might take her there to sleep. Can 
 you do that ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied I ; ** I will take her there, if she wishes 
 to go." 
 
 " That's all right then ; she'll be better there than here, 
 at all events. I say, boy, where did you leave your 
 trousers ? " 
 
 " I never wear any." 
 
 ** Well then, if you have any, I advise you to put them 
 on, for you are quite old enough to be breeched." 
 
 I remained with them while the supper was cooking, 
 asking all manner of questions, which caused great mirth. 
 The pitch kettle, which was a large iron pot on three 
 short legs, surprised me a good deal, I had never seen 
 such a thing before, or anything put on the fire. I asked 
 
ii6 The Little Savage 
 
 what it was, and what it was made of. The potatoes also 
 astonished me, as I had never yet seen an edible root. 
 
 *' Why, where have you been all your life?" said one 
 of the men. 
 
 " On this island," replied I, very naively. 
 
 I waded into the water to examine the boat as well as 
 I could by the light of the fire, but I could see little, and 
 was obliged to defer my examination till the next day. 
 Before the supper was cooked and eaten, I did, however, 
 gain the following information. 
 
 That they were a portion of the crew of a whaler, 
 which had struck on a reef of rocks about seventy miles 
 off, and that they had been obliged to leave her immedi- 
 ately, as she fell on her broadside a few minutes after- 
 wards ; that they had left in two boats, but did not know 
 what had become of the other boat, which parted com- 
 pany during the night. The captain and six men were in 
 the other boat, and the mate with six men in the one 
 which had just landed — besides the lady. 
 
 " What's a lady ? " said I. 
 
 " I mean the woman who sits there ; her husband was 
 killed by some of the people of the Sandwich Isles, and 
 she was going home to England. We have a consort, 
 another whaler, who was to have taken our cargo of oil 
 on board, and to have gone to England with that and her 
 own cargo, and the missionary's wife was to have been 
 sent home in her." 
 
 " What's a missionary ? " inquired I. 
 
 " Well, I don't exactly know 5 but he is a preacher who 
 goes out to teach the savages." 
 
 By this time the supper was cooked, and the odour 
 from the pitch kettle was more savoury than anything 
 that I had ever yet smelt. The kettle was lifted off the 
 fire, the contents of it poured into a kid, and after they 
 had given a portion in the small kid to the woman, who 
 still remained huddled up in the blanket by the fire, they 
 all sat round the large kid, and commenced their supper. 
 
 " Come, boy, and join us," said the mate, " you can't 
 
 * 
 
The Little Savage 117 
 
 have had your supper ; and as you've found one for us, 
 it's hard but you should share it with us." 
 
 I was not sorry to do as he told me, and I must say 
 that I never enjoyed a repast so much in my life. 
 
 "I say, boy, have you a good stock of them dried 
 chickens of yours ? " said the mate. 
 
 ** Yes, I have a great many, but not enough to last long 
 for so many people." 
 
 ** Well, but we can get more, can't we ? " 
 
 " No ! " replied I, " not until the birds come again, and 
 that will not be for these next five moons." 
 
 " Five moons ! what do you mean ? " 
 
 " I mean, five full moons must come, one after another." 
 
 " Oh, I understand ; why then we must not remain on 
 the island." 
 
 '*No," replied I, "we must all go, or we shall starve; 
 I am so glad that you are come, and the sooner you go the 
 better. Will you take Nero with you ? " 
 
 "Who is Nero.?" 
 
 " Nero — my seal — he's very tame." 
 
 " Well, we'll see about it ; at all events," said he, turn- 
 ing to the other men, " we must decide upon something, 
 and that quickly, for we shall starve if we remain here 
 any time." 
 
 It appeared that they had left the whaler in such a hurry, 
 that they had only had time to throw into the boat two 
 breakers of water, four empty breakers to fill with salt- 
 water for ballast to the boat, and the iron pitch kettle, 
 with a large sack of potatoes. 
 
 As soon as supper was finished, they went to the cask 
 for the rum, and then the mate said to me — 
 
 "Now I'll go and speak to the woman, and you shall 
 take her to sleep in your cabin." 
 
 During the whole of this time the woman, as the mate 
 called her, had never spoken a word. She had taken her 
 supper, and eaten it in silence, still remaining by the fire, 
 huddled up in the blanket. On the mate speaking to her, 
 she rose up, and I then perceived that she was much taller 
 
ii8 The Little Savage 
 
 than I thought she could have been ; but her Panama hat 
 still concealed her face altogether. 
 
 "Now then, my lad," said the mate, "shew the lady 
 where she is to sleep, and then you can join us again if 
 you like." 
 
 " Will you come with me ? " said I, walking away. 
 
 The woman followed me up the path. When we arrived 
 at the platform opposite the cabin, I recollected Nero,^ 
 whom I had ordered to stay there till my return. 
 
 " You won't be afraid of the seal," said I, " will you ? 
 he is very good-natured. Nero, come here." 
 
 It was rather dark as Nero came shuffling up, and I 
 went forward to coax him, for he snarled a little at seeing 
 a stranger. 
 
 "Have you no light at hand?" said my companion, 
 speaking for the first time in a very soft, yet clear voice. 
 
 " No, I have not, but I will get some tinder, and make 
 a fire with one of the faggots, and then you will be able 
 to see." 
 
 " Do so, then, my good lad," replied she. 
 
 I thought her voice very pleasing. 
 
 I soon lighted the faggot and enabled her to see Nero 
 (who was now quite quiet) and also the interior of the 
 cabin. 
 
 She examined the cabin and the bed-places, and then 
 said, 
 
 " Where do you sleep ? " 
 
 I replied by shewing her my bed-place. " And this," 
 said I, pointing to the one opposite, " was Jackson's, and 
 you can sleep in that. Nero sleeps with me. Here are 
 plenty of seal skins to keep you warm if you are cold. 
 Are your clothes wet ? " 
 
 " No, they are quite dry now," replied she ; " if you 
 will get me some seal skins, I will lie down on them, for 
 I am very tired." 
 
 I spread five or six skins one on the other, in Jackson's 
 bed-place, and then I went out and threw another faggot 
 on the fire, that we might have more light. 
 
The Little Savage 119 
 
 " Do you want anything else ? " said I. 
 
 " Nothing, I thank you. Are you going to bed now ? " 
 
 ** I was meaning to go down again to the men, but now 
 I think of it, I do not like to leave you alone with Nero, 
 as he might bite you. Are you afraid of him ? " 
 
 " No, I'm not much afraid, but still I have no wish to 
 be bitten, and I am not used to sleep with such animals, 
 as you are." 
 
 ** Well then, I'll tell you how we'll manage it. I will 
 take some skins outside, and sleep there. Nero will not 
 leave me, and then you won't be afraid. The weather is 
 clearing up fast, and there's very little wind to what there 
 was — besides, it will be daylight in three or four hours." 
 
 " As you please," was the reply. 
 
 Accordingly I took some seal skins out on the platform, 
 and spreading them, I lay down upon them, wishing her 
 good-night, and Nero soon joined me, and we were both 
 fast asleep in a few minutes. 
 
 Chapter XX 
 
 Nero, who was an early riser, woke me up at day-break, 
 or I should have slept much longer •, for I had been tired 
 out with the fatigue and excitement of the night before. 
 As soon as I was up, I looked into the cabin, and found 
 the woman was fast asleep ; her straw hat was off, but she 
 had lain down in her clothes. Her black hair was hanging 
 about her shoulders. Having only seen Jackson with his 
 bushy beard, I had been somewhat surprised when I first 
 saw the men on their landing so comparatively clear of hair 
 on their face ; my astonishment at the clear white skin of a 
 woman — and in this instance, it was peculiarly white and 
 pallid — was very great. I also perceived how much more 
 delicate her features were than those of the men 5 her 
 teeth, too, were very white, and Jackson's were dis- 
 coloured and bad ; I longed to see her eyes, but they were 
 
I20 The Little Savage 
 
 closed. Any other difference I could not perceive, as she 
 had drawn the blanket close up to her chin. 
 
 " This is then a woman," said I to myself : " yes, and it's 
 very like what I used to see in my dreams." I looked a 
 little longer, and then, hearing Nero coming into the 
 cabin behind me, and afraid that she would awake, I made 
 a hasty retreat. 
 
 I remained at this part of the cabin considering what I 
 should do. I thought I would light a fire, and go down 
 for a fish to broil on the embers for her breakfast, so I 
 called Nero to come down with me. On arriving at the 
 pool, I found all the seamen fast asleep under the tent they 
 had made with the boat's sails ; and they appeared to be 
 much the same as Jackson used to be after he had got 
 drunk the night before ; I presumed therefore, that such 
 was their state, and was not far wrong. Nero went into 
 the pool and brought out a fish, as I ordered him, and I 
 then walked to the boat to examine it. This took me half 
 an hour, and I was sorry that none of the men were awake, 
 that so I might ask any questions I wished. I examined 
 the pitch-kettle, and the boat's sails, and the breakers. 
 Breakers are small casks, holding about six to seven 
 gallons of water, and are very handy for boats. I remained 
 about an hour, and then went back to the cabin, carrying a 
 faggot on my shoulder, Nero following with the fish in his 
 mouth. We were met by the woman, who came out of 
 the cabin ; she no longer had the blanket round her, for it 
 was a beautiful bright morning, and very warm. 
 
 ** Nero is bringing you your breakfast," said I, " so you 
 ought to like him." 
 
 " I , dare say I shall, if we are to be companions in 
 future," replied she. 
 
 " Do you want anything ? " said I. 
 
 " Yes, a little water, if you can get me some." 
 
 I filled the kid from the spring, JDUt it down by her, and 
 then took out the inside of the fish, and fed the birds, who 
 were crowding round me. 
 
 The woman washed her face and hands, braided up her 
 
The Little Savage 121 
 
 hair, and then sat down on the rock. In the meantime, I 
 had lighted my faggot, cleaned the fish, and waited till the 
 wood was burnt to ashes before I put the fish on the fire. 
 Having then nothing to do, I thought that reading would 
 amuse the woman, and I went in for the Bible. 
 
 " Shall I read to you ? " said I. 
 
 " Yes," replied she, with some astonishment in her looks. 
 
 I read to her the history of Joseph and his brethren, 
 which was my favourite story in the Bible. 
 
 " Who taught you to read ? " said she, as I shut the 
 book, and put the fish on the embers. 
 
 *' Jackson," said I. 
 
 " He was a good man, was he not ? " replied she. 
 
 I shook my head. " No, not very good," said I, at last. 
 ** If you knew all about him, you would say the same ; but 
 he taught me to read." 
 
 ** How long have you been on this island ? " said she. 
 
 " I was born on it, but my father and mother are both 
 dead, and Jackson died three years ago — since that I have 
 been quite alone, only Nero with me." 
 
 She then asked me a great many more questions, and I 
 gave her a short narration of what had passed, and what 
 Jackson had told me ; I also informed her how it was I 
 procured food, and how we must soon leave the island, 
 now that we were so many, or the food would not last out 
 till the birds came again. 
 
 By this time the fish was cooked, and I took it off the 
 fire and put it into the kid, and we sat down to breakfast ; 
 in an hour or so, we had become very sociable. 
 
 I must however now stop a little to describe her. What 
 the men had told me was quite true. She had lost her 
 husband, and was intending to proceed to England. Her 
 name was Reichardt, for her husband was a German, or of 
 German family. She was, as I have since ascertained, about 
 thirty-seven years old, and very tall and elegant ; she must 
 have been very handsome when she was younger, but she 
 had suffered much hardship in following her husband as 
 she had done, through all the vicissitudes of his travels. 
 
122 The Little Savage 
 
 Her face was oval ; eyes black and large ; and her hair 
 black as the raven's wing ; her features were small and 
 regular j her teeth white and good ; but her complexion 
 was very pallid, and not a vestige of colour on her cheeks. 
 As I have since thought, it was more like a marble statue 
 than anything I can compare her to. There was a degree 
 of severity in her countenance when she did not smile, and 
 it was seldom that she did. I certainly looked upon her 
 with more awe than regard, for some time after I became 
 acquainted with her ; and yet her voice was soft and 
 pleasant, and her manners very amiable ; but it must be 
 remembered I had never before seen a woman. After 
 breakfast was over, I proposed going down to where the 
 seamen lay, to see if they were awake, but I told her I 
 thought that they would not be. 
 
 " I will go with you, as I left a basket with some things 
 of mine in the boat, and it will be as well to bring them 
 up at once." 
 
 We therefore set off together, I having ordered Nero to 
 stay in the cabin. On our arrival at the pool we found 
 the men still fast asleep ; and by her directions I went into 
 the water to the boat, and brought out a basket and a 
 small bundle which she pointed out. 
 
 " Shall I w^ake them ? " said I. 
 
 *'No, no," replied she; "so long as they sleep, they 
 will be doing no harm. But," said she, "we may as well 
 take some potatoes up with us ; fill both these handker- 
 chiefs," continued she, taking two out of the bundle. I 
 did so, and she took one and I the other, and we returned 
 to the cabin. 
 
 " Are these all the birds that you have for food ? " said 
 she, looking at the pile in the cabin. 
 
 " Yes," replied I. " But what are we to do with the 
 potatoes ? " 
 
 " We can roast them by the fire if we like," said she ; 
 " but at present we had better take them into the cabin. 
 Did you plant all these flowers and creepers which grow 
 over the cabin ? " 
 
The Little Savage 123 
 
 " Yes," replied I. " I was alone and had nothing to 
 do, so I thought I would make a garden." 
 
 *'They are very pretty. Now that I am back, you can 
 go down to the men if you please, and tell them, when 
 they wake up, that I wish to have the smallest of the 
 boat's sails, to make a screen of. Tell the mate, he is the 
 most civil." 
 
 " I will," said I. " Is there anything else ? " 
 
 " Yes, bring up a few more potatoes ; they will let you 
 take them if you say that I told you." 
 
 ** Shall I take Nero with me ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do not want his company, for I am a little afraid 
 of him." 
 
 I called Nero, who came after me, and went down to 
 the pool, when I found that the men had all woke up, and 
 were very busy, some lighting a fire, some washing 
 potatoes, and some trying to catch the fish in the pool. 
 
 " Oh, here he is. Come, boy, what have you got for 
 our breakfast ? We've been trying to catch some of these 
 fish, but they're as quick as eels." 
 
 *' Nero will soon catch you what you want," replied I. 
 " Here, Nero, in." 
 
 Nero plunged in, and soon brought out a fish, and I 
 then sent him in for another. 
 
 " Thanks, lad," said the mate ; " that will be enough 
 for our breakfast. That seal of yours is a handy fellow, 
 and well trained." 
 
 While the other men were getting breakfast, one of 
 them went up to Nero, I believe with the intention of 
 making friends with him, but Nero rejected his advances, 
 and showed his sharp teeth, snapping at him several times. 
 The man became angry, and caught up a piece of rock to 
 throw at the seal. He aimed at the animal's nose, and 
 narrowly missed hitting it. Had he done so, he would 
 probably have killed it. This made me very angry, and I 
 told the man not to do so again ; upon this, he caught up 
 another, and was about to throw it, when I seized him by 
 the collar with my left hand, and with my right drawing 
 
J 24 The Little Savage 
 
 my American knife, I threatened to stab him with it, if he 
 attacked the beast. The man started back, and in so 
 doing, fell over a piece of rock, on his back. This quarrel 
 brought the mate to us, along with two or three of the 
 men. My knife was still lifted up, when the mate said — 
 
 " Come, my hearty, no knives, we don't allow them. 
 That's not English. Put it up, no one shall hurt the beast, 
 I promise you. Bob, you fool, why couldn't you leave the 
 animal alone ? You forget you are among savages, here." 
 
 At this, the other men burst out into a laugh. 
 
 ** Yes," observed one ; " I can swear, when I get back, 
 that the natives of this island are savages, who eat raw 
 flesh, have seals for playmates, and don't wear clothes 
 enough for common decency." 
 
 This made them laugh more, and the man who had 
 attacked Nero, and who had got upon his legs again, joined 
 with the others ; so all was again good-humour. The men 
 sat down to their breakfast, while I examined the boat 
 again, and afterwards asked many questions, with which 
 they were much amused, every now and then observing, 
 "Well, he is a savage ! " 
 
 After they had breakfasted, I made Nero catch another fish 
 and sent him up to the cabin with it, as I was afraid that 
 the man might do him an injury, and then told the mate 
 that the woman had desired me to bring up some potatoes. 
 
 " Take them," said he ; " but you have nothing to carry 
 them up with. Here, fill the pail, and I will go to the 
 cabin with you." 
 
 " She told me that I was to ask you for a small boat's 
 sail, to hang up as a screen." 
 
 ** Well, she shall have the boat's mizen. We don't 
 want it. I'll carry it up." 
 
 The mate threw the sail and yard over his shoulder, 
 and followed me up to the cabin. On our arrival, we 
 found the missionary's wife sitting on the platform, Nero 
 lying not far from her, with the fish beside him. The 
 mate took ofi* his hat, and saluted my new companion, 
 saying, " That he hoped she was comfortable last night." 
 
The Little Savage 125 
 
 " Yes," replied she, " as much so as I could expect ; 
 but I turned this good lad out of his cabin, which I do not 
 wish to do again, and therefore I requested the sail for a 
 screen. Now, John Gough, what do you intend to do ? " 
 continued she. 
 
 The mate replied, " I came up here to see what quantity 
 of provisions the lad might have. By his account, it will 
 not last more than a month, and it will take some time 
 before we can reach where we are likely to fall in with any 
 vessel. Stay here we cannot, for we shall only eat the 
 provision and lose time, therefore, the sooner we are off 
 the better." 
 
 " If you take all the provision, of course you will take 
 the lad with you ? " replied she. 
 
 ** Of course we will." 
 
 " And my chest, and my seal ? " inquired I. 
 
 " Yes, your chest, certainly, but as for your seal, I do not 
 know what to say to that — he will be starved in the boat, 
 and if you give him his liberty, he will do well enough." 
 
 " What you say is very true," replied the woman. " I 
 am afraid, boy, that you will have to part with your friend. 
 It will be better for both of you." 
 
 I made no reply, for it cut me to the heart to think of 
 parting with Nero ; but still I had sense enough to per- 
 ceive that what they said was right. 
 
 The mate then went into the cabin, and examined the 
 heap of dried birds which I had collected, and having made 
 his calculation, said that there were sufficient for three 
 weeks, but not more. 
 
 "And when do you think of leaving this island?" 
 inquired the woman. 
 
 " The day after to-morrow, if I can persuade the men, 
 madam," replied he ; " but you know they are not very 
 easy to manage, and very thoughtless, especially now that 
 they have so unexpectedly fallen in with liquor." 
 
 " That I admit," replied she ; " but as they will 
 probably take the liquor in the boat, that will not make so 
 great a difference." 
 
126 The Little Savage 
 
 " I shall go down and speak to them now they're all 
 sober," replied the mate, " and will let you know in the 
 evening, or to-morrow morning, perhaps, will be better." 
 The mate then saluted her by touching his hat, and left us. 
 
 Chapter XXI 
 
 There was one thing which had made a great impression 
 on me in the conversation with the men in the morning. 
 They called me a Savage, and said that I had not sufficient 
 clothes on ; and as I observed that they were all dressed 
 in jackets and trousers, which covered them from head to 
 foot, I took it for granted that my shirt, which was all that 
 I wore, was not a sufficient clothing. This had never 
 occurred to me before, nor can the reader be surprised at 
 it. I had been like our first parents in Eden — naked but 
 not ashamed — but now that I had suddenly come in contact 
 with my fellow-men, I felt as if something were amiss. 
 The consequence was, that I went to the chest and got 
 out a pair of white trousers, and put them on. I thought 
 them very uncomfortable and very unnecessary articles, but 
 others wore them, and I felt that I must do so also. They 
 were rather long for me, but I rolled up the bottoms of the 
 legs, as I observed that the seamen did, and then came out 
 on the platform, where the missionary's wife was still seated, 
 looking out upon the waves as they lashed the rocks. She 
 immediately observed the addition that I had made to my 
 dress, and said, 
 
 " That is a great improvement. Now you look like 
 other people. What is your name ? you have not told me." 
 
 When I had answered the question, I said to her — 
 
 ** I have brought up more of the potatoes, as you call 
 them ; what am I to do with them ? " 
 
 " First tell me, have you any spot that you know about 
 the island where there is mould — that is, earth, like you 
 have in your garden — where we can plant them ? " 
 
The Little Savage 127 
 
 " Yes," replied I, '* there is some up there," and I 
 pointed to one-third up the ravine. ** I brought all this 
 earth from there, and there is plenty of it ; but what is the 
 good of planting them ? " 
 
 "Because," said she, "one of the potatoes planted will, 
 in a very short time, grow, and then it will produce 
 perhaps thirty or forty potatoes at its roots as large as 
 these ; they are excellent things for food, and where there 
 is nothing else to be had, may be the means of preserving 
 life." 
 
 "Well, that may be," replied I, " and if we were going 
 to remain on the island, it would be well to plant them, 
 but as we are going away the day after to-morrow, what's 
 the use of it ? I know that they are very nice, for I had 
 some for supper last night." 
 
 " But are we only to think of ourselves in this world, 
 and not of others ? " replied she. " Suppose, two or three 
 years hence, another boat were to be cast away on this 
 island, and not find, as we have, you here, \ :th provisions 
 ready for them, they would starve miserably ; whereas, if 
 we plant these potatoes, they may find plenty of food and 
 be saved. Only think how glad your father and mother 
 would have been to have found potatoes on the island 
 when they were thrown on it. "We must not live only for 
 ourselves, but we must think and try to do good to others 
 — that is the duty of a Christian." 
 
 " I think you are very right," replied I, " and a very 
 kind person too. If you wish it I will go and plant the 
 potatoes this day. How am I to plant them ? " 
 
 " They have a shovel in the boat," said she, " for I saw 
 them throwing the water out with it. Go down and get 
 it, and then I will go with you and show you." 
 
 I went down and the mate gave me the shovel, which I 
 carried up to her. I found her cutting the potatoes into 
 pieces, and she showed me how she cut them, leaving an 
 eye in each piece, and explained the reason for it. I was 
 soon very busy cutting away alongside of her, and before 
 long the pail of potatoes was all ready to be planted. 
 
128 The Little Savage 
 
 We then walked to the ravine, and she showed me how 
 to use the shovel, and I made the holes. Before noon we 
 had planted all that we had cut, but we had still the two 
 handkerchiefs full that we had at first brought up with us. 
 We returned to the cabin, and I prepared the fish for 
 dinner. After it was on the embers, she wished to have 
 the screen put up beside her bed-place. 
 
 " Go down to the mate," said she, " and ask him for 
 the hammer and three or four nails. I know they have 
 them in the boat." 
 
 ** I may as well take them down some birds for their 
 dinner," replied I, "for they will want them." 
 
 " Yes, do so ; and then come back to me as soon as you 
 can. 
 
 The mate gave me the hammer, an article I had never 
 seen before, and five or six nails, with which I returned to 
 the cabin, and nailed up the sail as a screen. 
 
 "Now you will be able to sleep in your own bed-place 
 to-night," said she. 
 
 I made no reply ; but I could not imagine why I could 
 not have done so the night before, for I had only gone out 
 of the cabin that she might not be frightened by Nero 
 being so close to her. 
 
 After we had eaten our dinner, she said to me — 
 
 " How could you contrive to live on this island, if you 
 had no dried birds ? " 
 
 " How ? " replied I ; " why, very badly. I might catch 
 fish ; but there are times in the year when you can catch 
 no fish, they won't take bait, neither will they when the 
 weather is rough. Besides, I have only two lines, and I 
 might lose them both — then what would become of me ? 
 I should starve." 
 
 "Well, then, you see under all circumstances, it was 
 just as well to plant the potatoes, for other people may 
 come here and be in your position." 
 
 " Yes, that is true, but we shall not be here long now, 
 and you don't know how glad I am to go. I want to see 
 all the things that I have read about in my books. I want 
 
The Little Savage 129 
 
 to go to England and look for somebody ; but you don't 
 know all that I know ; some day I will tell you all — 
 everything. I am so tired of living here by myself — 
 nothing to say — no one to talk to — no one to care for, 
 except Nero, and he can't speak. I can't bear the idea of 
 parting with him though." 
 
 '* Would you rather stay on the island with Nero, than 
 go away without him ? " 
 
 *' No," replied I ; " go I must, but still I do not like to 
 part with him. He is the only friend that I ever had, that 
 I can remember." 
 
 ''When you have lived longer, and mixed more with 
 the world, my poor boy, you will then find how many 
 sacrifices you will be obliged to make, much more serious 
 than parting with an animal that you are attached to. 
 I suppose you expect to be very happy if ever you get 
 back to England .? " 
 
 " Of course I do ; why should I not be .? " replied I ; 
 " I shall be always happy," 
 
 The Missionary's wife shook her head. " I fear not. 
 Indeed, I think if you Hve long enough, you will acknow- 
 ledge that the happiest of your days were passed on this 
 barren rock." 
 
 "Jackson said otherwise," replied I. "He was always 
 grieving at being on the island, and not able to get back 
 to England, and he told me so many stories about England, 
 and what is done there, and what a beautiful place it is, 
 that I'm sure I shall like it better than being here, even 
 if I had somebody with me." 
 
 " Well, you are in the hands of God, and you must put 
 your trust in him. He will do with you as he thinks best 
 for you — that you know, as you read your Bible." 
 
 " No, I didn't know that," replied I. " God lives 
 beyond the stars, a long way off." 
 
 " Is that all you have gained by reading your Bible ? " 
 inquired she, looking me in the face. 
 
 " No, not all," replied I ; " but I do not understand a 
 great deal that I read, I want some one to tell me. I am 
 
 L.S. I 
 
130 The Little Savage 
 
 so glad you came with the men in the boat, for I never 
 saw a woman before. I used to see somebody in my 
 dreams, and now I know it was a woman. It was my 
 mother, but I have not seen her for a long while now, and 
 I have nobody but Nero." 
 
 *' My poor boy, you have a father in heaven." 
 
 " Yes," replied I ; " I know he is in heaven, and so is 
 my mother, for Jackson said that they were both very 
 good." 
 
 " I mean your Heavenly Father, God. Do you not say 
 in the Lord's Prayer, * Our Father which art in heaven.' 
 You must love him." 
 
 I was about to reply, when John Gough, the mate, 
 came up, and told my companion that he had been speaking 
 to the men, and they had agreed that the day after the 
 next they would, if the weather permitted, leave the 
 island ; that they had examined the boat, and found it 
 required very little repair, and that all would be ready the 
 next day. 
 
 *'I hope that they will not overload the boat," said 
 she. 
 
 " I fear that they will, but I must do all I can to pre- 
 vent it. The cask of rum was rather an unfortunate 
 discovery, and we had been better without it. Leave it 
 they will not, so we must put out of the boat all that we 
 can possibly do without, for we shall be nine of us, and 
 that will be plenty of weight with the addition of the 
 cask." 
 
 " You promised to take my chest, you remember," 
 said L 
 
 " Yes, I will do so if I possibly can ; but recollect, I 
 may not be able to keep my promise — for now that they 
 have the liquor, the men do not obey me as they did 
 before, ma'am," said the mate. " Perhaps he had better 
 take the best of his clothes in a bundle, in case they should 
 refuse to take in the chest ; and I must say that, loaded as 
 the boat will be, they will be much to blame if they do not 
 refuse, for the boat is but small for stowage, and there's 
 
The Little Savage 131 
 
 all the provisions to put in her, which will take up a deal 
 of room." 
 
 " That is very true," replied the woman. ** It will be 
 better to leave the chest here, for I do not think that the 
 boat will hold it. You must not mind your chest, my 
 good boy ; it is of no great value." 
 
 " They take my rum and all my birds, and they ought 
 to take both me and my chest." 
 
 " Not if it takes up too much room," replied the woman. 
 ** You cannot expect it. The wishes of one person must 
 give way to the wishes of many." 
 
 "Why they would have starved if it had not been for 
 me," replied I, angrily. 
 
 ** That's very true, boy," replied the mate ; " but you 
 have to learn yet, that might is right ; and recollect that 
 what you did this morning has not made you any great 
 favourite with them." 
 
 " What was that ? " inquired my companion. 
 
 " Only that he nearly drove his knife through one of 
 the men, that's all," replied the mate ; " English sailors 
 ar'n't fond of knives." 
 
 He then touched his hat, and went down again to the 
 pool, desiring me to follow him with a kid for our share 
 of the supper. I did so, and on my return she asked me 
 why I had drawn my knife upon the seaman, and I narrated 
 how it occurred. She pointed out to me the impropriety 
 of what I had done, asking me whether the Bible did not 
 tell us we were to forgive injuries. 
 
 " Yes," replied I ; " but is it not injuries to ourselves ? 
 I did forgive Jackson j but this was to prevent his hurting 
 another." 
 
 " Another ! why you talk of Nero as if the animal was 
 a rational being, and his life of as much consequence as 
 that of a fellow-creature. I do not mean to say but that 
 the man was very wrong, and that you must have felt 
 angry if an animal you were so fond of had been killed ; 
 but there is a great difference between the life of an 
 animal and that of a fellow-creature. The animal dies, 
 
132 The Little Savage 
 
 and there is an end of it ; but a man has an immortal soul, 
 which never perishes, and nothing can excuse your taking 
 the life of a man, except in self-defence. Does not the 
 commandment say, * Thou shalt not kill ? * " 
 
 She then talked to me a long while upon the subject, 
 and fully made me understand that I had been very wrong, 
 and I confessed that I had been so. 
 
 Chapter XXII 
 
 I NOW resolved to speak to her relative to the belt which 
 contained the diamonds ; and I was first obliged to narrate 
 to her in a few words what Jackson had told me. She 
 heard me with great interest, now and then asking a 
 question. When I had told her all, I said — 
 
 ** Now, as they talk of not taking my chest, what shall I 
 do ? Shall I wear the belt myself, or shall I put it in the 
 bundle ? or will you wear it for me, as my mother would 
 have done, if she had been alive ? " 
 
 She did not reply for some time, at last she said, as if 
 talking to herself, and not to me — 
 
 ** How unsearchable are thy ways, O God ! " 
 
 Indeed, although I did not feel it at the time, I have 
 afterwards thought, and she told me herself, how great 
 her surprise was at finding in the unshorn little Savage, 
 thus living alone upon a desolate rock, a lad of good birth, 
 and although he did not know it, with a fortune in his 
 charge, which would, in all probability, be ultimately 
 his own. This is certain, that the interest she felt 
 towards me increased every hour, as by degrees I dis- 
 closed my history. 
 
 ** Well," replied she, "if you will trust me, I will take 
 charge of your belt. To-morrow we will select out of 
 the chest what will be best to take with you, and then we 
 will arrange as you wish." 
 
 After about an hour's more conversation, she went into 
 
The Little Savage 133 
 
 the cabin, and retired behind the screen which had been 
 fixed up, telling me that she did not mind Nero, and that 
 I might go to bed when I pleased. As I was not much 
 inclined to go down to the seamen, I followed her advice 
 and went to bed ; but I could not sleep for a long time 
 from the noise which the men made, who were carousing 
 at the bathing-pool. The idea of parting with Nero also 
 lay heavy upon my heart, though the woman had almost 
 satisfied me that as soon as I was gone, the animal would 
 resume its natural habits, and care nothing for me. 
 
 I was up the next morning early, and went down with 
 Nero to obtain the fish which we required. I left some on 
 the rocks for the seamen's breakfast (for they were all sound 
 asleep), and then returned to the cabin, and prepared for 
 our own. Mrs Reichardt, as I shall now call her, soon 
 came out to me, and when breakfast was over, proposed 
 that we should plant the remainder of the potatoes before 
 we packed up the things in the chest. As soon as they 
 were all cut, we set off to the ravine, and had finished 
 our task before noon, at which time there were but few 
 of the seamen stirring, they had remained up so long the 
 night before, drinking. The mate was one of those who 
 were on their legs, and he asked me if I thought we 
 should have smooth water to launch the boat on the 
 following day. I replied in the affirmative, and went 
 with Mrs Reichardt to the cabin, and putting down the 
 shovel, I hauled my chest out on the platform to select 
 what articles I should take. 
 
 While we were thus employed, and talking at times, 
 the men came up for the dried birds to take down ready 
 for putting them in the boat on the following day, and 
 in two trips they had cleared out the whole of them. 
 
 " Have you used all the potatoes you brought up ? " 
 said one of the men; **for we shall be short of 
 provisions." 
 
 Mrs Reichardt replied that we had none left. 
 
 " Well then," said the man, " the mate says you had 
 better bring down that brute of yours to catch the rest 
 
134 The Little Savage 
 
 of the fish in the pond, that we may cook them before 
 we start, as they will make two days' meals at least." 
 
 " Very well," replied I ; "I will come down directly." 
 I did so, and Nero, in a quarter of an hour, had landed 
 all the fish, and I then returned with him to the cabin. 
 Mrs R. had selected the best of the clothes, and made 
 them up in a tight bundle, which she sewed up with 
 strong thread. My books she had left out, as well as 
 the spy-glass, and the tools I had, as they might be 
 useful. I asked her whether I should carry them down 
 to the bathing-pool, but she replied that on the morning 
 when we embarked would be quite time enough. I then 
 went to the hole under Jackson's bed-place, and brought out 
 the belt and the few articles that were with it. Mrs R., 
 after having examined them, said that she would take 
 care of them all ; the watch and other trinkets she put 
 in her basket, the belt she took to the bed-place, and 
 secreted it. 
 
 She appeared very silent and thoughtful, and on my 
 asking her whether I should not take down the shovel, 
 and the pail, and hammer, she replied, " No, leave all 
 till we are ready to go to the boat. It will be time 
 enough." 
 
 Shortly afterwards, the mate brought us up some of 
 the fish which they had cooked for supper, and when 
 we had eaten it we went to bed. 
 
 "This is the last night we shall sleep together, Nero," 
 said I, kissing my favourite, and the thought brought 
 tears into my eyes. " But it can't be helped." I was 
 however soon fast asleep with my arm round the animal. 
 
 When I went out the next morning, I found that the 
 weather was beautifully fine, the water smooth, and only 
 rippled by a Hght breeze. As Mrs R. had not yet made 
 her appearance, I went down to the bathing-pool, where 
 I found all the men up and in full activity. The boat 
 had been emptied out, the oars, masts, and sails, were 
 on the rocks ; and the men were turning the bows to 
 the seaward in readiness for launching her over the ledge 
 
The Little Savage 135 
 
 of rocks. The dried birds lay in a heap by the side of 
 the cask of rum, and the fish which had been baked 
 were in a large kid. The six breakers were also piled 
 up together, and the mate and some of the men were 
 disputing as to how many of them should be filled with 
 water. The mate wanted them all filled ; the men said 
 that three would be sufficient, as the boat would be so 
 loaded. At last the mate gained his point, and the men 
 each took a breaker, and went up to the cabin for the 
 water. I went with them to fill the breakers, and also 
 to see that they did no mischief, for they appeared very 
 unruly and out of temper; and I was afraid that they 
 would hurt Nero, who was at the cabin, if I was not 
 there to prevent them ; but with the exception of examin- 
 ing the cabin, and forcing themselves in upon Mrs 
 Reichardt, they did nothing. When the breakers were 
 full, which took at least half an hour, they did indeed 
 try to catch the birds, and would have wrung their necks, 
 but the males flew away, and the females I put into the 
 bed-place that was screened off in the cabin, and near 
 which Mrs Reichardt was sitting. They all appeared 
 to have a great awe and respect for this woman, and 
 a look from her was more effectual than were any words 
 of the mate. 
 
 " We don't want you," said one of the men, as they 
 went down to the bathing-pool with the breakers on 
 their shoulders. " Why don't you keep up with the 
 lady ? You're quite a lady's man, now you've white 
 trousers on." 
 
 The others who followed him laughed at this latter 
 remark. 
 
 " I'm of no use up there, at present," said I ; " and 
 I may be down below." 
 
 The men set down the breakers on the rocks by the 
 pool, and then, under the directions of the mate, prepared 
 to launch the boat over the ledge. The masts of the 
 boat were placed athwartships, under her keel, for her 
 to run upon, and being now quite empty, she was very 
 
136 The Little Savage 
 
 light. She was what they call a whale-boat, fitted for 
 the whale fishery, pointed at both ends, and steered by 
 an oar ; she was not very large, but held seven people 
 comfortably, and she was remarkably well fitted with 
 sails and masts, having two lugs and a mizen. As soon 
 as they were all ready, the men went to the side of the 
 boat, and in a minute she was launched into the sea 
 without injury. The mate said to me, as they brought 
 her broadside to the ledge — 
 
 "Now, my lad, we don't want you any more; you 
 may go up to the cabin till we are ready, and then we 
 will send for you and the lady." 
 
 " Oh ! but I can be of use here," replied I ; ** and I 
 am of none up there." 
 
 The mate did not reply, and the men then went to 
 the rum cask, and rolled it towards the boat ; and when 
 they had it on the ledge, they parbuckled it, as they 
 term it, into the boat with a whale-line that they happened 
 to have, and which was of great length. After the cask 
 of rum was got in amidships, (and it took up a great 
 deal of space, reaching from one gunnel to the other, 
 and standing high above the thwarts) they went for 
 the breakers of water, which they put in, three before 
 and three behind the cask, upon the floor of the boat. 
 
 " She will be too heavy," said one of the men, " with 
 so much water." 
 
 " We can easily get rid of it," replied the mate. "If 
 you had said she would be too heavy with so much liquor 
 on board, you had better explained the matter ; however, 
 you must have your own ways, I suppose." 
 
 The next articles that they brought to stow away were 
 the provisions. The kid of fish was put amidships on 
 the breakers, and the dried birds, which they carried 
 down in their arms, were packed up neatly in the stern- 
 sheets. They were soon up to the gunnel, and the mate 
 said, 
 
 *' You had better stow away forward now — there will 
 be little room for the lady as it is." 
 
The Little Savage 137 
 
 '' No, no, stow them all aft," replied one of the men, in 
 a surly tone ; ** the lady must sit where she can. She's no 
 better than we." 
 
 " Shall this go in ? " said I, pointing to the coil of whale- 
 line, and addressing the mate. 
 
 "No, no; we must leave that," replied one of the men 
 in the boat ; " we shall be wedged enough as it is ; and I 
 say, Jim, throw that old saw and the bag of nails out of 
 the boat — we can have no use for them." 
 
 The masts were then stepped, and the rigging set up to 
 the gunnel of the boat, the yards and sails handed in, and 
 hooked on the halyards ready for hoisting. In fact the 
 boat was now all ready for starting ; they had only the 
 iron kettle and two or three other articles to put in. 
 
 " Shall we have the mizen ? " inquired one of the men, 
 pointing to the mast, which lay on the rocks. 
 
 " No, she steers quite as well without it," replied 
 the mate. " We'll leave it. And now, lads, hand the 
 oars in." 
 
 They were brought to the boat, but owing to the 
 puncheon of rum in the centre, they could not lie flat, and 
 after a good deal of arguing and disputing, four oars and a 
 boat-hook were lashed to the gunnel outside, and the rest 
 w^ere left on the rocks. 
 
 At this time there was some consultation between the 
 mate and some of the men — the mate being evidently 
 opposed by the others. I could not hear what it was 
 about, but the mate appeared very angry and very much 
 annoyed. At last he dashed his hat down on the rocks in 
 a great passion, saying, 
 
 " No good will come of it. Mark my words. No 
 good ever did or ever will. Be it so, you are too many 
 for me j but I tell you again, no good will come of it." 
 
 The mate then sat down on the rocks by himself, and 
 put his head down on his knees, covering it with his 
 hands. 
 
 The man with whom he had been disputing went 
 to the others in the boat, and spoke to them in a low 
 
138 The Little Savage 
 
 tone, looking round at me, to ascertain if I was within 
 hearing. 
 
 After a minute or two they all separated, and then one 
 of them said to me — 
 
 "Now, my lad, we're all ready. Go up to the cabin 
 and bring down your bundle and her basket, and tell the 
 lady we are waiting for her." 
 
 " There's the shovel," said I, " and the boat's sail — must 
 I bring them down ? " 
 
 " Oh yes, bring them down, and also two or three seal- 
 skins for the lady to sit upon." 
 
 Off I went on my errand, for I was delighted with the 
 idea of leaving the island, and my patience had been almost 
 exhausted at the time they had taken in the stowage of the 
 boat. As I hastened up the path, I heard loud contention, 
 and the mate's voice speaking very angrily, and I stopped 
 for a short time to listen, but the noise ceased, and I went 
 on again. I found Nero on the platform, and I stopped a 
 minute to caress him. " Good bye, my poor Nero, we 
 shall never see one another again," said I. " You must go 
 back to the sea, and catch fish for yourself;" and the 
 tears started in my eyes as I gave the animal a farewell 
 kiss. 
 
 I then went into the cabin, where I found Mrs Reichardt 
 sitting very quietly. 
 
 ** They are all ready," said I, " and have sent me up for 
 you ; but I am to bring down the boat's sail and some 
 seal skins for you to sit upon. I can carry both if you can 
 carry my bundle. Have you put the belt on ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied she, **I am quite ready. I will carry 
 the bundle, and the books and spy-glass, as well as my 
 basket ; but we must pack them close," added she, " and 
 roll the sail up round the yard, or you will not be able to 
 carry it." 
 
 We took the sail down, and got it ready for carrying, 
 and I rolled up the two best seal skins, and tied them with 
 a piece of fishing line, and then we were all ready. I 
 shouldered my burden, and Mrs Reichardt took the other 
 
The Little Savage 139 
 
 articles, as proposed, and we left the cabin to go down the 
 path to the bathing-pool. 
 
 " Good bye, Nero — good bye, birds — good bye, cabin — 
 and good bye, garden," said I, as I went along the plat- 
 form ; and having so done, and ordered Nero back with 
 a tremulous voice, I turned my head in the direction of the 
 bathing-pool. I stared and then screamed, dropping my 
 burden, as I lifted up my hands in amazement — 
 
 " Look ! " cried I to my companion. " Look ! " repeated 
 I, breathless. 
 
 She did look, and saw as I did — the boat under all sail, 
 half a mile from the pool, staggering under a fresh breeze, 
 which carried her away at the rate of seven or eight miles 
 an hour. 
 
 They had left us — they had deserted us. I cried out, 
 like a madman, " Stop I stop ! stop ! " and then, seeing how 
 useless it was, I dashed myself on the rock, and for a 
 minute or two was insensible. 
 
 " Oh ! " groaned I, at last, as I came to my senses. 
 
 ** Frank Henniker," said a sweet firm voice. 
 
 I opened my eyes, and saw Mrs Reichardt standing by 
 me. 
 
 "It is the will of Heaven, and you must submit to it 
 patiently," continued she. 
 
 ** But so cruel, so treacherous ! " replied I, looking at 
 the fast-receding boat. 
 
 ** I grant, most cruel, and most treacherous, but we 
 must leave them to the judgment of God. What can they 
 expect from him in the way of mercy when they have 
 shewn none ? I tell you candidly, that I think we are 
 better in our present forlorn state upon this rock, than if 
 in that boat. They have taken with them the seeds of 
 discord, of recklessness, and intemperance, in an attempt 
 which requires the greatest prudence, calmness, and un- 
 animity, and I fear there is little chance of their ever being 
 rescued from their dangerous position. It is my opinion, 
 and I thought so when I first knew they had found the 
 cask, that liquor would prove their ruin, and I say again, 
 
I40 The Little Savage 
 
 that boat will never arrive at its destination, and they will 
 all perish miserably. It has pleased God that they should 
 leave us here, and depend upon it, it has been so decided 
 for the best." 
 
 " But," replied I, looking again at the boat, " I was 
 tired of being here — I was so anxious to get off — and now 
 to be left ! And they have taken all our provisions, every- 
 thing, even the fish in the pool. We shall starve." 
 
 *' I hope not," replied she, " and I think not ; but we 
 must exert ourselves, and trust to Heaven." 
 
 But I could not heed her — my heart was bursting. I 
 sobbed, as I sat with my hands covering up my face. 
 
 " All gone ! " cried I. " No one left but you and I." 
 
 " Yes," replied she, " one more." 
 
 " Who ? " cried I, looking up. 
 
 ** God I — who is with us always." 
 
 Chapter XXIII 
 
 I HEARD what she said, but my head was too confused to 
 weigh the words. I remained silent, where I was. A few 
 seconds elapsed, and she spoke again : 
 
 " Frank Henniker, rise, and listen to me." 
 
 *' We shall starve," muttered I. 
 
 As I said this, one of the male birds returned from the 
 sea with a large fish, of which Mrs Reichardt took 
 possession, as she had seen me do, and the gannet flew 
 away again to obtain more. Immediately afterwards, the 
 other two birds returned with fish, which were in a like 
 way secured by my companion. 
 
 " See how unjust and ungrateful you are," observed she. 
 " Here are the birds feeding us, as the ravens did Elijah in 
 the wilderness, at the very time that you are doubting 
 the goodness and mercy of God. There is a meal for us 
 provided already." 
 
 ** My head ! my head ! " exclaimed I, "it is bursting, 
 
The Little Savage 141 
 
 and there is a heavy weight rolling in it — I cannot see 
 anything." 
 
 And such was the fact : the excitement had brought on 
 a determination of blood to the head, and my senses were 
 rapidly departing. Mrs Reichardt knelt by my side, and 
 perceiving that what I had said was the case, went into the 
 cabin and brought out a cloth, which she wetted with 
 water from the spring, and laid across my forehead and 
 temples. I remained motionless and nearly senseless for 
 half an hour, during which she continued to apply fresh 
 cold water to the cloth, and by degrees I recovered from 
 my stupor. In the meantime, the weather being so fine 
 and the water smooth, the gannets continued to return 
 with the fish they caught, almost all of which were taken 
 from them by my companion, until she had collected more 
 than a dozen fish, from half a pound to a pound weight, 
 which she put away, so that the birds and seal might not 
 devour them. 
 
 I was still in a half dozing state, when the breathing and 
 cold nose of Nero touched my cheek, and the murmur- 
 ings of my favourite roused me up, and I opened my 
 eyes. 
 
 " I am better now," said I to Mrs Reichardt. " How 
 kind you have been ! " 
 
 " Yes, you are better, but still, you must remain quiet. 
 Do you think that you could walk to your bed-place ? " 
 
 '* I'll try," replied I, and with her assistance I rose up ; 
 but, when I afterwards gained my feet, I should have fallen 
 if she had not supported me ; but, assisted by her, I gained 
 my bed and sank down again. 
 
 She raised my head higher, and then applied the linen 
 cloth and cold water as before. 
 
 *' Try now," said she, " if you cannot go to sleep. 
 When you awake again, I will have some dinner ready 
 for you." 
 
 I thanked her and shut my eyes. Nero crawled to my 
 bed-place, and with my hand upon his head, I fell asleep, 
 and remained so till near sunset, when I awoke with very 
 
142 The Little Savage 
 
 little pain in my head, and much refreshed. I found Mrs 
 Reichardt by my side. 
 
 " You are better now," said she. " Can you eat any 
 dinner ? I must make friends with Nero, for he has been 
 disputing my right to come near your bedside, and his 
 teeth are rather formidable. However, I gave him the 
 inside of the fish when I cleaned them, and we are better 
 friends already. There is your dinner." 
 
 Mrs Reichardt placed before me some of the fish, 
 broiled on the embers, and I ate very heartily. 
 
 "It is very kind of you," said I, "to be working for 
 me, when I ought to be working for you — but you must 
 not do it again." 
 
 " Only my share of the work when you are well," 
 replied she ; "but my share I always shall do. I cannot 
 be idle, and I am strong enough to do a great deal ; but 
 we will talk about that to-morrow morning. You will be 
 quite well by that time, I hope." 
 
 " Oh ! I feel well now," replied I, " only I am very 
 weak." 
 
 " You must put your trust in God, my poor boy. Do 
 you ever pray to him ? '* 
 
 " Yes, I try a little sometimes — but I don't know how. 
 Jackson never taught me that." 
 
 " Then I will. Shall I pray now for both of us ? " 
 
 "Will God hear you ? What was it that you said just 
 before I forgot everything this morning ? " 
 
 "I told you that there was another here besides our- 
 selves, a good and gracious God, who is always with us 
 and always ready to come to our assistance if we call upon 
 him." 
 
 " You told me God lived beyond the stars." 
 
 " My poor boy, as if he were a God who was afar 
 off and did not attend to our prayers ! Such is not the 
 case. He is with us always in spirit, listening to all our 
 prayers, and reading every secret thought of our hearts." 
 
 I was silent for some time, thinking upon what she had 
 told me : at last I said — 
 
The Little Savage 143 
 
 ** Then pray to him." 
 
 Mrs Reichardt knelt down and prayed in a clear and 
 fervent voice, without hesitation or stop. She prayed for 
 protection and support in our desolate condition, that we 
 might be supplied with all things needful for our susten- 
 ance, and have a happy deliverance from our present 
 position. She prayed that we might be contented and 
 resigned until it should please him to rescue us — that we 
 might put our whole trust and confidence in him, and 
 submit without murmuring to whatever might be his will. 
 She prayed for health and strength, for an increase of faith 
 and gratitude towards him for all his mercies. She 
 thanked him for our having been preserved by being left 
 on the desolate rock, instead of having left it in the boat 
 with the seamen. (This surprised me.) And then she 
 prayed for me, entreating that she might be the humble 
 instrument of leading me to my Heavenly Father, and that 
 he would be pleased to pour down upon me his Holy 
 Spirit, so that I might, by faith in Christ, be accepted, and 
 become a child of God and an inheritor of eternal bliss. 
 
 There was something so novel to me and so beautiful in 
 her fervency of prayer, that the tears came into my eyes, 
 and about a minute after she had finished, I said — 
 
 " I now recollect, at least, I think I do — for the memory 
 of it is very confused — that my mother used to kneel down 
 by me and pray just as you have done. Oh, how I wish 
 I had a mother ! " 
 
 ** My child," replied she, *' promise me that you will be 
 a good and obedient son, and I will be a mother to 
 you." 
 
 "Will you? Oh! how kind of you. Yes, I will be 
 all you wish •, I will work for you day and night if it is 
 necessary. I will do everything, if you will but be my 
 mother." 
 
 "I will do my duty to you as a mother most strictly," 
 replied she ; "so that is agreed upon. Now, you had 
 better go to sleep, if you can." 
 
 "But I must first ask you a question. Why did you 
 
144 The Little Savage 
 
 thank God for the seamen having left us here, instead of 
 taking us with them ? " 
 
 ''Because the boat was overloaded as it was; because 
 the men, having liquor, would become careless and 
 desperate, and submit to no control ; and therefore I think 
 there is little or no chance of their ever arriving anywhere 
 safe, but that they will perish miserably in some way or 
 another. This, I consider, is the probability, unless the 
 Almighty in his mercy should be pleased to come to their 
 assistance, and allow them to fall in with some vessel soon 
 after their departure." 
 
 " Do you think, then, that God prevented our going 
 with them on purpose that we might not share their fate r " 
 
 " I do ! God regulates everything. Had it been better 
 for us that we should have gone, he would have permitted 
 it ; but he willed it otherwise, and we must bow to his 
 will with a full faith, that he orders everything for the 
 best." 
 
 " And you say that God will give us all that we ask for 
 in our prayers ? " 
 
 " Yes, if we pray fervently and in faith, and ask it in 
 the name of Jesus Christ ; that is, he will grant all we 
 pray for, that is good for us, but not what is not good for 
 us ; or when we ask anything, we do not know that we 
 are asking what is proper or not — but he does. We may 
 ask what would be hurtful to us, and then, in his love for 
 us, he denies it. For instance, suppose you had been 
 accustomed to pray, you must have prayed God that he 
 would permit you to leave this island in the boat, as you 
 are so anxious to go away ; but supposing that boat is 
 lost, as I imagine it will be, surely it would have been a 
 kindness in God, who knew that it would be lost, not to 
 grant your prayer. Is it not so ? " 
 
 ** Yes, I see now, thank you ; now I will go to sleep — 
 good-night." 
 
The Little Savage 145 
 
 Chapter XXIV 
 
 I AWOKE the next morning quite recovered from my illness 
 of the day before, and was out of the cabin before Mrs 
 Reichardt, who still remained behind the screen which she 
 had put up after I had gone to sleep. It was a beautiful 
 morning, the water was smooth, and merely rippled with 
 a light breeze, and the sun shone bright. I felt well and 
 happy. I lighted a fire to broil the fish for breakfast, as 
 there was a sufficiency left, and then got my fishing-lines 
 ready to catch some larger fish to reinhabit my pond at 
 the bathing pool. Mrs Reichardt came out of the cabin 
 and found me playing with Nero. 
 
 " Good morning, dear mother," said I, for I felt most 
 kindly towards her. 
 
 " Good morning, my dear boy," replied she. " Are 
 you quite well ? " 
 
 ** Quite well; and I have got my lines all ready, for I 
 have been thinking that until the birds come, we must 
 live on fish altogether, and we can only take them in 
 fine weather like this ; so we must not lose such a 
 day." 
 
 " Certainly not. As soon as we have breakfasted, we 
 will go down and fish. I can fish very well, I am used 
 to it. We must both work now ; but first go for your 
 Bible, that we may read a little." 
 
 I did so, and after she had read a chapter she prayed, 
 and I knelt by her side ; then we breakfasted, and as 
 soon as we had breakfasted, we set off to the bathing- 
 pool. 
 
 " Do you know if they left anything behind them, 
 Frank ? " 
 
 ** Yes," replied I, "they left some oars, I believe, and 
 a long line and we have the shovel, and the hammer, and 
 the boat's small sail, up at the cabin." 
 
 ** Well, we shall see very soon," replied she, as we 
 went down the path. 
 
 L.S. K 
 
146 The Little Savage 
 
 When we arrived at the bathing-pool, the first thing 
 that met my eyes made me leap with joy. " Oh ! mother ! 
 mother ! they've left the iron pot ; I did so long for it ; 
 and as I lay awake this morning, I thought that if I 
 prayed for anything, it would be for the iron pot. I was 
 tired of dried birds, and they ate so different when they 
 were boiled up in the pot with potatoes." 
 
 "I am equally glad, Frank, for I do not like victuals 
 uncooked ; but now let us first see what else they have 
 thrown out of the boat." 
 
 " Why they have put on shore three of the little casks 
 of water," said I , " they took them all on board." 
 
 " They have so, I suppose, because the boat was too 
 heavy, and they would not part with the liquor. Foolish 
 men, they will now not have more than six days' water, 
 and will suffer dreadfully." 
 
 We then looked round the rocks and found that they 
 had left the iron kettle, three breakers, five oars, and a 
 harpoon and staffs ; a gang-board, a whale line of 200 
 fathoms, an old saw, a bag of broad-headed nails, and two 
 large pieces of sheet-iron. 
 
 ** That saw may be very useful to us," said Mrs 
 Reichardt, " especially as you have files in your chest. 
 Indeed, if we want them, we may convert one-half of the 
 saw into knives." 
 
 " Into knives ! How ? " 
 
 " I will shew you ; and these pieces of sheet-iron I 
 could use again. You see the sheet-iron was put on to 
 repair any hole which might be made in the boat, and 
 they have thrown it out, as well as the hammer and nails. 
 I wonder at John Gough permitting it." 
 
 " I heard them quarrelling with him as I came out 
 yesterday to fetch you down ; they would not mind what 
 he said." 
 
 " No, or we should not have been left here," replied 
 she ; " John Gough was too good a man to have allowed 
 it, if he could have prevented it. That sheet-iron will 
 be very useful. Do you know what for ? to broil fish 
 
The Little Savage 147 
 
 on, or anything else. We must turn up the corners 
 with the hammer. But now we must lose no more time, 
 but fish all day long, and not think of eating till supper 
 time." 
 
 Accordingly we threw out our lines, and the fish taking 
 the bait freely, we soon hauled in more than a dozen 
 large fish, which I put into the bathing-pool. 
 
 " What use can we make of that long line which they 
 have left?" 
 
 " A good many ; but the best use we can make of it, 
 is to turn it into fishing-lines, when we require new 
 ones." 
 
 " But how can we do that, it is so thick and heavy ? " 
 
 " Yes, but I will show you how to unlay it, and then 
 make it up again. Recollect, Frank, that I have been 
 the wife of a Missionary, and have followed my husband 
 wherever he went ; sometimes we have been well off, 
 sometimes as badly off as you and I are now — for a 
 Missionary has to go through great dangers, and great 
 hardships, as you would acknowledge if you ever heard 
 my life, or rather that of my husband." 
 
 ** Won't you tell it to me ? " 
 
 " Yes, perhaps I will, some day or another ; but what 
 I wish to point out to you now is, that being his wife, 
 and sharing his danger and privation, I have been often 
 obliged to work hard and to obtain my living as I could. 
 In England, women do little except in the house, but a 
 Missionary's wife is obliged to work with the men, and 
 as a man very often, and therefore learns to do many 
 things of which women in general are ignorant. You 
 understand now ? " 
 
 ** Oh yes. I have thought already that you appear to 
 know more than Jackson did." 
 
 '* I should think not ; but Jackson was not fond of 
 work I expect, and I am. And now, Frank, you little 
 thought that when you so tardily went to work the other 
 day to plant potatoes for the benefit of any one that 
 might hereafter come to the island, that you were planting 
 
148 The Little Savage 
 
 for yourself, and would reap the benefit of your own 
 kind act ; for if you had not assisted, of course I could 
 not have done it by myself: so true it is, that even in 
 this world you are very often rewarded for a good 
 action." 
 
 ** But are not you always ? " 
 
 " No, my child, you must not expect that ; but if not 
 rewarded in this world, you will be rewarded in the 
 next." 
 
 " I don't understand that." 
 
 " I suppose that you hardly can, but I will explain all 
 that to you, if God spare my life ; but it must be at a 
 more seasonable time." 
 
 We continued fishing till late in the afternoon, by 
 which time we had taken twenty-eight large fish, about 
 seven to nine pounds' weight ; Mrs Reichardt then pro- 
 posed that we should leave off, as we had already pro- 
 vision for a fortnight. 
 
 I hauled out one more fish, which she took with her to 
 cook for our supper, and having coiled up my lines, I then 
 commenced, as she had told me to do, carrying up the 
 articles left by the boat's crew at the bathing-pool. The 
 first thing I seized upon was the coveted iron kettle ; I 
 was quite overjoyed at the possession of this article, and I 
 had good reason to be. In my other hand I carried the 
 saw and the bag of nails. As soon as I had deposited 
 them at the cabin, I went down again, and before supper 
 was ready I had brought up everything except the three 
 breakers of water, which I left where they were, as we 
 did not want them for present use, whatever we might 
 hereafter. We were both rather tired, and were glad to 
 go to bed after we had taken our supper. 
 
 Chapter XXV 
 
 When we met the following morning, my mother, as I 
 shall in future call her, said to me, " This will be a busy 
 
The Little Savage 149 
 
 day, Frank, for we have a great many arrangements to 
 make in the cabin, so that we may be comfortable. In 
 future the cabin must be kept much more clean and tidy 
 than it is — but that is my business more than yours. Let 
 us get our breakfasts, and then we will begin." 
 
 **I don't know what you want me to do," replied I; 
 " but I will do it if I can, as soon as you tell me." 
 
 " My dear boy, a woman requires a portion of the cabin 
 to herself, as it is not the custom for women to live 
 altogether with men. Now, what I wish is, that the 
 hinder part of the cabin, where you used to stow away 
 your dried birds, should be made over to me. We have 
 oars with which we can make a division, and then nail up 
 seal skins, so that I may have that part of the cabin to 
 myself. Now, do you understand what I want ? " 
 
 " Yes, but the oars are longer than the cabin is wide," 
 observed L ** How shall we manage it ^ " 
 
 ** We have the old saw, and that will do well enough 
 to cut them off, without its being sharpened." 
 
 " I never saw one used," replied I, ** and I don't under- 
 stand it." 
 
 ** I will soon show you. First, we must measure the 
 width of the cabin. I shall not take away more than one 
 third of it." 
 
 My mother went into the cabin, and I followed her. 
 With a piece of fishing-line, she took the width of the 
 cabin, and then the height up to the rafters for the door 
 posts. We then went out, and with the saw, which she 
 showed me how to use, and which astonished me very 
 much, when I perceived its effects, the oars were cut up 
 to the proper length. Gimlets I had already from the 
 sea-chest, and nails and hammer we had just obtained 
 from the boat, so that before the forenoon was over, the 
 framework was all ready for nailing on the seal skins. 
 The bag of broad-headed short nails, which had been 
 thrown on the rocks, were excellent for this purpose, and, 
 as I had plenty of skins, the cabin was soon divided off, 
 with a skin between the door-jambs hanging down loose. 
 
150 The Little Savage 
 
 so that any one might enter. I went inside after it was 
 complete. " But," said I, " you have no light to see what 
 you are about." 
 
 "Not yet, but I soon will have," replied my mother. 
 ** Bring the saw here, Frank. Observe, you must cut 
 through the side of the cabin here, a square hole of this 
 size ; three of the planks cut through will be sufficient. 
 Begin here." 
 
 I did as she directed me, and in the course of half an 
 hour, I had cut out of the south side of the cabin a 
 window about two feet square, which admitted plenty of 
 light. 
 
 " But won't it make it cold at night ? " said I. 
 
 "We will prevent that," replied she, and she took out 
 a piece of white linen, and with some broad-headed nails, 
 she nailed it up, so as to prevent the air from coming in, 
 although there was still plenty of light. "There," said 
 she, " that is but a coarse job, which I will mend bye-and- 
 bye, but it will do for the present." 
 
 "Well, it is very nice and comfortable now," said I, 
 looking round it. " Now what shall I bring in ? " 
 
 "Nothing for the bed but seal skins," said she. "I do 
 not like the feathers. The seal skins are stiff at present, 
 but I think we may be able to soften them bye-and-bye. 
 Now, Frank, your chest had better come in here, as it is 
 of no use where it is, and we will make a storeroom of it, 
 to hold all our valuables." 
 
 " What, the diamonds ? " replied I. 
 
 " My dear boy, we have articles to put into the 
 chest, which, in our present position, are more 
 valuable to us than all the diamonds in the world. 
 Tell me now, yourself, what do you prefer and set 
 most value upon, your belt of diamonds, or the iron 
 kettle ? " 
 
 " The iron kettle, to be sure," replied I. 
 " Exactly so ; and there are many things in our posses- 
 sion as valuable as the iron kettle, as you will hereafter 
 acknowledge. Now do you go and get ready some fire 
 
The Little Savage 151 
 
 for us, and I will finish here by myself. Nero, keep out, 
 sir — you are never to come into this cabin." 
 
 I went with Nero for a fish and when I returned, I 
 determined that I would use the iron kettle. I put it on 
 with water and boiled the fish, and I thought that it 
 ate better than broiled on the embers, which made it 
 too dry. 
 
 As we sat at our meal, I said, " Dear mother, what are 
 we to do next ? " 
 
 " To-morrow morning we will put the cabin into better 
 order, and put away all our things instead of leaving them 
 about the platform in this way. Then I will carefully 
 look over all that we have got, and put them away in the 
 chest. I have not yet seen the contents of the chest." 
 
 The next day it was very cloudy and rough weather, 
 blowing fresh. After breakfast we set to work. We 
 cleared out the floor of the cabin, which was strewed with 
 all manner of things, for Jackson and I had not been very 
 particular. The whale line was coiled up and put into one 
 corner, and every thing else was brought in and a place 
 found for it. 
 
 **We must contrive some shelves," said my mother, 
 " that we may put things on them, or else we never can 
 be tidy ; and we have not one except that which holds the 
 books. I think we can manage it. We have two oars 
 left besides the boat's yard ; we will nail them along the 
 side of the cabin, about a foot or more from it, and then 
 we will cut some of the boat's sail, and nail the canvas 
 from the side of the cabin to the oars, and that will make 
 a sort of shelf which will hold our things." 
 
 I brought in the oars, they were measured and cut off 
 and nailed up. The canvas was then stretched from the 
 side of the cabin to the oar, and nailed with the broad- 
 headed nails, and made two capital shelves on each side of 
 the cabin, running from one end to the other. 
 
 " There," said my mother, ** that is a good job. Now 
 we will examine the chest and put everything away and 
 in its place." 
 
152 The Little Savage 
 
 My mother took out all the clothes, and folded them 
 up. When she found the roil of duck which was at the 
 bottom, she said — 
 
 " I am glad to find this as I can make a dress for myself 
 much better for this island than this black stuff dress 
 which I now wear, and which I will put by to wear in. 
 case we should be taken off the island some of these days, 
 for I must dress like ether people when I am again among 
 them. The clothes are sufficient to last you for a long 
 while, but I shall only alter two shirts and two pair of 
 trousers to your present size, as you will grow very fast. 
 How old do you think you are now ? " 
 
 I replied, " About sixteen years old, or perhaps more." 
 
 ** I should think that was about your age." 
 
 Having examined and folded up every article of clothing 
 in the chest, the tools, spyglass, Sec, were put by me on 
 the shelves, and then we examined the box containing the 
 thread, needles, fishhooks, and other articles, such as 
 buttons, &c. 
 
 " These are valuable," said she j " I have some of my 
 own to put along with them. Go and fetch my basket, 
 I have not yet had time to look into it since I left the 
 ship." 
 
 *' What is there in it .? " 
 
 " Except brushes and combs, I can hardly say. When 
 i travelled about, I always carried my basket, containing 
 those things most requisite for daily use, and in the basket 
 I put everything that I wished to preserve, till I had an 
 opportunity to put it away. When I embarked on board 
 of the whaler, I brought my basket on my arm as usual, 
 but except opening it for my brushes and combs or 
 scissors, I have not examined it for months." 
 
 "What are brushes and combs and scissors ? " 
 
 ** That I will shew you," replied she, opening the lid of 
 the basket. " These are the brushes and combs for cleaning 
 the hair, and these are scissors. Now we will take every- 
 thing out." 
 
 The basket did indeed appear to contain a wonderful 
 
The Little Savage 153 
 
 quantity of things, almost all new to me. There were 
 two brushes, twelve combs, three pair of scissors, a pen- 
 knife, a little bottle of ink, some pens, a woman's thimble, 
 a piece of wax, a case of needles, thread and silk, a piece 
 of India ink, and a camel's-hair brush, sealing-wax, 
 sticking plaster, a box of pills, some tape and bobbin, 
 paper of pins, a magnifying glass, silver pencil case, some 
 money in a purse, black shoe ribbon, and many other 
 articles which I have forgotten. All I know is that I 
 never was so much interested ever after at any show as I 
 was with the contents of this basket, all of which were 
 explained to me by my mother, as to their uses, and how 
 they were made. There were several little papers at the 
 bottom of the basket which she said were seeds of plants, 
 which she had collected to take to England with her, and 
 that we would plant them here. As she shook the dust 
 out of the basket after it was empty, two or three white 
 things tumbled out, which she asked me to pick up and 
 give to her. 
 
 ** I don't know how they came here," said she, "but 
 three of them are orange-pips which we will sow 
 to-morrow, and the other is a pea, but of what kind I know 
 not, we will sow that also — but I fear it will not come up, 
 as it appears to me to be one of the peas served out to the 
 sailors on board ship, and will be too old to grow. We 
 can but try. Now we will put into the chest, with the 
 other things that you have, what we do not want for 
 present use, and then I can drive a nail into the side of my 
 bedroom and hang my basket on it." 
 
 " But," said I, " this round glass — what is that for ? " 
 
 " Put it on one side," replied she, " and to-morrow, if it 
 is fine, I will shew you the use of it ; but there are some 
 things we have forgotten, which are your belt and the 
 other articles you gave me to take for you when you 
 thought we were to leave the island. They are in the 
 bed-place opposite to yours." 
 
 I brought them, and she put away the mate's watch and 
 sleeve buttons, and the other trinkets, &c., saying that she 
 
154 '^he Little Savage 
 
 would examine the letters and papers at another time. 
 The belt was examined, counting how many of the squares 
 had stones in them, and then, with her scissors, she cut 
 open one of the squares, and took out a white glittering 
 thing like glass as it appeared to me, and looked at it 
 carefully. 
 
 " I am no great judge of these things," said she, " but 
 still I have picked up some little knowledge. This belt, 
 if it contain all stones like this, must be of considerable 
 value ; now I must get out my needle and thread and sew 
 it up again." She did, and put the belt away with the 
 other articles in the chest. " And now," said she, " we 
 have done a good day's work, and it is time to have some- 
 thing to eat." 
 
 Chapter XXVI 
 
 I MUST say that I was much better pleased with the ap- 
 pearance of the cabin, it was so neat and clean to what it 
 had been, and everything was out of the way. The next 
 day was a calm and clear day, and we went down to fish. 
 We were fortunate, and procured almost as many as we 
 had done at the previous fishing — they were all put in the 
 bathing pool as before. When we went up to the cabin, 
 as soon as the fish was put on the fire, under the direction 
 of my mother, I turned up the sides of one of the pieces of 
 sheet iron, so as to make a sort of dish. The other piece 
 I did the same to, only not so high at the sides, as one 
 piece was kept for baking the fish on and the other as a 
 dish to put our dinner upon when cooked. That day we 
 had been too busy with fishing to think of anything else, 
 but on the following I recollected the magnifying glass, 
 and brought it to her. She first showed me the power it 
 had to magnify, with which I was much amused for a time, 
 and she explained as well as she could to me the cause of 
 its having that power, but I could not well understand her -, 
 
The Little Savage 155 
 
 I was more pleased with the effect than cognisant of the 
 cause. Afterwards she sent me to the cabin for some of 
 the dried moss which I used for tinder, and placing the 
 glass so as to concentrate the rays of the sun, to my 
 astonishment I saw the tinder caught fire. It was amaze- 
 ment more than astonishment, and I looked up to see 
 where the fire came from. My mother explained to me, 
 and I, to a certain degree, comprehended, but I was too 
 anxious to have the glass in my own hands and try experi- 
 ments. I lighted the tinder again — then I burnt my hand 
 — then I singed one of the gannet's heads, and lastly, 
 perceiving that Nero was fast asleep in the sun, I obtained 
 the focus on his cold nose. He started up with a growl, 
 which made me retreat, and I was perfectly satisfied with 
 the result of my experiments. From that time, the fire 
 was, when the sun shone, invariably lighted by the 
 burning-glass, and very useful did I find it. As it was so 
 portable, I always carried it with me, and when I had 
 nothing to do, I magnified, or set fire, according to the 
 humour of the moment. 
 
 Although I have not mentioned it, not a morning rose, 
 but before breakfast, I read the Scriptures to my mother. 
 
 " There's so much in that book which I cannot under- 
 stand," said I, one morning. 
 
 " I suspect that, living as you have, alone on this island, 
 and having seen nothing of the world," replied my mother, 
 *' that there are not many books that you would under- 
 stand." 
 
 "But I understand all that is said in the Beast and Bird 
 Book," replied I. 
 
 "Perhaps you may, or think you do; but, Frank, you 
 must not class the Bible with other books. The other 
 books are the works of man, but the Bible is the word of 
 God. There are many portions of that book which the 
 cleverest men, who have devoted their lives to its study, 
 cannot understand, and which never will be understood as 
 long as this world endures. In many parts the Bible is a 
 sealed book." 
 
156 The Little Savage 
 
 " But will it never be understood then by anybody ? " 
 " There is quite as much of the Bible as is necessary for 
 men to follow its precepts, and this is so clear that anybody 
 may understand it — it contains all that is necessary for 
 salvation ; but there are passages, the true meaning of 
 which we cannot explain, and which God, for his own 
 purposes, will not permit us to. But if we do not 
 know them now, we shall probably hereafter, when we 
 have left this world, and our intellects more nearly approach 
 God's." 
 
 ** Well, I don't understand why we should not under- 
 stand it." 
 
 " Frank," replied she, " look at that flower just in 
 bloom. Do you understand how it is that that plant keeps 
 alive — grows every year — every year throws out a large 
 blue flower ? Why should it do so ? why should the 
 flower always be blue ? and whence comes that beautiful 
 colour ? Can you tell me ? You see, you know that it 
 does do so ; but can you tell me what makes it do so ? " 
 *' No." 
 
 ** Look at that bird. You know it is hatched from an 
 egg. How is it that the inside of an egg is changed into 
 a bird ? How is it that the bird is covered with feathers, 
 and has the power to fly ? Can you explain to me your- 
 self ? You can walk about just as you please — you have 
 the power of reasoning, and thinking, and of acting ; but 
 by what means is it that you possess that power ? Can 
 you tell ? You know that is so, but you know no more. 
 You can't tell why or how or what causes produce these 
 eifects — can you ? " 
 " No." 
 
 **Well, then, if you are surrounded by all manner of 
 things, living and dead, and see every day things which 
 you cannot explain, or understand, why should you be 
 surprised that, as God has not let you know by what 
 means these effects are produced, that in his written word 
 he should also keep from you that which for good pur- 
 poses you are not permitted to know. Everything here is 
 
The Little Savage 157 
 
 by God's will, and that must be sufficient for us. Now 
 do you understand ? " 
 
 ** Yes, I see now what you mean, but I never thought 
 about these things before. Tell me some more about the 
 Bible." 
 
 *' Not now. Some day I will give you a history of the 
 Bible, and then you will understand the nature of the book, 
 and why it was written ; but not at present. Suppose, as 
 we have nothing particular to do, you tell me all you know 
 about yourself from Jackson, and all that happened while 
 you lived with him. I have heard only part, and I should 
 like to know all." 
 
 *' Very well," replied I. ''I will tell you everything, 
 but it will take a long while." 
 
 " We shall have plenty of time to spare, my dear boy, 
 I fear, before we leave this place ; so, never mind time — 
 tell me everything." 
 
 I commenced my narrative, but I was interrupted. 
 
 ** Have you never been able to call your own mother to 
 your memory ? " said she. 
 
 ** I think I can now, since I have seen you, but I could 
 not before. I now can recollect a person dressed like 
 you, kneeling down and praying by my side j and I said 
 before, the figure has appeared in my dreams, and much 
 oftener since you have been here." 
 
 " And your father ? " 
 
 " I have not the slightest remembrance of him, or any- 
 body else except my mother." 
 
 I then proceeded, and continued my narrative until it 
 was time to go to bed ; but as I was very circumstantial, 
 and was often interrupted by questions, I had not told a 
 quarter of what I had to say. 
 
 Chapter XXVII 
 
 Mrs Reichardt had promised to give me a history of the 
 
158 The Little Savage 
 
 Bible; and one day, when the weather kept us both at 
 home, she thus commenced her narrative : — 
 
 " The Bible is a history of God's doings for the salva- 
 tion of man. It commences with the fall of man by 
 disobedience, and ends with the sacrifice made for his 
 reinstatement. As by one man, Adam, sin came into the 
 world, so by one man, Jesus Christ, was sin and death 
 overcome. If you will refer to the third chapter of 
 Genesis, at the very commencement of the Bible, you will 
 find that at the same time that Adam receives his punish- 
 ment, a promise is made by the Lord, that the head of the 
 serpent shall hereafter be bruised. The whole of the 
 Bible, from the very commencement, is an announcement 
 of the coming of Christ ; so that as soon as the fault had 
 been committed, the Almighty, in his mercy, had provided 
 a remedy. Nothing is unknown or unforeseen by God. 
 
 " Recollect, Frank, that the Bible contains the history 
 of God's doings, but it does not often tell us why such 
 things were done. It must be sufficient for us to know 
 that such was the will of God ; when he thinks proper, 
 he allows us to understand his ways, but to our limited 
 capacities, most of his doings are inscrutable. But, are 
 we to suppose that, because we, in our foolishness, cannot 
 comprehend his reasons, that therefore they must be 
 cavilled at ? Do you understand me, Frank ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied I ; ** I do pretty well." 
 
 " As I pointed out to you the other day, you see the 
 blade of grass grow, and you see it flower, but how it does 
 so you know not. If then you are surrounded all your 
 life with innumerable things which you see but cannot 
 comprehend — when all nature is a mystery to you — even 
 yourself — how can you expect to understand the dealings 
 of God in other things ? When, therefore, you read the 
 Bible, you must read it with faith." 
 
 " What is faith ? I don't quite understand, mother." 
 
 " Frank, I have often told you of many things that are 
 in England, where you one day hope to go. Now, if 
 when you arrive in England, you find that everything 
 
The Little Savage 159 
 
 that I have told you is quite true, you will be satisfied 
 that I am worthy of belief." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 *'Well, suppose some one were to tell you something 
 relative to any other country, which you could not under- 
 stand, and you came to me and asked me if such were 
 the case, would you, having found that I told you truth 
 with regard to England, believe that what you had been 
 told of this other country was true, if I positively asserted 
 that it was so ? " 
 
 " Of course I should, mother." 
 
 "Well, then, Frank, that would be faith; a belief in 
 things not only not seen, but which you cannot understand. 
 But to go on, I mention this because some people are so 
 presumptuous as to ask the why and the wherefore of 
 God's doings, and attempt to argue upon their justice, 
 forgetting that the little reason they have is the gift of 
 God, and that they must be endowed with intellect equal 
 to the Almighty, to enable them to know and perceive 
 that which he decides upon. But if God has not permitted 
 us to understand all his ways, still, wherever we can trace 
 the finger of God, we can always perceive that every- 
 thing is directed by an all-wise and beneficent hand ; and 
 that, although the causes appear simple, the effects 
 produced are extraordinary and wonderful. We shall 
 observe this as we talk over the history of the Jews, in 
 the Bible. But, I repeat, that we must study the whole 
 of the Bible with faith, and not be continually asking 
 ourselves, * Why was this done ? ' If you will turn to 
 the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, you will 
 see what the Apostle Paul says on the subject : * Nay 
 but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God ? ' 
 Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, * Why 
 hast thou made me thus ? ' Do you not understand in 
 what spirit the Bible should be read ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do. We must read it as the Word of God, 
 and believe all that we read in it." 
 
 '* Exactly ; — now we will proceed. After Adam's fall, 
 
i6o The Little Savage 
 
 the earth became so wicked that God destroyed it, leaving 
 but Noah and his family to re-people it ; and as soon as 
 this was done, the Almighty prepared for his original 
 intention for the future salvation of men. He selected 
 Abraham, who was a good man, and who had faith, to 
 be the father of a nation chosen for his own people — ■ 
 that was the Jewish nation. He told him that his seed 
 should multiply as the stars in the heavens, and that all 
 the nations of the earth should be blessed in him ; that 
 is, that from his descendants should Christ be born, who 
 should be the salvation of men. Abraham's great-grand- 
 children were brought into Egypt, to live apart in the 
 land of Goshen. You have read the history of Joseph 
 and his brethren ? " 
 
 '* Oh yes ; I know that well." 
 
 '' Well, the Almighty wished the Jews should be a 
 nation apart from others, and for that purpose he brought 
 them into Egypt. But observe, Frank, by what simple 
 and natural causes this was effected. It was by a dream 
 of Joseph's, which, when he told them of it, irritated his 
 brothers against him ; they sold him as a slave, and he 
 was sent into Egypt. There, having explained the dream 
 of Pharaoh, he was made a ruler over Egypt, and saved 
 that country from the famine which was in every other 
 land. His brothers come down to buy corn, and he 
 recognises them. He sends for his father and all the 
 family, and establishes them in the land of Goshen, as 
 shepherds, apart from the Egyptians. Here they 
 multiplied fast ; but after Joseph's elevation they were 
 cruelly treated by the Egyptians, who became afraid of 
 their rapid increase, and eventually the Kings of Egypt 
 gave orders that all the male children of the Jews should 
 be destroyed. It was at this time, when they were so 
 oppressed and cruelly treated by the Egyptians, that God 
 interfered and sent for Moses. Moses, like all the rest 
 of the Jews, knew nothing of the true God, and was 
 difficult to persuade, and it was only by miracles that he 
 was convinced." 
 
The Little Savage i6i 
 
 **Why did God keep the Jews apart from the 
 Egyptians, and have them thrown in bondage ? " 
 
 ** Because he wished to prepare them to become his 
 own peculiar people. By their being descended from 
 Abraham, and having never intermarried with other 
 nations, they had become a pure race ; by being in 
 bondage and severely treated, they had suffered and 
 become united as a people. They knew no Gods but 
 those worshipped by the Egyptians, and these Gods it 
 was now the intention of the Almighty to confound, and 
 prove to the Jews as worthless. At the same time he 
 worked with his own nation in mystery, for when Moses 
 asked him what God he was to tell his people that he was, 
 the Almighty only replied by these words — lam; having no 
 name like all the false Gods worshipped by the Egyptians. 
 He was now about to prove, by his wonderful miracles, 
 the difference between himself and the false Gods." 
 
 " What are miracles ? " 
 
 " A miracle is doing that which man has no power of 
 doing, proving that the party who does it is superior to 
 man : for instance — to restore a dead man to life is a 
 miracle, as none but God, or those empowered by God 
 could do. Miracles were necessary, therefore, to prove 
 to the Jews that the Almighty was the true God, and 
 were resorted to by him in this instance, as well as in 
 the coming of Our Saviour, when it was also necessary 
 to prove that he was the Son of God. When the 
 Almighty sent Moses to Pharaoh to demand that the 
 Israelites should have permission to sacrifice in the desert, 
 he purposely hardened the heart of Pharaoh that he 
 might refuse the request." 
 
 " But why did he so ? " 
 
 " Because he wanted to prove to the Israelites that he 
 was the only true God ; and had Pharaoh consented to 
 their going away, there would have been no opportunity 
 of performing those miracles by which the Israelites were 
 to be delivered, and by which they were to acknowledge 
 him as their God." 
 
 L.S. L 
 
i62 The Little Savage 
 
 Mrs Reichardt often renewed this conversation, till I 
 became acquainted with Scriptural History. 
 
 Chapter XXVIII 
 
 The following morning, I went with Nero to take a couple 
 of fish out of the pool. As soon as Nero had caught them, 
 he went into the other part of the bathing pool to amuse 
 himself, while I cleaned the fish, which I generally did 
 before I went up to the cabin, giving him the heads and 
 insides for his share, if I did not require any portion for 
 the birds. Nero was full of play that morning, and when 
 I threw the heads to him, as he frolicked in the water, 
 he brought them out to the rocks, but instead of eating 
 them, as usual, he laid them at my feet. I threw them 
 in several times, and he continued to bring them out, 
 and my mother, coming down to me, was watching him. 
 
 " I think," said she, " you must teach Nero to fetch 
 and carry like a dog — try. Instead of the heads, throw 
 in this piece of wood 5 " which she now broke off the 
 boat-hook staff. 
 
 I did so, and Nero brought it out, as he had done the 
 heads of the fish. I patted and coaxed the animal, and 
 tried him again several times with success. 
 
 " Now," said my mother, " you must accustom him to 
 certain words when you send him for anything. Always 
 say, * Fetch it, Nero ! ' and point with your finger." 
 
 " Why am I to do that, mother ? " I asked. 
 
 " Because the object to be gained is, not that the 
 animal should fetch out what you throw in, but what you 
 send it to bring out which you have not thrown in. Do 
 you understand ? " 
 
 " Yes," replied I. " You mean if there were any- 
 thing floating near on the sea, I should send him for it." 
 
 *' Exactly. Then Nero would be of some use." 
 
 " I will soon teach him," replied I ; " to-morrow I will 
 
The Little Savage i6 
 
 o 
 
 send him into the sea after the piece of spar. Fve no fear 
 that he will go away now^." 
 
 "I was thinking last night, Frank, whether they had 
 taken the pail with them in the boat." 
 
 **The pail," said I; "I know where it is, but I quite 
 forgot it. We left it up the ravine the last day we planted 
 the potatoes." 
 
 " We did so, now I recollect. I will go for it while 
 you get the breakfast ready." 
 
 We had now been for many weeks on a fish diet, and 
 I must confess that I was tired of it, which was not the 
 case when I lived upon the dried birds during the whole 
 of the year. Why so I cannot tell, but I was soon to 
 learn to relish fish, if I could obtain them. 
 
 It was not often that the wind blew direct on the shore, 
 but coming from the northward and eastward, it was in 
 a slanting direction, but occasionally, and chiefly about 
 the time of the Equinoxes, the gales came on very heavy 
 from the eastward, and then the wash of the seas upon 
 the rocky coast was tremendous. Such was the case 
 about this time. A fierce gale of wind from the eastward 
 raised a sea which threw the surf and spray high over the 
 loftiest of the rocks, and the violence of the wind bore 
 the spray far inland. The gale had come on in the 
 evening, and my mother and I, when we rose in the morning, 
 were standing on the platform before the cabin, admiring 
 the grandeur of the scene, but without the least idea that 
 it was to be productive of so much misery to ourselves. 
 My mother pointed out to me some passages in the Psalms 
 and Old Testament bearing strongly upon the scene 
 before us ; after a time I called Nero, and went down 
 with him to take fish out of the pool for our day's con- 
 sumption. At that time we had a large supply in the 
 pool— more than ever, I should say. When I arrived at 
 the pool, I found the waves several feet in height rolling 
 in over the ledges, and the pool one mass of foam, the 
 water in it being at least two or three feet higher than 
 usual; still it never occurred to me that there was any 
 
164 The Little Savage 
 
 mischief done, until I had sent Nero in for the fish, and 
 found that, after floundering and diving for some time, 
 he did not bring out one. My mind misgave me, and I 
 ordered him in again. He remained some time and then 
 returned without a fish, and I was then satisfied that from 
 the rolling in of the waves, and the unusual quantity of 
 the water in the pool, the whole of the fish had escaped, 
 and that we were now without any provisions or means 
 of subsistence, until the weather should settle, and enable 
 us to catch some more. 
 
 Aghast at the discovery, I ran up to the cabin, and 
 called to my mother, who was in her bedroom. 
 
 " Oh, mother, all the fish have got out of the pool, 
 and we have nothing to eat. I told you we should be 
 starved." 
 
 "Take time, Frank, and take breath," replied she, "and 
 then tell me what has happened, to cause this alarm and 
 dismay, that you appear to be in." 
 
 I explained to her what had happened, and that Nero 
 could not find one fish. 
 
 "I fear that what you say must be correct," replied she; 
 " but we must put our trust in God. It is his will, and 
 whatever he wills must be right." 
 
 I cannot say I was Christian enough at the time to 
 acknowledge the truth of her reply, and I answered, " If 
 God is as good and as gracious as you say, will he allow 
 us to starve ? Does he know that we are starving ? " 
 continued I. 
 
 " Does he know, Frank ? " replied my mother ; " what 
 does the Bible say — that not a sparrow falls to the ground 
 without his knowledge ; and of how much more worth 
 are you than many sparrows ? Shame upon you, Frank ! " 
 
 I was abashed but not satisfied, I therefore replied 
 quietly, " We have nothing to eat, mother." 
 
 " Granted that we have lost all our fish, Frank, still 
 we are not yet starving ; the weather may moderate to- 
 morrow, and we may catch some m.ore, or even if it should 
 not till the day afterwards, we can bear to be two days 
 
The Little Savage 165 
 
 without food. Let us hope for the best and put our trust 
 in God — let us pray to him and ask him for his assist- 
 ance. He can rebuke these stormy waters — he can 
 always find means of helping those who put confidence in 
 him, and will send us aid when all hope appears gone. 
 Fray, Frank, as I will do, fervently, and believing that 
 your prayer is heard — pray with faith, and your prayer 
 will be answered." 
 
 "It is not always so," replied I ; " you have told me of 
 many people who have died of starvation." 
 
 "I grant it, and for all wise purposes they were per- 
 mitted so to do, but the Almighty had reasons for per- 
 mitting it, unknown to us, but which you may depend 
 upon it, were good. We cannot fathom his decrees. 
 He may even now decide that such is to be our fate ; but 
 if so, depend upon it, Frank, all is right, and what appears 
 to you now as cruel and neglectful of you, would, if the 
 future could be looked into by us, prove to have been an 
 act of mercy." 
 
 " Do you think, then, that we shall starve ? " 
 
 " I do not — I have too much faith in God's mercy, and 
 I do not think that he would have preserved our lives by 
 preventing the men from taking us into the boat, if we 
 were now to starve. God is not inconsistent ; and I feel 
 assured that, forlorn as our present position appears to be, 
 and tried as our faith in him may be, we shall still be 
 preserved, and live to be monuments of his gracious love 
 and kindness." 
 
 These words of my mother and the implicit confidence 
 which she appeared to have, much revived me. " Well," 
 said I, " I hope you are right, my dear mother, and now I 
 think of it," continued I, brightening up at the idea, " if 
 the worst come to the worst, we can eat the birds; I don't 
 care much for them now, and if I did, you should not 
 starve, mother." 
 
 " I believe you would not hesitate to sacrifice the birds, 
 Frank, but a greater sacrifice may be demanded of 
 you." 
 
1 66 The Little Savage 
 
 " What ?" inquired I ; and then after a little thought, I 
 said, " You don't mean Nero, mother ? " 
 
 " To tell the truth, I did mean Nero, Frank, for the 
 birds will not be a support for more than a day or two." 
 
 *'I never could kill Nero, mother," replied I gloomily, 
 and walking away into the cabin, I sat down very melan- 
 choly at the idea of my favourite being sacrificed ; to me 
 it appeared quite horrible, and my mother having referred 
 to it, made her fall very much in my good opinion. Alas ! 
 I was indeed young and foolish, and little thought what a 
 change would take place in my feelings. As for the birds, 
 as I really did not care for them, I resolved to kill two of 
 them for our day's meal, and returning to the platform I 
 had laid hold of the two that were there and had seized 
 both by the neck, when my mother asked me what I was 
 going to do. 
 
 " Kill them, and put them in the pot for our dinner," 
 replied I. 
 
 " Nay, Frank ! you are too hasty. Let us make some 
 little sacrifice, even for the poor birds. "We surely can 
 fast one day without very great suffering. To-morrow 
 will be time enough." 
 
 I dropped the birds from my hand, tacitly consenting 
 to her proposal. It was not, however, for the sake of the 
 birds that I did so, but because one day's respite for the 
 birds would be a day's respite for Nero. 
 
 " Come," said my mother, " let us go into the cabin 
 and get some work. I will alter some of the clothes for 
 you. What will you do ? " 
 
 " I don't know," replied I, " but I will do whatever 
 you tell me." 
 
 " Well, then, I perceive that the two fishing-lines are 
 much worn, and they may break very soon, and then we 
 shall be without the means of taking fish, even if the 
 v/eather is fine, so now we will cut off some of the whale 
 line, and when it is unravelled, I will show you how to 
 lay it up again into fishing line ; and, perhaps, instead of 
 altering the clothes, I had better help you, as fishing- 
 
The Little Savage 167 
 
 lines are now of more consequence to us than anything 
 else." 
 
 This was an arrangement which I gladly consented to. 
 In a short time the whale line was unravelled, and my 
 mother showed me how to lay it up in three yarns, so as 
 to make a stout fishing line. She assisted, and the time 
 passed away more rapidly than I had expected it would. 
 " You are very clever, mother," said I. 
 " No, my child, I am not, but I certainly do know 
 many things which women in general are not acquainted 
 with ; but the reason of this is, I have lived a life of 
 wandering, and occasional hardships. Often left to our 
 own resources, when my husband and I were among 
 strangers, we found the necessity of learning to do many 
 things for ourselves, which those who have money usually 
 employ others to do for them ; but I have been in situa- 
 tions where even money was of no use, and had to trust 
 entirely to myself. I have therefore always made it a rule 
 to learn everything that I could ; and as I have passed 
 much of my life in sailing over the deep waters, I obtained 
 much useful knowledge from the seamen, and this of 
 laying up fishing lines is one of the arts which they com- 
 municated to me. Now, you see, I reap the advantage 
 of it." 
 
 "Yes," replied I; *' and so do I. How lucky it was 
 that you came to this island ! " 
 
 " Lucky for me, do you mean, Frank ? " 
 " No, mother ! I mean how lucky for me." 
 " I trust that I have been sent here to be useful, Frank, 
 and with that feeling I cheerfully submit to the will of 
 God. He has sent me that I may be useful to you, I do 
 not doubt ; and if by my means you are drawn towards 
 him, and, eventually, become one of his children, I shall 
 have fulfilled my mission." 
 
 " I do not understand you quite, mother." 
 " No, you cannot as yet, but everything in season," 
 replied she, slowly musing ; " * First the blade, then the 
 ear, and then the full corn in the ear.' " 
 
1 68 The Little Savage 
 
 ** Mother," said I, "I should like to hear the whole 
 story of your life. You know I have told you all that 
 I know about myself. Now suppose you tell me your 
 history, and that of your husband. You did say that 
 perhaps, one day you would. Do you recollect ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do recollect that I did make a sort of promise, 
 Frank, and I promise you now that some day I will fulfil 
 it ; but I am not sure that you will understand or profit 
 by the history now, so much as you may bye-and-bye." 
 
 " Well, but mother, you can tell me the story twice, 
 and I shall be glad to hear it again, so tell it to me now, 
 to amuse me, and bye-and-bye that I may profit by it." 
 
 My mother smiled, which she very seldom did, and said — 
 
 ** Well, Frank, as I know you would at any time give 
 up your dinner to listen to a story, and as you will have 
 no dinner to-day, I think it is but fair that I should 
 consent to your wish. Who shall I begin with — with 
 my husband or with myself ? " 
 
 " Pray begin with your own history," replied I. 
 
 Chapter XXIX 
 
 " I AM the daughter of a parish clerk in a small market 
 town near the southern coast of England, within a few 
 miles of a large seaport." 
 
 " What is a parish clerk ? " I asked, interrupting my 
 mother at the commencement of her promised narrative. 
 
 " A parish clerk," she replied, "is a man who is 
 employed in the parish or place to which he belongs, to 
 fulfil certain humble duties in connection with the church 
 or place of worship where the people meet together to 
 worship God." 
 
 ** What does he do there ? " I inquired. 
 
 ** He gives out the psalms that are to be sung, leads the 
 congregation in making their responses to the minister 
 appointed to perform the services of the church ; has the 
 
The Little Savage 169 
 
 custody of the registry of births, deaths, and burials of the 
 inhabitants, and the care of the church monuments, and of 
 other property belonging to the building. In some places 
 he also fulfils the duties of bell-ringer and grave-digger ; 
 that is to say, by ringing a large bell at the top of the 
 church, he summons the people to their devotions, during 
 their lives, and digs a hole in consecrated ground, surround- 
 ing the sacred building, to receive their bodies when dead." 
 
 I mused on this strange combination of offices, and 
 entertained a notion of the importance of such a functionary, 
 which I afterwards found was completely at variance with 
 the real state of the case. 
 
 " My father," she resumed, " not only fulfilled all these 
 duties, but contrived to perform the functions of school- 
 master to the parish children." 
 
 " What are parish children ? " I asked eagerly. ** I know 
 what children are, as Jackson represented to me that I was 
 the child of my father and mother, but what makes 
 children, parish children ? " 
 
 "They are the children of the poor," Mrs Reichardt 
 replied, " who, not being able to afford them instruction, 
 willingly allow them to be taught at the expense of the 
 people of the parish generally." 
 
 I thought this a praiseworthy arrangement. I knew 
 nothing of poors-rates, and the system of giving relief to 
 the poor of the parish, so long used in England, afterwards 
 explained to me, but the kindness and wisdom of this plan 
 of instruction became evident to my understanding. I was 
 proceeding to ask other questions, when my mother stopped 
 them by saying, that if I expected her to get through her 
 story, I must let her proceed without further interruption ; 
 for many things would be mentioned by her which de- 
 manded explanation, for one so completely unaware of 
 their existence as myself, and that it would be impossible 
 to make me thoroughly acquainted with such things within 
 any reasonable time ; the proper explanations, she promised, 
 should follow. She then proceeded. 
 
 ** My father, it may be thought, had enough on his 
 
170 The Little Savage 
 
 hands, but in an obscure country town, it is not unusual 
 for one man to unite the occupations of several, and this 
 v/as particularly the case with my father, who, in addition 
 to the offices I have enumerated, was the best cattle-doctor 
 and bone-setter within ten miles ; and often earned his 
 bread at different kinds of farmer's work, such as thatching, 
 hedging, ditching and the like. Nevertheless, he found 
 time to read his Bible, and bring up his only daughter 
 religiously. This daughter was myself." 
 
 " What had become of your mother ? " I asked, as I 
 thought it strange Mrs Reichardt should only mention one 
 parent. 
 
 " She had died very soon after my birth," she answered, 
 " and I was left at first to the care of a poor woman, who 
 nursed me ; as soon, however, as I could run about, and 
 had exhibited some signs of intelligence, my father began 
 to get so partial to me, that he very reluctantly allowed me 
 to go out of his sight. He took great pains in teaching me 
 what he knew, and though the extent of his acquirements 
 was by no means great, it was sufficient to lay a good 
 foundation, and establish a desire for more comprehensive 
 information, which I sought every available means to obtain. 
 *' I remember that at a very early age I exhibited an 
 extraordinary curiosity for a child ; constantly asking 
 questions, not only of my father, but of all his friends and 
 visitors, and, as they seemed to consider me a quick and 
 lively child, they took pleasure in satisfying my inquisitive 
 spirit. In this way I gained a great deal of knowledge, 
 and, by observation of what passed around me, a great 
 deal more. 
 
 " It soon became a source of pride and gratification with 
 my father, to ask me to read the Bible to him. This 
 naturally led to a good many inquiries on my part, and 
 numerous explanations on his. In course of time, I became 
 familiar with all the sacred writings, and knew their spirit 
 and meaning much better than many persons who were 
 more than double my age. 
 
 " My fondness for such studies, and consequent reputa- 
 
The Little Savage 171 
 
 tion, attracted the attention of Dr Brightwell, the clergy- 
 man of our parish, who had the kindness to let me share 
 the instructions of his children, and still further advanced 
 my education, and still more increased my natural predilec- 
 tion for religious information. By the time I was thirteen, 
 I became quite a prodigy in Christian learning, and was 
 often sent for to the parsonage, to astonish the great people 
 of the neighbourhood, by the facility with which I answered 
 the most puzzling questions that were put to me, respect- 
 ing the great mysteries of Christianity. 
 
 Chapter XXX 
 
 It was about this time that I first became acquainted with 
 an orphan boy, an inmate of the workhouse, who had been 
 left to the care of the parish by the sudden death of his 
 parents, a German clock-maker and his wife, from a 
 malignant fever which had visited the neighbourhood, and 
 taken off a considerable portion of the labouring popula- 
 tion. I had been sent on errands from my father, to the 
 master of the workhouse, a severe, sullen man, of whom I 
 had a great dread, and I noticed this child, in consequence 
 of his pale and melancholy countenance, and apparently 
 miserable condition. I observed that no one took any 
 notice of him ; and that he was allowed to wander about the 
 great straggling workhouse, among the insane, the idiotic, 
 and the imbecile, without the slightest attention being paid 
 to his going and coming ; in short, he lived the wretched 
 life of a workhouse boy. 
 
 ** I see that you are eager to ask what is a workhouse 
 boy," said my mother, " so I will anticipate your question. 
 There is, in the various parishes of the country to which 
 we both belong, a building expressly set apart for the ac- 
 commodation and support of the destitute and disabled 
 poor. It usually contains inmates of all ages, from the infant 
 just born, to the very aged, whose infirmities shew them to 
 
172 The Little Savage 
 
 be on the verge of the grave. They are all known to be 
 in a state of helpless poverty, and quite unable to earn a 
 subsistence for themselves. In this building they are 
 clothed and fed , the younger provided with instruction 
 necessary to put them in the way of earning a livelihood ; 
 the elders of the community enjoying the consolations of 
 religion, accorded to them by the regular visits of the 
 chaplain." 
 
 " I suppose," I here observed, " that the people who 
 lived there, were deeply impressed with their good fortune 
 in finding such an asylum .? " 
 
 " As far as I could ever ascertain," Mrs Reichardt 
 replied, ** it was exactly the reverse. It was always 
 thought so degrading to enter a workhouse, that the 
 industrious labourer would endure any and every privation 
 rather than live there. An honest hard-working man 
 must be sorely driven indeed, to seek such a shelter in his 
 distress." 
 
 " That seems strange," I observed. " Why should 
 he object to receive what he so much stands in need of ? " 
 
 " When he thus comes upon the funds of the parish," 
 answered my mother, ** he becomes what is called a pauper, 
 and among the English peasantry of the better sort, there . 
 is the greatest possible aversion to be ranked with this 
 degraded class. Consequently, the inmates of the work- 
 houses are either those whose infirmities prevent their 
 earning a subsistence, or the idle and the dissolute, who feel 
 none of the honest prejudices of self-dependence, and care 
 only to live from day to day on the coarse and meagre fare 
 afforded them by the charity of their wealthier and more 
 industrious fellow-creatures. 
 
 ** The case of this poor boy I thought very pitiable. I 
 found out that his name was Heinrich Reichardt. He 
 could speak no language but his own, and therefore his 
 wants remained unknown, and his feelings unregarded. 
 He had been brought up with a certain sense of comfort 
 and decency, which was cruelly outraged by the position 
 in which he found himself placed by the sudden death of 
 
 ^ 
 
The Little Savage 173 
 
 his parents. I observed that he was often in tears, and his 
 fair features and hght hair contrasted remarkably with the 
 squalid faces and matted locks of his companions. His 
 wretchedness never failed to make a deep impression on me. 
 
 " I brought him little presents, and strove to express my 
 sympathy for his sufferings. He seemed, at first, more 
 surprised than grateful, but I shortly discovered that my 
 attentions gave him unusual pleasure, and he looked upon 
 my visits as his only solace and gratification. 
 
 " Even at this period I exercised considerable influence 
 over my father, and I managed to interest him in the case 
 of the poor foreign boy to such an extent, that he was in- 
 duced to take him out of the workhouse, and find him a home 
 under his own roof. He was at first reluctant to burthen 
 himself with the bringing up of a child, who, from his 
 foreign language and habits, could be of little use to him 
 in his avocations ; but I promised to teach him English, 
 and all other learning of which he stood most in need, and 
 assured my father that in a prodigious short time I would 
 make him a much abler assistant than he was likely to find 
 among the boys of the town. 
 
 " My father's desire to please me, rather than any faith 
 he reposed in my assertions, led him to allow me to do as 
 I pleased in this affair. I lost no time, therefore, in 
 beginning my course of instruction, and in a few weeks 
 ascertained that I had an apt pupil, who was determined to 
 proceed with his education as fast as circumstances would 
 admit. We were soon able to express our ideas to each 
 other, and in a few months read together the book out of 
 which I had received so many invaluable lessons. 
 
 "In a short time, I became not less proud of, than 
 partial to, my pupil. I took him through the same studies 
 which I had pursued under the auspices of our clergyman, 
 and was secretly pleased to find, not only that he was 
 singularly quick in imbibing my instructions, but displayed 
 a strong natural taste for those investigations towards 
 which I had shown so marked a bias. 
 
 " Day after day have we sat together discoursing of the 
 
174 The Little Savage 
 
 great events recorded in Holy Writ : going over every 
 chapter of its marvellous records, page by page, till the 
 whole was so firmly fixed upon our minds, that we had 
 no necessity during our conversations for referring to the 
 Sacred Book. We found examples we held up to ourselves 
 for imitation ; we found incidents we regarded as promises 
 of Divine protection ; we found consolation and comfort, 
 as well as exhortation and advice ; and, moreover, we 
 found a sort of instruction that led us to select for our- 
 selves duties that apparently tended to bring us nearer to 
 the Great Being whose goodness we had so diligently 
 studied. 
 
 «•' My father seemed as much pleased with my successful 
 teaching, as he had been with my successful learning ; and 
 when young Reichardt turned out a remarkably handy and 
 intelligent lad, to whose assistance in some of his avoca- 
 tions he could have recourse with perfect confidence in 
 his cleverness and discretion, he grew extremely partial 
 to him. Dr Brightwell also proved his friend, and in a 
 few years, the condition of the friendless workhouse boy 
 was so changed, he could not have been taken for the same 
 person. 
 
 " He was a boy of a very grateful spirit, and always 
 regarded me with the devotion of a most thankful heart. 
 Often would he contrast the wretchedness of his previous 
 condition, with the happiness he now enjoyed, and express 
 in the warmest terms his obligations to me for the import- 
 ant service I had rendered him in rescuing him from the 
 abject misery of the workhouse. Under these circum- 
 stances, it is not extraordinary, that we should learn to 
 regard each other with the liveliest feelings of affection, 
 and while we were still children, endured all the trans- 
 ports and torments which make up the existence of more 
 experienced lovers." 
 
 " I do not like interrupting you," I here observed, " but 
 I certainly should like to know what is meant by the word 
 lovers ? " 
 
 " I can scarcely explain it to you satisfactorily at present," 
 
 4 
 
The Little Savage 175 
 
 said Mrs Reichardt, with a smile ; " but I have no doubt, 
 before many years have passed over your head — always 
 provided that you escape from this island — you will under- 
 stand it without requiring any explanation. But I must 
 now leave my story, as many things of much consequence 
 to our future welfare now demand my careful attention." 
 
 I could not then ascertain from her what was meant by 
 the word whose meaning I had asked. It had very much 
 excited my curiosity, but she left me to attend to her 
 domestic duties, of which she was extremely regardful, 
 and I had no opportunity at that time of eliciting from her 
 the explanation I desired. 
 
 Chapter XXXI 
 
 It is impossible for me to overrate the value of Mrs 
 Reichardt's assistance. Indeed had it not been for her, 
 circumstanced as I was at this particular period, I should 
 in all probability have perished. Her exhortations saved 
 me from despair, v/hen our position seemed to have grown 
 quite desperate. But example did more, even, than 
 precept. Her ingenuity in devising expedients, her activity 
 in putting them in force, her unfailing cheerfulness under 
 disappointment, and Christian resignation under privation, 
 produced the best results. I was enabled to bear up 
 against the ill effects of our crippled resources, consequent 
 upon the ill conduct of the sailors of the whaler, and the 
 failure of our fish-pond. 
 
 She manufactured strong lines for deep sea fishing, and 
 having discovered a shelf of rock, little more than two feet 
 above the sea, to which with a good deal of difficulty I 
 could descend, I took my stand one day on the rock with 
 my lines baited with a piece of one of my feathered 
 favourites, whom dire necessity had at last forced me 
 to destroy. I waited with all the patience of a veteran 
 angler. I knew the water to be very deep, and it lay in a 
 
176 The Little Savage 
 
 sheltered nook or corner of the rocks about ten feet 
 across ; I allowed the line to drop some three or four 
 yards, and not having any float, could only tell I had a 
 bite by feeling a pull at the line, which was wound round 
 my arm. 
 
 After some time having been passed in this way, my 
 attention was withdrawn from the line, and given to the 
 narrative I had so lately heard — that is to say, though my 
 eyes were still fixed upon the line, I had completely given 
 up my thoughts to the story of the poor German boy, who 
 had been snatched from poverty by the interference of the 
 parish clerk's daughter, and I contrived to speculate on 
 what I should have done under such circumstances, 
 imagining all sorts of extravagances in which I should 
 have indulged, to testify my gratitude to so amiable and 
 benevolent a friend. 
 
 A singular course of ideal scenes followed each other in 
 quick succession in my mind — as I fancied myself the hero 
 of a similar adventure. I regarded my imaginary benefac- 
 tress with feelings of such intensity as I had never before 
 experienced ; and it seemed that I was to her the exciting 
 object of sentiments of a like nature, the knowledge of 
 which awoke in our hearts the most agreeable sensations. 
 
 I was rudely disturbed out of this day-dream by finding 
 myself suddenly plunged into the deep water beneath me. 
 The shock was so startling, that some seconds elapsed 
 before I could comprehend my situation ; and then it 
 became clear that I must have hooked a fish, that had not 
 only succeeded in pulling me off my balance, but the line 
 by which he was held being round my arm, cutting pain- 
 fully into the flesh, threatened drowning by keeping me 
 under water. With great difficulty I managed to rise to 
 the surface, and loosened the windings of the line from 
 my limb ; then, anxious to retain possession of what from 
 its force must have been a fish well worth some trouble in 
 catching, I held on with both hands, and pulled with all 
 my strength. 
 
 At first, by main force I was drawn through the water j 
 
The Little Savage 177 
 
 then when I found the strain slacken, I drew in the line. 
 This manoeuvre was repeated several times, till I succeeded 
 in obtaining a view of what I had caught ; or, more 
 properly speaking, of what had caught me. It was merely 
 a glimpse ; for the fish, which was a very large one, 
 getting a sight of me within a few yards of him, made 
 some desperate plunges, and again darted off, dragging me 
 along with him, sometimes under the water, and sometimes 
 on the surface. 
 
 His body was nearly round, and about seven or eight 
 feet long — rather a formidable antagonist for close 
 quarters ; nevertheless, I was most eager to get at him, 
 the more so, when I ascertained that his resistance was 
 evidently decreasing. I continued to approach, and at last 
 got near enough to plunge my knife up to the haft in his 
 head, which at once put an end to the struggle. 
 
 But now another difficulty presented itself. In the 
 ardour of the chase I had been drawn nearly a mile from 
 the island, and I found it impossible to carry back the 
 produce of my sport, exhausted as I was by the efforts 
 I had made in capturing him. I knew I could not swim 
 with such a burthen for the most inconsiderable portion 
 of the distance. My fish therefore must be abandoned. 
 Here was a bountiful supply of food, as soon as placed 
 within reach, rendered totally unavailable. 
 
 I thought of Mrs Reichardt. I thought how gratified 
 she would have been, could I have brought to her such an 
 excellent addition to our scanty stock of food. Then I 
 thought of her steadfast reliance upon Providence, and 
 what valuable lessons of piety and wisdom she would read 
 me, if she found me depressed by my disappointment. 
 
 Chapter XXXH 
 
 As soon as I could disconnect my tackle from the dead 
 fish, I turned my face homewards, and struck out manfully 
 
 L.S. M 
 
lyS The Little Savage 
 
 for the shore ; luckily I did not observe any sharks. 
 I landed safely without further adventure, and immediately 
 sought my kind friend and companion, whom I found, as 
 usual, industriously employed in endeavouring to secure 
 me additional comforts. If she was not engaged in 
 ordinary women's work, making, mending, cleaning, or 
 improving, in our habitation, she was sure to be found 
 doing something in the immediate neighbourhood, which, 
 though less feminine, shewed no less forethought, prudence, 
 and sagacity. 
 
 Our garden had prospered wonderfully under her hands. 
 The ground seemed now stocked with various kinds of 
 vegetation, of which I neither knew the value, nor the 
 proper mode of cultivation ; and we seemed about to be 
 surrounded with shrubs and plants — many of very pleasing 
 appearance — that must in a short time entirely change the 
 aspect of the place. 
 
 She heard my adventure with a good deal of interest, 
 only remonstrating with me upon my want of caution, 
 and dwelling upon the fatal consequences that must 
 have ensued to herself, had I been drowned or dis- 
 abled by falling from the rock, or devoured by the 
 sharks. 
 
 " You may consider yourself, my dear son," she ob- 
 served, with serious earnestness, " to have been under the 
 Divine care. Nothing can be clearer than that a wise and 
 kind Providence is continually watching over his creatures 
 when placed in unusual or perilous circumstances. He 
 occasionally affords them manifestations of his favour, to 
 encourage them when engaged in good works. This 
 shews the comprehensive eye of the master of many 
 workmen, who overlooks the labours of his more indus- 
 trious servants, and indicates to them his regard for their 
 welfare and appreciation of their labours." 
 
 '* But surely," I interposed, " if I had been under the 
 superintendence of the Providence of which you speak, I 
 should not have been obliged to abandon so capital a fish, 
 when I had endured such trouble to capture it, and when 
 
The Little Savage 179 
 
 its possession was so necessary to our comfort, nay, even 
 to our existence." 
 
 " The very abandonment of so unwieldy a creature," 
 she replied, " is unanswerable evidence of a Divine inter- 
 position in your favour ; for had you persisted in your 
 intention of carrying it to the shore, there is but little 
 doubt that its weight would have overpowered you, and 
 that you would have been drowned ; and then what 
 would have become of me ? A woman left in this desolate 
 spot to her own resources, must soon be forced to give up 
 the struggle for existence, from want of physical strength. 
 Nevertheless, there are numerous instances on record, of 
 women having surmounted hardships which few men 
 could endure. Supported by our Heavenly Father, who 
 is so powerful a protector of the weak, and friend of the 
 helpless, the weakest of our weak sex may triumph over 
 the most intolerable sufferings. I, however, am not over 
 confident of being so supported, and therefore, I think it 
 would be but shewing a proper consideration for your 
 fellow exile, to act in every emergency with as much 
 circumspection and prudence as possible." 
 
 I promised that for the future I would run no such 
 risks, and added many professions of regard for her safety. 
 They had the desired effect ; I pretended to think no more 
 of my disappointment, nevertheless, I found myself 
 constantly dwelling on the size of my lost fish, and 
 lamenting my being obliged to abandon him to his more 
 voracious brethren of the deep. These thoughts so filled 
 my mind that at night I continued to dream over again the 
 whole incident, beginning with my patient angling from 
 the rock, and concluding with my disconsolate swim to 
 shore — and pursued my scaly antagonist quite as deter- 
 minedly in my sleep as I had done in the deep waters. 
 
 I rose early after having passed so disturbed a night, 
 and soon made my way to the usual haunt of Nero, whomt 
 I discovered in the sea near the rocks making all sorts of 
 strange tumblings and divings, apparently after some dark 
 object that was floating in the water. I called him away. 
 
i8o The Little Savage 
 
 to examine what it was that had so attracted his attention,, 
 and my surprise may be imagined when I made out the 
 huge form of my enemy of the preceding day. My 
 shouts and exclamations of joy soon brought Mrs Reichardt 
 to the scene, and when she discovered the shape of this 
 prodigious fish, her surprise seemed scarcely less than 
 my own. 
 
 How to land him was our first consideration ; and after 
 some debate on the ways and means, I got a rope and 
 leaped into the water with it, fastened a noose round his 
 gills, and then swimming back and climbing the rock ; we 
 jointly tried to pull him up on to the shore. We hauled 
 and tugged with all our force for a considerable time, but 
 to very little effect ; he was too heavy to pull up perpen- 
 dicularly. At last we managed to drag him to a low 
 piece of rock, and there I divided him into several pieces, 
 which Mrs Reichardt carried away to dry and preserve in 
 some way that she said would make the fish capital eating 
 all the year round. 
 
 It was very palatable when dressed by her, and as she 
 changed the manner of cooking several times, I never got 
 tired of it. By its flavour, as far as I could judge from 
 subsequent knowledge, the creature was something of the 
 sturgeon kind of fish, but its proper name I never could 
 learn ; nor was I ever able to catch another, therefore, I 
 must presume that it was a stranger in those seas. Never- 
 theless, he proved most acceptable to us both, for we 
 should have fared but ill for some time, had it not been 
 for his providential capture. 
 
 It was one afternoon, when we had been enjoying a 
 capital meal at the expense of our great friend, that I led 
 the subject to Mrs Reichardt's adventures, subsequently 
 to where she broke off in the story of herself and the poor 
 German boy ; and though not without considerable reluc- 
 tance, I induced her to proceed with her narrative. 
 
The Little Savage i8i 
 
 Chapter XXXIII 
 
 ^' Our good minister Dr Brightwell," she commenced, 
 ** was a man of considerable scholastic attainments, and he 
 delighted in making a display of them. At one time, he 
 had been master of an extensive grammar school, and nov/ 
 he employed a good deal of his leisure in teaching those 
 boys and girls of the town, who indicated the possession 
 of anything like talent. The overseers used to talk 
 jestingly to my father of the Doctor teaching plough-boys 
 Greek and Latin ; and wenches, whose chief employment 
 was stone-picking in the fields, geography and the use of 
 the globes. Even the churchwardens shook their heads, 
 and privately thought the Rector a little out of his seven 
 senses for wasting his learning upon such unprofitable 
 scholars. Nevertheless, he continued his self-imposed 
 task, without meeting any reward beyond the satisfaction 
 of his own conscience. It was not till he added to his 
 pupils myself and young Reichardt, that he felt he was 
 doing his duty with some prospect of advantage. 
 
 " The spirit of emulation roused both of us to make 
 extraordinary efforts to second our worthy master's 
 endeavours : and this did not, as is usually the case, pro- 
 ceed from rivalry — it arose entirely from a desire of the 
 one to stand well in the estimation of the other. In this 
 way we learned the French and Latin languages, 
 geography, and the usual branches of a superior education : 
 but our bias was more particularly for religious knowledge, 
 and our preceptor encouraged this, till we were almost as 
 good theologians as himself. 
 
 " While this information was being carefully arranged 
 and digested, there sprung up in our hearts so deep a 
 devotion for each other, that we were miserable when 
 absent and enjoyed no gratification so much as being in 
 each other's society. We knew not then the full power 
 and meaning of this preference, but, as we changed from 
 
1 82 The Little Savage 
 
 boy and girl-hood to adult life, our feelings developed 
 themselves into that attachment between the sexes, which 
 from time immemorial has received the name of love." 
 
 ** I think I know what that means, now," said I, as my 
 day-dream, which was so rudely disturbed by my fall into 
 the sea occurred to me. 
 
 " It would be strange if you did," she replied, " con- 
 sidering that it is quite impossible you should have become 
 acquainted with it." 
 
 " Yes, I am certain I understand it very well," I rejoined, 
 more confidently, and then added, not without some 
 embarrassment, *' If I were placed in the position of 
 Heinrich Reichardt, I am quite sure I should feel towards 
 any young female, who was so kind to me, the deepest 
 regard and affection. I should like to be constantly near 
 her, and should always desire that she should like me better 
 than anyone else." 
 
 " That is quite as good an explanation of the matter, as 
 I could expect from you," she observed, smiling. " But 
 to return to my story. Our mutual attachment attracted 
 general attention, and was the subject of much observation. 
 But we had no enemies : and when we were met strolling 
 together in the shady lanes, gathering wild flowers, or 
 wandering through the woods in search of wild straw- 
 berries, no one thought it necessary to make any remark 
 if we had our arms round each other's waist. My 
 father, if he heard anything about it, did not interfere. 
 Young Reichardt had made himself so useful to him, and 
 shewed himself so remarkably clever in everything he 
 undertook, that the old man loved him as his own son. 
 
 " It was a settled thing between us, that we were to 
 become man and wife, as soon as we should be permitted.. 
 And many were our plans and schemes for the future. 
 Heinrich considered himself to be in the position of Jacob, 
 who served such a long and patient apprenticeship for 
 Rachel ; and though he confessed he should not like to 
 wait so long for his wife as the patriarch had been made to 
 do, he acknowledged he would rather serve my father to 
 
The Little Savage 183 
 
 the full period, than give up all hope of possessing 
 me. 
 
 "This happy state of things was, however, suddenly- 
 put an end to, by Dr Brightwell one day sending for my 
 father. It was a long time before he came back, and when 
 he did, he looked unusually grave and reserved. In an 
 hour or so he communicated to me the result of his long 
 interview with the Rector. The Doctor had resolved to 
 send young Reichardt to a distant place, where many 
 learned men lived together in colleges, for the purpose of 
 further advancing his education, and fitting him for a 
 religious teacher, to which vocation he had long expressed 
 a desire to devote himself. The idea of separation seemed 
 very terrible, but I at last got reconciled to it, in the belief 
 that it would be greatly for Heinrich's advantage, and we 
 parted at last with many tears, many protestations, some 
 fears, but a great many more hopes. 
 
 ** For some days after he had left me, everything seemed 
 so strange, every one seemed so dull, every place seemed 
 so desolate, that I felt as if I had been transported into 
 some dismal scene, where I knew no one, and where there 
 was no one likely to care about me in the slightest degree. 
 My father went about his avocations in a different spirit 
 to what he had so long been used to exhibit ; it was 
 evident he missed Heinrich as much as I did, and the 
 villagers stared whenever I passed them — as though my 
 ever going about without Heinrich, was something which 
 they had never anticipated. 
 
 " In course of time, however, to all appearance, every- 
 thing and every one went on in their daily course, as 
 though no Heinrich had ever been heard of. My father 
 would sometimes, when overpressed by business, refer to 
 the able assistant he had lost, and now and then I heard a 
 conjecture hazarded by some one or other of his most con- 
 fidential friends, as to what young Reichardt was doing 
 with himself. My conjectures, and my references to him, 
 were far from being so occasional ; there was scarce an 
 hour of the day I did not think of him ; but, believing that 
 
184 The Little Savage 
 
 I should please him most by endeavouring to improve as 
 much as possible during his absence, I did not give myself 
 up to idle reflections respecting the past, or anticipations, 
 equally idle, respecting the future. 
 
 " My great delight was in hearing from him. At first, 
 his letters expressed only his feelings for me ; then he 
 dwelt more largely on his own exertions for preparing 
 himself for the profession he desired to adopt ; and after 
 a time, his correspondence was almost entirely composed 
 of expositions of his views of a religious life, and dis- 
 sertations on various points of doctrine. He evidently 
 was growing more enthusiastic in religion, and less 
 regardful of our attachment. 
 
 *' Yet I entertained no apprehensions or misgivings. 
 I did not think it necessary to consider myself slighted 
 because the thoughts of my future husband were evidently 
 raised more and more above me 5 the knowledge of this 
 only made me more anxious to raise myself more and more 
 towards the elevation to which his thoughts were so 
 intently directed. 
 
 " Things went on in this way for two or three years. 
 I never saw him all this time ; I heard from him but 
 seldom. He excused his limited correspondence on the 
 plea that his studies left him no time for writing. I never 
 blamed him for this apparent neglect — indeed I rather 
 encouraged it, for my exhortations were always that he 
 should address his time and energies towards the 
 attainment of the object I knew him to have so much 
 at heart — his becoming a minister of our Lord's 
 Gospel. 
 
 " One day my father came home from the rectory with 
 a troubled countenance. Dr Brightwell was very indignant 
 because Heinrich had joined a religious community that 
 dissented from the Articles of the Church of England. 
 The Doctor had offered to get him employment in the 
 Church, if he would give up his new connections : but 
 the more earnest character of his new faith exerted so 
 much influence over his enthusiastic nature, that he 
 
The Little Savage 185 
 
 willingly abandoned his bright prospects to become a 
 more humble labourer in a less productive vineyard. 
 
 " My father, as the clerk of the parish, seemed to 
 think himself bound to share in the indignation of his 
 pastor for this desertion, and Heinrich was severely 
 condemned by him for displaying such ingratitude to his 
 benefactor : I was commanded to think no more of him. 
 
 "This, however, was not so easy a matter, although 
 our correspondence appeared to have entirely ceased. I 
 knew not where to address a letter to him, and was 
 quite unaware of what his future career was now 
 to be. 
 
 Chapter XXXIV 
 
 *' Time passed on. With all, except myself, Heinrich 
 Reichardt appeared to be forgotten , in the opinion of all, 
 except myself, he had forgotten our house, and all the 
 friends he had once made there. Our good Rector had 
 been removed by death from the post he had so ably 
 filled ; and my father being incapacitated by age and 
 infirmity from attending his duties in the church, had his 
 place filled by another. He had saved sufficient to live 
 upon, and had built himself a small cottage at the end of 
 the village, where we lived together in perfect peace, if 
 not in perfect happiness. 
 
 '" I had long grown up to womanhood, and having 
 some abilities, had been employed as one of the teachers 
 of the girls' school, of which I had raised myself to be 
 mistress. I conducted myself so as to win the respect of 
 the chief parochial officers, from more than one of whom 
 I received proposals of marriage : but I never could 
 reconcile myself to the idea of becoming the wife of any 
 man but the long-absent Heinrich, and the new clerk and 
 the overseer were fain to be content with my grateful 
 rejection of their proposals. 
 
 " I determined to wait patiently till I could learn from 
 
1 86 The Little Savage 
 
 Heinrich's own lips that he had abandoned his early friend. 
 I could never get myself to believe in the possibility of 
 his unfaithfulness ; and the remembrances of our mutual 
 studies in the Book of Truth seemed always to suggest 
 the impossibility of his acting so completely at variance 
 with the impressions he had thence received. 
 
 " I was aware that if I had mentioned my hopes of his 
 one day coming to claim me, I should be laughed at by 
 everyone who knew anything of our story — so I said 
 nothing ; but continued the more devotedly in my heart 
 to cherish that faith which had so long afforded me 
 support against the overwhelming evidence of prolonged 
 silence and neglect. 
 
 " There was a congregation of Dissenters in the town, 
 and I had been once or twice prevailed on to join their 
 devotions. One day I heard that proceedings of extra- 
 ordinary interest would take place at the meeting-house. 
 A minister of great reputation had accepted the situation 
 of Missionary to preach the Gospel to the heathen, and 
 he was visiting the different congregations that lay in his 
 route to the seaport whence he was to embark to the 
 Sandwich Islands. He was expected to address a dis- 
 course to the Dissenters of our parish, and I was induced 
 to go and hear him. 
 
 "The meeting-house was very much crowded, but I 
 contrived to get a seat within a short distance of the 
 speakers, and waited with much interest to behold the 
 man, who, like some of the first preachers, had chosen 
 the perilous task of endeavouring to convert a nation 
 of savage idolaters to the faith of the true Christ. 
 
 " After a short delay he appeared on a raised platform, 
 and was introduced to this congregation by their minister. 
 I heard nothing of this introduction, though it seemed 
 a long one ; I saw nothing of the speaker, though his 
 was a figure which always attracted an attentive audience. 
 I saw only the stranger. In those pale, grave, and 
 serious features then presented to me, I recognised 
 Heinrich Reichardt." 
 
The Little Savage 187 
 
 " He had come back to you at last," I exclaimed ; ** I 
 thought he would. After all you had done for the poor 
 German boy, it was impossible that he should grow up 
 to manhood and forget you." 
 
 *' You shall hear," she replied. " For some time my 
 heart beat wildly, and I thought I should be obliged to 
 leave the place, my sensations became so overpowering ; 
 but the fear of disturbing the congregation, and of attract- 
 ing attention towards myself, had such influence over 
 me, that I managed to retain sufficient control over my 
 feelings to remain quiet. Nevertheless, my eyes were 
 upon Heinrich, and my whole heart and soul were ex- 
 clusively engrossed by him while he continued before 
 me. 
 
 ''Presently he began to speak. As I have just said, 
 I paid no attention to the preliminary proceedings. I 
 know nothing of the manner in which he was introduced 
 to his audience ; but when he became the speaker, every 
 word fell upon my ear with ar distinctness that seemed 
 quite marvellous to me. 
 
 ** And how could it be otherwise ? His tall figure, 
 his melancholy yet expressive features, his earnest manner, 
 and clear and sonorous voice, invested him with all the 
 power and dignity of an Apostle, and when with these 
 attributes were joined those associations of the past with 
 which he was so intimately connected, it is impossible to 
 exaggerate the influence he exercised over me. 
 
 " He began with a fervent blessing on all who had 
 sought the sanctity of that roof, and his hearers, impressed 
 with the thrilling earnestness of his delivery, became at 
 once hushed into a kind of awe-struck attention. They 
 knelt down, and bowed their heads in prayer. 
 
 **I appeared to have no power to follow the general 
 example, but remained the only sitter in the entire con- 
 gregation with my eyes, nay, all my senses, fixed, rivetted 
 upon the preacher. This, of course, attracted his atten- 
 tion. I saw him look towards me with surprise, then he 
 started, his voice hesitated for a moment, but he almost 
 
1 88 The Little Savage 
 
 immediately continued his benediction, and, as it seemed 
 to me, with a voice tremulous with emotion. 
 
 "Then followed a discourse on the object of the 
 preacher in presenting himself there. He described the 
 wonderful goodness of the Creator in continually raising 
 up the most humble instruments of his will to perform 
 the most important offices ; in illustration of which he 
 referred to the numerous instances in the Old and New 
 Testaments, where God's preference in this way is so 
 clearly manifested. 
 
 " He then stated that ' a case had arisen for Divine 
 interposition, equal in necessity to any which had occurred 
 since the first commencement of Christianity.' He ex- 
 plained that * there were nations still existing in a distant 
 portion of the globe in a state of the wildest barbarism. 
 Ignorant savages were they, with many cruel and idolatrous 
 customs, who were cannibals and murderers, and given 
 up to the v/orst vices of the heathen. Their abject and 
 pitiable state, he told us, the Lord God had witnessed 
 with Divine commiseration, and had determined that the 
 light of Christian love should shine upon their darkness, 
 and that Almighty wisdom should dissipate their besotted 
 ignorance. 
 
 " * But who,' he asked, ' was to be the ambassador 
 from so stupendous a Power to these barbarous states ? 
 Yfho would venture to be a messenger of peace and 
 comfort to a cruel and savage nation ? Was there no 
 man,' he again asked, * great enough and bold enough 
 to undertake a mission of such vast importance, attended 
 by such terrible risks ? 
 
 " *The Almighty Ruler seeks not for his ministers 
 among the great and bold,' he added, * as it is written. 
 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and 
 hath exalted the humble and meek. And it will be 
 peculiarly so on this occasion, for the exaltation is from 
 the humblest origin ; so humble it is scarcely possible 
 to imagine so miserable a beginning, in the end attaining 
 distinction so honorable. 
 
The Little Savage 189 
 
 ** * Imagine, if you can, my brethren,' he said, ' in the 
 building set apart in your town for the reception of your 
 destitute poor, a child parentless, friendless, and money- 
 less, condemned, as it seemed, to perpetual raggedness 
 and intolerable suffering. A ministering angel, under 
 the direction of the Supreme Goodness, took that child 
 by the hand and led it out of the pauper walls that 
 enclosed it, and under its auspices the child grew and 
 flourished, and learned all that was excellent in faith 
 and admirable in practice. 
 
 " * It was ordained that he should lose sight of his 
 angelic teacher. A dire necessity compelled him to with- 
 draw from that pure and gracious influence. He had to 
 learn in a different school, and prepare himself for heavier 
 tasks. Manhood, with all its severe responsibilities, came 
 upon him. He sought first to render himself competent 
 for some holy "undertaking, before he could consider 
 himself worthy again to claim that notice which had 
 made him what he was. Earnestly he strove for the 
 Divine assistance and encouragement ; and as his qualifica- 
 tions increased, his estimate of the worthiness necessary 
 for the object he had in view, became more and more 
 exalted. 
 
 " * At last,' he continued, *it became known to him 
 that a Missionary was required to explain to the savage 
 people to whom I have already alluded, the principles of 
 Christianity. He was appointed to this sacred trust : and 
 he then determined, before he left this country for the 
 distant one of his ministry, to present himself before that 
 beneficent being who had poured out before him so 
 abundant a measure of Christian virtue ; that they might 
 be joined together in the same great vocation, and support 
 each other in the same important trust.' 
 
 "I heard enough," continued Mrs Reichardt. "All 
 was explained, and I was fully satisfied. The discourse 
 proceeded to identify the speaker with the poor boy who 
 had been preserved for such onerous duties. Then came 
 an appeal to the congregation for their prayers, and such 
 
190 The Little Savage 
 
 assistance as they could afford, to advance so holy a work 
 as the conversion of the heathen. 
 
 " I was in such a tumult of pleasant feelings that I 
 retained but a confused recollection of the subsequent 
 events. I only remember that as I was walking home 
 from the meeting, I heard footsteps quickly following ; 
 in a few minutes more the voice that had so lately filled 
 my heart to overflowing with happiness, again addressed 
 me. I was too much excited to remain unconcerned on 
 suddenly discovering that Heinrich was so near, and I fell 
 fainting into his arms. 
 
 " I was carried into a neighbouring cottage, but in a 
 short time was enabled to proceed home. In a week 
 afterwards we were married : a few days more sufficed for 
 the preparations that were required for my destination, 
 and then we proceeded to the port, and embarked on board 
 the ship that was to take us over many thousand miles of 
 sea, to the wild, unknown country that was to be the 
 scene of our mission." 
 
 Chapter XXXV 
 
 Mrs Reichardt was obliged to break off her narrative, 
 where it concluded at the end of the last chapter. As 
 I have said, her household duties, being very numerous, 
 and requiring a great deal of attention, took up nearly the 
 whole of her time. 
 
 The garden now presented a most agreeable appearance, 
 possessing several different kinds of vegetables, and various 
 plants that had been raised from seed. We had succeeded 
 in raising several young orange trees from the pips she 
 had brought in her basket ; and they promised to supply 
 us with plenty of their luscious fruit. Even the peas we 
 thought so dry and useless had germinated, and provided 
 us with a welcome addition to our table. I shall never 
 
The Little Savage 191 
 
 forget the first day she added to our scanty meal of dried 
 fish a dish of smoking potatoes fresh out of the moist 
 earth. After enjoying sufficiently my wonder at their 
 appearance, and delist at their agreeable taste, she in- 
 formed me of their nrst introduction into Europe, and 
 their gradual diffusion over the more civilised portions 
 of the globe. 
 
 I speak of Europe now, because I had learned from my 
 companion, not only a good deal of geography, but had 
 obtained some insight into several other branches of 
 knowledge. In particular, she had told me much 
 interesting information about England, much more than 
 I had learned from Jackson ; dwelling upon its leading 
 features, and the most remarkable portions of its history ; 
 and I must acknowledge that I felt a secret pride in 
 belonging to so great a country. 
 
 I considered that I belonged to it, for my father and 
 mother were English, and though I might be called The 
 Little Savage, and be fixed to an obscure island in the 
 great ocean, I felt that my real home was in this great 
 country my mother talked about so glowingly, and that 
 my chief object ought to be to return into the hands of 
 my grandfather the belt that had in so singular a manner 
 come into my possession. 
 
 I often thought of this great England whose glory had 
 been so widely spread and so durably established, and 
 longed for some means of leaving our present abode, and 
 going in search of its time-honoured shores. But I asked 
 myself how was this desirable object to be effected ? We 
 had no means of transporting ourselves from the prison 
 into which we had been accidentally cast. We had nothing 
 resembling a boat on the island, and we had no tools for 
 making one ; and even had we been put in possession of 
 such a treasure, we had no means of launching it. The 
 rocky character of the coast made the placing of a boat on 
 the water almost impossible. 
 
 The expectation of a vessel appearing off the island 
 appeared quite as unreasonable. We had seen no ships 
 
192 The Little Savage 
 
 for a long time, and those we had observed were a great 
 deal too far off to heed our signals. 
 
 We had no help for it, but to trust to Providence and 
 bear our present evil patiently. Nevertheless, I took my 
 glass and swept the sea far and wide in search of a ship, 
 but failed to discover anything but a spermaceti whale 
 blowing in the distance, or a shoal of porpoises tumbling 
 over each other nearer the shore, or a colony of seals 
 basking in the sun on the rocks nearest the sea. My 
 disappointment was shared by Nero, who seemed to regard 
 my vexation with a sympathising glance, and even the 
 gannets turned their dull stupid gaze upon me, with an 
 expression as if they deeply commiserated my distress. 
 
 I had for a long time employed myself in making a 
 shelving descent to the sea, on the most secure part of the 
 rock, intending that it should be a landing place for a 
 boat, in case any ship should come near enough to send 
 one to our rescue. It was a work of great labour, and 
 hatchet and spade equally suffered in my endeavours to 
 effect my object ; but at last I contrived to take advantage 
 of a natural fracture in the rock, and a subsequent fall of 
 the cliff, to make a rude kind of inclined plane, rather too 
 steep, and too rough for bad climbers, but extremely 
 convenient for my mother and me, whenever we should be 
 prepared to embark for our distant home. 
 
 My thoughts were now often directed to the possibility 
 of making on the island some kind of boat that would hold 
 ourselves and sufficient provisions for a voyage to the 
 nearest of the larger islands. I spoke to Mrs Reichardt 
 on the subject, but she dwelt upon the impossibility with- 
 out either proper tools, or the slightest knowledge of 
 boat-building, of producing a vessel to which we could 
 trust ourselves with any confidence, neither of us knowing 
 anything about its management in the open sea ; and then 
 she spoke of the dangers a small boat would meet with, if 
 the water should be rough, or if we should not be able to 
 make the island in any reasonable time. 
 
 Yet I was not daunted by difficulties, nor dissuaded by 
 
The Little Savage 193 
 
 discouraging representations. I thought at first of fasten- 
 ing all the loose timber together that had drifted against 
 the rocks, as much in the shape of a boat as I could get it, 
 but on looking over my stock of nails, I found they fell 
 very far short of the proper quantity ; consequently that 
 mode of effecting my purpose was abandoned. 
 
 I then thought of felling a tree and hollowing it out by 
 charring the timber. As yet I had discovered nothing on 
 the island but shrubs. I was quite certain that no tree 
 grew near enough to the sea to be available, and if I should 
 succeed in cutting down a large one and fashioning it as I 
 desired, I had no means of transport. 
 
 I might possibly make a boat capable of carrying all I 
 wanted to put into it, but as I could neither move the 
 water up to the boat, nor the boat down to the water, for 
 all the service I wanted of it, even if the island contained 
 a tree large enough, I might just as well leave it un- 
 touched. 
 
 Still I would not altogether abandon my favourite 
 project. I thought of the willows that grew on the island, 
 and fancied I could make a framework by twisting them 
 strongly together, and stretching seal skins over them. I 
 laboured at this for several weeks, — exercising all my 
 ingenuity and no slight stock of patience, to create an 
 object with which I was but imperfectly acquainted. 
 
 I did succeed at last in putting together something in a 
 remote degree resembling the boat that brought part of 
 the whaler's crew to the island and had taken them away, 
 but it was not a quarter the size, and was so light that I 
 could carry it without much difficulty to the landing I had 
 constructed on the cliff. When I came to try its capa- 
 bilities, I found it terribly lop-sided — it soon began to leak, 
 and in fact it exhibited so many faults, that I was forced 
 to drag it again on shore, and take it to pieces. 
 
 I called in Mrs Reichardt to my assistance, and though 
 
 at first she seemed averse to the experiment, she gave me 
 
 a great deal of information respecting the structure of 
 
 small boats, and the method of waterproofing leather and 
 
 L.s. N 
 
194 The Little Savage 
 
 other fabrics. I attended carefully to all she said, and 
 commenced re-building with more pretensions to art. 
 
 I now made a strong frame-work, tolerably sharp at 
 each end, and as nearly as possible resembling a keel at 
 the bottom. I covered this on both sides with pieces of 
 strong cloth saturated with grease from the carcases of 
 birds, and then covered the whole with well-dried seal 
 skins, which I had made impervious to wet. The inside 
 of the boat nearest the water I neatly covered with pieces 
 of dry bark, over which I fixed some boards, which had 
 floated to the island from wrecked ships. Finally I put in 
 some benches to sit on, and then fancied I had done every- 
 thing that was necessary. 
 
 I soon got her into the fishing-pool, and was delighted 
 to find that she floated capitally — but I still had a great 
 deal to do. I had made neither oars to propel her 
 through the water, nor sail to carry her through the 
 waves, when rowing was impossible. I remembered the 
 whaler's spare oars and mizen, but they were too large ; 
 nevertheless, they served me as models to work upon, and 
 in time I made a rough pair of paddles or oars, which, 
 though rudely fashioned, I hoped would answer the 
 purpose pretty well. 
 
 The next difficulty was how to use the oars, and I 
 made many awkward attempts before I ascertained the 
 proper method of proceeding. Again my companion, on 
 whom nothing which had once passed before her eyes had 
 passed in vain, shewed me how the boat should be managed. 
 
 In a short time I could row about the pool with 
 sufficient dexterity to turn the boat in any direction I 
 required, and I then took Nero as a passenger, and he 
 seemed to enjoy the new gratification with a praiseworthy 
 decorum ; till, when I was trying to turn the boat round, 
 the movement caused him to attempt to shift his quarters, 
 which he did with so little attention to the build of our 
 vessel, that in one moment she was capsized, and in the 
 next we were swimming about in the pool with our vessel 
 bottom upwards. 
 
The Little Savage 195 
 
 As she was so hght, I soon righted her, and found that 
 she had received no injury, and appeared to be perfectly 
 water-tight. 
 
 Chapter XXXVI 
 
 I COULD not prevail upon Mrs Reichardt to embark in my 
 craft, the fate of my first passenger which she had 
 witnessed from the shore, had deterred her from 
 attempting a voyage under such unpromising circum- 
 stances. 
 
 As soon as I had dried my clothes, I was for making 
 another experiment, and one too of a more hazardous 
 nature. I would not be parted from Nero, but I made 
 him lie at the bottom of the boat, where I could have him 
 under strict control. With him I also took my little flock 
 of gannets, who perched themselves round me, gazing 
 about them with an air of such singular stupidity as they 
 were being propelled through the water, that I could not 
 help bursting out laughing. 
 
 "Indeed," said Mrs Reichardt, "such a boat's crew 
 and such a boat has never been seen in those seas before. 
 A young savage as captain, a tame seal as boatswain, and 
 a flock of gannets as sailors, certainly made up as curious 
 a set of adventurers as ever floated upon the wide ocean." 
 
 I was not the least remarkable of the strange group, for 
 I had nothing on but a pair of duck trousers, patched in 
 several places ; and my hair, which had grown very long, 
 hung in black wavy masses to my shoulders. My skin 
 was tanned by the sun to a light brown, very different 
 from the complexion of Mrs Reichardt, which had ever 
 been remarkable for its paleness. Indeed she told me I 
 should find some difliculty in establishing my claim to the 
 title of European, but none at all to that of Little Savage, 
 which she often playfully called me. 
 
 Nevertheless, in this trim, and with these companions, 
 
196 The Little Savage 
 
 I passed out of the fishing-pool into the sea, with the 
 intention of rowing round the island. Mrs Reichardt 
 waved her hand as I departed on my voyage, having 
 exhorted me to be very careful, as long as I was in 
 hearing ; she then turned away, as I thought, to return to 
 the hut. 
 
 The day was remarkably fine. There was not so much 
 as a cloud on the horizon, and scarcely a ripple on the 
 water : therefore, everything seemed to favour my project, 
 for if there had been anything of a breeze, the beating of 
 the waves against the rock would have been a great 
 obstacle to my pursuing my voyage with either comfort or 
 safety. The water too was so clear, that although it was 
 of great depth, I could distinguish the shells that lay on 
 the sand, and observe various kinds of fish, some of most 
 curious shape, that rushed rapidly beneath the beat as it 
 was urged along. 
 
 I was delighted with the motion, and with the agreeable 
 appearance of the different novelties that met my gaze. 
 The light boat glided almost imperceptibly through the 
 water at every stroke of the oar. Nero lay as still as if 
 his former lesson had taught him the necessity of remain- 
 ing motionless ; and the gannets now and then expressed 
 their satisfaction by a shrill cry or a rapid fluttering of 
 their wings. 
 
 In this way, we passed on without any adventure, till 
 I found it necessary for me to row some distance out to 
 sea, to round a projecting rock that stood like a mighty 
 wall before me. I pulled accordingly, and then had a 
 better opportunity of seeing the island than I had ever 
 obtained. I recognised all the favourite places, the ravine, 
 the wood, the hut covered with beautiful creepers, and 
 the garden, full of flowers, looked very agreeable to the 
 eye : but every part seemed to look pleasant, except the 
 great savage rocks which enclosed the island on every 
 side : but even these I thought had an air of grandeur that 
 gave additional effect to the scene. 
 
 Much to my surprise, I recognised Mrs Reichardt 
 
The Little Savage 197 
 
 walking rapidly towards a part of the shore, near which 
 I should be obliged to pass. From this I saw that she 
 was intent on watching me from point to point, to know 
 the worst, if any accident should befall me, and be at 
 hand should there be a necessity for rendering assistance. 
 I shouted to her, and she waved her hand in reply. 
 
 On rounding the headland, my astonishment was 
 extreme on finding my little bark in the midst of a shoal 
 of enormous sharks. If I came in contact with one of 
 them I was lost, for the frail boat would certainly be 
 upset and as Jackson had assured me, if ever I allowed 
 these monsters to come near enough, one snap of their 
 jaws, and there would be an end of the Little Savage. I 
 thought of the warning of Mrs Reichardt, and was 
 inclined to think I had better have taken her advice, and 
 remained in the fishing-pool j nevertheless, I went on as 
 quietly and deliberately as possible, exercising all my 
 skill to keep clear of my unexpected enemies. 
 
 It was not till I had got into the middle of the shoal 
 that the sharks seemed to be aware there was anything 
 unusual in their neighbourhood, but as soon as they were 
 fully aware of the presence of an intruder, they exhibited 
 the most extraordinary excitement, rushing together in 
 groups, with such rapid motion, that the water became 
 so agitated, I was obliged to exercise all my skill to keep 
 the boat steady on her course. 
 
 They dived, and rushed to and fro, and jostled each 
 other, as I thought, in anything but an amicable spirit ; 
 still, however, keeping at a respectful distance from the 
 boat, for which I was extremely thankful. I urged her 
 on with all my strength, for the purpose of getting away 
 from such unpleasant neighbours ; but they were not to 
 be so easily disposed of. They came swimming after 
 the boat, then when within a few yards dived, and in a 
 moment they were before it, as if to bar any further 
 progress. 
 
 I however pushed on, and they disappeared, but im- 
 mediately afterwards rose on all sides of me. They were 
 
198 The Little Savage 
 
 evidently getting more confidence ; a fact I ascertained 
 with no slight apprehension, for they began to approach 
 nearer, and their gambols threatened 'every minute to 
 overwhelm my poor craft, that, light as a cork, bounced 
 up and down the agitated waves, as if quite as much 
 alarmed for our safety as ourselves. 
 
 The captain was not the only one who began to fear 
 evil ; the gannets were very restless, and it was only by 
 strong admonitions I could prevail on Nero to retain his 
 recumbent attitude at my feet ; their instinct warned 
 them of approaching danger, and I felt the comfortable 
 assurance that my own rashness had brought me into my 
 present critical position, and that if the menaced destruc- 
 tion did arrive, there was no sort of assistance at hand on 
 which I could rely. 
 
 Every moment the sharks became more violent in their 
 demonstrations, and more bold in their approaches, and I 
 could scarcely keep the boat going, or prevent the water 
 rushing over her sides. The gannets, having shewn 
 themselves for some minutes uneasy, had at last flown 
 away to the neighbouring rock, and Nero began to 
 growl and snap, as though meditating a forcible release 
 from his prostrate position, to see what mischief was 
 brewing. 
 
 As I was coaxing him to be quiet, I felt a tremendous 
 blow given to the boat, evidently from beneath, and she 
 rose into the air several yards, scattering Nero and myself, 
 and the oars, in different directions. 
 
 The noise we made in falling appeared for the instant 
 to have scattered the creatures, for I had struck out for 
 the rock and nearly reached it before a shark made its 
 appearance. 
 
 Just then I saw a large monster rushing towards me. 
 I thought all was over. He turned to open his great 
 jaws, and in another instant I should have been devoured. 
 
 At that critical period I saw a second object dart in 
 between me and the shark, and attack the latter fiercely. 
 It was Nero, and it was the last I ever saw of my faithful 
 
The Little Savage 199 
 
 friend. His timely interposition enabled me to reach a 
 ledge in the cliff, where I was in perfect safety, hanging 
 by some strong seaweed, although my feet nearly touched 
 the water, and I could retain my position only with the 
 greatest difficulty. 
 
 The whole shoal were presently around me. They a 
 first paid their attentions to the boat and the oars, which 
 they buffeted about till they were driven close to the rock, 
 at a little distance from the place where I had found 
 temporary safety. They left these things unharmed as 
 soon as they caught sight of me, and then their eagerness 
 and violence returned with tenfold fury. They darted 
 towards me in a body, and I was obliged to lift my legs, 
 or I should have had them snapped off by one or other of 
 the twenty gaping jaws that were thrust over each other, 
 in their eagerness to make a mouthful of my limbs. 
 
 This game was carried on for some minutes of horrible 
 anxiety to me. I fancied that my struggles had loosened 
 the seaweed, and that in a few minutes it must give way, 
 and I should then be fought for and torn to pieces by the 
 ravenous crew beneath. I shouted with all the strength of 
 my lungs to scare them away ; but as if they were as well 
 aware that I could not escape them as I was myself, they 
 merely left off their violent efforts to reach my projecting 
 legs, and forming a semi-circle round me, watched with 
 upturned eyes, that seemed to possess a fiendish expression 
 that fascinated and bewildered me, the snapping of the 
 frail hold that supported me upon the rock. 
 
 In my despair I prayed heartily, but it was rather to 
 commend my soul to my Maker, than with any prospect of 
 being rescued from so imminent and horrible a peril. The 
 eyes of the ravenous monsters below seemed to mock my 
 devotion. I felt the roots of the seaweed giving way : the 
 slightest struggle on my part would I knew only hasten 
 my dissolution, and I resigned myself to my fate. 
 
 In this awful moment I heard a voice calling out my 
 name. It was Mrs Reichardt on the cliff high above me. 
 I answered with all the eagerness of despair. Then there 
 
200 The Little Savage 
 
 came a heavy splash into the water, and I heard her 
 implore me to endeavour to make for a small shrub that 
 grew in a hollow of the rock, at a very short distance from 
 the tuft of seaweed that had become so serviceable. 
 
 I looked down. The sharks had all disappeared ; I 
 knew, however, that they would shortly return, and lost 
 not a moment in making an effort to better my position in 
 the manner I had been directed. Mrs Reichardt had 
 thrown a heavy stone into the water among the sharks, the 
 loud splash of which had driven them away. Before they 
 again made their appearance, I had caught a firm hold of 
 the twig, and flung myself up into a position of perfect 
 safety. 
 
 " Thank God he's safe ! " I heard Mrs Reichardt 
 exclaim. 
 
 The sharks did return, but when they found their 
 anticipated prey had escaped, they swam lazily out to sea. 
 
 " Are you much hurt, Frank Henniker ? " she presently 
 cried out to me. 
 
 " I have not a scratch," I replied. 
 
 ** Then thank God for your deliverance," she added. 
 
 I did thank God, and Mrs Reichardt joined with me in 
 prayer, and a more fervent thanksgiving than was ours, it 
 is scarcely possible to imagine. 
 
 Chapter XXXVII 
 
 I HAD several times pressed Mrs Reichardt for the con- 
 clusion of her story, but she had always seemed reluctant 
 to resume the subject. It was evidently full of painful 
 incidents, and she shrunk from dwelling upon them. At 
 last, one evening we were sitting together, she working 
 with her needle and I employed upon a net she had taught 
 me how to manufacture, and I again led the conversation 
 to the narrative my companion had left unfinished. She 
 sighed heavily and looked distressed. 
 
The Little Savage 201 
 
 " It is but natural you should expect this of me, my 
 son," she said ; " but you little know the suffering caused 
 by my recalling the melancholy events that I have to 
 detail. However, I have led you to expect the entire 
 relation, and, therefore, I will endeavour to realise your 
 anticipations." 
 
 I assured her I was ready to wait, whenever it might be 
 agreeable for her to narrate the termination of her interest- 
 ing history. 
 
 " It will never be agreeable to me," she replied mourn- 
 fully ; " indeed I would forget it, if I could ; but that is 
 impossible. The struggle may as well be made now, as at 
 any time, I will therefore commence by informing you, 
 that during our long voyage to the Sandwich Islands, I 
 found ample opportunity for studying the disposition of 
 my husband. He was much changed since he first left me, 
 but his was still the same grateful nature, full of truth 
 and purity, that had won me towards him when a child. 
 A holy enthusiasm seemed now to exalt him above ordinary 
 humanity. I could scarcely ever get him to talk upon any 
 but religious subjects, and those he treated in so earnest 
 and exalted a manner, that it was impossible to avoid being 
 carried away with his eloquence. 
 
 " He seemed to feel the greatness of his destination, as 
 though it had raised him to an equality with the adven- 
 turous Saints, who established the banner of Christ among 
 the Pagan nations of Europe. He was fond of dilating 
 upon the importance of his mission, and of dwelling on the 
 favour that had been vouchsafed him, in causing him to be 
 selected for so high and responsible a duty. 
 
 "It was evident that he would rather have been sent to 
 associate with the barbarous people whom he expected to 
 make his converts, than have been raised to the richest 
 Bishopric in England. And yet, with this exultation, there 
 was a spirit of deep melancholy pervading his countenance, 
 as well as his discourses, that seemed to imply a sense of 
 danger. The nimbus of the saint in his eyes was associated 
 with the crown of martyrdom. He seemed to look forward 
 
202 The Little Savage 
 
 to a fatal termination of his ministry, as the most natural 
 and proper conclusion of his labours. 
 
 " His conversation often filled me with dread. His 
 intimations of danger seemed at first very shocking, but, 
 at last, I got more familiar with these terrible suggestions, 
 and regarded them as the distempered fancies of an over- 
 worked mind. 
 
 " In this way our long voyage passed, and we arrived at 
 last at our place of destination. When we had dis- 
 embarked, the scene that presented itself to me was so 
 strange, that I could almost believe I had passed into a new 
 world. The most luxurious vegetation, of a character 
 I had never seen before — the curious buildings — the 
 singular forms of the natives, and their peculiar costume — 
 excited my wonder to an intense degree. 
 
 " My husband applied himself diligently to learn the 
 language of the people, whilst I as intently studied their 
 habits and customs. We both made rapid progress. 
 
 " As soon as I could make myself understood, I en- 
 deavoured to make friends with the women, particularly 
 with the wives of the great men, and although I was at 
 first the object of more curiosity than regard, I persisted in 
 my endeavours, and succeeded in establishing with many a 
 good understanding. 
 
 " I found them ignorant of everything that in civilised 
 countries is considered knowledge — their minds being 
 enveloped in the most deplorable darkness — the only 
 semblance of religion in use amongst them, being a brutal 
 and absurd idolatry. 
 
 *' I often tried to lead them to the consideration of more 
 humanising truths, for the purpose of preparing the way 
 for the inculcation of the great mysteries of our holy 
 rehgion : but the greater portion of my hearers were 
 incompetent to understand what I seemed so desirous of 
 teaching, and my making them comprehend the principles 
 of Christianity appeared to be a hopeless task. 
 
 " Yet I continued my pious labours, without allowing 
 my exertions to flag — making myself useful to them and 
 
The Little Savage 203 
 
 their families in every way I could — attending them when 
 sick — giving them presents when well — and showing them 
 every kindness likely to make a favourable impression on 
 their savage natures. In this way I proceeded doing good, 
 till I found an opportunity of being of service to a young 
 girl, about twelve years of age, who was a younger sister 
 of one of the wives of a great chief. She had sprained her 
 ankle and was in great pain, when I applied the proper 
 remedies and gave her speedy relief. Hooloo, for that was 
 her name, from that moment became warmly attached to me, 
 and finding her of an affectionate and ingenuous disposition, 
 I became extremely desirous of improving upon the good 
 impression I had made. 
 
 " At the same time my husband sought, by his know- 
 ledge of the mechanical arts, and some acquaintance with 
 medicine, to recommend himself to the men. He also met 
 with much difficulty at first, in making his information 
 properly appreciated. He sought to increase their comforts 
 — to introduce agricultural implements of a more useful 
 description, and to lead them generally towards the 
 conveniences and decencies of civilisation. He built 
 himself a house, and planted a garden, and cultivated some 
 land, in which he shewed the superior advantages of what 
 he knew, to what they practised. They seemed to marvel 
 much, but continued to go on in their own way. 
 
 " He also went amongst them as a physician, and having 
 acquired considerable knowledge of medicine and simple 
 surgery, he was enabled to work some cures in fevers 
 and spear wounds, that in course of time made for him so 
 great a reputation, that many of the leading chiefs sent 
 for him when anything ailed them or their families, and 
 they were so well satisfied with what he did for them, 
 that he began to be looked upon as one who was to be 
 treated with particular respect and honour, by all classes 
 of the natives, from the highest to the lowest. 
 
 " On one occasion the king required his services. He 
 was suffering from a sort of cholic, for which the native 
 doctors could give him no relief. My husband administered 
 
204 The Little Savage 
 
 some medicines, and stayed with his Majesty until they had 
 the desired effect, and the result being a complete recovery, 
 seemed so astonishing to all the members of his Sandwich 
 Majesty's court, that the doctor was required to administer 
 the same medicine to every one, from the queen to the 
 humblest of her attendants, though all were apparently 
 in good health. He managed to satisfy them with a 
 small portion only of the mixture, which he was quite 
 certain could do them no harm : and they professed to be 
 wonderfully the better for it. 
 
 Chapter XXXVIII 
 
 " His reputation had now grown so great, that whatever 
 he required was readily granted. He first desired to have 
 some children sent him ; to learn those things which had 
 enabled him to do so much good, and this having been 
 readily sanctioned, we opened a school for girls and boys, 
 in which we taught the first elements of a civilised 
 education. 
 
 " Finding we made fair progress in this way, we com- 
 menced developing our real object, the inculcation of 
 Christian sentiments. This meeting with no opposition, 
 and Reichardt having established a powerful influence 
 over the entire community, he next proceeded with the 
 parents, and earnestly strove to induce them to embrace 
 the profession of Christianity. 
 
 *'His labours were not entirely unproductive. There 
 began to prevail amongst the islanders, a disposition to 
 hear the wondrous discourses of this stranger, and he 
 was employed, day after day, in explaining to large and 
 attentive audiences, the history of the Christian world, 
 and the observances and doctrine of that faith which had 
 been cemented by the blood of the Redeemer. The new 
 and startHng subjects of his discourse, as well as the 
 impressive character of his eloquence, frequently deeply 
 
The Little Savage 205 
 
 moved his hearers ; and at his revelations they would 
 often burst forth into piercing shouts and loud expressions 
 of amazement. 
 
 " In truth it was a moving scene. The noble figure 
 of the Missionary, with his fine features lighted up with 
 the fire of holy enthusiasm, surrounded by a crowd of 
 dusky savages, armed with spears and war clubs, and 
 partly clothed with feathers, in their features shewing 
 traces of unusual excitement, and every now and then 
 joining in a wild chorus, expressive of their wonder, could 
 not have been witnessed by any Christian, without 
 emotion. 
 
 " But when the ceremony of Baptism was first per- 
 formed before them, their amazement was increased 
 a thousandfold. The first member of our flock was 
 Hooloo, whom I had instructed so far, in the principles 
 of our faith, and I had acquired such an influence over 
 her mind, that she readily consented to abandon her 
 idolatrous customs and become a Christian. 
 
 " After a suitable address to the natives, who had 
 assembled in some thousands to witness the spectacle, 
 in which he explained to them the motive and object 
 of baptism, my husband assisted the girl down a sloping 
 green bank which led to a beautiful stream, and walked 
 with her into the water till he was up to his waist ; then, 
 after offering up a long and fervent prayer that this first 
 victory over the false worship of the Devil, might be the 
 forerunner of the entire extirpation of idolatry from the 
 land, he, plunging her into the water, baptised her in 
 the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " All the people were awed to silence while the 
 ceremony proceeded, but when it was over they burst 
 forth into a loud cry, and came down to meet the new 
 Christian and my husband as they came out of the water, 
 and waved over them boughs of trees, and danced and 
 shouted as though in an ecstasy. 
 
 *' We however had not proceeded to this extent, 
 without exciting considerable opposition ; our disrespect 
 
2o6 The Little Savage 
 
 towards their idols had given great offence to those who 
 were identified with the superstitions of the people, and 
 flourished according as these were supported. Complaints 
 were made too of our teaching a new religion, in opposi- 
 tion to the gods they and their fathers had worshipped, 
 and a powerful party was got together for the purpose 
 of pursuing us to destruction. 
 
 *' My husband was summoned before a council of the 
 great chiefs, to hear the accusations that had been brought 
 against him : and the old idolaters got up and abused him, 
 and threatened him with the punishment of their monstrous 
 gods, for telling lies to the people, and deceiving them 
 with forged tales and strange customs. 
 
 " They sought all they could, to move the judges 
 against him, by painting the terrible fate that would befall 
 them if they failed to kill the white stranger, who had 
 insulted their gods ; and they predicted hosts of calamities 
 that were to happen, in consequence of their having allowed 
 the teller of lies to work so much mischief against them. 
 
 " My husband then being called upon for his defence, 
 first declared to the judges the attributes of the Deity he 
 worshipped : that he created the vast heavens, the stars, 
 the mountains, the rivers, and the sea ; his voice spoke in 
 the thunder, and his eye flashed in the lightning. He 
 then dwelt on his goodness to man, especially to the 
 Sandwich Islanders, whom he had created for the purpose 
 of enjoying the fine country around them and of beholding 
 the beauty of the heavens where he dwelt. Then he 
 referred to the gods they had worshipped, and asked hov/ 
 they were made, and what such senseless things could do 
 for them ; commenting on their inability to serve them, in 
 any way, or do them any harm j and went on to speak of 
 the benefits he had been able to confer upon them, through 
 the influence of the all powerful God he worshipped ; and 
 asked them if he had ever done them anything but good. 
 Lastly, he promised them innumerable benefits, if they 
 would leave their useless gods, and turn to the only God 
 who had the power to serve them. 
 
The Little Savage 207 
 
 "It is impossible for me to do justice to the animated 
 manner in which he delivered this discourse. It produced 
 great effect upon the majority of his hearers ; but there 
 was a powerful minority it still more strongly influenced 
 against him ; and they continued to interrupt him with 
 terrible outcries. 
 
 '* Most of the leading chiefs were against his suffering 
 any harm. They bore in mind the advantages he had con- 
 ferred, by his skill in medicine, and superior wisdom in 
 various other things, which the people would lose were he 
 put to death. They also remembered the hope he held 
 out of future benefits, which of course they could not 
 expect, if they offered him any violence. 
 
 " The result was, that my husband was suffered to go 
 harmless from the meeting, to the great disappointment 
 of his enemies, who could scarcely be kept from laying 
 violent hands upon him. The danger he had escaped, 
 unfortunately, did not render him more prudent. Far 
 from it. He believed that he was a chosen instrument 
 of the Most High, to win these savages from the depths 
 of idolatry and Paganism ; and continued, on every 
 occasion that presented itself, to endeavour to win souls 
 to God. 
 
 " The school increased, several of the parents suffered 
 themselves to be baptised, and there was a regular 
 observance of the Lord's Day amongst those who belonged 
 to our little flock. Even many of the islanders, although 
 they did not become Christians, attended our religious 
 services, and spoke well of us. 
 
 "We brought up the young people to be able to teach 
 their brethren and sisters ; and hoped to be able to 
 establish missions in other parts of the island, to which we 
 sometimes made excursions ; preaching the inestimable 
 blessings of the gospel to the islanders, and exhorting 
 them to abandon their dark customs and heathen follies. 
 I was not far behind my husband in this good work, and 
 acquired as much influence among the women as he 
 exercised over the men : indeed we were generally looked 
 
2o8 The Little Savage 
 
 upon as holy people, who deserved to be treated with 
 veneration and respect. 
 
 Chapter XXXIX 
 
 "Things went on in this flourishing way for several years; 
 my husband, deeply impressed with the responsibility of 
 his position, as a chosen servant of God, devoted himself 
 so entirely to the great work he had undertaken, that he 
 often seemed to overlook the claims upon his attention of 
 her he had chosen as his partner, in his struggle against 
 the Powers of Darkness. Sometimes I did not see him for 
 several days ; and often when we were together, he was 
 so abstracted, he did not seem aware I was present. 
 Whenever I could get him to speak of himself, he would 
 dilate on the unspeakable felicity that he felt in drawing 
 nearer to the end of his work. I affected not to know to 
 what he alluded ; but I always felt that he was referring 
 to the impression he entertained of his own speedy dissolu- 
 tion, which he had taken up when he first embraced this 
 mission. 
 
 " I tried to get rid of my misgivings by recalling the 
 dangers and difficulties we had triumphantly passed, and 
 referring to the encouraging state of things that existed 
 at the present time ; nevertheless, I could not prevent 
 a sinking of the heart, whenever I heard him venture 
 upon the subject j and when he was absent from me, 
 I often experienced an agony of anxiety till his return. 
 I saw, however, no real cause of apprehension, and 
 endeavoured to persuade myself none existed ; and very 
 probably I should have succeeded, had not my husband 
 so frequently indulged in references to our separation. 
 
 " Alas," she exclaimed, mournfully, " he was better 
 informed than I was of the proximity of that Celestial 
 Home, for which he had been so long and zealously 
 preparing himself. He, doubtless, had his intimation 
 
The Little Savage 209 
 
 from on high, that his translation to the realms of bliss, 
 was no remote consequence of his undertaking the mission 
 he had accepted ; and he had familiarised his mind to it 
 as a daily duty, and by his constant references had sought 
 to prepare me for the catastrophe he knew to be in- 
 evitable." 
 
 Here Mrs Reichardt became so sensibly affected, that 
 it was some time before she could proceed with her 
 narrative. She, however, did so at last, yet I could see 
 by the tears that traced each other down her wan cheeks, 
 how much her soul was moved by the terrible details 
 into which she was obliged to enter. 
 
 " In the midst of our success," she presently resumed, 
 " when we had established a congregation, had baptised 
 hundreds of men, women, and children, had completed 
 a regular place of worship, and an extensive school-house, 
 both of which were fully and regularly attended, some 
 European vessel paid us a short visit, soon after which, 
 that dreadful scourge the small-pox, broke out amongst 
 the people. Both children and adults were seized, and 
 as soon as one died a dozen were attacked. 
 
 " Soon the greatest alarm pervaded the natives ; my 
 husband was implored to stop the pestilence, which power 
 they felt convinced he had in his hands. He did all that 
 was possible for him to do, but that unfortunately was 
 very little. His recommendation of remedial measures 
 was rarely attended with the desired results. Death was 
 very busy. The people died in scores, and the survivors, 
 excited by the vindictive men who had formerly sought 
 his death for disparaging their gods, began not only to 
 fall off rapidly in their regard and reverence for my 
 husband, but murmurs first, and execrations afterwards, 
 and violent menaces subsequently, attended him whenever 
 he appeared. 
 
 ** He preached to them resignation to the Divine "Will ; 
 but resignation was not a savage virtue. He was 
 indefatigable in his attentions to the sick ; but those of 
 whom he was most careful seemed the speediest to die. 
 
 L.S. O 
 
2IO The Little Savage 
 
 The popular feeling against him increased every hour ; 
 he appeared, however, to defy his fate — walking uncon- 
 cernedly amongst crowds of infuriated savages brandishing 
 heavy clubs, and threatening him with the points of their 
 sharp spears -, but his eye never blinked, and his cheek 
 never blanched, and he walked on his way inwardly 
 praising God, careless of the evil passions that raged 
 around him. 
 
 " It was on a Sabbath morn — our service had far 
 advanced ; we could boast of but a limited congregation, 
 for many had died, some had fled from the pestilence 
 into the interior ; others had avoided the place in con- 
 sequence of the threats of their countrymen. A few 
 children, and two or three women, were all their teacher 
 had to address. 
 
 " We were engaged in singing a Psalm, when a furious 
 crowd, mad with rage, as it seemed, screaming and yelling 
 in the most frightful manner, and brandishing their 
 weapons as though about to attack an enemy, burst into 
 our little chapel, and seized my husband in the midst 
 of his devotions. 
 
 " I rushed forward to protect him from the numerous 
 weapons that were aimed at his life, but was dragged 
 back by the hair of my head ; and with infuriate cries 
 and gestures, that made them look like demons broke 
 loose from hell, they fell upon him with their clubs and 
 spears. 
 
 " Reichardt made no resistance, he merely clasped his 
 hands the more firmly, and looked up to Heaven tlie more 
 devoutly, as he continued the Psalm he had commenced 
 before they entered. This did not delay his fate. 
 
 " They beat out his brains so close to me, that I was 
 covered with his blood, and I believe I should have 
 shared the same fate, had I not fainted with terror at 
 the horrible scene of which I was a forced spectator. 
 
 " I learned afterwards that some powerful chief inter- 
 fered, and I was carried away more dead than alive, in 
 which state I long remained. As soon as I became 
 
The Little Savage 211 
 
 sufficiently strong to be moved, I took advantage of a 
 whaler calling at the island, homeward bound, to beg a 
 passage. The captain heard my lamentable story, took 
 me on board as soon as he could, and shewed a seaman's 
 sympathy for my sufferings. 
 
 " I was to have returned to England with him, but off 
 this place we encountered a terrible storm, in which we 
 were obliged to take to the boats, as the only chance of 
 saving our lives. What became of him I know not, as 
 the two boats parted company soon after leaving the 
 wreck. I trust he managed to reach the land in safety, 
 and is now in his own country, enjoying all the comforts 
 that can make life covetable. 
 
 " What became of that part of the crew that brought 
 me here in the other boat, led by the fires you had lighted, 
 I am in doubt. But I think on quitting the island, crowded 
 as their boat was, and in the state of its crew, it was 
 scarcely possible for them to have made the distant island 
 for which they steered." 
 
 Chapter XL 
 
 Mrs Reichardt's story made a sensible impression on 
 me. I no longer wondered at the pallor of her counten- 
 ance, or the air of melancholy that at first seemed so 
 remarkable ; she had suffered most severely, and her 
 sufferings were too recent not to have left their effects 
 upon her frame. 
 
 I thought a good deal about her narrative, and wondered 
 much that men could be got to leave their comfortable 
 homes, and travel thousands and thousands of miles across 
 the fathomless seas, with the hope of converting a nation 
 of treacherous savages, by whom they were sure to be 
 slaughtered at the first outbreak of ill-feeling. 
 
 I could not but admire the character of Reichardt — in 
 all his actions he had exhibited a marked nobility of 
 
212 The Little Savage 
 
 nature. He would not present himself before the woman 
 who had the strongest claims upon his gratitude, till he 
 had obtained a position and a reputation that should, in his 
 opinion, make him worthy of her ; and though he had, a 
 presentiment of the fate that would overtake him, he 
 fulfilled his duties as a missionary with a holy enthusiasm 
 that made him regard his approaching martyrdom as the 
 greatest of all earthly distinctions. I felt regret that I had 
 not known such a man. I knew how much I had lost in 
 having missed such an example. 
 
 My having heard this story led me into much private 
 communing with myself respecting religion. I could 
 consider myself little better than a savage, like the brutal 
 Sandwich Islanders ; my conduct to Jackson had been 
 only in a degree less inhuman than that these idolaters had 
 shewn to their teacher when he was in their power. I 
 fancied at the time that I served him right, for his 
 villainous conduct to my father, and brutal conduct to me : 
 but God having punished him for his misdeeds, I felt 
 satisfied I had no business to put him to greater torment 
 as satisfaction for my own private injuries. I fancied God 
 might have been angry with me, and had kept me on the 
 island as a punishment for my offences ; and I had some 
 conversation with Mrs Reichardt on this point. 
 
 ** Nothing," she observed, " can excuse your ill-feeling 
 towards Jackson ; he was a bad man, without a doubt, 
 and he deserved condign punishment for his usage of your 
 parents ; but the Divine founder of our religion has urged 
 us to return good for evil." 
 
 " Yes," I answered readily, " but I should have suffered 
 as bad as my father and mother, had I not prevented his 
 doing me mischief." 
 
 " You do not know that you were to suffer," she 
 replied. " Jackson, without such terrible punishment as 
 he brought upon himself, might eventually have become 
 contrite, and have restored you to your friends as well as 
 enabled you to obtain your grandfather's property. God 
 frequently performs marvellous things with such humble 
 
The Little Savage 213 
 
 instruments, for he hath said, 'There is more joy in 
 heaven over one sinner that repenteth, than over ninety- 
 nine just men.'" 
 
 "Surely, this is raising the wicked man over the good," 
 I cried. 
 
 "Not at all," she replied. "The repentant is one 
 gained from the ranks of the great enemy — it is as one 
 that was lost and is found again — it is a soul added to the 
 blessed. Therefore the joy in heaven is abundant at such 
 a conversion. The just are the natural heirs of heaven — 
 their rights are acknowledged without dispute — their 
 claim is at once recognised and allowed, and they receive 
 their portion of eternal joy as a matter of course, without 
 there being any necessity for exciting those demonstra- 
 tions of satisfaction which hail the advent of a sinner 
 saved." 
 
 "I don't think such a villain as Jackson would ever go 
 to heaven," I observed. 
 
 "'Judge not, lest ye be judged,'" she answered; "that 
 is a text that cannot be too often impressed upon persons 
 anxious to condemn to eternal torment all those they 
 believe to be worse than themselves. It is great pre- 
 sumption in us poor creatures of clay, to anticipate the 
 proceedings of the Infinite Wisdom. Let us leave the 
 high prerogative of judgment to the Almighty Power, by 
 whom only it is exercised, and in our opinions of even 
 the worst of our fellow-creatures, let us exercise a 
 comprehensive charity, mingled with a prayer that even 
 at the eleventh hour, they may have turned from the 
 evil of their ways, and embraced the prospect of salva- 
 tion, which the mercy of their Creator has held out to 
 them." 
 
 In this and similar conversations, Mrs Reichardt would 
 endeavour to plant in my mind the soundest views of 
 religion; and she spoke so well, and so convincingly, 
 that I had little trouble in understanding her meaning, or 
 in retaining it after it had been uttered. 
 
 It was not, as I have before stated, to religion only 
 
214 The Little Savage 
 
 that she led my thoughts, although that certainly was 
 the most frequent subject of our conversation. She 
 sought to instruct me in the various branches of 
 knowledge into which she had acquired some insight, 
 and in this way I picked up as much information respect- 
 ing grammar, geography, astronomy, writing, arithmetic, 
 history, and morals, as I should have gained had I been 
 at a school, instead of being forced to remain on a desolate 
 island. 
 
 I need not say that I still desired to leave it. I had 
 long been tired of the place, notwithstanding that from 
 our united exertions, we enjoyed many comforts which 
 we could not have hoped for. Our hut we had meta- 
 morphosed into something Mrs Reichardt styled a rustic 
 cottage, which, covered as it was with flowers and 
 creepers, really looked very pretty ; and the garden added 
 greatly to its pleasant appearance : for near the house 
 we had transplanted everything that bore a flower that 
 could be found in the island, and had planted some shrubs, 
 that, having been carefully nurtured made rapid growth, 
 and screened the hut from the wind. 
 
 I had built a sort of out-house for storing potatoes and 
 firewood, and a fowl-house for the gannets, which were 
 now a numerous flock ; and had planted a fence round 
 the garden, so that as Mrs Reichardt said, we looked as 
 if we had selected a dwelling in our own beloved England, 
 in the heart of a rural district, instead of our being circum- 
 scribed in a little island thousands of miles across the 
 wide seas, from the home of which we were so fond of 
 talking. 
 
 Although my companion always spoke warmly of the 
 land of her birth, and evidently would have been glad 
 to return to it, she never grieved over her hard fate in 
 being, as it were, a prisoner on a rock, out of reach of 
 friends and kindred ; indeed, she used to chide me for 
 being impatient of my detention, and insensible of the 
 blessings I enjoyed. 
 
 " What temptations are we not free from here ? " she 
 
 I 
 
The Little Savage 215 
 
 would say. " We see nothing of the world ; we cannot 
 be contaminated with its vices, or suffer from its follies. 
 The hideous wars — the terrible revolutions — the dreadful 
 visitations of famine and pestilence — are completely- 
 unknown to us. Robbery, and murder, and fraud, and 
 the thousand other phases of human wickedness, we 
 altogether escape. There was a time, when men, for 
 the purpose of leading holy lives, abandoned the fair 
 cities in which they had lived in the enjoyment of every 
 luxury, and sought a cave in some distant desert, where, 
 in the lair of some wild beast, with a stone for a pillow, 
 a handful of herbs for a meal, and a cup of water for 
 beveridge, they lived out the remnant of their days in 
 a constant succession of mortifications, prayers, and 
 penitence. 
 
 **How different," she added, "is our own state. We 
 are as far removed from the sinfulness of the world as 
 any hermit of the desert, whilst we have the enjoyment 
 of comforts to which they were strangers." 
 
 ** But probably," I observed, ** these men were penitents, 
 and went into the desert as much to punish their bodies 
 for the transgressions of the flesh, as to acquire by 
 solitary communion, a better knowledge of the spirit than 
 they were likely to obtain in their old haunts." 
 
 **Some were penitents, no doubt," she answered, " but 
 they, having obtained by their sanctity an extraordinary 
 reputation, induced others, whose lives had been blame- 
 less, to follow their example, and in time the desert 
 became colonised with recluses, who rivalled each other 
 in the intensity of their devotions and the extent of their 
 privations." 
 
 "Would it not have been more commendable," I 
 asked, " if these men had remained in the community to 
 which they belonged, withstanding temptation, and been 
 employed in labour that was creditable to themselves and 
 useful to their country ? " 
 
 " No doubt it would," she replied ; " but religion has, 
 unfortunately, too often been the result of impulse rather 
 
2i6 The Little Savage 
 
 than conviction ; and at the period to which we are 
 referring, it was thought that sinful human nature could 
 only gain the attributes of saintship by neglecting its 
 social duties, and punishing its humanity in the severest 
 manner. Even in more recent times, and at the present 
 day, in Catholic countries, it is customary for individuals 
 of both sexes, to abandon the world of which they might 
 render themselves ornaments, and shut themselves up in 
 buildings constructed expressly to receive them, where 
 they continue to go through a course of devotions and 
 privations till death puts an end to their voluntary im- 
 prisonment. 
 
 "In this modified instance of seclusion," she added, 
 ^* there are features very different from our own case. 
 We are not forced to impoverish our blood with insufficient 
 diet, or mortify our flesh with various forms of punishment. 
 "We do not neglect the worship of God. We offer up 
 daily thanks for his loving care of us, and sing his praises 
 in continual hymns : and instead of wasting the hours of 
 the day in unmeaning penances, we fill up our time in 
 employments that add to our health, comfort, and happi- 
 ness : and that enable us the better to appreciate the 
 goodness of that Power who is so mindful of our welfare." 
 
 "Have you no wish then, to leave this island?" I 
 inquired. 
 
 " I should gladly avail myself of the first opportunity 
 that presented itself for getting safely to England," she 
 replied. "But I would wait patiently the proper time. 
 It is not only useless repining at our prolonged stay here, 
 but it looks like an ungrateful doubting of the power of 
 God to remove us. Be assured that he has not preserved 
 us so long, and through so many dangers, to abandon us 
 when we most require his interposition in our favour." 
 
 I endeavoured to gather consolation from such repre- 
 sentations ; but perhaps young people are not so easily 
 reconciled to what they do not like, as are their elders, for 
 I cannot say I succeeded in becoming satisfied with my 
 position. 
 
 i 
 i 
 
The Little Savage 217 
 
 Chapter XLl 
 
 The perils of my first voyage had deterred me from 
 making a similar experiment ; but I recovered my boat, 
 and having further strengthened it, fitted it with what 
 could either be turned into a well or locker: I used to 
 row out a little distance when the sea was free from sharks 
 and fish. 
 
 But my grand efibrt in this direction was the completion 
 of a net, which, assisted by Mrs Reichardt, I managed to 
 manufacture. By this time she had gained sufficient con- 
 fidence to accompany me in my fishing excursions j she 
 would even take the oars whilst I threw out the net, and 
 assisted me in dragging it into the boat. 
 
 The first time we got such a haul, that I was afraid of 
 the safety of our little craft. The locker was full, and 
 numbers of great fish, as I flung them out of the net, were 
 flapping and leaping about the bottom of the boat. It 
 began to sink lower in the water than was agreeable to 
 either of us, and I found it absolutely necessary to throw 
 back into the sea the greater portion of our catch. We 
 then rowed carefully to land, rejoicing that we had at our 
 command, the means of obtaining an abundant supply of 
 food whenever we desired it. 
 
 Mrs Reichardt was with me also in our land excursions. 
 Together we had explored every part of the island ; our 
 chief object was plants for enriching our garden, and often 
 as we had been in search of novelties, we invariably 
 brought home additions to our collection ; and my com- 
 panion having acquired some knowledge of botany, would 
 explain to me the names, characters, and qualities of the 
 different species, which made our journeys peculiarly 
 interesting. 
 
 Our appearance often caused considerable amusement to 
 each other; for our respective costumes must have been 
 extremely curious in the eyes of a stranger. Neither wore 
 
2i8 The Little Savage 
 
 shoes or stockings — these things we did not possess, and 
 could not procure ; we wore leggings and sandals of seal 
 skin to protect us from the thorns and plants of the cacti 
 tribe, among which we were obliged to force our way. 
 My companion wore a conical cap of seal skin, and protected 
 her complexion from the sun, by a rude attempt at an 
 umbrella I had made for her. 
 
 She had on, on these occasions, a pair of coarse cloth 
 trousers, as her own dress would have been torn to pieces 
 beorfe she had got half a mile through the bush ; these 
 were surmounted by a tight spencer she had herself manu- 
 factured out of a man's waistcoat, and a dimity petticoat, 
 which buttoned up to her throat, and was fastened in the 
 same way at the wrists. 
 
 My head was covered with a broad-brimmed hat, made 
 of dry grass, which I had myself platted. I wore a sailor's 
 jacket, much the worse for wear, patched with seal skin, 
 over a pair of duck trousers, similarly repaired. 
 
 Although our expeditions were perfectly harmless, we 
 did not go without weapons. At the instigation of my 
 companion, I had made myself a good stout bow and 
 plenty of arrows, and had exercised myself so frequently 
 at aiming at a mark, as to have acquired very considerable 
 skill in the use of them. I had now several arrows of 
 hard wood tipped with sharp fish-bones, and some with 
 iron nails, in a kind of pouch behind me ; in its sheath 
 before me was my American knife, which I used for taking 
 the plants from the ground. I had a basket made of the 
 long grass of the island, slung around me, which served 
 to contain our treasures ; and I carried my bow in my 
 hand. 
 
 My companion, in addition to her umbrella, bore only a 
 long staff, and a small basket tied round her waist that 
 usually contained a little refreshment ; for she would say 
 there was no knowing what might occur to delay our 
 return, and therefore it was better to take our meal with 
 us. And not the least agreeable portion of the day's 
 labour was our repast ; for we would seat ourselves in 
 
The Little Savage 219 
 
 some quiet corner, surrounded by flowers, and shaded by 
 the brushwood from the sun, and there eat our dried fish 
 or pick our birds, and roast our potatoes by means of a 
 fire of dried sticks, and wash down our simple dinner with 
 a flask of pure water — the most refreshing portion of our 
 banquet. 
 
 I had, as I have just stated, attained a singular degree 
 of skill in the use of the bow and arrow, which, as we had 
 no fire-arms, was often of important service in procuring 
 food on land. 
 
 I had made another use of my skill — an application of 
 it which afforded me a vast deal of satisfaction. My old 
 enemies the sharks used still to frequent a certain portion 
 of the coast in great numbers, and as soon as I became 
 master of my weapon, I would stand as near to the edge 
 of the rock as was safe, and singling out my victim, aim at 
 his upper fin, which I often found had the eflect of ridding 
 the place of that fellow. 
 
 I bore such an intense hatred to these creatures, for the 
 fright they had put me into during my memorable voyage 
 of discovery, and for the slaughter of my beloved Nero, 
 that I determined to wage incessant war against them, as 
 long as I could manufacture an arrow, or a single shark 
 remained on the coast. 
 
 As we had so often traversed the island without accident, 
 we dreamt not of danger. We had never met with any 
 kind of animals, except our old friends the seals, who kept 
 near the sea. Of birds, the gannets were generally the 
 sole frequenters of the island ; but we had seen, at rare 
 intervals, birds of a totally different character, some of 
 which I had shot. 
 
 Indeed, during our excursions, I was always on the 
 look out for any stranger of the feathered race, that I 
 might exercise my skill upon him. If he proved eatable, 
 he was sure to be very welcome ; and even if he could 
 not be cooked, he afforded me some entertainment, in hear- 
 ing from Mrs Reichardt his name and habits. 
 
 We had discovered a natural hollow which lay so low 
 
2 20 The Little Savage 
 
 that it was quite hid till we came close to it, when we had 
 to descend a steep declivity covered with shrubs. At the 
 bottom was a soil evidently very productive, for we found 
 trees growing there to a considerable height, that were 
 in marked contrast to the shrubby plants that grew in 
 other parts of the island. We called this spot the Happy 
 Valley, and it became a favourite resting-place. 
 
 I remember on one of these occasions, we had made our 
 dinner after having been several hours employed in seeking 
 for plants, of which we had procured a good supply, and 
 the remains of our meal lay under a great tree, beneath 
 the spreading branches of which we had been resting 
 ourselves. 
 
 It was quite on the other side of the island, within 
 about a quarter of a mile from the sea. Abundance of 
 curious plants grew about the place, and Mrs Reichardt 
 had wandered to a little distance to examine all within 
 view. 
 
 I was peering into the trees and shrubs around to dis- 
 cover a new comer. I had wandered in an opposite 
 direction to that taken by my companion, and was creeping 
 round a clump of shrubs about twenty yards off, in which 
 I detected a chirping noise, when I heard a loud scream. 
 
 I turned sharply round and beheld Mrs Reichardt, 
 evidently in an agony of terror, running towards me with 
 prodigious swiftness. She had dropped her umbrella and 
 her staff, her cap had fallen from her head, and her 
 long hair, disarranged by her sudden flight, streamed 
 behind her shoulders. 
 
 At first I did not see anything which could have caused 
 this terrible alarm, but in a few seconds I heard a crushing 
 among a thicket of shrubs from which she was running, as 
 if some heavy weight was being forced through them ; and 
 presently there issued a most extraordinary monster. It 
 came forward at a quick pace, its head erect above ten feet, 
 its jaws wide open, from the midst of which there 
 issued a forked tongue which darted in and out with 
 inconceivable rapidity. Its body was very long, and thick 
 
The Little Savage 221 
 
 as an ordinary tree ; it was covered over with bright 
 shining scales that seemed to have different colours, and 
 was propelled along the ground in folds of various sizes, 
 with a length of tail of several yards behind. Its eyes 
 were very bright and fierce. Its appearance certainly 
 accounted for my companion's alarm. 
 
 it Ply j " she cried in accents of intense terror, as she 
 rushed towards me, ** fly, or you are lost ! " 
 
 She then gave a hurried glance behind her, and seeing 
 the formidable monster in full chase, she just had power to 
 reach the spot to which I had advanced, and sunk over- 
 powered with terror, fainting at my feet. 
 
 My first movement was to step across her body for the 
 purpose of disputing the passage of the monster, and in an 
 erect posture, with my bow drawn tight as I could pull it, 
 I waited a few seconds till I could secure a good aim, for 
 I knew everything depended on my steadiness and 
 resolution. 
 
 On came my prodigious antagonist, making a terrible 
 hissing as he approached, his eyes flashing, his jaws 
 expanded as if he intended to swallow me at a mouthful, 
 and the enormous folds of his huge body passing like 
 wheels over the ground, crushing the thick plants that 
 came in their way like grass. 
 
 I must acknowledge that in my heart I felt a strange 
 s-inking sensation, but I remembered that our only chance 
 of escape lay in giving the monster a mortal wound, and 
 the imminence of the danger seemed to afford me the 
 resolution I required. 
 
 He was close behind, and in a direct line with the tree 
 under which we had dined, and I was about twenty yards 
 from it. Directly his head darted round and in front of 
 the tree, making a good mark, I let fly the arrow direct, 
 as I thought, for his eye, hoping, by penetrating his brain, 
 to settle him at once. But as he moved his head at that 
 moment, the arrow went into his open jaws, one of which 
 it penetrated, and going deep into the tree behind, pinned 
 his head close to the bark. 
 
22 2 The Little Savage 
 
 As soon as the huge creature found himself hurt, he 
 wound his enormous body round the trunk, and with his 
 desperate exertions swayed the great tree backwards and 
 forwards, as I would have done one of its smallest 
 branches. Fearful that he would liberate himself before I 
 could save my senseless companion, as quick as possible I 
 discharged all my arrows into his body, which took effect 
 in various places. His exertions then became so terrible 
 that I hastily snatched up Mrs Reichardt in my arms, and 
 with a fright that seemed to give me supernatural strength, 
 I ran as fast as I could the shortest way to our hut. 
 Fortunately, before I had gone half a mile, my companion 
 came to her senses, and was able to continue her flight. 
 
 We got home at last, half dead with fatigue and fright ; 
 nevertheless the first thing we did was to barricade all the 
 entrances. We left loop-holes to reconnoitre ; and there 
 we sat for hours after our arrival, waiting the monster's 
 approach in fear and trembling. 
 
 We did not go to sleep that night. We did not, either 
 of us, go out the next day. The next night one watched 
 while the other slept. The second day my courage 
 had so far returned, I wanted to go and look after the 
 constant subject of our conversation. But Mrs Reichardt 
 dissuaded me. 
 
 She told me it was an enormous python, or serpent of 
 the boa species, that are common on the northern coast of 
 America. Probably it had been brought to the island on a 
 drifted tree, and being so prodigious a reptile, the wounds 
 it had received were not likely to do it much harm, and it 
 would be no doubt lurking about, ready to pounce upon 
 either of us directly we appeared. 
 
 On the third day, nothing having occurred to increase 
 our alarm, I determined to know the worst ; so I got by 
 stealth out of the house, and armed with a fresh bow, a good 
 supply of arrows, a hatchet slung at my side, and my 
 American knife — with my mind made up for another 
 conflict if necessary — I crept stealthily along, with my eyes 
 awake to the slightest motion, and my ears open to the 
 
The Little Savage 223 
 
 slightest sound, till I approached the scene of my late 
 unequal struggle. 
 
 I must own I began to draw my breath rather rapidly, 
 and my heart beat more quickly, as I came near the place 
 where I had left my terrible enemy. To my extreme 
 surprise the python had disappeared. There was a tree 
 still standing, though its foliage and branches strewed the 
 ground, and a great portion of its bark was ground to 
 powder. At the base of the trunk was a pool of blood 
 mingled with fragments of bark, broken arrows, leaves, 
 and mould. The reptile had escaped. But where was he ? 
 Not altogether without anxiety I began to look for traces 
 of his retreat ; and they were easily found. "With my 
 arrow ready for immediate flight, I followed a stream of 
 blood that was still visible on the grass, and led from the 
 tree, accompanied by unmistakeable marks of the great 
 serpent's progress, in a direct line to the sea. There it 
 disappeared. 
 
 When I discovered this, I breathed again. There was 
 no doubt if the monster survived the conflict, he was 
 hundreds of miles away, and was not likely to return to a 
 place where he had received so rough a welcome. It may 
 readily be believed I lost no time in taking the agreeable 
 news to my companion. 
 
 Chapter XLII 
 
 I HAD become tired of looking out for a ship. Though 
 day after day, and week after week, I made the most 
 careful scrutiny with my glass, as I have said, it brought no 
 result. I sometimes fancied I saw a vessel appearing in 
 the line of the horizon, and I would pile up faggots and 
 light them, and throw on water to make them smoke, as 
 Jackson had done ; but all without avail. Either my vision 
 had deceived me, or my signals had not been observed, or 
 the ship's course did not lie in the direction of the island. 
 
224 The Little Savage 
 
 We had had storms too on several occasions, but no 
 wreck had been left on our coast. I began to think we 
 were doomed to live out our lives on this rock, and 
 frequently found myself striving very manfully to be 
 resigned to my fate, and for a few days I would cheerfully 
 endeavour to make the best of it. But the increasing 
 desire I felt to get to England, that I might seek out my 
 grandfather, and put him in possession of his diamonds, 
 always prevented this state of things enduring very long. 
 I had obtained from Mrs Reichardt an idea of the value of 
 these stones, and of the importance of their restoration to 
 my relative, and I had often thought of the satisfaction 1 
 should enjoy in presenting myself before him, as the 
 restorer of such valuable property, which, no doubt, had 
 long since been given up as lost. 
 
 But latterly, I thought less of these things ; the chance 
 of leaving the island seemed so remote, and the prospect 
 of ever seeing my grandfather so very distant, that I had 
 ceased to take any interest in the contents of the belt. 
 The diamonds seemed to become as valueless as they were 
 useless ; a handful of wheat would have been much more 
 desirable. It was now some time since I had seen the 
 belt, or inquired about it. 
 
 Thus we lived without any incident occurring worth 
 relating — when one day the appearance of the atmosphere 
 indicated a storm, and a very violent hurricane, attended 
 with peals of thunder and lurid flashes of lightning, 
 lasted during the whole of the day and evening. The 
 wind tore up the trees by the roots, blew down our out- 
 houses, made terrible havoc in our garden, and threatened 
 to tumble our hut over our heads. 
 
 We could not think of going to our beds whilst such 
 a tempest was raging around us, so we sat up, listening to 
 the creaking of the boards, and anticipating every moment 
 that the whole fabric would be blown to pieces. For- 
 tunately, the bark with which I had covered the roof, in a 
 great measure protected us from the rain, which came 
 down in torrents ; but every part was not equally imper- 
 
The Little Savage 225 
 
 vious, and our discomfort was increased by seeing the 
 water drip through, and form pools on the floor. 
 
 The thunder still continued at intervals, and was some- 
 times so loud as to have a most startling effect upon us. 
 My companion knelt down and said her prayers with great 
 fervour, and I joined in them with scarcely less devotion. 
 Indeed it was an awful night, and our position, though 
 under shelter, was not without danger. The incessant 
 flashes of lightning seemed to play round our edifice, as if 
 determined to set it in a blaze ; and the dreadful peals of 
 thunder that followed, rolled over our heads, as if about 
 to burst upon the creaking boards that shut us from its 
 fury. 
 
 I fancied once or twice that I heard during the storm 
 bursts of sound quite different in character from the peals 
 of thunder. They were not so loud, and did not rever- 
 berate so much ; they seemed to come nearer, and then 
 the difference in sound became very perceptible. 
 
 " Great God ! " exclaimed Mrs Reichardt, starting up 
 from her kneeling posture, " that is a gun from some 
 ship." 
 
 The wind seemed less boisterous for a few seconds, and 
 the thunder ceased. We listened breathlessly for the loud 
 boom we had just heard, but it was not repeated. In a 
 moment afterwards our ears were startled by the most 
 terrifying combination of screams, shrieks, cries, and 
 wailings I had ever heard. My blood seemed chilled in 
 my veins. 
 
 *' A ship has just struck," whispered my companion, 
 scarcely above her breath. *' The Lord have mercy on 
 the crew ! " 
 
 She sank on her knees again in prayer, as if for the 
 poor souls who were struggling in the jaws of death. 
 The wind still howled, and the thunder still roared, but 
 in the fiercest war of the elements, I fancied I could every 
 now and then hear the piercing shrieks sent up to heaven 
 for assistance. I thought once or twice of venturing out, 
 but I remembered the safety of my companion was so 
 L.s. p 
 
 U. 
 
2 26 The Little Savage 
 
 completely bound up with my own, that I could not 
 reconcile myself to leaving her j and I was also well 
 aware, that till the terrible fury of the tempest abated, it 
 was impossible for me to be of the slightest service to 
 the people of the wrecked ship, even could I remain 
 unharmed exposed to the violence of the v/eather. 
 
 I however awaited with much impatience and intense 
 anxiety till the storm had in some measure spent itself ^ 
 but this did not occur till sunrise the next morning. The. 
 wind fell, the thunder and lightning ceased, the rain was 
 evidently diminishing, and the brightness of the coming 
 day began to burst through the darkest night that had 
 ever visited the island. 
 
 Mrs Reichardt would not be left behind ; it was 
 possible she might be useful, and taking with her a 
 small basket of such things as she imagined might be 
 required, she accompanied me to the rocks nearest the sea. 
 
 On arriving there, the most extraordinary scene pre- 
 sented itself. The sea was strewed with spars, masts, 
 chests, boats stove in or otherwise injured, casks, empty 
 hen-coops, and innumerable pieces of floating wreck that 
 were continually dashed against the rocks, or were washed 
 ashore, wherever an opening for the sea presented itself. 
 At a little distance lay the remains of a fine ship, her masts 
 gone by the board, her decks open, in fact a complete 
 wreck, over which the sea had but lately been making a 
 clean sweep, carrying overboard everything that could not 
 resist its fury. 
 
 I could see nothing resembling a human being, though 
 both myself and my companion looked carefully round in 
 the hope of discovering some poor creature, that might 
 need assistance. It appeared, however, as if the people 
 of the ship had taken to their boats, which had been 
 swamped, and most probably all who had ventured into 
 them had been devoured by the sharks. 
 
 Had the crew remained on board, they would in all 
 probability have been saved ; as the vessel had been 
 thrown almost high and dry. 
 
The Little Savage 227 
 
 As soon as we had satisfied ourselves that no sharks 
 were in the neighbourhood, I launched my Uttle boat, and 
 each taking an oar, we pulled in the direction of the 
 wreck, which we reached in a few minutes. 
 
 She had heeled over after striking, and the water was 
 quite smooth under her lee. I contrived to climb into the 
 main chains, and from thence on board, and was soon 
 afterwards diligently exploring the ship. I penetrated 
 every place into which I could effect an entrance, marvel- 
 ling much at the variety of things I beheld. There 
 seemed such an abundance of everything, and of things 
 too quite new to me, that I was bewildered by their 
 novelty and variety. 
 
 Having discovered a coil of new rope, I hauled it on 
 deck, and soon made fast my little boat to the ship. 
 Then I made a hasty rope ladder which I threw over, and 
 Mrs Reichardt was in a very fev/ minutes standing by my 
 side. Her knowledge was necessary to inform me of the 
 uses of the several strange things I saw, and to select for 
 our own use what was most desirable. She being well 
 acquainted with the interior of a ship, and having ex- 
 plained to me its numerous conveniences, I could not but 
 admire the ingenuity of man, in creating such stupendous 
 machines. 
 
 The ship having much water in the hold, I was forced 
 to dive into the armoury. It was the first time I had seen 
 such things, and I handled the muskets and pistols with a 
 vast deal of curiosity ; as my companion explained to me 
 how they were loaded and fired, I at once saw their 
 advantage over the bow and arrow, and was selecting two 
 or three to carry away, when I hesitated on being assured 
 they would be perfectly useless without ammunition. I 
 might have remained content with my own savage 
 weapons that had already served me so well, had not Mrs 
 Reichardt, in the course of our survey, discovered several 
 tin canisters of powder perfectly uninjured, with abun- 
 dance of shot and bullets, of which I quickly took 
 possession. 
 
228 The Little Savage 
 
 From other parts of the vessel we selected bags of 
 grain, barrels of flour, and provisions of various kinds -y 
 wearing apparel, boxes of tools, with numerous bottles 
 and jars, with the contents of which I was perfectly 
 unacquainted, though their discovery gave great gratifica- 
 tion to my companion. What most excited my wonder, 
 were various kinds of agricultural implements that we 
 found in the hold, and in a short time I was made aware 
 of the proper employment of spades, harrows, ploughs, 
 thrashing-machines, and many other things, of the exis- 
 tence of which I had never before dreamt. 
 
 We found also quantities of various kinds of seeds and 
 roots, and some sort of twigs growing in pots, which Mrs 
 Reichardt particularly begged me not to leave behind, as 
 they would be of the greatest use to us ; and she added 
 that, from various signs, she believed that the ship had 
 been an emigrant vessel going out with settlers, but to 
 what place she could not say. 
 
 We made no ceremony in breaking open lockers and 
 chests, and every where discovered a variety of things, 
 which, could we transfer to our island, would add greatly 
 to our comfort ; but how they were to be got ashore, was 
 a puzzle which neither of us seemed capable of solving. 
 Our little boat would only contain a few of the lighter 
 articles ; and as many of these as we could conveniently 
 put together were shortly stowed in her. 
 
 With this cargo we were about returning, when my 
 companion called my attention to a noise that seemed to 
 come from a distant corner of the vessel, and she laughed 
 and exhibited so much satisfaction that I believed we were 
 close upon some discovery far more important than any we 
 had yet hit upon. 
 
 We continued to make our way to what seemed to me a 
 very out of the way part of the vessel, led in a great 
 measure by the noises that proceeded from thence. It 
 was so dark here, that we were obliged to get a light, and 
 my companion having procured a ship's lantern, and lighted 
 it by means of a tinderbox, led me to a place where I could 
 
The Little Savage 229 
 
 discern several animals, most of which were evidently- 
 dead. She however ascertained that there were two 
 young calves, three or four sheep, and as many young 
 pigs, still giving very noisy evidence of their existence. 
 She searched about and found some food for them, which 
 they ate with great avidity. The larger animals she told 
 me were cows and horses ; but they had fallen down, and 
 gave no signs of life. 
 
 My companion and myself then entered into a long 
 debate as to how we were to remove the living animals 
 from the dead ; and she dwelt very eloquently upon the 
 great advantages that would accrue to us, if we could 
 succeed in transporting to the island the survivors. 
 
 After giving them a good feed, seeing we could not 
 remove them at present, we descended safely to our boat 
 and gained the shore without any accident. Then having 
 housed our treasures, we were for putting together a raft 
 of the various planks and barrels that were knocking 
 against the rocks, but as I knew this would take a good 
 deal of time, I thought I would inspect the ship's boats, 
 which, bottom upwards, were drifting about within a few 
 yards of us. 
 
 To our great satisfaction, one I ascertained to be but 
 little injured, and having forced her ashore, with our 
 united exertions we turned her over. In an hour we 
 had made her water-tight, had picked up her oars, and 
 were pulling merrily for the wreck. 
 
 Chapter XLIII 
 
 Had the cows or horses been alive, they must have been 
 left behind, for we could not have removed them, but 
 the smaller animals were with comparatively little difficulty 
 got on deck, and they descended with me into the boat. 
 We added a few things that lay handy, and in a few minutes 
 were laughingly driving our four-footed treasures on 
 
230 
 
 The Little Savage 
 
 shore, to the extreme astonishment of the gannets, which 
 seemed as though they would never cease to flap their 
 wings, as their new associates were driven by them. 
 
 In the same way we removed the most portable of the 
 agricultural implements, bed and bedding, cots, and 
 hammocks, furniture, the framework of a house, preserved 
 provisions of all kinds, a medicine chest, boxes of books, 
 crates of china and glass, all sorts of useful tools, and 
 domestic utensils ; in short, in the course of the next two 
 or three weeks, by repeated journeys, we filled every 
 available place we could find with what we had managed 
 to rescue. 
 
 Then came another terrible storm that lasted two days, 
 after which the wreck having been broken up, was 
 scattered in every direction. I however managed to 
 secure the drift wood, tubs, spars, and chests, which 
 were all got on shore, and proved of the greatest service 
 to me some time afterwards. 
 
 Numerous as our acquisitions had been in this way, both 
 of us had been infinitely better pleased had we been able 
 to rescue some of the ill-fated crew, to whom they had 
 once belonged. But not one of them could have escaped, 
 and only one body was cast on shore, which was that of 
 a young woman, who lay with her face to the ground, 
 and her wet clothes clinging round her. We turned her 
 carefully over, and I beheld a face that seemed to me 
 v/onderfuUy fair and beautiful. She had escaped the 
 sharks, and had been dead several hours — most probably 
 she had been cast on shore by the waves soon after the 
 ship struck, for she had escaped also the rocks, which, 
 had she been dashed against, would have left fearful signs 
 of their contact on her delicate frame. 
 
 The sight of her corpse gave me many melancholy 
 thoughts. I thought of the delight she might have caused 
 both of us, had she been saved. What a pleasant com- 
 panion she might have proved ! Indeed, as I looked on 
 her pale cold features, I fancied that she might have 
 reconciled me to ending my existence on the island — ay^ 
 
^ 'f ^sx^-; 
 
 f 
 
The Little Savage 231 
 
 even to the abandonment of my favourite scheme of seeking 
 my grandfather to give him back his diamonds. 
 
 We took her up with as much pity and affection as if 
 she were our nearest and dearest relative, and carried her 
 home and placed her on Mrs Reichardt's bed ; and then 
 I laid some planks together, in the shape of v/hat Mrs 
 Reichardt called a coffin — and I dug her a deep grave in 
 the guano. 
 
 And all the while I found myself crying as I had never 
 cried before, and my heart seemed weary and faint. In 
 solemn silence we carried her to her grave, and read over 
 her the funeral service out of the Prayer-book, kneeling 
 and praying for this nameless creature, whom we had 
 never seen alive, as though she had been our companion 
 for many years \ both of us shedding tears for her hapless 
 fate as if we had lost a beloved sister. And when we had 
 filled up her grave and departed, we went home, and 
 passed the most miserable day v/e had ever had to endure 
 since we had first been cast upon the island. 
 
 I had now numerous occupations that kept me actively 
 employed. Still I could not for a long time help recalling 
 to mind that pale face that looked so piteously upon me 
 when I first beheld it ; and then I would leave off my 
 work, and give myself up to my melancholy thoughts 
 till my attention was called off by some appeal from my 
 companion. I made a kind of monument over the place 
 where she was buried, and planted there the finest flowers 
 we had j and I never passed the spot without a prayer, 
 as if I were approaching holy ground. 
 
 I must not forget to add, that a few days after the 
 wreck we were agreeably surprised by visitors that, 
 though unexpected, were extremely welcome. I had 
 noticed strange birds wandering about in various parts 
 of the island. On their coming under the notice of my 
 companion, they were immediately recognised as fowls 
 and ducks that had no doubt escaped from the ship. 
 
 We might now, therefore, constitute ourselves a little 
 colony, of which Mrs Reichardt and myself were the 
 
232 The Little Savage 
 
 immediate governors, the settlers being a mingled com- 
 munity of calves, sheep, pigs, and poultry, that lived 
 on excellent terms with each other; the quadrupeds 
 having permission to roam where they pleased, and the 
 bipeds being kept within a certain distance of the govern- 
 ment house. 
 
 The old hut had suiFered so much from the storm that 
 I determined on building another in a better position, 
 and had recourse to the framework of the house I had 
 taken from the wreck. I had some difficulty in putting 
 the several parts together, but at last succeeded, and a 
 small, but most commodious dwelling was the result. 
 Near it I laid out a new garden, wherein I planted all 
 the orange-trees we had reared, as well as many of the 
 seeds and roots we had brought from the wreck. A 
 little beyond I enclosed a paddock, wherein I planted 
 the twigs we had found in pots, which proved to be 
 fruit trees. 
 
 "When I had done this, I thought of my agricultural 
 implements, and very much desired to make use of a 
 handy plough that was amongst them, when I learned 
 the advantages that might arise from it. At first, I yoked 
 myself to the plough, and Mrs Reichardt held it : this 
 proved such hard and awkward work that I kept pro- 
 jecting all sorts of plans for lessening the labour — the 
 best was that of yoking our calves, and making them 
 pull instead of myself. This was more easily thought 
 of than done. The animals did not prove very apt pupils, 
 but in course of time, with a good deal of patience, and 
 some manoeuvring, I succeeded in making them perform 
 the work they were expected to do. 
 
 Thus, in building, gardening, planting, and farming, 
 the time flew by quickly, and in the course of the next 
 year the aspect of the place had become quite changed. 
 The guano that enriched the soil made every kind of 
 vegetation thrive with an almost marvellous rapidity and 
 luxuriance. We had a comfortable house, up which a 
 vine was creeping in one place, and a young pear-tree 
 
The Little Savage 2^^ 
 
 in another. We were supplied with the choicest oranges, 
 and had apples of several kinds. We had abundance of 
 furniture, and an inexhaustible stock of provisions. We 
 had a most gorgeous show of flowers of many different 
 species ; our new kitchen garden was full of useful 
 vegetables — young fruit trees were yielding their produce 
 wherever they had been planted — the poultry had more 
 than doubled their number — the calves were taking upon 
 themselves the full dignity of the state of cow and bull — 
 the ewes had numerous lambs — and the pigs had not 
 only grown into excellent pork, but had already produced 
 more than one litter that would be found equally desirable 
 when provisions ran scarce. We had two growing crops, 
 of different kinds of grain, and a large pasture-field fenced 
 round. 
 
 The Little Savage, at seventeen, had been transformed 
 into a farmer, and the cultivation of the farm and the 
 care of the live stock soon left him no time for indulging 
 in vain longings to leave the island, or useless regrets 
 for the fair creature who, even in death, I had regarded 
 as its greatest ornament. 
 
 Two years later, still greater improvements, and still 
 greater additions became visible. We were establishing 
 a dairy farm on a small scale, and as our herds and flocks, 
 as well as the pigs and poultry, increased rapidly, we 
 promised in a few years to be the most thriving farmers 
 that had ever lived in that part of the world by the 
 cultivation of the land. 
 
 Chapter XLIV 
 
 Although my first experimental voyage had proved so 
 hazardous, now that I was better provided for meeting its 
 perils, I became anxious to make another attempt to 
 circumnavigate the island. The boat that had belonged to 
 the wrecked ship, from the frequent trips I had made in 
 
234 The Little Savage 
 
 her to and from the shore, I could manage as well as if I 
 had been rowing boats all my life. 
 
 With the assistance of Mrs Reichardt, who pulled an 
 oar almost as well as myself, we could get her along in 
 very good styJe, even when heavily laden, and our labours 
 together had taken from her all that timidity which had 
 deterred her from trusting herself with me, when I first 
 ventured from the island. 
 
 I was, however, very differently circumstanced now, to 
 what I was then. Instead of a frail cockle-shell, that 
 threatened to be capsized by every billow that approached 
 it, and that would scarcely hold two persons comfortably, 
 I was master of a well-built ship's-boat, that would hold 
 half a dozen with ease, and except in very rough weather, 
 was as safe as any place ashore. 
 
 I had repaired the slight damage its timbers had received, 
 and had made an awning to protect us when rowing from 
 the heat of the sun ; I had also raised a sail, which would 
 relieve us of a good deal of labour. When everything 
 was prepared, I urged Mrs Reichardt to accompany me in 
 a voyage round the island ; an excursion I hoped would turn 
 out equally pleasant and profitable. 
 
 I found her very averse to trusting herself farther from 
 shore than was absolutely necessary. She raised all kinds 
 of objections — prominent among which were my want of 
 seamanship for managing a boat in the open sea ; the 
 danger that might arise from a sudden squall coming on ; 
 her fear of our getting amongst a shoal of sharks, and the 
 risk v/e ran of driving against a projecting rock ; but I 
 overruled them all. 
 
 I showed her, by taking little trips out to sea, that I 
 could manage the boat either with the sail or the oars, and 
 assured her that by keeping close to the island, we could 
 run ashore before danger could reach us ; and that nothing 
 could be easier than our keeping out of the reach of both 
 rocks and sharks. 
 
 I do not think I quite convinced her that her fears were 
 groundless, but my repeated entreaties, the fineness of the 
 
 I 
 
The Little Savage 235 
 
 weather, and her dislike to be again left on the island, 
 whilst I was risking my life at sea, prevailed, and she 
 promised to join me in this second experiment. 
 
 Her forethought, however, was here as fully demon- 
 strated as on other occasions, for she did not suffer the 
 boat to leave the shore till she had provided for any 
 accident that might prevent our return in the anticipated 
 time. 
 
 A finer day for such a voyage we could not have 
 selected. The sky was without a cloud, and there was 
 just wind enough for the purpose I wanted, without 
 any apprehensions of this being increased. I got up the 
 awning, and spread the sail, and handing Mrs Reichardt to 
 her appointed seat, we bid farewell to our four-footed and 
 two-footed friends ashore, that were gazing at us as if 
 they knew they were parting from their only protectors. 
 I then pushed the boat off, the wind caught the sail, and 
 she glided rapidly through the deep water. 
 
 I let her proceed in this way about a quarter of a mile 
 from the island, and then tacked ; the boat, obedient to 
 the position of the sail, altered her course, and we 
 proceeded at about the same rate for a considerable 
 distance. 
 
 Mrs Reichardt, notwithstanding her previous fears, 
 could not help feeling the exhilarating effect of this 
 adventurous voyage. We were floating, safely and grace- 
 fully, upon the billows, with nothing but sea and sky in 
 every direction but one, where the rugged shores of our 
 island home gave a bold, yet menacing feature to the 
 view. 
 
 My heart seemed to expand with the majestic prospect 
 before me. Never had mariner, when discovering some 
 prodigious continent, felt a greater degree of exultation 
 than I experienced, when directing my little vessel over 
 the immense wilderness of waters that spread out before 
 me, till it joined the line of the horizon. 
 
 I sat down by the side of Mrs Reichardt, and allowed 
 the boat to proceed on its course, either as if it required 
 
236 The Little Savage 
 
 no directing hand, or that its present direction was so 
 agreeable, I felt no inclination to alter it. 
 
 " I can easily imagine," said I, " the enthusiasm of such 
 men as Columbus, whose discovery of America you were 
 relating to me the other day. The vocation of these 
 early navigators was a glorious one, and, when they had 
 tracked their way over so many thousand miles of pathless 
 water, and found themselves in strange seas, expecting the 
 appearance of land, hitherto unknown to the civilised 
 world, they must have felt the importance of their mission 
 as discoverers." 
 
 " No doubt, Frank," she replied. " And probably it 
 was this that supported the great man you have just 
 named, in the severe trials he was obliged to endure, on 
 the very eve of the discovery that was to render his name 
 famous to all generations. He had endured intolerable 
 hardships, the ship had been so long without sight of land, 
 that no one thought it worth while to look out for it, and 
 he expected that his crew would mutiny, and insist on 
 returning. At this critical period of his existence, first 
 one indication of land, and then another made itself 
 manifest ; the curiosity of the disheartened sailors became 
 excited , hope revived in the breast of their immortal 
 captain ; a man was now induced to ascend the main-top, 
 and his joyful cry of land woke up the slumbering spirit 
 of the crew. In this way, a new world was first presented 
 to the attention of the inhabitants of the old." 
 
 " It appears to me very unjust," I observed, " that so 
 important a discovery should have become known to us, 
 not by the name of its original discoverer, but by that of a 
 subsequent visitor to its shores." 
 
 " Undoubtedly," said Mrs Reichardt, " it is apparently 
 unfair that Americus Vespucius should obtain an honour 
 which Christopher Columbus alone had deserved. But of 
 the fame which is the natural right of him whose courage 
 and enterprise procured this unrivalled acquisition, no one 
 can deprive him. His gigantic discovery may always be 
 known as America, but the world acknowledges its 
 
The Little Savage 237 
 
 obligation to Columbus, and knows little beyond the name 
 of his rival." 
 
 "Were the immediate results of so large an addition 
 to geographical knowledge, as beneficial to the entire 
 human race as they ought to have been ? " 
 
 " I do not think they were. The vast continent then 
 thrown open to the advance of civilisation, may be divided 
 into two portions, the south and the north. The former 
 was inhabited by a harmless effeminate race, who enjoyed 
 many of the refinements of civilisation ; their knowledge 
 of the arts, for instance, as shewn to us in the ruins of 
 their cities, was considerable ; they possessed extensive 
 buildings in a bold and ornate style of architecture ; they 
 made a lavish use of the precious metals, of which the 
 land was extremely rich, and they wore dresses which 
 shewed a certain perfection in the manufacture of textile 
 fabrics, and no slight degree of taste and art in their 
 formation. 
 
 " The Spaniards, who were led to this part of the 
 continent by a desire to enrich themselves with the gold 
 which the earliest discoverers had found in the new 
 country in considerable quantities, invaded the territories 
 of this peaceful people, and, by their superior knowledge 
 of warlike weapons, and the ignorance of the intentions 
 of their invaders that prevailed amongst the natives of all 
 ranks, by a series of massacres, they were enabled, though 
 comparatively but a small force, to obtain possession of 
 the vast empire that had been established there from time 
 immemorial, and turn it into a Spanish colony. 
 
 ** The blood of this harmless race flowed like water ; 
 their great Incas or Emperors were deposed and murdered, 
 their splendid temples plundered of their riches, their 
 nobles and priests tortured to make them change their 
 faith, and the great mass of the people became slaves to 
 their more warlike conquerors. It was in this way the 
 gold of Mexico and Peru enriched the treasury of Spain ; 
 but every ingot had the curse of blood upon it, and from 
 that time the Spanish power, then at its height, began to 
 
238 The Little Savage 
 
 decline in Europe, till it sunk in the scale of nations 'among 
 the least important. The colonies revolted from the 
 mother country, and became independent states ; but the 
 curse that followed the infamous appropriation of the 
 country, seems to cling to the descendants of the first 
 criminals, and neither government nor people prospers ; 
 and it is evident that all these independent states must 
 in time be absorbed by a great republic, that has sprung 
 up by peaceable means, as it were at their side, whilst 
 they were content to be colonies." 
 
 " To what republic do you allude ^ " 
 
 ** You may remember that I told you that the entire 
 continent was divided into south and north." 
 
 '' Exactly." 
 
 " The history of the southern portion I have rapidly 
 sketched for you, that of the northern you will find of 
 a totally different character." 
 
 " Pray let me hear it." 
 
 " Vv^hen North America was first discovered, it was 
 found to be inhabited by a race of savages, divided into 
 several tribes. They had no manufactures ; they had no 
 knowledge of art or science ; they lived in the impene- 
 trable woods in huts, having no pretension to architecture ; 
 they went almost entirely naked, were extremely warlike, 
 and fond of hunting, and were known to devour the 
 enemies they killed in battle. 
 
 " To this barbarous race came a few adventurous men 
 across the stormy Atlantic, from the distant island of 
 England " 
 
 " Ah, England ! " I exclaimed, " that is the country of 
 my parents — that is the home of my grandfather ; let me 
 hear anything you have to say about England." 
 
 Mrs Reichardt smiled at my animation, but proceeded 
 without making any comment upon what I had said. 
 
 " England possessed at this period many adventurous 
 spirits, who were ready to dare every danger to obtain 
 for their country a share in the honours which other lands 
 had assumed through the enterprise of their navigators. 
 
The Little Savage 239 
 
 By such men different portions of the northern continent 
 of America were discovered ; the fame of these new lands, 
 their wonderful productiveness and admirable climate, 
 soon spread amongst their countrymen, and from time to 
 time various ships left the EngHsh ports with small bands 
 of adventurers, who made what were termed settlements 
 in the country of these savages — not by mercilessly 
 massacring them as the Spaniards had done in the south, 
 and then plundering them of all they possessed, but by 
 purchasing certain districts or pieces of land from the 
 original occupants, which they peacefully cultivated •, as 
 their numbers increased, they multiplied their habitations, 
 and obtained by barter of the savages fresh accessions of 
 territory." 
 
 " The English showed themselves a much more humane 
 people than the Spaniards," I observed. *' But did they 
 never come into collision with the wild natives of the 
 country ? " 
 
 ''Frequently," Mrs Reichardt replied, "but in some 
 measure this was unavoidable. As new settlers from 
 England landed in the country, they required more land 5 
 but the savages were now not inclined to barter; they 
 had become jealous of the strangers, and were desirous 
 of driving them back to their ships before they became 
 too numerous. Acts of hostility were committed by the 
 savages upon the settlers, which were often marked by 
 great brutality : this exasperated the latter, who joined in 
 a warlike association, and notwithstanding their numbers 
 and daring, drove them further and further from their 
 neighbourhood, till either by conquest, treaties, or 
 purchase, the Englishmen or their descendants obtained 
 the greater portion of North America." 
 
 "Do they still hold possession of it .?" I asked. 
 
 " Up to a recent date, the whole of this vast acquisition 
 was a colony in obedience to the government of England ; 
 but a dispute having arisen between the mother country 
 and the colony, a struggle took place, which ended in the 
 latter throwing off all subjection to the laws of England. 
 
240 The Little Savage 
 
 The extensive provinces joined together in a union of 
 equal privileges and powers, which has since gone by the 
 name of the Government of the United States of North 
 America. This is the great republic to which I just now 
 alluded, that is gradually absorbing the minor Southern 
 States into its union, and threatens at no very distant date 
 to spread the English language and the English race over 
 the whole continent of America." 
 
 **Has England then completely lost the country she 
 colonised ? " I inquired, feeling more and more interested 
 in the subject. 
 
 " No, a great portion still remains in her possession," 
 she replied. " The people preserved their allegiance when 
 their neighbours thought proper to rise in revolt, and are 
 now in a state of great prosperity, governed by the laws 
 of England, and supported by her power. The English 
 possessions in North America form an extensive district. 
 It is, however, but an inconsiderable fraction of the vast 
 countries still remaining under the dominion of England. 
 Her territories lie in every quarter of the globe ; indeed 
 the sun never sets upon this immense empire — an empire 
 with which the conquests of Alexander, and of Caesar, or 
 the most formidable state that existed in ancient times, 
 cannot for a moment be compared ; and when we bear in 
 mind that in all these various climates, and in all these far- 
 distant shores, the flag of our country affords the same 
 protection to the colonist as he would enjoy in his own 
 land, we may entertain some idea of the vast power that 
 government possesses which can make itself respected at 
 so many opposite points from the source whence it 
 emanates." 
 
 I was so much interested in this description, that I had 
 neglected to notice the rate at which the boat was driving 
 through the water. I now rose with great alacrity to shift 
 the sail, as we had got several miles from the island, and 
 if I did not take care we might be blown out of sight of 
 land. I lost no time in putting her on another tack, but 
 we had not proceeded far in this direction when I found 
 
The Little Savage 241 
 
 the wind lull, and presently the sail drooped to the mast, 
 and there was a dead calm. 
 
 It became necessary now to take to our oars, and we 
 were presently pulling with all our strength in the direction 
 of land. This went on for some time till we were both 
 tired, and I was surprised at the little progress we had 
 made. "We lay on our oars and took some refreshment, 
 and then pulled with additional vigour ; but I began to 
 suspect that we were receding from the land instead of 
 approaching it, and called Mrs Reichardt's attention to the 
 fact of the island diminishing in size notwithstanding the 
 length of time we had been pulling towards it. 
 
 " Ah, Frank," she said, in a melancholy tone of voice, 
 '* I have for some time entertained suspicions that all our 
 strength was being expended in vain. It is very clear that 
 we have got into a current that is every moment taking us 
 farther out to sea, and if a breeze does not soon spring up, 
 we shall lose sight of the island, and then, heaven only 
 knows what will become of us." 
 
 I shook out the sail, in hopes of its catching sufficient 
 wind to lead us out of the current, but not a breath of air 
 was stirring. We did not possess such a thing as a com- 
 pass ; our provisions were only calculated for a pleasure trip 
 — we had only one small jar of water, and a flask of spirit, 
 a few biscuits, two large cakes, a chicken, and some dried 
 fish. The land was rapidly receding ; I could only mark 
 its position with respect to the sun that now was pouring 
 its burning rays upon our little bark. If it had not been 
 for the awning we could not have endured it ; the heat 
 was so oppressive. We had been obliged to give over 
 rowing, as much from the fatigue it occasioned, as from 
 the hopelessness of our labour. 
 
 We now sat with sinking hearts watching the fast 
 retreating land. It had become a point — it diminished to 
 a speck, and as it disappeared from our anxious sight, the 
 sun set in all his glory, and we were drifting at the mercy 
 of the current we knew not where, with nothing but sky 
 and sea all around us. 
 
 L.S. Q 
 
242 The Little Savage 
 
 Chapter XLV 
 
 Vainly I stretched my eyes around the illimitable field of 
 ocean, in hope of discerning some indication of that power 
 whose ships I had been told traversed every sea; but 
 nothing like a vessel was in sight — the mighty waters 
 stretched out like an endless desert on every side. There 
 was no sign of man in all this vast space, except our little 
 boat ; and in comparison with this space, how insignificant 
 were the two helpless human beings who sat silent and 
 m.otionless in that boat awaiting their destiny. 
 
 The stars came out with marvellous brilliancy. I fancied 
 that I had never seen them appear so bright ; but probably 
 the gloominess of my thoughts made them look brighter 
 by contrast. I seemed the centre of a glorious system of 
 worlds revolving above me with a calm and tranquil 
 beauty, that appeared to reproach me for giving way to 
 despair in a scene so lovely. 
 
 The great mass of water, scarcely moved by a ripple, 
 now appeared lit up with countless fires, and a purplish 
 haze, like a low flame, was visible in every direction. I 
 directed the attention of my companion to this strange 
 appearance. Notwithstanding the intensity of her anxiety, 
 she immediately entered into an explanation of the pheno- 
 menon, and attributed it to a peculiarly phosphoric state 
 of the sea, caused by myriads of creatures which possess 
 the quality of the glow-worm, and rising to the surface of 
 the water, made the latter seem as though enveloped in 
 flame. 
 
 I sat a long time watching the singular appearances that 
 presented themselves whenever I dashed down the oar. 
 It looked as though I was beating fire instead of water, 
 and flame seemed to come from the oar with the drops 
 that fell from it into the sea. 
 
 In this way hours passed by : we were still floating with 
 the current j the moon and stars were now coldly shining 
 
The Little Savage 243 
 
 over our heads ; the ocean around us was still gleaming 
 with phosphoric fires, when Mrs Reichardt advised me to 
 take some nourishment, and then endeavour to go to sleep, 
 saying she would keep watch and apprise me if anything 
 happened of which it might be advantageous to avail our- 
 selves. 
 
 The only thing I desired was the appearance of a vessel, 
 or the setting in of a breeze, of which at present not a 
 sign existed. I felt disinclined either to eat or to drink : 
 but I proposed that my companion should make a meal and 
 then go to sleep, as it was much more proper that I should 
 keep watch than herself. The fact was, we were both 
 anxious that the other should be the first to diminish our 
 little stock of food ; but as neither would be induced to do 
 this, it was decided that our provisions should be divided 
 into certain portions, which were only to be taken at 
 sunrise and sunset, and that we should during the night 
 relieve each other every three hours in keeping watch, that 
 if we saw land, or a ship, or the wind should spring up, 
 we might consult immediately as to our course. 
 
 I only succeeded in inducing her to lie down at the 
 bottom of the boat, to obtain a little sleep, previously to 
 her taking my place that I might so rest myself. She first 
 said her usual prayers for the evening, in which I joined, 
 and in a few minutes I was glad to hear by her regular 
 breathing, that she was obtaining that repose of which I 
 was certain she stood greatly in need. 
 
 I was now the sole observer of the stupendous spectacle 
 that spread out around and above me ; the most sublime 
 feature in this imposing scene appeared to be the silence 
 which reigned supreme over all. The heavens were as 
 mute as the sea. It looked as if the earth had been 
 engulfed by a second deluge, and all living nature had 
 perished utterly from the face of it. 
 
 I felt a deep feeling of melancholy stealing over me: 
 and could not forbear reproaching myself for embarking in 
 this hazardous enterprise, and risking a life that I was 
 bound to preserve. What could become of us both I knew 
 
244 The Little Savage 
 
 not — but I was sensible that if we were not speedily picked 
 up, or made some friendly shore, there existed but little 
 hopes of our surviving many days. 
 
 I made up my mind that the island we should never see 
 again, and though I had been so anxious for so many years 
 to quit it, now that fate had separated us for ever, I could 
 not console myself for the loss of a home endeared to me 
 by so many recollections. But my great grief was the loss 
 of my grandfather's diamonds. He had now no chance of 
 having them restored to him. If they were found they 
 would become the property of the discoverer; and he 
 would never know how his daughter perished on a rock, 
 and how his grandson was swallowed up by the waters of 
 the great deep. 
 
 And then I thought of that glorious England I had so 
 long hoped to see, and my heart sunk within me as I gazed 
 out upon the boundless prospect. There was not a voice 
 to murmur consolation, not a hand to offer me assistance. 
 Was I never to see those white cliffs which had been so 
 often described to me, that I could call them to mind as 
 clearly as if they stood in all their pride and beauty before 
 my eyes ? 
 
 How often had I dreamed of approaching the hallowed 
 shores of England — how often had I heard the cheerful 
 voices of her people welcoming the Little Savage to his 
 natural home — how often had I been embraced by my aged 
 grandfather, and received into the happy circle of his 
 friends, with the respect and affection due to his heir. I 
 had dreamed happy dreams, and seen blissful visions ; and 
 the result was starvation in an open boat on the illimitable 
 ocean. 
 
 Mrs Reichardt still slept, and I would not wake her. 
 As long as she was insensible to the dangers of her position 
 she must exist in comparative happiness ; to disturb her 
 was to bring her back to a sense of danger and misery, 
 and the recollection that my folly had brought her to this 
 hopeless state. 
 
 I noticed that a small cloud was making its appearance 
 
The Little Savage 245 
 
 in the horizon, and almost at the same instant I observed 
 it, I felt a breeze that was just sufficient to flap the sail 
 against the mast. In a few minutes the cloud had greatly 
 increased, and the wind filled the sail. I fancied it blew 
 in a direction contrary to the current ; and in the belief 
 that it did so I soon got the boat round, and to my great 
 joy she was presently scudding before the wind at a rate 
 that was sensibly increasing. 
 
 But the cloud presently began to envelop the heavens, 
 and a thick darkness spread itself like a veil in every 
 direction. The wind blew very fresh, and strained the 
 mast to which the sail had been fixed ; and now I began 
 to entertain a new fear : some sudden gust might take the 
 sail and capsize us, or tear it from its fastenings. I would 
 gladly have taken in the sail, but I considered it as rather 
 a hazardous experiment. Mrs Reichardt lay in a position 
 that prevented my getting at it without disturbing her, or 
 running the risk of tipping the boat over, when it would 
 be sure to fill immediately, and sink with us both. 
 Though v/e could both swim, I felt assured that if we 
 were once in the water, there would remain very little 
 chance of our protracting our lives beyond a few hours. 
 
 The boat, therefore, continued to run before the wind 
 at a rapid rate, the slight mast creaking, and the sail 
 stretching so tight, I expected every minute that we 
 should be upset. At this moment Mrs Reichardt awoke, 
 and her quick eye immediately took in the full extent of 
 her danger. 
 
 ** We shall be lost," she said hurriedly, "if we do not 
 take in that sail ! " 
 
 I was fully aware of this, but she had seen more of a 
 sailor's perils than I had, and knew better how to meet 
 them. She offered to assist me in taking in the sail, and 
 directing me to be very careful, we proceeded, with 
 the assistance of the awning, to the mast, and after a good 
 deal of labour, and at some risk of being blown into the 
 sea, we succeeded in furling the sail, and unshipping the 
 mast. 
 
246 
 
 The Little Savage 
 
 We were now in quite as much danger from another 
 cause — the surface of the sea, which had been so smooth 
 during the calm, was now so violently agitated by the 
 wind, that the boat kept ascending one great billow only 
 to descend into the trough of another. We often went 
 down almost perpendicularly, and the height seemed every 
 moment increasing ; and every time we went thus plunging 
 headlong into the boiling waters, I thought we should be 
 engulfed never to rise ; nevertheless, the next minute, 
 up we ascended on the crest of some more fearful wave 
 than any we had hitherto encountered, and down again we 
 plunged in the dark unfathomable abyss that, walled in 
 by foaming mountains of water, appeared yawning to close 
 over us for ever. 
 
 It was almost entirely dark ; we could see only the 
 white foam of the wave over which we were about to 
 pass ; save this, it was black below and black above, and 
 impenetrable darkness all around. 
 
 Mrs Reichardt sat close to me with her hand in mine — 
 she uttered no exclamations of feminine terror — she was 
 more awe-struck than frightened. I believe that she was 
 fully satisfied her last hour had come, for I could hear her 
 murmuring a prayer in which she commended her soul to 
 her Creator. 
 
 I cannot say that I was in any great degree alarmed — 
 the rapid up and down motion of the boat gave me a 
 sensation of pleasure I had never before experienced. To 
 say the truth, I should have greatly enjoyed being thus at 
 the mercy of the winds and waves, in the midst of a black 
 and stormy night on the trackless ocean, had it not been 
 for my constant thoughts of my companion, and my bitter 
 self-reproaches for having led her into so terrible a danger. 
 
 I was now, however, called from these reflections, by 
 the necessity of active employment. The boat I found 
 shipped water at every plunge, and if speedy means were 
 not taken to keep the water under, there was little doubt 
 that she would soon fill and go down. I therefore seized 
 the iron kettle we had brought with us to cook our dinner^ 
 
The Little Savage 247 
 
 and began rapidly baling out the water, which was already- 
 over our ankles. We continued to ship water, sometimes 
 more and sometimes less ; and Mrs Reichardt, actuated no 
 doubt by the same motives as myself, with a tin pan now 
 assisted me in getting rid of the treacherous element. 
 
 By our united exertions we kept the water under, and 
 hoped to be able to get rid of the whole of it. About this 
 time it began to rain very heavily, and although the 
 awning protected our heads, so much fell into the boat, 
 that notwithstanding our labours we continued to sit in a 
 pool. 
 
 We were, however, glad to find that as the rain fell the 
 wind abated, and as the latter subsided, the sea became less 
 violent, and we shipped less water. I was now able by 
 my own exertions to keep the boat tolerably dry, and Mrs 
 Reichardt, ever provident, spread out all the empty vessels 
 she had brought with her to catch the rain, for as she said, 
 we did not know how valuable that water might become 
 in a short time. 
 
 The rain continued to pour down in a perfect torrent 
 for several hours ; at the end of which the sky gradually 
 cleared. The sea, though still rough, presented none of 
 those mountainous waves that a short time before had 
 threatened to annihilate us at every descent, and there was 
 just sufficient breeze to waft us along at a brisk rate with 
 the assistance of our sail. 
 
 Mrs Reichardt helped me in putting up the mast, and 
 directly we began to feel the breeze, she insisted on my 
 taking some refreshment. It was vitally necessary to both, 
 for our labours had been heavy for several hours. We 
 therefore ate sparingly of our provisions, and washed down 
 our meal with a pannikin of water mingled with a little 
 spirit. 
 
248 The Little Savage 
 
 Chapter XLVI 
 
 The morning dawned upon a boundless expanse of sea. 
 The first object that presented itself to my sight was an 
 enormous whale spouting water about a quarter of a mile 
 distant from me ; then I observed another, then a third, 
 and subsequently, several more ; they presented a singular 
 and picturesque appearance, as one or other of these vast 
 animals was continually throwing up a column of water 
 that caught the rays of the sun, and looked very beautiful 
 in the distance. 
 
 I looked in vain for land ; I looked equally in vain for a 
 ship ; there was nothing visible but this shoal of whales, 
 and Mrs Reichardt endeavoured to cheer me by describing 
 the importance of the whale fishery to England, and the 
 perils which the men meet with who pursue the fish for the 
 purpose of wounding them with an iron instrument called 
 a harpoon. 
 
 I felt much interest in these details ; and my companion 
 went into the whole history of a whaling expedition, 
 describing the first discovery of the huge fish from the 
 ship ; the pursuit in the boats, and the harpooning of the 
 whale ; its struggles after having been wounded ; its 
 being towed to the ship's side, the subsequent manufacture 
 of oil from the blubber of the animal, and the preparation 
 of whalebone. 
 
 In attending to this discourse, I completely forgot that 
 I was being tossed about in the open sea, I knew not 
 where ; and where I might be in a short time it would be 
 proved I was equally ignorant : perhaps I should be a 
 corpse floating on the surface of the ocean waiting for a 
 tomb till a shark came that way ; perhaps I should be 
 suffering the torments of hunger and thirst ; perhaps cast 
 lifeless upon a rock, where my bleached bones would 
 remain the only monument which would then declare that 
 there once existed in these latitudes such a being as the 
 Little Savage. 
 
The Little Savage 249 
 
 Where now could be the island I, though long so 
 anxious to quit, now was a thousand times more desirous 
 of beholding ? I felt that nothing could be more agree- 
 able to me than a glimpse of that wild rocky coast that 
 had so often appeared to me the walls of an intolerable 
 prison. 
 
 I strained my eyes in vain in every direction ; the line 
 of the horizon stretched out uninterrupted by a single 
 break of any kind all around. Where could we be ? I 
 often asked myself ; but except that we were on the wide 
 ocean, neither myself nor my companion had the slightest 
 idea of our geographical position. We must have been 
 blown a considerable distance during the storm : much 
 farther than the current had taken us from the island. 
 
 I calculated that we must have passed it by many a 
 mile if we had continued the same course ; but the wind 
 had shifted several times, and it might be that we were 
 not so very long a sail from it, could we gain the slightest 
 knowledge of the direction in which it was to be found. 
 But this was hopeless. I felt assured that we must 
 abandon all idea of seeing it again. 
 
 In the midst of these painful reflections, my companion 
 directed my attention to an object at a very considerable 
 distance, and intimated her impression that it was a ship. 
 Luckily, I had brought my glass with me, and soon was 
 anxiously directing it to the required point. It was a ship : 
 but at so great a distance that it was impossible, as Mrs 
 Reichardt said, for any person on board to distinguish our 
 boat. I would have sailed in that direction, but the wind 
 was contrary : I had, therefore, no alternative but to wait 
 till the ship should approach near enough to make us out ; 
 and I passed several hours of the deepest anxiety in 
 watching the course of the distant vessel. 
 
 She increased in size, so that I could observe that she 
 was a large ship by the unassisted eye ; but as we were 
 running before the wind in a totally different direction, 
 there seemed very little chance of our communicating, 
 unless she altered her course. 
 
250 The Little Savage 
 
 Mrs Reichardt mentioned that signals were made by 
 vessels at a distance to attract each other's attention, and 
 described the various ways in which they communicated 
 the wishes of their respective captains. The only signal I 
 had been in the habit of making was burning quantities of 
 wood on the shore and pouring water on it to make it 
 smoke — this was impossible in our boat. 
 
 My companion at last suggested that I should tie a 
 table-cloth to the mast ; its peculiar whiteness might 
 attract attention. The sail was presently taken in, and 
 the table-cloth spread in its place ; but, unfortunately, it 
 soon afterwards came on a dead calm — the breeze died 
 away, and the cloth hung in long folds against the mast. 
 
 No notice whatever was taken of us. We now took to 
 our oars and pulled in the direction of the ship ; but after 
 several hours' hard rowing, our strength had so suffered 
 from our previous fatigues, that we seemed to have made 
 very little distance. 
 
 In a short time the sun set, and we watched the object 
 of all our hopes with most anxious eyes, till night set in 
 and hid her from our sight. Shortly afterwards a light 
 breeze again sprung up ; with renewed hope we gave our 
 sail to the wind, but it bore us in a contrary direction, and 
 when morning dawned we saw no more of the ship. 
 
 The wind had now again shifted, and bore us briskly 
 along. But where ? I had fallen asleep during the 
 preceding night, wearied out with labour and anxiety, and 
 I did not wake till long after daybreak. Mrs Reichardt 
 would not disturb me. In sleep I was insensible to the 
 miseries and dangers of my position. She could not bring 
 herself to disturb a repose that was at once so necessary to 
 mind and body ; and I fell into a sweet dream of a new 
 home in that dear England I had prayed so often to see ; 
 and bright faces smiled upon me, and voices welcomed me, 
 full of tenderness and affection. 
 
 I fancied that in one of those faces I recognised my 
 mother, of whose love I had so early been deprived, and 
 that it was paler than all the others, but infinitely more 
 
The Little Savage 251 
 
 tender and afFectionate : then the countenance seemed to 
 grow paler and paler, till it took upon itself the likeness 
 of the fair creature I had buried in the guano, and I 
 thought she embraced me, and her arms were cold as 
 stone, and she pressed her lips to mine, and they gave a 
 chill to my blood that made me shake as with an ague. 
 
 Suddenly I beheld Jackson with his sightless orbs 
 groping towards me with a knife in his hand, muttering 
 imprecations, and he caught hold of me, and we had a 
 desperate struggle, and he plunged a long knife into my 
 chest, with a loud laugh of derision and malice j and as I 
 felt the blade enter my flesh, I gave a start and jumped 
 up, and alarmed Mrs Reichardt by the wild cry with 
 which I awoke. 
 
 How strongly was that dream impressed upon my 
 mind ; and the features of the different persons who 
 figured in it — how distinctly they were brought before 
 me ! My poor mother was as fresh in my recollection as 
 though I had seen her but yesterday, and the sweetness of 
 her looks as she approached me — how I now tried to recall 
 them, and feasted on their memory as though it were a 
 lost blessing. 
 
 Then the nameless corpse that had been washed from 
 the wreck, how strange it seemed, that after this lapse of 
 time she should appear to me in a dream, as though we 
 had been long attached to each other, and her affections 
 had been through life entirely my own. Poor girl ! 
 Perhaps even now some devoted lover mourns her loss ; 
 or hopes at no distant date to be able to join her in the 
 new colony, to attain which a cruel destiny had forced her 
 from his arms. Little does he dream of her nameless 
 grave under the guano. Little does he dream that the 
 only colony in which he is likely to join her is that settle- 
 ment in the great desert of oblivion, over which Death has 
 remained governor from the birth of the world. 
 
 But the most unpleasant part of the vision was the 
 appearance of Jackson ; and it was a long time before I 
 could bring myself to believe that I had not beheld his 
 
252 The Little Savage 
 
 well known features — that I had not been stabbed by him, 
 and that I was not suffering from the mortal wound he 
 had inflicted. I however at last shook off the delusion, 
 and to Mrs Reichardt's anxious inquiries replied only that 
 1 had had a disagreeable dream. 
 
 In a short time I began to doubt whether the waking 
 was more pleasant than the dreaming — the vast ocean still 
 spread itself before me like a mighty winding sheet, the 
 fair sky, beautiful as it appeared in the rays of the 
 morning sun, I could only regard as a pall — and our little 
 bark was the coffin in which two helpless human beings, 
 though still existing, were waiting interment. 
 
 " Has God abandoned us ? " I asked my companion, 
 " or has he forgotten that two of his creatures are in the 
 deepest peril of their lives, from which he alone can save 
 them?" 
 
 " Hush ! Frank Henniker," exclaimed Mrs Reichardt 
 solemnly j ** this is impious. God never abandons those 
 who are worthy of his protection. He will either save 
 them at his own appointed time — or if he think it more 
 desirable, will snatch them from a scene where so many 
 dangers surround them, and place them where there 
 prevails eternal tranquillity, and everlasting bliss. 
 
 ^^We should rather rejoice," she added, with increasing 
 seriousness, " that we are thought worthy of being so 
 early taken from a world in which we have met with so 
 many troubles." 
 
 *' But to die in this way," I observed gloomily ; ** to be 
 left to linger out days of terrible torture, without a hope 
 of relief — I cannot reconcile myself to it." 
 
 " We must die sooner or later," she said, ** and there 
 are many diseases which are fatal after protracted suffering 
 of the most agonising description. These we have been 
 spared. The wretch who lingers in torment, visited by 
 some loathsome disorder, would envy us, could he see the 
 comparatively easy manner in which we are suffered to 
 leave existence. 
 
 ** But I do not myself see the hopelessness of our case," 
 
The Little Savage 253 
 
 she added. '* It is not yet impossible that we may be 
 picked up by a ship, or discover some friendly shore whence 
 we might obtain a passage for England." 
 
 ** I see no prospect of this," said I ; " we are apparently 
 out of the track of ships, and if it should be our chance to 
 discover one, the people on board are not likely to observe 
 us. I wish I had never left the island." 
 
 Mrs Reichardt never reproached me — never so much as 
 reminded me that it was my own fault. She merely added, 
 ** It was the will of God." 
 
 We ate and drank our small rations — my companion 
 always blessing the meal, and offering a thanksgiving for 
 being permitted to enjoy it. I noticed what was left. 
 We had been extremely economical, yet there was barely 
 enough for another day. We determined still further to 
 reduce the trifling portion we allowed ourselves, that we 
 might increase our chance of escape. 
 
 Chapter XLVII 
 
 Five days and nights had we been drifting at the mercy of 
 the winds and waves ; all our small stock of food had been 
 devoured — though we had hoarded every crumb, as the 
 miser hoards his gold. Even the rain water, as well as the 
 water we had brought with us, we had drained to the last 
 drop. 
 
 The weather continually alternated from a dead calm to 
 a light breeze : the wind frequently shifted, but I had no 
 strength left to attend to the sail — the boat was abandoned 
 to its own guidance, or rather to that of the wind. When 
 becalmed we lay still — when the breeze sprang up we 
 pursued our course till the sail no longer felt its influence. 
 
 Five long days and nights — days of intolerable suffering, 
 nights of inexpressible horror. From sunrise to sunset I 
 strained my eyes along the line of the horizon, but nothing 
 but sky and wave ever met my gaze. When it became 
 
254 
 
 The Little Savage 
 
 dark, excited by the deep anxiety I had endured throughout 
 the day, I could not sleep. I fancied I beheld through 
 the darkness monstrous forms mocking and gibbering, and 
 high above them all was reared the head of the enormous 
 python I had combated in the Happy Valley. And he 
 opened his tremendous jaws, as though to swallow me, 
 and displayed fold upon fold of his immense form as if to 
 involve and crush the boat in its mighty involutions. 
 
 I was always glad when the day dawned, or if the night 
 happened to be fair and starlight ; for the spectres vanished 
 when the sun shone, and the tranquil beauty of the stars 
 calmed my soul. 
 
 I was famishing for want of food — but I suffered most 
 from want of water, for the heat during the day was 
 tremendous, and I became so frantic from thirst, that 
 nothing but the exhortations of Mrs Reichardt would 
 have prevented me from dashing myself into the sea, and 
 drinking my fill of the salt water that looked so tempting 
 and refreshing. 
 
 My companion sought to encourage me to hope, long 
 after all hope had vanished — then she preached resignation 
 to the Divine Will, and in her own nature gave a practical 
 commentary on her text. 
 
 I perceived that her voice was getting more and more 
 faint — and that she was becoming hourly more feeble. 
 She was not able to move from her seat, and at last asked 
 me to assist her to lie down at the bottom of the boat. 
 Then I noticed that she prayed fervently, and I could 
 often distinguish my name in these petitions to the throne 
 of Grace. 
 
 I felt a strange sensation in my head, and my tongue 
 became in my mouth as a dry stick — from this I was 
 relieved by chewing the sleeve of my shirt ; but my head 
 grew worse. My eyes too were affected in a strange 
 manner. I continually fancied that I saw ships sailing 
 about at a little distance from me, and I strove to attract 
 their attention by calling to them. My voice was weak 
 and I could create only a kind of half stifled cry. Then 
 
The Little Savage 255 
 
 I thought I beheld land : fair forests and green pastures 
 spread before me — bright flowers and refreshing fruits 
 grew all around — and I called to my companion to make 
 haste for we were running ashore and should presently be 
 puUing the clustering grapes and should lay ourselves 
 down among the odorous flowers. 
 
 Mrs Reichardt opened her eyes and gazed at me with 
 a more painful interest. She knew I was haunted by the 
 chimeras created by famine and thirst ; but she seemed 
 to have lost all power of speech. She motioned me to 
 join her in prayer ; I, however, was too much occupied 
 with the prospect of landing, and paid no attention to 
 her signs. 
 
 Presently the bright landscape faded away, and I beheld 
 nothing but the wide expanse of water, the circle of 
 which appeared to expand and spread into the sky, and 
 the sky seemed lost and broken up in the water, and for 
 a few minutes they were mixed together in the wildest 
 and strangest confusion. Subsequently to this I must 
 have dropt asleep, for after a while I found myself 
 huddled up in a corner of the boat, and must have fallen 
 there from my seat. I stared about me for some time, 
 unconscious where I was. The bright sun still shone 
 over my head ; the everlasting sea still rolled beneath my 
 feet. 
 
 I looked to the bottom of the boat, and met the up- 
 turned gaze of my fellow voyager — the pale face had 
 grown paler, and the expression of the painful eye had 
 become less intelligent. I thought she was as I had 
 seen her in my dream, when she changed from her own 
 likeness to that of the poor drowned girl we buried in the 
 guano. 
 
 I turned away my gaze — the sight was too painful to 
 look upon. I felt assured that she was dying, and that 
 in a very short space of time, that faithful and affectionate 
 nature I must part from forever. 
 
 I thought I would make a last effort. Though faint 
 and trembling, burning with fever, and feeling deadly 
 
256 The Little Savage 
 
 sick, I managed by the support of the awning to crawl 
 to the mast, and embracing it with one arm I raised the 
 glass with the other hand, and looked carefully about. 
 My hand was very unsteady and my eyes seemed dim. 
 I could discern nothing but water. 
 
 I should have sunk in despair to the bottom of the 
 boat, had I not been attracted at the moment by a singular 
 appearance in the sky. A cloud was approaching of a 
 shape and appearance I had never observed before. I 
 raised the glass again, and after observing this cloud for 
 some time with great attention, I felt assured that what 
 I considered to be long lines of vapour was an immense 
 flock of birds. 
 
 This discovery interested me — I forgot the intensity of 
 my sufferings in observing the motions of this apparently 
 endless flock. As the first file approached, I looked again, 
 to see if I could make out what they were. God of 
 heaven ! They were gannets. 
 
 I crawled back to my companion as rapidly as my feeble 
 limbs would allow, to inform her of the discovery I had 
 made. Alas ! I found that I was unheeded. I could not 
 believe that her fine spirit had fled ; no, she moved her 
 hand ; but the dull spiritless gaze seemed to warn me 
 that her dissolution was fast approaching. I looked for 
 the spirit flask, and found a few drops were still left 
 there ; I poured these into her mouth, and watched the 
 result with the deepest anxiety I had ever known since 
 the day of my birth. 
 
 In a few minutes I found that she breathed more 
 regularly and distinctly — presently her eyes lost that 
 fixedness which had made them so painful to look upon. 
 Then she recognised me, and took hold of my hand, 
 regarding me with the sweet smile with which I was so 
 familiar. 
 
 As soon as I found that consciousness had returned, I 
 told her of the great flock of gannets that were evidently 
 wending their way to their customary resting place, and 
 the hope I entertained that if they could be kept in sight, 
 
The Little Savage 257 
 
 and the wind remained in the same quarter, the boat 
 might be led by them to the place where they laid their 
 eggs. 
 
 She listened to me with attention, and evidently under- 
 stood what I said. Her lips moved, and I thought she 
 was returning thanks to God — accepting the flight of the 
 birds as a manifest proof that he was still watching over 
 us. In a few minutes she seemed so much better that 
 she could sit up. I noticed her for some time watching 
 the gannets that now approached in one vast cloud that 
 threatened to shut us out from the sky — she then turned 
 her gaze in an opposite direction, and with a smile of 
 exultation that lit up her wan face as with a glory, 
 stretched her arm out, pointing her hand to a distant 
 portion of the sea. My gaze quickly followed hers, and 
 I fancied I discovered a break in the line of the horizon ; 
 but it did not look like a ship. I pointed the glass in that 
 direction, and felt the joyful assurance that we were 
 within sight of land. 
 
 This additional discovery gave me increased strength : 
 or rather hope now dawning upon us, gave me an impulse 
 I had not felt before. I in my turn became the consoler. 
 I encouraged Mrs Reichardt, with all the arguments of 
 which I was master, to think that we should soon be in 
 safety. She smiled, and something like animation again 
 appeared in her pale features. 
 
 If I could save her, I felt I should be blessed beyond 
 measure. Such an object was worth striving for ; and 
 I did strive. I know not how it was that I gained 
 strength to do what I did on that day; but I felt that 
 I was supported from On High, and as the speck of land 
 that she had first discovered gradually enlarged itself as 
 we approached it, my exertions to secure a speedy rescue 
 for my companion from the jaws of death, continued to 
 increase. 
 
 The breeze remained fair and we scudded along at a 
 spanking rate, the gannets keeping us company all the 
 way — evidently bound to the same shore. I kept talking 
 
 L.S. R 
 
258 
 
 The Little Savage 
 
 to Mrs Reichardt, and endeavouring to raise her spirits 
 with the most cheering description of what we should 
 do when we got ashore, for God would be sure to direct 
 us to some place where we might without difficulty- 
 recover our strength. 
 
 Hitherto she had not spoken, but as soon as we began 
 to distinguish the features of the shore we were approach- 
 ing she unclosed her lips, and again the same triumphant 
 smile played around them. 
 
 " Frank Henniker, do you know that rock ? " 
 
 " No ! — yes ! — can it be possible ? O what a gracious 
 Providence has been watching over us ! " 
 
 It was a rock of a remarkable shape that stood a short 
 distance from the fishing-pool. It could not be otherwise, 
 the gannets had led us to their old haunts. "We were 
 approaching our island. I looked at my companion — she 
 was praying. I immediately joined with her in thanks- 
 giving for the signal mercy that had been vouchsafed 
 to us, and in little more than an hour had the priceless 
 satisfaction of carrying her from the shore to the cottage, 
 and then we carefully nursed ourselves till we recovered 
 the effects of this dreadful cruise. 
 
 Chapter XLVIII 
 
 My numerous pursuits, as I stated in a preceding chapter 
 obliging me to constant occupation, kept me from useless 
 repining about my destiny, in being obliged to live so 
 many years on this far-distant corner of the earth, I had 
 long ceased to look for passing ships — I scarcely ever 
 thought about them, and had given up all speculations 
 about my grandfather's reception of me. I rarely went 
 out to sea, except to fish, and never cared to trouble 
 myself about anything beyond the limited space which 
 had become my inheritance. 
 
 The reader, then, may judge of my surprise when, one 
 
The Little Savage 259 
 
 sultry day, I had been busily engaged for several hours 
 cutting down a field of wheat, Mrs Reichardt came 
 running to me with the astounding news that there was 
 a ship off the island, and a boat full of people had just 
 left her, and were rowing towards the rocks. I hastily 
 took the glass she had brought with her, and as soon 
 as I could get to a convenient position, threw myself on 
 the ground on the rock, and reconnoitred through the 
 glass the appearance of the new comers. 
 
 I soon noticed that a part were well armed, which was 
 not the case with the rest, for they were pinioned in such 
 a manner that they could scarcely move hand or foot. 
 We concealed ourselves by lying our lengths on the 
 grass. As the boat approached, I could discern that the 
 unarmed party belonged to a superior class of men, while 
 many of the others had countenances that did not pre- 
 possess me at all in their favour. 
 
 We lay hid in the long grass, from which we could 
 command a view of our approaching visitors. 
 
 " I think I understand this," whispered Mrs Reichardt. 
 " There is mischief here." 
 
 *' Had I not better run home and get arms ? " I asked. 
 
 "No," she replied, ** you had better not. If we are 
 able to do any good, we must do it by stratagem. Let 
 us watch their movements, and act with great caution." 
 
 My companion's advice was, I saw, the wisest that could 
 be pursued ; and therefore we remained in our hiding 
 places, narrowly observing our visitors as they approached. 
 They entered the fishing-pool, and I could then distinctly 
 not only see but hear them. To my extreme surprise, 
 one of the first men who jumped out of the boat was 
 John Gough, who had brought Mrs Reichardt to the 
 island. He looked older, but I recognised him in a 
 moment, and so did my companion. Her admonitory 
 "Hush ! " kept me from betraying the place of our con- 
 cealment — so great was my astonishment — having long 
 believed him and all his lawless associates to have been 
 lost at sea. 
 
26o The Little Savage 
 
 He was well armed, and evidently possessed some 
 authority ; nevertheless, I thought I could detect an air 
 of concern in his features, as he offered to help one of 
 the captives out of the boat. The latter, however, re- 
 garded him with an air of disdain, and, though his hands 
 were tied behind him, leaped ashore without assistance. 
 He was a man of commanding stature, with a well bronzed 
 face, and a look of great energy of character. He wore 
 a band of gold lace round his cap, and had on duck 
 trousers, and a blue jacket and waistcoat. 
 
 '* Come, captain ! " exclaimed John Gough, ** I bear 
 you no malice. Though you have been rather hard upon 
 us, we won't leave you to starve." 
 
 *' He's a deuced deal better off than he desarves to be," 
 cried a man from the boat, whom I at once recognised as 
 the fellow on whom I had drawn my knife for hurting 
 Nero. " If we had made him walk the plank, as I pro- 
 posed, I'm blowed if it wouldn't have been much more 
 to the purpose than putting him on this here island, with 
 lots o' prog, and everything calkilated to make him and 
 his domineering officers comfortable for the rest of their 
 days." 
 
 " Hold your tongue, you mutineering rascal," exclaimed 
 the captain angrily. ''A rope's end at the yard-arm will 
 be your deserts before long." 
 
 " Thank ye kindly, captain," replied the fellow, touch- 
 ing his hat in mockery. "But you must be pleased to 
 remember I ain't caught yet ; and we means to have many 
 a jolly cruise in your ship, and get no end o' treasure, 
 before I shall think o' my latter end ; and then I means to 
 die like a Christian, and repent o' my sins, and make a 
 much more edifying example than I should exhibit 
 dangling at the end of a rope." 
 
 The men laughed, the captain muttered something 
 about " pirates and mutineers," but the rest of the officers 
 wisely held their tongues. 
 
 I now noticed an elderly man of very respectable 
 appearance, who was not pinioned like the rest. His 
 
The Little Savage 261 
 
 hair was quite white, his complexion very pale, and he 
 looked like one oppressed with deep sorrow and anxiety. 
 He rose from his seat in the boat, and was assisted out 
 by John Gough. 
 
 "I'm very sorry that we are obliged to leave you here, 
 Mr Evelyn," said Gough, ** but you see, sir, we have no 
 alternative. We couldn't keep you with us, for many 
 reasons ; and therefore we have been obliged to make 
 you a sharer in the fate of our officers." 
 
 " And werry painful this is to our feelings, sir, you 
 may believe," said another of the mutineers mockingly. 
 ^* I'm quite moloncholy as I thinks on it." 
 
 The men again laughed ; but the person so addressed 
 walked to the side of the captain without making any 
 observation. The other captives also left the boat in 
 silence. They were eight in all, but four of them were 
 evidently common seamen by their dress — the others were 
 officers. All were well-made, strong men. 
 
 "What a precious pretty colony you'll make, my 
 hearties ! " exclaimed one of the mutineers, jeeringly, as 
 he helped to land a cask, and some other packages, that 
 they had brought with them. " It's a thousand pities you 
 ain't got no female associates, that you might marry, and 
 settle, and bring up respectable families." 
 
 " Talking of women," cried the one who had first spoken, 
 " I wonder what became of the one we left here so cleverly 
 when we was wrecked at this here place six years ago." 
 
 John Gough looked uneasy at this inquiry, as if the 
 recollection was not agreaable to him. 
 
 " And the Little Savage," continued the fellow, " what 
 was agoing to send his knife into my ribs for summat or 
 other — I forget what. They must have died long ago, 
 I ain't no doubt, as we unfortnitely left 'em nothin' to 
 live upon." 
 
 " No doubt they died hand in hand, like the Babes in 
 the Wood," said another. 
 
 I still observed John Gough ; he seemed distressed at 
 the turn the conversation had taken. 
 
262 The Little Savage 
 
 "Now, mates," he said hurriedly, "let us return to 
 the ship. We have done what we came to do." 
 
 " I votes as we shall go and see arter the Missionary's 
 woman and the Little Savage," cried the fourth. " I 
 should like, somehow, to see whether they be living or 
 not, and a stroll ashore won't do any on us any harm." 
 
 " I shall remain here till you return," said John Gough ; 
 and he threw himself on the grass with his back towards 
 me, and only a few yards from the place in which we were 
 concealed. The rest, after making fast the boat, started 
 off on an exploring expedition, in the direction of the 
 old hut. 
 
 Chapter XLIX 
 
 The captives were grouped together, some sitting, and 
 some standing. Not one of them looked dejected at his 
 fate ; though I could see by their movements that they 
 were impatient of the bonds that tied them. My attention 
 was most frequently directed to the old gentleman who 
 had been addressed as Mr Evelyn. Notwithstanding the 
 grief expressed in his countenance, it possessed an air of 
 benevolence and kindness of heart that even his settled 
 melancholy did not conceal. I could not understand why, 
 but I felt a deeper interest for this person than for any 
 of the others — a sort of yearning towards him, mingled 
 with a desire to protect him from the malice of his 
 enemies. 
 
 Almost as soon as they were gone, John Gough 
 beckoned to Mr Evelyn to sit down by his side. 
 Possibly this was done to prevent his assisting his 
 companions to regain their liberty, as he, not being 
 pinioned like the rest, might easily have done, and 
 they might have overpowered their guard before his 
 companions could come to his assistance. But Gough 
 was well armed, and the rest being without weapons of 
 
The Little Savage 263 
 
 any kind, it was scarcely probable that they would have 
 risked their lives in so desperate an attempt. 
 
 Mr Evelyn came and quietly sat himself down in the 
 place indicated. I observed him with increasing interest, 
 and singular to relate, the more I gazed on his venerable 
 face, the more strongly I felt assured that I had seen it 
 before. This of course was impossible, nevertheless, the 
 fancy took possession of me, and I experienced a strange 
 sensation of pleasure as I watched the changes his features 
 underwent. 
 
 ** John Gough, I am sorry to see you mixed up in this 
 miserable business," said he, mildly addressing his com- 
 panion. The other did not answer, and as his back was 
 turned towards me I could not observe the eiFect the 
 observation had upon him. 
 
 *' The men who have left us I know to be bad men," 
 continued the speaker ; " I expect nothing but wickedness 
 from them. But you I am aware have been better brought 
 up. Your responsibility therefore becomes the greater in 
 assisting them in their villainy." 
 
 " You had better not let them hear you, Mr Evelyn," 
 replied Gough, at last, in something like a surly tone ; 
 ** I would not answer for the consequences." 
 
 " Those I do not fear," the other answered. " The 
 results of this transaction can make very little difference 
 to a man on the verge of the grave, who has outlived 
 all his relatives, and has nothing left to fall back upon but 
 the memory of his misfortunes : but to one in the prime of 
 life like yourself, who can boast of friends and relatives 
 who feel an interest in your good name, these results must 
 be serious indeed. What must be the feelings of your 
 respectable father when he learns that you have joined 
 a gang of pirates j how intense must be the grief of your 
 amiable mother when she hears that you have paid the 
 penalty that must sooner or later overtake you for em- 
 bracing so lawless a life." 
 
 " Come, Mr Evelyn," exclaimed Gough, though with a 
 tremulousness in his voice that betrayed the state of his 
 
264 The Little Savage 
 
 feelings, " you have no right to preach to me. I have 
 done as much as I could for you all. The men would 
 have made short work with you, if I had not interposed, 
 and pointed out to them this uninhabited island." 
 
 " Where it seems you left a poor woman to be starved 
 to death," continued Mr Evelyn. 
 
 " It was no fault of mine," replied the man -, "I did all 
 I could to prevent it." 
 
 " It would have been more manly if you had remained 
 with her on this rock, and left your cowardly associates to 
 take their selfish course. But you are weak and irresolute, 
 John Gough ; too easily persuaded into evil, too slow to 
 follow the impulses of good. The murder of that poor 
 woman is as much your deed as if you had blown her 
 brains out before you abandoned her. Indeed I do not 
 know but what the latter would have been the less 
 criminal." 
 
 John Gough made no answer. I do not think, however, 
 his mind was quite easy under this accusation, for he 
 seemed restless, and kept playing with his pistols, with his 
 eyes cast down. 
 
 " Your complicity in this mutiny, too, John Gough, is 
 equally inexcusable," continued Mr Eveyln. " It was your 
 duty to have stood by Captain Manvers and his officers, 
 by which you would have earned their eternal gratitude, 
 and a handsome provision from the owners of the 
 vessel." 
 
 " It's no use talking of these things now, Mr Evelyn," 
 said Gough, hurriedly. ** I have taken my course. It is 
 too late to turn back. Would to God," he added, dashing 
 his hand violently against his brow, " I had had nothing to 
 do with it." 
 
 " It is never too late, John Gough, to do good," here 
 cried out Mrs Reichardt, as she rose from her place of 
 concealment, as much to my surprise as that of all who 
 could observe her. But nothing could equal the astonish- 
 ment of Gough when he first caught sight of her features ; 
 — he sprang to his feet, leaving his pistols on the ground. 
 
The Little Savage 265 
 
 and clasping his hands together, exclaimed, " Thank God, 
 she is safe ! " 
 
 " Yes," she replied, approaching him and taking his 
 hand kindly. " By an interposition of Providence, you 
 are saved from the guilt of one murder. In the name of 
 that God who has so signally preserved you against 
 yourself, I command you to abandon your present wicked 
 designs." 
 
 The man hesitated, but it seemed as if he could not 
 take his gaze from her face, and it was evident that her 
 presence exerted an extraordinary influence over him. In 
 the meantime I had made my appearance on the scene, not 
 less to the astonishment of the lookers-on ; and my first 
 act was to take possession of the pair of pistols that 
 Gough had left on the ground ; my next to hurry to the 
 group of captives, who had been regarding us, in a state 
 as it were of perfect bewilderment, and with my 
 American knife to cut their bonds. 
 
 ** I will do whatever you think proper," said John 
 Gough. " Believe me I have been reluctantly led into 
 this, and joined the mutiny knowing that I should have 
 been murdered if I did not." 
 
 " You must endeavour to make what amends are in 
 your power," continued Mrs Reichardt, " by assisting 
 your officers in recovering possession of the ship." 
 
 " I will gladly assist in whatever they may think 
 feasible," said the man. "But we must first secure the 
 desperate fellows who have just left us, and as we are but 
 poorly provided with weapons, that of itself will be a 
 service of no slight danger. To get possession of the 
 ship I am afraid will be still more hazardous ; but you 
 shall find me in the front of every danger." 
 
 Here Captain Manvers and the others came up to where 
 John Gough and Mrs Reichardt were conversing ; he 
 heard Gough's last speech, and he was going to say some- 
 thing, when I interposed by stating that there was no time 
 now for explanations, for in a few minutes the fellows 
 who had gone to the hut would return, and the only way 
 
266 The Little Savage 
 
 to prepare for them was for the whole party to go to our 
 house, to which Mrs Reichardt would lead them, where 
 they would find plenty of arms and ammunition. In the 
 meantime I would keep watch, and observe their motions, 
 and by firing one of the pistols would signal to them if I 
 was in any danger. Lastly, I recommended that the oars 
 should be removed from the boat, to prevent the mutineers 
 making their escape to the ship. 
 
 My appearance and discourse attracted general attention. 
 I particularly noticed that Mr Evelyn started as soon as he 
 caught sight of me, and appeared to observe me with 
 singular carefulness ; but that, no doubt, arose from my 
 unexpected address, and the strange way in which I had 
 presented myself before him. 
 
 The Captain approving of my proposal, the whole party, 
 after taking away the boat's oars, moved off rapidly in the 
 direction of the house. I again concealed myself in the 
 grass, and waited the return of the mutineers. They did 
 not remain away long. I could hear them approaching, 
 for they laughed and shouted as they went along loud 
 enough to be heard at a considerable distance. When 
 they began to descend the rocks, they passed so close to 
 me, that I could hear every word that was spoken. 
 
 " Well, flesh is grass, as the parson says," said Jack ; 
 " they must have died sooner or later, if we hadn't parted 
 company with so little ceremony. But, hallo ! my eyes 
 and limbs ! Where's John Gough ? Where's the cap- 
 tain ? Where's all on 'em ? " 
 
 It is impossible to express the astonishment of the men 
 on reaching the spot where they had so lately left their 
 prisoners, and discovering that not a trace of them was to 
 be seen. At first they imagined that they had escaped in 
 the boat, but as soon as they saw that the boat was safe, 
 they gave up that idea. Then they fancied John Gough 
 had taken the prisoners to stroll a little distance inland, 
 and they began to shout as loud as their lungs would 
 permit them. Receiving no response, they uttered many 
 strange ejaculations, which I could not then understand. 
 
The Little Savage 267 
 
 but which I have since learned were profane oaths ; and 
 seemed at a loss what to do, whether to wander about the 
 island in search of them, or return to their ship. 
 
 Only one chanced to be for the former, and the others 
 overruled him, not thinking it was worth their while to 
 take so much trouble as to go rambling about in a strange 
 place. They seemed bent on taking to the boat, when 
 one of them suggested they might get into a scrape if they 
 returned without their companion. They finally resolved 
 on sitting down and waiting his return. 
 
 Presently, one complained he was very sleepy, as he 
 had been too busy mutineering to turn into his hammock 
 the previous night, and the others acknowledged they also 
 felt an equal want of rest from the same cause. Each 
 began to yawn. They laid themselves at their full length 
 along the grass, and in a short time I could hear by their 
 snoring, as Jackson used to do, that they were asleep. 
 
 I now crept stealthily towards them on my hands and 
 knees, and they were in such a profound sleep, that I had 
 no difficulty whatever in removing the pistols from their 
 belts. I had just succeeded in this, when I beheld the 
 captain, and John Gough, and Mr Evelyn, and all the 
 rest of them, well armed with guns and pistols, approach- 
 ing the place where we were. 
 
 In a few minutes afterwards the mutineers were made 
 prisoners, without their having an opportunity of making 
 the slightest resistance. I was much complimented by the 
 captain for the dexterity with which I had disarmed them ; 
 but while I was in conversation with him, it is impossible 
 to express the surprise I felt, on seeing Mr Evelyn 
 suddenly rush towards me from the side of Mrs Reichardt, 
 with whom he had been talking, and, embracing me with 
 the most moving demonstrations of affection, claim me as 
 his grandson. 
 
 The mystery was soon explained. Mr Evelyn had 
 met so many losses in business as a merchant, that he 
 took the opportunity of a son of his old clerk — who had 
 become a captain of a fine ship, employed in the South 
 
2 68 The Little Savage 
 
 American trade — being about to proceed on a trading 
 voyage to that part of the world, to sail in his vessel with 
 a consignment of goods for the South American market. 
 He had also another object, which was to inquire after 
 the fate of his long-lost daughter and son-in-law, of whom 
 he had received no certain intelligence, since the latter 
 took ship with the diamonds he had purchased to return 
 home. The vessel in which they sailed had never been 
 heard of since ; and Mr Evelyn had long given up all 
 hopes of seeing either of them again, or the valuable 
 property with which they had been entrusted. 
 
 On their going to the house, he had asked Mrs 
 Reichardt my name, stating that I so strongly resembled 
 a very dear friend of his, he believed had perished many 
 years ago, that he felt quite an interest in me. The 
 answer he received led to a series of the most earnest 
 inquiries, and Mrs Reichardt satisfied him on every point, 
 showed him all the property that had formerly been in 
 the possession of Mrs Henniker and her husband : related 
 Jackson's story, and convinced him, that though he had 
 lost the daughter for whom he had mourned so long, her 
 representative existed in the Little Savage, who was 
 saving him from the fate for which he had been perserved 
 by the mutineers. 
 
 I have only to add, that I had the happiness of restoring 
 to my grandfather the diamonds I had obtained from 
 Jackson, which were no doubt very welcome to him, for 
 they not only restored him to affluence, but made him one 
 of the richest merchants upon Change. 
 
 I was also instrumental in obtaining for the captain 
 the command of his ship, and of restoring discipline 
 amongst the crew. The ringleaders of the mutiny were 
 thrown into irons, and taken home for trial ; this resulted 
 in one or two of them being hanged by way of example, 
 and these happened to be the men who so barbarously 
 deserted Mrs Reichardt. She accompanied me to England 
 in Captain Manvers's vessel, for when he heard of the 
 obligations I owed her, my grandfather decided that she 
 
The Little Savage 269 
 
 should remain with us as long as she lived. We however 
 did not leave the island until we had shown my grand- 
 father, the captain, and his officers, what we had effected 
 during our stay, and every one was surprised that we 
 could have produced a flourishing farm upon a barren 
 rock. I did not fail to show the places where I had had 
 my iight with the python, and where I had been pursued 
 by the sharks, and my narrative of both incidents seemed 
 to astonish my hearers exceedingly. 
 
 I must not forget to add, that the day before our 
 departure, John Gough came to me privately, and requested 
 my good offices with the captain, that he might be left on 
 the island. He had become a very different character to 
 what he had previously been ; and as there could be no 
 question that the repentance he assumed was sincere, 
 I said all I could for him. My recommendation was 
 successful, and I transferred to John Gough all my farm, 
 farming stock, and agricultural implements ; moreover, 
 promised to send him whatever he might further require 
 to make his position comfortable. He expressed great 
 gratitude, but desired nothing ; only that his family might 
 know that he was well off, and was not likely to return. 
 
 Perhaps John Gough did not like the risk he ran of 
 being tried for mutiny, or was averse to sailing with his 
 former comrades ; but whatever was the cause of his 
 resolution, it is certain that he remained behind when the 
 ship left the island, and may be there to this hour for all 
 I know to the contrary. 
 
 We made a quick voyage to England, and as my 
 readers will no doubt be glad to hear, the Little Savage 
 landed safely at Plymouth, and was soon cordially 
 welcomed to his grandfather's house in London. 
 
 THE END. 
 
PRINTED BY 
 
 TURNBULL AND SPEARS 
 
 EDINBURGH. 
 
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