“Moreover gentlemen”, said the priest, pointing with his hand to a tree that grew perhaps fifty yards from our fire; “see if a merciful Providence hath not sent us bread as well as meat! Truly we should be doubly ungrateful not to thank Him with all our hearts”. The men looked at him with wonder, doubting what he spoke of. Only, sure were they, from his manner, that he was not jesting now. “I am much mistaken”, added Don Manuel, turning to me, “ if yonder be not one of the bread-fruit trees we have read of; and the first”, added he in his cheerful way, “who brings us some of the fruit, will be a herald of good news to our colony.”
No sooner said than done: for Harvey started off, and Hilton with him, after this new bread; while we stood laughing at their race, cheering them with our voices, and clapping of hands. They reached the tree nearly together, and began shaking it, one on either side, to make the fruit fall into their hands. But the trunk was too stout for that, so that they did but lose their labour; and the fruit itself, which grew in a kind of large apple, or gourd, the size of a good penny loaf, was so high out of their reach that, do what they would, there was no getting at it, no, not by jumping their best. “I see”, said Don Manuel, “I must be baker’s man as well as cook;” and he moved towards them with his long staff. But Harry Gill was now beforehand with him; for, seizing the marlinspike, he made off at the top of his speed, and before the other two could pick off a single apple with stones, he had brought half a dozen of them to the ground.
Don Manuel met them half way. “It is indeed the bread-fruit tree!” exclaimed he, when he had examined the fruit. “Give thanks, my friends, for a great boon from heaven; as I doubt not you have given thanks for your deliverance out of the ship. If this be not a solitary tree, which is very unlikely, and if it be the kind that will grow from slips or cuttings, we shall have enough of excellent bread, and to spare. So, let us first pay our tribute to the great Giver.”
Seeing that none of us stirred or assented (I am ashamed to record it against ourselves), he then solemnly took off his hat, laid it at his feet, and holding one of the fruits in either hand, uttered, with a loud, clear voice, something in Latin, which, though I was not used to his mode of pronouncing the language, I took to be a short form of praise. Having spoken this with his eyes raised to heaven, he kissed the fruit, as though he had received it straight from thence: then, turning to us, said; “And now, Senores, it is high time to look after our breakfast.”
I know not by what magic this man seemed at once to have gained such an ascendant over our minds. Every one of us went hither and thither, and just did this or that, because he so recommended it; yet there was nothing of authority in his words, which indeed would at that time have revolted our wills against him: but all was quiet and gentle, in the extreme. But I greatly believe this influence he exercised upon us arose from our clearly perceiving him to have no ends of his own to serve in what he proposed to be done; also because he was ever willing cheerfully to bear his part in every fatigue and inconvenience that affected us: in which disposition no one came up to him, except only Tom Harvey, and this we felt the more, as time went on and we were better acquainted.
But now, to return to our breakfast, or the preparations for it; Don Manuel, to our great satisfaction, promised us some excellent toasted bread with our pork: and though the men scarce knew how this was to be purveyed, for they had never seen or heard of the bread-fruit before, they put such trust in what he promised as to believe it would, somehow, be as he said. So, by his directions, the hollow slab of rock where we had kindled our fire over-night, was now swept clear of the burning wood; and the stones, which by this were redhot, ranged around by the help of our gun-barrels and sticks, so that an open space was left, large enough to hold the game we had killed. When we had placed our peccary and bustard on this heated rock, and surrounded them with the stones, whereon we likewise placed our bread-fruits to bake, by and bye such a savory smell arose, as almost tempted us to fall-to without waiting for any further cookery.
Prodgers, in particular, who was the most self-willed, or the hungriest among us, or both, began to insist on having his portion at once. But he was out-voted by the rest; and we covered the meat quickly with the palms and plantain leaves we had gathered: over these, again, we laid other stones, and made all tight by strewing on the top a layer or two of earth and rocky sand.
“A short half-hour, gentlemen,” then said Don Manuel, “will complete our arrangements: and I propose that in the meantime, we make an expedition to the rocks on shore, to see after a few dishes and spoons”.
We looked again at one another, doubtful what he could mean; but he soon explained himself, saying that as we came along the rocks the day before, at that part of our island where we first landed, he had observed a bed of largish oysters that lay within reach of any active cliffs-man among us. The shells of these, he said, or, however, the larger ones, would supply our table (our rock, rather) with a rude kind of crockery-ware, till we had learned to furnish ourselves better in some other way. “And so, my friends”, added he, “the fish and the dish, you see, are sent to us together; and both from One source:” then he looked upward and smiled cheerfully. This priest seemed to have his thoughts continually on God; on whom our thoughts were, I may say, never. But it was out of the abundance of his heart that he was speaking in this manner; for nothing was further from him than any attempt to preach to us, to whom, tis true, he seemed to look to us for some correspondence with his grateful feelings, and not finding it, he went on all the same, to himself, as it were, in his expressions of thankfulness and trust.
With all our hardness of heart, at least we felt cheered about the oyster beds he spoke of; to find, on our first settlement, that these new possessions of ours were likely to be so well stocked as to place us beyond immediate want. But before we started that way, or sent any of our party on the errand, we reckoned that, take what short cut we might to the place, we should only get back to find our meat and bread-fruits burned to a cinder. So we gave up that enterprise for the present; and prepared to take our breakfast with sticks, as the Chinaman will pick up the smallest grain of rice with two chop-sticks instead of a fork or spoon. Well, we took the lid off our oven, and found everything done passably well, for a party of famished sailors who were not over-nice. But Don Manuel, after saying grace, which he never omitted at any meal we ever partook of with him, told us pleasantly, had we been less hungry or more patient, our feast on taking possession of the country would have been worthier the occasion.
This whole time, I was turning in my thoughts how I should address our party on some things very needful to be said. If some order and rules were not established amongst us from the first, then, I saw clearly, we should lie exposed to the unrestrained violence of several wills here present, that boded us no good. By this, I had seen enough of Don Manuel to feel a confidence in consulting him; but I lacked opportunity, for the thing had to be done at once, and before our first joint act was undertaken, whatever that might be. Hastily gathering my thoughts into the best shape I could, while we were all employed in cutting up our game with hanger and knives, and helping ourselves to the slices with bamboo-sticks, I ran over in my mind the characters of those I had to deal with, and what I would have them lend a hearing to. When our meal was ended (and they, poor fellows, were in no hurry about it), feeling that if ever they would be disposed to listen, it was likely to be now, I begged their attention for a few minutes only.
So, getting upon a little ledge of rock which offered a natural platform to speak from, I delivered myself as follows:
“Gentlemen”, said I, “as we are so strangely cast into society with each other, and that for such a time as we cannot foresee its end, you have to consider, in the first place, whether you will still remain in community, or separate in different quarters of the place where we are, and live alone and independent. For my part, I am ready to adopt whichever plan may seem good to the greater number of us; and I call upon you to decide.”
Here they interrupted me at once, and cried out, each for himself, that to disperse over the island was a thing not to be thought of. We shall be devoured, said they, by wild beasts, if any are here: we shall fall, singly and defenseless, into the hands of savages who may inhabit the place, or visit it. Then, to live alone, they declared, was a savage, unnatural state of existence; and they would become barbarians, little better than the wild animals themselves, who still, for the most part, go in herd. In short, never was anything so concluded as that, come what would, we must still consort together.
“Very well, my friends”, I continued, “ and that is my own wish, too. I felt I should put both before you, and think you have decided right. But then, see what follows upon this. If we live together, we must have some kind of government established among us”.
When I had made that announcement, which I did with a resolute manner and voice, I observed some change in the countenances of a part of our small number. They had no idea, it seems, of living by any law but their own wills; and they seemed to think that to talk of government was to introduce tyranny into our little society, even in its infant days. Richard Prodgers at once showed himself displeased by a surly look; and swaying to and fro with a dissatisfied air, was going to interrupt me, when I went on:
“ Nay”, said I, giving the thing a jesting turn, to persuade them the more heartily, “ do not suppose that any one is going to set up for a king here. We will have no standing army to drain our pockets: for we are all, indeed, the militia volunteers of the place, ready to turn out at a moment’s notice, and fight our enemies without pay. We will have no taxes levied throughout the whole island: and if the taxgatherer do but dare show his face, we’ll warn him off the premises in a twinkling. Our friend, Don Manuel here,” and I made the priest a little side bow as I spoke, “will collect no tithes, but with our own free will. And I hope even, we shall do without any police, or summonses, or quarter-sessions; no lawyers, no big-wigs, no juries, no prisoners at the bar, no treadmill; not a yellow-jacket to be seen amongst us, nor a workhouse, nor anything in that way to annoy us”.
At this, they could not avoid laughing, do what they would: even Prodgers was forced to it with the rest. And having secured their good-will, I explained, that the kind of government I spoke of, was only that each should bind himself to conform to some plain, simple regulations for his own good and that of all: and that one should be appointed by general vote, to see them carried out. When they heard this, they were well content; and after a little discussing among themselves, they begged me to tell them how such rules should be framed.
“First, then”, I continued, “we may look upon ourselves as the lords and masters of this whole place, for everything that appears to the contrary. If it prove so, we must portion out to each man a certain measure of land, to be chosen by lot; and every one must engage to help his neighbours to build something of a hut, or however you may please to call our habitations, and afterwards dwell at peace with them, in mutual service and good will. But, before all things else, we must needs discover whether there be any other inhabitants in this little kingdom of ours: wherefore let us bind ourselves to stand by one another to the last, and unite in an exploring party to search the island.”
This proposal was very much to their mind, and they would have set about the thing at once. But I was desirous, while they were in so favourable humour, to impress on them some points to us all needful; so, begging them to wait yet a moment, I then laid before them the necessity of attending to the following particulars:
1. That we had no real government as yet; and hoped to do without so much as naming the word punishment, which would be no less than the ruin of our small society, and set every man’s hand against his brother: and it was therefore of exceeding need that each one should keep strict guard over himself, his temper and his words, to avoid all occasion of offence.
2. That whatever we possessed, which after all was little enough, should be looked upon from the first as common property; to be distributed, or used by each for the good of our society as well as his own: namely, the three fowling-pieces we had brought with us from the ship, together with the ammunition; our clasp-knives, the jars for water, and all our small store of rope-twine. To give an example, I threw my rifle and hanger into the common stock. Later, I said, when we had gained some experience of what turn things would take, we could portion out different offices according to each one’s capacity. But in the mean time, as every man was to be moderate in his demands, so no one was to be refused any reasonable use of' this our common property.
At any other time, I could have smiled at making so much of a common seaman’s clasp-knife, and an earthen pitcher. But the circumstances we are placed in, quite alter our value of things: and we were now in a state of life much like that of the savages, who will give away their gold dust, their ostrich feathers, and pearls, or whatever has most price in the European markets, for a knife, and even an old hoop of iron, or a few nails.
They all agreed readily to these proposals: and indeed, the thing was reasonable, and to the advantage of all: let them be as self-willed as they might, they could scarce do otherwise. I was satisfied with this beginning; though I foresaw what difficulties would arise if I set about to control and keep together such rude spirits, who were only in order under the captain’s eye, and with the fear of the lash before them; and who on shore were accustomed to do just as they pleased. “Well”, said I in my own mind, though with not much spirit of religion about me, “the morrow shall take care for the things of itself; and we will live for the day”.
No sooner said than done: for Harvey started off, and Hilton with him, after this new bread; while we stood laughing at their race, cheering them with our voices, and clapping of hands. They reached the tree nearly together, and began shaking it, one on either side, to make the fruit fall into their hands. But the trunk was too stout for that, so that they did but lose their labour; and the fruit itself, which grew in a kind of large apple, or gourd, the size of a good penny loaf, was so high out of their reach that, do what they would, there was no getting at it, no, not by jumping their best. “I see”, said Don Manuel, “I must be baker’s man as well as cook;” and he moved towards them with his long staff. But Harry Gill was now beforehand with him; for, seizing the marlinspike, he made off at the top of his speed, and before the other two could pick off a single apple with stones, he had brought half a dozen of them to the ground.
Don Manuel met them half way. “It is indeed the bread-fruit tree!” exclaimed he, when he had examined the fruit. “Give thanks, my friends, for a great boon from heaven; as I doubt not you have given thanks for your deliverance out of the ship. If this be not a solitary tree, which is very unlikely, and if it be the kind that will grow from slips or cuttings, we shall have enough of excellent bread, and to spare. So, let us first pay our tribute to the great Giver.”
Seeing that none of us stirred or assented (I am ashamed to record it against ourselves), he then solemnly took off his hat, laid it at his feet, and holding one of the fruits in either hand, uttered, with a loud, clear voice, something in Latin, which, though I was not used to his mode of pronouncing the language, I took to be a short form of praise. Having spoken this with his eyes raised to heaven, he kissed the fruit, as though he had received it straight from thence: then, turning to us, said; “And now, Senores, it is high time to look after our breakfast.”
I know not by what magic this man seemed at once to have gained such an ascendant over our minds. Every one of us went hither and thither, and just did this or that, because he so recommended it; yet there was nothing of authority in his words, which indeed would at that time have revolted our wills against him: but all was quiet and gentle, in the extreme. But I greatly believe this influence he exercised upon us arose from our clearly perceiving him to have no ends of his own to serve in what he proposed to be done; also because he was ever willing cheerfully to bear his part in every fatigue and inconvenience that affected us: in which disposition no one came up to him, except only Tom Harvey, and this we felt the more, as time went on and we were better acquainted.
But now, to return to our breakfast, or the preparations for it; Don Manuel, to our great satisfaction, promised us some excellent toasted bread with our pork: and though the men scarce knew how this was to be purveyed, for they had never seen or heard of the bread-fruit before, they put such trust in what he promised as to believe it would, somehow, be as he said. So, by his directions, the hollow slab of rock where we had kindled our fire over-night, was now swept clear of the burning wood; and the stones, which by this were redhot, ranged around by the help of our gun-barrels and sticks, so that an open space was left, large enough to hold the game we had killed. When we had placed our peccary and bustard on this heated rock, and surrounded them with the stones, whereon we likewise placed our bread-fruits to bake, by and bye such a savory smell arose, as almost tempted us to fall-to without waiting for any further cookery.
Prodgers, in particular, who was the most self-willed, or the hungriest among us, or both, began to insist on having his portion at once. But he was out-voted by the rest; and we covered the meat quickly with the palms and plantain leaves we had gathered: over these, again, we laid other stones, and made all tight by strewing on the top a layer or two of earth and rocky sand.
“A short half-hour, gentlemen,” then said Don Manuel, “will complete our arrangements: and I propose that in the meantime, we make an expedition to the rocks on shore, to see after a few dishes and spoons”.
We looked again at one another, doubtful what he could mean; but he soon explained himself, saying that as we came along the rocks the day before, at that part of our island where we first landed, he had observed a bed of largish oysters that lay within reach of any active cliffs-man among us. The shells of these, he said, or, however, the larger ones, would supply our table (our rock, rather) with a rude kind of crockery-ware, till we had learned to furnish ourselves better in some other way. “And so, my friends”, added he, “the fish and the dish, you see, are sent to us together; and both from One source:” then he looked upward and smiled cheerfully. This priest seemed to have his thoughts continually on God; on whom our thoughts were, I may say, never. But it was out of the abundance of his heart that he was speaking in this manner; for nothing was further from him than any attempt to preach to us, to whom, tis true, he seemed to look to us for some correspondence with his grateful feelings, and not finding it, he went on all the same, to himself, as it were, in his expressions of thankfulness and trust.
With all our hardness of heart, at least we felt cheered about the oyster beds he spoke of; to find, on our first settlement, that these new possessions of ours were likely to be so well stocked as to place us beyond immediate want. But before we started that way, or sent any of our party on the errand, we reckoned that, take what short cut we might to the place, we should only get back to find our meat and bread-fruits burned to a cinder. So we gave up that enterprise for the present; and prepared to take our breakfast with sticks, as the Chinaman will pick up the smallest grain of rice with two chop-sticks instead of a fork or spoon. Well, we took the lid off our oven, and found everything done passably well, for a party of famished sailors who were not over-nice. But Don Manuel, after saying grace, which he never omitted at any meal we ever partook of with him, told us pleasantly, had we been less hungry or more patient, our feast on taking possession of the country would have been worthier the occasion.
This whole time, I was turning in my thoughts how I should address our party on some things very needful to be said. If some order and rules were not established amongst us from the first, then, I saw clearly, we should lie exposed to the unrestrained violence of several wills here present, that boded us no good. By this, I had seen enough of Don Manuel to feel a confidence in consulting him; but I lacked opportunity, for the thing had to be done at once, and before our first joint act was undertaken, whatever that might be. Hastily gathering my thoughts into the best shape I could, while we were all employed in cutting up our game with hanger and knives, and helping ourselves to the slices with bamboo-sticks, I ran over in my mind the characters of those I had to deal with, and what I would have them lend a hearing to. When our meal was ended (and they, poor fellows, were in no hurry about it), feeling that if ever they would be disposed to listen, it was likely to be now, I begged their attention for a few minutes only.
So, getting upon a little ledge of rock which offered a natural platform to speak from, I delivered myself as follows:
“Gentlemen”, said I, “as we are so strangely cast into society with each other, and that for such a time as we cannot foresee its end, you have to consider, in the first place, whether you will still remain in community, or separate in different quarters of the place where we are, and live alone and independent. For my part, I am ready to adopt whichever plan may seem good to the greater number of us; and I call upon you to decide.”
Here they interrupted me at once, and cried out, each for himself, that to disperse over the island was a thing not to be thought of. We shall be devoured, said they, by wild beasts, if any are here: we shall fall, singly and defenseless, into the hands of savages who may inhabit the place, or visit it. Then, to live alone, they declared, was a savage, unnatural state of existence; and they would become barbarians, little better than the wild animals themselves, who still, for the most part, go in herd. In short, never was anything so concluded as that, come what would, we must still consort together.
“Very well, my friends”, I continued, “ and that is my own wish, too. I felt I should put both before you, and think you have decided right. But then, see what follows upon this. If we live together, we must have some kind of government established among us”.
When I had made that announcement, which I did with a resolute manner and voice, I observed some change in the countenances of a part of our small number. They had no idea, it seems, of living by any law but their own wills; and they seemed to think that to talk of government was to introduce tyranny into our little society, even in its infant days. Richard Prodgers at once showed himself displeased by a surly look; and swaying to and fro with a dissatisfied air, was going to interrupt me, when I went on:
“ Nay”, said I, giving the thing a jesting turn, to persuade them the more heartily, “ do not suppose that any one is going to set up for a king here. We will have no standing army to drain our pockets: for we are all, indeed, the militia volunteers of the place, ready to turn out at a moment’s notice, and fight our enemies without pay. We will have no taxes levied throughout the whole island: and if the taxgatherer do but dare show his face, we’ll warn him off the premises in a twinkling. Our friend, Don Manuel here,” and I made the priest a little side bow as I spoke, “will collect no tithes, but with our own free will. And I hope even, we shall do without any police, or summonses, or quarter-sessions; no lawyers, no big-wigs, no juries, no prisoners at the bar, no treadmill; not a yellow-jacket to be seen amongst us, nor a workhouse, nor anything in that way to annoy us”.
At this, they could not avoid laughing, do what they would: even Prodgers was forced to it with the rest. And having secured their good-will, I explained, that the kind of government I spoke of, was only that each should bind himself to conform to some plain, simple regulations for his own good and that of all: and that one should be appointed by general vote, to see them carried out. When they heard this, they were well content; and after a little discussing among themselves, they begged me to tell them how such rules should be framed.
“First, then”, I continued, “we may look upon ourselves as the lords and masters of this whole place, for everything that appears to the contrary. If it prove so, we must portion out to each man a certain measure of land, to be chosen by lot; and every one must engage to help his neighbours to build something of a hut, or however you may please to call our habitations, and afterwards dwell at peace with them, in mutual service and good will. But, before all things else, we must needs discover whether there be any other inhabitants in this little kingdom of ours: wherefore let us bind ourselves to stand by one another to the last, and unite in an exploring party to search the island.”
This proposal was very much to their mind, and they would have set about the thing at once. But I was desirous, while they were in so favourable humour, to impress on them some points to us all needful; so, begging them to wait yet a moment, I then laid before them the necessity of attending to the following particulars:
1. That we had no real government as yet; and hoped to do without so much as naming the word punishment, which would be no less than the ruin of our small society, and set every man’s hand against his brother: and it was therefore of exceeding need that each one should keep strict guard over himself, his temper and his words, to avoid all occasion of offence.
2. That whatever we possessed, which after all was little enough, should be looked upon from the first as common property; to be distributed, or used by each for the good of our society as well as his own: namely, the three fowling-pieces we had brought with us from the ship, together with the ammunition; our clasp-knives, the jars for water, and all our small store of rope-twine. To give an example, I threw my rifle and hanger into the common stock. Later, I said, when we had gained some experience of what turn things would take, we could portion out different offices according to each one’s capacity. But in the mean time, as every man was to be moderate in his demands, so no one was to be refused any reasonable use of' this our common property.
At any other time, I could have smiled at making so much of a common seaman’s clasp-knife, and an earthen pitcher. But the circumstances we are placed in, quite alter our value of things: and we were now in a state of life much like that of the savages, who will give away their gold dust, their ostrich feathers, and pearls, or whatever has most price in the European markets, for a knife, and even an old hoop of iron, or a few nails.
They all agreed readily to these proposals: and indeed, the thing was reasonable, and to the advantage of all: let them be as self-willed as they might, they could scarce do otherwise. I was satisfied with this beginning; though I foresaw what difficulties would arise if I set about to control and keep together such rude spirits, who were only in order under the captain’s eye, and with the fear of the lash before them; and who on shore were accustomed to do just as they pleased. “Well”, said I in my own mind, though with not much spirit of religion about me, “the morrow shall take care for the things of itself; and we will live for the day”.
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