2 The Landing

So, when preparations were, making to get ready the long-boat for shore, coming down upon deck again, I walked straightways to the captain, where he stood talking in a low voice with the mate, and asked that I might be of the party to land.

And here I must make a very natural reflection on the two things which this settled desire of mine may be taken in proof of: as, firstly, the little foresight we can have of what is to befall us; nay, sometimes the very moment before it will happen: as may be seen in a thousand unexpected turns, both for good and ill, in the progress of this changeful life. The other is, though I considered it not at the time, to see how the providence of our heavenly Father orders all for the best; overruling, aye, the most untoward events, and in the way we should least have expected or (sometimes) desired, to work our good in spite of ourselves. Here was I, a youngster, it might be said, compared with many of the crew, starting in life with fairer prospects than several of my betters have done; and now, blind mortal that I was, I came forward to get leave for a few hours that was not to expire for many years, and pronounce against myself, with my own lips, a sentence of banishment on a savage island! And yet, this very thing that I was now about to do against myself, as it seemed, was the means of my preservation, together with that of others. For I make no doubt, had I remained in the ship, both I and five more of us had found a watery, aye, and a bloody grave. She soon after turned pirate, as I have related, with all hands on board; and we, if we had been there, would have had the choice of joining them on their cruise of robbery, or have paid the forfeit of refusing.

Often, since then, have I lifted up hands and eyes to heaven, even with the want of all things, and on our desert island, that I had not long since been tied, neck and heels, with a twelve-pound shot to my feet, or sown up in a hammock, to be heaved overboard, or made to walk the plank, as the Spanish buccaneers treat the prisoners they sentence to drowning. For all these things I afterwards represented to my imagination, adding to it (though, you may be sure, in a secondary degree) the murder of Don Manuel, Tom Harvey, and the rest who were saved with myself. And this I used as a sovereign remedy against such fits of dejection, and almost despair, as came over me in the course of the years I am about to give some account of; when things were so bad with us, that we were fain to bear up against them by considering how they might have been worse.

But to make this short, let me come back to the day with which our troubles began. When I asked to go ashore, I was surprised, from some experience of our captain’s surly temper, how readily he granted my request. There was a look in his eye, and I did not understand it; nor indeed (and still less) did I understand the meaning of his words. “We shall not be long before this island”, said he; “but time enough for you to collect some of your rare plants: for that, I judge is what you are after; so there need be no hurrying back to the ship”.

By this, the long-boat was ready, and fitted with her sail as well as oars. While the men were lowering down two large jars for fresh water, and stowing away our day’s rations, together with some fowling-pieces, two muskets, and ammunition (for we were to be provided against wild beasts, as well as have means of killing some luxury in the way of an antelope, or a goat or two; and no small treat that would be to men who had tasted nothing for some weeks but salted meat), I ran down the companion-ladder for Don Manuel, our Spanish priest, to ask him to come ashore and see what the island furnished in the way of strange plants and herbs. I found him prepared; for he, too, had spoken to the captain, and got leave as readily as I. He had with him a large portfolio of sheets of blank paper, to preserve such plants in as would wither in the hand; a pruning knife to cut them; and a small case of writing materials, to note anything worthy of observation in his way of remark. These, with his prayer-book (his Breviary, he called it), that was scarce ever out of his hand; a staff shod with iron, for climbing, or pushing through the bush; and a large cloak with sleeves, such as he told me the priests of his country wear on their journeys, made up all his preparations.

For my part, I hastily laid hands on some things I thought I should want; as, my faithful companion, the telescope, which I slung across my shoulders; a rifle that had been my father’s, and would carry a great distance, though now somewhat worn; a bag of rifle-balls and large horn of powder, a cutlass or hanger, and a strong, serviceable clasp-knife in my pocket. This last, together with a ball of twine, I took for the sake of any collection of plants I might be able to make during our rambles. I know not by what providence it was, but surely from the whisper of some good and friendly spirit in mine ear, that I handed down into the boat my fishing-rod and tackle: as, namely, a leathern pouch, containing two or three reels of strong fishing-lines, and a book of artificial flies for casting at salmon and trout. These I had myself carefully tied, to beguile the tediousness of the voyage, having been well used to the fishing of the streams in my native Welsh mountains.

The ship was by this time hove-to, a mile and a half from the island; for they were afraid to venture further in, owing to the many small coral-islets, and jags of rock, that lay dotting the sea all about, as well as the dangerous reefs, some of which we could see beneath us, the water being very clear. Into the long-boat we got; seven seamen, besides Don Manuel and myself: pushed off at once, and spread our sail, which was of the kind they call a shoulder-of-mutton sail. The wind became less steady as we neared the shore; and indeed there came, now and then, little puffs or flaws of wind from the valleys, that were very refreshing; and we could perceive the moist, fresh scent of the trees cast to seaward, so delightful as none can tell who have never known a long sea voyage. 

And now we had some ado to keep clear of the reefs, which seemed to run out in all directions from this island. Tis true, that which I had observed from the ship’s top appeared the most considerable and dangerous, and the surf beat over it violently, though there was so little wind stirring. Yet I noticed others too, some above the water and more beneath, so that we grounded once or twice, and had like to have been stopped altogether.

We were forced to take down our sail, and trust to our oars, that the boat might answer more readily to her helm. As I looked over the gunwale upon the reefs below (the water being, as I said, exceedingly clear), they seemed to be of two kinds, which I could distinguish from each other. The one darker, and not coming so near the level of the sea; and these stretched away in lines, some very broad, from the island. This kind I took to be streams of rock, once melted, and flowing down, ages ago, from the top of the sugar-loaf cone: for that, I felt sure, was an old burning mountain, though its fires had been quenched, aye, perhaps some hundreds of years, or more. The other sort of reefs looked as if they grew up from the first kind, and these came near to the surface, and sometimes quite, but never much above it. Some were bright in color, both white and red, or yellow, by which, and their growth, I knew them for rocks of coral. In places, they branched out under the sea, like the specimens that are brought home to Europe, only much larger: others were so decked and grown over with sea- weeds, such as they have in the tropics, that there were, I may say, two whole forests growing under us, plainly to be seen through the water, the forest of rock and the forest of weeds.

But the end of all this was, we had a difficult passage towards land; and were glad enough to find, after some trials, a sort of winding channel, between two of the dark ledges of rock that came shelving down from the mountain and dipped at an angle quite into the sea. These rocky walls (for they stood pretty high) sheltered us from the surf, which we heard breaking loud on other parts of the shore. Only, indeed, a roller, as they call it, came once and again after us from the open sea, and caught the boat’s stern with some violence; sending us along the channel we had found, swifter than we would. And, had not our steersman been a nimble fellow, and well up to his business, we had most likely been stalled against the rocks before we got further on our adventures. This afforded him ground, with two of the men, to swear he would not take the boat further than a corner which we turned just after it happened. Here we found a little natural harbor, worn in the rock, as it seemed, by the high tides, when the sea was swollen by the wind from south-by-west. These men now said, plain and rough, they were in trust of the boat, and would not risk staving her, or getting her back to the ship in bad condition. They bade us take out our fowling-pieces, with the jars for fresh water; and explore the island as much as we would, if only we might reach the ship again by the time all hands were piped to hammocks. For themselves, they said, they were content to stay there with the boat, or ramble about the rocks, and try their luck with fishing (for they had brought some reels with them, as well as tinder to strike a light), or to catch fresh crabs and other shell-fish, enough to make a broil of, in the pools below high-water mark.

I make no doubt, in looking back upon all this, that they parted thus readily with the firearms, to take away any suspicions we might have of what they intended. Nor were we, on our side (we, I mean, who landed and left the three men there) so simple as would appear at first sight: for their proposal came so reasonable, and was made with such seamanlike frankness, that no ground appeared to entertain any thoughts against them. However; be it that we were wise or foolish (for ’tis of small use now to determine), sure I am we were heartily glad to find our feet, on land, and thought of little else. As to the priest, he did not half understand what they said, so could make no great objection. For though he spoke English pretty well, yet it was like one who had learned it out of books, as indeed (he told me afterwards) was the case. And there were many of the sea-phrases in use among the crew which, to be sure, were not found in his books: so that he, who of the whole party was like to have made a calm judgment on our proceeding, chanced to be the one who least understood it.

Well, we scrambled up the rocks, as best we might; not without slips and bruises, for the seaweed was thickly grown hereabout, and slippery as ice. It was well for us we escaped without sprains, or worse, which might, as we afterwards found ourselves, have proved a serious matter to us. But when we got above high-water mark (and that we did with no small trouble), our travelling was easier, upon one of those streaks or pathways of rock leading up towards the mountain: like a sort of road up-hill, only rough on the surface, so that soon it would have worn out our shoes.

Before we left the little harbor where the boat lay, one of the three men came up with our fowling-pieces: as to my rifle, I managed to carry that with me. He also threw us the ends of two ropes worked into a noose, and passed round each of the water-jars, so that we easily hauled these jars up the rock after us. Then they all bade us not be overtaken by night on the island and promised (with many oaths) they would stay for us where they were. So we turned away with light hearts for our expedition — and never saw them on shore again. 

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