“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, 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 Nineteen.

  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 I; “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 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 fagots 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 any one 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.”

  “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 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 this 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 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 naïvely.

  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 immediately, as she fell on her broadside a few minutes afterwards; that they had left in two boats, but did not know what had become of the other boat, which parted company 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; 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 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, turning 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 than I thought she could have been; but her Panama hat still concealed her face altogether.

  “Now then, my lad,” said the mate, “show 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 fagots, 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 fagot 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 showing 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 fagot on the fire, that we might have more light.

  “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 Twenty.

  Nero, who was an early riser, woke me up at daybreak, 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; her teeth, too, were very white, and Jackson’s were discoloured and bad; I longed to see her eyes, but they were 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 fagot 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, put 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 hair, and then sat down on the rock. In the mean time, I had lighted my fagot, 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.

  Her face was oval; eyes black and large; and her hair black as the raven’s wing; her features were small and regular; 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.