Kidnapping in the Pacific; Or, The Adventures of Boas Ringdon Read online

theland for some time, and made it again not far from the town of Callao onthe coast of Peru.

  "The captain's manner didn't improve during the passage. Half his timehe was drunk, and he was never on deck but that he was cursing andswearing at the crew, rope-ending every one who came within his reach.I could not help wishing that I had followed Sambo's advice and stuck tothe navy; though there was flogging enough at times when men would getdrunk, still there was something like justice. A man had only to besober and keep a quiet tongue in his head, and he need have no fear ofthe cat. On board the `Seagull,' a man had reason to think himselffortunate if he escaped without a cracked skull. It was easy to tellwhat the fate of the brig would be, and I resolved to run from her onthe first opportunity.

  "Though we made the land in the forenoon, we were still at aconsiderable distance from it when the sun went down. We, therefore,after standing on for some time, hove-to, hoping to enter the harbour ofCallao the next day. When morning broke we could see the snow-cappedtops of the Cordilleras rising up in the far distance, but still thelower land appeared a long way off.

  "We had to wait till the sea breeze set in, and it was nearly nightfallbefore we came to an anchor off Callao.

  "It is the chief port of Peru, a short distance from Lima, the capital.As the captain expected to get rid of a good part of his cargo, I knewthat the brig would remain some time. I, however, didn't wish to lose amoment in getting free of her. As soon as the anchor was dropped, Iwatched my opportunity for a run. I intended, if possible, to escape ina shore boat, when there would be less chance of being traced. Thatnight, however, only the Custom House and health boats came off to us.I had to wait, therefore, the whole of the next day. I could not helpfancying that the first mate suspected my intention, and was watchingme. I showed myself, therefore, more active and attentive to the work Ihad to do than usual.

  "A number of boats during the day came off to us with fresh provisions,especially all sorts of fruits. To throw the mate off his guard, whileI saw that he was looking towards me, I bought some fruit; at the sametime I tried to make the Chilian understand that if he would come againin the evening I would buy more of him. I then began eating some of thefruit and carried the rest below. After this the mate seemed to take nomore pains to keep an eye on me.

  "My friend returned just before sunset. I told him to hand me up someof the fruit, and paid him for it, letting him understand that if hewould wait a little, and I liked what he had brought, I would take somemore. It rapidly grew dark, and I returned on deck with a melon undermy arm, which I pretended was rotten, and intended to have changed.Seeing the boat still alongside, holding the melon I slipped down intoher, and was followed by the owner, who had been trying to sell morefruit on deck. Sitting by him, I began to talk in my fashion, and whenno one was looking slipped a dollar into his hand and pointed to theshore. He at once nodded to show that he understood me. We waited, andI pretended to be bargaining about the melon while it grew darker anddarker, and then when no one was looking over the side, lay down amongthe fruit baskets, pulling some of them over me. My friend continued toremain alongside, and I daresay if anyone had enquired for me, he wouldhave handed me back, but as good luck would have it, I was not missed,and at last, he and his men shoved off and began to paddle towards theshore. Even then I did not feel safe, for I feared that the mate mightmiss me and send a boat to overhaul all the shore boats which hadvisited the brig, and I knew if I fell into the captain's hands, hewould clap me into irons and keep me there till we were at sea again.

  "After we got some distance, the Peruvian crew began to pull faster. Atlength we reached the shore. The master, when we landed, shook my hand,to show that he intended to be my friend, and led me away to his house,which was at some distance from the shore. I made him understand that Idid not wish to go back to the ship. He replied that it would be saferfor me at once to go into the interior, where the captain would notthink of looking for me. I saw the sense of this, and after I had hadsome supper we set out. I gave my friend another dollar, which pleasedhim mightily, and I told him by signs that I was ready to work in hisgarden, or anything of that sort on shore, not that I at any time had afancy for digging.

  "We travelled for some hours on muleback, till we reached a farm on theside of a mountain. I found that it belonged to my friend's brother.After matters had been explained to him he received me very kindly, andI was soon at home in his house. I helped him about the place as I hadpromised, and had a tolerably easy life of it; for though I worked twiceas hard as anyone else, that was not much, seeing that the Spaniards arenot addicted to over-tire themselves. My host had a daughter, though Icannot say much for her beauty, for she had a dark skin, and was shortand fat, but she took a fancy to me, and so thinking I could not dobetter, I offered to splice her. Her father, who was glad to get me toassist him, and wished to keep me, consented.

  "Accordingly, we were married in the church they went to. The priestasked me if I was a Catholic, and I said I was ready to be anything heliked, on which he replied he would soon make me one. There was a grandfestival, and a number of priests and people collected, and they took mein among them and made the sign of the cross upon me, and so I wasturned into a Catholic. I suppose that I was a very good one, for Iused to attend church with my wife and go to confession to the priest,though as I told him all my sins in English, not a word of which heunderstood, he could not have been much the wiser; but that, I suppose,didn't matter, as he absolved me notwithstanding. I was thus lookedupon with great respect by our neighbours, and got on very well with mywife."

  CHAPTER TWO.

  "I had been a good many months in the place when my father-in-law,thinking I was securely moored, began to give me more and more work,which I didn't like. However, I lived on pretty contentedly, but stillI had a wish for a sniff of the sea air, and to feel myself once more onthe moving ocean; not, to be sure, that I had not felt the ground moveunder me, for we had had two or three earthquakes, when not a few houseshad been thrown down, and the ground tumbled and tossed, and here andthere opened, as if ready to swallow us up.

  "I took French leave of my wife, for I was afraid she would stop me; butwhen I reached Callao I sent word to her by her uncle that I hoped to beback soon, after I had collected no end of dollars to buy her a newdress, and keep the pot boiling.

  "I hadn't made up my mind what to do when I saw a whaler in the harbour.I thought if she was likely to remain in the Pacific for some time, andshe wanted hands, I would make a trip in her, on condition that I was tobe landed at Callao before she returned home.

  "She was an American, only out a few months, and having lost severalhands, the captain was very glad to get me. I hadn't been long on boardbefore I began to wish myself back with my wife. It was much harderwork than I expected, especially when we got into the southern oceanamong the icebergs. Those spermaceti whales, too, are savage monsters,and will often turn on a boat and try to capsize her.

  "I was pretty well nigh losing my life on one of those occasions asseveral of my shipmates did theirs. We had chased a big bottle-noseright up to an iceberg, and had stuck two harpoons into his back when hesounded. He was making for the berg, we thought, and if he got under itwe should have to cut the lines, and lose him and the harpoons.Presently the lines slackened, we hauled in upon them, when suddenly uphe came not half a cable's length from us, blowing away with all hismight. We dashed on, when round he turned, and with open mouth cametowards us.

  "`Back all,' was the cry, but before we could get out of his way hestruck the bow of the boat with his nose, sending it up in the air, andjerking several of us overboard. The next moment with his huge jaws hemade a grab at the boat. Seizing a stretcher I sprang as far as I couldout of his way, and struck out for my life. The shrieks of my shipmatesand the cracking of the ribs and timbers of the boat sounded in my ears,but I had enough to do to take care of myself, even to turn my head fora moment. I swam on as fast as I could. Fortunately for me, theaccident
had been seen from the ship, and another boat was coming to ourassistance. It's a wonder the savage whale didn't attack her, butprobably he had had enough of it, while the harpoons in his back musthave troubled him not a little. I was soon picked up, and two otherswere found floating, but the rest of the boat's crew had either sunk orbeen crunched to death between the whale's jaws. He had been watchedfrom the ship, which made sail in the direction he had taken. In theevening a spout was seen in the distance, the boat shoved off, andbefore nightfall we had the very whale which had attacked us in themorning, fast alongside with tackles hooked on, and the blanket pieces,as we called the blubber, being hoisted on board.

  "That trying-out is curious work to those who have never seen it. Alongthe decks were the huge tripods, with fires blazing under them, and thecrew standing round begrimed with smoke