Afloat at Last Part 21

The wind and current being both in our favour, and the moon rising soon after sunset, we were able to fetch Anjer Point in the middle watch and got well within Java Sea by morning. Next day we pa.s.sed through Banca Strait by the Lucepara Channel, keeping to the Sumatra coast to avoid the dangerous reefs and rocks on the east side, until we sighted the Parmesang Hills. After that we steered north by east, by the Seven Islands into the China Sea.

So far no incident had happened on our nearing land, which all of us were glad enough to see again, as may be imagined, after our now nearly three months confinement on board without an opportunity of stretching our legs ash.o.r.e, the only terra firma we had sighted since leaving England having been Madeira, the Peak of Teneriffe, and the rocks of Martin Vas; but now, as we glided along past the lovely islets of the Indian Archipelago, radiant in the glowing sunshine, and their atmosphere fragrant with spices and other sweet odours that concealed the deadly malaria of the climate, a new sensation of peril added piquancy to the zest of our voyage.

On pa.s.sing the westernmost point of Banca, as the channel we had to pursue trended to the north-east, we came up to the wind and then paid off on the port tack; when, just as we cleared the group of islands lying at the mouth of the Straits of Malacca to windward, we saw a large proa bearing down in our direction, coming out from behind a projecting point of land that had previously prevented us from noticing her.

"Hullo!" I exclaimed to Mr Mackay whom I had accompanied from aft when he went forward on the forecastle to direct the conning of the ship, motioning now and again with his arms this way and that how the helmsman was to steer. "What a funny-looking vessel, sir. What is it?"

"That's a Malay proa," replied he. "They're generally ticklish craft to deal with; though, I don't suppose this beggar means any harm to us in such a waterway as this, where we meet other vessels every hour or so."

"Do you think it's a pirate ship?" I asked eagerly, "I should like to see one so much."

"More than I should," said he with a laugh; "but I don't suppose this chap's up to any game like that, though, I think, all the Malays are pirates at heart. He's most likely on a trading voyage like ourselves, only he's going amongst the islands while we're bound north."

However the proa did not bear away, either to port or starboard, nor did it make for any of the cl.u.s.ters of islands on either hand; and, although it was barely noon when we had first noticed her, as night came on, by which time we were well on our way towards Pulo Sapata, running up to the northwards fast before the land breeze that blew off sh.o.r.e after sunset, there was the proa still behind us!

It was very strange, to say the least of it.

Nor was I the only one to think so; for the hands forward, and among them Tim Rooney, the boatswain, had also observed the mysterious vessel, as well as taken count of her apparent desire to accompany us.

"Bedad she ain't our frind, or, sure, she'd have come up an' spoke us dacintly, loike a jintleman," I heard Tim say to the sailmaker, outside the door of his cabin in the deck-house. "She's oop to no good anyhow, bad cess to the ould thafe, as sure as eggs is mate; an' may I niver ate a pratie ag'in if I'm tellin' a lie sure, for I misthrusts them Malay raskils jist as the divil hates howly wather!"

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE TAIL-END OF A TYPHOON.

"But I allers heard them Malay chaps are awful cowards," said Adams, continuing the conversation. "You never sees 'em singly, their pirate proas, or junks, allers a sailing with a consort. I ought ter know; 'cause, 'fore I ever jined Cap'en Gillespie, I wer in a Hongkong trader; and many's the time we've been chased by a whole shoal of 'em when going to Singapore or along the coast."

"The divil ye have," interposed Tim. "Ye niver tould me that afore, Sails, how's that?"

"I didn't recomember at the time, bo; but now, as that feller is a follering us astern, in course, I thinks on it. There're a lot of them piratical rascals in these waters; but you should go to the back of Hainan to see 'em in their glory, the little creeks and bays there fairly swarms with 'em!"

"Adams!" called out Mr Mackay at this juncture; "Adams!"

"Aye, aye, sir," quickly responded the sailmaker, stopping his talk with Tim Rooney and walking up nearer to Mr Mackay. "Here, sir."

"I want you to go in the chains with the lead," said the other, turning round and speaking confidentially to old "Sails," as Adams was generally termed by his intimates amongst the crew. "There's no man in the ship I can trust to for sounding like you; and it's necessary for us to know what sort of water we're in till we clear all these islands and get into the open sea."

"Aye, aye, sir," answered the sailmaker, who, besides his more distinctive calling, was an experienced seaman, proud of being selected from the rest for such a duty, disagreeable and monotonous though it was. "I'm quite ready, sir."

Thereupon, going back to the boatswain's cabin, where he was provided by Tim with the lead-line and a broad canvas belt, he proceeded to climb over the bulwarks into the fore-chains, fastening himself to the rigging by placing the belt round his waist and hooking it on to the lower part of the shrouds--this arrangement holding him against the side of the vessel securely and at the same time enabling him to have his arms free to use for any other purpose.

Adam's next operation was to swing the lead-line with the weight attached backwards and forwards, like a pendulum, until it had gained sufficient momentum, when he slung it as far forwards as he could, letting the coil of the line which he had over his arm run out until the way of the ship brought it perpendicularly under him; when, hauling it up quickly, and noticing how many fathoms had run out before the lead touched the bottom, he called out in a deep sort of sepulchral chant, "And a half-five!"

"Ha!" exclaimed Mr Mackay, "I thought we were shoaling. Keep it going, Adams."

"Aye, aye, sir," replied the other, swinging the lead as before when he had coiled up the slack and preparing for another throw; adding presently as he had gauged the depth again, "By the mark seven!"

"That's better," cried Mr Mackay; calling out at the same time to the helmsman as we nearly ran over a small native boat crossing our track, "starboard--hard a starboard!"

Adams, however, went on sounding mechanically, not minding the movements of the ship, his sing-song chant varying almost at every throw; and, "By the deep nine" being succeeded by, "And a quarter ten," until the full length of the lead-line, twenty fathoms, was let out without finding bottom.

"That will do now, you can come in," cried Mr Mackay on learning this--"we're now all right and out of danger. Aft, there, steer east- nor'-east and keep a steady helm, we're now in open water and all's plain sailing!"

It took us three days to pilot up to the Natuna Islands, only some three hundred and fifty miles north of Banca, the south-westerly wind which we had with us generally falling slack in the middle of the day, and the land breeze of a night giving us the greater help; but, still, all the while, the suspicious proa never deserted us, following in our track like a sleuth-hound--keeping off at a good distance though when the sun was shining and only creeping up closer at dark, so as not to lose sight of us, and sheering off in the morning till hull down nearly on the horizon.

We had got almost accustomed to the craft by this time and used to cut jokes about it; for, as we were continually pa.s.sing other vessels bound through the straits, it was obvious that even had the intentions of the proa been hostile it would not have dared to attack us at sea with such a lot of company about.

However, on our getting abreast of Saddle Island, to the north-west of the Natuna group, behold the proa was joined by a companion, two of them now being in our wake when morning dawned and we were better able to see around us. We noticed, too, that this second craft was built more in junk fashion with large lateen sails, and it seemed to be of about five hundred piculs burthen, Mr Mackay said, the size of those craft that are usually employed in the opium trade.

Matters began to look serious, it really appearing as if the beggars were going to follow us all the way up the China Sea until they had an opportunity of attacking us when there was no chance of any other vessel being near!

"Let us stand towards them, Mackay and see what they're made of--eh?"

said Captain Gillespie, after squinting away at the two craft behind us.

"I'm hanged if I like being dodged in this way."

"With all my heart, sir," replied the other. "But, I'm afraid, as they're well up in the wind's eye they can easily keep out of our reach if they don't want us to approach too near them."

"We'll try it at any rate," grunted out "Old Jock," sniffing and snorting, as he always did when vexed or put out. "Stand by to 'bout ship!"

The watch at once ran to their respective stations, Tom Jerrold and I with a couple of others attending to the cross-jack yard.

"All ready forrud?"

"Aye, aye, sorr," shouted back Tim Rooney from the forecastle, "all ready forrud."

"Helms a-lee!"

The head sheets were let go as the captain roared out this order, the jib flattening as the vessel went into stays.

"Raise tacks and sheets!" cried Captain Gillespie, when the foretack and main-sheets were cast off just as his next command came--"Main-sail haul!"

Then the weather main-brace was hauled taut and the heavy yard swung round, the Silver Queen coming up to the wind with a sort of shiver, as if she did not like turning back and retracing her course.

However, so "Old Jock" willed it, and she must!

"Brace round your head yards!" he now sung out; and the foretack was boarded while the main-sheet was hauled aft, we on the p.o.o.p swinging the cross-jack yard at the same time, the captain then calling out to the helmsman sharply, "Luff, you beggar, luff, can't ye!"

And now, hauled up as close as we could be, the ship headed towards the strangers; steering back in the direction of Banca again as near to windward as she could forereach.

It was "like trying to catch a weasel asleep and shave his whiskers,"

however, to use Tom Jerrold's words; for the moment the proa and her consort observed our manoeuvre and saw that we were making for them, round they went too like tops, and sailing right up in the wind's eye, all idea of pursuit on our part was put entirely out of question within the short s.p.a.ce of five minutes or so--the Malay craft showing that they had the power when they chose to exercise it of going two knots to our one.

"Begorra, I'd loike to have a slap at 'em with a long thirty-two, or aven a blissid noine-pounder Armstrong," cried Tim Rooney, as vexed as "Old Jock" was at the result of this testing of the Silver Queen with her lighter heeled rivals to windward. "I'd soon knock 'em into shavin's, by the howly poker, I wud!"

"It's no good, as you said," sniffed out the captain, with a sigh to Mr Mackay, evidently cordially echoing the boatswain's wish, which he must have heard as well as I did, for he stood just to leeward of him.

"Ready about again, stand by, men!"