The Reef of Gold. A story of the South Seas

Preface

To write a readable story for boys is not, upon tbe face of it, a very ambitious literary effort. Yet (greatly loving the youngsters) such has long been my ambition, and I bave found leisure to attempt carrying it into effect. ' Tbe Golden Reef ' is a tale of travel and adventure pure and simple, given in tbe simplest language at my command. And, whatever its shortcomings, one little merit I may claim for it. I have myself travelled over every yard of sea and land traversed by the adventurous gold-seekers (with the exception of the run from Cooktown to Valparaiso) , and I have visited every place touched at by the schooner Maybloom. For the local descriptions I can therefore vouch. A great many of the incidents are, moreover, based upon facts, either within my own experience or that of persons whom I have known intimately.

It is, I am aware, sometimes urged that stories of PRE FA CE VI this sort convey no moral, and tend to unsettle boys' minds for the stay-at-home careers that await most of them. I do not think so. A record of manly adventure is always a good tonic for youthful brains ; and I think that even the brief lesson in geography involved in following the schooner's devious course round the world is quite sufficient instructive justifica tion of a book primarily written to amuse. Wherein, as myself an ''.r-headrnaster, I claim to sjieak advisedly. MAURICE H. HERVEY. London, September, 1894. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE

PREFACE.

...... V I. A FAMILY COUNCIL - - - - - 11 II. IN WHICH MANY IMPORTANT MATTERS ARE SETTLED 31 III. ' ALL ABOARD, SIR I' - - - - - 51 IV. THE ' MAYBLOOM ' GIVES A TASTE OF HER QUALITY - 80 V. MADEIRA AND A BLACK BRIG - - - 93 VI. ' RUNNING THE EASTING DOWN ' - - - 104 VII. THE BURNING SHIP ----- 114 VIII. THE LAND OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE - - - 123 IX. IN CORAL SEAS .... - 128 X. THE ISLAND OF THE GOLDEN REEF - - - 153 XI. A NIGHT ATTACK ..... 159 XII. THE SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN REEF - - 173 XIII. FOUND AT LAST ..... 184 XIV. THE BATTLE OF THE MOUND - - - - 197 XV. AFTER THE BATTLE ----- 209 XVI. A VALUABLE FREIGHT .... 220 XVII. A NARROW SHAVE ----- 235 XVIII. THE LAST OF THE BLACK BRIG - - - CONTENTS 1 ei.

CHAPTER XIX. ABE GASKETT SMELLS

A RAT— AND ERNEST CATCHES IT 262 XX. THE MUTINY ------ 274 XXI. COOKTOWN .----- 288 XXII. HOMEWARD BOUND - 31e> XXIII. VALPARAISO ------ 319 XXIV. ACROSS THE ANDES - 328 XXV. CAPE HORN ------ 351 XXVI. A SPELL OF GOOD LUCK - 357 XXVII. WEDDING CHIMES - - - - - 371

Appendix

NOTE A. — WATCHES AT SEA - - 383

APPENDIX.

NOTE B. — GOLD IN ISLANDS - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IT WAS A HUGE DORSAL FIN ' - - - Front isj'lrrr HE PROCEEDED TO FORCE OPEN THE LID ' - To face p. 18 ' THAT SHOULD BE THE SHIP ' - - - ,,61 ' A LARGE THREE-MASTED SHIP BLAZING FIERCELY FROM STEM TO STERN' ,, 116 ' JUMPED OVER THE EARTHWORKS AND SPEARED TWO OF THE SAILORS ' - - - ,, 204 SHOOTING PARROQUETS ,, 250 '"BACK, YOU SONS OF DOGS !" CRIED THE CHIEF mate' -----„ 277 HOMEWARD BOUND - - - - „ EEEF

Chapter I

A FAMILY COUNCIL. Wednesday, October 21, 1S86, had been cmite a day of excitement at Maybloom Villa, West Hoe, Ply mouth ; and very naturally so, too, for was it not the twenty-first birthday of Jack Hammond, the hope and the pride of his family? What a fuss his widowed mother and his pretty sister, Violet, had made over him ! And how boisterously his younger brothers had proclaimed the fact far and wide that ' our Jack is a man now !' Then, too, there had been such countless visits from friends and neighbours, all vying with each other in their good wishes for his future happiness ; and there had been documents to be signed in the presence of old Mr. Jamieson, the lawyer, with quite a heap of other formalities to be got through. But, perhaps, most memorable of all had been Uncle Dan's speech after dinner, wherein such kind things had been said and such glow ing forecasts of Jack's future career indulged in, that Mrs. Hammond had wept for very content ment, and the hero of the hour had felt quite un comfortable to hear himself so belauded.

Well, it was all over now ; the last guest had departed ; and the family was assembled around the cosy drawing room fire discussing the events of the day. Let us glance at them thus assembled. Mrs. Hammond, as has been said, was a widow, her husband, a captain in the merchant service, having died some six years previously, leaving her with a family of three sons and one daughter, and moderately well provided for. Mrs. Hammond was one of those rarely-gifted women who contrive to be companions, as well as mothers, to their children, and who, in return, are rewarded with their boundless affection, confidence, and respect. In all their joys, as in all their youthful sorrows, she was ever a ready and eager sharer ; and a more united family did not exist in the length and breadth of England. By her side sits Jack, in whom she may well feel all a mother's pride in her first-born.

Tall, strong, well made, with a handsome tanned face, short, curly brown hair, and remarkably intelligent, bright gray eyes, he was as fine a specimen of a manly young English sailor as one need wish to see. He had followed in his father's footsteps in his choice of a profession, and, young as he was, already held a first mate's certificate. His only sister, Violet, three years his junior, was universally considered to be one of the prettiest girls in Plymouth, and, what was more important still, was as good as she was pretty. The two other boys, Frank and Ernest, were aged fifteen and twelve respectively. Frank was destined for the profession of an engineer, whilst Ernest bade fair to become, like Jack, a sailor. The thick-set, good-humoured-looking gentleman seated in the corner is Uncle Dan Gibson, Mrs. Hammond's only surviving brother, and quite a remarkable personage in his way.

When still a mere lad, Dan, obeying the instincts of a roving tempera ment, had gone abroad and for a great number of years appeared to have wandered all over the world. Certain it is that he could talk by the hour about well-nigh every country known, and had seen life in most of its phases. He had been a walrus-hunter in the Arctic regions, a gold-miner in California, a whaler in the Southern Ocean, a coffee-planter in Brazil, a sheep-farmer in New Zealand, besides many other different things at various times and places. He had done pretty well, too, considering that he was such a ' rolling-stone,' and he had finally found his way back to England, where he proposed to end his adventurous days. When Captain Hammond died, he had accepted his sister's offer to take up his quarters at Maybloom Villa, where he had remained ever since, falling quite naturally into the position of bachelor-uncle, and an immense favourite with his nephews and niece.

Mrs. Hammond had had another brother, George Gibson, who in his day was quite as confirmed a wanderer as Dan, and concerning whom some very queer stories had at one time been told. It was rumoured that he had engaged in some very question able speculations, and it was even asserted that he had openly embarked in the slave-trade. However, he had died, some years before our story opens, in Aus tralia, and although Uncle Dan was believed to know much about him, his name had ceased to be mentioned save at very rare intervals. As the evening wore on, Uncle Dan became unac countably fidgety, as though he had some weight on his mind, and did not well know how to get rid of it. Several times he coughed in a preliminary sort of way, just as he had a habit of doing before he narrated one of his adventurous yarns, but for once he appeared unable to make a start.

The two boys saw what was in the wind and drew closer to their uncle in anticipa tion. Master Ernest's impatience at length found vent in words. ' Hurrah !' he cried. ' Uncle Dan's going to wind up all the fun with a rattling good story ! That's the style, uncle. Give us one with lots of fighting and plenty of narrow escapes in it.' Uncle Dan patted the boy's curly head and glanced half inquiringly at Mrs. Hammond, who smilingly said : ' Why not, brother ? Your stories are always such a treat for tbe children, and I dare say that Jack, man though he now is, has still a sailor's love for a yarn.' ' Especially for Uncle Dan's yarns,' assented Jack cheerfully. ' So heave ahead, uncle.' ' Well, you see, Matilda,' replied Dan, ' what I have to tell is no ordinary narrative, and it may lead to results of the very greatest importance to Jack and to you all.

It concerns our brother George.' A slight shadow passed over Mrs. Hammond's face. She shared the common belief that no good news could be expected in connection with her late brother's name. 'It is quite clear to me,' went on Dan, 'that I ought to tell Jack all that I know on the subject, because George, before he died, expressed a strong wish that I should place a certain box, which he sent me, in the hands of his eldest surviving nephew upon his attaining the age of twenty-one years. That box, consequently, now belongs to Jack, and all I have to do, in the first instance, is to explain how it came into my possession. My only doubt is, whether Frank and Ernest are old enough to listen to a family secret without repeating it afterwards.' Both boys emphatically proclaimed their perfect trustworthiness, and, as Jack good-naturedly decided in their favour, they were allowed to remain.

Where upon Uncle Dan proceeded : ' Before I came to live with you here, I one day accidentally heard of George's exact whereabouts ; but I also heard enough to induce me to keep the discovery to myself. Why? Well, suppose we say that he was engaged in a trade against which people in this country entertain a strong prejudice?' 'A pirate!' exclaimed Ernest. 'Fancy a boy having a real live pirate for an uncle and never being told of it!' ' Not quite so bad as that, my lad,' said Uncle Dan gravely. ' Take my word for it, pirates have always been a pitiful lot of scoundrels. However, to set your mind at rest, I'll tell you. Your uncle George was engaged in recruiting Kanakas for plantation work, openly embarked in the slave-trade. However, he had died, some years before our story opens, in Aus tralia, and although Uncle Dan was believed to know much about him, his name had ceased to be mentioned save at very rare intervals.

As the evening wore on, Uncle Dan became unac countably fidgety, as though he had some weight on his mind, and did not well know how to get rid of it. Several times he coughed in a preliminary sort of way, just as he had a habit of doing before he narrated one of his adventurous yarns, but for once he appeared unable to make a start. The two boys saw what was in the wind and drew closer to their uncle in anticipa tion. Master Ernest's impatience at length found vent in words. ' Hurrah !' he cried. ' Uncle Dan's going to wind up all the fun with a rattling good story ! That's the style, uncle. Give us one with lots of fighting and plenty of narrow escapes in it.' Uncle Dan patted the boy's curly head and glanced half inquiringly at Mrs. Hammond, who smilingly said : ' Why not, brother ? Your stories are always such a treat for the children, and I dare say that Jack, man though he now is, has still a sailor's love for a yarn.' ' Especially for Uncle Dan's yarns,' assented Jack cheerfully. ' So heave ahead, uncle.' ' Well, you see, Matilda,' replied Dan, ' what I have to tell is no ordinary narrative, and it may lead to results of the very greatest importance to Jack and to you all.

It concerns our brother George.' A slight shadow passed over Mrs. Hammond's face. She shared the common belief that no good news could be expected in connection with her late brother's name. 'It is quite clear to me,' went on Dan, 'that I ought to tell Jack all that I know on the subject, because George, before he died, expressed a strong wish that I should place a certain box, which he sent me, in the hands of his eldest surviving nephew upon his attaining the age of twenty-one years. That box, consequently, now belongs to Jack, and all I have to do, in the first instance, is to explain how it came into my possession. My only doubt is, whether Frank and Ernest are old enough to listen to a family secret without repeating it afterwards.' Both boys emphatically proclaimed their perfect trustworthiness, and, as Jack good-naturedly decided in their favour, they were allowed to remain.

Where upon Uncle Dan proceeded : ' Before I came to live with you here, I one day accidentally heard of George's exact whereabouts ; but I also heard enough to induce me to keep the discovery to myself. Why? Well, suppose we say that he was engaged in a trade against which people in this country entertain a strong prejudice?' 'A pirate!' exclaimed Ernest. 'Fancy a boy having a real live pirate for an uncle and never being told of it!' ' Not quite so bad as that, my lad,' said Uncle Dan gravely. ' Take my word for it, pirates have always been a pitiful lot of scoundrels. However, to set your mind at rest, I'll tell you. Your uncle George was engaged hi recruiting Kanakas for plantation work, and although the occupation was a legal one, it would not be thought quite respectable in England. Well, George had clone pretty well ; he had invested nearly all his savings in a large labour-schooner, and had decided very shortly to retire from the business, when a terrible disaster occurred.

His vessel struck a reef off one of the islands near New Guinea, and became a total wreck. He and the crew got ashore in the ship's boats, and after a time the crew decided to put to sea, hoping to be picked up, or to make the Australian coast. He, on the other hand, determined to remain on the island, resolved, if need be, to live and die there, but trusting, of course, more or less, to the chance of some day sighting a passing vessel. An abundant supply of provisions was landed from the wreck, and the crew sailed away. One of the boats was subsequently lost. The other was picked up by a labour-schooner and the crew landed at Cook town, in Queensland. Upon her next voyage, she called at the Island, found George alive, but extremely ill from malarial fever. He was taken on board, and landed at the same port.

There, shortly afterwards, he died from the effects of the fever and of the hard ships he bad undergone. But before he passed away he wrote to me an account of all that I have just told you, and added that he was sending me, by the captain of a Londonbound ship, the Calliope, a box and a letter of instructions as to its destination. ' In due course the Calliope arrived, and I received the box and the letter, which I will now read to you.' And so saying, Uncle Dan took from a bulky pocket book a not very clean-looking epistle, adjusted his .1 FAMILY COUNCIL 9 spectacles, and, with a very perceptible quiver in his voice, read as follows : ' " Cooktown, Queensland, Australia, '"July 5, 1882. "I, George Gibson, master-mariner, being now near the hour of death, do hereby entreat of my dear brother Daniel Gibson to give effect to my last dying wishes.

The box which I transmit, by the kindness of my friend Captain Moore, of the Calliope, I desire to be regarded as the property of the eldest son of my dear sister, Matilda Hammond, who may attain the age of twenty-one years. Therein will be found such remnants of wealth as recent misfortunes have left me, together with certain information concerning, and specimens of, a golden reef by me discovered upon Sud-Est Island, in the Louisiade Archipelago, as will, I trust, raise him and his to a position of affluence denied to me. And I earnestly exhort my said dear brother and my said nephew to obey my instructions to the letter, since, were any hint of my discovery to leak out, the reef would speedily become the prey of strangers and adven turers. As a precaution, I have used cipher to indicate the exact position of the reef — a cipher easily read by any third-form T. G. S. boy.

But the very existence of the gold must remain unsuspected, and that is why I have so exactly indicated the plan to be followed. ' " I pray that the work may have a speedy and successful issue, and that good use may be found for the wealth now hidden from human sight. ' " George Gibson." A dead silence of several minutes followed the reading of this strange message from the dead. Mrs. Hammond was weeping silently, whilst Uncle Dan found it necessary to blow his nose with considerable vehemence. Who shall say what memories ven; passing through both their minds of bygone days, when they and George had played as children together ? Jack was the first to speak. ' It is all so strange and so sudden,' he said, ' that I, for one, am not sure that I quite understand. Uncle George died apparently in the full belief that his discovery upon the island was of immense value, and I, as head of the family, am authorized to take advantage of it.

So much seems clear. But what proof have we that the whole affair was not the mere fancy of a brain unsettled, perhaps, by the privations which he had undergone? What about the box, Uncle Dan ? Have you got it ?' 'Yes, Jack,' was the reply; 'it is upstairs, beneath my bed. It was more than I could manage to carry alone. However, if you like we'll bring it down between us. The contents should give a fair idea as to the trustworthiness of George's narrative.' Uncle and nephew accordingly left the room, and presently reappeared bearing between them a small, massive, and heavy wooden chest, securely nailed, and fastened by hoop-iron bands. The two' boys scampered off to fetch the necessary tools, and then all eyes were riveted upon the young sailor as he proceeded to force open the lid. In this task he at length succeeded, and there was a general craning HE PROCEEDED TO FORCE OPEN THE LID.

Tj face page 16. forward of heads to behold the contents. First Jack drew forth a layer of matting, then some dry grass, then two cardboard boxes, one addressed to his mother, the other to his uncle. Below these he found a good-sized packet, carefully sewn up in oil-skin ; whilst last of all were several large lumps of dark coloured stone. The box addressed to Mrs. Hammond proved to contain a really fine collection of pearls, which were pronounced by Uncle Dan, no mean authority on such matters, to be of considerable value. To him his brother had sent his gold chronometer and chain. The oilskin packet bore no inscription. Jack handed it to his sister, who with a pair of scissors soon laid bare the contents — some closely-written manuscript, a bundle of crisp-feeling documents, and a lump of bright gold about the size and shape of an average walnut.

Jack held up the manuscript. ' Shall I read this now, mother dear ?' he asked. ' Doubtless it will explain everything. But perhaps you have had enough excitement for one evening ?' Gentle Mrs. Hammond kissed her son's forehead. ' As you please, Jack. I think, at all events, that Frank and Ernest are too young to listen to any further revelations ; and, besides, it is past their usual bedtime.' Her slightest wish was at all times law to her children. It must have been a grievous disappoint ment to the two boys to miss the end of the story so interestingly begun ; yet they cheerfully obeyed at once. ' You are quite right, Matilda,' said Uncle Dan, as soon as they were gone. ' Indeed, I am not quite sure that it was wise to speak of the matter before them. However, you and Violet may as well hear the end.

Go ahead, Jack, my lad.' And thus adjured, Jack read on : ' Cooktown, Australia, 'August 3, 1882. '"My dear but unknown Nephew Hammond, " ' My brother Daniel will no doubt already have given you some idea of the circumstances which attended my last voyage, of how I lost my schooner, exiled myself for several months upon Sud-Est Island, and finally returned here, as I feel but too surely, only to die. He cannot, however, have told you all that it is needful you should know, and I now add the necessary information. First of all, you will have found, together with this paper, some Queens land Government securities and a gold nugget. The securities are worth £1,600 (all that now remains of my savings), and are intended to help you to put into execution my plans for enriching yourself and all the family.

The nugget comes from the Golden Reef, as do also the pieces of sandstone, which, I may at once tell you, contain from ten to fifteen per cent, of pure gold " ' ' What !' exclaimed Uncle Dan, hastily interrupting the reader, ' gold in sandstone ? Never in all my twenty years' experience of mining have I heard of such a thing ! I'm afraid, Jack, that your idea was correct when you suggested that poor George's brain had become unhinged. It's staggering enough to hear of gold on a small island, but in sandstone! Impos sible ! However, let us hear how George got the idea into his head.' ' " And when I furthermore tell you that there are several reefs or veins of this auriferous sandstone upon the island, you may guess wdiat the discovery is worth. I made it, almost by accident, during one of my daily rambles inland.

I have several times in my life accompanied prospecting parties ; and as prospect ing for gold is an occupation that a man seldom entirely abandons when once he has taken it up, I usually took a tin dish and a light spade, as well as my gun, with me in my walks. One day chancing to pick up a piece of brown-looking stone, I fancied it seemed rather heavy. I therefore took it with me to the rude hut where I lived, and there I pounded it down fine, and, mixing it with water, proceeded to " pan it out." By this process the gold (if there is any) remains behind " ' ' Hold hard a minute !' said Uncle Dan ; ' for I don't think any of you know what "panning out" means. No? Of course not! How should you? Well, I'll tell you in a few words. You make mud of the stuff y*ou want to test by pouring water over it into your dish, which you twirl gently, so as to give a circular motion to the mud, which compound you gradually allow to swill away over the side of the dish.

Then you add more water, and repeat the process. By-and by your mud will have nearly all been washed away, what remains being the heaviest ingredients of the stuff you are testing. In the end you will only have the gold, or such other heavy substances as may be present. Of course, you do not expect to find much gold, merely sufficient " colour," as it is termed, to prove the existence of the precious metal. It is a difficult operation to perform well, and needs considerable practice ; but you all see the idea ?' Uncle Dan was thanked for his timely explanation, and Jack resumed : ' " The gold remains behind. Well, it did remain behind, and in sufficient quantity to satisfy me that the sandstone was very rich stone indeed. Now, the common belief is that gold exists only in or near quartz, so that my results were the more surprising, whilst confirming what I had heard about the famous Mount Morgan deposits, which are also sandstone and also auriferous." ' 'By George, yes !' cried Uncle Dan, becoming more and more interested ; ' I've heard of them.

George may be right after all.' ' " I repeated my rude experiments," ' pursued Jack, ' " a number of times, and always with similar results, leaving me no room for further doubt. Strange to say, however, only at one place could I find any of this gold-bearing sandstone, which cropped out of the ground in one wide and several smaller veins. This is the Golden Reef to wdiich I have referred, and which should, with proper precautions and enterprise, make you all as rich as you can possibly care to be. The spot is at a distance of about two miles from " ' Here Jack paused, staring hopelessly at the manuscript. ' What's the matter, Jack?' asked Violet, who manifested an interest in the narration second only to Uncle Dan's. ' Is that all? Just at the most essential part, too !' ' No, Vi,' replied Jack ; ' it's not all ; but I can't make head or tail of what follows.' And he handed the manuscript round for inspection. ' My dear,' said Mrs. Hammond, ' this portion is in cipher, and is no doubt what was referred to in poor George's letter to your uncle Dan.

See here, lower down, it goes back to plain English again.' 'So it does,' assented Jack. 'Well, we shan't trouble about the cipher for the present. Listen : " The exact place is plainly described in the above cipher, to which the key will be found in my letter to Daniel. He is not likely to forget where we two went to school, nor how we used to write messages to one another." ' A faint smile came over Uncle Dan's face. ' Poor George ! ' he said softly ; ' he was always devising new plans for hoodwinking the masters. I cannot at the moment remember this particular device, but I'll undertake, with the bint he has given, to worry out that cipher.' Jack resumed : ' " Until I was attacked with fever, and felt myself daily growing weaker, I had intended, should I ever succeed in leaving the island, to return with a crew of Kanakas, and work the valuable deposit, every ton of which I estimated to be worth at the least £8,000.

(I now know, by actual analysis, that it is worth considerably more.) I therefore took great pains to mark down its exact position ; and I also rigged up several yards of trade calico, upon some high ground, as a signal to passing vessels. But when at last the liberating schooner did call for me, I was too far gone to enter tain any hopes of eventual recovery. It was then that I made up my mind to communicate my discovery to my brother, in order that the enterprise might pass into the more youthful hands of one of my sister's children. At Cooktown I very cautiously had some specimens which I had brought back assayed. Two pounds weight of the sandstone yielded the nugget which I Bend herewith, and which weighs two ounces six pennyweights. The remainder of the specimens (I could not take a great weight with me, for fear of arousing suspicions) are in the box.

Weigh them, have them assayed, and judge for yourself of the result. ' " Now, I can scarcely suppose that any young man in his senses will be so foolish as to neglect the golden opportunity which I have thus placed in your way. I enjoin upon you, moreover, to consider yourself as representing, in my eyes, the interests of all the other members of the family. It is my wish that you, as the eldest, and as taking the lead in the enterprise, should also benefit the most largely ; your share I therefore fix at one-third of the total amount made out of the deposit. One-sixth is to go to your mother, one sixth to my brother Daniel, and the remaining one third is to be divided equally between your brothers and sister. ' " Finally, there remain to be considered the details of your voyage : ' " 1. If, as I suppose, you are a sailor, like your father and myself, you will naturally prefer to go out in your own vessel.