Without Waiting For The Captain, (For There
Was No One On Board But The Mate And Steward,) He Sprung Into
The boat, called the Kanakas together, and tried to put off.
But the Kanakas, though capital water-dogs, were frightened
By
their vessel's being adrift, and by the emergency of the case,
and seemed to lose their faculties. Twice, their boat filled,
and came broadside upon the beach. Jackson swore at them for
a parcel of savages, and promised to flog every one of them.
This made the matter no better; when we came forward, told the
Kanakas to take their seats in the boat, and, going two on each
side, walked out with her till it was up to our shoulders, and gave
them a shove, when, giving way with their oars, they got her safely
into the long, regular swell. In the mean time, boats had put off
from our ships and the whaler, and coming all on board the brig
together, they let go the other anchor, paid out chain, braced the
yards to the wind, and brought the vessel up.
In a few minutes, the captains came hurrying down, on the run;
and there was no time to be lost, for the gale promised to be a
severe one, and the surf was breaking upon the beach, three deep,
higher and higher every instant. The Ayacucho's boat, pulled by four
Kanakas, put off first, and as they had no rudder or steering oar,
would probably never have got off, had we not waded out with them,
as far as the surf would permit. The next that made the attempt was
the whale-boat, for we, being the most experienced "beach-combers,"
needed no help, and staid till the last. Whalemen make the best
boats' crews in the world for a long pull, but this landing was
new to them, and notwithstanding the examples they had had, they
slued round and were hove up - boat, oars, and men - altogether,
high and dry upon the sand. The second time, they filled, and had
to turn their boat over, and set her off again. We could be of no
help to them, for they were so many as to be in one another's way,
without the addition of our numbers. The third time, they got off,
though not without shipping a sea which drenched them all, and half
filled their boat, keeping them baling, until they reached their
ship. We now got ready to go off, putting the boat's head out;
English Ben and I, who were the largest, standing on each side of
the bows, to keep her "head on" to the sea, two more shipping and
manning the two after oars, and the captain taking the steering
oar. Two or three Spaniards, who stood upon the beach looking
at us, wrapped their cloaks about them, shook their heads, and
muttered "Caramba!" They had no taste for such doings; in fact,
the hydrophobia is a national malady, and shows itself in their
persons as well as their actions.
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