"Now That We Are On Shore," Said Dunmore, "Let Us Make A Billy Full Of Tea;
It Won't Take Long.
Here, you boys, get 'em like 'it waddy to make 'em
fire."
The troopers and Lizzie dispersed in quest of fuel; Ferdinand walking up
the bank of the creek, where he was soon lost to sight. A loud coo-eh from
that direction soon brought us to the spot from whence it issued, and we
found the boy staring at several pieces of timber sticking out of the sand.
"Big fellow canoe been sit down here," he said, on our approach, and
examining the protruding stumps, we soon saw enough to convince us that the
boy was right, and that we were in the presence of a vessel, wrecked, or
abandoned, Heaven only knows how many years ago. With our hands, with pint
pots, with a spade we had brought with us - mindful of the difficulty we
had experienced in finding a resting-place for poor Cato - with every
utensil, in fact, that ingenuity could devise, we set to work clearing away
the sand that had accumulated round the old ribs. Suddenly, the tin rim of
one of the pots gave back a ringing sound, as if it had struck against
metal, and in less than a minute, a much rusted cannon-shot was exposed to
view, and passed round from hand to hand. It was of small size, weighing,
perhaps, five pounds, though its dimensions were evidently much decreased
by the wasting action of damp.
"By Jove!" said Dunmore, "perhaps she was a Spanish galleon, and we shall
come across her treasure. Won't that be a find, eh, old fellow?"
"She's more likely a pirate," I answered, as visions of the old buccaneers
floated through my brain; and Edgar Poe's fanciful story of the "Gold
Beetle" occurring to me, I sung out, "Whatever you do, keep any parchment
you stumble across," and abandoned myself to thoughts of untold wealth,
whilst I wielded a quart pot with the energy born of mental excitement.
"My word! that been big fellow sit down like 'it here," cried Ferdinand,
who, lying on one side, had his bare arm buried at full length in the sand.
"I feel him, Marmy, plenty cold."
We rushed to the boy's assistance, and speedily scraped away the shingle,
until an old-fashioned gun was exposed to view; it was coated and scaly
with rust to such an extent, that we were unable to form any idea as to its
age or nationality. It would most probably have been a twelve or
eighteen-pounder howitzer, for it was about four feet in length, and
disproportionately large in girth; but one of the trunnions, and the button
at the breech, were broken off, the portion that had lain undermost had
entirely disappeared, and the remainder was so honeycombed, that beyond
ascertaining that it was a piece of ordnance, we could elicit nothing from
this curious relic of a bygone generation.
Further search brought to light several more round-shot, but in the same
state as the first, and we noticed that in several places the timbers were
burnt, most probably by the natives, or the crew themselves, for the sake
of the copper bolts.
What a number of melancholy recollections are awakened by the discovery of
a forgotten memorial of the past, such as this nameless wreck; and if those
old timbers could have spoken, what a strange record of hopes unfulfilled,
and high adventure unachieved, would have been disinterred from the dark
storehouse of the past! That the vessel came in her present position by
accident, could hardly be supposed. More probably, having struck on the
Barrier Reef, or on some of the hidden coral shelves with which this sea
abounds, she had been taken into this secluded creek for repairs. Cook,
the great circumnavigator, careened his ship at a spot not far distant from
this; but we were unanimously of opinion that this vessel must have become
embedded long prior to his time. Not only was the framework some distance
from the present bed of the creek, but it was raised considerably above the
water level. That the eastern coast of Australia is slowly rising from the
waves is well known, for in the neighbourhood of Brisbane valuable
reclamations have been made within the memory of living men; but at least
two centuries must have elapsed to account for the altitude attained by
this old craft. Our regret was great at getting no more certain
information, but although we persevered in digging until sundown, no casket
of jewels, no bags of specie, and no mysterious parchments rewarded us; and
with the darkness we were compelled to abandon our search, rather angry at
having wasted several valuable hours to such little purpose.
As it would have been madness attempting to cross the bar before daylight,
we hauled the boat up on the beach, and made ourselves comfortable for the
night. About one o'clock, the trooper who was on watch,awakened us with
the news that there was a light out at sea. We thought at first it could
only be some blacks in their canoes, spearing fish by torchlight, but it
gradually drew nearer and nearer, until at last we could distinguish the
distant sound of voices, and the faint rattle of the iron cable as it flew
out through the hawse-hole.
"Some coasting craft, I suppose," said Dunmore.
"Most probably, but we shall find out in the morning;" and we were soon
again in the land of dreams.
Before daylight we had finished breakfast, and by the time the sun rose,
were in the whale-boat, pulling towards the new arrival. She was a dirty,
weather-beaten, nondescript-looking little craft, half fore and aft
schooner, half dandy-rigged cutter, and the look-out on board was evidently
not very vigilant, for we had almost arrived alongside, before a black head
showed over the gunwale, and, frightened at seeing a boat-load of armed men
in such an unexpected spot, poured out a flood of shrieking jargon that
would have aroused the Seven Sleepers, and which speedily awoke from their
slumbers the remainder of the crew.
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