‘It was when he was really gone up into the mountains with his Europeans that a fourth ship of ours, the Cowslip, Michael McPhee, appeared in the offing. I signalled to her not to cross the bar, and sent off one of our Kanaka hands with a message, telling McPhee to water at Eeahu, Puolani’s harbour, if necessary, and then to pelt down to Sydney Cove like smoke and oakum and tell them how we were being used.
‘Before Kalahua returned a couple of big pahis came in, one of them belonging to an old friend of mine, a very good friend, an Oahu chief, last from Molokai in the Sandwich Islands, and I learnt why Kalahua was so confident. He was expecting the Franklin, a heavy privateer carrying twenty-two nine-pounders, sailing under the American flag but manned by Frenchmen from Canada and Louisiana: and to be sure, though Kalahua had kept his white men from us, I had seen something of them and they certainly spoke French among themselves or when they saw me a damned odd sort of English. And I heard that the French owner, who had been in Hawaii picking up hands, was a man who could not keep quiet, who had to be talking, and he had told a handsome Marquesas girl, half French herself, that he did not value Kalahua a pinch of snuff, an odious fellow, false through and through, and that as soon as the two sides, north and south, had weakened one another enough, Kalahua should be knocked on the head, Puolani’s war-canoes (her chief strength) should be destroyed with a couple of broadsides and that Moahu, at the wish of its people and of those surviving chiefs who knew what was good for them, should be declared a French possession. The natives would be taught to cry Vive I’Empereur, which was fair enough, since it was the French government that had put up the money for the ship. But once the war was over there would be quite a different regime, with equality for everyone, all property held in common, justice, peace and plenty – everything settled by discussion.’
‘That puts a different face on the matter,’ said Jack, thinking of Stephen with great relief.
‘Yes, sir. So I posted a sentinel to watch for the Franklin. There was nothing to be done about the Truelove. She was hove down right in the village and in any case the tide would not serve: but Trumper of the Heartsease and I prepared our ships as well as we could, though we only had what you expect in merchantmen. And that same evening the sentinel came hallooing down – there was a ship in with the land, making for the harbour under an easy sail. We had been delayed so long the trades were blowing again: the wind was north-easterly, but by the grace of God there was just enough north in it to let us scrape past the south headland close-hauled. Heartease went first, and she got off with no more than a hole or two in her topsails, but the Franklin cracked on to make all sneer again, throwing a bow-wave as wide as her fore-course and ranging up fast – the Daisy was never built for speed – and he gave us a broadside that killed our carpenter and his mate and shattered the boats on the boom. As cruel a broadside as ever I saw, and I thought if this goes on I shall have to strike. But it was only luck: his next went overhead and before
he could fire again – damned slow, I may say, by your standards, sir – I had the satisfaction of seeing his fore topmast go by the board. I like to think it was the stern-chaser I had just fired that cut the backstay but it was more likely an absurd overpress of sail. Any gate, he came up into the wind, and he had not the command of his helm to follow me through the dog-leg passage in the reef.”
The way had been coming off the frigate for some time now, and Wainwright, glancing at the shore, said ‘Speaking of channels, sir, perhaps I should show your helmsman just how this one lies: we are quite near, and it is no good following the pahi – they never can believe we draw so much water.’
On deck Jack found that they had indeed come very close to the reef. There were leadsmen in the chains on either side; Davidge was on the fore topsail yard conning the ship; Pull-ings had hands at the braces and halliards, with the anchor dangling a-cockbill.
‘Captain Wainwright will take her in,’ said Jack to Pollings, and Wainwright, guiding himself by familiar landmarks, set about the awkward turns with such obvious competence that all hands relaxed.
All hands, that is to say, except the medical men and Clarissa Oakes: for her part she had never supposed that there was any danger, and her whole being was taken up with the shore, its brilliant coral strand, its coconut-palms leaning in every direction, their fronds streaming with infinite grace, the village of wide-spread little houses among irregular fields and gardens, a path leading into the green forest. Maturin’s and Martin’s eyes and telescopes, on the other hand, were fixed upon the whaler, lying close in-shore, leaning heavily; she had a stage over her side.
‘I believe it is an ancient murrelet,” said Stephen. ‘I saw it on the water.’
‘How can you speak so, Maturin,” said Martin. ‘An ancient murrelet in these latitudes?’
‘It is certainly an auk,’ said Stephen, following its rapid whirring flight. ‘And I am persuaded it is an ancient murrelet.’
‘See, see,’ cried Martin. ‘It circles the ship. It lands in the foretop!’
The frigate had passed through the channel and she was gliding gently towards the whaler. Wainwright brought her head to the wind, called ‘Let go,’ the anchor splashed into the sea – that welcome, welcome sound – and the Surprise drifted on with the making tide, paying out a good scope of cable, and bringing up in a comfortable five fathom water so close to the whaler that the bird could clearly be seen, watching them with every appearance of curiosity.
‘If you will come across and dine with me, sir,’ said Wainwright, ‘I will finish my account. I am so sorry I cannot invite your officers, but the Daisy’s cabin is crammed with the more valuable bales from the Truelove, and there is barely room for even two to sit down.’
‘I should be very happy,” said Jack, ‘but first may I beg you to ask Pakeea to tell his people they must not come aboard until he gives the word? Mr Davidge, my gig. Captain Pullings, I am going aboard the whaler: there is to be no trading for curiosities until the ship has been victualled.’
While the boat was lowering down Stephen, from the gangway, said ‘Captain Aubrey, sir, I appeal to you: is not that bird on the edge of the whaler’s front platform – top – foretop – an ancient murrelet?’
‘Why,’ said Jack, considering it, ‘I am no expert, as you are aware. But perhaps it does look a little elderly. Can it be ate?’
‘Certainly it is an ancient murrelet, Doctor,’ said Wainwright. ‘It is our surgeon’s ancient murrelet Agnes. He brought her up from the egg. If you would like to come across with us, I am sure he would be happy to show her to you.’
‘I will not importune you at the moment, sir,’ said Stephen, ‘but I have a little small skiff of my own, and with your permission I shall wait upon the gentleman somewhat later in the day.’
‘And so, sir – a trifle of crackling?’
‘If you please,’ said Jack, holding out his plate. ‘How I love roast pork.’
‘And so, sir, having left the Franklin astern, I ran as fast as I could to catch up with Heartsease: but that was not very fast, because the privateer’s unlucky broadside had caught us on the heel, well below the waterline, and with the larboard tack aboard the water came spurting in like three conduits under anything more than close-reefed topsails.
In any case, the weather turned thick and dirty that night. We never saw the Heartsease again though we kept pegging away with all the sails she could bear, pumping all day and most of the night. We managed to f other the worst of the leaks for a while and stuff some of the rest inboard, but heavy seas undid all our work after some ten days or so, and the hands were dropping with fatigue, so I was obliged to haul up for Annamooka. But how I hope the Heartsease reached Sydney Cove!’
‘She did,’ said Jack, ‘and in consequence of her report I have been sent to deal with the situation. I am now proceeding to Moahu with all possible dispatch.’