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A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
a
WORKS BY LOUIS BECKE
THE EBBING OF THE TIDE : South Sen Stones. Large Crown 8vo, Cloth, 6s.
BY REEF AND PALM {Autonym Library). Preface by the Earl of Pembroke. Third Edition. Paper, is. 6d. ; Cloth, 2s
1
Bi/ Lieut J. Cook. Commander of^
SuMaJeitiis btirli {he ^NBEArOUR.
1770,
London: T. Fisher Unwin, Paternosteb Square, E.G.
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY.
A HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED NARRATIVE OF CERTAIN REMARKABLE ADVENTURES COMPILED FROM THE PAPERS OF SERGEANT WILLIAM DEW OF THE MARINES
LOUIS BECKE
AMI
WALTER JEFFERY
HonUon T. FISHKR UNWIN
PATERNOSTER SQUARE Mdcccxcvi.
[yf// Rights reser'ved.']
PREFACE
The Editors of this narrative, some months since, received from Mr W. J. Dew the journals of his grandfather. Sergeant Dew, with the request that if they were hkely to be of interest to the pubhc, the Editors would put them into the form of a book and have them published.
The papers were submitted to the Editors, whose names appear with this work, on the ground that one of them is a personal friend of the present Dew family, and both of them are well acquainted with the localities and the events referred to by the Sergeant.
Sergeant Dew, before his death, left instruc- tions that should his descendants at any time determine to make public his remarkable narra- tive, everything that could possibly cause pain
vi PREFACE.
to any person living might be withheld from the printer.
As a matter of fact, the Editors found nothing in the papers the publication of which could cause anyone a moment's feeling of annoyance ; but any attempt made now to disguise the principal characters in the story would be futile, for the New South Wales Government has pub- lished, in a work called 'The Historical Records of New South Wales ^ nearly every fact here related.
In fact, a short account of the Bryants' escape — so far as the official knowledge of it goes — is to be found in most of the so-called histories of the Colony.
This being the case, the Editors determined to give the narrative as it stood, with only one reservation, and that is in the case of the name of Fairfax, which name is a fictitious one ; for the family whose ancestor was the officer who is known in the book under this name, might possibly object to being thus brought before the public. Some slight alterations have also been made in the English portion of the narrative in order to disguise the exact locality of the early scenes in Mr Dew's life.
PREFACE. vii
It is only fair to the Editors to reproduce here a part of Mr Dew's letter, written by him, after reading the MS. of the work : —
* You have performed your task in a manner very gratifying to me. I quite agree with your change of
's name to Fairfax, and with your change of
locality. I see you have corrected some of my grand- father's English and spelling. He was a little weak in the last particular, and some of his English would, of course, be too much out of date in these days of foreign words. — I am, yours gratefully,
W. J. Dew.'
The Editors express their indebtedness to the Historical Records above mentioned, and to Mr Barton's volumes in particular, for much information which enabled them to verify facts and dates in this narrative. The conspicuous ability of Mr Barton's work has enabled them to gain a knowledge of Phillip and his principal officers that, taken with Sergeant Dew's papers, has portrayed to their minds a vivid picture of the men. The necessity for curtailment, and the lack of ability on the part of the Editors, are the excuses offered to the reader, if he, when he has read this book, has not a fair idea of what manner of men they were. T'he Historical Records of New South Wales are largely indebted to
viii PREFACE.
Philip Gidley King, Esq., M.L.C, of New South Wales, for much of what is published in them relating to King. The present Mr King is a grandson of Lieutenant King, and he very generously presented his country v/ith many of his grandfather's papers. These documents have been of great use in preparing Mr Dew's narra- tive. Much that is purely history in Sergeant Dew's Journal has been of necessity omitted from this narrative ; but if sufficient interest is taken by the public in what is here printed, plenty ot material is contained in the Dew papers to make another book of the Sergeant's early adventures, in which the matters related would bring to light many things never before published.
Sir Henry Parkes, while this was being pre- pared for the press, was severely attacked by certain 'patriotic' members of the New South Wales Assembly for having ordered from Eng- land a statue of Phillip, to be erected in Sydney.
It may appear strange to English readers that while there is more than one statue of Cook in Sydney, it is scarcely known to the majority of the Australian people that Phillip was the man
PREFACE. ix
who founded their country and that Cook was never inside the Heads of Port Jackson.
The school histories of the Colony are be- neath notice, and the few men who have written anything of the country's early days, such as Bonwick, Bennett, or Barton, are never read. It is safe to say that not one man in a thousand 1 as the remotest idea of the early history of New South Wales, beyond the fact that a number of convicts were transported to it something over a hundred years ago. Great injustice has been done to the early founders of the Colony by forgetting them ; greater injustice still is too often done to them when they are remembered. For what has hitherto been written and read about the very early days has been, with few exceptions, stories depicting the cruelties of the punishments in- flicted upon the convicts. The felons have always been the heroes and the authorities the villains of the piece. Nearly everyone who has written has followed the lead of Marcus Clarke. The result is that his powerful novel, and true enough picture of one side of the case — His Natural Life — has been the only point of view most readers are acquainted with. As a con-
X PREFACE.
sequence, the men have been mistakenly blamed for the errors of the system, and no allowance has been made for the times in which the events described took place. A maudlin sympathy with the convicts has become the only impres- sion too many people have of the times ; they have no thought for such men as Phillip and King, whose great hearts conquered the pre- judices of their times and strove to look upon their duties as less those of gaolers than reformers. And, above all, everyone seems nowadays to have overlooked the fact that the men who came prisoners to this country in the very early days were, for the most part, criminals who had forfeited their lives to their country's laws. In a word, they had, as they put it among the class from which they were drawn, ' got into trouble,' and we are apt, so great is our sympathy for these prisoners, to forget that no one asked them to do so. For it was only the ancestors of persons now living who were sent out for poaching and political crimes and such like trifles. Everyone who knows Australia must have learned that all the convicts who are remembered by people at this end of the century were really quite decent
PREFACE. xi
people ; the records show that those who came in the last century were generally the worst of felons.
If this narrative of a man who lived among these people, and saw them as it were from two points of view, does not enable readers to look at both sides, as Sergeant Dew did, and if the story lacks interest, it is not the fault of Sergeant Dew's journal.
THE EDITORS.
Sydney, June^ 1895.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PACE
Solcombe, . . . . . . i
CHAPTER II Mary Broad, . . . .7
CHAPTER III
I am Persuaded by Will Eryant to become a Man of Mettle, . i8
CHAPTER IV
The Evil that Befel Me in following Bad Advice, . . 23
CHAPTER V
I make a Start in the World honestly, and Mary Broad Proves
her Love for Will Bryant, . . .30
CHAPTER VI I meet with a Startling Adventure, . . -37
CHAPTER VII
I am again Fooled by the Smugglers, . . .49
CHAPTER VII I
The Fleet for the Colonisation of Botany Bay, . . 57
CHAPTER IX
Concerning some Incidents that happene<l on the Voyage, . 68
xiv CONTENTS
CHAPTER X
PAGE
I hear Tidings of Mary Broari and Will Bryant, and We arrive
at the Cape of Good Hope, . . .76
CHAPTER XI
A Marriage Scheme is arranged which does not altogether meet
with my Approval, and We arrive at our Destination, . 90
CHAPTER XII Botany Bay, . . . . -97
CHAPTER XIII I take a Small Part in a very Important Ceremony, , . 103
CHAPTER XIV
Will Bryant and Mary Broad are Married, . .110
CHAPTER XV
The Settlement at Port Jackson, . . .116
CHAPTER XVI
Showing how a Rogue led Captain Phillip to look for Gold, and
how Matters progressed at the Settlement, . .122
CHAPTER XVII Merit rewarded, . . .131
CHAPTER XVIII
The Sirius has a Bad Time and We return to Sydney Cove, . 137
CHAPTER XIX
Some Description of our Town and the Sore Straits we were in
for Food, . , . . .142
CONTENTS XV
CHAPTER XX
PAGE
We see the Last of the Sirius, and I get a Great Reward, . 14S
CHAPTER XXI
We spend » Weary Time on a Lonely Island, . .157
CHAPTER XXII
The Second Fleet arrives and We hear News from Home, . 163
CHAPTER XXIII
The Lieutenant and Myself meet with a Great Disappointment, and I make the Acquaintance of the Dutch Captain of the Waahamheyd , . . .168
CHAPTER XXIV
I talk with Captain Smith of the fVaaksamheyd, and a Breach of
the Regulations is committed, . . . 175
CHAPTER XXV
A still Greater and very Daring Breach of the Regulations is com- mitted by Will Bryant and his Gang, . .183
CHAPTER XXVI I am Homeward Bound, . .188
CHAPTER XXVII
I meet with a Great Surprise at the Cape of Good Hope, and
Lieutenant Fairfax loses His Dignity, . . 192
CHAPTER XXVIII Mary begins Her Story .... 109
CHAPTER XXIX
The Beginning of a Strange and Hazardous Enterprise, . 207
xvi CONTENTS
CHAPTER XXX
PAGE
A Voyage along the Shores of New Holland, . . 212
CHAPTER XXXI
Mary 's first Punishment overtakes Her, . . . 220
CHAPTER XXXII
The Fugitives pass through many Terrible Dangers and arrive
at Coupang, in the Dutch East Indies, . . 227
CHAPTER XXXIIl
A very Heavy Punishment is meted out to Mary, and the
Fugitives again become Prisoners, . 236
CHAPTER XXXIV I arrive in England, ..... 243
CHAPTER XXXV Affairs at Solcombe, ..... 247
CHAPTER XXXVI
Mr Fairfax pays a Flying Visit, and John Butcher sends in a
Petition, . . . . .251
CHAPTER XXXVII
I hear Good News at last, . . . • ^55
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Mr Fairfax surprises Me very much, and I begin to associate
with People of Quality, .... 259
CHAPTER XXXIX
Miss Fairfax outdoes Her Brother in surprising Me, and a very
Great and Happy Event brings my Story to an End, . 264
Postscript, , . . , . 269
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
CHAPTER I
SOLCOMBE
To you, my dear children, who have as yet experienced no privations and know not the true dreadfulness of a life of great hardship, I leave this record of your father's early career. May it serve to bring to your minds, when those about you too readily judge harshly of their fellow-men, that all, even the humblest and poorest, may, if they steadily do their duty, rise to a comfortable station in life and win the respect of those whose respect is worth the winning.
That you may be able to follow your father's fortunes from his earliest youth down to that happy time when he was able to return from his foreign adventures and settle, a prosperous man, in his native country, I have added to my diary such particulars as my now failing memory and the recollections of my old comrades supply me with.
2 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
In the old family Bible which, as children has so often afforded you, with its pictures, a pleasant and proper Sunday afternoon's entertainment, you will find on that leaf where your names are written this entry : —
'William Dew, born February 28, 1764.'
It would be no good for me to pretend to be younger than I am, for, with the excellent schooling you have had, you could very easily cypher out my age. Your grandfather was a good, honest farmer, with a fine turn for smuggling — as who had not in our little village in those days ? In truth, as is well known, smuggling was carried on among all conditions of people who lived on the English coast and in the Isle of Wight J not only the fishermen but the small farmers, and even the big squires and landed gentry — some of whom held His Majesty's Commission of the Peace — had a hand in the contraband trade. Indeed, if all we hear be true, the art of landing a keg of good brandy under the noses of the Preventive Service is not yet lost upon the island.
Let me try and describe Solcombe as it was in those days, and you can see for yourselves if it has as much altered as the men and women are changed who live in it.
Solcombe — where some of you, as well as your father and grandfather, were born — lies at the back of the Wight, which is the side of the island nearest to the
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 3
French coast, and when I was a boy the farms there- about ran down almost to the water's edge — that is to say, to the ledges of the high chalk cliffs which formed a boundary wall and shut out the sea from sight, though in heavy weather its salt spray was flung high upward in drenching showers upon the gardens of the villagers. On a rough winter's night in the Channel, the roar of the breakers, as they smote the steep-to cliffs in all their unchecked fury, would shake the houses of the village, and strike terror to the hearts of those women in Solcombe — and there were many — who had their men-folk away at sea. Sometimes, especially when the force of the wind had broken a bit, the wild clamour of the beating surf could be heard half-way across to the other side of the island. Beating like this for ages against the cliffs, the sea had hollowed out of them many a dark and winding cavern, some of which ran far back into the very bowels of the land. And on both sides of Solcombe every little inlet and indentation on the coast-line gave a harbour to the smugglers for running their cargoes, and the natural caves provided glorious warehouses for French brandy and bales of fine silk and other gear sought after by grand ladies who cared but little that such things sometimes cost blood and death besides the money paid for them. In these caves the smuggled goods would remain till favourable opportunity came for either selling them on the island or sending them away across the Solent to where they would be
4 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
quickly disposed of to people who lived by smuggling alone.
Difficult of access by land — save in rare cases — and familiar only to the dwellers in their near vicinity even by sea, these smugglers' storehouses were seldom dis- covered by the Preventive Service men ; but occasion- ally an informer would betray the intention of the smugglers to run a cargo, and then, perhaps, a desperate fight would follow, and more than one poor fellow would lose his life doing his duty, and a few prisoners would be manacled and gyved, and marched away and committed to Winchester Gaol.
George the Third was king in those days, and the war with the rebellious American colonists was loom- ing up, though no one, as I have since heard, ever thought it would prove such a great and disastrous conflict as it did.
Father had a great notion of giving me some schooling, for he was something of a scholar himself, having in his young days been taught a good deal above his station ; and so I was kept at the village school till I grew to be quite a strapping fellow, and was full sixteen years of age.
The old schoolmaster had at one time been a soldier, and was always telling us boys about the doings at the wars. He had fought with Marl- borough in more than one battle, and was very proud of a scar from a bayonet thrust through his leg. Sometimes, at the village inn, where the talk
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 5
would turn upon the wars that were then going on, he would say to those present that, though it ill- becomed him at his age to boast, yet could he give them ocular demonstration that he had served his country and received honourable wounds ; and then, after some little coaxing, he would show the calf of his right leg, and condescend to drink a pint of ale with the company to the toast of ' God save His Majesty, and confusion to his enemies.'
Those were stirring times, for old England was fighting the Spaniards and the French and the Dutch, besides having on her hands the rebellion of the American colonies and the riots in London. And so it came about that, seeing my head had got stuffed full of silly notions of soldiering and going abroad to fight the king's battles, my father took me from school and set me to help on the farm, in the hope that in following the plough I should forget all about the glory of a red coat and white cross-belts and the rattle of the drum. My mother died just about that time. She was always ailing, and I am afraid that anxiety about me hastened her end, for she was terribly cut up at the way I was bitten with the craze for going a-soldiering.
Even now, after such long, long years, I can some- times see her face, so rough and wrinkled with care, yet so full of tenderness and love, as she clasped my hands in hers, with the death-shadows deepening upon her features, and a strange, yearning look in iier
6 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
fading eyes that brought a quick gush of tears to mine. Her last words to anyone on earth were spoken to me, for after she had, with failing strength, placed her hand upon my father's head as he knelt beside her, she turned to me and with her last breath murmured, ' And God keep you, my son.' Then she gave a long, heavy sigh and closed her eyes for ever.
After the shock of my mother's death had somewhat worn off, I turned again to my work upon the farm, but the only effect that following the plough had upon my mind was to make me continually ponder upon the subject of my wishes all the more. I was in great doubt as to which of two ways of serving the king and gratifying my inclinations was the shortest road to glory, whether it was better to go to sea and fight the Spaniards and French under such a man as Rodney, and return to my native village with a pocket full of prize money, or to seek honour and fortune with the land forces under our generals in the Americas.
CHAPTER II
MARY BROAD
Thus a year or two went by, and I grew less and less inclined to work honestly on the farm, and father grew more and more dissatisfied with me. Sometimes it was in my mind to take a boat over to Portsmouth and put myself in the way of the press-gangs, and thus get sent to sea in such a way that father would be made to believe that it was through no fault of mine ; but yet, I thank God, I reflected that, whatever father might think, my conscience would give me no rest for acting such a lie.
It was about this time that Mary Broad became lady's-maid to Miss Fairfax, the daughter of the Squire of Solcombe, and I, foolish lad, fell in love with Mary the first time I saw her, and thus, with my love for going a-soldiering and love for her, my mind was in anything but a proper condition.
Squire Fairfax lived at Solcombe Manor House, and was the great man in that neighbourhood. He was a widower, with one son and one daughter, and
7
8 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
in appearance was a fine, portly man, with a keen, blue eye and a face that showed his generous heart and hasty temper. The son, Charles Fairfax, was a lieutenant in the Marines at the time that Mary Broad went to live at the Manor House, and I was very jealous of the effect his red coat and gold lace would be likely to have upon the girl.
Mary's father was a young French officer who had been taken prisoner and confined, with several others, in Porchester Castle on the mainland. He was a lieutenant in a Breton regiment, and the Solcombe folks, when he came to live among them, much as they disliked foreigners, said he was a fine, big, handsome man, and he quickly made friends with the Solcombe people when he was released. As he came of a Huguenot family, no one was sur- prised at a Solcombe girl falling in love with and marrying him. Yet, such is religious prejudice, that when he died, soon after his daughter's birth, the village folks said it was a judgment upon his wife for marrying a man who, although a Protestant, was yet a foreigner. His proper name was not Broad, but this is what his English neighbours made of it, and so, after a time, the family were known as the Broads, and Mary always wrote her name in this way. After her husband's death, Mary's mother got a living by her needle, sewing for the fine ladies who were friends of and visited the Fairfax family, and contrived to give her daughter some
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 9
little education, as education went in those days. Then they came over and settled at Newport, and Mrs Broad opened a little shop, in which Mary served, and in which I used to spend a great deal of my pocket money, for no other reason than for the pleasure of being served by so fair and sweet- looking a young shop-woman.
Old as I am now, I have never forgotten her strangely handsome face and graceful figure. She was so different from the other young girls round about, that her manner, as well as her beauty, attracted notice. Her fatherw as, as I have said, a very hand- some man, and she had all his dark eyes and hair, and quick, short manner of speech, and even to Squire Fairfax she preserved a demeanour that, while not quite wanting in respect to such a gentleman, was yet by no means sufficiently humble and proper for one in her condition of life.
Miss Charlotte Fairfax was a spoilt young lady in those days, with a great will of her own, and her father was so bounden to her by his great affec- tion that she could do as she liked with him. One day, when she was in Newport, she went into Mrs Broad's shop to purchase some lace, or such-like women's fal-lal, and caught sight of Mary.
' Mercy me,' says she, ' what a pretty girl ! And, pray, who are you, child ? and where do you come from ? '
Now, the word ' child ' was not to Mary's liking.
lo A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
for she tossed her head and gave no pleasant an- swer, although she knew who it was who spoke to her. Then Mrs Broad stepped into the shop and explained who they were, and the upshot of it was that Mary went into service at the Manor House as lady's-maid to Miss Charlotte, and in a few weeks began to look more beautiful than ever, by reason of the better garments that her mistress clothed her with.
The Squire's daughter was then about two-and- twenty years of age and Mary eighteen. The young lady was a fair-haired and blue-eyed beauty, with a great many silly notions in her head, and a fine contempt for the country life she was leading, and the few opportunities it afforded her to show off the airs and graces she had learned from her grand cousins who lived in London.
She soon made a confidant of Mary, and, indeed, treated her more as a friend than a servant, and I believe that Mary's natural resolution and serious, determined nature soon dominated Miss Charlotte's weaker character, and that in name only was pretty, yellow-haired Miss Fairfax her mistress.
Indeed, 'twas this strong, determined nature of hers that made Mary Broad go through so much future misery with calm, unswerving fortitude for Will Bryant — as you will see before I come to the end of this journal.
The Bryants were well known in Solcombc,
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY ii
although they lived a few miles from the village. They came of Irish folk, and were not much liked in the neighbourhood, for the Isle of Wighters thought that the Bryants, being Irishers, must be in secret sympathy with the French, and, as was natural and proper, we hated the French in those days, and were active in showing it, too. Why, I remember, long years afterwards, when there came some fear of Bonaparte landing on the south coast and conquering the country, and making us either turn Papists or let our throats be cut, we formed volunteer companies — that is, we served without pay — to defend the island. There is a story that one day a poor monkey that some sailor had brought home from foreign parts was given by him to an innkeeper in payment for his score. The creature escaped, and was captured late at night somewhere near Shanklin, by some ignorant rustics, and hanged in the belief that the poor animal was a French spy. Of course this story may not be true, and I have my doubts about it ; but, however that may be, we were very jealous in our hatred of the French, and, indeed, of people who were suspected of having sympathy with them, and the Isle of Wight rustics, to the present day, are very ignorant. Fortunately, the Bryants were Protestants, and, by reason of this, were not so much suspected and disliked as they would have been had they been Papists, and just at this particular time wc did not happen to
12 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
be quite so bitter against the French, and had not the fear of Bonaparte attempting a landing as we had later on.
The Bryant family, father, mother and two sons, were either always smuggling or poaching, and the eldest son, William — the only one who has anything to do with this narrative — was the most notorious and daring smuggler on the island. He pretended to get his living as a waterman plying between Ryde and Portsmouth, but precious little work he did in that way. But — and this galled my jealous mind greatly — he had served a commission in a king's ship at one time, and had been one of a cutting-out party which captured a big French privateer belonging to St Malo, as she lay at anchor off" the French coast. Many a yarn he would tell of his adventures, and this and his fine figure and great strength made him very popular with men and women both. And then, besides, he was a man ever free with his money, and I believe that this had much to do with the hold he gained upon the affections of Mary Broad.
One autumn afternoon in the year 1786, I was walking moodily along the ledge of one of the high cliffs, looking out seawards and thinking what I would give to be the captain of a frigate that was in sight bowling down Channel before a nine-knot breeze, when, as I turned my eyes landward again, I saw Mary coming towards me.
'Ah,' thought I, 'to be Captain William Dew,
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 13
R.N., and to have Mary to wife ! What more could man desire ? ' and then I hastened towards her.
I saw by the turn of her eye that she was not over pleased to see me, for she made as if to walk away in the other direction, but I hastened towards her, and, seeing this, she waited for me.
* Are you frightened of me, or do you dislike me so much that you cannot even stop to speak to me, Mary ? ' I asked ; and the figure of Will Bryant being in my mind made me speak somewhat wrath- fully.
' Frightened, indeed ! William Dew,' quoth she, and her black eyes flashed and sparkled angrily, *a nice goose I should be to be frightened of a big boy like you.'
* Well, do you dislike me ? And if I am but a big boy, you need not turn away because you happen to see me.'
' No, I don't dislike you. Why should I ? But frightened, indeed ! ' and again she tossed her pretty little head, and drew tighter over her shoulders her scarlet cloak. ' Girls like me are not frightened at over-grown boys who spend their days following their father's plough, drink skim milk instead of good honest ale, and are regular ninnies.'
Now, to be called la ninny angered me, so I answered sharply that even if I was a ninny and followed my father's plough, it ' was better than smuggling and only pretending to work.'
14 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
Her white teeth shone from between her bright red hps in a scornful smile. ' Oh, you are very honest, I daresay ; but if I were a man I wouldn't be such a coward as to be frightened to help land a cargo ; at anyrate, I wouldn't stop all my life idling about a little village. I'd go and see the world like — '
' Like Lieutenant Fairfax, and come back with gold lace on my coat and make love to my sister's pretty maid.'
' No, I don't mean Mr Fairfax, and I am sure, if I did, it would be no business of yours. I was going to say like Will Bryant. So don't be so sharp, Mr Dew.'
This was the way we always talked when we had met lately, for I was very jealous ; but I was no match for her at talking, and where, indeed, is the man who can match himself against a woman when the tongue is the weapon ?
Of course, you will understand that in such a small place as Solcombe, everyone knew his neighbour's business, and the women folk of our village were ever ready to tell stories of one another ; but 'tis the same everywhere, even in London. However, be that as it may, it was the regular talk of the village that young Mr Fairfax had been seen more than once making love to his sister's maid, and, though everyone supposed he was only idling, yet they all said that Mary took him seriously. Now, since those days, I have seen much of the world, and I do not think that one should always believe what women say of one
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 15
another, especially where men's names are mentioned; but yet, at that time, I did suffer much mental tribula- tion as to whether Mary cared for the lieutenant as well as for Will Bryant — for of Will I did think she thought over much, and so, indeed, did others besides me, for the village folk said that Will had gained her heart, and that she only tolerated the lieutenant until the handsome young smuggler was ready to take her to his home.
When first Mary went to the Manor House, she had walked out with me more than once and given me some slight encouragement, but it only lasted a week or two, until Will Bryant came along, and then I saw my chance of gaining her heart was very doubt- ful. Pretty Miss Charlotte Fairfax, as I afterwards learned, had much to do with this, for she was always telling Mary what a fine, brave fellow this dare-devil Bryant was, and how it was a great thing for so young a man to have spitted two French privateersmen, one after another, as he had done, when they cut out the St Malo privateer. And, truth to say, it was no wonder the women admired him, for he was a big, strapping, handsome man, and, for his skill in a boat, exceeded by no man on the island.
But I was resolved that afternoon to have it out with Mary ; and so, presently, I went on, ' You must forgive me, Mary, but I can't bear to see you so friendly with a man whose father holds his head so high as old Squire Fairfax. You know that nothing
i6 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
can ever come of it — the old Squire would never allow it ; and, Mary, dear, I can't bear to think of the unkind things people are sure to say if they see you together so often.'
' Well, I am sure, William Dew ! How dare you preach to me in such a way, as if I were some silly child ? '
' Mary, you know why I talk to you so. You know I love you dearly. If, when you gave me the cold shoulder for the sake of Will Bryant, I had thought he was worthy of you, I would have broken my heart before I would have spoken as I have done ; but now that you speak as if you had thrown him over, as you threw me over for him, just because this gold-laced dandy has chosen to play with you, I must speak to you and speak for your good.'
She took a step forward and her eyes danced and sparkled with angry fire. 'William Dew, I will never speak to you as long as I live. I will never forgive you your impudence. Love me, indeed ! Throw you over, indeed ! Why, you silly, loutish goose, I never thought anything of you ! You clod- hopping milksop. Will Bryant is worth a dozen of you ! Go away like he has done and fight for your country, and try to come home and say that you, too, cut down two bigger men than yourself, as he has done, then you can have something to talk about ; and if you don't come back with a gold-laced coat, you can, at anyrate, be thought a man. No girl
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 17
with any spirit wants to talk to you now. So now, William Dew ! ' and she turned away with a truly fierce look upon her handsome face.
' One word, Mary. Would you think better of me if I volunteered and served a commission in the Ser- vice ? Do you think I should have any chance when I came back ? '
' As to chances, William Dew, I sha'n't say any- thing, because a girl don't know her mind for long, you know ; but if even you had the courage to be a man and see the world, why, of course, everyone would think a great deal more of you.'
Then Mary turned her head and walked away, and left me to ponder on her words. Those words led to most of my misfortunes, for though, poor girl ! I know now she only meant them to give me some sort of proper spirit, I took them as an encourage- ment of another kind, and forthwith resolved to try and be a man more to her liking. And, as I have said before, this led to my undoing.
CHAPTER III
1 AM PERSUADED BY WILL BRYANT TO BECOME A MAN OF METTLE
I HAD now quite determined to enlist in the army or join the navy at the very first opportunity that presented itself, for the taunting words of Mary Broad had more than ever inflamed my mind in the matter. And so that I might become something of a man of the world, and rub off some of my rustic simplicity, I began to spend my evenings in the ale-houses near Solcombe and study the loud talk and manners of those that frequented them.
One evening I was in a tavern at Ryde where I met Will Bryant. We fell a-talking, and in a while our talk came round to Mary Broad. Although I was so jealous of Bryant, he was such a big, good-natured, if idle and dissolute, fellow, that I could not feel very bitter towards him, and the pint or two of ale that he gave me to drink made my tongue somewhat loose. He understood how the land lay with me, and so far from resenting my admiration for his dark-eyed sweet- heart, he seemed to feel a pity for me. Perhaps this
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was because he regarded me but as an over-grown boy, and so, after some little talk, we grew confidential, and before we parted had become quite friendly.
It came about in this way. Will asked me if I had seen Mary of late, ' For,' said he, with a good-natured smile, 'she may have taken more kindly to you this last week or two. I know that the wench has deserted me for a long while.'
Then, all the while in a great fear lest I should rouse his temper and feel the weight of his hand and lead to mischief between him and the other, I told him how Mary was carrying on with young Fairfax.
He leaned back and squared his great chest and laughed heartily, and said, ' Oh, I know what the jade is after. I don't mind that a bit. Young Fairfax is as honest a gentleman as ever lived, and, look you, William Dew,' and there came a curious look in his eye, ' Mary is as good a girl as is in the world. 'Tis only harmless fun they are having, though I know that Master Fairfax really fancies himself in love with the girl and would marry her to-morrow morning if he could get to windward of the old man and talk him into giving his consent. And that he is as likely to get as I am to get the command of a seventy-four. But Mary amuses herself with him, no doubt, by saying she'll marry him when the Squire consents.'
'But don't you think — ' I began, when he inter- rupted me.
' I don't think anything, William, my lad. The
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girl, when she is tired of the game and when he's ofF to sea again, will come back to me once more all right. She's only backing and filling like this for a purpose. I'm in no hurry, but, anyhow, it makes no difference. When I'm ready I shall go and fetch her and marry her, although some people would as lief she married the devil, I believe.'
His easy, confident manner quite dashed my hopes to the ground, for he was such a masterful fellow, and I had seen before this what a great influence he had over her that I felt he was right, and he could marry the girl whenever he had a mind to it.
'But, William,' he went on, 'she's a good girl, and when I do marry her, I'll give her a proper home, and that I haven't got yet. I like my freedom and so does she, and we are in no hurry.'
'You take it coolly. I wish I had your chance. Will Bryant. I'd willingly give up my freedom,' I answered with some bitterness.
'Never mind, my lad. Your turn will come some day, and you'll find a maid who will make as good a wife as Mary, only don't look so down in the mouth. Why don't you take a trip to sea and have a look at the world ? Why, lad, I don't believe that you have ever been further than Portsmouth in your life.'
' You are right. Will. I have seen nothing of life, and I have been no further than to Portsmouth two or three times and to Southampton once. It is not everyone that can get away in a king's ship and cut
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out a French privateer as you have done. I would much like to get a run with some ship to the Indies, but I don't want to join the Merchant Service, and even if I did, there are few merchantmen about these parts, and no captain would care to ship me with so many sailors and fishermen to be had for their money.'
' Save us ! Then why don't you get to learn some- thing in that way ? Come about with us a bit and learn to be handy in a boat. That would be better than following the plough tail and milking the cows all your life.'
By this time we had had another pint of ale and I was quiet pot valiant.
' I would he glad enough to do so,' I said, ' but I am very awkward in a boat, and would only be soundly rated for a fool if you had me in yours.'
' Look here, William, my lad, if you like you can help us without going into a boat. There is a little cargo to be landed not far from Solcombe Bay, and if you are a lad of mettle and care to give us a hand with it, you'll have a chance to pick up a trifle of pocket money, as well as a little experience, that will help to make a man of you.'
' Ah, Will,' I said, ' I know what you mean, but I don't want to mix myself up in any smuggling.'
' Why not ? ' he said earnestly. ' Your own father is one of the buyers of French brandy when it is landed. Why, even Squire Fairfax himself is not above buying
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the goods, so long as we are willing to take the risk of landing them.'
And so it was by clever speeches like this that Will Bryant led me to take part in my first and last smuggl- ing adventure — that is, the last adventure in which I played the part of a smuggler, for it was not the last in which I played a part. But of that hereafter.
CHAPTER IV
THE EVIL THAT BEFEL ME IN FOLLOWING BAD ADVICE
So, a couple of nights later, according to a pot-valiant promise I had made him, I met Will Bryant about a mile from Solcombe, on a lonely spot near the water's edge. It was a very dark night, and though there was no wind, the breakers were showing white in the darkness as they dashed against the high cliffs on either side of the bay on the sandy beach of which we stood looking out to sea. We had come to look out for a lugger, and give her the signal that the coast was clear, and Will Bryant had for this purpose a horn lantern concealed under his oilskin coat.
In all conscience, I was very frightened, for I dreaded that, silent and dark as it was, some of the Preventive men might be about, and that I should be caught in this my first attempt to cheat His Majesty the King.
Presently my companion said, ' It must be nearly twelve o'clock, William. Stay you here while I go up on the clifF with the lantern. I can see the boat
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from there when she comes near. Now, if you hear the slightest sound or see a figure moving about, just walk away quietly up the path and tell me. If any- one should speak to you, answer loudly, so that I can hear, and then I should know that I must warn the lads ofF. I shall be just above your head on the clifF, lying down, and can hear anything.'
I answered in a whisper that I would do as he told me, and then away he went up the path which led to the top of the cliiF, and left me standing, half-frightened out of my wits and peering out into the darkness.
I must have stood like this but two or three minutes, which seemed many hours, when I heard what sounded like muffled footsteps as they trod upon the soft sand, and the sound seemed to come from the path by which Will Bryant had just ascended. I turned and moved away a few paces, thinking that he had come back to give me some more directions.
In an instant, and before I had time to realise what had befallen me, I was seized by the arms, a cloak was thrown over my head and my legs were knocked from under me.
' Ram some of that oakum into his mouth and run him through if he attempts to move,' said someone in a whisper.
' Ay, ay, sir. He's quiet enough,' answered another voice.
I knew what had happened, and I take pleasure to remember that, frightened as I was, my first thought
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was of Bryant and what he would think of me. Would he think I had betrayed him into the hands of the Preventive Service, for they were the Preventive Service, I knew ?
But I had no cause to fear that. ' Drag him into the cave, and you, Ned Bolt, stand over him with your cutlass,' said the officer. ' You, Southgate, go up on the cliff and tell the others to bring the other bird down. Keep both of them gagged, and don't make a noise.'
And then, with cruel roughness, I was dragged into one of several small caves higher up the beach, and soon there came more footsteps and the sound of men struggling with an awkward burden, and Will Bryant was half-dragged, half-carried down the path, and then thrown into the cave beside me.
*Mr Belton, you go up on the cliff with that lantern, and as soon as you see the boat show the light three times in quick succession. When they run her up on the beach, if they hail, just answer "All well," and then come down and lend us a hand j we shall want every man.'
Then I heard Mr Belton walk off, and thought fearfully of what was next likely to happen to me.
The officer give some more orders to his men, and then lit another lantern with his tinder box, and told them to take the cloaks off the prisoners and the gag from my mouth, so that he might have a look at us.
In the dim light I could see about a dozen Pre-
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ventive Service men standing near with their hangers drawn and pistols ready, and poor Will Bryant lay on his back with a lump of oakum crammed into his mouth for a gag, and his arms and legs lashed to keep him from struggling.
As the light fell upon his pale and bleeding features, he turned his eyes toward me with such a deadly look of hatred in them that struck fear into my heart ; but it lasted for but a moment when he saw that I too lay bound and gagged, and then his glance softened, and I knew he felt sorry he had led me into such a sore predicament.
*■ Hullo ! ' said the officer, holding the lantern over our faces, ' I know the pair of you, but I never expected to catch you at this game, young Dew. I thought you were a regular psalm-singing, young clodhopper.'
' It's the first time, lieutenant, I swear it's the first time,' I said tremblingly, for I knew the officer, who was a great, stout man, and quite friendly with my father.
' Oh, of course. But don't pipe your eye about it ; you won't be thought any the more of for whining. As for the other fellow, I know you. Will Bryant, and by the Lord Harry you'll catch it this time I I've wanted you for a long while, my lad ; you're a regular out-and-outer at the game.'
'You'll choke the man, sir,' I said beginning to weep. ' Take the gag out of his mouth.'
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' No fear of that, my pious young friend ; he'll be choked in another way. If I took the gag out, he'd sing out to the boat, which can't be far off now. I know him too well for that ; ' and with that he turned on his heel and went out of the cave.
Presently, he came back hurriedly and spoke hastily in an undertone to his men, and all save one followed him to the beach. The light in the cave had been put out before this and my eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, and so I could see the bundle in the further end of the cave which I knew to be Will Bryant, as well as the face of the man who stood between him and myself with his drawn cutlass.
' Look here, youngster,' said he, * take my advice and keep quiet or I'll run you through the first time you as much as wink your eye, and I'd be sorry to have to do it, for you're a young fellow, and I daresay you've got a mother.'
I began a reply, when he stopped me with a quick movement of his cutlass, as a hoarse voice from the cliff cried ' All well.'
Then I heard the grating of the boat's bottom as she was run up on the sandy beach, and the gruff whispers of the crew. The next moment the voice of the lieutenant rang sharply out on the still air, — ' Surrender, you are my prisoners ! '
A yell of rage was the reply. Then came the clash of steel and several pistol shots, curses and oaths, and the sounds of a deadly struggle, and I lay and trembled
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and wondered how many were killed, and thought of what my father would say when he heard of it all on the morrow, and knew that his son was mixed up in such a terrible affair.
The fight did not last more than a few seconds, but to me, lying bound and helpless, it seemed hours. Then came footsteps and lights again, and a procession of the officers and their prisoners entered the cave.
There were only eight of them altogether, and they were far outnumbered by the Preventive Service men, who had wounded three or four of them slightly, while more than one of their captors was rubbing his head or tying up an arm or a leg, for the smugglers were not the men to be taken without giving hard knocks.
But the affray was nothing serious, and no one was hurt very much, although, to my unaccustomed eyes and ears, a most desperate and bloody battle had been fought.
The smugglers came into the cave cursing and swearing that they had been betrayed, and declaring that Will Bryant was the betrayer ; but when they caught sight of him lying on the ground, bound hand and foot, they understood the wrong they did him.
Presently the officer ordered us to be ironed, and the gag was removed from poor Bryant's mouth. The first words he uttered were in my defence, and greatly endeared him to my mind at the time.
' You have caught us this time sure enough, Mr Lieutenant,' he said, ' but that boy has had nothing
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29
to do with it. I brought him with me for the first time, and he did not know what was going on.'
Then another of the smugglers broke in — a man who, when they had first been brought in, had had his face covered with his neck-cloth to staunch the blood flowing from a wound he had received in the fight. His name was Peter Collis, a near neighbour of ours at Solcombe, and a good-for-nothing fellow.
'What was Dew doing on the beach?' he said. ' He must have played the spy.' And several of the others cried out, ' Yes, yes, he's the informer.'
I was about to angrily protest my innocence of such base conduct when I caught Bryant's eye, and I saw it would advantage me to say nothing.
The lieutenant now ordered us to stow our jaw tackles and keep what we had to say for the magis- trates, and then we were ordered to march. The guard fell in on either side of us with drawn cutlasses in their hands, and we were escorted to a guard-house near Newport, where we were lodged for the remainder of the night, and of all my companions, I think I suffered the greatest misery.
CHAPTER V
I MAKE A START IN THE WORLD HONESTLY, AND MARY BROAD PROVES HER LOVE FOR WILL BRYANT
I WILL not relate in detail all the fear and grief that fell upon me at finding myself a prisoner on such a dreadful charge — as it was to my mind — of ob- structing the King's Revenue Officers in their duty, and the sorrow and shame of my father at finding me in such a perilous situation.
On the morning after our capture, we were all marched, handcuffed in pairs, into Newport, and lodged in the market-place, to be examined by the magistrate. Before entering the magistrate's room, I was taken away separately by one of the Pre- ventive Service men to another room, where my father awaited me.
Meanwhile, the others were taken before the magistrates — Squire Fairfax and our parson — the latter a gentleman who was especially dreaded by any smuggler that happened to be brought before him, as he was a very harsh man, though he loved the brandy that was smuggled well enough. Indeed, so red was his nose, that the fisher-folk used to say
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that it was as good as a riding-light on a dark night. Well, to make a long story short, the eight of them were committed for trial at the next Win- chester Assizes.
As for the talk I had with my father, it was but little. His reproaches stung me so keenly that I could not, for my life, attempt to say much, and was glad when I was marched out again, though sadly ashamed to be had up like a common thief before the Squire and parson. Yet it was most lucky for me that it was Squire Fairfax, for father had seen him that morning, and, whatever it was that passed between them, it made things easier for me. Mr Sharpe, the great Newport attorney, had been engaged by my father to appear and say what there was to say on my behalf.
So he just told the magistrates the truth about the matter, and William Bryant was called for. Will came in, and m a very honest manner took all the blame upon himself for having led me astray, and the Squire gave him a severe talking to for his behaviour. Then Mr Fairfax, taking a pinch of snufF, turned to me and said, —
' I understand, my lad, that you have got mixed up with these law-breakers in a laudable desire to learn something besides following the plough — though that, indeed, is honest labour — in order that you might be of some service to your King and country. I am told that you are anxious to serve His Majesty —
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God bless him ! — and on my making that known to the King's officer, who laid you by the heels last night, I found that he is not anxious to press the charge against you, and so, the sooner you make up your mind, and volunteer for service, the better it will be for you. As for your fellow-prisoners, they were caught in very different circumstances, and it has been our duty to deal very differently with such villains.'
This was a surprise to me, and I muttered some- think, by way of thanks, in reply and left the room. My father followed me out, and in a broken voice said, —
'Well, William, you have your wish, and now you can take yourself off from the old place as soon as you have a mind to it.'
'What does he mean, and how has it all come about ? ' I asked.
And then father explained that he had told the Preventive Officer who had captured us, and Squire Fairfax as well, that I was mad to go soldiering or sailoring, land that this inclination had got me into this scrape.
Then young Lieutenant Fairfax, who was present at the time, remarked, — 'Well, if the boy wants to go and make a man of himself, let him go, and I'll get him enlisted into my company and keep an eye upon him.'
' Well,' said the Preventive Officer, ' I won't stand
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in his way, and won't press the charge, if Bryant gives evidence confirming his story, and if he likes to join the Marines, why, the Squire can acquit him, and the Squire's son can cnhst him, and there's an end of it.'
A week later, and I had taken a sad farewell of my father and his sister — my Aunt Dorothy, who kept house for him — and was on my way to Ports- mouth in a wherry to join the Marine depot. Miser- able enough I felt, I can tell you, as I stepped into the boat in charge of a red-headed, but good-tempered, corporal, who, all the way from Solcombe to Ryde, where we embarked, tried to improve my spirits by telling me stories of the practical jokes played by his comrades on recruits, and warning me to take all in good part, unless I was one who was free with my hands.
My recollections of those days in barracks, and all that befell mc, are few ; but, nothing that did occur there had any influence on my after life. I was not wanting in intelligence, and, indeed, though 'tis I who say it, I was something of a better sort than the young men then enlisting. Thus I soon got out of the awkward squad, and was reported as drilled and fit for duty.
We were then quartered in Weevil Barracks, and Lieutenant Fairfax had returned to duty at the same time as I had joined my regiment, or rather division. The Marines were in divisions, and,
c
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of course, I belonged to the Portsmouth Division, and, by Mr Fairfax's influence, I was drafted into his company. He was a most honourable and generous man, and everything that he could do to encourage me to learn my duty he did, and did in such kindly fashion as made me deeply grateful to him, and anxious to do credit to his teaching.
While I lay in barracks learning to be a soldier, or rather a Marine — for there is all the difi^erence between them, let me tell you — the smugglers were tried at Winchester Assizes, and were all of them, excepting poor Will Bryant, sentenced to five years in prison. But Will, because he received a bad character, was given a sentence of seven years. I thought a good deal of poor Mary Broad when I heard of this, for, said I to myself, the poor girl will be greatly upset at such woful news for her ; but then I took comfort ; and, if the truth was known, was rather glad at heart, as I thought, silly fool that I was, that this gave me a chance still to win her when I came back covered with glory from my first campaign and talking about foreign places and storming parties and the like.
But all these hopes were doomed to bitter dis- appointment, for the next news I heard of Mary proved how little I understood the great courage and affection that lay in her heart for Will Bryant.
One day Lieutenant Fairfax sent for me to his quarters, and I went there somewhat fluttered, for.
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though this young Gentleman, by his kind and con- descending manner to me, had so won my heart that he was to my mind as great a man as a general, he was yet so stern when he had to find fault that I cannot truly say whether the men of his company feared or loved him most.
' Come in. Dew,' said he, as I stood at the door and saluted. ' Have you heard anything lately of Mary Broad, my sister's maid ? I think you were a little sweet in that direction, eh, my lad ? '
' No, sir,' I answered, with a great redness com- ing to my face ; ' I think Mary is a good girl, and I hope she is doing her duty in the Squire's service.'
'Well, I have some news that will surprise you. Three or four days ago Bryant made a determined attempt to escape from Winchester Gaol, and Mary, who had previously disappeared from the Manor House without leaving any message or clue as to where she was going, has been caught in helping the lusty smuggler out of gaol.'
This news staggered me, indeed, but I could scarcely believe Mary would try such a dangerous thing as this, and so, with all due respect, I ventured to tell the lieutenant.
' All the same,' says he, ' 'tis true. She got into the prison by bribing one of the warders and tell- ing him that she was Bryant's sister, and she smuggled in a rope and all sorts of gear, and just as the plot was ripe and they were about to get away, the
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whole thing was discovered, and the pair of them are now by the heels.'
' This is very bad, sir,' 1 managed to say. ' What will be done to her do you think, sir ? '
' Hang 'em both, like as not, I am sorry to say.' ' Great heavens, sir ! they'll surely not hang the woman. She is only a girl as yet, sir.'
' Hang 'em they will though. Dew, and although I am an officer in the King's Service, and you arc only a private, and it's rank blasphemy to say so, I wish to the Lord they'd escaped and got clean away. Look you, Dew, Will Bryant is a devilish fine fellow, too good to be hanged, and the girl — well, the girl is too good for him. That will do. Dew, I have nothing more to say to you.'
There was a tear in my officer's eye as he said the last words, and turned away from me. As for me, I was too completely upset to feel anything but a dull sense that glory was of no use to me now, and so I went away to the barrack- room, and, lying down on my cot, turned my face to the wall and cried like the boy I was, heedless of the coarse jests and laughter of my comrades.
And for many a day after that the image of sweet Mary Broad was in my mind, until again I longed for nothing so much as active service, and for the time when I should meet that French or Spanish bullet whose billet would be my poor, wretched self.'
CHAPTER VI
I MEET WITH A STARTLING ADVENTURE
The Portsmouth Division of Marines, to which I was attached, among its other duties was called upon to furnish a guard to assist the Portsmouth Preventive Service in guarding the long line of beach from South- sea Castle on the east to Gilkicker Point on the west, and from these points the chain of sentries was con- tinued right along the coast by men furnished from the regiments stationed in this district. I was very glad I was not stationed at Gilkicker, for 'twas at this very place that Jack the Painter was hanged in chains for setting fire to Portsmouth Dockyard, and his remains still swung from the gibbet at the time of which I write.
The ground covered by the Marines — who were posted each one about a mile apart — covered a distance of more than ten miles or so, and wliat with this, and the many other guards required in a garrison town like Portsmouth, it fell to my lot very often to spend a solitary four hours on the look-out for smugglers — doing 'sentry go' as they call it in the Service. It
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was on an occasion like this that an event befell me which changed the whole course of my life.
It was on a night in December, 1786, that I was stationed as a sentry on the beach. My sentry-box was fixed about five hundred yards east of Southsea Castle, and the dark outline of its walls, though such a distance away, seemed to tower directly over my head. In those days sentries were only relieved every four hours on this particular duty, and visits from the officer of the guard were infrequent and irregular. My post — that is to say, the space of ground which I was supposed to cover — extended over a walk of about two hundred and fifty yards on each side of my sentry-box.
It was a pouring wet night, and the wind blew in fierce, bitter-cold gusts, and when I marched out to relieve my comrade at ten o'clock until two o'clock next morning, I had it in my mind to pass those weary hours in the shelter of my sentry-box. The post was not an important one, and the Preventive Service was supposed to do all the watching for the smugglers, while the Marines were only provided as a chain of sentries to assist the revenue oflicers when called upon. At least, that was the way in which we used to look at it, and mighty vexed we were at being employed upon such work.
When the sergeant marched me up to the post and the sentry going off^ had duly ported arms at the sentry going on duty, and we had mumbled over the
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order for the night, I was unpleasantly reminded of my duty, for, said the sergeant, turning to me, ' Look here, my fine fellow, see that you keep your eyes open to-night. We have heard that an attempt is likely to be made to run a cargo somewhere between here and Hayling Island. If you see a boat touch the beach, don't be in a hurry to challenge. Just let them get the cargo out of her, and keep you quiet. Then don't challenge, but fire, and call the attention of the guard.'
Our main guard was inside the gate at Southsea Castle, and I saw that if the smugglers did succeed in landing their cargo anywhere near my post, that, even if they got ofF themselves, the cargo would certainly be seized by the revenue officers. But then, I thought, it was scarcely likely that smugglers would choose a landing-place so near the Castle, where they knew our main guard was stationed. However, I made up my mind to keep wide-awake, and resolutely paced my five hundred yards, often fancying I heard, through the steadily-increasing howling of the wind and the stinging showers of rain any number of boats rowing in towards the shore, but never finding these alarms anything more than imagination.
At midnight I was visited by the sergeant making his rounds, and reported all well. The two hours that had already gone by seemed to me more than a whole night, and, after the sergeant was out of sight and hearing, I stood up for rest and shelter in
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mv box, and a moment or two later was straining my cars and thinking, 'Surely that is the splash of oars.'
Yes, this time I was right. It was high water, and the waves now plashed up to within a few yards of my feet. Between the gusts of wind and rain, I could distinctly hear the sound of oars. I carefully re-primed my musket and decided to remain inside the box to keep the priming dry, and wait, as the sergeant had directed me, until, if this was the smuggling party, they should have had ample time to get the cargo out.
In a few moments I heard the boat ground on the beach, and fancied that I also heard voices in an undertone ; then the boat shoved off" again — I could hear that quite plainly. Presently, I heard the foot- steps of one person on the shingle, and, before I had time to bring my musket to the present, a voice said, —
' Don't sing out, William, I have a message for you.'
I knew the voice as that of a neighbour of ours at Solcombe, and so for a moment my suspicions were set at rest, but the next instant I remembered that the man was a well-known smuggler, who only by chance was not with the gang that was captured when Will Bryant and his comrades were trapped, and so I was on my guard again. ' What do you want ? ' I asked.
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' I bring you a message from Mary Broad and Will Bryant.'
'What of them, and how do you come by a message ? ' said I.
' Never mind how I came by the message, lad, but they send their love to you and bid you farewell, for 'tis likely you'll never see them again.'
' What ! are they to be hanged, then ? Lieutenant Fairfax told me his father was trying to get them reprieved.' This was true, for Mr Fairfax and the Parson and a number of the great people on the Isle of Wight had been doing all they could to save the poor creatures from death.
'Oh, they're not going to be hanged, but they will be sent to Botany Bay, and so, my lad, they have sent their farewell to you.'
' Dear, dear me, this is dreadful. Why, that is worse than death. I've heard it said that it is more than likely that those who are sent there will be eaten by the cannibals if they are not starved to death. But,' and again I began to remember that he who spoke was a great rogue, 'why do you come here at this time of night to tell me this ? Don't you know tliat I might have shot you, or turned out the guard, because, look you, I know you must be in company with the smugglers that we are expecting ? '
The man laughed. ' I know that,' said he, ' and the boat I came in was the lugger's, sure enough, but there will be no carra landed to-night,'
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'Ah,' said I, with foolish vanity, 'we are too clever for you, are we ? '
' Yes, we knew you were all on the alert, and so, what with the bad weather and the danger from your fellows, the lugger has put to sea again. I wanted to come to Portsmouth, and so they landed me before they ran out.'
'What, after the narrow escape that they had when Will Bryant tried to run his cargo, are you still risking your neck in this business ? '
' No, that's just it. I ran over to the coast of France and back in the vessel, because I had promised to go this trip, but they have let me off now, and I wash my hands of the whole lot.'
'Well, I'm right glad to hear it, and I hope you'll take to something honest now.'
' Yes, that I will, William, my lad ; but I won't join the Marines and have to spend four hours on a night like this on the beach.'
Presently I asked him how it was he knew where to find me.
' Oh,' says he, ' one of the hands on the lugger — a spy of ours — said he had heard some of the Marines say in the ale house that young Dew had the first post west of the Castle, and I thought I would get the boat to land me somewhere about here so that I could give you poor Mary's message. Well, good-bye, William. But, here, I forgot. I've got something here to keep out the cold and wet.
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Take a pull ; ' and with this he handed me a flask of spirits.
I took a drink, and I have some remembrance of repeating the act more than once, but I recollect nothing else that passed that night, and what happened afterwards is best told in the words of the officer of the guard. This is from his report : —
' At two o'clock on the morning of December the twenty-first, I went with Sergeant Brookes and two privates to inspect the guard and relieve Private Dew, at number one post, west side of Southsea Castle. The night was very dark, and half a gale of wind was blowing, with every now and then very fierce squalls of rain. We could not find the sentry, and the sentry- box had disappeared. There were many signs that a landing had been made and a cargo run on the beach at this post. Private Dew had been visited at mid- night by the sergeant and all was then well. When daylight came it showed, as was suspected, that the smugglers were the cause of his disappearance. There were marks of men and horses about the place, and the shingle showed that more than one boat had been run up on the beach, and heavy weights, such as casks, had been rolled over it. For the rest of the night I doubled the guard and continued the search for Private Dew, but up to the present have found no traces of him.'
This report was handed to the commanding officer
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early on the morning of the twenty-first. A few hours later a dragoon orderly galloped into barracks and handed to the colonel the following message : —
'At daylight this morning the sentry at number eighteen post, near Gilkicker Point, saw an object which looked like a sentry-box, on a small sand shoal partially covered with water near the Mother Bank. The officer of the guard sent off a boat with a sergeant and two privates to inquire into the matter, and in a short time the boat returned and brought back Private Dew of the Marines and his sentry-box. The man was in a half-dazed condition and is either recovering from drink or from the effects of some drug. He is unable to give any coherent account of how he got on the Mother Bank. He is now a prisoner at the fort, under charge of the surgeon.'
This was signed by the officer in charge of the guard at Blockhouse Fort.
Well, to make a long story short, the smuggler rogue had drugged me, and, until the surgeon brought me to myself at Blockhouse Fort, I was ignorant of all that had happened.
When I did come to, I was, in pursuance of the Colonel's orders, marched off under an escort to the Clink, as we soldiers called the military prison, and there I remained for two days suffering much shame in spirit, and an object of curiosity to the soldiers
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 45
who were my fellow-prisoners and to the men who formed the prison guard. The fear of being flogged, and perhaps shot, for deserting my post, and the open gibes of my comrades, made those days live long in my memory, and the lesson they gave me, more than anything else, made strict attention to duty, utterly regardless of private friends, my very first consideration. And though no man ever escaped from such a neglect of duty as lightly as I did, the fright I had in those two days lasted me all my life in the Service.
After some days, the colonel in command of the Portsmouth Division of Marines sent for me, and I was escorted to Weevil Barracks to be, as I thought, tried by court-martial and flogged for deserting my post.
The colonel was seated at a table with three or four other officers, including the captain of my company, and, to my great joy and comfort, for I knew I had a friend in him. Lieutenant f'airfax.
I saluted and stood to attention, and the lieutenant smiled encouragingly at me.
' Now, my lad,' said the colonel, ' don't be frightened. There's no need to let your hair stand up like priming wires. Tell us the whole truth about this affair, and 1 will do what I can for you. Your captain says you have the making of a good soldier in you, and you have a friend here in Lieutenant Fairfax. I don't believe in flogging men who get
46 A FIRST FLEET FAMILY
into trouble tlirough inexperience, and if you can but show me some reason for leaving your post and taking a cruise in your sentry-box and mounting a new guard at the Mother Bank, miles from your post, by George ' (and I saw the old fellow and the rest of them trying hard to avoid laughing), 'why, I'll for- give you.'
Then, with a shamed-faced air, I have no doubt, I told them about the smuggler and my former acquaint- ance with his sort, and asked Lieutenant Fairfax to confirm my story that far, which he did, adding that I was a mere inexperienced boy, that the scoundrels had taken advantage of me, and then, like the kind- hearted Gentleman he ever was, he added that he had no doubt that this second lesson in the wickedness of the smugglers would last me all my life.
' That it will, gentlemen,' said I, my heart taking a great leap of courage at his good words, 'for if ever I drop across the rascal again it will go hard with him.'
When they had questioned me fully as to the manner of my being drugged, the colonel turned to his fellow-officers.
'Well, gentlemen, it is plain that the lad was drugged by this man, and that, when the drug had taken effect upon his silly head, the smugglers ran their cargo, and then, curse their impudence, out of bravado carried away the sentry and his box in the lugger and left him on the Mother Bank on their
A FIRST FLEET FAMILY 47
way back to their haunts at the back of the Isle of Wight, or the coast of France.'
' No doubt, sir, that is what did take place,' said Lieutenant Fairfax ; ' and he had a narrow escape of being drowned, for the tide often covers the spot by several feet where they found him.'
' Now, my lad,' continued the colonel, ' I will give you a chance. This affair has got about. All the garrison has heard of it, from the General downwards, and everyone is looking to see you get a flogging, and I'm not sure that you don't deserve it for being such a fool. However, as I said, I'll give you a chance. We want volunteers for the fleet now preparing to sail for Botany Bay. Lieutenant Fairfax is one of the officers of the Marine force going there, and he has asked me to let you volunteer as one of the Marine convict guard. I can't get our men to come forward very readily, the frightened rascals, and volunteer for the Service.' (And then aside to my captain, ' And I'm hanged if I don't think they are right.') But some of you must go. Now, if you will volunteer cheerfully, I'll contrive to hush up this piece of foolishness on your part. Come, what is it to be ? '
Shame and grief at this ending to my ambition to become a soldier brought the tears to my eyes, and I hesitated for a moment and then thought of the greater shame of the cat and triangles, and I answered, —
' Thank you, sir, for giving me the chance. I
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am sure your honour won't think the worse of me being disappointed at losing the chance to serve in foreign wars. I didn't joiji the Service to become a gaoler.'
' Tut, tut, my lad, never mind, you'll get your chance some day. Meanwhile, do your duty on this service, and don't let these gaol birds make a fool of you as easily as the smugglers did. Release the prisoner, and. Captain Weston, enter Dew's name on the list of volunteers for the Sirius.^
CHAPTER VII
I AM AGAIN FOOLED BY THE SMUGGLERS
The First Fleet, as the Expedition was soon after named, was now all assembled and lying off the Mother Bank, that shoal in the Solent on which I had been left by the smugglers when they played their scurvy trick.
The Fleet was expected to sail in a day after the day I had joined the Sirius^ and little leisure was given me to say farewell to my father and the Solcombe folks ; so I wrote a few lines wishing them good-bye, sent the letter over to the island by a Ryde fisherman and settled down to my duty.
When I was rated on board the Sirius on Monday the sixth of May, 1787 — a date ever to be remembered by me — I was astonished at the great state of con- fusion upon her decks. Everything was so vastly different to all I had heard of the neatness and clean- ness of a ship of war, but all this arose from the nature of the undertaking in which the ship was engaged. All sorts of strange stores had to be carried, and so many things to be provided, that it was no
D
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wonder that those in authority on board the Fleet were at their wits' ends where to stow them.
Each transport, in addition to the ordinary stores, carried a great quantity of implements of agriculture, seeds and such like things, and some extra clothing, such as woollen stockings, shoes, hats and slops of various kinds. The Marines, besides getting a little extra pay, were also provided with some light clothing suited to the climate of Botany Bay, where we expected to remain about five years, and these things had by some means been sadly mixed with the prisoners' clothing, through some of these articles having been put on board the Sirius in place of the powder and shot she would have carried in a more honourable service. So, owing to all the hurry and confusion, my awkwardness on first doing duty on shipboard was not noticed, and I escaped the curses and jibes that the Marines generally come in for from the sailors when the red-coats go to sea for the first time.
The principal officers on the Sirius were Captain Phillip, Captain Hunter (the second in command). Major Ross (our commanding officer) and Lieutenant King. Besides these, there were the surgeon and Judge-Advocate Collins, and some other Gentlemen whose names now I cannot recall.
Even amid all this turmoil I thought very often of Mary Broad and Will Bryant, and long before had asked Lieutenant Fairfax in a respectful manner if he knew aught of them.
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*Yes, Dew,' he replied, 'and I'll willingly tell you all I know about them. Bryant is embarked on one of the transports — which one I do not know- — and my father has interceded so far on his behalf as to have secured 'a promise from the authorities that he shall be a free man shortly after our arrival, but he will not be allowed to return till his sentence has expired.'
' That was very good of the Squire, sir,' I said ; ' but what of the misguided young woman ? '
' Bv George ! Dew, Mary may be a misguided young woman, but she has a devilish fine spirit all the same ; ' and with that he told me that the Squire had sent the Parson to see her at Winchester Jail, so that he might get her in a humble frame of mind, and then he was to endeavour to procure her a pardon. ' And what think you, she said ? ' asked the lieutenant.
' I suppose, sir, she expressed her sorrow for her folly, and thanked the Squire.'
' Nothing of the sort. She begged the Parson to do his best to get her sent away with Bryant, or at all events, with the female prisoners going out with us. So the Squire said as that appeared to be all she was good for — my sister and myself couldn't see any reason why she shouldn't have her own way^he would do his best to get her exiled. That will do, Dew, I have nothing further to say to you.'
That was the way the lieutenant always finished up these little chats of ours, as a reminder, I suppose, of the difference in our rank, which was very proper
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on his part, for 'twas a great piece of condescension for a commissioned officer to talk of old times like this with one of his men.
This was all the news I could get of the unfortun- ate smuggler or of Mary, and, although I did make inquiries of the guards on the other ships, the prisoners were always kept in such a way that, right up to the day of our sailing, I never learned whether or not any- one I knew was on board of the transports. All I heard was that most of the prisoners were selected from the county jails on account of their supposed knowledge of agriculture, but the women were nearly all the most depraved characters taken from Newgate ; and, somehow, I did not think Mary would be among them.
And now I come to my last adventure with the smugglers, and when I look back at it now, I think it quite a wonder that I was not transported for my silly way of being taken in by these people, who seemed to mark my ignorance and pursued me with their tricks in quite a marvellous manner.
The lieutenant, full of consideration for my inexperi- ence, and, perhaps, because he liked to have me about him, called me to him one day, and said, —
' I have sent for you. Dew, to make you an offer which you are at liberty to refuse or accept as you please. By the rules of the Service I am entitled to one of the men in my company to attend upon me. You can act in that capacity if you like. Of course.
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Dew, I can understand that a young farmer, as you were, may have some scruples about acting as a servant, but all the privates are of equal rank here, and this duty may relieve you, perhaps, from still more menial work at sea, for, I can tell you, the Marines are thought precious little of by these coarse, dirty sailors.'
I thanked the young Gentleman heartily for his offer, and gladly enough accepted it, and, though our positions are very different now, I say with truth that I am proud of having served so good and honourable a master.
A day or two after this, the first cutter was sent ashore to the Point at Portsmouth to bring off^ some stores for the ship, and, in addition to the boat's crew. Lieutenant Fairfax came with us to perform some duty on shore, and another Marine and myself were sent with the boat to help in embarking the stores.
While I was helping to put some of the stores into the boat, an old waterman rowed his wherry into the landing-place, and calling to me asked if our party belonged to the Sirius.
'Yes,' said I.
'Oh, that's all right, then,' said he. 'What officer is with you ? '
' My lieutenant, Mr Fairfax,' said I ; 'he will be back to the boat directly.'
' Ah ! that's the very thing. Well, you'd better bear a hand and get on with the job so as to be ready to shove off" when he comes back.'
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' What job ? '
' Why, you see this cask of ale ? ' pointing to a big cask marked thus, XXX. 'Well, he wants this changed. They have sent oft' the wrong ale, and it goes agin his stummick, I suppose, and I've just brought it from your ship. They told me aboard that I'd find him at the Point, and some of his boat's crew would lend me a hand.'
' What are we to do ? '
' Help me roll it up the street to the " Star and Garter," that's where he got it from.'
And so, after four of us had got the cask out of the boat, I helped the man roll it up the High Street, and very quick we were about it, for the old fellow said that Mr Fairfax would kick up a great row if the job wasn't done quickly, as the ale should have been changed long before.
As soon as we had rolled the cask up the roadway from the Point to the street, a Preventive Service officer stepped up, took a look at it and turned enquiringly to me.
'Officers' stores,' said the waterman, without wait- ing to be questioned.
' Cask of ale returned by my officer. Lieutenant Fairfax,' I added.
'AH right, my lads,' said the officer, and he made a chalk mark on the cask and away we rolled it.
The ' Star and Garter ' was not far up the street, but
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it was, owing to a turn in the road, out of sight of the Point. When he reached the door of the inn, the old waterman turned to me, and said, *■ Thank you, my lad, here's the price of a glass of ale for you, and some day I'll do you a good turn — by George ! I'll do you one now. Take my advice, and when you get to Botany Bay keep your weather eye lifting a bit more than you are doing now.'
' What do you mean ? ' said I, angrily.
'I'll tell you,' he answered, with a rude grin, 'but take my advice and don't tell anyone else. This cask is not going to the " Star and Garter." 'Cause why ? 'Cause it's going to my place. It's not ale, it's best French brandy.'
'What do you mean ? ' I again asked. ' Docs not the cask belong to my lieutenant ? '
' Certainly not, my young lobster. It's smuggled brandy.'
' You infernal old rascal ! I see you have taken advantage of my uniform to land your cask of brandy, and this time I shall be ruined. Never mind, what- ever happens, I'll go at once and inform the Preventive Officer.'
' Oh, no, you won't. No one will know if you keep your mouth shut, but if you inform the officer you will only get yourself into trouble.'
'Ah, here comes Lieutenant Fairfax, and he has seen me with you. I'll tell him and sec what he has to say about the matter.'
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' Yes, tell him, Joey ; he'll only laugh at you. Hang me ! I'll tell him myself.'
Mr P'airfax, seeing me talking to the man and so far away from the boat, stepped over to us, and the old waterman, touching his hat, said, —
^ Beg pardon, yer honour, but I borrowed the loan of one of your Joeys, who seems pretty green ; ' and then to my shame, he unblushingly told him the whole story.
Mr Fairfax laughed heartily, and said, 'You old rascal, you deserve the brandy for your smartness. We'll say no more about it,' and, turning to me, he added, ' but I really think, Dew, that this should be the last of your smuggling adventures. It is a good job for the pair of you that we sail for the other side of the world in a few days, or you would both hear more about it. However, the best thing we can do is to forget it now, and remember, my lad, that this sort of thing won't do in the future. We shall have you letting some of our prisoners escape if you don't use your wits more than you have been doing lately. That will do, Dew. Get into the boat.'
CHAPTER VII 1
THE FLEET FOR THE COLONISATION OF BOTANY BAY
It is proper, before going further with the Nar- rative of my life, that I should give you some account of the preparations that w^ere going on for the despatch of the Expedition. It is not my desire to attempt a history of the Settlement in New Holland, or, as it is now called, New South Wales ; you must go to the books for that. Such things as I have set down are just facts taken from my notes in the rough diary of my life, set down without any scholarly skill, but yet truthfully.
The fleet was made up of two war vessels and nine transports. The Sirius of twenty guns, six hundred and twelve tons, and one hundred and sixty men, flew the broad pennant of Commodore Arthur Phillip, who commanded the Expedition, and who was to be the first governor or the settlement. The Sirius was supposed to be a frigate, but she was never built for war, and the sailors did not speak well of her sea-going qualities, so that we Marines, in addition to the other miseries we suftcrcd,
57
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did not feel at all safe on board of her. She was built on the Thames to trade to the East, but, on loading her with her first cargo, she took fire and was nearly destroyed. This was in the year 1781, and the Government, wanting a store-ship, purchased her, and she made a voyage to the American colonies and back under the name of the Berwick. Then she made another voyage to the West Indies, and was then laid up in ordinary at Deptford Yard, until the time came when the Government planned this Expedition, and the shipwrights overhauled her and fitted her out to fly the flag of Commodore Phillip.
The Supply was a little, armed tender of one hundred and seventy tons and eight guns and fifty men. Lieutenant Ball had command of her. The rest of the ships were transports taken up for the Service, and, although I took pains to find out many details concerning the Expedition, I will not here set them down lest I make this Narrative too tedious ; so of these transports I need but say that their complement, not counting their seamen, was as follows : — Alexander^ one hundred and ninety-four male convicts, thirty-five Marines ; Lady Penrhyn^ one hundred and one female convicts and some Marine officers j Charlotte^ one hundred and six male and female convicts, forty-two Marines ; Friendship^ ninety-seven convicts, forty Marines ; Prince of JVales^ two male and forty-seven female convicts, twenty- nine Marines ; Scarboro^ two hundred and five male
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convicts, forty-four Marines. And then there were three store-ships — the Fishburn^ Golden Grove and Borrodale. On the two war vessels there were no convicts — or prisoners, as it became the custom of the Service to call them — ^but there were several officers and civil officials appointed to serve on the staff of Captain Phillip when he should assume the governorship of the Settlement. On the Sirius there was a Marine guard of a sergeant, six privates and two drummers, and I was mightily pleased that 1 was not chosen to do duty on one of the trans- ports. Altogether the number of people on board the various ships who were to form the settlement was about one thousand and twenty. I must not forget to say that among the officials were a chaplain (who brought with him his wife) and a surgeon and five assistant surgeons ; and terrible botchers were some of these last.
The transports varied in tonnage from three hundred and fifty tons to two hundred and seventy-five tons, and every one of them was crowded in a very dread- ful manner, and, long before the fleet got under weigh, sickness broke out both among the prisoners and the crews and the Marines ; indeed, on the Alexander^ some of the Marines died of a malignant sickness, caused by the foulness of the air between decks.
At this time the trial of Lord George Gordon, the impeachment of Warren Hastings and other great State affairs, so disturbed the minds of the Govern-
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ment that they gave but little thought to the fear- ful condition of the wretched creatures who were going to Botany Bay, although the case of the wife and children of a Marine, who nearly perished of starvation on board one of the transports, was made public in some way.
But bad as things were, even for us Marines, they would have been worse but for Major Ross, who fought hard to get us proper food and berthing space, and, finally, we got pretty well served as far as food went, for the rations allowed to each man for one weeJc were as follows : — Seven pounds of bread (hard ship biscuit), four pounds of beef, two pounds of pork, two pints of pease, three pints of oatmeal, three and a half pints of rum, six ounces of butter — and terribly rank-smelling stuff it was — ■three-quarters of a pound of cheese and half a pint of vinegar. These were to be added to in case we touched at any port where fresh provisions could be had, and we were in this matter fed the same as seamen in the King's ships. As for the prisoners, they were rationed in much the same way, but, in case of bad conduct or breaches of discipline, they were made to suffer by having their rations cut down. But many of these articles that I have mentioned were not fit for human food ; indeed, I heard Major Ross tell Captain Hunter that the butter, cheese and beer were such that a well-conditioned hog would have turned away from them with a sickness of stomach.
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As to the maimer in which the transports were fitted up I will speak briefly. Abaft the mainmast in each ship was built a strong bulkhead of thick wood, and in the forward side — that is, the convicts' side — this bulkhead was studded with stout, sharp spikes, and loopholed so that the guard could fire upon the prisoners in case of mutiny. The hatches were battened across with thick bars, bolted and locked to the coamings, and railed round with strong, high, wooden stanchions, so as to guard against a sudden rush from below. Of course, sentries were placed over each hatchway and at difi^srent parts of the ship, and the main-guard was always kept under arms on the quarter-deck with loaded muskets. On the upper deck, abaft the mainmast, was built a barricade of stout planks studded along the top with sharp, iron prongs, and in the space between this and the head of the ship the convicts were exercised.
Truly, it was a dreadful sight to see them caged up like this, and yet more dreadful to hear their foul and blasphemous talk among themselves, and their horrible jests about their sad condition — for most of them were utterly steeped in wickedness. Many of them, before being sent on board the fleet, had been kept in hulks at Portsmouth, Plymouth and the Thames, and some of the transports had em- barked their loads of human misery at these places, and sailed round to the rendezvous before I joined the Sirius. The Alexander and Lady Penrhyn had
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embarked their prisoners in the Thames, and she had convoyed them round to Spithead early in the year, and they lay close to where the Royal George had sunk three or four years before this time, her masts being still to be seen sticking up out of the water. Long before I joined, the Scarboro and Prince of Wales and the three store-ships were already lying at anchor off the Mother Bank, and, indeed, were there on the very night when I cut such a pretty figure on the shoal.
On the sixth of March all the prisoners were em- barked, and the Charlotte and Friendship sailed round from Plymouth and dropped anchor with the rest of the fleet ; yet it was not until the second week in May that our good and esteemed Commodore, Captain Phillip, arrived from London, and great was the anger he showed at the deplorable state of confusion and misery that existed on board the ships of the Expedi- tion, which seemed fated to be continually delayed from this or that cause, so that not only Captain Phillip but everyone else on board was sick and wearied at heart and anxious to get away. The Commodore spent most of his time running back- wards and forwards to the dockyard people, trying to get them to make the rascally contractors serve us honestly, and as for Captain Hunter and his officers, they were too busy to trouble much about the Marines, and so we spent most of our time in looking- after the officers' luP:P:ap;e and such work.
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At last we did draw near the day of our sailing. The ships' companies of the Sirius and Supply were paid a two months' advance, and, forthwith, many of them got drunk with the bad grog brought off by the bumboat women of Portsmouth and Gosport, and assailed many of my comrades with extraordinary foul words and blows, and this increased the vexa- tions and difficulties of our getting under weigh. Then, even when the warships were ready, the trans- ports were not. The seamen of the Fishlmrn then refused duty, owing to a quarrel with the master, and, almost at the same time, those of the Alexander had to be replaced by a crew from the Hyana frigate, because the poor fellows in the transport had not re- ceived their wages from the contractors, and refused to sail.
A strong westerly wind at the last moment still further delayed the fleet, and so it was not until Sunday, the twelfth of May, that the voyage fairly began, and we were not clear of the Needles for twenty-four hours later, and I think that every man must have said, ' Thank God ! ' For all the many delays and trials had had one good effect — there were no sorrowful farewells to add to the misery of the main body of our unhappy voyagers. They had all been made long before. The sorrowing wives, mothers and sweethearts of freemen and bondmen alike, had long since dried their tears and gone back to their homes, where, for many a weary day, they
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waited to hear tidings of the exiles. In those days, you must remember, there were no railway trains nor fast steamships, and folks travelled but little, so most of the good-byes were said far away from the rendez- vous. In the case of the convicts, of whom the greater number came from jails and hulks all over the kingdom, there were few free people who came to say good-bye to them at Portsmouth ; but the wives of some of the officers and men of the Marines came there to see us off, but the great delay had exhausted the moneys of the poorer sort, and they had long before returned to their homes. As for me, my father wrote and wished me well, and hoped that I would do my duty, but he came not near me, and I felt that he had not forgiven me the disgrace I had brought upon him.
I heard afterwards, that the prisoners on the trans- ports— and the women in particular^ — grew quite cheerful at the sounds of the seamen heaving up the anchors, and many of them, in their horrible prisons below, joined in the sailors' choruses as the men tramped round the capstan. None would have thought that the poor creatures were banished from their native land and for ever, but the English prisons and the hulks were fearful places in those days, and 'twas no wonder that while I, and freemen such as I, saw the white cl'ffs of the Isle of Wight sink gradually out of sight with sorrowful feelings,
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that these poor creatures thought only of the horrors they were leaving behind them.
Our Commodore had already given proof that he was a humane and good man — • a man not to be trifled with in his duty, but anxious to be just and do what was right in the sight of God, and a man of this quality was just the sort of governor to earn the respect of the class he had to deal with. I remember Lieutenant Fairfax telling me that one day when the Commodore had boarded the Prince of JVales^ and had seen the horrible condition of the women's quarters that his eyes had filled with tears of pity, and he had used some pretty strong words about the cruelty of the thing, and said it was worse than a slaver's hold in the Middle Passage.
As soon as the fleet was fairly under weigh, the Commodore directed the master of the S'lrius to heave- to, and then signalled for the commanding officer on the Supply^ with a Marine officer and assistant surgeon from each transport, to come on board our ship. Each one, as he came on board, went on to the poop, saluted the Commodore and waited with some curiosity as to what he desired of them.
I was stationed as sentry over the stern life- buoy, and heard all that was said when they were assembled. The Commodore, looking intently into their faces and speaking very earnestly and clearly, said, —
'Gentlemen, I have sent for you all, now that we
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are fairly under weigh, to repeat the instructions I have before given to you individually. I know you are all good officers, and anxious to do your duty to His Majesty ; no doubt on that score troubles me. But I beseech you, Gentlemen, to endeavour to do all in your power to treat your prisoners with every consideration that will be likely to encourage them to good behaviour. We know that they be- long to the lowest and most depraved class of our countrymen, but this Expedition has not been formed to punish them on that account, but rather to give them an opportunity to redeem themselves in a new world. So, with a view to preparing them for their new life, I should like you to avoid as much as possible treating them in the style they have hitherto experienced in the jails and hulks in England.'
He paused for a moment, and then, in somewhat quicker and more decisive tones, resumed, —
'But, Gentlemen, at the same time I should like you to bear well in mind that insubordination must be punished with even greater severity than it would be on land. Therefore, let your prisoners understand that any attempt at mutiny or escape will be punished with instant death. Of course, irons must never be placed upon the women, no matter how bad or dangerous their conduct may be, and as soon as we are clear of the Channel remove the irons from the men, so that they may be able to keep their bodies clean, and rest like human beings at night. This,
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Gentlemen, with your written orders and my previous injunctions, is all I have to say to you to guide you in your responsibilities until we arrive.'
He ceased, and the officers, respectfully bowing, were about to leave the quarter-deck when Captain Phillip raised his hand, and said in his gentlest tones, 'Stay, Gentlemen; one. word more. While we were in Portsmouth I heard one of you — and I beg of him to take no olFence at what I now say — remark that we were employed upon a service that would bring us neither credit nor distinction, but rather contempt. I implore you. Gentlemen, not to entertain such an unworthy opinion, for what can be more honourable than devoting ourselves to ameliorating and raising to a higher level in society these unfortunate outcasts and criminals ? May God assist us to fulfil, not only our duty to His Majesty the King, but our duty to the Amighty Himself.'
Then the Commodore shook hands with every one of them, a cheerful smile lightening up his face the while, and the officers returned to their ships, the yards were swung round, the sails filled and we stood away on our course down Channel.
CHAPTER IX
CONXERNING SOME INCIDENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THE VOYAGE
The Hyana frigate accompanied us until we were clear of the Channel, and then on May the twentieth she hove-to for Captain Phillip's last despatches, and left us to return to Plymouth.
Ere she had signalled ' good-bye ' to us, the first trouble with the convicts began. Mr John Marshall, the master of the Scarhoro^ came on board the Sirius and reported that there was a plot among his prisoners to seize the ship.
Lieutenant Fairfax and the whole of the Marines in the Sirius were at once sent away to the Scarboro to bring back the ringleaders. When we got on board we were drawn up on either side of the main hatchway, and then the surgeon, Mr Fairfax and Mr Marshall went down the ladder to the 'tween decks and spoke through the barricade to the prisoners, who had all gathered together behind the heavy wooden grating, peering anxiously through the bars and wondering what was to happen to them.
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' Now, my lads,' said the surgeon, ' we know all about it, and know the ringleaders. We want those men. As for the rest of you, your treatment depends upon your future conduct. Stand back from the grating all of you.'
They all fell back several paces.
' Now, men,' continued the surgeon, ' we have plenty of Marines here ready to fire into you if you attempt any tricks, so remain where you are except numbers four hundred and seventeen and two hundred and nineteen. Phillip Farrell and Thomas Griffith, advance to the grating.'
They stepped out. The Marine sentry, at a sign from the surgeon, unlocked the gate, the surgeon beckoned them to come out and the instant they did so the gate was locked again.
' You men will hear no more of this if you mind your bearings,' said the doctor, as he turned to ascend the ladder. ' As for these two fellows, I don't think they will try any more games of this kind.'
We brought numbers four hundred and seventeen and two hundred and nineteen to the Sirius^ and they had to face the Commodore who, to my mind, gave them a very mild reproof considering the serious nature of their offence, cautioned them about their future behaviour and promised to hang them at the yard-arm if he heard more of them. Then he ordered them to receive six doz.en lashes each, and accordingly they were seized to a grating and flogged
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by two of our drummers, and afterwards placed on board the Prince of Wales. The spectacle was a very dreadful one, and I shall never forget the feeling of horror that I experienced in v\ntnessing their punishment. There were no signs of mutiny after this from the day of sailing to the time we cast anchor in Botany Bay, and the demeanour of all was, on the whole, humble and regular, save on one occasion, of which I shall speak later on.
By this time I was acting as a ward-room servant, in addition to my duties in attending upon my lieutenant. In this situation I heard, while waiting upon the officers, many things that otherwise would never have come to my ears. My comrades were all very ignorant rustics recruited from Hampshire and Sussex, and of the Marine privates on the Sirius^ I was the only one who could read and write, and perhaps, for that reason was made more of by my superiors. All the officers on the ship were keeping some kind of a journal of the Expedition, it being such an extraordinary undertaking that none on board the Sh-'ius had ever embarked in the like before. My comrades being such poor and unsuitable companions even for a man of my humble attainments, the example of my superiors, and the many things I heard at the officers' mess, gave me the idea that I might take advantage of my learning and likewise keep a Diarv, and so this record of my life was at this time begun. Fortunately, I was no lover of grog, and so I used
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to change my allowance with the sergeant for all the spare paper he had, and my lieutenant furnished me with quills and ink, so that, I was soon set up with all that was necessary. This incident of chang- ing my grog allowance reminds me that, strange to relate, the poor prisoners suffered more from the want of strong drink and tobacco than from any other hard- ships, for I heard Surgeon White tell the Commodore that they pleaded very piteously for these things.
The fleet arrived at Teneriffe on the third of June, and great joy did it give the Marines and ships' companies, for everyone was allowed a pint of wine a day and fresh provisions all the time we lay in the port of Santa Cruz. The convicts, too, were well treated, for the Commodore ordered each of them to be given a pound of beef and a like quantity of soft bread.
During our stay at Santa Cruz, more than one incident happened, the which I set down v/ith great care in my diary. The first matter I overheard was that the officers were not a little troubled over us Marines having been sent away with a very scant supply of musket balls, and there were no armourers' tools in the whole fleet. This was kept as secret as possible, but the guards in the different ships got to hear of it, and it made them mighty careful to be on the alert to check any attempt at mutiny. Both Captain Phillip and Captain Hunter were greatly vexed at this neglect of the Government, and I heard
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the latter gentleman say that he had written a very- plain letter to the Government, which he was then waitin'^ a chance to forward.
Our ships had hemp cables in those days, and we had to keep them as straight up and down as possible by means of buoys, to prevent them being chafed by the shingle ballast thrown overboard by the Spanish merchantmen. This had accumulated in heaps in the anchorage, and the wisdom of Captain Phillip's order concerning this was shown by one of the transports neglecting it and nearly getting adrift, through the strands of her cable getting chafed through.
The Sirius was so cumbered up with stores on the gun deck that we were unable to salute the Spanish governor of tlie island — the Marquis of Branceforte. We were at peace with Spain then, and so our Commodore had to apologise very handsomely for this apparent discourtesy.
I had never seen foreigners at home before, and I am bound to say they treated us with great con- sideration, and I left Tenerift'e with a much better opinion of the black- whiskered Dons than when I entered it.
But the most notable event that occurred while we were here was this, — At daybreak one morning, when I was on sentry at the gangway, a boat from the Alexander came alongside, and an officer asked to be shown down to the Commodore. In a 'i^^
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minutes we learned that a prisoner named Joseph Powell had got away about midnight from the Alexander^ and had not been recaptured.
Just then my relief appeared, and I was going below when I was ordered to keep under arms and form one of a search party after Powell. Boats were lowered, and a regular search of the shores of the harbour began, two boats from the Supply lending us a hand. It appeared that a boat had been left hanging astern of the Alexander^ and Powell by some means had managed to get into her and cut her adrift without being discovered ; in fact, it was not until four in the morning, when the guard was relieved, that he was missed. Just astern of the Alexander^ a Dutch Indiaman was lying, and Powell worked the boat over to her and offered himself on board of her, but they would have none of him. He got into the boat again, and was supposed to have gone over to the west side of Santa Cruz.
With us in the boat was the master of the Alexander^ who was in a great state of mind over the affair, for he was under a penalty of forty pounds for every man that escaped. We could not but laugh at him for the way in which he urged the rowers to their work, and his constant lamentations about his ill-luck. However, his troubles soon came to an ending, for, as we rowed along the west side or the harbour, tlie lieutenant of the guard on the Alexander^ who was in our boat, suddenly called upon
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the men to stop, and we all turned our eyes to the land.
There, at the foot of a great rock wliich it appeared he had been trying for many hours to climb, lay the poor, hunted wretch, too exhausted to move, or even to speak. Quick as lightning the officer grasped my musket.
' Don't shoot, sir,' I could not help saying.
He took no notice of me, but levelling the piece, called out to the fugitive, —
'Surrender, you Powell, or I'll fire.'
Poor creature ! He did not utter a word, but merely turned his white, ghastly face, streaked here and there with blood, towards us, and the lieutenant, still keeping his musket at the present, the boat was rowed close in to the rock.
' Two of you get out and bring him into the boat,' ordered the officer, and myself and a comrade got out, and lifting him up carried him into the boat. I shall never forget the look of utter despair in that man's face ; it seemed to come from his very soul.
We took him on board the Sirius^ where, on the following day, he was given twelve dozen and sent back to his ship, and kept in irons till we put to sea again.
While we were at TenerifFe, one of the convicts, who was a coiner, tried to practise his villainy, but met with swift retribution. It came about by reason of our seamen, who had taken very kindly to the
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fruit of the country, but had not the wherewithal to buy it, getting this dangerous rogue all the pewter spoons and other metal they could lay their hands upon. With this material the fellow made some exceedingly good imitations of the silver dollars of the island, and the sailors set about to pass them ofF on the island vendors, paying the coiner for his evil work with tobacco. But the very first attempt to pass the money failed, and the sailors, to save them- selves, confessed the whole plot. Their grog was stopped by way of punishment, and the rogue was soundly flogged, suffering a double punishment, for he was cursed as well most heartily by the sailors and the prisoners for depriving them of their spoons to so little profit.
We only stayed a week at the island, and then the ships weighed and once more we were under full sail for our next port of call, which was to be Rio de Janeiro in the Brazils and, until we reached there, nothing of moment occurred, save that the Supply gave much trouble by the fearful manner in which she rolled and shipped great quantities of water. She could not carry much sail, even in moderate weather, for she nearly buried herself when on a wind.
CHAPTER X
I HEAR TIDINGS OF MARY BROAD AND WILL BRYANT, AND WE ARRIVE AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOrE
All this time the fate of Mary Broad and Will Bryant was much in my mind, for, although when I had written to my father I had asked for news of the unhappy girl who had thrown herself away on such a worthless person as Will Bryant, he had in no wise answered my questions. But though I call Will a worthless man — as, indeed, he was when weighed against the girl — yet, as a man, he had many good qualities in his character, as will be shown.
As I have said, the last I had heard of the two was that Squire Fairfax was endeavouring to secure a reprieve for Will Bryant, and that Mary had petitioned to be sent to Botany Bay, and Lieutenant Fairfax had told me that it was likely her petition would be granted. I made many inquiries among the Marines doing duty in the transports as to whether a man named Bryant and a woman named Broad were among the prisoners they were guarding, but the
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convicts being all known by numbers and not by their names, no one could give me any clue to my unhappy acquaintances. In the case of Bryant this caused me no wonder, but I thought that Mary's great beauty, were she on board, would easily make her distinguished from her companions, and so at last felt pretty sure that she was not with the Fleet. I did not like to ask Lieutenant Fairfax anything of the matter, for in those days discipline was very severe, and for a private to venture upon familiarities with his officer would have been most improper.
But one day, after we had left TeneriiFe, the lieutenant himself broached the subject. I was clean- ing his accoutrements when he came up to me and said quite suddenly, —
' Dew, did you ever hear what became of Bryant and that poor girl, my sister's maid ? '
' No, sir,' I replied, ' but I should be very pleased to know for certain that the girl was left in England.'
' I am sorry to say that she is, without doubt, on board one of the transports. I had an opportunity the other day to speak to the Commodore on this matter, and he, kindly turning up his papers, found that William Bryant and Mary Broad are both on the list of prisoners.'
'God help them both, then, sir,' said I, and there flashed through my mind the awful faces and vile and blasphemous talk so common among the female con- victs in the transports.
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Then the lieutenant said, ' I had hope, Dew, when that fellow Powell got away at Teneriffe that it was Bryant, and, hang me ! I should have been glad if it had been Bryant and he had got away. 'Tis a sad pity such a fine fellow should have met with such a fate.'
* Worse for the misguided woman who lias thrown herself away on him, sir,' replied I.
The lieutenant fixed his keen, grey eyes on me for a second or two and then said quickly, —
' Yes, that is true. By the way, Dew, I think you were a little sweet in that quarter, eh ? '
' That was long ago, sir, before I became a man and a soldier, and she would have none of me.'
I saw my dear master smile as he turned away his face, but the next instant his eyes met mine.
' Well, Dew, we must try to help better their condition when we get to Botany Bay. Only duty first, you know Dew. We must not let private feelings interfere with duty, my lad.'
' I believe, sir,' I said, ' and I am proud to say so, that you, sir, have made a good soldier for the King out of William Dew.'
' That's right, Dew\ I am glad to hear you say this. Keep on as you are going. That will do, my lad.'
It pleased me very much that the lieutenant should talk so much to me, and that he took such an interest in my welfare. But yet it was a blow to me
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to hear that Mary was on one of the transports after all, with such depraved and wicked companions. I had hoped to the last that the authorities would not transport her, despite her petition.
We arriv^ed at Rio de Janeiro on August the fifth, and once more the people of the Expedition were put upon fresh provisions, which was a great boon to us all. We had been at sea since May the twelfth, and during that time fifteen prisoners and one of a Marine's children had died. I heard Captain Phillip one day tell Mr Morton, the master of the Sirius (for he was most condescending to all his officers), that considering the dreadful condition of the foul and overcrowded transports, and the warm weather we had met with, that it was only by God's mercy that half of our human cargo had not perished miserably. During the passage, a great deal of rain fell, which would have caused more sickness, but that the surgeons frequently exploded small charges of gun- powder on the 'tween decks of the transports ; and by this means, and a constant use of oil of tar, the dark, ill-ventilated prisons were kept in as good a state as was possible under such bad conditions.
Well, and now to Rio. Our Commodore had once served with the Portuguese, and, on the arrival of the Fleet, the town was illuminated in his honour and great kindness was shown to all our people, and besides this, our ships were excused from paying all dues to the port.
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The Commodore here made purchase of all sorts of seeds and vegetables for use in the Settlement, and also acceded to an urgent request of our major for a supply of musket balls, the which, I can assure you, made our minds much easier. Almost one of the first things that our good Commodore attended to when we arrived was to convey ashore and see well cared for, tlie master of the Sirius^ Mr Micah Morton, v/ho had injured himself while we v/ere unmooring ship at Teneriffe, and two midshipmen who had been ailing all the voyage. He was, in all that concerned the welfare of his people, a most kind and tender- hearted Gentleman.
During our stay at Rio de Janeiro, the Supply^ which had been sailing badly, was altered in her rig ; and then, embarking our stores, we took our departure for the Cape of Good Hope on September the twenty- first. The voyage across was a very rough one, and the Sirius rolled terribly, and our anxieties were increased by the carpenter discovering that the ship's waterways were in a rotten condition, and, indeed, so badly had she been fitted out by the rascally navy- yard contractors, that it is a wonder she did not roll her decks out, guns and all.
Between Rio and the Cape there was a plot formed on board the Jlexander to seize the ship, but, provi- dentially, it was discovered in time in a very simple manner. Some boxes of candles were found to have been broached, and one of the officers secreted himself
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in the hold, thinking to surprise the thieves on the next visit. He w^as hidden near the forward bulkhead, close to the crew^'s quarters, and, as he lay watching, he heard the men discussing a plot they had formed with the prisoners to seize the ship. Indeed, the villains had already stolen and concealed a number of crow- bars, which were to be served out to the prisoners when the proper moment came to overpower the guard.
As soon as this was reported to the master of the Alexander^ he signalled to the Sir'ius and, being to windward of us, ran down under our stern and hove- to while Captain Phillip dealt with the matter. This he went about very quickly. The ringleaders of the plot were seized and ironed to ringbolts on the deck, and four of the seamen were brought on board the SiriuSj and their places taken by four of our men.
On the seventh of October, the master of the Lady Penrhyn signalled to the Commodore that a convict woman on board his ship had given birth to a son, and on the thirteenth day of the same month we arrived in Table Bay at the Cape of Good Hope. Here we obtained fresh provisions, and took on board the trans- ports a great number of animals for breeding purposes at the new settlement. All these lumbered the ships up very much, and the seamen got to calling their vessels Noah's Arks. The day after we anchored, Mynheer von GrafFe, the Dutch governor at the
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Cape, a riiie, soldierly-looking man, came on board the SiriuSj and was pleased to say that we Marines were a fine body ot men.
All being in readiness ror our departure, the Com- modore now determined to haul down his flag on the Sirius and go on ahead of us in the Supply, taking with him, among other officers, our commander, Major Ross. The brig was the fastest sailer in the fleet, and Captain Phillip thought to get on ahead of us, so that he might put the settlement in some sort of order before the main part of the expedition arrived. The Jlexander, Scarboro and Friendship were ordered to try and keep up with the Supply, and a number of carpenters, surveyors and blacksmiths were selected from the convicts, and placed upon those ships. And now I come to what was the most affecting incident of this memorable voyage, and that was the meeting between Lieutenant Fairfax and Mary Broad.
As I have said, three of the transports were ordered to sail under convoy of the Supply, and this left the Sirius with the Charlotte, Lady Penryhn, Prince of Wales and the three storeships, the Fishhurn, Golden Grove and Borrodale. These changes made it neces- sary to put some extra prisoners on the Lady Penrhyn, the complement of this transport being made up chiefly of females, but there were also a small number of men. On the day that this change was made, Mr Fairfax was on board of the Lady Penrhyn, taking over some papers from her marine officer who was going on with
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the Commodore's squadron. Mr Arthur Bowes was the surgeon on this ship.
I was not present at what took place on this day, but Mr Fairfax described the scene to me, and, as nearly as I can, I v.'ill endeavour here to set it down as it took place.
The master of the ship, Mr William Sever, Captain Campbell and Lieutenants Collins and Fairfax and Surgeon Bowes were in the ship's cabin talking over matters of duty when the mate knocked at the door and informed them that four female convicts and two children had arrived alongside in a boat from the Friendship^ and that the sergeant of their escort wanted to see Mr Bowes.
The surgeon went upon deck, and returning pre- sently said to the officers who were chatting in the cabin, —
' I have sortie more ladies given into my care. I shall begin to think that the Commodore has a high opinion of my virtue if he sends me many more of them.'
' Oh,' says Mr Fairfax, not knowing that Mary Broad was among the women he was joking about, ' you need not boast of your virtue. The women, if all accounts I hear be true, are neither beautiful nor virtuous, so that you are under no great tempta- tion.'
' Come on deck and take a look for yourself, Mr Fairfax, at one of my latest additions to the flock, and
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I think you'll own yourself wrong as to their want of beauty,'
So tliereupon they all trooped up on deck, laughing and joking. They came to the break of the poop, and looking down upon tiic main deck, they saw stand- ing together in the ship's waist the women who were waiting to be disposed of by the surgeon.
' Which is your swan, Mr Bowes ? ' said my lieutenant, merrily.
At the sound of his voice, one of the women turned sharp round and looked up into his face. Then with a little cry she stepped a pace or two forward, and put her hands together as if she would crave a boon.
' By George, Fairfax ! the girl knows you,' said Captain Campbell. 'I saw her jump at the sound of your voice.'
' Alas ! ' said my lieutenant, ' I know her well, poor girl, she was once my sister's maid,' and then, seeing them looking at one another in a very knowing manner, he divined what was passing in their minds, and added somewhat hotly, ' Gentlemen, you quite mistake the situation ; the poor girl is as honest as the day, but 'tis her love for a notorious smuggler named Bryant, belonging to my native place, that has got her into this dreadful situation.'
Then he told them the sad particulars of Mary's history, and, being honourable men, they showed great sympathy for the poor girl. Mr Bowes, the surgeon, said he would see to it that her lot on the ship should
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be as comfortable as possible, and he would go and tell her so forthwith.
In another moment he was talking to the poor girl, and presently he beckoned to my lieutenant to come and join them.
As he came up to the group, the other women and Mr Bowes drew back so as not to overhear their talk.
' Mary, my girl, how have you fared ? ' said Mr Fairfax, and I well know how his kind tones must have wrought upon her woman's heart.
' Very well, sir, thank you. I have nothing to complain of,' said the girl, but yet her dark eyes glowed, and she clasped her hands tightly together, and her mouth worked. She was dressed in a very humble fashion, in some common woollen gown, with a shawl, such as all the prisoners wore, thrown over her black, wavy hair. But, despite the poverty of her attire and the dreadfulness of her surroundings, said my lieutenant, her great beauty shone out like as would a bright star in a sky of darkness, and there was the same fire in her eyes as in the old days when she set my heart a-throbbing on Solcombe Cliff's ; indeed, all the suffering she had gone through in mind and body had not changed her ever so little.
For a moment or two she did not speak but gazed downwards to the deck, and then her voice came to her, as, with a sudden gush of passion, she laid her hand upon his arm.
' Charles Fairfax, you made love to me once, told
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me that I was fitted to be a lady and offered to dis- grace yourself and break your good father's heart by marrying me when you found I was no simple country wench to play with and then cast aside. Was there enough truth in your words to help me now ? God knows how much you can help me.'
' Mary,' he began, when she placed both hands upon his arm, and, tossing her shawl back from her head, looked into his face with a very great expression of pleading misery.
'Mr Fairfax, forgive me. I am only, after all, a poor, weak woman, and I have done wrong to bring back to your memory words that I have forgotten long ago ; but, sir, I beseech you, as an honourable gentleman and a King's officer, to do what I ask. You are the first man I have ever asked a favour of Grant it me, and, perhaps, some day God may give me the power to show you my gratitude. Grant it, sir J Charles, for Heaven's sake, don't refuse me, or I shall go mad with suspense,' and then, although she did not weep, she shook and quivered from head to foot, and but that she held his arm would have fallen to the deck.
This laid the lieutenant all aback, and he hesitated a moment. Then said he, ' Mary, I was infatuated then, and your beauty made me make a fool of myself, as you say. Besides, you would have none of me. Bryant was, and is, the man you love.'
' True, indeed,' said the girl ; ' I do love him in a
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way that you fine folk know nothing of. But only my good sense saved you from linking yourself to me, and at least you owe me gratitude for that,' and with that she drew back from him with a proud look.
' Tell me what you want, Mary. I have sufficient regard to do anything for you consistent with my duty, but you know that it was your own wish to come with this—'
' Oh, heavens,' and a swift gleam of fire came into her eyes, and her voice grew marvellously hard, ' don't preach to me. Do you think that I want to go back with what I have begun ? All I ask of you is that you will speak to that fool of a surgeon, or the head jailer, or whoever is your master, and get me sent into the same ship as my Will is on.'
'What good can that do, Mary, we leave here in a day or two, and then shall see no land until we reach the settlement, so that if you hope to escape — '
' Escape ! I have no such thoughts, but cannot you see that I, who have gone through so much that I might some day speak to Will again, am eating out my heart in waiting for that time, and that even to be on the same ship with him would help me to bear the rest with patience, even though we might not speak together,' and again her voice grew tender, and ended in a sob.
' Very well, I will try to do what I can, but I don't even know what ship Bryant is in.'
' Neither do I, but, oh, Mr Fairfax, for the sake of
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those days gone never to return, try all you can to do this for me ; ' and then, said my lieutenant, one, but only one, tear fell upon his hand.
' I will, Mary, I will do my best,' and then he said with a laugh so as to cheer her up, ' Good-bye, Mary, I suppose you know the name of the place where we now are, don't you ? '
She smiled back at him. ' God bless you, Mr Fairfax. I have good hope^ indeed, now.'
Then the lieutenant turned away, and the surgeon spoke to the girl and told her to behave herself and he would do what he could for her.
Mary replied in a very humble way, and then, with her fellow prisoners, went below.
The lieutenant told all that had taken place to the others, and then for the first time learned that Will Bryant was on board of the Charlotte; the strange part of the matter was that he had actually been transferred to that ship from the Lady Penrhyn the previous day, to take the place of a carpenter who was going on with the commodore. As so many women were on the Lady Penrhyn^ it had been determined to take the few men out of her and thus reduce the chances of a mutiny and the need for so strong a guard, some of the Marines being put on board the Charlotte where there was a great number of male prisoners.
After some further talk in the matter, Mr Bowes and the others said they would not object to Bryant
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being returned to the ship if Mr Fairfax would men- tion it to the Commodore, and obtain his consent, and to that end my lieutenant sought to put himself in the way of Captain Phillip before the Supply sailed.
CHAPTER XI
A MARRIAGE SCHEME IS ARRANGED WHICH DOES NOT ALTOGETHER MEET WITH MY APPROVAL, AND WE ARRIVE AT OUR DESTINATION.
It so happened, that on the very day of the meeting between Mary Broad and my lieutenant, that Captain PhiUip dined in the ward-room with all the officers who were not actually on duty, for we v/ere to sail the next day, and it was always his kindly nature to associ- ate as much as possible with those under him and join in their conversation, and this he did without in any way sacrificing his great dignity and courtesy of manner.
After dinner, he explained over some wine what were his intentions immediately after the expedition landed in Botany Bay, where he expected to arrive some time in advance of the rest of the fleet, as, although the whole of the ships were to get under weigh together on the morrow. Captain Phillip thought that the Supply and the three transports with her would far outsail the rest of the fleet. Mr Fairfax was not present, being then at the time on tlie Lady
Penrhyn.
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I was in attendance at the table, and my heart jumped to my throat when I heard the Commodore utter these words, —
'One of the first things to be attended to after the landing will be the pairing of some of these unfortunate females with suitable male prisoners. Heaven knows, gentlemen, we need to encourage morality among them, and I propose to marry as many couples as possible. There are not enough single women or widows to go round v/ith the number of single men, but I daresay we shall be able to procure native women who will be willing to mate with the male prisoners we cannot provide with European wives.'
The only chaplain we had with us was Mr Johnson, and he was a Methodist, and I felt sure it was he who had put this matter into the Commodore's head.
Said Captain Hunter, 'And how do you propose to sort out all these precious couples, sir ? '
When the Commodore first put his idea before his officers, it did not give me a great shock, for, thought I, this will come in well for poor Mary who has come so far for the sake of the man she loves, but the next words of Captain Phillip, in answer to Captain Hunter's question, quite took me aback.
' I think the fairest way will be for them to draw lots,' he said.
' A devilish good idea,' said my officer. Major Ross,
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and I could have struck him for saying it, although he was my superior, and a good officer.
' Better let me pick them out according to their physical fitness,' suggested Dr White, the chief surgeon to the expedition.
'That is a good idea, doctor,' said Captain Phillip, gravely bowing to him and raising his glass.
' I should think, sir, that it would be well to leave this matter as much as possible to me,' said Mr Jolin- son. 'If it be necessary, sir, to pair off these lost creatures like cattle, pray let me, who will have to perform the holy ceremony of marriage, endeavour to find out the spiritual condition of some of them, and by a judicious selection make good citizens of them.'
The officers tittered and one or two laughed out- right, for none of them loved the parson, but the Commodore's voice made them cease.
'The chaplain is right, gentlemen. I shall form a committee of selection, to consist of Mr Johnson, the doctor and myself. By this means we may, out of very bad material, breed some very good subjects for His Majesty.'
Then there was more talk of what was to be done, and we who were waiting at the table were told that we might leave the ward-room, and so I heard no more, but I determined that Mr Fairfax should be told what had taken place directly he came on board, in the hope that this off-hand marriage scheme might be so
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arranged as to benefit rather than injure the unhappy pair in whom we were both so painfully interested.
Accordingly, when the lieutenant returned, I took the first opportunity of telling him all about the matter, though I was by no means sure how he would take such a liberty on my part.
' Why, Dew,' said he, ' this is very singular. I must see the Commodore at once, whatever comes of it.'
It was then that he told me of what had taken place on board the transport, without, of course, entering into all those particulars I have given in my diary — it was long years afterwards that I learned all the cir- cumstances of the interview. The lieutenant at this time merely informed me that he had seen Mary Broad, and that she was still infatuated with Will Bryant, and was anxious to make the rest of the voyage in the same ship as he was.
' Which,' said Mr Fairfax, ' I have promised to ask the Commodore to consent to.' The lieutenant did not ask me for my opinion, and so I dared not say anything, but I must say that I could see that no good could come out of such a matter, but I held my peace, and my betters decided the thing wisely enough with- out me.
So Mr Fairfax got leave to go off" to the Supply that afternoon, and, having the consent of Major Ross to interview the Commodore on this matter, and Captain Phillip being willing to see him, he was shown into
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the little cabin of the Supply and told his story and what he wanted in as few words as possible. Long afterwards, I was told all that took place, but on the lieutenant's return he sent for me and said, ' Dew, my lad, the Commodore has refused to put these two on one ship, but has promised that they shall be among the first couples married as soon as we arrive. That will do, let us hear no more of the matter.'
With this I had to be content, but I afterwards heard what took place. Said the Commodore, ' This is quite a romance you tell me, lieutenant, but, from what you yourself say, Bryant and this woman are scarcely the persons to put on board the same ship. Either one of them has spirit enough to attempt an escape, and this woman, by your own showing, is a prison breaker. No, I cannot have that.'
' As it pleases you, sir,' answered the lieutenant, ' but may I entreat you to interest yourself in these unfortunate persons' future ? '
'Sir, pray understand I interest myself and feel deeply for everyone of these people, and I cannot undertake to separate any one or any two of them from their fellows in such poor endeavours as I am capable of towards effecting their reform.'
' I quite understand that, sir,' answered my lieu- tenant, who was a little ruffled at what he thought was an unnecessary reminder that his personal feelings must be smothered where duty was concerned, ' but I
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understood you had some idea of arranging for the marriage of some of these people, and — '
' Ouite true, Mr Fairfax, and this suggestion of yours shall receive every consideration, 'tis reasonable enough' — and here the gallant gentleman placed his hand on the lieutenant's shoulder with a kindly smile — 'that this man and woman should be married to each other, if the circumstances of the case are as you understand them. In fact, I will promise you that, if the chaplain and the doctor find no fault with the arrangement, this Bryant and the young woman Broad shall be the first couple I will have spliced when the pairing ofi^ begins.'
My lieutenant thanked the Commodore, and re- turned to the Sin'uSj and the next day, which was the thirteenth of November, the whole fleet got under weigh again, and on the twenty-third we had cleared the land, and the Supply and her convoy had parted company.
The routine was now the same as before, except that we had a great deal of bad weather and sighted many large whales. In the bad weather, the Prince of Wales lost a man from the main-yard when snugging down one night, and no little damage was done to the sails of the convoy.
On January the second, we saw for the first time the long-looked-for land. This was the South Cape, which years afterwards was found to be an island and was named Van Diemen's Land.
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From this point we shaped our course for Botany Bay, and again made the land on January the nine- teenth, seventeen hundred and eighty-eight, and stand- ing off and on during the night for the convoy to come up, wc entered the bay on the foUow^ing day, and found the rest of the fleet waiting us.
CHAPTER XII
BOTANY BAY
To-day I have reached the allotted age of man's life, and I know that presently, when I enter the best parlour, I shall be welcomed by many dear faces ready with kindly greetings and affectionate tokens, to remind me that my seventieth birthday is not for- gotten by the loving hearts about me.
How different it all is in this year of our Lord 1834 to that time forty-six years ago, when our storm- beaten and battered ships, with their cargoes of sin- stained and suffering humanity, dropped anchor off the wild shores of Botany Bay.
Since then that settlement, the first seeds of which were sown amid the sighs and groans and tears of the wicked and worthless, and the swish of the dreadful cat and the clank of iron gyves upon weary limbs, has become a free and flourishing colony, and the memories of the sad past are well-nigh forgotten. And indeed, though I did see much that sickened me of the swift and stern punishment that was the fate of
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these evil-doers who sought to renew their crimes in a new land, and though some of those in authority were cruel and heartless, yet do I honestly believe that most of those who were then my superiors were good and conscientious men, who sought to do their duty to their country and their King. And I shall ever take pride, my dear children, in the thought that it was my honoured lot to serve under such men as Captain Arthur Phillip and Captain Hunter and Lieutenant King ; for not only were these gentle- men good officers, but they were better — they were good and clean-living men amid all that was wicked and vile.
Since those days, Captain Hunter, Colonel Collins, and Captain Tench and Mr White, our old surgeon, have written full accounts of all our early sufferings and misfortunes and the ups and downs of the brave hearts who, in spite of endless adversities of famine and shipwreck, made good their footing upon those distant and then savage shores.
But there, this journal of mine is no place to record those moving adventures and strange events, and I make no pretensions to write a history of the settle- ment, for in truth I really took but very little part in the colony's history after our arrival, being one of a party of Marines told off to remain on board the Slrius to act as a small reserve.* Thus it is that
* The reader is referred to the Introduction by the Editors. As a matter of fact, much of Sergeant Dew's journal has been here omitted, as the matter can be read in any history of New South Wales.
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much that I have here set down I learned from my comrades, who were doing duty on shore.
It was on Sunday, January the twentieth, that we sailed into the bay, and then we learned that the Supply had arrived on the previous Friday night, while the transports had only got inside the previous evening, so that the brig had not so greatly out-sailed us after all.
Lieutenant King, the second lieutenant of the Sirius^ Lieutenant Dawes of our detachment, and the Commodore, who had gone on in the Supply^ had landed directly the brig was at anchor, and begun exploring the shores of the bay for a suitable site for the settlement. The land disappointed them, for it was very much like an English moor, and dull and unpleasing to the eye for the most part. They saw some natives, quite naked, but these were peacefully inclined, and though rather timid at first soon began to make friends with our people. But although so timorous of our people, they yet fought very fiercely among themselves ; for soon after our landing at Port Jackson, the Governor was a witness to a battle fought among themselves, which shows they are not lacking in courage. Captain Phillip was exploring the northern side of the harbour, near the entrance, when he saw this encounter, and the brave way the natives fought so impressed the Governor that he named the little bay in which this matter happened. Manly Cove.
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A further examination of the shores of Botany Bay made the Commodore so dissatisfied with the place that he resolved to make a boat expedition to the northward, and examine Broken Bay and Port Jackson — two bays sighted and named by Captain Cook.
On the twenty-first, the Sirius and her convoy having got safely to their anchors, the Commodore, with Captain Hunter, the judge-advocate (Mr Collins), and the masters of the Sirius and Supply set ofF in three boats to examine the coast north, while Mr King and Mr Dawes had orders to search the shores of the bay for good fresh water, the want of which was the Commodore's chief objection to forming the settlement at this place. Meanwhile, however, a party of the prisoners were set to work clearing an open space of ground, so that, should the Commodore decide to remain, a beginning would have been made.
We on board the Sirius were not allowed to lose time waiting, for our people were employed getting up cases of saws and such like implements, in making seine poles and getting fishing gear ready. A saw- pit was made on shore by a party of the prisoners, but before it was finished the order came to knock off and bring the gear on board.
On the twenty-third the commodore returned, and we soon learned that Port Jackson, about nine miles to the northward, had been fixed upon for the settlement. On the twenty-fifth the Supply weighed,
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having on board a party of our men and some fifty convicts. She got in the same night, and the next morning at daybreak the Jack was hoisted on shore and the land taken possession of for His Majesty, our men firing a volley, and the officers drinking the health of the King.
Before sunset the same night the transports and the Sirius had also anchored in the harbour, and I saw for the first time the place of the new settlement. The site was at the head of a cove on the larboard arm of the bay, which is full of inlets and is a fine, safe harbour. Just at the head of the cove a clear rivulet empties itself, and the soil, though thick with trees and rocky near the shores, seemed to us very fair.
On the twenty-seventh the convicts and our men were landed and encamped on the west side of the stream of water, and the Governor and the principal officers, with a guard, were encamped opposite to them.
I must not forget to mention that, just after the Supply left Botany Bay, two French ships which had been cruising about trying to get in, made the port. These were La Boussole and U Astrolabo^ commanded by Monsieur de La Perouse, and bound on a voyage of discovery.
They had been unfortunate in their voyage, as we afterwards heard, having had some of their officers massacred by the savages of the islands they had visited.
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Our Commodore sent some of the officers to visit the Frenchmen, and they went round to the bay in our ship's cutter, and I believe took some dispatches which the foreigners said they would deliver when they got back to Europe, and we took some dis- patches of theirs to send to England by the first ship.
Long afterwards we heard that they never reached home again, and their fate to this day has never been discovered, though it is supposed that when they left Botany Bay they foundered in a gale.*
* The unfortunate La Perouse and all with him were, it has since been ascertained, lost on the island of Vanikoro. — Editors.
CHAPTER XIII
I TAKE A SiMALL PART IN A VERY IMPORTANT CEREMONY
I WAS landed from the Sirius to do duty with the main guard on the Governor's side of the Tank Stream in Sydney Cove — as it was afterwards called, in honour of Lord Sydney, though there was some talk at first of calling the settlement Albion.
Day and night for a week, when not on sentry duty, I had to remain close to the guard tent, for in it were placed the colours of the detachment, which Major Ross had had trouble enough, as he said, to get permission to bring with us, and which had to be guarded. Besides the pair of colours there were many important boxes, containing papers, ammunition and the like, and the guard tent was the rallying point in case of a mutiny, or of an attack by the natives.
In the bustle and excitement of the first week after our landing, I saw nor heard nothing of Will and Mary.
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Only some of the prisoners had as yet been landed, and these were at work on the other side of the Cove, felling the great trees and erecting rough huts and tents in readiness for the general disembarka- tion, while no women were allowed on shore for the first week. But on my side of the stream the live stock and plants and seeds were landed, and stock was taken of our possessions. It was then found that we had four mares, two stallions, four cows, one bull, one bull calf and a few sheep, poultry, goats and hogs, all of which Captain Phillip had bought at the Cape.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, February the fifth, five women were landed and escorted to our side of the Cove, and as I saw them coming towards where I was keeping guard, I thought one of these might be Mary Broad. But she was not among them, and it afterwards turned out that these women were destined for Norfolk Island, whither Lieutenant King was bound in the Supply.
However, on the following day, all the ships' boats were got out, and by sunset that night, every prisoner in the fleet was landed and encamped. When all were on shore a muster roll was called, and it was found that from the day we left England until our arrival, the number of deaths of all parties in the expedition only numbered forty-eight.
It was a very dreadful night, for before the tents could be properly secured, an awful storm came upon
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us, with such thunder and lightning and rain as I had never dreamed of, and man as I thought myself to be, my heart was filled with fear. Many of our live stock were killed by the hurricane, and Major Ross lost five sheep, in which he took great pride, but I confess I was not sorry to lose them, for I had been gi\'en the charge of them, and they cost me much trouble by straying away, and I feared to meet with natives when searching for them.
Lieutenant Fairfax I had seen very little of during this first week on shore, for the Governor, as we now took to calling our good Commodore, had found him a great deal of work surveying the ground, he being much skilled in this science.
There was terrible work that night among the depraved characters who were landed, and I shuddered when I heard afterwards, from my comrades doing duty on that side of the Cove, of the fearful scenes which they had witnessed, when I thought that Mary was among the women who, 'twas said, had led to all the riot, although, poor girl, she had nought in common with the vicious wretches by whom she was surrounded.
The next morning at ten o'clock everybody belong- ing to the settlement was assembled on the banks of the Httle rivulet, to hear Governor Phillip read his Commisson.
We Marines were all under arms, and only one sentry was left at the guard tent. Our colours were
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unrolled, and our drummers and fifers played good music as we fell into line.
The prisoners were all drawn up at a short dis- tance, and then the Governor, and all the officials of the settlement, and our regimental officers and the ships' officers, assembled in front of us.
A camp table stood handy, and on this were a lot of papers, which Mr Collins read out in a clear voice. These documents were the commissions of the Governor and our commandant (who was appointed lieutenant-governor), and Mr Collins himself, who was the j udge- advocate ; the parson and the surveyor-general ; all had their commissions read also, and everyone was much impressed with the ceremony.
The Governor very prettily thanked the detach- ment for its services, and then he ordered the convicts to sit down, as he wanted them to pay attention to what he had to say.
Then it was that among the crowd of abandoned felons I saw, for the first time since I had left England, Will Bryant and Mary Broad. They were seated together holding each other's hands, and seemingly quite indifferent to all that was going on about them ; and I saw that every now and then the girl would let her eyes dwell lovingly upon the face of the man for whom she had dared so much.
I learnt afterwards that this was the first time they had met since leaving England. The male
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prisoners had been marched on to this parade ground from our direction, and the females from another, and then, for the first time, many of the men and women recognised among their fellow-exiles some old acquaintances.
Mary and Will were, strange though it seemed, but little changed from when I saw them last, and the girl looked pleased and happy, as if forsooth 'twas something to be proud of to be in such a situation.
They did not see me ; the girl was too much wrapped up in her lover to have eyes for any but him, and as for Will, he held down his head, and I thought looked as if he felt awkward and ashamed at being so taken possession of by a woman.
Presently, the convicts all being seated on the ground. Captain Phillip, in a clear voice that could be heard by every soul present, addressed them, as nearly as I could remember when I wrote the speech in my journal, in these words. Said he : — ' Prisoners, I have given you a very fair trial during the passage out, and I have had some of you work- ing under my own eye for the last week, and I am sorry to say that I think many of you are incorrigible and case-hardened rogues, that nothing but severity will induce to behave properly. Make no mistake about it,' and here his voice grew terribly hard and stern, ' if the scenes of last night are attempted to be repeated, the guard has orders to fire upon you,
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to put a stop to your riotous debauchery. There- fore, for your own sakes I implore you to take heed. Out of some six hundred of you who ought to work, not more than two hundred have shown an inclina- tion to do so. Very well, I will take care that the industrious shall not labour for the idle — those who do not work shall not eat. In England, thieving poultry is punished with death, and there poultry is plentiful. Here a fowl is of the utmost consequence to the settlement, for they are reserved to breed as well as every other species of stock ; therefore, under- stand me, whoever steals the most trifling article of stock or provisions shall be punished with death. It will be grievous, to my feelings to exercise severity, but the welfare of all demands most rigid execution of the laws.' He stopped for a while, and then resumed, in a milder tone : ' The work you will be called upon to do will not even equal the labours of the husbandman at home, but everyone of you must and shall do your share towards making the com- munity prosperous. And we shall begin by erecting comfortable dwellings for the officers and men of the Marine detachment, and afterwards suitable houses for yourselves.'
Then the Governor spoke in still kinder tones, and reminded them that the greater number had already forfeited their lives to their country by their wicked- ness, but by the leniency of His Majesty's Govern- ment they were given this chance to redeem their
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characters, and he would do all he could for those who deserved his clemency.
Then he concluded by saying, and you may depend upon it that some of us paid strict attention to his words : — ' I propose, as a means of settling some of you in a comfortable manner, that such among you as appear to wish it, and as are suitable, shall be lawfully married, and begin a new life respectably.'
After this we fired three volleys, and all the officers had dinner with the Governor. The detachment was marched back to the cheering sound of drums and fifes to its encampment, and the convicts to their rough huts and tents. ,
CHAPTER XIV
WILL BRYANT AND MARY BROAD ARE MARRIED
The next day or two went by quickly enough. The prisoners were set to work at building, and our detach- ment was occupied in guarding them.
One afternoon Lieutenant Fairfax came to the guard-tent where I was on duty.
* Dew,' said he, ' I am afraid you can no longer act as my servant. The Governor says we are to have convict servants in future, and that the red-coats are wanted for duty.'
' I have spoken to the Governor,' went on the lieutenant, ' and Mary Broad and Bryant are to be married next Sunday.'
' It is about time they were, sir,' I replied. ' May I make bold to ask if you saw how the young woman behaved herself last Thursday when we were paraded ? '
' Oh, yes, I saw them, and I saw nothing to find fault with in Mary's behaviour. She has shown that she is deeply attached to Bryant, and 'twas natural enough she should be pleased to see him. What fault
no
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have you to find with her for that ? ' and he wheeled about and faced me.
' No fault, sir, if you think her conduct becoming in a modest young woman,' said I, somewhat timidly.
' Look here. Dew, my lad, I am afraid that you are a deuced sight too virtuous and easily shocked in matters of love-making to understand such a woman as Mary. I am quite certain that no young woman of your choosing will ever get transported on your account.'
I saw that the lieutenant did not half like my bold- ness in having been so free with my opinions, so I only saluted by way of reply.
But Mr Fairfax was only putting me in my proper place, as I, having more sense now, well understand, and he was by no means annoyed with me, for he went on, —
' I am going exploring for some days directly, and I sha'n't have much opportunity of seeing you. Re- member, Dew, do your duty like a soldier and a man, as you have been doing, and you will get along all right. I have spoken well of you to the officers, and 'tis likely that they will not forget my recommenda- tion. That will do. Dew, for the present. Good-bye.'
' Good-bye to you, sir,' said I, and was about to salute again when he caught my hand and shook it, saying,—
''Tis no crime against military law to shake hands with an honest comrade, so let us shake hands first
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and salute afterwards, then all will be according to Cocker.'
Then he slewed on his heel and walked off, leaving me very much affected by his good-natured conde- scension.
On Sunday, February the tenth, the Reverend Richard Johnson held divine service under a big tree, the detachment and all the prisoners being paraded to hear the service read.
Then after the service Mr Collins stepped to the front and read from a piece of paper a list of men and women who were to be married, and the first two names he read out were Mary Broad and WiUiam Bryant. When their names were read out, Mary and Bryant stepped forward, and Mr Fairfax, who was standing with a group of officers near the Governor, smiled encouragingly at them, and the girl's face seemed to me to suddenly grow more beautiful than ever, as her eyes lit up with an answering smile, but yet could I see that her whole frame was shaking like an aspen leaf.
The Governor said a few words in an undertone to the parson, and then he turned to the lieutenant and said something to him, and the lieutenant saluted, and I could see he was explaining to the Governor that these two were the prisoners on whose behalf he had spoken.
Then Captain Phillip bade Will and Mary approach closer to him, and he spoke to them in a kindly way, but not so quietly that we could not hear what he said.
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'You, Bryant,' said he, 'and you, Mary Broad, I have determined shall be the first couple married in the settlement. Lieutenant Fairfax has spoken to me about you, and has told me your history. He says I can take his word for it that you will turn out good settlers. I hope you will justify the interest he takes in you, and that you especially, William Bryant, will remember that in the love of this young woman you have a very sheet-anchor to hold you to a life of honest endeavour and good conduct. I shall take you to be a very poor and paltry fellow, indeed, despite your bodily strength, if you go to leeward with such an incentive to a good life as I believe this girl Mary Broad will prove. Now, Mr Chaplain, proceed with the ceremony.'
Will Bryant held up his head, saluted the Governor, and spoke up like a man.
' God bless your honour. You may rely upon it, sir, that I will do my duty, and that Mary here, my wife that is to be, will make me as good a man as you have among us prisoners.'
'It will go hard with you, sir, if she does not make you a better,' answered Captain Phillip, quickly, but still I saw he was pleased with Bryant's words.
And then Mary, not a whit abashed, although her hands shook and her bosom heaved as she spoke out so that we could all hear her, said : ' And I thank you, sir, too ; and I thank Mr Fairflix for this good act. But, sir,' and here her black eyes flashed and sparkled as in
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the old days, and lone hand stole out into Will's, ' but, sir, we are not criminals but as honest as any man or woman here, bond or free.'
' Tut, tut, girl,' said the Governor, somewhat im- patiently— for how was he to know that Will and Mary were different from any other law-breakers — and I half-feared he would get angry and knock the ceremony on the head at once, but my lieutenant again said something in a low voice to him, and then he smiled, and said, —
' Well, well, I know no distinctions at present, but plenty of distinctions will be made in the future as people by their conduct deserve them. Smugglers, thieves, and all the rest of you make a fresh start from to-day. Now, Mr Chaplain, go ahead and splice them. You know there is a long list of names to go through yet, and we have no time for speech-making over each couple.'
Then the parson solemnly read the service, and a ring which was lent by the Governor himself for the purpose was used for the ceremony, but the parson only put it on the woman's finger and took it off again and made it go the rounds, and then returned it to the Governor.
Our commandant. Major Ross, made a little joke or this, about the danger of letting such people see gold rings, and the care the parson took not to let it out of his hands.
But the Commodore soon put a stop to this. Said
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he, ' No, no, major, no joking, please. These people have feelings, you know, and it is not necessary or seemly to be always reminding them of the past.'
And so Mary Broad became Mary Bryant, and as I was marched off from the parade ground I felt that I had quite got over any weakness I once had in that quarter.
CHAPTER XV
THE SETTLEMENT AT PORT JACKSON
In order that I may get to that part of my life's experiences which I wish to relate fully, it is necessary that I give but scant account of what happened in the settlement up to the month of October, in the year 1788, when I left it for some months and made a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope in the Sirius.
As I have said, Lieutenant King was dispatched in the Supply^ with stores and implements of all kinds, to form a settlement at Norfolk Island, a very fertile spot situated about three hundred leagues from the mainland ; it being in the Governor's mind that the island would grow crops for the main settlement, where the soil was not so good as it was at first thought to be.
Mr King to-jk with him Mr Cunningham, the master's mate of the Sirius^ Mr Thomas Jamison, surgeon's mate, Mr Roger Morley, an adventurer who had been a master weaver and had volunteered for the expedition to teach the people how to weave flax, which it was thought would thrive well on the
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island, two Marines and one seaman from my ship, nine male and six female convicts. All the convicts selected were men of good build and strength, for it was thought that, besides their other labours, they should cut down some of the tall pines growing on this island, which might serve to supply masts to ships calling at Port Jackson in the future.
The Supply sailed out from between the headlands of Port Jackson on February the fifteenth, and on the seventeenth discovered and named an island after the first Lord of the Admiralty — Lord Howe. This place, though small in extent, is yet of some fertility, and is about one hundred and thirty leagues from the mainland. Although barely two leagues in length, the south end rises to a great height, and about ten miles away is a vast, pyramidal rock, which was named after Lieutenant Ball, who commanded the Supply. The expedition arrived safely at Norfolk Island, and the brig returned to port on the nineteenth of March.
Our settlement now began to show signs of pro- gress. The married convicts, for the most part, were industrious, and the Governor had given to eacli couple a small plot of land to cultivate, and the Bryants, so I heard, were getting to be well liked for consistent efforts and steady industry. The country all around the cove being so poor, a farm v/as begun at a place called Rose Hill, some miles up an arm of the waters of. Port Jackson ; a fine brick house was built for the Governor, and a hewn-stone hut for the lieutenant-
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governor ; store-houses were also built of stone, and a barracks for our men was begun ; meanwhile, both we Marines and our prisoners had to lodge in roughly- made huts. Each of our officers was allowed a grant of two acres of land and a convict labourer to cultivate the soil.
Soon after we landed there began a serious difference between our commandant. Major Ross, and the Governor, about the duties of the marines, and the people in the settlement took sides in the matter. The trouble came about in this way. One of my comrades, Private Joseph Hunt, struck another, named Will Dempsey, and was tried by court-martial. The sentence of the Court was that Hunt was either to ask public pardon before the detachment of Dempsey, or receive one hundred lashes. The major regarded this sentence as contrary to military law, because it gave the prisoner a choice of punishments, and ordered the Court to alter the sentence, and this the Court refused to do. Then Major Ross ordered the officers of the Court under arrest, and as they were wanted for duty the Governor tried to square the matter between the major and his officers. The officers held to their sentence, and the major held to it that he would have them under arrest, and so, after some weeks of pursuasion, and finding that no good came of it, Captain Phillip ordered the officers to return to their duty. This was the beginning of the trouble between the military and civil authorities.
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and it lasted till the detachment returned to England, and was a source of great worry and vexation to our good Governor during his time of office, to see men that he liked personally at loggerheads. Major Ross knew his duty, and was perhaps a little sensitive about the dignity of the detachment. He did not, for in- stance, like the notion of our men being employed as gaolers ; but Captain Phillip considered that it was our duty to help push on the work of building by seeing that the prisoners laboured hard. Our major thought our duty was simply to form an armed guard for the defence of the settlement, against mutiny on the part of the convicts or attacks by the natives. Captain Phillip also wanted our officers to form part of the civil Court, but they did not consider their com- missions entitled them to act in such a capacity. Another cause of ill-feeling was, that the Governor thought it wise to form into constables the better behaved of the prisoners, and some of these fellows had the impudence to make prisoners of some of the men of the detachment, and Major Ross was, as I think he well might be, very indignant about it.
The prisoners were a miserable lot of creatures, who knew little or nothing of agriculture, and less, if possible, of the useful building trades and such like arts, and so we progressed very slowly in these things, and suffered many hardships.
We were constantly trying to make friends with the natives, who seemed harmless enough but very
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stupid. They were quite naked and had no habita- tions, except for a kind of screen made of the bark of trees, which they erected as a protection against the wind and rain, and under the lee of which they lay down. They seldom appeared in numbers exceeding twenty or thirty, and they lived chiefly by fishing. Their only arms were clubs and roughly-made spears and a kind of curved javelin, which they could throw in such a clever manner that it would describe a circle in the air and return to them. Although they were, as a rule, terribly frightened of our firearms, yet they were by no means to be despised, on account of their treachery, and, indeed, the Governor was actually badly wounded by one of them, who threw his spear at His Excellency with unerring aim ; but yet. Captain Phillip would never revenge himself upon the savages.
There were no wild beasts or other monsters to add to the terrors of our position, except very ferocious sharks, with which the waters of the bay were infested. There was one curious animal, called a kangaroo, which walked and leapt upon its hind legs in a very diverting manner, and there were hundreds of bright- coloured parrots.
Notwithstanding the Governor's expressed deter- mination to put down vice with a strong hand, one of the sailors of the Alexander was caught in the women's tents a day or two after our formal landing, and the rascal was drummed out of the camp with his hands tied behind him, our drummer playing the ' Rogue's
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March,' and one of our own men was given one hundred lashes for the same offence.
I must not forget to mention that the first settler was a prisoner named Jam.es Ruse. To him the Governor lent thirty acres of land, at a place called Parramatta ; this was in November 1789. This man married and had one child, and being a very industrious man was able to support himself in a year or so ; whereupon His Excellency, being greatly pleased thereat, granted him the land as his own, and it was formally deeded to him on February the twenty-second, 1 792, under the name of Experiment Farm.
CHAPTER XVI
SHOWING HOW A ROGUE LED CAPTAIN PHILLIP TO LOOK FOR GOLD,* AND HOW MATTERS PRO- GRESSED AT THE SETTLEMENT.
The convicts — or at least the greater part of them — were sad rogues, and it became necessary to flog and hang many of them before they could be got in any sort of good order. A week after we had landed, the triangles were rigged, and a few days later a gallows was put up just within cry of the little town we had made, and we soon had occasion to use them ; indeed, hanging was the only cure for some of the wickedness that throve apace in the settlement ; as for flogging, they seemed to take but little account of that, and would take the risk of it with great cheerfulness, by committing all sorts of petty thefts and such rogueries.
Not long after the expedition had landed there began to be some talk of the country containing gold, and indeed I had heard much of this on the voyage out, for many persons in the expedition had said that it was
* Gold was not discovered in Australia until many years after Sergeant Dew was dead.
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likely that gold would be found. Perhaps this was because that there were among us, people whose ancestors could remember the talk about the South Americas in the days when every adventurer strove to reach that part of the world where it was supposed that gold abounded ; and so, in one way or another, the idea we had taken into our heads when we were very young got about among us again, that the metal was to be found in every unexplored country. Of course, too, the convicts, who always kept their ears open, soon grew to talk about the matter as well as the free- men, and we soon had an example of how one of the rogues made use of the common belief that gold was in the country. This fellow was a man named Daly, a big, bony Irisher with cunning, grey eyes. He had been transported for coining, and was a most incor- rigible villain ; and after I left the colony was hanged for breaking into the Government stores.
Well, one day up comes this fellow to one of our officers with a piece of metal resembling gold, and a story that he had discovered the place where it lay in astonishing quanties. If, he said, with many a twist and roll of his villainous eyes, his Honour, the Governor, would obtain his pardon and send him home with a certain female prisoner with whom he was intimate, he would reveal its whereabouts. He told this story with such a truthful air that he was believed by the Governor himself; or at least Captain Phillip, when Daly was brought before him, treated him with
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so much consideration that the rascal was inclined to brazen the matter out.
I was one of two Marines told ofF, as an escort over the man, to take him to Captain Phillip, and I heard all that took place.
Said the Governor, ' Now, Daly, my man, tell us all about this great discovery of yours and we will see what we can do for you.'
Then the fellow, pulling his forelock, and looking as demure as a village rustic in spite of his rogue eyes, answered that 'twas true he had found gold, and that he had sold some of it for good coin to a gentleman belonging to the Golden Grove.
Then the Governor had a general muster and ordered the fellow to point out who 'twas that he had sold the gold to. But this he could not do, yet, notwithstanding, persisted in saying that he could point out the spot, so an officer and twenty men— I being one of them — were despatched with him in search of the place. After going about ten miles into the bush the fellow suddenly bolted and we had a great search for him, but could not find him, and returned to the camp, where the rascal was discovered sitting upon a log and laughing at us.
Major Ross then ordered us to seize the man and lash him to the triangles, and the Governor told the major to flog him until he confessed the truth. It took three hundred lashes to bring him to reason, and between every hundred lie was asked to own that his
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story was a lie, but he stuck to it until the three hundred, and then confessed that he had lied from the beginning and that his only object was to lead the Marines on a wild-goose chase and fool our good Governor.
As time went on, our detachment became very discontented with the situation, for the Marines were now treated by the Governor with great severity for the slightest breach of discipline. A prisoner who struck a Marine was only punished with a hundred and fifty lashes, while a Marine who was found in one of the women's tents was given a hundred lashes ; so there was much grumbling, but our officers were good and loyal men, else their would have soon been a mutiny, for they too were much discontented.
The first execution took place in February, when James Barrett, a prisoner, was hanged for stealing from the Government stores. This seems a very dreadful punishment for such an offence, but I will say for Captain Phillip that he was a very mild man and neither hanged nor flogged these rogues unless they richly deserved it, and he had often warned them of their fate if they stole food ; but notwith- standing this, before I left the settlement in October many rascals were swung at the gallows, and flogging had become quite common.
In May my old master. Lieutenant Fairfax, returned to Sydney Cove from a long excursion into the country to Rose Hill, where he had been superintending the
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erection of an observatory and the laying-out of the principal farm of the settlement.
By his good exertions on my behalf I was pro- moted to the rank of corporal, and considering the short time I had been in the Service, I had good reason to be, and was, very proud of the honour, I can assure you ; and my comrades envied me much. I was promoted in the place of the corporal who was in charge of an island which was close to the settle- ment, and where a garden had been made to grow vegetables and such like produce for the use of the Sirius and Supply. The place was called on that account Garden Island. The corporal in charge and a seaman were severely punished for grievously wound- ing a comrade in a quarrel, and these men's misfortunes led to my advancement.
The Governor about this time hit upon an idea to punish lazy prisoners instead of flogging them. There was a small rock near the entrance to the cove, which we called Rocky Island, and on this, when a man would not work, he was placed for a week on bread and water until he came to his senses, which, as he was alone and was not allowed more than a bare ration, did not take long, and he dared not try to swim back on account of the ferocity of the sharks. Rock Island on this account soon came to be called Pinchgut, and the device of the Governor proved very effective. I ought to mention that the Governor did not forget to keep up the King's birthday, and a whole batch of
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rogues who were to be hanged in that week were pardoned, so that they might have cause to remember His Majesty's goodness.
After a while, as we began to get fairly settled down, the transports left one by one for England, and soon the Sirius and Supply were the only ships left in the cove. Before leaving, the masters of the transports hove them down and overhauled them, and Captain Hunter told the Governor that the frigate — for so he called the Sirius, though she had little claim to that title — would have to be served in the same way, for her hull was in a very bad condition, and when at sea and rolling badly, the timbers in her top- sides opened and shut in a very alarming manner.
Our farms at Rose Hill and on the shores of the settlement were not yet of much benefit to us, and rations were beginning to run pretty short, and the Governor began to get anxious, as soon as it became evident that our first year's crops would come to no good, all the seeds having got heated and spoiled on the long voyage. It leaked out, too, that Captain Phillip had expected a supply of stores from England soon after our arrival, and was now somewhat despondent, believing that the Government at home took but little heed of our necessities.
As for Norfolk Island, our hopes in that direction were all well enough for the future, but of course Mr King could not be expected to send us supplies for many months to come ; and so it came about
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that the poor, old, battered and worn-out Sirius had to be despatched to the Cape of Good Hope to bring us stores for the settlement.
The fishing, which we had hoped would have helped us so much, also turned out a failure, and the great shoals of fine, large, pink-coloured fish with bony foreheads, which at first were plentiful in the Cove, and were especially thick about the small rocky island which we afterwards called Pinchgut, suddenly left, and nothing but hungry sharks seemed to fill the waters of the harbour. Then, in addition to our many other troubles, the Indians, as we then called the black native inhabitants, began to get troublesome, and I cannot but help thinking that much of this was brought about by the good-nature of the Governor, who would not suffer them to be treated with anything but the utmost kindness ; and when, as was often the case, one of our men or a prisoner was injured by them, and took a just revenge, the Governor ahvays punished the white man ; for, said he, ' I have -seen enough of these people to know that they are a mild-tempered, innocent race, and I am convinced that they must have received provocation before they would do any of you an injury.'
All the same, there is no doubt in my mind the savages of this country are a treacherous race, and I will give you one instance of their murderous inclinations.
On the thirtieth of May two men were cutting
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and gathering rushes at a bay near the settlement, and as they did not return at the time appointed, a party of our men was sent out to search for them. Their bodies were found in the bush, quite dead and with many of the spears of the natives sticking in them. The savages had carried away the rush-cutters' tools. I knew these two fellows to be quiet, inoffen- sive prisoners, as I had often guarded them at work. The Governor himself, with a squad of our men, went out to try and find the murderers, and by-and-by he came upon a party of them, but he refused to punish them, saying that he was sure they must have had some provocation and the best way to treat them was to teach them better, and so he merely made signs to them that such conduct was very wrong.
This was, of course, humane treatment on his part, but I agreed with our major's opinion as I had often heard him express it, that it would have been better to have been a little more lenient with our detachment, and expended more powder and shot on the savages.
As soon as it was decided to dispatch the Sirius to the Cape, and she was got ready for sailing, her crew took up their quarters on board, but some of the officers and a few handy men, such as carpenters' mates, were to be left behind as useful to the settle- ment.
The Marine afterguard, the Governor thought, ought to be left behind, but as it was necessary by the regulations that the ship, being one of His Majesty's
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frigates, should have some Marines on board of her, it was decided that four privates and a corporal in charge should accompany the ship for guard duty, and very proud was I when I learned that I was to be the corporal selected for this important post.
By this time our settlement had grown into quite a big town as towns go, for it consisted of over a thousand persons, and so you can easily understand that there was not much intercourse between the Marine detachment and the prisoners. We were forbidden to make friends with the convicts, and all the self- respecting men among my comrades had little to say to the men and women prisoners.
For these reasons I had not seen anything of the Bryants, and had no wish to renew my acquaintance with them, especially as my position had so changed that I had to be very careful not to jeopardise my superiors' good opinions of me. However, just before I embarked on the Sirius^ Lieutenant Fairfax had a conversation with me on this matter.
CHAPTER XVII
MERIT REWARDED
I WAS, indeed, very proud the day that saw me made a Corporal of Marines, but I take pleasure to think that I bore myself with all due modesty. The lieutenant was good enough to congratulate me upon my elevation.
Said he — ' Good-day, Corporal Dew, I am glad to hear of your promotion.'
'Thank you, sir,' said I. 'I hope to do my duty as a non-commissioned officer as well now as in the days when I was of more humble rank.'
' I am sure you will,' replied the lieutenant, 'only. Dew,' and here he placed his hand on my shoulder, 'only try and be kind to the privates under you ; remember you were once a private yourself, you know.'
The kind manner in which this was said brought a lump to my throat, and at first I could find no words to answer him.
Then he laughed quietly, and I had some idea that 131
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he was making fun of me, though I could see little enough to laugh at in my new responsibility.
Presently he said, ' Have you heard or seen any- thing of your friends, the Bryants ? '
I thought this was scarcely the way to speak of such persons, but I answered, ' No, sir ; of course, I have no intercourse with prisoners, it is against the regulations.'
' Oh, no ; of course, I might have known that you would not break a regulation of this kind,' and I thought his grey eyes flashed quickly, ' but their position has been greatly improved of late. You see, the Governor, learning that Bryant was a good boatman, has put him in charge of a fishing party, and it is hoped that he may be able to get some fish out of the Cove where less experienced men have failed.'
I guessed at once that this was the lieutenant's doing, and I thought it was very good of him to take so much interest in people of this description. So I remarked that I hoped these persons would recognise the leniency of their treatment.
Then the lieutenant suggested that it would perhaps do no harm if I were to say farewell to the Bryants, and if I cared to do so, he would give me a written permit to visit them in their hut.
I did not relish the idea very much, but Mr Fairfax seemed to think that my elevation might perhaps serve as an example to them that good con- duct was not overlooked by our superiors, and so I
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said with a good grace, that if he thought it right, of course, I would go over and see them.
Accordingly, the Sunday before we got to sea, after church parade, I walked over to the Bryants' quarters.
Port Jackson contains many little bays and inlets, Sydney Cove being almost at the head of the harbour. On the east side of the cove there is a regular row of bays for the whole way to the southern headland, a distance of about six miles. In the first of these bays, next to Sydney Cove, our town farm was made and we called it Farm Cove ; it was here that the Bryants' hut was situated and the fishing boat was kept.
When I got to the hut. Will Bryant was sitting outside the door on the grass, mending a seine net, and as I approached him he rose from the ground and advanced to meet me.
At Solcombe, the last time I had spoken to him, he was a fine, stalwart, young fellow of about six or seven-and-twenty, and looking his age and no more. In those days, scarcely two years gone by, he was as straight as a musket-barrel, and he looked you in the face with his light blue eyes in a way that told you he was as honest a man, smuggler though he was, as any in the village. Then he had fair, curly hair, and kept himself cleanly shaved and smart-looking, as such a properly-built young man should do.
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In the few times that I had seen him since we had landed, it was always at a distance, or I was too much occupied with looking at his wife to take much iiotice of him, and so I saw in him but little change; but now that I was thus brought face to face with him, I saw that he was no longer the Will Bryant I had known at Solcombe.
He v/as clad in the coarse, canvas clothing which had been served out to the prisoners, and which was all of one pattern, and stamped the men who wore it as being different to their fellows. Instead of the clean-shaven, well-cut features and crisp curly hair that had made a good-looking fellow of my old acquaintance, he now wore a grizzled beard. His hair looked as if it had not been combed for many a day, and his face was roughened and grimy, and there was a strange, hardened look in it.
' Good-day to you, Bryant,' said I. ' I hope that you are pretty comfortable, and that your wife is well.'
' Good-day to you. Corporal Dew,' he replied. ' I am sure it is very good of you to ask. I am doing well, as well as I deserve, no doubt, being nothing but a common felon. My wife is v»'ell, our rich fare and gentle life, with all the comforts it gives us, you may depend, agrees with her. And what, may I make so bold as to ask, has brought you to visit us to-day ? 'Tis something like two years since you have spoken to me.'
' Oh, I only came" to wish you good-bye as an old
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acquaintance ; I am going away in the Sin'us. Of course, we have not spoken to each other since you got into trouble ; circumstances are different now to what they were at Solcombe.'
' I am sure it is very good of you to be so con- descending, Corporal Dew. Here is my wife ; no doubt she will appreciate your kindness.'
Then Mary came out of the hut, and looking at me very straight in the face, she said, ' And what might you want, William Dew ? '
' I merely came to say good-bye, Mrs Bryant ; being old acquaintances, I thought you might like to say farewell, as I am leaving in the Sin'us.^
' Oh, indeed. I thought you had said good-bye to the like of us before — long before — '
'Yes, when I got into trouble,' said Bryant, look- ing steadily at me.
' Yes, when William Dew and yourself got into trouble, and his skin was saved, thanks to you,' said Mary.
I felt there was a bitterness in this meeting, and I thought it would have been better not to have brought it about.
' I suppose you are coming back with the Sirius^ and so you will have another opportunity, when you are made sergeant, of showing how well you are doing. Good-bye, I wish you well,' said Mary ; and then she just gave me her finger-tips and a flash of her black eyes and went inside the hut again.
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'You must forgive us, Mr Dew,' said Bryant. ' We are strange, perhaps, to you, but then, you know, things are not what they were, and you are in a different position to us now.'
I began to feel that somehow I was not showing to advantage, and that, perhaps, I had forgotten too readily how easily I might have made one of the prisoners betwixt whom and myself I was so ready to draw nice distinctions. Besides, I had begun to see that if Bryant had been less generous, and had not put the whole blame of my share in our smuggling adventure upon himself, he might have suffered less, and I might not have escaped scot-free. And so a feeling came over me that made me extend a hand to Bryant and say, as I turned to go away, —
'Good-bye, Will. If anything that I can do in the future will benefit the little one as yet unborn, remember, that Corporal of Marines though I am, the child will have a friend in me.'
Will Bryant pressed my hand, and before he could say som.e words that I could see he was struggling to get out, but which somehow he seemed too much upset to utter, I walked rapidly away to my quarter of the settlement.
Once only did I happen to look back, and I saw him standing where I had left him, with his hands clasped together and his face bent to the ground ; then Mary came out from the hut, took his hand in hers as if he were a child, and led him inside.
CHAPTER XVIII
THE SIRIUS HAS A RAD TIME AND WE RETURN TO SYDNEY COVE
I WILL not here weary you with all the details of our voyage in the Sirius to Table Bay and back, save to say that before sailing we had to land eight of our guns and much of our shot to lighten the old craft and make room for the stores we were to bring back, and when we sailed out from Sydney Cove we saw Lieutenant Fairfax mounting these guns on a redoubt at the west side of the Cove. Our voyage was a very wearisome one, for the old ship made very bad weather of it, and soon after leaving Port Jackson the scurvy broke out among our crew, and three seamen were buried at sea. This scurvy is indeed a most dreadful and malignant sickness, and the spectacle of our suffer- ing crew filled me with horror and dread. Then, later on, we sprang a leak and we were heartily glad to cast anchor in Table Bay after so perilous an experi- ence. As soon as we got to speak to the people of the place we heard that some of the transports on the way
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home to England had come to grief, and we thought we were well-to-do in having escaped shipwreck our- selves, for our sailors said the old ship was so rotten that they feared the voyage back, and many would have deserted but that we Marines kept too strict a guard upon them.
On the twenty-second of February we set out on our voyage back, and on the night of the nineteenth of April, when off a little island about twelve miles from the coast of Van Dieman's Land, we were nearly lost in a fierce, southerly gale ; indeed, so perilous was our position that Captain Hunter said to the second lieutenant, who had succeeded Mr King, —
' This is beginning to look serious, Mr Fowell. We are making lee way very fast and the land must be close to. Bear a hand and repair the storm mizen staysail, and get it and the reefed foresail set.'
' Ay, ay, sir,' said the lieutenant, ' but I fear, sir, that the foresail, instead of lifting her rotten old carcass to the sea, will only bury her into it.'
'We must do it, however, Mr Fowell,' said the captain, in his quiet way. ' The men are getting nervous, and we must give it to her.'
So for three hours the old Sirius plunged madly into the mountainous seas, every now and then huge green seas toppling over the waist and filling her decks, and all hands stood by and looked out to leeward in fear and trembling, for already we could discern the black loom of the land. And all the while Captain Hunter
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stood aft near me and mv men who were at the reh'e\- ing tackles at the rudder, and spoke words of caution and encouragement to us.
I shall never forget the horrors of that night, but I shall always remember with pride that whenever I looked at the features of our brave captain as