PAGANEL’S facts were indisputable. The cruelty of the New Zealanders was beyond a doubt, therefore it was dangerous to land. But had the danger been a hundredfold greater, it had to be faced. John Mangles1 felt the necessity of leaving without delay a vessel2 doomed3 to certain and speedy destruction. There were two dangers, one certain and the other probable, but no one could hesitate between them.
As to their chance of being picked up by a passing vessel, they could not reasonably hope for it. The Macquarie was not in the track of ships bound to New Zealand. They keep further north for Auckland, further south for New Plymouth, and the ship had struck just between these two points, on the desert region of the shores of Ika-na-Mani, a dangerous, difficult coast, and infested4 by desperate characters.
“When shall we get away?” asked Glenarvan.
“To-morrow morning at ten o’clock,” replied John Mangles. “The tide will then turn and carry us to land.”
Next day, February 5, at eight o’clock, the raft was finished. John had given all his attention to the building of this structure. The foreyard, which did very well for mooring5 the anchors, was quite inadequate6 to the transport of passengers and provisions. What was needed was a strong, manageable raft, that would resist the force of the waves during a passage of nine miles. Nothing but the masts could supply suitable materials.
Wilson and Mulrady set to work; the rigging was cut clear, and the mainmast, chopped away at the base, fell over the starboard rail, which crashed under its weight. The Macquarie was thus razed8 like a pontoon.
When the lower mast, the topmasts, and the royals were sawn and split, the principal pieces of the raft were ready. They were then joined to the fragments of the foremast and the whole was fastened securely together. John took the precaution to place in the interstices half a dozen empty barrels, which would raise the structure above the level of the water. On this strong foundation, Wilson laid a kind of floor in open work, made of the gratings off the hatches. The spray could then dash on the raft without staying there, and the passengers would be kept dry. In addition to this, the hose-pipes firmly lashed9 together formed a kind of circular barrier which protected the deck from the waves.
That morning, John seeing that the wind was in their favor, rigged up the royal-yard in the middle of the raft as a mast. It was stayed with shrouds10, and carried a makeshift sail. A large broad-bladed oar7 was fixed11 behind to act as a rudder in case the wind was sufficient to require it. The greatest pains had been expended12 on strengthening the raft to resist the force of the waves, but the question remained whether, in the event of a change of wind, they could steer13, or indeed, whether they could hope ever to reach the land.
At nine o’clock they began to load. First came the provisions, in quantity sufficient to last till they should reach Auckland, for they could not count on the productions of this barren region.
Olbinett’s stores furnished some preserved meat which remained of the purchase made for their voyage in the Macquarie. This was but a scanty14 resource. They had to fall back on the coarse viands16 of the ship; sea biscuits of inferior quality, and two casks of salt fish. The steward17 was quite crestfallen18.
These provisions were put in hermetically sealed cases, staunch and safe from sea water, and then lowered on to the raft and strongly lashed to the foot of the mast. The arms and ammunition19 were piled in a dry corner. Fortunately the travelers were well armed with carbines and revolvers.
A holding anchor was also put on board in case John should be unable to make the land in one tide, and would have to seek moorings.
At ten o’clock the tide turned. The breeze blew gently from the northwest, and a slight swell20 rocked the frail21 craft.
“Are we ready?” asked John.
“All ready, captain,” answered Wilson.
“All aboard!” cried John.
Lady Helena and Mary Grant descended22 by a rope ladder, and took their station at the foot of the mast on the cases of provisions, their companions near them. Wilson took the helm. John stood by the tackle, and Mulrady cut the line which held the raft to the ship’s side.
The sail was spread, and the frail structure commenced its progress toward the land, aided by wind and tide. The coast was about nine miles off, a distance that a boat with good oars15 would have accomplished23 in three hours. But with a raft allowance must be made. If the wind held, they might reach the land in one tide. But if the breeze died away, the ebb24 would carry them away from the shore, and they would be compelled to anchor and wait for the next tide, a serious consideration, and one that filled John Mangles with anxiety.
Still he hoped to succeed. The wind freshened. The tide had turned at ten o’clock, and by three they must either make the land or anchor to save themselves from being carried out to sea. They made a good start. Little by little the black line of the reefs and the yellow banks of sand disappeared under the swelling25 tide. Extreme watchfulness26 and perfect skill were necessary to avoid these submerged rocks, and steer a bark that did not readily answer to the helm, and that constantly broke off.
At noon they were still five miles from shore. A tolerably clear sky allowed them to make out the principal features of the land. In the northeast rose a mountain about 2,300 feet high, whose sharply defined outline was exactly like the grinning face of a monkey turned toward the sky. It was Pirongia, which the map gave as exactly on the 38th parallel.
At half-past twelve, Paganel remarked that all the rocks had disappeared under the rising tide.
“All but one,” answered Lady Helena.
“Which, Madam?” asked Paganel.
“There,” replied she, pointing to a black speck27 a mile off.
“Yes, indeed,” said Paganel. “Let us try to ascertain28 its position, so as not to get too near it, for the sea will soon conceal29 it.”
“It is exactly in a line with the northern slope of the mountain,” said John Mangles. “Wilson, mind you give it a wide berth30.”
“Yes, captain,” answered the sailor, throwing his whole weight on the great oar that steered31 the raft.
In half an hour they had made half a mile. But, strange to say, the black point still rose above the waves.
John looked attentively32, and in order to make it out, borrowed Paganel’s telescope.
“That is no reef,” said he, after a moment; “it is something floating, which rises and falls with the swell.”
“Is it part of the mast of the Macquarie?” asked Lady Helena.
“No,” said Glenarvan, “none of her timbers could have come so far.”
“Stay!” said John Mangles; “I know it! It is the boat.”
“The ship’s boat?” exclaimed Glenarvan.
“Yes, my lord. The ship’s boat, keel up.”
“The unfortunate creatures,” cried Lady Helena, “they have perished!”
“Yes, Madam,” replied John Mangles, “they must have perished, for in the midst of these breakers in a heavy swell on that pitchy night, they ran to certain death.”
For a few minutes the passengers were silent. They gazed at the frail craft as they drew near it. It must evidently have capsized about four miles from the shore, and not one of the crew could have escaped.
“But this boat may be of use to us,” said Glenarvan.
“That is true,” answered John Mangles. “Keep her up, Wilson.”
The direction was slightly changed, but the breeze fell gradually, and it was two hours before they reached the boat.
Mulrady, stationed forward, fended33 off the blow, and the yawl was drawn34 alongside.
“Empty?” asked John Mangles.
“Yes, captain,” answered the sailor, “the boat is empty. and all its seams are open. It is of no use to us.”
“No use at all?” said McNabbs.
“None at all,” said John Mangles.
“It is good for nothing but to burn.”
“I regret it,” said Paganel, “for the yawl might have taken us to Auckland.”
“We must bear our fate, Monsieur Paganel,” replied John Mangles. “But, for my part, in such a stormy sea I prefer our raft to that crazy boat. A very slight shock would be enough to break her up. Therefore, my lord, we have nothing to detain us further.”
“As you think best, John.”
“On then, Wilson,” said John, “and bear straight for the land.”
There was still an hour before the turn of the tide. In that time they might make two miles. But the wind soon fell almost entirely35, and the raft became nearly motionless, and soon began to drift to seaward under the influence of the ebb-tide.
John did not hesitate a moment.
“Let go the anchor,” said he.
Mulrady, who stood to execute this order, let go the anchor in five fathoms36 water. The raft backed about two fathoms on the line, which was then at full stretch. The sail was taken in, and everything made snug38 for a tedious period of inaction.
The returning tide would not occur till nine o’clock in the evening; and as John Mangles did not care to go on in the dark, the anchorage was for the night, or at least till five o’clock in the morning, land being in sight at a distance of less than three miles.
A considerable swell raised the waves, and seemed to set in continuously toward the coast, and perceiving this, Glenarvan asked John why he did not take advantage of this swell to get nearer to the land.
“Your Lordship is deceived by an optical illusion,” said the young captain. “Although the swell seems to carry the waves landward, it does not really move at all. It is mere39 undulating molecular40 motion, nothing more. Throw a piece of wood overboard and you will see that it will remain quite stationary41 except as the tide affects it. There is nothing for it but patience.”
“And dinner,” said the Major.
Olbinett unpacked42 some dried meat and a dozen biscuits. The steward blushed as he proffered43 the meager44 bill of fare. But it was received with a good grace, even by the ladies, who, however, had not much appetite, owing to the violent motion.
This motion, produced by the jerking of the raft on the cable, while she lay head on to the sea, was very severe and fatiguing45. The blows of the short, tumbling seas were as severe as if she had been striking on a submerged rock. Sometimes it was hard to believe that she was not aground. The cable strained violently, and every half hour John had to take in a fathom37 to ease it. Without this precaution it would certainly have given way, and the raft must have drifted to destruction.
John’s anxiety may easily be understood. His cable might break, or his anchor lose its hold, and in either case the danger was imminent46.
Night drew on; the sun’s disc, enlarged by refraction, was dipping blood-red below the horizon. The distant waves glittered in the west, and sparkled like sheets of liquid silver. Nothing was to be seen in that direction but sky and water, except one sharply-defined object, the hull47 of the Macquarie motionless on her rocky bed.
The short twilight48 postponed49 the darkness only by a few minutes, and soon the coast outline, which bounded the view on the east and north, was lost in darkness.
The shipwrecked party were in an agonizing50 situation on their narrow raft, and overtaken by the shades of night.
Some of the party fell into a troubled sleep, a prey51 to evil dreams; others could not close an eye. When the day dawned, the whole party were worn out with fatigue52.
With the rising tide the wind blew again toward the land. It was six o’clock in the morning, and there was no time to lose. John arranged everything for resuming their voyage, and then he ordered the anchor to be weighed. But the anchor flukes had been so imbedded in the sand by the repeated jerks of the cable, that without a windlass it was impossible to detach it, even with the tackle which Wilson had improvised53.
Half an hour was lost in vain efforts. John, impatient of delay, cut the rope, thus sacrificing his anchor, and also the possibility of anchoring again if this tide failed to carry them to land. But he decided54 that further delay was not to be thought of, and an ax-blow committed the raft to the mercy of the wind, assisted by a current of two knots an hour.
The sail was spread. They drifted slowly toward the land, which rose in gray, hazy55 masses, on a background of sky illumined by the rising sun. The reef was dexterously56 avoided and doubled, but with the fitful breeze the raft could not get near the shore. What toil57 and pain to reach a coast so full of danger when attained58.
At nine o’clock, the land was less than a mile off. It was a steeply-shelving shore, fringed with breakers; a practicable landing-place had to be discovered.
Gradually the breeze grew fainter, and then ceased en-
V. IV Verne tirely. The sail flapped idly against the mast, and John had it furled. The tide alone carried the raft to the shore, but steering59 had become impossible, and its passage was impeded60 by immense bands of FUCUS.
At ten o’clock John found himself almost at a stand-still, not three cables’ lengths from the shore. Having lost their anchor, they were at the mercy of the ebb-tide.
John clenched61 his hands; he was racked with anxiety, and cast frenzied62 glances toward this inaccessible63 shore.
In the midst of his perplexities, a shock was felt. The raft stood still. It had landed on a sand-bank, twenty-five fathoms from the coast.
Glenarvan, Robert, Wilson, and Mulrady, jumped into the water. The raft was firmly moored64 to the nearest rocks. The ladies were carried to land without wetting a fold of their dresses, and soon the whole party, with their arms and provisions, were finally landed on these much dreaded65 New Zealand shores.
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mangles
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| n.轧布机，轧板机，碾压机（mangle的复数形式）vt.乱砍（mangle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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mooring
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| n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词) | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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razed
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| v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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crestfallen
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| adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的 | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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fended
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| v.独立生活，照料自己( fend的过去式和过去分词 )；挡开，避开 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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molecular
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| adj.分子的；克分子的 | |
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stationary
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| adj.固定的，静止不动的 | |
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42
unpacked
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| v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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48
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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49
postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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50
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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51
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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52
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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54
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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