A Voyage round the World: A book for boysKingston, William Henry Giles
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A Voyage round the World: A book for boys
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Voyages around the world -- Juvenile fiction
Four of the pirates formed the crew of the boat, and taking the oars,
they pulled towards the shore. We did not leave the pirate ship with
any regret, though few people would desire to be landed on a desert
island in the middle of the Pacific. Tom Congo, the black cook, was the
only person who wished us good-bye. He was evidently sorry to lose us.
We had no means of showing our gratitude to him, except by a few hurried
words. We saw his good-natured black visage grinning at us over the
bulwarks, as we left the vessel's side. Suddenly he started back.
There was some violent disturbance on deck. Shouts, and cries, and
pistol-shots were heard. The outbreak we had anticipated was taking
place. There was a mutiny. Some of the crew had risen against the
captain; there could be no doubt about that. Some of the men in the
boat wanted to go back to join in the fray, but an old man among them
shook his head and said, "No! Let the fools fight it out. When we go
back we shall know which side to join." The rest saw the worldly wisdom
of the advice, and calming down their eagerness, they pulled on to the
shore.
We quickly passed through the reef, and the boat grounded on the beach,
which we found was composed of broken corals and shells, and rose some
ten feet out of the water. Had it not been for the disturbance on
board, the boat would probably have returned as soon as the stores
intended for our use had been landed; but, as an excuse for remaining,
the crew offered to carry them up to any place we might select under the
trees where to pitch a tent. We selected one to leeward of a heap of
coral, where, several trees also growing close together, some shelter
might be obtained. Near it was a pure spring of water bubbling up
through the hard rock, and flowing into a basin some five feet in
diameter, but of its depth we could not judge. The water was so clear
that, as we looked into it, it appeared but a shallow pool. Jerry,
being very thirsty, stooped down to drink from it, and, baring his arm,
intended to rest his hand at the bottom to support himself while he
stooped over. Down he went on his knees, but he got more water than he
had bargained for. Suddenly over head and heels he went, and was
floundering about in the pool, which must have been nearly three feet
deep. Sad as was our condition, the doctor and I could not help
laughing heartily at his surprised countenance as he popped his head up
again after his summerset, and we assisted to haul him out. Even the
saturnine pirates joined in the laugh. As the sun was very hot, his
clothes quickly again dried, and he was in no way the worse for his
ducking.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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