During our stay in port we had "signed-on" a new member of the crew,
a tall and not bad-looking Arab, named Yadillah, who, by some means
or the other, had been left at Ceylon from one of the mail-boats. He
was engaged as cook and steward, thereby relieving Johnston of a task
which was, in the tropical climates, none too pleasant. Yadillah
could speak English fairly well, and, although he required special
berthing and messing arrangements, he got on with the rest of the
crew, in a most satisfactory manner.
In crossing the Bay of Bengal we caught the southern limit of the
S.W. monsoon, so that, without having to requisition the motor, we
made rapid progress as far as Singapore.
Thence navigation, mainly on account of the imperfect charting of
these waters, became difficult; and as we approached the coral
islands of the Pacific a man had to be constantly stationed at the
cross-trees by day to look out for shoal water, while at night the
"Fortuna" had to be kept under reduced sail, so as to bring-to at the
first sign of danger.
Seven months had now elapsed since the day when the "Fortuna" cleared
out from Fowey, and we were within a few hours' sail of the island
where we hoped to find the "San Philipo" treasure. Every member of
the crew was in a state of anxious tension, while my father and his
brother, though outwardly calm, were in a fever of excitement. In
spite of our sanguine hopes, there occurred the thought that possibly
our reading of the cipher might be wrong, or that some one else might
have forestalled us.
"Wind's falling light, sir," remarked the bos'n, as my father, in his
impatience, had taken the third observation that morning.
"Yes, but with luck we'll make the island well before nightfall. Tell
them to get the motor running."
Two hours sufficed to bring the jagged peaks of the Truk Archipelago
above the horizon, and shortly afterwards, in fulfilment of my
parent's forecast, the island known to us as the "San Philipo" hove
in sight.
By my uncle's suggestion we headed away to starboard so as to
approach the island in the same direction as did the fugitive "San
Philipo" and her pursuer the "Anne," and, on drawing nearer, we saw
that the island bore a strong resemblance to the description given by
my roving ancestor.
There was the hill to the south-east, with its cat's-head outlines,
and the two rugged headlands on the western side, and by the aid of a
glass we could make out the mouth of a large cave, while all around
the island, as far as we could see, was a long line of white foam,
denoting the presence of the coral reef.
"Mast-head, there! Can you make out the entrance?" hailed my father.
"Aye, aye, sir--a point on the port bow."
"Then let her go," remarked the pater to the quartermaster. "We must
get inside the reef before dark. Mr. Wilkins," he added, addressing
the bos'n, "have the anchors cleared away, and keep the lead going."
"No bottom at twenty fathoms," reported the bos'n, after a few casts
had been made.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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