It was at this agonizing moment, when I thought all hope was ended,
that a new contest arose between the two parties, who had accompanied
me to the shore; blows were struck, wounds were given, and blood
flowed. In the interest excited by the fray, every one had left me
except Marheyo, Kory-Kory, and poor dear Fayaway, who clung to me,
sobbing convulsively. I saw that now or never was the moment. Clasping
my hands together, I looked imploringly at Marheyo, and moved towards
the now almost deserted beach. The tears were in the old man’s eyes,
but neither he nor Kory-Kory attempted to hold me, and I soon reached
the Kannaka, who had anxiously watched my movements; the rowers pulled
in as near as they dared to the edge of the surf; I gave one parting
embrace to Fayaway, who seemed speechless with sorrow, and the next
instant I found myself safe in the boat, and Karakoee by my side, who
told the rowers at once to give way. Marheyo and Kory-Kory, and a great
many of the women, followed me into the water, and I was determined, as
the only mark of gratitude I could show, to give them the articles
which had been brought as my ransom. I handed the musket to Kory-Kory,
in doing which he would fain have taken hold of me, threw the roll of
cotton to old Marheyo, pointing as I did so to poor Fayaway, who had
retired from the edge of the water, and was sitting down disconsolate
on the beach, and tumbled the powder-bags out to the nearest young
ladies, all of whom were vastly willing to take them. This distribution
did not occupy ten seconds, and before it was over the boat was under
full way, the Kannaka all the while exclaiming loudly against what he
considered a useless throwing away of valuable property.
Although it was clear that my movements had been noticed by several of
the natives, still they had not suspended the conflict in which they
were engaged, and it was not until the boat was above fifty yards from
the shore, that Mow-Mow and some six or seven other warriors rushed
into the sea and hurled their javelins at us. Some of the weapons
passed quite as close to us as was desirable, but no one was wounded,
and the men pulled away gallantly. But although soon out of the reach
of the spears, our progress was extremely slow; it blew strong upon the
shore, and the tide was against us; and I saw Karakoee, who was
steering the boat, give many a look towards a jutting point of the bay
round which we had to pass.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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