第2章

Here the contract was duly drawn up, and the vessel fitted out for the voyage.I fancy this was the first time Jensen had embarked on a pearling expedition on a craft of the size of the Veielland, his previous trips having been undertaken on much smaller vessels, say of about ten tons.Although the fitting out of the ship was left entirely in his hands, I insisted upon having a supply of certain stores for myself put aboard--things he would never have thought about.These included such luxuries as tinned and compressed vegetables, condensed milk, &c.Jensen did not even think of ship's biscuits until I called his attention to the oversight.He demurred at first about buying them, but I told him I would not go until we had the biscuits aboard.Jensen was a very bluff, enigmatic sort of fellow, as I afterwards found out.He was of a sullen, morose nature, and I could never get much out of him about his past.He would not speak about himself under any circumstances, and at no time of our acquaintance was he any sort of a sociable companion.He was very hard upon the sailors under him, and was much addicted to the use of strong language.I admit that I was an absolute "muff" in those days, and Jensen was quick to grasp the fact.He was very fond of schnapps, whilst I hated the smell of the stuff.Moreover, he was a great smoker, and here again our tastes differed.

Our preparations in Batavia complete, we next went over to the islands of the Dutch Archipelago, and engaged forty experienced Malay divers to accompany us.Jensen was very particular in selecting the men, each being required to demonstrate his capabilities before us.The way he tested them prior to actually engaging them was to make each dive after a bright tin object thrown into so many fathoms of water.Altogether he spent several weeks choosing his crew.He had engaged a couple of Malays at Batavia to help in the work of navigating the ship, but besides being sailors these men were also good divers.The majority of the other Malays were only useful as divers, and took no part in the working of the ship.A native SERANG, or "boss," was appointed as chief, or foreman, over the Malays, and he was permitted to take with him his wife and her maid.This "serang" had to be a first-class diver himself, and had also to be acquainted with the manoeuvring of a small boat.He was also required to have a smattering of navigation generally.Above all, he had to be able to assert authority over the other divers; and in all these respects our serang was thoroughly proficient.

I may here explain that shortly after leaving Batavia the captain had the ship repainted a greyish-white colour all over.I never troubled to look for her name, but one day I saw Jensen painting the word Veielland on her.There was a totally different name on the lifeboat, but I cannot remember it.What Jensen's motive was in sailing the ship under another name I never understood;certainly it was a very suspicious circumstance.Perhaps the ship as originally named had a bad name, and if such were the case--mind you, I don't say that it had--the Malays could never have been induced to go aboard.Once out at sea, however, they would be absolutely at the mercy of the captain, and he could treat them just as he pleased.The first thing they did before coming aboard was to look at the name for themselves.No doubt they knew the reputation of every pearler.Jensen did on one occasion exercise his authority to the extent of transferring some of his own Malay divers to another ship when we were out at sea.

At last everything was ready, and when we sailed for the pearling grounds, our crew numbered forty-four all told, not including a fine dog that belonged to the captain.This dog, which played so important--nay, so vitally important--a part in my strange afterlife, was given to Jensen at Batavia by a Captain Cadell, a well-known Australian seaman, who had gained some notoriety by navigating the Murray River for the first time.Cadell, who was a great friend of Jensen, was himself a pearler.But he met with a sad end.He was in a pearling expedition in the neighbourhood of Thursday Island, and among his crew were some of the very Australian Blacks who in after years proved so friendly to me.

Cadell treated these men very badly, keeping them at work long after the time for their return home had expired, and one day they mutinied and murdered him whilst he was asleep.The black fellow who called himself "Captain Jack Davies," of whom I shall have more to say hereafter, was amongst the crew at the time.I obtained this information in Sydney from Captain Tucker, a well-known Torres Straits pearler.Bruno, Jensen's dog, was something of a greyhound in build, only that his hind-quarters were heavier.

As you may suppose, my knowledge of seamanship was very limited indeed, but Jensen interested himself in me, so that I soon began to pick up a good deal of useful knowledge.He taught me how to take the sun, I using his old instruments; but I could never grasp the taking of the lunars.On our voyage out I had no duties to perform on board, but I found much to interest myself in the beautiful tropical islands among which we threaded our way; and Itook quite a childish delight in everything I saw.It was really a grand time for me.I constantly wrote home to my mother, the last letter I forwarded to her being from Koopang.Occasionally we landed on one of the islands to buy fresh provisions, in the shape of fowls, pigs, fruit, &c.We then set sail for the coast of New Guinea.The voyage thence was accomplished without the slightest hitch, the divers spending most of their time in singing and playing like little children,--all in the best of good spirits.