Wal Jessop remembered the circumstances, and said he did not think Edgar would easily find the man.
‘He spoke1 of sailing for America,’ said Wal; ‘and as I have seen nothing of him for some time, I think he must have gone away.’
‘I mean to have a cruise in the South Seas, at any rate,’ said Edgar. ‘I have never been there, and it will be interesting. I am sure to hear something about this man from the natives and traders.’
Wal Jessop thought for a few moments, and then said:
‘I have a schooner2 that would suit your purpose, and I should not mind making a voyage with you. It would be better than going alone, and I have been in the South Seas several times.’
‘That would be splendid!’ said Edgar, overjoyed at the prospect3 of having Wal Jessop with him.
Wal Jessop communicated his intention of accompanying Edgar to his wife, and although she did not care for him to leave her again to go on a cruise, she raised no objections when she heard what object they had in view.
‘How strange it will be if you find Captain Manton there!’ she said. ‘Even if such a thing happened I am afraid he would not return with you.’
‘We shall persuade him to do so,’ said Wal, ‘if we find him; but that is more than we hope for. Still, more extraordinary things than this have happened over shipwrecks4, and truth is often stranger than fiction.’
Wal Jessop’s schooner did not take much fitting out for the voyage, for both he and Edgar were used to roughing it. A couple of good men were engaged to go with them, upon whom Wal Jessop knew he could rely.
They set sail early one morning, and were soon outside the heads, going along at a fair rate of speed in their small craft.
‘She sails well,’ said Edgar.
‘Many a craft twice her size does not skim over the sea so fast,’ said Wal.
Edgar thoroughly5 enjoyed being on board the schooner. It was vastly different from the life on an ocean liner. They had on board a stock of goods to trade with the natives, and hoped to make the trip profitable. The wind and weather being in their favour, they sailed merrily along, and there was every prospect of their making a fast trip.
Wal Jessop suggested going to Fiji first of all.
‘It’s a jolly place,’ he said, ‘and will not be out of our way, and we are not tied for time.’
‘It is a good thing your wife cannot hear you,’ said Edgar, laughing. ‘I fancy I heard you say we should return as quickly as possible.’
‘So we shall,’ said Wal; ‘but we made no stipulation6 as to the course we should take.’
They made sail for Levuka, the former capital of Fiji, Suva being the present capital. Levuka is situated7 on a narrow strip of beach, from which the backbone8 of Ovalau rises precipitately9 to a height of 2,500 feet, and falls in a similar manner on the other side.
Levuka, Edgar found, consisted of one main street about a mile in length, which runs along the beach from old Government House to the native village at the other end. The ground ascends10 rapidly on leaving the beach, and the hills around are dotted with pretty villas11. The stores and hotels face the water, and here Edgar and Wal took in a fresh stock of provisions for the schooner.
After leaving Levuka, they sailed along the coast and saw a number of small native towns dotted about at varying intervals12, usually among a little grove13 of cocoa-nuts or bananas.
They landed near one of these native villages and obtained a supply of yams and sweet potatoes, also bananas in any quantity. The village was surrounded by filth14 and garbage of all sorts, and among this highly-scented mess a number of scraggy pigs, thin hens, and young children were rummaging15. The stagnant16 water lying about attracted swarms17 of mosquitoes and flies.
Edgar entered one of the houses and was almost choked with the smoke, and was glad to get a breath of fresh air. The earthen floor of the house he could just discern was covered with dry grass over which were spread a few mats. The men seemed a lazy lot of fellows, passing the bulk of their time in smoking. They went inland for several miles, but found the country hilly and uninteresting.
They saw numerous inland villages nestling in the valley or perched on the top of a hill. After leaving Fiji they sailed for the New Hebrides, rather an inhospitable country, so Edgar understood. Wal Jessop had, however, been to Tana before, and meant to steer18 for that place.
‘What sort of a place is Tana?’ asked Edgar as they sat idly in the schooner with the blue sky shining brilliantly overhead, and the blue water of the ocean all around them.
‘It is a volcanic19 island,’ said Wal. ‘There are several of them in the group, and on many of them the natives speak different languages. It is a circular island, with a high mountain in the centre which we ought to see before long. The mountain is constantly in eruption20, and answers the purpose of a lighthouse. It is covered with vegetation almost to the top.’
‘I hope we shall not have an earthquake during our stay on the island. I have experienced one already, during our exploration in the cave of Enooma, and I should not care for the experience to be repeated,’ said Edgar.
Next morning the island of Tana came in sight, and Edgar marvelled21 at its beauty as seen from the schooner. In the centre of the island rose the high mountain, as Wal Jessop had described it, and smoke and fire were issuing from the top. They were not long in reaching a landing-place, and on the beach they saw a number of native canoes, some about fifteen feet long, and others from twenty-five to nearly fifty feet in length.
When the natives saw the schooner let go her anchor, two canoes put off and were quickly paddled alongside. The natives in them were rather under the middle stature22 and the colour of old copper23. Their faces were painted a reddish colour, and looked oily and sticky. Their hair was frizzy and of a light-brown colour, and was twisted and curled into numerous tails, which were thrown back from the forehead and hung down the back. It looked for all the world like a wig24 made of whipcord, Edgar thought.
‘These fellows are Tanese,’ said Wal. ‘I must try and make them understand a few questions.’
He spoke to one of the natives, who was taller than his companions, and asked him to come on board the schooner. Without the least
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