I
THE LAND OF LONESOMENESS
NOW WE had been five days in the boats, and in all this time made no
discovering of land. Thenupon the morning of thesixth day came there a
cry from the bo'sun, whohad the command of the lifeboat, that there
was something which might be land afar upon our larboard bow; but it
was very low lying, and none could tell whether it was land or but a
morning cloud. Yet, because therewas the beginning of hope within our
hearts, we pulled wearily towards it, and thus, in about an hour,
discovered it to be indeed the coast of someflat country.
Then, it might be a little after the hour of midday,we had come so
close to it that we could distinguish with ease what manner of land
lay beyond the shore, and thus we found it to be ofan abominable
flatness, desolate beyond all that Icould have imagined. Here and
there it appeared to be covered with clumps of queer vegetation;
though whether they were smalltrees or great bushes, I had no means of
telling; but this I know, that theywere like unto nothing which ever I
had set eyesupon before.
So much as this I gathered as we pulled slowly along the coast,
seeking an opening whereby we could pass inward to the land; but
aweary time passed or erewe came upon that which we sought. Yet, in
the end, we found it--a slimy-banked creek, which proved to be the
estuary of a great river, though we spoke of it always as a creek.
Into this we entered, and proceeded at no great pace upwards along its
winding course; and as we made forward, we scanned the low banks upon
each side, perchance there might be some spot where we could make to
land; but we found none--the banks being composed of a vile mud which
gaveus no encouragement to venture rashly upon them.
Now, having taken the boat something over a mile up the great creek,
we came upon the first of that vegetation whichI had chanced to notice
from the sea, and here, being within some score yards of it, we were
the better able to study it. Thus I found that it was indeed composed
largelyof a sort of tree, very lowand stunted, and having what might
be describedas an unwholesome lookabout it. The branches ofthis tree,
I perceived to be the cause of my inability to recognize it from a
bush, until I had come close upon it; for they grew thin and smooth
through all their length, and hung towards the earth; beingweighted
thereto by a single, large cabbage-like plant which seemed to sprout
from the extreme tip of each.
Presently, having passed beyond this this clump ofthe vegetation, and
the banks of the river remaining very low, I stood me upon a thwart,
by which means I was enabled to scan the surrounding country. This I
discovered, so far as my sight could penetrate, to be pierced in all
directions with innumerable creeks and pools, some of these latter
being very great ofextent; and, as I have before made mention,
everywhere the country was low set--as it might be a great plain of
mud; so that it gave me a sense of dreariness to look out upon it. It
may be, all unconsciously, that my spirit was put in awe by the
extreme silence of all the country around; for in all that waste I
could see no living thing, neither bird nor vegetable, save it be the
stunted trees, which, indeed, grew in clumps here and there over all
the land, so much as I could see.
This silence, when I grewfully aware of it was the more uncanny; for
my memory told me that never before had I come upon a country which
contained so much quietness. Nothing moved across my vision--not even
a lone bird soared up against the dull sky; and, for my hearing, not
so much as the cry of a sea-bird came to me--no! nor the croak of a
frog, nor the plash of a fish. It was as though we had come upon the
Country of Silence, which some have called the Land of Lonesomeness.
Now three hours had passed whilst we ceased not to labour at the
oars,and we could no more see the sea; yet no place fit for our feet
had come to view, for everywhere the mud, grey and black, surrounded
us--encompassing us veritably by a slimy wilderness. And so we were
fain to pull on, in the hope that we might come ultimately to firm
ground.
Then, a little before sundown, we halted upon our oars, and madea
scant meal from a portion of our remainingprovisions; and as we ate, I
could see the sun sinking away over the wastes, and I had some slight
diversion in watching the grotesque shadows which it cast from the
trees into the water upon our larboardside; for we had come to a pause
opposite a clump of the vegetation. It was at this time, as I
remember, that it was borne in upon me afreshhow very silent was the
land; and that this was not due to my imagination, I remarked that the
men both in our own and in the bo'sun's boat, seemed uneasy because of
it; for none spoke save in undertones, as though they had fear of
breaking it.
And it was at this time, when I was awed by so much solitude, that
therecame the first telling of life in all that wilderness.I heard it
first in the far distance, away inland--a curious, low, sobbing note
it was, and the rise and the fall of it was like to the sobbing of a
lonesome wind through a great forest. Yet was there no wind. Then, in
amoment, it had died, andthe silence of the land was awesome by reason
of the contrast. And I looked about me at the men, both in the boat in
which I was and that which the bo'sun commanded; and not one was there
but held himself in a posture of listening. In this wise a minute of
quietness passed, and then one of the men gave out a laugh, born of
the nervousness which had taken him.
The bo'sun muttered to him to hush, and, in the same moment, there
came again the plaint of that wild sobbing. And abruptly it sounded
away on our right, and immediately was caught up, as it were, and
echoed back from some place beyond us afar up the creek. At that, I
got me upon a thwart, intending to take another look over the country
about us; but thebanks of the creek had become higher; moreover the
vegetationacted as a screen, even had my stature and elevation enabled
me to overlook the banks.
And so, after a little while, the crying died away, and there was
another silence. Then, as we sat each one harking for what might next
befall, George, the youngest 'prentice boy, who had his seat beside
me, plucked me by the sleeve, inquiring in a troubled voice whether
Ihad any knowledge of that which the crying might portend; but I shook
my head, telling him that I had no knowing beyond his own; though, for
his comfort, I said that it might be the wind. Yet, at that, he shook
his head; for indeed, it was plain that it could not be by such
agency, for therewas a stark calm.
Now, I had scarce made an end of my remark, when again the sad crying
was upon us. It appeared to come from far up the creek, and from far
down the creek,and from inland and the land between us and thesea. It
filled the evening air with its doleful wailing, and I remarked that
there was in it a curious sobbing, most human in its despairful
crying. And so awesome was the thing that no man of us spoke; for it
seemed that we harked to the weeping of lost souls. And then, as we
waited fearfully, the sun sank below the edge of the world, and the
dusk was upon us.
And now a more extraordinary thing happened; for, as the night fell
with swift gloom, the strange wailing and crying was hushed, and
another sound stole out upon theland--a far, sullen growling. At the
first, like the crying, it came from far inland; but was caught up
speedily on allsides of us, and presentlythe dark was full of it. And
it increased in volume, and strange trumpetings fled across it. Then,
though with slowness, it fell away to a low, continuous growling, and
in it there was that which I can only describe as an insistent, hungry
snarl. Aye! no other word of which I have knowledge so well describes
it as that--a note of hunger , most awesome to the ear. And this, more
than all the rest of those incredible voicings, brought terror into my
heart.
Now as I sat listening, George gripped me suddenly by the arm,
declaring in a shrill whisper that something had come among the clump
of trees upon the left-hand bank. Of the truth of this, I had
immediately a proof; for I caught the sound of a continuous rustling
among them, and then a nearer note of growling,as though a wild beast
purred at my elbow. Immediately upon this, I caught the bo'sun's
voice, calling in a low tone to Josh, the eldest 'prentice, who had
the charge of our boat, to come alongside of him; for he would have
the boats together. Then gotwe out the oars and laid the boats
together in themidst of the creek; and so we watched through the
night, being full of fear, so that we kept our speech low; that is, so
low as would carry our thoughts one to the other through the noise of
the growling.
And so the hours passed, and naught happened more than I have told,
save that once, a little after midnight, the trees opposite to us
seemed tobe stirred again, as though some creature, or creatures,
lurked among them; and there came, a little after that, asound as of
something stirring the water up against the bank; but it ceased in a
while and the silence fell once more.
Thus, after a weariful time, away Eastwards the sky began to tell of
the coming of the day; and, as the light grew and strengthened, so
didthat insatiable growling pass hence with the darkand the shadows.
And so at last came the day, and once more there was borne to us the
sad wailing that had preceded the night. For acertain while it lasted,
rising and falling most mournfully over the vastness of the
surrounding wastes, until the sun was risen some degrees above the
horizon; after which it began to fail, dying away in lingering echoes,
most solemn to our ears. And so it passed, and there came again the
silence that had been with us in all the daylight hours.
Now, it being day, the bo'sun bade us make such sparse breakfast as
our provender allowed; after which, having first scanned the banks to
discern if any fearful thing were visible, we took again to our oars,
and proceeded on our upward journey; for we hoped presently to
comeupon a country where life had not become extinct, and where we
could put foot to honest earth. Yet, as I have made mention earlier,
the vegetation, where it grew, did flourish most luxuriantly; so that
I am scarce correct when I speak of life as being extinct in that
land. For, indeed, now I think of it,I can remember that the very mud
from which it sprang seemed veritably to have a fat, sluggish life of
its own, so rich and viscid was it.
Presently it was midday; yet was there but little change in the nature
of the surrounding wastes; though it may be that the vegetation was
something thicker, and more continuous along the banks. But the banks
were still of the same thick, clinging mud; so that nowhere could we
effect a landing; though, had we, the rest of the country beyond the
banks seemed no better.
And all the while, as we pulled, we glanced continuously from bank to
bank; and those who worked not at the oars were fain to rest a hand by
their sheath-knives; for the happenings of the past night were
continually in our minds,and we were in great fear; so that we had
turned back to the sea but that we had come so nigh to the end of our
provisions. - tobe continued...
