N. Francis Xavier
Part XV, (Continued from last week)
A brilliant sun rose over a glass-smooth sea. The men, lying sprawled in different postures on the bottom-boards of the whaler stirred slowly. They looked haggard. For almost three days they were tossed about by the hurricane. Their tiny craft was swamped many times by huge waves. Most of their supplies were swept away. They hardly had anything to eat, and just a little water to drink, rationed by Hemraj.
Hemraj too got up, and saw that the boat was drifting slowly towards the shore of an island visible in the distance. With all their sails blown away by the storm, and the men too weak to pull on the oars they could only wait for the current to take them to the shore. A patch of white sand was visible from the distance.
As they drew closer Hemraj recognized some features. The storm had blown them back among a cluster of islands named Ritchie’s Archipelago.
It was the last place Hemraj wanted to reach.
They were too close to Port Blair. There were aborigines on the islands who would easily betray them to Portman or Homfray.
The sight of land brought some cheer to the tired men. At least they could replenish their stores of food and water and set out again. By now the search would have started in various places all along the coast of India and Burma. No one would look for them so close to the Andamans.
The boat rode a gentle swell and nudged the sandy beach. The men slowly disembarked, pulling the boat with great effort into a narrow creek covered on either side by mangroves.
Even before they could tie it up Hemraj realize that it was not a creek but the impression of the keel of a large ship. Blocks of stones which must have formed the ballast of the ship were still visible. So were some timbers that survive the attack of borers but encrusted with mollusks.
Recognition dawned on Hemraj. By sheer coincidence the storm had deposited them on the same islands where two ships were wrecked in 1844.
Hemraj remembered the visit to John Lawrence Island with Portman.
They were looking for the relics of the twin wrecks that occurred on the island on 12 November 1844. Actually Portman was looking for the plaque with the names of the few people who died during the 55 days they were stranded on the Island when their ships were driven on to the shore during the terrible hurricane.
They found the steps cut into the stone leading to the encampment but there was no sign of the memorial plaque. There was no sign of the Runnymede. She was so totally broken up. But three anchors belonging to the Briton were seen, and a few timbers. The Andamanese took away all iron leaving the brass fittings.
Surgeon Gamack, who came to the Andamans with the first batch of convicts in March 1858 was on the Briton during the storm. He told Hemraj all about the incredible wreck.
The Briton sailed from Sydney in August 1844. It carried about four hundred crew and passengers consisting of soldiers of Her Majesty’s 80th Regiment of the Foot and their families, bound for Calcutta.
The Runnymede sailed from England in June 1944, also bound for Calcutta. She carried about two hundred people. Most were soldiers of Her Majesty’s 10th Regiment of the Foot.
Both ships were caught in the terrible storm that started on the 9th of November. Unknown to each other both were run aground on John Lawrence during the night of 11th November.
On 12th November 1844, when the day dawned the men on the ships, to their dismay, saw two ships driven among the mangroves, less than a mile from each other.
For three days they were tossed about in the sea, their masts broken, sails torn to shreds and leaking everywhere. But all the people survived.
Gamack described how Maj. Bunbury, the senior-most military officer swiftly declared military administration and organized the survivors into a camp by clearing the jungle.
The Briton was not badly damaged but had no stocks of food. The Runnymede was completely smashed up, but held fairly good stocks of food. All items that could be salvaged were placed under the control of the commanding officer. Food was rationed so that everyone got enough to last for at least a month.
The ships had carpenters and blacksmiths. Very soon a small boat was constructed. It was named the “Hope” and sent off to get help.
Discipline was maintained by imposing martial law and holding regular courts-martial. The men fished, shot birds and pigs, fought off the Andamanese and even raised a garden of vegetables.
There were fevers and accidents, but very few died – some due to fever and two by drowning.
A month after the wreck a ship of the East India Company came to the island. The Hope reached Mergui in Burma within twelve days. The news of the wreck was conveyed to the Government. Immediately the George Swinton, a schooner was sent to the Islands, with the Hope in tow.
By the time the rescue ship arrived the food stocks of the camp had dwindled to starvation levels. But Swinton brought rice, ghee, tea, sugar, salt fish and yams.
Gamack remembered celebrating Christmas with great festivity on that forlorn island. All tents were decorated with buntings and flags. A special plum pudding was prepared and served to all.
By the end of the month ships started coming to John Lawrence. In a well-organized operation the camps were struck and the people embarked on the ships.
As the ships were getting loaded with the stores the natives attacked the camp, but were scared away by firing cannon.
On 5th January 1845 all the people left, all 620 of them, leaving seven adults and a few children who died during the 55 days of their stay on the Island. They carved the names of the dead on a stone tablet and left it near the burial ground.
It was that tablet Portman came looking for. It was never found. Perhaps the Andamanese smashed it up.
The miraculous survival story made headlines in many Calcutta newspapers. Hemraj saw Portman having a copy of the “Englishman” of Calcutta with an account of the whole story.
Now that fate has deposited them again on the same island Hemraj quickly started preparations for their own survival. He knew the place where the camp was. There were wells dug by the survivors. They quickly made their way to the place and filled their water casks. The Andamanese were on the neighbouring Henry Lawrence Island. They must leave before they could be spotted by them. Traps set by Sheobrat yielded some pigs. The boat was repaired.
As a full moon rose above the sea with a gentle breeze the new ‘Hope’ of Hemraj glided off into the ocean. There will be no stops this time, till they reach their ‘promised land’. (To be continued….)
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