The de Rougemont Yarns.

Manawatu Herald, 5 November 1898, Page 2

The de Rougemont Yarns.

INTRODUCTION.

The narrative, which is commenced in the August number of the Wide World leads off by a few lines of autobio- A graphy, setting forth that the authoi^^ was born in Paris in 1844, and spent his early life in Switzerland. At the age of 19 he went to Cairq, intending to carve out a career for himself, and

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thence to Singapore. At Singapore, while making inquiries at a store kept by a Mr Shakespeare, he met a Dutch pearifisher, named Peter Jensen, with whom he concluded a partnership agreement, and, proceeding to Batavia embarked with Jensen on board the pearling schooner Veielland. Forty experienced Malay diver's, two Malay women, Jensen, and de Rougemont formed the ship's company. A large dog, described as " an Australian dog," also went with the expedition. From Batavia the schooner sailed for the pearling ground off the coast of New Guinea, and there the business of pearling was commenced. Towards the close of the season Captain Jensen assured de Rougemont that they had •ecured worth of pearls, together with 30 tons of pearl shell, valued at from £200 to £"250 a ton. The finest specimen that passed through de Rougemont's hands was •• about the size of a pigeon's egg, and of exquisite colour and shape." Some of the pearls were of a beautiful rose colour, and others yellow, but most were pure white. After thrilling adventures with a mammoth octopus and with other monsters, the schooner was headed towards the mainland of New Guinea, and the Malays landed in order to get fresh provisions. Owing to the hostile demeanour of the natives, however, a a hasty return was made to the schooner, which was presently besieged by 20 fully-equipped war canoes. Captain Jensen fired upon the canoes with grape shot from a small cannon, and having sunk several of the canoes and killed many of the natives he caused a cessation of the advance. Owing to the representation of the Malay serang, or boss of the divers, Captain Jensen set sail to new fishing grounds, the precise locality of which is not stated, and there de Rougemont found

THE THREE BLACK PEARLS. He describes the incident as follows : —

"One morning, as I was opening the shells as usual, out dropped three magnificent black pearls. I gazed at them, fascinated — why, I know not. Ah ! those terrible three black pearls ; would to God they had never been found I When I showed them to the captain he became very excited, and said that, as they were worth nearly all the others put together, it would be well worth our while trying to find more like them. Now, this meant stopping at sea longer than was either customary or advisable. The pearling season was practically at an end, and the change of monsoons was actually due, but still the captain had got the • pearl fever ' very badly, and flatly refused to leave. He kept on saying that there must be quantities of black pearls to be obtained ; the three we found could not possibly be isolated specimens, and so on. ' Accordingly, we kept our divers at work day after day as usual. Of course, I did not know much about the awful dangers to which we were exposing ourselves by remaining out in such uncertain seas when the monsoons were due to change ; and I did not, I confess, see any great reason why we should not continue pearling." Early one morning — it was in July, 1864 — Jensen went off as usual with the whole of the Malay crew, leaving De Rougemont absolutely alone in charge of the ship, the women having accompanied the divers. Only an hour before Jensen left a tidal wave broke over the stern and flooded the cabins. Still, the infatuated pearlfisher insisted on continuing operations. Presently the wind developed a sudden violence, and soon quickened to a hurricane. The boats/ from which the divers and Jensen were working, could not get back to the schooner, and were taken out to sea and lost. The wind blew away all the sails on the schooner's masts as she rode at anchor, and then a mountain of water came on board and ■ carried away the bulwarks, the galley, the wheel, and all the compasses and charts. The dog was howling, shut up in the cabin below. De Rougemont slipped the anchor, and the schooner began to drift in a fearful sea, which was temporarily abated by the contents of a large cask full of oil, which was swept overboard. All that day and night the hurricane raged, but at 6 o'clock next morning' the wind calmed, and the solitary occupant of the schooner, having let the dog come on deck, set a mainsail and staysail. Fitting two steering oars for a rudder, he sailed due west, hoping to reach one of the Dutch Indies. On the evening of the thirteenth day he made out an island, with blacks' upon the beach, making hostile demonstrations. Then in endeavouring to avoid the natives he was drawn into a waterway, between two island — Melville and Bathurst islands, as he afterwards learned.