Boon Island: including Contemporary Accounts of the Wreck of the Nottingham Galley (17 page)

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Authors: Kenneth Roberts,Jack Bales,Richard Warner

Tags: #Survival After Airplane Accidents; Shipwrecks; Etc., #Nottingham (Galley) - Fiction, #Transportation, #Historical, #Boon Island (Me.) - Fiction, #Boon Island, #18th Century, #Survival After Airplane Accidents; Shipwrecks; Etc - Fiction, #Survival After Airplane Accidents; Shipwrecks; Etc, #Shipwrecks, #Fiction, #Literary, #Sea Stories, #Historical Fiction, #Shipwrecks - Maine - Boon Island - History - 18th Century - Fiction, #test, #Boon Island (Me.), #General, #Maine, #History

BOOK: Boon Island: including Contemporary Accounts of the Wreck of the Nottingham Galley
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Page 84
Dead, The Master kept walking on the Rock to direct their Good and Welcome Friends to the properest Anchorage; but they not understanding his Signs, let go in a very indifferent place, about 100 Yards S.W. off the Island, the Swell of the Sea not permitting a nearer Approach, their Anchor coming Home, they were obliged to weigh, and stand off 'till Noon, in Expectation of smoother Weather on the Flood; in the mean Time the weak and disorder'd Minds of the poor Creatures on the Rock were strangely hurry'd with fluctuating Passions, thro' Fears of Miscarriage, and Hopes of Deliverance.
At Flood the Vessel coming nigh, cast Anchor by the Master's Directions in a commodious Place, within Call of the Island; where the Master gave them an Account of their Miseries in every Respect, except the Want of Provisions; concealing this, least an Apprehension of being constrain'd to abide on the Rock, thro' any Extremity of Weather should deter them from coming on Shore to their Assistance: observing also, they were unprovided of a proper Boat to carry them off, he earnestly requested them to furnish him with Fire, if they could not possibly accomplish their immediate Deliverance, Hoisting but a small Canoe, one Man came off, and gaining the Rock with Abundance of Difficulty, the Master assisted to haul the Boat on Shore, and perceiving no Eatables therein, enquir'd of the Man, If he could help him to Fire? He reply'd in the Affirmative, after some Hesitation, occasion'd by his Astonishment at the Master's thin and meagre Aspect. Several other Questions being alternately resolv'd, as, What Day of the Week it was? ie., and, in particular, a Relation made of the Manner of finding the Raft and dead Corps, which mov'd the Government to send them out on the present Design; as they were passing on towards the Tent, the Man casting his Eyes on the Remains of the Flesh, expos'd to the Frost on the Summit of the Rock, express'd his Satisfaction at their not being destitute of Provisions; and the Master acquies'd
 
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in the Justice of his Sentiments, without unravelling the Mystery. Arriving at the Tent, he was perfectly affrighted at the ghastly Figure of so many dismal Objects, with long Beards, nothing but Skin and Bone; wild staring Eyes, and Countenances, fierce, barbarous, unwash'd, and infected with Humane Gore. After kindling a Fire, with much Labour, the Master accompany'd the Man to his Boat, intending to go on Board with him, and afterwards fend for the Rest, one or two at a Time, and carry them all off that Night; both getting in, the Sea drove the Canoe with such Force against the Rock, as overset her in the Water, whereby the Master, so greatly reduced in his Strength, was a long while unable to recover himself, and narrowly escap'd Drowning. The good Man, making a second Attempt alone, recover'd the Shallop with Difficulty; having solemnly assur'd them at parting, of coming again the next Day with better Accommodations, if Weather permitted.
Now again, as an Allay to their newly conceiv'd Joy, they beheld their worthy Friends in the Shallop, standing away from the Shore without them; but the infinitely Wise and Good God, whose sole Prerogative it is to appoint the Time, as well as Means, of Man's Deliverance, by frustrating the present Appearance, effectually secur'd the Accomplishment of their Preservation, for the Wind coming about to S. E. blew very hard, and the Night proving exceeding Dark, the Vessel was stranded in returning, and the Men, with much Hazard, escaped to the Main Land; but had these helpless Wretches been there, they must have perish'd in all probability. Immediately upon their Landing, an Express was sent to Portsmouth, on Piscataqua River, and the good People there laid hold on the first fair Weather to hasten to their Relief. In the mean Time, tho' they had Reason to believe their Condition known, and therefore to expect a speedy Assistance; yet their Flesh being near spent, the next Day proving Stormy, and the Uncertainty of such bad
 
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Weather's Continuance, all serv'd to revive their Griefs, and exercise their Patience; however, the Misery of their Circumstances was much allieviated by the Advantage of Fire to keep them warm, and broil their Meat, from thence assuming a much more Savoury Relish.
The Fire was made in the middle of the Tent, and hemm'd in with Stones to prevent its Excursion; the Fewel-Ropes cut into short Lengths, and brought up to the Tent by the Master. At the first making of the Fire, no Vent being contriv'd for the Smoke, the People were almost suffocated, several Fainting away, and others grew extreme Sick; but an opening being made in the Top of the Tent, the ill Effect ceased. A Constant Watch of two at a Time, continually attended the Fire; and were statedly relieved every two Hours, tho' subject to some Inequality, being reckon'd by Computation.
The Men now urg'd the Master, to enlarge their Allowance of Flesh; and he in part comply'd but not to their Satisfaction: in the night, as he lay amongst the People, asleep to all appearance, he overheard the Two that had the Watch, whispering with something of an earnest Accent; and soon after perceiv'd One creep out of the Tent, and e're long returning with a Part of their small Stock, tho' the Flesh lay at a considerable Distance; the Rock was rough and uneven, and this very fellow for some Time past, especially when any thing was commanded to be done, had no other way of moving but on his Hands and Knees; as they were busie in broiling their Purchase, the Master suddenly starting up, seiz'd it, and forthwith acquainting the whole Company, it was proposed to inflict an exemplary Punishment, but as the Case then stood, they came off with a severe Reprimand.
And now when they came to [so] low an Ebb in the Article of Provisions, that the whole Remainder of the Flesh was allotted for the next Repast; as it pleas'd God, the Wind abated in the
 
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Night of the 3d of January, and early on the 4th in the Morning, whilst at their Devotions, they were agreeably surpriz'd at the Report of a Musquet, and looking out, saw a Shallop near the Rock. They came to an Anchor, and having a good Canoe, the Master's much esteemed Friends, William Long of Old-England and Jethro Furber of New-England, both Masters of Ships, with three others, soon came on Shore, the Master standing at the Waterside to receive and welcome them to that desolate island. After first Salutations past, and learning the summary State of their Case, having look'd about as far as Curiosity prompted, they first took the Master on board of the Shallop, and then, being very brisk, strong Men, brought the rest, two or three at a time, most of them on their Backs, from the Tent to the Canoe, tho' none of them were free from Vermin; and in two Hours time they were all on board to their Worthy Friends Satisfaction, and their own inexpressible Joy. The first Sustenance they received, was a bit of Bread and a dram of Rum each, and soon after a Mess of Water-Gruel every one, prepar'd in sufficient Quantity by a charitable Gentlewoman, whose Husband own'd the Shallop, and this was excellently accommodated to their Condition, and prov'd of Singular Benefit; for the Wind being contrary, and blowing a Gale, they were obliged to carry much Sail, which rendered the poor hunger-starved Wretches extremely Sea-sick; and the Water-Gruel promoting a Facilitie in vomiting, serv'd to cleanse their Stomachs, after which they grew excessively hungry and Ravenous.
In the Close of the Evening they got within the Mouth of Piscataqua River; and the Master hir'd a Canoe to carry Mr. Whitworth and himself to their Lodgings at Mr. Furber's with greater Expedition. By eight a-Clock they landed, and the Master being shew'd the House, ran directly in, to the terrible Affrightment of the Gentlewoman and her Children, who took the first Opportunity of making a fair Escape, and left all to his Dis-
 
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cretion; and he, tho' emaciated to a Skeleton, yet being in perfect Health, was unmercifully hungry, and therefore taking occasion to rumage the Pot on the First, found the Contents to be Beef and Turnips, resolving thereupon to stand Cook for once; before the Men that row'd them up arriv'd with Mr. Whitworth, whom they were obliged to carry, he had taken up the Turnips and spread on the Table to render them Mouth-meat, and some small Portion he had already secured in his Belly; but the People unacceptably intervening, restrain'd him from eating any more at that time. The Mistress of the Family, learning who they were return'd to the House, and the Master, with his Friend, was put into a Room apart. Soon after, they were visited by Mr. Packer, Practitioner in Physick and Surgery, by especial Order of the Government, whose Administrators, by an Excess of Generosity, had Sent out, that Day, two other Vessels to their Assistance in case of Necessity; and now, in farther Prosecution of the same Pious and Charitable Care, Lodgings, Food, and Nurses were provided for the People, during their infirmity, and Cloaths, Linnen and Woollen, given them upon their Recovery, all at the Publick Expence: and had not their unworthy, intemperate Behavior, plainly evinc'd them to be guilty of In gratitude toward God and Disregard to Man, they were upon the Point of receiving yet farther Instances of their Charity and Christian Compassion. The Gentlemen, most forward in promoting this generous Benevolence towards the Distress'd, were, the ever to be Respected John Plaisied and John Wentworth, Esqrs, to their own considerable private Charge, tho' the Master and Mr. Whitworth, having sufficient Credit, bore their own Expences.
A limited Diet and requisite Purges being Administred, in process of Time all recover'd, tho' every one, excepting the Master, lost the Use of Fingers or Toes, or some other part of his Body; and in particular, the Master's Boy suffer'd the Loss of a Foot. At the first Publication of this Narrative, the Master, the
 
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Mate, and Mr. Whitworth, were all in England; but, in a Course of fifteen Years since, the Master alone survives of all that he particularly knew.
And now, after such an Interval of Time, to do Justice to the Names and Memories of those beneficent Gentlemen, whose admir'd Humanity on this Occasion, deserves Applause and Imitation throughout succeeding Ages; and in order to perpetuate the Remembrance of the Gracious Proceedings of Divine Providence in its admirable Conduct towards them, the Master is making a Provision to have the Annual Commemoration of their Wonderful Deliverance celebrated in New-England, as nearest adjoining to the Principal Scene of Action; and that in such a Manner, as may, with the Divine Blessing, prove of Service to reclaim some of the unthinking Part of his own Fraternity.
FINIS
.
 
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II
KENNETH ROBERTS AND BOON ISLAND
 
Page 93
Kenneth Roberts and Boon Island
A Study of Historical and Literary Perception
Jack Bales
Boon Island is located about 14 miles off the coast of Maine, measuring 150 yards by 50 yards. It is so few feet above sea level that every year it is flooded by the spring tides, and in the winter the entire surface is pounded by wind, snow, and freezing rain. The weather and the island's barren desolateness were just two of the conditions that 14 men faced when they were shipwrecked during a snowstorm on December 11, 1710. Ten of them managed to survive and were rescued after living for 24 days on the tiny island. One of the reasons they
did
manage to survive was that on December 28 they decided to eat the ship's carpenter, who had died the day before. The men's struggles, both moral and physical, are the subject of
Boon Island,
Kenneth Roberts's last historical novel, first published by Doubleday in 1956 and reissued in this volume.
1
Although it is his shortest work and probably the least critically acclaimed,
Boon Island
deserves study for two reasons. (1) As with only a few of his other works, a lack of primary sources on his subject required Roberts to draw from his own imagination many of the events and incidents portrayed, but always within the framework of the existing evidence, and (2) this
 
Page 94
is the only novel in which Roberts uses symbolism to convey his various themes and ideas.
From the late 1930s to his death in 1957, Kenneth Roberts was one of America's most popular historical novelists, writing such best-sellers as
Northwest Passage, Oliver Wiswell, Arundel,
and
Rabble in Arms
. A few months before he died, his collective body of work, spanning nearly three decades, earned him a special Pulitzer Prize ''for his historical novels which have long contributed to the creation of greater interest in our early American history."
Roberts's novels were not only enjoyable to read but they also had the reputation of being historically accurate. Admittedly, many historians and scholars differ over some of Roberts's conclusions.
Arundel
and
Rabble in Arms
cover the career of Benedict Arnold and his Northern Army, and Roberts steadfastly maintained all his life that Arnold was "the most brilliant soldier of the Revolution," and that all Arnold biographies and studies were "marred by gross unfairness, misplaced patriotism, inexcusable plagiarism, reliance on untrustworthy evidence, a narrow-minded and confused interpretation of facts, slovenly research, loose thinking, atrocious writing and other grave faults."
2
In August 1937 the headline of a Maine newspaper was emblazoned with the words "Roberts Shocks Portsmouth" after he fervently praised Benedict Arnold during a question-and-answer session, insisting that "you ought to be proud of a country that could produce a fellow like him."
3
According to Roberts, Arnold's so-called treasonous motives stemmed from the commander's conviction that it was better to give the colonies back to England rather than let them, through an incompetent Continental Congress, fall into the hands of France.
Despite Roberts's differences with historians and academicians, however, his works
were
well researched, and he would spend months and often years poring over primary resource ma-

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