But
I had no love for Spaniards or their ways, and I lived to learn that my
distrust of them was not misplaced. That night we made preparations for
departure, and, with the first breath of dawn, we hove our anchor
aboard, and set a course for the open sea.
When it was seen that we were leaving the island the utmost excitement
prevailed on shore. The natives crowded upon the beach which bordered
the harbour, while some put off in their canoes, making an effort to
overtake us. But the "Golden Seahorse" was a ship very finely built,
which caused her to slip through the water, needing but little wind to
drive her at a rapid pace, so that we soon outdistanced our pursuers,
and an hour later the Molucca Islands had disappeared beyond the
horizon.
CHAPTER XXIX
THE VOYAGE CONTINUED
We had been compelled, by reason of the treachery of Thedori, to leave
the Moluccas without having obtained a supply of fresh water. This made
it necessary to keep a sharp look-out for some island from which to
replenish our tanks. On most of the islands in the Pacific water is
readily obtainable. It is only upon the Southern Continent that great
stretches of waterless country prevail.
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