Steampunk Prime_ A Vintage Steampunk Reader - Mike Ashley [98]
Whilst the following story features vampires, they’re not the dead-alive, but genuine vampire bats. Even so, the very mention of them as part of a world catastrophe has all the connotations of steampunk imagery.
Ernest Favenc (1845-1908) was born in England but emigrated to Australia in 1864 and for some years worked on various cattle stations. He also took part in gold prospecting and became skilled at living off the land in the remote Australian interior. His abilities led to him being appointed as leader of an expedition in 1878 that explored the territory between Brisbane and Port Darwin to survey for the possibility of a railway link. After the expedition he married and settled down to a life as a writer and journalist. Several of his books are of science fiction interest including The Secret of the Australian Desert (1895) and the collections The Last of Six (1893) and Tales of the Austral Topics (1894). An expanded version of the latter book, edited by Cheryl Taylor with extensive notes on Favenc was published in 1997. — M.A.
1
IT was during the prolonged drought of 1919, just about Christmas time, that the steamer Niagara fell in with an apparently abandoned barquentine about fifty miles from Sydney.
It was calm, fine weather; so, failing to get any response to their hail, the chief officer boarded her.
He returned with the report that she was perfectly seaworthy and in good order, but no one could be found on the ship, living or dead.
The captain went on board, and, being so close to port, he was thinking of putting some hands on her to bring her into Port Jackson, when a perusal of the barquentine’s log-book in the captain’s cabin made him hesitate.
From the entries it appeared that the crew had sickened and died of some kind of malignant fever, the only survivors being three men — a passenger, one sailor, and the cook.
The last entry, which was nearly three weeks old, stated that these three had provisioned a boat and intended leaving the vessel in order to make for Australia, as the only chance of saving their lives, as they felt sure that the vessel was infested with plague.
The value of the barquentine and cargo being considerable, and the weather settled, the captain determined to take her into port.
He put three volunteers on board to steer her, took her in tow, and brought her into Port Jackson, and anchored off the Quarantine Ground.
On reporting the matter to the medical officer, he was ordered ‘to remain at anchor until it was decided what course to take.
The season was very hot and unhealthy, and when the story spread it occasioned a slight scare amongst the citizens.
Both vessels were quarantined, and the barquentine thoroughly examined.
When it was found from the log that the deserted craft had sailed from an Indian port; where the plague that had so long devastated Southern Asia was then raging furiously, the consternation grew into a panic.
It was determined to take the vessel to sea and burn her, for nothing less would pacify the public.
The claim of the owners and the salvage claim for compensation were rated, and the Niagara towed the derelict out to sea, set fire to her, and then returned to undergo a term of quarantine.
Nothing further occurred, and in due course the Niagara was released, and the people forgot the fright they had entertained.
The drought reigned unbroken, and the heat continued to range higher than ever. Then, when the winter had passed, and the dry spring betokened the coming of another summer of drought and heat, a mortal sickness made its appearance in some of the low-lying suburbs of Sydney.