CHAPTER XXVII
DIVERS ADVENTURES ON THE ISLAND
Seeing my companion so anxious to be gone, I left my fire to burn outand, giving her my hand, forthwith turned my back on this place ofdeath, nor sorry to do it.
Following the base of the cliff we found an opening in the rock vaultedand arched by nature so that it was of white sands, bordering thelagoon, the which we there and then agreed to call "Deliverance" inmemory of our escape. What with the soft sand and scattered rocks itwas ill-going for my companion, but though she limped painfully sheheld bravely on nevertheless, being of a mighty resolute mind as thisnarrative will show.
Now as we went slowly thus, I pointed out caves a-plenty and veryproper to our purpose, but she would have none of them and was foreverlifting her eyes to the cliffs and tree-clad, greeny slopes beyond.
"Let us seek above," says she, "where there be trees and mayhapflowers, for, Martin, I do love trees."
"Nay but," says I, "none save a bird or a goat may climb yonder."
"Let us be patient and seek a way, Martin."
"And you all bruised and lame!"
"Nay, I am very well and--see yonder!" Looking whither she would haveme, I saw, beyond this great jutting rock, a green opening in thecliffs with a gentle ascent.
"O Martin!" cries she, stopping suddenly, "O Martin, 'tis like England,'tis like one of our dear Kentish lanes!" And indeed so it was, beingnarrow and grassy and shady with trees, save that these were such treesas never grew on English soil.
"Let us go, Martin, let us go!"
So we began the ascent and (despite the blazing sun) the slope beinggradual, found it easier than it had looked. On we went, and thoughshe often stumbled she made nought of it nor stayed until we were cometo a green level or plateau, whence the ground before us trendeddownwards to a wondrous fertile little valley where ran a notablestream 'twixt reedy banks; here also bloomed flowers, a blaze of variedcolours; and beyond these again were flowery thickets a very maze ofgreen boskages besplashed with the vivid colour of flower or bird, forhere were many such birds that flew hither and thither on gaudy wings,and filling the air with chatterings and whistlings strange to be heard.
Now beholding all this, my companion sank to the ground and sat verystill and silent like one rapt in pleasing wonder.
"O!" says she at last and very softly. "Surely here is an earthlyparadise, O Martin, the beauty of it!"
"Yet these flowers have no smell!" says I. "And for these gaudy birdsI would give them all for one honest English robin or sweet-throatedblack bird!"
But she, chin in hand, sat a-gazing upon this prospect as she wouldnever tire. As for me, I began to look around and, the more I looked,the better I liked this place, pleasantly shaded as it was by trees andaffording from this eminence a wide view of the sea, the lagoon, andDeliverance Beach below. Moreover, I heard near by the pleasant soundof falling water and, drawn by this, came to a flowery thicket, andforcing my way through, paused suddenly, as well I might, for beforeme, set in the face of a rock, was a door. All askew it hung and grownover with a riot of weed and vines; and behind the weatherworn timber Isaw the gloom of a cavern.
Approaching this door I found it built with ship's timbers exceedingstout and strong, joined by great battens clamped with bolts and nails,and in the midst a loophole; and besides this I saw divers shot-marksin these timbers the which set me a-wondering. Now having my hatchetin hand, I set about cutting away bush and vines, and forcing wide thedoor (the which swung 'twixt great beams like jambs, clamped to therock) I stepped into the cool dimness beyond. The place was irregularof shape but very spacious and lighted by a narrow, weed-choked crevicehigh up that admitted a soft, greeny glow very pleasing after the glareof the sun; by which light I perceived that from this cave two smallercaves opened. Now seeing this place had once been the abode of somepoor castaway, I sought high and low in hopes of finding something toour use if no more than a broken cup, but came on nothing save the ruinof a small table; the place was bare as my hand. I was yet busied inmy fruitless search when comes my companion all pleased-eyed wonderment.
"Why, 'tis as good as any cottage!" cries she.
"And better than some," says I, "for here is no thatch to leak and nowindows to break and let in the rain!"
"O Martin, for a broom!" says she, looking around upon the floorankle-deep in dead leaves, twigs and the like. "O for a broom!"
"These leaves be well enough--"
"But better for a broom, Martin."
"Why then, a broom you shall have," says I, and coming without the caveI cut twigs sufficient to my purpose, and divers lengths of vine, verystrong and tough, and therewith bound my twigs about a stick I hadtrimmed for a handle; whiles she, sitting upon a great stone that layhard by, watched me with mighty interest.
"You are very clever, Martin!" says she.
"'Tis very rough, I doubt."
"I have seen many a worse broom used in England, Martin."
"Why, 'twill serve, mayhap."
"'Tis excellent!" says she, and taking the broom from me away she limpswith it forthwith and I, standing without the cave, presently heard hersweeping away (despite her bruises) and singing sweet as any mountinglark. I now set out to bring away such things as I had left behind, asmy iron and the turtle-shell (the which I held of more account than allthe jewels in Adam's treasure) and on my way stopped to cut a stout,curved branch that I thought might furnish me a powerful bow; andanother that, bladed with iron, should become a formidable spear.Though why my mind should run to weapons of offence seeing that theisland, so far as I knew, was deserted, and no wild beasts, I know not.Reaching Deliverance Sands I paused to look about me for such pieces ofdriftwood as might serve us, and came on several full of nails andbolts; some of these timbers being warped with age and otherscomparatively new. And looking on these poor remains of so many nobleships and thinking of the numberless poor souls that had manned themand gone to their account, I could not but feel some awe for thesestorm-rent timbers as I handled them. And presently as I laboured Ispied a piece new-painted, and dragging it forth from sand and seaweed,knew it for the gunwale of our own boat. This put me in great hopesthat I might come upon some of our stores, but, though I soughtdiligently then and for days after, I never found anything but thispoor fragment. Having laid by such timbers as shewed iron of any sort,I went my way and so at last reached our first shelter. And whatshould I espy upon a ledge of rock just above me but a goat; for amoment the creature blinked at me, chewing busily, then scrambled toits feet; but in that instant I caught up a heavy stone that chancedhandy and hurled it; the poor beast bleated once, and rolling down therock thudded at my feet, where I despatched it with my knife. My nextcare was to skin it, which unlovely task I made worse by my bungling,howbeit it was done at last and I reeking of blood and sweat. None theless I persevered and, having cleaned the carcass I cut therefrom suchjoints as might satisfy our immediate needs, and setting them in myturtle-shell with my irons, hung up the carcass within the coolest partof the cave out of reach of any prowling beast. This done, I went downto the lagoon and laved my arms and hands and face, cleansing myself aswell as I might, and so, taking my well-laden turtle-shell under onearm and the reeking skin beneath the other, I set off. Now it wasmid-day and the sun very hot, insomuch that the sweat poured from me,and more than once I must needs pause to moisten my hair to keep offthe heat. At last, espying a palmetto that grew adjacent, I made shiftto get me a leaf, whereof, with twigs to skewer and shape it, I made methe semblance of a hat and so tramped on again. Being come to theplateau I set down my burdens, very thankful for the kindly shade andthe sweet, cool wind that stirred up here, and turned to find mycompanion regarding me pale-cheeked and with eyes wide andhorror-struck.
"Why, what now?" says I taking a step towards her; but seeing how sheshrank away I paused and, glancing down at myself, saw my clothes allsmirched with the blood of the goat. "How, is it this?" says I."Well, a little blood is no great matter!"
But she still eyeing memightily askance I grew angry. "Ha!" quoth I, "You'll be thinkingdoubtless of the murders aboard ship and my bloody jerkin? Why then,madam, think and grow as wise as you may!" Saying which I strode off;and thus I presently heard the soothing sound of falling water, yetlook where I might could see none save that in the little valley below.Being direly athirst I began to seek for this unseen rill, and littleby little was led up a steep, bush-grown acclivity until, all at once,I found myself in a right pleasant place; for here, all set about withsoft mosses, fern and flowers, I beheld a great oval basin or rockyhollow some twelve feet across and brim-full of pellucid water throughwhich I might see the bottom carpeted with mosses and in this water myimage mirrored; and what with the blood that fouled me, my shaggy hairand beard and the shapeless thing upon my head, an ill-enough rogue Ilooked.
This pool was fed by a little rill that gurgled down from rocks aboveand, having filled the basin, flowed out through a wide fissure anddown the cliff to lose itself amid flowery banks 'twixt which it ranbubbling joyously to meet the river. And now, having satisfied mythirst and found the water very sweet and cool, I stripped and bathingme in this pool, found great solace and content, insomuch that (to mygreat wonder) I presently found myself whistling like any boy. At lastI got me forth mightily refreshed, and that the wind and sun might dryme, strove to cleanse my garments, but finding it a thankless task Igot dressed at last, but my chain-shirt I left folded beside the pooland I much more comfortable therefor.
Following the dancing rill, I clambered down the rocks and so into thelittle valley where ran the stream. Fording this, I came amid thicketswhere was a glory of flowers of all colours, but one in especial Inoticed, white and trumpet-shaped. And here I was often stayed byquickset and creeping plants, their stems very pliant and strong and ofthe bigness of my little finger. On went I haphazard through a greentwilight of leaves, for here (as hath been said) were many trees bothgreat and small, some of which were utterly strange to me, but others Iknew for cocos-palms, plantain and bread-fruit, the which rejoiced megreatly; and hereabouts I found growing great bunches of black fruitlike to grapes, though smaller, and which I would not dare touch until,seeing divers birds peck at them, I ventured to taste and found themexcellent. So, gathering some of these to stay my hunger I pressed on,despite the heat, for from somewhere before me was the roar of greatwaters, and forced me a passage with my hatchet until this denser woodgave place to a grove of mighty palm trees, and beyond these I camesuddenly upon a great, barren rock that overhung a lake, whose darkwaters were troubled by a torrent hard by that poured into it with agreat rushing sound, a torrent of prodigious volume though of no greatheight. "So here" (thinks I) "is Adam's 'notable fall of water,'" andsitting down, I fell to viewing the place, munching my grapes thewhile. Opposite me the lake was bounded by a high-sloping sandy beachwith trees beyond, while beyond these again rose that high, tree-cladhill whose barren, rocky dome we had seen from afar. Now the waters ofthis lake flooded away through a great rent in the surrounding rocksbetwixt which I might catch a glimpse of the distant sea; and beholdingthis rushing cataract I must needs fall a-wondering where so great abody of water should come from, and to ponder on the marvels of nature.And from this I got to considering how we might cross this stream,supposing we should explore the island. I was yet puzzling this when,glancing up, I found the sun already westering, wherefore (not mindedto be caught in the dark) I rose and, turning my back on these troubledwaters, set out on my return. Ever and anon as I went I caughtglimpses of that rocky eminence with its silver thread of falling waterwhence I had come, and, guided by this, strode on amain, bethinking mehow best I might cook the goat's-flesh for (despite the grapes) I wasmightily an hungered. But reaching the denser woods I lost my way, forhere nought was to see but the greeny gloom of tangled thickets anddense-growing boskages where I must needs cut a path, yet even so Itroubled myself with divers bunches of grapes that my companion mightprove my discovery. Thus my progress was slow and wearisome, and nightfound me still forcing my way through this tangled underwood. Beinglost and in the dark, I sat me down to wait for the moon and stayed myhunger with the grapes meant for better purpose, but one bunch thatmethought the better I preserved. Soon this leafy gloom glowed with asilvery radiance, and by this light I went on and so at last came uponthe stream. But hereabouts it ran fast and deep and I must needs seekabout till I found a ford. Thus the moon was high as, after desperatescramble, I came out upon our grassy plateau and saw the welcome glowof a fire. Moreover, as I approached I smelt right savoury and mostdelectable savour, and hurrying forward saw my companion crouched uponthat stone I have mentioned, her head bowed upon her hands. Hearing mystep she glanced up and rose to her feet.
"Are you come at last, Martin?" says she in her sweet voice. "Supper isready this hour and more!"
"Supper!" says I.
"The goat's-flesh. I made a stew, but fear 'tis spoiled."
"Indeed," says I, "it smells mighty appetising!"
"I had no salt nor spices, Martin, but in a little garden yonder thatis all run wild, I found some sage and sweet herbs."
"Good!" says I. So she brought me to the fire and there in our greatturtle-shell was as savoury a stew as ever greeted eyes of hungry man.
By her directions, and will all due care, I lifted this from the fire,and propping it with stones we sat down side by side. And now sheshows me two of my smaller shells, and dipping hers into the stew I didthe like, and though we had no salt (the which set my wits at work) andthough we lacked for bread, a very excellent meal we made of it, andthe moon shedding its glory all about us.
The meal done, and while she cleansed the things at a rill thatmurmured hard by, I made up the fire (for after the heat of the day,night struck chill) and by the time she came back I had the flamecrackling merrily. And now as she sat over against me on the stone, Isaw she had been weeping. And she, knowing I saw this, nodded herhead, scorning all subterfuge.
"I feared you had met with some mischance and lay hurt, Martin--orworse--"
"You mean dead?"
"Aye, dead."
"Would it have mattered so much?"
"Only that I should have died likewise!"
"Because of the loneliness?" says I.
"Indeed," she sighed, staring into the fire, "because of theloneliness."
"I serve some purpose, then, in the scheme of things?"
"Yes, Martin, you teach a woman how, even in this desolation, beingweak and defenceless she may trust to a man's honour and find courageand great comfort in his strength. 'Twas foolish of me to behorror-struck at your stained garments when you had been slaying that Imight eat."
"'Tis all forgot!" says I, hastily.
"And as for the murders on the ship--O Martin, as if you might evermake me believe you had committed murder--or ever could. You that underall your bitterness are still the same gentle boy I knew so long ago."
"And why should you be so sure of all this and I but what I am?" saysI, staring also into the fire.
"Mayhap because I am a woman with all a woman's instinct to know theevil from the good."
Hereupon I began telling her of my exploration and describing thewonders I had seen, as the fruit-trees and waterfall. Whereupon shegrew eager to explore the island so soon as she might. In a while Iarose, and drawing my knife turned where I knew was fern a-plenty.
"Where away?" she questioned, rising also.
"I must make you a bed."
"'Tis done, Martin, and yours also."
"Mine!" says I, staring. "How should you do all this?"
"With the old, rusty sword, Martin. Come and see!"
So she brought me to the cave, the moon flooding the place with itspale radiance, and I espied a goodly bed of fern very neatly contrived,in one corner.
"Bravely done!" says I.
"At least, Martin, 'twill be more easy than your bed of sand, andmethinks you shall have no ill dreams to-night."
"Dreams!" quoth I,
and bethinking me of my last night's hateful visions(and now beholding the beauty of her) I shivered.
"Are you cold?"
"No!"
"Why then, good-night, Martin."
"Wait!" says I, "Wait!" And hasting out, I brought her the grapes Ihad saved, telling her that though small she would find them sweet andwholesome.
"Why, Martin!" says she, under her breath as one greatly surprised,"Why, Martin!" and so vanishes into her little cave forthwith, andnever a word of thanks.
Now being yet haunted by my dreams of yesternight, I went forth intothe moonlight and walked there awhile, my eyes uplifted to the glory ofthe heavens; and now I must needs bethink me of Godby's star-time, ofthe dark, lonely road, of the beckoning light beyond and the welcomingarms of love. And hereupon I scowled and turned to stare away acrossthe placid sea dimpling 'neath the moon, at the stilly waters of thelagoon, and the white curve of Deliverance Beach below; but, look whereI would, I could see only the proud, lovely face and the great,truthful eyes of this woman Joan Brandon, even when my scowling browswere bent on that distant pimento tree beneath whose towering shadowBlack Bartlemy had laughed his life out. So in a while I came withinthe cave and found it dim, for the moonbeam was there no longer, andcast myself upon my bed, very full of gloomy thoughts.
"Martin, I thank you for your grapes. To-morrow we will gather more!"
"Aye, to-morrow!"
"I found a shirt of chain-work by the pool, Martin--"
"'Tis mine."
"I have set it by against your need."
"Nay, I'm done with it, here is no fear of knives in the back."
"Are you sleepy, Martin?"
"No, but 'tis plaguy dark."
"But you are there," says she, "so I do not fear the dark."
"To-morrow I will make a lamp." Here she fell silent and I think tosleep, but as for me I lay long, oppressed by my thoughts. "Aye,verily," says I at last, speaking my thought aloud as had become mycustom in my solitude, "to-morrow I will contrive a lamp, for light isa goodly thing." Now here I heard a rustle from the inner cave as shehad turned in her sleep, for she spake no word; and so, despite mythoughts, I too presently fell to blessed slumber.
Now if there be any who, reading this my narrative, shall think me toodiffuse and particular in the chapters to follow, I do hereby humblycrave their pardon, but (maugre my reader's weariness) shall not abateone word or sentence, since herein I (that by my own folly have knownso little of happiness) do record some of the happiest hours that everman knew, so that it is joy again to write. Therefore to such as wouldread of rogues and roguish doings, of desperate fights, encounters andaffrays, I would engage him to pass over these next few chapters, forhe shall find overmuch of these things ere I make an end of this taleof Black Bartlemy's Treasure. Which very proper advice having duly setdown, I will again to my narrative.