CHAPTER XX
MAKING THE BEST OF IT
Captain Spark and the sailor turned at the sound of Bob's voice.The captain gave a joyful cry and started forward. But Tim Flynn,the sailor, with a yell of fear, ran off down the beach in adifferent direction.
"Here! Come back!" cried the captain, pausing. "What's the matterwith you, Tim?"
"Sure I don't want to meet no ghost!" exclaimed the man.
"Ghost? What do you mean?"
"Him," replied Tim, pointing a shaking finger at Bob. "Didn't wesee him drown, an' now ain't he here ahead of us to haunt us? Letme go, cap'n."
He was about to run off again, but Bob, who began to understand thesuperstitious rears of the man, called out:
"It's me, Tim! I'm alive, all right!"
The sailor paused, turned, and, after a long and rather doubtinglook at the boy, came slowly bade.
"Well, maybe it's all right," he said, "but it's mighty queer.How'd ye git here?"
"Swam until I struck land. But how did you get here, captain?" andBob clasped his relative warmly by the hand.
"Our boat must have been close to the island when it capsized,"replied the former commander of the _Eagle_. "A big wave did thebusiness for us, and then it was every man for himself. PoorTarbill, he's lost, and so is Pete Bascom. We'll never see eitherof 'em again. And I'm afraid the rest of the crew are gone, too.No boat could live long in that sea."
"Mr. Tarbill is alive," said Bob.
"How do you know?"
"He's right behind those rocks. He didn't come on because hefeared you were cannibals. I'll call him."
Bob set up a shout, and in a few seconds the nervous passenger camecautiously over the top of a pile of stones. When he saw CaptainSpark he was reassured and advanced boldly. There was a generalshaking of hands, and then the captain remarked:
"Well, now we're here we'll have to sec what we can find in the wayof food and shelter. I don't believe this island is inhabited. Ididn't know we were so near one. It isn't down on the charts."
"There is plenty of fish and fruit," said Bob, telling how he hadused his hook and line to advantage.
"Good!" exclaimed the captain. "I could eat a fish raw, I believe,and my mouth is dry for need of some fresh water."
"Then come on to my camp," said Bob, proudly leading the way.
The captain could not but note the change in the boy. He had aconfident air about him now, as if he could take charge of matters.The experience of the shipwreck, terrible as it had been, hadtaught Bob some needed lessons. But he had yet more to learn.
While Captain Spark and Tim Flynn were wringing the water out oftheir heavier garments Bob replenished the fire and soon had somefish broiling, for he had caught more than he needed. It did nottake long to finish the simple meal, and then the captain spoke.
"We'd better take a survey of the island," he said, "to see whatsort of a place we've landed on. If there are any natives here wewant to know it. We also want to know what we can expect in theway of things to eat and if there are animals on it. I don'tbelieve there are, however, as the place is too small."
"Let's start right away," proposed Bob. "Perhaps we can find somedriftwood, or something to make a hut of, though it's warm enoughto sleep out of doors without shelter."
"But not exactly safe in tropical countries," objected the captain."I hope we can construct some kind of a house. If we can't we'llhave to make the best of it, though, for we haven't any tools towork with, except knives."
They started to make a circuit of the island. It was not verylarge, being about two miles across. The center was thickly woodedwith tropical growth, and the captain was glad to note that therewere several varieties of good fruit, including a number ofcocoanut trees.
"If worst comes to worst we can make a hut of cocoanut leaves," hesaid. "The natives often do that."
"Oh, dear! I hope there are no cannibals here," said Mr. Tarbillat the mention of the word natives. "Suppose they should eat usup?"
"They'd have to fight first," observed the captain grimly. "I'llnot be eaten without a struggle."
"But I never fought a cannibal in my life," objected the nervouscastaway. "I shouldn't know how to go about it."
"No more would I, but I'd soon learn. But don't think about suchthings, Mr. Tarbill."
"I can't help it. I wonder how long it will be before we arerescued?"
"That is a grave question," said the captain slowly. "I fear thisisland is too far out of the regular course of ships to hope thatwe will be picked up soon. We must make some kind of a distresssignal and hoist it where it will be seen. We'll do that as soonas we have completed the circuit of the island."
It was long past noon, to judge by the position of the sun, whenthey had circled the island and again reached the place where Bobhad built the fire. They had seen no signs of natives, nor any ofanimals, though there might be small beasts.
"Well, we know what to expect now," said the Captain, as they satdown under the trees to talk matters over. "We'll have to dependfor a living on fish, turtles, and fruit. We have no natives tofear, and our situation is not so bad as it might be. Now we hadbetter set about matters in a shipshape and orderly fashion. Inthe first place we will name our island. There's nothing likehaving an address where your friends can write to you," he added,with grim humor.
"Let's call it 'Lonely Land,'" suggested Bob.
"I have a better name," said the commander. "It is the custom tocall islands and mountains after the person who discovers them. Ipropose that we name this 'Bob's Island,' for he discovered itfirst."
"Aye, aye, sir!" cried Tim Flynn heartily.
Bob blushed and was about to protest, but, to his surprise, Mr.Tarbill joined in and favored the proposition.
"That's settled, then," spoke the captain. "Now you needn't sayanything, Bob, we're three to one, and we're going to have our way.So far so good. The next thing is to rig up our distress signal.I'll leave that to Flynn. Tim, climb the highest tree you can findand run up a signal."
"Aye, aye, sir," replied the sailor, saluting and starting off.
"Now then, we'd better catch some more fish for dinner," thecaptain continued. "I'll leave that to you, Bob, and I'll buildanother fire, for this one is out. Mr. Tarbill can go and see ifhe can't catch a couple of turtles."
"Turtles! I never caught a turtle in my life!" exclaimed thenervous man. "I'd be afraid to!"
"Not the least danger," the captain assured him. "All you have todo is to get between them and the water as they're on the beachsunning themselves and turn them on their backs. They'll staythere until I can come and get them. It's time you learned tocatch turtles."
"Oh, dear!" sighed Mr. Tarbill. "I wish I was safe home!"
But the captain paid no attention to his protest.
"It'll do him good," he murmured, as the nervous one walkeddejectedly off. "He'll not have any nerves left when we getthrough with him."
Bob had good luck with his hook and line and soon returned with adozen fine fish. In the meanwhile the captain had built a big fireand had a bed of red coals ready to broil the fish over, for heknew just how to do it.
When the dinner was in process of cooking Tim returned.
"Did you hoist the signal?" asked the captain.
"Aye, aye, sir."
"What did you use for a flag?"
"My shirt, sir."
"Your shirt?"
"Aye, aye, sir. You see I had two on, an outer shirt and an innershirt. I didn't need the outer shirt as it's so hot here, so Ihoisted that on top of a tall tree. It's flying in the breeze now,sir. You can see it from here."
He led the way down to the edge of the water and pointed inland.Sure enough, flying from a tall cocoanut tree was a white shirt.It could be seen for a long distance.
"That's a fine idea," complimented the captain. "I forgot when Isent you off that you hadn't any signal flag. But here comes Mr.Tarbill. I wonder if he turned any
turtles? Any luck?" he calledas the nervous man approached.
"No, sir. The turtles all ran when they heard me coming. Some ofthem left a lot of eggs behind."
"Did you bring any?"
"No. I didn't think they were good."
"Good? Of course they're good! We'll gather some later. But comeon. It's long past dinner time and I guess we're all hungry."
Every one proved it by the manner in which he ate. The meal was aprimitive one, with sticks for forks, though they all hadpocket-knives, which answered very well to cut the fish. Forplates Captain Spark substituted large clam shells, in place of theleaves Bob had used.
"Now I think we had better rig up some kind of a hut for shelteragainst the night dews," proposed the captain, when they were doneeating. "Gather all the cocoanut leaves you can and I'll make asort of framework."
Bob started up, ready to go off into the forest after leaves, withthe sailor and Mr. Tarbill. As he gazed out to sea, where the bigwaves were still rolling, he saw something that caused him to uttera cry of astonishment.
"What is it?" asked Captain Spark, hurrying to Bob's side.
"There," replied the boy, pointing to some dark object that wasrising and falling on the swell.
"It's a boat! A boat capsized!" exclaimed Captain Spark. "We mustsecure it. It's one from the _Eagle_. Probably the one we werein."
"Shall I swim out to it?" asked Bob. "Perhaps I can tow it in."
"No, the current is setting toward the beach. It will drift inpresently."