CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
THE EVIL OF NOT BEING USED TO IT.
But the blacks had not left the guns, and utterly unused as these twowere to the use of such savage weapons, they felt a thrill ofsatisfaction run through them as they grasped the means of making onestroke in defence of their lives.
"It's a many years since I used to go into the copses to cut myself agood hazel and make myself a bow, Mr Jack, and get reeds out of theedge of the long lake, to tie nails in the ends and use for arrows. Iused to bind the nails in with whitey-brown thread well beeswaxed, andthen dress the notch at the other end to keep the bowstring fromsplitting it up. I've hit rabbits with an arrow before now, though theyalways run into their holes. You can shoot with a bow and arrow at atarget of course?"
"I? No, Ned," said the boy sadly. "I can't do anything but read."
"Oh, I say, sir! Why, I've seen you knock over things with a gun. Lookhow you finished that sea snake."
"I suppose I'd better try though, Ned."
"Why of course, sir. You take the one you like. Here's three of them.Wish they hadn't been so stingy with the arrows--only five between twoof us. Never mind. Hadn't got any ten minutes ago. We'll keep a pairapiece and have one to spare, and a spear each. We'll leave the othersin here, and let 'em fetch 'em if they dare."
"Yes," said Jack, selecting his weapons; "but we must not go out yet."
"Well, sir, I don't want to interfere, but I haven't had anything to eatsince lunch yesterday, and if I don't soon do some stoking my enginewon't go."
"But you don't expect that you are going to kill anything with thesethings?" cried Jack.
"I'm going to try, sir. Savages can, and have a feast of roast pigafter, so we ought to be able to. Don't you think we might riskstarting, and get higher up the mountain, and then round somehow, andmake for the shore?"
"It will be very risky by daylight."
"But we can't go in the dark, sir."
"Come on then," cried Jack. "The blacks may have been scared rightaway, so let's chance it."
He led the way to the entrance, where, to the great delight of both,they found another bow lying, and close by one of the melon-headedwar-clubs and a bundle of arrows, upon which Ned pounced regardless ofdanger, while Jack crept to the stones outside and took a long lookround, over gully, rock, and patch of forest. But there was nothingliving within sight but a couple of flocks of birds, one green, theothers milky white, and showing plainly as they flew over against thegreen trees.
"See anything of that lame pig, sir?" said Ned, handing him the arrowsto take what he liked.
"No; nor the blacks neither."
"They're hiding somewhere, sir, and I dare say on the look-out, or I'dbe for going to have a look below there."
"That would be too risky, Ned. Let's creep to where we can get cover,and then do as you say, keep along the more open part under the trees,and see if we can get round somewhere by the sands."
"On you go then, sir, and whatever you do, don't lose a chance of ashot. We must have something to eat, or we can never get back. Oh yes,you're a very beautiful island, no doubt--very well to look at, but Idon't think much of a place where you can't find the very fruit as wouldbe a blessing to us now."
"And what fruit's that, Ned?" said Jack, as they reached the shelter ofthe trees about a couple of hundred yards from the mouth of the cave.
"Well, sir, I'm not an Irishman, for as far back as I know we all camefrom Surrey; but I'd give something if I could find a patch of 'em goingoff at the haulm, ready to be grubbed up and shoved in the ashes of afire to roast."
"What, potatoes?"
"Yes, sir, a good big round 'tater would just about fit me now, and Ishouldn't fiddle about any nonsense as to trying it on."
"There'll be no potatoes for you, Ned, but we may find some wild bananaslower down."
"That's a nice comforting way of talking to a poor hungry chap who isgoing up, Mr Jack; but you keep a good look-out, and we must have ashot at the first thing we see, and then light a fire and cook it, andif that first thing we see happens to be a nigger, sir--well, I'm sorryfor him, and I hope he won't be tough!"
Ned directed a comical look at his young master as he began to try thebow, holding it in his injured, nerveless grasp, and pulling at thestring.
"Is it hard, Ned?"
"Pretty tidy, sir. Takes a good pull, but I can manage it, and--Hullo!Look at that."
He threw the bow, arrows, and spear down, stretched out his left arm tothe full extent; drew it in so as to raise the biceps, and thenstretched it out again, and began to move it round like the sail of awindmill.
"What's the matter with you?" cried Jack. "Are you going mad?"
"Pretty nigh, sir. Look at that--and that--and that!"
The three "thats" were so many imaginary blows in the air, deliveredsharply and with all the man's force.
"But I don't understand you, Ned. What do you mean?"
"Why, can't you see, sir? That arm's been as dead as a stick ever sinceI got that arrow, now it has come to life again, and is stronger thanever. I know what's done it!"
"Being obliged to try and use it," cried Jack quickly.
"That's got something to do with it perhaps, sir, but that isn'teverything. It was that soaking last night, and then the stewing inthat hot sand. It took all the rest of the trouble away. Now then,only let me get a chance at one of these chaps, and I'll try how helikes arrow. I'll 'arrow his feelings a bit."
"But are you sure your arm is quite strong again?" cried Jack joyfully.
For answer Ned swung his left round the speaker's waist, lifted him fromthe ground, and held him up with ease.
"What do you say to that, sir? But there, come along, I want to getsomething to eat. I feel horrid, and begin to understand how it is thatsome of the people out here eat one another."
"Don't keep on talking such absurd stuff, Ned," cried Jack, halfangrily, half amused; for in the early stages of suffering from hungerthere are symptoms of a weak hysterical disposition to laugh.
"But I'm so hungry, sir!"
"Well, push on, and we may get a chance at a big bird of some kind. Butsuppose we should shoot one--we might--these arrows may be poisoned."
"Wouldn't matter, sir. They say cooking kills the poison. Which waynow?"
"Keep bearing to the right up the mountain, but always well withinshelter. We must not be taken again."
"Good-bye to the wild bananas that grow below," muttered Ned; and hepressed on eagerly, but keeping a sharp look-out all the while, andwhenever an opening had to be crossed, setting the example of going downon all fours.
"Won't do though to keep like this, sir," he said; "why, they'd shoot atus at once for wild beasts of some kind. But do look here, sir! Ain'tit wonderful--ain't it grand? My arm feels as if it had been bottlingup all its strength, and to be readier than ever now. Oh, if we couldonly see something to shoot at."
But saving small brightly-plumaged birds, they encountered nothing totempt the venture of an arrow, and at the end of what must have beenquite two hours, when the cave of the lava flow was left far behind, andseveral hundred feet lower, Jack dropped upon his knees beside a lovelylittle pool, into which trickled through the rocks and stones athread-like stream of the clearest water.
"No, no, sir, don't drink--it's bad. Cold water when you're hot, and onan empty stomach."
"But I'm so thirsty, Ned, and it looks so tempting."
"I'm ever so much thirstier, sir. Look here, let's do what they do withhorses. Just wash our mouths out, but don't let's swallow any."
As he spoke he went to the other side of the little rock pool, which wasnot above a foot deep and about four across, lying close up to the footof one of the great rock walls which grew more frequent the higher theyascended. Then together they dipped a hand in the soft, cool, limpidfluid, and raised it to their lips.
"Poof!" ejaculated Ned, spluttering the water away. "Oh, what a shame!There ought to be a
notice up--Beware of the water. Why, it's likepoison, sir. Ten times worse than that horrid stuff by the falls. Oh,come on. Only fancy for there to be water like that. Physic's nothingto it."
Jack's disappointment was a little softened by his amusement, and theyresumed their tramp, rising higher and higher as they kept up a diagonalcourse along the mountain slope; but the difficulties in the way, andthe caution requisite in passing through what they felt to be adangerous enemy's land, made the progress slow, and after a time theyseated themselves for a rest upon one of the many moss-grown masses oflava rock they passed, beneath an umbrageous tree, in which a flock oftiny finch-like birds were twittering, and once more looked around.
The prospect was not wide, for they were surrounded by trees, and it wasonly by keeping close to one or other of the many lava rivers, where thegrowth of the forest was scanty, that they were able to progress as theydid.
"Nothing to eat, nothing to drink," groaned Ned. "I say, Mr Jack, thisis getting serious. What's to be done?"
"Rest a bit, and then at the first opportunity, say as soon as we havepassed over that knoll there, let's begin to descend toward the shore.I hope we shall miss the blacks then."
"And come across some one looking for us, sir, and carrying a basket.If it was only a bit of hard ship's biscuit now, I wouldn't care."
"Hark! What's that?"
"Cockatoo, sir," whispered Ned. "I know their screech. I'll go and tryand get a shot at him."
"Better sit still and rest, and chance the flock coming near. If youfollow them they'll hear you, and lead you farther and farther away."
"Yes, I know that, sir, but I'm so hungry, and I'm afraid to beginchewing leaves for fear of poison. Hullo! Don't move, sir. Hear that?You're right, this is the best way and the easiest."
"What shall we do, Ned, shoot, or try to get at them with the spears?"
"Let's see 'em first, sir," said Ned wisely, "and wait our chance, andthen do both."
The objects which had excited their attention by sundry familiarsounding grunts were not long in showing themselves in the shape of alittle herd of pigs, three old ones and about a dozen half-grown; and asthey came down a slope to their left, and began rooting about under thetrees a couple of hundred yards away, Ned softly smacked his lips,looked at Jack, took out his brass matchbox, and said the expressiveword "crackling."
The formation of the mountain side was mostly that of shallow stonygullies opening one into the other, but all with the general tendency upand down, and it was on the slope of one of these that the fugitiveswere resting, while the herd had entered it from its highest part.
Ned's fingers played tremblingly about the bow he held. Then he felthis arm, and a look of joy and pride came into his eyes.
"It's all right," he whispered. "I say, sir, wasn't it a grand idea toleave some pigs here to breed? You stop quiet and wait your chance."
"Why? What are you going to do?" whispered Jack.
"Creep round by the back of this tree, sir, and as they feed down I'llgo up the side, and by and by you'll see me dodging softly along towardyou over yonder beyond them. Then we shall have 'em between us, and ifthey take fright they must either go up or down, and pass one of us.It's our chance, and we must not let it go. Look here, sir, you chooseone of the little ones, and wait till you think you can hit him. Thenhold up your hand and we'll fire together. Then run at 'em with yourspear. We must get one or else starve."
It was the best way of approaching success, as Jack saw, and whisperingthat he would do as his companion suggested, he sat there watching Ned'smovements as he crept away up the slope and disappeared. Then fittingan arrow to the bowstring, after laying his spear ready by his side, herested the bow across his knees, and sat on his mossy stone, watchingthe movements of the little herd, and expecting, moment by moment, tosee one of the watchful elders take alarm, give warning, and the wholeparty dash back up the gully.
But they kept rooting and hunting about, evidently for some kind offruit which fell from the trees, and Jack felt as if he were far back inthe past, a hunter on that beautiful, wild mountain slope, dependentupon his bow for his existence. The sun poured down its hot rays,making the leaves glisten like metal, and the air was so clear that thepigs' eyes and every movement were as plain as if close at hand.
"Seems treacherous lying in wait like this," he thought. "Poorwretches! they all look as playful and contented as can be."
But he knew that he and Ned must eat if they were ever to escape fromthat mountain, and the sentiment of pity died out as the time went on.
The pigs were slow in coming down, for under the trees at the other sideof the gully the fruit they sought seemed to be plentiful, and he couldsee the younger ones hunting one another as a lucky find was made, thisresulting in a good deal of squealing, while above it the deep grunts ofthe elders were plainly heard.
But there was no sight of Ned, and half-an-hour must have passed, withthe pigs still out of reach for a good shot.
"If they do come this way," thought the lad, "I can't study aboutpicking one; I must shoot into the thickest part and chance it. Butwhere is Ned? Why don't he show?"
At last there was the appearance far up of a large pig coming downtoward the herd, but the next moment, as it glided among the leaves,Jack saw that it was a pig with clothes on, and that it carried a bowand arrow.
The time had come for a shot, and softly and slowly the lad edgedhimself back till he could drop on his knees behind the stone, rest thebow upon it horizontally, and wait for the critical moment to draw andlaunch his arrow.
He could watch Ned the while as well as the herd, and by slow degrees hesaw his companion creep from tree-trunk to tree-trunk, slowlydiminishing the distance, while, having probably cleared off the fallenfruit, the herd broke into a trot as if to pass within twenty yards ofwhere he waited.
But the next minute they had stopped fifty yards away, and Ned had soonreduced his distance till he was about as much above them. Then all atonce he disappeared.
The minutes seemed to be terribly long drawn out now, but the herd camelower and lower, till fully half of them were rambling about just infront; and feeling that he would never have a better chance, the ladsingled out one half-grown fellow in the midst of three more, allfeeding, and he held up his hand for a moment or two in the hope thatNed might see it, though where he hid it was impossible to say.
Slight as was the movement of the raised hand it was seen, for thebiggest pig, a rough, bristly-necked animal, suddenly raised its headand gazed sharply, with eyes that looked fiery in the brilliantsunshine, straight in his direction.
_Twang! twang_! went two bowstrings, the arrows whizzed through the air,and in the midst of a rush, away tore the herd down the valley, just asNed leaped up, made a bound or two, and plunged his spear down amidstthe bushes.
Jack dropped his bow, caught up his own spear, and dashed forward tohelp finish the wounded pigs, and Ned was up before him, panting anddripping with perspiration.
"Got one?" cried Jack.
"Got one!" cried Ned bitterly. "Course we ain't. Just like my luck."
"Oh!" groaned Jack, as a pang of hunger shot through him.
"I never saw such arrows," cried Ned passionately. "I could smash thelot. They don't go straight."
"Is it any use to follow them?" said Jack.
"No, sir; it ain't," cried the man angrily. "And what's more, you knowit ain't. What's the good of aggravating a poor fellow? And," he addedpathetically, "I did mean to have such a roast."