givenme. Let us decide the matter by lot."
"Ay, let us draw lots," echoed Maikar, "and so shove the matter off ourshoulders on to the shoulders of chance."
"There is, there can be, no such thing as chance," said Bladud in asoliloquising tone. "However, let it be as you wish. I recognise thejustice of two voices overriding one."
Lots were drawn accordingly, and the longest fell to the little seaman.Without further discussion, therefore, the course suggested by him wasadopted.
"And now, comrades," said the prince, rising and drawing his knife--which, like his sword, had been procured in Egypt, and was of whitemetal--"we must set to work to make bows and arrows, for animals are notwont to walk up to man and request to be killed and cooked, and it won'tbe long before Maikar is shouting for food."
"Sorry am I that the good javelin of my grandfather went down in thecarcase of the pirate chief," remarked the captain, also rising, "for itseems to me by the way you handled it, Bladud, that you could havekilled deer with it as well as men."
"I have killed deer with such before now, truly, but the arrow ishandier and surer."
"Ay, in a sure hand, with a good eye to direct it," returned Arkal, "butI make no pretence to either. A ship, indeed, I can manage to hit--whenI am cool, which is not often the case in a fight--and if there are menin it, my shafts are not quite thrown away, but as to deer, boars, andbirds, I can make nothing of them. If I mistake not, Maikar is not muchbetter than myself with the bow."
"I am worse," observed the little man quietly.
"Well then," said Bladud, with a laugh, "you must make me hunter to theparty."
While conversing thus they had entered the forest, and soon found treessuitable to their purpose, from which they cut boughs,--using theirswords as hatchets.
We have already shown that the prince had brought his sword, shield, andknife on shore with him. Captain Arkal and Maikar had also saved theirswords and knives, these having been attached to their girdles at thetime they leaped from the wreck. They were somewhat inferior weapons tothose worn by Bladud, being made of bronze. The swords of the seamen,unlike that of the prince, were short and double-edged, shaped somewhatlike those used long afterwards by the Romans, and they made up inweight for what they lacked in sharpness.
It did not take many hours for the party, under the direction of theprince, to form three strong and serviceable bows, with several arrows,the latter being feathered with dropped plumes, and shod with flint,according to the fashion of the times. Bowstrings had to be made atfirst out of the tough fibrous roots of a tree, split into threads andplaited together.
"Of course they are not so good as deer-sinews for the purpose,"remarked Bladud, stringing one of the bows and fitting an arrow to it,"but we must be content until we kill a deer or some other animal.Perhaps we shall have an opportunity soon."
The remark seemed to have been prophetic, for, as the last word passedhis lips, a fawn trotted out of a glade right in front of the party andstood as if paralysed with surprise. The captain and Maikar werereduced to much the same condition, for they made no attempt to usetheir bows.
"Ho!--" exclaimed the former, but he got no further, for at the momentBladud's bow twanged, and an arrow quivered in the breast of the fawn,which fell dead without a struggle.
"Well done!" exclaimed the captain heartily. "If such luck alwaysattends you, prince, we shall fare well on our journey."
"It was not altogether luck," returned the other. "See you that spot onthe bark of yonder tree--about the size of Maikar's mouth as it nowgapes in astonishment?"
"I see it, clear enough--just over the--"
He stopped abruptly, for while he was yet speaking an arrow quivered inthe centre of the spot referred to.
After that the captain talked no more about "luck," and Maikar, shuttinghis mouth with a snap, as if he felt that no words could do justice tohis feelings, sprang up and hastened to commence the operation offlaying and cutting up the fawn.
Having thus provided themselves with food, they spent the rest of theday in preparing it for the journey by drying it in the sun; in makingtough and serviceable bowstrings out of the sinews of the fawn, fittingon arrow-heads and feathers, and otherwise arranging for a prolongedmarch through a country which was entirely unknown to them, both as toits character and its inhabitants.
"It comes into my head," said the captain, "that Maikar and I mustprovide ourselves with shields and spears of some sort, for if thepeople of the land are warlike, we may have to defend ourselves."
"That is as you say," returned the prince, rising as he spoke and goingtowards a long straight bough of a neighbouring tree, on which he hadfixed a critical gaze.
With one sweep of his heavy sword he severed it from the stem andreturned to his companions.
"Have you taken an ill-will at that tree, or were you only testing thestrength of your arm?" asked Maikar.
"Neither, my friend; but I must have a javelin to make my equipmentcomplete, and I would advise you and the captain to provide yourselveswith like weapons, for we may meet with four-footed as well astwo-legged foes in these parts. I will show you how to point the thingswith flint."
"That is well said," returned the seaman, rising and going into thewoods in search of a suitable branch, followed by the captain.
It was late that night before the weapons were shaped and pointed withflint and all ready for a start on the following morning--the only thingwanting to complete their armament being a couple of shields.
"We are sure to meet with a wild boar or a bull before long, or it maybe a bear," said Maikar, "and the hides of any of these will serve ourpurpose well."
"That is, if we use them well," remarked the captain.
"No one said otherwise," retorted Maikar. "Some people are so full ofwise thoughts that they blurt them out, without reason, apparently toget rid of them."
"Just so, Maikar, therefore blurt out no more, but hold thy tongue andgo to sleep. Good-night."
CHAPTER SEVEN.
CONVERSE AND ADVENTURES BY THE WAY.
Day was just beginning to break in the east when the prince raised hishead from the bundle of leaves that had formed his pillow, and lookedsleepily around him.
His companions lay still, sound asleep and sprawling, in all the_abandon_ characteristic of the heroes of antiquity.
Some of these characteristics were wonderfully similar to those ofmodern heroes. For instance, the captain lay flat on his back with hismouth wide open, and a musical solo proceeding from his nose; whileMaikar lay on his side with his knees doubled up, his arms extended atfull length in front of him, and his hands tightly clasped as if, whilepleading with some one for mercy, he was suddenly petrified and hadfallen over on his side.
Rising softly, Bladud took up his bow and quiver, and, buckling on hissword, left the encampment without disturbing the sleepers. He had notproceeded more than a mile when he startled several wild turkeys orbirds of that species from their rest. One of these he instantlybrought down. Following them up he soon shot another, and returned tocamp, where he found his comrades as he had left them--the musical nosebeing if anything more emphatic than before.
Although naturally a grave man, Bladud was by no means destitute of asense of humour, or disinclined on occasion to perpetrate a practicaljoke. After contemplating the sleepers for a moment he retired a fewpaces and concealed himself in the long grass, from which position hepitched one of the huge birds into the air, so that it fell on thecaptain's upturned visage. The snore changed at once into a yell ofalarm, as the mariner sprang up and grasped his sword, which, of course,lay handy beside him.
Electrified by the yell, Maikar also leaped to his feet, sword in hand.
"What d'ye mean by that?" cried the captain, turning on him fiercely.
"What mean _you_ by it?" replied Maikar with equal ferocity.
He had barely uttered the words, when the second turkey hit him full inthe face and tumbled him over the ashes of the fortunately extinguishe
dfire.
"Come, come!" interposed the prince, stepping forward with a deprecatingsmile; "there should be no quarrelling among friends, especially at thebeginning of a long journey. See, I have fetched your breakfast foryou. Instead of tumbling on the fire and putting it out, Maikar, Ithink it would be wiser to see if there is a spark left and blow it intoa flame. Quick! I am hungry."
It need hardly be said that these orders were received with a laugh anda prompt obedience on the part of the little man.
"Yes--there is fire," he said, blowing with tremendous energy untilflame was produced. "And, do you know, there is something within methat has a loud voice, but only utters one word--`Food! food! food!'There, now, you may get the birds ready, for the fire will be