CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
THE CABIN BY THE LAKE.
A DEMOCRAT IN THE WOODS--ECHO-VALE AND LAKE LAICOMO--THE "WILDFRENCHMAN" DISCOVERED AT LAST.
"A few firm stakes they planted in the ground, Circling a narrow space, but large enow, These strongly interknit they closed around With basket-work of many a pliant bough. The roof was like the sides; the door was low, And rude the hut, and trimmed with little care, For little heart had they to dress it now: Yet was the humble structure fresh and fair. And soon the inmates found that peace might sojourn there."
It took us an entire week to complete the frame of our building, andthis alone involved an amount and variety of labour which few of us hadanticipated when we commenced it. One day was consumed in selecting,felling, and trimming a tree, tall and straight enough to serve as aridge-pole. We next had to get out some thirty rafters of hibiscus tosupport the roof. Then, as we had no nails, (Max's ship with thehardware not having yet arrived), we were obliged to adopt the meansused by the Polynesian builders for fastening the rafters to theridge-pole and cross-pieces, which consists of tying them firmly intheir places with sennit. To supply the place of sennit, wemanufactured a quantity of cord from twisted hibiscus bark, whichanswered the purpose very well.
At length the skeleton of the house was completed. Twenty-seven strongposts, (including the three tall centre ones), deeply planted in theground, supported the string pieces and the ridge-pole. Fifteen slenderrafters, regularly placed at small intervals, descended from theridge-pole to the eaves on either side, and the whole was firmly boundtogether with tough and durable withes of our own manufacture.
The thatching occupied another week, and but for Eiulo's skill anddexterity, we should never have accomplished this nice and difficultoperation, except after a very bungling and imperfect fashion. Arthurunderstood very well how it should be done, but his knowledge wastheoretical rather than practical, while Eiulo had acquired considerableskill in the art, by building and thatching miniature houses in thewoods, an amusement which he and his young playmates had often practisedat home. The only thing now remaining to be done, was to make a numberof coarse mats, with which to enclose the sides of the house--as far asin such a climate it is desirable to enclose them--together with anadditional supply, ready to be put up in bad weather, on fasteningsconstructed for the purpose. But for this, there seemed to be noimmediate necessity. The sides of the building were low, and the eavesextended two feet beyond them, and as we had an excellent roof above us,we considered ourselves tolerably prepared, even for rainy weather.However, we commenced manufacturing mats, in which, with the instructionand example of Arthur and Eiulo, we were tolerably successful; but weproceeded with this very much at our leisure. One or two brief showers,like that which had exerted so sudden an influence in hastening thecommencement of our building scheme, afforded us the most satisfactoryevidence of the good qualities of our roof, which did not admit a dropof rain. But at the same time we became aware of another defect in ourhouse, as a dwelling in wet weather. We had no floor but the bareearth, and though Arthur had so levelled it, and protected it by alittle trench and embankment, that no water from the adjacent groundscould reach us, except by the gradual process of saturation, still itwas very damp after a severe rain. To remedy this, Arthur talked fromtime to time of making a floor of cement, which would dry to thehardness of stone, and through which the moisture from the ground couldnot penetrate. When asked where lime was to be obtained with which tomake his cement he assumed an air of mystery, and merely said that therewould be no difficulty on that score. One day, after we had got a largesupply of mats completed, and ready for use, he again recurred to thesubject of improving our floor, and explained that he intended toprepare his mortar or cement, from sand and lime, the latter of whichwas to be procured by burning coral rock in a pit. He prevailed uponMorton, Browne, and myself to set about digging a "lime-pit" in thegully beside Castle-hill, while he took Eiulo and Johnny with him in theboat, to go in search of a quantity of the sponge-shaped coral, which,he said, was the best adapted to his purpose.
Max pronounced the whole project a humbug, and refusing to have anythingto do with it, equipped himself with club and cutlass, and started offon a solitary excursion towards the south-easterly part of the island,which we had not yet explored. He returned in the afternoon with aglowing account of the discoveries he had made, among which were abeautiful pond of fresh water, a stream flowing into it, and awaterfall.
In two days we completed a lime-pit of proper dimensions. Arthur andhis assistants had in the same time collected and brought to the spot asufficient quantity of coral rock; we then covered the bottom of the pitwith fuel, and laid the coral, previously broken into small pieces, uponit. The pile was next kindled, and when the fuel was consumed, we foundthat the coral had yielded a supply of excellent lime, fine andbeautifully white. Without going into further details, it is enough tosay that the rest of Arthur's plan was carried out with the samesuccess. The cement was made, and a thick layer of it spread over thefloor of the house, as evenly and smoothly as could well be done, withno better trowels than gigantic oyster-shells. In three days it washard as marble, and our house was now as complete as we could make it.It had cost us a great deal of severe toil; we had found theconstruction of it no such holiday employment as we had imagined; but itwas the fruit of our own ingenuity and perseverance, the work of our ownhands, and we regarded it with much complacency. Johnny impartiallycompared it with the dwellings of I don't know how many other desertislanders, and found it superior in some point to each and all of them.
Being now in a state of complete preparation, as we flattered ourselves,for all sorts of weather, we began to feel as though a regularout-and-out storm, would be rather a luxury than otherwise. Thesebright skies and sunny days were very well in their way, but it wasn'tin anticipation of them, that we had been planning and working for amonth or more. There was no use at all for our model house in such fineweather; indeed, while it continued, our old lodgings under the greenforest leaves and the star-light, were far preferable. It took fullhalf a dozen of our sleeping-mats, (and we had but three apiece), laidupon the stony floor of our dwelling, to make a couch half as soft asthose heaps of leaves, which we used to pile up beneath the trees forour beds, and which we could not now introduce into the house for fearof "making a litter." The prudent citizen--who, having at thethreatened approach of winter laid in a bountiful provision of wood andcoal, put up his hall-stoves and his double windows, now feels quiteready, in the strength of anthracite and hickory, to snap his fingers inthe face of Jack Frost, and bid him do his worst--is not more impatientto have the thermometer fall to the neighbourhood of zero, in order thathe may realise the comforts he has paid for, than were we for the adventof such a storm, as would enable us to say to one another, "Ah! is itnot fortunate that we have a roof over our heads? What should we do_now_, if we had not made timely preparation?"
Well, at last we had our wish. A shower came up one day, in theafternoon, which did not cease in half an hour, as the previous ones haddone. On the contrary, when darkness came on the rain still continuedfalling steadily, with no sign of abatement. Johnny was in ecstasies.This was evidently no night for camping out; it was a night to justifyall our expenditure of labour, in planning and perfecting our dwelling.We hung up every extra mat, and fastened them securely with the store ofwooden pegs and pins prepared for that purpose. To be sure, we were incomplete darkness, but then we were perfectly snug and comfortable; andwhat a luxury, to lie sheltered from the storm, and listen to thepattering of the rain upon the root and the dismal sound of the waterdripping from the eaves!
The second morning after this rain-storm, which had so pleasantly testedthe qualities of our dwelling, we started, under Max's guidance, to makean excursion to that part of the island, to the south-east ofCastle-hill, of which he had given so glowing an account. After half anhour's toilsome march over uneven ground, we entered a grove, which,
toJohnny's great exultation, was composed almost entirely of bread-fruittrees. They grew with much regularity, at almost equal distances, so asto form broad straight avenues, overarched by a canopy of spreadingbranches and dark glossy leaves. Vistas of shapely diamond-chequeredtrunks stretched away in every direction, in long and shady perspective.Among the dense masses of foliage, hung a profusion of large globes, ofa light-delicate green, or a golden yellow, the splendid fruit of thisnoblest and most stately tree of the tropics. The ripe and the unripefruit hung side by side from the same branches, and Johnny could hardlybe persuaded to postpone gathering a supply of it until our return. Ourcourse had been upon the whole rather an ascending one, so that thisgrove must have occupied an elevated situation. The ground over whichit extended was nearly level, with slight wave-like undulations. As weapproached its eastern limit, Max told us to prepare ourselves for themost charming spectacle that we had ever beheld. He walked on beforewith the air of a cicerone when about to exhibit a _chef d'oeuvre_, andstood waiting and beckoning for us at the border of the grove. Onjoining him we found that he had scarcely exaggerated in hisdescriptions of the spot.
We stood at the top of a smooth and gradual descent. Before us lay asecluded valley, from which the land rose on every side, to about theelevation of the grove behind us. In some places it ascended in gentleslopes, in others by abrupt acclivities. In the bosom of the valleyspread a little lake of oval form, fringed in some places withshrubbery, while in others, groups of casuarinas extended their longdrooping boughs in graceful arches over the water. After pausing amoment we descended to the margin of the pond, which was so limpid thatwe could distinguish every pebble at the bottom. At the upper ornorthern end, and near the point at which we had come out of the grove,a small stream precipitated itself some fifteen feet down a rockydeclivity, and fell into a circular basin a few yards in diameter.Overflowing this basin, it found its way into the lake by anotherdescent of a few feet. Around the basin, and on both sides of thewaterfall, were several curious columns of basalt, and irregularpicturesque piles of basaltic rock. The plash of the water, fallinginto the rocky basin, was the only sound that broke the Sabbath-likesilence that pervaded the valley. There was, or seemed to be, somethingunreal and dream-like about the scene, that made us pause where westood, in silence, as though the whole were an illusion, which a word ora motion would dispel.
"How beautiful!" exclaimed Browne, at last, and a soft clear echo, likethe voice of the tutelary spirit of the valley, answered, "Beautiful!"
"Hark!" cried Johnny, "what a charming echo. Listen again," and heshouted "Hurrah!"
"Hurrah!" softly responded the echo, and almost in the same breath aharsh voice, apparently close at hand, and which was evidently not anecho, cried out, "Hillioh--oh!"
We started, and gazed around us, and at each other, in astonishment, butwe could see nothing from which this strange exclamation could proceed.
"That," said Johnny, in a trembling whisper, and seizing Browne's hand,"that is the voice of the wild Frenchman I heard in the woods nearCastle-hill."
"Yes," answered Max, gravely, "who knows but there are cannibals here?You had better be careful, Johnny, how you hurrah in the woods." Max'smanner made me suspect that he possessed some clue to the mystery whichthe rest of us lacked.
"I don't care," answered Johnny, stoutly, while the apprehensive glanceswhich he cast around on every side, hardly agreed with his valiantwords, "I shall hurrah in spite of all the savages on the island."
"Hillioh!--Hillioh!" yelled the same voice, more fiercely than before.
Max burst into a fit of laughter, when following the direction of hiseye, we looked up, and espied an enormous parrot perched upon a puraubranch, directly over our heads, from which he eyed us with a disdainfuland truculent air.
"There's your wild Frenchman at last, Johnny," said Max, "I expect he'llcall us to account presently for our treatment of his hat."
"Don't give up de sheep!" screamed the parrot.
"Come," said Max, "what's the use of trying to talk English: it's quiteplain you're a Parly-vous."
"Vive l'empereur!" shrieked the parrot.
"No doubt you can give us a song, monsieur," pursued Max; "favour uswith `Polly put the kettle on,' s'il vous plait."
The bird twisted his head round, as though giving earnest attention towhat was said; then, after a moment, which from his wise look seemed tobe occupied in profoundly considering the reasonableness of the request,he burst forth with--
"Allons enfants de la Patrie Le jour de gloire est arrivee!"
Shrieking out the two lines as though they composed a single word.Apparently satisfied with this display of his accomplishments, he spreadhis wings, and flew heavily across the lake, alighting not far from theshore, whence we could hear him occasionally uttering a shrill cry.
"Do you see where the parrot is now?" inquired Morton of me, a momentafterwards.
"Yes, I see his green feathers among the foliage, but not verydistinctly."
"Unless I am much mistaken," pursued he, "there is a shed or building ofsome kind among the trees, on the other side of the lake, where he hasalighted."
On shifting our ground a little, we could all perceive between theboughs of the trees, something, that did in fact look like a low woodenbuilding, and after a moment's consultation, it was agreed that Mortonand Max should cross the stream, (which could easily be done where itpoured into the lake), and reconnoitre, while the rest awaited theirreport.
By leaping from stone to stone, and wading occasionally for shortdistances, they picked their way to the other side, and presentlydisappeared among the casuarinas. After about fifteen minutes theyreturned to the shore, and called for us to come over, saying that theyhad discovered a building, which appeared, however, to have been longdeserted. Browne took Johnny upon his back, and we forded the rapids asthe others had done.
Following Max and Morton, we soon reached a kind of landing-place,half-way between the lake and the top of the ascent, in the centre ofwhich was a low wooden building, surrounded by a rude fence of pointedstakes. Entering through a gate, hung upon leather hinges, we foundourselves in front of the hut. It appeared to be built of timber whichhad once composed part of a ship, and was put together with considerableskill. The yard was full of rank weeds, and damp masses of lichen andmoss hung from the eaves of the house, and covered its roof. The door,which was furnished with a lock and brass-handle, was closed, but notfastened; we opened it, and entered a large square-room, lighted by fourwindows, two of which had evidently been taken from the stern of avessel; the remaining two seemed to have once constituted the upperparts of sash-doors. These windows were well put into the sides of thehouse, and from the appearance of all the work about the room, Iinferred that it had been done by persons accustomed to that kind oflabour. A pine-table, which had lost half of one leg, and two chairswithout backs, composed the entire furniture of this apartment. A rudeshelf was fastened against the wall between two of the windows, uponwhich a number of earthen-ware dishes were arranged. A smallerapartment was partitioned off with rough boards from the first, withwhich it communicated by a simple opening or doorway, without any door.
In this second room were several low wooden frames, probably designed asbedsteads, ranged side by side, and a large chest stained or paintedblue. In one corner stood a small square writing-table, of somedark-coloured wood, with several drawers. In another corner, Maxdiscovered a rusty gridiron and sauce-pan, a small iron pot and atoasting-fork, upon which he pounced with the eagerness of a miserlighting upon hidden treasures. The chest was empty, but a small box,or till, fixed in one end of it, contained a number of vials, acork-screw, a tin-canister, and a French Bible, upon the last of whichArthur seized with as much avidity as Max had evinced in appropriatingthe cooking utensils. Johnny pulled open the drawers of the littlewriting-table, and found a bunch of quills, a spool of green ribbon, afile of invoices and bills of lading, a bottle of ink, and about half aream of lett
er-paper, which he declared was just what was wanted for thepurpose of writing "our story."
The place had a gloomy and deserted air, and we unanimously agreed thatneither the dwelling nor its location was nearly as pleasant as our ownat Castle-hill.
There were several articles which we wished to carry away with us, butwe concluded to postpone this until a future visit. Max, however,having once laid hold of the gridiron, seemed extremely loath to partwith it again, and, finally yielding to the irresistible fascinationwhich it evidently had for him, he threw it over his shoulder as westarted on our return, and brought it away with him. Having beenfastidiously purified by repeated scourings and ablutions, it provedvery useful in preparing our meals, of which fresh fish frequentlyformed the principal part.
In the evening, as we sat at the terraced top of Castle-hill, Johnnytook seriously in hand the important business of finding appropriatenames for the discoveries of the day.
The valley beyond the grove of bread-fruit, he concluded to call "EchoVale." For the lake itself, quite a variety of names was suggested,none of which, however, seemed to be entirely satisfactory. Afterpuzzling over the subject a long while without any result, and workinghimself into quite a nervous and excited state, a happy thought seemedall at once to suggest itself and turning to Arthur, he eagerly demandedwhat was "the most beautiful lake in all the world?"
"Loch Katrine, to be sure!" said Browne; "some would say Loch Lomond,but that is the second."
"Lake George!" cried Max, decisively.
"Lake Como, in Switzerland, is said to be, by the tourists and thepoets," answered Arthur, to whom the question had been more particularlyaddressed.
The last name seemed to please Johnny exceedingly, and after repeatingit several times with approbation, he inquired of Arthur, "What it wasthat Olla, in the Cannibal story, called her pet wood-pigeon?"
"Lai-evi," answered Arthur.
"And you said that meant Little Captive," pursued Johnny with greatanimation, "and the `Lai' means `little,' I suppose?"
"Yes, `Lai' is the diminutive."
"Well, then, I have it at last! Our lake, though so small, is--"
"Quite a Como for its size," interrupted Max, "and _so_ it shall becalled--"
"Lake Laicomo!" cried Johnny, exultingly.
I am thus particular in mentioning these names, chiefly for the benefitof all persons engaged in the preparation of new editions of the schoolgeographies and atlases; and I take this opportunity, at Johnny'sespecial request, to call their attention to the matter, in order thatour island and its geographical dimensions may be accurately laid downand described in future works of the kind referred to.