CHAPTER XVIII
The First Day on the Island
The shrill pipe of the bos'n's whistle, adroitly manipulated by bigMerridew, brought the working-party out of their bunks with theutmost alacrity. During the stay of the _Titania_ at Nua Leha thesystem of routine was to be drastically altered. The port andstarboard watches, responsible for the care and maintenance of theship, were reduced to three men each. The remainder were amalgamatedinto a working-party whose hours--voluntary, and not subjected to thedictates of a Trades Union--were from sunrise to sunset, withintervals for meals and recreation. Thursday afternoons were "makeand mend", as in the Royal Navy, while, except on urgent matters tosafeguard the vessel, no work was permitted on Sundays. From elevenin the morning till two in the afternoon was "stand easy", since theheat was too great to allow Europeans to work without grave risk.
For the first time since the _Titania_ left Southampton thetwenty-eight-foot cutter, stowed amidships, was hoisted out. Hergunwales were protected with rope fenders; she was made fastalongside, and the work of sending stores and gear to the beachproceeded immediately after breakfast.
By the time "stand easy" arrived the two sea-planes had been hoistedout and were in advanced stages of reassembly, under the supervisionof Trevear.
Claverhouse had, in accordance with instructions, gone ashore earlyto fix upon a likely site for a sea-plane station. With him went DickBeverley, proudly grasping a .303 rifle, and with his pockets bulgingwith an assortment of treasures, including sandwiches and half adozen ball cartridges.
The ex-R.A.F. officer and his young companion made their way alongthe glistening coral beach, on which the limpid water lapped gentlyunder the influence of a light on-shore wind.
A walk of a quarter of a mile brought them to the bold headland onthe northern side of the little bay in which the _Titania_ lay atanchor. Here the dark, volcanic rocks ended in a ledge that projectedabout fifty yards from the general shore-line. At the extremity ofthe natural breakwater the bed of the lagoon dropped abruptly to adepth of five fathoms, although the bottom could be clearlydiscerned.
"Topping place for a bathe," suggested Dick.
"Quite," agreed Claverhouse, "that is, if it's all right. You'dbetter hang on till you know there's no danger."
"There are no sharks about," declared the lad.
"Take your word for it, old man," replied Claverhouse. "All the same,I wouldn't dangle my feet in the water if I were you. There may beground sharks, and I believe they don't hesitate to snap at a pair ofpaddling trilbies."
"What's a fellow to do if he can't have a swim?" inquired Dick."If----"
His words ended in a shout of horrified surprise as a long taperingtentacle shot out from under a projecting rock and securely fasteneditself to the lad's bare ankle. Then another and yet another dark,slimy tentacle obtained a grip upon his leg.
Vainly young Beverley strove to free himself from the horribleembraces of a healthy young octopus. The creature's protruding eyesand parrot-like beak were plainly visible. Although its body was onlyabout the size of a soup plate, the eight tentacles averaged a yardin length. Each of the legs that had obtained a grip were bringinginto play the dozens of suckers with which they were provided, andthe net result was that Dick was a prisoner. So precarious was hisposition, and so strong the tractive powers of the cuttle-fish, thathe had to hold on with both hands to prevent himself being drawn offthe slippery rock into the sea.
Claverhouse's first instinct was to grasp Dick's rifle and fire atthe head of the hideous creature; but, thinking that he mightpossibly put a bullet through the lad's foot--which, owing to therefractive qualities of the water, was quite feasible--he whipped outhis knife.
Leaning over the edge, he struck hard and deep. The keen steel sunkto the hilt with hardly any perceptible resistance, fairly betweenthe vicious-looking eyes. Then, even as Claverhouse was in the act ofwithdrawing the blade, two tentacles attached themselves firmly tohis hand, at the same time binding it to the foot of the nowthoroughly-scared Dick.
The unexpected jerk wellnigh capsized Claverhouse. Resisting theimpulse to hack blindly, he withdrew the knife with his left hand andprepared to sever the tentacles one by one. It was no easy matter.Not only was there a danger that the sharp steel might cut either hishand or Dick's foot, but the octopus, upon receiving the stab, hadliberated a quantity of black fluid that, quickly spreading, made italmost impossible to locate the slimy quivering arms.
But the octopus had already received more than it bargained for. Thedischarge of the inky fluid--nature's counterpart to asmoke-screen--was a preliminary move to making a strategic retreat.Almost as suddenly as the attack developed, the suckers relaxed theirgrip, and the cuttle-fish withdrew to render first aid to a deep butby no means vital injury to its anatomy.
The two victims to the tremendous suction exercised by the octopus'stentacles regained their feet, somewhat ruefully contemplating thelivid marks left by their late antagonist.
"Thanks, awfully, Claverhouse," exclaimed Dick. "I owe you one forthat."
"Enter it in the book, then," rejoined the ex-R.A.F. officer, withgrim jocularity. "Hope the occasion won't arise for you to callquits."
He quizzically regarded his youthful companion, gauging his physicalinconveniences by his own.
"S'pect you've had enough of the beach to-day," he continued. "If Iwere you, I'd go on board and get something for that ankle of yours.A real Futurist picture, I call it."
Dick decided otherwise.
"I'm not going to spoil a day's sport for the sake of a smartingankle," he protested. "It's roast pork for to-morrow's dinner, andpork I mean to get. I'm all right; I am really."
Claverhouse did not press the point, and the two comrades pursuedtheir way.
In the bay beyond, Claverhouse found exactly what he wanted. Theground shelved gradually to the water's edge. The beach was sandy andfree from jagged lumps of coral. There was a good depth of waterclose to the shore, while the reef was not only within two hundredyards of the island, but was in several places a good six feet abovehigh-water mark.
"I thought coral insects always died when they'd worked their way tothe surface," remarked Dick. "How is it that this part of the reefsticks up so?"
"I think if we landed there we'd find volcanic rocks," repliedClaverhouse. "Small islands each with a ring of coral round them;subsiding reefs, as it were. 'Tany rate, this is an ideal sea-planebase. I'll get some hands to work as soon as possible, so I'll getback to the landing place. You'll carry on?"
Dick slapped the "small" of his rifle.
"I've got to work for my living," he rejoined facetiously, "so I'llget a move on. See you later."
Claverhouse made his way to the beach opposite the _Titania's_ berth,where already a light pier was in course of construction, and cratesand boxes were piled high awaiting a place for storage.
"You're handy fellows with an axe," he exclaimed, addressingGriffiths and Bell.
"Never handled an axe in my life," declared Griffiths.
"And when I did I cut a slice out of my boot," Bell hastened toassure the director of the day's destiny.
"Call yourselves ex-Royal Engineers?" remarked Claverhouse, withassumed scorn. "You've seen Tommies wielding axes, so come and dolikewise."
He mustered his party, including Vivian and Fontayne in the number,and the five repaired to the site Claverhouse had selected.
It was grand work plying those glittering axes in the yet cool air ofthe early morning, and bringing the tall palms crashing to theground; but when it came to "grubbing up" the roots, that was quite adifferent story.
"Thought we were diving for treasure, not digging for it," remarkedVivian, pausing to wipe the perspiration from his brow. "By Jove, Ihaven't done so much digging since I was in the Naval Brigade atLierre. Say, Claverhouse, do crabs climb trees out here?"
He pointed to a felled palm. Out of the crushed foliage a large crabambled awkwardly.
"Looks like it," replied Claverhouse. "Wonde
r what a fellow would doif one of those beauties climbed into the fuselage of a bus and begannibbling the bloke's toes. He'd wonder what was wrong with therudder-bar."
"There's another, making off with a coco-nut," said Griffiths. "And Ivolunteered to sleep ashore," he added, with the air of a man who hadmade a bad bargain.
"Nemesis, my son," exclaimed Vivian, "you didn't half chuck yourweight about when yours was the only cabin that wasn't infested bythose flying cockroaches in the Red Sea. I'd advise you to surroundyour tent with barbed-wire entanglements, and keep a Lewis gun underyour pillow. Come on. This won't get the work done, and we've an hourto 'stand easy'."
The five set to work with redoubled efforts, and when the time forthe midday rest came round the ground was cleared and levelledsufficiently to commence the erection of hangars.
"Dick's busy," observed Claverhouse, as the faint report of arifle-shot rang out. "That's the fifth. Suppose it means pork for therest of the week."
"Or possibly none at all," added Bell. "I was chipping him lastnight, and said he wouldn't fire a single shot."
"He's fired five, anyway," said Fontayne. "If you'd anything onyou've lost, my festive. You said 'fire', didn't you?"
Upon returning to the landing-place, Claverhouse found Villiers andBeverley resting after their labours, which consisted principally ofdigging a deep hole and sinking three large barrels in it. These wereconnected by a pipe, and a small stream of pure water was divertedinto them. Trevear and O'Loghlin had practically completed thereassembly of the two dwarf sea-planes, while the rest of thelanding-party, under Harborough's supervision, had made great strideswith the shore base. Tents were already erected, and a largestorehouse, fashioned after the manner of a Canadian lumberman's hut,had grown to a height of five feet.
"What have you done to your hand, Claverhouse?" asked Harborough,when the party sat down to an alfresco lunch.
"Octopus took a fancy to it," replied the ex-R.A.F. officer. "We'llhave to be careful bathing off the rocks. No, it's nothing much,thanks."
"We saw a couple of sharks as we rowed ashore," announced Merridew."They followed the boat into quite shallow water."
"We'll have to take precautions when we bathe," remarked Harborough."No isolated swimming. Keep together, and have a boat ready. Pete,what's the bill of fare?"
"All propah, sah," replied the cook, with a terrific smile. "Same asin ole Bahamas."
There were roast fowl, taro bread, omelets with bananas and slices ofmelon--the whole feast provided out of the natural resources of theisland. Everyone agreed that it was a fortunate chance that broughtPete on board the _Titania_, for he alone of all the ship's companywas well versed in the vegetable products of the tropics.
Upon the resumption of work, after a long and enjoyable spell inwhich pipes and yarns held full sway, strong moorings were laid inthe narrow part of the lagoon for the two sea-planes. There seemedevery indication of the glorious weather holding, otherwiseClaverhouse would not have run the risk of leaving his preciouscharges afloat. Nevertheless, he was determined to push on with theconstruction of the hangars, which were to be made so strongly thatthey would successfully resist the tropical gales.
Before nightfall the big store was ready for the roof of palm-leafthatch. The shore-party made themselves at home, and the men told offto sleep on board prepared to return.
"Where's your young brother?" asked Villiers.
"With Claverhouse, I think," replied Beverley.
"Well, he isn't," corrected Jack. "Alec's just gone down to theboat."
Bobby ran down to the beach and hailed the airman.
"Not a sign of him," replied Claverhouse. "I thought he'd returnstraight to the camp. We'll have to send out a search-party. Theisland isn't so very big, but he may have lost his way."
There was no lack of volunteers. Every man ashore, from Harborough toPete, expressed his willingness to look for the missing Dick.
The fall of night hampered their task, and at the end of a couple ofhours' strenuous search the party reassembled on the beach with theiraim unattained.
"The moon will be up in another twenty minutes," announcedHarborough, who felt himself responsible for having dispatched theyoung huntsman on his shooting expedition. "Who'll have anothershot?"
"We'll carry on till we find him, sir," was the unanimous response.