CHAPTER V
THE TRIP TO THE NEW ISLAND
Exciting as were the events alluded to in the last chapter, the boysinsisted on taking Sutoto to the top of the peak. John and Blakelygathered up the fragments, and when the boys left they were busilyengaged in making careful measurements of the stone and ledges.
It was not an easy task to gain the summit, but when they reached it,there was spread before them the most remarkable panorama. To the norththey could see South River, the first stream they discovered when theycame to the island.
They looked on it almost lovingly. "If it were not for the mountainrange to the north we could see clear to Cataract," said Harry.
"The dear old place!" exclaimed George. Sutoto smiled. He had beenthere, and he shared the views of the boys.
"Let me have the glasses," shouted Harry, as he adjusted them and turnedto the west. "Unity," was the only thing he said, as he handed theglasses to Sutoto. The latter looked, and stepped back in surprise.George kept his eyes on Sutoto, as the latter bent forward in hiseagerness to see the town which was now so plain to him, although morethan fifty miles away.
George leisurely took the glasses, as Sutoto said slowly, and withproper emphasis, "Wonderful! wonderful!"
He turned the glasses to the southeast, hoping to catch a glimpse of theland of treasures, but they saw nothing but the wide open sea, calm andpeaceful, and he wondered that it could ever be so angry and tempestuousas they had known it to be on two momentous occasions.
They remained there for a long time, and viewed every portion of theisland. When they descended they took a route leading to the west, andwhen nearly at the bottom, heard the unmistakable sounds of voices belowthem. For a moment the boys were alarmed, but Sutoto set up a shout, hisquick ears having detected the voices of their friends. It was the firstcaravan load of copper which they were taking from the great cave nearthe Illyas' village.
"Glory! we are near the Illyas' village," said Harry, as he stumbleddown the mountain side, and saw the train of men with the loads.
They would now do some more visiting. They must surely go over to thevillage where they captured the last of the hostile tribes. As theyneared the village they were surprised to see Oma coming toward them. Hegreeted them like a monarch, and led them into the village.
"I am glad to welcome you," he said. The boys were astounded at thewords. This man, the most vindictive and bitter of all the tribesmen,had learned to speak, and showed by his actions that he was glad towelcome them.
But when they came to the village, the surprise of the boys was so greatthat they could hardly speak. Instead of filth and uncleanlinesseverywhere, they saw carefully attended lawns, and houses, instead ofhuts. The people came out and greeted them with laughter.
And then the boys recognized many of the men who had lived in Unity, andwho had worked for them in the shops, and in the fields. The Chief thenescorted them to the large building, the same one in which the Chief wascaptured by the boys, the year before.
What a change! Formerly the furniture in the room was one jumbled massof debris, and the household arrangements were only such as savageconditions warranted. Now, the large interior had been cut up intorooms, and they were furnished with comfortable belongings.
The Chief saw the curiosity of the boys, and he read their thoughts."You wonder at the difference? Yes; it is a difference. We owe it tothat wonderful Chief, and to you, and to John."
"Yes; John will be here soon," said George.
"I have seen him. He will be here. We are preparing a great feast forhim," and the boys opened their eyes and smiled as they heard thisannouncement.
The people flocked about them, and the men who knew the boys were onlytoo proud to be recognized by them. Thus they visited every nook andcorner of the town, surprised and glad to see that the Chief hadinsisted on his people going to Unity and learning the ways of the whitepeople.
There was a further reason why the coming of John and of Blake was ajoyous event. Oma had been informed that the great copper mines were tobe opened in the mountains, which would insure work for every one, andthat they would be able to buy every sort of luxury and enjoy all thecomforts of the white people.
Late that evening John and Blakely came accompanied by two hundred ofthe Illyas who had actually been engaged during the day in transportingcopper from the cave to the hold of the _Wonder_.
The feast and the celebration that night in a village which, only a fewmonths before, was of the most savage character, was, indeed, a marvel.Oma could scarcely express himself with enough earnestness, and thewomen were following the boys with their eyes, and actually caressingthem, in their eagerness to show appreciation.
When the time came for them to leave, the Chief accompanied the men tothe shore below South Mountain to witness their departure. Before theyleft the village, the things which had been brought there by the shipsfor the Illyas were placed in the Chief's storehouse, and Blakely paidthe members of the party who had assisted them. This, also, was theoccasion for much rejoicing.
Blakely, on board the _Wonder_, waved an adieu to the boys and John asthe boats separated, and Sutoto gave the order to sail directlysoutheast.
During the afternoon the sea was calm and afforded a beautiful sail, butduring the night a strong breeze came up and its intensity varied duringthe night. The next day, however, the sea became choppy, and overtwo-thirds of the natives were rolling around on the deck in the agoniesof sea-sickness.
"This will give us an opportunity to try the new cure for the malady,"said John.
"What is that?" asked George.
"Simply atrophine."
"How is it administered?"
"By injecting it."
"What is atrophine?" asked Harry.
"It is a crystalline, bitter and poisonous alkaloid, taken from thedeadly nightshade, and the same principle is also found in the thornapple."
"Isn't it the same as belladonna?" remarked George.
"No; but belladonna is also an extract of nightshade."
"Have you any of it here?"
"Yes; I brought some, together with the other drugs that the Professorordered, and I am anxious to try it. The remedy was discovered by Prof.Fischer, of Munich, and also simultaneously by Dr. Reginald Pollard, ofSouth Kensington, England."
Accompanied by the boys John went among the sufferers, and administeredthe medicine, giving at each injection about 1-64th of a grain. It wasremarkable in its effects. Within a half hour the sickening feeling inthe stomach disappeared, the eyes began to grow bright again, the pulsefull, and the patient became strong and vigorous.
None of them objected to John's ministrations. Their confidence in hisability was sufficient for them and the results justified their faith.
When the boys came on deck in the morning, they strained their eyeslooking toward the horizon for land but there was no land in sight. Johnwas already on deck and he smiled as he saw them ascend the ladder. "Andwhere is your island?" he asked.
"How far have we gone?"
"We have been driven somewhat out of our course, it is true; but we aremore than a hundred miles from Wonder Island, and have sailed past theplace where the other island ought to be, according to Walter's letter."And John chuckled somewhat, at the crestfallen looks of the boys.
"Where are we going now?"
"I told Sutoto we would better tack to the southwest. We can use up aday at that course, and then double back, probably thirty or forty milesto the south, and in that way we can cover a wide area."
While sailing in that direction they had to go pretty much into the faceof the wind, but it was considered wise to explore that region to thesouth of the islands first, and then take another section to the east orto the west.
Night came on without any indications of land, and the course wasaltered directly to the east. The boys remained up until nearly twelvethat night, but no light or evidence of land came in sight. Tired withthe exertions of the day, they retired, and were soon asleep.
r /> How long they slept was immaterial to them. Sutoto came into theircabin, and awakened them, saying, "We can see some lights in the east."They heard the voice, and its earnest expression, and without waiting todress scrambled out. Far off to the southeast was a faint glimmer, thenit died away.
After a moment or two it appeared again, somewhat brighter than before.The night was intensely dark, and the wind was blowing a steady gale, sothat the boat not only rocked but it moved forward into the lines ofwaves across their path.
John was above, and they hurriedly rushed to see him. He was smiling, asthey approached, and he greeted them by saying "We have reached yourisland, probably."
"How long have you seen the light?" asked George.
"A half hour, or more," he answered.
The boys were not in the mood now to return to bed, so they went back todress, and then returned, meanwhile watching the light with eager eyes.The course of the ship was directed toward it, and every one on boardhad now heard the news.
Soon the watch on the port side sang out: "Land ahead," and every onesprang to the left side. There, plainly in the darkness, was a headland,or a spur, which they were passing at almost right angles. The mostintense excitement prevailed.
Still the light was directly ahead, and, apparently, a long distancefrom them. John told Sutoto to haul in the sails, and to take a coursedirectly to the south. He explained that it would be wise to stand offthe shore as long as possible, as the ship's clock showed that it wasnow past four o'clock so that within the next hour they might be able toview the land clearly enough to determine their future course.
Impatiently they awaited that period of gloom which is said to be thedarkest time,--just before the dawn. This seemed to be so to thewatchers, but shortly after five the curtain lifted. A slight haze wasover the land, but they had found an island, at least.
"Do you know our position?" asked Harry, as John approached. "Yes; Ihave just figured it out. We are fifty leagues (one hundred and fiftymiles) southeast of Wonder Island."
The boys looked at each other. Evidently Walter was wrong, or they hadread his letter incorrectly. But they saw land, and John assured themthat there was no land between that place and their own island.
Anxiously they awaited daylight, and when it came they gazed out on abarren waste,--a rocky and uninviting shore.
"Steer for the little cove beyond the great rock," said John.
The sails were hoisted, and the vessel slowly moved south, and roundedinto the waters bounded by the circular shore line. The anchor was sooncast, and then began the launching of the boats.
John called the men before him, and gave a few words of advice. "We haveno knowledge of the character of the land, or of the people who may livethere. Two boats will be manned, and ten will take their places in each.Uraso will have charge of one, and Muro of the other. When we reach theshore Muro will remain with the men under his command, while Uraso willfollow me. It will be understood that so long as no shots are heard byMuro and his party that our expedition is safe, but should any firing beheard, then the ship must be signaled and those in the vessel here mustcome to shore, and Muro with his soldiers will at once come to ourrelief. I hope we shall have no occasion for calling on you, but we mustbe prepared for any emergency."
The two boats pulled for the shore. After landing John, with Uraso's menthe boys quickly scrambled up the rough cliffs beyond. When the heightswere gained they looked over a beautifully wooded landscape, but it wasstill, except for the birds and the small animals which looked at themin a startled manner, and then scurried for cover.
"I doubt whether there are any people living here," remarked Harry."There is not a sign of living beings."
"You are quite mistaken there," said John.
The boys looked at John. "Have you seen any signs?" asked George.
"Yes; did you notice how the animals fled at our approach?"
They had noticed it, but neglected to draw any inference from it.
"That is one of the surest signs. Do you now remember how differentlythe animals acted in the region around Cataract from those in thesouthwest portion of Wonder Island?"
"I now remember that is so. Don't you remember, George, when we cameacross the first herd of yaks, that they hardly noticed us? I am surethat the animals out at West River didn't wait to interview us."
"Well, I remember the big bear was very anxious to make ouracquaintance," said George, and Harry smiled, as he remembered how thebig fellow took his revenge by tearing up their baggage.
John directed the men to the right, and in the direction of an elevationwhich seemed to be clear of timber. From that point they searched theintervening wooded area, and caught sight of a still higher tablelandmiles beyond.
"Your glasses would be serviceable here," said John. George handed themto John, and he gazed through them long and earnestly. "I am unable tofind any traces of human beings, and I cannot account for the lightwhich we saw during the night, and which must have been nearly ahead ofus."
He walked forward, the men following. They marched for more than a mile,every object being examined. Fallen trees were particularlyinvestigated, and clumps of trees were searched, even the bark of treesbeing minutely gone over by John.
The natives, generally so keen to discover evidences of their kind,walked along, and shook their heads, to indicate the absence of allsigns. The land in the interior was elevated, but it was not rough orbroken, the only place where an upheaval had taken place appearing to bethe west coast.
"This seems to look bad for our purposes," said John, as he turned tothe boys.
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"I don't think there are any caves in this section," he answered. "Butwe might as well investigate farther to the right, and see what the landlooks like."
"Aren't those coffee trees?" said George, in great eagerness, as hebounded forwardly.
There, not a hundred feet away, were the beautiful trees with whiteclusters all over them. Thousands of these trees were in sight.
"I believe we have struck a coffee plantation," exclaimed Harry.
John did not answer, but went up to one of the trees and carefullyexamined it. "No, these trees have grown wild, and no one has evergathered the berries."
"But what an opportunity there would be here for gathering coffee! Toobad Blakely isn't here," said George.
"We never saw anything like it on Wonder Island," suggested Harry. "Now,why is it that cocoa will grow in wonderful profusion on one island,and none on the next, and the other island will have bananas and theother not?"
"The explanation of that has been the means of bringing out a wonderfulstudy, that is explained by the nature of the soil itself. In everycountry certain sections will spontaneously produce product alike, inalmost every essential quality. Thus, flax, for instance, is found,identical in its character, in Kamscatska, and in Minnesota; in theSiberian wilds and in Central America; on the heights of the Himalayas,and in the lowest plains of South America."
"But how do you explain the similarity? They must have come from seed,and how did the seeds get from place to place, when there were no shipsto carry them?"
"There can be only one explanation. The soil itself, if identical in itscharacter, will, eventually, produce the same vegetables and vegetation.Thus, it has been found that the localities where this wild flax wasfound, had soil which was the same in its nature, and calculated toproduce the same in kind."
For four hours the little band marched to the south, and came back alonga track nearer the sea, without discovering the slightest indication ofhuman habitations, except the frightened looks and actions of theanimals in their path.
"_He turned it over and examined every portion_" [See p. 60]]