CHAPTER IV.
PLANS AND PREPARATIONS.
After dinner the boys lolled upon the piazza, and Ned answered hiscompanions' questions concerning Bluffton and region round about.
"The water here is called South May River," he said, "but why, I don'tknow. It certainly isn't a river. This whole coast is a ragged edge ofland with all sorts of inlets running up into it, and with islands, bigand little, dotted about off the mainland. Yonder is Hilton Head awayover near the horizon. Hunting Island lies off to the left, and Bear'sIsland further away yet. The little marsh islands have no names. Theyare simply bars of mud on which a kind of rank grass, called salt marsh,grows. Some of them are covered by every tide; others only byspring-tides, while others are covered by all except neap-tides."
"Is there any land over that way, to the right of Hilton Head?" Charleyasked.
"Good idea!" exclaimed Ned. "I say, let's go buffalo-hunting andcrusoeing and yachting all at once."
"What sort of answer is that nonsense to my question?" asked Charley,with mock dignity and real doubt as to his friend's meaning.
"Well, I jumped a little, that's all," said Ned. "Your questionsuggested my answer. Bee Island lies over there, out of sight. It's myuncle's land. It used to be a sea-island plantation, but was abandonedduring the war and has never been occupied since. It has grown up and isas wild as if it had never been cultivated at all. The cattle were lefton it when the place was abandoned, and they went completely wild.During the war parties of soldiers from both sides used to go over thereto hunt the wild cattle. Sometimes they met each other and hunted eachother instead of the cattle. Now it just occurred to me that we mighthave jolly fun by fitting out an expedition, sailing over there in the_Red Bird_--you see these land-locked waters are never very rough ordangerous--and camping there as long as we like. When we are in theboat, we will be yachtsmen of the 'swellest' sort; when we're on thedesert island--or deserted, rather, for it is desert only in the pasttense--we'll be Robinson Crusoes; and when we want beef we'll kill awild cow, if there are any left, and be buffalo hunters, for what's abuffalo but a sort of wild cow?"
"Is the fishing good over there?" asked Jack, "for I'm not so muchbothered by the fish yet that I want to quit catching them."
"As good as here."
"All right, let's go," said Jack.
"So say I," responded Charley. "When shall we start?"
"To-morrow morning. It will take all this afternoon to get ready," saidNed.
With that they set to work collecting necessary materials.
"We must have all sorts of things," said Ned.
"Yes," answered Jack, "particularly in our characters as RobinsonCrusoes."
"How's that?" asked Charley. "He had nothing. He was shipwrecked, youknow."
"Yes, I know. But did you never notice what extraordinary luck he had?Absolutely every thing that was indispensable to him came ashore or wasbrought ashore from that accommodating wreck. Why, he even got gunpowderenough to last him, and whatever the ship didn't yield the island did. Ialways suspected that Robinson Crusoe loaded that ship himself withspecial reference to his needs on the island, and picked out the rightisland, and then ran the ship on the rocks purposely."
This interpretation of Robinson Crusoe's character and life was a novelone to Jack's companions; but their plan for their expedition did notinclude any purpose to deny themselves needed conveniences.
The large duck gun was taken down from its hooks in the hall, and a goodsupply of ammunition was put into the shot pouches and powder flask.This included one pouch of buckshot and one of smaller shot for fowls.The fishing tackle was already in the boat house, as we know. An axe, ahatchet, a piece of bacon, to be used in frying fish, a small bag ofrice, another of flour, and another of sweet potatoes, a box of salt,another of sugar--both water-tight,--and some coffee, completed the listof stores as planned by the boys. Maum Sally contemplated thecollection, after the boys had declared it to be complete, andexclaimed;
"Well, I 'clar now!"
"What's the matter, Maum Sally?" asked Ned.
"Nothin', on'y it's jis zacly like a passel o' boys, dat is."
"What is?"
"W'y wot for is you a takin' things to eat?" asked Sally.
"Because we'll want to eat them," said Ned.
"Raw?" asked Sally.
"That's so," said Ned, with a look of confusion. "Boys, we haven't putin a single cooking utensil!"
Laughing at their blunder, the boys set about choosing from Maum Sally'sstores what they thought was most imperatively needed. Two skillets, oneto be used for frying and the other for baking bread; a kettle, to beused in boiling rice, in heating water for coffee, and as a bread pan inwhich to mix corn bread; a coffee pot; some tin cups; three forks andthree plates, constituted their outfit.
Each boy had his pocket knife, of course, and Ned had put into the boata large hunting knife from the house.
When all was stored ready for the morning's departure, the boys atetheir supper and betook themselves to the piazza.
"I hope there'll be a fair breeze in the morning," said Ned, "for itwill be a frightful job to row that big boat to Bee Island if thereisn't wind enough to sail."
"How far is it?" asked Jack.
"About a dozen miles. But there is nearly always, breeze enough to sail,after we get away from the bluffs here; but the tide will be againstus."
"How do you know?" asked Charley.
"Why it will begin running up about eight o'clock to-morrow, and ofcourse it won't turn till about two."
"How do you know it will begin running up about eight o'clock?"
"Why, because it began running up a little after seven this morning."
"Well, what has that got to do with it? Don't it all depend on thewind?"
"What a landlubber you are!" exclaimed Ned. "No, it don't depend on thewind. It depends on the moon and the sun. I'll try to explain."
"No, don't," said Jack; "let him read about it in his geography, orexplain it to him some other time. Tell us about something else now.Isn't the country fever likely to bother us over there on the island?"
"No, not if we select a good place to camp in. We must get on prettyhigh ground near the salt water. I know the look of healthy andunhealthy places pretty well, and we'll be safe enough."
"All right. When we get into camp you can deliver that lecture on tidesif you want to, but just now we wouldn't attend to it. We're apt to be atrifle cross in the evenings over there if we get tired. Tired people incamp are always cross, and it will be just as well to save whatever youhave to say till we need something to talk about. Then you can tell usall about it."
"Well, now, I've something interesting to tell you without waiting,"said Ned; "something very interesting."
"What is it?"
"That it is after nine o'clock; that we want to get up early; and thatwe'd better go to bed."
"Agreed," said his companions.