CHAPTER FOUR.
ON THE ISLAND--OYSTERS ON TREES--HARRY'S NARROW ESCAPE FROM A SHARE--OURFIRST BREAKFAST--TILLARD'S FORGE--EXPEDITION ACROSS THE ISLAND--WEMANUFACTURE NAILS AND HOOKS--FIND A BOAT--SUCCESSFUL FISHING--OURFRIENDS RETURN--LAUNCH THE BOAT--DICK AND I START TO SAIL ROUND THEISLAND--DICK TAKEN ILL--MY DISMAY--WE ARE BLOWN OFF THE COAST.
Although our beds of leaves were tolerably comfortable, and our clotheswere dry, we did not oversleep ourselves, but awoke at daybreak the nextmorning. Refreshing as was the cocoa-nut milk we had obtained, we allfelt very thirsty; so Mudge announced his intention of setting off tolook for a spring of water, taking Popo with him to carry the breaker.Tamaku sat down with his knife to cut the wood he had found into therequired shape for producing fire; Tillard proceeded with thearrangements for his forge; while Harry and Tom and I agreed to go alongthe shore to look for shell-fish, and to obtain a further supply ofcocoa-nuts.
We had not gone far when we came to a creek, or narrow bay, runninginland for some distance. Its shores were thickly lined with trees,their roots being washed by the water, and many of their boughs dippinginto it. Near at hand we discovered a cocoa-nut tree bearing severalbunches of fruit, and Harry at once volunteered to climb to the summit.While he was thus engaged, I heard Tom shouting out, "Halloa, here areoysters growing on the trees!"
I ran down to the opening by which he had gained the water; and there,sure enough, all the boughs reaching the surface were fringed withgood-sized oysters. We gathered those we could reach; and looking downinto the clear water below the trees, I saw that the rocks at the bottomwere thickly covered with those nutritive shell-fish, in every stage ofgrowth, many of the size of a shilling and even smaller. Here, at allevents, was an unfailing supply of food; and, encouraged by thediscovery, we hoped that we should obtain a still further variety.
Having filled our pockets and handkerchiefs, we hurried back to thetree, down which Harry was descending with a load of cocoa-nuts. On ourshowing him the oysters, he observed that they were too small to be ofmuch use, and volunteered at once to dive to the bottom and obtain somelarger ones. We accordingly returned to the bay; when, stripping offhis clothes, he at once plunged in, and soon brought a number of largeoysters to the surface in his handkerchief, which he had taken down withhim for the purpose.
"Oh, there are not enough," he said,--"I will soon get some more;" andagain he plunged down. We could see him at the bottom, working awaywith his knife. I could not have remained half the time beneath thesurface.
While he was thus engaged, I caught sight of a dark object at theentrance of the bay. Horror seized me, for I knew it to be a shark. Ishrieked out to Harry to return. Tom also saw the fearful monster, and,with a presence of mind for which I should not have given him credit, hetook up one of the larger oysters and sent it skimming along thesurface, in the way boys are accustomed to make "ducks and drakes" withpieces of slate on a calm day by the sea-side. I immediately followedhis example, hoping thus to distract the attention of the shark.
At length, though it seemed a long time, Harry came up, and only thenhearing our cries, swam rapidly to the shore. We held out our hands tohelp him, and I breathed more freely when his feet touched the dryground. A moment longer, and he would have been lost; for the shark,darting forward, almost ran his snout against the bank in his eagernessto seize his prey; then, startled by our cries, and the oysters wecontinued to heave at him, he suddenly turned round, whisking the waterinto our faces with his tail.
Harry took the matter very coolly. "It is not the first time I have hada shark dart at me," he observed; "but I have generally had a companionwho has attacked the creature with his knife. Had I been prepared, Iwould have met him in the same way."
"I am very glad you did not make the experiment, Harry," I answered."However, it is a lesson to us not to venture into the water withoutkeeping a look-out; and I am very thankful that you have escaped."
"So am I," he answered; "but now, as we have got as many oysters as wecan carry, in addition to the cocoa-nuts, we may as well join ourfriends and have breakfast."
"I hope that Tamaku will have managed to light a fire," said Tom; "forthough the oysters and cocoa-nuts are nice enough as they are, I don'tlike raw eggs; and I have an especial fancy for some roast-duck."
As we approached the bay we saw a cloud of smoke ascending from thesand, and we found Tamaku busily employed in blowing up a fire which hehad kindled there. We soon rejoined him, and asked why he had chosenthis spot.
"Because, you see, if I had lighted it on the grass, we might have had alarger fire than would have been pleasant."
While we were standing round the fire, Popo came back with a breaker ofwater, saying that Mr Mudge would soon follow. Wishing to surprisehim, we set to work to pluck the ducks, and spit a couple, and roastsome eggs. We were thus employed when we saw him coming leisurelytowards us; but discovering the fire, he held up his hand with a look ofastonishment, and hurried forward.
"Well, lads, you have prepared a feast," he exclaimed, sitting down onthe bank above the sand. "I little expected to have so many goodthings; and I am thankful to say that I have found a stream of fresh,cold water, issuing from the side of the hill, and falling into a deepbasin--in which I could not resist taking a bath; and I would advise youto do the same."
We were too hungry to wait for the roast-ducks, so we sat down andcommenced our breakfast on eggs and oysters, with cocoa-nut milk. Bythe time we had taken the edge off our appetites, the ducks, underTamaku's superintendence, were thoroughly cooked. They were pronouncedexcellent, and we agreed that no aldermen could have breakfasted better.
"And what are we to do now?" I asked.
"We have no necessity to be anxious about food; we must first of all goacross to the other side of the island, which I believe is not far off,and establish a look-out place from whence we can make signals shouldany vessel pass by," answered Mudge. "You, Tillard, I suppose, willprefer waiting to finish your forge; and we must trust to you to keep upthe fire, so that, should a ship appear off the coast, her attention maybe attracted."
"I'll undertake to do that, sir," answered Tillard; "but as I shall wanthelp, I shall be obliged if some one will remain with me. I wouldrather have one of the young gentlemen; they will understand what I wantbetter than either Popo or Tamaku. Mr Rayner, will you stay by me?"
"I was going to offer to do so," I answered; "although I should haveliked making an exploring expedition across the island."
I was anxious to be of use; and besides wishing to oblige Dick, I wascurious to see how he would proceed. He thanked me very much; and therest of the party wishing us good-bye, set off with their thick sticksas arms, and a supply of ducks and eggs, wild-fowl, and cocoa-nuts forprovisions, leaving us as much as we could require for a couple of days.
As soon as they were gone, Tillard and I set to work on the forge. Hehad already nearly manufactured a pair of bellows with the aid of thebottom boards of the boat,--fortunately of considerable width,--and someof the spare canvas which had remained in the boat's bows. It was avery rough-looking machine, but still was likely to answer its purpose.We also found several pieces of iron about the boat which could beremoved without impairing its strength; and these we managed to wrenchoff, with the help of a sharp piece of coral.
At length the fire was kindled in the forge, and on working the bellowsa strong flame was produced. All our tools were composed of coral; twolong pieces served as tongs, and another as a hammer. Having heated theiron, Dick knocked it out into a long thin bar, and then placing it onthe mass of coral which served as an anvil, cut it with successive sharpblows of his knife into small pieces. Each of these had to bere-heated, and taken up and dropped into a small hole with a blow fromthe hammer, when the head was produced by another sharp blow. In thisway he formed a number of small nails with large heads, which, if notvery well-shaped, were at least likely to answer the purpose.
We had found a gum issuing from some pine-
trees, which did not dissolvein water; and by mixing it with some grease which we happily found inthe after-locker, a thick paste was formed with which we payed over thecanvas. The boat had been hauled up sufficiently to enable us to get atboth leaks during low tide; so we at once set to work, and were thankfulto find that the nails answered very well: fortunately, I should havesaid, I had a small bradawl in my knife, and also a file, with which Isharpened the points of the nails. The whole work was accomplishedsooner than I could have expected; and Tillard declared his belief thatnot a drop of water would come through the damaged part of the boat,whatever it might do elsewhere.
"I wish we could try her," I said, when our last nail was expended.
"Wait patiently, Mr Rayner," answered Dick; "when the tide rises, we'llget her afloat."
He was mistaken, however, for with all our efforts we could not succeedin launching her. We had to wait, therefore, for the return of ourcompanions. Getting into the boat, however, we made another thoroughsearch; and while doing so I found jammed into a corner of theafter-locker a large fishing-hook, such as is used for catching sharks,bonitos, and other finny monsters of the deep. Besides this, wediscovered a ball of twine and some spare pieces of rope.
Dick examined the fishing-hook. "We must keep it as it is," heobserved. "At first I thought that I might form it into smaller hooks;but we have still some iron remaining, and I will try my hand at makingsuch as will catch the moderate-sized fish we are likely to find in thelagoon or outside the reef."
Returning to the forge, Dick at once set to work, and succeeded inshaping four hooks, though he and I burned our fingers in the operation.On trying them, however, they were found to be too soft for use.
"We must temper them," I observed; and I ran and filled acocoa-nut-shell with water.
We again heated the hooks, and plunged them into the water, when wefound that they were considerably hardened. I then worked away with thefile till I had sharpened the barbs and reduced them to a fair shape.With the twine we manufactured a couple of serviceable lines, to whichwe attached some small pieces of coral.
Our companions not having returned, we agreed to walk along the shore tothe northward of the oyster creek, where Harry had been so nearly caughtby the shark. Having made up our fire so that it was not likely to goout before our return, we set forth with our sticks in our hands. Wewalked on rapidly, anxious to get back to receive our friends,--whowould, we thought, at all events return before nightfall. Havingdoubled the creek, which did not run far inland, we proceeded along theshore, turning our eyes every now and then seaward in case a vesselshould appear, though I scarcely expected to see one. Some way on wediscovered another opening in the reef, through which we might havepassed, had we known of it, with greater ease than by the one throughwhich we had entered.
"We must go out by that opening, if Mr Mudge determines to put to sea,"observed Tillard; "though, without a compass or chart, I doubt whetherit will be wise to leave this island, where we have an abundance offood."
I was inclined to agree with him, as I thought that we had a fairprospect of being taken off by our own ship or by a passing whaler.
We had got nearly abreast of the opening, and were about to turn back,when I caught sight of a dark object on the shore some distance off. Ipointed it out to Dick. "What can that be?" I asked.
"It looks to me like a boat," he answered; "and if so, perhaps we mayfind that there are other people on the island besides ourselves."
We hurried eagerly on, and as we drew nearer we saw that we were notmistaken. There lay a small boat, somewhat clumsily though stronglybuilt, but evidently after a European model. From the position in whichshe lay, almost floating in a miniature lagoon still full of water, weagreed that she must have been thrown up by an unusually high sea, andleft there by the receding wave. She was in no way injured; and exceptthat her upper works were likely to leak from having been exposed to thesun for some time, she was still fit for use. Her painter was over herbows; and Dick, having examined the end, was of opinion that she hadbroken adrift while towing astern of a vessel, probably during a gale ofwind. What had become of the craft to which she had belonged, it wasimpossible to say. Whether she had gone to pieces on the reef, or hadmanaged to haul off, was the question.
Hunting about, we found a broken oar and two pieces of board, which hadprobably been washed out of her, "I think that we might get her afloat;and it will save us a long walk if we can paddle her back," observedDick. I agreed with him; and we accordingly set to work to clear achannel through the sand into the lagoon, using the pieces of board asspades. It did not take us long; and though it was as much as ourstrength could accomplish, we contrived, by putting our shoulders underthe gunwale, to lift the boat out of her bed, and to launch her on thewater of the lagoon. We then got in; and though she leaked, as weexpected, we were able with our hats to bale out the water fast enoughto keep her afloat.
Paddling on with the broken oar and one of the pieces of board, wereached Refuge Bay, as we called the spot where we had landed. Much toour disappointment, our companions had not returned. Expecting,however, that they might arrive at any moment, we set to work to roastsome eggs and the remainder of our wild-fowl, sufficient for all hands.Still our friends did not appear. Though we began to feel somewhatanxious about them, the smell of the roast-duck made us so hungry thatwe could not resist the temptation of eating our share without waitingfor them. Dick then set to work to prepare our fishing gear, and in thecourse of the evening not only made a netting pin and needle, butmanufactured a landing-net, which would serve the double purpose ofcatching some small fish for bait, and rifting up any larger fish likelyto break our tackle should we attempt to haul them out of the water.
Darkness now came on, and at last we had to give up all hope of seeingour friends that night. We agreed that in all probability they hadfound the distance greater than they had expected; so creeping into ourarbours, and repressing the anxiety we could not help feeling, we wentto sleep.
On awaking next morning, we found that the weather was still calm andfine; and supposing that our friends would remain on the other side ofthe island to breakfast, and perhaps still longer, we did not expectthem back till late in the day.
"I vote that we go off and try to catch some fish," I said. "Ourfriends will be much obliged to us if we can offer them some fishinstead of the ducks, which, to say the best of them, are rather toughand strong-tasted."
Dick agreed to my proposal; and having payed over the seams of the smallboat with the mixture we had before used, we found on launching her thatshe no longer leaked to any extent. Before embarking, Dick, tucking uphis trousers, waded into the water with his hand-net, and soon caught anample supply of small fish for bait. Indeed, had we been pressed forfood, we should have been glad to cook and eat them. We then put thejolly-boat's oars and the boat-hook, which had been preserved, into thesmall boat, and shoved off, carrying a lump of coral with a long rope toserve as our anchor and cable. We first tried the centre of the lagoon,where before long I got a bite, and hauled up a fish with a large mouthand scales of rich and varied colours.
"I should be sorry to eat that fellow," observed Dick; "for, in spite ofhis gay coat, I suspect he is poisonous; but we will keep him in casethe bait runs short."
Dick soon afterwards caught three others of the same description. "Wemust try fresh ground," he observed; so hauling up our anchor, we pulledaway towards the broad entrance of the lagoon, and again brought up. Wesoon caught several more fish of good size and sombre colours, which, asfar as we could judge, were likely to prove wholesome. They tried ourhooks, however; and I was hauling up another big fellow, when he brokeaway just as Dick was getting the landing-net under him. Another hookdisappeared before we could even see the fish which carried it off!
"I must try our shark-hook," observed Dick, putting on a large bait, andfastening it to the end of a thick rope. "Nothing frightens the fish inthese seas; and if we were to lower down a hempen c
able with a baitedhook, they would bite as freely as they would if we were to use ahair-line."
The hook had not been overboard a minute when he shouted out, "I've gothold of a big one now, anyhow!" and began hauling away.
"He must be a shark, by the way he is pulling," I observed.
"No, he isn't," he answered; "though he is bigger than any fish I evercaught with a hook and line before. Just you lean over to the otherside of the boat, Mr Rayner, or maybe he'll capsize us. I'll tacklehim."
I did as Dick told me; while he hauled and hauled away, and soon broughtto the surface a fish shaped something like a perch, but apparently ofsixty or seventy pounds weight. It was indeed, I saw, a species ofsea-perch, from the large spines on its back.
In spite of the monster's struggles, Dick held it fast, and at lengthhauled it into the boat. "This fellow is a prize," he exclaimed, and Iagreed with him. A blow on the head made it remain tolerably quiet; andon further examination I was convinced that I was right in supposing itto be the fish above-named.
Having now more food than we could consume, we pulled back to the shore;to find that our companions had not yet returned. Having hauled up ourboat, we had ample employment in cleaning our fish for cooking. The bigfellow could only be dressed by being cut up into slices; but as wewished to show it to our friends, we allowed it to remain entire. Wehad just finished our own dinner on one of the fish--which beingwell-shaped and of sombre hue, we believed to be wholesome--when weheard a shout, and saw Harry and Tom running towards us, followed byTamaku.
I pointed to the big fish, which hung, in the shade, from the bough of atree.
"That's grand!" exclaimed Tom. "Still, I don't know but what the otherside of the island beats this; for we have found bread-fruit trees, andplantains, and yams, and all sorts of other roots and fruits. And Mudgehas sent us over to tell you to bring the jolly-boat round, if you havemade her sea-worthy, as he thinks we should have a better chance ofgetting on board a vessel on that side than this. There is a capitalharbour, in which she can lie at anchor; and a hill near it from whencewe can obtain a fine look-out over the ocean for ever so many miles.Tamaku, Harry, and I are to remain here to keep a look-out on this sidetill you have arrived on the other; and then you can come back andrelieve us if you think fit."
I told him that I was ready to do whatever Mudge wished, but that thedifficulty would be to launch the jolly-boat, which Dick and I had invain attempted to do.
"Five hands may accomplish what two could not," he answered. "Perhaps,if we can get some rollers under her keel, we may be able to do it; andTamaku is as strong as an elephant."
Dick, feeling confidence in the sea-worthiness of the jolly-boat, wasready to take her round, either by himself, or with one of us to helphim. I said that I was willing to go, and we settled to start the nextmorning. Our friends were highly pleased at finding another boat inwhich they could go off fishing. I reminded them that they must makesome oars first, as we should have to take ours; and as they only hadtheir clasp-knives, it would be a pretty tough job.
"Patience, as Dick says, will accomplish wonders; and Tamaku cuts awaywith his knife in a fashion I never saw any one else do," answered Tom.
"I cut out the oars," said Tamaku. Indeed, he was ready to aid in anyway proposed, and was well-pleased to find that he should be able to gofishing in the punt.
The rest of the day was spent in making some rollers, and also inpreparing some food for our voyage; for although the distance was notgreat, we might encounter a calm or contrary wind, and be delayed longerthan we expected. Unwilling to lose our big fish, too, we now cut it upinto slices, which we smoked over the fire. Dick Tillard also advisedus to search for some salt, that we might still better preserve ourfish; and Tom and Harry undertook to do so after we had set sail.
The next morning, breakfast being over, and the tide at its highest, wegot the rollers under the boat, and by our united exertions managed tolaunch her. Dick, on getting on board, was well satisfied with the wayin which he had repaired her damages, and expressed his confidence thatshe was not only fit to perform the voyage round to the other side ofthe island, but to make a much longer one if necessary.
Having taken our provisions on board, we hoisted the sail; and the windbeing from the southward, we intended to go out at the broad passage,and round by the north end of the island. Our friends accompanied us inthe small boat to the entrance of the lagoon, and then with three cheersleft us.
As we kept some distance from the coast, to avoid any reefs which mightrun off it, we could see the land stretching away much farther to thenorth than we had expected.
"Our trip will be longer than I thought for, Mr Rayner," said Dick;"but now we have got thus far, and have the wind with us, it will bebetter to keep on, and maybe when we round the point we shall then getit favourable; though I don't suppose Mr Mudge was aware how far theisland stretches to the northward."
I thought as Dick did, and agreed with him that it would not now do totry and beat round the southern end, which appeared quite as far off asthe northern one. On we sailed; but still the northern cape we wishedto double seemed a long way off. The weather, too, which was very finewhen we started, now gave signs of changing. I saw that Dick waslooking graver than usual: still he was not a man to give up a task hehad undertaken; so we continued running on, though clouds had gatheredin the sky, and the wind blew much stronger than at first.
"We may as well take a reef down, Mr Rayner," he observed--"or perhapstwo. When we come to haul our wind, we shall have as much sail as theboat will bear."
We soon had the reefs in, and the sail again hoisted up. The boat nowflew rapidly over the fast-rising, foaming seas. On the larboard sidethe surf was breaking furiously on the coral reef, through which noopening could be seen; while out at sea, on the opposite side, all wasdark and lowering. The wind came in fitful gusts; now from thesouthward, now blowing from the land.
I at length proposed returning.
"That would be a harder matter than standing on," answered Dick. "Maybewe shall come in sight of a harbour, and if so we will stand in and takeshelter; but if not, our only course is to run on till we can double thecape. And then, unless the wind shifts to the westward, we shall beunder the lee of the island, and make better weather of it."
Dick spoke calmly; but as I looked at his countenance I observed astrange expression pass over it.
"Are you in pain, Dick?" I asked.
"To say the truth, I am, sir," he answered; "though I didn't like toalarm you by telling you how I feel I should like to have some doctor'sstuff: or maybe a glass of rum would set me to rights; but as that isn'tto be got, I must grin and bear it."
As I watched Dick, he appeared to grow worse and worse, and every nowand then a groan he could not suppress escaped him. Still, he kept hisseat at the helm, steering the boat before the wind with his usual care.I remembered the supposed poisonous fish he had spoken of, and wonderedwhether he had taken any; but I did not like to suggest the thought tohim. Presently, to my horror, his hand relaxed its hold of the helm,and he sank down in the bottom of the boat. I seized the tiller in timeto prevent the boat broaching-to, and kept her on as we had before beensteering. I could do nothing to help him, except place his head againstthe side of the boat. He breathed heavily, every now and then giving agroan. I was greatly alarmed, not knowing what I should do by myself;while I felt much grieved at the thought of losing him. All I could dowas to sit and steer. Nothing I could offer him was likely to do himany good; and I could only hope that his strong constitution would carryhim through the attack, whatever it was.
At length I was very nearly up to the cape, and expected to get round itin the course of half an hour or so, when the wind fell even moresuddenly than it had risen, and the boat lay rocking on the water,making no perceptible way. I tried to do all I could to restore Dick.I sprinkled his face with water, and poured some cocoa-nut milk down histhroat; but it did not appear to have the slightest effect.
He remainedperfectly unconscious, only giving signs of life by his heavy breathingand his groans, which grew fainter and fainter.
Hoping that at last a moderate breeze would spring up, I shook the reefsout of the sail, and again hoisted it. Still there was no change. Thesun was setting over the island, and I expected to have my difficultiesincreased by the approaching darkness. The weather also still lookedvery threatening. Scarcely had the sun disappeared behind a cliff onthe left, when the wind again suddenly sprang up, and blew with evengreater violence than before. I now wished that I had not shaken thereefs out of the sail, but I could not venture to leave the helm to makeany alteration.
On flew the boat as before, the foaming seas rising up on either hand.I could but dimly distinguish the cliff. At length it was lost tosight. As I looked out on the larboard side, I fancied that I saw aline of white breakers, indicating a reef running off from it. How farit might extend I could not tell; perhaps a mile, or a couple of miles.It would be destruction, should I haul up too soon and strike on it;indeed, with the sail I had set, I dared not do that. My only resourcewas to stand on, hoping that the squall would pass away as quickly as ithad sprung up. I knew that I was leaving the land farther and fartherastern. In vain in my anxiety I called to poor Dick to help me.Sometimes the horrid thought came over me that he was dead, thesplashing of the water and the howling of the wind drowning the sound ofhis breathing. My anxiety--or, I may confess it, my alarm--made me feelvery ill; and I began to fancy that I too had been poisoned, either bythe fish or the wild-fowl we had eaten.
I scarcely know how many hours thus passed. At last, as I had expected,the wind suddenly fell to a gentle breeze. I immediately hauled aft thesheet, hoping to be able to beat up to the island again by daybreak; butscarcely had I stood on for a quarter of an hour when it droppedaltogether, and the boat lay rocking on the heaving waters. As therewas no use in keeping the sail set, I lowered it, and sat down with myarm round the mast, intending to keep awake till the breeze should againget up; while I heartily prayed that it might come from a directionwhich might enable me to fetch the island. I could hear Dick breathing;but though I called to him he did not answer, and appeared quite asunconscious as at first. I felt very tired, after the excitement I hadgone through; still I did my utmost to keep awake. All my efforts,however, were vain, and I dropped off to sleep.
Suddenly I awoke; and standing up, I looked out anxiously for the land.My heart sank: an unbroken sea-horizon was around me. As I was stillgazing, a bright glow appeared in the direction towards which the boat'shead was turned; and presently the sun, a vast globe of fire, arose outof his ocean-bed, tinging with a ruddy hue the edge of the clouds whichstill covered the sky. The breeze, however, had sprung up from theeastward, and I knew from the position of the sun in what direction tosteer. The numerous birds, also, which hovered round me, proved thatthe island was not far off.
I again attempted to arouse Dick; but though I did not succeed, his morequiet breathing made me hope that he was recovering. I now hoisted thesail; and hauling aft the sheet, went to the helm, and steered to thesouthward.