Leslie's two dark-skinned guests--for they were nearly black in colour--
ate heartily of the food that was given them, their eyes wide-open with
wonder, meanwhile, at the many strange objects--especially the tent and
the catamaran--that they beheld around them; and the ex-lieutenant
especially noted, with fast-growing distrust, the glances of hungry
admiration that they bestowed on Flora when at length she emerged from
the tent and approached the canoe to note their progress toward
recovery. Leslie had already tested their knowledge of English, French,
and German without success, from which he deduced the conclusion that
they had not been brought into very intimate contact with the crews of
vessels speaking any of those languages. Their own language, on the
other hand was, as of course might be expected, merely unintelligible
gibberish to him. This was unfortunate, since it would make intelligent
communication between him and them difficult, at all events for a time;
sailors, however, have a way peculiar to themselves of making their
requirements understood by foreigners, and he had little doubt of his
ability to overcome that difficulty ere long. Indeed, on that same day,
after the men had eaten and drank to their hearts' content, Leslie
contrived to convey to their understanding the fact that he expected
them to build a hut for themselves; and he indicated the precise spot,
at a considerable distance from the camp, where he wished it to be. As
soon as they clearly understood what his desires were, they went off
into the bush and, armed with a small tomahawk lent them by Leslie,
proceeded to cut down some forty or fifty young and pliant saplings, the
butt-ends of which they sharpened to a point, and then thrust
vertically, into the ground in a circle some twelve feet in diameter.
They then brought the tops of the saplings all together and bound them;
thus producing a skeleton structure exactly shaped like a bee-hive.
This skeleton they then strengthened by interweaving it with stout
lianas--or "monkey-rope," as the sailors call the long, tough stems of
the creepers that interlace themselves about the trees in tropical
countries. This done, they again vanished into the bush; quickly
returning with two generous loads of the leaves of a species of palm,
wherewith they quickly and deftly thatched the entire hut, and thus
completed it. The entire structure occupied but a couple of hours in
the making; yet it had all the appearance of being a thoroughly
comfortable and weather-proof dwelling. As soon as the hut was finished
Leslie demanded back the tomahawk; but although he shrewdly suspected
that they understood well enough what he wanted, they affected not to do
so, keeping a tight hold upon the implement all through the discussion,
until Dick simplified matters by seizing the holder by the arm and
gently but firmly forcing it from his grasp. He then handed them a
generous supply of fish, as an evening ration, and motioned them to
withdraw to their hut, which they did, not over willingly, as Leslie
thought. That same night he went to work and manufactured a canvas belt
for Flora, to hold a brace of revolvers and a cartridge pouch; and the
next morning early he took a small piece of board, some nine inches
square, painted it to represent a target, and nailed it to a tree.
Then, girding the fully equipped belt round Flora's waist, he led her to
the target, having first initiated her into the mystery of loading and
discharging a revolver, and said to her--
"As soon as you see that we have boarded the brig this morning, I want
you to come up here and practise firing at that target until you have
become a good shot. Begin your shooting at about this distance,"
marking off a distance of about five yards. "Standing as close to the
target as this, you can scarcely fail to hit it. And when you are able
to hit it three times in succession, I want you to retire one pace to
the rear--so," suiting the action to the word, "and start shooting again
until you have succeeded in hitting the target three consecutive times
from the new position. Then retire another pace, and proceed as before,
until you are able to hit the target time after time without missing, at
this distance," indicating a peg driven into the ground at a distance of
about fifty yards from the target. "When you can shoot straight at that
range I think you will have attained a degree of proficiency sufficient
for my purpose."
"Very well, Dick; I will do as you wish, of course," she answered; "and
I think I shall not be long in attaining proficiency, for I believe I
have a very `straight' eye. Indeed, I gained several first prizes in
archery competitions at home. But I wish, dear, you would tell me why
you have suddenly taken this idea into your head. Has it anything to do
with the arrival of the savages on the island?"
"Of course it has," answered Leslie, cheerily, thinking it best to be
frank with his sweetheart--so far as it was possible for him to be so
without alarming her. "You see, little woman, the matter stands thus.
We know absolutely nothing about these fellows, whether their characters
are bad or good; whether they are treacherously disposed, or otherwise.
And while I have little doubt that in a fair-and-square, open, stand-up
fight I should be able to give a reasonably good account of them, it
will not be amiss for us to be on our guard against treachery. And
there is no better way of dealing with savages than to inspire them with
a good wholesome dread of one's powers and prowess. I propose,
therefore, that, as soon as you have attained the necessary skill with
your revolver, we shall indulge in a little pistol practice together,
_allowing them to look on_. If they once get the fact thoroughly
impressed upon them that we can both pot them, if necessary, at fifty
yards, it will go a long way toward simplifying matters, by convincing
them of the futility of attempting any tricks. But you must not let
this very elementary precaution alarm you, sweetheart. As likely as not
they will prove to be perfectly docile."
"I am sure I fervently hope and pray so," answered the girl. "But in
any case," she continued spiritedly, "I shall not be frightened, because
I shall always have you to take care of me."
Nevertheless, as soon as Leslie, taking the natives with him, had
arrived on board the brig, she sedulously devoted herself to her
shooting lesson, infusing into it that whole-hearted seriousness that
women are wont to bring to any task set them; with the result that when
Dick returned that evening she was able to report that she had attained
to the desired degree of proficiency.
Meanwhile, Leslie found little difficulty in inducing the two blacks to
accompany him aboard the catamaran and out to the brig. And when he
reached the latter he had not much more difficulty in making them
understand what he wanted them to do--this, by the way, consisting
chiefly in heaving away upon the winch. He was careful to keep a
watchful eye upon them all day, and especially when they first boarded
the brig; being desirous to gather, if he could, some idea, from their
looks and actions, whether they had ever seen a ship before. But
although, as the catamaran drew up alongside the stranded vessel, he
noticed that they regarded her with a considerable degree of curiosity
and interest, these were hardly sufficiently marked to lead him to the
conclusion that they had never seen such a craft before. This, however,
was a comparatively unimportant matter. What concerned him most
intimately was the fact that, after their night's rest, they seemed to
exhibit a good deal more docility and intelligence than they had
displayed on the night before. They worked well and--apparently--quite
willingly, but did not appear to possess a very great amount of stamina,
as they manifested every indication of being pretty completely exhausted
before the day's work was over.
The next three days passed without the occurrence of anything worthy of
record, save that Flora, acting upon Dick's advice, continued her pistol
practice, with the view of further perfecting herself at the target, and
acquiring even still greater dexterity. On the fourth day, however,
feeling that she was tolerably proficient, and perhaps wearying somewhat
of the monotony of perpetual shooting at a target, as soon as Leslie and
the natives--one of whom now readily answered to the name of Cuffy,
while the other did not disdain to be styled Sambo--had gone off to the
brig, she resolved to treat herself to the luxury of a long ramble, with
only Sailor for company. Accordingly, packing a small basket with a
sufficient luncheon for herself and the dog, she set off.
She had not the least fear; for although they had taken many rambles
together, neither she nor Leslie had ever seen the slightest trace of
the existence of either animals or reptiles of any kind upon the island,
and Dick had quite made up his mind not only that there were none, but
that it was logically and physically impossible for any to get there.
Besides, the natives were with Dick, and she had Sailor to take care of
her; there was, therefore, nothing to be afraid of.
Now although, as has been said, Leslie and Flora had frequently indulged
in rambles together, none of them had been very lengthy, or had carried
them far afield, with the exception of the one that they had taken to
the summit; and Flora's fancy now yearned to explore "fresh fields and
pastures new;" a tantalising memory of a certain grove of especially
noble and beautiful flower-bearing trees situate on the north-eastern
slope of the peak dwelt persistently with her, she had conjured up a
fancy picture of this particular spot that made it appear to her
imagination a scene of enchanting and fairy-like beauty, and she longed
to satisfy herself as to how closely her imagination approximated to the
reality. Moreover, the walk promised to be an agreeably easy one, the
slopes of the ground appeared to be gentle, and the face of the country
finely broken; she therefore determined to wend her way in this
direction.
Sauntering quietly along, she soon left the open savannah behind her,
and plunged into the bush, heading generally in a northerly direction,
but accommodating her route to the inequalities of the ground and the
varying density of the undergrowth; naturally selecting a path that
afforded her the easiest passage through the bush. In this manner,
after a very pleasant and enjoyable walk for about an hour, she arrived
at the crest of the eastern spur of the mountain, and, descending a
gentle declivity, soon found herself in a region as romantically
beautiful as even her vivid fancy had painted. Ravine succeeded ravine,
each with its own tiny streamlet meandering through it, and each more
picturesque and enchanting than the last, until at length, emerging from
this broken ground, she reached a stretch of park-like country with
practically no undergrowth, the greensward being studded with
magnificent umbrageous trees, some of which were a mass of lovely
blossom of the most exquisite tints, while others were lavishly draped
with orchids of every conceivable shape and hue. She was by this time
feeling somewhat fatigued and very hungry; she therefore selected the
mossy roots of an enormous tree as a resting-place, and, seating
herself, leisurely proceeded to eat her luncheon and to give Sailor his.
The air of the place was exquisitely soft and balmy, the wide-spreading
foliage shielded her from the too-ardent rays of the sun, and bathed the
whole scene in a delicious golden green twilight; a profound silence
reigned around, broken only by the soothing murmur of the wind through
the topmost branches and the equally soothing rustle of the leaves--and
it is not to be wondered at that the girl sank into a pleasant reverie
that gradually merged into profound sleep.
When at length she awoke, the changed character of the light, and the
deepened sombreness of the shadows, warned her that the sun was already
low, and that she must hasten homeward if she would reach the camp ere
nightfall; she therefore seized her empty basket, and set out upon her
return journey, following her outward route as nearly as she could hit
it off. But she had slept much longer than she suspected, and when at
length she again reached the broken and romantic ground that she had
traversed with such delight and enjoyment in the morning, the shadows
had fallen so deeply that it was with the utmost difficulty only that
she could discern her way, and she found herself obliged to proceed with
the greatest circumspection. And now it was that, for the first time,
she fully appreciated the advantage of having Sailor as a companion, for
the dog appeared to remember the way by which they had come much better
than she did, running on before her for a few yards, then pausing for
her to come up to him, and again running forward. Several times he had
persisted in adopting a certain route in preference to the one that she
seemed disposed to pursue, and in each case had proved himself to be
right; she therefore at length resigned herself blindly to his guidance,
following him wherever he chose to lead.
In this fashion the pair hastened forward as rapidly as the rough and
broken character of the ground would permit, Flora by this time being in
a tumult of distress at the knowledge that Dick would already have
returned from the wreck and be wild with anxiety at her unaccountable
absence--for she had said nothing to him about her intentions when he
left her that morning, the expedition being the result of an impulse
that had come to her after his departure. The sun had by this time set,
and even in the open the brief twilight was rapidly deepening into
night, while where Flora now was, plunged in the heart of a wild ravine,
thickly overgrown with trees and bush, it was so dark that she could
with difficulty distinguish the form of the dog, even when he was close
to her. But she had the comfort of knowing that Sailor was guiding her
aright, for she presently, found herself making her way over a
particularly difficult bit of ground that she had a vivid remembrance of
having passed during the morning; find the difficulties that she had
then experienced made her more than usually careful now, as she was
fully aware that a false step would probably result in an ugly fall.
Yet, despite all her care, she took that false step, and instantly found
herself plunging headlong over a low cliff into a dense tangle of
undergrowth. She was not hurt in the least, but to her chagrin she
found herself so completely involved in the tangle that, struggle as she
would, it seemed impossible for her to extricate herself. Every
movement of her body served but to involve her more completely, and to
sink her more effectually into the heart of her leafy prison. Fortunate
indeed was it for her that there happened to be no thorns on the bushes
into which she had fallen, otherwise she must have sustained very
serious injuries in her frantic efforts to free herself from the tough,
cordlike lianas that entwined her body and limbs so completely that at
length she found it practically impossible to further move hand or foot.
As for Sailor, he seemed quite incapable of doing anything more useful
than run to and fro along the narrow ledge from which his mistress had
fallen, barking distractedly, and utterly disregarding Flora's
imperative injunctions to go home. For she soon realised the
exceedingly disconcerting fact that she was a helpless prisoner, as
utterly unable to effect her escape, unaided, as though she were immured
within the walls of a Russian fortress; and she further realised that
unless the dog could be induced to return to camp and guide Dick to her
rescue, she might actually remain where she was and starve ere her lover
succeeded in discovering her.
Meanwhile Dick, too, had had an unfortunate day. For late in the
afternoon, while breaking up the deck of the brig, the catamaran had in
some inexplicable manner gone adrift, and, driving athwart the stern of
the brig, snapped her mast short off at the deck, completely disabling
her, of course. In consequence of this accident, Dick had at once
knocked off work, and taken the craft across the lagoon to the camp,
intending to procure a new spar from the woods forthwith, and
immediately proceed with the repair of the damage. But the catamaran
under sail was one thing, the same craft with her wings clipped was
quite another thing; and in her disabled condition she proved so
unexpectedly unhandy that the sun had set and darkness was already
closing down when at length he got her to her usual berth.
It was Flora's invariable custom to stroll down to the beach to meet her
sweetheart as soon as she saw the catamaran coming in from the wreck;
and Leslie was greatly surprised that on this night of all others--when
the unusual lateness of his arrival and the dismantled condition of the
catamaran might have been expected to excite her curiosity--she should
fail to appear. Yet her absence aroused no shadow of anxiety within
him; for what could possibly happen to her, alone there on the island,
with the dog to protect her? Nor did the non-appearance of Sailor
awaken any suspicion within him, for he knew that the dog and the girl
were inseparable companions, and that wherever Flora might be, there
would Sailor also be found. He concluded that Flora was somehow
detained for the moment, and that she and Sailor would presently present
themselves as usual. Meanwhile, he secured the catamaran, served out
their supper rations to Cuffy and Sambo, and attended to one or two
other matters.
But when, having attended to these matters, he at length made his way to
the camp, and not only found the tent in darkness, but the cooking-stove
in its rear unlighted, he began for the first time to feel uneasy. He
whistled and called for the dog, knowing that if the animal were within
hearing he would at once bark in response, even if he did not come
bounding joyously to him, as was generally the case--for Sailor was
almost as devotedly attached to Dick as he was to Flora. But on this
occasion no Sailor appeared, nor did he afford any other manifestation
of his near presence. Then Dick began to shout loudly for Flora, hoping
to hear her sweet voice raised in reply.
He now began to feel seriously alarmed, knowing that she must have
wandered away into the bush, and perhaps have lost herself in the
darkness. Yet against this theory was to be set his knowledge of the
sagacity of Sailor, who, he believed, was quite intelligent enough to
find his way back to the camp from the uttermost extremity of the island
in the darkest night. He entered the tent and, lighting the lamps,
looked round the living-room compartment, thinking it possible that
Flora might have left a note explaining her absence, or saying where she
was going. But he knew that, had she written such a note, she would
have left it in some conspicuous situation--as on the table--where it
would at once be found. There was no letter, either on the table or
elsewhere, so far as he could see. Then he instituted a thoroughly
systematic search of the tent in quest of some sign or indication that
might furnish him with a clue as to what had happened to her, or what
had induced her to go off in this mysterious fashion, but without
success. He even ventured to peep into her sleeping apartment,
wondering whether perchance she had felt unwell and become unconscious.
But a single glance sufficed to show him that nothing of that kind had
happened. Finally, he hunted up a lantern, trimmed and lighted it,
provided himself with a small flask of brandy, to meet a possible
emergency, armed himself with a brace of revolvers and a small, keen
tomahawk, and without remembering or being conscious of the fact that he
was by this time fairly hungry--conscious of nothing, indeed, but an
ever-growing feeling of keen anxiety and alarm--set out in search of the
lost one.
The first question that now confronted him was, In which direction was
he to search? There was no especially favourite spot, so far as he
knew, to which she would be predisposed to wend her way; there were no
roads or paths, or anything in the remotest degree approaching thereto,
on the island: she would therefore be just as likely to head in one
direction as another. The grass in the immediate neighbourhood of the
tent was to some extent trodden down, it is true, by frequent traffic
round it, and a path had gradually been worn into visibility between the
tent and the cook-house; but beyond that everything was as fresh and
trackless as upon the day of their landing. Then it occurred to Leslie
to seek for traces of Flora's footprints in the grass, and he started to
carefully quarter the ground beyond the worn area in the neighbourhood
of the tent, carefully examining it with the aid of the lantern. And in
this way he presently discovered one or two imprints of the heels of her
boots, but it proved impossible to follow the track for more than half a
dozen yards; moreover, upon a further search he found so many, leading
in such a number of different directions, that he soon realised the
impossibility of determining which of them he ought to follow. And all
the time that he was thus engaged he never ceased to whistle and call
Sailor, varying the proceedings occasionally by shouting the name of
Flora, until he was so hoarse that he could scarcely articulate.
In this laborious and painfully unsatisfactory fashion he spent the
entire night, carefully quartering the ground until he had covered the
whole area between Mermaid Head on the one hand and Cape Flora on the
other, and extending rearward toward the mountain to about a quarter of
its height. The magnitude of such an enterprise as this, and its
exhausting nature, can only be appreciated by those who have attempted a
similar feat in a country overgrown with bush.
By the time that the sun had risen and Leslie was able to dispense with
the aid of the lantern, he was so utterly weary that he could scarcely
drag one leg after the other; his lips were so dry that he could no
longer whistle, and his throat so sore that he could no longer shout,
while he was sinking with exhaustion from hunger and thirst. Yet he
pressed doggedly on, still prosecuting his search with grim
determination and the same concentration as before until, close upon
midday--when he was working over toward the eastern side of the island,
he paused suddenly and listened as intently as though his life depended
upon it. Yes; there it was again--the distant but faintly heard bark of
a dog--he was sure of it! Gathering himself together, he once more
strove to whistle, but failed; then he attempted to shout.
"Sailor! _Sailor_!! Sailor!!!"
He lifted up his voice in a steady crescendo until the last cry became a
hoarse, cracked yell that was as unlike his own full, rich, mellow tone
as any sound could well be. Yet the dog heard it, ay, and recognised
it, for he immediately replied vigorously. Leslie continued to shout,
dashing recklessly forward in the direction of the barking as he did so,
and Sailor continued to reply; nay, more; now that he actually heard
Leslie's voice calling him, he uttered a whining howl of excitement,
hesitated for a few seconds, and finally bounded off to meet him in
response to Flora's feebly uttered commands. Five minutes later he came
dashing madly up to Leslie, looked up into his face, barked, wagged his
tail energetically, and then dashed off back in the direction from which
he had come, stopping at every few yards to assure himself that he was
being followed. And in this way he led Dick forward, for about a
quarter of an hour, over the rough, broken ground that Flora had
traversed some twenty-four hours before, until the pair stood together
on the spot from which the girl had fallen.
By this time Flora had become quite invisible from this spot; for she
had continued her struggles at intervals all through the night until she
had worked herself down into the very heart of the clump of scrub and
creeper into which she had fallen, and which had now closed over her
head. But there was a sort of indentation or sinkage in the surface of
the scrub, presenting an appearance suggestive of some tolerably heavy
body having fallen there, and at this indentation Sailor first
steadfastly gazed, and then looked up into Leslie's face, barking
continuously. And, peering intently down into this, Dick presently
became aware of what appeared to be some tiny shreds of clothing
clinging here and there to the bushes.
"Are you there, Flora?" he shouted.
There was no reply; for the moment that the sound of Dick's voice fell
upon her ear, encouraging and talking to the dog, and she knew that
rescue was at hand, the long-endured tension of her nerves relaxed, and
she fainted. But Sailor's actions were not to be misunderstood; he
continued to look alternately into Leslie's face and then down at the
bushes, barking excitedly all the while and making as though he would
leap down into the depression; so that even a very much less intelligent
individual than Leslie could not have failed to understand that it was
there that the missing girl would be found. He called once more, and,
still failing to obtain an answer, wasted no further time in hesitation,
but, seeing that the base of the declivity was the proper point to
attack, scrambled down as best he could, closely followed by Sailor, and
attempted to force a way into the heart of the bushes from that point.
He soon found, however, that the tough tangle of creepers was not to be
conquered by his unaided hands alone, and so set to work vigorously with
his tomahawk, cutting away at the tangled and knotted mass, and dragging
the severed ends apart and aside until after about ten minutes of
arduous work he suddenly found himself at the mouth of what appeared to
be a spacious cavern under the rock from which Flora had fallen; and
there, prone upon the rocky floor, with her light clothing almost torn
from her body by her long-continued efforts to free herself, he found
his sweetheart lying insensible.
Kneeling upon the hard rocky floor, he raised the limp form in his arms
and lost not a moment in applying his flask of brandy to her lips; and
presently he had the satisfaction of feeling her stir in his arms.
"Ah, that is good! You are feeling better, darling, are you not?" he
exclaimed encouragingly. "Tell me, sweetheart, are you very much hurt?"
"No, I think not," she answered, with a sigh of contentment as she
realised that Dick was with her and that her troubles were now
practically over. "I only feel very sore all over from my long struggle
to free myself; and also rather cold. I have been here ever since
sunset last night, Dick, fighting to escape from those dreadful
entangling bushes; and I feel, oh, so utterly tired."
"My poor little girl," exclaimed Dick, tenderly, "you have had a very
trying experience, and one that might have proved very serious, too, but
for Sailor, here. Cold! of course you are. Here, let me wrap my jacket
round you--so; that is better. Now, I am going to light a fire; the air
of this place is chill as that of an ice-house. And while you are
warming yourself and getting a little life into your body I will clear
away the bush a trifle more, so that you can get out without
difficulty."
There was plenty of wood to be had, suitable for building a fire, by
simply cutting away the dry roots and tendrils of the bush in front of
the cave; and in a few minutes Dick had a good fire blazing, by the
light of which he saw that they were in the mouth of a cavern about
eight feet high that seemed to reach back into the heart of the rock for
a considerable distance. And some way back, lying just within the
radius of the area that caught the illumination of the fire, he
presently noticed something lying on the ground that bore an uncanny
likeness to a human skeleton! He said nothing about it, however--having
no wish that Flora's shaken nerves should be subjected to any further
shock just then, especially as the imperfect view of the object that had
been afforded him by the flickering light of the flames left him quite
uncertain as to its identity--but at once went to work again with his
tomahawk in a vigorous onslaught upon the bushes, managing, in another
ten minutes or so, to make such a clearance of them as would enable his
companion to pass out without difficulty.
By the time that he had accomplished this, Flora had so far recovered
that she declared herself quite ready to essay the journey back to the
camp; and they accordingly set out forthwith, Dick very carefully noting
the surrounding landmarks, with the fixed determination to return at an
early moment and thoroughly examine the interior of the cavern. As they
went, Flora beguiled the way by relating to Dick, in full detail, all
the particulars of her very unpleasant adventure; listening in return to
Dick's account of his return to camp, his consternation at the discovery
of her absence, and his long, arduous, and almost despairing search for
her.
They reached camp about two o'clock in the afternoon; and after
snatching a hasty meal made up of the first odds and ends that they
could lay their hands upon, retired at once to their respective couches
to get an hour or two of that rest of which they both stood in such
urgent need.
It was within an hour of sunset when Dick awoke and turned out. His
first care was to light up the cooking-stove and get some sort of a
dinner under way; and, this done, he strolled over to the natives' hut
to ascertain what these gentry were doing, as nothing was to be seen of
them in the vicinity of the camp. They were not in the hut; and when he
looked for their canoe he discovered that it had also disappeared. His
first thought was that they might have gone off to the brig and
attempted on their own account to continue the work of breaking up her
decks; and he felt a trifle vexed at the idea, fearing that in their
ignorance they might do a great deal more harm than good. But upon
procuring his telescope and bringing it to bear upon the brig he soon
satisfied himself that the canoe was not alongside her; nor, when he
looked further, could he see anything of her anywhere along the inner
edge of the reef, whither he thought they might have gone for the
purpose of obtaining a few fish. It was then that, for the first time,
the suspicion dawned upon him that they might have left the island
altogether, with the intention of attempting to make their way back to
their own people, and a further search at length convinced him of the
accuracy of his surmise; for a second visit to the hut showed that not
only were its usual occupants absent, but they had taken with them all
their trivial belongings; while a further investigation led to the
discovery that they had helped themselves to a few such trifles as a
pair of tomahawks, a few yards of canvas, some light line, a small keg--
presumably to hold a supply of water; a bag or two of assorted nails, a
couple of fishing lines, and possibly a few other unimportant odds and
ends. His first feeling at this discovery was one of vexation; for
ignorant though these savages were, and difficult as he had found it to
make them understand his wishes, they represented a certain amount of
brute strength that he had already found most useful, and doubtless
would have found even more useful later on, when he had succeeded in
making them understand more clearly what he desired them to do. But a
little further reflection enabled him to realise that in seizing the
first favourable opportunity to get away from the island and attempt to
return to their own kindred and people, they were only acting upon a
perfectly natural and commendable impulse; they were, in fact, actuated
by precisely the same feeling that had dominated himself ever since he
had been on the island, and were doing precisely what he hoped
eventually to do. And, having arrived at this conclusion, he dismissed
the incident from his mind, and reverted to the same plan of life that
had been his prior to the arrival of Cuffy and Sambo upon the scene.
The following day was devoted by Leslie to the task of procuring a
suitable spar to serve as a new mast for the catamaran, and restoring
that craft to her former serviceable condition. And it was while he was
thus engaged that the thought first entered his mind that the accident
by which the catamaran had become dismasted might possibly have been a
blessing in disguise, since, but for that accident, the two savages
might, by a not intricate process of reasoning, have arrived at the
conclusion that such a craft would serve their purpose infinitely better
than their own canoe, and forthwith appropriated her. That they did not
do so was perhaps due to the fact that she was practically unmanageable
except under sail, rather than to any innate sentiment of honesty on
their part.
The catamaran having been once more rendered fit for service, Leslie
decided to devote a few hours to the examination of "Flora's Cave," as
he called it, while its situation and the landmarks in its vicinity were
fresh in his memory; he accordingly set off immediately after breakfast
on the following morning, telling Flora where he was going, but
suggesting that she should remain in camp and take a thorough rest.
Going easily, he arrived at the cave in about an hour and a half after
starting; and at once proceeded with his investigation. He had adopted
the precaution to take a packet of candles along with him, and he
commenced operations by lighting these, one after the other, and setting
them up on the most convenient rock projections that offered. He thus
succeeded in illuminating the entire interior of the cavern quite
sufficiently for his purpose. Meanwhile, during the process of lighting
up the cavern, he had already discovered that his first impression
relative to the suspicious-looking object was well-grounded; it was
indeed a skeleton; and his first act after completing his lighting
arrangements was to subject this grisly object to a careful examination.
He found it to be the skeleton of a man who must have stood about six
feet high in his stockings, when alive. Attached here and there to the
bones were fragments of clothing, while on the ground beside the ghastly
framework were other fragments of fine linen, lace, gold-embroidered
velvet, and silks, showing that the wearer must have been a man of some
consequence. The waist was girded by a broad leather belt, so dry and
rotten that it crumbled to powder in Leslie's fingers, and attached to
this was a long, straight rapier with an elaborately ornamented hilt and
sheath, all rotted and rust-eaten. To the same belt was also attached
the sheath of what must have been a long and formidable dagger. And a
couple of feet away from the head there lay a handsome steel casque very
beautifully engraved and chased, but thickly coated with rust, like the
rest of the steel accoutrements. A closer inspection of the skeleton
disclosed the fact that the skull had been battered in, while a dagger
that might have belonged to the empty sheath was found sticking up to
its hilt in one of the ribs.
Turning from the skeleton, Leslie next proceeded to carefully examine a
great pile of small cases, packages, and casks that had already come
under his casual notice while engaged in lighting up the cave. He took
these as they came most conveniently to his hand, the casks first
claiming his attention. With the assistance of a small axe that he had
taken the precaution to bring with him he soon forced off the head of
one of these, revealing its contents. It consisted of a solid cake of
some hard, black substance, moulded to the shape of the cask, that upon
critical examination proved--as he had more than half expected--to be
gunpowder, caked into a solid mass and completely spoiled by damp. Two
similar casks were also found to contain powder in a like condition; and
therefore, acting upon the justifiable assumption that the contents of
all the casks was the same, he rolled the whole of them, sixteen in
number, to the opposite side of the cave, out of the way, and turned his
attention to a number of small black packages that, when he proceeded to
handle them, proved to be unexpectedly heavy. His first thought was
that they were pigs of lead, intended to be cast into bullets as
occasion might require; but upon removing one of them to the open air,
for greater convenience of examination, he discovered that the block--
whatever it might be--was sewn up in what had once been hide, but was
now a mere dry, stiff, rotten envelope that easily peeled off, revealing
a dark-brownish and very heavy substance within. This substance he
feverishly proceeded to scrape with the blade of his pocket-knife--for
the presence of the hide envelope prepared him for an important
discovery--and presently, the outer coat of dirt and discolouration
being removed from that part of the surface upon which he was operating
with his knife, there gleamed up at him the dull ruddy tint of _virgin
gold_! It was as he had anticipated; the block upon which he was
operating was one of the gold bricks that, sewn up in raw hide, were
wont to be shipped home by the Spaniards of old from the mines of South
America. He lifted the brick in his hands, and estimated it to weigh
about forty pounds. The gold bricks were stacked together in tiers,
twenty bricks long, four bricks wide, and four bricks high; there were
therefore three hundred and twenty of them, and if his estimate of their
weight happened to be correct, this little pile of precious metal must
be worth--what? A short mental calculation--taking the gold to be worth
three pounds fifteen shillings the ounce--furnished him with the answer;
the handsome sum of close upon seven hundred thousand pounds sterling.
Quite a respectable fortune!
But this was not all. There were other chests and cases still awaiting
examination; and, fully convinced by now that he had accidentally
stumbled upon one of those fabulously rich treasures that the Spanish
galleons were reported to have conveyed from time to time from the
shores of the new world to those of old Spain--how it had happened to
find its way to this particular spot he did not trouble to puzzle out--
Leslie went to work to break open and examine the remainder of the
packages, heedless of the flight of time. Some of them he found to
contain rich clothing, that fell to pieces as he attempted to lift the
garments out of the receptacles that had held them in safe keeping for
so long; others--two of the largest--were packed full of gold
candlesticks, crosses, jewelled cups, and other vessels and articles of
a character that seemed to point to their having been the spoils of some
looted church--a circumstance that caused Leslie to suspect that his
find represented the proceeds of some more than ordinarily successful
oldtime piratical cruise. And finally the innermost chest of all, and
consequently the last arrived at, disclosed to Dick's astounded gaze a
collection of jewels, set and unset, that fairly made him reel with
astonishment. There were great ropes of discoloured pearls, that would
be priceless if they could by any means be restored to their pristine
state of purity; diamond, ruby, emerald, and other necklaces, bracelets,
rings, brooches, and other ornaments in more or less tarnished settings;
heavy chains of solid gold; jewelled sword-hilts; and, last but not
least, a great buckskin bag that was still in pliant and serviceable
condition, containing a heterogeneous assortment of cut and uncut gems--
principally diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires--every one of them
apparently picked specimens, the whole constituting of itself a treasure
of incalculable value.
As Dick, having pocketed a handful of these gems at random to show
Flora, replaced the heavy bag in the chest and sank back on his haunches
to rest himself while he mopped from his brow the perspiration of hard
labour and excitement, the light that streamed in through the mouth of
the cavern was momentarily obscured, and Sailor bounded in, barking
joyously as he sprang at Dick and tried to lick his face. The dog was
closely followed by Flora, who cried as she entered--
"Dick, Dick, where are you? Has anything--oh! there you are! Whatever
has kept you so long, dear? Are you ill, or have you met with an
accident? Oh! what is this horrible thing?" as she stumbled over the
skeleton, which she had failed to notice, coming as she did straight
from the brilliant outdoor light into the dimly illuminated interior of
the cavern.
"That!" exclaimed Dick, lightly. "Oh, that is just a heap of bones that
must have been left here by the original owners of this commodious
abode." And with a sweep of his foot he unceremoniously transferred the
poor remains to a dark corner of the cavern that he contrived to render
still darker by dexterously extinguishing three or four of the candles
in its immediate vicinity. "As to my being ill," he continued, "I am
happy to assure you, my dear, that I never felt better in my life. And
I have excellent reason for feeling well. Look at this!" And he
pointed exultantly to the noble pile of treasure.