THE ESCAPE IN THE NIGHT
The waiting savages showed no disposition to attack under cover of
darkness. Everything was quiet, and with reinforcements no doubt would
resume the aggressive in the morning. It was approaching midnight and no
one had retired. All were too busy listening and retailing stories to
think of sleep.
But they now had to consider the important things connected with their
immediate security. Various plans were suggested, but none seemed to
meet the conditions, and the Professor suggested that it might be well
to make a careful reconnoiter of the enemy before deciding on a course.
Harry and the Professor took up the guns, and John, divining the object,
grasped one of the guns and held back both. He disappeared from the
wagon on the side facing the river, and then slowly worked his way
around toward the encircling band.
When he had gone less than a hundred feet toward a point directly
abreast of the wagon, so that he was moving at right angles to the shore
line, he disappeared, and they could readily understand how his
crouching attitude would enable him to approach closely without being
recognized.
He was absent more than a half hour, and although the watchers in the
wagon kept up a vigilant guard in every direction, John reappeared, and
was almost at the wagon before he was noticed. He had returned by way of
the north bank of the stream, and entered the wagon on the same side
from which he had left.
As stated previously, the extreme height of the wagon bed enabled them
to make a small closet-like enclosure, which would not expose any light,
and to this place the Professor drew John, and lighting the lamp the
latter showed by signs that no savages were in the immediate vicinity.
The Professor by signs motioned that they should take up their flight
along the bed of the stream, and to this John gave his immediate
approval. The boys were informed of the decision, and all consented. It
would certainly take them nearer home, and delay would mean only waste
of ammunition, and if a fight was necessary they were as well able to
defend themselves by night as by day.
As silently as possible the yaks were put in marching order, and John,
without a word, started off ahead, keeping well to the left, and at a
considerable distance from the river bed, and thus acted as a scout for
the party.
To their astonishment their progress was not opposed, and for more than
an hour the quiet movement was kept up. Before them was a mass of
undergrowth, which seemed to come nearer the river than at any other
place on their route, and John approached the wagon and signaled a halt.
The Professor went forward, and without a word John started for the
underbrush, the Professor following. They passed entirely through
without any signs of the savages, and as they returned and emerged from
the other side, John tried to give the Professor some advice, but the
darkness prevented him from grasping his ideas. As a last resort John
went up to a small tree and made the motions of cutting it down, and it
at once dawned on him that a raft should be built, and this so impressed
the Professor as a wise course that they hurriedly returned to the
wagon.
"Boys, get the bolos at once, and drive the wagon forward until I tell
you to stop. Harry and George follow John, and cut poles for a raft. We
must cross the stream. While you are doing this I will examine the river
bank and find the best place to launch our raft."
"What," exclaimed Ralph, "are you going to make a raft large enough to
float the wagon on?"
"No," said Harry, "but we intend to make the wagon a part of the raft,"
and he hurriedly told them how they had forded the stream before.
Before they had an opportunity to cut many of the poles the Professor
appeared with the welcome information that he had found an immense pile
of driftwood not far below, and this was communicated to John as best
they could and the Professor took him by the arm and led him to the
river bank and sent Harry up to bring down the team.
The accumulated mass was a fortune to them, as the wood was
comparatively dry, and singling out the most available pieces, the
material was ready within a half hour, and the shallowest shelving part
of the beach selected for the launching.
It was singular that during all these proceedings not the least sign was
heard of their pursuers. It could not be possible that they had given up
the chase, but it seemed so. The party now consisted of six, and Harry
had doubts of the sufficiency of the floating timbers to sustain them,
but this fear was dispelled as the noble yaks slowly drew the wagon
forward, and it was found that it floated.
By repeated urging the stream was soon crossed, and when the wagon had
been denuded of the logs, they were in as good condition as before to go
on. As on the previous occasion, they pushed out from the river, as fast
as the darkness would permit, and soon came to gently ascending land,
and finally the underbrush appeared, when the Professor called a halt.
"This will take us far enough from the view of the savages, and we must
make camp and get some rest for the morrow may be a trying day."
As nearly as could be determined it was two o'clock in the morning and
the watches were appointed so that two would be on guard, for an hour at
each watch. The morning came too soon for all of them. It had been a
strenuous time for all and a particularly joyous one for the two boys.
An early start was not necessary. They were about a quarter of a mile
from the river, and as the light broke were surprised to find that the
camp was selected at a peculiarly secluded spot. Their first subject of
conversation was concerning the natives. They were nowhere in sight,
but shortly afterwards John pointed to the right, and there plainly seen
were the entire tribe waiting along the shore of a tributary which
flowed into the stream from the west.
[Illustration: _Fig. 6._]
"It is now plain to me why they were fooled," and the Professor laughed
at the situation. They evidently knew that sooner or later the wagon
must make its appearance and attempt to ford the stream, and that would
be their opportunity.
"They are certainly smart in some things, and particularly with regard
to the character of the streams. That tributary is very deep and they
counted on that giving us trouble."
"Why do you know it is a deep and not a shallow stream?"
"The conformation of the shores indicate that. It can generally be
determined in this way: If the sides of the ground near the shore are
steep, it is pretty sure to make a contracted channel, and that means
depth. On the other hand, if the beach is sloping the stream may be
wide, but is always shallow at that point. See the steep sides running
close down to the mouth?"
[Illustration: _Fig. 7. Shallow Stream._]
The savages did not wait long for the supposed appearance of the wagon,
but the scouting parties cautiously spread out and moved up the stream.
They passed through the thick undergrowth where John and the Professor
had passed the night before and were, apparently, nonplussed at the
disappearance.
This recalled the former experience farther up the river, and all had a
merry laugh at the discomfiture. They saw the tracks of the wagon, and
it ceased at the undergrowth, and this was the puzzling feature to them,
but in time the tracks were followed up leading to the river bank, and
the evidences of the driftwood all about was sufficient information to
them to stop all further pursuit.
"What should we do if they attempt to cross?" was George's inquiry.
"That would be our chance to go for them," responded Harry.
They remained on the bank for two hours, constantly looking across for
signs of the retreating wagon, and then slowly filtered back through the
woods beyond.
"Isn't this the place we saw the lights during our first trip to the
river?" asked Harry.
"No," answered the Professor; "we were fully six or eight miles north of
this point, but it might be some tribes are found that far down the
river."
Breakfast had been forgotten in the interesting watching of their
enemies, and when they had fully disappeared from view the party had an
opportunity for the first time in a whole week to get a sample of cooked
food.
"I am sorry to say," said George, "that we haven't any fresh meat, and
the best we can do is coffee and corned beef."
Harry and John had their guns in an instant, and started out on the
quest for food.
"Where did you get the coffee and corned beef?" asked Ralph.
"We put up the beef ourselves, and there is plenty of this kind of
coffee on the island."
"But you have sugar, too."
"Yes; we made that and also have plenty of honey."
This was surprising information for the boys.
"But how did you make the guns? Where did you get the iron?"
"We dug it out of the ground and put up our own foundry, and have a
water wheel and a machine shop."
All this was said with a show of pardonable pride; and he continued:
"Wait until you see where we live and how we have things fixed up."
The shots which were plainly heard indicated something good to eat, and
before the hunters arrived the stove was removed from the wagon, and
George had a good fire started.
A woodchuck and two pheasants were the trophies. What a feast they made.
The chief was now inclined to be more communicative. The neat trick of
crossing the river was a most enjoyable spectacle for him, and he tried
to exhibit his delight. Ralph and Tom didn't have much use for him; as
they were no doubt thinking of the miseries that the islanders had given
them, and the Professor smiled as he appreciated their feelings.
The disposition of the warrior was a leading subject of discussion, and
some favored letting him go, but he was not in a condition to travel,
and they were now fully ten miles or more from the point where he was
captured. Humanity prompted them to take him with them rather than set
him adrift in his condition, which might mean exposure to his enemies,
and as a result the subject was dropped.
Red Angel was a source of wonder to the boys. He had so many attractive
ways, and it was the first time that either had been thrown into close
association with such an animal, and besides Angel was not an ordinary
orang. He had been educated, and it amused the boys to see how much
intelligence he exhibited when he was told to do certain things.
After the meal the march was taken up, and Harry, ever solicitous for
his team, as he called them, was anxious to get water for them. He was
assured that during the day they would without doubt cross some of the
streams which they had previously found in that section of the country.
While thus moving along Ralph and Tom were inexpressively happy at their
liberty. Weak as they were they frequently got out of the wagon,
trudging along, running races with Angel, and jolly as boys out of
school.
And this gives the first opportunity to describe them. Ralph was tall,
and strongly built, but his emaciated frame did not show his full
strength. Tom, on the other hand, was shorter and bulkier, so that the
two boys were really the counterparts physically, of Harry and George,
respectively. Both were educated fully up to their years like the
average youths who had graduated from the high school.
Tom was the most observant of the two, and in that respect resembled
George, and as they moved through the forest and over the table land, he
would frequently stop and look around, and finally went to the Professor
and said: "This part of the island looks very familiar to me." Then
calling to Tom, he continued: "Isn't this the place we traveled through
after we were wrecked?"
Tom looked about him, and finally answered: "It does look familiar like.
We came from that direction." And he pointed to the north.
"If that is the case you landed on the island fifty miles west of our
position, and it is a remarkable thing that we never ran across your
tracks," answered the Professor.
The wagon was driven forward slowly, because there was now no need for
haste. The part of the country through which they were passing was free
from savages, so there was no anxiety from that source, and the
Professor, as well as the boys, took delight in examining the country
through which they passed, and in trying to discover new vegetables and
fruit, as well as learning all about the mineral resources of the
different sections.
Before night they came to a small stream, which was an admirable camping
spot, and the yaks fairly reveled in the sweet, fresh water. There was
no hesitancy in building a fire for the evening meal, and the hunting
bags showed a good supply of game. That evening sitting under the great
southern dome, with its glittering stars, the Professor had a most
attentive audience when the various questions were brought up for
discussion.
To those who are fairly observant, the heavens in southern latitudes
cannot fail to attract attention because of the different arrangement of
the stars. People living in the northern hemisphere have never seen the
southern cross, nor the great fixed stars, Canopus or Achernar; and
those below the equator have never viewed the polar star, and do not
know the beauty of the brilliant star Vega.
The most intent listener, on all occasions of this kind, was George.
"Tell us, Professor, how the mariner knows the direction of the south
pole when there is no south polar star to show him?"
"Practically the same method is used as in the northern hemisphere. The
north polar star does not in itself indicate which is north, but it is
one of the points used in connection with another star which points out
the direction.
"In the northern hemisphere there is a star called Alpheratz and another
called Zaph, which are in direct line with the polar star. The two first
stars named are exactly on what is called the equinoctial line. But the
southern hemisphere of the heavens does not have a polar star to
indicate the south, so that if you will now look directly above us you
will notice two very bright stars. One of them is the fixed star Sirius,
the most brilliant in the heavens; the other is Canopus, and a line
along these two stars would go around the celestial sphere and point to
the poles."
"But suppose we should be on the sea, and would not have anything else
to guide us, what would there be to show which way is north and which
direction south?"
"Sirius is easily distinguished, because it is, apparently, the largest
of all the fixed stars. It cannot be mistaken. By taking that as a
starting point, and following with the eye along past Canopus, you will
be looking to the south pole."
"Isn't Sirius called the Dog Star? And hasn't it some connection with
the dog days?"
"Yes; in the remote ages of the world, when every man was his own
astronomer, the rising and setting of this star was watched with deep
solicitude. The astronomers of Egypt determined the length of the year
by the number of its risings. It foretold to them the rising of the
Nile, which they called Siris, and admonished them when to sow. At that
season of the year Sirius rises with the sun, and owing to its intense
brilliancy, the ancients supposed that it blended its heat with the sun
and thus was the cause of the intense heat; hence during that time were
called dog days. At present what are so designated are the days between
the 3d of July to the 11th of August."