TRYING TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE NATIVES
Notwithstanding the hostile tribe was in front of them to the south, the
boys went around the place with perfect safety, as they knew their
protecting guns were sufficient guarantees to prevent a close approach.
What would the night bring forth? What steps would be taken by their
enemies? All awaited anxiously the condition of the captive Kurabu. It
was evident from the Saboro’s expression that there was no love between
the two. It is remarkable how soon the news of any event travels from
one to the other. It seems to be an instinct.
The wounded Saboro knew at the first attack, which the Kurabus made on
his tribe at the stream, that some hostile act had been committed, which
brought on the fight, although John had not informed him, and during the
entire time the savage had been out of sight of the warring parties.
John kept up his continual questioning with the Saboro, and made good
progress during the day. Gradually some little sparks of common
intelligence would appear, and the morning fight seemed to have a
stimulating effect on him. He was not so reserved. It probably began to
dawn on him that the intention of his captors was not hostile to the
natives.
“Harry, have you the picture of the boys, which you took from one of
the other tribes?” asked John.
Harry went to the shop and soon returned with it. Holding it before the
Saboro, he tried to get him to understand that some of the boys were on
the island, and inquired if he knew anything about them.
[Illustration: _Fig. 4._
SAVAGE HEADDRESS]
The moment his eyes caught the picture he started, and nodded his head
affirmatively. John then pointed to the Kurabu and then to the boys in
the picture, but at this he shook his head. This was sufficiently
intelligent to inform them that the boys, if captives, were not in
possession of either of the tribes.
The Professor then produced one of the headdresses which they had taken
from one of the warriors in the first day’s fight, two months before,
and by the same sort of pantomimic language the Saboro nodded his head
affirmatively.
“We are getting along splendidly,” said John enthusiastically. “We know
where the boys are, at least.”
For the first time the Saboro addressed the Kurabu, who shook his head
as he proceeded. What were they talking about? John arrested the
attention of the Saboro, and drawing the picture of a bearded man,
showed it to him. The answer of the Saboro was a startling one as he
held up three fingers.
“I wish we could get him out to the boathouse, to see whether he
recognizes the lifeboat.” This proposal of John told them the purpose of
the inquiry in that direction.
“Before doing that let us proceed with the inquiry as far as we can,
and, if possible, get the Saboro to inform his fellow captive that our
mission is to get the white men and the boys, and that we have no other
object in view.”
It was interesting to watch the eyes of the savages as they sat at the
evening meal. They were supplied with knives and forks, which they eyed
curiously.
“Do you suppose this is the first time they ever had an opportunity to
use forks?” asked Tom, laughing. “I know the fellows who got us never
used anything like that!”
“They used knives to convey the food to the mouth, did they not?”
queried the Professor.
“Well, our limited acquaintance brought us only among those who ate
with the forks and knives which nature furnished them,” added Ralph.
“When were forks first invented?” asked George, with a grin.
[Illustration: _Italian designs_
_Fig. 5._ _Primitive Forks._]
“They were introduced into England early in the sixteenth century, but
were known in Italy before that time. Certain English writers, traveling
in the south of Europe, wrote about the curious habit of using tiny
little forks, and the new fad was adopted, and the custom was for each
person to have his own knife and fork, which he always carried with him.
The inns and public places did not serve these articles.”
In the morning the savages were still there, but had moved over toward
the river, and were examining, in the distance, the water wheel. What a
curiosity it must have been to them. Before leaving on their trip this
had been drawn back from the water, so that the cataract was not turning
it.
Harry, who was in the shop with Tom, in a spirit of mischief carried
out the levers, used for the purpose, and pushed the wheel into place,
and as it began to turn with the rushing waters, the entire tribe was
set in commotion. Was this some new demon?
The boys enjoyed the effect produced. “Let us hitch up the sawmill and
give them an additional lesson in the arts of civilization.”
The belt was attached, and as the saw began to reciprocate a piece of
timber was put on the saw carriage and fed into the saw. The effect was
startling to their audience, which was heightened when George opened the
door of the house, and both boys rushed out to ascertain what the boys
were doing.
“What are you doing?” asked Tom.
Harry and Ralph laughed in glee at the commotion, and John and the
Professor joined in the sport, when they learned the object of the boys’
enterprise.
“We’re simply trying to entertain our visitors,” shouted Ralph, and the
besiegers were simply at their wits’ ends to know what all the hilarity
was about.
Harry crawled up on the pile of lumber, and beckoned to the Kurabus, and
invited them to come up; but this did not seem to appeal to them. In the
effort to get down, the pile fell, and his hand was caught beneath the
corners of the rough boards and an ugly flesh wound resulted.
The weather was very warm, and the two bodies, which were lying exposed
since the early morning two days before, began decomposition, and the
Professor suggested that from a sanitary point of view to say nothing of
common humanity, the bodies should be buried as quickly as possible.
The boys secured the picks and shovels, and as they were about to start,
the Professor cried out: “Harry, you must not go under any
circumstances.”
His manner of saying it and the peremptory tone in which it was uttered
was a great surprise to the boys. The savages noticed them as they dug
the graves, and reverently interred the two warriors. They watched in
silence during the entire proceedings.
During the course of the evening George said: “Why did you refuse to let
Harry go with us to-day when we buried the two bodies?”
“It was merely a matter of precaution.”
The boys looked at each other, wondering what he meant. The Professor
noticed their looks of astonishment, and he continued:
“Harry injured his hand this morning, and the interment of decaying
human bodies is dangerous to anyone likely to come into contact in such
a manner that the raw tissues or the blood get a taint of the
putrefaction.”
“Is it any more dangerous than to handle putrefied bodies of animals?”
“There is nothing more poisonous to human beings than decayed human
flesh. The dissection of human bodies is one of the most dangerous
occupations, for the reason that if the dissecting surgeon should cut
himself with the dissecting knife, it is almost sure death.
“This knowledge has been made use of in a most wonderful way. You may,
probably, know that various serums are used in the form of injections in
order to cure malignant diseases. The curious fact is, that the
putrefied body of a rabbit, if injected into a live rabbit, will kill
the rabbit, but no other species of animal; and so the like, under those
conditions, will destroy the like kind.
“Taking advantage of this knowledge, the bacteria of, say, diphtheria,
is isolated--that is, separated from the matter in which it grows, and
this is allowed to putrefy, and this serum, as it is called, when
injected into a patient having diphtheria is virulent in its actions
against the diphtheria in the blood of the sufferer, so that the germs
of that disease are thereby destroyed.”
The situation at the cataract was now a most peculiar one. How long
would the attitude of the savages be kept up? It is true they were not
suffering for food, as that was easily obtainable, the large herd of
yaks being at their command, and the garden in easy reach.
It was inconceivable that their enemies could hope to starve them into
submission. The Professor and John pondered over the situation, and
endeavored to explain the apathy of the Kurabus. Not a single hostile
movement had been made after the first disastrous attack.
“It seems to be idle to speculate on what their intentions are,” said
John. “We cannot afford to be cooped up here, when we should be in the
field making some effort to rescue those in danger.”
“Why not make another attempt to get the two fellows into conversation,
and let them know, finally, what our purpose is,” was Harry’s
suggestion. “If we fail, let us attack them, and show that we are
masters of the situation.”
“It is true that inaction on our part may be construed into weakness,”
answered the Professor, “and Harry’s plan is certainly better than this
sort of business.”
John again took up the questioning with the Saboro, and told him in as
simple a manner as possible what to say to the Kurabu, and this
information was imparted in detached sections for his easy
comprehension.
This process was repeated over and over, until they felt he was fully
advised of the meaning of their plans, when John ventured to remark: “We
might as well make a trial of the fellow, so if you can make a litter to
put him on we will take him out and turn him over to his friends.”
It required but a little labor to get this ready, and the boys,
accompanied by John, carried him out and went forward toward the
congregated savages. They looked on this proceeding with astonishment.
As the little group with the savage approached the band retreated to a
respectful distance.
John ordered the litter to be put down, and then by motions to the
savages requested them to take him. Before leaving, the Professor had
placed a bottle of the fever medicine on the litter, and after John and
the boys returned to the house the band rushed up to their wounded
comrade, and the first thing that attracted the attention of all was
the bottle of medicine.
They gathered around the litter, and, no doubt, plied many questions.
For a full half hour this continued, and then the litter was lifted and
he was carried off.
“Did you see the inscription I put on the litter?” asked Harry.
“No; what was it?”
[Illustration: _Harry’s message, on the Litter, which the savages
couldn’t read._
_Fig. 6._]
“Friends in the northeast portion of the island ready to help you.
Dated, Sunday, June 14, 1912.”
“Where did you get the date?”
“Well that date is as good as any. We know it is about a year and a half
after we landed here, and that will be pretty good notice if any of our
boys get hold of it.”
The Professor and John heard the conversation with amusement, and the
former inquired: “What was your object in putting it ‘Sunday’?”
“I thought that would be a good time to date a message of that kind.”
All laughed at Harry’s smartness in thinking of putting a message on
the litter, as by that means it might fall into the way of some one in
distress.
John was especially amused and remarked: “Harry was absolutely right. I
know it is Sunday to-day, and there is an invariable rule by which it
can be proven, wherever you are, and whatever time you awaken, without
ever asking the question of anyone.”
This was certainly an interesting thing, and the boys crowded around
John. “Let us know the method.”
“What we all understand by Sunday is the Sabbath, or day of rest. Among
Christians their Sabbath is on Sunday; the Greeks have theirs on Monday;
the Persians on Tuesday; the Assyrians on Wednesday; Egyptians on
Thursday; the Turks on Friday; and the Jews on Saturday. With this
understanding you may be sure to strike the right day in some particular
creed. It is the only day of the week about which there is any
question.”
The besieging party was still in position as night fell, but when the
sun rose in the morning they were nowhere in sight, and John, beckoning
to Ralph, took their guns and set out on an exploring expedition to the
southwest. They went eight miles in the direction of the falls, and
failed to find more than the traces of the trail which they had left.
It was a relief to learn this, as it now enabled them to perfect the
plans for a more determined invasion of the country inhabited by their
would-be enemies.
Their wagon equipment was found satisfactory in every respect, and John
suggested that it might be well to postpone the trip for a little time,
in order that he might perfect the means of communication with the
captive Saboro, and he set about diligently to perfect the talk.
In some respects he was more intelligent than the chief who had escaped
them five weeks before. He grasped the sign language more acutely, but
he was not as adept at imparting the information to John. On the whole,
however, this was not a disadvantage, but in less than a week he had
learned some words which delighted him, and when he was able to move
about, John took him to the workshop and showed the different things
which were made, and was afterwards directed to the laboratory.
His face became a ghastly sight when he saw the skeletons, and glanced
in fear at the Professor. Probably he inferred that he was reserved for
that fate. It was a gruesome thing even for the savage that he was. It
was a shock, coming as it did after the humane treatment he had
received.
The Professor and John looked at each other and smiled at his trepidity,
and the former, taking up the bones of one who had a bullet-perforated
skull, showed it to him, and thus sought to explain the manner of the
death.
For several days afterwards his eyes kept up their shifting glances, and
he ever afterwards avoided the laboratory. As in the case of Chief, the
workshop interested him, and he would sit for hours before the turning
water wheel and marvel at it.
Unlike Chief, the firearms attracted him beyond measure. His eyes would
be fixed on them whenever they were within reach of his vision, and the
antics of Angel amused him, as he strutted about with the imitation
weapon.
“It should be a part of his education to know that we are able to make
these wonderful things, as it will impress him, and if he should take
leave of us in the same unceremonious way that Chief did we will have
the satisfaction of knowing that he will carry the wonderful stories to
his people.” This was the Professor’s view of the matter, and all agreed
and acted on the suggestion.
Harry turned out some trinket for him, and presented a small mirror.
This amused him, and he treasured the little metal balls, and Harry made
some of them in his presence. During all this exhibition, the boys, as
well as John, talked to him and explained the different objects in
words.
But there was grim determination now in the minds of all to make a trip
which would land them in the heart of the savage country. The various
wanderings had fitted them for the task. They knew their own power, and
appreciated the weaknesses of their enemies.
It is true they had not, so far, an opportunity to withstand a
determined charge, and were not sure but the slightest success on the
part of a large body of warriors might materially change the situation.
John was particularly insistent. “You know what Kipling calls the
‘white man’s burden’ is imposed on us. We have a duty to not only rescue
the white men, but to rescue the natives as well. We have a wonderful
field here, if we are true to ourselves. We may not be any too wise in
finding a way of reaching them successfully, but sooner or later our
efforts must win.”
The Professor and the boys applauded the position John had taken, and
Harry, who was always an enthusiast in the matter of rescue work
responded: “Speaking for myself, and for the boys as well, we are with
you to the end, whatever the result may be.”