THE GRIM EVIDENCE IN THE HILLS
The boys secured a convenient pole, over which they slung the braces of
game, and started out on the march for the river. It was fully three
o'clock before they were ready to start.
"See here, Harry, there is something we have forgotten, and I begin to
feel it now."
"What is that?"
"Our luncheon."
"I was so excited and interested that I forgot all about it until now.
Why not go back to the spring and take luncheon there?"
"With that water? I'd rather wait until we get to the river."
"Well, let's take something, anyhow. I am mighty hungry. Funny we didn't
think of it before."
"Now for our direction. Do you think we can strike the river at the
right place?"
"I'll be perfectly satisfied if we strike the river anywhere."
"Then why not go directly north, and we can reach it a mile or two
sooner than the way we are now going."
"Good idea! Here we go!"
It was a lucky thing that they decided to take a different course from
the river, because they soon discovered that the ridge they were on ran
for a long distance almost directly north, and that the woods were not
nearly so dense as they were in the course they had followed.
At frequent intervals they came upon new game, and brought down a number
of additional specimens, until Harry protested against any further
stopping.
"It seems to me we have enough to last a week, and it is getting mighty
heavy at this end of the pole."
"Well, it does seem to be an awful distance over to the river. Are you
sure we aren't mixed up in the direction?"
"Of course not. The mountains are right behind us, and the shadow at our
right. You can't fool me the second time," answered Harry, as he shifted
the pole to the other shoulder.
While thus talking they caught the first glimpse of the river, and it
was hailed with delight.
"Whenever I get near the old river it feels like home. My! how I would
like to put in several days in a further hunt over toward the mountains.
I am sure we would turn up something there."
They reached the river a considerable distance above the falls, and
without stopping to rest, went down along the bank for a full hour
before they came within hearing of the rushing water.
They sat down on the craggy rocks alongside of the stream and took a
good rest. "This will be interesting news for the Professor," said
George, musingly, as he watched the rushing stream.
"Indeed, it will. I should not be surprised to find that the natives are
directly south of us, or rather west of the mountains."
"That may account for the fact that they have never been near our part
of the island."
When they took up the load to resume the journey, it was still heavier,
apparently, than before, and they were now so thoroughly tired that
frequent stops were made, but in another hour they had the satisfaction
of seeing the large trees that had been singled out for their guidance.
It was a great relief to deposit the load on the raft, and it did not
take long to swing the raft under the wagon and start the yaks on the
homeward journey. The Cataract came in sight before six in the evening,
and the Professor was on hand to welcome them.
"Did you have a good time?" he inquired; but as he looked over the
tailboard and saw the fruit of the hunt, exclaimed: "You must have
gotten everything over there."
"Yes, and something else besides that," said Harry in such a tone that
the Professor anxiously asked:
"What; have you made any discoveries?"
"Look at that," replied George, as he carefully drew out the discolored
paper with the writing on it. "We not only found this, but we discovered
some huts--two of them, fully six miles or more southwest of the falls."
The Professor's eyes opened wide. "This is, indeed, interesting. But
never mind about telling me now. Let us get the team unhitched and
examine this when we get inside. I had a suspicion that the other side
of the river would give us some clue."
While Harry and the Professor were putting up the team George prepared
several of the pheasants for the evening meal, and they were soon in the
oven. By common consent the meal was of more importance than the new
finds, and when the dishes were removed the paper was carefully
examined.
"If I knew just what was used for the writing, I might suggest something
that would bring it out more clearly. It is evident that the writer did
not use ink."
"Why do you think so?"
"Simply for the reason that this name, Rogers, which is the most plainly
written, has the words only on the surface of the paper. If ink had been
used it would have penetrated the fiber, and the writing would thus have
been preserved."
"Where did you find the paper?"
"It was among a mass of rubbish, which, on account of the poor light,
was raked out to a point nearer the door, so we could examine the
material better, and I don't know whether it was with the pile of bones
or with the stuff on the other side."
"Was the grass about the hut as high as the grass round about the
place?"
"It seemed to be. We made a pretty careful examination all over, so as
to give us a fair idea of the condition of things."
"How far was the spring from the hut?"
"Less than a hundred feet."
"By the way," remarked Harry, "we forgot to say that close to the small
hut we found some vegetables growing in several rows, and weeds all over
the place and between the vegetables."
"Do you think," asked George, "that the vegetable garden is any sign
that white people have been living there?"
"It may be; but the lowest savages have usually some form of knowledge
about raising and caring for vegetables, so we should not count too much
on that. This cup here seems to indicate the presence of some civilized
being, whoever he may be."
"It is just as likely, is it not, that the savages may have captured a
prisoner who had the cup?"
"That is one solution. This writing is the most important piece of
information we have had up to this time. It is not at all likely that
the natives would preserve it, so that the only conclusion I can draw
from it is, that the one who wrote the message, or the one who got the
paper, was at the hut, and now the important thing is to arrive at some
sort of idea _when_, and what the message means."
"It does not seem," remarked Harry, as he carefully scanned the paper,
"that we can make out more than a few of the words. Here is the word
which looks like 'river.' Yes; I am sure of that."
"And besides that the words 'of' and a capital letter 'B,' and something
that looks like 'r-e-n,' which may be simply part of a word," added
George.
"As this is simply ordinary wrapping paper, it is likely that it may
have no meaning whatever. Still, I have been trying to recall whether
anyone on shipboard had a name that these initials would fit. My limited
knowledge in that direction does not help me, I confess."
"What do you suppose the cup is made of?"
"That is undoubtedly silver, or some alloy of metals of which silver is
the principal part. It is very hard, as you notice. It is certainly a
singular thing that a vessel of this kind should be left at the springs,
if the owner of it was there, and it is just as remarkable that the
natives would permit it to remain there. I now regard the finding of the
cup as of far more importance than the paper, because of these
considerations."
"Well, the finding of the huts, and these articles, are pretty strong
arguments in favor of our purpose to find the people who owned the
things we found there," responded Harry.
"But I have also a little news to impart," said the Professor.
"What is it?" asked the boys in concert.
"I have found a companion to the skeleton we discovered on the beach,
and also some information about the inhabitants of the island."
"Tell us about it. Where did you come across it?"
"It isn't much of a story, but an hour or so after you left, I felt like
taking a little stroll, so I crossed the valley east of us, and skirted
the incline beyond, going toward the cliffs fronting the sea. Ever since
we found the skeleton I felt that, unless washed out to sea, there might
be some other traces of the wreck.
"I was quite unprepared to make any searches along the hillside, except
for evidences of minerals, and particularly to note the peculiar
outcropping of the rock on this side of the ridge which terminates at
Observation Hill.
"The backbone of the ridge is limestone, and after I had reached a
certain level I noted, all along, that the rock had remarkably wide
cleavages; that is where there had been breaks in the rock the seams
opened, and in some places I found recesses fully six feet wide, and
thus caverns, sometimes thirty or forty feet in length, would be formed.
"I explored some of them in the hope that it would lead me to a cave of
some extent, but in this I was disappointed. Such may be the case, but I
have not discovered anything which leads me to believe that there are
other caves than the one we explored.
"I entered one of those, which was a long way this side of Observation
point, and there, on a rude sort of improvised wooden cot, was a
skeleton. I found a half dozen arrows, lying near, but neither a bow nor
any other kind of weapon was anywhere in sight.
"The skeleton showed that it was the remains of a tall man, past middle
age, undoubtedly, and there was no evidence that he came to his death by
any wound which effected a fracture of any of his bones. The cot on
which the skeleton reposed was made of pieces of wood, in a complete
state of decay, and there was not a vestige of clothing, jewelry or
pocket articles at or near the bones.
"I found two of the arrows near one hand, and the others lying about.
Here they are. Handle them carefully, as they are decayed, and will
readily fall to pieces, unless you use the utmost care. That is my
story. I hunted all about the vicinity, hoping that I might find some
additional clues, but I was disappointed."
"Do you think he had any connection with the skeleton we found on
shore?"
"No; it does not seem likely. My reason for saying so is, that it would
take several years for wood to decay, as you see in the case of these
arrows, and the cot had the heaviest portions all rotted. In my opinion
this skeleton shows greater age."
"Under conditions of that kind, what sort of story could you weave out
of it, so as to determine what happened to him?"
"It is decidedly more interesting than our adventure, and about as
difficult to gather any information from," answered Harry.
"In my opinion, the man died from starvation, as you say he had no tools
or implements of any kind," replied George.
"That may be; but it appears entirely different to me. The man was,
undoubtedly, cast ashore, or was shipwrecked. We have evidence that this
island is noted for taking in people that way. He may or he may not have
had clothing, but in either event, he could not starve in a place like
this, with vegetation around him everywhere and at all seasons of the
year.
"I am picturing this condition of affairs in my mind: He was, no doubt,
out in quest of food, when he was attacked by the natives and escaped
from them. He was wounded by them, and when he reached his shelter,
removed the arrows, as I found them near his bones. It is probable that
his wounds proved fatal shortly after he reached the cave."
"But how do you account for the cot on which he was lying?"
"It would be the most natural thing for him to find a place to shelter
himself. That would be the first thing to do; just as he had a place to
retreat to, and was fortunate enough to elude his pursuers, who were not
aware of the hiding place."
"That seems reasonable," remarked George. "But it seems to point one way
sure; that we have a pretty tough lot of people on the island to deal
with, and satisfies me that we are going about it the right way, in
making the proper preparations for the time when we must meet them."