The Results of the Expedition.--The Long Vacation.--Removed from the
Landing-place.--Birds and their Nests.--Fishing.--Tapping a Cask of
Potatoes.--Tent-making.--The Shell Spades.--Digging a Tank.--A Grand
Attempt at Boat-building.
"Get all into marching order, Meggie," said Hugh. "We have found out a
better site for a settlement than our present encampment, and Gerald and
I mean to build a shealing."
"And not a mangrove or a mosquito to be seen near it," added Gerald;
"nothing but a ship at anchor."
"A ship!" exclaimed Margaret, in astonishment. "What does the wild boy
mean, Arthur?"
"You will only see the remains of a ship, Meggie," answered Arthur; "and
though you may think the scene of a shipwreck a melancholy spot to
select, yet it seems a convenient, sheltered cove, and a desirable
retreat for a short time, till we arrange our plans for the future."
When they arrived at the encampment, and the adventures of the day had
been told, Jack heard with especial interest the account of the wrecked
vessel; and as he examined the rusty axe, he planned great undertakings
with the aid of his new tool; while Jenny looked with much satisfaction
on the ducks, which she declared were "more Christian meat than them
slimy, fat turtles;" and Ruth, smoothing the beautiful plumage with her
hands, and thinking, with foreboding dread, of the fate of her
favorites, said--
"Bonnie things! what a sham' to kill 'em."
"And see what papa and I have found," said Margaret, producing a basket
half-filled with the eggs of the turtle, while Jenny served up to them
some roasted in the ashes, which the hungry ramblers thought delicious.
Then a consultation was held on the project of removal. Margaret shrunk
from any risk of meeting with the savage islanders; but Arthur
considered they should be safer from any encounter with them in the
secluded nook they had discovered, which was guarded by coral reefs,
dangerous even to such light canoes as these people usually had, and
hidden by the jutting promontories, than they should be to remain in
their present exposed encampment, or even in the more fertile regions of
the interior.
Mr. Mayburn had some shadowy fancies of civilizing and converting the
whole horde at once; but Arthur argued that the time was not favorable
for the undertaking, and that they must try to establish themselves in a
more independent position before they indulged any hopes of reclaiming a
large body of heathens.
"Besides, papa," added he, "we must look forward to some plan of leaving
this dull and desolate island, and we may have an opportunity of
signalling some passing sail if we establish ourselves on the beach."
"Ye'll not see mony ships amang yon reefs," said Wilkins, "barring
they're drove there in a gale, and then, as ye've seen, there's poor
chance of they're getting off again."
"But we might build a boat with the remains of the wreck," suggested
Jack.
"There's some sense in that," answered the man; "but when ye've gotten
your boat fettled up, what port would ye be making for?"
"I am pledged to go to India, Wilkins," said Mr. Mayburn.
"Pledged to a fiddlestick," replied he, with contempt. "Think ye now ye
can sail to Indy in a crazy bit boat like what we chaps can put
together. Ye'll have to make right across for t' mainland; and mind what
I tell ye: I'se stick to ye, and work for ye, and fight for ye, but
ye're not to be 'liv'ring me up at Sydney yonder to be shackled and
drove like a nigger slave."
"I fear, Wilkins," answered Arthur, "there is little probability of our
reaching Sydney; but we are all too grateful for the services of a
faithful adherent, to think of returning evil for them; and you may be
satisfied we shall continue to protect you to the utmost of our power.
And, my dear father, you must no longer distress yourself with the idea
of fulfilling your appointment in India. We shall be reported lost in
the _Golden Fairy_, and the mission will be filled up. You must resign
yourself to accept any safe refuge that is accessible, and wait for
happier circumstances."
"In the mean time, papa," said Margaret, "God will surely provide us
with work. And till we have more extended opportunities our own hearts
require our labor. We must not neglect our duty at home."
"I thank you, my child," answered he, "for reminding me of my wasted
hours. It is indeed full time that I should resume the active duties of
my profession. I have a weighty responsibility. Do you not think that I
should begin at once, by recalling my boys to their daily studies?"
O'Brien looked piteously at Hugh, who laughed at his mournful
countenance, and Margaret replied,
"The boys are not idle, papa. They are studying in the great book of
Nature. Every hour shows to them some new wonder of creation, and raises
their thoughts to the mighty Creator. Every sight and sound develops a
new idea; and all you are called on to do, papa, is to watch and to
water."
"That is all I am fit to do," answered he. "I want the energy and
firmness that you possess--a blessed boon from God. The deep sorrow that
ever haunts me is, that my life has been spent in vain purposes, never
accomplished."
"My dear, conscientious father," said Margaret, "be comforted; I trust
the hour may yet come when you will have a field for your pious labors:
till then, have no remorse in following your simple and blameless
amusements. I have no merit in my duties of attending, governing, and
lecturing these wild boys. I love the office; I was certainly not born
for any sphere more elevated. But you, papa, whose sole enjoyment is to
sit in an easy-chair before a table laden with books and a cabinet
filled with eggs and wings, were wrenched violently from your nature
when you were doomed to pass days in forcing these unwilling boys to
learn the rules of syntax, or the crabbed mysteries of Euclid. We are
shaken from our proprieties here; you cannot teach Latin or work out
problems without books; so you must take your ease, and consider this
the long vacation."
"You are the girl for knowing a few things, Meggie!" said O'Brien,
admiringly. "Be sure, sir, Hugh and I will work to any amount to help
you in your ornithology and oology, if you will spare us the philology
a bit. There's no running about with a conjugation in one's mouth."
"And as Arthur has demonstrated his problem on the best position for the
encampment," said Hugh, "I conclude we had better move at once. No
occasion to send forward notice about well-aired beds."
"And no occasion, Hugh Harebrain," said Arthur, "to be overtaken by
darkness on our journey. Let us be deliberate. Jenny must roast the
ducks for our breakfast in the morning, Jack must collect his valuable
work-tools, Ruth must again imprison those luckless chickens, and then
we must all have a night's rest. It will be time enough to set out in
the morning, and we must take care to start before the sun blazes out in
all its fervor."
All obeyed orders; and, with the first ray of light, the whole camp was
alive. It was very important this time that nothing should be left
behind. Peter had relieved them from the charge of biscuit and water,
which he had carried off with the tool-chest and gun; but there was
still a little tea and sugar, which was carefully preserved. The
sail-cloth was rolled up; even the oars used for tent-poles were taken;
and, after morning prayers, they set out slowly along the beach, and
through the mazy, ascending woods, till they reached the table-land of
the rocky isle. They crossed it this time at the head of the lake which
they had discovered the preceding day, and found this part of the island
still more fertile and lovely than any they had yet seen. Mr. Mayburn
was in ecstasy; he stopped continually to point out some new and
beautiful grass, some bright nameless flower, or some strange tree;
while the notes, harsh, musical, or merry, of thousands of birds, filled
him with amazement and delight.
"From this moment, my boys," said he, "I release you from the severe
studies which, Margaret truly observes, are unfitted to our
circumstances and the relaxing climate. I merely require from you to
obtain me specimens--single specimens only--of the eggs and nests of
these birds; and, if it were not cruel, I should long to possess some of
these rare creatures in all their beauty."
"I fear, papa," observed Margaret, "that you have no means of preserving
birds; therefore it would be useless to take them."
"You are right, Margaret," he answered. "I will be content with a nest
and an egg of each species."
"Would you mind about having the nest and egg of that fellow, sir?"
asked O'Brien, pointing to a majestic black swan sailing on the lake.
"_Rara avis!_" exclaimed he; then added, with a sigh, "no, no, Gerald,
we have no means. The animal is weighty, therefore the nest must be
large, and not of a portable nature. I relinquish the precious
possession. But let us linger on the borders of the lake, to examine its
wild charms. Would that I had saved my botanical library, that I might
have made out the species of these broad flags and thick bamboos!"
"These round reeds will make capital arrows," said Hugh, cutting down a
bundle of them; "and I doubt not but some of them would be elastic
enough for the bows. We may surely, with all our learning, succeed
better in making them than untaught savages. Then we may bring down our
birds noiselessly, and defy the thievish tricks of Black Peter."
"But first, Hugh," said O'Brien, "we must have a trial with some of
these big fellows in the lake," pointing to some large perch-shaped
fish.
Jack sharpened some of the reeds to a point, and the boys were soon
plunging about in the clear bright lake, pursuing and striking the fish;
and after fifty vain attempts, they succeeded at length in spearing two,
which, though young, were of large size, and Arthur concluded they must
be the river cod (_Grystes Peelii_), so much praised by Australian
travellers. Then, regardless of wet garments, which the hot sun soon
dried, the boys triumphantly proceeded on with their spoil. Jack, in the
mean time, had struck off from the edge of the lake a cluster of
fresh-water mussels of various sizes, and emptied them, to serve for
spoons and drinking-cups.
Thence they moved forward, anxious now to seek some shelter from the
increasing heat of the day, and gladly entered the wood, from which,
with some difficulties in the descent, they reached the wreck-encumbered
bay. All were at once attracted to the side of the vessel; Jack,
especially, examined it with intense interest, considering its future
service to him. Margaret and her father were moved to tears, as they
contemplated the shattered fabric, and thought on the brave but probably
unprepared men who might have been hurried into eternity before the
final catastrophe.
While Hugh and Gerald climbed the sides to explore the interior of the
wreck, Arthur observed that some of the timbers had been carried away by
the tide even since the previous day, and he consulted with Jack about
the possibility of breaking up and endeavoring to save such parts as
might be useful to themselves; and in order to lose no time they
grasped a loosened plank, to draw it away beyond the reach of the tide.
No sooner had they removed it, than a large cask rolled from the
opening, which they concluded led into the hold. The cask broke open
with the fall, and a number of potatoes ran out. Every hand was quickly
summoned to collect and save the valuable contents; the cask was righted
and carefully removed up the beach, and it was great amusement to the
boys to pursue the straggling potatoes, and save them from being swept
away by the next tide.
"I say, O'Brien, my boy, I wonder your Irish nose did not scent the
_pratees_ yesterday," said Hugh.
"Now isn't it luck, Arty," said Gerald. "Will we plant some? and then we
shall never want as long as we stay here."
Margaret looked alarmed at the plan of planting potatoes for future
provision; but Arthur replied, he hoped they should be able to leave the
island before the potatoes were exhausted; nevertheless, he approved of
the provident project of Gerald, and promised to seek a favorable spot
to plant some, for the benefit of future visitors to this unproductive
island.
"But do not be afraid, nurse," added he, "to boil us a large _shell_ of
potatoes to-day; we have abundance; and in our scarcity of bread, we
could not have found a more valuable prize."
Ruth had been in the wood to seek for a convenient place for a hencoop,
and now rushed out with torn garments, exclaiming,--"Oh! Miss Marget,
come and see what a bonnie beck there is."
A _beck_, or stream of water, was, indeed, a valuable discovery; and,
conducted by Ruth, Arthur and Jack forced their way through entangled
roots and brushwood, till they reached a narrow rivulet of clear water,
probably flowing from the lake by some unseen channel beneath the grassy
region they had crossed; and after trickling down the rocks, it again
disappeared in the sand and shingles of the beach.
"This is but a slender supply, Jack," said Arthur; "I fear it might fail
us in a drought."
"We must dig a tank, Mr. Arthur," he answered; "that is, if we can raise
a spade."
Jack considered for a few minutes. He was not to be checked by apparent
difficulties in his undertakings. "What do you think, Mr. Arthur, of one
of those big oyster or mussel shells? I could tie one to a stick with
some of these stringy fibres of creeping plants; or, better far, there's
a tree up above, that seems to have a bark you might ravel out into
strings; and there's another tree, with a stiff, regular sort of gum, as
good as glue, oozing out of it. Now, with all these, I'll be bound to
make a spade or two that will turn up this light soil fast enough."
"Then the sooner we set about it the better, Jack," answered Arthur. "We
cannot do better than remain in this spot, if we meet with no
disturbance, until we can make some canoe or raft to take us off; and it
is absolutely necessary to secure a supply of water. Let us go and
choose our shells."
But when they returned to the beach, they found Mr. Mayburn so much
overcome by the scorching heat of the sun, that their first care was to
get up a tent or shelter of some kind for him. They selected a deep
niche in the cliff, where the rocks formed a complete angle, and having
procured from the wreck some suitable spars, they fixed them in the
crevices of the rocks, to form the rafters of the roof, which they
covered with the long grass which grew above the cliffs. The sail was
thrown over the front, as a curtain, and they were thus provided with a
shady and convenient apartment.
At low tide, Hugh and Gerald amused themselves with searching for nests
in the extremity of the promontory, and finding an opening, they had
penetrated into a spacious cave, the mouth of which would be covered at
high-water; but as it shelved upwards to a considerable distance in the
rocks, the back part was safe and dry.
"Just think, Hugh, my boy," said O'Brien, "what a fortress this would be
for us if we were invaded. One man could defend the entrance with the
gun, even at low-water; and how we should defy the rogues when the tide
was up."
"But it would be horribly dismal, Gerald," answered Hugh. "We could
never bear to live in it long; and, you know, we need no sleeping-rooms
or houses to cover us in this fine climate; so we will leave it
uninhabited, at least in peaceful times. But we will show it to Arthur,
and ask him if it would not make a good storehouse."
Arthur congratulated the boys on their discovery, and the timid father
was highly gratified at the thoughts of such a secure retreat; after he
had satisfactorily ascertained that it could always be accessible at
low-water, and never dangerous at the highest tide; and Margaret
proposed that the cookery should be accomplished within the cave, that
the smoke might not attract the observation of the dreaded natives. So
Jenny established her kitchen here, and prepared an excellent dinner of
fish, and potatoes boiled in the shells of the turtle, while Margaret
kept watch for the returning tide, though Jenny said, "It's all little
use, Miss Marget; it has to be, I feel. Ruth's sartain to be catched and
fastened up in this eerie place."
Jack made a careful inspection of the remains of the vessel, and from
the stern cabin, which was still uninjured, he drew out, with the help
of the boys, a rough bench and a table,--useful acquisitions; and still
better, a good-sized empty cask, which had contained brandy, and was now
conveniently employed as a water-cask. Then, after a long survey of the
state of the timbers, Jack announced that, with the help of Wilkins's
strong arm, and Arthur's judgment and perseverance, he would undertake
to build a sort of boat.
Wilkins shrugged up his shoulders at the prospect of hard work under a
burning sun, and said, "Why, one had as lief be working in irons down
yonder; where one was safe of full rations, and bacca, and rum into t'
bargain."
"And ruin to body and soul, you may add, unhappy man," said Mr. Mayburn.
"Be not discontented that the mercy of God has rescued you from evil,
and cast you among true friends, who ask you to do no more than they do
themselves; to fare simply, and to work. You were not placed in this
world to live like the beasts, who eat, and drink, and perish for ever.
Your life is here but the beginning of eternity; the hour of death is
close at hand to all, when those who have done evil shall receive their
punishment, and those who have listened to God shall find a blessed home
in a new and glorious world."
Wilkins never replied to any of Mr. Mayburn's _preachings_, as he called
these admonitions; but he scoffed less than formerly, and Margaret
observed that his manners were somewhat softened; and she daily prayed
to God that they might be permitted to aid in reclaiming, at least, one
sinful soul.
The next day Jack succeeded in binding two large shells to stout
handles, and fixing them with gum; then, while he left them to harden,
he set to work to clean the rusty axe with sand and stones, and at
length rendered it serviceable. He was thus enabled to break up the
wreck, and to select such timber as would be useful for his projected
undertaking; he extracted all the large nails that were uninjured, and
after many days' labor, had accumulated materials to begin his great
work.
But the first employment of the youths was to be digging the well; they
went every morning to the lake to procure fish, birds, or eggs, for the
provision of the day, and then returned to assist in digging, the spades
being now available, as the gum had become as hard as the shell. After
they had sunk the tank sufficiently deep, they lined it with flat
stones; and saw with great satisfaction, that they need never be without
a supply of fresh water, if they remained at this cove.
Some time passed, and they saw no more traces of visitors to the island,
and they ventured to ramble to some distance along the beach, bringing
in occasionally a turtle, or a basket of turtles' eggs, to vary their
diet. They also used daily a small quantity of potatoes, but they were
economical with these valuable roots, of which they hoped to raise a
crop in the island, and, should they ever reach it, on the main land as
well.
After the tank was completed, Jack selected a spot conveniently near
high-water mark, and seriously set about boat-building. He had carefully
examined the boats during their voyages, and while in the _Amoor_ he
made many inquiries of the obliging ship-carpenter; but though bold and
sanguine in all his enterprises, he did sometimes feel that he had
undertaken a stupendous task.
The planks that would best have suited his purpose were more or less
injured by the sea; he had no means of forming iron bolts or screws, yet
the indefatigable youth persevered; but the month of August, the early
spring of that climate, was advanced before the boat assumed a form of
promise. It was then caulked with matted cordage found in the vessel,
and with gum, of which they had abundance. Now, though rough and clumsy,
Jack declared it "looked like work;" and after two pair of oars had been
made with little difficulty, to the great delight of the young workmen,
a day was fixed for launching the boat.