"The worst headache I ever had," said Jack Meadows to himself, as he lay
with his eyes close shut, and in terrible pain; and then, with his brow
throbbing, and a miserable sensation of sickness making his head
confused, he began thinking, as a lad who has been brought in contact a
good deal with a medical man would think, of the causes of his ailment,
and what he had eaten that so disagreed with him, while he mentally
resolved that, however good it was, he would never be tempted into
tasting it again.
He might have added--till next time, but he did not. For just then in
his weariness, pain, and mental confusion it seemed to him that some one
else was suffering too, and in a similar way, for he heard a low, dismal
groan, and a voice muttered--"Oh, my poor nut." Jack's eyes sprang
open, and apparently let light into his brain, for in one glance he saw
more than he had ever seen before in so short a glimpse.
For he had a full comprehension of his position, while the details
thereof fixed themselves like an instantaneous photograph upon his mind.
The mental agony chased away the physical, and he gasped as he realised
that he was bound hand and foot with green rotan cane; that Ned was in a
similar condition lying alongside, but with his face away; that they
were in an opening on the mountain side shut in by rocks and trees; and
worst of all, that a few yards away a party of about twenty blacks of
fierce aspect, and their hair mopped out with gum till each savage's
coiffure was bigger than a grenadier's cap, were seated chattering
together and feasting upon some kind of food which they had been
roasting at a fire made among the stones.
The peculiar odour of burnt flesh sent a thrill of horror through him,
and made a heavy dew of perspiration break out upon his brow at the
thought of what probably was to follow, and for a time he felt as if he
must shriek aloud. But he remained silent, though he did struggle
fiercely to free his hands and feet from their bonds.
How these people had come there was a puzzle, but he was bound to
confess that it was no dream. They had evidently landed on the island,
prepared a fire, and cooked their food, which certainly was not fish,
and they had surprised him and Ned, coming behind and stunning them by
blows of the war-club each savage carried stuck through the band he wore
about his waist.
One of Jack's first thoughts was, Had they surprised the doctor and the
four men with him as well?
As this thought occurred to him he searched the group eagerly, but there
was no sign of any plunder, and certainly he and Ned were the only two
prisoners, so there was some hope of their being rescued as soon as they
were missed. They were five, and Doctor Instow would not hesitate a
moment about attacking--how many were there?
He counted twice over, and then, with his head still sufficiently
confused to make the task difficult, he counted again, to find that
there were more than he had thought at first, several being flat on
chest or back, while two, like the Irishman's little pig, would not lie
still to be counted.
His further thoughts were put an end to by a low groan from his
companion in misfortune, who suddenly made an effort and rolled himself
over so that he lay face to face with his young master.
"Oh, I say, sir," he whispered, with a look of horror in his eyes,
"ain't this awful!"
Jack nodded.
"My wristies and ankles are nearly cut through."
"So are mine."
"Have they got your gun as well as mine?"
Jack nodded, keeping his eyes on the lithe, shiny bodies of the hungry
blacks the while, but they were too much intent upon feasting to take
any notice of their prisoners.
"They must have fetched me an awful crack on the head, sir. Did they
hit you too?"
"Yes, my head aches horribly, Ned. Look, there are our guns standing up
against the rock with their spears."
"And bows and arrows too, sir. Ugh! gives me the shivers. Poisoned!"
"Ned, do you think we could get at our guns and make a dash to escape?"
"What, and risk the arrows?"
"Yes. Once we could get amongst the trees we should have as good a
chance of getting away as they would of catching us."
"Don't know so much about that, sir. They ain't got no clothes to catch
in the thorns and creepers."
"But you'll try?"
"Try, sir! I should think I would; only I'd wait till it got dark
first."
"By that time we may not be alive, Ned."
"Oh yes, we shall, sir. If they'd been going to kill us they wouldn't
have taken the trouble to tie us like this."
"You are saying that to cheer me up, Ned," whispered Jack.
"No, sir, 'strue as goodness I ain't. It's just what I mean. But I'm
ready to do anything you do if I can. Legs hurt you, sir, where they're
tied?"
"Horribly, Ned."
"So do mine, sir, and so does one hand and wrist. T'other don't seem of
any consequence at all. It's ever so much number than it was before, so
that it don't ache a bit."
They lay there for some time watching the blacks, who kept on eating as
if they would never leave off. Every now and then one went round to the
back of the stones which formed their rough fire-place, and helped
himself to more, returning to sit down and go on eating with the
customary result. Thoroughly glutted at last, first one and then
another sank back and went to sleep where he had sat eating, till not
one seemed to be on the watch, and Jack looked full in the eyes of his
companion in misfortune, questioning him.
"I'd wait just a bit longer to let 'em get off sound, sir," said Ned
softly; and seeing the wisdom of the advice, Jack waited with every
nerve on the strain. But there was no sound to be heard, and he took it
for granted that the blacks had dragged or carried them for some
distance, right away from the track taken by the doctor. As he examined
the place more attentively, it seemed as if this was a spot which had
been used as a camp before, for the bushes and trees were disfigured by
flame and smoke, and the stones and rock which rose up like a wall were
utterly bare of grass, lichen, and creeper.
Then as he lay he began to reason out matters a little more, till, right
or wrong, he came to the conclusion that this must be a hunting party
landed on the island to pursue the droves of pigs, one of which they had
killed, cooked, and eaten.
He felt lighter-hearted as he thought this, for ugly ideas had crept
into his mind and made him shudder with horror.
That this was the true reason for the blacks being there he felt more
and more convinced, and this meant that there must be another opening
through the reef somewhere unnoticed during their cruise round the
island, so that if an examination had been made then, a canoe would be
found run up on the sands waiting for their return.