By the middle of September, the worst of the winter weather was over,
the snow gradually ceasing to fall and the drifts that had accumulated
in the valley up which the creek entered, and where the shipwrecked
people from the _Nancy Bell_ had built their house--beginning to melt
under the influence of the milder winds and increasing warmth of the
sun's rays.
But, everywhere the landscape still remained wrapped in the same white
mantle it had worn ever since the castaways had first taken up their
residence on the island, the bare spots then apparent in some places,
which was a circumstance owing to the shelter of the cliffs and crags in
the immediate vicinity of the sea, having been subsequently covered by
the heavy storms at the end of August.
It would take a long time, all saw, for the snow to clear away even if
the most rapid thaw were now to set in; and this the climate did not
permit of, the transition from winter to spring being carried through a
course of progressive stages that were as disagreeable as they were
prolonged.
There was balm in Gilead, however.
Not long after the last of the heavy snowfalls, and when the days began
to grow brighter, thus enabling the castaways to crawl out in the open
and have a little more exercise than they could obtain within doors, the
bird colony adjacent to "Penguin Castle" became largely increased, their
numbers swelling continually by fresh accessions; so that, in a short
time, it was impossible for any of the people to stir out of their
habitation without stumbling across a batch of penguins, ever
continually grumbling, croaking, chuckling, and otherwise expressing
their indignation at being, as they seemed to think, so unjustly
interfered with by the castaways.
It was evident that the building season of the birds had arrived; and it
could not certainly have come at a more auspicious time, for their
provisions were almost exhausted and Mr Meldrum was in great straits
how to supply the party with food. The despised flesh of the sea-
elephants, even, had by this time been consumed and all hands placed on
short allowance, it being impossible to go out hunting again as yet, or
to penetrate up the valley to the rabbit warren, on account of the snow
blocking the way and rendering the ascent of the hills impracticable.
The influx of the penguins, therefore, for which he had been looking out
for the last few weeks and had almost despaired of, was hailed by Mr
Meldrum with the deepest joy, for it solved his greatest difficulty at
once, taking away the fear of starvation that had been haunting him.
With such a plentiful supply of the birds, they might now hope to last
out until they could procure more palatable food; and those who were
"squeamish" in objecting to the fishy odour of the penguins themselves,
would _faut de mieux_ find plenty of sustenance in the eggs that there
was no doubt would soon be laid in much greater abundance than they
either required or could consume.
As the penguins mustered their forces, each day seeing some fresh
arrivals to fight for the occupation of the rookery, they were a
constant source of amusement to the snow-bound party, who, not being
able to stir far from the doorway of the "castle," had nothing hardly to
occupy their attention save the movements of the birds.
The penguins, they observed, were of four different classes or
varieties, although all belonged to the same family, partaking of the
common characteristics of such; but, even as they differed in size and
appearance, so they presented diverse modes of conducting their domestic
arrangements and varied in their habits.
Some were of the most retiring nature. These, isolating themselves in a
separate encampment, drew a strong line of demarcation between the abode
of their neighbours and their own retreat, as if they were of too
exclusive a temper to associate with the common herd; while others, of
quite a different species, appeared to have no false pride which
prevented them from associating with the rest, of whatever class they
might belong to, for they were "hail fellow well met" almost on their
arrival with every bird in the rookery.
"Them's republicans, I guess," said Mr Lathrope, noticing this trait of
character. "They don't care a cuss for social distinctions!"
Mr Meldrum, having had some previous acquaintance of the penguin family
when on board a ship which had been employed in surveying duties in the
Straits of Magellan and round the Falkland Islands, was able to give the
others a good deal of information about the birds.
There were four varieties, he said, on Kerguelen Land, as far as he
could see, namely:-- the "king penguin," the aristocrat of the
community, who kept aloof from the rest; a black-and-white species that
whaling men call the "johnny;" a third, styled the "macaroni penguin,"
which had a handsome double tuft of rich orange-coloured feathers on
their heads; and a fourth variety, distinct from the last-mentioned only
from its smaller size, and the fact of its plume or crest being single
instead of double, and of a pale sulphur yellow in lieu of orange.
Amongst the penguins, too, were to be seen numbers of little
sheathbills--just like small bantams, similar to the specimen Frank
Harness had shot, and which he was so sorry about. The little birds
went about in pairs and appeared to act as the scavengers of the larger
ones, for they haunted their breeding-places, scraping about the nests
and dung, clearing out the rotten eggs, and making free with the insects
that properly appertained to the penguins. Indeed, they were impudent
enough sometimes to seize upon the freshly-laid egg that some lady
macaroni had laid, right under the eyes of its owner, feloniously
appropriating it to their own use; while they thought nothing of giving
an occasional peck to one of the king penguins if he got in their way,
regardless of his exalted position!
Flocks of shags, or cormorants, also visited the bay at the same time.
These were found good eating, although not so fleshy as the penguins;
and, before the end of the month, there came a large family of seals,
which would probably have taken up their abode in the creek had not some
of the sailors frightened them away so effectually by their
indiscriminate slaughter that they never returned, nor did any others
come subsequently to the place.
The coats of these seals were of a fine iron-grey hue, something like
that of an otter, only with much more delicate hair. Mr Meldrum was
very anxious to secure as many of them as was possible, so he was much
chagrined when they disappeared and left him fur-less.
Another visitor was the pretty little Cape pigeon, which Kate recognised
as an old friend and was delighted to see. It reminded her, she told
Frank, of "old times," when they grew acquainted with each other on
board the _Nancy Bell_ and watched the stars at night--and all the rest
of it!
But the penguins were the great attraction.
They were "food for the mind and food for the body as well!" the
American would say, as he watched Snowball picking the feathers off some
scores of the birds when preparing the dinner. The darkey would persist
in putting himself to this trouble every day, in spite of Mr Meldrum
telling him that the easiest plan was to skin them, when the feathers
would come off in a lump in a quarter of the time; but Snowball would
not be persuaded to adopt this course, although the majority of the
sailors did so when preparing the penguins for storing up, and there was
consequently a large accumulation of skins, which came in very handy
presently for tailoring purposes.
Through constant wear, the trousers of the majority of the menfolk were
into such a dilapidated condition that it became absolutely necessary to
try and restore them--none of the entire party having a single change of
clothing with them, excepting the ladies; while the only material
available for their rehabilitation was sailcloth, which, besides not
being enough for all, was rather too stiff a material for either comfort
or warmth.
In this dilemma, the happy thought struck Mr McCarthy of fashioning a
pair of "unmentionables" out of penguin skins; and he had no sooner
"hatched the idea" than he carried it into practical effect by
instructing Ben Boltrope, who was by a long way the smartest and most
ready-witted of the men, to make him the trousers.
The deed was accomplished; and, really, the garments did not look at all
bad when finished, for, on the removal of the outside feathers, the skin
of the bird was found to be coated with a fine down like that of the
eider-duck, which lent an originality of appearance to the trousers that
could hardly be described.
"They're just like Barnum's woolly horse," said Mr Lathrope,
criticising them calmly. "If I were you, Mac, I wouldn't go nigh the
rookery with them on, or them birds will take you for a fledgeling,
mister, I guess!"
"Begorrah, I don't care, for they're worrum and comfortable," said Mr
McCarthy, "and it's raal white ducks they are, anyhow!"
They certainly looked it; but, as the first-mate would not be put out of
any conceit with the garments, in spite of their appearance, and as
others began to be similarly in need, they had perforce to follow his
example, when penguin trousers may be said to have "become the rage" on
the island--even Mr Lathrope, who had laughed at Mr McCarthy for
wearing them, having to follow the fashion and don the "ducks."
Owing to this new demand on the feathered colony it would seem like
exaggeration to state how many thousands came to an untimely end, in
addition to the numbers that were killed to supply the daily necessities
of the table and the large quantity which Mr Meldrum had caused to be
prepared and dried, like the rabbits, "for a rainy day;" while, as to
the eggs that were eaten--well, the least said about these the better!
From all of this it may be gathered that the penguins made a bad move
when they came back to their old breeding-place; but the stupid birds
never seemed to be aware that they could at any time save themselves by
flight if they liked, although they must have been somehow or other
acquainted with the deplorable fact--in a bird-like way--that their
rookery was becoming rapidly depopulated! No, notwithstanding that they
saw their friends and relatives repeatedly slaughtered before their very
eyes--their penguin parents, children, godfathers, godmothers, and first
cousins thus perishing at the hands of miscreants in human form, and
subsequently converted into food and clothing and to other "base uses"
by those who took their innocent lives--they never appeared to make an
effort in self-defence, either by executing a "strategical movement" or
otherwise!
The spirit of penguinism, so to speak, was dead, the bird colony
contenting themselves by grumbling, an infallible resource for all
similarly constituted creatures--in which respect, as Mr Lathrope was
pleased to put it, they resembled a class of modern politicians who need
not be alluded to here.
Amongst those included in the list of penguin slayers was one who
pursued them to the death--although rather through a desire for
malicious sport and self-gratification than from any actual necessity--
and this vindictive enemy was Master Maurice Negus.
The young gentlemen had developed many pleasing traits of character
during the comparatively short period during which he was brought into
public notice as one of the passengers of the ill-fated _Nancy Bell_;
but in none of these had he so well exemplified his natural and
ingenious bias of mind as in the little predilection, if it may be so
termed, for bird slaughter _in ovum_, which first saw the light in
Kerguelen Land.
Soon after the penguins came to breed there, Master Maurice noted them
carefully, and it pleased him much thereafter to go "bird-nesting," as
he called it. He would go by himself and remain away for hours, no one
knowing what "the imp," as all spoke of him, was up to; but one day it
was discovered that the fancy for "collecting eggs," according to his
own explanation, consisted in swallowing as many raw ones as he could
get hold of unseen--he being observed on the occasion in question to get
rid of a round dozen of the eggs deposited by the penguins, just as he
would have done so many oysters, saying afterwards when taxed with the
gluttony that he felt delicate, and had heard that eggs were recommended
by doctors for consumptive patients!