That evening and the next day were devoted to careful investigation of
the shores, three parties being formed and sent out well armed, to see
whether the crew of the canoe had landed farther to the south, or round
on the western coast. The orders were that if the enemy was discovered,
the search parties were not to show themselves if they could avoid it,
but to fall back at once to the ship and report what they had seen.
Those who stayed behind had the duty of doing everything possible in the
way of putting the brig in a state of defence. The superintendence of
this task was undertaken by the mate, Oliver giving up the expedition,
which he would have liked to join, so as to stay and help Mr Rimmer.
They worked hard together. Wriggs and Smith, who both volunteered to
stay as soon as they knew that Oliver was not going, toiling away till
it was felt that nothing more could be done; and the conclusion was come
to that, unless an attacking party of savages came provided with some
form of ladder, they would be unable to mount to the deck. The bobstay
having been removed, the gangways fortified, all this, with the
commanding position the defenders would occupy, rendered the brig a
thoroughly strong little fort, almost impregnable so long as the enemy
did not think of enlisting fire in their service when they made their
attack.
"Plenty of guns, plenty of ammunition, water and provisions in
abundance, and enough British pluck to fight, I don't think we shall
hurt much, Mr Lane. But let's hope that they will not come."
As sunset neared, first one and then the other search parties came back
with the same report--that they had examined the offing from the highest
points they could reach, and also from the shore; but there was no sign
of any canoe or of the blacks having landed.
The next day the search was repeated, and again upon the following day,
from the end of the mist bank right round the coast; but they were alone
upon the strange land, and it was evident that the savages in the canoe
must have been journeying right away to some distant spot, and in all
probability they would never be seen again.
This being so, it was resolved to combine in one expedition the search
for the savages on the other side of the mist and the ascent of the
mountain, from up whose slope it was hoped that the glasses would sweep
the shore all round, proving whether there was a native village, and at
the same time setting at rest the question of their being upon island or
mainland.
The opportunity was favourable, for, though the soft steamy cloud
floated over the land as before, shutting them off from the mountain
slope, the volcano had been for days perfectly quiet--there had been no
explosions, no subterranean rumblings or shocks, everything pointed to
the fact that the eruption was at an end, and the mountain settling down
into a state of quiescence.
"I should like to go with you very much," said the mate. "I've had a
short ladder knocked together for mounting steep bits and making a
bridge over rifts and cracks, and I have a kind of longing to see what a
crater is like."
"Well, you are coming, of course," said Oliver.
"No, I'm going to stay and take care of my ship. Why, if I went with
you I should take it as a matter of course that a canoe would land close
to our boat, and the savages come straight across to the brig and
plunder her. It would be sure to happen if I went away."
"Nonsense!" cried Oliver, laughing.
"Ah! you may call it so, young gentleman, but I know how these things
will happen. No, I stop by my ship, and if the beggars do come, the men
and I will make a stiff fight of it till you folk come back to help me
drive them to their canoe."
No persuasion would alter the mate's plans, but he eagerly forwarded
those of the naturalists, and arranged for Smith and Wriggs to bear them
company, even offering two more men, but Panton was of opinion that the
smaller their number was the more likely they were to be successful, and
the next morning they started--a well armed party, Wriggs and Smith
carrying a ladder and little tent, the others the food and water.
Then in due time the boat was reached and rowed along the lagoon till
the end of the mist and the effervescent water were passed, and at last,
a good mile farther than the attempt had been before, they put ashore,
drew up their boat in the cocoa-nut grove which went on far as eye could
reach, and, with the men shouldering the traps after the boat had been
hidden, they started over fresh ground for the slope.
The route was plain enough if they could follow it, for there, high
above them, was the balloon-like cloud of steam and smoke floating over
the crater, the only mist in the pure blue sky, and looking dazzling in
the sunshine as a film of silver.
"I don't see why we cannot easily do it," said Panton, as he shifted his
gun from one shoulder to the other. "What we have to do is to avoid the
thick forest and make at once for the slope of cinders and ashes. Then
we can zigzag up. It looks no distance to the top, and we could do it
easily to-night."
But the mate's plan was considered the best: to get some distance up and
pitch their tent at the edge of the forest at its highest point, and
then have their good night's rest and start upward as soon as it was
daylight.
They carried out this idea, skirting round the dense patch of forest,
and getting above it to the open ground, where they had to wind in and
out among rifts and blocks of lava which formed a wilderness below the
ash slope. Then, going close to the forest edge, they soon found water,
a couple of little sources bubbling out from among the rocks, and oddly
enough within a few yards of each other, one being delicious, cool, and
sweet, the other so hot that they could hardly immerse their hands, and
when it was tasted it was bitter and salt to a degree.
While the two men set up the tent and made a fire to boil the kettle, a
short expedition was made by the three young naturalists, it being a
settled thing that there was to be no collecting next day, but every
nerve was to be strained to reach the mountain top.
The ash slope ran up rapidly from where they stood, as they shouldered
their guns and looked about them, and naturally feeling that they would
have enough of that the next morning they turned down among the lava
blocks for a short distance and then paused before plunging into the
forest below.
From where they stood they were high enough to see that there was not so
much as a bush above; all was grey, desolate, and strange, and the
wonder to them was that the trees beneath them had not been burned up in
one or other of the eruptions which must have taken place. Possibly,
they felt, the sea winds had had some effect upon the falling ashes and
hot steamy emanations and driven them from the forest, but it was a
problem that they could not explain, and it was given up for the instant
and left for future discussion.
There were other things to see that hot late afternoon, each full of
wonder and beauty, and appealing to one or other of the party, each man
finding enough to satisfy even his great desire for knowledge; and in
turn, and with plenty of tolerance for each other's branch of study,
they paused to examine incrustations of sulphur, glorious orchids, and
bird and beetle, gorgeous in colour, wonderful in make.
But nothing was collected, only noted for future exploration, and,
growing faint, hot, and weary after an hour's walking at the edge of the
forest, they turned to retrace their steps, when Panton stepped upward
for a few yards to try the edge of a little slope of fine ash--for the
heat there was intense.
To his surprise the ashes into which he plunged his hands were quite
cool, and yet the air around was at times almost suffocating.
"Must be a downward draught from the mountain top," said Panton at last,
and then he looked sharply round, for Oliver had suddenly cocked his
gun.
"What is it?" asked the others.
"Look out. There's something or somebody tracking us just inside the
trees. I've seen the leaves move several times, but always thought it
was the wind."
"Hallo! Hark!" cried Drew, excitedly. "Don't you hear?"
It was nearly sunset, and the little party knew that they had about an
hour's walk before they could reach camp. The darkness was fast
approaching, but they stopped short to listen.
In vain for a few minutes, and they were about to start again, when the
sound that had arrested Drew's attention was heard plainly now by all--a
long, low, piteous cry as of some one in agony, and in the great
solitude of the mountain-side the cry was repeated, sending a chill of
horror through the bravest there.