BEN'S DREAM--AN UNPLEASANT DISCOVERY--A SEARCH FOR WATER--FRIENDS OR
FOES?--BOXALL'S INGENIOUS MODE OF OBTAINING A LIGHT--OUR COMPANION
SPIRITED AWAY.
We lay on the ground, watching the stars gradually disappearing in the
sky overhead, and still unwilling to awake Ben, who slumbered on,
completely overcome by the fatigue he had endured for the last few days.
At length the sun, like a huge ball of fire, rose above the region of
sand-hills stretching out to the eastward. It was time therefore for us
to get up and obtain a supply of pork from the store we had left on the
beach, as also to commence a search for water. We called to Ben; who,
starting to his feet, rubbed his eyes and looked wildly about him, as if
not quite certain where he was.
"I mind all about it now," he said, slapping his leg. "But, bless me,
how I should like to have snoozed on: for I was dreaming that I was away
back in Old England, in my sister Susan's cottage, with the youngsters
playing about in front of the porch, and Betsy Dawson--who has promised
to marry me when I next get back--just coming in at the door to have a
cup of tea and a quiet chat; and I was putting out my hand to take hers,
when I found myself clutching a heap of sand."
Poor Ben scarcely seemed to be aware that he was speaking aloud, for
when he heard our voices he cast a bewildered look at us. We did not
laugh at him, however,--that you may depend on.
"Well, well, Ben, we must be prepared for a good many trials and
disappointments; but I hope that we shall all meet them like men," said
Boxall.
"Yes, sir, that we will; and I am ready for anything that turns up,"
said Ben, giving himself a shake. "We want water and we want food, in
the first place, I suspect."
"The water, I have a notion, we can get by digging, as we did on the
sand-bank the other day; and as for food, it's hard if the sea does not
give us something to eat, besides the pork," observed Boxall.
The hot sun having quickly dried our wet clothes, we felt, as we began
to move, in somewhat better spirits. We soon reached the spot where we
had left the cask,--being guided to it by the remains of the raft on the
beach. Halliday was the most hungry, and ran on first.
"Hallo, the cask has been overturned; and what has become of the pork?"
he exclaimed, as he began hunting about in the sand. "That monster of a
hyena must have been here; and I am afraid the brute has not even left
us enough for breakfast."
We hurried on, and speedily joined in the search.
"Here is a piece, fortunately, jammed between the staves," said
Halliday, dragging forth the remnant of a joint of pork.
"We may be thankful to get even that," said Boxall.
We hunted round in every direction, but a couple of gnawed bones, with
scarcely any flesh on them, were the miserable remains of the provision
on which we had depended.
"There can be no doubt about the hyena being the thief," I observed.
"I am very sure of it," said Boxall. "Even had we buried the pork
several feet deep, the creature would have dug it up; for the brutes are
said sometimes to visit graveyards, and there to disinter human bodies
unless carefully covered up with heavy stones."
I shuddered, and felt but little inclined to eat the meat which the
animal had left us. However, Ben was not so particular, and offered to
take the bones as his share--by which arrangement he got a larger amount
than either of us. Hunger had compelled us to eat the pork raw; and
this having the natural effect of increasing our thirst, we agreed to
lose no time in looking for water.
The staves of the cask furnished us with tolerable implements for
digging; and would serve us also for weapons of defence, in default of
better. We fortunately had our knives, and as the wood was hard, we
could shape them into wooden swords and sharpen the edges. So we at
once began to search for a spot where a little verdure might tempt us to
dig. For this purpose we scattered about, agreeing to keep in sight of
each other, and the person who first found a likely spot was to wave his
stave above his head.
The hot sun now getting high in the heavens, his rays beat down on our
heads, and made us eager to discover the refreshing fluid. Boxall said
he was sure it was to be found along the coast, although he acknowledged
that such spots might be miles and miles apart. "However," he observed,
"there is nothing like trying."
We agreed to go towards the south; one taking the beach, another on his
left hand on the summit of the first line of sand-hills, the third
further in, and the fourth in a like manner on his left. Ben took the
beach, Boxall was next to him, but I was outside of all. It occurred to
me that it would be wise not only to look for water, but occasionally to
turn my spy-glass to the east in the chance of any natives appearing. I
scarcely knew whether or not it would be desirable to fall in with our
fellow-creatures, remembering what Boxall had said about the natives;
but still I thought that we might trust to the generosity and
hospitality of the Arabs, and therefore should have felt no
apprehensions had any appeared. As far as my eye could reach, however,
with the aid of my spy-glass, wide plains of arid sand, and sand-hills
rising one beyond the other, were alone visible. It was a region in
which it appeared impossible that human beings could exist. At last I
shut up the glass, believing that we were not likely to be molested, and
that we must depend on our own exertions for support. My mouth and
throat were becoming dreadfully parched, and I would have given
everything I possessed for a drop of pure water; but, from the
appearance of the country, I now began to despair of finding any.
We had gone on for some miles, it seemed to me, when I heard Halliday
give a shout, and turning my head I saw Boxall waving his stave. I
hurried after Halliday, who was making towards him. There was a slight
depression in the ground, with a little verdure. Boxall had already
begun digging, and we all joined with an ardour inspired by the parched
state of our tongues. We exchanged but few words; indeed, we could
speak but with difficulty. The staves served very well the purpose of
shovels; and remembering that by perseverance we had before reached
water, we dug on and on, believing that our labour would not be in vain.
We had got down fully four feet, and yet no water appeared. "Dig away,"
cried Boxall; "even if we have to go two or three feet deeper, we need
not despair."
At last our efforts were rewarded by the appearance of moisture, and
after we had thrown out more of the sand a whitish fluid flowed into the
hole. On tasting it we found that it was drinkable, though somewhat
bitter and brackish.
"I have no doubt that it is wholesome, as the water which the Arabs dig
for in their journeys is described in the books I have read as exactly
like this," observed Boxall.
So thirsty were we that we did not allow it to settle, when it would
probably have become more limpid. But we all felt greatly refreshed,
and thankful that we had not been thrown on this desert region to perish
with thirst.
Fatigued with our previous walk, we now sat down to rest. I turned my
eyes in the direction of the reef,--which, however, was not visible,--
and saw Ben looking in the same quarter.
"I wonder if we could repair the raft, and make our way to one of the
settlements to the southward," I said. "We might land if we saw bad
weather coming on; and we should not, at all events, be worse off than
we now are."
"That's just what I have been thinking about, sir," observed Ben. "But
then, do you see, we should not have fresh water, and we should have
nothing to eat; and besides, I don't know whether there is enough of the
raft remaining to make it fit for use--though, to be sure, we might pick
up some more pieces along the beach."
"We need not give the matter much thought," said Boxall. "We are
several hundred miles from the nearest settlement, and the want of fresh
water alone would make the voyage impossible, even should we succeed in
putting our raft to rights. All we can do is to push boldly on to the
southward; and if we can obtain oysters or anything else for food, and
retain our health, we may hope, with God's mercy, to succeed."
We were, it must be understood, seated on a sandy mound facing the sea,
the light air coming from which enabled us to bear the heat of the sun.
As we were about to get up and proceed on our journey, I caught sight of
some objects moving among the sand-hills in the far distance. I told my
companions, who threw themselves down on the ground; while, unslinging
my telescope, I turned it towards the moving objects, which I at once
made out to be two camels with riders on their backs.
The strangers drew nearer, and stopping, looked about them. "I am
afraid their quick eyes have caught sight of the gold on our caps or the
brass on my spy-glass," I observed. "What are we to do?"
"Remain perfectly quiet," answered Boxall. "We might possibly improve
our condition by joining them, but it might become very much worse. We
can now calculate pretty well what we shall have to go through; but if
we place ourselves in their power, we may be ill-treated, or compelled
to labour for them, if we are not murdered."
"Well, by all means let us keep out of their power. I for one have no
wish to be reduced to slavery," said Halliday.
"And I am sure _I_ don't want to work for these blackamoors," observed
Ben.
The general feeling, therefore, being against putting ourselves in the
power of the Arabs, and thinking we could hold out, we remained
perfectly still, completely concealed by the side of the bank. The
strangers continued to approach, and it appeared very probable that we
should be discovered. We lay quiet, however, and watched them; and at
length, satisfied that they were mistaken, they continued their route to
the southward, along the line of sand-hills which ran parallel with the
coast. We watched them as long as they were in sight, and then
descending to the sea-shore, the tide being out, continued our march
over the hard sand. We had allowed the strangers to get so far ahead
that we were not likely again to fall in with them.
"It strikes me, sir, that while the water is low we ought to be looking
out for some oysters or mussels, or we shall have nothing to eat when
dinner-time comes," observed Ben to Boxall. "I see some rocks on ahead
where we are very likely to find them."
"You are right, Ben," answered Boxall. "I ought to have thought of that
myself, but I was considering how we should meet the Arabs should we
again fall in with them, or what bribe we could offer to induce them to
conduct us either to Magador in Morocco, the nearest place where we
shall find an English consul, or else to Saint Louis, a French
settlement in the south, which is, I conceive, considerably nearer. It
is a pretty long march either way,--half the width of the great Desert
of Sahara, north and south."
"I can, at all events, make myself understood, and I will say whatever
you advise," I observed.
"My opinion is, that on all occasions we should speak the truth,"
observed Boxall. "We must therefore say that we are British officers,
wrecked on the coast, and that, if they will conduct us to any place
from whence we can communicate with our friends, we will reward them
handsomely." To all which, of course, Halliday and I agreed.
We had now reached the rocks where Ben had hoped to find some
shell-fish. Taking off our shoes and socks, and tucking up our
trousers, we commenced our search, armed with our knives and wooden
swords. No oysters were to be found on the rocks, or in the shoal water
in which we waded. However, we obtained as many mussels and some other
shell-fish as we could carry in our pockets; and Ben captured a large
crab, which was a prize, we agreed, worth having. And as by this time
the tide was running in, we were now obliged to return to the shore.
"We must endeavour to light a fire and cook this food," observed Boxall.
"If we attempt to live much longer on raw provisions, we shall be
attacked by scurvy, and shall assuredly be unable to continue our
journey."
"As there are no trees hereabouts, and as we have neither flint nor
tinder, I don't see how we shall get a fire to cook our food," Ben
observed.
"But there are roots on some of the sand-hills; and here is a stone I
picked up, which I think is a flint," answered Boxall.
We could, however, find neither roots nor shrubs of any sort for fuel,
and were obliged to content ourselves with chewing some of the mussels
to stay our hunger as we walked along.
Having trudged on for some miles, some slight signs of verdure again
greeted our eyes, although the bushes rose scarcely a foot above the
ground. The branches, however, from their dry state, would, we
imagined, ignite; though it would require a large number of them to make
even a tolerable fire. We carried our fuel to a hole between two
sand-hills, hoping that the smoke, by the time it had ascended above
them, might become so attenuated as not to be observed by any passing
Arabs. The difficulty was how to light our fire. We required first the
means of striking a spark, and then the tinder to catch it, and finally
to produce a flame. Boxall tried with his knife and the stone he had
picked up, but was much disappointed when no spark proceeded from them,
the knife and stone producing only a light with a phosphoric appearance.
"We must not give it up, though," he said. "I have another idea--we
must form a burning-glass."
"How is that to be done?" I asked.
"Let me look at your watch, that I may compare it with mine," he said.
The glasses exactly corresponding in size, he took them both out.
"Now," he continued, "by filling the interior with water we shall have a
powerful burning-glass, which will in a few seconds set fire to any
inflammable substance, or burn a hole in our clothes."
I bethought me at that moment of the inside cotton-wool lining of my
cap, on which the rays of the sun had been beating all the morning, and
I felt sure that it would quickly catch fire; so teasing out a small
piece, I followed Boxall down to the beach, where he was employed in
filling the two watch-glasses with water. I held the wool, while he
lifted the glasses over it; and in a few seconds a hole was burned, and
I observed some sparks travelling round it. I rushed back to the heap
of fuel, blowing as I went; while Halliday stood ready with a leaf of
paper, which he had torn from his pocket-book, and with a heap of
withered twigs and leaves, which with infinite perseverance he had
gathered together. By all of us blowing together a flame was produced,
to our infinite joy. A milky sap, however, came from the shrubs, and
only a small portion of them would ignite, while the smoke which
ascended was so pungent and smelt so disagreeably that we could scarcely
bear it. It had the effect, however, of keeping the mosquitoes, which
had hitherto annoyed us terribly, at a distance. By degrees also a few
burning embers appeared, and we placed our shell-fish upon them. Seeing
Ben poking in his wooden sword, I asked, "Why are you burning that?"
"I am not burning it, sir, but hardening the point and edge; and I would
advise you to do the same with yours."
And following his example, we found it greatly improved our weapons.
In a short time the shell-fish were cooked, and we enjoyed our repast,
though we should have been glad to have had some substitute for bread to
eat with the molluscs. Having cleaned out some of the larger shells, we
cooked a further supply, which we packed within them, and then tied them
up in our handkerchiefs, that we might be saved the necessity of
lighting another fire. Indeed, we should, we knew, be unable to do so,
except during the daytime, unless we could pick up a real flint--and
that Boxall feared we were not likely to find.
Our hunger being satisfied, our thirst returned, and our next object, as
we advanced, was to discover water. The tide being high, we were
compelled to seek the harder ground on the summit of the sand-hills, as
the mosquitoes and sand-flies rendered walking on the sand excessively
disagreeable. We kept in a line, as we had before done in our search
for water, at a short distance from each other,--Boxall having chosen a
position on the left,--and had trudged on for a couple of miles or more,
as we calculated, without discovering any signs which tempted us to dig;
for we were unwilling to make the attempt without a prospect of success.
I was next to Boxall; and after we had gone some way he came nearer to
me, and shouted that he would diverge to the left, towards a slight
elevation, desiring us to go on slowly, and to halt should we lose sight
of him. "I will make a signal, should I find any sign of water," he
added. By this time my mouth and tongue had become fearfully parched,
and I earnestly hoped that he would succeed. Continuing to look out for
the usual signs--a little verdure, with a slight depression in the
sand--I went on slowly till I got near enough to Halliday to tell him
what Boxall had said; and he repeated the order to Ben. We had not gone
much further when I felt great hopes, from the appearance of a spot
before me, that water might be found; so calling to Halliday and Ben,
they joined me. I looked round to make the sign agreed on to Boxall,
when, to our dismay, we saw an Arab on a camel rapidly approaching him!
We had been partly concealed by a sand-hill, and so the Arab had not,
apparently, observed us. It was evident, however, that Boxall had not a
chance of escape. He must have thought so himself, as he stood calmly
awaiting the arrival of the Arab, who pulled up his camel as he got
close to him. We stood for a minute irresolute, not knowing what to do;
but as the Arab did not raise his weapon, we believed he had no hostile
intentions, and was not likely to injure our friend. Boxall had now
thrown down his wooden sword, and was holding out his hand as if to
greet the Arab in a friendly way. The latter also stretched out his
hand, and we hoped that the interview would pass off peaceably, when, to
our astonishment, we saw the Arab lean over from his saddle, and by a
sudden jerk seize Boxall by the arm and place him by his side; then
giving the animal a blow with his spear or goad, it set off at a gallop
across the desert.
We now rushed forward, Halliday and I shouting to the Arab to stop,
while Ben with loud cries advised Boxall to give the black rascal a
thundering clout on the head, and that we would quickly come to his
assistance; but I am inclined to think that neither the one nor the
other heard us. Boxall did endeavour to release himself, but the Arab
held him fast. Indeed, at the rate the camel was going, he could not
otherwise have stuck on.
Fast as the wind, the fleet creature, regardless of the weight of the
two men struggling on its back, moved across the desert, its broad feet
scarcely making an impression on the sand. We ran and shouted in vain:
the camel rapidly distanced us, and making towards the south-east,
disappeared at length among the sand-hills; while we, almost exhausted,
sank down on the ground.
All our previous misfortunes had not weighed so heavily on me as this.
As far as we could tell, our friend might be carried into helpless
captivity far away in the interior of Africa. Poor fellow! my heart
bled for him. He had fully expected to obtain his promotion on
returning home, and to be married to a very charming girl, of whom he
had often spoken to me; for he had an independent property, though,
having no interest, he had long remained a mate.
We felt ourselves still at liberty, and did not consider that his fate
might probably be ours before long; for how could we hope, without the
help of his judgment and thoughtfulness, to make our way over some
hundred miles of desert? Had we known, indeed, one tenth part of the
difficulties to be encountered, we should have said that it was
impossible.
"We are not going to let Mr Boxall be carried off by that black chap
without trying to get him back, I hope," exclaimed Ben at length.
"Certainly not," I said.
"Of course not," exclaimed Halliday. "We must follow him till we get
near the Arab camp, and then try and let him know that we are near at
hand to help him to escape."
It struck me that this proposition was very good in theory, but unlikely
to succeed in practice. I did not say so, however, as I was unwilling
to damp the ardour of my companions, or to show any want of interest in
our friend.
"If we are to overtake him, we must set forth at once," I observed. "It
will be difficult enough to trace him in the daytime, and impossible in
the darkness; and that fleet camel may have passed over many miles of
ground before night sets in."
Halliday, I should have said, had a small compass attached to his
watch-chain. It was a trifling little thing, and of scarcely any use at
sea; but, placed on the ground, it would enable us to take the bearings
of an object with tolerable accuracy. He at once put it down, and we
marked the direction the Arab had taken; it was almost due south-east.
"Shall we make sail, sir?" asked Ben, who was eager to be off.
"Yes," I said. "You, Ben, lead, and keep straight ahead for the
northern end of the most distant sand-hill in sight; while Mr Halliday
and I will keep twelve paces apart, and twelve paces behind you. We
shall thus form a triangle, and if we see you turning we will put you
straight again. I think in that way we shall be able to keep a direct
course."
"I understand, sir," said Ben.
Having measured our distances, we set off. We were already on the edge
of the level desert, so that we had no impediments to interfere with our
march. Had I been more sanguine of success, I should have gone on with
better spirits; but with the slight hopes I entertained of overtaking
Boxall, and suffering in common with my companions from excessive
thirst, my spirits flagged, and I could with difficulty drag on my weary
feet over the hot sand. But having reached the point for which we had
been steering, we brought up; and again placing the compass on the
ground, took a fresh departure. We had now no object by which to direct
our course, and had it not been for the plan I had thought of, we should
have had constantly to stop and ascertain by the compass whether we were
steering right. The long shadows in front of us--or rather somewhat to
the left--showed us that the sun was sinking low, and that unless we
could reach the neighbourhood of the Arab camp before dark we should
have to pass the night in the open desert. We pushed on bravely.
Still, I confess I could hardly drag my feet after me; and I observed
when I turned my eyes towards Halliday, that he was walking with yet
greater difficulty, though unwilling to complain. Longer and longer
grew our shadows--still the apparently illimitable desert stretched out
before us--but nowhere was the camel to be seen. Influenced by Ben's
zeal, I had been induced to undertake the pursuit; but I now began to
repent having yielded to it.
At length Halliday cried out, "Charlie, I can do no more!" and sank on
the ground. So I called to Ben to stop, and we threw ourselves down by
our companion's side.