A monster wave and its consequences--The boat lost and
found--Peterkin's terrible accident--Supplies of food for a voyage in
the boat--We visit Penguin Island, and are amazed beyond
measure--Account of the penguins.
One day, not long after our little boat was finished, we were sitting
on the rocks at Spouting Cliff, and talking of an excursion which we
intended to make to Penguin Island the next day.
"You see," said Peterkin, "it might be all very well for a stupid
fellow like me to remain here and leave the penguins alone, but it
would be quite inconsistent with your characters as philosophers to
remain any longer in ignorance of the habits and customs of these
birds; so the sooner we go the better."
"Very true," said I; "there is nothing I desire so much as to have a
closer inspection of them."
"And I think," said Jack, "that you had better remain at home,
Peterkin, to take care of the cat; for I'm sure the hogs will be at it
in your absence, out of revenge for your killing their
great-grandmother so recklessly."
"Stay at home!" cried Peterkin. "My dear fellow, you would certainly
lose your way, or get upset, if I were not there to take care of you."
"Ah, true," said Jack gravely; "that did not occur to me; no doubt you
must go. Our boat does require a good deal of ballast; and all that you
say, Peterkin, carries so much weight with it, that we won't need
stones if you go."
Now, while my companions were talking, a notable event occurred, which,
as it is not generally known, I shall be particular in recording here.
While we were talking, as I have said, we noticed a dark line, like a
low cloud or fog-bank, on the seaward horizon. The day was a fine one,
though cloudy, and a gentle breeze was blowing, but the sea was not
rougher or the breaker on the reef higher than usual. At first we
thought that this looked like a thunder-cloud, and as we had had a good
deal of broken weather of late, accompanied by occasional peals of
thunder, we supposed that a storm must be approaching. Gradually,
however, this line seemed to draw nearer without spreading up over the
sky, as would certainly have been the case if it had been a
storm-cloud. Still nearer it came, and soon we saw that it was moving
swiftly towards the island; but there was no sound till it reached the
islands out at sea. As it passed these islands, we observed, with no
little anxiety, that a cloud of white foam encircled them, and burst in
spray into the air; it was accompanied by a loud roar. This led us to
conjecture that the approaching object was an enormous wave of the sea;
but we had no idea how large it was till it came near to ourselves.
When it approached the outer reef, however, we were awe-struck with its
unusual magnitude; and we sprang to our feet, and clambered hastily up
to the highest point of the precipice, under an indefinable feeling of
fear.
I have said before that the reef opposite Spouting Cliff was very near
to the shore, while just in front of the bower, it was at a
considerable distance out to sea. Owing to this formation, the wave
reached the reef at the latter point before it struck at the foot of
Spouting Cliff. The instant it touched the reef we became aware, for
the first time, of its awful magnitude. It burst completely over the
reef at all points, with a roar that seemed louder to me than thunder;
and this roar continued for some seconds, while the wave rolled
gradually along towards the cliff on which we stood. As its crest
reared before us, we felt that we were in great danger, and turned to
flee; but we were too late. With a crash that seemed to shake the solid
rock the gigantic billow fell, and instantly the spouting-holes sent up
a gush of water-spouts with such force that they shrieked on issuing
from their narrow vents. It seemed to us as if the earth had been blown
up with water. We were stunned and confused by the shock, and so
drenched and blinded with spray, that we knew not for a few moments
whither to flee for shelter. At length we all three gained an eminence
beyond the reach of the water; but what a scene of devastation met our
gaze as we looked along the shore! This enormous wave not only burst
over the reef, but continued its way across the lagoon, and fell on the
sandy beach of the island with such force that it passed completely
over it and dashed into the woods, levelling the smaller trees and
bushes in its headlong course.
On seeing this, Jack said he feared our bower must have been swept
away, and that the boat, which was on the beach, must have been utterly
destroyed. Our hearts sank within us as we thought of this, and we
hastened round through the woods towards our home. On reaching it we
found, to our great relief of mind, that the force of the wave had been
expended just before reaching the bower; but the entrance to it was
almost blocked up by the torn-up bushes and tangled heaps of seaweed.
Having satisfied ourselves as to the bower, we hurried to the spot
where the boat had been left; but no boat was there. The spot on which
it had stood was vacant, and no sign of it could we see on looking
around us.
"It may have been washed up into the woods," said Jack, hurrying up the
beach as he spoke. Still no boat was to be seen, and we were about to
give ourselves over to despair, when Peterkin called to Jack and said--
"Jack, my friend, you were once so exceedingly sagacious and wise as to
make me acquainted with the fact that cocoa-nuts grow upon trees; will
you now be so good as to inform me what sort of fruit that is growing
on the top of yonder bush? for I confess to being ignorant, or, at
least, doubtful on the point."
We looked towards the bush indicated, and there, to our surprise,
beheld our little boat snugly nestled among the leaves. We were very
much overjoyed at this, for we would have suffered any loss rather than
the loss of our boat. We found that the wave had actually borne the
boat on its crest from the beach into the woods, and there launched it
into the heart of this bush; which was extremely fortunate, for had it
been tossed against a rock or a tree, it would have been dashed to
pieces, whereas it had not received the smallest injury. It was no easy
matter, however, to get it out of the bush and down to the sea again.
This cost us two days of hard labour to accomplish.
We had also much ado to clear away the rubbish from before the bower,
and spent nearly a week in constant labour ere we got the neighbourhood
to look as clean and orderly as before; for the uprooted bushes and
seaweed that lay on the beach formed a more dreadfully confused-looking
mass than one who had not seen the place after the inundation could
conceive.
Before leaving the subject, I may mention, for the sake of those who
interest themselves in the curious natural phenomena of our world, that
this gigantic wave occurs regularly on some of the islands of the
Pacific once, and sometimes twice, in the year. I heard this stated by
the missionaries during my career in those seas. They could not tell me
whether it visited all of the islands, but I was certainly assured that
it occurred periodically in some of them.
After we had got our home put to rights, and cleared of the debris of
the inundation, we again turned our thoughts to paying the penguins a
visit. The boat was therefore overhauled and a few repairs done. Then
we prepared a supply of provisions, for we intended to be absent at
least a night or two, perhaps longer. This took us some time to do, for
while Jack was busy with the boat, Peterkin was sent into the woods to
spear a hog or two, and had to search long, sometimes, ere he found
them. Peterkin was usually sent on this errand when we wanted a pork
chop (which was not seldom), because he was so active and could run so
wonderfully fast that he found no difficulty in overtaking the hogs;
but, being dreadfully reckless, he almost invariably tumbled over
stumps and stones in the course of his wild chase, and seldom returned
home without having knocked the skin off his shins. Once, indeed, a
more serious accident happened to him. He had been out all the morning
alone, and did not return at the usual time to dinner. We wondered at
this, for Peterkin was always very punctual at the dinner-hour. As
supper-time drew near, we began to be anxious about him, and at length
sallied forth to search the woods. For a long time we sought in vain,
but a little before dark we came upon the tracks of the hogs, which we
followed up until we came to the brow of a rather steep bank or
precipice. Looking over this, we beheld Peterkin lying in a state of
insensibility at the foot, with his cheek resting on the snout of a
little pig, which was pinned to the earth by the spear. We were
dreadfully alarmed, but hastened to bathe his forehead with water, and
had soon the satisfaction of seeing him revive. After we had carried
him home, he related to us how the thing had happened.
"You must know," said he, "I walked about all the forenoon, till I was
as tired as an old donkey, without seeing a single grunter--not so much
as a track of one; but as I was determined not to return empty-handed,
I resolved to go without my dinner, and--"
"What!" exclaimed Jack, "did you _really_ resolve to do that?"
"Now, Jack, hold your tongue," returned Peterkin. "I say that I
resolved to forego my dinner and to push to the head of the small
valley, where I felt pretty sure of discovering the hogs. I soon found
that I was on the right scent, for I had scarcely walked half a mile in
the direction of the small plum tree we found there the other day, when
a squeak fell on my ear. 'Ho, ho,' said I, 'there you go, my boys;' and
I hurried up the glen. I soon started them, and, singling out a fat
pig, ran tilt at him, In a few seconds I was up with him, and stuck my
spear right through his dumpy body. Just as I did so, I saw that we
were on the edge of a precipice, whether high or low I knew not; but I
had been running at such a pace that I could not stop, so the pig and I
gave a howl in concert and went plunging over together. I remembered
nothing more after that, till I came to my senses and found you bathing
my temples, and Ralph wringing his hands over me."
But although Peterkin was often unfortunate in the way of getting
tumbles, he was successful on the present occasion in hunting, and
returned before evening with three very nice little hogs. I also was
successful in my visit to the mud-flats, where I killed several ducks.
So that, when we launched and loaded our boat at sunrise the following
morning, we found our store of provisions to be more than sufficient.
Part had been cooked the night before, and on taking note of the
different items, we found the account to stand thus:--
10 Bread-fruits (two baked, eight unbaked). 20 Yams (six roasted, the
rest raw). 6 Taro roots. 50 Fine large plums. 6 Cocoa-nuts, ripe. 6
Ditto, green (for drinking). 4 Large ducks and two small ones (raw). 3
Cold roast pigs, with stuffing.
I may here remark that the stuffing had been devised by Peterkin
specially for the occasion. He kept the manner of its compounding a
profound secret, so I cannot tell what it was; but I can say, with much
confidence, that we found it to be atrociously bad, and, after the
first tasting, scraped it carefully out and threw it overboard. We
calculated that this supply would last us for several days; but we
afterwards found that it was much more than we required, especially in
regard to the cocoa-nuts, of which we found large supplies wherever we
went. However, as Peterkin remarked, it was better to have too much
than too little, as we knew not to what straits we might be put during
our voyage.
It was a very calm, sunny morning when we launched forth and rowed over
the lagoon towards the outlet in the reef, and passed between the two
green islets that guarded the entrance. We experienced some difficulty
and no little danger in passing the surf of the breaker, and shipped a
good deal of water in the attempt; but, once past the billow, we found
ourselves floating placidly on the long oily swell that rose and fell
slowly as it rolled over the wide ocean.
Penguin Island lay on the other side of our own island at about a mile
beyond the outer reef, and we calculated that it must be at least
twenty miles distant by the way we should have to go. We might, indeed,
have shortened the way by coasting round our island inside of the
lagoon, and going out at the passage in the reef nearly opposite to
Penguin Island; but we preferred to go by the open sea--first, because
it was more adventurous, and, secondly, because we should have the
pleasure of again feeling the motion of the deep, which we all loved
very much, not being liable to sea-sickness.
"I wish we had a breeze," said Jack.
"So do I," cried Peterkin, resting on his oar and wiping his heated
brow; "pulling is hard work. Oh dear, if we could only catch a hundred
or two of these gulls, tie them to the boat with long strings, and make
them fly as we want them, how capital it would be!"
"Or bore a hole through a shark's tail, and reeve a rope through it,
eh?" remarked Jack. "But I say, it seems that my wish is going to be
granted, for here comes a breeze. Ship your oar, Peterkin. Up with the
mast, Ralph; I'll see to the sail. Mind your helm; look out for
squalls!"
This last speech was caused by the sudden appearance of a dark-blue
line on the horizon, which, in an incredibly short space of time, swept
down on us, lashing up the sea in white foam as it went. We presented
the stern of the boat to its first violence, and in a few seconds it
moderated into a steady breeze, to which we spread our sail and flew
merrily over the waves. Although the breeze died away soon afterwards,
it had been so stiff while it lasted that we were carried over the
greater part of our way before it fell calm again; so that, when the
flapping of the sail against the mast told us that it was time to
resume the oars, we were not much more than a mile from Penguin Island.
"There go the soldiers!" cried Peterkin, as we came in sight of it;
"how spruce their white trousers look this morning! I wonder if they
will receive us kindly. D'you think they are hospitable, Jack?"
"Don't talk, Peterkin, but pull away, and you shall see shortly."
As we drew near to the island we were much amused by the manoeuvres and
appearance of these strange birds. They seemed to be of different
species, for some had crests on their heads while others had none, and
while some were about the size of a goose, others appeared nearly as
large as a swan. We also saw a huge albatross soaring above the heads
of the penguins. It was followed and surrounded by numerous flocks of
sea-gulls. Having approached to within a few yards of the island, which
was a low rock, with no other vegetation on it than a few bushes, we
lay on our oars and gazed at the birds with surprise and pleasure, they
returning our gaze with interest. We now saw that their soldier-like
appearance was owing to the stiff, erect manner in which they sat on
their short legs--"bolt-upright," as Peterkin expressed it. They had
black heads, long sharp beaks, white breasts, and bluish backs. Their
wings were so short that they looked more like the fins of a fish, and,
indeed, we soon saw that they used them for the purpose of swimming
under water. There were no quills on these wings, but a sort of scaly
feathers, which also thickly covered their bodies. Their legs were
short, and placed so far back that the birds, while on land, were
obliged to stand quite upright in order to keep their balance; but in
the water they floated like other waterfowl. At first we were so
stunned with the clamour which they and other sea-birds kept up around
us, that we knew not which way to look--for they covered the rocks in
thousands; but, as we continued to gaze, we observed several quadrupeds
(as we thought) walking in the midst of the penguins.
"Pull in a bit," cried Peterkin, "and let's see what these are. They
must be fond of noisy company, to consort with such creatures."
To our surprise, we found that these were no other than penguins which
had gone down on all fours, and were crawling among the bushes on their
feet and wings, just like quadrupeds. Suddenly one big old bird, that
had been sitting on a point very near to us, gazing in mute
astonishment, became alarmed, and, scuttling down the rocks, plumped or
fell, rather than ran, into the sea. It dived in a moment, and, a few
seconds afterwards, came out of the water far ahead, with such a
spring, and such a dive back into the sea again, that we could scarcely
believe it was not a fish that had leaped in sport.
"That beats everything," said Peterkin, rubbing his nose, and screwing
up his face with an expression of exasperated amazement. "I've heard of
a thing being neither fish, flesh, nor fowl, but I never did expect to
live to see a brute that was all three together--at once--in one! But
look there!" he continued--pointing with a look of resignation to the
shore--"look there! there's no end to it. What _has_ that brute got
under its tail?"
We turned to look in the direction pointed out, and there saw a penguin
walking slowly and very sedately along the shore with an egg under its
tail. There were several others, we observed, burdened in the same way;
and we found afterwards that these were a species of penguin that
always carried their eggs so. Indeed, they had a most convenient cavity
for the purpose, just between the tail and the legs. We were very much
impressed with the regularity and order of this colony. The island
seemed to be apportioned out into squares, of which each penguin
possessed one, and sat in stiff solemnity in the middle of it, or took
a slow march up and down the spaces between. Some were hatching their
eggs, but others were feeding their young ones in a manner that caused
us to laugh not a little. The mother stood on a mound or raised rock,
while the young one stood patiently below her on the ground. Suddenly
the mother raised her head and uttered a series of the most discordant
cackling sounds.
"She's going to choke," cried Peterkin.
But this was not the case, although, I confess, she looked like it. In
a few seconds she put down her head and opened her mouth, into which
the young one thrust its beak and seemed to suck something from her
throat. Then the cackling was renewed, the sucking continued, and so
the operation of feeding was carried on till the young one was
satisfied; but what she fed her little one with we could not tell.
"Now, just look yonder!" said Peterkin in an excited tone; "if that
isn't the most abominable piece of maternal deception I ever saw! That
rascally old lady penguin has just pitched her young one into the sea,
and there's another about to follow her example."
This indeed seemed to be the case, for on the top of a steep rock close
to the edge of the sea we observed an old penguin endeavouring to
entice her young one into the water; but the young one seemed very
unwilling to go, and, notwithstanding the enticements of its mother,
moved very slowly towards her. At last she went gently behind the young
bird and pushed it a little towards the water, but with great
tenderness, as much as to say, "Don't be afraid, darling; I won't hurt
you, my pet!" but no sooner did she get it to the edge of the rock,
where it stood looking pensively down at the sea, than she gave it a
sudden and violent push, sending it headlong down the slope into the
water, where its mother left it to scramble ashore as it best could. We
observed many of them employed in doing this, and we came to the
conclusion that this is the way in which old penguins teach their
children to swim.
Scarcely had we finished making our remarks on this, when we were
startled by about a dozen of the old birds hopping in the most clumsy
and ludicrous manner towards the sea. The beach here was a sloping
rock, and when they came to it some of them succeeded in hopping down
in safety, but others lost their balance, and rolled and scrambled down
the slope in the most helpless manner. The instant they reached the
water, however, they seemed to be in their proper element. They dived
and bounded out of it and into it again with the utmost agility; and
so, diving and bounding and sputtering--for they could not fly--they
went rapidly out to sea.
On seeing this, Peterkin turned with a grave face to us and said: "It's
my opinion that these birds are all stark, staring mad, and that this
is an enchanted island. I therefore propose that we should either put
about ship and fly in terror from the spot, or land valorously on the
island, and sell our lives as dearly as we can."
"I vote for landing; so pull in, lads," said Jack, giving a stroke with
his oar that made the boat spin. In a few seconds we ran the boat into
a little creek, where we made her fast to a projecting piece of coral,
and running up the beach, entered the ranks of the penguins armed with
our cudgels and our spear. We were greatly surprised to find that,
instead of attacking us or showing signs of fear at our approach, these
curious birds did not move from their places until we laid hands on
them, and merely turned their eyes on us in solemn, stupid wonder as we
passed. There was one old penguin, however, that began to walk slowly
towards the sea, and Peterkin took it into his head that he would try
to interrupt its progress, so he ran between it and the sea and
brandished his cudgel in its face. But this proved to be a resolute old
bird. It would not retreat; nay, more, it would not cease to advance,
but battled with Peterkin bravely and drove him before it until it
reached the sea. Had Peterkin used his club he could easily have felled
it, no doubt; but as he had no wish to do so cruel an act merely out of
sport, he let the bird escape.
We spent fully three hours on this island in watching the habit of
these curious birds, but when we finally left them, we all three
concluded, after much consultation, that they were the most wonderful
creatures we had ever seen; and further, we thought it probable that
they were the most wonderful creatures in the world!