Tom's Devices.--Rising superior to Circumstances.--Roast Clams.--Baked
Lobster.--Boiled Mussels.--Boiled Shrimps.--Roast
Eggs.--Dandelions.--Ditto, with Eggs.--Roast
Dulse.--Strawberries.--Pilot-bread.--Strawberry Cordial.
Meanwhile another day had passed away on Ile Haute.
When we last saw Tom he had succeeded in finding some clams, which he
roasted in front of his fire, and made thus a very acceptable relish.
This not only gratified his palate for the time, but it also stimulated
him to fresh exertions, since it showed him that his resources were
much more extensive than he had supposed them to be. If he had ever
dreaded getting out of all his provisions, he saw now that the fear was
an unfounded one. Here, before his eyes, and close beside his
dwelling-place, there extended a broad field full of food. In that mud
flat there were clams enough to feed him for all the rest of his life,
if that were necessary. But what was more, he saw by this the
possibility that other articles of food might be reckoned on, by means
of which he would be able to relieve his diet from that monotony which
had thus far been its chief characteristic. If he could find something
else besides clams and biscuit, the tedium of his existence here would
be alleviated to a still greater degree.
He spent some time in considering this subject, and in thinking over
all the possible kinds of food which he might hope to obtain. Sea and
land might both be relied on to furnish food for his table in the
desert. The sea, he knew, ought to supply the following:--
1. Clams,
2. Lobsters,
3. Mussels,
in addition to other things which he had in his mind. The land, on the
other hand, ought to furnish something. Now that his attention was
fairly directed to this important subject, he could think of several
things which would be likely to be found even on this island, and the
search for which would afford an agreeable amusement.
The more he thought of all this, the more astonished he was at the
number of things which he could think of as being likely to exist here
around him. It was not so much for the sake of gratifying his
appetite, as to find some occupation, that he now entered eagerly upon
putting this new project into execution. Fish, flesh, and fowl now
offered themselves to his endeavors, and these were to be supplied by
land, sea, and sky. This sudden enlargement of his resources, and also
of his sphere of operations, caused him to feel additional
satisfaction, together with a natural self-complacency. To the ordinary
mind Ile Haute appeared utterly deserted and forlorn--a place where one
might starve to death, if he had to remain for any length of time; but
Tom now determined to test to the utmost the actual resources of the
island, so as to prove, to himself what one unaided boy could do, when
thus thrown upon his own intelligent efforts, with dire necessity to
act as a stimulus to his ingenuity.
First of all, then, there was his box of biscuit, which he had brought
with him.
To this must be added his first discovery on the island, namely, the
clams. Nothing could be of greater importance than this, since it
afforded not merely a relish, but also actual food.
The next thing that he sought after was lobsters, and he went off in
search of these as soon as he could on the following day.
He waited till the tide was low, which was at about twelve o'clock, and
then went down along the beach. At high tide, the water came close up
to the foot of the lofty cliff; but at ebb, it descended for some
distance, so that there was some sort of a beach even in places that
did not promise any.
The beach nearest to where Tom had taken up his abode was an expanse of
mud and sand; but passing along beyond this, on the north side, it
became gravelly. About a hundred yards to the west, on this side of
the island, he came to the place where he had tied his boat, on that
eventful time when he had drifted here. Below this, the beach extended
down for a long distance, and at the lowest point there were rocks, and
sharp stones, and pebbles of every size. Here Tom began his search,
and before he had looked five minutes, he found several lobsters of
good size. A little farther search showed him that there was a large
supply of these, so that, in fact, sufficient support might have been
obtained for a whole ship's company. By the time that he had found a
half dozen of these, and had brought them back to his hearth-stone, it
had grown too dark to search for any more. Tom's search, however, had
been so successful, that he felt quite satisfied; and though the day
had passed without any change in the weather or any lifting of the fog,
though he had listened in vain for any sound over the waters which
might tell of passers by, though his signal had not been seen, and his
bright burning fire had not been noticed, yet the occupation of thought
and of action which he had found for himself, had been sufficient to
make the time pass not unpleasantly.
His evening repast was now a decided improvement on that of the
preceding day. First of all, he spread some clams in the hot ashes to
roast; and then, taking the dipper which had been used for baling, he
filled it with water, and placing this on the fire, it soon began to
boil. Into this he thrust the smallest lobster, and watched it as the
water bubbled around it, and its scaly covering turned slowly from its
original dark hue to a bright red color.
His success thus far stimulated him to make some attempts at actual
cookery. Removing some of the lobster from its shell, he poured out
most of the water from the pan, and into what remained he again put the
lobster, cutting it up as fine as he could with his knife. Into this he
crumbled some biscuit, and stirred it up all together. He then placed
it over the fire till it was well baked. On removing it and tasting
it, he found it most palatable. It was already sufficiently salt, and
only needed a little pepper to make it quite equal to any scolloped
lobster that he had ever tasted.
His repast consisted of this, followed by the roast clams, which formed
an agreeable variety.
Tom now felt like a giant refreshed; and while sitting in front of the
evening fire, he occupied his mind with plans for the morrow, which
were all directed towards enlarging his supply of provisions.
He awaked late on the next morning, and found the weather unchanged.
He tried to quell his impatience and disappointment, and feeling that
idleness would never do, he determined to go to work at once, and carry
out the plans of the preceding day. It was now Thursday, the middle of
the second week, and the fog had clung pertinaciously around him almost
all that time. It was indeed disheartening, and idleness under such
circumstances would have ended in misery and despair; but Tom's
perseverance, and obstinate courage, and buoyant spirits enabled him
still to rise above circumstances, and struggle with the gloom around
him.
"O, go on, go on," he muttered, looking around upon the fog. "Let's see
who can stand it longest. And now for my foraging expedition."
Making a hearty repast out of the remnants of the supper of the
preceding evening, he went first to the shore, so as to complete his
search there while the tide should be low. It was going down now, and
the beach was all before him. He wandered on till he came to where
there was an immense ledge of sharp rocks, that went from the foot of
the precipice down into the bay. Over these he clambered, looking
carefully around, until at last he reached the very lowest point. Here
he soon found some articles of diet, which were quite as valuable in
their way as the clams and lobsters. First of all, he found an immense
quantity of large mussels. These were entangled among the thick masses
of sea-weed. He knew that the flavor of mussels was much more delicate
than that of clams or lobsters, and that by many connoisseurs these,
when good and fresh, were ranked next to oysters. This discovery,
therefore, gave him great joy, and he filled his pan, which he had
carried down, and took them back to the shore. He also took an armful
of sea-weed, and, reaching his camping-place, he threw the mussels in a
hollow place in the sand, placing the sea-weed around them. In this
way he knew that they would keep fresh and sweet for any reasonable
length of time.
Returning to the ledges of rock, he walked about among them, and found
a number of pools, some of which were of considerable size. These had
been left by the retreating water; and in these hollows he soon saw a
number of small objects moving about. Some of them he caught without
much difficulty, and saw that they were shrimps. He had hoped to find
some of these, but the discovery came to him like some unexpected
pleasure, and seemed more than he had any right to count on. Beside
the shrimps his other discoveries seemed inferior. There was a large
number, and they could be caught without much trouble. He soon filled
his pan, and brought these also to his camping-place. These he
deposited in a little pool, which was on the surface of some rocks that
lay not far from the shore. Over these he also laid some sea-weed.
The tide was now coming up, but Tom made a further journey to the
beach, so as to secure something which he had noticed during his
previous expedition. This was a marine plant called dulse, which, in
these waters, grows very plentifully, and is gathered and dried by the
people in large quantities. It was a substance of which Tom was very
fond, and he determined to gather some, and dry it in the sun.
Collecting an armful of this, he took it to the shore, and spread it
out over the grass, though, in that damp and foggy atmosphere, there
was not much prospect of its drying.
It was now about three o'clock in the afternoon, and Tom's researches
along the shore were successfully terminated. He had found all the
different articles that he had thought of and his new acquisitions were
now lying about him.