The Noises in the Valley

Now, so soon as we had gotten the boat into safety, the which we did with

a most feverish haste, the bo'sun gave his attention to Job; for the boy

had not yet recovered from the blow which the loom of the oar had dealt

him beneath the chin when the monster snatched at it. For awhile, his

attentions produced no effect; but presently, having bathed the lad's

face with water from the sea, and rubbed rum into his chest over the

heart, the youth began to show signs of life, and soon opened his eyes,

whereupon the bo'sun gave him a stiff jorum of the rum, after which he

asked him how he seemed in himself. To this Job replied in a weak voice

that he was dizzy and his head and neck ached badly, on hearing which,

the bo'sun bade him keep lying until he had come more to himself. And so

we left him in quietness under a little shade of canvas and reeds; for

the air was warm and the sand dry, and he was not like to come to any

harm there.

At a little distance, under the directing of the bo'sun, we made to

prepare dinner, for we were now very hungry, it seeming a great while

since we had broken our fast. To this end, the bo'sun sent two of the men

across the island to gather some of the dry seaweed; for we intended to

cook some of the salt meat, this being the first cooked meal since ending

the meat which we had boiled before leaving the ship in the creek.

In the meanwhile, and until the return of the men with the fuel, the

bo'sun kept us busied in various ways. Two he sent to cut a bundle of the

reeds, and another couple to bring the meat and the iron boiler, the

latter being one that we had taken from the old brig.

Presently, the men returned with the dried seaweed, and very curious

stuff it seemed, some of it being in chunks near as thick as a man's

body; but exceeding brittle by reason of its dryness. And so in a little,

we had a very good fire going, which we fed with the seaweed and pieces

of the reeds, though we found the latter to be but indifferent fuel,

having too much sap, and being troublesome to break into convenient size.

Now when the fire had grown red and hot, the bo'sun half filled the

boiler with sea water, in which he placed the meat; and the pan, having a

stout lid, he did not scruple to place it in the very heart of the fire,

so that soon we had the contents boiling merrily.

Having gotten the dinner under way, the bo'sun set about preparing our

camp for the night, which we did by making a rough framework with the

reeds, over which we spread the boat's sails and the cover, pegging the

canvas down with tough splinters of the reed. When this was completed, we

set-to and carried there all our stores, after which the bo'sun took us

over to the other side of the island to gather fuel for the night, which

we did, each man bearing a great double armful.

Now by the time that we had brought over, each of us, two loads of the

fuel, we found the meat to be cooked, and so, without more to-do, set

ourselves down and made a very good meal off it and some biscuits, after

which we had each of us a sound tot of the rum. Having made an end of

eating and drinking, the bo'sun went over to where Job lay, to inquire

how he felt, and found him lying very quiet, though his breathing had a

heavy touch about it. However, we could conceive of nothing by which he

might be bettered, and so left him, being more hopeful that Nature would

bring him to health than any skill of which we were possessed.

By this time it was late afternoon, so that the bo'sun declared we might

please ourselves until sunset, deeming that we had earned a very good

right to rest; but that from sunset till the dawn we should, he told us,

have each of us to take turn and turn about to watch; for though we were

no longer upon the water, none might say whether we were out of danger or

not, as witness the happening of the morning; though, certainly, he

apprehended no danger from the devil-fish so long as we kept well away

from the water's edge.

And so from now until dark most of the men slept; but the bo'sun spent

much of that time in overhauling the boat, to see how it might chance to

have suffered during the storm, and also whether the struggles of the

devil-fish had strained it in any way. And, indeed, it was speedily

evident that the boat would need some attention; for the plank in her

bottom next but one to the keel, upon the starboard side, had been burst

inwards; this having been done, it would seem, by some rock in the beach

hidden just beneath the water's edge, the devil-fish having, no doubt,

ground the boat down upon it. Happily, the damage was not great; though

it would most certainly have to be carefully repaired before the boat

would be again seaworthy. For the rest, there seemed to be no other part

needing attention.

Now I had not felt any call to sleep, and so had followed the bo'sun to

the boat, giving him a hand to remove the bottom-boards, and finally to

slue her bottom a little upwards, so that he might examine the leak more

closely. When he had made an end with the boat, he went over to the

stores, and looked closely into their condition, and also to see how they

were lasting. And, after that, he sounded all the water-breakers; having

done which, he remarked that it would be well for us if we could discover

any fresh water upon the island.

By this time it was getting on towards evening, and the bo'sun went

across to look at Job, finding him much as he had been when we visited

him after dinner. At that, the bo'sun asked me to bring across one of the

longer of the bottom-boards, which I did, and we made use of it as a

stretcher to carry the lad into the tent. And afterwards, we carried all

the loose woodwork of the boat into the tent, emptying the lockers of

their contents, which included some oakum, a small boat's hatchet, a coil

of one-and-a-half-inch hemp line, a good saw, an empty colza-oil tin, a

bag of copper nails, some bolts and washers, two fishing-lines, three

spare tholes, a three-pronged grain without the shaft, two balls of spun

yarn, three hanks of roping-twine, a piece of canvas with four

roping-needles stuck in it, the boat's lamp, a spare plug, and a roll of

light duck for making boat's sails.

And so, presently, the dark came down upon the island, at which the

bo'sun waked the men, and bade them throw more fuel on to the fire, which

had burned down to a mound of glowing embers much shrouded in ash. After

that, one of them part filled the boiler with fresh water, and soon we

were occupied most pleasantly upon a supper of cold, boiled salt-meat,

hard biscuits, and rum mixed with hot water. During supper, the bo'sun

made clear to the men regarding the watches, arranging how they should

follow, so that I found I was set down to take my turn from midnight

until one of the clock. Then, he explained to them about the burst plank

in the bottom of the boat, and how that it would have to be put right

before we could hope to leave the island, and that after that night we

should have to go most strictly with the victuals; for there seemed to be

nothing upon the island, that we had up till then discovered, fit to

satisfy our bellies. More than this, if we could find no fresh water, he

should have to distil some to make up for that which we had drunk, and

this must be done before leaving the island.

Now by the time that the bo'sun had made an end of explaining these

matters, we had ceased from eating, and soon after this we made each one

of us a comfortable place in the sand within the tent, and lay down to

sleep. For a while, I found myself very wakeful, which may have been

because of the warmth of the night, and, indeed, at last I got up and

went out of the tent, conceiving that I might the better find sleep in

the open air. And so it proved; for, having lain down at the side of the

tent, a little way from the fire, I fell soon into a deep slumber, which

at first was dreamless. Presently, however, I came upon a very strange

and unsettling dream; for I dreamed that I had been left alone on the

island, and was sitting very desolate upon the edge of the brown-scummed

pit. Then I was aware suddenly that it was very dark and very silent, and

I began to shiver; for it seemed to me that something which repulsed my

whole being had come quietly behind me. At that I tried mightily to turn

and look into the shadows among the great fungi that stood all about me;

but I had no power to turn. And the thing was coming nearer, though never

a sound came to me, and I gave out a scream, or tried to; but my voice

made no stir in the rounding quiet; and then something wet and cold

touched my face, and slithered down and covered my mouth, and paused

there for a vile, breathless moment. It passed onward and fell to my

throat--and stayed there ...

Some one stumbled and felt over my feet, and at that, I was suddenly

awake. It was the man on watch making a walk round the back of the tent,

and he had not known of my presence till he fell over my boots. He was

somewhat shaken and startled, as might be supposed; but steadied himself

on learning that it was no wild creature crouched there in the shadow;

and all the time, as I answered his inquiries, I was full of a strange,

horrid feeling that something had left me at the moment of my awakening.

There was a slight, hateful odor in my nostrils that was not altogether

unfamiliar, and then, suddenly, I was aware that my face was damp and

that there was a curious sense of tingling at my throat. I put up my hand

and felt my face, and the hand when I brought it away was slippery with

slime, and at that, I put up my other hand, and touched my throat, and

there it was the same, only, in addition, there was a slight swelled

place a little to one side of the wind-pipe, the sort of place that the

bite of a mosquito will make; but I had no thought to blame any mosquito.

Now the stumbling of the man over me, my awakening, and the discovery

that my face and throat were be-slimed, were but the happenings of some

few, short instants; and then I was upon my feet, and following him round

to the fire; for I had a sense of chilliness and a great desire not to be

alone. Now, having come to the fire, I took some of the water that had

been left in the boiler, and washed my face and neck, after which I felt

more my own man. Then I asked the man to look at my throat, so that he

might give me some idea of what manner of place the swelling seemed, and

he, lighting a piece of the dry seaweed to act as a torch, made

examination of my neck; but could see little, save a number of small

ring-like marks, red inwardly, and white at the edges, and one of them

was bleeding slightly. After that, I asked him whether he had seen

anything moving round the tent; but he had seen nothing during all the

time that he had been on watch; though it was true that he had heard odd

noises; but nothing very near at hand. Of the places on my throat he

seemed to think but little, suggesting that I had been bitten by some

sort of sand-fly; but at that, I shook my head, and told him of my dream,

and after that, he was as anxious to keep near me as I to him. And so the

night passed onward, until my turn came to watch.

For a little while, the man whom I had relieved sat beside me; having,

I conceived, the kindly intent of keeping me company; but so soon as I

perceived this, I entreated him to go and get his sleep, assuring him

that I had no longer any feelings of fear--such as had been mine upon

awakening and discovering the state of my face and throat--and, upon

this, he consented to leave me, and so, in a little, I sat alone

beside the fire.

For a certain space, I kept very quiet, listening; but no sound came to

me out of the surrounding darkness, and so, as though it were a fresh

thing, it was borne in upon me how that we were in a very abominable

place of lonesomeness and desolation. And I grew very solemn.

Thus as I sat, the fire, which had not been replenished for a while,

dwindled steadily until it gave but a dullish glow around. And then, in

the direction of the valley, I heard suddenly the sound of a dull thud,

the noise coming to me through the stillness with a very startling

clearness. At that, I perceived that I was not doing my duty to the rest,

nor to myself, by sitting and allowing the fire to cease from flaming;

and immediately reproaching myself, I seized and cast a mass of the dry

weed upon the fire, so that a great blaze shot up into the night, and

afterwards I glanced quickly to right and to left, holding my

cut-and-thrust very readily, and most thankful to the Almighty that I

had brought no harm to any by reason of my carelessness, which I incline

me to believe was that strange inertia which is bred by fear. And then,

even as I looked about me, there came to me across the silence of the

beach a fresh noise, a continual soft slithering to and fro in the bottom

of the valley, as though a multitude of creatures moved stealthily. At

this, I threw yet more fuel upon the fire, and after that I fixed my gaze

in the direction of the valley: thus in the following instant it seemed

to me that I saw a certain thing, as it might be a shadow, move on the

outer borders of the firelight. Now the man who had kept watch before me

had left his spear stuck upright in the sand convenient to my grasp, and,

seeing something moving, I seized the weapon and hurled it with all my

strength in its direction; but there came no answering cry to tell that I

had struck anything living, and immediately afterwards there fell once

more a great silence upon the island, being broken only by a far splash

out upon the weed.

It may be conceived with truth that the above happenings had put a very

considerable strain upon my nerves, so that I looked to and fro

continually, with ever and anon a quick glance behind me; for it seemed

to me that I might expect some demoniac creature to rush upon me at any

moment. Yet, for the space of many minutes, there came to me neither any

sight nor sound of living creature; so that I knew not what to think,

being near to doubting if I had heard aught beyond the common.

And then, even as I made halt upon the threshold of doubt, I was assured

that I had not been mistaken; for, abruptly, I was aware that all the

valley was full of a rustling, scampering sort of noise, through which

there came to me occasional soft thuds, and anon the former slithering

sounds. And at that, thinking a host of evil things to be upon us, I

cried out to the bo'sun and the men to awake.

Immediately upon my shout, the bo'sun rushed out from the tent, the men

following, and every one with his weapon, save the man who had left his

spear in the sand, and that lay now somewhere beyond the light of the

fire. Then the bo'sun shouted, to know what thing had caused me to cry

out; but I replied nothing, only held up my hand for quietness, yet when

this was granted, the noises in the valley had ceased; so that the bo'sun

turned to me, being in need of some explanation; but I begged him to hark

a little longer, which he did, and, the sounds re-commencing almost

immediately, he heard sufficient to know that I had not waked them all

without due cause. And then, as we stood each one of us staring into the

darkness where lay the valley, I seemed to see again some shadowy thing

upon the boundary of the firelight; and, in the same instant, one of the

men cried out and cast his spear into the darkness. But the bo'sun turned

upon him with a very great anger; for in throwing his weapon, the man had

left himself without, and thus brought danger to the whole; yet, as will

be remembered, I had done likewise but a little since.

Presently, there coming again a quietness within the valley, and none

knowing what might be toward, the bo'sun caught up a mass of the dry

weed, and, lighting it at the fire, ran with it towards that portion of

the beach which lay between us and the valley. Here he cast it upon the

sand, singing out to some of the men to bring more of the weed, so that

we might have a fire there, and thus be able to see if anything made to

come at us out of the deepness of the hollow.

Presently, we had a very good fire, and by the light of this the two

spears were discovered, both of them stuck in the sand, and no more than

a yard one from the other, which seemed to me a very strange thing.

Now, for a while after the lighting of the second fire, there came no

further sounds from the direction of the valley; nothing indeed to break

the quietness of the island, save the occasional lonely splashes that

sounded from time to time out in the vastness of the weed-continent.

Then, about an hour after I had waked the bo'sun, one of the men who had

been tending the fires came up to him to say that we had come to the end

of our supply of weed-fuel. At that, the bo'sun looked very blank, the

which did the rest of us, as well we might; yet there was no help for it,

until one of the men bethought him of the remainder of the bundle of

reeds which we had cut, and which, burning but poorly, we had discarded

for the weed. This was discovered at the back of the tent, and with it we

fed the fire that burned between us and the valley; but the other we

suffered to die out, for the reeds were not sufficient to support even

the one until the dawn.

At last, and whilst it was still dark, we came to the end of our fuel,

and as the fire died down, so did the noises in the valley recommence.

And there we stood in the growing dark, each one keeping a very ready

weapon, and a more ready glance. And at times the island would be

mightily quiet, and then again the sounds of things crawling in the

valley. Yet, I think the silences tried us the more.

And so at last came the dawn.