THE ISLAND BEAUTIFUL
Hot and panting from their exertions, the girls threw themselves down
on the sand, and for a time remembered nothing but their escape from
what had seemed certain death. But presently Tommy sprang up, and,
shading her eyes against the sun's fierce glare, looked long and
anxiously seaward. An irregular white line marked the reef, but beyond
that the ocean stretched out into the distance, without a spot upon its
glistening surface. Her sisters joined her, and, with their arms
clasped about each other, they searched the horizon for the raft and
Uncle Ben. None of them spoke: each was afraid to utter her foreboding
thought.
Then they turned and gazed at the green woodland that rose almost from
the brink of the sea. It was a perfect day, and the land to which they
had come might well be a paradise of the South Seas such as they had
read about. But they were too anxious to be aware of its beauties.
Mary caught Elizabeth by the arm.
"Are there people?" she said in a whisper.
"Savages, perhaps cannibals?" said Tommy, with a shiver.
They stood holding each other, afraid to stir. Elizabeth for a moment
had a wild notion of dragging the boat down again, and putting to sea
in the hope of meeting Uncle Ben; dread of the unknown had possession
of her. But she recognized that so to act would be foolish, and
crushing down her fears, she said quietly--
"I think we had better look about a little; perhaps Uncle has already
landed."
Hope springs up easily in young minds.
"Of course," said Tommy valiantly. "Who's afraid! I--no, you go
first, Bess, as you're the biggest. I know; you take an oar, and Mary
another, and I'll take the boat-hook."
Thus armed, after making the boat secure, they took their way up the
strand, through a gap in the wooded cliffs that seemed to have been
carved out in some past time by a stream. They walked slowly and
timidly, as if half expecting to find a savage lurking behind every
bush or tree. But as they went on, and found no wild islanders to
molest them, they began to be more aware of the beauty of their
surroundings. On either hand there was a riot of splendid vegetation.
Strange plants and trees, some bearing brilliant flowers, others
tempting fruits, grew in magnificent profusion, and birds gorgeous in
colour flitted from tree to tree.
Here were feathery palms, there a cluster of small trees like hazels;
all about, the ground was carpeted with masses of convolvulus and
creeping plants innumerable, and the air was heavy with mingled scents.
"What a lovely place!" said Mary.
"Not to us," said Tommy. "We might as well be in a desert. Oh, what's
that? I saw something move."
She pointed to the right hand, and for a moment the girls held their
breath. Then they laughed, but very nervously; the something was
nothing but a little animal, of what kind they knew not, that scuttled
away into the woodland.
They went on again, becoming less timid the farther they advanced, for
there was no sight or sound to alarm them. They began to talk more
freely, but always in low tones.
"I suppose it _is_ an island," said Tommy.
"It must be," replied Mary. "There is no other land until you get to
Australia, and that's thousands of miles away."
"Then what shall we do if we don't find Uncle?"
The question recalled to them all that had happened, and again they
felt the bitterness of misery and despair.
"We must keep up our spirits," said Elizabeth, trying to speak
cheerfully. "At any rate we shan't starve if these fruits are good to
eat."
"I don't see any breadfruit," said Mary.
"Well, it looks as if we are to be Crusoes," said Tommy, "only Crusoe
was alone. Goodness! I couldn't bear to be alone. I should go mad.
Do you think Uncle will find us, Bess?"
"I hope and trust he will, dear. We are safe; why shouldn't he be?
Don't let's look on the black side of things. Shall we go back to the
boat and eat some of the food we brought? It won't keep like the
fruits. Then we had better rest; I'm sure you are worn out; we can
look round again presently, when the sun isn't so hot."
They returned to the boat, and made a meal of some biscuit and cold
bacon, carving the bacon somewhat clumsily with their jackknives,
remembering how their uncle had laughed at them for buying such manlike
implements.
"I'm terribly thirsty," said Tommy. "I wonder if the water in the
stream there is good to drink!"
She pointed to a brook that meandered down to the shore from amid the
woodland above, purling musically, and flashing like silver in the
sunlight.
"There's not much fear of that," said Mary. "I'll get some while you
cut me another slice of bacon."
The water was delightfully fresh and cool, proving that there was a
spring somewhere in the interior.
Having made a heartier meal than any of them expected to make, they lay
down under the shade of a large tree, and talked until they fell asleep
from sheer fatigue. The air was much cooler when they awoke. At
Mary's suggestion they climbed to the highest point of the cliffs, from
which they could command a wide prospect over the sea. When they
reached the summit, they scanned the surface, now as smooth as a lake,
for signs of boat or raft; but nothing was in sight, except far away
several dusky spots which Mary at once declared must be other islands.
"Very likely we drifted past them in the night," said Elizabeth. "Look
at that mass of floating seaweed just beyond the reef; you see there is
quite a strong current."
"If we went as fast as that in the dinghy, we must have come miles from
where the wreck happened," said Tommy. "And Uncle won't know; he'll
never find us."
At this the shadow of their misfortune once more descended on them, and
they turned away from each other to hide their distress. Then Tommy
swung round and cried--
"I won't be a baby! Bess, if you see any sign of waterworks again,
smack me. What's the good of crying? Let's go exploring; that'll help
to keep off the blues."
But in spite of their brave attempts, they veered between hopefulness
and despondency all the rest of the day. They roamed here and there,
not really going very far, for they still felt safer within easy
distance of their boat. More than once they returned to the cliff to
search the horizon longingly for any sign of ship or boat, but always
in vain.
In the course of their wandering they came upon some trees bearing
fruit about which they had no doubt.
"Bananas!" cried Tommy, with excitement. "How jolly! and look at the
clusters on the ground. We've only to pick them up."
Several clusters had fallen from the trees, and lay ripening where they
fell. The girls ate some of the fruit, taking note of the position of
the trees, so that they might come to them again.
Then they strolled on, keeping close to the shore, and stopping every
few minutes to gaze yearningly over the sea for the raft they longed to
behold. Turning their backs on this disappointing horizon, they let
their eyes range over the island, their minds confused between
admiration and wondering awe. The ground rose in a succession of
irregular terraces, covered with vegetation in every imaginable shade
of green. In the distance the prospect terminated in a ridge, above
which hovered a light mass of opalescent cloud. What forms of life
were stirring amid that dark woodland? What lay beyond that curtain of
rose pink and pearl? The girls were awed by the mystery of things, as
if subject to an enchanter's spell.
"What's the time?" asked Tommy, presently, bringing them back to the
commonplace. Both Mary and Elizabeth had watches pinned upon their
dresses, but on looking at them they found that each told a different
hour, and both had stopped.
"I forgot to wind mine up," said Elizabeth.
"So did I," said Mary.
"It must be getting late," said Tommy. "Look at the sun."
It was clear from its position that night was at hand. And then Tommy
asked a question that brought back all their uneasiness.
"Where are we to sleep?"
"I have thought of that all day," said Elizabeth.
"Then it's clear you are the statesman of the family," said Tommy. "I
couldn't have thought about it all day without telling you, and you
haven't said a word. It didn't occur to me until a moment ago."
"There are no wild beasts in the South Sea Islands--at least, I've
never heard of any," said Mary.
"That's one comfort," said Tommy, "and we've seen no savages or
anything else to alarm us. Now if we were boys--scouts or something,
used to campaigning in the open--we shouldn't care a pin, but I feel
dreadfully shaky. What are we to do?"
"We must face it," said Elizabeth quietly. "I think myself we had
better stay in the boat."
"How awful! think of last night," said Tommy dolefully.
"Perhaps there would be a storm and we should be upset, or blown out to
sea," said Mary.
"Oh, I didn't mean to launch the boat," said Elizabeth. "That would be
too risky. We'll leave it on the beach."
"It's only a bit better than being in the open," said Mary. "I know,
why not make a fire to scare off intruders? I've read about that being
done."
"That's quite brilliant," said Tommy. "And it will be a beacon too;
perhaps Uncle will see it. Let's go back at once and get ready for
supper and bed."
Elizabeth was glad of any activity that would keep them from thinking
of their troubles. They returned to the beach. First they collected a
number of stones, which they piled up to make a rough fire-place. Then
they gathered a large quantity of twigs and dry grass from the edge of
the forest, and finding several small trees which had been uprooted by
storms, they lugged these down to their fire-place. Then the
self-lighter which Tommy had received from her uncle came in handy, and
by the time it was dark they had a bright pleasant fire that was very
cheering.
They ate more of their biscuit and bacon, with plum cake for sweets and
bananas as dessert; then, having heaped some fuel on the fire, they
crept into the boat and arranged themselves as comfortably as possible.
Tommy was soon asleep, but the elder girls lay awake for a long time,
clasping each other, and talking in murmurs so as not to disturb their
sister.
"Mary dear," said Elizabeth, "we must look at the worst side and face
it for Tommy's sake, you know."
"Yes, I know. She's not really very strong, is she? Though she has
such spirit."
"No, she'll be all right so long as she doesn't get wretched, so we
won't say a word to depress her. We ought to be thankful that we are
safe so far. I'm afraid to think of what has happened to Uncle; but
supposing--supposing he is--lost, we shall have to do as well as we can
until we are seen from a passing ship."
"Suppose we never are!"
"We won't suppose that. Think of the many castaways who have been
picked up in time. By the look of it we shall find food here, and I
rather fancy the island must be uninhabited, or we should have seen
some signs of people."
"We haven't been all over it yet."
"No, of course we can't be sure. If we do come across people we must
try and make friends with them. Aren't there some islands called the
Friendly Islands because the people were quite decent?"
"Yes. Some of the islanders in these parts are gentle and peaceable.
But I'm dreadfully afraid of savages."
"So am I, but we won't think of them. What a lovely night it is! So
still and peaceful! and we're just three insignificant dots in all this
great beautiful universe."
They mused in silence, and by and by fell asleep. Dawn found them very
cramped and stiff. The fire was out, and as they shivered in the cool
morning air they felt something of the previous day's despondency. But
Elizabeth, with determined cheerfulness, called to her sisters that it
was breakfast-time. They made themselves some coffee, using the
extract sparingly to eke it out as long as possible, and after bathing
their faces in the water at the brook, ate their simple breakfast and
then made their way to the top of the cliff to search the ocean once
more for a sign of help.
The sea was even calmer than it had been yesterday, and as the mist
rolled off its surface they were able to scan countless miles of space.
There were the same dark distant shapes, purple in the early sunlight,
and they felt a wondering curiosity about them; but there was no sail
or funnel that betokened a ship. First one and then another discovered
a speck on the skyline, and they debated whether it was or was not a
boat; but after gazing until their eyes were tired they came to the
conclusion that there was no immediate hope of rescue.
"We ought to raise a flag of distress," said Mary, "which might be seen
if a ship comes near; but we haven't anything big enough."
"Oh, yes, we have!" said Tommy. "If we tie our silk scarves together
they will make a fine flag."
"But we haven't a flagstaff," said Elizabeth.
"There's a lovely one," said Mary, pointing to a tall slender tree that
stood a little apart from the nearest clump of woodland, like a
sentinel thrown out seaward. "Can you climb that, Tommy?"
"Rather! Father didn't like my climbing, but if I hadn't where should
we be now?"
Elizabeth knotted the three scarves together. Then Tommy ran to the
tree and climbed nimbly almost to the top, the others watching her
breathlessly. Soon the flag of red and white was fluttering in the
light morning breeze.
"It'll be torn to shreds by the first storm," said Tommy when she
descended. "Let's hope it will be seen before a storm comes."
They spent the day much as they had spent the first one on the island;
sitting on the beach, now and again visiting the cliff to take another
look across the sea, gathering bananas from the little plantation and
wandering for a short distance along the shore.
"What shall we do when all the bananas are gone?" asked Tommy, as they
ate their dinner. "The food we have in the boat won't last a week."
"We shall have to go exploring," said Mary. "I can't believe that
these bananas are the only eatable fruits, and no doubt there are more
bananas somewhere."
They looked up once more at the distant mysterious ridge.
"I don't know how you feel," said Tommy, "but I'm rather scared of
going far from the beach. Who knows what we should find among those
trees?"
"We might go a little farther than we did yesterday," suggested
Elizabeth.
"Come along, then," said Tommy. "Oh, gracious! What's that?"
She pointed towards the ridge. The other girls looked, but saw nothing.
"What is it?" asked Mary.
"I saw a large beast cross over that bare spot," replied Tommy.
"I think you must have fancied it," said Mary.
"Rubbish! I tell you I saw it."
"But there aren't any large beasts in these islands," said Mary.
"How do you know? You think you know everything," said Tommy sharply,
"just because you've read a few books. I tell you I _did_ see it."
"It couldn't have been a large animal, all the same," persisted Mary.
"You're an idiot," cried Tommy.
Elizabeth saw it was time to intervene. The girls' nerves were a
little on edge.
"I dare say you are both right," she said tranquilly. "Tommy evidently
saw something, and though there are no large native animals, Mary,
perhaps it's an imported one. We can't tell but that there are people
over there, and they might have anything, you know."
"Of course they might," said Tommy triumphantly. "It might be an
elephant or anything."
And so the little storm blew over, but it made Elizabeth very
thoughtful. As she lay awake that night, she resolved that something
must be done to occupy their thoughts. "It will never do to idle away
our time, as we've been doing," she said to herself, "or there'll be
constant bickerings, and we shall all get slack and mopish. Oh, dear!"
And she did not sleep before she had made a plan.