Shoemaking--The even tenor of our way suddenly interrupted--An unexpected
visit and an appalling battle--We all become warriors, and Jack proves
himself be a hero.
For many months after this we continued to live on our island in
uninterrupted harmony and happiness. Sometimes we went out a-fishing in
the lagoon, and sometimes went a-hunting in the woods, or ascended to the
mountain top, by way of variety, although Peterkin always asserted that
we went for the purpose of hailing any ship that might chance to heave in
sight. But I am certain that none of us wished to be delivered from our
captivity, for we were extremely happy, and Peterkin used to say that as
we were very young we should not feel the loss of a year or two.
Peterkin, as I have said before, was thirteen years of age, Jack
eighteen, and I fifteen. But Jack was very tall, strong, and manly for
his age, and might easily have been mistaken for twenty.
The climate was so beautiful that it seemed to be a perpetual summer, and
as many of the fruit-trees continued to bear fruit and blossom all the
year round, we never wanted for a plentiful supply of food. The hogs,
too, seemed rather to increase than diminish, although Peterkin was very
frequent in his attacks on them with his spear. If at any time we failed
in finding a drove, we had only to pay a visit to the plum-tree before
mentioned, where we always found a large family of them asleep under its
branches.
We employed ourselves very busily during this time in making various
garments of cocoa-nut cloth, as those with which we had landed were
beginning to be very ragged. Peterkin also succeeded in making excellent
shoes out of the skin of the old hog, in the following manner:--He first
cut a piece of the hide, of an oblong form, a few inches longer than his
foot. This he soaked in water, and, while it was wet, he sewed up one
end of it, so as to form a rough imitation of that part of the heel of a
shoe where the seam is. This done, he bored a row of holes all round the
edge of the piece of skin, through which a tough line was passed. Into
the sewed-up part of this shoe he thrust his heel, then, drawing the
string tight, the edges rose up and overlapped his foot all round. It is
true there were a great many ill-looking puckers in these shoes, but we
found them very serviceable notwithstanding, and Jack came at last to
prefer them to his long boots. We ago made various other useful
articles, which added to our comfort, and once or twice spoke of building
us a house, but we had so great an affection for the bower, and, withal,
found it so serviceable, that we determined not to leave it, nor to
attempt the building of a house, which, in such a climate, might turn out
to be rather disagreeable than useful.
We often examined the pistol that we had found in the house on the other
side of the island, and Peterkin wished much that we had powder and shot,
as it would render pig-killing much easier; but, after all, we had become
so expert in the use of our sling and bow and spear, that we were
independent of more deadly weapons.
Diving in the Water Garden also continued to afford us as much pleasure
as ever; and Peterkin began to be a little more expert in the water from
constant practice. As for Jack and I, we began to feel as if water were
our native element, and revelled in it with so much confidence and
comfort that Peterkin said he feared we would turn into fish some day,
and swim off and leave him; adding, that he had been for a long time
observing that Jack was becoming more and more like a shark every day.
Whereupon Jack remarked, that if he, Peterkin, were changed into a fish,
he would certainly turn into nothing better or bigger than a shrimp. Poor
Peterkin did not envy us our delightful excursions under water, except,
indeed, when Jack would dive down to the bottom of the Water Garden, sit
down on a rock and look up and make faces at him. Peterkin did feel
envious then, and often said he would give anything to be able to do
that. I was much amused when Peterkin said this; for if he could only
have seen his own face when he happened to take a short dive, he would
have seen that Jack's was far surpassed by it. The great difference
being, however, that Jack made faces on purpose--Peterkin couldn't help
it!
Now, while we were engaged with these occupations and amusements, an
event occurred one day which was as unexpected as it was exceedingly
alarming and very horrible.
Jack and I were sitting, as we were often wont to do, on the rocks at
Spouting Cliff, and Peterkin was wringing the water from his garments,
having recently fallen by accident into the sea,--a thing he was
constantly doing,--when our attention was suddenly arrested by two
objects which appeared on the horizon.
"What are yon, think you?" I said, addressing Jack.
"I can't imagine," answered he; "I've noticed them for some time, and
fancied they were black sea-gulls, but the more I look at them the more I
feel convinced they are much larger than gulls."
"They seem to be coming towards us," said I.
"Hallo! what's wrong?" inquired Peterkin, coming up.
"Look there," said Jack.
"Whales!" cried Peterkin, shading his eyes with his hand. "No! eh! can
they be boats, Jack?"
Our hearts beat with excitement at the very thought of seeing human faces
again.
"I think you are about right, Peterkin;--but they seem to me to move
strangely for boats," said Jack, in a low tone, as if he were talking to
himself.
I noticed that a shade of anxiety crossed Jack's countenance as he gazed
long and intently at the two objects, which were now nearing us fast. At
last he sprang to his feet. "They are canoes, Ralph! whether war-canoes
or not I cannot tell, but this I know, that all the natives of the South
Sea Islands are fierce cannibals, and they have little respect for
strangers. We must hide if they land here, which I earnestly hope they
will not do."
I was greatly alarmed at Jack's speech, but I confess I thought less of
what he said than of the earnest, anxious manner in which he said it, and
it was with very uncomfortable feelings that Peterkin and I followed him
quickly into the woods.
"How unfortunate," said I, as we gained the shelter of the bushes, "that
we have forgotten our arms."
"It matters not," said Jack; "here are clubs enough and to spare." As he
spoke, he laid his hand on a bundle of stout poles of various sizes,
which Peterkin's ever-busy hands had formed, during our frequent visits
to the cliff, for no other purpose, apparently, than that of having
something to do.
We each selected a stout club according to our several tastes, and lay
down behind a rock, whence we could see the canoes approach, without
ourselves being seen. At first we made an occasional remark on their
appearance, but after they entered the lagoon, and drew near the beach,
we ceased to speak, and gazed with intense interest at the scene before
us.
We now observed that the foremost canoe was being chased by the other,
and that it contained a few women and children, as well as men,--perhaps
forty souls altogether; while the canoe which pursued it contained only
men. They seemed to be about the same in number, but were better armed,
and had the appearance of being a war party. Both crews were paddling
with all their might, and it seemed as if the pursuers exerted themselves
to overtake the natives ere they could land. In this, however, they
failed. The foremost canoe made for the beach close beneath the rocks
behind which we were concealed. Their short paddles flashed like meteors
in the water, and sent up a constant shower of spray. The foam curled
from the prow, and the eyes of the rowers glistened in their black faces
as they strained every muscle of their naked bodies; nor did they relax
their efforts till the canoe struck the beach with a violent shock; then,
with a shout of defiance, the whole party sprang, as if by magic, from
the canoe to the shore. Three women, two of whom carried infants in
their arms, rushed into the woods; and the men crowded to the water's
edge, with stones in their hands, spears levelled, and clubs brandished,
to resist the landing of their enemies.
The distance between the two canoes had been about half a mile, and, at
the great speed they were going, this was soon passed. As the pursuers
neared the shore, no sign of fear or hesitation was noticeable. On they
came like a wild charger,--received but recked not of a shower of stones.
The canoe struck, and, with a yell that seemed to issue from the throats
of incarnate fiends, they leaped into the water, and drove their enemies
up the beach.
The battle that immediately ensued was frightful to behold. Most of the
men wielded clubs of enormous size and curious shapes, with which they
dashed out each other's brains. As they were almost entirely naked, and
had to bound, stoop, leap, and run, in their terrible hand-to-hand
encounters, they looked more like demons than human beings. I felt my
heart grow sick at the sight of this bloody battle, and would fain have
turned away, but a species of fascination seemed to hold me down and glue
my eyes upon the combatants. I observed that the attacking party was led
by a most extraordinary being, who, from his size and peculiarity, I
concluded was a chief. His hair was frizzed out to an enormous extent,
so that it resembled a large turban. It was of a light-yellow hue, which
surprised me much, for the man's body was as black as coal, and I felt
convinced that the hair must have been dyed. He was tattooed from head
to foot; and his face, besides being tattooed, was besmeared with red
paint, and streaked with white. Altogether, with his yellow turban-like
hair, his Herculean black frame, his glittering eyes and white teeth, he
seemed the most terrible monster I ever beheld. He was very active in
the fight, and had already killed four men.
Suddenly the yellow-haired chief was attacked by a man quite as strong
and large as himself. He flourished a heavy club something like an
eagle's beak at the point. For a second or two these giants eyed each
other warily, moving round and round, as if to catch each other at a
disadvantage, but seeing that nothing was to be gained by this caution,
and that the loss of time might effectually turn the tide of battle
either way, they apparently made up their minds to attack at the same
instant, for, with a wild shout and simultaneous spring, they swung their
heavy clubs, which met with a loud report. Suddenly the yellow-haired
savage tripped, his enemy sprang forward, the ponderous club was swung,
but it did not descend, for at that moment the savage was felled to the
ground by a stone from the hand of one who had witnessed his chief's
danger. This was the turning-point in the battle. The savages who
landed first turned and fled towards the bush, on seeing the fall of
their chief. But not one escaped. They were all overtaken and felled to
the earth. I saw, however, that they were not all killed. Indeed, their
enemies, now that they were conquered, seemed anxious to take them alive;
and they succeeded in securing fifteen, whom they bound hand and foot
with cords, and, carrying them up into the woods, laid them down among
the bushes. Here they left them, for what purpose I knew not, and
returned to the scene of the late battle, where the remnant of the party
were bathing their wounds.
Out of the forty blacks that composed the attacking party, only twenty-
eight remained alive, two of whom were sent into the bush to hunt for the
women and children. Of the other party, as I have said, only ten
survived, and these were lying bound and helpless on the grass.
Jack and Peterkin and I now looked at each other, and whispered our fears
that the savages might clamber up the rocks to search for fresh water,
and so discover our place of concealment; but we were so much interested
in watching their movements that we agreed to remain where we were; and,
indeed, we could not easily have risen without exposing ourselves to
detection. One of the savages now went up to the wood and soon returned
with a bundle of fire-wood, and we were not a little surprised to see him
set fire to it by the very same means used by Jack the time we made our
first fire,--namely, with the bow and drill. When the fire was kindled,
two of the party went again to the woods and returned with one of the
bound men. A dreadful feeling of horror crept over my heart, as the
thought flashed upon me that they were going to burn their enemies. As
they bore him to the fire my feelings almost overpowered me. I gasped
for breath, and seizing my club, endeavoured to spring to my feet; but
Jack's powerful arm pinned me to the earth. Next moment one of the
savages raised his club, and fractured the wretched creature's skull. He
must have died instantly, and, strange though it may seem, I confess to a
feeling of relief when the deed was done, because I now knew that the
poor savage could not be burned alive. Scarcely had his limbs ceased to
quiver when the monsters cut slices of flesh from his body, and, after
roasting them slightly over the fire, devoured them.
Suddenly there arose a cry from the woods, and, in a few seconds, the two
savages hastened towards the fire dragging the three women and their two
infants along with them. One of those women was much younger than her
companions, and we were struck with the modesty of her demeanour and the
gentle expression of her face, which, although she had the flattish nose
and thick lips of the others, was of a light-brown colour, and we
conjectured that she must be of a different race. She and her companions
wore short petticoats and a kind of tippet on their shoulders. Their
hair was jet black, but instead of being long, was short and
curly,--though not woolly--somewhat like the hair of a young boy. While
we gazed with interest and some anxiety at these poor creatures, the big
chief advanced to one of the elder females and laid his hand upon the
child. But the mother shrank from him, and clasping the little one to
her bosom, uttered a wail of fear. With a savage laugh, the chief tore
the child from her arms and tossed it into the sea. A low groan burst
from Jack's lips as we witnessed this atrocious act and heard the
mother's shriek, as she fell insensible on the sand. The rippling waves
rolled the child on the beach, as if they refused to be a party in such a
foul murder, and we could observe that the little one still lived.
The young girl was now brought forward, and the chief addressed her; but
although we heard his voice, and even the words distinctly, of course we
could not understand what he said. The girl made no answer to his fierce
questions, and we saw by the way in which he pointed to the fire that he
threatened her life.
"Peterkin," said Jack in a hoarse whisper, "have you got your knife?"
"Yes," replied Peterkin, whose face was pale as death.
"That will do. Listen to me, and do my bidding quick. Here is the small
knife, Ralph. Fly both of you through the bush, cut the cords that bind
the prisoners and set them free. There! quick, ere it be too late." Jack
sprang up, and seized a heavy but short bludgeon, while his strong frame
trembled with emotion, and large drops rolled down his forehead.
At this moment the man who had butchered the savage a few minutes before
advanced towards the girl with his heavy club. Jack uttered a yell that
rang like a death-shriek among the rocks. With one bound he leaped over
a precipice full fifteen feet high, and, before the savages had recovered
from their surprise, was in the midst of them; while Peterkin and I
dashed through the bushes towards the prisoners. With one blow of his
staff Jack felled the man with the club, then, turning round with a look
of fury, he rushed upon the big chief with the yellow hair. Had the blow
which Jack aimed at his head taken effect, the huge savage would have
needed no second stroke; but he was agile as a cat, and avoided it by
springing to one side, while, at the same time, he swung his ponderous
club at the head of his foe. It was now Jack's turn to leap aside, and
well was it for him that the first outburst of his blind fury was over,
else he had become an easy prey to his gigantic antagonist; but Jack was
cool now. He darted his blows rapidly and well, and the superiority of
his light weapon was strikingly proved in this combat, for while he could
easily evade the blows of the chief's heavy club, the chief could not so
easily evade those of his light one. Nevertheless, so quick was he, and
so frightfully did he fling about the mighty weapon, that, although Jack
struck him almost every blow, the strokes had to be delivered so quickly
that they wanted force to be very effectual.
It was lucky for Jack that the other savages considered the success of
their chief in this encounter to be so certain that they refrained from
interfering. Had they doubted it, they would have probably ended the
matter at once by felling him. But they contented themselves with
awaiting the issue.
The force which the chief expended in wielding his club now began to be
apparent. His movements became slower, his breath hissed through his
clenched teeth, and the surprised savages drew nearer in order to render
assistance. Jack observed this movement. He felt that his fate was
sealed, and resolved to cast his life upon the next blow. The chiefs
club was again about to descend on his head. He might have evaded it
easily, but instead of doing so, he suddenly shortened his grasp of his
own club, rushed in under the blow, struck his adversary right between
the eyes with all his force and fell to the earth, crushed beneath the
senseless body of the chief. A dozen clubs flew high in air ready to
descend on the head of Jack, but they hesitated a moment, for the massive
body of the chief completely covered him. That moment saved his life.
Ere the savages could tear the chief's body away, seven of their number
fell prostrate beneath the clubs of the prisoners whom Peterkin and I had
set free, and two others fell under our own hand. We could never have
accomplished this had not our enemies been so engrossed with the fight
between Jack and their chief that they had failed to observe us until we
were upon them. They still out-numbered our party by three, but we were
flushed with victory while they were taken by surprise and dispirited by
the fall of their chief. Moreover, they were awe-struck by the sweeping
fury of Jack, who seemed to have lost his senses altogether, and had no
sooner shaken himself free of the chief's body than he rushed into the
midst of them, and in three blows equalized our numbers. Peterkin and I
flew to the rescue, the savages followed us, and, in less than ten
minutes, the whole of our opponents were knocked down or made prisoners,
bound hand and foot, and extended side by side upon the sea shore.