A SHOOTING TRIP TO PARADISE ISLE, AND FURTHER DISPLAY OF THE CAPTAIN'S
CONTRIVANCES.
While our explorers were thus reduced to a state of forced inaction as
regarded the main object of their expedition, they did not by any means
waste their time in idleness. On the contrary, each of the party went
zealously to work in the way that was most suitable to his inclination.
After going over the main island of Poloe as a united party, and
ascertaining its size, productions, and general features, the Captain
told them they might now do as they pleased. For his part he meant to
spend a good deal of his time in taking notes and observations,
questioning the chief men as to the lands lying to the northward,
repairing and improving the hut, and helping the natives miscellaneously
so as to gain their regard.
Of course Leo spent much of his time with his rifle, for the natives
were not such expert hunters but that occasionally they were badly off
for food. Of course, also, Alf shouldered his botanical box and sallied
forth hammer in hand, to "break stones," as Butterface put it. Benjy
sometimes followed Alf--more frequently Leo, and always carried his
father's double-barrelled shot-gun. He preferred that, because his
powers with the rifle were not yet developed. Sometimes he went with
Toolooha, or Tekkona, or Oblooria, in one of the native oomiaks to fish.
At other times he practised paddling in the native kayak, so that he
might accompany Chingatok on his excursions to the neighbouring islands
after seals and wild-fowl.
In the excursions by water Leo preferred one of the india-rubber boats--
partly because he was strong and could row it easily, and partly because
it was capable of holding more game than the kayak.
These expeditions to the outlying islands were particularly delightful.
There was something so peaceful, yet so wild, so romantic and so strange
about the region, that the young men felt as if they had passed into a
new world altogether. It is scarcely surprising that they should feel
thus, when it is remembered that profound calms usually prevailed at
that season, causing the sea to appear like another heaven below them;
that the sun never went down, but circled round and round the horizon--
dipping, indeed, a little more and more towards it each night, but not
yet disappearing; that myriads of wild birds filled the air with
plaintive cries; that whales, and sea-unicorns, and walruses sported
around; that icebergs were only numerous enough to give a certain
strangeness of aspect to the scene--a strangeness which was increased by
the frequent appearance of arctic phenomena, such as several mock-suns
rivalling the real one, and objects being enveloped in a golden haze, or
turned upside down by changes in atmospheric temperature.
"No wonder that arctic voyagers are always hankering after the far
north," said Leo to Benjy, one magnificent morning, as they rowed
towards the outlying islands over the golden sea.
Captain Vane was with them that morning, and it was easy to see that the
Captain was in a peculiar frame of mind. A certain twinkle in his eyes
and an occasional smile, apparently at nothing, showed that his
thoughts, whatever they might be, were busy.
Now, it cannot have failed by this time to strike the intelligent
reader, that Captain Vane was a man given to mystery, and rather fond of
taking by surprise not only Eskimos but his own companions. On the
bright morning referred to he took with him in the boat a small flat
box, or packing-case, measuring about three feet square, and not more
than four inches deep.
As they drew near to Leo's favourite sporting-ground,--a long flat
island with several small lakes on it which were bordered by tall reeds
and sedges, where myriads of ducks, geese, gulls, plover, puffins, and
other birds revelled in abject felicity,--Benjy asked his father what he
had got in the box.
"I've got somethin' in it, Benjy,--somethin'."
"Why, daddy," returned the boy with a laugh, "if I were an absolute
lunatic you could not treat me with greater contempt. Do you suppose I
am so weak as to imagine that you would bring a packing-case all the way
from England to the North Pole with nothing in it?"
"You're a funny boy, Benjy," said the Captain, regarding his son with a
placid look.
"You're a funny father, daddy," answered the son with a shake of the
head; "and it's fortunate for you that I'm good as well as funny, else
I'd give you some trouble."
"You've got a good opinion of yourself, Ben, anyhow," said Leo, looking
over his shoulder as he rowed. "Just change the subject and make
yourself useful. Jump into the bow and have the boat-hook ready; the
water shoals rather fast here, and I don't want to risk scraping a hole
in our little craft."
The island they were approaching formed part of the extensive
archipelago of which Poloe was the main or central island. Paradise
Isle, as Leo had named it, lay about two miles from Poloe. The boat
soon touched its shingly beach, but before it could scrape thereon its
occupants stepped into the water and carefully carried it on shore.
"Now, Benjy, hand me the rifle and cartridges," said Leo, after the boat
was placed in the shadow of a low bank, "and fetch the game-bag. What!
you don't intend to carry the packing-case, uncle, do you?"
"I think I'd better do it," answered the Captain, lifting the case by
its cord in a careless way; "it might take a fancy to have a swim on its
own account, you know. Come along, the birds are growing impatient,
don't you see?"
With a short laugh, Leo shouldered his rifle, and marched towards the
first of a chain of little lakes, followed by Benjy with the game-bag,
and the Captain with the case.
Soon a splendid grey wild-goose was seen swimming at a considerable
distance beyond the reeds.
"There's your chance, now, Leo," said the Captain. But Leo shook his
head. "No use," he said; "if I were to shoot that one I'd never be able
to get it; the mud is too deep for wading, and the reeds too thick for
swimming amongst. It's a pity to kill birds that we cannot get hold of,
so, you see, I must walk along the margin of the lake until I see a bird
in a good position to be got at, and then pot him."
"But isn't that slow work, lad?" asked the Captain.
"It might be slow if I missed often or wounded my birds," replied Leo,
"but I don't often miss."
The youth might with truth have said he never missed, for his eye was as
true and his hand as sure as that of any Leatherstocking or Robin Hood
that ever lived.
"Why don't you launch the boat on the lake?" asked the Captain.
"Because I don't like to run the risk of damaging it by hauling it about
among mud and sticks and overland. Besides, that would be a cumbersome
way of hunting. I prefer to tramp about the margin as you see, and just
take what comes in my way. There are plenty of birds, and I seldom walk
far without getting a goodish--hist! There's one!"
As he spoke another large grey goose was seen stretching its long neck
amongst the reeds at a distance of about two hundred yards. The crack
of the rifle was followed by the instant death of the goose. At the
same moment several companions of the bird rose trumpeting into the air
amid a cloud of other birds. Again the rifle's crack was heard, and one
of the geese on the wing dropped beside its comrade.
As Leo carried his repeating rifle, he might easily have shot another,
but he refrained, as the bird would have been too far out to be easily
picked up.
"Now, Benjy, are you to go in, or am I?" asked the sportsman with a sly
look.
"Oh! I suppose _I_ must," said the boy with an affectation of being
martyred, though, in truth, nothing charmed him so much as to act the
part of a water-dog.
A few seconds more, and he was stripped, for his garments consisted only
of shirt and trousers. But it was more than a few seconds before he
returned to land, swimming on his back and trailing a goose by the neck
with each hand, for the reeds were thick and the mud softish, and the
second bird had been further out than he expected.
"It's glorious fun," said Benjy, panting vehemently as he pulled on his
clothes.
"It's gloriously knocked up you'll be before long at that rate," said
the Captain.
"Oh! but, uncle," said Leo, quickly, "you must not suppose that I give
him all the hard work. We share it between us, you know. Benjy
sometimes shoots and then I do the retrieving. You've no idea how good
a shot he is becoming."
"Indeed, let me see you do it, my boy. D'ye see that goose over there?"
"What, the one near the middle of the lake, about four hundred yards
off?"
"Ay, Benjy, I want that goose. You shoot it, my boy."
"But you'll never be able to get it, uncle," said Leo.
"Benjy, I want that goose. You shoot it." There was no disobeying this
peremptory command. Leo handed the rifle to the boy.
"Down on one knee, Ben, Hythe position, my boy," said the Captain, in
the tone of a disciplinarian. Benjy obeyed, took a long steady aim, and
fired.
"Bravo!" shouted the Captain as the bird turned breast up. "There's
that goose's brother comin' to see what's the matter with him; just cook
_his_ goose too, Benjy."
The boy aimed again, fired, and missed.
"Again!" cried the Captain, "look sharp!"
Again the boy fired, and this time wounded the bird as it was rising on
the wing.
Although wounded, the goose was quite able to swim, and made rapidly
towards the reeds on the other side.
"What! am I to lose that goose?" cried the Captain indignantly.
Leo seized the rifle. Almost without taking time to aim, he fired and
shot the bird dead.
"There," said he, laughing, "but I suspect it is a lost goose after all.
It will be hard work to get either of these birds, uncle. However,
I'll try."
Leo was proceeding to strip when the Captain forbade him.
"Don't trouble yourself, lad," he said, "I'll go for them myself."
"You, uncle?"
"Ay, me. D'ye suppose that nobody can swim but you and Benjy? Here,
help me to open this box."
In silent wonder and expectation Leo and Benjy did as they were bid.
When the mysterious packing-case was opened, there was displayed to view
a mass of waterproof material. Tumbling this out and unrolling it, the
Captain displayed a pair of trousers and boots in one piece attached to
something like an oval life-buoy. Thrusting his legs down into the
trousers and boots, he drew the buoy--which was covered with
india-rubber cloth--up to his waist and fixed it there. Then, putting
the end of an india-rubber tube to his mouth, he began to blow, and the
buoy round his waist began to extend until it took the form of an oval.
"Now, boys," said the Captain, with profound gravity, "I'm about ready
to go to sea. Here, you observe, is a pair o' pants that won't let in
water. At the feet you'll notice two flaps which expand when driven
backward, and collapse when moved forward. These are propellers--human
web-feet--to enable me to walk ahead, d'ye see? and here are two small
paddles with a joint which I can fix together--so--and thus make one
double-bladed paddle of 'em, about four feet long. It will help the
feet, you understand, but I'm not dependent on it, for I can walk
without the paddles at the rate of two or three miles an hour."
As he spoke Captain Vane walked quietly into the water, to the wild
delight of Benjy, and the amazement of his nephew.
When he was about waist-deep the buoy floated him. Continuing to walk,
though his feet no longer touched ground, he was enabled by the
propellers to move on. When he had got out a hundred yards or so, he
turned round, took off his hat, and shouted--"land ho!"
"Ship ahoy!" shrieked Benjy, in an ecstasy.
"Mind your weather eye!" shouted the Captain, resuming his walk with a
facetious swagger, while, with the paddles, he increased his speed.
Soon after, he returned to land with the two geese.
"Well now, daddy," said his son, while he and Leo examined the dress
with minute interest, "I wish you'd make a clean breast of it, and let
us know how many more surprises and contrivances of this sort you've got
in store for us."
"I fear this is the last one, Benjy, though there's no end to the
applications of these contrivances. You'd better apply this one to
yourself now, and see how you get on in it."
Of course Benjy was more than willing, though, as he remarked, the dress
was far too big for him.
"Never mind that, my boy. A tight fit ain't needful, and nobody will
find fault with the cut in these regions."
"Where ever did you get it, father?" asked the boy, as the fastenings
were being secured round him.
"I got it from an ingenious friend, who says he's goin' to bring it out
soon. Mayhap it's in the shops of old England by this time. There,
now, off you go, but don't be too risky, Ben. Keep her full, and mind
your helm." (See Note.)
Thus encouraged, the eager boy waded into the water, but, in his haste,
tripped and fell, sending a volume of water over himself. He rose,
however, without difficulty, and, proceeding with greater caution, soon
walked off into deep water. Here he paddled about in a state of
exuberant glee. The dress kept him perfectly dry, although he splashed
the water about in reckless fashion, and did not return to land till
quite exhausted.
Benjamin Vane from that day devoted himself to that machine. He became
so enamoured of the "water-tramp," as he styled it--not knowing its
proper name at the time--that he went about the lakelets in it
continually, sometimes fishing, at other times shooting. He even
ventured a short distance out to sea in it, to the amazement of the
Eskimos, the orbits of whose eyes were being decidedly enlarged, Benjy
said, and their eyebrows permanently raised, by the constant succession
of astonishment-fits into which they were thrown from day to day by
their white visitors.
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Note. Lest it should be supposed that the "pedomotive" here described
is the mere creature of the author's brain, it may be well to state that
he has seen it in the establishment of the patentees, Messrs. Thornton
and Company of Edinburgh.