was so cool and grateful, after the excessive heat of the day, that we
continued for some time loitering along the shore. The sea was highly
phosphorescent; that is, during the earlier part of the evening, and
before the mist or haze before spoken of cleared up. The tiny wavelets,
as they rippled upon the beach in rapid succession, sparkled with
phosphoric fire, and out in the lagoon, wherever a coral patch rose to
the surface, or the water was disturbed by any floating object, it gave
forth a clear and brilliant light, and was studded by myriads of fiery
dots and spangles.
At length Johnny began to complain of weariness, and we scaled the
terraced hill, and gathering a large quantity of clean and well-dried
leaves, arranged our beds as Browne had suggested, beneath the group of
noble trees where we had taken our siesta at noon.
The novelty of our situation, long proved with me an effectual antidote
to fatigue and drowsiness, and I lay, looking up at the moon glimmering
through the foliage of the trees, an hour after the rest seemed to be
asleep.
Just as I was at last sinking into unconsciousness, Johnny, sitting up
among the leaves in which he was half buried, inquired softly, "Max, are
you awake!" I spoke to him, to let him know that he was not alone. "I
can't get asleep," said he, "every thing looks so beautiful and so
strange. It seems to me I never saw the moon and the stars so big and
so bright."
"You must keep your eyes shut, and not look at the moon, if you want to
get asleep."
"But the trees keep rustling so; just as if they were whispering softly
to one another; and then the sound of the waves on the reef is so sad
and mournful, that it sets me to thinking all sorts of strange things.
I wonder whether there are any wild animals on the island!" I assured
him that it was quite improbable, and that no dangerous animals of any
kind were ever found on the islands of the Pacific. This, however, did
not seem to satisfy him entirely, and I began to suspect that his mind
was running on the jackalls, tiger-cats, and hyenas of the Swiss Family
Robinson. A question or two which he presently asked, showed that I had
guessed correctly, and I hastened to meet the difficulty, by reminding
him that "their island, (if indeed it was an island at all, and not a
part of the mainland), was situated near the coast of New Holland, from
which animals might pass over to it by swimming."
"Why, I thought," said Johnny, "that there were no wild animals in New
Holland, except kangaroos and opossums: my book of beasts, birds, and
fishes, says so."
This was a fact in Natural History which I was not prepared to gainsay;
especially when backed by so redoubtable an authority as "the book of
beasts, birds, and fishes." For a moment I was taken all aback; but
being loathe to give up my little companion a prey to imaginary
jackalls, tiger-cats, and hyenas, I rallied again, resolved upon one
more desperate effort for his deliverance.
"Well," said I, "the fact is, we don't know exactly where the Swiss
Family Robinson's island really was--it is altogether uncertain. It may
have been near Java, or Ceylon, or the coast of India, in which case,
all those Asiatic beasts could easily have got there--that is, if the
two places were close enough together. Now we know that we are
somewhere in the middle of the Pacific, a vast distance from any
continent, or any of the great Indian islands, so that large animals
here are out of the question, unless they have taken a swim of a
thousand miles or so."
This seemed to be pretty decisive; and I think it settled the jackalls,
tiger-cats, and hyenas, effectually, for Johnny said no more on the
subject, except to remark, that, even if they _could_ swim that
distance, they would stand a bad chance with the sharks and other
sea-monsters; to which I added, as a final clincher, that in any event
they would be sure to starve on the voyage, unless they should bring a
large supply of provisions along. "Well," said he, after a minute's
silence, "I'm not afraid of anything; but somehow or other I feel very
wide awake to-night, and not in the least sleepy."
"Shut your eyes," said I, "and think of a great wheel, whirling round
and round, with a regular and even motion, and never stopping, until you
have counted it go round a hundred times."
Johnny laughed softly to himself, as though pleased with this device,
and was quite still for a minute or two; then he spoke again.
"It has gone round a hundred times, but towards the end it got a-going
dreadfully fast; it _would_ go fast in spite of all I could do."
"Never mind the wheel, then," said I, "but think of the huge lazy swells
in a calm, rising and falling, rising and falling, as they did when we
lay rocking in the boat, all those long days and nights, out on the
sea."
"Well, I'll try--but I don't believe it will be of any use."
"Don't look at the moon, and don't speak to me again--unless for
something very particular--and now good night."
"Good night!" and he nestled down among his leaves again. In a very few
minutes the deep and regular breathing of the little patient, proved the
efficacy of my sleeping prescription, and announced that his troubles
for that night were over.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
DOMESTIC EMBARRASSMENTS.
A DESERT ISLAND BREAKFAST--PERSUASIVE REASONING--ROMANCE AND REALITY--
THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS.
"Now my co-mates, and brothers in exile,
Hath not long custom made this life more sweet
Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods
More free from peril than the envious court?
Here feel we but the penalty of Adam,
The seasons' difference; as the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind."
The next morning "the Islanders," or some of them, at least, were
stirring early; and the first thing that attracted my attention, on
opening my eyes, was a busy group, consisting of Max, Eiulo, and Johnny,
gathered round a fire at a little distance, and engaged in some
apparently very interesting operation. A savoury smell at the same time
saluted my olfactory organs, and on approaching the scene of action, to
investigate the matter more closely, I found my finny prize of the
preceding evening undergoing a somewhat primitive style of cookery, of
which Max appeared to be the chief director and superintendent. A
number of large oysters were also roasting in the embers; and from these
last proceeded the grateful and appetising odour referred to.
"Good morning!" cried Max; "you see we have breakfast nearly ready; and
a breakfast, too, that will be a positive luxury, after so long a course
of cocoa-nut diet; how Browne will exult at the sight of it; how his
eyes will open--to say nothing of his mouth! And don't we deserve a
vote of thanks for our early labours for the general good?"
Morton and Browne at this moment emerged from their respective heaps of
leaves, and, after rather more than the usual amount of yawning and
stretching of limbs, came towards the fire.
"Fee, faw, fo, fum!" cried Morton, snuffing the agreeable smell of the
cookery in progress, "I trust we're not too late for breakfast, and that
there is something more than the savour of good victuals left."
"You are in good time," said Johnny, bustling about the fire with an air
of official dignity, "the first bell hasn't rung yet."
"But why has Shakespeare such a long face?" said Max; "has camping out
caused a reminiscence of rheumatism!"
"Bad dreams, horrible dreams!" answered Browne, shaking his head
solemnly, "which came of lying staring at the moon last night, until I
fell asleep:"--then throwing himself into an attitude, he commenced
declaiming with a tragic air--
"`O, I have passed a miserable night,
So full of fearful dreams, of ugly sights,
That as I am a Christian, faithful man,
I would not pass another such a night
Though 'twere to buy a world of happy days,
So full of dismal terror was the time.'"
"Bravo!" cried Max, applauding furiously, "I like to see that; it's what
I call coming out strong under discouraging circumstances. Here are we,
six forlorn castaways, on a desert island, somewhere, (no one knows
where), in the Pacific Ocean; and, instead of moping, and sulking, and
bemoaning our hard fate, we wake up of a fine morning, quite bright and
cheerful, and one of the six, (or seven, more correctly speaking), goes
to work spouting Shakespeare, carrying us back to old times, and making
us feel, (as Morton would say), like `happy schoolboys again.'"
"What's all this?" cried Arthur, coming forward with a puzzled air,
"what is Max making a speech about? has he taken the stump as a
candidate for the presidency of the island?"
"He needn't do that," said Browne, "we're not going to have any
presidents, or other republican trumpery here; I have formally taken
possession of the island in the name of Victoria; and it is therefore a
colony of Great Britain; I shall apply, at the first convenient
opportunity, for letters patent, making me colonial governor."
"Tory, monarchist!" cried Max, "recant at once, or you sha'n't taste a
mouthful of my breakfast."
"Do you think I'll sell my loyalty for a mess of pottage! No, I'm for a
well-regulated monarchy: hurrah for Victoria!"
"Down with the Britisher!" cried Johnny, entering into the spirit of the
scene, and tugging at Browne's coat-tails; "make him hurrah for the
stars and stripes, or else don't give him any of our oysters!"
"You're surely not going back to the principles of the dark ages--you
won't attack the right of private judgement, and persecute for opinion's
sake."
"The right of private judgment, indeed!" answered Max, with great
contempt. "I hold that no person can have a right, on any pretence
whatever, to entertain erroneous opinions on important subjects,
affecting the welfare of mankind. If a man does entertain such
opinions, it is the duty of those who know better to convince him of the
error by the most effectual arguments at their command. It is,
therefore, my duty to open your eyes to the blessings of liberal
institutions. I have here, (pointing towards the incipient breakfast),
the most powerful means to assist and quicken your perception of the
truth. Shall I not use those means?"
"The line of argument which you indicate is exceedingly forcible, (how
delightfully those oysters smell!) I really think I begin to perceive
some of the advantages of republicanism already."
"With the right of private judgment, properly understood," resumed Max,
"I should be reluctant to interfere. You will, I presume, enjoy the
exercise of so precious a privilege, even with a cocoa-nut breakfast,
which you can probably obtain, by requesting Prince Eiulo to scale one
of yonder tufted trees."
"How clear the matter becomes with a little reflection," observed Browne
"(this camping out in the open air gives one a famous appetite). In
fact your reasoning is almost irresistible, (that fish looks
particularly nice), and really I begin to think I can safely profess
myself a good republican--until after breakfast at any rate."
Max's culinary operations being at last completed, Johnny placed a huge
shell to his lips, and sounded a long blast by way of announcement that
breakfast was ready. The fish was served up in a fresh palm-leaf, and
Johnny declared with much complacency, that not all the crockery-stores
in New York, could furnish a platter of such royal dimensions. The
leaves of the hibiscus, served admirably for plates; for knives and
forks, we used the strong stalks, or central fibres, of cocoa-nut
leaflet; which, with fingers in reserve for an emergency, answered at
least as well as the chopsticks of the Chinese. Upon the whole, it
cannot be denied that our table-service, simple as it was, has its
advantages: it involved no necessity for any washing of dishes, no
anxiety on the score of broken crockery, and we could indulge in the
extravagance of a new dinner set every day, or even at every meal, for
that matter, if so disposed.
The fish proved most excellent, resembling the striped bass in flavour
and appearance: as to the oysters, they were unanimously voted equal to
Shrewsburys.
"Ah!" sighed Max, "if we had now but a cup of coffee and a hot roll,
those inestimable blessings of civilisation, we could almost forget that
we are on a desert island."
"Wait until the bread-fruit ripens," said Arthur, "and we shall have a
tolerably fair substitute for your `hot rolls.' Eiulo will show us the
most approved mode of preparing it, and we shall find it nearly equal to
the wheaten loaf."
"All that Max seems to think about, is the eating," said Browne,
swallowing the last remaining oyster, "but I begin to feel troubled
about another matter: see, I am getting fairly out at the elbows, and
neither `coffee and rolls,' nor roast-beef and plum-pudding in
indefinite quantities, would afford me any satisfaction, compared to the
possession of a supply of clothing, or even a few changes of linen--in
fact, comrades, what are we to do? There is danger that we shall all
become savages: I begin to feel a loss of self-respect already."
"We shall have to go into the manufacturing business, I suppose," said
Arthur. "I have often watched the whole process of making tappa, or
native cloth, from the bark of the paper-mulberry; it is quite simple,
and I have no doubt we can succeed in it; I have talked with Eiulo on
the subject and find that he understands the process thoroughly."
"But are there any paper-mulberries on the island!" inquired Morton.
"I have not seen any," answered Arthur. "If there are none, the bark of
the bread-fruit tree will answer nearly as well: the cloth made from it
is as strong and durable, though not so fine."
"For the present, and before we go into home manufactures," said Max, "I
advise Shakespeare, in order to avoid the loss of his remaining
self-respect in consequence of wearing foul linen, to betake himself to
the beach, wash his garments, and take a bath until they dry in the sun,
which is the course I intend to pursue myself."
"And what are we going to do for shoes, I wonder!" said Johnny, "mine
are badly cracked and torn, and nearly worn out: we shall all have to go
barefoot!" and he looked aghast at the thought.
"We must kill a shark by-and-bye," said Arthur, "when we have nothing
more pressing to do; and we can make leggins, or moccasins, from the
skin."
"How these things kill the romance and poetry of desert island life!"
said Max, "there's no romance about being out at the elbows, or being
obliged to wear dirty linen--"
"Or in doing one's own washing in salt-water, and sitting naked while
one's clothes are drying," interposed Browne, pathetically.
"Or in having your toes poke out at the end of your boots," added
Morton, advancing his right foot in illustration.
"No! these are all stern realities," said Max, "cases not provided for
in the story-books; how is it, Johnny, are there any precedents going to
show how desert islanders do their washing and mending?"
"I think they generally saved heaps of clothes from the wreck," answered
Johnny, gravely. "Robinson Crusoe brought off several chests,
containing ever so many sailors' clothes of all sorts; whether there
were any shoes or not, I don't remember: the Swiss family Robinson also
obtained an abundance of such things from the wreck of their ship before
it sunk; Philip Quarll made garments for himself from the skins of
animals."
"But what are we to do? we havn't any wreck from which to supply
ourselves with chests of clothing, with arms and ammunition, and stores
of ship-biscuit and salt provisions. We're worse off it seems, than any
of our predecessors. And since we are not supplied with the requisite
capital and stock-in-trade for desert islanders, it is reasonable to
infer that we are not destined to a Robinson Crusoe life, so that we may
confidently expect to be taken off by some ship, in a short time."
As we were finishing our breakfast, a couple of tiny, fairy-like tern,
came flying round us. They were very tame, and hovered smoothly over
our heads, at the distance of sometimes but a few feet. Their plumage
was snowy-white, and as they glided quietly around, peering curiously
into our faces, you could almost fancy that there was the gleam of
intelligence in their large eyes.
"O, what beautiful little birds!" cried Johnny, in great delight: "I
wish I had some crumbs of bread for them."
"Who knows, Johnny," suggested Max, "but these strange little birds, as
they seem to be, are no birds, after all, but an unfortunate prince and
princess, who having incurred the resentment of some potent enchanter,
have been transformed by his magical arts into their present shape, and
banished to this desert island; and have now come to us for sympathy and
assistance--see what a mournful expression there is in their mild dark
eyes!" Johnny was pleased with the conceit, and the little tern were
always afterwards known as the prince and princess. They frequently
came hovering around us in the most friendly and fearless manner, when
we were in that part of the island.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
THE PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY.
A VOICE IN THE WOODS--VIVE NAPOLEON!--CALCULATING THE LONGITUDE--THE
"WILD FRENCHMAN'S" HAT.
_Stephano_. Hark! what sound is that?
_Caliban_. Art thou afeard, master?
_Stephano_. No, monster, not I.
_Caliban_. Be not afeard: the isle is full of noises.
Our failure to discover fresh water, or any indications of it, during
yesterday's expedition, increased the anxiety which we felt on the
subject and we determined to devote the day to a continuation of the
search.
The base of Castle-Hill was skirted on the left and divided from the
neighbouring forest by a deep gully, that had much the appearance of a
dried-up water-course, and was probably a channel by which, in the rainy
season, the water from the higher ground was conveyed to the sea. From
the hill we could trace the course of the ravine, until it struck the
beach, near the point where the small grove, before spoken of, seemed to
spring up out of the lagoon. Our last evening's ramble along the shore
had extended nearly to this spot and to avoid going over the same ground
a second time, we struck into the ravine, and followed its course as it
descended towards the beach.
Johnny every now and then, without any apparent object, unless to evince
his entire superiority to any feeling of timidity, separated himself
from the rest and disappeared for a time in the forest, generally
returning with a specimen of some new plant or flower, or an account of
some strange bird, or curious tree, which he had seen. From one of
these adventurous excursions, he came rushing back; closely followed by
Eiulo, both looking a good deal frightened, and, as soon as he had
recovered breath sufficiently to be able to speak, he earnestly affirmed
that he had heard a man call out to him in the wood. His statement was
strange enough; he had found a twining plant, with a flower like a
morning glory, and called loudly for Eiulo, who was a little way off, to
come and see if it was the patara vine. The root of this plant is a
valuable and nutritious esculent, and Arthur had described the leaf and
flower to us, in order that we might recognise it if met with.
Immediately a harsh voice issued from a neighbouring thicket, uttering
some words which he did not distinctly understand, but they were in
French, and were something about Napoleon.
"In French!--and about Napoleon!" cried Arthur, in amazement. "Are you
quite sure, Johnny, that you heard any words at all;--any thing more
than a strange noise of some kind?"
But Johnny was positive;--he had heard the "Napoleon," as plainly as he
ever heard any thing. There were only a few words--not more than two or
three, but they were spoken very distinctly, and quite loud, as if the
person were cheering; he could not be mistaken.
"Only two or three words," pursued Arthur, "would you know them again if
you should hear them repeated?"
"Yes, I think I should."
"Was it `Vive Napoleon!' that you heard?"
"Those are the very words!" cried Johnny; "they were spoken as plainly
as you speak them, but in a rougher voice."
"Did you see any thing--did you look towards the thicket!"
"I saw something stir, but could not tell what it was. The voice was
harsh and angry, and I was frightened, and ran away as fast as I could.
I thought perhaps it was a wild man--some one who had been shipwrecked
here many years ago, and lived alone in the woods until he had grown
wild or mad."
Johnny was so positive in this singular story, that for a moment we
hardly knew what to think of it. Eiulo too had heard the voice--the
same harsh voice that Johnny described as issuing from the thicket. But
the notion of any person amusing himself by shouting "Vive Napoleon!" in
the forests of a solitary island in the Pacific, seemed so preposterous,
that we could not help coming to the conclusion, that some sudden noise
in the wood had seemed to Johnny's excited imagination like a human
voice--though why he should fancy that it uttered those particular
words--the words of a strange language, was a puzzle which we could not
solve. We, however, turned into the forest, and Johnny pointed out the
spot where he was standing when he heard the voice. There were the
vines, with flowers like morning-glories; and there was the thicket
whence, as he alleged, the sound had proceeded. We shouted aloud
several times, but there was no response, except from a large bird that
rose heavily into the air, uttering a discordant scream; and we were
satisfied that it was this, or some similar sound, that had startled
Johnny; in which conviction we dismissed the matter from our minds.
The flowering vine proved to be the patara, which Arthur had been so
anxious to discover, and on digging it up, two roots, resembling large
potatoes, were found attached to the stalk. Quite a number of these
plants were scattered about the neighbourhood; enough, as Arthur said,
to make a tolerable potato patch.
All this time Max was missing, having been some little distance in
advance of the rest, when Johnny had raised his strange alarm. When we
got back into the ravine, he was not in sight, but we had hardly resumed
our progress towards the shore, when we heard him calling out that he
had found water. At this announcement, our orderly march broke at once
into a hasty scramble. Browne alone maintained his dignity, and came on
at his usual elephantine pace, probably suspecting that the pretended
discovery was a hoax. Morton and I raced along the hollow, "neck and
neck," till we suddenly reached a point where there was an abrupt
descent to the level of the shore. We were under too much headway to be
able to stop, and jumping together down the steep bank, we narrowly
missed alighting upon Max, as he lay extended on the ground, scooping up
water with his hand, from the basin of a small pool. I came down close
beside him, while Morton, sprang fairly over his head, and alighted with
a great splash in the centre of the pool. I had barely time to roll out
of the way, when the others, with the exception of Browne, came tumbling
in their turn over the bank, which took them as much by surprise as it
had us. Morton's lamentable figure, as he stood motionless in the midst
of the pool, drenched with water, and with a great patch of black mud
plastered over one eye, together with Max's look of consternation at his
own narrow escape, were irresistibly ludicrous, and provoked a laugh, in
which, after a moment, they both heartily joined.
"Very obliging of you, Morton," said Max, recovering his
self-possession, "I wanted to see how deep it was, and you are a good
enough measuring-stick; just stand still a minute, if you please."
"You have reason to feel obliged to me," answered Morton, extricating
himself from the mud, "it was on your account solely that I got into
this pickle. I had to choose between breaking your neck, as you lay
right in my way, or jumping into this hole, and not having much time to
deliberate, it isn't surprising if I came to a foolish conclusion."
"It would be less unfeeling," replied Max, "as well as more strictly
according to the facts of the case, to say a hasty conclusion, which
might be understood literally, and would then be literally correct."