SHOEMAKING--THE EVEN TENOR OF OUR WAY SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED--AN
UNEXPECTED VISIT AND AN APPALLING BATTLE--WE ALL BECOME WARRIORS, AND
JACK PROVES HIMSELF TO 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 also 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 me, 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 fugitives 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
fifteen 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 woods and
soon returned with a bundle of firewood, 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 these 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 he 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 chief's
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 outnumbered 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 awestruck 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 equalised 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 seashore.