ON THE DESERT ISLAND--TODDIE'S ADVENTURE ON THE
CLIFF--THE BONFIRE.
What a gladsome, joyous morning! And how brimful of health and
happiness were those two lads, Fred and Frank! Both seemed to wake
at once; then they looked in each other's faces, blinked a little in
that yellow ray of sunshine, then burst out laughing.
In about five and a half seconds, as nearly as I can judge, they were
both on deck rubbing their eyes and looking about them.
"Isn't it famous?" cried Frank.
"Oh, it's grand!"
"But I say, you know, what about my mamma and your Mammy Mop?"
"Oh, that'll be alright! Daddy and mammy are so sensible, both of
them."
"So are mine, but----"
"But what?"
"Well, they know I'm not. They haven't forgotten those lobsters yet."
"Well, I'm going to forget everything as much as I can. I have my
wee sister to comfort and see after. Daddy will pray for us, and
then he'll be content and happy."
"I say, are you hungry?"
"Yes; so now I'm Captain Fred, and you're my lieutenant."
"Oh, no, captain, you're Crusoe, and I'm your man Friday."
"Well, Friday, bustle about and get ready breakfast; cook down there
by that rock, and I'll see to the Fairy Queen--Toddie, you know."
Now there was going to be no starvation for some days to come, if
indeed they were not rescued before then. Fred had always an eye to
eventualities, and he had had the little yacht stored with biscuits
and preserved meats and milk in tins. Frank had insisted on paying
for all his stores, as he was owner, though Fred was sailing master.
Down below went Fred. Toddie was still sound asleep, and as for Tip,
who lay in her arms, he would have slept for two days if his little
mistress but lay still. Fred did not wake her just yet.
It had just occurred to him that there was scarcely a drop of water
in the ship. This was terrible, for perhaps there was none in the
island.
But then they had seen sheep. Oh, there must be water!
So off the boys went with a can to explore. There were no savages on
the island, and so Toddie would be safe. They found a patch of
scraggy bushes near a rock. A great striped snake wriggled away, and
then Fred felt sure there was water near by.
Yes, trickling out of a rock, a lovely wee crystal rill. How sweet
and cool it was! Both drank and felt refreshed. They filled the can
and hurried back to the ship.
Fred got a nice basin of the cool water, a towel and soap, and
descended once more to the cabin.
To his dismay, Toddie was gone! and Tip was gone! For a moment he
was bewildered; then he called Frank, and off they ran all round and
up and down the island, which was certainly not a large one. They
shouted again and again, but there was no answer. At long last
though, they saw Tippetty at some distance, standing with his paws on
the very edge of a dizzy cliff, looking over.
Fred's eyes felt starting from the sockets with fear. He did not
even notice that poor Frank had fainted and fallen on the green turf.
On and on towards Tip went Fred--slowly, silently, his hands
stretched in front of him--walking as one dreams of walking in a
terrible nightmare.
At last--oh, joy!--Tip started away from the cliff with a joyful
bark, and next moment, catching by a scraggy bush, Toddie pulled
herself up, and quite laden with a curious kind of mauve stonecrop,
came rushing to meet her foster-brother.
Fred clasped her in his arms, kissed her face, and burst into tears.
Toddie could not quite understand the terrible danger she had been
in, nor the extent of the fright she had given them, till they found
Frank. He was just reviving.
"So foolish to faint," he said sleepily.
"Oo is vely, vely white," Toddie said. "O Flank, I'se been a naughty
dirl!"
"You are safe, Toddie. Come."
Toddie went and sat by him a short time, and made him laugh at last;
then the boys made a "Queen's chair" by interlacing their hands.
Toddie sat thereon, and thus, laughing and running, they returned to
the cove, Tip barking round them all the time.
Toddie promised faithfully not to go near the terrible cliff again,
so happiness was completely restored.
How they did enjoy that breakfast to be sure! But they could not sit
there all day, so up they got at last. Toddie took off her stockings
and shoes, and rolled up her sleeves, and commenced at once to wash
up and clear away, while Crusoe and his man Friday went to examine
the yacht. She was deeply imbedded in the soft sand, but her bottom
was found to be sound, though doubtless she would leak when floated
again. The sails were intact, but the mast had gone by the board.
So they unloosed the former and spread them out to dry, and hauled
the mast out of reach of the water. Then down they sat to consider
their position, while Toddie, having tidied herself and done up the
cabin, went to paddle on the beach with Tip. Fred was full of
resources.
Frank was more full of fun than anything else.
"Have you anything to propose, Friday?" said Fred seriously.
"Yes," said Frank, "I propose that I should listen and nod my head to
all you say. I'm only a nigger you know, a black irreclaimable
savage."
"Well, you know this island is only a solitary patch in the middle of
the sea, and there are hardly any others visible; but I think, you
know, we could float the _Water Baby_ and rig the broken mast as a
jury."
"You're the best _judge_," said Frank, "so it will be judge and jury."
"Be quiet, Friday; how dare you, sir!"
"All right, sah, I'se goin' to be quiet and circumspecful like."
"We haven't a spade, but we have an axe," said Fred; "and I saw some
old spars up there, so we could soon make a spade, no, two spades.
Then we could dig away the sand all round her at low-water, and at
high-water she would float; then we could shove off, and if the wind
would favour us, we could steer for the east, and get home all right.
I really think it can be managed."
"Oh, look, look!" cried Friday. "Why it's a goat! Oh, if we could
only learn him to dance, what fun it would be, massa Crusoe!"
Then up jumped Frank.
"Tip, Tip, Tip," he cried. "Toddie, Toddie, Toddie."
And the wild wee maiden with her daft wee doggie came bounding to the
call.
"I'm going for an explore," said Frank.
"But our work?" said Fred.
"Oh, bother the work, that can wait!"
"Well, we can all go for a little while. Put on your stockings and
shoes, Tod."
Toddie gladly did as she was told, and away the shipwrecked mariners
went. There was a high bit of ground, almost a hill in fact, in the
centre of the island, and they climbed this first. They found a goat
and two kids up here, but they went bounding away like red deer.
"I don't think they can be taught to dance, massa Crusoe," remarked
Frank.
"I fear not, Friday."
From the hill they could see all "wound the world," as Toddie phrased
it. What a beautiful world it was too, a world of peaceful blue
waters, a world of blue sky, fleecy cloudlets and sunshine, but
apparently a world of lonesomeness! They could barely see the
mainland, and they could just make out some islands lying far away to
the west, with one steamboat, the smoke trailing like a dark snake
far in the rear, but never a ship was there to be seen, and not even
a boat.
As they were gazing westwards Toddie noticed a fountain of white
spray rise up out of the blue water, and presently another. She
clapped her hands with delight.
"Oh," she cried, "it is a Johnnie whale!"
And the Johnnie whale came nearer and nearer till they could see his
huge bulk rising and falling in the sea.
Soon after a merry shoal of porpoises passed close to the island.
They were leaping out of the water, and even cooing in their joy.
But Toddie's thoughts and sympathies were with that Johnnie whale.
"Oh," she said, as if the whale could hear her, "don't tome near the
shole, Johnnie. Swim home, oo silly whale, oo mammy will die if she
never sees oo any more."
The children walked all round the cliff edge. They found one other
bay or harbour, but with the exception of this and the cove into
which the little yacht had been so providentially thrown, the shores
of this island presented to the waves a dark and impenetrable
barrier. They explored the little harbour. There were the ashes of
a fire that had long, long been extinguished, but no mark of a single
footprint in the sand to show that any boat had been recently here.
So they went slowly back to their yacht. The sea-birds screaming in
myriads about them, and the wild rabbits here and there on the
stone-covered sides of grey hillocks standing up on their hind legs
and wonderingly looking at the little strangers. Indeed, the
wildness of the sheep, and the few goats, and the exceeding tameness
of the coneys and gulls, were proofs that the island was seldom
visited.
For the time being our little heroes were undoubtedly monarchs of all
they surveyed.
Dinner, however, was the first thing to be thought about. That
discussed, the boys left Toddie and Tip to clear up while they
started work.
"The first thing, Friday," said Crusoe, "is to build a fire on the
hillock. There is a lot of brushwood, so come on."
They gathered plenty of stuff, and heaped it up, all ready to light
after nightfall, or rather in the gloaming; for the nights were now
short, and unless boats were actually sent out to look for them there
would be small chance of the fire attracting much attention. And
smoke seen during the day by any passing ship or vessel would only be
considered the work of some shepherd or tourist.
There was more wood down in the little bay that they had explored,
but a fire there would not be easily seen; besides, even if seen,
sailors or fishermen would put it down to kelp-making.
There was quite a wealth of wild flowers here also, many that even
Fred had never seen before, so they culled great bouquets and,
brought them back with them to Toddie, who at once set about
decorating the yacht. This work kept the child busy, and Tip too,
who took intense interest in all his little mistress did.
"Suppose, Friday," said Crusoe, "we inspect stores?"
"Suppose, massa," said Friday, "we read a book instead?"
"No, no, Friday boy. No laziness. Get up the stores at once."
So Friday obeyed, and Crusoe carefully counted all the eatables.
"We have enough to last us for over a week," was Crusoe's summing up.
"Then we can fish."
"Oh, yes, Friday, I hadn't thought of that! Get the lines out, and
we may catch some for supper."
There was one thing they were rather short of, namely, spirits for
the stove; but they contrived a regular gipsy-fire of wood, with
stones so arranged that they could place a saucepan over the glowing
embers. Toddie brought her picture-books down to the rocks, and the
boys began to fish.
Fishing is a dreamy kind of employment anyhow, so it is no wonder the
time flew fast away.
"Oh, isn't all this jolly!" said Friday, as he pulled in his fifth
grey mullet. "Now, massa, how nice it would be to stay here a month,
if we could only catch a seagull and send it home with a message."
"That would be glorious. But see, Friday, the sun is nearly down.
What lovely colours!"
"Now for supper," cried Frank
The fire was soon made, and the fish were roasted as Indians cook
their fish, by attaching them to a sloping wood grating close to the
dying embers.
"It is a supper worth being shipwrecked twenty times for," remarked
Fred.
This sentiment was agreed to by his friend, and seconded by the
little queen.
"Oh!" said her majesty, "Tip and I is twite full of joy and--and----"
"Grey mullet," said Fred, laughing. "Come, Tod, we're going to make
this bonfire."
That was a blaze. Surely it could be seen a hundred miles away!
What fun they had too, chasing or racing round the flames and through
the smoke till Toddie looked like a gipsy's bairn, and Frank was
black enough for any Friday.
Then they heaped more wood up with damp stuff to keep it alight.
They washed themselves at the rill, dried their faces with their
handkerchiefs, then joined hands and went singing back to the boat.
Frank read aloud from Robinson Crusoe for quite an hour, then they
said their prayers and turned in.
But on this night Fred and Frank slept under the sails on the sand,
so that they might hear if any boat came, and Toddie and Tip had all
the cabin.
"You won't feel lonely, will you, Tod?" said Fred last thing.
"No," said Toddie, "I've dot Tippetty you know, and I s'pose the Dood
God isn't _vely_ far away."