THE ARRIVAL OF SAVAGES.
It soon became evident that the supply of petroleum oil saved from
the brig would run short, but here again Quambo came to the rescue.
He and Cassia-bud collected an immense heap of ripe cocoa-nuts, and
every day for weeks were busy doing something or other to them. I
think they wished them to decay. At all events at the end of that
time they set to pounding them up by degrees, and gradually extracted
from the mess quite a large quantity of clear and beautiful oil.
This in a less warm country would have been solid. The lamps in
which the oil was burned were simply cocoa-nut shells cut down. A
little water was put in first, then the oil over this, and wicks of
pith floated on top by inserting them in disks of wood. So the
difficulty of light was got over. And this was certainly something
to be thankful for, because the sun set every night soon after six
o'clock, and to have had to sit for long hours in the dark before
turning in, would have been anything but pleasant.
Besides they had books now, and Fred and Frank took it in turns to
read to the others every night.
Sunday was kept as a complete Sabbath, or day of rest, and prayers
were said and the Bible read, and long walks taken in the woods or
along the rocks.
Fred and Frank could not help marvelling at the wonderful tameness of
the sea-birds as they sat on their nests. Even the frigate-bird, for
example, on its one big white egg, looked like Patience on a
monument, and was not averse to being handled.
I must tell you something about Cassia-bud's pets. First and
foremost he one day found a strange wee bird, that had in some way or
other tumbled out of its nest. He brought it home, nursed it and fed
it regularly day and night, but allowed it as much freedom as it
cared for.
It grew so tame that it followed the boy wherever he went, and was as
often perched on his shoulder or head as anywhere else. It had a
low, long, plaintive cry too, but this was reserved for Cassia-bud's
especial delectation, or for Bob's. The bird, if not on the top of
Cassia-bud, or not eating its food, one would be sure to find on
Hurricane Bob's back. Perhaps his long hair kept its toes
comfortable, then the dog's coat glittered so that the bird often
pretended it was water, and went through all the motions of bathing
in it.
This pet of Cassia-bud's was pure white, with two long trailing tail
feathers of charming crimson. A robber-crab was another strange pet
the boy had. How he had managed to tame this droll and
uncouth-looking monster I cannot say. He fed him regularly with
cocoa-nut, perhaps that was the secret. The crab was at least two
feet in length, and lived in the hollow root of a tree, always coming
out, however, when the boy called him.
Now in early spring, that is, between September and October, the
turtles used to come on shore at some parts of the coast to lay their
eggs. It was very curious to watch them. They were exceedingly shy,
and usually chose a moonlight night for their work. So having now no
fear of kelpies or other apparitions, our heroes, accompanied by
Cassia-bud, used to go to a distant part of the beach and lie in wait
for the turtles. By-and-by a great beast would be seen waddling
slowly and cautiously towards the scrub.
After listening, apparently to make sure no one is looking, she
quietly digs a deep hole about a yard in width. Then presently the
eggs are laid, probably a hundred or two, and one by one taken by the
flipper, as if it were a hand, and gently placed side by side in the
hole. In about an hour's time the business is finished, Then the
eggs are covered with sand, and carefully patted down. Her wonderful
wisdom is shown by the tact that she even tries to conceal the place
by snapping down twigs and leaves and covering it up. She then
waddles off towards the sea again. Now would have been the time for
Fred and Frank to have rushed out and tried their hands at
turtle-turning. But it seemed the height of cruelty at such a time.
Besides, it would have taken them a long time indeed to have eaten a
turtle.
But the eggs were very delicious. Pure white they are and round.
They have no shell, only a skin, and in size are about four inches to
five inches round.
Our castaways soon discovered a plan for supplying themselves with
plenty of young turtle. They simply took the very wee ones, after
they were hatched, and kept them in a natural sea-water reservoir
near the reef, feeding them on different kinds of weeds. They could
in this way have stewed turtle for dinner any day, just as in our
country we have fowls.
Well, one day among the rocks, while gathering algae to feed the
juvenile turtles, Cassia-bud noticed Bob coming wading out of the
water with some huge brown thing. It was a turtle of small size, and
probably not very old. Bob held it by the flipper. When he
attempted, however, to put it down he found that this was impossible.
The turtle had seized him by the collar, and held fast on to it.
Bob looked very serious over it. His catching the turtle was all
very well and very clever he thought, but to be caught by the turtle
in turn was turning the table with a vengeance. He had caught a
Tartar. He shook himself again and again, but all in vain. Then he
walked straight up to Cassia-bud.
"Look here, Kashie," said the dog, talking with his eyes and his
tail, "here is a pretty piece of business! I don't want to wear this
beast dangling on my breast all my life night and day. Can't you
choke him off?"
Cassia-bud couldn't choke him off, however, but he unloosed the dog's
collar; and Bob carried collar, turtle, and all home in his mouth.
Strange to say, the beast became as great a pet with the nigger-boy
as either the bird or the robber-crab. Nor was the turtle a bit
particular as to what he ate, so long as he could swallow it.
* * * * * *
The difficulties to be encountered in building a vessel of any size,
that should be at all seaworthy, seemed at the first blush almost
insurmountable. It was long talked about before anything was done.
Meanwhile the castaways had not been idle, as far as the preparation
of wood was concerned. Even the youngest of my readers must be well
aware that no ship or boat even can be built of wood that has not
been properly seasoned. Here on this strange island timber was
certainly not lacking, but the seasoning of it, as experience soon
proved to our heroes, was by no means so easy as might be supposed;
for it is as much the wind as the sun that dries the wood, and if
done too quickly it not only warps but cracks, and is therefore
practically useless.
Many different kinds of trees were cut down and sawn up and placed in
various situations by way of experiment; some out in the open, others
in the woods, while planks were even steeped for a time in salt water
and afterwards dried.
It was found that planks of the pandanus tree, first steeped for a
week and afterwards dried in the shade, would, as nearly as possible,
suit the purpose for which they were required; so with greater hopes
now in their hearts they went merrily and earnestly to work.
But many months went by before they had sufficient wood of a reliable
nature to fairly commence work with. Wooden pegs had meanwhile been
carefully fashioned, and these had all to be fire-hardened, and were,
of course, of different sizes; they were stored in the woods under
dry fibre from the cocoanut and pandanus trees. The next thing to be
done was to build a neat little furnace in which different sized
boring-irons could be heated to redness, for Fred laughingly
confessed that his plan of making holes with rifle bullets, though
eminently practicable in warfare and house building, was inapplicable
to the building of ships.
Many and many was the sleepless night that the planning of the yacht
gave Fred, or at all events parts of nights, for he would lie and
toss about and think till well on in the middle watch, and very often
even after he did fall asleep his tired brain kept on working at all
kinds of ridiculously impossible vessels, on the stocks and off, till
it was time to get up.
Frank did not trouble himself so much about it
"I leave it all to you, Fred," he said; "your head is far longer than
mine, and not half so thick, so you must be like Noah of old--master,
ship-builder, and engineer all in one."
"Poor Noah," sighed Fred, "I have a higher opinion of him now than
ever; my work is nothing compared to what his must have been."
"And I guess, sah," said Quambo, "de tools he hab am not so good as
ours, sah."
"No, Quambo, so I mustn't grumble."
"I've been thinking," said Frank one morning as they sat together at
breakfast.
"Have you really?" said Fred, pretending to look very much surprised.
"Yes, really and truly, Fred."
"Well then, Frank, will you be pleased to enlighten us all as to the
nature and result of your cogitations?"
"Well, Noah the Second, instead of worrying your self into skin and
bone over this yacht business, why don't we build a raft and be done
with it? If we once embarked on a raft we would get blown somewhere."
"No doubt of it, wise Frank, we might very likely be blown on to a
coral rock in mid-ocean, and have to begin life all over again, only
in this case it would be the life of a cockroach that has tumbled
into a basin of water, very brief but full of excitement."
"Very well," said Frank, "I shan't think any more. I beg leave to
descend from the platform. Pass the clams."
"That's better for you, Frank."
* * * * * *
But one day an event occurred that gave Fred quite a fresh impulse,
and made him determine to proceed with the building of his yacht
against every difficulty that could be thought or dreamt of.
This was nothing more nor less than the arrival on the island of a
couple of naked savages in a small dug-out.
It had been blowing all night a strong breeze from the direction of
the island, that from Beacon Hill could just be seen by the aid of
the telescope. Doubtless the savages had been carried out to sea, or
they never would have attempted so long a voyage in so small and
clumsy a craft as an outriggered dug-out.
As they drew near to the beach--exactly at the spot where the brig
went to pieces--the castaways hid themselves in the bush, lest they
should frighten them.
They landed at last, and stood wonderingly on the sands, pointing to
the ribs of the _Resolute_, that was still visible, black and ghastly
in the surf. Tall and noble-looking figures these savages presented.
They were entirely naked, with the exception of a kind of cummerbund
of fibrous grass around the waist, and each held a long spear in his
hand.
The castaways now stalked out.
The savages uttered a yell, threw their spears at them, one glancing
close past Fred's head, and made a rush for their boat. But before
ever they could get her afloat again our men were upon them and had
made them prisoners.