"Now, tell us, what do you think we ought to do next?" added Jerry.
"Make ourselves as happy as we can, and collect everything which will
serve us as food, in case we have to make a long sojourn here, which it
is, I think, very probable we shall have to do," replied Mr Brand. "A
ship may come off here in a few days or weeks, but we must remember that
perhaps months or years may pass before one is seen. I cannot say
whereabouts we are, but I suspect that the pirates would not have left
us in the usual track of vessels coming north round Cape Horn, or going
east or west. The next thing we have to do is to strip the branches off
the tallest palm on the island, and make it serve as a flag-staff.
We'll then make as large a flag as we can of our handkerchiefs and
shirts, and any stuff which will be light enough to fly well."
We very soon carried out this project, and all of us working away to
join our handkerchiefs, we had by the next afternoon a big flag flying
from what we called our mast-head.
"Why, we shall turn into regular Robinson Crusoes, if we stay here as
long as you were saying we might have to do, Mr Brand," observed Jerry,
as we were working away at our flag-staff. "I cannot say, however, that
I like the look of this island as much as I did that of Juan Fernandez.
If we had our choice, we would rather be there, I should think."
"Very likely; but as you see, Jerry, we have not our choice, we must
make up our minds to be content where we are," answered Mr Brand
cheerfully. "Probably, if we were at Juan Fernandez, supposing it still
uninhabited, we should be wishing to be on the mainland. Let us strive,
therefore, wherever we are, or whatever happens to us, to be content.
Depend on it, we were not placed here by our merciful and all-loving
Maker without an object, though we may never discover it. I do not for
a moment mean to say that we are to sit down idly and not to endeavour
to improve our condition. We are sent into this world to struggle--that
we may in a variety of ways be tried--that all our trials may tend to
our improvement. What I wish to impress on you, my lads, is, that we
should be contented in every condition in which we are placed; we should
be thankful for every step we gain, while our chief aim in life is our
religious and moral improvement. But remember, above all things, that
we must always look beyond this world. This is not our abiding-place--
this is not even our resting-place--there is no rest here. If we only
strive for something in this world--however noble, however great the
position--we shall altogether fall short, very short of the aim, the
object of life."
Mr Brand warmed with his subject, and much more he said of a similar
nature, which I will not now repeat. Jerry and I listened very
attentively, and old Ben Yool tried also to take in what he was saying.
I think he succeeded, and, certainly, on all occasions after that he
bore without a grumble all the hardships to which we were exposed. Poor
Silva lay on his bed all this time, suffering much from his wounds,
while Mr McRitchie, when he could leave his side, went off with his gun
to explore the island, and to search for specimens of its natural
history. There was, however, a good deal to be done before we could
accompany him. First, we had to finish our house, and then to store
within it all the provisions and articles which the pirates had left
with us. The doctor had kept his gun, and we had ours, which had been
brought from the _Dove_, given to us as we left the schooner. These
fire-arms would have been of no use to us, had not Silva given us a keg
of powder and a bag of shot. These treasures we resolved to husband
with great care, as we knew that we might be placed in positions in
which our very existence would depend on our having the means of killing
game, or of defending ourselves against enemies.
"Before we do anything else, we should take an inventory of all we
have," answered Mr Brand. "We must calculate how long our provisions
will hold out, in the first place, and not imitate the example of many
savages, who eat up all they have got, and then starve."
This advice was followed. We found that we had provisions for four or
five months; but we hoped to make them last a much longer time, if
necessary, by eating the birds which swarmed on the island. There were
cocoa-nuts and some other fruits, and we hoped also to catch an
abundance of fish, which are generally to be found about the reefs
surrounding coral islands in the Pacific. Our labours being concluded,
we all sat down together on the beach below our habitation, to talk over
our prospects. Happy, indeed, was it for us all, that we had a man like
Cousin Silas among us, to give us his advice, and to set an example of
patience and hope, and faith in God's merciful providence, and a
cheerfulness which nothing could overcloud. Really, after talking with
him for some time, I often felt that our lot was rather to be envied
than dreaded, and that we were only doomed to undergo a somewhat
prolonged picnic. This example and conversation had ultimately a great
influence with the doctor, who had been inclined to repine and to become
morose, looking with gloomy apprehension as to the future.
A week passed by, and we found ourselves perfectly settled in our new
home. Silva was gaining strength and his wounds were healing, and we
were all in excellent health. The doctor also had almost recovered his
spirits. We began now to take a more extended survey of our island. We
calculated that it was from ten to fifteen miles from one end to the
other, or rather right across; and as it was nearly circular, with a
large lagoon in the centre, we had to walk from thirty to forty miles to
go round it. It was about a mile across in most places. The beach was
formed of broken coral and shells, while the upper portion of the land
consisted of the _debris_ of coral, the dung of birds, and vegetable
earth. Out of this composition grew tall cocoa-nut trees, and palms,
and pandanus trees, besides a variety of shrubs.
The birds had been partially driven away from the spot where we landed
and had been working, but we found them in prodigious numbers a little
way on. Cousin Silas insisted on our tying up old Surley, to prevent
the unnecessary destruction which he dealt among them. Before
committing any great slaughter among them, Cousin Silas advised us to
kill only a few of each description, to ascertain which were the most
palatable for present consumption, and which were likely to preserve
best for future store. Sitting on nests roughly constructed of sticks
among the shrubs, were a number of frigate birds (the _Tachypetes
Aquila_). He is a magnificent fellow, allied in some respect to the
cormorant, but with shorter legs, and having a forked tail. His plumage
is a rich empurpled black, and the beak, both mandibles of which are
curved at the tips, is red. His wings are of immense length, and his
power of flight is wonderful. He can fish perfectly well for himself,
but he is a most irreclaimable pirate, and likes to watch till other
birds have seized their prey, and then he drops down upon them and
carries it away. Sailors also call them men-of-war birds, but I think
they ought to be called pirates. We looked into their nests, and found
only one egg in each.
While sitting down taking our luncheon, we observed a snake crawling
along out of the grass, and wriggling his way towards the sea. For what
he went there I do not know. He had better have kept away. Just as he
got below high-water mark, out darted from the crevice of a rock a huge
crab, and seized him by the nape of the neck. The snake wriggled, and
twisted, and tried to free himself in vain. Mr Crab held tight hold of
him, and seemed resolved to eat him up. Poor Snakie tried to get his
tail round a bit of rock, to keep himself out of the water; but Crabie
pulled and hauled, and, in spite of all resistance, got him down to the
very edge of the water, knowing that when once under it his struggles
would very soon cease. Crabs have, however, to learn the lesson that
there is many a slip between the catch and the feast. A frigate bird
had from afar espied the combat, and, flying like a flash of lightning,
downward he darted and seized the snake by the back. The voracious crab
held on, not liking to lose his prey, till he found himself borne
upwards from the ground, and in unpleasant propinquity to the frigate
bird's sharp beak. He must have felt that if he did not let go at once,
he would be dashed to pieces; still, as a miser clutches his bags of
gold, did Mr Crab the snake. Fortunately for him, the frigate bird had
flown seaward, so that when he did let go, he fell into the water, and,
probably, however his temper might have suffered, he was not much the
worse for the ducking. Had he fallen on the rock, he would inevitably
have had his shell broken, and would himself have become the prey of the
pirate.
There were also sooty terns and gannets. It was interesting to watch
the careful way in which the latter guarded their eggs, placed in holes
on the ground. Wishing to make their offspring hardy, they do not build
nests for them, I suppose; or, perhaps, the warmth of the rock assists
the process of incubation.
There were probably a greater number of tropic birds than of any others.
They would not got out of our way as we walked along, allowing us to
shove them over rather than move. We literally also took their eggs
from under them, without their attempting to make any defence. This
apathy, as we called it, we thought arose from stupidity, but the doctor
examined one of them, and showed us how weak its legs were, while its
feet were adapted only for swimming. Its wings, however, were very long
and powerful. Therefore, had it been up in the air, or skimming along
over the summit of the waves, it would probably have acted in a very
different way. "Never judge of people till you know the sphere of life
in which they have been accustomed to move," remarked the doctor. "A
really sensible, clever man, may appear very stupid and dull, just as
these poor birds do, simply because he is out of his element."
The tropic bird is a species of gull, about the size of a partridge. It
has a red bill and legs. The feathers are white, tipped with black, and
the back is variegated with curved lines of black. The tail consists of
two long, straight, narrow feathers, almost of equal breadth during
their whole length. Their flight is most graceful--they glide along
with scarcely any perceptible motion of the wing. They return every
night to roost on land. They live entirely on fish. The natives of the
South Sea Islands ornament their persons with their feathers. We saw a
number of snakes, but none of them attempted to bite us; and the doctor
said from their appearance that he did not believe them to be of a
venomous character. Whenever we went near the water among the rocks, we
saw large fish darting about, of every colour and shape; huge, long eels
gliding in and out between the rocks, and fierce, voracious sharks
pursuing their prey.
There were a great variety of molluscs; indeed, the whole shore was
composed of shells. We naturally thought that the shells were empty;
but as we watched them, thousands of them began to move, each tenanted
by a soldier-crab, and a whole army of them slowly advanced out of the
sea and marched across the land, devouring all the insects they
encountered in their progress. Now and then two of them would stop and
have a fight over a beetle or a spider, when perhaps a third would step
up and carry off the cause of dispute. We found the spiders' webs
stretching in every direction between the bushes. The spiders
themselves were great, ugly, black fellows, very disagreeable to look
at, and still more unpleasant when we found them crawling over our
faces.
I wish that I could describe the variety of shrubs we found on the
island. Many were evergreens. One, which the doctor called the
suriana, emitted a peculiarly strong, though not unpleasant odour. We
used to be very glad, when the rays of the sun came down fiercely on our
heads, to take shelter under these trees, and to rest during our long
journeys from one end of our dominion to the other.
We in a short time were acquainted with nearly every portion of the
island. Our habitation was about ten miles from the entrance to the
lagoon, so that in one direction we were able to travel twenty miles,
when we arrived at the termination of that part of the circle; and by
going the other way, ten miles brought us to the end of the other. The
passage into the lagoon was probably the eighth of a mile broad.
One day Jerry and I set off, he taking the shorter distance and I the
long way, that we might have the pleasure of looking at each other
across the passage. I do not know that we had any better reason.
Accompanied by old Surley, I set off by daybreak, as over such rough
ground it was difficult to make good more than two miles an hour. It
was therefore the evening when I got there. I looked eagerly across the
channel. There stood Jerry, shouting and beckoning to me. I shouted to
him, and made all sorts of signals expressive of my delight at seeing
him.
After we had played these sorts of antics for some time, I began to
consider that it would be rather tiresome to have to walk all the way
back by myself, and that either I must go across to Jerry, or get him to
come over to me. I was the best swimmer, so I resolved to go over to
him. I made signs that I would do so, and he signified that he was very
glad to hear it. Old Surley seemed as pleased as I was at seeing Jerry,
and leaped and bounded about, barking every now and then, after his own
fashion, to show his satisfaction. Two or three times he ran down to
the water, as if he intended to plunge in and to swim across; and each
time he came back whining and looking up in my face, as if he had
thought it would be wiser not to venture in. I had good reason
afterwards to admire the instinct which prompted him to refrain from
doing what he evidently wished to do.
I had my gun with me, as well as some provisions, which, of course, I
did not wish to wet; and so I had to consider how I could get them over
dry. A raft was the only means, but I reflected that it might prove
somewhat difficult to tow. Still, I did not like to be beat, so I made
signs to Jerry what I was going to do. With a hatchet which I carried
in my belt, and with which I had provided myself to make an arbour for
the night, I soon cut down wood enough to form a raft which would carry
all my things, including my clothes; and I had a line in my pocket
strong enough to tow it along.
All was ready; I launched my raft, and was loading it with my property,
when my eye caught sight of a shoal of fish darting up through the
passage, followed by a black, triangular fin, which I quickly recognised
as that of a huge shark. I saw the horrid monster overtake and gobble
up some of the fugitives, and then quietly come back, as it appeared, to
swim sentry at the entrance of the lagoon. Perhaps he knew that the
fish would make an attempt to get out again the same way. Be that as it
may, I felt no inclination to encounter the gentleman.
When Jerry at length discovered the cause of my hesitation, he made
signs entreating me to go back rather than to endeavour to cross, as I
proposed. Still, I did not like to be driven back, even by a shark. I
made signs that I would make a raft for myself. There were plenty of
materials, the work would not take long, and it would be a triumph to
have overcome a difficulty. I thought the idea a very bright one; so I
at once set to work to build a raft large enough to carry me across the
channel. Jerry tried to make me understand something or other; but I
was so absorbed with my own idea and the work on which I was engaged,
that I could not make out the meaning he wished to convey. While I was
working, old Surley looked on very attentively, as if he wanted to help
me, and fully understood what I was about.
I had built the raft close down to the water; but even so, I had
considerable difficulty in getting it afloat. I succeeded, however, in
so doing at last, by means of a long piece of wood, which served me as a
handspike. Just as I was going to step on it, I fortunately saw the
branch of a tree floating by out to sea, at a rate which showed me that
I might very possibly be carried away by the current before I could get
across. I therefore converted my neckcloth and pocket-handkerchief into
a tow-rope, and towed the raft inside the lagoon. I had made myself two
strong paddles--one to serve in case the other should break. At last I
reached a point where I thought I might embark with safety. Surley, who
had before hesitated, now came and placed himself by me. I had put on
my shirt again, but the rest of my things were on the small raft. I
gave my raft a desperate shove, and away I went, paddling as hard as I
could up the lagoon.
I thought that I had gone far enough, and was in a hurry to get across,
so I began to direct my course athwart the current. At first I made
great progress, and laughed and shouted at the idea of thus easily
accomplishing my undertaking. When, however, I turned my head over my
shoulder, I found to my dismay that I had not got so far from the shore
whence I started as I had fancied, while I was still a long way from
that on which Jerry stood, eager to welcome me. I plied my paddle with
all my might; but I appeared to make very little progress, and the
current was evidently carrying me rapidly down the passage. I looked
seaward: I had ample cause for anxiety, if not for dismay. A long line
of huge breakers was rolling in on an outer reef, while the passage
between them was so narrow that I scarcely hoped that the raft could be
carried through it; and if it was, where was I to go? Out to sea, to be
starved to death! If, on the other hand, I was thrown among the
breakers, I felt certain that I should soon become the prey of the
hungry shark I had just seen swimming after the shoal of fish. These
reflections gave strength to my arm, and made me paddle away even faster
than before.
Jerry full well understood my clanger, and I saw him wringing his hands
in his anxiety; yet he saw that he could do nothing to help me. I felt
that I had been very foolish; and the poignancy of my regret was
heightened when I remembered that I had placed myself in my present
predicament without any necessity or an adequate object. I had little
time, I own, to indulge in such reflections, for all my thoughts and
feelings were soon engrossed with the danger which immediately
threatened me. Jerry ran along the shore as I was carried by, in vain
stretching out his arms as if he would help me. Old Surley sat still,
only now and then uttering a low whine, as if well aware of our peril,
but feeling that he was unable to render me aid. Now and then he looked
into the water, as if he would like to swim ashore, which he might
possibly have done; but then, perhaps, he remembered the shark he had
seen, or he was unwilling to desert me. I truly believe that it was the
latter cause made him remain so quiet by my side. I am certain, from
the expression of his countenance and the turn of his head, that he was
fully aware of our danger.
I paddled and paddled away with all my might, all the time facing the
shore, and getting nearer to it, but at the same time gliding down
seaward. I was about a hundred yards from the shore. I looked towards
the angry breakers, and was not more than twice that distance from the
mouth of the channel. In a small boat there would have been no danger,
but I found my raft a very heavy thing to move. I put still greater
force into my strokes. My paddle snapped in two. Jerry uttered a cry
of despair, for he thought I must now inevitably be lost. I seized the
spare paddle, and flourishing it above my head, began to ply it as I had
done the first. I made some progress, but not sufficient, I feared, to
attain my object. I was approaching the last point. Jerry ran out to
the end of it, and rushed into the water up to his arm-pits, hoping to
stop the raft. I shouted to him to go back; for at that moment I saw
close to me the fin of a monster shark. The savage fish darted on
towards him, and he was barely in time to escape his ravenous jaws by
springing into shallow water. Had he caught hold of the raft, I saw
that he would be lifted off his legs, and carried away with me. Still I
hoped to get within his reach where he stood. But vain was the wish: I
drifted past the point. What hope had I now of being preserved? I felt
inclined to throw away my paddle, and to give myself up to despair. But
I aroused myself. I bethought me how Cousin Silas would have behaved
under similar circumstances. I prayed for strength and courage to Him
who is alone able to give them to those in deep distress. He heard me,
or I should not be alive to tell my tale. Again I seized my paddle, and
plied it with all my might. Still I drifted towards the roaring
breakers. I vividly pictured the horrid fate which awaited me. I
scarcely dared look seaward. I kept my eye on the shore, paddling
without intermission. Suddenly I felt the raft arrested in its progress
towards the breakers. It was partly whirled round, and I found it
gliding parallel with the shore. This encouraged me; hope once more
revived. I directed the raft towards the shore. I saw Jerry waving his
hands with joy; he was answered by a cheerful bark from Surley. I got
nearer and nearer. Oh, how thankful I felt when I found the blade of my
paddle grasped by Jerry, and was towed by him safely to the shore! Old
Surley sprang off on to dry ground, and began leaping up and licking
Jerry's cheeks and hands, to show his gratitude. Jerry and I hauled up
the raft, with its little tender, and landed my things; and then,
overcome with fatigue and the revulsion of feeling which I experienced,
I fainted. I very soon, however, recovered, and kneeling down, joined
by Jerry, I returned my heartfelt thanks to Him whose arm I knew most
certainly had saved me. Afterwards I dressed; and sitting down, we made
a supper from some of the provisions we had brought with us.
We had lost so much time that it was impossible to get back to our
companions that night; so we set to work to prepare a hut and bed for
ourselves before we were overtaken by the darkness, which comes on so
rapidly in those latitudes. We were not long in constructing a bower
and in raising a platform, under and on which we might sleep secure from
the attacks of the snakes and other crawling things which abounded; but
night came down on us before our work was quite completed. However,
free from all fear of savages or wild beasts, we lay down, and were soon
asleep.