person had been marooned, or, like ourselves had been cast away on the
island, and, driven mad by solitude, exposure and the contemplation of
his position had probably for several years roamed the forest as a wild
man--a wild beast in every sense, except his origin. We moved the body
to a corner of the chamber, composed the limbs and went out into the
sunlight.
The long lever remained under the stone which had covered the opening,
and we worked it back into place--closing the treasure chamber, now a
tomb. We covered the stone thickly with earth and turned toward the
forest.
Without further incident we reached the house at the cove and proceeded
to put everything in order in anticipation of the coming rainy season
which, we promised ourselves should be a busy one with us, between boat
building and general occupations; and we viewed the future not without
pleasant anticipations. We were comfortable, with every want supplied, a
happy family sharing a common lot.
Never was there a complaint made by any of us. We indulged in
conversation about home, our individual lives, and discussed matters of
present and future moment.
*CHAPTER XXII.*
_*Boat Building; a Startling Sound*_*.*
Out first work of magnitude was the construction of a great shed in
which to build the boat, sheltered from the weather. This occupied us
many days; for it was of considerable size, twenty-five feet long and
about two thirds as wide. The method of construction was exactly the
same as in the other structures and need not be described again. It was
closed all around except the end next to the beach. This was left open
to afford both air and light.
House-building was varied by several trips to the stranded vessel which
remained on the reef precisely as we had left it. Our raft, too, was in
a perfect state of repair.
Many of the deck planks we removed, as well as all the boarding of the
deck-house and the sheathing in the cabin. We were careful to save
every nail, and we found a further supply in the fore-castle. These,
though common "cut" nails, could readily be transformed into "clinch"
nails by heating, in which form they would be available for fastening
the boat together.
The heavy deck planking we proposed to use for the keel and frame of the
craft, as well as for oars and thole-pins. All the lumber and such
small rope as we believed would be of use to us, also quantities of
sail-cloth, were transported to the shore and piled inside the shed.
These duties were varied by occasional trips to the forest to hunt wild
pigeons, fishing in the stream or jaunts to the pool for fruit. These
were holidays to us, during which work was forgotten and we all entered
into the spirit of the occasion.
Day by day the clouds of the morning lingered longer and longer and were
less quickly dispelled by the sun's rays. They became more sombre as
the days went by, and sunset was preceded by fitful gusts of wind,
indicating that the rainy season was coming on apace. So we abandoned
further work on the boat and began to lay in a supply of cocoanuts and
yams.
While returning from the pool one day, as we passed the bamboo thicket
an idea occurred to me which I lost no time in communicating to Mr.
Harborough.
It was this; to fasten bamboos, of good size, around our boat, outside,
immediately below the gunwales, reaching from stem to stern. This would
render it more buoyant, for the bamboo, consisting as it does of hollow
joints, would have the same effect as air bags, or water-tight
compartments. Such a device would, I believed, make it impossible to
capsize the boat, thus making it doubly seaworthy and rendering our
escape from exile more certain.
"It is a capital idea," exclaimed Mr. Harborough. "And while we are
about it," I continued, "we may as well select a bamboo for a mast."
My companions fully approved of my ideas and we at once set to work to
cut the bamboos and carry them to the boat-house.
This work occupied us a good many days, for it was slow and laborious,
even with the aid of the axe; for the outer part of the bamboo is
extremely hard.
We now proceeded to strengthen the outer part of the wall of the house,
and to renew the thatch of the roofs, all of which required several days
of labor, cutting the grass and fastening it into place.
A large supply of wood was gathered and stored in the farther end of the
boat-shed; in short we made every preparation for a comfortable rainy
season, protected from the wind and the rain. Hurricanes could not be
guarded against, so we only hoped that they would give us a wide berth.
The first showers had set in ere we resumed work on the boat. From one
of the best planks we fashioned the keel, which was laid with some
ceremony, Marjorie constituting the audience; after which we set about
getting out the stern-post and the frame-pieces. While we were thus
occupied Marjorie performed the house-hold duties, and, at odd times,
busied herself heating the nails white-hot, and dropping them into
water, which process transformed them into "clinch" nails.
She also made several bags from sail-cloth strongly sewed, for the
reception of the gold. The bags were filled with the coins, securely
sewed up and stored away in Marjorie's trunk, nearly filling it. We
decided that this would be the safest way to dispose of it for the
present.
Work on the boat went on apace, each day being much like its
predecessor. The daily showers became more frequent and copious and we
saw the sun less often.
At times we felt depressed and our isolation grew irksome.
One morning, having had breakfast, we started for the boat-house, when
we were brought to a sudden stand-still.
A long-drawn sound like a trumpet blown at a distance echoed and
reverberated through the trees. It continued several seconds, during
which we remained in a listening attitude.
Neither of us spoke.
It was repeated again; what could it mean, what could it be?
Surely it could not come from any wild animal for we had seen none
larger than a pig.
Had we been believers in the existence of demons, we must have at once
decided that a demon lurked in the forest behind us.
*CHAPTER XXIII.*
_*Rescue at Hand; Leaving the Island*_*.*
Marjorie had heard the sound, also, and came toward us.
Suddenly she pointed out toward the sea, uttering the exclamation,
"look."
We both turned and looked in the direction indicated.
A boat was rounding the point; a real boat.
There were men in it, four men. The boat shot around the point and
began skirting the shore toward us.
We saw that they were black men, dressed in rough but civilized
garments.
They were conversing among themselves, speaking in a tongue which we did
not understand.
Were they friends or foes? Stepping quickly into the house we took our
guns and waited behind the stockade, standing so we could watch the
boat. It had the appearance of a canoe, made of wood. Evidently the
black men had seen our house as the canoe was turned toward the shore.
She grounded in a few seconds, and the men sprang ashore. They
cautiously approached the boat-shed peered into it, and then came slowly
toward the house. Beckoning Marjorie to remain out of sight we grasped
our guns and stepped boldly out, resolved to meet the emergency
unhesitatingly, whatever it might be.
To our surprise the black men stopped with a shout of joy.
One a tall, fine looking negro, stepped toward us and extended his hand
to us.
"Fo' de Lard, Marsa; Who is yo', how long yo' ben heah?"
I told him that I had been here many months, and that my two companions,
pointing to Mr. Harborough and to Marjorie, who now came forward, had
been here half as long.
Then he told us a strange story, one which gave us great joy.
He said that they were coming from their island to this one to hunt
turtles, at the great breeding place which I had discovered on my first
march to the mountain, and that, while nearing the east coast of our
island a steamer came along, slowed down and then stopped.
Men on the steamer seemed to be looking at the island with glasses, and
then the whistle of the steamer was blown. This was in the late evening
before. Presently the steamer started and when it came up with the
canoe the "cap'n" asked them if there were any people living on the
island.
The black men answered in the negative, adding that none of the turtle
hunters dared go far from shore, for a terrible savage monster half man
and half demon, lurked in the forest. The "cap'n" told them he had seen
a beacon on the top of the mountain, and that he believed some one was
signalling for assistance. So he bargained with them to follow close
along the shore, searching carefully in every cove, while the steamer
followed slowly.
The steamer anchored during the night and the black men were taken on
board.
At daylight that morning the black men continued along the shore in the
canoe, the steamer following. As the canoe came in sight of the cove
they saw the wreck and signalled back to the steamer, which had answered
by a blast on her whistle.
It was the sound of the steamer's whistle which we heard just before the
boat appeared. In a few minutes a large steamer came in sight from
behind the point and anchored off the cove. A boat was immediately
lowered and rowed swiftly ashore. A man in uniform sprang ashore and
came hurriedly to us, extending both his hands which we eagerly grasped.
He was the second officer of the Royal Mail steamship _Dunmore Castle_,
from England for West Indian and Colombian ports. When off the east
side of the island somewhat out of her course by reason of a heavy
squall into which she had run a few hours before sighting the island,
the first officer had seen my beacon and called the Captain's attention
to it. The rest had been related by the black men.
My story is nearly told. We were transported on board the steamer, with
such of our belonging as we wished to take with us. The great weight of
Marjorie's trunk called forth some remarks from the men who handled it,
but we made some casual allusion to rare sea-shells and other curios and
felt relieved when the trunk was on board.
The _Dunmore Castle_ proceeded to make her ports of call, during which
we had to give a detailed account of our life and strange adventures on
the island, to the wondering passengers.
We were landed at Kingston, Jamaica, from whence we proceeded by stage
over-land to Port Antonio on the north-east coast, where we embarked on
the steamship _Sama_, for Boston, with fruit.
I have nothing more of interest to relate, unless the reader may like to
know that I see Marjorie every day still, and that her father visits us
at least once each year, when we talk over and over again, the incidents
that I have, in my humble way, tried to relate.
FINIS.