Part 36 (1/2)
observed theto make the land she may have been driven on one of the hidden reefs which abound everywhere hereabouts”
”And if so, what are we to do?” inquired the doctor
”We must try to reach the nearest islands inhabited by civilised people
We have casks sufficient to hold water for the voyage”
”I still hope she will come,” said the doctor; ”but weanother look round, we returned to the ca fire and the fish cooked We reet out and catch any more fish By this time our stock was completely exhausted--indeed, for the last day it had been scarcely eatable While two of the men remained on shore to collect salt from the rocks, the rest of us went off, and with the crab-bait soon caught a large quantity of fish In two days we got as many as we could well carry Some of these were salted, others were smoked over the fire We didn't fail, as may be supposed, to pay frequent visits to our look-out place on the rock Day after day went by and no sail appeared
”She's not co must have happened to her; and I put it to you whether we remain here or try to reach either japan or the Ladrones Though Guam, which is the chief island of the Ladrones, is much farther off than japan, we are likely to receive better treatment from the Spaniards than we are froain or put us to death The passage there is also likely to proveconcluded his remarks, put the matter to the vote Two of the men said they would rather re to japan, and the doctor and Miles Soper wished to steer for Guam
The rest of us voted with them The mate considered that the sooner ere off the better He said that the island was not a bad residence, but that when the winter caht be unable to catch any fish or find otherlife We therefore at once set to work to prepare for the voyage We first put off and caught a supply of fish, which we cured as before Weto expend our sht require to defend ourselves against any natives who ht prove hostile
Led by the doctor, Brown, Jihbourhood, to collect scurvy grass or roots of any sort which etables The natural productions of the country appeared to be very li up some roots which the doctor pronounced wholeso anted, e came, near the shore on the other side of the bay, on a srohat at first looked like weeds, but I saw the doctor's eye brighten as he espied the weeds
”Here are onions,” he cried, ”of old; and see, here are potatoes, and these are cabbages, though soh to supply us for aup the onions and potatoes with our pointed sticks, and to pull away at the cabbage leaves
”So ago,”
said the doctor, as ere labouring with etablesour lives, for without the from scurvy”
We each of us loaded ourselves with as ered back with them to camp We were received with a loud shout by our coht
We quickly had so in the ashes, on which, with some onions and fish, we made a more hearty meal than we had taken since we landed We had fortunately an iron pot, in which ere able to boil a quantity of the potatoes, and afterwards the greens and so well-seasoned with salt, the doctor hoped would keep for so, having breakfasted at daylight, the doctor and I went up to the top of the rock to take a last look-out for the shi+p On co do the boat in the water loaded, when, all hands getting aboard, we shoved off and stood out through the reef with a fair breeze from the north-west and a sainst us had we been bound for japan, so ere glad that we had decided to sail to the southward
Our boat was soo would be rapidly lightened, and Mr Griffiths told us we must be prepared to heave some of it overboard should bad weather coood spirits, our chief anxiety being about the fate of the shi+p
I e We had the boat's co no quadrant to take an observation or log-line to uess at the rate we ator, and was pretty certain that he was correct We had, we fancied, plenty of food, but from the first he put us all on an allowance of water
While the sea ree our places constantly, and by the doctor's advice he ordered one at a tis about to prevent theed us to spin yarns and sing songs; indeed, he did everything in his power to keep us in good spirits
After the first day of our landing we had not touched any of the biscuits we had brought with us Thesehusbanded with great care in case our other provisions should run short or spoil, which the doctor feared ht be the case We were much indebted to him for the precautions taken, as Mr Griffiths carried out all his suggestions
We had a whole week of fine weather, and we could favourably coe in open boats in the Pacific, exposed to storms, and often with a scant allowance of food and water The as generally from the northward, and when it fell calm we took to our oars Mr Griffiths told us that we had a distance of between seven and eight hundred miles to run, as far as he could calculate, and that if the fine weather continued we ht
We had got on so well that we began to fancy that we should have no difficulties to encounter We were, of course, constantly on the look-out for vessels At length we sighted a sail, but she was standing away frohtfall her topgallant sails sank beneath the horizon, and we again kept on our course
”I wonder whether that craft out there is the _Intrepid_,” said Jim to me
”Little chance of that,” I remarked ”If she escaped shi+pwreck, or has not been severely da before we left the island”