Part 76 (2/2)

As there was nothing else to see on Serendib they worked a way between the blue gums back to the raft, and re-embarked for New Formosa. Just before they landed Pan dashed into the water from Serendib and swam to them. He did not seem quite himself, he looked as if he had done something out of the common and could not tell them.

”Was it a crocodile?” said Mark, stroking him. Pan whined, as much as to say, ”I wish I could tell you,” and then to give vent to his excitement he rushed into the wood.

Volume Three, Chapter III.

NEW FORMOSA--NO HOPE OF RETURNING.

After fastening the raft they returned towards the hut, for they were hungry now, and knew it was late, when Pan set up such a tremendous barking that they first listened, and then went to see. The noise led them to the green knoll where the rabbit burries were, and they saw Pan running round under the great oak thickly grown with ivy, in which Bevis had seen the wood-pigeons alight.

They went to the oak, it was very large and old, the branches partly dead and hung with ivy; they walked round and examined the ground, but could see no trace of anything. Mark hurled a fragment of a dead bough up into the ivy, it broke and came rustling down again, but nothing flew out. There did not seem to be anything in the tree.

”The squirrels,” said Bevis, suddenly remembering.

”Why, of course,” said Mark. ”How stupid of us--Pan, you're a donk.”

They left the oak and again went homewards: now Pan had been quite quiet while they were looking on the ground and up into the tree, but directly he understood that they had given up the search he set up barking again and would not follow. At the hut Bevis went in to cut some rashers from the bacon which had not been cooked and Mark ran up on the cliff to see the time.

It was already two o'clock--the work on the raft and the voyage to Serendib had taken up the morning. Bevis showed Mark where some mice had gnawed the edge of the uncooked bacon which had been lying in the store-room on the top of a number of thing's. Mark said once he found a tomt.i.t on the shelf pecking at the food they had left there, just like a tomt.i.t's impudence!

”Rashers are very good,” said Bevis, ”if you haven't got to cook them.”

It was his turn, and he was broiling himself as well as the bacon.

”Macaroni eats his raw,” said Mark. They had often seen John Young eating thick slices of raw bacon in the shed as he sat at luncheon.

”Horrible cannibal--he's worse than Pan, who won't touch it cooked.”

He looked outside the gate--there was the slice of the cooked bacon Bevis had cut for the spaniel lying on the ground. Pan had not even taken the trouble to put it in his larder. But something else had gnawed at it.

”A rat's been here,” said Mark. ”Don't you remember the jack's head?”

”And mice in the cave,” said Bevis.

”And a tomt.i.t on the shelf.”

”And a robin on the table.”

”And a wagtail was in the court yesterday.”

”A wren comes on the stockade.”

”Spiders up there,” said Mark, pointing to the corner of the hut where there was a web.

”Tarantulas,” said Bevis, ”and mosquitoes in the evening.”

”Everything comes to try and eat us up,” said Mark.

The moment man takes up his residence all the creatures of the wood throng round him, attracted by the crumbs from his hand, or the spoil that his labour affords. Hawks dart down on his poultry, weasels creep in to the hen's eggs, mice traverse the house, rats hasten round the sty, snakes come in for the milk, spiders for the flies, flies for the sugar, toads crawl into the cellar, snails trail up the wall, gnats arrive in the evening, robins, wrens, tomt.i.ts, wagtails enter the courtyard, starlings and sparrows nest in the roof, swallows in the chimney, martins under the eaves, rabbits in the garden among the potatoes--a favourite cover with all game--blackbirds to the cherry-trees, bullfinches to the fruit-buds, tomt.i.ts take the very bees even, cats and dogs are a matter of course, still they live on man's labour.

The sandy spot by the cliff had not been frequented by anything till the cave was made and the hut built, and already the mice were with them, and while Mark was saying that everything came to eat them up a wasp flew under the awning and settled on the table.

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