Part 6 (2/2)
”Well--no; not exactly what you'd call a h hills,” answered Billy
”And how big do you suppose the island to be?” I asked
”How big?” repeated Billy ”Oh, really I don't know; quite a big place, I'd say It stretches athwart our bows as far as you can see, both ways”
”The dickens it does!” I exclaimed ”That is very extraordinary I cannot understand it At that rate the island ! Yet there is no such island shown on the chart; no island of any sort, indeed, large or small, just where we are Yet I have been under the ihly surveyed The main fact, however, and the one most important to us is that _we are here_, with very little prospect, I fear, of getting away again for soet busy; there is evidently no time to waste Billy, please find ravely; then shook his head
”That's all very well, Mr Blackburn,” he said, ”but what's the good of talkin' about turnin' out, when you haven't even got strength enough to lift yourself up in bed? No, sir, please don't atte so foolish; you'd only fall, and hurt yourself worse What you've got to do is to get well as quick as ever you can; and the best way to do that is to stay where you are until you've got your strength again And I'll help you all I can; I'll feed you up, and look after you, and tell you everything that happens; but please--_please_ don't be in too great a hurry; this is a case of 'the more hurry, the less speed'; I'm sure of it Only trust yourself to et you well as quick as ever I can”
”By Jove, Billy,” said I, ”I believe you will You have done marvellously well, thus far Why, boy, you reat physician; and you talk e Yes; I will trust myself absolutely to you But, now that I come to look at you, your eyes are so heavy with sleeplessness that you seeed for sleep while I have been ill?”
”Oh,” answered Billy, ”I've done pretty well When you've been quiet for a bit I've stretched myself out on the sofa and slept until you woke me with your ravin'; but now that you've coood_ rest”
”I hope you will,” said I ”And there's no ti very coo and turn in, and get that really _good_ rest that you spoke of
Leave open the door ofI'll call out for you”
Thanks to the tireless attention hich Billy tended me, and the meticulous care hich he followed the instructions set forth in the book of directions attached to the shi+p's ain troubled with delirium, nor did I experience any other set-back of any kind; on the contrary, I ht I was able to be up and about again, although it was so of a task to climb the companion stairway to the deck, even with the help of Billy But, that task once achieved, I ain Upon my first visit to the deck afterof a shock My last view of the brigantine had shown her all ataunto, and although what Billy had told aze, I must confess that I was distinctly taken aback when upon one by the board, all the bulwarks swept away, and the deck ha of the mainmast with all attached stretched fore and aft, while the fore upon the coral while its splintered lower extrehtheads The fore topmast had carried away close to the cap and, with the yards, was afloat under the bows, fast to the wreck by the standing and running rigging The life- boat that had served me so well had practically disappeared, only the keel and a fragalley reular use by Billy for the preparation of our meals Almost my first care was to sound the well, in the hope that by soht have, so far, escaped serious daain; but, of course, that was too much to expect I found nearly two and a half feet of water in the well, which was about the depth alongside; the inference therefore was that, upon striking the reef, the shi+p had been bilged, or some of her planks had been started, and that therefore, if it depended upon ain
I next turned my attention to externals Helped by Billy, I tottered to the skylight and seated myself upon the cover, from which I obtained a clear view of the whole reef, from horizon to horizon It appeared to be a typical exahly parallel to the shore of the island, froreatly in width, for while in soed it to be not more than five or six yards wide, it was nearly or quite three hundred yards here the brigantine lay And most fortunate was it for us that it was so; for if, after striking, the shi+p had been driven over the inner edge of the reef to the cooon, she would assuredly have gone down, taking us with her As it was, there was a space of only about a fathoe of the reef, as I ascertained later The great wall of surf, fifty feet high, breaking perpetually upon the outer face of the reef, and stretching ht, especially in the early reat cloud of spray, creating a most beautiful and perfect rainbow
That same wall of spray, by the way, effectually excluded all view of the ocean outside, so that even if a whole navy happened to be passing, we should never catch the s as we remained aboard the wreck It was evident, therefore, that the first step toward an escape from our present predica of value to the island
By a natural transition of thought I next turned my attention to the land which stretched north and south athwart the bows of the wreck A great belt of s some twowhite sand, both extending to right and left as far as the eye could see To the south the land seeht below the horizon, but northward it appeared to terhteen miles distant; I considered, therefore, that the island must measure, froht measure from east to as not to be easily detere of hills appeared to be nearly or quite twenty miles distant; and how uess The description of the island which Billy had given ood one There was the far- stretching ribbon of white beach, bordered on its inshore in by innuently, in irregular folds, to the hills in the rear, every inch of soil, apparently, being clothed with vegetation of soh the shi+p's telescope--to be smothered in blossoms of varied and ht to a h the lenses of the telescope, in search of so; no cleared and cultivated land, no ss, no canoes on the beach, no ulls, pelicans, and other aquatic birds that wheeled and screaht be the only life on the island
”Well, Mr Blackburn, what do you think of it?” deth I lowered the telescope from my eye
”It is wonderful,” I declared ”I am amazed I si place There is nothing in the least like it shown on the chart anywhere near the spot which it actually occupies, yet how it has so far escaped the notice of the hydrographers is a puzzle to me The matter, however, which most concerns us is that, viewed from here at least, it appears to be a sufficiently desirable place, on which we ought, without difficulty, to find a ashore there for a time appeal to you?”
”Oh, I say!” exclaimed Billy, ”that will be splendid! Just think of the jolly tihtin' the savages, and havin' all sorts of splendid adventures”
”Well,” I said, ”sos may possibly come our way, but we really want no exciteht where we are, so long as the wreck holds together and remains habitable; but the trouble is that we don't kno long that ht send such a tre in over the reef as to wash the old hooker off the reef into the lagoon, where she would quickly founder--which is the reason why I consider that we must establish ourselves ashore as soon as possible”
”Oh!” exclaiht of that Do you really think, Mr Blackburn, that there's a chance of the wreck sinking?”
”It is quite possible,” I replied, ”although I have known cases where stranded wrecks have remained for years undisturbed Still the possibility ainst, wherefore it is of the ut ourselves safely settled ashore”
”Then, what do you propose to do, sir?” deh to do any work,” said I, ”I shall start to build some sort of a craft in which we can ferry ourselves across the lagoon and explore the island in search of a suitable spot upon which to pitch our ca will depend upon the conditions on which we find it possible to live But one condition is of paramount importance; we must establish ourselves where a clear view of the open sea can be obtained, and fronal to any shi+p that ht And now, Billy, do you happen to knohether there is any timber aboard, out of which it would be possible for me to build a boat without the preli up the _Yorkshi+re Lass_?”
”Why--yes--I--I believe--there is,” answered Billy hesitatingly ”I can't say for certain, but I see about buyin' some planks as a stand-by in case of repairs of any sort bein' needed; and I believe I saw some planks and scantlin' down in the fore hold a bit later, while the shi+p was still in dock If the timber's aboard anywhere, that's where you'll find it, Mr Blackburn”
”Thanks, Billy,” said I ”As soon as I ah to lift a hatch ill explore the fore hold, and see what is to be found there”
Nearly a fortnight elapsed before I was strong enough to open the fore hatchway, even with Billy's help; but when at length we ed it ere amply rewarded for our labour, an abundant supply of planks and scantling for our ut found I took careful stock of it all, recording the nature and di and plank, and then, providing myself with paper, pencil, and scale, I set to work to scheme out a craft that should be easy to build, fast, stiff and weatherly under canvas, a fairly good sea-boat, and of light draught It was a decidedly ambitious sche bigger than a three-foot reat value to n that I believed would approach within a reasonable distance of my requirements This done, I routed out the carpenter's chest of tools froot up on deck such timber as I immediately required, and started work, with Billy as an enthusiastic helpmate
CHAPTER EIGHT