Part 17 (1/2)

”I am not going to work,” said poor Mr Holt, who was seated by himself on a rock. ”I was brought here against my will, and do not intend to be made a slave of.”

”Poor fellow,” observed Harry, ”he is not yet recovered from his attack, Well, Mrs Rumbelow, I will accept your services; but what we have to do must be done quickly, as night will shortly be upon us.”

The wooding party under Paul Lizard, as soon as they had collected all the axes and large knives to be found, went off to the wood at a short distance from the landing-place. The cutter was quickly unloaded. The doctor, in the meantime, had been surveying the island across the harbour with a spy-gla.s.s. ”I see several dark objects moving up the bank,” he observed. ”I have no doubt they are seals; and, if so, we may hope to obtain an ample supply of fresh meat. We shall find clubs of more use than our guns,” he added; ”make haste, and get some ready.” As soon as the clubs were cut from some small trees growing near the beach, the doctor, fearing that the seals might return to the water before they could get up to them, hurried his companions into the boat, which pulled away across the harbour. The launch had been hauled alongside the rocks, and as soon as she was unloaded, Harry and the boatswain set to work to erect a tent. The mast served as the ridge pole, and the spars and oars formed supports over these, while the sails of the two boats were spread and secured to the ground by stones placed along the lower edges. Besides this, the canvas was made fast with las.h.i.+ngs and ropes to the poles. A tent of tolerable dimensions was thus formed, sufficiently large to protect all the women and children.

”Should rain come on, there is something it wants,” observed Mrs Rumbelow, who had been very active in bringing up the things from the boats. ”We must spread a flooring of some sort. It will not do for Mrs Morley and the young ladies to lie on the bare ground.” Saying this, and summoning the other women, she hurried off to the wood. In a short time she and her attendants returned with loads of spruce fir-tops. These were spread over the ground at one end of the tent.

The cutter's foresail had been triced up, and served as a part.i.tion.

”There, marm,” she said, addressing Mrs Morley; ”we have fitted up a room for you, and the two young ladies, and Mrs Twopenny, where you may be tolerably private; I wish it were a better one. You have not been accustomed to this sort of rough life; but I and most of the other women have seen something of it before, and can manage very well in the rest of the tent. I only hope the children won't disturb you at night.”

Mrs Morley warmly thanked her.

”Bless you, marm,” answered Mrs Rumbelow, ”we have only done our duty.

We could never do too much for our poor colonel's lady; so pray, marm, don't talk of thanks.”

Mrs Morley and the other ladies gladly took possession of that portion of the tent prepared for them, feeling truly thankful that they could rest without the dread of awaking and finding the dark seas tossing and foaming around them. As soon as the tent was set up, the boatswain and most of the other men joined the party in the wood, to collect the boughs and the thickest bushes they could find. With these they erected a number of wigwams, within which all the men might lie down and find shelter. Mrs Rumbelow would not yet let her attendants rest, but back again they went to the wood, and returned laden with as much fuel as they could carry. A large fire soon blazed up.

”I wish we had some seal-flesh ready for cooking,” observed the boatswain to her as she began busily to employ herself in roasting the last of the penguins, and the few remaining eggs which had been brought from the rock. ”This sort of work makes one hungry.”

”If the doctor and the rest have any luck, we shall soon have as much as you and all hands can stow away,” she answered. ”We'll keep the fire blazing for them.”

The cutter had meantime made her way across the harbour towards the island. As she drew near it, the doctor and his party distinguished several large animals, apparently asleep, high on the beach.

”Why, I do believe they are lions!” exclaimed Peter Patch, as a huge monster, one of the nearest, lifted up its head and stared at the intruders with its large eyes. The creature's mouth was of a prodigious size, furnished with teeth, four of which were of great length. It had long bristles on its lips, and from the neck and shoulders stood up a thick mane of coa.r.s.e hair. As they continued to advance, it lifted up its head just as a dog would do, opening wide its mouth as if ready to attack them with its enormous teeth.

”I say, Dicey, surely the doctor is not going in to fight these savage creatures,” whispered Peter. ”Why they will tear us to pieces and gobble us up in five minutes.”

”They look fierce enough,” said w.i.l.l.y. ”But they are only seals, and as they have not got legs, I suppose we can easily manage to keep out of their way.” Captain Twopenny proposed shooting the sea-lion; but the doctor warned him not to fire, lest he might alarm the remainder, who might take to the water before they could land. He directed w.i.l.l.y, therefore, to steer the boat further round, so that they might get on sh.o.r.e at a little distance from the seals, and then, by creeping on them unawares, kill as many as they might require.

They soon landed, and the captain and doctor led the way, club in hand, followed by w.i.l.l.y, Peter, and three of the men, one having been left in charge of the boat. w.i.l.l.y shortly afterwards missed Peter, who had evidently no fancy for attacking the lions, as he still believed them to be. After making their way through the bush for a short distance, the rest of the party came upon an open s.p.a.ce in which were at least a hundred seals, apparently fast asleep, divided into three bands, which the sailors called mobs, quite separate from each other. They were of all sizes; some were huge bulls, others cows; and among them were a number of young calves. The doctor told off two men to attack each mob.

w.i.l.l.y thought that it must be dangerous work to fight such formidable creatures; still he was not inclined to flinch from it. The doctor directed them to knock over the young ones, and not to mind the others, unless the creatures should stand at bay, or attack them. ”If they do, we must give them a hard rap on the nose, which, depend upon it, will settle them at once,” he observed.

Having placed their guns against a tree, they grasped their clubs at a sign from the doctor, who set them the example, and rushed in among the seals. The animals waking up, stared at the intruders with astonishment, while the doctor and his companions, wielding their clubs, struck right and left at their heads. A single blow was sufficient to kill the young ones, and in a few seconds more than a dozen were knocked over. The larger animals, seized with alarm, instead of turning to attack their a.s.sailants, scuttled off, moving themselves with their fins at a rapid rate towards the water. Three, however, of the large seals were killed, besides the smaller ones.

”Well done, my lads,” cried the doctor, delighted. ”We shall have provisions enough to last all hands for several days. No fear of starvation now, I hope. Dicey, do you and two of the men bring the boat round to take the seals on board. d.i.c.k Sharp and Tom Wall, go with Mr Dicey.”

”Ay, ay, sir,” said the men named.

w.i.l.l.y hastened off to obey the order, carrying his gun with him. He had not gone far when a cry was heard. ”Help! help! help! a savage brute is at me.” It was Peter Patch who was crying out. w.i.l.l.y and his companions hurried on, and in another instant they caught sight of Peter Patch scrambling up a tree, while a huge tiger-seal, as the sailors called the creature, on account of the colour of its fur, was charging at him with open mouth. Peter had barely time to draw himself up out of the monster's way. The seal, seeing w.i.l.l.y and the other men approaching, now came das.h.i.+ng on towards them, and they had to leap actively out of its way to avoid its sharp tusks. So savage did it look that they had no wish to approach its open jaws; indeed, with such rapidity did it run and twist about in the thick bush, that they had considerable difficulty in escaping from it.

”Take care,” cried Peter; ”he nearly killed me just now. If he catches you, you'll repent it.”

At that moment the seal either heard Peter's voice or caught sight of him, and again dashed up towards the tree. This enabled w.i.l.l.y and his companions to get into a more open part of the bush. Peter shrieked out, ”Oh! oh! shoot him, shoot him, or he will be clambering up after me.”

w.i.l.l.y could not help laughing at his messmate's fright, not believing that the creature could possibly climb the tree. He was now able to stop and take aim. He fired, and though the bullet went through the seal's head, it seemed in no way incommoded, but, finding that it could not reach Peter, turned round and made again towards its other foes.

w.i.l.l.y, who had begun to load, had to scramble as best he could through the scrub, to escape the charge of the enraged creature. The seamen, observing the dangerous position in which he was placed, hurried forward with their clubs uplifted. The animal turned towards Tom Wall, and seizing his club, wrenched it out of his hand, biting it almost through.

d.i.c.k Sharp, however, at the same moment let fall his weapon on its nose with such force that the creature staggered and sank to the ground, thus allowing Tom to get back his club. Before, however, either of them could repeat the blow, the seal, recovering, again dashed at Tom, who had to leap out of its way, narrowly escaping an ugly gripe on the leg.

w.i.l.l.y had again loaded, but was afraid to fire lest he might hit either of the seamen. The seal now stopped, seeming doubtful at which of his a.s.sailants he should next rush. When they stopped the creature stopped also; and directly they moved, either to one side or the other, it charged as fearlessly as at first. At length w.i.l.l.y got another shot.

Again the ball entered the creature's head, but without producing any apparent effect. Several times the brave old sea-lion charged, now on one side, now on the other, till it again got into the open s.p.a.ce. It was now apparently beginning to feel the effects of the bullets, for, raising itself up on its fore-flippers, it remained several seconds glaring at its foes.

”Come on, Tom,” cried d.i.c.k Sharp. ”We are not going to be beaten by a seal, I hope, though he does look more like an African lion than any creature I have ever before set eyes on.”