Part 18 (1/2)
”It's coming on to blow very hard, sir; and from the way the sea is breaking into the bay, I am afraid the boats, if we don't look after them, will be knocked to pieces.”
”Call Mr Bollard, and we will see about it,” said Harry, springing to his feet.
It was indeed blowing a regular hurricane, and it did credit to the builders of the huts that they should have withstood its force. The waves, crested with foam, came rolling in from across the harbour, breaking with great violence against the rocks. The seamen, aroused from their sleep, hurried out of their huts, encountering as they did so thick showers of spray, which, driven by the wind, broke over them. The first thing to be done was to haul up the cutter, which, dashed about by the foaming seas, ran the risk at any moment of being knocked to pieces on the rocks. So violently, however, did the waves break on the sh.o.r.e, that the seamen could not without much difficulty get hold of her.
”Now, my lads,” cried Bollard, ”we will make a dash at the boat. A strong pull, and a pull altogether, and we will have her in safety.”
Inspired by his and Harry's example, the men succeeded in getting hold of the boat, and as the next sea lifted her, they hauled her up on a level part of the rock. The launch meantime was tossing about at her anchor; the foam-topped seas now breaking on board her, now lifting her up as if they would send her bodily on sh.o.r.e. The sailors watched her anxiously; for should no vessel appear to take them off the island, she would afford them the only means of escaping. The hurricane was apparently not yet at its height. The wind howled and whistled louder and louder through the woods, the sea, breaking in white ma.s.ses along the sh.o.r.e, every instant roared more fiercely; first one hut, and then another was overthrown, and their materials scattered over the ground; but the men were too anxious watching the boat to care about the matter.
Another and another foaming sea came rolling onwards. It was evident that they would either swamp the boat or drive her from her anchor.
”The cable has parted,” cried several voices. The boat rose to the top of a sea, and then came hurrying on towards the sh.o.r.e. All felt that there was but little hope of saving her. Notwithstanding this, they ran to the point towards which she was driving. Before they could reach it, she was thrown with tremendous violence against the rocks, rebounding a short distance, to be driven back again with greater force than before.
The cras.h.i.+ng of her planks and timbers could be heard as she was driven again and again against the pointed rocks. Those who endeavoured to reach her ran a great risk of being crushed or swept off by the receding sea. Harry, fearing for their lives, ordered them to desist, having a faint hope that she might be thrown high up on the rocks before her total destruction had been accomplished. He hoped in vain, for she continued beating with increasing violence against the rocks, till every timber and plank on one side were stove in, and in a few minutes, being driven again and again on the rocks, scarcely two of her planks remained hanging together, the fragments strewing the beach in all directions.
With a heavy heart at the serious accident that had occurred, Harry returned to his hut, which, having been built more strongly than the rest, had hitherto escaped destruction. The ladies' tent had also withstood the gale; but how long it would continue to do so it was difficult to say. The seamen, in no way disconcerted by the disaster, were laughing and cutting jokes with each other as they endeavoured to rebuild their huts in the dark; but scarcely had they tried to fix the boughs in a proper position than another gust would again scatter the whole structure far and wide. The sea, too, was making its way higher and higher up the beach, sending deluges of spray over the spot where the huts had stood, and reaching occasionally up to the tent. As may be supposed, no one in the camp got more sleep that night.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
FORAGING.
CONSEQUENCE OF LOSS OF LAUNCH--MRS MORLEY'S RESIGNATION--PREPARE TO WINTER ON THE ISLAND--HOUSE-BUILDING COMMENCED--THE LADIES' COTTAGE COMPLETED--MORE HUTS ERECTED--BIRDS SEEK SHELTER IN THE COTTAGE--THE YOUNG LADIES' AVIARY--INDUSTRY OF THE SETTLERS--ANXIETY ABOUT PROVISIONS--FISH CAUGHT--FISH-HOOKS MANUFACTURED--SEA-LIONS ATTACKED-- LIZARD CHARGED BY SEA-LION--ESCAPE OF TIPPO SAHIB--COW-SEALS' MILK-- YOUNG BROKE TAKES MILK TO LADIES--THE DOCTOR'S EXPEDITION INLAND-- SEAL-TRACKS UP MOUNTAIN--RIPE FRUIT FOUND--w.i.l.l.y AND PETER CHASED BY A SEAL--A CAVERN DISCOVERED--FIGHT WITH THE SEAL--BREAKFAST ON THE MOUNTAIN--DIFFICULT TRAVELLING--ENVELOPED IN A THICK MIST--ENCAMP FOR THE NIGHT--w.i.l.l.y SEES A DOG--PROCEED ON JOURNEY--TRACES OF HOGS DISCOVERED--A s.h.i.+P CLOSE IN-Sh.o.r.e--THE PARTY HURRY FORWARD--THE s.h.i.+P HAS GONE--THEIR SIGNAL NOT NOTICED--RETURN ALONG THE BEACH--A HUT IN THE DISTANCE--A DEAD SAILOR DISCOVERED--PROCEED OVER THE HILLS--w.i.l.l.y FINDS NEST OF PARROTS--RETURN TO VILLAGE--DIGGING FOR ROOTS--w.i.l.l.y'S GALLANTRY.
When daylight broke, the whole harbour appeared covered with white-crested waves, dancing and leaping wildly, while the beach was covered with the fragments of the launch.
Harry felt very unwilling to communicate the disaster to Mrs Morley.
It must be done, however. As soon as she appeared, he told her of what had occurred.
”G.o.d's will be done,” she answered. ”Any suffering we may be called on to go through seems light compared with that others have had to endure.
I have sought for strength from on high, and it will not be denied me.”
The rain had now ceased. In spite of the gale, fires were lighted; and Mrs Rumbelow, with the aid of several of the men, set to work to get breakfast ready. They had still some tea and coffee remaining, as they had been enabled to use but little of it during the voyage; their only other food, however, was the wild-fowl and seals' flesh. Of the latter they had certainly an abundant supply, but would willingly have exchanged some of it for the coa.r.s.est sea biscuit.
As soon as breakfast was over, Harry held a council of war with the doctor, Captain Twopenny, and Mr Bollard. All hope of getting away, if no vessel appeared, was now cut off. They might have to remain many months--it was impossible to say how long. Winter would soon be upon them; and as shelter from the cold and wet was indispensable, the first thing was to build warm substantial huts, the next was to provide food.
The doctor was of opinion that they could not depend on the seals remaining in the harbour, while he feared that the health of all would suffer unless some variety of food could be obtained. He advised, in the first place, that the seals' flesh should be salted and dried, so as to have a store in reserve should the animals disappear. He volunteered also to set off, when the weather moderated, on an exploring expedition, to ascertain the natural productions of the country.
”We may find roots and fruits of some sort which may answer the purpose of bread and vegetables, and we may discover the hogs and goats you speak of, Dicey; and perhaps some other creatures,” he observed. ”In my opinion, when people use their intellects, and exert themselves, there are few parts of the world so utterly unproductive that they must of necessity starve,--as we should certainly if we were to sit down in this little nook with our hands before us.”
”Very right, sir,” observed the boatswain. ”I have a notion that we should also keep a look-out along the coast for any vessel which may be pa.s.sing. If we remain up here, any number might go by and not discover us. As soon as the weather moderates, I'll therefore, with Mr Shafto's leave, take the boat down the harbour, and search for some point where we may establish a look-out place, and set up a flagstaff with which we can signalise any s.h.i.+p coming in sight.”
Harry at once agreed to Bollard's proposal, and Captain Twopenny volunteered to accompany the doctor on his proposed exploring expedition.
In the meantime, as the weather continued too bad to move to any distance, it was arranged that all hands should turn to at house-building. The spot selected for the little village was on the driest piece of ground to be found at the foot of the hill; and it was agreed that the first house put up should be for Mrs Morley and her daughters, with another for Captain and Mrs Twopenny close to it. The best axe-men at once commenced felling trees. They were not long or thick enough, however, to form log-huts after the American fas.h.i.+on. It was settled, therefore, that they should be put in upright, close together, and the interstices filled with clay, while the outside walls, as well as the roofs, were to be thatched with the long gra.s.s which grew in abundance at the foot of the hills.
While the men were hewing down the trees, Mrs Rumbelow, with four of the most active women, set to work to cut the gra.s.s for thatching. It was no slight task, as it was evident that a large quant.i.ty would be required. By the end of the first day, they had, however, formed a stack of considerable size. In the meantime, w.i.l.l.y and Peter, with young Broke and the other boys, collected all the fragments of the boat which had been washed on sh.o.r.e. With some of the planks they proposed forming a floor for Mrs Morley's cottage. The most perfect were kept for repairing the cutter, and w.i.l.l.y suggested that others might serve for manufacturing casks in which the seals' flesh could be pickled.
”But where are we to get the salt from, now that the doctor's still is not at work?” asked Peter.
”We shall find plenty of it among the rocks if we get some suns.h.i.+ne,”
said w.i.l.l.y; ”and if not, we must dig some salt pans. I heard him say that if we could obtain plenty of salt, there would be no fear of our starving.”
Where people labour with a will, under good management, work proceeds rapidly. Before the evening the timber for the first two cottages was shaped, and trees for several others were cut down; while gra.s.s enough had been stacked for thatching them.