Part 20 (1/2)

”Exactly so,” said the doctor. ”Our feathered friends will be much obliged to me for killing it. Should these creatures increase and multiply, they will in time nearly depopulate the island of its most attractive inhabitants.”

The explorers now proceeded onwards for some way over very rough and uneven ground. As they were anxious to obtain a view of the whole island, they climbed to the highest point in sight, which the doctor calculated was about a thousand feet above the sea. Hence they could look around in all directions. On every side appeared rocky and barren heights, thrown up into all possible variety of shapes, while beyond was the ocean, now blue and calm, and s.h.i.+ning in the rays of the bright sun.

The cold, however, was considerable, and all the places usually rendered soft by springs were frozen hard. This enabled them to proceed over spots they could not otherwise have crossed.

The scene was full of wild and rugged grandeur. Here and there perpendicular precipices and chasms, several hundred feet in depth, were visible, while the summit of the central mountain was crowned by a ridge of rock, which, from its appearance at a distance, they called the Giant's Coffin.

As the atmosphere was remarkably clear, the whole group could be seen, extending for about thirty-five miles in length from north to south, and fifteen miles at the broadest part from east to west. Several deep indentations forming harbours were observed, while a number of reefs, over which, even on that calm day, the surf broke violently, extended from the sh.o.r.e to a distance of ten miles. In the far north an island of some size could be seen, while several smaller islands appeared close to the rocky coast. The sh.o.r.es everywhere appeared clothed with scrub and stunted timber, but on some of the hills the trees were of respectable height and size.

”See,” cried w.i.l.l.y, pointing to the north-east. ”Is that smoke? Can it be a burning mountain?”

All the party looked, and though their eyes were not so keen as w.i.l.l.y's, they also distinguished a thick wreath of smoke ascending in the clear air. Though it was at a considerable distance off, yet, eager to ascertain its cause, they determined to make their way towards it.

After descending the mountain for some time, hunger compelled them to stop, as they had eaten nothing since daybreak. A fire was soon lighted, and their seal-steaks were soon spitted on sticks before it; while the doctor, after sc.r.a.ping several of the roots which he had just discovered, put them into the hot ashes. On being raked out, they were found to be tolerably well done, though somewhat hard and dry; but to people who had eaten neither bread nor vegetables for many weeks they were very welcome.

”We shall find a better way of cooking them by-and-by,” observed the doctor. ”We will try how they answer sc.r.a.ped or pounded; and though they may not be very palatable, they will a.s.sist materially in keeping us in health. Well, Peter, do you feel any uncomfortable sensations.”

”I hope not,” answered the mids.h.i.+pman, surprised at the question.

”We may then venture to make our desert on the berries,” said the doctor, laughing. ”We are much obliged to you for having proved them not to be poisonous, but I had my doubts, I confess.”

”What a shame!” cried Peter. ”Suppose I had died, what would you have said?”

”Oh, there was no fear of that,” answered the doctor. ”In case of accidents I brought some antidotes in my pocket, and should soon have got you round again.”

”The next time, please make your experiments on Dicey,” cried Peter.

”It is not fair that I should be the only one to run the risk of being poisoned. Suppose your antidotes had failed?”

”The doctor fixed on you, Peter, as the least likely to be missed of the party,” said w.i.l.l.y. ”You know you have never done anything for the common good.” Peter had, in truth, generally preferred wandering about the harbour, and scrambling over the rocks, to working.

”But I found the roots, and could have got any quant.i.ty,” he exclaimed.

”Yes, but you dug none up, and told no one of them,” rejoined w.i.l.l.y.

”Well, you shall see that I can be of as much use as you are, Master Dicey,” exclaimed Peter, bristling up.

”Come, boys, no quarrelling,” cried the doctor. ”It's time we were moving.”

Refreshed by their frugal repast, the explorers proceeded on their way.

They found the road far more difficult than they had expected, and soon came to the edge of a steep precipice, down which it was impossible to get; and they had, therefore, to scramble a mile or more before they found a practicable path into the valley. They went along it for a considerable distance, hoping to be able to climb up the cliff; but the sides were perfectly perpendicular, and at last they determined to turn back and make their way by the sh.o.r.e. Just then w.i.l.l.y, who had run on ahead, shouted out, ”I see a break in the cliff, and very possibly we may get up by it.” His advice was followed, and a.s.sisting each other, they succeeded at length in reaching the higher ground. Another high and steep hill appeared before them; but they, hoping to find the ground beyond more easy for travelling over, commenced the ascent. It was, however, steep and difficult, and in some places they came to perpendicular precipices, down which a fall would have proved fatal to any one who had happened to slip.

They had got about halfway down the mountain when a thick mist was seen sweeping over the sea from the southward. It came on so rapidly that before they could decide what path to follow they were entirely enveloped in it. They could now only venture to move with the greatest caution; any moment they might arrive at the edge of some frightful precipice similar to those they had before pa.s.sed. Anxious, however, to escape the cold and damp to which they were exposed on the mountain side, they descended by the only practicable route they could find. The mist every instant grew thicker, and the short day was drawing to a close. In what direction they were going they could not with any certainty tell. At last the captain declared that he would proceed no further. The doctor agreed with him. Just then they saw before them the edge of the forest, which reached up the mountain side to a considerable distance from the sh.o.r.e. They agreed that it would be wise to camp here for the night; and while w.i.l.l.y and Peter cut down some boughs to form a hut, and wood for fuel, the doctor and the captain endeavoured to shoot a few birds for supper. They could hear them singing in the woods in great numbers, but the mist shrouded them from their view till they were close upon them. The birds were, however, so tame that they succeeded in killing a few; and these, with some of the roots which the doctor dug up close at hand, gave them a sufficient meal.

As night came on, they made up their fire and crept into their leafy bower for shelter.

”I suppose, doctor, we ought, to keep watch,” said w.i.l.l.y. ”We may have a big tiger-seal poking his nose in among us, or there may be other wild beasts, though we have not seen them.”

The doctor agreed to the wisdom of this, and when supper was over they drew lots as to who should keep the first watch. It fell upon w.i.l.l.y.

After they had sat up some time, the rest of the party went to sleep.

w.i.l.l.y had some difficulty in performing his duty, but by running out every now and then to throw a log on the fire he managed to keep his eyes open. As he did so on one occasion, he saw an animal scamper by him. ”It looked very like a wolf,” he said to himself. He got the doctor's gun to have a shot at it, should it again appear. There was no use, he thought, in waking up his companions. In a short time afterwards he heard a loud bark. He listened. The bark was repeated.

”Why, it's a dog. I wonder if there are people in the neighbourhood,”