Part 6 (1/2)
What if, while we were congratulating ourselves on being safe on sh.o.r.e, any misfortune should happen to those in whom we were so deeply interested? I felt that I would thankfully be on board the ”Lady Alice”
to share the fate of my friends, or to aid, as far as human strength could go, in averting the danger to which they might be exposed. I knew, however, that my wishes were of no avail. I knelt down with Medley, and prayed with all earnestness that they might be protected; we then stretched ourselves on the sand near our men.
”Jack, it did not occur to me before that this island may be inhabited; if so, that our fire may attract the natives,” said Medley, just as I was dropping off to sleep. ”It ought to be put out, or we must keep watch. They might murder us before we could attempt to defend ourselves.”
I agreed with him, but confessed that I could no longer keep my eyes open.
”I'll keep the first watch, and then I'll call up Pepper and Salt, and the latter shall call you. The others cannot be depended on,” he said, though I could scarcely comprehend the meaning of his words.
It was nearly daylight when Salt at last awoke me. He would not have done so then, honest fellow, had not he been ordered. I asked him if he had heard or seen any natives.
”No, Ma.s.sa Jack, me tink none here; but better get to de boat and catch some fish for breakfast, and den if any savage come we ready to start,”
he answered.
I thought his advice good, and desired him, as soon as it was light, to go down to the boat and get the lines ready, so that we might shove off as soon as the other men awoke. I, in the meantime, directly the dawn broke, made my way to the summit of the hill, that I might survey the island, and, if possible, ascertain the position of the s.h.i.+ps. I had fortunately brought a small but powerful telescope given me by Captain Bland. The fury of the hurricane was over, but the breakers still beat with violence against the barrier reef, and made it impossible for us to put to sea. In a short time the glorious sun, rising above the horizon amid the fast dispersing clouds, shed a bright light over sea and land, and enabled me to obtain a far-extending view.
The island on which we had taken refuge was much smaller than I had supposed, owing to the reef which extended along it; but across a narrow pa.s.sage was another of much greater extent and away to the north and north-west were several others, besides numerous reefs marked by the white ma.s.ses of foam flying over them. Several tiny wreaths of smoke which rose up amid the groves on the nearest island showed me that that, at all events, was inhabited, as, probably, were most of the others. As the mist of morning cleared away I could distinguish in the distance the huts of the natives, though, owing probably to the barren nature of the soil at the end nearest our island, none were built there. Again and again I swept the horizon in search of the s.h.i.+ps; nowhere could I discern them. In what direction could they have been driven? I at last observed beyond a line of reefs what I took to be a group of cocoa-nut trees rising out of a low islet faintly traced against the blue sky like gossamer webs. Yes, there were trees, but among them, after keeping my gla.s.s steady for a minute or more, I made out the masts and yards of a s.h.i.+p. That she was either the ”Eagle” or the ”Lady Alice” I felt certain, but how she had escaped the reefs and been driven in where I saw her I could not conjecture. As her masts appeared upright I trusted that she was not on sh.o.r.e; but whether such were the case or not, she might find it difficult to escape from her position should the savage inhabitants of the neighbouring sh.o.r.es try to make her their prey, as they had succeeded in doing other vessels under similar circ.u.mstances.
What was even now going forward on board her, who could tell? Again I looked round in vain for the other s.h.i.+p, and then hastened down to join Medley. I found him setting off with the other men for the boat, he supposing that I had gone with Salt to look after her. He could not even conjecture which of the s.h.i.+ps I had seen, but he agreed with me that we must put off to try and get on board her the moment we could venture out to sea. He would have gone back with me to the hill, but the men were crying out for food, and insisting on endeavouring to catch some fish. None of the trees near us bore cocoa-nuts, nor had any water been found, probably the reason that the island was uninhabited.
Medley served only a small portion of biscuit to each man, and warned them all to be very careful of the water, as we might be unable to obtain more till we reached the s.h.i.+p. Judging by the surf which still beat furiously on the reef there was small prospect of our doing that till the next day at soonest. Salt had got the lines and hooks ready, and some sh.e.l.l-fish for bait, so we at once pulled out as near the entrance of the lagoon as we could venture. We had not had our lines down long before we began to get bites, and in a short time we had hauled in as many fish as would give us an ample supply of food for the day, we returned to the sh.o.r.e to cook and eat our prey. We again lighted a fire at the mouth of our cave, hoping that the smoke would not be seen by the savages, but to prevent being surprised Medley sent Pepper to the other side of the island to give us due warning should he see any of them coming over.
After breakfast the rest of the men lay down to sleep, while Medley and I went to the top of the hill to ascertain by the state of the sea when there was a probability of our getting off, and to watch for the appearance of the other s.h.i.+p. We looked for her in vain. The ocean, however, was rapidly losing the quickness of its motion, though the huge waves were still slowly and lazily tumbling against each other as they rolled on till they reached the reef, where, with a roar of thunder, they broke into ma.s.ses of foam. The chief object of interest, the distant s.h.i.+p, remained motionless as before, her canvas closely furled.
Had a sail been loosed we should have seen it fluttering in the breeze.
”In a few hours at most we shall be able to pa.s.s through yonder channel,” observed Medley, pointing to the entrance of the lagoon.
”Look, the sea scarcely even now breaks across it. If necessary, I would not hesitate to take out a boat in spite of the risk I might run; but we will not make the attempt for the present.”
I agreed with him that it would be folly to do so, and we returned to the cave. We sat down in the shade. The heat was great, and neither of us having had much rest, we both fell as sound asleep as were our men stretched at their lengths a short distance from us. Hours may have pa.s.sed. I was aroused by Pepper shouting, ”De savage come! de savage come! Quick, quick! rouse up, boys, get to de boat.”
Salt was the first to start to his feet on hearing his companion's voice, and by kicks and pulls to awaken the rest. I grasped Medley by the arm and helped him up. The men in a panic were hurrying off, when he reminded them of the breaker of water and the remainder of the fish which had fortunately been cooked. They took the breaker and fish up between them, and set off, while we waited for Pepper. He had seen a large body of savages, flouris.h.i.+ng their formidable spears and gesticulating wildly, come down to the sh.o.r.e and begin to swim across the channel, evidently, as he supposed, having discovered that strangers were on the island, though how they had done so it was difficult to guess, unless they had seen Medley and me on the top of the hill. That they had hostile intentions was pretty evident by the account Pepper gave us. Had we possessed fire-arms we might have defended our selves, but as it was we could secure our safety alone by flight.
We found the men hurriedly launching the boat. In their dread of the savages I am not sure that they would have waited for us had we been delayed. The boat was quickly in the water, and we all leaped on board.
Medley took the steering oar, and the men gave way. As I looked ahead I could see the green billows rolling in towards the opening, and still breaking with fearful force against the barrier reef on either side, but in the centre I observed a clear gla.s.s-like swell, over which I hoped we might find a safe pa.s.sage. Medley seemed not quite certain about the matter, and told the men to lay on their oars till he could perceive a favourable opportunity for das.h.i.+ng out. Just then a fearful yell sounded in our ears, and looking astern I saw the beach covered by a band of savages flouris.h.i.+ng their spears and gesticulating to us to return and be killed. Some of the more active were springing along the rocks so as to get near enough to hurl their weapons at us.
The crew, without waiting for Medley's orders, bent to their oars, and though several spears fell into the water at no great distance off, we were soon beyond their reach. Without waiting to ascertain what the savages were about we steered for the centre of the pa.s.sage. A sea like a ma.s.s of liquid malachite came rolling in--we mounted to its summit, and then descending into the trough, were soon rising on another watery height. The crew pulled l.u.s.tily, and in a few minutes we were well outside the breakers, and able to turn the boat's head to the northward.
It had become a perfect calm, so that we had a long pull before us. At this the men grumbled, as they had expected to hoist the sail. Medley, however, reminded them that had there been wind the s.h.i.+p would probably have got under weigh, and we should have missed her. We pulled on along the coast of the larger island, but whether or not we were perceived by the people on sh.o.r.e we could not tell. The men at last complaining of fatigue, declared that they must stop and take some food and water. To this Medley could not object, eager as he and I were to get up to the s.h.i.+p.