Part 8 (1/2)

”There is no fear of that,” said Fritz; ”whales will do us no harm, if we do not touch them.” This proved to be the case. Though any one of them might have broken up the boat with a stroke of its tail, they did not touch it, but swam by in a line, two by two, like a file of troops.

On Shark Isle, near the sh.o.r.e, we had thrown up a mound, and built a fort, on which were set two of the s.h.i.+p's guns. These the boys made a rule to fire off, with a view to let us know that they were safe, and to try if the guns were still fit for use. This time they found their charge quite dry, and the guns went off with a loud bang.

They had just put a plug in the hole of one of the guns, to keep out the wet, when they heard a sound roll through the air.

”Did you bear that?” said Jack. ”I am sure that noise must have come from some s.h.i.+p at sea. Let us fire once more.”

But Fritz thought they ought to go home at once and tell me what they had heard. They both ran to the boat with all speed, and put out their strength to reach home ere the sun went down.

The day was fine, and as the rain had kept us in doors for two months, we were glad to go down on the beach for a change. All at once I saw the boys come up the stream in their boat, at a great speed, and the way they used their sculls led me to think that all was not right.

”What have you seen, that should thus put two brave youths to flight?”

said I.

Then they told me what had brought them back so soon. I had heard the sound of the two guns which they had fired off, but no more. I told them I thought their ears must be at fault, and that the sounds they had heard were no more than those of their own guns, which the hills had sent back through the air. This view of the case did not at all please them, as by this time they well knew what sounds their guns made.

”It will be a strange thing,” said I, ”if the hope to which I have so long clung should at last come to be a fact; but we must have a care that we do not hail a s.h.i.+p the crew of which may rob and kill us for the sake of our wealth. I feel that we have as much cause to dread a foe as we have grounds of hope that we may meet with friends.”

Our first course was to make the cave quite safe, and then to mount guard where we could see a s.h.i.+p if one should come near the coast. That night the rain came down in a flood, and a storm broke over us, and we were thus kept in doors for two days and two nights.

On the third day I set out with Jack to Shark Isle, with a view to seek for the strange s.h.i.+p which he said he knew must be in some place not far from the coast. I went to the top of a high rock, but though my eye swept the sea for miles round, I could see no signs of a sail. I then made Jack fire three more shots, to try if they would give the same sound as the two boys had heard. You may judge how I felt, when I heard one! two! three! boom through the air.

There was now no room for doubt that, though I could not see it, there must be a s.h.i.+p near Shark's Isle. Jack heard me say this with great glee, and cried out, ”What can we now do to find it?”

We had brought a flag with us, and I told Jack to haul this up twice to the top of the staff, by means of which sign those who saw it would know that we had good news to tell them.

I then left Jack on the fort with the guns, and told him to fire as soon as a s.h.i.+p hove in sight. I bent my way at once back to Rock House, to talk with my wife, Jane, and the boys, as to what steps we should now take. They all met me on the beach, and made me tell them the news while I was still in the boat.

”We know no more,” said I, ”than the fact that there is still a s.h.i.+p on the coast. You must all now keep in doors, while Fritz and I go in search of it.”

We set off at noon, and went straight to the west part of the coast, where we thought the sound must have come from. We knew a cape there from which we could get a good view of the sea, and by the side of which lay a small bay.

When we got round the cape, great was our joy to find a fine s.h.i.+p in the bay. It was not far off from us, for we could see the ENG-LISH flag float in the breeze from one of its masts. I seek in vain to find words by means of which I can set forth in print what I then felt. Both Fritz and I fell on our knees and gave thanks to G.o.d that He had thus led the s.h.i.+p to our coast. If I had not held him back, Fritz would have gone into the sea with a leap and swum off to the s.h.i.+p.

”Stay,” said I, ”till we are quite sure what they are. There are bad men on the seas who put up false flags to lure s.h.i.+ps out of their course, and then rob and kill the crew.”

We could now see all that took place on board. Two tents had been set up on the sh.o.r.e, in front of which was a fire; and we could see that men went to and fro with planks. There were two men left on guard on the deck of the s.h.i.+p, and to these we made signs. When they saw us they spoke to some one who stood near, and whom we thought had charge of the s.h.i.+p. He then put his gla.s.s up to his eye and took a good view of us through it.

We did not at first like to go too near, but kept our boat some way off.

Fritz said he could see that the faces of the men were not so dark as our own.

”If that be the case,” said I, ”we are safe, and we may trust their flag.”

We both sang a Swiss song, and then I cried out at the top of my voice these words: ”s.h.i.+p ahoy! good men!” But they made no sign that they heard us. Our song, our boat, and, more than all, our dress, made them no doubt guess that we were wild men of the wood; for at last one of the crew on board held up knives and gla.s.s beads, which I knew the wild tribes of the New World were fond of. This made us laugh, but we would not as yet draw nigh to the s.h.i.+p, as we thought we ought to meet our new friends in our best trim.