Part 14 (2/2)

”Impossible!” said Tommy. ”I was never in such a fright in my life.

Oh!”

”What is it?” asked Elizabeth, with an anxious look around.

”The oranges! we haven't got any, and I shall be afraid to go there again.”

”That's a pity,” said Elizabeth; ”they looked so nice. Perhaps we can find some in another part of the island.”

”I won't look for any,” said Tommy. ”I won't stir from this place--at least not farther than to the bananas, and they're nearly all gone.

What if the savages come and attack us?”

”Some of them have poisoned arrows,” said Mary, quaking.

”Really, I think we are crying before we are hurt,” said Elizabeth.

”We haven't been molested so far, and surely that proves that whatever people there are, they are not very terrible.”

”I know I shan't sleep a wink to-night,” said Tommy.

”Hadn't we better launch the boat and spend the night on the sea?” said Mary. ”They might attack us in the darkness.”

”We'll drag it down a little nearer the sea,” replied Elizabeth, ”and we can take turns to keep watch, if you like; but I'm sure we oughtn't to show the white feather. The best thing we can do is to forget all about it.”

”It's easy to say, but I know I shan't forget it as long as I live,”

cried Tommy. ”And we were so jolly; it's all spoilt.”

”Well, we _must_ eat,” said Elizabeth, afraid of a breakdown. ”Let us cook some fish, and be as comfortable as we can.”

They spent the rest of that day in a state of nervousness, and although Elizabeth tried to get the others to begin weaving their mat beds for the hut, they had no heart for the work. When darkness fell, they drew the boat down to the very verge of high water, and lay in it, but not to sleep. They had arranged that each should take a turn at keeping watch, but the result was that all were wakeful, and except for a few minutes' uneasy dozing, none of them had any rest.

”This will never do,” thought Elizabeth as it drew towards morning.

”We shall all be worn out if we don't get our proper sleep. I do hope the natives will come to us to-morrow so that we can make friends with them.”

They all looked very weary and washed-out when daylight came. There was no fish left, and Tommy seemed disinclined to try to catch any, or to go to the banana-trees for food.

”Come, girls, this really won't do,” said Elizabeth briskly. ”Make some tea, Tommy, while Mary and I go and get a fish.”

”There's only enough for about a cup each,” said Tommy, looking dolefully into the caddy.

”We shan't get any more by wis.h.i.+ng for it,” said Elizabeth, ”so we'll use it all up and then try to make a sort of cider out of bananas. It will be a change.”

”There are hardly any bananas left, either,” said Tommy.

”Then we'll go prowling in search of more as soon as we really come to the last of them. Come along, Mary.”

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