Part 9 (1/2)
”Yes; did you notice how the animals fled at our approach?”
They had noticed it, but neglected to draw any inference from it.
”That is one of the surest signs. Do you now remember how differently the animals acted in the region around Cataract from those in the southwest portion of Wonder Island?”
”I now remember that is so. Don't you remember, George, when we came across the first herd of yaks, that they hardly noticed us? I am sure that the animals out at West River didn't wait to interview us.”
”Well, I remember the big bear was very anxious to make our acquaintance,” said George, and Harry smiled, as he remembered how the big fellow took his revenge by tearing up their baggage.
John directed the men to the right, and in the direction of an elevation which seemed to be clear of timber. From that point they searched the intervening wooded area, and caught sight of a still higher tableland miles beyond.
”Your gla.s.ses would be serviceable here,” said John. George handed them to John, and he gazed through them long and earnestly. ”I am unable to find any traces of human beings, and I cannot account for the light which we saw during the night, and which must have been nearly ahead of us.”
He walked forward, the men following. They marched for more than a mile, every object being examined. Fallen trees were particularly investigated, and clumps of trees were searched, even the bark of trees being minutely gone over by John.
The natives, generally so keen to discover evidences of their kind, walked along, and shook their heads, to indicate the absence of all signs. The land in the interior was elevated, but it was not rough or broken, the only place where an upheaval had taken place appearing to be the west coast.
”This seems to look bad for our purposes,” said John, as he turned to the boys.
”What do you mean?” asked Harry.
”I don't think there are any caves in this section,” he answered. ”But we might as well investigate farther to the right, and see what the land looks like.”
”Aren't those coffee trees?” said George, in great eagerness, as he bounded forwardly.
There, not a hundred feet away, were the beautiful trees with white cl.u.s.ters all over them. Thousands of these trees were in sight.
”I believe we have struck a coffee plantation,” exclaimed Harry.
John did not answer, but went up to one of the trees and carefully examined it. ”No, these trees have grown wild, and no one has ever gathered the berries.”
”But what an opportunity there would be here for gathering coffee! Too bad Blakely isn't here,” said George.
”We never saw anything like it on Wonder Island,” suggested Harry. ”Now, why is it that cocoa will grow in wonderful profusion on one island, and none on the next, and the other island will have bananas and the other not?”
”The explanation of that has been the means of bringing out a wonderful study, that is explained by the nature of the soil itself. In every country certain sections will spontaneously produce product alike, in almost every essential quality. Thus, flax, for instance, is found, identical in its character, in Kamscatska, and in Minnesota; in the Siberian wilds and in Central America; on the heights of the Himalayas, and in the lowest plains of South America.”
”But how do you explain the similarity? They must have come from seed, and how did the seeds get from place to place, when there were no s.h.i.+ps to carry them?”
”There can be only one explanation. The soil itself, if identical in its character, will, eventually, produce the same vegetables and vegetation.
Thus, it has been found that the localities where this wild flax was found, had soil which was the same in its nature, and calculated to produce the same in kind.”
For four hours the little band marched to the south, and came back along a track nearer the sea, without discovering the slightest indication of human habitations, except the frightened looks and actions of the animals in their path.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ”_He turned it over and examined every portion_”
[See p. 60]]
CHAPTER VI