Part 7 (1/2)
”What shall we make it of?” said he. She reflected a moment.
”Sometimes they build them of trees and sometimes of skins; the best way is to have a cave. I wish we had a cave, Bo. I've half a mind to try those trees. Will you go in if I will?”
”Ye-es,” said Bo, hesitatingly; ”but you must go in first.”
”Let's make a fire first in the range and have some tea,” said Yulee, who could not quite get up courage enough to go in among the trees.
”Oh, do! that'll be fine!” said Bo, joyfully. It was a very important business, this making a fire in the range. Yulee had long been looking forward to it, and now that she was really about to have the fire she proceeded very cautiously, Bo standing ready to help her and peering anxiously into the process. The range was precisely like a real range, only it was very small, and was made of lead instead of iron. It had a grate in the middle for the fire and a place underneath to hold the ashes; it had ovens at the sides; it had flues and dampers and a chimney piece, and even a place in front to heat irons on; moreover, it was furnished with a full set of pots and pans and kettles. In fact it was complete, and in Yulee's opinion, only needed a fire in the grate, real smoke coming out of the chimney, and a kettle of water boiling over it, to make it the most wonderful and perfect thing that ever had been conceived.
Now she set about preparing the fire. First she laid in the newspaper in which she had brought the matches; then Bo was sent off for leaves and came back with some very green gra.s.s and leaves of different sorts.
Yulee put these very carefully above the paper, and on top of them she laid some twigs that she had broken up into bits, and now the fire was all ready to be lighted.
”Now, Bo,” said she, ”we must have the water in the kettle and on the range before we light the fire.” So Bo took the pump to the lake side and filled it with water, and then hanging the kettle under the nose of the pump, he jerked the pump handle and made the water come plas.h.i.+ng out into the kettle. He could have filled the kettle much easier by simply dipping it in the lake, but it would not have been near so good fun.
However, it was full of water, and Yulee carefully set it in its place upon the range. Everything now was ready for the fire. Bo held his breath as he leaned on his hands and knees, eagerly watching Yulee while she proceeded to handle the dangerous matches. She took one in her hand and was just about rubbing it on a stone, when she stopped.
”Bo!” she said, ”I think we had better set the table first for tea.”
”Why, no!” said he, ”mother always sets the table after she has set the kettle a boiling.”
”But I shall want to watch the fire,” said Yulee.--”Yes, I think we had better set the table first.” So the match was laid down to Bo's grief, and Yulee proceeded to unpack the box containing her tea-set. They chose for a table a flat rock sunken in the sand, and just the right size. On this they arranged the cups and saucers, and tea-pot and sugar-bowl and creamer.
”We ought to have some real sugar,” said Bo.
”So we ought,” said Yulee. ”There ought to be some in the s.h.i.+p's stores,” she added. ”They generally find a box of sugar on the beach, a little damaged by the water. At least I believe they did in Swiss Family Robinson.”
”Did they in 'The Castaways?'” asked Bo.
”No,” said Yulee, ”but you know they weren't exactly wrecked the second time--Dr. Cameron went out to the s.h.i.+p when the rest were on sh.o.r.e, and brought back some things--I think there was sugar; let me see--here it is,” and she read:--
”When the watering-boat touched the coast, Dr. Cameron went up and courteously requested to be allowed to return in it, as the ladies had forgotten some little necessaries, and he proposed to bring out their own boat, the _Little Madras_, to enable them to procure these trifles as well as the cooking-apparatus which would be useful if they were detained a few days on sh.o.r.e.” Mum, mum, mum. ”They succeeded in lowering their own boat, with its oars, and by Marshall's advice, brought from their property the carpenter's chest, disguised under the covering of a travelling trunk, with the powder and shot, ropes and straps, which had been left in the hold of their boat; but every morsel of provision, biscuit, wine and flour had been removed, and could not be found. Dr. Cameron had fortunately locked up his cabin before he left the vessel, and was able to remove his own private property consisting of a bag of coffee, a loaf of sugar, and a chest which contained his valuable medical stores, all of which he now placed in the boat.”
Our castaways, however, had to content themselves like some of their betters with sand for sugar, which they put in the sugar bowl, and then filled the creamer with water, though Yulee declared that some time they would find the goats and milk them. The table was now set and Miss Phely was given a place by it, where she sat, still looking out on the water in an abstracted way, and keeping her hands away from her clean frock. She had none of the friskiness commonly belonging to black children; she was anything but a Topsy.
Nothing now remained to be done but to light the fire and make the tea.
Again Yulee took a match and Bo stooped down, breathlessly watching the operation. ”Ritzch!” went the match and Yulee held it between the bars of the range to light the fire; it didn't seem to burn very well though there was considerable smoke; in fact, the match after burning to the edge of Yulee's fingers went out, and the fire was not yet fairly kindled. Yulee tried another match with about the same success, only a little more smoke.
”Burn a lot at a time,” suggested Bo. So she took a bunch of six and got them into a fine blaze. Bo was still peering anxiously while Yulee with her face very red, and her sun-bonnet fallen back, held the bunch of matches between the bars; she tried them first between two and then between another two. All at once something hot fell upon her hand; she dropped the matches in the pan that was to hold the ashes and clapping her other hand upon the spot, began hopping up and down with the pain but determined not to cry.
”Why! what is the matter?” said Bo, in great surprise. Yulee didn't dare trust herself to speak--she was so afraid she might cry, but uncovered her hand to show him, and there they both saw--for she had not looked at it herself yet,--a s.h.i.+ning spot as large as a three cent piece, and that looked like silver.
”Why!” exclaimed Yulee.
”Oh!” said Bo.
Yulee forgot her pain for a moment. How did it get there? what was it?
she touched it and found that it came off easily. It was irregular at the edges, looking in fact like a spatter of silver.