Part 23 (1/2)
”That's a thing I should not have thought of, unless you had told o to the shore, and what then?”
”We can stalk theht to be able to kill thele shot Perhaps, too, these creatures don't knohat the report of a gun is, and we ”
”We'll try that plan, and so perhaps only two or three of us had better go after them, or the others ather eggs”
Hans and the officer, with two sea the coast-line found that on the rocks there were plenty of oysters, which were fixed to the solid rock, but could be opened on the spot Hans was quite at ho expedition, but found much fault both with the lieutenant and the sailors The latter, especially, would speak every now and then, and seenals which Hans made to them In spite, however, of the clumsy manner in which the sailors and their officer practised stalking, yet the sea-lions were approached to within eighty yards without being alarmed At this distance the hunters were concealed by sonalled that the four should fire One of the sailors, however, stopped Hans as he was raising his musket, and whispered--
”Them brutes, sir, can only hop, and not very fast either Won't it be better to board them, and shoot them at close quarters? I andat this distance?”
Hans, who did not understand every word of this, but comprehended the drift of the speech, replied--
”You and your companion run forward, as soon as I have fired; then you can try your plan, I reed upon, Hans took steady ai apparently asleep on the beach, and fired, whilst the lieutenant selected another victi heard all the anian with ato reach the water The sailor had been quite correct as regards the speed at which the lions couldbefore they reached the water, and each putting the un close to the head of one of the lions, killed it at a single shot The monster that Hans had wounded had al the success of the sailors' ed his rapidly-loaded gun into its head Thus three lions were killed, the lieutenant having either htly that the creature easily escaped to the water before he could again discharge his gun
All the lions that had been shot were very large, andaware of the skill of the Zulus as skinners of creatures, shouted to these men to come and aid him, and shortly after they, followed by the remainder of the sailors, ca back the flesh to the boats At this work the Kaffirs were quite at hoh to last any man but a Zulu at least a week This was borne to the shore, where the boats had been left, and a fire having been lighted by the aid of a flint and steel, the flesh was cooked, and though not probably affording a dish that an epicure would select, yet by hungrybut biscuit, the solid food was relished Having partaken of dinner, as the lieutenant called this meal, he asse tiet tolerable shelter; but none of you would be satisfied to live here long, so we must try all we can to escape To do this, we must keep a watch from daybreak till dusk upon the top of the hill, and try to catch sight of a vessel co from the west, because that is the direction from which we may expect them
Then, if we have due notice, wea gun, and so get on board: so that two men must take duty on the hill This will come round in turn for each of you, as I'll keep the roster Two men must always reo about the island; only take care to be all ready in case a shi+p is signalled You'd better take the boat-hook and tie a handkerchief to it; the waving of that will be the signal that a shi+p is in sight”
”There are fish about here, sir If you'd like, I'll try and catch some,” said one of the sailors
”There are turtle too, sir I saw one when you were away: he swam past that point”
”Catch aswhilst we are on shore here, and each man must do his best to procure food for the whole of us,” said the lieutenant ”We can get egg; and birds, fish and turtle, and sea-lions, and so shall have a variety of rations”
During the remainder of the day Hans, with the lieutenant, and attended by the two Zulus, roamed about the island The Zulus had found some pieces of wood on the beach, evidently the spars of so borrowed a knife from one of the sailors, they had cut these into knobbed sticks similar to their knob-kerries With these they soon exhibited their skill against the birds which swarmed over many parts of the island, and which were so tame that they would allow a man to approach within a few yards of them The knob stick was thrown at these birds, and in an hour the Zulus had knocked down a dozen or more birds
As the sun drew near the horizon, the various parties of two or three returned to the -place near the boats, and exhibited their trophies Two e sack nearly full of turtles' eggs, about two dozen sea-birds, soether There was plenty of dry sea-weed, and this served for fuel, so that thetheir respective prizes, and reckless as sailors generally are, they were now as cheerful and happy as though surrounded by plenty, and able to obtain a supply for all their wants I meal, the men selected the most comfortable situations, and were soon fast asleep
Hans and the lieutenant, however, sat talking for a long time, until they also felt disposed to rest, when they followed the example of the sailors
The first streaks of daoke the party, and after a meal the lieutenant and Hans walked round the island, and ascended the central peak Scarcely had they been therehis telescope to scan the horizon, exclaie shi+p, or I am mistaken Look, Jones!
What do you ed shi+p, I think, sir Shall I hoist the signal?”
”Yes, up with the oar We et the boats out at once, and pull hard, or she will pass too far off”
The oar waved on high, with a crimson handkerchief fastened to it, was seen by all the wanderers, who very soon assembled near the boats, and were joined by the lieutenant and Hans The boats were run down to the water, launched, and manned, and in a few minutes were pulled away froorous arms of the sailors, ere noare that there was so The shi+p, which had been easily distinguished from the peak on shore, could not be seen fro to Hans
”Why is it,” he asked, ”that the shi+p cannot be seen froh it could from the peak of the island? There is no hill to see over”
”It is because the world is round, and we can only look straight forward I expect that e are able to see that vessel's sails, she will be nearly twelve miles off from us; so that now she is more than that, but that will enable us to cut her off in her course”
”I never noticed this on shore,” said Hans, ”though we have large flats there”
”None so level as the ocean,” replied the officer: ”that alone shows every thing in its beauty You will not, I expect, ever like your inland life again, after having seen the real sea”