Dick Sands, the Boy Captain Part 16

Thus, after a voyage of seventy-four days, the "Pilgrim" had stranded. Mrs. Weldon and her fellow-voyagers joined in thanksgiving to the kind Providence that had brought them ash.o.r.e, not upon one of the solitary islands of Polynesia, but upon a solid continent, from almost any part of which there would be no difficulty in getting home.

The ship was totally lost. She was lying in the surf a hopeless wreck, and few must be the hours that would elapse before she would be broken up in scattered fragments; it was impossible to save her. Notwithstanding that d.i.c.k Sands bewailed the loss of a valuable ship and her cargo to the owner, he had the satisfaction of knowing that he had been instrumental in saving what was far more precious, the lives of the owner's wife and son.

It was impossible to do more than hazard a conjecture as to the part of the South American coast on which the "Pilgrim" had been cast. d.i.c.k imagined that it must be somewhere on the coast of Peru; after sighting Easter Island, he knew that the united action of the equatorial current and the brisk wind must have had the effect of driving the schooner far northward, and he formed his conclusion accordingly. Be the true position, however, what it might, it was all important that it should be accurately ascertained as soon as possible. If it were really in Peru, he would not be long in finding his way to one of the numerous ports and villages that lie along the coast.

But the sh.o.r.e here was quite a desert. A narrow strip of beach, strewn with boulders, was enclosed by a cliff of no great height, in which, at irregular intervals, deep funnels appeared as chasms in the rock. Here and there a gentle slope led to the top.

About a quarter of a mile to the north was the mouth of a little river which had not been visible from the sea. Its banks were overhung by a number of "rhizophora," a species of mangrove entirely distinct from that indigenous to India. It was soon ascertained that the summit of the cliff was clothed by a dense forest, extending far away in undulations of verdure to the mountains in the background. Had Cousin Benedict been a botanist, he could not have failed to find a new and interesting field for his researches; there were lofty baobabs (to which an extraordinary longevity has often been erroneously ascribed), with bark resembling Egyptian syenite; there were white pines, tamarinds, pepper-plants of peculiar species, and numerous other plants unfamiliar to the eye of a native of the North; but, strange to say, there was not a single specimen of the extensive family of palms, of which more than a thousand varieties are scattered in profusion in so many quarters of the globe.

Above the sh.o.r.e hovered a large number of screeching birds, mostly of the swallow tribe, their black plumage shot with steelly blue, and shading off to a light brown at the top of the head. Now and then a few partridges of a greyish colour rose on wing, their necks entirely bare of feathers: the fearless manner in which the various birds all allowed themselves to be approached made Mrs. Weldon and d.i.c.k both wonder if the sh.o.r.es upon which they had been thrown were not so deserted that the sound of fire-arms was not known.

On the edge of the reefs some pelicans (of the species known as pelica.n.u.s minor) were busily filling their pouches with tiny fish, and some gulls coming in from the open sea began to circle round the wreck: with these exceptions not a living creature appeared in sight. Benedict, no doubt, could have discovered many entomological novelties amongst the foliage, but these could give no more information than the birds as to the name of their habitat. Neither north, nor south, nor towards the forest, was there trace of rising smoke, or any footprint or other sign to indicate the presence of a human being.

d.i.c.k's surprise was very great. He knew that the proximity of a native would have made Dingo bark aloud; but the dog gave no warning; he was running backwards and forwards, his tail lowered and his nose close to the ground; now and again he uttered a deep growl.

"Look at Dingo!" said Mrs. Weldon; "how strange he is! he seems to be trying to discover a lost scent."

After watching the dog for a time, she spoke again:-

"Look, too, at Negoro! he and the dog seem to be on the same purpose!"

"As to Negoro," said d.i.c.k, "I cannot concern myself with him now; he must do as he pleases; I have no further control over him; his service expires with the loss of the ship."

Negoro was in fact walking to and fro, surveying the sh.o.r.e with the air of a man who was trying to recall some past experience to his recollection. His dogged taciturnity was too well known for any one to think of questioning him; every one was accustomed to let him go his own way, and when d.i.c.k noticed that he had gone towards the little river, and had disappeared behind the cliff, he thought no more about him. Dingo likewise had quite forgotten his enemy, and desisted from his growling.

The first necessity for the shipwrecked party was to find a temporary shelter where they might take some refreshment. There was no lack of provisions; independently of the resources of the land, the ebbing tide had left upon the rocks the great bulk of the "Pilgrim's" stores, and the negroes had already collected several kegs of biscuit, and a number of cases of preserved meat, besides a variety of other supplies. All that they rescued they carefully piled up above high-water mark. As nothing appeared to be injured by the sea-water, the victualling of the party all seemed to be satisfactorily secure for the interval which must elapse (and they all believed it would not be long,)

[Ill.u.s.tration: Surveying the sh.o.r.e with the au of a man who was trying to recall some past experience]

before they reached one of the villages which they presumed were close at hand. d.i.c.k, moreover, took the precaution of sending Hercules to get a small supply of fresh water from the river hard by, and the good-natured fellow returned carrying a whole barrel-full on his shoulder.

Plenty of fuel was lying about, and whenever they wanted to light a fire they were sure of having an abundance of dead wood and the roots of the old mangroves. Old Tom, an inveterate smoker, always carried a tinder box in his pocket; this had been too tightly fastened to be affected by the moisture, and could always produce a spark upon occasion.

Still they must have a shelter. Without some rest it was impossible to start upon a tour of exploration; accordingly, all interests were directed towards ascertaining where the necessary repose could be obtained.

The honour of discovering where the desired retreat could be found fell to the lot of little Jack. Trotting about at the foot of the cliff, he came upon one of those grottoes which are constantly being found hollowed out in the rock by the vehement action of the waves in times of tempest.

"Here, look here!" cried the child; "here's a place!"

"Well done, Jack!" answered his mother; "your lucky discovery is just what we wanted. If we were going to stay here any time we should have to do the same as the Swiss Family Robinson, and name the spot after you!"

It was hardly more than twelve or fourteen feet square, and yet the grotto seemed to Jack to be a gigantic cavern. But narrow as its limits were, it was capacious enough to receive the entire party. It was a great satisfaction to Mrs. Weldon to observe that it was perfectly dry, and as the moon was just about her first quarter there was no likelihood of a tide rising to the foot of the cliff. At any rate, it was resolved that they might take up their quarters there for a few hours.

Shortly after one o'clock the whole party were seated upon a carpet of seaweed round a repast consisting of preserved meat, biscuit, and water flavoured with a few drops of rum, of which Bat had saved a quart bottle from the wreck. Even Negoro had returned and joined the group; probably he had not cared to venture alone along the bank of the stream into the forest. He sat listening, as it seemed indifferently, to the various plans for the future that were being discussed, and did not open his mouth either by way of remonstrance or suggestion.

Dingo was not forgotten, and had his share of food duly given him outside the grotto, where he was keeping guard.

When the meal was ended, Mrs. Weldon, pa.s.sing her arms round Jack, who was lounging half asleep with excitement and fatigue at her side, was the first to speak.

"My dear d.i.c.k," she said, "in the name of us all, let me thank you for the services you have rendered us in our tedious time of difficulty. As you have been our captain at sea, let me beg you to be our guide upon land. We shall have perfect confidence in your judgment, and await your instructions as to what our next proceedings shall be."

All eyes were turned upon d.i.c.k. Even Negoro appeared to be roused to curiosity, as if eager to know what he had to say.

d.i.c.k did not speak for some moments. He was manifestly pondering what step he should advise. After a while he said,-

"My own impression, Mrs. Weldon, is that we have been cast ash.o.r.e upon one of the least-frequented parts of the coast of Peru, and that we are near the borders of the Pampas. In that case I should conclude that we are at a considerable distance from any village. Now, I should recommend that we stay here altogether for the coming night. To-morrow morning, two of us can start off on an exploring expedition. I entertain but little doubt that natives will be met with within ten or a dozen miles."

Mrs. Weldon looked doubtful. Plainly she thought unfavourably of the project of separating the party. She reflected for a considerable time, and then asked,-

"And who is to undertake the task of exploring?"

Prompt was d.i.c.k's answer:-

"Tom and I."

"And leave us here?" suggested the lady.

"Yes; to take care of you, there will be Hercules, Bat, Actaeon and Austin. Negoro, too, I presume, means to remain here," said d.i.c.k, glancing towards the cook.

"Perhaps," replied Negoro, sparing as ever of his words.

"We shall take Dingo," added d.i.c.k; "likely enough he may be useful."

At the sound of his name the dog had entered the grotto. A short bark seemed to testify his approval of d.i.c.k's proposal.

Mrs. Weldon was silent. She looked sad and thoughtful. It was hard to reconcile herself to the division of the party. She was aware that the separation would not be for long, but she could not suppress a certain feeling of nervousness. Was it not possible that some natives, attracted by the wreck, would a.s.sault them in hopes of plunder?

Every argument he could think of, d.i.c.k brought forward to rea.s.sure the lady. He told her that the Indians were perfectly harmless, and entirely different to the savage tribes of Africa and Polynesia; there was no reason to apprehend any mischief, even if they should chance to encounter them, which was itself extremely unlikely. No doubt the separation would have its inconveniences, but they would be insignificant compared with the difficulty of traversing the country en ma.s.se. Tom and he would have far greater freedom if they went alone, and could make their investigations much more thoroughly. Finally he promised that if within two days they failed to discover human habitation, they would return to the grotto forthwith.

"I confess, however," he added, "that I have little expectation of being able to ascertain our true position, until I have penetrated some distance into the country."

There was nothing in d.i.c.k's representations but what commanded Mrs. Weldon's a.s.sent as reasonable. It was simply her own nervousness, she acknowledged, that made her hesitate; but it was only with extreme reluctance that she finally yielded to the proposition.

"And what, Mr. Benedict, is your opinion of my proposal?" said d.i.c.k, turning to the entomologist.

"I?" answered Cousin Benedict, looking somewhat bewildered, "Oh, I am agreeable to anything. I dare say I shall find some specimens. I think I will go and look at once."

"Take my advice, and don't go far away," replied d.i.c.k.

"All right; I shall take care of myself."

"And don't be bringing back a lot of mosquitoes," said old Tom mischievously.

With his box under his arm, the naturalist left the grotto.

Negoro followed almost immediately. He did not take the same direction as Benedict up the cliff, but for the second time bent his steps towards the river, and proceeded along its bank till he was out of sight.

It was not long before Jack's exertions told upon him, and he fell into a sound sleep. Mrs. Weldon having gently laid him on Nan's lap, wandered out and made her way to the water's edge. She was soon joined by d.i.c.k and the negroes, who wanted to see whether it was possible to get to the "Pilgrim," and secure any articles that might be serviceable for future use. The reef on which the schooner had stranded was now quite dry, and the carcase of the vessel which had been partially covered at high water was lying in the midst of debris of the most promiscuous character. The wide difference between high and low-water mark caused d.i.c.k Sands no little surprise. He knew that the tides on the sh.o.r.es of the Pacific were very inconsiderable; in his own mind, however, he came to the conclusion that the phenomenon was to be explained by the unusually high wind that had been blowing on the coast.