Mother Carey's Chicken Part 22

The stay at Singapore was not long. The three German students bade the pa.s.sengers good-bye politely, and took their departure, beaming upon everyone through their spectacles, making quite a gap at the saloon table, though they were not much missed, for they had all been remarkably quiet, only talking to each other in a subdued manner, and always being busy with a book a piece, whose contents were tremendous dissertations on agricultural chemistry, all of which they were going to apply out in Queensland as soon as they got there.

Then one bright morning, well supplied with fresh provisions, and, to Mark's great delight, with an ample store of fruit--from bananas, of three or four kinds, to pine-apples, the delicious mangosteen, and the ill-odoured durian, with its wooden husk, delicate custard, and large seeds--the ship continued her course.

The sea was like crystal, and with the sun hot, but not to discomfort, and a soft breeze blowing, the great vessel glided gently eastward. It was a trifle monotonous, but this troubled Mark in only small degree, for there was always something fresh to take his attention. Sea-birds were seen; then some fish or another reared itself out of the limpid sea, and fell back with a splash. Then a shoal of some smaller kind rippled the surface as they played about, silvering the blue water with their armoured sides.

Small the boatswain and Billy Widgeon rigged up tackle for the lad to fish; and he fished, but caught nothing.

"But then, you know, you might have ketched real big fish," said the little sailor encouragingly, "because, you see, you know they are there."

It was a consolation, but not much, to one who has tried for days to capture something or another worthy of being placed by the cook upon the captain's table.

And so three days of slow progress pa.s.sed on, after which the progress grew more slow, and ended in a complete calm, just as they were a few miles north of a verdant-looking island, whose waving palms, seen above and beyond a broad belt of dingy mangroves, looked particularly tempting to those who had been cooped up so long on shipboard, where, now that the breeze had sunk, it seemed insufferably hot.

"I suppose it can't be hotter than this, Mr Gregory, can it?" asked Mark, soon after noontide on the second day of the calm.

"Hotter than this?" said the first-mate with an a.s.sumed look of astonishment. "Do you hear him, Morgan? He calls it hot!"

"I say, captain," said the major, "how long's this calm going to last?"

"Impossible to say," said the captain. "I am hoping for a fresh breeze at sundown, but I dare not prophesy."

"Well, then, let's have the boat out and manned, and two or three of us go ash.o.r.e with our guns, to see if we can't shoot something."

The captain hesitated, looked at the sky, at the offing, studied his gla.s.s, and then said that there was no prospect of wind before night, and if the major liked, they would make up a little party and go.

"We can get some handsome birds for specimens if we get none for food,"

said the major, "and perhaps we may get hold of a snake, or a big lizard, to make into a stew."

"Stewed lizard! Ugh!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Mark.

"And why not, young fellow?" cried the major. "Once upon a time, as the geologists tell us, the lizard and the fowl were very much alike, only they divided, and while one went on growing more like a bird, the other lost his wings and the feathers in his tail, and ran more upon the ground. Now, I'll be bound to say, sir, that if I shot a lizard, an iguana, or something of that kind, and made it into a curry, you would not be able to tell the difference. Come, captain."

"Oh, I'm not coming," said the captain. "I shall stay aboard and look after my two wives--Mark's mother and the ship. You youngsters can go and enjoy yourselves. You'll go with them, Gregory."

"No, no, I'll stop with the ship," said the first-mate.

"Then it will be to keep me company," said the captain, "for I shall not stir."

"Oh, well then, sir, I will take a run," said Mr Gregory.

"You'll go too, Morgan?"

"I should enjoy it much, sir," said the second-mate.

"All right, then. I'll have the gig lowered and manned. The sooner you are off the better."

"We shall want a man or two to carry the bags," said Mr Gregory. "I'll have Small."

"And I'll have Widgeon," said Mr Morgan, "in case we find ducks."

"I'll have Bruff," said Mark to himself.

"Look here," said the captain; "this island seems to be uninhabited, and it may be a foolish precaution, but I should take it. The crew will have pistols, and I should advise you all to take your revolvers."

"Hot enough carrying our guns," said the first-mate.

"Never mind, sir," said the major. "I remember once in the neighbourhood of Malacca, how a party of us officers landed to get a shot at the snipe, and we were surprised by a party of copper-coloured scoundrels. By George, sir, there we were with nothing better than snipe-shot, sir, to defend ourselves against as murderous-looking a set of haythens as ever stepped."

"What did you do, Major O'Halloran?" said Mark.

"Bolted, sir--I mean we retreated through the bog. Murder! that was a retreat. Take your weapons, gentlemen, and young Strong here shall carry my revolver."

"No," said the captain, "carry your own, major. I'm going to lend him mine."

The preparations did not take long, and soon after the little party were being rowed over the deep dark blue water toward the lonely island, whose sh.o.r.es were right and left of a rocky nature, save in the direction they had chosen, where a slight indentation that could hardly be called a bay offered a splendid landing-place, being a curved stretch of soft white sand.

All at once the water seemed to change colour from dark blue to pale green, and on looking over the side the little party found that, instead of gazing down into the black depths, they were gliding over rocky shallows illumined by the sun, which showed them sea gardens full of growths of the most wondrous shapes, among which startled shoals of fish glided, while others, unmoved by the coming of the boat, played about, showing their armoured sides dazzling with orange and scarlet, blue and gold.

Mark could have stopped for hours, content to gaze down into the lovely transparent waters, but the boat glided on and soon afterwards touched the sh.o.r.e.

"There, my lads," said the first-mate, taking out a big india-rubber pouch of tobacco and pitching it to one of the men, "there is not a great deal of tide, but take care to keep the boat afloat. You can smoke and sleep, but take it in turns, so as to have some one on the watch."

The party sprang out, and the men left in the boat looked rather glum till the major supplemented the first-mate's gift by handing his cigar-case to another of the men.

"One minute," he said. "I think there are eight cigars in there, and I should like one for myself. I'll have that, and then you four men will have a cigar and three-quarters apiece, and you must divide them according to taste."

As this was going on, Mark stood gazing toward the ship, and as he looked he saw a white handkerchief waved.

It was too far off to be sure who waved that handkerchief, but it was either Mrs Strong, the major's wife, or Mary O'Halloran.

"It doesn't matter which," thought Mark, and taking off his cap he waved it in return.

"Now, gentlemen," said the first-mate, "load away, and then we had better decide where to go."

"Not necessary," said the major, closing the breech of his piece and giving the stock an affectionate slap.

"Not necessary?" said Morgan.

"No, sir. This is an uninhabited island, where there are no roads and nature has it all her own way. We shall have to go which way we can."

They struck inland, and the major's words, the result of old experience, proved to be true, for as they reached the belt of jungle, which came within some fifty yards of the sh.o.r.e, it was to find their course stayed by a dense wall of verdure that was literally impa.s.sable, the great trees being woven together with creepers, notable among which there was the rattan cane, which wound in and out and climbed up and down in a way that was almost marvellous.

"This is pleasant," said the major.

"Oh, we can get through, sir," said Mark. "Let me go first."

"Do," said the major, with a smile at Gregory, and as the lad pressed forward, "_Experientia docet_," he whispered. "I've been in a jungle before now."