The Island Home Part 11

Late in the afternoon, Arthur and Eiulo returned from their tour of examination, having made, as Arthur intimated, some discoveries, of which, in due time, we should all reap the benefit. Morton having found a tough and elastic kind of wood, had shaped a tolerable bow for Johnny, when it came to providing a string, the resources of both failed. The difficulty being made known to Eiulo, he volunteered to supply what was wanted, and went with Johnny and Morton into the adjoining forest to look for a certain kind of bark, from which to make the required cord.

"There!" said Arthur, when we were left alone together; "how capitally this excursion has worked. How differently things seem from what they did yesterday, when we were at the islet, perfectly stagnant and stupid.

One would not take us for the same people. Only let us always have something to do, something to interest and busy ourselves about, and we need not be very miserable, even on a desert island."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

CAMPING OUT.

A DESPERATE ENGAGEMENT--JOHNNY DISCOVERS AN "OYSTER TREE"--VAGRANTS, OR KINGS?--A SLEEPING PRESCRIPTION.

"Travellers ne'er did lie, Though fools at home condemn them: If in Naples, I should report this now, would they believe me?"

About sunset we went down to the beach to bathe. The trees along the sh.o.r.e were occupied by immense crowds of exemplary sea-fowl, whose regular and primitive habits of life had sent them to roost at this early hour. Notwithstanding their webbed feet, they managed to perch securely among the branches, many of which were so heavily freighted, that they bent almost to the ground beneath their load.

Finding a spot where the beach shelved off gradually into deep water, with a smooth, firm bottom, free from sh.e.l.ls and corallines, we had a refreshing swim. Afterwards, strolling along the sh.o.r.e by myself, I found a large fish, beautifully marked with alternate black and yellow bands, in a shallow, fenced off from the lagoon at low water, by a coral ridge. The too eager pursuit of some of the smaller tribe of fishes, had probably beguiled him into this trap, where he had been left by the tide, to fall a victim, as I confidently reckoned, to his own rapacity.

All escape into deep water seemed to be pretty effectually cut off and I looked upon him as already the captive of my bow and spear; but fearing lest some of the others should come up to share the glory of securing so splendid a prize, I forthwith set about effecting his actual capture.

Rolling my trowsers above my knees, I waded into the water to drive him ash.o.r.e; but I soon found that my task was not going to prove by any means as easy as I had antic.i.p.ated. My intended victim was exceedingly vigorous and active, and as ferocious as a pike. He obstinately refused to be driven at all, and struggled and floundered as desperately as if he already had a vivid presentiment of the frying-pan, snapping viciously at my fingers whenever I undertook to lay hold of him. To add to the aggravating features of the case, he seemed to bristle all over with an inordinate and unreasonable quant.i.ty of sharp-pointed fins and spines, which must have been designed by nature as weapons of defence, since there were certainly more of them than any fish could use to advantage for swimming purposes. I began to suspect that I had caught a Tartar; but I had now gone too far to back out with credit: my self-respect wouldn't admit of the thought. So, taking a short breathing spell, I again advanced to the attack, somewhat encouraged by perceiving that my scaly antagonist seemed exhausted and distressed by his recent exertions. His mouth was wide open, and his gills quivered; but I was rather uncertain whether to regard this as a hostile demonstration, or a sign of pain and fatigue. However, at it we went; and, after getting my hands badly cut by some of the aforesaid bristling spines and fins, besides being drenched with water, and plastered all over with wet sand, which he splashed about in the struggle, I succeeded in seizing him firmly by the tail, and throwing him high and dry upon the beach. I then scooped out a hollow in the sand, a little above the tide-mark, and filling it with water, pushed him into it, thus securing him for the present.

Max, Morton, and Browne, who had been practising climbing cocoa-nut trees, at the edge of the wood, with very indifferent success, had witnessed, from a distance, the latter part of the "engagement," as Max facetiously called it; and they now came up to learn the particulars, and to inquire "whether it was a shark, or a young whale, that I had been having such a terrible time with." While they were admiring my captive, and jocosely condoling with me on the hard usage which I had received, the voice of Johnny, (who, accompanied by Eiulo, had ventured to stroll off in the direction of the point), was heard, raised to its highest pitch, as he shouted for us to "come and see something strange."

But it seemed that his impatience would not permit him to await the result of his summons, for the next moment he came running towards us in a state of great excitement, and all out of breath, crying out that he had "found a tree covered with oysters," and he had no doubt, there were "lots more of them."

"A tree covered with _what_?" inquired Browne, dubiously.

"With oysters--with fine, large oysters!" cried Johnny, "just come and see for yourselves."

"Wonderful island! productive soil!" exclaimed Max, in mock admiration.

"If oysters will take root, and grow here, I suppose pretty much any thing will: I believe I will plant my boots to-morrow: they may do for seed, and are good for nothing else any longer--don't you begin to think this must be an enchanted island, Johnny?"

"O, you may make fun of it, if you please; but it's true: and if you'll come with me, I'll shew you the trees."

"Well," said Browne, "I am ready for almost any thing in the way of the marvellous, since having seen a solid and substantial-looking island turn into a vapour, and vanish away before my very eyes. I shall be careful about doubting any thing, until I get back to some Christian country, where things go on regularly. For the present, I am in state of mind to believe in phoenixes and unicorns--and why not in oyster-trees? Who knows but we have happened upon a second Prospero's isle? Lead on, Johnny, and bring us to this wonderful tree." And Johnny started off accordingly, followed by Browne and Morton.

In a moment the latter was heard calling out, "I say, Max! do you understand conchology?"

"Yes, enough to tell a bivalve when I see one: should like to have a 'dozen fried' before me now."

"If a 'dozen raw' will answer, just step this way, and we'll accommodate you equal to Florence."

On hastening to the spot, all scepticism as to the "oysters growing on trees," was speedily removed. A row of mangroves lined the sh.o.r.e for some distance, each elevated upon its white pile of protruding and intertwisted roots. Attached to the branches of these trees, which overhung the water and drooped into it at high tide, were abundance of fair-sized oysters. Looking down into the water beneath the mangroves, I perceived the certain indications of an extensive and well-stocked oyster-bed. The bottom was thickly covered with them, in every stage of growth mult.i.tudes being scarcely larger than a sixpence. I could also see, through the shallow water, an immense number of little white specks, like drops of spermaceti, scattered about among them. It was evident, that here was an abundant and unfailing supply of these delicious sh.e.l.l-fish.

Browne broke off from one of the trees a large branch, having half a dozen oysters attached to it, with which he hastened to confront the unbelieving Max, and flourishing it in his face, demanded to know if he was "convinced now." Although constrained to admit that they _looked_ very like oysters, Max seemed to consider the evidence of more than one of the senses necessary to afford satisfactory proof of so extraordinary a phenomenon, and accordingly proceeded to see how they tasted.

After opening one of the largest, (using his cutla.s.s as an oyster-knife), and making the experiment with due deliberation, he announced himself perfectly satisfied.

By the time we had all sufficiently tasted the quality of the oysters, (which were really very good, and well-flavoured, notwithstanding the unusual position in which they were discovered), it had become quite dark. Though the evening was fine, there was not much light, the moon and stars glimmering faintly through a soft purple haze, which, as I had observed since we had been on the island, generally seemed to fill the atmosphere for a short time after sunset, and at a little later hour entirely disappeared. As we strolled back towards the foot of "Castle-Hill," Johnny suddenly looked up, and inquired, as if the thought had just occurred to him, where we were going to sleep.

"That's a pretty question to ask," said Browne, laughing, "it implies that we are common vagrants."

"So we are, strictly speaking," answered Max, "we have no regular means of living, and no fixed place of abode, and that I believe, makes us common vagrants, according to Webster."

"I should think our means of living were 'regular' enough to rescue us from the definition," replied Morton, "having been thus far, cocoa-nuts and mussels every day, and all day long, and nothing but cocoa-nuts and mussels. I am glad that there is now some prospect of a little more irregularity in future."

"As to our having no fixed habitation or place of abode," said Browne, "that does not arise from poverty, or lack of land--'the isle is all before us where to choose'--and we are now on a tour of observation through our extensive domains, in order to decide upon the finest spot for our head-quarters. Meantime, for a night or two, we shall have to be satisfied with 'a tent in the green wood, a home in the grove,' in other words, we shall have to 'camp out,' as the most renowned hunters and soldiers have frequently done before us. I'm sure there's no vagrancy in that."

"Why," cried Johnny, forgetting for the moment his anxiety on the score of our quarters for the night, "we are no more vagrants than Robinson Crusoe was:--

"'We are monarchs of all we survey, And our realm there is none to dispute,'

"As he says of himself so that we are much more like kings than vagrants."

"And the sea-birds and fishes," said Max, "are to be considered as our subjects, I presume, since we have no man Friday, and no goats or poll-parrots to reign over."

"Yes," said Johnny, "I suppose so; there are enough of them too."

"And some very disloyal, rebellious, and stiff-necked ones among them,"

added Max, "who ought to be dealt with as traitors forthwith--that st.u.r.dy feathered rebel for instance, who, not regarding the inviolability of the royal person, no longer ago than this morning laid one of our royal majesties sprawling upon his royal back."

"And that other scaly traitor," added Browne, "who perversely refused to come out of the water to be cooked, in accordance with the royal will, and who nearly bit off the sacred thumb of one of our majesties, in resisting the royal authority."

"Well, Johnny," said Max, "if we are not actually kings, we at any rate have some royal blood upon the island. Not to speak of myself, who am descended direct from 'Kaiser Maximilien,' here is Eiulo, who is a real prince, his father being King of the Cannibal Islands, or some other islands in these seas."

"I wish you wouldn't speak so of Eiulo's father," said Johnny, warmly, "he is not a cannibal, and I believe he is a very good man; I think his islands are near here, and if we should one day get there, he would treat us kindly, and let us go home whenever we should have an opportunity."

"Hilloa!" cried Max, "what has put all that into your head? What do you know about Eiulo's father, or his islands, or where they are?"

This sudden outburst of Johnny's surprised us all, with perhaps the exception of Arthur, and we listened with some interest, as he replied to Max's volley of questions.

"Oh, I have talked with Eiulo about it," he answered, "mostly by signs; and he has made me understand that he believes his home is not far distant--off in that direction, (pointing north), and that ships sometimes stop there; and so I have been thinking that if we could only find the way there, we should have some prospect of getting home at last."

Upon this we became silent and thoughtful; nothing further was said, until Johnny recurred to the question which he had started a few moments before, and again asked where we proposed to pa.s.s the night.

"Not in those gloomy woods, I hope," said he, "where it is so lonely, and the wind and the trees make such strange noises. I would rather sleep down here upon the sh.o.r.e; this nice dry, white sand, up where the water never comes, will make a very good bed."

Thus far, we had pa.s.sed every night upon the islet, to which we had now become familiarised and accustomed. Its small extent, and separation from the mainland, gave it an air of security, which made us feel more at our ease there at night, than we could among the sombre and unexplored forests of the larger island, about which we as yet knew so little. Johnny's timidity was not therefore unnatural. Indeed, unless I am mistaken, none of us was, on this first night of our exploration, entirely free from a vague spirit of insecurity, and of liability to some unknown danger.

"That will hardly do, Johnny," said Browne, in answer to his suggestion about taking up our quarters for the night upon the sh.o.r.e, "a heap of dry panda.n.u.s leaves will make a much more comfortable bed than the hard sand. Thus I propose to arrange it--we will go up to the top of the hill where we rested to-day, and lodge there; our beds of leaves shall be all in a circle, and Johnny's shall be in the middle; and then he won't feel lonesome or afraid, for all the uncanny noises of the wind and the trees; knowing that he has good friends and true all around him, and particularly one stout John Browne, who is worth all the rest together, being a fair match for any thing in this part of the South-Seas!" and by way of raising Johnny's spirits, and inspiring him with the greater confidence in the prowess of his protector, he flourished his cutla.s.s, and went scientifically through the broad-sword exercise, slashing and carving away at his imaginary antagonist, with a fierceness and vigour wonderful to behold, having lopped off an indefinite quant.i.ty of airy heads and limbs, be finished, by reciting with a bold and warlike air--

"Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled!

Scots wham Bruce has aften led!" etcetera.

This demonstration seemed to produce the desired effect and Johnny soon became rea.s.sured, and quite reconciled to "camping out" in the woods.

The evening was so fine, and the gentle breeze setting in from the ocean was so cool and grateful, after the excessive heat of the day, that we continued for some time loitering along the sh.o.r.e. The sea was highly phosph.o.r.escent; that is, during the earlier part of the evening, and before the mist or haze before spoken of cleared up. The tiny wavelets, as they rippled upon the beach in rapid succession, sparkled with phosphoric fire, and out in the lagoon, wherever a coral patch rose to the surface, or the water was disturbed by any floating object, it gave forth a clear and brilliant light, and was studded by myriads of fiery dots and spangles.

At length Johnny began to complain of weariness, and we scaled the terraced hill, and gathering a large quant.i.ty of clean and well-dried leaves, arranged our beds as Browne had suggested, beneath the group of n.o.ble trees where we had taken our siesta at noon.

The novelty of our situation, long proved with me an effectual antidote to fatigue and drowsiness, and I lay, looking up at the moon glimmering through the foliage of the trees, an hour after the rest seemed to be asleep.