The Island of Gold Part 37

"That is it, Tandy; they have fled. Heaven grant they may not come back. But if they do, we must try to give them a warm reception, unless they are extra civil. Meanwhile, I think that old Vulcan, at his forge in yonder hill, has not let out his fires. They are merely banked, and he is ready to get up steam at a moment's notice.

"Why, Tandy, what see you?"

The mate of the _Sea Flower_ was lying flat on the green hill-top, with his telescope resting on Bob's back.

"I see--I--see," he said, without taking his eye from the gla.s.s, "a little island far away, a level island it is."

"Yes. Go on."

"I see a beach of coral sand, dark canoes like tree-trunks are lying here and there, and I see dark figures moving to and fro, and many more around a fire. The beach is banked behind by waving plantain or banana-trees, and cocoa palms are nodding in the air."

"Then," said Halcott, "I was right, and those savages you see, Tandy, are the natives of this Island of Gold--for we shall call it the Isle of Misfortune never again--the very natives, Tandy, who fled from this place when Vulcan's thunders began to shake the earth."

Slowly homewards now they took their way, and just as the sun was westering stood once more upon the coral beach. The boat was speedily sent for them, and they were not sorry to find themselves once more on board.

Fine weather continued, with scarcely ever a breath of wind, for a whole week. But this could not always be so. The ocean that stretches from the sh.o.r.es of South America far across to New Zealand and Australia is Pacific by name, but not always pacific by nature, and terrible indeed are the gales and circular storms that sometimes sweep over its surface.

So, knowing this, Halcott and Tandy determined to seek, if possible, a safer anchorage or harbour.

It was with this view that they extended their explorations, and made little boat excursions round the rocky coast. These last Nelda, much to her joy, was permitted to join. Looking over the boat's gunwale, far down into the depths of the clear, transparent water, she could see marine gardens more lovely than any she had ever dreamt of.

"Oh," she cried, "look, daddy, look! That is fairyland. Oh, I _should_ like to go down and see a mermaids' ball."

After rounding the promontory, with its bold, bluff cliffs frowning darkly over the deep, they came to the entrance to the river.

This river was fed by springs that rose far inland, and so wide was it at its mouth that the mariners hoped it would make a most excellent shelter and harbour for the _Sea Flower_. Alas, greatly to their disappointment, they found it barred across.

And no other spot could be found around the island coast.

By paying out the anchors; however, which, getting a firm hold of the coralline bottom, were almost bound to hold, Halcott believed the _Sea Flower_ could weather almost any storm.

In this he was sadly mistaken, as the sequel will show.

It was determined now to penetrate into the highland part of the isle itself, and make their first grand plunge for gold. If this could be found in sufficient quant.i.ties, their stay on the island need be but very brief.

Book 3--CHAPTER THREE.

"WE SHALL ALWAYS BE BROTHERS NOW--ALWAYS, ALWAYS."

"Just there, Tandy," said Halcott, as the two stood together a day or two after on the brink of a rocky chasm, at the bottom of which the river swept slowly along, dark and deep, because confined by the wet and perpendicular rocks--"just there it was where my friend, my almost brother, plunged over. He had torn up the bridge, as I told you, to save us from the black men's axes, and so doing sacrificed his life.

Ah, James! poor James!

"See," he added, "the bridge has never yet been repaired."

Then they went slowly and sadly away, for Tandy felt sorry indeed to witness the grief of his companion.

"How he must have loved him!" he thought. But he remained silent.

Grief is sometimes far too deep for sympathy.

They saw many little pigs to-day and rabbits also, as well as a species of pole-cat. But having still plenty of provisions on board they did not hamper themselves by making a bag.

Higher up the stream now they went, and after a time found a place that could be easily forded, the river meandering through a green and pleasant valley, studded here and there with fragrant shrubs and carpeted with wild flowers.

Monster b.u.t.terflies darted from bloom to bloom--as big as painted fans they were, and radiantly beautiful; but still more beautiful were the many birds seen here and there, especially the kingfishers. So tame were these that they scarce moved even when the travellers came within a yard of them. Asleep you might have believed them to be till one after another, with a half-suppressed scream of excitement, they left their perches to dive into a pool, so quickly too that they looked like tiny strips of rainbow.

Dinner was partaken of by the side of the stream, and after a time they crossed the ford.

The country was rough and rolling and well-wooded, though few of the birds that flitted from bough to bough had any song; they made love in silence.

The beauty of the colours is doubtless granted them for sake of the preservation of species, for there are lizards large enough here to prey upon them, did the birds not resemble the flowers. Their want of song, too, is a provision of nature for the same purpose.

They found the country through which they pa.s.sed on their way to the lake so covered with jungle, here and there, that they had to climb hills to save themselves from being lost, having brought no compa.s.s with them.

"Ha! yonder is the lake," cried Halcott; "and now we shall see the place where my dear girl and her mother were imprisoned; and, Tandy," he added, "we may find gold."

Close here, by the green banks of the little lake, and in a grove, much to their astonishment, they found a canoe.

To all appearance it had been recently used, for there were the marks of feet on the gra.s.s, and in the canoe--a black dug-out--were a native tomahawk, a kind of spear or trident, and fishing-hooks of bone, most curiously formed, and evidently only recently used.

"Look to your guns now, lads," said Halcott, "and keep out of sight; that island is inhabited."

Just at that moment, as if in proof of what he said, a slight wreath of smoke came curling up through the foliage of a large-leaved banana grove on the tiny island.

A council of war was immediately held. The question to be debated was: should two of their number enter the canoe and row boldly off to the gra.s.s hut, the top of which could be seen peeping grey over the green of the trees?

This had been Tom Wilson's proposition. He and Chips, he said, would run the risk. There could not be many savages on the island. With revolvers in their hands they need not fear to advance under cover of the rifles of Captain Halcott and Mr Tandy.

"Poisoned arrows," said Halcott, shaking his head, "speed swiftly from a bush. Spears, too, fly fast, and the touch of either means death!

"No, my good fellows, we must think of some other plan. I cannot afford to have you slain. If one or two savages would but appear, we could make signs of peace, or hold them up with our rifles."

From his position at this moment Halcott alone commanded a view of the islet, which was barely seventy yards away. The three others were sitting on the edge of the canoe.

"Oh!"

This was a sudden exclamation of half-frightened surprise, and when Tandy looked up, behold! there stood Halcott in a position which seemed to indicate a sudden attack of catalepsy. Halcott's shoulders were shrugged, his clenched fists held somewhat in advance, his head bent forward, eyes staring, brows lowered, and lips parted.

Halcott was a brave man, and Tandy right well knew it. The sight of a score of spear-armed savages could not have affected him thus; he might be face to face with a tiger or a python, yet feel no fear.

Thinking his friend was about to fall, Tandy sprang up and seized his arm.

Halcott recovered almost at once, and a smile stole over his bold, handsome, sailor face.

But he spoke not. He could not just then. He only pointed over the bush towards the island, and Tandy looked in the same direction.