The Three Admirals Part 16

"We must try and make friends with them, or, if they will not be friends, keep them at a distance; depend upon it they will be civil enough when they see our firearms," answered Desmond.

"Inhabited? I'm sure it is," exclaimed Jerry, suddenly. "Look there!

there's a fellow dancing away on the top of that hillock. He sees us; the chances are a score or two more black fellows like him are hidden away, who will be down upon us as we step on sh.o.r.e."

Desmond at the same time saw the savage, and told Tom.

"Well, there is but one as yet," said Tom; "perhaps, however, it may be prudent to load a couple of the muskets, though one will be sufficient, depend upon it, to keep them at bay."

As the raft approached the sh.o.r.e, the gestures of the savage appeared to become more and more frantic, but the gloom of evening soon rendered his form indistinct, although he could still be seen against the sky. The breeze having once more almost died away, the paddles were again got out. The raft neared the sh.o.r.e. There was, they saw, a little surf, but not sufficient to endanger the raft and cargo. In a few minutes more the beach would be reached. The savage had disappeared, but a voice was heard, evidently shouting to them.

"Bedad! but the savage is Pat Casey!" exclaimed Tim, who recognised his countryman's voice, and, as the raft touched the beach, Pat rushed forward, and grasped the hands of Jerry and Tim, who sprang overboard to a.s.sist in securing it. The rest of the party quickly followed, as it was important to lighten the raft as soon as possible.

"Where are the other men?" asked the doctor. "We thought you were all lost soon after you left the wreck."

"Sure, so they all were entirely but myself," answered Pat; "and how I came on sh.o.r.e is more than I can tell, except that I'm after supposing I held on to the bottom of the boat, and this morning I found myself high and dry on the beach. I'm mighty glad to see you all, and you are welcome to the island."

"Are there any savages?" asked the doctor.

"Barring myself, no, your honour," answered Pat, with a laugh. "They would have been down upon me before now if there had been any, but not a soul have I set eyes on since I came ash.o.r.e."

However, there was no time for talking, as it was important at once to land the cargo. The whole party, aided by Pat, immediately set about performing this task. Everything was got on sh.o.r.e without damage. The raft itself was then secured by the strongest ropes they possessed to the trunk of a cocoa-nut tree, which fortunately grew near. Pat had collected wood for a fire, though he had forgotten that he did not possess the means of igniting it. But some matches having been fortunately brought among other things, a bright blaze was soon produced. By its light, at the doctor's suggestion, a tent was formed with the sails of the raft and some spare canvas, large enough to afford shelter to the whole party.

Peter and Pat had been, in the mean time, busily engaged in preparing supper, to which all hands were ready to do justice.

"Dare, gentl'm," exclaimed Peter, as he placed some slices of fried ham before the doctor and midshipmen; "you no get better dan dis in de bes'

hotel in Boston. Per'aps you tink de cook is worth gla.s.s ob grog?"

Tom took the hint, and divided a couple of bottles of wine among the party, which a.s.sisted to put them in good spirits. They sat round the fire, yarns were told and songs were sung, but their heads soon began to nod, and they were glad to seek the shelter of the tent. As the island was uninhabited, Tom did not consider it necessary to set a watch; indeed, had any one of the party made the attempt, the probabilities were that he would have been unable to keep his eyes open.

CHAPTER FIVE.

SEARCH FOR AND FIND THE BOAT--RETURN IN HER TO THE WRECK--FIND MORE STORES, AND BUILD A RAFT--CARRY IT TO THE Sh.o.r.e, AND GO BACK TO BREAK UP THE WRECK FOR BUILDING A VESSEL--ONCE MORE GETTING BACK THEY FIND THE DOCTOR WORKING AT A STILL--ANOTHER TRIP--IT COMES ON TO BLOW HARD--REACH Sh.o.r.e--THE STILL SUCCESSFUL--THE GALE INCREASES--ITS EFFECTS ON THE WRECK--MORE STORES SAVED--SEEDS FOUND AND SOWN--A FLAG-STAFF SET UP-- PLANS FOR THEIR PROPOSED VESSEL--ENGAGED IN SHOOTING AND FISHING-- DISCOVER A MARINE POULTRY-YARD--BILLY AND THE EGGS--SUCCESSFUL FISHING-- SEEDS SOWN.

Tom, who was always the first on foot, roused up his companions.

"Do let a fellow have his sleep out," murmured Billy; "we have got nothing to do."

"We've plenty to do," answered Tom. "We've got to look out for water, and if we find it to build a hut, and ascertain what food the island produces, and try to go back to the wreck and bring off more stores, and put up a flag-staff, and fifty other things."

"Well, I didn't think of all that," said Billy, sitting up. "Dear me, dear me! here we are, on another desert island; with the chances of remaining all our born days."

"Better than being at the bottom of the sea, or crunched up by sharks,"

observed Desmond, "or than being cast on sh.o.r.e among cannibals, who would have cooked and eaten us at the first opportunity. It is not a barren island either, for there are cocoa-nut trees, and there may be other fruits or roots. We shall probably also be able to catch plenty of fish."

"If we could get hold of some fine fat turtle, it would be more to the purpose," said Billy. "Pat makes capital turtle soup. I'm glad he escaped."

"I am afraid the turtle have done laying their eggs by this time,"

observed the doctor. "They only come on sh.o.r.e for that purpose, and we are not likely to catch them otherwise, so you must give up all thoughts of revelling on turtle."

While Peter prepared breakfast, Pat climbed one of the cocoa-nut trees, and sent down nuts enough to afford each of the party a refreshing draught of liquid. It could not properly be called milk, as it had not yet a.s.sumed its white appearance, which it does only after the nut is perfectly ripe. It was welcome, notwithstanding. Though a small cask of water had been brought on sh.o.r.e, Tom wisely wished to husband it until a spring had been discovered. About this the doctor was very doubtful, and Pat, whom he questioned on the subject, stated that he had not discovered any signs of water.

"I should have wished to search for water the first thing," observed Tom; "but whether it is to be found or not, it is most important that we should ascertain whether the boat was washed up on the beach, and if she can be repaired to enable us to return to the wreck."

"Can you show us where you came on sh.o.r.e, Pat?"

"Bedad, sir, I've been wandering up and down so many times, that I am not quite certain; but it's my belief that if she is to be found anywhere, it will be away to the northward, for I didn't see her at the other end."

"Then we will set off without delay," said Tom; and taking Pat, he and Desmond, with Jerry Bird, commenced a search for the boat in the direction Pat mentioned.

The sandy beach was divided in many places by ma.s.ses of coral extending some distance into the water, among which the boat might easily be concealed. Had she, however, been thrown on any of them, she would, Tom feared, in all probability be knocked to pieces. The surprising thing was that Pat had not seen her. It appeared from his account that when he had partially recovered his senses, finding himself on sh.o.r.e, he had set off in a confused state of mind, without knowing where he was going, and that some time must have elapsed before he came entirely to himself.

"Suppose we do not recover the boat, how are we to visit the wreck?"

asked Desmond.

"We must build a smaller raft out of the large one, which we can much more easily manage; and should the weather continue calm, as there appears to be no strong current likely to drive us away, we may, I think, without much risk easily make the trip there and back," answered Tom.

"But how are we to carry a cargo?" inquired Desmond.

"We must form another raft on board, and the materials will serve for building our hut," was the answer.

"Then you think we shall have to remain some time on the island?" said Desmond.

"Of course; it may be for months or years, or we may get off in a few days or weeks. Had we a good carpenter among us, we might have built a vessel from the wreck, should she hold together long enough for us to bring a good portion of her planking and timber ash.o.r.e; but I am very certain that none of us are capable of that, although we have a stock of carpenter's tools."

"There is nothing like trying," said Desmond. "I have seen ships being built; and if we can obtain timber, we might manage in time to put one together large enough to carry us at once to Guam or to the Sandwich Islands."

"We will hear what the doctor says. What do you think about it, Bird?"

"Well, sir, I have helped to rig many a craft, but cannot say that I ever worked as a shipwright, though I am ready to try my hand at that or anything else, and 'where there's a will there's a way.'"

"What do you say, Pat?" asked Tom.

"As to that, Mr Rogers, when a man has been a Prime Minister, he ought to think himself fit for anything; and sooner than live on a dissolute island all me life, I'd undertake to build a ninety-gun ship, if I had the materials."

The answers of the two seamen made Tom think that Desmond's proposal was, at all events, worth consideration.

"Well, if we find we can get timber enough from the wreck, I don't see why we should not make the attempt," he said, after turning over the matter in his mind.

"I'll undertake that we can build a vessel of ten or fifteen tons, which will carry us to the Sandwich Islands," observed Desmond, confidently.

"I have got the idea in my head, though I cannot promise that she will be much of a clipper, but she shall keep afloat, beat to windward, and stand a pretty heavy sea."

Tom and Desmond discussed the matter as they walked along. Presently Pat, who had started on ahead, cried out, "Arrah! here she is, all right, if not all tight," and he pointed to a little sandy bay, almost at the extreme northern end of the island. There lay the boat on the beach. She had narrowly missed being swept round the island, when she would in all probability have been lost unless some counter current, on the lee side, had driven her back. She had escaped also another danger, that of being dashed to pieces against a rugged ledge close to which she must have pa.s.sed. The party hurried up to her to ascertain what damage she had received. The surf had evidently turned her over, and but little water remained in her. At first sight she appeared to be uninjured.

"I was afraid so," said Tom, as he was going round her, and put his hand through a hole in the bows. "The water ran out here; perhaps she would have suffered more if she had not been thus damaged. If she's stove in nowhere else, we shall be able to repair her." This was apparently the only damage the boat had received.

"I am not surprised that she should have been swamped with so many men in her, in the heavy sea there was running when those unhappy men put off," observed Tom. "We shall have to bring our tools and materials here. And now let us see if any oars have been cast on sh.o.r.e." They hunted about, but the oars, being so much lighter than the boat, had either been swept round the north end of the island or thrown on some other part of the sh.o.r.e.