The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen Part 11

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 11. Angel, his new suit, and the Gun._]

Thus the party put in several days of ardent work in the directions indicated. One morning, while the garment-making was in progress, Angel appeared wearing one of George's discarded jackets. He strutted around in the most comical way, admiring himself, and, apparently, enjoying the sensation of being clad. It was amusing to see him hunch his shoulders as he looked at the jacket.

George laughed, and so did Angel. "Well, we must make you a suit sure."

Everyone, even to the Professor, took a part in the proceeding, but John couldn't see a way to fit him with a pair of shoes.

As usual, whenever opportunity offered, the Professor was out prospecting in the hills. When he returned several samples of new minerals were deposited in the laboratory, and when the party gathered there that evening Ralph was the first to notice a reddish ore which had been found during the day.

"What is that, Professor?"

"It is a very fine sample of Cinnabar."

"I never heard of it before. What is it used for?"

"It is the ore from which quicksilver, or mercury, is extracted."

"Wouldn't it be fun to make a looking gla.s.s?"

"It is used for that purpose, but we have use for it in making a thermometer, as well as a barometer," answered the Professor.

"Will it be much trouble to take the quicksilver out of the ore?"

"No, it is a very simple process. Metallic mercury is easily volatilized, and separated from the gangue, at temperatures far below redness. Our closed retort would be admirable for the purpose."

"Do you mean by volatilizing that it is put into a steam?"

"Volatilizing means to convert it into a gas, and this gas, on coming into contact with a cooling surface, is converted into a mercury, which we have in a liquid state, and is called the metallic mercury."

"Are there other kinds besides metallic mercury?"

"Oh, yes; it may be in the form of a nitrate, a sulphate, a chloride or an iodide. The chloride is very poisonous, and is known as corrosive sublimate. It would be just the thing to rid the stable of the rodents that took the barley."

One morning the Professor called the boys together and informed them that it had been the custom to take a certain day each week for hunting or other recreation, and suggested that they continue the practice.

"I should like to go over to Observation Hill and see the flag you made," said Ralph. All agreed to this heartily, and the merry party set out, after being fully equipped, as was always the custom. Red Angel formed one of the party, of course, and in lieu of a gun, George had made a stick in imitation of one. He was immensely proud of this acquisition, and actually hugged it when it was presented to him. From that time forward it was his constant companion.

When the Hill was reached, Angel made for the pole, and with his gun in hand, scrambled to the top, giving out his peculiar chuckling noise, which indicated delight.

"Why the gun doesn't seem to make any difference in his climbing,"

exclaimed Tom.

They scanned the broad sea, and who shall say what their thoughts were as they silently stood there. For some reason when they started to go down the hill they were not so jolly as when going up. Their course was directed to the east, but just why no one knew. It seemed as though they were simply drifting, each with his own thoughts; but Harry soon banished their reveries.

"Let us follow the beach down to South River," he suddenly exclaimed, and all were glad that something had been said or suggested. It was so easy to turn them from gravity to cheerfulness, and probably Harry was trying some of the Professor's medicine on the boys.

At every step of the way, and in every action, the boys now realized that the work of the Professor had been imprinted on them. Tom and Ralph went along glancing superficially at the various objects, but it was entirely different with Harry and George. Every depression, and each succeeding elevation, or clump of trees, or any object beyond the ordinary, was closely scrutinized by them.

This course soon became noticeable to the boys, and called forth a comment from Tom. "Yes, we are always hunting for something. That was a trait which the dear old Professor taught us, and it would surprise you to know how many things we found out by that quality. We have always since found it a pleasure in doing so."

Ralph reflected a moment, and he replied: "I can now see where we made many mistakes during the past year by not adopting that plan."

They pa.s.sed to the east around the bend, and then followed the small bay which indented the sh.o.r.e, and finally moved out along the peninsula, which terminated in a cape east of the mouth of South River.

"I have often thought," observed Harry, "since we have lived here that it would be a good plan to name the different capes and bays, just as we did with the rivers and streams."

"Good idea," answered Tom; "but I think we ought to make a survey of the place. Have you never done that?"

"No; but we talked of it several times. Let us get the Professor to help us with that on our next holiday trip."

From the cape where they now stood an un.o.bstructed view was had to the south. To the southwest were the mountains, beyond which Ralph and Tom had their bitter experiences. An explanation was made of the course of South River, the mouth of which was plainly visible; the story was told of their trip up the stream with the first boat which had been built by them; how, after they left it at the foot of the high Falls, ten miles inland, it had disappeared when they went for it; the recovery of the boat at the beach to their left, some months afterwards, when it contained strange oars and ropes; their second trip to the Falls, and the finding of the _Investigator's_ lifeboat; and their hunting experience in the forest below the river, and the discovery of the huts.

All this made a wonderful impression on the boys. The story of the lifeboat was the most remarkable to their minds, because it brought up the first recollections of some inklings which they had heard about other castaways.

"Don't you remember, Tom, when the second tribe got us, we saw some trinkets, and a few pocket knives, and when we tried to find out about them they removed them?"

"Yes, and Illoga, the Chief, I am now sure, tried to tell me about them, because in the effort he held up four fingers, which we couldn't make out. Don't you remember? I think they took the knives away, because they were afraid we would take them. Didn't you ever notice how jealous they always were of their own property?"

The party now went inland, and devoted the rest of the day to hunting, and brought home a splendid lot of game.

That evening the foregoing conversation was related to the Professor, who remarked: "If there is one thing savages and all low orders of people are noted for, it is the tenacity in retaining their property. Of course, that is not an uncommon trait with all people, but it is particularly well developed in the savage. One phase of this came to my attention some years ago, when a merchant told me that the poor people of India bought more locks than all the rest of the world combined. He further stated that in the princ.i.p.al cities there immense stores could be found which handled nothing but locks. Those statements were so remarkable to me that I inquired the reason, and learned that every native, although he may have trinkets worth less than a dollar, would invariably have a lock, worth half as much or more, to keep it securely."

"We have been thinking over the plan of surveying this part of the island and giving names to the main points; what do you think of the idea?" asked George.

"The plan has my hearty approval."

"It occurred to us that on our next holiday we could devote the day to that purpose."

The Professor burst into a fit of laughter, to the surprise of all. That didn't seem to be very comical to them, and they looked inquiringly, as they joined in the laughter.

"So you are going to do work on your holidays hereafter." And he laughed again.

"Well, that wouldn't be work; it would be fun;" and, after reflecting a moment, Tom continued: "Probably it wouldn't be fun to do it every day, right along."

"I think you have struck the keynote of the whole subject of recreation.

The word comes from re-create. It means the refreshment of the strength and spirits by some diversion. The great difficulty with most people is that the recreation they take is really a burden to them; when, therefore, you can take a holiday, where you accomplish something, and make fun out of that, you have solved the greatest problem of civilized life."

"Well if we are to survey the island we ought to have an instrument for the purpose."

"That is not necessary. It would be much better to have a theodolite, but it will take some time and very careful work to turn out such an instrument."

"In what way is the instrument so much more useful than without, and how can we do surveying without it?"

"It does two very important things: First, the telescope, which is a part of it, enables the observer to see much farther and with greater accuracy; and, secondly, it has a graduated scale in degrees which shows the angles. Without these two important qualities we should be compelled to run our lines for short distances only at each sighting, and at each observation it would be necessary to provide a means to get the exact angle with reference to the last line projected. Those features, together with the compa.s.s, make the instrument an important requisite for correct surveying."

The boat house was one of the places last to visit, because there was so much to do in the various directions that they had little time to devote to the marine end of their various enterprises. Harry suggested that sailing would be a most desirable outing at different periods, and all consented to the task of rigging out the lifeboat.

The Chief was now so interested in everything he saw that he indicated a desire to take a hand. The Professor was delighted at this beyond measure. He was gradually acquiring the language, as a child would, and his troublesome leg was healing rapidly. The one fear was that, as they had no means of confining him, he might take the first opportunity to leave them, and this was an occasion of more than one talk; but all agreed that no serious consequences would result from his desertion, since it was the belief that he would not attempt to bring his tribe against them.

The only possible danger from his returning was the likelihood that sooner or later his captivity and the knowledge of their location on the island would find its way from tribe to tribe, and in that way at least two of the tribes with which they had come into contact might seek revenge.