The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen Part 18

Without a word he rushed for the jar of water and brought it to the Professor, who bathed his wounds, but the blow was so severe that he exhibited no signs of returning consciousness.

Harry and Tom rushed over to the house in consternation, and exhibited the greatest grief.

"Do you think he has been badly hurt? Do you think it is fatal?"

"It is still too early to determine that. See this wound? It was a terrible blow. As it is, directly above the ear, it may not be as serious as if he had been struck forward nearer the temples."

During the entire day John lay there, breathing with some degree of regularity, but with a greatly accelerated pulse, and the Professor was constantly watching this phase of the case.

There was little sleep that night. All were too anxious to retire. Chief was on hand without a moment's intermission. George prepared the meals, but the native never left the room even for the purpose of taking refreshment, and it was really pathetic to see this exhibition of sympathy, which was constantly alluded to by the Professor.

"The Chief has in him the making of a man. The surest indication of a real human trait is just what he is showing. The lower man is the less he cares for his fellows."

During the night the fever was close to the danger point, and the Professor never left his side. As the day advanced the fever abated, and his breathing became more normal. Before noon there was a marked change.

On the day of the accident, and during the night, John lay there motionless, and, aside from his regular breathing and a few periods of spasmodic twitchings, there was nothing to indicate that he was living.

But he now became restless, and occasionally opened his eyes, and all stood intently watching him. All through this period his face was pale and drawn, but a color began to come, and he turned his head from side to side, and the intervals between the openings of the eyelids became shorter. At first the eyes gave a gla.s.sy stare, but now at each recurring stare the eyeb.a.l.l.s would turn and search the room, and although he would gaze in the faces of the watchers, the look did not indicate recognition.

Suddenly he opened his eyes wide, and grasping the covers drew himself forward and upward slowly, turning his head around from side to side.

The Professor held out his hand, as a warning not to disturb him. He sat up and gazed first at one and then at the other.

What a wonderful difference was exhibited in the eye. It was bright and l.u.s.trous, and every glance betokened a question. Not a word was spoken.

It was so tense that the boys appeared to be hypnotized. When he had fully taken in his surrounding, he grasped the Professor's hand, and said: "Where am I? Who are you?" Without another word he sank back on the pillow exhausted, and the Professor leaned over him and quietly said: "You are yourself again; and we are your friends."

"Friends; friends," he muttered to himself. "Yes; yes, I remember," and his eyes closed, his limbs relaxed, and he pa.s.sed off into a quiet sleep.

The boys filed out of the room, and the Professor, with a smile, despite the tears that fell, walked out without saying a word, nor did the boys ask any more questions. The Chief never moved, but kept his eyes on John, and he did not even heed Angel, who came down from the rafters quietly, and pa.s.sed out the door, and stood beside George, and leaned his head against him, as the boys began to whisper to each other.

The boys had witnessed a scene which it falls to the lot of few to experience. The awakening of the faculty of remembrance is one of the greatest mysteries of human existence.

John slept for three hours, and there was no thought of work or play.

Barring the occasional visits of the Professor to see the patient, they were together. It was one of the most remarkable events in their lives.

"Isn't it singular," asked George, "that he has never been able to talk since he has been with us?"

"The medical term applied to the loss of that faculty is called aphasia.

The function of speech seems to have its seat in a portion of the left side of the brain, and when that portion is diseased or injured, it affects the speech in many ways. Sometimes the sufferer knows what he wants to say, but cannot utter the word; at other times he will say the wrong thing, knowing that he is doing so, but utterly unable to prevent it; it also shows several other phases where the sentences become disjointed, or meaningless, not due to lack of intelligence."

"Has no way been discovered whereby the diseased part can be cured?"

"Operations have been performed with remarkable results, but not with uniform success. In some cases where the speech center is destroyed, a new brain center has been developed, and the lost power of speech recovered."

"I cannot understand Chief's intense interest in John," said Tom.

"That is a peculiar thing. The savage, no doubt, considers him demented, and it is a singular thing that people of low intellectual order among many people, believe the insane person is exalted, and are sometimes treated as deities."

Before noon the patient began to move about uneasily, and soon thereafter awoke. The moment his eyes opened he looked at the Professor, who said: "You are so much better. Are you hungry?"

In antic.i.p.ation of this event the Professor had asked the boys to prepare some delicacies for him the moment he awoke.

As he had eaten nothing since the morning of the day before he replied affirmatively, and after he had eaten and the wound in his head was dressed, he began a series of questionings on every conceivable subject.

"We are on an island, and there are a number of tribes here, with incessant tribal warfares between them, and it appears that the princ.i.p.al occasion of the wars is due to the possession of the captives which they take from the toll of the sea. I was one of several unfortunates shipwrecked here over a year ago, during one of the worst storms that I ever saw at sea."

"It was undoubtedly the one which we experienced, although we were the occupants of a ship which had an explosion, and we were left adrift when this storm was brewing. But I must advise you to remain quiet for the day, until you regain your strength, and we can then tell our story, and we shall be glad to learn yours."

It was a joy to all to know that John had recovered his memory, and Harry was anxious to present the match box, to see whether it was his, but the Professor advised against exciting him in the least until the following day.

The Professor had not even asked his name, as he wished all to be present when the revelations were made. During the most of the day John slept. It appeared as though nature had exhausted herself in bringing about the cure. The wound, however, was a most serious one, and the Professor knew that the utmost care must be taken with a fractured skull, to prevent the setting in of complications which might injuriously affect the brain.

"Do not feel any alarm about him now," was the Professor's injunction; "he is not at this time in a serious condition, and I believe his remarkable const.i.tution will pull him through without any further trouble. In the meantime, let us proceed with our work, and give him ample time to recover without any sort of hara.s.sment."

All returned to their duties with more cheerful hearts. It seemed as though something had been lifted from their minds. The second day after the event following the restoration of his reason, John would not be left in quiet any longer.

He sat up in his couch, and looked over the boys, as he greeted them heartily.

"Do you remember me?" asked Harry, as he held his hand.

"Yes, I remember all of you, but I cannot remember how you came to me, or how I met you, or where. I know that we went together on a journey, and I saw some things that made me think of things in the past. I don't remember ever having been in this place before."

"Don't you remember the shop, and the water wheel, and the building of the house?" asked the Professor.

He looked around in a bewildered way, before answering: "The shop and the building? Where--when was that?"

"At the time you fell from the building, four days ago?"

"Fell from the building--what building?"

"What do you remember about the trip we made?" continued the Professor.

"I remember that we had a glorious fight, yes, several of them, and I remember some brave boys, the n.o.blest fellows I ever saw--and you are the boys--I can remember you well--I never saw braver men in battle; and I also remember seeing something which you gave me," and he searched his pockets, and looked around to try and remember what it was. "Probably, that was a fancy only--let me see," and he stroked his forehead, as if trying to recall it.

Harry reached down in his pocket and drew forth the match safe and held it before him. "Is this what you mean?"

He grasped it, and eagerly exclaimed: "Yes; that is what I mean."

"Are those the initials of your name, and is your first name John?"

"Yes; John Lewis Varney. But who are you, and how did you come here?"

"My name is Harry Crandall, and this is the Professor who was with us on the schoolship _Investigator_ when she went to the bottom of the sea, following an explosion."

"The _Investigator_ that was to have sailed from New York in September"--and he looked around, "September, last year?" he asked inquiringly.

"Yes," answered the Professor; "and this is George Mayfield, and here are Ralph Wharton and Tom Chambers. Do you remember we rescued them on the trip?"

He looked to the floor for a moment, and then slowly said: "I recall that also, but I do not remember how we got away from the savages."

At that moment his eyes fell on Chief, who had witnessed this remarkable scene, and he started up and leaned forward, and spoke to the Chief in his own language. This effect on the savage was electrical, who rushed up to the couch and clutched John's hand. Then turning to the others, John continued: "Uraso knows me, but I doubt whether he recognized me in this bearded appearance, because when our acquaintance began my face was smoothly shaven, and I had an entirely different attire from what I acquired later on."