The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen Part 7

"All that tallies exactly with our experience," remarked George.

"Instead of decreasing the wind grew more furious during the following day, and Tom and myself became very ill and helpless. When I recovered consciousness there was only Tom and another companion in sight, and neither of them knew what happened, or how the others disappeared. We were lashed to the boat, and just before I became unconscious I remembered that the seaman gave me some biscuits and canned meat, as well as a flask of water, and those I found beside me when I awoke.

During the night Tom also awoke and began to rave, and I tried to quiet him, and after making a number of trials found the locker and gave him some stimulating medicines, which you will remember were put up and in the use of which we were instructed. Our other companion died of exposure the fourth day."

"Weren't the others lashed to the boat?"

"I don't remember. How many days we were washed by the sea I do not know, but it must have been fully a week, and we were both entirely exhausted, when something happened to our boat, and everything appeared motionless, but still I could hear a terrific roaring sound. When I regained my senses, I recognized Tom bending over me, and the first words I remember were: 'I thought you would never come to again.' I learned that we had been cast ash.o.r.e the night before, and we could see the wrecked parts of our lifeboat strewn all about, as the winds had died down, but the sea was still running high."

Harry looked at him eagerly: "Didn't you save your boat or any part of it?" And George was almost at the limit of nervous tension as he leaned forward and waited for the reply.

"No; our boat was crushed beyond all hope of recovery. We did not find any of the food stored in it, and when we were able to leave the beach on which we were thrown, we saw that not fifty feet to the left of us was the first of a series of rocky projections running to the west, against which we were no doubt landed when carried up by the immense breaker."

"Have you any idea where you landed--that is, on what part of the island?" was the Professor's first question.

"I haven't the slightest idea, for reasons which you will now learn."

"But," broke in Tom, "don't forget to relate what we saw the first day, before we had gotten a half mile from the sh.o.r.e."

"Yes; I was coming to that. We were both hungry, and we wandered first along the seash.o.r.e, and then finding nothing that would answer for food, went inland, and noticed all about us different kinds of vegetables, none of which we recognized, and finally some berries. We were so hungry that we ate and ate as fast as we could gather them, and felt much better for a time; but along in the afternoon, we heard voices, and soon a number of savages came in sight. We were paralyzed with fear.

They were almost entirely naked, and what gave us the greatest fright was the appearance of a captive they were dragging along, with his hands bound behind him."

"Was it a white man?"

"We did not know it at the time, but we afterwards learned, as I will tell you, that he was a white man, and that he was taken over to the main camp to be offered up as a sacrifice."

"Did you recognize the particular tribe that had the captive?"

"Not at that time, because we did not know that each tribe had its own distinctive dress. But later on we learned which tribe it was."

The Professor drew up the mattress and brought out two different articles of headgear that had been taken four days before. "Do you recognize either of these?"

The boys started. "Yes; this belongs to the tribe that first captured us. See that row of sh.e.l.ls, and this colored band. That is the princ.i.p.al distinguishing feature aside from the hair. This hair is a dark brown, and all of the tribe wear that kind because their bitterest enemies have that kind of hair, and they seem to take a delight in slaying an enemy solely for the purpose of getting the hair necessary to make up the head ornament with."

"I noticed that the hair of the people who are around us now is very black and curly."

"Yes; this other headdress is made princ.i.p.ally from the hair of our enemies outside. Where did you get it?"

"We captured it," answered the Professor, "in one of the fights we had several days ago."

"At the time you captured the chief here?"

"Yes. And while we are on the subject, I wish you would see if you recognize the headdress of the chief we have here."

Ralph looked it over, and to the surprise of all announced that he had never seen that kind before.

"How many tribes do you think are on the island?" was George's question.

"Probably a half dozen or more. Our means for learning these things were very limited, although we have had a close acquaintance with them for the past six months."

"Before you go on with your story I want to ask a question or two," said the Professor, as he glanced at John. "Did you ever come across a large river, like this one, and which flowed in a different direction, say, to the east?"

Neither of the boys remembered such a stream.

"Have you ever been near the range of mountains which we can see to the east of us?"

"Oh, yes; we were taken way down west of those mountains. After seeing the captors a safe distance away, we started in an opposite direction, and found ourselves on a little stream of water, and picked out a resting place on one sh.o.r.e among the bush where a little overhanging hill offered some shelter. Before night both of us became very ill, and had taken to vomiting, and then imagined that the berries had poisoned us. For two days we lay there, almost too weak to move, and afraid to venture out, on account of the savages. We found nuts and ate sparingly at first, as our stomachs were too weak to permit us to take much at a time. Then we found some things like sweet potatoes, and Tom had a box of matches which was a great boon to us."

"Well, that is better than we had when we landed," and George laughed at the reminiscence.

"In our wanderings we lost all trace of time, of distance and of direction. We knew that the sun came from the east and set in the west, and we knew that the shadow of the sun was thrown to the north at noon, but it didn't make much difference to us which way we went."

George couldn't help interrupting: "Why, don't you know we are south of the equator, and that at noon the sun throws its shadow to the south?"

"In our condition we didn't stop to consider any of those things. We were mostly hungry, and tired with wandering. We thought the proper thing would be to go north, and so we traveled in that direction. As it now turns out we went to the south, and marched right into the heart of the occupied part of the island. For months we evaded capture. On one occasion we stumbled on the camp of a lot of savages who were sacrificing a victim."

"Was he a white man?"

"We did not know, and could not stop to inquire, but it is more than probable that it was a captive from some other tribe, as that is a common and universal practice. They never spare a captive. In our own case, we knew what to expect, and our only salvation was that the time for these sacrifices took place only at certain periods, or to commemorate events at which the offering is made to their G.o.ds at special seasons of the year. Of course we did not know when that particular period would come in our case, but we knew what captivity meant, and we often wished to be put out of our suspense."

The Professor here interrupted: "The matter of commemorating certain events or circ.u.mstances is something which comes down through the history of all peoples from the most ancient periods. In the case of the Israelites, it is said that they brought out the brazen serpent, which Moses commanded to be kept in the ark for a memory, and offered before it. Dixon, in his 'History of the Church of England,' states that it was the universal custom in the early period of the church to demand memories to be celebrated, and Spenser's tales refer to the commemorations by

'Their memories, their singing and their gifts.'

But proceed, Ralph."

"After several months of hunted life we became expert at eluding our enemies, but we were hungry and starving many a time, and once we were so much reduced to the starvation point that we boldly but stealthily entered a village in order to capture food, and escaped. About two months ago we were unfortunate enough to wander between two conflicting forces, and in the attempt to escape, were finally taken by the victors and conducted to their village in grand style. From our appearance it was probably difficult to judge whether we were white or black, but as we had the freedom of a small s.p.a.ce adjoining our hut, and were encamped by the running stream, where water was handy, we had an opportunity to take a bath, which so changed our appearance that the natives could hardly believe we were the same captives they had taken two days before.

We since learned that this alteration in our appearance is what caused them to postpone the sacrifice. They are intensely superst.i.tious, and could not understand why the transformation had been made. Then the round silver match box which Tom incautiously exhibited, excited their curiosity, and its glitter attracted them, so that everything we had was taken away, particularly the b.u.t.tons which we had about us."

"That," remarked the Professor, "is also a trait common with all savages, to regard all articles which have a l.u.s.ter, as a charm. The Druids, in ancient times, used b.a.l.l.s of crystal as part of their superst.i.tious worship, and even in the present day, in our own civilized country, we have plenty of people who have an idea that hypnotism can be brought about by gazing at a brightly polished sphere. It can be seen how much these articles are prized by a low order of people, because of the varied colors which are formed at the different parts of the globular surface. It is for the same reason that the eye becomes the most attractive part of the human form, and why some are actually overcome by a piercing glance, or subdued by the genial beams of a kindly eye."

"But I have little more to add to the tale. We were kindly treated by those people, and given a greater share of liberty as time wore on, and when the watchfulness was not so keen we took the first opportunity offered, to escape, and after wandering about from place to place, often without food, we were almost ready to return and throw ourselves on their mercy. For fully a month we kept out of their way, and when we saw them coming, and knew what a struggle we would have to elude them without food, we boldly marched into the midst of the warriors, only to find that we had been hiding from an entirely different tribe of savages. The knowledge of this made us desperate, but we were hungry, and we had read of instances where men had acted boldly when in great danger from enemies; so that we concealed our fears, and demanded something to eat. Catching sight of a roast fowl we took it from the spit on which it was hanging, and began to eat it without asking leave, and with an air of superiority that simply stunned them. The chief came forward; dangling from a chain on his neck was a watch. Tom went toward him, looked at it and quietly took it in his hand, without a protest. As he pressed the stem the case flew open, and the chief started back in wonder and surprise. This performance so new and startling to him was a fortunate occurrence for us. Tom saw the effect of his action, and then wound the watch. When he put the timepiece to the ear of the chief, he became frightened and tore the chain from his neck in terror. The ticking timepiece was then carried around to the a.s.sembled warriors, who exhibited the same fear at its 'talking.' An ample supply of food was then instantly set before us, and Tom went up to the chief, and tried to tell him what the instrument was for, and turned the hands to midday to show how it would tell the time of day. He finally put the chain around the savage's neck, which the latter permitted."

"Did the watch have any mark by which it could be identified?"

"Nothing but the initials 'J L V' on the inside of the case."

"J L V," cried Harry and George in unison, as they looked at John. Ralph and Tom in turn stared at the boys in amazement.

"Do you know whose watch it is?" asked Tom.

"Not positively; but we believe it belongs to John here," said Harry, as he delved down in his pocket and brought out the silver match safe he had found after the attack at the river.

When he held it up Ralph glanced at it, and declared that the monogram was a perfect copy of the one on the watch.

This was, indeed, getting interesting to the Professor, as he motioned to Ralph to proceed.

"We were with this tribe nearly two weeks, and were treated like brothers. Bows and arrows were given us, and we became a part of their fighting force, but, unfortunately, they were a small and weak tribe, and when several weeks ago the devils around us pounced down upon us, half of them were killed and we were made prisoners. The others who were captured with us were sacrificed last week, and our turn would undoubtedly have been the next, as we had been captured fighting against them."