With Cochrane the Dauntless Part 11

"That is all right," the sailor said; "now I think we had better go back to the boat again till we get daylight. It would never do to walk across these rocks in the dark with naked feet. It was bad enough when it was light, but we should cut our feet to pieces if we tried it now. There is no hurry about it, as we are within half a mile of the wreck. We know that everything is pretty well smashed up that went ash.o.r.e there, so that we are far more likely to find something on the sands, and we shall see the _Tiger_ just as well from where the canoe is as from the wreck. The first thing to look for is water. I don't say that the cocoa-nuts would not supply us for another week; but if we are going to stay here long-and for my part I don't see anything better to do-we must either find another cocoa-nut grove or water."

"I don't think we are likely to find another cocoa-nut grove," Stephen said.

"Why not, sir? They have them mostly on all these islands."

"That is true," Stephen agreed; "but I should say it is just because there are none here that there are no villages anywhere about."

"I did not think of that, sir; yes, I expect you are right; and in that case it is still more necessary to hunt for water. If we can find it within four or five miles either side of the wreck we are all right, because the _Tiger_ could not come here without our seeing her; but I should not like to be much further away. However, most of these islands have water, especially when they are hilly; and as we have been lucky so far, it will be hard if we don't find a stream of some sort along ten miles of sh.o.r.e."

The next morning they set out on a tour of exploration. They were not long before they came upon many relics of the wreck: planks, spars, and remains of the cargo. They lay nearly two hundred yards from the sh.o.r.e, and bore no signs of the rough usage that had marked the wreckage among the rocks.

"Hurrah! there are some tubs," Joyce shouted, as they reached the top of a low sand-hill. They broke into a run, and were soon standing beside six casks, lying a short distance apart.

"Salt junk," Wilc.o.x said, as they looked at the cask they first came to, "and no bad thing either; cocoa-nuts are good for drink, but that soft, pulpy stuff inside don't go very far; and after a chap has been eating it for a week he wants to get his teeth into something more substantial. This ain't no good," he went on, giving a kick at the next cask, "unless the natives come up and we open trade with them. These are goods they shipped at Calcutta. This is better," he went on, as he looked at the next; "this 'ere is biscuits; and with biscuits and salt junk, and a banana now and then, no man need grumble."

The next two were, like the second, filled with trade articles; the last was a cask of flour.

"Well, we can stop here a couple of months if we like, gentlemen, if we can but hit upon water; for that, of course, we must look beyond the line of sand; a river can cut through it, but a little stream would find its way underneath the sand to the sea."

As they approached the rocky ground, which rose like a ridge, and could be traced far inland, the sailor said: "This is the most likely spot. Any water that came down from the hills would run along at the foot of these rocks to the sea."

"I think that you are right, Wilc.o.x; the foliage looks brighter along by the rocks than it does anywhere else, and I should not be surprised if we found a stream there."

As they approached the rocks within a hundred yards, the hope became a certainty, for there was some growth of verdure. They quickened their steps and ran forward, but, to their disappointment, there was no stream, however small.

"We have got to dig for it," Wilc.o.x said; "there is water not far down, I will swear."

The soil was chiefly composed of sand, and they set to work with their hands to sc.r.a.pe a hole in it. They had got but a foot down when the soil became moist, and a foot lower water began to ooze out of the sides into the hole.

"Thank G.o.d for that!" the sailor said reverently, "that makes it safe.

This evening, when it gets cool, we will bring the paddles here, and will soon dig a hole for our well. We can't do better than roll a tub here and sink it in the hole, and bring the canoe to the edge of that rock down by the sea, then we have only got to chop some boughs and make a sort of hut, and we shall be as comfortable as if we were back home."

"It is curious finding a rock here," Joyce said presently, as they made their way over to it. "For all the distance that we have gone along by the sea, it has been nothing but sand: it is rum black-looking stuff, too."

"I expect it is lava," Stephen said. "There are lots of volcanoes among these islands, and I believe that high hill is one, and that if we were to climb up we should find there was a crater there. You see we are just in a line with that gap, and this rock goes exactly in that direction. I expect that in some eruption ever so long ago, the crater split there, and the lava poured down here into the sea."

"Very likely that is it, Stephen; it must have been a long time ago anyhow, you see there are big trees growing on it."

In ten minutes they arrived at the spot where the wreck had been; her keel remained there, but with this exception she had entirely disappeared. They took another look among the wreckage, cut off some lengths of rope and coiled them up, and also a sail, which the sailor p.r.o.nounced to be a top-gallant sail. This they rolled up, fastened it by short pieces of rope, and then, the sailor taking the middle and the lads the ends on their shoulders, they carried it to what they already called their "well".

"We will set to work at once to rig up a tent under the shade of these trees," the sailor said, "it will keep the night mists off better than branches; and we will bring another sail over to cover the ground and keep the mist from rising inside."

"What are we going to cook our junk in?" Joyce asked suddenly.

The sailor looked at his companion in dismay. "Dash my timbers," he said, "I never thought of that; that is a go. Perhaps we can manage it in the native way: they boil things by putting water into a big sh.e.l.l, and dropping hot stones into it until it boils. We have not got any sh.e.l.ls, but we might find a hollow in the rock that will hold water."

"That is all very well, Wilc.o.x; but how are we going to heat our stones?"

"You have done me there, Master Stephen," the sailor said, in a tone of utter disgust; "we have not got flint or tinder."

"We might manage the tinder easily enough," Stephen said, "by using rotten wood; but tinder is of no use without steel. We shall have to eat our biscuits without meat, Wilc.o.x, unless we can light a fire by rubbing two sticks together."

"That ain't to be done, sir; I have seen white men try it over and over again, and I have tried it myself, but it ain't no manner of good. The Almighty has given us a lot of knowledge that he has not given to these black fellows, but he has balanced it up by giving them the knack of lighting a fire which he has not given to us. I never heard of a white man who could make fire in that way."

"Well, I will have a try, anyhow," Joyce said; "there can't be anything special about a Malay that he can make fire more than a white man."

"You may try as much as you like, Master Joyce," the sailor said, shaking his head solemnly, "but mark my words, you won't be able to do it. It is a pity, too, for with all this wood that has been drying as if on purpose for us, we could have had one without being afraid of the smoke."

"Well, we must not grumble; we have got a lot to be thankful for; and we can do without meat well enough."

"Yes, Mr. Joyce," Wilc.o.x said reluctantly; "only, you know, I wish we had not come across that cask of salt junk, then one would never have thought about it; but seeing it there, and not being able to cook it, is enough to make a saint grumble, I should say."

"Not if he were really a saint, Wilc.o.x. However, don't make up your mind that you are not going to get your teeth into that junk till I give up the hope of making a fire."

"Well, sir, we will roll the three barrels over here, and then set about rigging up the tent. There is nothing like being busy."

By nightfall they had got the tent up. They had had some argument over the best site. All would have preferred to have erected it on the low ground, near their well, but finally a point was decided upon, some little distance higher-a level spot being found on the rock where some trees offered every convenience for pitching it, and the surface of the rock was fairly flat. A few armfuls of coa.r.s.e gra.s.s sufficed to fill up the inequalities, and render it even enough for sleeping on. Here they had the advantage of getting the sea-breeze, and of having a wide view across the water, while trees growing behind them completely hid the tent from being seen from the higher ground. Before erecting it they had deepened the well, and found that the water was clear and good, and that it flowed in so abundantly there was no fear whatever of the supply falling short.

The next morning Wilc.o.x and Joyce started for an early walk, with a view to seeing whether there were any things thrown up on the sand beyond the rock. Stephen was to stay behind at the tent and keep watch for a sail.

"I will leave the gun behind with you, Master Stephen," Wilc.o.x said; "Mr.

Joyce has got his pistols, and I have my cutla.s.s. If you want us back, or if you make out a sail, you fire it off; we will come back as quick as we can. Don't you fidget if we are some time away; casks may have floated a good bit along before they got thrown up, and it is just as well to see the thing through now, and then we sha'n't have to do it again. We will keep a good look-out for a sail too, for it is like enough that we may be a long way beyond the sound of the gun. You see we can make out from here that a mile further on the trees come down to near the sea again, just as they did on the other island. We will take some cocoa-nuts with us, in case we should not light upon any there. We sha'n't be uneasy about you, because we know for certain that there ain't any natives near; and, in the same way, you need not trouble yourself about us."

"All right, Wilc.o.x! I will see whether I can't get some junk cooked for you, ready for a meal at sunset."

The sailor smiled grimly. "All right, sir; if I find some meat cooked for me, I will guarantee that I will eat it, even if it is as tough as an alligator."

CHAPTER VI.

HOME.

As soon as his companions had left him, Stephen went off and brought up as much dried wood as he could carry, among it a piece of plank that was almost rotten. This he crumbled up. Then he set the cask of salt junk on end, and with a heavy piece of rock hammered away until he forced the head in. Then he took out a good-sized piece of meat and put it into the well.

The water here was constantly changing, a current flowing through it towards the sea. Then he brought up two or three more loads of wreckage and sat down under the awning, for it could scarcely be termed a tent, as both ends were open to allow a free pa.s.sage for the air. Here he sat for some hours, occasionally getting up and looking over the sea to the right and left. It was not until it was nearly noon and the sun was overhead that he could try the experiment upon which he relied to obtain fire. When it was nearly vertical he went down to the well, opened his watch-case, and dipped the gla.s.s carefully into the water. He thought of trying to take it out of the case, but the risk of breaking it would have been too great. Carrying it very carefully, he went up to the tent again and sat down beside his little heap of crumbled wood and held the watch-gla.s.s full of water over it.

As he expected he found that it made an admirable burning-gla.s.s, its only drawback being that it was only available when the sun was overhead.

Almost instantaneously as the focus fell upon the wood the latter began to smoke, and in less than a minute a flame sprang up. Some small splinters that he had got ready were placed on it, and in a very short time a fire was blazing. As soon as the wood was well alight he had poured off the water and very carefully wiped the gla.s.s and the rim that held it. He went a short distance away as soon as the fire was burning well, and was pleased to find that no smoke was given off, the sun having dried the wreckage until not the slightest particle of moisture remained in it. He now kept a sharp look-out along the sh.o.r.e, but it was not until nearly five o'clock that he saw his companions issue from the trees a mile and a half away and move along the sand. He went down to the well, took out the meat, and brought it up and laid it on the rock to dry. He felt sure that by this time the water would have removed the greater portion of the salt, and that he would now be able to roast it satisfactorily.

He had already got two forked twigs as a support for his spit, and, taking the ramrod from the gun, thrust it through the meat. He had ceased putting on fresh wood the moment he saw the others come from the forest. The fire soon sank down to a ma.s.s of glowing embers, over which he put the meat, the ends of the ramrod being supported by the forked twigs. He turned it round and round occasionally to prevent it from burning, and although he had himself been indifferent as to whether they could obtain means for cooking the junk, he felt a ravenous appet.i.te as the odour of the meat rose. Just as he came to the conclusion that the meat must be cooked through, Wilc.o.x and Joyce arrived. They stopped in amazement as their eyes fell on the fire.

"Come on, Wilc.o.x," Stephen said with a laugh. "Don't stand staring there.

Dinner is ready, and I am only waiting for you to begin."

"I am downright famished," the sailor said as he came up. "I would not have believed it if I had not seen it. How on earth did you manage it?"