Adrift in the Pacific-Two Years Holiday Page 6
But it would not be wise to attempt such an expedition except in fine weather. As Gordon had just said, it would not do to act like children, but like men. In the circumstances in which they were placed, with the future so threatening, if the intelligence of these boys did not develop quickly, if the levity and inconsistency natural at their age carried them away, or if disunion was allowed amongst them, the position of things would become critical. And it was for this reason that Gordon resolved to do everything to maintain order amongst his comrades.
However eager Donagan and Briant might be to start, a change of the weather obliged them to wait. A cold rain had fallen since the morning. The falling of the barometer indicated a period of squally weather, of which it was impossible to predict the duration. It would have been too risky to venture out under such circumstances.
But was this to be regretted? Assuredly not. That all were in a hurry to know if the sea surrounded them, may be imagined. But even if they were sure of being on a continent, were they likely to venture into a country they knew nothing about, and that when the rainy season was coming on? Suppose the journey was to extend to hundreds of miles, could they bear the fatigues? Would even the strongest among them reach the end? No! to carry out such an expedition with success, it must be put off till the days were long, and the inclemency of winter overpast. And so they would have to content themselves with spending the rainy season at the wreck.
Gordon had meanwhile been trying to find out in what part of the ocean they had been wrecked. His atlas contained a series of maps of the Pacific. In tracing the course from Auckland to the American coast he found that the nearest islands passed to the north were the Society Islands, Easter Island, and the island of Juan Fernandez, on which Selkirk—a real Crusoe—had passed so much of his life. To the south there was not an island up to the boundary of the Antarctic Ocean. To the east there were only the Archipelagoes of the Chiloe Islands and Madre de Dios, along the coast of Patagonia, and lower down were those about the Straits of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego, which are lashed by the terrible sea round Cape Horn.
If the schooner had been cast on one of these uninhabited islands off the Patagonian pampas, there would be hundreds of miles to be traversed to reach Chili or the Argentine Republic. And the boys would have to act with great circumspection if they were not to perish miserably in crossing the unknown.
So thought Gordon. Briant and Baxter looked at the matter in the same way. And doubtless Donagan and the others would, in the end, agree with them.
The scheme of exploring the eastern coast was not given up, but during the next fortnight it was impossible to put it into execution. The weather was abominable, nothing but rain from morning to night, and violent squalls. The way through the forest would have been impracticable; and the expedition had to be postponed, notwithstanding the keen desire to unravel the mystery of continent or island.
During these stormy days the boys remained at the wreck, but they were not idle. They were constantly at work making good the damage done to the yacht by the inclement weather, for owing to the wet the planks began to give, and the deck ceased to be water-tight. In places the rain would come in through the joints where the caulking had been torn away, and this had to be made good without delay. Repairs were also needed to stop not only the water-ways, but the air-ways opened in the hull. Gordon would have used some of the spare sails for the purpose, but he could not bring himself to sacrifice the thick canvas which might come in so usefully for tents, and so he did the best he could with tarpaulins.
Besides this, there was the urgent question of finding a better shelter. Even if they did go eastward, they could not move for five or six months, and the schooner would not last as long as that, and if they had to abandon her in the rainy season, where were they to find a refuge? The cliff, on its western face, had not the slightest indentation that could be utilized. It was on the other side, where it was sheltered from the wind from the sea, that search must be made, and, if necessary, a house built large enough to hold them all.
Meanwhile the cargo was done up into bales and packages all duly numbered and entered in Gordon’s pocket-book, so that when it became necessary they could be quickly carried away under the trees.
Whenever the weather was fine for a few hours, Donagan, Wilcox, and Webb went off after the pigeons, which Moko more or less successfully cooked in different ways. Garnett, Service, Cross, and the youngsters, including Jack, when his brother insisted on it, went away fishing. Among the shoals of fishes that haunted the weeds on the reef were many specimens of the genus notothenia, and hake of large size, and in and out among the thongs of the huge fucoids, some of which were four hundred feet long, was a prodigious quantity of small fish that could be caught by the hand.
It was a treat to hear the exclamations of the youthful fishers as they drew their nets or lines to the edge of the reef.
‘I have got a lot! I have a splendid lot!’ exclaimed Jenkins. ‘Oh! they are big ones!’
‘So are mine! Mine are bigger than yours!’ exclaimed Iverson, calling on Dole to help him.
‘They’ll get away!’ said Costar, as he ran up to help.
‘Hold on! Hold on!’ said Garnett, going from one to the other. ‘Get in your net quickly.’
‘But I can’t! I can’t!’ said Costar, as the net was dragging him in.
And then with a united effort the nets were got in on the sand. It was time, for in the clear water there was a number of hyxines, or ferocious lampreys, who would have made short work of the fish caught in the meshes; and although many were lost in this way, enough were saved to furnish the table. A good deal of hake was caught, and was found to be excellent, eaten either fresh or salted. The fish at the mouth of the river were chiefly galaxias, a kind of gudgeon, which Moko found he could cook best fried.
On the 27th of March a more important capture afforded a somewhat amusing adventure.
When the rain left off in the afternoon, the youngsters started off to fish in the river.
Suddenly there were loud shouts from them—shouts of joy, it is true—but shouts for help.
Gordon, Briant, Service, and Moko, who were busy on board the schooner, dropped their work, ran off to help, and soon cleared the five or six hundred yards that separated them from the stream.
‘Come along!’ shouted Jenkins.
‘Come and see Costar and his charger!’ said Iverson.
‘Quick, Briant, quick, or he’ll get away!’ shouted Jenkins.
‘Let me get down! Let me get down! I am afraid,’ said Costar, gesticulating in despair.
‘Gee up!’ said Dole, who was with Costar on some moving mass.
The mass was a turtle of huge size, one of those enormous chelonians that are usually met with floating on the surface of the sea. This time it had been surprised on the beach, and was seeking to regain its natural element.
In vain the boys, who had slipped a string round its neck, were trying to keep the animal back. He kept moving off with irresistible strength, dragging the whole band behind him. For a lark Jenkins had perched Costar on the carapace, with Dole astride behind him; and the youngster began to scream with fright as the turtle slowly neared the water.
‘Hold on! Hold on, Costar!’ said Gordon.
‘Take care your horse doesn’t get the bit between his teeth!’ shouted Service.
Briant could not help laughing; for there was no danger. As soon as Dole let go, Costar had only to slip off to be safe.
But it was advisable to catch the animal; and if Briant and the others united their efforts to those of the little ones, they might stop him; and they must put a stopper on his progress before he reached the water, where he would be safe.
The revolvers Gordon and Briant had brought with them from the schooner were useless, for the shell of a turtle is bullet-proof; and if they attacked him with the axe, he would draw in his head and paddles, and be unassailable.
‘There is only one way,’ said Gordon; ‘we must turn him
over!’
‘And how?’ said Service. ‘He must weigh at least three hundredweight, and we can never—’
‘Get some spars! Get some spars!’ said Briant. And, followed by Moko, he ran off to the schooner.
The turtle was now not more than thirty yards from the sea. Gordon soon had Costar and Dole off its back, and then seizing the string, they all pulled as hard as they could, without in the least stopping the advance of the animal, which could have dragged all Charman’s school behind it
Luckily, Briant and Moko returned before the turtle reached the sea.
Two spars were then run underneath it and with a great effort he was pitched over on his back. Then he was a prisoner, for he could not turn over on to his feet And just as he was drawing in his head, Briant gave him such a crack with the hatchet, that he died almost immediately.
‘Well, Costar, are you still afraid of this big brute?’ asked Briant.
‘No! No! Briant for he’s dead.’
‘Good!’ said Service ‘but you daren’t eat him!’
‘Can you eat him?’
‘Certainly.’
‘Then I’ll eat him, if he’s good,’ said Costar, licking his lips at the thought.
‘It is good stuff,’ said Moko, who was quite within the truth in saying that turtle meat was quite a dainty.
As they could not think of carrying away the turtle as a whole, they had to cut it up where it was. This was not very pleasant, but the boys had begun to get used to the occasionally disagreeable necessities of Crusoe life. The most difficult thing was to break into the carapace, for its metallic hardness turned the edge of the axe. They succeeded at last in driving in a cold chisel between the plates. Then the meat cut away in pieces, was carried to the schooner. And that day the boys had an opportunity of convincing themselves that turtle soup was exquisite, to say nothing of the grilled flesh which Service had unfortunately let burn a little over too fierce a fire. Even Fan showed in her way that the rest of the animal was not to be despised by the canine race.
The turtle yielded over fifty pounds of meat—a great saving to the stores of the yacht.
In this way the month of March ended. During the three weeks since the wreck all the boys had done their best preparing for a long stay on this part of the coast. Before the winter set in there remained to be settled this important question of continent or island.
On the 1st of April the weather gave signs of changing. The barometer slowly rose, and the wind began to moderate. There were unmistakable symptoms of an approaching calm of perhaps longish duration.
The bigger boys discussed the matter, and began to prepare for an expedition, the importance of which was obvious to all.
‘I don’t think there’ll be anything to stop us to-morrow,’ said Donagan.
‘Nothing, I hope,’ said Briant ‘We ought to be ready to get away early.’
‘I understand,’ said Gordon, ‘that the line of water you saw in the east was six or seven miles from the cape.’
‘Yes,’ said Briant ‘but as the bay is a deep curve, it is possible that the sea may be much nearer here.’
‘Then,’ continued Gordon, ‘you will not be away more than twenty-four hours?’
‘That is, if we can go due east. But can we find a way through the forest when we have got round this cliff?’
‘Oh! that won’t stop us!’ said Donagan.
‘Perhaps not’ said Briant ‘but there may be other obstacles—a watercourse, a marsh, who knows? It will be best, I think, to take rations for some days—’
‘And ammunition,’ added Wilcox.
‘ Quite so,’ said Briant, ’and let it be understood that if we are not back in two days you need not be anxious.’
‘I shall be anxious if you are away more than half a day,’ said Gordon. ‘But that is not the question. As the expedition has been decided on, let it proceed. You have not only to reach this eastern sea, but to reconnoitre the country behind the cliff. This side we have found no cave, and when we leave the schooner we shall have to carry the things where they’ll be sheltered from the sea breeze. To spend the rainy season on this beach seems to me impracticable.’
‘You are right, Gordon,’ answered Briant, ‘and we’ll look out for some place where we can instal ourselves.’
‘At least, until we have found that we cannot get out of this pretended island,’ said Donagan, returning to his idea.
‘That is understood,’ said Gordon, ‘although the season is already rather advanced. At any rate, we’ll act for the best. So to-morrow you start!’
Preparations were soon finished. Four days’ provisions were stowed in bags to be carried over the shoulders, four guns, four revolvers, two boarding-axes, a pocket compass, a powerful telescope, and the usual pocket utensils, matches and tinder-box seemed enough for a short expedition that was not without its dangers. Briant and Donagan, and Service and Wilcox, who were to go with them, were cautioned to be careful not to push forward without extreme circumspection, and never to separate.
Gordon could not help feeling that he would have been of use to keep Briant and Donagan together. But it appeared to him the better plan to remain at the wreck, so as to watch the younger boys. So he took Briant apart and made him promise to avoid any subject that might cause a quarrel or disagreement.
The barometrical prognostics were realized. Before nightfall the last clouds had vanished in the west. The line of sky and sea met in a clear horizon. The magnificent constellations of the southern hemisphere sparkled in the firmament the Southern Cross conspicuously pointing to the Antarctic Pole.
On the eve of their separation Gordon and his comrades were sad at heart And as their eyes sought the sky, there came to them the thought of the fathers and mothers and friends and country that they might never see again.
CHAPTER VII—THE EXPLORERS.
AT seven o’clock in the morning. Briant, Donagan, Wilcox, and Service left the wreck. The sun rising in a cloudless sky gave promise of one of those pleasant October days that are almost peculiar to the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. Neither the heat nor the cold would be excessive. If any obstacle was to be met with that would delay or stop the advance, it would be due entirely to the nature of the ground.
The young explorers set out obliquely across the beach so as to reach the foot of the cliff. Gordon had advised them to take Fan with them; her instinct might be of great use to them; and so Fan formed part of the expedition.
A quarter of an hour after their departure, the boys had disappeared under the trees. The birds were in numbers, but as no time was to be lost, Donagan had the good sense to restrain his shooting propensities. And Fan recognizing that useless runnings to and fro were not advisable, kept near her masters without diverging to the left or right more than her duties as scout required.
The plan was to skirt the base of the cliff until the cape, at the north of the bay, was reached, and then strike off for the sheet of water seen by Briant. This was not the shortest way, but it was the safest, and a mile or two extra was not much for healthy boys who were such good walkers.
When they reached the cliff, Briant recognized the place where he and Gordon had been on their first exploration. As there was no passage in this part of the limestone wall in a southerly direction, a practicable pass must be sought for towards the north, even if they went all the way to the cape. To do this would take a day, but no other way was open if there was no road through the cliff on its eastern face. Briant explained this to his companions, and Donagan, after vainly endeavouring to climb up the slope, made no objection.
They kept on for an hour, and as there could be no doubt they would have to go all the way to the cape, Briant was anxious about the passage being clear. Would not the tide be up over the beach when they got there? That would mean the loss of half a day waiting till the tide left the reef bare.
‘Let us hurry on,’ said he, after pointing out the importance of reaching the reef before the tide came in.
‘Your ankles, and perhaps your body, and perhaps your ears!’ replied Briant ‘The tide rises five or six feet at the least. We had better keep straight for the cape.’
‘You are guide, Briant,’ said Donagan. ‘If we are behindhand it will be your fault.’
‘Then don’t let us lose any time. Where is Service?’ And he shouted, —
‘Service! Service!’
The boy was not in sight. He had gone off with his friend Fan, and had just disappeared behind an angle of the cliff, a hundred yards off to the right.
But as if in answer there was a shout and the dog was heard to bark. Was Service in danger, then?
In a minute Briant Donagan, and Wilcox had reached their companion, who had stopped before a partial fall of the cliff—a fall of ancient date. Owing to infiltration, or the action of the weather in wearing away the limestone, a sort of half-funnel had been formed from the top of the wall to the ground, with the point below. In the wall a gorge had been opened with the sides at a slope of from forty to fifty degrees, and the irregularities afforded a series of points on which it would be easy to find a footing. Active boys, such as our friends, could easily scramble up these to the top, unless a new fall took place to stop them.
Although it was risky they did not hesitate.
Donagan was the first to begin to mount the heap of stones at the base.
‘Wait! wait!’ said Briant ‘There is no use in being rash.’
But Donagan did not hear, and as he thought it was needful for his reputation to get in front of his companions—Briant in particular—he was soon halfway up the gorge.
His companions followed his example, taking care not to get immediately under him, so as not to be hit by the fragments he dislodged, and which came rolling down to the ground. All went well, and Donagan had the satisfaction of reaching the crest of the cliff before the others.