They were all very hungry, as they had been too intently watching their approach to the island to think of eating anything since the morning, and it was now almost sunset. Going over to the place where the sailors had first landed, where the beef and biscuit had been deposited, they prepared to eat their supper. They were all heartily tired of salt beef and hard tack, but the country appeared to be very barren, and there seemed little likelihood of their finding much in the way of food on it.
“I think,” said Captain Gray, “that this is one of the volcanic islands I spoke of, but still we may have landed on the most desolate part of it. To-morrow we will explore it in all directions, and find out just what our position is.”
After supper they prepared for their first night ashore, and yet it was not exactly ashore, either, as the boat was more comfortable as a sleeping place, than the rocky shore; so arranging the sail in the bottom of the boat, they spent, by far, the most comfortable night since the burning of the “Western Shore.”
When the first light of morning made its appearance, Allen and Harry (one of the sailors) set out to see if they could find water, which they were again likely to suffer for, or any kind of food. They followed the shore line until they had rounded a sharp point which obscured the boat from their view. As they rounded this point, an exclamation of joy burst from Allen’s lips. “See Harry,” cried he, “there is a large number of trees; they will probably have fruit of some kind.”
“Yes, they have fruit,” answered Harry, “but I’m afraid we can’t reach it. They are cocoanut trees.”
“Well, what if they are? What’s to prevent our getting the nuts; they would be a fine change in our diet, and the milk, too, would be very acceptable.”
“Yes, that’s true, sure enough, but we can’t get them. Those trees are from fifty to seventy-five feet high, and it takes a fellow that’s used to climbing them, to reach the nuts. I can tell you that.”
“Why,” said Allen, “can’t you climb one of those trees? You were nimble enough when you had to go aloft to set a sail, and I think it must be quite as hard to climb a mast as a tree.”
“No sir, that’s where you’re wrong. When a fellow’s going up the rigging, don’t you see he has all the ropes to help him, but to climb a cocoanut tree it’s a sight different. You’ve got nothing to lay hold of, and have got to trust to your feet and hands having a good grip on the bark.”
“I think you could do it if you tried,” said Allen.
“Well, I know as how I ain’t smart enough to do it, for I have tried it afore now. You see I’ve been around a good bit in the South Seas, and there ain’t no fellow but what’ll try his hand at climbing a cocoanut tree if he thinks he can do it.”
By this time they were in the midst of the graceful, tall trees which held their plume-like heads high against the sky, as if in proud defiance of all such aspiring mortals as should wish to rob them of their royal crown of fruit. But now that they had reached the cocoanut grove, they found that there were a number of other trees of much lower growth in the neighborhood. On going up to these trees they found them to have very broad leaves that spread out from the top of the trunk, each leaf being held in an almost horizontal position by a thick, pulpy stem, from three to five feet in length. The lower round of leaves having the largest stems, and each row being somewhat shorter than the one beneath, forming a most agreeable shade, as its shape was that of an immense umbrella. Clustered closely around the trunk, and directly under the leaves, were about a dozen bright, orange-colored fruits, resembling a quince somewhat in shape, only larger. Allen was the first to see these, and called to Harry, “What are those trees ahead of us, do you know?”
“Yes, they are papiea trees, and the fruit is mighty good to eat, too.”
They were not long in gathering a number of these, and also some guavas, which they found in abundance. Now, as it was getting well on in the morning, and they were beginning to feel as if breakfast would be acceptable, they started back to the boat. They were rather disappointed at not having found any traces of fresh water, but hoped that the captain and Ben, who had gone in the opposite direction, had been more fortunate, and so indeed they had. Not far from where the boat was moored they came upon a little stream, whose limpid water hurrying over its rock-brown bed, was a joyful sight to the searchers. Passing a little beyond the shining brooklet, on whose bank they stopped a moment, both the captain and Ben taking a long draught of the sweet water, they came upon a lovely beach covered with bits of coral, shining sands and bright shells. Ben, running down to the water’s edge, soon turned with the exclamation, “It’s just as you thought, captain, when you said there should be plenty of crab, if we could find a good beach. See, here is a fine one, I have caught.” After working for some time they managed to capture eight fine crabs.
“Now,” said the captain, “I think we had better go back to camp with what we have, and delay our expedition until after breakfast. It will take some time to prepare these, even if Hans and the girls have managed to get a fire.”
“All right, just as you say, captain,” came the answer, “but if you will wait just a few minutes I will get some of that sea-weed we have seen clinging to the rocks. It makes first-rate eating.”
“What, that black, slippery looking stuff?” asked the captain.
“Yes, sir. The natives of several islands down in these parts eat it, and I have tasted it and it’s first rate.”
“That’s so,” said Captain Gray, “now I come to think of it, I have seen the natives of the Hawaiian Islands, and Samoa, eat it.”
So, gathering a quantity of the sea kale, they also started back for the boat.
In the meantime the girls and Hans had not been idle. They had searched in all directions for material to build a fire. They succeeded in finding a number of pieces of driftwood, which, during some storm had been cast high and dry on this rocky point. The captain had been fortunate enough to have kept some matches perfectly dry, as his little gold match-box, which he carried in an inner pocket, shut so tightly that not a drop of water had reached the now much needed and precious matches. The girls had arranged a fire all ready to light when any of the party came back, so that if they found any game or fish they would be able to cook it immediately. Consequently when captain and Ben returned, the fire was soon going, and the crabs put into the hot ashes to cook. Hans had found a comfortable shade from the sun behind some huge rocks which was very pleasant to the captain and Ben, who had not found a particle of shade during the time they were exploring and so were very much heated, for, although the hour was early the heat of the sun was intense.
During the absence of captain and Ben, Hans had busied himself making a bucket of the staves of the broken water cask and needed only hoops to complete it. The two girls started to the boat after them. They had been gone but a few moments when they rushed back, with their faces as pale as death. Etta, throwing herself into her father’s arms, cried: “Papa, what shall we do, where can we hide? They have come, they have seen us, I am sure they have. Oh, papa, papa, what shall we do?”
Their fear soon communicated itself to the whole group.
“What is it,” exclaimed Captain Gray, “who has come?”
“The natives,” whispered Mabel, “don’t speak so loud, perhaps they didn’t see us after all.”
The captain was busy, meanwhile, trying to smother the fire by dragging a portion of the old sail upon it.
“If the smoke does not attract their notice,” said Captain Gray, “we may still be safe, if as Mabel thinks, they did not see you.”
“But papa, I am sure they did see us and they are cannibals, I know they are cannibals. What shall we do?”
“Put your trust in the Lord, and fear not,” said Mabel, drawing Etta close to her.
“Are you never frightened at anything Mabel, you are so calm?”
“Yes, I am afraid now, but I feel that what is best for me will happen, and it is useless for me to struggle against fate.”
“How many natives were they and how far away?” inquired the captain.
“There was five,” replied Mabel, “and they were just coming over the crest of the hill as we saw them.”
“Five,” mused Captain Gray. “They could easily overpower us as we are but three men now. Oh, if Allen and Harry were only here.”
Mabel raised her head with a startled little cry. “Oh, captain, what if Allen is already in the hands of those horrible natives; or perhaps he and Harry both have been killed and these savages are searching for further traces of our party.”
They now lay as closely as possible to the protecting rocks and after Mabel’s last words, a deathlike hush reigned. The moments seemed like hours in the agonizing suspense, for they knew not how close the dreaded savages might have come by now, as their footfalls, they were aware, could not be heard and they expected any moment to see their malignant faces stealthily peering around the corners of the rocks. They did not dare to go to the edge of the rocky screen to see if their foes were in sight, for fear of betraying their hiding place; they had resolved to fight to the last and not be taken alive if possible.
Perhaps Etta and Mabel dreaded capture more than the three men; they also resolved to fight for their lives, if necessary.