Chapter XXVI

"WHAT WAS THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING THAT STRANGE VESSEL?"

In the isle of Good Hope clumps of fine cocoa-nut-trees grew close to the sandy beach, and single, very large, pandanus, trees not far off. This pandanus or screw pine I have already mentioned; it is a truly marvellous tree, and bears truly marvellous fruit or drupes. This fruit is treated in various ways, and after a time a taste for it is acquired, so that it becomes quite an article of diet, and is relished even more than cocoanut; for this soon palls on one. But even the flowers of this tree are edible, at least Quambo and Cassia-bud found them palatable enough, though the others much preferred their perfume. Quite a quantity of the leaves of the pandanus were cut down to be used as thatch for the huts. They are long, strong, and tough, and being fastened on with string make very excellent thatch indeed.

It is in connection with this tree that I have now to relate an adventure, which it will be owned was of a very startling character indeed.

About two hundred yards from the camp, and about seventy from the beach, grew a clump or grove of pandanus. Some of the trees therein were very tall and spreading, and in addition to their aerial roots had let down props or stays from the upper branches to help them to sustain the weight of the branches. It was up these prop-roots that Quambo or Cassia-bud used to shin to cut down leaves or flowers.

It was the custom of Fred and Frank, of an evening after dinner, to take a walk back and fore on the sand, and they were usually accompanied by Cassia-bud and his friend Hurricane Bob.

One evening while strolling quietly in the clear starlight towards the pandanus grove they were surprised to see the great dog suddenly pause, and pointing towards the dark trees utter a low and ominous growl; but they were still more astonished, and not a little frightened, to note almost immediately after what appeared to be the form of a gigantic man stalk from out the shadow, and walk with a curious rolling shambling gait towards the sea. About half-way down he stopped, standing out clear against the snow-white sands, and fiercely waved his long arms in the air, but made no sound.

A more awful apparition it would be difficult even to imagine. Cassia-bud dropped half dead with fear on the sand, uttering only a sound that was half cry, half moan, as from one in a nightmare. Both Fred and Frank experienced a fearful kind of impulse to rush towards the terrible being, but next moment it dashed on towards the sea, into which it threw itself with a loud splash.

"In the name of heaven," cried Frank, "who or what was that?"

"Some dreadful mystery," replied Fred, "that I cannot solve. Come," he added, "you are superstitious, Frank."

"I am, for once in a way, Fred. If that wasn't an evil spirit, then no such being exists in the world, What did it seem to you like?"

"Well, you know the awful water fiend or kelpie, that is supposed to haunt deep, dark mountain lochs in the Scottish Highlands, and often, they say, carries away children and women to devour at the bottom of the lake. He is a hideous, tall figure, but with wings like a bat, that stretch 'twixt arms and legs. Frank, we have seen a water kelpie!"

"May the Lord be near us, Fred. I never felt so frightened in all my life."

They went slowly back to camp, giving many a furtive glance behind, for more than once they thought they could hear the sound of footsteps stealing softly up behind them.

They slept in their green tent that night, making a big fire up near the mouth of it, and more than once Cassia-bud started and screamed in his sleep.

But they were not molested, and the sun was shining very brightly indeed when they awoke, and Quambo proceeded to cook breakfast.

The first thing Fred and Frank did after their morning meal was to walk, somewhat fearfully it must be confessed, towards the pandanus grove.

They half expected to see human foot-prints in the sand. There was a trail across the beach, but no impression of feet of any kind, and this fact deepened the mystery that hung around the dread apparition.

That day Quambo ascended a pandanus tree to throw down leaves and flowers. These last are of a yellow or lemon colour, and look sweetly pretty against the dark-green of the long, screw-like leaves.

Quambo busied himself culling flowers for some time, then he hailed those below sailor-fashion.

"On deck dere, gen'lems!"

"Ay, ay, lad," cried Fred.

"Somebody else been heah las' night sah, gaddering flowers foh true."

"Who? what, Quambo?"

"Dunno, sah; surely de debil himse'f, sah."

That night all hands went along the beach and waited quite a long time, but the kelpie failed to put in an appearance.

Next evening it was suggested they should hide in the bush--not certainly in the grove itself. So here once again they waited and watched.

Nothing came out of the sea; but before they had been in hiding for half an hour they heard noises in the trees that convinced them the creature was there. Almost at the same time the dog barked loud and angrily, and something dropped with a dull, heavy thud to the ground.

As if by one impulse, but with Quambo firmly holding the dog by his collar, lest he might force the fighting with the awful unknown, they dashed forward. The creature could be distinctly seen against the background of sand, and strange to say it assumed various shapes, and moved but slowly away, as if in anger. At one moment it was the tall, dark kelpie-like monster waving its arms in the air, next it took the appearance of a huge frog, and immediately after rolled seaward in the form of a gigantic wheel. There was the same splashing noise when it took the water as before, and though they sat on the beach for a fall hour after this it made no further signs.

The kelpie, as Fred persisted in calling it, appeared many times after this, always coming from the pandanus grove, and it was not until one bright and radiant moonlight night that our heroes found out what it actually was.

They had been out after flying-fish, Quambo being in the boat, when it occurred to them to land near the grove. The boat was pulled cautiously near to the beach, and while Fred and Frank lay on their oars the giant negro stood forward in the bows with his terrible lance.

"Stand by," shouted Fred shortly after, "yonder is the kelpie. It is coming straight for us!"

So it did, and the boat was beached almost on the creature, which had come rolling like a wheel towards it.

A triple attack was made on it; Fred and Frank with oars, the huge negro with his lance, while armed with another spear Magilvray rushed along the beach and attacked it from the rear.

But the oars were seized and twisted in our heroes' hands, even the gunwale of the boat was grasped by those awful arms.

They knew now, however, what they were fighting with. It was no fiend or kelpie, but a huge specimen of the gigantic octopus, kraken, or devil-fish of southern seas.

It was literally hacked to pieces before it could be killed.

Lying on the beach there next day, with its mangled body, awful face, and snake-like arms, it had really a terrible appearance, and reminded Fred of some of the pictures of Doré's monsters in Dante's Inferno.

* * * * * *

The castaways had now been over six months on this lonely island, and all that time had never seen a ship or sail of any kind.

How much longer they were to remain prisoners no one, of course, could even guess.

"Surely," they thought, "some day some ship must come."

Yes; and one day a ship did come,

Summer and autumn had ended. It was winter now, if the name can possibly be applied to such a climate as this. The time was June anyhow, which is midwinter in these regions, and it was the season of clouds and storms and dense fogs at times.

They had fully prepared for it, however, having greatly strengthened their hut, and thatched it round and round with pandanus leaves and cocoanut fibre.

The coneys or cavies had been very abundant of late, and the skins were stretched, salted, and dried. They might come in handy by-and-by to make articles of dress.

One day all hands had gone to the Beacon Hill for the purpose of repairing the broom, which had got nearly blown away.

They had been working very hard and earnestly, and had seldom looked about them, but having finished the work, they sat merrily down to eat their well-earned luncheon.

Quambo and Mac were lighting their pipes afterwards, and Fred was scanning the ocean with his glass.

"Oh, Frank!" he cried suddenly. "A ship! a ship!"

"A ship! Oh, you don't say so!"

Every eye was strained towards a little dark dot that appeared far away on the sea's deep blue. She must have been twenty miles to the south when first seen, and all that afternoon they watched her creeping ever so slowly nearer, and still more near, but at sunset she was at least ten miles off, as near as could be judged.

She was becalmed, and only moving with the ocean's current. But never a stitch of canvas could be descried on her when the great red sun went down, and night and darkness fell.

What was the mystery surrounding that strange vessel? It seemed inexplicable. However, they would have to wait for another day seemingly, before it could be revealed.

Slowly down the hill they went, and by many a devious path through forest and glen, till they stood once more beside their tent.

So anxious were they that hardly an eye was closed in sleep that night, and long before the stars had paled before the coming day they were _en route_ for Beacon Hill.