Chapter XXIX: The Arrival of Savages

It soon became evident that the supply of petroleum oil saved from the brig would run short, but here again Quambo came to the rescue. He and Cassia-bud collected an immense heap of ripe cocoa-nuts, and every day for weeks were busy doing something or other to them. I think they wished them to decay. At all events at the end of that time they set to pounding them up by degrees, and gradually extracted from the mess quite a large quantity of clear and beautiful oil. This in a less warm country would have been solid. The lamps in which the oil was burned were simply cocoa-nut shells cut down. A little water was put in first, then the oil over this, and wicks of pith floated on top by inserting them in disks of wood. So the difficulty of light was got over. And this was certainly something to be thankful for, because the sun set every night soon after six o'clock, and to have had to sit for long hours in the dark before turning in, would have been anything but pleasant.

Besides they had books now, and Fred and Frank took it in turns to read to the others every night.

Sunday was kept as a complete Sabbath, or day of rest, and prayers were said and the Bible read, and long walks taken in the woods or along the rocks.

Fred and Frank could not help marvelling at the wonderful tameness of the sea-birds as they sat on their nests. Even the frigate-bird, for example, on its one big white egg, looked like Patience on a monument, and was not averse to being handled.

I must tell you something about Cassia-bud's pets. First and foremost he one day found a strange wee bird, that had in some way or other tumbled out of its nest. He brought it home, nursed it and fed it regularly day and night, but allowed it as much freedom as it cared for.

It grew so tame that it followed the boy wherever he went, and was as often perched on his shoulder or head as anywhere else. It had a low, long, plaintive cry too, but this was reserved for Cassia-bud's especial delectation, or for Bob's. The bird, if not on the top of Cassia-bud, or not eating its food, one would be sure to find on Hurricane Bob's back. Perhaps his long hair kept its toes comfortable, then the dog's coat glittered so that the bird often pretended it was water, and went through all the motions of bathing in it.

This pet of Cassia-bud's was pure white, with two long trailing tail feathers of charming crimson. A robber-crab was another strange pet the boy had. How he had managed to tame this droll and uncouth-looking monster I cannot say. He fed him regularly with cocoa-nut, perhaps that was the secret. The crab was at least two feet in length, and lived in the hollow root of a tree, always coming out, however, when the boy called him.

Now in early spring, that is, between September and October, the turtles used to come on shore at some parts of the coast to lay their eggs. It was very curious to watch them. They were exceedingly shy, and usually chose a moonlight night for their work. So having now no fear of kelpies or other apparitions, our heroes, accompanied by Cassia-bud, used to go to a distant part of the beach and lie in wait for the turtles. By-and-by a great beast would be seen waddling slowly and cautiously towards the scrub.

After listening, apparently to make sure no one is looking, she quietly digs a deep hole about a yard in width. Then presently the eggs are laid, probably a hundred or two, and one by one taken by the flipper, as if it were a hand, and gently placed side by side in the hole. In about an hour's time the business is finished, Then the eggs are covered with sand, and carefully patted down. Her wonderful wisdom is shown by the tact that she even tries to conceal the place by snapping down twigs and leaves and covering it up. She then waddles off towards the sea again. Now would have been the time for Fred and Frank to have rushed out and tried their hands at turtle-turning. But it seemed the height of cruelty at such a time. Besides, it would have taken them a long time indeed to have eaten a turtle.

But the eggs were very delicious. Pure white they are and round. They have no shell, only a skin, and in size are about four inches to five inches round.

Our castaways soon discovered a plan for supplying themselves with plenty of young turtle. They simply took the very wee ones, after they were hatched, and kept them in a natural sea-water reservoir near the reef, feeding them on different kinds of weeds. They could in this way have stewed turtle for dinner any day, just as in our country we have fowls.

Well, one day among the rocks, while gathering algae to feed the juvenile turtles, Cassia-bud noticed Bob coming wading out of the water with some huge brown thing. It was a turtle of small size, and probably not very old. Bob held it by the flipper. When he attempted, however, to put it down he found that this was impossible. The turtle had seized him by the collar, and held fast on to it.

Bob looked very serious over it. His catching the turtle was all very well and very clever he thought, but to be caught by the turtle in turn was turning the table with a vengeance. He had caught a Tartar. He shook himself again and again, but all in vain. Then he walked straight up to Cassia-bud.

"Look here, Kashie," said the dog, talking with his eyes and his tail, "here is a pretty piece of business! I don't want to wear this beast dangling on my breast all my life night and day. Can't you choke him off?"

Cassia-bud couldn't choke him off, however, but he unloosed the dog's collar; and Bob carried collar, turtle, and all home in his mouth. Strange to say, the beast became as great a pet with the nigger-boy as either the bird or the robber-crab. Nor was the turtle a bit particular as to what he ate, so long as he could swallow it.

* * * * * *

The difficulties to be encountered in building a vessel of any size, that should be at all seaworthy, seemed at the first blush almost insurmountable. It was long talked about before anything was done.

Meanwhile the castaways had not been idle, as far as the preparation of wood was concerned. Even the youngest of my readers must be well aware that no ship or boat even can be built of wood that has not been properly seasoned. Here on this strange island timber was certainly not lacking, but the seasoning of it, as experience soon proved to our heroes, was by no means so easy as might be supposed; for it is as much the wind as the sun that dries the wood, and if done too quickly it not only warps but cracks, and is therefore practically useless.

Many different kinds of trees were cut down and sawn up and placed in various situations by way of experiment; some out in the open, others in the woods, while planks were even steeped for a time in salt water and afterwards dried.

It was found that planks of the pandanus tree, first steeped for a week and afterwards dried in the shade, would, as nearly as possible, suit the purpose for which they were required; so with greater hopes now in their hearts they went merrily and earnestly to work.

But many months went by before they had sufficient wood of a reliable nature to fairly commence work with. Wooden pegs had meanwhile been carefully fashioned, and these had all to be fire-hardened, and were, of course, of different sizes; they were stored in the woods under dry fibre from the cocoanut and pandanus trees. The next thing to be done was to build a neat little furnace in which different sized boring-irons could be heated to redness, for Fred laughingly confessed that his plan of making holes with rifle bullets, though eminently practicable in warfare and house building, was inapplicable to the building of ships.

Many and many was the sleepless night that the planning of the yacht gave Fred, or at all events parts of nights, for he would lie and toss about and think till well on in the middle watch, and very often even after he did fall asleep his tired brain kept on working at all kinds of ridiculously impossible vessels, on the stocks and off, till it was time to get up.

Frank did not trouble himself so much about it

"I leave it all to you, Fred," he said; "your head is far longer than mine, and not half so thick, so you must be like Noah of old--master, ship-builder, and engineer all in one."

"Poor Noah," sighed Fred, "I have a higher opinion of him now than ever; my work is nothing compared to what his must have been."

"And I guess, sah," said Quambo, "de tools he hab am not so good as ours, sah."

"No, Quambo, so I mustn't grumble."

"I've been thinking," said Frank one morning as they sat together at breakfast.

"Have you really?" said Fred, pretending to look very much surprised.

"Yes, really and truly, Fred."

"Well then, Frank, will you be pleased to enlighten us all as to the nature and result of your cogitations?"

"Well, Noah the Second, instead of worrying your self into skin and bone over this yacht business, why don't we build a raft and be done with it? If we once embarked on a raft we would get blown somewhere."

"No doubt of it, wise Frank, we might very likely be blown on to a coral rock in mid-ocean, and have to begin life all over again, only in this case it would be the life of a cockroach that has tumbled into a basin of water, very brief but full of excitement."

"Very well," said Frank, "I shan't think any more. I beg leave to descend from the platform. Pass the clams."

"That's better for you, Frank."

* * * * * *

But one day an event occurred that gave Fred quite a fresh impulse, and made him determine to proceed with the building of his yacht against every difficulty that could be thought or dreamt of.

This was nothing more nor less than the arrival on the island of a couple of naked savages in a small dug-out.

It had been blowing all night a strong breeze from the direction of the island, that from Beacon Hill could just be seen by the aid of the telescope. Doubtless the savages had been carried out to sea, or they never would have attempted so long a voyage in so small and clumsy a craft as an outriggered dug-out.

As they drew near to the beach--exactly at the spot where the brig went to pieces--the castaways hid themselves in the bush, lest they should frighten them.

They landed at last, and stood wonderingly on the sands, pointing to the ribs of the _Resolute_, that was still visible, black and ghastly in the surf. Tall and noble-looking figures these savages presented. They were entirely naked, with the exception of a kind of cummerbund of fibrous grass around the waist, and each held a long spear in his hand.

The castaways now stalked out.

The savages uttered a yell, threw their spears at them, one glancing close past Fred's head, and made a rush for their boat. But before ever they could get her afloat again our men were upon them and had made them prisoners.