Bevis: The Story of a Boy
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directly you get this and mind you come this veryminute," (twice dashed). "We are coming home from New Formosa in ourship the Calypso, and want you to be there to see the things we havebrought you, and to hear all about it. Mind and be sure and come thisvery minute, please."
Wondering and excited with curiosity, the two ladies ran as fast as theycould up the meadow footpath, and along the bank of the New Sea, tillthey came to a clear place where the trees did not interfere with theview. Then, a long way up, they saw a singular-looking boat with ablack sail.
"There they are!"
"They're coming!"
"What _can_ they have been doing?"
"That is not the Pinta!"
"This has a black sail!"
The sail was black because it was the rug, an old-fashioned one, blackone side and grey the other. After long discussion Bevis and Mark haddecided that the time had come when they must return from the island,for if Bevis's mother went to Jack's and found they were not there, heranxiety would be terrible, and they could not think of it. So Beviswrote a letter and sent Loo back with it at once, and she was to watchand see if his mother did as she was asked. If she started for theshore Loo was to raise a signal, a handkerchief they lent her for thepurpose.
Some time after Loo went they embarked on the raft, and drifted slowlydown before the south wind till they reached the Mozambique, where theystayed the raft's progress with their poles till Loo displayed thesignal. The sail was then hoisted, and they bore down right before thewind.
With dark sail booming out the Calypso surged ahead, the mariners sawthe two ladies on the shore, and waved their hands and shouted. Bevissteered her into port, and she grounded beside the Pinta. The firstcaress and astonishment over: "Where are your hats?" said Frances.
"Where are your collars?" said his mother. "And gracious, child! justlook at his neck!"
As for hats and collars they had almost forgotten their existence, andhaving passed most of the time in shirt sleeves like gold-miners, withnecks and chests exposed, they were as brown as if they had been in thetropics. Mark especially was tanned, completely tanned: Bevis was toofair to brown well. The sun and the wind had purified his skin almostto transparency with a rosy olive behind the whiteness. There was agleam in his eye, the clear red of his lips--lips speak the state of theblood--the easy motion of the limbs, the ringing sound of the voice, theupright back, all showed primeval health. Both of them were oftensurprised at their own strength.
In those days of running, racing, leaping, exploring, swimming, the skinnude to the sun, and wind and water, they built themselves up of steel,steel that would bear the hardest wear of the world. Had they been putin an open boat and thrust forth to sea like the viking of old, it wouldnot have hurt them.
Frances played with Bevis's golden ringlets, but did not kiss him as shehad used to do. He looked too much a man. She placed her hand on herbrother's shoulder, but did not speak to him as once she had done.Something told her that this was not the boy she ordered to and fro.
They could not believe that the two had really spent all the time on anisland. This was the eleventh morn since they had left--it could notbe: yet there was the raft in evidence.
"Let us row them up in the Pinta," said Mark.
"In a minute," said Bevis. "Get her ready; I'll be back in a minute--half a second." He ran along the bank to a spot whence he knew he couldsee the old house at home through the boughs. He wanted just to look atit--there is no house so beautiful as the one you were born in--and thenhe ran back.
There was a little water in the boat but not much, they hauled out someof the ballast, the ladies got in and were rowed direct to New Formosa.The stockade--so well defended, the cage before the door, the hut, thecave, their interest knew no bounds.
"But you did not really sleep on this," said Bevis's mother in a tone ofhorror, finding the bed was nothing but fir branches: she could not bereconciled to the idea.
The matchlock, the niche for the lantern, the marks where their fireshad been, the sun-dial, there was no detail they did not examine: andlastly they went all round the island by the well-worn path. Thisoccupied a considerable time, it was now too late to drive up to Jack'sand the object was removed, but Bevis's mother, ever anxious for others'happiness, whispered to Frances that she would write and send amessenger, and ask Jack to come down to-morrow--surely he could spareSunday--to bring back the parcel, and see the wonderful island.
When at last they landed the ladies, there was Charlie on the bank, andCecil and Val, who had somehow got wind of it--they were wild withcuriosity not unmingled with resentment. These had to be rowed to NewFormosa and they stayed longer even than the ladies, and insisted on ashot each with the matchlock. So it was a most exciting afternoon forthese returned shipwrecked folks. In the evening they had the dog-cart,and drove in to Latten with the otter to have it preserved.
They did not see much or think much of the governor till towardssupper-time--Mark had snatched half an hour to visit his Jolly Old Mokeand returned like the wind. The governor was calmly incredulous: heprofessed to disbelieve that they had done it all themselves, there musthave been a man or two to help them. And if it was true, how did theysuppose they were going to pay for all the damage they had done to thetrees on the island?
This was a difficult question, they did not know that the governor couldcut the trees if he chose, indeed they had never thought about it. Buthaving faced so many dangers they were not going to tremble at this.They could not quite make the governor out, whether he was chaffingthem, or whether he really disbelieved, or whether it was a cover to hisanger. In truth, he hardly knew himself, but he could not help admiringthe ingenuity with which they had effected all this.
He was a shrewd man, the governor, and he saw that Bevis and Mark hadthe ladies on their side; what is the use of saying anything when theladies have made up their minds? Besides, there was this about it atany rate: they had gained the primeval health of the primevalforest-dwellers. Before gleaming eyes, red lips, sun-burned and yetclear skin, ringing voices and shouts of laughter, how could he help butwaver and finally melt and become as curious as the rest.
In the end they actually promised, as a favour, to row him up to theirisland to-morrow.
Volume Three, Chapter XVI.
SHOOTING WITH DOUBLE-BARRELS.
The governor having been rowed to the island, examined thefortifications, read the journal, and looked at the iron-pipe gun, andafterwards reflecting upon these things came to the conclusion that itwould be safer and better in every way to let Bevis have the use of agood breech-loader. He evidently must shoot, and if so he had bettershoot with a proper gun. When this decision was known, Mark's governorcould do nothing less, and so they both had good guns put into theirhands.
In truth, the prohibition had long been rather hollow, more traditionalthan effectual. Bevis had accompanied his governor several autumns inthe field, and shot occasionally, and he had been frequently allowed totry his skill at the starlings flying to and fro the chimney. Besideswhich they shot with Jack and knew all about it perfectly well. Theywere fortunate in living in the era of the breech-loader which is somuch safer than the old muzzle-loading gun. There was hardly a part ofthe muzzle-loader which in some way or other did not now and thencontribute to accidents. With the breech-loader you can in a momentremove the very possibility of accident by pulling out the cartridgesand putting them in your pocket.
Bevis and Mark knew very well how to shoot, both from actual ifoccasional practice, and from watching those who did shoot. Thegovernor, however, desirous that they should excel, gave them a gooddrilling in this way.
Bevis had to study his position at the moment when he stopped and liftedthe gun. His left foot was to be set a little in front of the other,and he was to turn very slightly aside, the left shoulder forwards. Hewas never to stand square to the game. He was to stand upright,perfectly upright like a bolt. The back must not stoop nor theshoulders be humped and set up till the
collar of the coat was as highas the poll. Humping the shoulders at the same time contracts thechest, and causes the coat in front to crease, and these creases are aptto catch the butt of the gun as it comes to the shoulder and divert itfrom its proper place.
There is no time to correct this in the act of shooting, so that thehabit of a good position should be acquired that it may be avoided. Hehad, too, to hold his head nearly upright and not to crane his neckforward till the cheek rested on the stock while the head was aside inthe manner of the magpie peering into a letter. He was to standupright, with his chest open and his shoulders thrown back, like RobinHood with his six foot yew drawing the arrow to his ear.
Bevis was made to take his double-barrel upstairs, into the bestbedroom--this is the advantage of the breech-loader, take the cartridgesout and it is as harmless as a fire-iron--where there was a moderncheval-glass. The mirrors