A Boy Crusoe; or, The Golden Treasure of the Virgin Islands
Page 10
*CHAPTER X.*
_*Under the Coils of a Snake*_*.*
When I awoke in the morning it was with a peculiar sense of oppression.In the first drowsiness I thought there was a great weight across mychest; and my arms were aching. I tried to move, but found that I couldnot lift my arms. They seemed to be pressed closely to my aides.Thoroughly awake now, I was terrified to find that I was lying beneaththe folds of an enormous snake.
Frightened as I was beyond all expression, I maintained sufficientpresence of mind to keep perfectly quiet until I could more fullyrealize my true situation--and, above all, locate the position of thegreat reptile's head.
As I gazed at the great scaly coils that enveloped me, I saw that thesnake was of a pale yellow color. It was perfectly motionless. Bytracing the taper of its body I saw that the head must be somewhere nearmy right shoulder.
I was in a great quandary what to do. Although still anxious forresults, I was now quite calm, and my mind was full of plans forescaping from the terrible coils. I dared not move for fear that thesnake would strike me with its fangs, or that it might encircle my bodyand squeeze me to death. Some snakes, like the boa-constrictor, killtheir victims by this method; and while I felt sure that this snake wasnot a boa, on account of its color, I felt that it had the strength tocrush me to death.
For a long time I lay in this position, how long I could not tell; butthe sun had grown intensely hot as it beat down upon the thicket. Iheard the cries of the birds, and looked up at the blue sky with thefleecy clouds floating across it, wondering whether it was to be my fateto die here in the folds of a huge serpent. I wondered too, if bye andbye my bones, bleached white, would be found in the thicket on the shoreof this lonely island.
I was gasping for breath on account of the heat, my cramped position andthe weight of the serpent's folds across my chest, when I felt it move alittle. I wondered if it was preparing to strike me. I did not move,and in a moment it began to move again, and the coils slipped across mybody. Slowly it continued to move, until my arms were free and its tailswept across my face.
I was now free, but I waited a few seconds to see if the snake wasleaving me. Distinctly hearing it gliding from me, I arose quietly,feeling stiff and sore in my arms and chest. The snake was not in sight,but seeing the grass moving a little distance away, seizing a largestone I sprang after it, but it escaped into the bush.
I reasoned that the snake must have crawled under the thorn bushes afterI lay down, and that it coiled upon my body for warmth, as the nightswere frequently uncomfortably cool; and so soundly had I slept that itsmovements had not awakened me.
After this unpleasant adventure I felt anxious to be moving, and, makinga fire, cooked some eggs which, with oranges from the stores, comprisedmy breakfast; after which I gathered a few more turtles' eggs, andresumed my march.
As I had done the day before I followed the coast, but instead ofkeeping along the sand I followed the edge of the forest, thinking itmight prove more advantageous to do so as it would enable me to keep alook-out for game, and perhaps discover new fruits. My progress wasnecessarily much slower, but the walking was easier as the treesshielded me from the direct heat of the sun, which, on the beach wasterrific, the white sand producing a fearful glare which caused nolittle pain in my eyes.
As I proceeded, the country became more open, and I frequently crossedquite large treeless tracts of tall grass, or stretches which, had itnot been for the tropical vegetation surrounding might have been takenfor New England pasture land.
One morning, just after resuming my march as I was crossing one of thelatter grass tracts, a bird different from any I had before seen arosefrom the ground and flew into the thicket on the opposite side. Itscolor was light drab, and the wings and under tail feathers were white.I approached the edge of the bush cautiously, meantime, drawing back thestring of my bow-gun and fixing an arrow in place. Laying aside the bagof provisions I crept softly along, until a sharp "coo-o-o" drew myattention to the branches of a tree, where I saw the bird steppinggingerly along one of the larger limbs. Apparently it had not seen me,so, carefully moving to one side until I had a low bush between me andthe game, I worked up a little nearer in order to make sure of beingwithin range of the arrow. Then, rising quietly to one knee, I tookcareful aim and released the string. The sharp "twang," much to mysurprise was instantly followed by a flutter as the bird came tumblingto the ground. I hastened forward and picked it up. The arrow hadpassed entirely through the neck, so that it was quite dead in a fewmoments. I saw that it was a species of wild pigeon, and thereforeedible; and I congratulated myself on securing such an acceptable changein my fare.
I saw no more pigeons after that, but during the succeeding days I foundseveral orange trees from which I replenished my supply of thisrefreshing fruit.
I continued steadily on, making no important discoveries, following theedge of the brush, but always keeping the sea in sight. Almost everyday I went to the beach to look for turtles' eggs, which I usually foundin abundance.
The coast continued to loom up before me, head-land after head-land,stretches of beach and rocky bay shores. Allowing for the indentationsof the coast that I followed, I concluded that the island was a largeone; and, the fact that I was gradually turning toward the direction ofthe sun convinced me that its shape was nearly round.
I always camped just before sunset that I might have sufficient time tomake a fire, cook and eat supper before dark.
I had not kept a fire after supper was cooked, as, having neither seennor heard anything of wild animals of any kind, I did not feel the needof it; and, beside, I was becoming accustomed to being alone, and tosleeping in the open air, and the nervousness of the first few nightsafter I was cast ashore had entirely left me.
At the end of the sixth day I had, in my journey, turned around so thatthe direction which I followed was a little more than right angles tothat taken where I left my house. In other words, instead of goingnearly south, my course was now nearly southeast.
At the end of the seventh day I came to a large stream which was toowide and deep to ford. The next day being Sunday I resolved to pitchcamp and remain there until Monday. Meanwhile I would decide whether todevise some means of fording the stream, or follow up its course.
Although I had not, as yet, done any work on Sunday, I decided that itwould be no great violation of the day to try to evaporate a little seawater, while I was in camp, and thus procure a little salt, which I wascraving.
That night before going to sleep, I revolved several schemes in my mind,and, ere I fell asleep, I believed I had solved the question of makingsalt.