*CHAPTER XVII.*
_*Building a Raft; Visits to the Wreck*_*.*
We first visited the young cocoanut palms from which I cut a supply ofcloth for the curtain, to be hung between the two apartments in thehouse; and while I dug some small roots for thread, to use in sewing thepieces together, Mr. Harborough, under my direction, with his knifeshaped from a piece of hard wood, a bodkin, to be used in lieu of aneedle in sewing.
Leaving Miss Harborough comfortably ensconced in front of the house,with the materials around her, Mr. Harborough and myself set about thetask of reaching the vessel.
"There is but one way to reach her, sir," I said, "and that is by meansof a raft. It is the only sort of a craft that we can construct with notools, and, besides, I believe we can make a raft which will carry thecargo."
"Your experience fits you to take the initiative," he replied. "I amunder your direction. You shall lead, and I will follow and obey yourinstructions."
"I am sure our combined ideas only will produce the best results," Imade answer. "But first let us proceed to the bamboo thicket."
As we started to go up stream, Mr. Harborough turned and cast an anxiouslook toward his daughter.
Noticing this, I hastened to reassure him concerning her safety.
"And are there no wild animals on the island?" he asked.
"I have seen none hereabout," I assured him. I remembered the wild pigsthat I had met on my march around the coast, but I thought best not tounduly alarm him by alluding to them.
"And do you believe the island entirely uninhabited?" he asked.
"At the present time I believe it is absolutely uninhabited," I replied.As we walked along I told him about the old wall on the mountain, addingthat it was evidently constructed by civilized people, long ago. Anidea occurred to me at that moment concerning the ruined wall, but Iresolved not to communicate it at present.
As for the wild pigs, I did not believe they would put in an appearancein this part of the island. Reaching the bamboo thicket, we set to workcutting a great quantity of them, selecting those from two to fourinches in diameter, I, meanwhile, explaining to Mr. Harborough how Iproposed to construct the raft. We labored incessantly the entire day,only stopping, when the sun stood directly overhead, to allay thecravings of our appetites; and reaching the house, we were delighted tofind that Miss Harborough had dinner all ready for us, she havingroasted some yams and the only remaining bread fruit. I resolved tomake a trip to the pool and procure another supply at once.
Miss Harborough had finished the curtain, and before we returned to ourbamboo cutting we hung it in place, fastening it with wooden skewers.
While we continued to cut bamboos Miss Harborough wandered aboutadmiring and wondering at the many tropical sights and sounds. Icontinued to keep the records of the days on my cocoanut-shell calendar.In two days we had cut what I believed was a sufficient number ofbamboos. The following day was Sunday; and while we resolved to abstainfrom working on the raft, we agreed that the time was too precious toremain entirely idle; so we resolved to devote the day to replenishingour larder.
We were early astir and prepared for a trip to the pool. Before settingout I got out the fish net, which I set in the stream, explaining thatwe would remove it on our return, and hoping that it would yield a goodnumber of fish. I took my bow-gun, intending to keep a sharp lookoutfor pigeons, and Miss Harborough carried Puff, I having taken care tosecure him to her arm by a thong so he could not impede our progress byflying away into the thicket.
We followed the bank of the stream and in due time reached the poolwhere we set about, in the best of spirits, gathering water-cocoanuts,bread fruit, oranges, bananas and plantains. Refreshing ourselves uponsome ripe bananas that we found scattered through the bunches, while wesat beneath the shade of the broad leaves, we gathered up our spoils andset out to return.
I decided to keep along the edge of the forest going back, hoping to baga pigeon or two; and I was so fortunate as to secure four, to the greatwonder of my companions who marvelled at my markmanship and the accuracyof the rude bow-gun.
Arriving home the net was removed from the stream, being nearly halffilled with fish. The question of food was settled for several days,and we could work on the raft uninterrupted.
Miss Harborough allotted to herself the duty of preparing the food, andwell did she perform her task. She not only had our meals ready withunfailing regularity, but her womanly instinct enabled her to devisedinners, dainty and appetising innovations in the simple cookery, thatwere most acceptable.
The foundation of the raft was laid by placing bamboos on the beach justout of reach of the surf, there being no discernable tide, about onefoot apart. The poles, forming a layer, were about eighteen feet long,and there were fourteen of them. This fixed the dimensions of the raft,eighteen by fourteen feet. These were firmly lashed together withlianas from the thicket near by, which were passed over and under eachalternate pole, across to the opposite side and back again, six timesacross, with double weaving at the ends. Next we cut a great quantityof reeds and laid them evenly over the frame-work, to the thickness ofabout two feet. Another frame was then made the same size as the first,which was placed over the reeds and bound firmly to the bottom frame, towhich it was firmly fastened with lianas around the edges, forming asort of mattress. This process was repeated until the raft was fully sixfeet thick. This work, as is to be supposed, occupied several days; butwhen it was completed we had reason to feel proud of the result.Indeed, it was the outcome of no little skill.
We expected that the buoyancy of the materials of which it wasconstructed, together with its great thickness, would enable the raft tofloat with its top high out of the water, which would allow it it tosupport a considerable load. And, besides, it was so light that ourcombined efforts sufficed to move it quite readily. On the morning ofthe day following its completion, we launched the raft, and to our greatsatisfaction saw that it floated like a cork. We decided that a longbamboo to be used as a scull-oar would be the best means of propellingit. One half of the thickness of the larger end of this bamboo wassplit away the length of the first joint, which gave a flat surface tooffer resistance to the water in sculling. Another bamboo was providedto be used in poling. We were now ready to set out for the wreck. MissHarborough expressed a desire to accompany us, but I demurred, until wehad proved the seaworthiness and stability of the raft, in which herfather joined. So she seated herself near the beach and watched us aswe pushed off.
Beneath our combined weight the raft did not appear to sink perceptibly,and it promised to float a good amount of cargo. This was most pleasingto us for it would enable us to remove what we wanted from the vesselrapidly. We joined in poling the raft until the water became too deep,after which I used the scull from the end, being somewhat of an expertby reason of my boyish practice with a punt on the pond near the home ofmy childhood. The sea was placid, and it required only a few minutes toreach the wreck. I propelled the raft under the bow-sprit and held itsteady by grasping the martingale, while Mr. Harborough climbed aboard,from whence he threw a line with which I quickly made the raft fast, andjoined him on the deck.
The scene around us was one of confusion. The deck was strewn with atangled mass of rigging, rendering it not a little difficult to moveabout.
"I think," said Mr. Harborough, "that we should proceed systematicallythrough the vessel, and I suggest that we first proceed to the cabin."
So we descended the companionway which led to the roomy cabin. It wascomfortably, though not luxuriously fitted up, after the usual style ofvessels going on long voyages. Mr. Harborough proceeded to collect allhis clothing, while I, at his suggestion, gathered into a bundle all ofthe wearing apparel that had belonged to the captain, to be appropriatedto my own use; and indeed, I was sadly in need of it. We did not disturbMiss Harborough's cabin, having decided to let her accompany us on thenext trip, when she could gather up her own belongings.
"There seems to be nothing else that can be of use to us," said Mr.Harborough, glancing around the cabin.
"Oh, but why not take the chairs? They are fastened to the floor of thecabin, but there must be tools on board in the carpenter's kit, withwhich we can easily remove them. And, then, the charts, the chronometerand the compass. Who knows but that they may be of great use to us? Iam sure the compass would, at least."
"That is true," he replied; "I fear that I am not very used to being acastaway."
"A few months will accustom you to such an existence," I replied.
So we went forward and found the carpenter's chest, from which we tookall the tools necessary to remove the cabin chairs, and the compass.These, with the chronometer and the clothing, we deposited together inthe cabin. Next we set about collecting all the small sized rope and allthe cooking utensils in the galley, which we placed with the cabincrockery. We debated whether it would be advisable to attempt to removethe galley stove to the shore; but, because of its weight and theconsequent great difficulty in removing it, we abandoned the idea. Aswe moved about the deck we could see Miss Harborough by the beach, andwe frequently signalled to her, fearing that she might be lonesomealone, amid such strange surroundings.
As I stood gazing at the beautiful island, densely covered with tropicalvegetation, radiant with golden light, I made out the mountain on whichI had erected the beacon, which I could dimly see. I called Mr.Scarborough's attention to it, and expressed my disappointment that itwas so dimly visible; but when I reflected that the mountain was muchnearer the east coast, I took a brighter view of it, for I believed thatthe island must be one of the Virgin Islands; and, if so, it must be oneof the most easterly. Still I could not make up my mind what the land Ihad sighted far to the eastward from the mountain top might be. If itwas one of the northern Leeward Islands, then we could not be far out ofthe track of vessels. In this case the beacon must, sooner or later, beseen from some passing ship.
Overhauling the stores we found quantities of provisions, canned anddried fruits, salt, half a barrel of salted beef, nearly two barrels offlour, a great quantity of sweet potatoes and several gross of matches.Indeed, nothing seemed to be lacking.
We now set about loading the raft, lowering the different articles overthe side by means of a rope, distributing the weight over the raft. Weloaded it until it settled to within a foot of the top, and a greatquantity of freight it took. At this rate it would require but few tripsto complete the work. Taking the clothing aboard we started ashore,which we reached without accident, though it required considerably moretime to scull the heavily loaded raft. Being so deeply laden, itgrounded several feet from the beach, so that in unloading it, we had towade back and forth through the water.
Everything was stored snugly in the house before sundown.
On the morning following we made another early start for the wreck, MissHarborough with us this time. As before, the raft was made fast to thebow-sprit, and Miss Harborough was hoisted aboard in a bo'sn's chair.We proceeded to load the raft, intending to make two trips during theday. This was soon accomplished, and taking the compass and thechronometer, as well as Miss Harborough's trunk, we were about to castoff, when, with an exclamation, Mr. Harborough grasped the chains anddisappeared on deck, presently returning with face aglow, carrying ineach hand a gun. Such good fortune was almost overpowering, for withguns we could not only defend ourselves effectively, if necessary, buteasily secure plenty of game. He explained that there was a quantity ofcartridges for the rifle as well as considerable ammunition for theshot-gun, in the cabin. Each day we continued to make one or two tripsto the vessel, the weather fortunately continuing calm, with the resultthat we stripped her of everything that we could move, and that couldpossibly be of use to us. We soon discovered that we could store in thehouse only such articles as there would constantly be use for, so weproceeded to build another addition from the other side, opposite MissHarborough's apartment, to serve exclusively as a store-room. Thus ourabode extended to quite a pretentious establishment. The raft, nolonger in use, we hauled up among the cocoanut palms. We had been sobusy since the barkentine came ashore that we had not been able toextend the stockade around the two additions to the house. This weproceeded to do, following the same plan of construction as I hadpreviously done, joining it to the main structure at the four corners,thus making an enclosure of quite twice the area of the originalcompound. We planted yam vines all around the new stockade, varying ourlabors by making trips to the pool for provisions, going on excursionsinto the forest, but never far away, securing pigeons with the aid ofthe shot-gun, but seeing no animals, and fishing in the stream. Welived sumptuously, with the fruit and the plentiful supplies from thevessel. At my suggestion, we planted a quantity of sweet potatoes,selecting a sunny spot near the stream, breaking up the ground withpoles sharpened with the aid of a good axe, which we found in thecarpenter's kit. Indeed, we found several tools, such as a bit, auger,two saws; and a hammer that were of great use to us; and fortunately afew nails. I had some doubt as to the success of our sweet potatoexperiment, believing that the tropical climate would prove too warm forthem, remembering that they flourish to the greatest perfection in theeastern-central part of our own country. However, the experiment wasworth trying in the interest of future food supplies. We had, from thefirst, kept a close watch along the shore all along the bay, in casebodies of other members of the barkentine's crew came ashore. But nonedid, and, with the axe, we hewed a rude head-board from a hard-woodplank which we had brought from the vessel, for the grave of the manwhom we had buried, carving thereon the name "William Clayton," togetherwith the day and year of his death.
We discussed the advisability of setting fire to the wreck, but aftermature consideration we decided that so long as it remained intact, itmight serve to attract attention should a vessel be passing, and thuslead to our rescue.
We had much leisure, and I took occasion to make known a project which Ihad in mind from the first, that of making a trip to the mountain. Forone thing I wished to see if the beacon had withstood the hurricane;and, more than all, an idea had taken possession of me, growing strongerevery day, that a careful investigation around the ruined wall mightlead to interesting, and, perhaps, important revelations. My companionswere delighted with the prospect, and we at once set about makingpreparations for the journey; and here a new idea suggested itself. Wemust carry with us as large a quantity of provisions as possible, andhow could this be accomplished? We would make knapsacks fromsail-cloth. Why had we not thought to bring the sails of the barkentineashore? The raft was again launched, and we removed the smaller sailsfrom the vessel; and, by searching among the seamen's dunnage in theforecastle, we found several sailors' needles and twine. All workingtogether, we soon fashioned two square bags, with straps of severalthicknesses of cloth, with which to sling them upon our backs. The nextmost important thing was the selection of the articles to be carriedwith us. Provisions must form the bulk of the packs, and we made theselection with the greatest care. We also proposed to take along theaxe, a coil of rope, the ship's compass, which was removed from thegimbals, and, of course, the two guns, Mr. Harborough carrying therifle, while I took the shot-gun. We made belts from the sail-cloth forcarrying ammunition. The axe formed part of my equipment. A lightbundle of clothing was made up for Miss Harborough who also took chargeof Puff, who was made fast to her arm by a piece of twine. Everythingwas made snug in the house, and the remaining sail-cloth was carefullyspread over the stores to be left behind. The door was securely closed,and one bright morning we were ready to start, first taking, by means ofthe compass, the bearings of the mountain. It was my intention toproceed by a different route from those I had followed in going to andreturning from the mountain, for two reasons. One was that I wished tofurther explore the island, which a new route would enable me to do, andthe other was that a direct route through the forest would be muchshorter, requiring us to encamp but one night. My
companions fullyagreed with this idea. The stream was followed as far as the pool,where we entered the forest. It consisted of many varieties of trees,one kind being of large size, with a smooth, straight trunk, towering toa great height, without branches. This, Mr. Harborough said, was themahogany tree.
Great lianas entwined the trees and many creepers, some bearingexquisite blossoms that called forth exclamations of delight from MissHarborough, depended from the branches; and in some places thevegetation was so dense that we were compelled to cut a way with theaxe. At Mr. Harborough's suggestion and at her request I ceased toaddress his daughter as Miss Harborough, and thereafter called herMarjorie, as did her father; for, as they both said, we were exilestogether, and formality was superfluous. We were in excellent spiritsand made rapid progress. When the sun was in the zenith, as we couldsee by an occasional glimpse through an opening in the dense canopyabove us, we paused by a tiny stream of clear water for refreshments anda short rest. Our repast finished, while Mr. Harborough and I conversedconcerning the present and the future, Marjorie wandered away a shortdistance, searching for new and beautiful flowers. Just as we rose toresume the march, and were about to call her, we heard an agonizingscream coming from the forest at no great distance away. It was clearthat something had befallen Marjorie. Grasping the guns, we dashed inthe direction indicated by her cries, and presently we saw her dressthrough the undergrowth. As we hastened forward a sight met our eyeswhich caused us to come to a sudden halt and to gaze in horror at thespectacle before us; for there was Marjorie, crying out no longer, herlimp body in the grasp of what looked like a dark, shrivelled-up oldman.
It seemed to be four or five feet tall, with a face almost black, itsbody covered with short hair. The limbs were long, small, and the legswere bent. We both shouted, at which the monster released Marjorie,allowing her to fall to the ground, while it stood motionless, lookingat us, but making no sound. Almost at the same instant it stooped andgrasped a huge club which lay at its feet. We waited no longer, andboth raised our guns and fired. Evidently our excitement disconcertedour aim, for the monster, without giving forth a sound, sprang to thegreat tree near which it stood and began to climb it rapidly, keeping tothe side opposite to us. We hastened around, and Mr. Harborough firedanother shot from his rifle, but without apparent effect, for thecreature quickly reached the branches and disappeared.
We hastened to Marjorie who had recovered from her swoon, and was ableto give us an account of her adventure. There was little for her totell. She was walking leisurely along, stopping to admire a flower or abrilliant butterfly, when, without warning, she felt herself in thegrasp of the horrible creature. She screamed and then fainted. We wereunable to conjecture what sort of a creature it might be, for we werenot aware that the tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere containedlarge apes.
While we were discussing the matter, I remembered a story which I hadread years before about a creature found in the depths of the SouthAmerican forest, which was called a "Burghree." As I recollected thestory, the description of the "Burghree" corresponded very nearly to themonster we had just encountered. Marjorie, having now recovered,although she was still somewhat weak, we again went to the tree andpeered sharply among the branches.
"It seems to me," said Mr. Harborough at length, "that I see somethingwhich looks like a great nest, far up in the tree-top."
I looked more closely and also saw it.
Clearly this was the home of the strange creature, and then Irecollected that the story of the "Burghree" corresponded almost exactlyto the present realization, for it retired to a great platform ofbranches and grass, far up in the tree-top, whence it hurled defianceand clubs at the men below, while this one uttered no sound. Anothershot from the rifle was without result, and we decided that it would benot only useless but folly to waste more ammunition. Resuming our march,few words passed between us for a long time. As for myself, I wasabsorbed with my own thoughts, and Mr. Harborough seemed to be occupiedin like manner.
Suddenly I stopped and rested my gun upon the ground.
"Mr. Harborough," said I, "did you notice that the face of the creaturelooked more like a human face than that of an ape, and that the feet andhands seemed to be unlike an ape's feet and hands?"
"I noticed the face," he answered.
A Boy Crusoe; or, The Golden Treasure of the Virgin Islands Page 17