The School Friends; Or, Nothing New

by William Henry Giles Kingston

rock for a few moments to rest, he saw a darkobject floating by in the water, then a triangular fin rose above it,and he observed a pair of fierce-looking eyes gazing up at him. Heshuddered, for he recognised the sailor's enemy, the shark. Howmercifully he had been preserved! Had he remained in a few minuteslonger the monster might have seized him. He must be cautious in futurehow he bathed. He might find, however, some quiet pool into which noshark could enter.

  After recovering himself he returned to the camp, and lighted a fire tocook his breakfast, which consisted of salt beef and biscuit. Hethought he should like some tea. He searched in his cask of stores, andto his satisfaction he discovered a large bagful, and another of cocoa.This showed him more than ever how thoughtful his friend had been. Heknew, however, that he must husband it carefully. Having brought waterfrom the fountain, he made a little, which he found very refreshing.After draining off the liquid he put the leaves carefully by, to servefor another time. With this, and some of the cold beef and biscuit, hemade a hearty meal. Then taking his spade in his hand he set to work todig up more ground. He enriched it also with rotten leaves which hecollected, and with the ashes of the grass and roots which he dug up andburned.

  He had already spent nearly two days on the island. "I shall forget howtime passes if I don't take some note of it," he thought. "I mustfollow Robinson Crusoe's plan, and notch a stick." He at once went andcut a long one. He made a notch to show the day he had landed, andanother for that which was then passing. He then smoothed off the end,and carved the date--"20th November 1812." "I will cut a notch everymorning, directly I am up, and then I shall not run the risk of missinga day by forgetting to mark it."

  He was surprised to find how soon Sunday came round. On board the_Wolf_ that sacred day had only been observed by the men being allowedto mend their clothes; or if they were not so employed, they used to sitidly gambling or singing ribald songs. Humphry had been considering allthe previous day how he should spend it. "We are told by God in theBible to do no work, and to make it a day of rest. I am sure that Iought to obey Him, though it may seem important to me to get my house upor to dig more ground. I will therefore obey His commands, and leavethe rest to Him."

  He rose at the usual hour, and went to wash at the waterfall, where hefound that he could take a shower-bath, which was cooler and morerefreshing than even a dip in the sea. He came back to breakfast, andthen taking out his Testament, read for a long time with deep interest.While so employed, it occurred to him that he would learn portions byheart. This amply occupied his mind, and afforded him so muchsatisfaction, that he determined every morning to commit a verse tomemory that he might think of it while he was at work. He began at the"Sermon on the Mount" on Monday morning, so that by the end of anotherweek he had learned six verses.

  While waiting for the result of his gardening operations, he beganputting up his house. As he had the greater portion of the summer ofthe Southern hemisphere before him, he was in no hurry about this; soduring a portion of each day he went out with his gun to shoot birds, orsat on a rock with a line catching fish. He never failed to kill asmany birds as he wanted for food, or to catch as many fish as he couldeat. He fitted one of his harpoons, and kept it ready for use in caseany seals appeared, though he suspected that if they visited the islandat all, they would not come till the winter season.

  He had gone on increasing his garden, and putting in more seeds.Greatly to his delight those he first sowed now appeared above ground.He watered them regularly, and the plants rapidly increased in size.Some were evidently cabbages, while others put forth roots with tubers;others, again, greatly resembled spinach.

  He had now got up his house, and had dug a garden sufficiently large forhis wants. The soil, by being watered every day, became even morefertile than he had expected.

  CHAPTER SIX.

  Several weeks thus passed away before he thought of exploring hisisland.

  His stores had during this time visibly diminished. He therefore sawthe necessity of laying in a store of food which might serve him when hecould not obtain it either by his gun or fishing-lines.

  During bad weather, when the sea breaking over the reef washed into thebay, he was frequently unable to catch fish. He thought over variousways of preserving them. "I might dry some in the sun, and salt others;but I suspect they would keep better and be more palatable if I couldsmoke them."

  He found salt in the hollows of the rocks as he had expected, but itrequired much time and labour to collect. One of his small casks wasnow empty. A fine day, when the fish bit freely, enabled him to catch alarge number, and he made his first experiment. He had already got alarge pile of salt, though it was somewhat sandy, but he thought thatwould not signify. He cut off the heads and tails of the fish, thenrubbed the salt thoroughly into them, and packed them away in layers,with salt between each. It took him three or four days' fishing to fillhis cask, when all the salt was expended. He then stowed it away in adry part of his hut, hoping that he had now secured food to last him forseveral weeks.

  He next tried drying some in the sun, but did not succeed to hissatisfaction. He afterwards, however, built a smoking-house, and cureda considerable number in it, though they were less palatable than thosepreserved with salt.

  These tasks finished, one day, being prevented from fishing by a gale ofwind, he set out on his proposed expedition, taking his gun, with someprovisions in a wallet he had manufactured for the purpose.

  He made his way towards the nearest hill, and then struck down a valleywhich led to the sea. Between it and the bay a high ridge of rocksextended, so he continued his course along the shore in an oppositedirection. He had not gone far before he came to another ridge which hehad to surmount, the coast becoming wilder and wilder as he advanced,instead of improving, as he had hoped it might do. At last he reachedwhat he took to be the southern end of the island. Looking back he sawthe slope of the single high hill which composed its chief feature. Hehad now great difficulty in proceeding. The cliffs which faced the seawere almost perpendicular, and the rocks over which he climbed wereextremely rough. He proceeded cautiously, knowing the fearful positionin which he would be placed should he meet with an accident. He saw,however, at a little distance off, a number of wild-fowl circling roundthe cliffs. He was certain that they had come there for the purpose oflaying their eggs. Could he reach the spot, he might obtain a pleasantaddition to his larder.

  After great labour he reached the spot, when he found himself amonghundreds of birds, many of them already sitting. They screeched andquacked and scolded, pecking at his legs as he got among them. Withoutceremony he quickly filled his wallet with eggs.

  "This will serve me as a poultry-yard for a long time to come," hethought. "I will not kill any of the old birds, but will wait till theyoung ones are hatched, as they are likely to be more palatable thantheir parents. In the meantime, I will supply myself with eggs."

  It was now time for him to commence his return home. He felt very tiredwhen he reached his hut, for he had not taken so long a walk sincelanding on the island. To preserve his eggs, he covered them over withthe grease which remained in the pot after he had boiled his pork, andthen packed them away in cool, dry sand.

  Every day he had reason to be thankful that he had read so much, forrecollecting the various methods by which others had supportedthemselves, he was able to supply himself with food.

  His garden yielded him a daily meal of either sweet potatoes, yams,cabbages, or other vegetables. He now caught more fish than at first,and also from his poultry-yard obtained a good supply of young fowls.

  His shoes were wearing out, and he was desirous of catching some seals,from the skins of which he might manufacture others to supply theirplace. At last he saw several sporting in the bay. He at once got hisharpoon ready, and took post on a rock, expecting that one would beforelong approach him. He was not disappointed Darting his weapon, hestruck the animal, which swam off, dragging out the line at a rapidrate.
He found that he had made a mistake, and was nearly losing hisline and harpoon as well as the seal. Fortunately, just as it nearedthe end, he got a turn round a projecting piece of rock. The poor sealplunged and tumbled, and swam back to the rock to ascertain, it seemed,what had hurt it. He drew in the slack, and was thus able to secure itmore completely. After a time its struggles ceased, and he dragged itto the beach. He here took off the skin, with which he hoped to makeseveral pairs of shoes, while the flesh supplied him with a dinner offresh meat for a couple of days; the other portions he salted, in storefor future use. Stretching the hide on the ground, he dressed it with aley formed by mixing the ashes of his fire with water. This he foundwould not answer completely, and after searching in the forest hediscovered some bark which formed a strong tan.

  The seals now came on shore in large numbers. Recollecting that theirskins would be of value should a ship come to the