The School Friends; Or, Nothing New
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island, he determinedto capture as many as he could. Arming himself with a thick club, heattacked them when asleep on the beach, and every day succeeded inknocking over a considerable number. This gave him abundant occupation;and continuing his experiments he succeeded in perfectly preserving theskins. When at length the creatures took their departure, his hut wasnearly filled with the result of his industry.
Day after day went rapidly by, and had he not been careful in notchinghis stick, he would soon have lost all count of time.
CHAPTER SEVEN.
Three years had passed away since Humphry landed on the island. He wasstartled one calm day, when fishing from a rock in the bay as he caughtsight of his own countenance in the water, to observe how changed he hadbecome. Instead of the laughing, careless, broadly-built boy with theruddy face, which he once was, he had grown into a tall, thin young man,with a sunburnt countenance, its expression grave and thoughtful. Hewas not melancholy, however, nor did he ever feel out of spirits; but hehad of course been thrown back on himself, while his mind was constantlyoccupied. He had but one book to read, but that book, above all price,had given him ample subjects for reflection. "What should I have donewithout this?" he often said to himself, as he opened the book with aprayer that what he was about to read might enlighten his mind.
"I have heard people talk of reading their Bibles, but though I haveread nothing but my Testament for three years, I every day findsomething fresh and interesting in it."
He had often made excursions to the top of the hill, whence he couldobtain a view over the surrounding ocean.
It had been raining heavily during the previous day. No seals were tobe caught on shore, nor fish in the water. Taking his gun, he set off,intending to go over the hill to get a shot at some wild-fowl. The windhad greatly increased; and wishing to obtain a view of the ocean withits huge foam-covered billows rolling around, he climbed to the top ofthe hill. As he reached it, his eye fell on a ship driving before thegale towards the rocky shore. Two of her masts were gone; the thirdfell while he was looking at her. Nothing could now save her fromdestruction, for even should her anchors be let go, they were not likelyto hold for a moment. He considered whether he could render anyassistance to the unhappy people on board. Too truly he feared that hecould be of no use. Still he would do his best. Hurrying home, heprocured the only rope he possessed, and a spar, and with these on hisshoulder he hastened towards the spot at which, considering thedirection the ship was driving, he thought she would strike the shore.He had scarcely reached it when he saw the ship driving on towards himon a mountain sea. The next instant down she came, crashing on a reefof rocks far away from where he stood, the foaming sea dashing over her.Several poor wretches were carried off the deck, now driven towardshim, but directly afterwards carried back by the retiring surf. Hecould distinguish but one alone still clinging to a portion of thewreck, all the others had in a few minutes disappeared. As long as thatman remained, he could not tear himself from the spot.
Several hours passed by; still the man clung on, having secured himselfapparently by a lashing. The storm seemed to be abating. Humphry tookoff his shirt, and fastening it to the end of a spar, waved it, to showthe shipwrecked seaman that help was at hand if he could reach theshore. It was observed at length. The man, casting off the lashings,lowered himself into the water, and struck out for land. Humphryprepared his rope. Fixing the spar deep in the sand, and securing oneend of the rope to it, he stood ready to plunge in, with the other endround his waist, to drag the man on shore should he get within hisreach. How anxiously he watched! Nearer and nearer the man came. Nowhe was seen floating on his back, now he struck out again. A searolling in bore him on, but as it receded it threatened to carry him offonce more. Now was the moment. Humphry dashed into the surf. Theman's strength had almost failed when Humphry grasped him, and haulinghimself up by the rope dragged the man out of the surf, sinking downexhausted by his side the instant he was out of its reach.
Humphry was the first to recover.
"If you are strong enough to accompany me to the other side of theisland, friend, where I have my home, we will set off at once; but ifnot, I will go back and get some food for you," he said.
"I shall soon be better," answered the man. "I think I could walk.Have you a companion with you?"
"No," answered Humphry, surprised at the question; "I am all alone."
"That's strange! What, isn't there a young lad somewhere about theisland?"
"No," said Humphry. "I have been here three years and have seen nohuman being."
The man gazed into his countenance with a look of astonishment.
"What is your name, then?" he asked.
Humphry mentioned it.
"You Mr Gurton!" he cried, pressing his hand. "I suppose it must be;and don't you know me?"
Humphry looked into the man's face. It was covered with a thick beard,and his tangled hair hung over his shoulders.
"You must be Ned Hadow; yet I should not have known you more than youknow me. I am indeed thankful that you have been saved. But where haveyou been all the time?"
"Greater part of it living on shore," answered Ned. "After we landedyou, we took three or four prizes; but not being able to navigate theship, we put into a convenient harbour in an island inhabited bysavages. There we remained, living among them much as they did.Several of our men were killed; and at last, finding that the savagesintended to cut us all off, we put to sea again. We had been knockingabout for some time, and used up all our provisions, when we fell inwith the gale which drove the ship on yonder rocks."
Ned insisted that he could walk across the island, and with Humphry'shelp he was able to accomplish the journey, though nearly exhausted atthe end of it. Humphry then made him lie down in his bed, while heprepared some soup and other food.
Next day Ned somewhat recovered; and in the course of a week, owing toHumphry's constant attention, he looked more like his former self.
"It's very dreadful to think that all the others have perished, but I amtruly thankful that you have been sent to be my companion," saidHumphry. "You little thought when you acted so kindly towards me bysaving my life, and getting me put on shore here, that I should ever inany way be able to repay you."
"I did not, Mr Gurton; but I feel that I am such a worthless fellow thatmy life was not worth preserving."
"We are all worthless, Ned: that's what the book I read every day tellsme, and I am convinced of it when I look into my own heart, and know howpeople in the world are generally acting."
"What! have you got that book still, Mr Gurton?" asked Ned.
"Yes, indeed I have, and I shall be glad to read it to you, Ned," saidHumphry.
"I shall like to hear it, sir, for I have not heard anything like a goodword since you used to read it to me when I was sick. I had almostforgotten there is a God in heaven. I remembered that, however, when Iwas clinging to the wreck, and expecting every moment to be in Hispresence."
"It's the best thing to read God's Word, and to be guided by it, when weexpect to live. I hope you may be spared many years, even though wenever get away from this island, and that book will serve us better thanany other companion who could join us."
Humphry, instead now of reading his Testament to himself, read it dailyto Ned, and even while they were at work he used to repeat portions hehad learned by heart.
Though Ned could not read, he gained in time a good knowledge of thebook, and his dark soul by degrees becoming enlightened, he understoodclearly at length God's plan of salvation, and cheerfully accepted it.
"You see, Ned, all things are ordered for the best," said Humphry oneday, "and you must be convinced that God loves us, however little we mayhave loved Him. If I had remained on board the privateer, I should havebecome, as I was fast doing, like the rest of the unhappy crew. ThoughI thought it very dreadful to be left all alone on the island, I nowfeel that it has been the greatest blessing to me. God in His mercyalso saved you, though you
would have preferred remaining among thesavages. Now you are happy in knowing the glorious truth that the bloodof Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin; and though we may both of uswish to be once more among our fellow-men, we can live contentedly heretill He thinks fit to call us out of this life."
"I hope He may take me before any ship comes to the island, for if Ionce fell among the sort of men I have lived with all my life, I shouldsoon again be as bad as they are," said Ned with a sigh.
"Not if you sought help and protection from God's Holy Spirit," answeredHumphry, "and prayed that He would keep you out of temptation."
Ned was surprised to find how much Humphry had done during the time hehad been alone on the island. He assisted him in all his undertakings,and they together caught