Perseverance Island; Or, The Robinson Crusoe of the Nineteenth Century
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CHAPTER X.
Exploration of the island: Second day. Find coal and sulphur, seals, more turtles, gulls, etc.
The next morning the sun rose with his customary brilliancy and broughtto poor me another beautiful day. I arose from my hard and humblecouch, and raked apart the ashes of my last evening's fire, and puton some new wood and soon had a cheerful blaze. I stepped down to theriver and soon with my bow and arrows had two or three of my wildpigeons despatched, which I quickly plucked and soon had roasting overmy fire. So far I had been more successful than I could have hoped tohave been; no savages, no noxious or deadly animals, but all a seemingparadise. I soon finished my simple repast, and strapping my canisterupon my back and taking my harpoon in hand I commenced my pilgrimageround about the island, which I was determined to accomplish before Iundertook any other task.
I passed across Rapid River and pressed towards the sea coast andfinally, after a walk of about a mile in a northeasterly direction,came out upon a bold shore with quite a promontory on my right hand.How wistfully I looked out upon the ocean, the day being so clear thatI could see to a great distance; but my view encountered no welcomesail,--only the everlasting waste of waters spread out before me. Withone long sigh of repining at my fate, I passed on to the right andcommenced ascending the promontory before me. I trudged on throughopen land and small groves of trees till I arrived at the summit,which was barren and gave me a great view seaward and convinced methat I was on the extreme northeastern extremity of my island; forI could see nothing to the northward of me, but in my rear and tothe eastward I saw another projection extending into the sea, to thesouthward of which I could not observe. From my elevation I was ableto see somewhat of the interior of the island, and this was what metmy view: to the south of me and at about two miles distance, as Ishould judge, I saw quite an elevation, and far away to the southwestanother large hill, almost a miniature mountain. The island seemed wellwooded in all directions and presented a beautiful appearance in thebrilliant morning sun and pure clear air. I looked long and anxiouslyto the eastward for land, but saw nothing: and my friends the goatsseemed to have deserted me in this part of the island, for I saw nosigns of them. I turned to pass to the southward and eastward alongthe coast-line, when I was attracted by the appearance of the groundround about me, having in seams amongst the rocks a dark appearance.I stooped down and by the aid of my knife broke off some portions ofthis familiar looking substance, when lo and behold! I held in my handveritable anthracite or bituminous coal,--I was not expert enough toknow which, although I thought it to be the former. What a discoverywas this for me, and yet what a natural one, after all. I could notrest satisfied with my own convictions that it was really coal that Iheld in my hand; but then and there drew out my flint and steel andstarted a wood fire, at which I had become expert, and digging uplarge fragments with my harpoon and knife, which I took care not tobreak or dull in the operation, I cast them upon the flame. Yes, itwas true past peradventure,--I had found coal, veritable coal, thatburned readily in the midst of my wood fire where I had piled it in theglowing embers and flames. Every once in a while it seemed to give offquick jets of flame, and this led me to examine the specimens before memore carefully to ascertain the cause. And upon breaking open, with astone, quite a large fragment, I saw within it a large broad streak, aswide as my finger, of a yellowish cast, which I instantly recognized assulphur, and in fact my memory told me that the coal received from theisland of Formosa, in China, especially from the surface collections,abounded in sulphur, sometimes so much so as to be disagreeable forhouse use. But one thought flashed into my mind upon this discovery,matches! matches! matches! Yes, here was before me the foundationof all lucifer matches, and I had only to consult, on my return, myCompendium of Useful Arts and Sciences, to avail myself of it and findout how to combine it with the other necessary articles to have real_bona fide_ matches. I was overwhelmed with joy, and blessed the hourthat had been so fruitful in comforts for me, should I have to remainupon this island.
I went to work and soon had sufficient of crude sulphur or brimstone--Ido not know which it should correctly be called--to answer all mypurposes for experiment, and carefully wrapping it up in some leavesand fastening it with a thread of my manilla, I placed it in my bag. Ithought how rapidly my fortunes were changing: here had I within a fewhours insured myself against cold and loss of fire by the few gifts ofnature laid at my feet. I tried, in spite of my miserable solitude, tobe thankful. Before leaving the promontory I drew out my birch-barkchart and named the point _East Signal Point_, as it was evidently acapital place at some future day to erect a signal of some kind upon,being high, bold, and barren, and overlooking the surrounding country.The place where I had found the coal and sulphur, I simply named the_Coal Mine_.
Having marked these carefully down, I rolled up my chart and tookmy way towards the easterly cape to the southward of where I stood.After a walk of about a mile and a half, I found myself upon what wasevidently the extreme eastern end of my island, not nearly so highas East Signal Point, but well elevated and barren towards the sea,backed with a thick forest inland. Standing on this point, which Inamed _Eastern Cape_, I saw that this was the limit of my island inthis direction, and by figuring in my head and looking at my chart Iestimated that I was about six miles from my landing-place in a directline, and about eight by the coast line.
I saw nothing here to attract my attention except many seals on thesoutherly shore, which was now opened to my view for the first time.On the broken and jagged rocks of this coast-line I saw great numbersof these animals of different sizes, and I should think of differentspecies.
It being by this time about noon by the sun, I sat down and opened mybag and regaled myself upon turtle steaks and cold boiled eggs, forI did not go to the trouble of lighting any fire; this, washed downwith water from Rapid River in my tin canister, formed my frugal meal.Towards the southwest I saw trending a long sandy beach similar to theone inside the breakwater, except that this was lashed by the longregular billows of the ocean without any intervening barrier. Aftertaking a good long rest, I got upon my feet and started again upon myjourney. I soon came down upon the hard sea sand from my elevation,and the seals that I had seen from above seemed little inclined tomove at my approach, and I passed quite near to several amongst therocks before reaching the beach. No one can credit what pleasure Iexperienced in simply observing these poor dumb creatures so near me,with their great, beautiful black eyes, and I lingered near them forover an hour, so fascinated was I by them; they seemed almost likecompanions to me, so subdued and lonely had I become for want of thesociety of my fellow-creatures, even in these few days. I talked tothem, and they answered me by snorts of surprise, and by gazing at mewith their great staring eyes. I would not have hurt one of them forall the wealth of the world, and when I left them I took off my clumsyhat and bid them good-by as I would intelligent beings.
After leaving the seals behind me I became despondent again, andcursed my cruel fate. My loneliness rushed upon me with renewed force;however, I tried hard to thrust it from me, and before I had made amile upon the beach was in better spirits again. I saw flying roundabout me several birds that I recognized as gulls, and ahead of me aturtle made his way into the sea, but I made no attempt to stop him,having plenty of food and to spare, but I was glad to see that myexpectations, or rather desires, were more than fulfilled, and that mycapture upon the other side of the island had not been an exceptionalone, and I could look to this creature also for food; but thatquestion, as well as the one of water and fire, was fast disappearingfrom my mind, as the certainty of providing all easily was being hourlyforced upon me. I foresaw that I should not want for any of thesethings, that I should, with a little care and labor, have comfortsundreamed of when I first found myself cast on shore.
The question of savages even was fast being settled, for I reasonedthat I could not have made such a distance round about the islandwithout finding some traces of human beings, if there were any uponth
e island; still I cannot say that all my nervousness was gone, I wasyet too lonely, depressed, and solitary, and knew yet too little ofthe whole island, to have recovered all my usual and natural evennessof temperament; but I was improving, and my head was already filledwith ideas of boats, balloons, and I know not what, in which I was insome way yet to escape. After walking about three miles along thislovely beach I came, upon turning a slight elevation, to the mouth ofa small trickling brook not over three feet wide, which found its wayto the ocean from a background of forest trees. I sat down by the sideof it, and soon ascertained that the water was pure, cool, and fresh.I almost smiled at the fury with which I had attacked this problem ofwater upon my first arrival upon the island; but on the other hand Ifelt pleased to think that I had also overcome it, and had made Natureserve me. I took quite a rest at this point, and, after saunteringabout, concluded, as the sun was sinking towards the west, to makeit my resting-place for the night. For this purpose I went a littlefurther back from the beach under the trees, and carried up therelarge quantities of good dry seaweed, and made me a nice comfortablebed, lighted a good fire, and after a quite good supper of my eggsand turtle steak, which I warmed in the ashes and roasted over thehot coals, I took out my pipe and tobacco to smoke and meditate. Withthe precious weed that I drew from my pocket I mixed a small quantityof the wild weed that I had found, and having of course had no timeto cure it I first shrivelled it up over my hot embers and then mixedit with my tobacco. By the scent and fragrance whilst it was beingdried in this manner, I had no longer any doubt but what I had foundthe veritable article, and when I came to mix it in my pipe I feltconvinced.
It being early, and feeling that I surely had a supply of this luxury,I indulged in a second pipe-full, and whilst I was puffing away I wasalso trying to look into the future. My remembrance of the originalRobinson Crusoe was that he was a bungler at anything and everythingthat he undertook, whilst I felt that I was a good mechanic, thoroughlyversed in the use of all tools, and especially in working in iron;that I had a fair, sound, common-school education, and that I had beeningenious and inventive both on sea and land from my boyhood; that Ihad had good experience in navigation and seamanship, and intercoursewith many nations; that I knew, and had acquired, the little every-dayhabits of many curious people, and that I had seen numerous ways ofdoing the same things in different parts of the world. Besides allthis I had a valuable book which would serve me in the very points inwhich I was deficient, and I felt that with it I could do thousands ofthings that the old Robinson Crusoe never dreamed of doing. I felt thatif there was iron to be found in the island there would practically beno end to the improvements and comforts that I could gather about me;with tools of iron and steel, with my knowledge of mechanics, what Icould not make would almost be the question.
I felt convinced that there must be iron upon the island, even if notin large quantities, enough for my purpose if I could only find it. Iknew that the Japanese islands had plenty of it, that Formosa and NewZealand abounded in it, and I was determined to find it if it was to befound.
I had already made up my mind to move to Rapid River for my home,unless future discoveries showed me a different state of affairs in thewestern part of the island than I expected to find.
I wondered, as I sat, whether my famous lamp tower was performing itsduties during my absence, but it did not trouble me any longer evenif it were not, for I found that my flint, steel, and tinder wereall-sufficient for my purpose, and was I not soon going to make realmatches?
Sitting smoking, and revolving all these thoughts in my mind, I saw thesun sink into the western ocean, and shortly after wrapped myself up inmy seaweed covering, under the shelter of a bunch of low shrubs, anddropped asleep.