CHAPTER NINE.
The raft was not launched the next morning, and Bostock did not evenbegin to make preparations with the blocks and pulleys for getting itover the side.
Carey was rather restless when he went to bed, the thought of the comingchange and the idea of gliding over the smooth waters of the lagoonproducing in his still weak state enough excitement to keep him awakefor hours, so that it was well on towards morning before he went offsoundly to sleep; but when he was once off he slept as if he meant toindulge himself for eight-and-forty hours.
"Hullo!" he cried when he awoke, "anything the matter?"
For he found the doctor sitting reading close to his berth.
"Matter? No, I hope not," replied the doctor, closing his book. "Had agood rest?"
"Yes, I have been sound asleep. What made you call me so early?"
"Early, eh? What time do you suppose it is?"
Carey glanced towards the round window, which looked dim and grey, andthe cabin quite gloomy.
"I don't know," he said. "Close upon sunrise, I suppose."
"Close upon mid-day. Don't you hear the rain?"
"Rain? Yes, I was wondering what it was."
"A regular tropical downpour. No going ashore to-day."
"Oh, how tiresome! I say, though, why did you let me sleep so long?"
"Because Nature said you wanted rest. It was better to let you haveyour sleep out."
"But it will soon clear up, will it not?"
"I'm thinking it will not," said the doctor.
He thought right, for on and off the downpour lasted a fortnight, withstorm after storm of thunder and lightning, and the occupants of thestranded vessel were kept close prisoners, only getting a short visitoccasionally to the drenched deck, where Carey used his glass to watchthe torrent ashore, which had grown into a tremendous fall, whose roarcame like muffled thunder to his ears.
"It's horribly disappointing," he said, gloomily, on the fourteenth day."I did so want to go ashore."
"Out of evil comes good," said the doctor, cheerily. "You have hadanother fortnight's enforced rest, and it has done wonders towards theknitting up of the bone."
"No," said the boy, quickly, "it's not so well. It aches more than everto-day."
"That's only from the weather," said the doctor, laughing. "I daresayyou will feel aching sensations like that for months to come, wheneverthere's a change in the weather."
Carey looked at him with so pitiful a countenance that the doctorlaughed now heartily.
"I don't see anything to laugh at," said the boy.
"Bah! you don't mind a little pain. Come, cheer up; this long wait hasbeen all for the best. You are a wonderful deal stronger now."
"But look here, Doctor Kingsmead," said the boy, earnestly; "am I reallybetter and stronger, or are you saying that to comfort me?"
"I am saying it because it is the simple truth."
"Ha!" ejaculated Carey, and his face lit up, and then grew brighterstill, for the sun came out, glorifying everything, the clouds werefloating off the hills so that they could once more be seen, lookingdazzlingly green, and the island, as far as they could see, appeared tentimes more beautiful than ever.
"You'll have the raft lowered at once now?" cried Carey, eagerly.
"What, while everything is still drenched with rain? No, let's waittill to-morrow."
"And then it may be raining again."
"I think not," said the doctor. "Use your glass a little, and you'llsee that everything ashore is so saturated that we could not go a dozenyards without being drenched."
"It does look rather wet," said Carey, grudgingly; but he soonbrightened up, and looked on while the doctor got out his gun andcleaned a few specks of rust from the barrel, while that afternoonBostock prepared everything for the launching, getting done in such goodtime that, as there were a couple of hours' more daylight, it wasdecided to try and get the raft over the side.
It looked cumbersome enough, but there was no difficulty in levering italong the deck by means of capstan bars, after which the rope runningthrough the block high up was made fast to one side, and the doctor andBostock began to haul: but the effect was not satisfactory, and Bostockstopped and scratched his head.
"Here, let me help," cried Carey; but the doctor roared at him, and theboy wrinkled up his brow.
"Well," said the doctor, when, after hauling one side up a little, theyhad lowered it again.
"Seems to me, sir," said the old sailor, "that we've got our work cutout to haul her up and lower her down."
"Yes, we want a couple of men to help," said the doctor.
"And we aren't got 'em," growled Bostock.
"Why don't you haul one side up till the raft's edgewise, and then workit out through the gangway with the levers till it overbalances andtumbles in?" said Carey.
"Ah, to be sure, sir," said Bostock, mopping his dripping face; "whydon't we?"
"What, and shake the thing all to pieces with the fall?" said thedoctor.
"Nay, nay, nay, sir; don't you say such a word as that," grumbledBostock. "I don't do my work like that. I took lots o' time over her,didn't I, Master Carey?"
"You did, Bob," said the boy, with a queer cock of one eye.
"Consekens is, she's as strong as can be."
"You think it would hold together then?" said the doctor.
"Sure on it, sir."
"Let's try, then."
The rope was fastened, the capstan bars were seized, and in a fewminutes, as the two men turned, the rope tightened, the raft graduallyrose, and soon after stood up edgewise, resting on two of the cornertubs, and without the slightest disposition to topple over. Then therope was slackened so as to allow enough to act as a painter to moor theunwieldy framework to the side, levers were seized, and inch by inch itwas hitched along the deck to the gangway, and then on and on till aquarter of it was outside, when there was a halt for inspection to seeif all was right for it to fall clear.
Bostock declared that it was, but the doctor shook his head.
"It is my belief," he said, "that it will turn wrong side up when itfalls."
"I believe it will tumble all to pieces," cried Carey, mischievously.
"If she do I'll eat my hat," growled Bostock. "Let's have her in andchance it, sir. Mebbe if she falls topsy-wopsy we can get the capstanto work and turn her back again."
"Well, we'll try," replied the doctor.
"Come on then, sir," said the old sailor, picking up the capstan baragain; "and you stand well back, Master Carey. We don't want to breakyou again if she topples over."
The boy drew back and the levers were thrust in beneath, and once morethe raft began to move inch by inch outside the gangway.
"Both together, sir," cried the old sailor; "easy it is--heave ho--heavyho--steady--ay, oh! One, two, three, and a cheerily ho! One more, sir.Two more, sir. Yo, ho, ho, and lock out; over she goes!"
For the clumsy structure was hitched on and on till it was pretty wellon the balance. Then a couple more touches did the business, for thehalf projecting through the gangway began to sink, overbalancing moreand more till all at once, after hanging for a moment as if suspended inthe air, it plunged outward, falling with a tremendous splash, sendingthe spray flying in all directions; and then, to the delight of all,after seeming to hesitate as it rose, turning over and floating high outof the water and right way up.
Carey gave a hearty cheer, while Bostock threw down his capstan bar witha rattle on the deck.
"Play up, you lubber!" he shouted to an imaginary fiddler, as he foldedhis arms and then dashed off in the sailor's hornpipe, dancingfrantically for a couple of minutes, and ending with three stamps and abow and scrape.
"Now then," he cried, panting hard with his exertions, "did she tumbleall to pieces, sir? I knowed better than that."
"Capital, Bostock," said the doctor. "It floats splendidly, but will itbear all three?"
"Will it bear all three, sir? Yes, and a ton o' stuff
as well. Here,just you wait a minute."
He ran and got hold of the rope, hauled the raft alongside, and made itfast, before sliding down on to the raft, where he repeated his hornpipeperformance, the buoyant framework rising and falling a little, butseeming as safe as could be.
"There," he cried, shouting up breathlessly to those looking out fromthe gangway; "it seems to me that she's far safer than any boat I couldmake, and you can pole her, or row her, or put up a sail, and goanywhere on her; but, you know, I don't say as she'll be fast. No; Idon't say that."
"You ought to be proud of your work, Bob," cried Carey, laughing.
"Proud on her, sir? I just am. Them tubs are good uns; no fear o' themleaking for years."
"Leaking for years, Carey," said the doctor, in a low tone of voice; "hespeaks as if he were quite settled down to staying here."
"Well, it will be nice," said the boy. "I mean," he added, hastily,"for a month or two, for, of course, we expect to be fetched away soon."
"Yes," said the doctor; "of course we expect to be fetched away soon."
The doctor turned away and went down into the cabin, leaving the boylooking after him.
"How strangely he spoke," thought Carey; "just as if he didn't like whatI said. Of course, I don't want to stay here, but to go on to Brisbaneto see _them_. Only, after being shut up like a cripple so long, it'snatural to want to go ashore on this island and see what the place islike. I say, Bob," he cried, going to the side, "do you think there's avolcano--a burning mountain, up yonder where the clouds hang so low?"
"Might be anything, sir. I shouldn't be a bit surprised. You neverknow what you're going to find in an island where nobody's been before."
"Want a hand up?"
"Nay, sir; I can swarm up the rope. We must lower down some steps,though, so as we can haul 'em up again of a night and keep out thesavages as might come in their canoes."
"Savages? Canoes? Do you think there are any, Bob?"
"One never knows, sir. I don't think there's any here now, or we shouldhave seen some of 'em; but they goes wandering about far enough, andthey might turn up any time. Rather nasty ones they are, too, off thewest coast and to norrard there, Noo Guinea. There we are," hecontinued, climbing on deck. "Won't take me long to-morrow morningputting on the oars, poles, and mast, and the bit o' sail we have made."
"Then we shall go to-morrow morning?"
"If it keeps fine," said the old sailor, shading his eyes and lookinground. "And fine weather it is, my lad, as far as I can see."
King o' the Beach: A Tropic Tale Page 9