CHAPTER TEN.
The old sailor was right--fine weather it was: and after a heavy mealand providing themselves with another in a basket, they stepped down onto the raft, where Bostock had rigged up a mast, and pushed off fromtheir home, which lay looking enormous from where they stood.
The doctor had passed judgment that if Carey did not exert himself hemight do a little in the way of going about. He was bandaged still anddebarred from using one arm at all; but as he half-lay on the raftlooking round he was ready to declare that he would have liked to comeeven with both arms bandaged to his sides, for it was glorious on thatsunny morning, with the air clear and soft, the sky of an intense blue,and the water, over which they glided very slowly, looking like crystal.
The square sail had been hoisted; it filled out slowly and, obeying thelong rough oar which Bostock used as a scull, the raft behavedsplendidly, leaving the long dark hull of the steamer behind, andsteadily nearing the yellow stretch of sand backed by an enormouscocoanut grove.
There were birds circling overhead and flock after flock flying aboutthe shore, which grew more beautiful each minute; but before they hadglided far over the lagoon, Carey's attention was taken up by theshallowness of the water, and he reached out over the side to gaze inwonder through the perfectly limpid medium at what seemed to be a gardenof flowers of the most beautiful and varied tints. There were groves,too, of shrubs, whose branches were of delicate shades of lavender,yellow, orange, and purple, and through the waving sea growths fishes,gorgeous in gold, orange, scarlet, and blue, flashed in the softenedsunshine, as they were startled by the coming of the raft.
Bostock was very busy piloting their craft, but he was referred to fromtime to time as a mine of knowledge to be worked, for the old sailor hadlong been acquainted with the Eastern Seas, and had been fairlyobservant for an uneducated man.
Hence he was able to point out the fact that there were thousands of thegreat pearl-oysters clustering about the coral reefs which looked soshrub-like below.
"Look here, doctor," cried the boy, excitedly; "it's just like a lovelygarden."
"Exactly," said the doctor; "a garden that lives and grows without asoul to admire its beauties."
"No, we're admiring them, sir," said Carey, promptly.
"But most likely we are the first white people who ever saw them."
"Don't let the raft go so quickly, Bob," cried Carey; "we want to have along, long look at the things now we have found them. Look, doctor; oh,do look! there was a fish glided by all of a watch-spring blue, with agreat bar across it like a gold-fish's."
"You are missing those flowers," said the doctor.
"No, I see them," cried the boy, with his face close to the water. "Seaanemones; clusters of them like those I've seen in Cornwall, only tentimes as handsome. Look there, too, lying on the patch of sand there,seven or eight, oh! and there's one--a five-pointed one, scarlet,crimson, and orange-brown; but they don't seem to have any feelers."
"No; those must be star-fish--sea stars."
"Beautiful," cried the boy, who was half-wild with excitement. "Oh,what a pity we are going so fast! Look at all this lilac coral; why,there must be miles of it."
"Hunderds o' miles, sir," growled Bostock.
"Yes, it's very pretty to look at, and if you touch it, it feels soft asjelly outside; but it has a bad way o' ripping holes in the bottoms ofships. Copper and iron's nothing to it. Goes right through 'em. Ah!that coral's sent hunderds o' fine vessels to the bottom o' the sea, thesea. `And she sank to the bottom o' the sea.'"
The old sailor broke into song at the end of his remarks, with a portionof a stave of "The Mermaid"; but singing was not his strong point, andhe made a noise partaking a good deal of a melodious croak.
"This is a famous region for coral reefs, I suppose, Bostock," said thedoctor.
"Orfle, sir. Why, as soon as you gets round the corner yonder, going toBrisbane, they call it the Coral Sea, and there you get the GreatBarrier Reef, all made of this here stuff."
"More of those great oysters," said Carey. "I say, Bob, are they goodto eat?"
"Not half bad, sir, as you shall say. They make first-rate soup, andthat aren't a thing to be sneezed at."
"Then we shan't starve," said Carey, laughing.
"Starve, sir? No. I can see plenty of good fish to be had out o' thislagoon."
"But are these the oysters they gather for the mother-o'-pearl?" askedthe doctor.
"Them's those, sir, and it seems to me here's a fortune to be madegathering of 'em. Why, they fetches sixty and seventy pound a ton, andthe big uns'll weigh perhaps ten or twelve pound a pair."
"Then we must collect some, Carey, ready to take away with us when wego."
"And that aren't all, sir," continued the old sailor; "when you come toopen 'em you finds pearls inside 'em, some of 'em worth ever so much."
"Oh, doctor, what a place we've come to," said Carey, excitedly. "Isn'tit lucky we were wrecked?"
"That's a matter of opinion, my boy," said the doctor, drily.
"'Scuse me, Master Carey, sir," said the old sailor, with a peculiarsmile.
"Excuse you--what for?"
"What I'm going to say, sir," said the old fellow, as he leaned againstthe handle of the big oar as he steered. "You've got a verynice-looking nose, sir. It's a bit big for your size, but it's a nicetempting-looking nose all the same."
"Is it?" said Carey, shortly, and his disengaged hand went up to theorgan in question. "I daresay it is. I don't know; but why do you wantto meddle with it?"
"I don't, sir; I only want to keep anything else from having a go atit."
"What is likely to have a `go' at it, as you say?"
"Young shark might be tempted, sir."
"Pooh! Nonsense! But are there sharks in this lagoon?"
"Thousands, I'll be bound, sir. So don't you never try to bathe. Whatdo you say to running up between those two bits of bare reef, sir--sorto' canal-like place? We could run right up to the sand there."
"Try it," said the doctor, and the raft was steered between the longridges of coral, whose points stood just out of the water. Carey hadthe satisfaction of seeing that there was a shoal of fish being drivenalong the watery passage to the shallow at the end, over which theysplashed and floundered till they reached deep water again and swamaway.
"Some o' they would have done for the frying-pan, sir, if we'd had a nethandy," said Bostock. "We must come prepared another time."
The raft grounded the next minute in what seemed to be a magnificentmarine aquarium, into the midst of whose wonders the old sailor steppedto mid-thigh, crunching shells and beautiful pieces of coral in a waywhich made Carey shiver.
"All right, sir, there's millions more," he said, coolly. "Now, doctor,there's no need for you to step down," he continued; "it's wonderfulslimy, and there's shells and things sharp enough to cut through yourboots. You give me the guns and basket, and I'll take 'em up on thesands and come back for you. I'm more used to the water than you are."
The doctor nodded and handed the two double guns they had brought, alongwith the basket of provisions, with which Bostock waded ashore,returning directly to take the doctor on his back, after which he cameagain for Carey.
"Hadn't I better wade ashore?" said the boy; "one ought to get used tothis sort of thing."
"After a bit, my lad," said Bostock, shaking his head. "You get used togrowing quite well first. Now then, you stand up close here, and I'llnip you ashore in no time."
"Well, turn round then; I can't get on your back like that."
"You're not going to get on my back, my lad. I'm going to take you inmy arms and carry you."
"Like a little child," cried Carey, pettishly.
"No, like a hinwalid who won't take a bit of care of his tender bones.Lor'-a-mussy, how orbsnit youngsters can be! Don't yer want to getwell?"
"All right," said Carey, gruffly. "Don't drop me in the water: I'mprecious heavy."
"Now, is
it likely, my lad?" growled the old fellow, taking the lad upgently and starting for the shore. "I'm not going to let you down, sodon't you--here, steady there--steady!"
Carey burst out into an uncontrollable roar of merriment, for Bostock'sright foot suddenly slipped on the slimy shell of one of the greatpearl-oysters, and he was as near going headlong as possible; but bymaking a tremendous effort he saved himself and his burden and hurriedpanting to the shore.
"Have I hurt you, my lad?" he cried, excitedly, perspiration startingout in great drops on his face. "No, not a bit," said Carey, merrily."Phew! I thought I'd done it, sir. Now, you see, that comes of beingtoo cocksure. Thought I knowed better, but I didn't. Now, are you sureyou aren't hurt?"
"Quite, Bob," said Carey, wiping his eyes. "Well, you needn't laugh somuch, sir."
"I can't help it," cried Carey, indulging in another hearty burst."There, I'm better now."
The doctor, who had at once walked off towards the great grove ofcocoanuts with a gun on his shoulder, now returned.
"Plenty of birds, Carey, my lad," he said; "cocoanuts by the thousand,and through yonder, where you can hear it roaring, there is an amplesupply of fresh water. You can see from here where it runs through thesand. Now, the first thing I want to know is whether we are on anisland, and the second, have we any savage neighbours."
"Let's go up the hills and take a good look round then," suggestedCarey.
"That is the way to find out, of course; but it would be like so muchmadness for you to attempt such a climb."
"Would it, sir?"
"Yes, for some time to come. You are getting on so well that I don'twant you to be driven back by over-exertion."
"But I could try and give up if I got tired."
"Yes, but I don't want you to grow tired, so you must content yourselfhere. There is plenty to see along the shore here."
"And suppose a lot of blacks come while you are away."
"Pick up the gun I shall leave with you; they will not face that. But Ihave no fear of that happening. I feel sure that there are noinhabitants. Still, I only feel so, and I want to be perfectlycertain."
"You'll be ever so long," said Carey, gloomily, "and it will not be verypleasant to be quite alone. All right, though, sir, I don't mind."
"You are not going to be alone," said the doctor, quietly. "Bostockwill stay with you."
"Oh, but that will not be right," cried the boy, eagerly. "Who knowswhat dangers you may run into?"
"I have my gun, and I daresay I can take care of myself."
"But you ought to take Bostock with you, doctor."
"I think not: and besides, as we have to divide our force it ought to bedone as equally as possible. There, I shall take six hours for myexpedition--that is to say, if it is necessary--and I shall go straightaway for three hours, and then turn back."
"And suppose you lose yourself?"
"I have no fear of that," said the doctor. "But don't you go far ineither direction. Consider that you have to guard the raft till I comeback."
Carey felt ready to make fresh objections, but the doctor gave him notime. He stepped to the provision basket, took out one of the breadcakes that Bostock made every other morning, thrust it into his pocket,and gave his patient a final word or two of advice.
"Don't be tempted to over-heat yourself in the sun," he said. "Get intothe shade of the grove here if you begin to grow tired," and,shouldering his gun, he stepped off through the sand, disappearingdirectly after among the trees, but only to step back and shout:
"I shall try and follow the stream as near as I can to its source in thelake that must be up yonder. _Au revoir_."
He disappeared once more, and Carey and Bostock stood looking at oneanother on the sandy shore.
King o' the Beach: A Tropic Tale Page 10