by Oliver Optic
"Oh! if you're going to talk like that, I've done," said Tommy,flinging down the rod impatiently.
Elizabeth picked it up.
"Let me try," she said.
She baited the hook again, but had no more success than her sister.
"It is exasperating," she said. "I'm surprised the fish here are soclever."
"You'd better have tried a bent pin as I suggested," said Mary. "You'dhave caught some of those little chaps swarming there. The safety-pinis too big for them."
"Who wants little skinny things?" said Tommy. "I'd like a haddock or acod. Let me try again, Bess."
Once more the hook was baited and let down. Again it was surrounded bya swarm of eager nibblers, and Tommy was on the point of drawing itback in disgust when suddenly the crowd of little fish parted andscattered in all directions, darting off like streaks of light. Thegirls held their breath as they saw a "whopper," as Tommy called it,come slowly towards the bait. It seemed to smell at it, moving roundwith flicks of its tail. Then it opened its mouth--and Tommy felt atug on the line.
"Got him!" she cried triumphantly. "A monster, too."
The other girls watched her as she drew it in. She wasted no time inplaying it, but simply hauled it up towards the rock. Bess stooped,and while Mary held her to prevent her from stumbling into the sea, sheslipped her hands underneath the fish and jerked it out of the water.
"He's not such a monster after all," said Mary. "How deceptive thewater is!"
The fish, indeed, was no bigger than a good-sized haddock.
"It is big enough to make us a good supper," said Elizabeth, "and Idon't think we should try to catch any more now. They won't keep inthis climate. Tommy can catch some every day if she likes."
"All right," said Tommy. "But, I say, I can't wait till supper-time.The look of the fish gives me an appetite. I vote we have it for tea.You're cook, Bess. I'll finish your mat while you're getting the fishready."
This was agreed upon, and they returned to the camp. The two youngergirls resumed the weaving, while Elizabeth, using a flat stone as akitchen table, set about cleaning the fish in a very housewifely manner.
All at once Mary dropped her hands and cried "Oh!"
"What's the matter?" asked Tommy.
"Suppose the fish is poisonous! Some are, you know."
"Goodness, yes! What can we do? We haven't a taster, like some oldkings I've read about."
"Don't worry," said Elizabeth tranquilly. "We must have a change offood, and there's bound to be a little risk in trying new things.We'll cook it, and I'll eat a little. We shall soon know if there'sany harm in it."
"Oh, no, Bess," said Mary. "Why should you take the risk?"
"Somebody must, and I'm the eldest--and the toughest, I expect, so thatif it does make me ill I shall get over it sooner than you."
"And I did so want a snack!" sighed Tommy. "You won't eat much, willyou, Bess? We couldn't spare you, you know."
"I'll be careful," said Elizabeth, with a smile. "It looks verytempting, doesn't it?"
"Don't, Bess; you make my mouth water," said Tommy. "How are you goingto fry it?"
"I thought of boiling it in the kettle."
"I wouldn't do that," said Mary. "I don't care for fishy tea. Itwould take ages to get the taste out of the kettle."
"But I don't see how we can fry it without a frying-pan."
"Bake it," said Tommy. "Let's make an oven. I'll show you."
She ran to the beach and collected a number of stones, which shebrought back and arranged in the shape of a small circle. Outside thisshe placed a second circle, and filled the space between the two withdried grasses, brushwood and twigs.
"Now, Bess," she said, "but a portion of the fish in the inner circle.Then we'll set light to the fuel, and cover it all over with stones,and the fish will bake in no time."
"But it will be smoky," protested Mary.
"Not if we wrap it in leaves. Let's try, at any rate; if it doesn'tsucceed we shan't have spoiled much."
The fish was wrapped in leaves as Tommy suggested, and placed on astone in the midst of the small circle. Then, having pressed the fuelfirmly together so that it should not burn away too quickly, Elizabethkindled it from the fire, and covered it with stones, leaving a fewspaces for the passage of air. They were so much interested in theirexperiment that they sat idly about the novel oven, waiting until thefish should be cooked. Every now and again Tommy would lift off one ofthe stones to see how the cooking was proceeding.
"The leaves are turning brown," she would say delightedly. "And what alovely smell!"
After about a quarter of an hour they removed the stones and thewrappings, and Elizabeth declared the fish was done.
"It doesn't look so nice as if we'd had egg and bread-crumbs," shesaid, "but we must do without those luxuries."
She tasted a small portion.
"Very nice," she said, "in spite of no salt or pepper."
"Don't eat too much," said Mary anxiously.
"I must give it a fair trial. Make the tea, Tommy, will you? A cup oftea will qualify the poison if there is any."
"What a nerve you've got!" said Tommy admiringly.
Soon all were drinking tea, and the younger girls munched bananas,while Elizabeth ate a few small pieces of the baked fish. They watchedher with anxiety mingled with envy.
"Really, you mustn't eat any more," said Tommy at last. "Now restagainst the side of the boat." She placed a shawl behind her sister'shead, and covered her feet with her macintosh.
"Any one would think I was an invalid," said Elizabeth, laughing.
"It's nothing to laugh at," said Mary severely. "You may be very illby and by."
"Meanwhile put the rest of the fish where the flies and insects can'tget at it," said Elizabeth. "There's a nice little hollow in that rockover there. Cover it with leaves."
This done, they sat one on each side of Elizabeth, propping their chinson their hands, and gazing at her with mournful interest.
"This is _too_ absurd," said Elizabeth, after a few minutes. "Let usget on with our hut. I can't stand being stared at like this. Comealong, girls. We must cut down some more canes to make walls; I'llshow you what I mean."
They went up-stream to the clump of canes, and, selecting some of thelongest, proceeded to hack them down with their knives--no easy task,for the longest canes were also the thickest. But after a littletrouble they got three or four that Elizabeth thought would answer herpurpose, and took them to the site chosen for the hut. Here they laidthe canes across the projecting branches of the three trees, bindingthem firmly in place with strong tendrils of a creeping plant. Afteran hour's work all the canes were in position, forming a kind offramework for the roof.
"Now all we have to do is to cover this with matting, and our roof isfinished," said Elizabeth. "We shall have to get some more canes tostretch matting on for the walls, and as we have used up nearly all thegrasses we collected, we had better go at once to get some more readyfor to-morrow."
"To-morrow!" cried Mary. "I'd forgotten! Do you feel quite well,Bess?"
"As well as possible."
"How long is it since you ate the fish?" asked Tommy.
"More than two hours--long enough for the poison to act, I'm sure. Sowe may make up our minds that the fish is perfectly wholesome, andthere's baked fish for supper for all of us to-night."
"Hurray!" said Tommy, beginning to dance. "Let's go and get thegrasses; by the time we have got enough to make our mats it will besupper-time. Oh! I am so glad you are not ill, Bess."
They spent an hour or two in gathering grasses, and returned to theirlittle camp shortly before sunset, in order to cook their supper beforedark. Tommy ran to the hole in the rock where the fish had been left.A cry of dismay startled her sisters.
"What is it?" they cried, turning towards her.
"It's gone, every bit of it; oh, who has stolen it?"
She looked round with alarm in her eyes
, and the other girls alsoglanced about them with consternation and anxiety. Was it possiblethat some one had been spying on them?
"I _did_ see somebody that day," said Tommy in a whisper.
"But who would want to steal a bit of fish?" said Elizabeth, withpractical common-sense. "If there are natives here, they could fishfor themselves, I'm sure."
"There aren't any cats in these parts, are there, Mary?" asked Tommy.
"I never read of them. But--good gracious!" she cried suddenly, "thereare the bones!"
She had looked a little farther into the hole than Tommy had done, andthere lay the skeleton of the fish picked clean of every bit of flesh.
"I know what it is," she said. "It's a land-crab's hole, and thewretch smelt the fish, I suppose, and came out for a feast while wewere busy."
"The mean thing!" cried Tommy. "And we shan't have any fish for supperafter all. I'll serve him out."
She ran to the boat and brought back the boat-hook, with which shepoked vigorously in the hole. In a few minutes a large crab camescuttling out, at the sight of which she picked up her skirt and ranaway, not liking the look of his formidable nippers.
They supped as usual on bananas and tea, resolving to choose a saferlarder when next they kept fish for a future meal.
CHAPTER IX
THE LITTLE BROWN FACE
"I say, my hair is in a terrible tangle," said Mary next morning, afterthey had bathed. "I wish we had a comb."
In the haste of their dressing, the last night on the _Elizabeth_, theyhad done up their hair anyhow, forgetting all about their combs.
"What do the South Sea natives do, Mary?" asked Elizabeth.
"I fancy I've read that they build up their hair into a sort of hugeturban, with grease and things."
"Horrid!" said Tommy. "I vote we cut our hair short like a boy's;you've got a pair of scissors in your housewife, Mary. Then it won'tbother any of us."
"I don't think that would be wise," said Elizabeth; "we might getsunstroke. As it is we are protected a little. I'm going to let myhair down. Perhaps we might make a comb out of a bit of wood."
"A long fiddling job that will be," said Tommy. "I'm going to catch afish for breakfast, and if it's like the one I caught yesterday, takeout the backbone and use that for a comb."
"That's rather an original idea," said Elizabeth. "Won't our hairsmell fishy, though?"
"Not if we wash the bone and then dry it in the sun, I should think.Anyway, we can try."
The girls went off together to the rocks from which they had fished onthe previous day. The first fish they hooked was of a different kindfrom the one whose wholesomeness they had proved, and Tommy threw itback into the sea, saying that she could not wait while anotherexperiment was being tried. After a time she landed one of the rightsort, and this, when baked, made a capital breakfast for them all. Nobiscuit remained, and Tommy sighed for bread and butter; but theyenjoyed the change of fare. They washed the skeleton as Tommy hadsuggested, and set it to dry in the sun. Then they resumed theirweaving. Elizabeth made some rough measurements, and found that agreat deal more matting was required than they anticipated, so thatseveral days must pass before they could begin the actual building ofthe hut.
Mary and Elizabeth had both set their watches by the sun, and so wereable to tell with reasonable accuracy the time of day. But they hadnot kept count of the days as they passed, and now Elizabeth suggestedthat they should each morning cut a notch in one of the trees to serveas a calendar.
That night they tested the comb of fishbone. Mary's hair was thefinest, and she managed to comb out its tangles fairly well; but whenElizabeth tried to do the same with her thicker and stronger locks,several of the bones snapped off, and it was clear that a new comb ofthis sort would be needed every day. She reverted, therefore, to heridea of trying to make a wooden comb; and during the next few days,Mary, who had had some practice in fretwork at home, worked with herknife at a thin fragment of wood.
It was a difficult task. She found herself quite unable to make theteeth equal in size, or equal in distance from each other. But shepersevered, and on the third evening after starting the work she showedthe comb to her sisters.
"Well, it's half-way between a curry-comb and a garden rake," saidTommy, with a laugh. "But I dare say it's better than fish-bones. Letme have first go on my thatch."
She began to operate upon her hair, a little yell every now and thenproclaiming that the teeth had "caught." But all the girls voted thatit was better than nothing, and they used it in turn every morning andnight.
When there were six notches on the tree, Elizabeth said that shethought there was enough matting to complete the walls of the hut, sothey carried their handiwork up to the knoll. Tommy climbed into thetrees, and fastened the upper edges of several mats to the overhangingboughs, while the other girls stuck a double row of canes into theground, one inside and the other outside the matting, to keep itsteady. The various strips of matting had to be sewn together, and atthese places an extra long cane was introduced, to which the mats werefastened by means of thin flexible tendrils. A day's work sufficed tocomplete three walls; the fourth side, facing the sea, was left open.
It now only remained to complete the roof. Next day the girls addedother canes to those which they had already laid across the branches,until they formed a close lattice-work. This they covered withmatting, and then deliberated whether to finish it off with thatch. Aschildren they had often helped the thatchers at the farm, so that theywould not find any difficulty in the work; but they guessed that in sowarm a climate thatch would harbour insect pests of all kinds, and theydid not feel comfortable at the thought of having such house-mates.
"Still, I think we must chance it," said Mary. "There's one thing tobe said, and that is, that the whole contrivance is so slight andsimple that we can make it all over again if necessary."
"That's all very well," said Tommy, "but we aren't spiders, and I shallbe pretty mad if there's all this work to do again. I'd rather dosomething fresh."
"We haven't found much else to occupy us so far," said Elizabeth."Anyway, we won't ask you to do the repairs, Tommy, if you don't likeit."
"Oh, I didn't mean that," said Tommy at once; "I'll do my fair share,but I know I shall get a bit ratty if a silly old storm knocks our nicehut to pieces."
The thatching occupied two more days, and then the girls looked with agreat deal of pleasure on their neat little hut.
"But we haven't done yet," said Elizabeth. "The thatch will protect usfrom any ordinary rain, but we're still liable to be swamped by waterrunning down the hill behind. We had better scrape out a trench allround, to carry the water down to the shore."
This proved the hardest part of the work. They had no tools excepttheir knives and the boat-hook, and with these to cut a trench deepenough to be effective was very trying to their patience. Suchcontinuous plodding work did not suit Tommy's restless, activetemperament at all, and she would constantly jump up and run off to thebeach, or to the edge of the wood. At such times Mary was inclined tobe impatient and reproachful, but Elizabeth said that they mustn'texpect too much from Tommy.
"She's very young, you know, and it's really wonderful how her spiritshave kept up so well. She's more nervy than we are, Mary, and I amalways afraid she will break down."
So neither she nor Mary said anything to Tommy about her fitfulness,and Tommy herself always came back repentant after these littleabsences, and worked away hard until the next fit of restlessnessovertook her.
To give her a change from scraping away at the trench, Elizabethsuggested that she should make a mat curtain for the open side of thehut.
"We don't want a door," she said, "but a curtain will be useful atnight. Leave a little space between it and the roof for ventilation.We can fasten the two lower corners to the canes."
Tommy set about this task willingly, and had the curtain fixed by thetime the trench was finished. The hut was now complete so far as itsexter
ior was concerned; it had taken more than a fortnight altogether.What they had now to consider was the internal fittings. Tommy laughedwhen this was mentioned.
"We can't get a bedroom suite, even on the hire system," she said. "Isuppose you'd call it a bed-sitting-room, wouldn't you?"
"Let's call it 'Our Flat,'" suggested Mary.
"The best flat that ever was," said Tommy. "No botherations fromunpleasant neighbours--at least, I hope not."
"We certainly shan't have a tiresome piano going next door," saidElizabeth. "I think 'Our Flat' is a very good name. What a pity wehaven't a table and pen, ink and paper!--then Mary could write a diaryof our doings."
"With moral reflections," added Tommy. "'To-day our youngest sisterrefused to wash up; how sad to see such a selfish spirit in one soyoung!' That's the sort of thing, isn't it, Mary?"
"I shouldn't write anything of the sort," said Mary indignantly. "Youhaven't refused to wash up, and if you did, do you think I should tellit?"
"My dear, you are perfectly killing," said Tommy. "Do you think you'dget your old diary published? No one would read it if you did."
"We're talking nonsense, aren't we?" said Elizabeth. "There's nochance of any of us writing a diary. Let's be practical. The onlyfurniture we can supply ourselves with is--beds."
"More weaving?" cried Tommy. "Oh, I am so sick of it, Bess. Can't wesleep on the ground?"
"I don't think we'd better; we might get rheumatism, though to be surethe ground seems dry enough at present. But I own that weaving matsday after day is rather tiring, so shall we leave it for the present,and still sleep in the boat? What do you say to doing a little moreexploration?"