by S G Read
Natasha issued orders, not like someone issuing orders but asking if each person she asked would mind doing what she suggested. It was a method that seemed to work and soon we were all busy. Three girls were dispatched to get more wood for the bows and bolts which left me working. Not whittling but sawing the main shape to speed it up, then I used the little plane to smooth it off. I had enough metal bolts and screws to make five more crossbows if I was clever. One of the metal bolts was too short but by countersinking the wood I should be able to make the bolt fit. More wood arrived and I decided to make all the stocks, the piece you held under the armpit, then all the cross pieces.
Charley picked up a stock I had just sawn and planed it which meant I could cut the next stock. She was particular about the finish as she might be using it and did a good job on each one. When the light began to fail I had three crossbows together, although I still had to make the triggers and supports. That night I sat downstairs with Charley, I moved the battery and I had the bulb on to see as I made the first trigger. When I went to bed Charley was sleeping, I carried the bulb up with me and turned it off once I was upstairs. I left the ladder down in case I needed to come down to help Charley during the night but she never stirred.
Day 53 on the island.
I put the battery on to charge with the help of Natasha and George before I looked in on Charley. She was asleep when I first come down the ladder, now she was talking to Alex and Sarah. They helped her out into the sunshine and when she was settled on her sun bed, I looked at her wound.
'Looking good,' I said happily, 'I have to take out some of the stitches tomorrow to make sure there isn’t too much scarring I think.'
'Can I choose the stitches you take out?' Charley asked.
'Yes why?' I answered.
'Because two of them hurt more than the rest put together!' She replied.
'Which two?'
She pointed to the stitches that were hurting.
'I can take that one out now.' I said pointing to the one I meant.
'Can you?' She pleaded.
I picked up the nail trimmers.
'What’s wrong with the scissors?' She asked.
'I think I can do it with less pulling with these.' I answered.
She shrugged and lay back on the bed. I cut the stitch close to her skin and pulled it out.
'Any better?' I asked.
'Lots,' she answered, 'it will be even better when that one comes out!'
She pointed to the other painful stitch.
'That one is doing a good job and stays for now!' I replied sternly, now that she knew how easy it was to remove the stitches.
'Will my leg fall off?' She asked playfully.
'Possibly.' I answered and put the first aid kit upstairs out of her reach.
I walked down to the narrowest part of the trail in, where the girls were making the wall between the two sides. They marked the ground where the wall was to stop and made sure the door would be directly under an overhanging branch of the lignum vitae, they did that before they started laying rocks. Not neatly like the wall but with odd rocks sticking out as if it was a natural rock face. I stayed and helped as girls appeared with rocks on the trolley we laid them in place but not with as much mud and straw this time, just enough to make it sound. We also made sure there was no straw sticking out on the outside of the wall so that it looked like a natural barrier.
I marked the other side where the next wall should end ready to start that as well. It was not a major construction and the first wall was soon at my head height. The platform enabled me to finish the wall at about eight feet and we started on the other side.
Soon both walls were finished. We stood back to look at our workmanship in the gathering gloom and I was pleased.
'Now comes the next competition!' I announced when we reached the camp. 'You will design a door for the gap between the two walls and a way to open it. No donkeys though and no open Sesame.'
The girls talked while I ate some long over due dinner.
'We will do it in two groups,' Alex announced, 'to save wasting too many materials.'
'Just remember, it has to be made to look natural and the wall will be planted with creepers.' I warned. 'So I will take into account good camouflage.'
The four girls in each group huddled together. Charley was in with George, Natasha, and Andrea. Alex, Sarah, Tammy and Tabby were the other group. There was only time to talk about designs before it grew dark, I moved the paddle back out of the stream by myself as they were engrossed and set the bulb and battery up ready for later. One group went upstairs to talk some more before going to sleep while the others helped Charley into her bed downstairs and sat with her. I took the time to look at her wound and saw that the second offending stitch was no longer in there. I looked at her and she smiled as if to say ‘what did I do?’ I bandaged it back up and went to bed; the girls knew how to turn the light off.
Day 54 on the island.
The girls were up early working on their designs. I worked on the triggers and trigger supports until they were ready to discuss each of their designs. I listened with interest and tried to help them where I could, then let them start. I finished the second crossbow and after struggling again with the wire I was able to push the wire back with the first springing device I made. I still had to make another one of them.
'Natasha!' I called and held up the crossbow for her to see.
She came running and looked it up and down before she even decided to put the bolt in it.
'You should have let me spring it myself; I’ve got to do it sometime.' She scolded.
'Have a second shot and then you will have to spring it yourself.' I replied.
The other girls walked over, they thought it was safer behind the crossbow than anywhere else! Natasha put the bolt in place and aimed. The bolt went straight through the first target and sank into the target behind it.
'Awesome!' She cried and reloaded the bow after a struggle.
She fired it again and put the second bolt next to the first bolt.
'Wow, it’s easy to get it straight.' She declared and walked off to retrieve both bolts. 'Anyone else want a go?' She asked as she walked back. 'The only rule is you have to spring it yourself!' She looked at me deliberately.
I took her point and carried on making the next cross bow.
After an hour they all returned to their designs. By then everyone had a shot and I presumed therefore that everyone was able to spring it; even Charley fired from her sun bed after the girls turned it round. The design material was bamboo of course, with creepers wound through it as camouflage.
Finally, they called me over to inspect them and found both doors exactly the same. I called the first team over to where the second team I had checked were sitting round their door. I told them to bring their door with them. When they were stood next to each other there was very little difference.
'Now we need to know how it is going to work.' I announced, just wondering what was coming next.
They all started to speak.
'Quiet!' Charley shouted it a very unprincess like way. 'Alex you tell us about your method.'
Alex outlined her plans for raising and lowering the door. It was designed to drop down either the side of the walls, making it impossible for anyone to push it or pull it open. The lift was to be by log which was to be the same weight as the gate and hauled up into the air using the lignum vitae's overhanging branch. To open you pull the log down, to close you just pulled the log back up again. It sounded plausible.
'Well you just heard what we were going to do as well,' Charley added at the end, 'but we don’t know if it will work?'
'If the balance is right it should work.' I replied. 'I will have to call it a draw and to make sure no one thinks they lost, you are all winners!'
Everyone congratulated everyone else, except me of course.
'Let us take one down to the walls.' I added to get things going.
'Which one?' Alex asked.
>
I suddenly felt deflated, then an idea sprang to mind. I scratched one in front of one door and two in front of the other one. I marked a one in charcoal on a piece of bark and did the same seven more times. I did the same and marked eight twos on pieces of bark. I found a sock, put them all inside and shook them up.
'You will all take a piece of bark and lay in next to the door with the number you choose.' I announced.
They did what I said and we carried Alex's team’s door to the walls. We all lifted it up except Charley who had insisted on coming but had to watch as we lowered it into position over the walls. We now had a door.
'Now we need a log.' Charley announced from the rock she was sitting on.
'No we don’t.' I replied.
'How do we open it then?' George asked.
'Of course! It doesn’t have to be a log, does it?' Charley cried. 'We can use a suitcase full of rocks!'
I nodded.
'And it will make it easier getting the weight right.' I explained.
They brought some rocks down on the trolley, they also found others close by. Alex returned with a rope.
'Not the rope,' I explained, 'it might be seen and whoever is looking will know it is man made.'
'Girl made!' George corrected.
'We need more root and we might have to weave the rope from it!' I explained.
'How do we get out to get the roots?' Tammy asked.
'The other door,' I answered, 'well all but three of us.'
'I know, that includes me!' Charley grumped and limped off.
We collected a lot of the wiry little root, making them as long as we could then walked back to the house. I had done nothing about the battery but expected it to last tonight as well and it did.
Day 55 on the island.
We started making the rope out of roots, weaving roots together in a trial and error fashion until it seemed to work. The rope grew longer and longer until we thought it was long enough. Then we used more root to make thinner ropes to make a container for the rocks instead of using a suitcase. I tied the roots together to make a bag and then, after eating, we carried the rope and bag to the new gate. We tied the new rope to the gate, passed over the branch, along it for a little way, then over another branch before it dropped to the ground.
We lifted the gate up and balanced it on the rock wall to make it high enough to walk under, then I pulled the rope tight and tied the bag to it. We piled in rocks and I lifted the bag as we did it to test the weight. When I thought we were close to matching the weight of the gate I tied the bag up and we lowered the gate. It stopped halfway down but it was not the weight stopping it. We had to cut a groove in the branches and smooth them off, adding a little pig fat to make it work easier before we could test it properly. With the same weight it dropped to the floor but the girls could not raise it back up. We added rocks and kept trying until we had it balanced. Now two girls could easily manage it and as they always went it threes there would be no problem. Or could there?
'What do we do when we go out?' Charley asked from her vantage point. 'If there is a problem we can hide but we should have the gate shut to stop anyone and Mr. Piggy getting inside!'
I had to admit she had a point.
'So how do we do it?' I asked. 'Do we have a gate team or person here to supervise comings and goings?'
'I think we have to,' Natasha answered, 'and one person pulling while we help the gate to go up should do it.'
'But it means one person has to stay here and wait until whoever goes out comes back!' I warned. 'And it has to be a fit person.'
'Help me lift the gate.' Natasha asked nodding to Andrea.
They lifted the gate from the ground and it moved up easily until they could walk underneath.
'No need for anyone to wait here,' she said with a smile, 'we can open it and close it as we go.'
'Good. So now we have a secure place to live and two crossbows. You will all practise with the crossbows and anyone who can not use them will stay in the camp. All others have the choice to stay here and work or go hunting or fruit collecting.' I declared.
We walked back to the camp and I saw the radio speaker sitting where I had left it. Now was the time to try to contact help but I had very little hope it would work. I connected it all up and heard voices. The girls were all around me in seconds. I pushed the button and spoke, then released it to listen. Nothing changed, I did it again and again and the girls had a try but it was obvious that no one could hear us.
The disappointment hung over us like a cloud. I took the radio to bits while they watched and tried to make the tuner work but it was beyond help, the mood grew darker until Charley said. 'Let’s find another way. We’ve done all we can to make us safe, now we need to be finding a way to go home and if the radio doesn’t work we have to find another way.’
'We could have another competition.' Tammy cried, always up for a competition. 'Who can think up the best way to make a signal someone will see!'
'Can we?' George asked.
'Yes you can,' I replied, 'any input is welcome on that front.'
'In groups or individually?' She asked.
'Individually you might come up with more ideas and more ideas mean more chance that one might be the one to do the trick!' I answered.
The normal high spirits returned and the girls started thinking about signals. I did not rule out signal fires but we still had to be wary of pirates as the girls would be welcome cargo for them. I would then be left all alone or dead!
I left the radio in pieces and sunbathed while I worked on the next crossbow trigger. The girls separated on the sand and drew their ideas on the sand where they sat. Crossing it out when they thought it was rubbish.
I worked on, soaking up the sunshine as I did and casting the occasional eye over the girls to see what they were up to. One by one they made up their mind and I was called to judge them on their merits.
Some wanted signals higher up, without specifying how we would do it. Others wanted to light a signal fire but as soon as they said it they were reminded about the pirates by the rest.
'A fire is possible.' I explained. 'If it is high enough up so that we can see who is about and we light it so that it might be a volcano erupting.'
'Surely that would keep people away?' Charley asked.
'It would keep some away but then we haven’t actually seen a lot of people since we were marooned here,' I answered, 'it would also draw some people here to look at it, to see what was going on!'
'What scientists?' George asked.
'Yes scientists,' I answered, 'and when they are close enough we can attract their attention and get a lift home!'
'Does that mean we have to climb up the hill?' Charley asked, pointing to the monolith.
I nodded.
'It all depends what we find when we get up the top.'
'Can we try something else first?' She asked.
I smiled.
'It can wait until you are fit.'
She smiled, not wanting to miss out on the trip.
'So what do we do in the mean time?' She asked.
'Disguise the wall we just built, plant creepers and try to disguise the sack of rocks,' I answered, 'and get you fit again!'
Three girls went to get creepers to plant, three more to dig up some bamboo to plant near the wall and the rest cleaned and cooked, except for Charley who sunbathed near the house.
I took the time to wire lights downstairs and up stairs, where the wire would reach. The bulbs were only little but the light they gave off was sufficient for our needs. I recharged the battery when the bulbs started to dim and we worked out a routine on charging it.
That night we were able to light the house up downstairs and upstairs with a switch near Charley and another near the ladder. We left the ladder down while Charley was down there in case there was a problem. I knew she could get upstairs, if it became necessary!
Day 56 on the island.
I chose to walk up to the cave and loo
k at the possibility of running water to the house from the stream. I could hear the water rushing down from above and wanted to find a way to get at the water. As usual two girls came with me, this time both had crossbows. I walked up above the cave and walked round the higher land as far as I could, turning left as I made it above the cave. There were trees here but no good for a signal fire, they were too low and we could not be sure no undesirables were about. When I could not go any further I back tracked and started going round the other side of the monolith. I found a crevice in the wall of soil and rock. Not a cave and far too small for me to get into. I listened and heard rushing water inside.
'Anyone fancy investigating in there?' I asked turning to the two girls with me.
George looked at the hole and then at Tammy.
'I think it has to be me.' She answered. 'I think Tammy has been eating too well.'
She squirmed into the hole.
'I can hear the water but I can’t see anything, it’s too dark.'
I pulled her out by her feet and stood her up.
'Let’s get the light.' I suggested and we returned to the lower level for the light.
When she squirmed in there the next time she pushed the light in front of her.
'I can see the water running down in front of me!' She called. 'Is that what you wanted?'
'Yes.' I called back.
'What?' She called back.
'Yes!' I shouted into the hole.
She waved a foot as a signal to pull her out. I stood her up again.
'What do you want it for?' She asked, trying to wipe the mud off her body. She was even browner than usual.
I looked down to where the house was.
'A pipe from here would flow into the house and give us running water.' I answered.
'Where are you going to get that much pipe from?' She scoffed.
'I’ll find away.' I replied. 'I usually do.'
'You didn’t get the radio going.' She retorted.
'Not yet but I will keep trying.' I answered. 'Now we need to go to the boat!'
'Why? You took everything!' Tammy replied.