Battle for Cannibal Island

by Marianne Hering

  He looked up. Not a cloud was in sight. Birds called to each other from the trees. The sun shone on the calm water. Patrick saw only signs of the storm. Tree branches lay broken on the beach. The sand was covered with the marks left by thousands of water droplets.

  Patrick heard the sound of beating drums in the distance.

  “Have those drums been beating all night?” Patrick asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nettleton said. “I wouldn’t have heard it. The rain be beatin’ on top of me canoe.”

  Patrick’s stomach growled. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten.

  “Is there any food?” he asked.

  “Food may be in the canoes’ baskets,” Nettleton said. “Help me unpack ’em.”

  The ropes that held down the baskets were woven from plant leaves.

  Patrick got out his pocketknife to cut the ropes. But Nettleton just pulled a loop, and the ropes fell free.

  This thing is useless, Patrick thought. He put the knife back in his pocket.

  Nettleton and Patrick looked through the baskets. Inside one was a drum made out of a log.

  “This must be like the ones that we heard beating,” Patrick said. He took it out of the canoe. He set it on the ground.

  “But ye can’t eat it,” Nettleton said. “What else be in there?”

  One basket held yams and coconuts. Another basket was filled with short, fat bananas.

  Patrick grabbed one and peeled back the yellow skin. He took a bite. It was sweeter than the ones he ate at home.

  Nettleton opened the last basket. It contained reddish brown discs.

  Patrick asked with his mouth full, “Are those turtle shells?”

  “Aye, mate,” Nettleton said. He grabbed a banana and pointed at the basket. “Those be from the backs of sea turtles. They be part of the cannibals’ religion. Very valuable, I must say.”

  “And they belong to me,” a deep voice said from behind them.

  Patrick and Nettleton spun around.

  A dark-skinned man with wild, tall, and frizzy hair stood near the canoe. His chest was bare except for a whale-tooth necklace.

  “What be yer name?” Nettleton asked.

  “I am Toki,” the man said. “King of the cannibals.”

  Nettleton reared back and shook the banana at Toki. “Ye stay away from us,” the surgeon’s mate said. “In the name of Her Majesty—”

  “Queen Victoria,” Toki said. “I know about the queen. I will not harm the queen’s officers.”

  Nettleton looked relieved.

  Then Toki looked at Patrick with narrowed eyes. He said, “However, I claim this boy as my prisoner.”

  13

  The Turtle Shell

  “Your prisoner!” Patrick cried. “You … you can’t. I’m already Captain Home’s prisoner. And he’ll be angry if you take me.”

  “’Tis true,” Nettleton said with a nod. “Captain Home be the boy’s master.”

  Toki smiled. His white teeth glistened. He said, “I know about the Naval law. Captain Home must put fugitives on shore. The boy is now on my island. So he is my prisoner.”

  With a loud cry of “Yi! Yi! Yi!” Toki leaped toward Patrick.

  Patrick dove to one side.

  The cannibal chief stumbled and rolled in the sand. He quickly got to his feet again.

  Nettleton stepped between Toki and Patrick. “He be not yours!” Nettleton shouted.

  Toki growled and pushed Nettleton aside. He spun to face Patrick. The king’s arms were open wide like a bear ready to attack its prey.

  Patrick didn’t know what to do. Should he run into the forest or look for a weapon? He didn’t dare leave Nettleton. What could he use—his knife? A rock? His eye fell on a turtle shell. It was about three feet wide. He remembered what Nettleton had said about the shells.

  Patrick grabbed the shell. “Stop,” Patrick shouted at Toki, “or I’ll break the shell!”

  Patrick lifted the shell high. He acted as if he would smash it against a rock.

  Toki stopped. He lowered his arms and cried, “You must not!”

  “Go on, Patrick,” Nettleton said as he got to his feet. “The shells be sacred. They be a sign of a cannibal king’s power. Break it, and ye break Toki.”

  “You cannibals are crazy,” Patrick said but kept the turtle shell held high. “You worry about a turtle shell. But you would joyfully make me your next meal. That’s backward. You’re supposed to protect people!”

  Toki’s face twisted up in anger. “You speak like the man Calvert! I hate his words! I hate the teachings of his God! Your God would be King and change our ways. He would make us weak with words like ‘love your enemies.’ I am king. I kill and eat my enemies.”

  “You can’t be much of a king if you need a turtle shell for power,” Patrick said.

  Toki raised his fists and shook them. “I say fear Toki, king of the cannibals!” he shouted.

  Patrick was afraid. He glanced at Nettleton. Nettleton’s face had turned pale. But he seemed to gather courage. Nettleton stepped forward and asked, “If ye be a king, then where be yer tribesmen?” Toki glared at him.

  “They died in the storm, didn’t they?” Nettleton asked. “Yer heart be full of anger now.”

  Toki took a huge breath. He looked as if he might scream with rage again. Then the air went out of him. He shrank like an old balloon.

  The change was so surprising that Patrick almost felt sorry for him. Toki looked helpless.

  “Your Christian God took my best warriors in the storm,” Toki said. “Calvert warned me. They are dead. I will be next.”

  “Ye don’t have to be,” Nettleton said. “Give up yer cannibal ways and ye might live.”

  “The Christian God will forgive you, if you let Him,” Patrick added.

  Toki looked at Patrick. The look of fear had been replaced by something else.

  Toki stood up straight as if he had made a decision. “Bring me the drum,” Toki said. “I will send a message.”

  14

  Drumbeats

  In the morning, Beth, Calvert, the soldiers, and the others left the cave. They returned to the rescue boat. Calvert’s plan was to row around the shore to look for any sign of Patrick and Nettleton.

  As they began to climb into the boat, Calvert stopped. He held up a hand and asked for silence. Everyone listened.

  Beth heard the pounding of distant drums.

  Calvert smiled. “The drums say that two white people have been found. They are on the eastern shore.”

  “Can we believe the drums?” Sergeant Dunn asked.

  “I’ve never known them to lie,” Calvert said.

  “We’ll row east, then,” Sergeant Dunn said.

  They climbed into the rescue boat and set off. It was a tight fit with the Fijian men aboard too.

  Beth tipped her face toward the morning sky. The warmth made her feel at peace. But the feeling ended as soon as the drums began to beat again.

  “What are the drums saying now?” Beth asked. She was afraid Patrick had been hurt. Or something worse.

  The Fijians shuffled about nervously. They muttered to each other in their own language.

  “What’s wrong?” Beth asked.

  Calvert put a hand on her shoulder. “Toki wants the Christians to come to get Patrick and Nettleton.”

  “But that’s good news, right?” Beth asked. “Why is everyone so nervous?”

  “The Fijians think he’s using Patrick and Nettleton to lure us. It could be a trap,” Calvert said.

  “Would Toki do that?” Beth asked.

  “I have known Toki for a long time,” Calvert said. “He has broken every treaty he ever made. He has killed hundreds of Christians.”

  Beth frowned. “Why would Toki do such terrible things?” she asked.

  Calvert looked thoughtful. Then he said, “Toki rejects God, and so he rejects God’s ways. He has no regard for human life. He doesn’t understand virtues like honesty and respect.”

&nbs
p; Sergeant Dunn patted his rifle. He said, “If Toki thinks he can trap us without a fight, he’s wrong. I hope he tries. I’d be happy to put a shot through him.”

  Beth looked at the other men in red coats. Their expressions were determined and grim. “Please, let’s not hope for bloodshed,”

  Calvert said. “Our hope is to find Patrick and Nettleton and bring them to safety.”

  They rowed on. The rescue boat dipped and bobbed in the shallow waves. The water was choppy because the boat stayed close to the shoreline.

  Beth focused her spyglass on the island. She searched for any sign of Patrick and Nettleton. Or even Toki.

  She spied a white puff of smoke on the shore. She tugged at Calvert’s sleeve. “Smoke,” she said.

  Calvert stood up in the boat and looked.

  Beth asked, “Is it a camp? Are the cannibals burning more homes?”

  Sergeant Dunn ordered the rowers to take the rescue boat closer the shore.

  Beth looked through the spyglass again. She saw the source of all the smoke when they drew closer. There was a large fire. Through the smoke she thought she saw Nettleton. And Patrick.

  “I see them!” Beth shouted. She jumped up, rocking the boat.

  “Are you certain?” Calvert asked.

  She handed him her spyglass so he could look. “I’m sure it’s them,” she said.

  Calvert frowned and handed the spyglass to Dunn.

  Dunn peered through the lens a long time. “The smoke may be a trick. I think we should be prepared for an attack,” Dunn said.

  Dunn stood and spoke to the soldiers. “Rifles loaded,” he said. “Prepare for battle.”

  Patrick watched as Nettleton stoked the signal fire. Nettleton threw some dried grass and wet branches on the growing flames. The smoke billowed up.

  Patrick coughed.

  Nettleton chuckled. “It will be easier for rescuers to spot the camp with a lot of smoke.”

  Patrick looked around for Toki. The cannibal had gone off to send the drum signal. But he hadn’t come back. Patrick still didn’t trust him.

  Patrick looked out at the water. He blinked at something on the surface. Then he sprang to his feet. “It’s the rescue boat!” he shouted.

  Nettleton stood up and looked. He swung his arms back and forth to clear away the smoke.

  “I knew they’d find us!” Nettleton cried. Then he shouted, “Over here!”

  Patrick was about to run toward the water. But Toki suddenly came up behind them. He was holding a spear.

  Nettleton turned to him. “What ye be doin’ with that spear?” he asked.

  “Your men have rifles,” Toki said. He put a hand on Patrick’s shoulder. Toki guided Patrick toward the water. “They must see that you are both safe. Move!”

  Nettleton stood and walked away from the fire. “Who be on board?” he asked. He moved toward the water. He stumbled into Patrick.

  Nettleton’s peg leg got caught in the sand. Patrick grabbed Nettleton’s arm, trying to steady him. But both of them fell in a heap.

  Toki was left standing on the beach holding a spear.

  “There’s too much smoke,” Sergeant Dunn said. He still held Beth’s spyglass. “Toki has a spear, but I can’t see what he’s doing.”

  Beth was worried. She leaned over the boat’s side to see better.

  “Wait,” Dunn said. “Toki is forcing Patrick into the water. I think he’s taken Patrick as a hostage!”

  Thud!

  The boat hit something in the water.

  The jolt sent Beth tumbling overboard. The men in the boat shouted.

  Beth went under the water. When she came up, a wave carried her farther out. The men in the boat stretched out their arms. But they couldn’t reach her.

  Another wave came, and it took her even farther from the boat. Beth swam toward the shore. But the waves tossed her one way and another. Her wet clothes dragged her down.

  She heard shouts from the rescue boat. Dunn shouted, “Toki knocked Nettleton down! He’s got a spear!”

  Then she heard Calvert shout, “Hold your fire! Watch out for the girl! Steer the boat around!”

  Dunn shouted something about the coral reef. Then Beth went under again.

  Patrick and Nettleton untangled themselves. Patrick pushed himself up with his arm.

  He saw Beth flapping her arms in the water.

  Is she drowning? he wondered. Patrick climbed to his feet.

  “Beth!” Patrick shouted. “I’m coming to help you!”

  Patrick sprinted toward the water.

  Suddenly, Toki pushed him roughly aside.

  Patrick fell onto his knees. “Hey!” he shouted. He struggled to get up again.

  Toki rushed forward. He lifted his spear and then gave a loud cry. Toki threw the spear at Beth with all his might.

  “Stop!” Patrick cried.

  Then a shot rang out. Bang!

  Toki’s body jerked. He fell backward into the surf.

  Patrick saw blood drip from Toki’s shoulder. The dark blood spread into the water. A wave pushed the fallen king onto the sand.

  Nettleton rushed forward. He waved his arms at the rescue boat. “Don’t shoot!” he called out. “Toki be down!”

  Patrick looked for Beth. She was still flapping her arms in the water. Toki’s spear must have missed her.

  So where did it go? he wondered. Why did Toki throw it?

  The rescue boat was nearer. On board, Calvert was shouting something to a soldier.

  A group of Fijians shouted, “Bole! Bole!” They picked up their spears and leaped into the water.

  What in the world is going on? Patrick wondered.

  Patrick looked all around. He saw Beth pull herself out of the water farther up the beach. She had something in her hand.

  Next Patrick watched Nettleton. The surgeon’s mate leaned over Toki. He looked as if he were whispering to the cannibal king. But Patrick couldn’t hear the words.

  Then Patrick looked to the water. The rescue boat came closer. The Fijians splashed toward him.

  “Are you here to save us or kill us?” Patrick called out. But no one was listening.

  15

  Toki’s Last Battle

  Beth bobbed in the water. She was staring at Toki’s spear and a dead stingray. Toki’s spear had sliced through its blue-and-yellow body. She hadn’t realized the stingray had been nearby. She must have stepped on it and made it angry.

  Beth tried to stay afloat, but it wasn’t easy. She had to flap one arm a lot.

  When the waves lulled, she looked at the shore. Patrick seemed to be frantic.

  Toki was lying on the sand with Nettleton near him.

  And then a wave drove her onto another part of the beach.

  Toki saved my life, she thought.

  Patrick stood where he was, watching her. “Are you all right?” he shouted.

  “Yes!” she called back. She left the spear and the dead stingray. “I’m coming!”

  Patrick waved to her. Then he jogged over to the crowd of Fijians circling the fallen Toki.

  Dripping wet, Beth also ran over. She squeezed in next to Patrick.

  Patrick and Beth gave each other a quick nod. Patrick seemed worried.

  Beth turned to Toki who was lying face up on the sand. She put a hand to her mouth.

  Toki’s eyes were closed. His body lay still. Blood poured from a wound near his shoulder.

  Nettleton knelt near Toki’s body. “I need a knife!” he said.

  One of the Fijians offered him a long blade.

  Nettleton shook his head. “Too big,” he said. “I be needin’ a small knife to get this bullet out. Someone must have one.”

  Beth suddenly remembered Patrick’s pocketknife. She turned to him.

  Patrick seemed to remember it at the same time. He pulled out the pocketknife. “Will this do?” he asked. He handed it to the surgeon’s mate.

  “It be perfect,” he said. He opened the blade. He then took it over to the fire. He
put the knife in the flames.

  Nettleton is burning germs off the knife, Beth thought.

  “Will he be all right?” Beth asked.

  “I don’t know,” Nettleton replied.

  “Pray that Nettleton can help him,” Patrick said softly.

  Nettleton came back. He began poking the small knife into Toki’s shoulder.

  Beth winced and then looked away.

  Just then, Calvert and Dunn joined the circle.

  “Are you well?” Calvert asked Beth.

  “He probably saved my life,” she said and nodded toward Toki. “He killed a stingray with his spear.”

  Calvert looked at Dunn.

  Dunn frowned. “I thought he was trying to kill the girl,” he said. “I didn’t want to risk her life.”

  Toki groaned. All eyes returned to him. Nettleton stuck the knife inside Toki’s shoulder again. This time, the knife lifted out a bullet.

  Beth was surprised by the bullet’s size. It was as large as a shooter marble.

  More blood flowed from Toki’s shoulder. Beth had to look away.

  “I need some healin’ leaves,” Nettleton said. He looked to the Fijians. “It grows on the ground. Do ye know which plant that be?”

  “Wa bosucu,” a Fijian said. He ran off.

  Another Fijian spoke to Calvert in his language. Calvert replied. Then he saw Beth watching them.

  “He wants to know what will happen if Toki lives,” Calvert said. “They are afraid that Toki will want revenge for his wound.”

  “Will he?” Beth asked.

  Calvert nodded and said, “That is why we must now pray for the evil in his soul. We must ask God to remove it, like Nettleton removed that bullet.”

  Suddenly Toki’s eyes fluttered open. He gasped loudly. Everyone tensed.

  Toki reached a hand toward Calvert. “Tell your God to spare me,” he said in a small voice.

  Calvert clasped Toki’s hand. “I will, Toki,” he said. Then Calvert lifted his hands.

  “Dear God,” Calvert prayed aloud, “we pray for this wounded man. Heal his body, his mind, and his soul. Bring his heart to repent and to know Your peace. Amen.”