The Royal Handmaid

by Gilbert, Morris

  Dalton spoke up. “Maybe we should have a sermon.”

  “Yes, you preach a good one, Dalton,” Rena said.

  “Not me. Professor, you give us a message.”

  Professor Jan Dekker was huddled with his back to a stack of supplies. “I don’t feel much like a sermon.” His tone was mournful, and he shivered. “Maybe some other time.”

  “Why don’t you give us a sermon, Rena?” Maggie suggested. “You’ve always got a good one.”

  Rena swallowed hard and said, “I guess I’m like the professor. I don’t think I have a sermon in me just now.”

  “Well, I do.” Everyone turned toward Jimmy Townsend, sitting with his arm around his wife, looking at them in a strange way. “My sermon is this,” he said. “Jesus said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,’ so that means He’s right here around this fire with us. That’s my sermon.”

  “Best sermon I ever heard,” Travis called out. “Short and sweet and theologically sound.”

  Cerny Novak joined in the laughter. “That’s the kind of sermons I like too.”

  “Well, I’ve got a surprise for you.” Travis got to his feet, and picked up the canvas bag. He reached into it, saying, “On my last trip to the Mary Anne I went down to the cabins and grabbed whatever was on top of the furniture—mostly Bibles and books.” He picked one out and handed it to Dekker. “I believe this is your Bible, Professor.”

  Professor Dekker jumped up. “Did you get any of my other books?”

  “I got this notebook.”

  Dekker’s eyes gleamed, and for the first time since the wreck, he seemed alive. “My notebook! It is irreplaceable. Thank you, Travis.”

  Travis pulled out other books, and everyone exclaimed over them.

  “This is a funny one I got out of your cabin, Rena. Robinson Crusoe.”

  Rena laughed. “I don’t know why I brought that book, but it’s a good one to have in our condition.” She went over and took the book. “Crusoe was just like us—tossed onto a desert island—but he never stopped trusting God.”

  “Did he ever get off that island, miss?” Novak demanded.

  “After a long time he did. I think it was something like twenty years. I haven’t finished it yet,” Rena said.

  “Well, I hope we don’t have to stay twenty years in this place!” Dalton exclaimed. “That would be terrible.”

  Pete was running his hand over the Bible that Travis had salvaged from his cabin. “My mother gave me this. She’s gone now, but it’s filled with notes from her. I thank you, Travis. This means a lot to me.”

  Everyone joined in Pete’s sentiments, and finally Travis said, “Well, I think what we’d better do now is try to get up some individual tents. One for the ladies and one for the men.”

  “Yes, the rain has slowed down. We could probably do that now,” Captain Barkley said.

  They all went to work, and by the time it started to get dark, a camp had been arranged with three tents—one for the men, one for the women, and one to store the supplies and keep them dry.

  Oscar cooked another meal for supper, and later they sat around the fire long after dark, no one wanting to go to bed. Rena sat beside Dalton, staring at the fire. She was weary and tired, as they all were, and her spirit seemed to sink. Outside of the little ring of fire that they kept going constantly, there was nothing but darkness and mystery and the sound of the surf. She looked up at Dalton, who sat silently, and asked, “We’ll be all right, won’t we, Dalton?”

  “We’ve got to be,” he said grimly.

  “This is the darkest hour. It’ll be better when the weather clears. And a ship will come. I know it will.” Even as she spoke these words Rena felt a twinge of doubt. She did not really believe what she was saying. She said it again as if repeating it would make it so. “A ship will come,” she said confidently. “We won’t be here long. . . .”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Forever Is a Long Time

  The sun was a bright yellow wafer pasted in the blue sky overhead. The heat of the sun warmed Rena’s face, and as she rode down in a semicircular direction, she screamed and leaned over toward the big man beside her. She was actually afraid of heights, but as his arm enveloped her and his voice rang out over the laughter of the crowds filling the fairground, Rena felt safe and secure.

  The Ferris wheel rolled past the earth, then rose back up, sailing high in the air. Rena lifted her head to watch but still clung to her father as the world fell away and they reached the dizzying apex. She delighted in looking way down at the people milling about like ants, then far off to the rising hills of the countryside.

  Down and then up in a huge circle like a giant swing. She looked up and said, “Daddy, this is the most fun I’ve ever had.”

  “Is it, sweetheart? Then we’ll have to come to the fair every day as long as it’s here.”

  “Can we really?”

  Rena’s father laughed. “Why, sure we can. What else would be more important to me than taking you for Ferris wheel rides?”

  Happiness filled Rena, and she clung to her father’s arm, safe and—

  ****

  Rena abruptly awoke and quickly realized that the sunshine was a mere dream, as was her father’s presence. She stiffened as she lay in the darkness, filled with fear, for something had just scampered across the blanket that covered her. Shep had warned them that land crabs might crawl over them as they slept on the ground, but he had assured them they were harmless.

  That assurance did not ease her panic, and she shook the blanket violently—the action bringing a protest from Lanie, who lay on her right.

  The tent was dark and the ground unbearably hard. The oilcloth under them gave some protection from the dampness but no cushioning. The blankets had dried out enough for each of them to have one. She was thankful for the efforts of Travis and Dalton to provide this much shelter, but it was nothing like the comfortable bunk of the Mary Anne or her own bedroom at home. Rena’s eyes were open wide, but it was as dark as if they were closed. For a time she lay listening to sounds she could not identify except for one, the exotic cry of a bird. Finally she became aware that light was creeping through the walls of the tent and through the gaps where the flap covered the entrance. Throwing the blanket back, she rose and moved carefully across the tent. Abby, Meredith, Maggie, and Lanie all shared it with her, and she did not want to step on any of them.

  As she emerged, she saw that the east was touched with a pale milky light, and the first rays of the sun were filtering through the towering trees. She saw the fire was kindled under the cooking canopy, and two figures were vaguely distinguishable. She moved closer and shivered in the cool morning air. The surf was still crashing, and the wind was brisk, though not as severe as it had been during the storm. As she moved closer, she could make out Travis and the stocky form of Oscar. The two men were talking in subdued voices.

  “Good morning,” Rena greeted.

  “You’re up early,” Travis said. “You should have slept later.”

  Rena did not want to admit she couldn’t get back to sleep with crabs scuttling across her body, so she simply asked, “What are you doing?”

  “We got a prize here, Miss Rena,” Oscar said. He motioned down at his feet, and Rena leaned forward to see a huge creature. “A fine turtle. We’ll be havin’ turtle soup for lunch today. Better than you could get at the Waldorf.”

  Rena peered at the sea turtle. “It must have taken both of you to carry him here.”

  “It did. We were lucky to run him down,” Travis said. “We were walking at the water’s edge when I spotted him heading for the ocean. Got to him just before he hit the surf. Saw some other turtles too, so that’s a good sign. We won’t starve to death as long as fellows like this are around.”

  Oscar said, “How about some coffee?”

  “We’d better go easy on that,” Travis warned. “We can’t run down to the grocery store and get a fresh supply.”

  Oscar chuckled. “Yeah, you’re
right. Maybe we can find some kind of edible root to make tea with. I had a friend once that dug sassafras root down south somewhere.”

  “I used to dig ’em myself,” Travis said. “Makes a pretty good tea. There should be something like that on this island.”

  Rena stared at the two men in disbelief. They were speaking as if they planned to stay on the island forever. The thought disturbed her, and she quickly changed the subject. “Is Dalton up yet?”

  “All of the men got up early. The captain took a crew down along the beach that way. Dalton and three of the sailors went the other way. They want to see what kind of a place this is.”

  “I wish I’d known. I would have gone with them.”

  “They left about an hour ago,” Oscar said.

  Travis nodded. “I plan to be back sometime before noon, but don’t worry about me if I’m a little late, Oscar.”

  “Where are you going, Travis?”

  “I thought I’d go exploring inland and see if I can figure out how big the island is.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Rena said impulsively.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Rena. It’ll be rough. We’ll have to tramp through bushes and up steep hills.”

  “I don’t mind. I won’t hold you back.”

  For a moment Travis hesitated, and Rena grew agitated. “I’m going, Travis!”

  Travis lifted his eyebrow and turned his head away. Rena thought he winked at Oscar, but she could not be sure.

  “Be glad to have you,” he conceded. “We’d better eat something first, or maybe carry some food along.”

  “We’ve got some canned soup here. I can heat it up in a jiffy,” Oscar offered.

  At the mention of food, Rena realized she was ravenous and said, “Yes, let’s have that.”

  Fifteen minutes later they had eaten the warmed soup. Travis took one of the rifles and put several extra cartridges in his pocket. “I guess we’re ready,” he said and, without waiting, turned and walked directly into the trees that towered behind their small camp.

  Rena hurried to keep up with him, and for thirty minutes they walked steadily. She was wearing a thin dress and was glad she still had her sturdy walking shoes. Travis wore a pair of wrinkled khaki trousers and a tan shirt open at the neck. He held the rifle loosely at his side. He did not speak for so long that Rena wondered if he was irritated at her insistence on coming. “How big do you think this place is?” Rena asked.

  “We’ll find out something about that today. I hope it’s big.”

  “Why is that?”

  “The bigger it is, the more life it’ll have on it, and the more chance that some ship might see it. It looks favorable. Look at those peaks up ahead, and the land’s rising already. Can you tell?”

  Indeed, Rena had been aware that they were walking up a gradual hill. The sun was climbing, and the sound of the surf had faded now, but the wind was still brisk. The forest seemed to be growing denser, however. Travis paused to point out a brilliant-colored bird with a long tail.

  “It looks like a parrot,” Rena said.

  “Yes, I believe it is. They’re all over the Pacific islands, I understand.”

  Travis moved easily, and Rena was aware of his keen strength. He wore no cap, and his tawny hair was tousled. She noticed it was growing long on the neck, and she wondered if the men had managed to salvage a razor and shears. She hated the thought of them looking like a bunch of savages, like the hero in the book she was reading. Robinson Crusoe had hacked his own hair off but had let his beard grow long. She remembered what a struggle the marooned man had just simply existing. “Maybe if we get up on those peaks, we’ll be able to see smoke from a village.”

  “I hope so, but Captain Barkley doesn’t think this is a very big island. He knows about things like that, I suppose, and Shep said the same thing.”

  “How can they tell?” she asked.

  “Well, Shep’s been around a lot of islands. He knows the feel of them, and the same is true for the captain.” He paused and gave her a sideways glimpse. “Are you getting tired?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “We’re going to try to make it as far as we can,” he said.

  His words seemed like a rebuke to Rena. She had always prided herself on her strength. “Then let’s go faster,” she said. “You don’t have to slow down for me.” She deliberately threw herself into a fast walk but soon realized that his legs were so long he could easily beat her at this game.

  They walked steadily, stopping once at a small spring. “This is great!” he said. “I’ve been worried about fresh water. I’ve been thinking about rigging up something so we could store rainwater.”

  Rena was thirsty indeed, and she leaned over and drank from the trickle emerging from a rock wall. It was a minuscule stream, but the water was cold and delicious.

  “Probably runs year-round. Shep said there’d be springs like this. Wish I’d brought something to carry water in. We’ll have to mark this spot.”

  “How will we mark it?”

  “I’ll tie my handkerchief up here, and we’ll try to remember the way we came. Do you see that huge tree over there? It’s much bigger than the rest. We ought to be able to spot it on the way back. Then, if we need to, we can come back here and get water for camp.”

  “It would be a long walk.”

  “We might want to move the camp here. Fresh water is essential.”

  ****

  After three hours of hard walking, Rena found herself panting for breath.

  “We’ll take a rest here,” Travis told her. “And look, there’s some kind of berries over there. I hope they’re not poisonous.”

  Rena was alarmed. “You’re not going to eat them, are you, without knowing?”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Travis said and went to the bush to pull off some dark purple berries. “You eat one, and if you don’t die, I’ll know they’re safe.”

  Rena glared at him indignantly and then saw his eyes were dancing with good humor. “I don’t see how you can be so cheerful.”

  “Why not? We’re alive, and we’ve just found lunch, I think.” Travis put one of the berries in his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. “Good,” he said. “Real sweet. I was afraid they might be bitter. Here, have some.”

  Rena watched as Travis moved around the clump of bushes, pulling off berries, and she finally joined him. She found they tasted stronger than blackberries with a tangy essence. “These are good!”

  “We’ll have to remember this spot too. I wonder if you could dry these things and eat ’em like raisins.”

  The two ate their fill of berries, then found themselves thirsty again. “We’ll watch for another spring or maybe even a stream.”

  Rena sat down and rested against a huge tree trunk. She ran her eyes around the surroundings and said, “This looks like a picture from National Geographic.”

  “It does at that,” Travis agreed. He sat down across from her at another tree, laying the rifle down and stretching his legs out. He rolled his head around as if easing his neck muscles. “We could have had things a lot worse. Shep says some of these islands are nothing but coral. We’d have had no chance of survival on one of those.”

  “I think we’ll be off of here soon enough,” she said.

  “I hope so.”

  “You don’t sound very optimistic, Travis.”

  “I just don’t know, Rena. We’re way off the shipping lanes, but a ship might come by tomorrow. That’s another thing. We’ve got to build up a huge supply of wood for signal fires. Three of them so that a ship will recognize it’s not natural and that somebody is signaling.” He rolled his head around again. “Why don’t you take a little nap? I’d like to go farther if you can make it. But you need to rest first.”

  “I’m fine.” Rena surveyed the rising terrain before them. The trees here were not as tall as those along the shore, and she noticed they had straight trunks. “Travis, would it be possible to build a raft with these?”

  “Flo
at ourselves back to civilization?” Travis shrugged. “I couldn’t do it. But the captain and the sailors might know how to do it. It would be hard. You’d have to carry lots of water, and we don’t have anything to carry it in.”

  “Robinson Crusoe made himself a boat, didn’t he? How’d he carry water?”

  “He grew gourds, I think, then dried them out to make containers.”

  “Well, it’d be nice to have some gourd seed. I doubt if there’s anything like that on this island.”

  The sun had climbed high in the sky by now, and for the first time since the wreck, Rena found herself growing warm. This did not make her any more comfortable, however, for she ached in places she had never ached before, and her arms, legs, and face stung from the numerous scratches she’d acquired on their hike through the dense foliage. Their clothes were stiff and crusty with salt, and for a moment she wondered how they would wash out the salt without moving closer to a source of fresh water. She leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes, trying not to think of their plight, but that was impossible. Finally she opened her eyes and saw that Travis was still leaning on his tree, resting.

  “We could build a ship, though, couldn’t we?” she asked.

  “I wouldn’t count on it,” Travis murmured, not opening his eyes. “We might stay here the rest of our lives.”

  “You give up too easily. Come on. Let’s go.”

  Travis grinned as he got to his feet. He picked up his rifle, and they started west toward the high mountains ahead of them. They hiked steadily for almost an hour without speaking, and suddenly Travis threw his arm up. Rena whispered, “What is it?”

  “Look over there.”

  Rena followed the direction of his gesture. At first she saw nothing, and then something moved. She strained to see what it was. “It’s a goat,” she whispered.

  “That’s right. A wild goat.”

  “Could you shoot it from here?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Maybe you can sneak up on it.”

  “It’d be too far to carry it back to camp. But it’s good news. It proves there’s water here. See, there are more. There’s a whole bunch of them.”