The First Mate: The Story of a Strange Cruise

by Harry Collingwood

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

  THE ISLAND.

  Some twenty minutes later the boat slid in between two cliffs, aboutseventy feet high, and we found ourselves in a channel a quarter of amile wide, trending south-east for nearly half a mile. Then, on ourleft hand, the cliff towered up boldly in the form of a headland toabout a hundred feet in height, while the shore on the right fell away,forming a sort of cove a mile wide, at the widest point of which thegrass-covered soil sloped steeply down to the water's edge, rising againin the form of a cliff as the cove took a bend away toward thenorth-east. The rocky cliffs seemed to be composed of basalt, with athick covering of rich deep-red soil, upon which vegetation flourishedluxuriantly. The breeze, following the trend of the channel--the waterin which seemed deep enough to float a battleship--wafted us gentlyforward, and I headed the boat for the point where the grass sloped downto the water's edge, this being the only visible spot where landing waspossible. When we had nearly reached it the inner end of the covebecame revealed, and I saw, about a mile and a quarter farther on, asmall strip of sandy beach that offered an ideal landing-place, and,sweeping the boat's head round, I steered for it. At that point, whichwas now on our left hand, the miniature estuary narrowed to a streamscarcely wider than the length of the boat. That it was fresh water wasbeyond a doubt, for at the far end of the gorge we saw the water foamingsteeply down in a series of tiny cascades, which stretched away upwarduntil they reached more than halfway to the peak that formed the highestpoint of the island.

  As we crept slowly toward our chosen landing-place, under the impulse ofthe sculling oar--the wind having by this time failed us--we began toget ever nearer glimpses of the beauties of the island. The rocky faceof the cliff on either hand was splashed with colour from numerous smallflowering shrubs that seemed to spring from invisible clefts in thebasalt, while close down by the water's edge great clumps of maidenhairand other ferns grew in extravagant luxuriance. But these things wereobserved as it were subconsciously, every eye in the boat being fixedintently upon the little strip of beach toward which we were heading,while the longing to feel our feet once more on terra firma grew moreintense as the minutes slipped by. We had not the remotest idea whetheror not the island was inhabited, though we scarcely thought it possiblethat such a paradise could be devoid of inhabitants; but if the beachtoward which we were heading had suddenly become black with hostilenatives, I am quite sure that, feeble as we were, we would have foughtdesperately for the right to land, and either won that right or perishedin the attempt.

  No natives appeared, however. There was no sign of life that we coulddiscern, save a few gaudily plumaged birds that flitted hither andthither, sometimes sweeping right over the boat, as though curious toascertain what new thing this was that invaded their solitude; andpresently the craft that had been our home for ten days--which seemedmore like months to us--slid with a thin grating sound on to the sand,and stopped.

  Scarcely waiting to lay in my oar, I scrambled out of the cockpit,reeled along the deck, dropped over the overhanging bow on to the hotsand, and held up my arms to help the others ashore. The first to comewas Mrs Vansittart, who was followed by her daughter and the twostewardesses, Julius bringing up the rear; and when at length we wereall ashore, Mrs Vansittart said, or rather whispered, for she had allbut lost her voice:

  "Before we do anything else, or move another step, let us all go down onour knees and return thanks to Almighty God for His great mercy inbringing us to this delectable land." And we did so, then and there,with tears of deep and sincere gratitude.

  It was by this time about ten o'clock in the morning, yet so deep andnarrow was the gorge in which we found ourselves that the beach where westood was still in shadow and the air comparatively cool. Therefore,after I had taken care to secure the boat to a great boulder of basaltthat lay conveniently at hand, I suggested that all should remain wherethey were while I went prospecting for fruit; and to this they agreed.Then, a thought suddenly striking me, I waded into the water, scooped upa palmful, and tasted it. It was deliciously sweet and cool; and Iturned to the rest and said:

  "This water is perfectly fresh. You may therefore drink of it; butdrink in moderation, I beg you, taking just a mouthful at a time everyfew minutes until your thirst is quenched; for if you drink too freelyafter your long abstinence, the effect may be harmful instead ofrestorative."

  I set them an example by taking a small quantity only and just washingout my mouth with it before starting upon my quest. But how deliciousthat taste of clean, sweet water was to me, only those who have gonenigh to perishing of thirst can ever know.

  Resolutely resisting the almost overpowering temptation to drink freelyand quench the thirst that scorched me like a fire, I left the water andallowed my gaze to wander over the face of the cliff that towered someeighty feet aloft from the inner margin of the beach. I soon saw that,steep as at first sight it appeared to be, there were so many flatfragments protruding from its face that the scaling of it would be acomparatively easy matter; and, assuring my companions that I would notbe gone longer than I could possibly help, I began the ascent.

  I soon discovered that in undertaking to climb that cliff I had beenreckoning without my host--that is to say, I had failed to take accountof my weakness; and before I was halfway up I felt that I should neverreach the top. But after an arduous climb of some twenty minutes,during which I experienced at least a dozen narrow escapes from pitchingheadlong to the bottom, I flung myself over the top edge and lay gaspingfor breath on the long sweet grass that waved about me.

  What a glorious prospect it was that now revealed itself to myenraptured eyes! On my left front, distant about a mile, rose thehigher of the two knolls to which I have before referred, while squareaway to my right, and distant perhaps two miles, towered the bald peakthat was the highest point in the island. The ground in front of me, asI lay, rose somewhat steeply to a kind of ridge that seemed to run fromone to the other of the two elevations I have just mentioned, and thewhole of the ground not clothed with grass was studded with great clumpsof splendid trees. Some of these were thickly starred with flowers,while here and there were coconut palms with their smooth, curvingtrunks, smaller trees which might possibly be fruit-bearing, and aprofusion of plantains or bananas, among the long pendulous green leavesof which I could distinguish, even where I lay, great clusters of ripeyellow fruit.

  The sight of that fruit was enough for me; it was even more entrancingthan the glorious landscape that unrolled itself to right and left.Postponing the contemplation of the latter to a more convenient season,I rose to my feet, staggered forward, and, a few minutes later, foundmyself gathering a quantity of the golden fruit, even then allowingmyself time to choose the best and ripest. Then, with a dozen or morebananas in the hollow of my arm, I returned to the edge of the cliff ata point a hundred yards or so to the north of where I had made myascent. I at once saw that here the cliff was of a much morepracticable character than where I had ascended; and negotiating thedescent with very little difficulty, I soon had the intense satisfactionnot only of seeing each of the other members of the party devouring abanana with indescribable avidity, but also of eating one myself; and Ican safely say that never in my life have I so thoroughly enjoyed foodas I did that banana.

  But what was one banana to people who were on the very brink ofperishing from starvation? It only served to whet their appetite formore. I would not, however, allow them to have any more just then; Iwas cruel to be kind, and resolutely turned a deaf ear alike to theirentreaties and their reproaches, as I did to the cravings of my ownravenous hunger. I insisted that at least half an hour should elapsebefore they ate again, and I kept to my word. But no sooner had thehalf-hour expired than we again fell to and consumed another bananaeach, after which I insisted on everybody taking an hour's rest. Thiswe did? and at the end of the hour we all felt so much better that itwas resolved to attempt an ascent to the plateau without further delay.

  We took the longer b
ut easier route; and, after a toilsome climb thatoccupied nearly half an hour, reached our goal. The women folk were tooutterly exhausted to do other than stretch themselves out on the grassand feast their eyes upon the glories of the scene; but, feeling that wemight all now with safety venture upon another light meal, Julius and Iset off in search of what we might find, and soon returned with threefine coconuts. These I stripped of their outer husk with my knife; anda few minutes later we were all feasting upon the sweet, delicate fruit,after having shared the milk among us. Finally, through a careful andjudicious system of feeding, by about four o'clock in the afternoon wehad contrived to allay our hunger and thirst and to recover enoughstrength to enable us to move about and accomplish short distanceswithout undue fatigue.

  My next concern was to find some sort of refuge in which to pass thecoming night. Of course, in the last resort it would be quite possiblefor us to return to the boat and sleep on board her as usual; but thatidea had no charms for me. The under-deck quarters were very confinedand altogether inadequate for the accommodation of the four women;moreover, I imagined that they would be willing to put up with a certainamount of discomfort if by doing so they could secure a greater measureof privacy than the boat afforded. I therefore set off upon anexploring expedition to see what I could find.

  I was not going to be too particular at the outset. The weather wasfine and the temperature high enough to allow us all to sleep withcomfort in the open air; but there was the heavy dew of the tropicalnight to be considered, which I feared might be productive of fever andague to people in our debilitated condition. My immediate ambitiontherefore extended no further than to find in a suitable spot some tree,of thick enough foliage and with widespreading branches near enough theground to afford good protection from the dew, beneath which beds of dryfern, or something of that sort, might be arranged for the night. Onthe morrow I would see if I could not contrive something more effectivein the shape of a hut; while ultimately, if circumstances seemed todemand it, I might seriously consider the possibility of erecting somesimple form of house. As to the situation of our sleeping quarters,which I recognised would be, for the time being, our abode, I decidedthat it ought to be as near as possible to water. I therefore began myexploration by following the course of the cliff edge upward towardwhere the stream came tumbling down the ravine.

  A walk of about a mile brought me to a point where the ledge which I hadbeen traversing terminated abruptly. In the face of the cliff on myleft, at the point where it cut across and blocked the narrow ledgewhere I was standing, there was an irregularly-shaped hole or fissureabout two feet wide by perhaps five feet high which looked very muchlike the mouth of a cave, and I determined to explore it; but uponattempting to reach it I found it impossible of access, the rocky faceof the cliff was so absolutely smooth, so completely devoid of thesmallest projection, that not even a monkey could have reached it.

  I looked around me again, this time taking especial notice of my moreimmediate surroundings. If that opening happened to be really the mouthof a cave, and could be made easily accessible, it ought to form anideal dwelling. There was pure sweet water in abundance far exceedingour utmost requirements; the spot was unapproachable except by way ofthe narrow ledge along which I had come, and could therefore be easilydefended in case of need; and the cave, if cave it really was, ought tobe at least as dry and roomy as any house that I could possibly build.

  But how was I to gain entrance? There was but one way that I couldthink of--by means of a ladder. I determined to construct oneforthwith, and set off upon my return journey with the intention ofgoing to the boat and procuring the axe from the carpenter's tool chest.However, by the time I rejoined the others--who, it seemed, werebeginning to feel some anxiety as to what had become of me--the sun wasso low in the heavens that I at once perceived the impossibility ofcarrying out my plan that night. I therefore searched for and soonfound two suitable trees, within easy hail of each other, under one ofwhich the women might sleep comfortably on soft beds of dry grass, whileJulius and I took possession of the other. When we had all partaken ofa moderate meal of bananas, the sun had set and the night was fastclosing down upon us; we therefore wended our way to our respectivetrees, flung ourselves down upon our grassy couches, and were soonwrapped in the sweet oblivion of dreamless sleep.

  The following morning found me awake with the rising of the sun. I feltamazingly refreshed by my night's sleep, and quite strong, comparativelyspeaking. I saw that Julius had awakened, and I invited him to go withme and have a swimming lesson, for the boy could not swim a stroke, andI had decided it was high time he should learn. So we started off,noting as we went that the women folk seemed to be still asleep undertheir own particular tree.

  We walked to the cliff edge and looked down upon the beach; the boat wasstill there, exactly as we had left her.

  Stripping to the buff, we deposited our clothes on the boat's deck andentered the water, which was of just the right temperature to berefreshing; and while I swam delightedly hither and thither, MasterJulius, who was extremely fastidious in the matter of personalcleanliness, carefully removed all traces of the grime that hadunavoidably accumulated during the voyage from the reef. Then, my swimended, I did the same, after which I gave my companion his firstswimming lesson, the boy showing such aptitude, and acquitting himselfso well, that when we finally left the water he was actually able toswim a stroke or two unaided. Before dressing we explored the upper endof the harbour, where the stream discharged into it, and were fortunateenough to find a spot at which, in about three to four feet of water,the women could bathe with enjoyment and absolute safety.

  Having dressed, I entered the boat and procured the carpenter's axe,after which we ascended to the top of the cliff. Near there we met MrsVansittart and her daughter, both of whom declared themselves greatlythe better for a sound and refreshing night's rest. They were about toprospect for a spot where they might enjoy the luxury that Julius and Ihad just been indulging in; so, leaving the boy to direct them to theplace which we had discovered, and afterwards to gather bananas for ourbreakfast, I shouldered the axe and set off northward, intent upon anexploration of the aperture in the cliff, which I believed might proveto be the mouth of a cave.

  As I went I looked keenly about me for a sapling or small tree thatmight serve as a ladder, and before long I came upon exactly the kind ofthing I wanted. It was a young tree, somewhat resembling a yew, abouttwenty feet high, with a number of branches springing from its trunkclose together and radiating in all directions, the lowest branch beingabout seven feet from the ground. This tree I at once attacked, and,the wood being soft, while the axe was keen, it fell some ten minuteslater. Lopping off as much of the upper part of the trunk as Iconsidered too slim and weak for my purpose, I found that by cutting offthe lower part, just below the bottom branch, I should have a nicestraight pole about twelve feet long. This I did, afterward lopping offall the branches to within about six inches of the trunk--the stumps toserve as rungs or steps. There was my ladder complete, and light enoughto be easily handled. I hoisted it on my shoulder, and, carrying theaxe in my hand in case I should need it, proceeded along the ledge toits extremity.

  Here I reared my "ladder" against the cliff face, and found, as I hadexpected, that it was just of a nice convenient length, enabling me toreach the opening with the utmost ease.

  As I had fully expected, the cleft proved to be the mouth of a cavern,for as I stood at the top of the ladder and peered in, I saw that itextended some way back into the cliff, widening as it went. How far itextended I could not tell, but when my eyes became somewhat accustomedto the gloom I was able to trace the passage--for such it seemed to be--inward for a distance of at least ten feet, beyond which was blackdarkness.

  Having seen thus much, I should not have been human had I not desired tosee more. I therefore climbed into the opening, and, with all dueprecaution, proceeded to investigate a little farther. The floor of theentrance, if I may so term it,
was very awkwardly shaped, resembling aV, so that in reality there was no floor at all, properly speaking, butmerely the rough sides of the cleft meeting together at the bottom. Alittle way in, however--about six or eight feet from the face of thecliff--the sides began to fall away from each other, leaving a surfacethat might be walked on without much difficulty; and I told myself thatif in other respects the cavern proved suitable as a dwelling, theawkward character of the entrance might easily be rectified.

  Still making my way carefully, with a watchful eye for possible snakes--I had seen none thus far, and had not the least idea whether or notthere were any on the island; still, it was as well to be careful--Igradually worked inward until I estimated that I was at least twentyfeet from the mouth, and here I was obliged to bring my explorations toa temporary end for lack of light. But by careful pacing from side toside, I found that the passage was at this point some eighteen feetwide, with a tolerably flat floor, while its height was such that Icould not reach it with my upstretched arm. Its length I could nottell, but it seemed to extend considerably farther inward; to determinejust how far, however, I should need a torch. I therefore decided toreturn to the rest of the party, report upon my find, and bring themback with me after breakfast, that they might pass an opinion upon itspossibilities.