CHAPTER XXVIII

The Island

With the first streaks of dawn, Peter, who had been sleeping soundly in the open, with his feet towards the still glowing embers, shook himself like a great mastiff, and stretched his cramped limbs. It had been a strange sensation sleeping on the hard ground after days and weeks on the ocean. Some moments elapsed before he was fully aware of his surroundings.

He looked seawards. The flood-tide was making, and the wavelets were lapping against the edge of the serrated reef. The boat was still aground. Her anchor warp had not tautened, so that it was obvious that she had not shifted her position on the top of the previous high water.

The wind had piped down considerably, but was now blowing softly from the west'ard. During the night the breeze had veered completely round from east to west.

"Just our luck!" thought Peter. "Now we have fetched Madagascar after beating for hours against it, the wind shifts round. It would have saved us hours if it had been in this quarter for the last twenty-four hours. However, here we are, so I mustn't grouse."

None of his companions showed signs of stirring. Silence reigned in the tents. The scent of the morning air was mingled with the pleasing reek of the camp-fire. Farther along the coast a number of seagulls were hovering over some object and screeching, as they warily circled round the coveted piece of flotsam.

From where Peter stood, the landscape was rather limited. Less than a mile to the nor'ard a bluff of about two hundred feet in height served as the boundary of his vision in that direction. Southward the wall of cliffs terminated abruptly at a distance of about a quarter of a mile.

Evidently beyond that the coastline receded, unless the light were insufficient to enable the more distant land to be seen.

"May as well stretch my legs," thought Peter. "I'll have a shot at getting to the top of the cliffs and see what's doing. I wonder how far it is to the nearest village?"

He had to walk a hundred yards along the beach before he found a likely means of ascent--a narrow gorge through which a clear stream dashed rapidly. Yet the rivulet never met the sea direct. The water, although of considerable volume, simply soaked into the sand and disappeared.

"We shan't need to go slow with the drinking-water," he said to himself, as he gathered a double handful of the cool, sparkling fluid and held it to his lips. "By Jove, isn't that a treat after water from a boat's keg. Well, here goes."

The ascent was steep but fairly easy. Nevertheless Mostyn was so out of training, from a pedestrian point of view, that his muscles ached and his limbs grew stiff long before he arrived at the top.

At length, breathless and weary, he gained the summit and threw himself at full length upon the gra.s.s.

After a while he stood up and looked around. The sun was just rising--and it appeared to rise out of the sea. From where he stood, Peter could see right across the ground from west to east and from north to south; and, save where the tall bluff cut the skyline, sea and sky formed a complete circular horizon.

Peter gave a gasp of astonishment. Instead of finding himself, as he had expected, upon one of the largest islands of the world, he was on a sea-girt piece of land barely three miles in length and two in breadth.

In vain he looked for other land. The extent of his view, a.s.suming that the point on which he stood was two hundred feet above the sea-level, was a distance of roughly twenty miles, and, except for the island upon which the boat had stranded, there was nothing in sight but sky and sea.

"So much for Madagascar," e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the Wireless Officer. "I'm a rotten bad navigator. Wonder where this show is, and if it is inhabited."

For the most part the island consisted of a fairly level plateau covered with scrub. The southern part was well wooded with palms, while the course of the little stream was marked by a double line of reeds.

In vain Peter looked for signs of human habitation. Not so much as a solitary column of smoke marked the presence of any inhabitants.

"This is out of the frying-pan into the fire with a vengeance," said the Wireless Officer to himself. "We've plenty of fresh water, it is true, but precious little to eat. And the boat is beyond repair with the limited means at our disposal. Fire, did I say? We can obtain that, so the possibility of having to eat raw or sun-dried fish is removed."

By this time the rest of the temporary sojourners on the island were astir. From his lofty point of vantage Peter could see the three Mohammedans at their devotions at some distance from the tents. Mrs.

Shallop was actually out and about, and had deigned to fetch a balerful of water. Miss Baird had thrown fresh driftwood and kelp on the fire, and was apparently undertaking the frying of some of the fish. Propped up on a roll of painted canvas was Preston, slowly and steadily gutting the herrings before grilling them in front of the fire.

"h.e.l.lo, old man!" exclaimed Peter, when he rejoined the others and had greeted Miss Baird. "Feeling better?"

"Much thanks," replied the Acting Chief. "Soon be O.K., I hope. And what have you been doing, Sparks?"

"Taking my bearings," said Mostyn. "My festive chum, I've made a hash of things. We're on an island."

"Madagascar is an island," remarked Preston. "So why make a song about it?"

"This isn't Madagascar," replied Peter. "It's a small island. A fellow ought to be able to walk right round it in a couple of hours comfortably."

Preston tried to whistle and failed miserably. The attempt was still too painful.

"You seem fond of putting boats ash.o.r.e on small islands, old man," he remarked. "How about grub? Seen anything in the edible line?"

"A few coco-palms," announced Mostyn. "I didn't investigate. We may strike oil."

"I'd rather strike grub," rejoined the Acting Chief. "Well, there's one blessing--we've cigarettes."

Breakfast consisted of biscuits, fresh water, and fried fish. It was meagre fare, but the hungry castaways relished it. They could have eaten more, but Peter kept an iron hand on the biscuits, and fried fish without biscuits was neither satisfying nor appetizing.

The meal over, Mostyn set all hands--Preston excepted, by reason of his injuries--to work. He meant to keep everybody employed--even Mrs.

Shallop. Idleness breeds discontent and discord, and he had no wish to have either.

The first task was to carry the tents and the small kit at their disposal to the high ground beyond the edge of the cliffs. Peter and the lascars managed the spars and canvas between them, while Olive and Mrs. Shallop carried up the lighter gear. Once she made up her mind that she had to work, Mrs. Shallop became quite energetic, finding her way up the cliff-path with tolerable speed in spite of her bulk. By ten in the morning the whole of the stuff brought ash.o.r.e had been taken to a spot a hundred and fifty feet above the sea-level, and placed in a sheltered hollow within easy distance of the little stream that Peter had discovered.

While the two Lascars were setting up the tents, Peter and Mahmed constructed a stretcher in order to get Preston to the new camp.

The Acting Chief was practically helpless. At first it was thought that his injuries were confined to his head; but after he had been brought ash.o.r.e his legs were found to have been crushed, and from the knees downwards the limbs were devoid of any sensation of pain, and the muscles incapable of responding to the dictates of his will.

It required twenty minutes of hard yet cautious work to carry Preston to the top of the cliffs, in spite of the fact that the path was fairly easy for an unenc.u.mbered person. The difficulty was for the bearers to keep their burden in a horizontal position, and at the same time maintain their footing. For the greater part of the ascent Mahmed was crouching and holding his end of the stretcher within a few inches of the ground, while Peter was supporting his end on his shoulders and cautiously feeling his way, since it was impossible for him to see where he was treading.

At length Preston was brought to the camp and placed in one of the tents, while his bearers, hot and well nigh exhausted, threw themselves at full length in order to rest and regain their breath.

The next step was to salve the boat. This task required all available hands, for the craft was heavily built of elm.

By dint of strenuous exertions the boat was lifted clear of the jagged coral, and dragged along the ledge and up the sandy beach well above high-water mark.

"That will do for the present," decided Mostyn. "She won't hurt there.

We'll have to patch her up and resume our voyage as soon as possible."

He spoke sanguinely, but in his mind he realized that the task was practically beyond the small resources at their command. With the exception of a small rusty hatchet, that was discovered under the floor of the after locker, a knife, and a marline-spike, there were no tools available for the extensive repairs necessary to make the boat again seaworthy.

The time for the midday meal came round only too soon. Feeling like a miser compelled to disgorge his treasured h.o.a.rd, Peter served out more of his carefully husbanded biscuits. These were augmented by coconuts, which Mahmed and the lascars had obtained from some palms growing close to the camp. Up to the present there were no indications of the presence of bread-fruit trees, but, as Olive remarked, there was a good deal of the island to be explored.

"What's the time, Miss Baird, please?" inquired Preston.

The girl consulted her watch.

"Five minutes to twelve, Mr. Preston."

"Thank you," rejoined the Acting Chief, then, after a slight pause, "is your watch fairly accurate?"

Olive shook her head.

"I never possessed a fairly accurate watch," she replied. "Mine gains about a minute a day, and every time I wind it I put it back a minute.

It was set by ship's time on the day the _West Barbican_ sank."