The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen

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This exhibition was a perfect mimicry of the boys' attitude during the
previous week. The comical manner in which he fought and eluded the
enemy brought out roars of laughter, but this did not affect him in the
least; he sprang to the rafters, and began to chatter in imitation of
the way he had warned the boys, and then sprang down and hid behind a
chair.

But the acme of his exhibition was reached when he mounted the table and
simulated the rocking motion of the wagon crossing the stream. George
simply hugged him, and Angel joined in the laughter.

But the boys wanted to know about John and Chief. John was there to
welcome their return, and Chief came up soon after, and held out a
welcoming hand, as he had seen the others do. Of course, he had no idea
what the party went away for, nor did he comprehend the failure to bring
the boat back. His education had not yet advanced to such a state as
would have made an explanation of that kind understandable.

But John seemed to realize the story, and his eyes often glistened as
they had not done before. On all these occasions the Professor was ever
on the alert to notice his symptoms.

During the following day, in conversation with the boys, he said: "There
is every indication that John is beginning to make an individuality
entirely apart from his former surroundings."

"But if he does not recall any of his former life, how is it that he
goes ahead and does things which he must have learned before he reached
his present condition?"

"That is plainly a manual act. For instance, I remember when the saw was
put into his hand, the manner of holding it, and his act in starting the
saw at the edge of the board, was a physical recollection of the former
manner of doing certain things. It was so in the handling of the gun,
and the adroit manner in which he stalked the savages, all go to show
that certain things which are associated with purely physical acts are
just as aptly done now as when in his other state."

"How is Chief getting along?"

"He is often an enigma to me. Each day he learns something new, and
really seems to seek the information. Most of the time he has been
helping John, but he always looks suspiciously at him. I can account for
it in one way only. He has never seen John talk, and this may be a
puzzle to him, and accounts for the strange looks he always gives him."

From the day that Chief saw the tree turned into lumber the mysteries of
the workshop charmed him. This penchant was taken advantage of by the
Professor, and when the day following the departure of the boys, the
Professor started up the grindstone and ground one of the tools he edged
up to it at once, and when the Professor reached for his bolo and put
its edge on the stone, and finally showed him the result, he was as much
excited as though he had discovered a lurking enemy.

He used the grindstone day after day in the same manner, and when it was
noticed how he delighted in it, the Professor took one of the tools
which had been ground and used it on a fine stone, to show how much
keener the edge was made.

The saw was a marvel, and he tried it until he learned its use, and a
line was drawn across the board, and when he failed to guide it the
Professor smilingly corrected him, and he could not be induced to lay it
aside until he had mastered the art of sawing along the line.

In the evening George again brought out the maps of the heavens and
asked why he had made the band which was traced in curves on the two
hemispheres.

"They show the course of the moon through the heavens, and in order to
get the position, the mariner measures the degrees between the moon and
the nearest fixed star."

"But if he hasn't any instrument to measure degrees, how can he tell how
to make the calculation?"

"In that case he simply takes the yardstick of the heavens out of its
box, and uses that as a measure."

"I never heard of such a thing before. Where is the box?"

"In the constellation Orion, which contains the most beautiful cluster
of stars in the heavens, and is visible all over the inhabitable world,
are four stars which form a parallelogram. See them on the map?
Betelguese and Rigel, at the extreme opposite corners, are of the first
magnitude, and the others that form the other corners are Bellatrix of
the second and Saiph of the third magnitude. Two of the stars are in the
northern and two in the southern hemisphere. Within the parallelogram
thus formed, you will note three very bright stars in a line. These are
exactly one degree apart, and is the yardstick the heavens are measured
with."

Harry announced one morning that they had a new calf, and there was a
rush of the boys down to the cattle range to welcome the newcomer. They
had a fine herd, and seemed to be domesticated. From the time they
acquired the first, of these animals there was always an abundance of
milk, and that meant butter, a thing which was very welcome to Ralph and
Tom.

Chief also enjoyed the luxury, but it was a remarkable thing that the
savages had not anywhere in their observations utilized the herds which
ranged to the north of them, and undoubtedly existed in the southern
portions of the island. There was always plenty of beef on hand, and
plenty of game was available whenever they had occasion to go for it,
and their larder was well supplied with the wild vegetables, although
they had to go considerable distances for them at times; but now that
the garden was coming in they did not apprehend so much trouble in that
direction.

There was one thing which none of them could understand in Chief. He
would be seen frequently going over toward the forest, in the direction
of the clay banks. He never tried to do this by stealth, but the
Professor was anxious to ascertain the reason for it.

One day while he was on his way to the same quarter, Harry took his gun,
as though on a little hunting trip, and followed him cautiously. Chief
made his way directly to the clay bank, and Harry, on the opposite bank,
sat down to watch him.

It will be remembered that in making their first experiments a
considerable amount of clay had been dug out, for use in making the
brick and the retorts required for the metallurgical processes. Chief
took out a considerable quantity, and after selecting the amount which
suited his fancy, sat down and ate it. Harry was almost disgusted at the
sight, and made his way back hurriedly.

The Professor and the others were waiting.

"What do you suppose he was after? Clay! And he ate it!"

This remarkable proceeding could hardly be credited by the boys.

"Ate it!" exclaimed George. "I think you must be mistaken."

Ralph looked at Tom, and immediately answered: "That is just what they
did with that stuff we saw that the first savages had; don't you
remember, Tom?"

"I never stopped to inquire; but I know they had something that looked
like clay mud. I wonder if that was eaten by them?"

"That is not so remarkable," observed the Professor. "It is a custom in
many parts of the world."

"Where?"

"In Eastern Asia, in Java, in the Himalaya Mountains, in northern
Europe, particularly the remote regions of Sweden, in Finland, as well
as in many parts of South America, particularly in Brazil, Peru and
Bolivia, and many instances are known of this habit among the savages of
the Pacific islands."

"Can they live on the clay for any length of time?"

"Humboldt, the great geologist, relates cases of tribes in South America
which live for at least three months at a time on this substance,
without any apparent ill effect, but from all the analyses made there
does not seem to be anything nutritious in it. I am not surprised that
Chief should have a knowledge of it."

Chief returned after an hour, apparently well satisfied with himself.

Since their return Harry and George had many times thought and talked
about the cave. They debated whether or not to advise the boys of its
existence, but could not satisfy themselves of the proper course to
pursue. They were not selfishly considering the entire possession of the
treasure. In fact they were too generous for that, but the boys would
know sooner or later, and it was a question whether to disclose it now
or later on. In this dilemma they called on the Professor.

"I know just how you feel about it," was the Professor's comment, "and I
am not competent to advise you. It is your own property, and you may
dispose of it as you wish."

"But it isn't our property. Without you it would never have been
discovered, and we shall refuse to take it unless you share with us"
exclaimed George.

"No, Professor, I can never consent to that disposition of it," was
Harry's determined expression, "and for my part nothing shall be done in
the matter without you agree with us on the course to follow."

The Professor reflected a while, and then answered: "As for myself I
have very little need for it, and there is no one near or dear to me
that I would willingly leave it to." With his head bowed, he became
silent, and then continued, in a most eager manner: "I had entirely
forgotten. I have some who are near and dear to me; I ought to remember
them, after all, and as you insist on it, you will pardon me, I know, if
I consent to take a portion of it, at least."

"It must be divided into thirds. I am sure there is enough there to make
a great many people happy."

"Weren't you boys happy before you acquired this treasure?"

"Yes; as happy as we could be in our condition."

"Do you think the treasure in the cave would make you any happier than
you have been?"

"Well, if we ever get out of here we can use it to good advantage."

"That is the whole secret of happiness with wealth--the knowledge of how
to use it."

When they left the Professor the boys wondered why at first he declared
that he had no one that he cared to leave the money to, and then
suddenly remembered that he did have some whom he cared for. The
Professor was as much a mystery to them as many of the things which had
come to them during their sojourn on the island. This was, in fact, the
only information that they had ever gleaned from him concerning his
home, his family, or his friends, and that was very meager at the most.

The boys were anxious to revisit the cave, and the Professor was pleased
at their determination, but advised them to make the visit themselves,
and to endeavor to find out the full extent of the subterranean
windings, and also suggested that they should try to make a working
chart of it for their own information.

It was a little difficult now, since the close association had grown up
between Harry and Tom, on the one hand, and George and Ralph on the
other, to find a suitable excuse for the absence of Harry and George,
but the Professor arranged this without creating suspicion on their
part.

"I think Ralph is a mighty fine fellow, and we get along splendidly, and
I don't think I ever met a pair of more unselfish boys," said George, as
they walked up the hill.

"That is my opinion, too. Tom is a most wholesouled fellow, and we find
so much that is likeable in each other, that I tell you I do not feel
like being so niggardly as to keep the knowledge of the cave and the
treasure away from them; and I feel the more about it that way when I
think of the terrible suffering they have gone through."

"Just my idea, exactly. How much do you really think there is in the
cave? I mean, what do you think it is worth in money?"

"I am sure the Professor knows. It would be awfully interesting to know.
Isn't it funny the Professor never said anything about the worth of it?"

"Yes, he did. Don't you remember, just before we left on the big trip he
wanted to know whether we cared to take the risks among the savages,
when we had so much treasure in sight?"

"Yes, but that didn't indicate whether there was a thousand or a million
there."

When they reached the entrance to the cave, they sat down and talked
over the matter again. The lamps were left unlighted, and they made no
effort to enter it.

"I have half a notion to go back and talk to the Professor, and bring
the boys over." George looked at Harry inquiringly.

"Do you really mean it?" asked Harry.

"I do."

"Look over there; see who is coming," said George, with a laugh.

Red Angel was on the way with his gun. "You little rascal! How did you
find out we were over here?" He didn't answer, but he went up to George
and looked up into his face, as though he didn't quite understand that
kind of a greeting.

The boys picked up the lamps and went back to the house, and the
Professor was surprised at the early return, but he did not make any
mention of it to either of the boys, and nothing more was said about it
during that day or evening.

CHAPTER XIII

THE ACCIDENT TO JOHN AND THE RESTORATION OF MEMORY

The island yielded an abundance of nuts of various descriptions, the
most prolific being the Brazil nut, which grows in the form of a large
sphere, from three to four inches in diameter, the shell being very
hard, like the cocoanut, and when broken open is found to be filled with
the segmentally formed nuts which we all know.

This was gathered in large quantities, and was the principal source of
oil which was used for the lamps, as they had no other means of
illumination. To people in the habit of using the lighter mineral oils,
and electricity, this was certainly primitive enough. The difficulty,
however, with the gathering of the nuts was this: Unless gathered at a
certain time it is almost impossible to express the oil, and if kept for
any length of time, particularly in an unripe state, they would become
very rancid.

George pondered over this for some time, and asked the Professor the
cause of it. In response, he said: "Nature has a very peculiar way of
protecting her products. It is the same with nuts, as it is with
potatoes and fruit. Have you ever noticed how unripe fruit withers, when
taken from the tree, and that potatoes shrivel up when they are dug up
before fully matured?"

"That is the trouble with the whole batch of potatoes we now have."

"Unripe fruit and vegetables have an exterior coating which is porous
and pervious to water when it is unripe. But when it fully ripens this
coating is chemically changed into a thin, impervious coating of a
cork-like structure, through which water cannot pass, and as a result
potatoes, and fruit, will keep through an entire winter and become
mellower and better as time goes on."

The colony was dependent for its supply of eggs on the numerous flocks
of prairie chickens which were found in the abounding fields of grain,
particularly barley. It was no trick to bag a half dozen of these birds
at a shot, on account of their numbers, and, as before related, while
Angel never ate any of them, he was the most persistent gatherer because
the beautiful oval eggs attracted him, and George's cakes always
appealed to his fancy.

The difficulty with Angel was he did not discriminate between the good
and the bad eggs, and George was desirous of knowing how to distinguish
between the fresh and spoilt ones.

As usual, the Professor was appealed to and he gave a standard rule for
determining this: "As Angel brings in the eggs put them in a pail of
water, and select only those which fall to the bottom and rest on the
side. An egg several weeks old will remain at the bottom, but the large
end will be much higher than the small end. If it is several months old
the large end will be uppermost, with the small end pointing down; and
if it is thoroughly rotten it will float at the top of the water, with
the pointed side down."

"That is a very curious way of finding it out. I would like to know why
the egg acts in that manner?"

"After an egg is laid, a chemical change begins to take place, and more
or less gas is formed. This gas finds its way to the large end, and as
the decomposition increases the egg becomes lighter at the heavy end,
and finally enough gas is evolved to bring it to the surface."

[Illustration: _Fig. 15._ TESTING EGGS]

The most important work on hand was the construction of the addition to
their home. After considering the matter in all its details, it was
concluded to put up a building entirely separate from the other
structures, to contain four rooms, one of them to be large and utilized
as a common living room, and the others as sleeping apartments.

The material had been taken out for the building, and the Professor,
John, George and Ralph were engaged at this work, while Harry and Tom
were engaged in the machine shop and were busy in turning out the
barrels for new guns, as well as preparing the ammunition.

The tools in the machine shop were not numerous enough to advantageously
utilize more of them there, and the building was now very important to
them, as the four boys were compelled to sleep in the shop, for want of
room in the house.

The joist had all been laid for the lower floor and the studding now
being put up and the upper joist laid on preparatory to erecting the
rafters. John was an expert in building, and was really the directing
hand at the various steps in the operation. While engaged in the drawing
up of the rafters, one of the floor pieces gave way, and John was
precipitated to the floor below, striking as he fell one of the lower
joist, which cut a terrible gash in his head and rendered him
unconscious.

The Professor rushed over to the fallen man, and the boys were on the
spot to render assistance. Chief, who was also an interested worker, was
the first to grasp him with his powerful arms, and disdaining the
assistance of the others, carried him to the house and gently laid him
down, as the Professor directed.

Without a word he rushed for the jar of water and brought it to the
Professor, who bathed his wounds, but the blow was so severe that he
exhibited no signs of returning consciousness.

Harry and Tom rushed over to the house in consternation, and exhibited
the greatest grief.

"Do you think he has been badly hurt? Do you think it is fatal?"

"It is still too early to determine that. See this wound? It was a
terrible blow. As it is, directly above the ear, it may not be as
serious as if he had been struck forward nearer the temples."

During the entire day John lay there, breathing with some degree of
regularity, but with a greatly accelerated pulse, and the Professor was
constantly watching this phase of the case.

There was little sleep that night. All were too anxious to retire. Chief
was on hand without a moment's intermission. George prepared the meals,
but the native never left the room even for the purpose of taking
refreshment, and it was really pathetic to see this exhibition of
sympathy, which was constantly alluded to by the Professor.

"The Chief has in him the making of a man. The surest indication of a
real human trait is just what he is showing. The lower man is the less
he cares for his fellows."

During the night the fever was close to the danger point, and the
Professor never left his side. As the day advanced the fever abated, and
his breathing became more normal. Before noon there was a marked change.
On the day of the accident, and during the night, John lay there
motionless, and, aside from his regular breathing and a few periods of
spasmodic twitchings, there was nothing to indicate that he was living.

But he now became restless, and occasionally opened his eyes, and all
stood intently watching him. All through this period his face was pale
and drawn, but a color began to come, and he turned his head from side
to side, and the intervals between the openings of the eyelids became
shorter. At first the eyes gave a glassy stare, but now at each
recurring stare the eyeballs would turn and search the room, and
although he would gaze in the faces of the watchers, the look did not
indicate recognition.

Suddenly he opened his eyes wide, and grasping the covers drew himself
forward and upward slowly, turning his head around from side to side.
The Professor held out his hand, as a warning not to disturb him. He sat
up and gazed first at one and then at the other.

What a wonderful difference was exhibited in the eye. It was bright and
lustrous, and every glance betokened a question. Not a word was spoken.
It was so tense that the boys appeared to be hypnotized. When he had
fully taken in his surrounding, he grasped the Professor's hand, and
said: "Where am I? Who are you?" Without another word he sank back on
the pillow exhausted, and the Professor leaned over him and quietly
said: "You are yourself again; and we are your friends."

"Friends; friends," he muttered to himself. "Yes; yes, I remember," and
his eyes closed, his limbs relaxed, and he passed off into a quiet
sleep.

The boys filed out of the room, and the Professor, with a smile, despite
the tears that fell, walked out without saying a word, nor did the boys
ask any more questions. The Chief never moved, but kept his eyes on
John, and he did not even heed Angel, who came down from the rafters
quietly, and passed out the door, and stood beside George, and leaned
his head against him, as the boys began to whisper to each other.

The boys had witnessed a scene which it falls to the lot of few to
experience. The awakening of the faculty of remembrance is one of the
greatest mysteries of human existence.

John slept for three hours, and there was no thought of work or play.
Barring the occasional visits of the Professor to see the patient, they
were together. It was one of the most remarkable events in their lives.

"Isn't it singular," asked George, "that he has never been able to talk
since he has been with us?"

"The medical term applied to the loss of that faculty is called aphasia.
The function of speech seems to have its seat in a portion of the left
side of the brain, and when that portion is diseased or injured, it
affects the speech in many ways. Sometimes the sufferer knows what he
wants to say, but cannot utter the word; at other times he will say the
wrong thing, knowing that he is doing so, but utterly unable to prevent
it; it also shows several other phases where the sentences become
disjointed, or meaningless, not due to lack of intelligence."

"Has no way been discovered whereby the diseased part can be cured?"

"Operations have been performed with remarkable results, but not with
uniform success. In some cases where the speech center is destroyed, a
new brain center has been developed, and the lost power of speech
recovered."

"I cannot understand Chief's intense interest in John," said Tom.

"That is a peculiar thing. The savage, no doubt, considers him demented,
and it is a singular thing that people of low intellectual order among
many people, believe the insane person is exalted, and are sometimes
treated as deities."

Before noon the patient began to move about uneasily, and soon
thereafter awoke. The moment his eyes opened he looked at the Professor,
who said: "You are so much better. Are you hungry?"

In anticipation of this event the Professor had asked the boys to
prepare some delicacies for him the moment he awoke.

As he had eaten nothing since the morning of the day before he replied
affirmatively, and after he had eaten and the wound in his head was
dressed, he began a series of questionings on every conceivable subject.

"We are on an island, and there are a number of tribes here, with
incessant tribal warfares between them, and it appears that the
principal occasion of the wars is due to the possession of the captives
which they take from the toll of the sea. I was one of several
unfortunates shipwrecked here over a year ago, during one of the worst
storms that I ever saw at sea."

"It was undoubtedly the one which we experienced, although we were the
occupants of a ship which had an explosion, and we were left adrift
when this storm was brewing. But I must advise you to remain quiet for
the day, until you regain your strength, and we can then tell our story,
and we shall be glad to learn yours."

It was a joy to all to know that John had recovered his memory, and
Harry was anxious to present the match box, to see whether it was his,
but the Professor advised against exciting him in the least until the
following day.

The Professor had not even asked his name, as he wished all to be
present when the revelations were made. During the most of the day John
slept. It appeared as though nature had exhausted herself in bringing
about the cure. The wound, however, was a most serious one, and the
Professor knew that the utmost care must be taken with a fractured
skull, to prevent the setting in of complications which might
injuriously affect the brain.

"Do not feel any alarm about him now," was the Professor's injunction;
"he is not at this time in a serious condition, and I believe his
remarkable constitution will pull him through without any further
trouble. In the meantime, let us proceed with our work, and give him
ample time to recover without any sort of harassment."

All returned to their duties with more cheerful hearts. It seemed as
though something had been lifted from their minds. The second day after
the event following the restoration of his reason, John would not be
left in quiet any longer.

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