The Wonder Island Boys: Exploring the Island

R >> Roger Thompson Finlay >> The Wonder Island Boys: Exploring the Island

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

"Well, it does seem to be an awful distance over to the river. Are you
sure we aren't mixed up in the direction?"

"Of course not. The mountains are right behind us, and the shadow at our
right. You can't fool me the second time," answered Harry, as he shifted
the pole to the other shoulder.

While thus talking they caught the first glimpse of the river, and it
was hailed with delight.

"Whenever I get near the old river it feels like home. My! how I would
like to put in several days in a further hunt over toward the mountains.
I am sure we would turn up something there."

They reached the river a considerable distance above the falls, and
without stopping to rest, went down along the bank for a full hour
before they came within hearing of the rushing water.

They sat down on the craggy rocks alongside of the stream and took a
good rest. "This will be interesting news for the Professor," said
George, musingly, as he watched the rushing stream.

"Indeed, it will. I should not be surprised to find that the natives are
directly south of us, or rather west of the mountains."

"That may account for the fact that they have never been near our part
of the island."

When they took up the load to resume the journey, it was still heavier,
apparently, than before, and they were now so thoroughly tired that
frequent stops were made, but in another hour they had the satisfaction
of seeing the large trees that had been singled out for their guidance.

It was a great relief to deposit the load on the raft, and it did not
take long to swing the raft under the wagon and start the yaks on the
homeward journey. The Cataract came in sight before six in the evening,
and the Professor was on hand to welcome them.

"Did you have a good time?" he inquired; but as he looked over the
tailboard and saw the fruit of the hunt, exclaimed: "You must have
gotten everything over there."

"Yes, and something else besides that," said Harry in such a tone that
the Professor anxiously asked:

"What; have you made any discoveries?"

"Look at that," replied George, as he carefully drew out the discolored
paper with the writing on it. "We not only found this, but we discovered
some huts--two of them, fully six miles or more southwest of the falls."

The Professor's eyes opened wide. "This is, indeed, interesting. But
never mind about telling me now. Let us get the team unhitched and
examine this when we get inside. I had a suspicion that the other side
of the river would give us some clue."

While Harry and the Professor were putting up the team George prepared
several of the pheasants for the evening meal, and they were soon in the
oven. By common consent the meal was of more importance than the new
finds, and when the dishes were removed the paper was carefully
examined.

"If I knew just what was used for the writing, I might suggest something
that would bring it out more clearly. It is evident that the writer did
not use ink."

"Why do you think so?"

"Simply for the reason that this name, Rogers, which is the most plainly
written, has the words only on the surface of the paper. If ink had been
used it would have penetrated the fiber, and the writing would thus have
been preserved."

"Where did you find the paper?"

"It was among a mass of rubbish, which, on account of the poor light,
was raked out to a point nearer the door, so we could examine the
material better, and I don't know whether it was with the pile of bones
or with the stuff on the other side."

"Was the grass about the hut as high as the grass round about the
place?"

"It seemed to be. We made a pretty careful examination all over, so as
to give us a fair idea of the condition of things."

"How far was the spring from the hut?"

"Less than a hundred feet."

"By the way," remarked Harry, "we forgot to say that close to the small
hut we found some vegetables growing in several rows, and weeds all over
the place and between the vegetables."

"Do you think," asked George, "that the vegetable garden is any sign
that white people have been living there?"

"It may be; but the lowest savages have usually some form of knowledge
about raising and caring for vegetables, so we should not count too much
on that. This cup here seems to indicate the presence of some civilized
being, whoever he may be."

"It is just as likely, is it not, that the savages may have captured a
prisoner who had the cup?"

"That is one solution. This writing is the most important piece of
information we have had up to this time. It is not at all likely that
the natives would preserve it, so that the only conclusion I can draw
from it is, that the one who wrote the message, or the one who got the
paper, was at the hut, and now the important thing is to arrive at some
sort of idea _when_, and what the message means."

"It does not seem," remarked Harry, as he carefully scanned the paper,
"that we can make out more than a few of the words. Here is the word
which looks like 'river.' Yes; I am sure of that."

"And besides that the words 'of' and a capital letter 'B,' and something
that looks like 'r-e-n,' which may be simply part of a word," added
George.

"As this is simply ordinary wrapping paper, it is likely that it may
have no meaning whatever. Still, I have been trying to recall whether
anyone on shipboard had a name that these initials would fit. My limited
knowledge in that direction does not help me, I confess."

"What do you suppose the cup is made of?"

"That is undoubtedly silver, or some alloy of metals of which silver is
the principal part. It is very hard, as you notice. It is certainly a
singular thing that a vessel of this kind should be left at the springs,
if the owner of it was there, and it is just as remarkable that the
natives would permit it to remain there. I now regard the finding of the
cup as of far more importance than the paper, because of these
considerations."

"Well, the finding of the huts, and these articles, are pretty strong
arguments in favor of our purpose to find the people who owned the
things we found there," responded Harry.

"But I have also a little news to impart," said the Professor.

"What is it?" asked the boys in concert.

"I have found a companion to the skeleton we discovered on the beach,
and also some information about the inhabitants of the island."

"Tell us about it. Where did you come across it?"

"It isn't much of a story, but an hour or so after you left, I felt like
taking a little stroll, so I crossed the valley east of us, and skirted
the incline beyond, going toward the cliffs fronting the sea. Ever since
we found the skeleton I felt that, unless washed out to sea, there might
be some other traces of the wreck.

"I was quite unprepared to make any searches along the hillside, except
for evidences of minerals, and particularly to note the peculiar
outcropping of the rock on this side of the ridge which terminates at
Observation Hill.

"The backbone of the ridge is limestone, and after I had reached a
certain level I noted, all along, that the rock had remarkably wide
cleavages; that is where there had been breaks in the rock the seams
opened, and in some places I found recesses fully six feet wide, and
thus caverns, sometimes thirty or forty feet in length, would be formed.

"I explored some of them in the hope that it would lead me to a cave of
some extent, but in this I was disappointed. Such may be the case, but I
have not discovered anything which leads me to believe that there are
other caves than the one we explored.

"I entered one of those, which was a long way this side of Observation
point, and there, on a rude sort of improvised wooden cot, was a
skeleton. I found a half dozen arrows, lying near, but neither a bow nor
any other kind of weapon was anywhere in sight.

"The skeleton showed that it was the remains of a tall man, past middle
age, undoubtedly, and there was no evidence that he came to his death by
any wound which effected a fracture of any of his bones. The cot on
which the skeleton reposed was made of pieces of wood, in a complete
state of decay, and there was not a vestige of clothing, jewelry or
pocket articles at or near the bones.

"I found two of the arrows near one hand, and the others lying about.
Here they are. Handle them carefully, as they are decayed, and will
readily fall to pieces, unless you use the utmost care. That is my
story. I hunted all about the vicinity, hoping that I might find some
additional clues, but I was disappointed."

"Do you think he had any connection with the skeleton we found on
shore?"

"No; it does not seem likely. My reason for saying so is, that it would
take several years for wood to decay, as you see in the case of these
arrows, and the cot had the heaviest portions all rotted. In my opinion
this skeleton shows greater age."

"Under conditions of that kind, what sort of story could you weave out
of it, so as to determine what happened to him?"

"It is decidedly more interesting than our adventure, and about as
difficult to gather any information from," answered Harry.

"In my opinion, the man died from starvation, as you say he had no tools
or implements of any kind," replied George.

"That may be; but it appears entirely different to me. The man was,
undoubtedly, cast ashore, or was shipwrecked. We have evidence that this
island is noted for taking in people that way. He may or he may not have
had clothing, but in either event, he could not starve in a place like
this, with vegetation around him everywhere and at all seasons of the
year.

"I am picturing this condition of affairs in my mind: He was, no doubt,
out in quest of food, when he was attacked by the natives and escaped
from them. He was wounded by them, and when he reached his shelter,
removed the arrows, as I found them near his bones. It is probable that
his wounds proved fatal shortly after he reached the cave."

"But how do you account for the cot on which he was lying?"

"It would be the most natural thing for him to find a place to shelter
himself. That would be the first thing to do; just as he had a place to
retreat to, and was fortunate enough to elude his pursuers, who were not
aware of the hiding place."

"That seems reasonable," remarked George. "But it seems to point one way
sure; that we have a pretty tough lot of people on the island to deal
with, and satisfies me that we are going about it the right way, in
making the proper preparations for the time when we must meet them."

CHAPTER XVIII

STRANGE DISCOVERY OF A COMPANION LIFEBOAT

The greatest activity was now manifested in every direction. The
Professor was here, there and everywhere, taking part in every sort of
labor which the different work required. Part of the time he was in the
meadow where George was engaged in plowing up an acre of ground for the
garden.

It must not be concluded for one moment, that the scheme of eventually
leaving the island had been forgotten and that their preparation for
planting crops foreboded an indefinite stay.

It will be recalled that the Professor knew what idleness and an
unoccupied mind would do to the boys in their situation. He tried in
many insidious ways to stimulate the boys to think out and carry forward
original work, and in almost every instance he succeeded in doing this
in such a way that the boys themselves suggested the work to be done.

Harry was the builder, and the utilizer of the knowledge gained, and
George was content at the arrangement which kept him in the workshop
with the tools, while he gladly did the most of the outdoor duties.

For two weeks the boys worked without a thought of relaxation, and on
this occasion, as on many others, it was incumbent on the Professor to
suggest a day of sport. It was the only direction in which he at any
time tried to wield the energies of the boys, and from this you may
infer how intensely they were interested in the marvelous developments
day by day, of which they were the important factors.

"Well," said Harry, "I must confess that I had entirely forgotten our
arrangement to devote a day each week to hunting and explorations, and I
didn't miss it."

"Nor did I," was George's reply: "I suppose we shall have to go, as I
imagine the Professor wants to have some sport," and he laughed at the
sly dig which he had given him.

The Professor smiled. "You are right, George, old as I am, I am in for
sport, and fun of any kind. Why, I am just as young as you are in
feeling and desires, but the difficulty is that getting old is a habit
with many people. It gets on their nerves; they get some reminder of old
age every day of their lives, and sometimes hourly during the day. When
this goes on for three, four, five or ten years, it is too much for the
most of humanity. It is taken as an accepted fact that old age means
infirmity, and the break comes, not really because the body is weak and
worn out, but because the mental state has contributed too much to the
idea that they are no longer young and cannot be youthful, and are
getting too old to enjoy things that others delight in."

The all-absorbing topic at the evening conference was to determine where
the hunting exploits should next take place; whether to the west, where
they had witnessed the fight between the bears for the honey tree, or to
the other side of the South River, which they called their hunting
preserves.

Heretofore, George had been anxious to do all the hunting along the
river, but now he kept suggesting the forest to the west, and it
eventually turned out that the real reason was on account of the supply
of honey giving out; and he had an idea that, as they had not seen any
trees with honey indications anywhere else in their wanderings, that
would be the proper place to go.

His views prevailed, but it was a two-days' journey, there and back.
That was the only objection; and considering that they had not taken a
vacation for two weeks, this was not an extraordinary thing to do,
notwithstanding the urgent work which they had started on the boat and
in the agricultural line.

The next morning the yaks were yoked, the wagons supplied with their
usual camping equipment, tools, weapons, provisions and the like, and a
start was made before ten o'clock.

By agreement a course was marked out farther south than was taken on
their previous trips, because they had never explored the country
immediately north of the South River, except beyond the falls, and it
was their aim to learn every foot of the territory.

On their way they passed the mysterious hole where George had his
experience, and the route was also close to the spot where Harry found
him when he was lost. Both places were again visited, so that samples of
rock might be taken from one of the places, and the Professor hoped the
clay bed on the small creek might indicate the proximity of other metals
than they had been able to find previously.

Late that evening they reached the edge of the main forest, and a camp
made for the night. Red Angel was with them. He was as happy at the
sight of the forest as an orang well could be. It was his delight to
exhibit his skill as a climber on these occasions, and where the woods
were dense he would spring from limb to limb with surprising agility.

During the night, as on several previous trips, Angel exhibited his
nervousness, which was attributed to the presence of some animal that
alarmed him, but otherwise nothing disturbed the camp.

"How far do you think we are from the falls?" asked Harry.

The Professor made a mental calculation as he replied: "We cannot be far
east of it; possibly five or ten miles at most, and it is very likely
several miles south. Since you suggest it, we might deviate from our
route and take it in, as to do so will not take up more than two hours
of our time. It interests me because I have not examined the place from
which our boat was taken. That is one of the mysteries I am most
interested in."

George was anxious to get a solution of that singular occurrence and
jumped at the opportunity to go there. A southwesterly course was at
once marked out, and after traveling about three hours George's alert
ear caught a sound, as he was at that time leading the advance. Running
back he called out: "Do you hear that peculiar sound?"

The wagon stopped. In the stillness around them they could hear a faint
murmuring sound.

"Do you know what that is?" The boys looked at each other. "I think,"
continued the Professor, "that must be the falls."

"Then why not turn to the left and go directly to the river?"

They did so, and within fifteen minutes the river was in sight. A
further trip of ten minutes brought them to the foot of the falls, where
the boat had been deposited nearly five months before and which had so
mysteriously disappeared, only to be recovered by them and again lost by
accident, as detailed.

A search along the river bank failed to reveal any trace of the tree
overhanging the stream, where the oars had been placed, and instead the
river washed out a small bay. All along the banks were evidences of
washouts which piled up driftwood every place along the shore where
there was a root or snag which would hold the accumulations. The
Professor wandered down the stream, pulling out and examining pieces of
the limbs, to find, if possible, whether there were any evidences of the
drift having been cut by human agencies.

So far as could be seen, the limbs had all been broken, not cut, and
this was a relief, in a sense. The South River drained a large part of
the island, and it might rightly be inferred that the driftwood in a
stream of this kind, if it flowed through a region inhabited by man,
would show some signs which they might interpret.

As they were returning George pointed across the river at a peculiarly
shaped log, or what appeared to be portion of a large tree. The river at
this point was about seventy-five feet wide. The Professor was silent
for some time. "My eyesight is not of the best, but it does not look to
me like a tree."

"I can easily swim the stream," and Harry had his clothing off in short
order, and plunged in. Gaining the other side, he drew himself up, and
without touching a thing in and about the debris, called out excitedly:
"It is a boat, something like our life-boat! Yes; it is exactly like our
boat!"

"Can you dislodge it? If not, I'll come over."

"Never mind, I can manage it, I think."

The interior of the boat was filled with accumulated material of all
sorts, principally leaves and bark, and when it had been lightened of
all that weight Harry put his shoulder against the stern, and soon
succeeded in dislodging it from its seat against the tree which held it
a prisoner.

Just before he had it in a position to launch the Professor called out:
"Don't put it in the water until you have found something which will
serve as a paddle." The stream at this point, being less than a half
mile below the falls, had a fairly good current, so that without an oar
of some kind he would not be able readily to get it across.

"I can't find any signs of oars, so I will take a piece of this wood."

He ferried it across, and landed a hundred feet below. As he neared the
shore George sprang toward it excitedly, and cried out: "Look at that!
See the name, 'Investigator'!"

Harry stopped rowing, and bent over the side of the craft; there,
plainly, near the stern, was the word "Investigator" followed by the
letter "L." The space beyond the letter L was broken, and if anything
else had originally been in that space it had been brushed off by
contact with some outside object.

This was, undoubtedly, one of the companion lifeboats of their ill-fated
ship.

"How do you suppose this boat ever got here?"

"It undoubtedly came over the falls, and if so, it must have come from
the interior of the island. My only solution is, that our companions in
this boat were also, like us, cast ashore, or, at any rate, the boat
itself was, and if they reached land safely probably used this boat on
the river."

"Isn't it singular that this boat has been treated just as our boat was,
since they removed the lockers? Why should they do that?"

"The interesting thing to me is," answered the Professor, "why the boat
was lost by them, if it ever was in the possession of our friends on the
island?"

"Possibly the natives may have captured or killed them."

"That is a plausible explanation, but there may be a reason which is
entirely different from anything which now occurs to us. I believe a
search of the island will show that we are not the only white people
living here, and that the loss of the boat indicates that they are not
on friendly terms with the natives."

All thoughts of hunting were now dissipated. It did not interest them in
the least.

They sat down and debated the discovery. Undoubtedly, it had drifted
down South River and gone over the falls, as the indented sides and
bottom of the boat plainly showed. How far had the river carried it
before the falls were reached? It was a matter of regret now that they
had passed up the river before the animal trail in their path had caused
them to leave it, instead of trying to discover its source.

Something must be done. Their companions must be in peril. That was a
situation hinted at by the Professor. They had a duty to perform, if
such should turn out to be the case. With many misgivings they decided
that they must follow up the stream, cost what it might. No provision
had been made for a lengthy trip, but, fortunately, they had plenty of
ammunition, and as to food, they could supplement what they had by
forage along the way, as they had often done before.

"What shall we do with the boat?"

"Let us find a place for it far enough from the shore to be beyond reach
of the river, and hide it, so there will be no further danger of its
disappearance."

"We are so used to have things get away from us that it has become a
habit," said Harry, laughing.

While they were engaged in the task of drawing the boat up, Red Angel
appeared, excitedly chattering and endeavoring to attract their
attention, and frequently running back in the direction of the wagon.

"What is the matter with him? I never saw him with such antics before."
George, who had the greatest control over him, ran up and tried to catch
him, but the little fellow avoided capture, and whenever George would
get near he would spring toward the wagon, keeping up his excited
gesticulations all the while.

The Professor now ran forward without another word, and Harry stood
there wondering what had happened, or was about to happen. As he ran
past George, who was still trying to get Angel, the Professor merely
said: "He is trying to get you to go to the wagon."

The boys understood, and both started on a run. Harry was the first to
get there. The team had disappeared!

Their further adventures on the island are related in the next book,
entitled "The Mysteries of the Caverns."

* * * * *

GLOSSARY OF WORDS USED IN TEXT

Absorb. To take into; or to take up into itself.

Accomplishment. Fulfillment; completion; perfection.

Accumulation. Adding to; to bring together.

Acquired. To take; the act of getting anything.

Activities. Exertion of energy; action.

Adjacent. Close to; near the object referred to.

Affinity. Any natural feeling, drawing, liking, inclination,
or affection for another.

Agility. Quick; sprightly.

Agitated. Excited; much perturbed.

Albumen. The chief substance in an egg. The nutritive
material within a seed.

Alkali. Any substance that will neutralize an acid.

Allegiance. An obligation of fidelity that an individual owes.

Allied. Attached to; bound to; an arrangement with.

Allusion. Referred to; to speak of.

Alternative. First one and then the other, and so on.

Altitude. The height; the top; the high part.

Ammonia. A colorless, pungent, suffocating gas, found in
small quantities in the air and in mineral waters.

Analyzed. To separate; to find the principal parts of
anything.

Anticipated. Looking forward to the future; to expect; to
forecast.

Antics. Grotesque; ridiculous, fantastic action, prank or
caper.

Appendage. Belonging to; to hang or attach to.

Approximating. Close to; in the neighborhood of.

Aquatic. Pertaining to water; as a water (aquatic) animal.

Arbitrary. Stubborn; determination to do, whether right or
wrong.

Astringent. Having, as a sour fruit or acid, the power to
contract or draw together.

Atmosphere. The air we breathe; composed of four parts of
nitrogen and one part of oxygen, principally.

Attributed. Belonging to; to assign; refer, as an effect to a
cause.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13