The Wonder Island Boys: Exploring the Island

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"Get the guns, Harry; get the guns," and this was a sufficient reminder
that neither of them had a weapon.

Harry bounded over to the house, and within a minute was back with them.
In the meantime, where was George? He did not need to be told that he
must run for his life, and was wise enough to seek the security among
the cows, but he could not foresee a stampede. It was fortunate that the
big bull was behind the herd when the stampede began, and it was lucky
that there was plenty of room for the animals, or he surely would have
been trampled to death. Naturally, the noise of the rushing animals
drowned the roar of the fighting bulls, but the stampeded yaks gradually
checked themselves, and George was the most surprised individual
imaginable when he found the bull was not behind them.

And now another curious thing happened. They had run fully a quarter of
a mile, and when the running stopped, the yaks leisurely turned around
and slowly walked back. The movement seemed to be a concerted one.
George accompanied them. He didn't know what else to do.

When Apollo and the bull locked horns, after the latter had again gained
his feet, his tremendous bulk pushed Apollo back, at the first onset;
but they noticed a peculiar tactic on the part of Apollo. The latter at
each forward plunge twisted his head, first to the right, and then to
the left, as though he was boring his way in. This was an astonishing
thing to the stranger. This was done by Apollo over and over again, and
now, every time they met, and the twisting motion was repeated, his
enemy would be thrown back on his haunches.

For a period of twenty minutes the combat continued. Back and forth they
ranged. Harry, although intensely excited, wanted to give the bull a
shot, but the Professor restrained him. He felt that the youth of Apollo
was enough to overbalance the strength of his enemy.

"No, Harry, when they get through with this battle the big fellow will
not cause us any more trouble, and we need him."

The herd of cows came up and remained standing at a respectable
distance. They seemed instinctively to know that the question of
kingship was being decided. It was entirely immaterial to them who won.
George did not wait with the herd. He saw the combat, and beyond the
Professor and Harry.

"Well, you did kick up a fuss, didn't you?" said Harry.

"Apollo's got him; he'll lick him sure. See that lunge? My, what a
shaking he gave him that time!" George was a dancing Dervish by this
time. Then noticing the guns for the first time, seized one of them.
"I'll finish him."

"No, no, George," was Harry's reply, as he grasped the gun. "The
Professor is right; Apollo will finish him."

There was now no question of the fighting ability of Apollo, and of his
youth and vigor, and he knew it. His antagonist did not rush any more.
Apollo did that; the bull's main business now was to keep out of
Apollo's way.

He had been whipped, and he knew it. He turned and fled. Did he go
toward the cows? Not at all; but in the opposite direction. Instinct
told him that if he had gone toward the cows it would have meant another
fight. To leave them was the bovine manner of saying, "Well, then, take
them."

The big bull did not go far. His head hung low, and the heaving flanks
showed he was tired. But Apollo's head was high in the air. Dejection on
one side and absolute mastery on the other were as plainly exhibited in
the manners of the animals as though it had been written out and
proclaimed.

"What will he do if I go up to him now?"

"The fight is all out of him."

This was true. He exhibited no alarm when they approached, and when they
walked around to get a view of his other side, the mark plainly showed
the following brand: "M--V."

"That is undoubtedly the brand of some person who captured the animal
when young."

"How old do you suppose he is?"

"It is difficult to fix his age with any certainty, but I do not think
he is over ten."

"What do you suppose the brand means!"

"It is some arbitrary term, the initials of a person, or it may be
intended to designate something. Branding is a very common way of
marking cattle, so as to indicate ownership; nearly all savage tribes
have a habit of branding, or tattooing; and sailors also. Various
civilized countries in the past have branded criminals as a means of
identifying them."

[Illustration: _Fig. 22. The Mysterious Brand on the Yak._]

They now had an opportunity of taking an inventory of their stock. The
original herd comprised Apollo, six cows and four calves, or half-grown
cattle. The new acquisition brought the count up to twenty-six cows and
twenty young animals. The vanquished bull was very meek from that time
forward, and the surprising thing was that Apollo was thereafter the
same quiet, unobtrusive animal he had been before.

But there was work to do in the factory. Harry was now engaged in
building an iron lathe for their further work. A drilling machine was
his next tool, and as the weeks passed the boys devoted much of their
time to making such articles of machinery as could be used
advantageously to turn out the simple products which future needs might
demand.

The leather vats were examined and the skins found in excellent
condition. These were then taken out, and grease and oil worked into
them until they were pliable. The thick parts of the hides had been
previously cut out, so that they could be used for the soles of
contemplated boots and shoes, which they soon hoped to turn out.

Every morning the yaks would leave the enclosure and start out on trips
to the feeding grounds, and sometimes Harry or George would follow them
and hunt for game. On one occasion, while Harry was on the opposite
hill, George saw the flash of Harry's gun, and almost immediately
thereafter heard the report. This was the first time the difference
between the flash and the noise attracted his attention.

"Will you tell me why I saw Harry's fire before the sound reached me?"

"Did you say 'sound' or 'noise'?"

George looked at the Professor quizzically. "Is there any difference
between sound and noise?"

"Technically, there is a difference, although in common practice one
word is used for the other without discriminating. Sound means a
succession of vibrations produced in their regular order, like music,
whereas noise is a disorganized vibration. For instance, falling water,
like our cataract here, is sound, but the report of George's gun was a
noise."

"I can see the difference. Would a wagon going rapidly over a pavement
be a noise or a sound?"

"It would be a noise if the pavement should be irregular, but if the
pavement is regular and the vibrations or beats are uniform, it is then
called a sound. But you wanted to know why you saw the shot before you
heard it. Simply because sound does not travel as fast as light. Sound
moves 1,040 feet in a second, and light over 186,000 miles a second,
which is about 850,000 times faster than sound."

"Do soft and light sounds travel at the same speed?"

"Theoretically, yes; but numerous experiments have been made, and many
of them go to show that a loud noise really travels faster than a soft
noise."

[Illustration: _Fig. 23. MEASURING SOUND PITCH_]

"What is the cause of that?"

"It is attributed to the belief that a loud noise causes greater wave
motions, although the sound waves may be the same lengths in both cases.
Or, it might be said that loud noises have greater strength."

"When we were going to New York in the cars, a train was coming toward
us, and the engineer on that train blew his whistle when he was off
quite a distance, and kept it up until long after he had passed us. I
noticed that when the whistle started the sound had a very low pitch,
which kept increasing to a higher and higher pitch until the train
passed; what was the cause of that?"

"As the sound waves are uniform movements, and are at regular intervals,
the vibratory action of the whistle, in case the trains were at rest,
would all be the same distance apart; but as the two trains were coming
together two things happened. At each moment your ear came nearer the
whistle, and the distance through which the sound had to travel
decreased. This made increasingly shorter waves, and not long, regular
waves, as when at rest. Short waves make a high pitch, and long waves
low pitch. After you passed the train the waves began to get longer, but
they increased in length more rapidly than when you were approaching
each other, so that if the whistle kept on blowing the waves would
finally get to be so long and so far below their original pitch that the
sound would cease.

"A little sketch will show this. (Figure 23.) The line A is the pitch of
the whistle; B its pitch when you first heard it; C shows the point
where you passed the whistle, and D shows how low the pitch was when it
died away."

CHAPTER IX

EXCITING EXPERIENCES WITH THE BOATS

During the nine months' life on the island all had the best of health.
The Professor grew strong, and he declared that his constitution was
more robust than it had been for years. They lived in the open much of
the time; their fare was plain and mostly devoid of sweets; the store of
honey which had been several times replenished, was the stock article in
the absence of sugar.

It was, therefore, a matter of surprise that Harry should complain of
having a tired and uncomfortable feeling, and would frequently lie down
during the day while in the workshop. The Professor was always at his
side during these periods, and while he had no instruments to enable him
to determine whether there was a high fever present, the flushed face of
his patient showed unmistakable symptoms.

"Do you think he has a very severe fever?" was George's inquiry, as the
Professor left Harry.

"It seems so, and in order to determine whether there is any change we
must at once set to work making a thermometer."

"We have neither mercury nor glass, and even if we had, how can we make
a tube for it?"

"That being the case, we must make a substitute for both."

"But we must have something which will expand."

"We can use iron for that. Get a piece of small steel bar, say two
inches long, and bend it in the form of a C. In the meantime I will make
a base to hold the thermometer."

"For your guidance I make a drawing (Figure 24), in which A is the base,
about five inches long, three inches at its widest end, and an inch wide
at the narrow end. This should be made of a thin piece of hard wood.
Bore a small hole in each end of the C-shaped piece. The next thing is
to make a pointer (B) nearly as long as the base, pointed at one end,
and provided with two holes at the other. The pointer is attached to the
base by a pin (D). One end of the C-shaped piece of metal is then hinged
to the other hole (E), and the other end of the C-shaped piece is
hinged, as at F, to the base. You will now see that if the ends of the
C-shaped piece spread apart the least bit the long end of the pointer
will swing over to the other side of the base."

[Illustration: _Fig. 24. THERMOMETER_]

"Do you intend to make the thermometer show the exact degrees of heat we
really have?"

"Yes; as nearly as possible."

"Why can't we make it exact!"

"For the reason that to make what is called the Fahrenheit scale we
should have freezing weather. The scale adopted by Fahrenheit was an
arbitrary one. He determined it in this way: The temperature of his body
was taken as one point in the scale. For zero he took the lowest
temperature observed by him in the year 1709. As the temperature of his
body was 86 he made a scale with 86 degrees on it, and then when he
observed ice melting in water he put his thermometer in and found it
registered at 32 degrees. It was not a very scientific way of doing it,
but it answered the purpose, as, of course, temperature is merely a
relative thing."

"But isn't there another scale to measure heat by?"

"The Centigrade method is on a more scientific basis. It is determined
by taking the freezing and the boiling points of water, and dividing the
scale into 100 degrees between those points."

It required the work of several hours to make the device as here shown,
so that the tension of the C-shaped piece would hold the point to one
side. The temperature of the atmosphere was about 65, as nearly as the
Professor could judge, but when the C-shaped piece was held in the palm
of the hand, the pointer moved to the lower edge of the base piece, and
a mark of 80 was put there as the starting point. As they had no
immediate use for a scale beyond 110 degrees, the end of the base was
marked off, as you see in regular divisions.

The C-shaped piece was put under the tongue or in the armpit, so that
the temperature of Harry could be determined, and it registered 102
degrees. It might be that Harry's temperature was really much higher, as
the thermometer, for the reasons stated, was not accurate.

"I wish you would test the thermometer, George, so we can pretty well
determine, within a range of two or three degrees, how nearly right we
are."

George's temperature was found to register 98, whereas the Professor's
was only 90. He explained that the temperature of youth is normally
greater than old age, but it was remarkably close to the average normal
temperature of two healthy persons.

"The advantage of the instrument now is to enable us to ascertain
whether Harry's temperature will increase or decrease."

"Is there no other way in which we can find out about a fever?"

"When the fever comes on the pulse is usually quickened, as well as the
breathing; the bowels are apt to be constipated; and thirst, loss of
appetite, headache, and vague pains are felt. When the temperature goes
beyond 105 it is very dangerous, and it is for this reason that
physicians want to know the temperature."

"I am anxious to know why that C-shaped piece should try to straighten
itself out when heat is applied to it?"

"When you bent the metal piece of which it is made you crowded the metal
on the inside of the piece together, and also stretched the metal on the
outside of the bend. As the application of heat expands the metal, the
contracted particles of the metal on the inside of the piece pushed
against each other with greater force than those on the outside, and the
bar tried to straighten itself out again."

"I have noticed that if a hose is coiled up and water is forced through
under pressure it will straighten out the hose. Is that also the case
with the hose?"

"To a certain extent only. Another principle comes into play in that
case. Water under pressure acts as a solid, and has a tendency to move
along the shortest route or in the most direct way. If, therefore, there
is a crook in the pipe the water tries to straighten it out. Steam
gauges are made of flattened spirally coiled tubes. One end of the tube
is open and the other has an inlet for the steam. The dial finger has a
connection with the moving end, and by that means pressure is
indicated."

The next morning Harry's temperature was fully one degree higher than
the previous day, and the Professor advised that it would be necessary
to administer some fever medicine.

"Last week you found several samples of the gentian flower. It is a
first-class fever medicine and tonic. Do you think you could distinguish
it by its large blue-colored, fringed flowers?"

"I know what you mean; it has one central stalk, with big leaves at the
bottom which gradually grow smaller, and in which the stem seems to go
up through the flowers."

"That describes it exactly. Get some of the roots, and peel them, then
scrape a quantity, so we can give some to Harry."

This is a simple remedy, in the absence of regular fever medicines which
were not available to them.

To their great relief the fever abated before morning, and by
persistently taking the gentian tonic Harry was soon well again.

This little experience was sufficient notice that in health at least
some preparation should be made for illness, which is sure to come to
all at most unexpected times. It had also a stimulating effect in more
pointedly directing the attention of the boys to the wonders of the
vegetable world.

It was now the latter part of June, and the weather was not at all cold.
Plenty of rain had fallen, and the Cataract stream had risen so high
that their water wheel had been out of commission for several weeks, and
Harry's illness or indisposition had somewhat retarded the work in the
factory.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea to look up that animal over in the cave?"
was George's first suggestion, one morning, shortly after Harry's
recovery. "We might put in a little time there, and then go down around
the bay on a little tour."

This was agreeable to all, and then George remembered the want of the
candles. Zinc had been turned out, as previously told, but no steps had
been taken toward making a battery which would be the starting point for
an electric lighting system, as Harry and George both hoped for.

"It seems to me," said Harry, "that we ought to explore the coast line
to the southeast of us, as we have never been in that direction, and
then work our way around to the cliff cave."

Without further words the yaks were yoked up, and taking a hearty
luncheon they were off for the east coast, where the bay indented the
land. The coast was reached within two hours, a great deal of the time
en route being spent in gathering samples of plants, flowers, and fruit,
of which some species of trees were filled.

To the right of the place where they struck the sea was a cape which ran
out into the sea for fully a quarter of a mile, and to the south of this
was the mouth of the South River. As they had definitely planned to go
north along the coast line to the cliff rocks, the explorations to the
south must be reserved for some future day.

The sea front showed delightful stretches of beach, but at intervals
small trees and bushes grew close to the ocean on the elevated spurs
which broke up the otherwise smooth beach line.

The clam, as a source of food supply, had practically been neglected,
because it was quite a distance from the Cataract home to the beach, and
principally for the reason that other foods were so plentiful. Harry
wanted some clams, and with one of their bags the beach was scoured for
fully a mile, until he gathered a staggering load.

As he reached one of the little knolls which broke off abruptly close to
the sea, Harry dropped the bag and ran to the brush. The Professor
looked on in wonder. When Harry disappeared in the bush George and the
Professor both hurried forward. Harry reappeared in an instant.

"What do you think I have found?"

"Another cave?" queried George, without stopping.

"No; our boat."

There, perched less than five feet above the level of the ocean, was the
boat which they had left at the foot of the falls in the South River,
fully three months before. One of the puzzling mysteries was solved.

It was some labor to dislodge the boat from its position between the
cleft branches of shrubbery which also held other debris, and
furthermore the boat was full of all sorts of rubbish. This was
laboriously removed.

"You will remember I stated at the time of the disappearance the most
likely explanation would be that high water coming on suddenly would
wrench the boat from its fastenings, and----"

The Professor got no further; he suddenly stopped and glanced to the
forward end of the boat. "Who tied on that rope? It really does look as
though some one has used the boat. That is not one of the oars we made."

"But where are the lockers we had on the boat, in which we put our
provisions?"

"They have been removed by some one. This is a rope entirely unlike any
we have had, and it is a native, or rather, hand-made article."

"Well, we have struck a greater mystery now than when we lost the boat."

This discovery brought up several other questions which, as it now
appeared, might be linked together. The removal of the flag and
flagstaff; the "hole" in the hill; the fire in the forest; the branded
bull, all indicated that people had, at various times, visited the
island. But the finding of their boat, with the positive evidence
furnished by the oar and the rope, was conclusive, and what made it the
more interesting was the fact that the island must have had such a visit
within two, or at the most, not over three months ago.

Each was too busy to give much time for discussing the probabilities.
They had entirely forgotten the cave. It was, by common consent, agreed
that the boat must be taken home, and it was finally decided that the
boys should pilot it around the point, past the cliffs, and in that way
reach the mouth of the Cataract River, where it would always be
convenient for cruising purposes.

It was fortunate that the sea was calm when the boys pushed the boat
from the shore. It showed signs of leaking here and there, but the
Professor assured them that the water would close up the joints before
long. The Professor, himself, drove the team to the Cataract, and after
unyoking them, followed the course of the river down to its mouth, to
await the coming of the boys. He waited there until sundown, but the
boys did not appear.

Let us now follow the boys. Lashed in the boat were two oars, as
carefully secured as though tied only the day before. At the bow was the
rope which the Professor discovered, after he had noticed the one tied
around the oars. It will be remembered that the boat had been fitted
with a mast and a sail. Those had been removed, as well as the
crosspiece and the brace which held them in place. It was, therefore,
necessary to row the boat around the point. The distance, as calculated
by the Professor, was two miles or more to the cliffs, and fully a mile
from the extreme point of the cliff to the mouth of the river.

Shortly after they started on the journey a light wind sprang up, which,
however, did not seriously interfere with their progress, but it was
sufficient to induce them to take a course outside of the point, instead
of attempting to thread their way inshore between the rocks.

When abreast of the extreme point George's attention was directed toward
an object on the cliff.

"What is that up on the rocks?"

Harry stopped rowing, and looked in the direction of George's extended
arm. "It looks like a boat. Let us go in."

The boat was pointed to the shore, and drawn up, and in their eagerness,
each tried to gain the elevation first. A miscalculation was made, in
the attempt to reach the object, which was not visible from their
location, and they were compelled to thread their way down again and go
around the broken side of the cliff walls.

As they were about to ascend Harry called out: "Look at the boat,
George! Run quick, it is adrift!" The wind had quickened, and they
realized their carelessness in securing it at the landing place, and
before George, who was lower down, could reach the water's edge, it was
washed around the point of the rock, out of his reach.

Here was a dilemma. The boat lost, and no means to reach the mainland
without swimming. The place where they landed was less than five hundred
feet from the spot where they were cast ashore months before.
Innumerable large rocks, detached from each other, formed the immense
tier of sentinels for this part of the coast, and Harry's trip across,
when he had the benefit of the life-preserver, was an entirely different
thing from their present condition.

To add to the perplexity of the situation, George was not a good
swimmer, and he doubted his ability to make the trip across the channels
between the rocks which separated them from the mainland.

"Why not try to find the object we saw while we were out at sea?"

"Good idea. But I would like to know how we are going to get up?"

"Wasn't that a silly trick, to be so careless about our boat. What will
the Professor say?"

At last, after repeated trials, they found a way which led them up the
craggy sides, to the object they had seen.

"It is our life-boat," was Harry's excited cry. "That is, what is left
of it."

We have previously detailed how, when they struck the rock, on that
eventful day, months before, the boat had apparently been broken in two,
and they saw only the stern of the boat held within a saddle of the
rock; and how, at the next great wave, even that portion had
disappeared. Here was the battered and broken-up part that remained.

"Do you think this part would float?"

"I suppose it would, but how can we get it down?"

They sat down, not discouraged, but annoyed at their own stupidity and
carelessness. Night was approaching, and sitting down would not remedy
matters. It was low tide, and the waters had receded, so that the
wrecked boat was now fully twenty-five feet from the water. It was held
within a wedge in the rocks, tilted up, and it was too heavy for them to
lift. If they could possibly dislodge it, so as to push it over the
edge, it would probably be crushed to pieces in tumbling down.

Even such a calamity would be better than remaining there, and it was
decided to be the only course now available. Every vestige of the
locker, or seats, or other appendages of the boat were swept away. The
bare shell of the stern portion remained.

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