The Coral Island, Robert Michael Ballantyne [inspirational novels .TXT] 📗
- Author: Robert Michael Ballantyne
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beach hallooing like a madman with delight.
We afterwards found, however, that these lovely islands were very
unlike Paradise in many things. But more of this in its proper
place.
We had now come to the point of rocks on which the ship had struck,
but did not find a single article, although we searched carefully
among the coral rocks, which at this place jutted out so far as
nearly to join the reef that encircled the island. Just as we were
about to return, however, we saw something black floating in a
little cove that had escaped our observation. Running forward, we
drew it from the water, and found it to be a long thick leather
boot, such as fishermen at home wear; and a few paces farther on we
picked up its fellow. We at once recognised these as having
belonged to our captain, for he had worn them during the whole of
the storm, in order to guard his legs from the waves and spray that
constantly washed over our decks. My first thought on seeing them
was that our dear captain had been drowned; but Jack soon put my
mind more at rest on that point, by saying that if the captain had
been drowned with the boots on, he would certainly have been washed
ashore along with them, and that he had no doubt whatever he had
kicked them off while in the sea, that he might swim more easily.
Peterkin immediately put them on, but they were so large that, as
Jack said, they would have done for boots, trousers, and vest too.
I also tried them, but, although I was long enough in the legs for
them, they were much too large in the feet for me; so we handed
them to Jack, who was anxious to make me keep them, but as they
fitted his large limbs and feet as if they had been made for him, I
would not hear of it, so he consented at last to use them. I may
remark, however, that Jack did not use them often, as they were
extremely heavy.
It was beginning to grow dark when we returned to our encampment;
so we put off our visit to the top of a hill till next day, and
employed the light that yet remained to us in cutting down a
quantity of boughs and the broad leaves of a tree, of which none of
us knew the name. With these we erected a sort of rustic bower, in
which we meant to pass the night. There was no absolute necessity
for this, because the air of our island was so genial and balmy
that we could have slept quite well without any shelter; but we
were so little used to sleeping in the open air, that we did not
quite relish the idea of lying down without any covering over us:
besides, our bower would shelter us from the night dews or rain, if
any should happen to fall. Having strewed the floor with leaves
and dry grass, we bethought ourselves of supper.
But it now occurred to us, for the first time, that we had no means
of making a fire.
“Now, there’s a fix! - what shall we do?” said Peterkin, while we
both turned our eyes to Jack, to whom we always looked in our
difficulties. Jack seemed not a little perplexed.
“There are flints enough, no doubt, on the beach,” said he, “but
they are of no use at all without a steel. However, we must try.”
So saying, he went to the beach, and soon returned with two flints.
On one of these he placed the tinder, and endeavoured to ignite it;
but it was with great difficulty that a very small spark was struck
out of the flints, and the tinder, being a bad, hard piece, would
not catch. He then tried the bit of hoop iron, which would not
strike fire at all; and after that the back of the axe, with no
better success. During all these trials Peterkin sat with his
hands in his pockets, gazing with a most melancholy visage at our
comrade, his face growing longer and more miserable at each
successive failure.
“Oh dear!” he sighed, “I would not care a button for the cooking of
our victuals, - perhaps they don’t need it, - but it’s so dismal to
eat one’s supper in the dark, and we have had such a capital day,
that it’s a pity to finish off in this glum style. Oh, I have it!”
he cried, starting up; “the spy-glass, - the big glass at the end
is a burning-glass!”
“You forget that we have no sun,” said I.
Peterkin was silent. In his sudden recollection of the telescope
he had quite overlooked the absence of the sun.
“Ah, boys, I’ve got it now!” exclaimed Jack, rising and cutting a
branch from a neighbouring bush, which be stripped of its leaves.
“I recollect seeing this done once at home. Hand me the bit of
whip-cord.” With the cord and branch Jack soon formed a bow. Then
he cut a piece, about three inches long, off the end of a dead
branch, which he pointed at the two ends. Round this he passed the
cord of the bow, and placed one end against his chest, which was
protected from its point by a chip of wood; the other point he
placed against the bit of tinder, and then began to saw vigorously
with the bow, just as a blacksmith does with his drill while boring
a hole in a piece of iron. In a few seconds the tinder began to
smoke; in less than a minute it caught fire; and in less than a
quarter of an hour we were drinking our lemonade and eating cocoa
nuts round a fire that would have roasted an entire sheep, while
the smoke, flames, and sparks, flew up among the broad leaves of
the overhanging palm trees, and cast a warm glow upon our leafy
bower.
That night the starry sky looked down through the gently rustling
trees upon our slumbers, and the distant roaring of the surf upon
the coral reef was our lullaby.
CHAPTER V.
Morning, and cogitations connected therewith - We luxuriate in the
sea, try our diving powers, and make enchanting excursions among
the coral groves at the bottom of the ocean - The wonders of the
deep enlarged upon.
WHAT a joyful thing it is to awaken, on a fresh glorious morning,
and find the rising sun staring into your face with dazzling
brilliancy! - to see the birds twittering in the bushes, and to
hear the murmuring of a rill, or the soft hissing ripples as they
fall upon the sea-shore! At any time and in any place such sights
and sounds are most charming, but more especially are they so when
one awakens to them, for the fist time, in a novel and romantic
situation, with the soft sweet air of a tropical climate mingling
with the fresh smell of the sea, and stirring the strange leaves
that flutter overhead and around one, or ruffling the plumage of
the stranger birds that fly inquiringly around, as if to demand
what business we have to intrude uninvited on their domains. When
I awoke on the morning after the shipwreck, I found myself in this
most delightful condition; and, as I lay on my back upon my bed of
leaves, gazing up through the branches of the cocoa-nut trees into
the clear blue sky, and watched the few fleecy clouds that passed
slowly across it, my heart expanded more and more with an exulting
gladness, the like of which I had never felt before. While I
meditated, my thoughts again turned to the great and kind Creator
of this beautiful world, as they had done on the previous day, when
I first beheld the sea and the coral reef, with the mighty waves
dashing over it into the calm waters of the lagoon.
While thus meditating, I naturally bethought me of my Bible, for I
had faithfully kept the promise, which I gave at parting to my
beloved mother, that I would read it every morning; and it was with
a feeling of dismay that I remembered I had left it in the ship. I
was much troubled about this. However, I consoled myself with
reflecting that I could keep the second part of my promise to her,
namely, that I should never omit to say my prayers. So I rose
quietly, lest I should disturb my companions, who were still
asleep, and stepped aside into the bushes for this purpose.
On my return I found them still slumbering, so I again lay down to
think over our situation. Just at that moment I was attracted by
the sight of a very small parrot, which Jack afterwards told me was
called a paroquet. It was seated on a twig that overhung
Peterkin’s head, and I was speedily lost in admiration of its
bright green plumage, which was mingled with other gay colours.
While I looked I observed that the bird turned its head slowly from
side to side and looked downwards, fist with the one eye, and then
with the other. On glancing downwards I observed that Peterkin’s
mouth was wide open, and that this remarkable bird was looking into
it. Peterkin used to say that I had not an atom of fun in my
composition, and that I never could understand a joke. In regard
to the latter, perhaps he was right; yet I think that, when they
were explained to me, I understood jokes as well as most people:
but in regard to the former he must certainly have been wrong, for
this bird seemed to me to be extremely funny; and I could not help
thinking that, if it should happen to faint, or slip its foot, and
fall off the twig into Peterkin’s mouth, he would perhaps think it
funny too! Suddenly the paroquet bent down its head and uttered a
loud scream in his face. This awoke him, and, with a cry of
surprise, he started up, while the foolish bird flew precipitately
away.
“Oh you monster!” cried Peterkin, shaking his fist at the bird.
Then he yawned and rubbed his eyes, and asked what o’clock it was.
I smiled at this question, and answered that, as our watches were
at the bottom of the sea, I could not tell, but it was a little
past sunrise.
Peterkin now began to remember where we were. As he looked up into
the bright sky, and snuffed the scented air, his eyes glistened
with delight, and he uttered a faint “hurrah!” and yawned again.
Then he gazed slowly round, till, observing the calm sea through an
opening in the bushes, he started suddenly up as if he had received
an electric shock, uttered a vehement shout, flung off his
garments, and, rushing over the white sands, plunged into the
water. The cry awoke Jack, who rose on his elbow with a look of
grave surprise; but this was followed by a quiet smile of
intelligence on seeing Peterkin in the water. With an energy that
he only gave way to in moments of excitement, Jack bounded to his
feet, threw off his clothes, shook back his hair, and with a lion-like spring, dashed over the sands and plunged into the sea with
such force as quite to envelop Peterkin in a shower of spray. Jack
was a remarkably good swimmer and diver, so that after his plunge
we saw no sign of him for nearly a minute; after which he suddenly
emerged, with a cry of joy, a good many yards out
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