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diff --git a/42066.txt b/42066.txt deleted file mode 100644 index f06e494..0000000 --- a/42066.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10991 +0,0 @@ - THE YOUNG MAROONERS ON THE FLORIDA COAST - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: The Young Marooners on the Florida Coast -Author: F. R. Goulding -Release Date: February 10, 2013 [EBook #42066] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG MAROONERS ON THE -FLORIDA COAST *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: "Hallo!" cried Harold, his own voice husky with emotion . -. . Frontispiece] - - - - - THE - YOUNG MAROONERS ON - THE FLORIDA COAST - - - BY - F. R. GOULDING - - - - WITH INTRODUCTION BY - JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS - (Uncle Remus) - - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - - NEW YORK - DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY - 1927 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1862 - BY F. R. GOULDING - - COPYRIGHT, 1881 - BY F. R. GOULDING - - COPYRIGHT, 1887 - BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY - - - - PRINTED IN U. S. A. - - - - - INTRODUCTION - - -I have been asked to furnish an introduction for a new edition of "The -Young Marooners." As an introduction is unnecessary, the writing of it -must be to some extent perfunctory. The book is known in many lands and -languages. It has survived its own success, and has entered into -literature. It has become a classic. The young marooners themselves -have reached middle age, and some of them have passed away, but their -adventures are as fresh and as entertaining as ever. - -Dr. Goulding's work possesses all the elements of enduring popularity. -It has the strength and vigour of simplicity; its narrative flows -continuously forward; its incidents are strange and thrilling, and -underneath all is a moral purpose sanely put. - -The author himself was surprised at the great popularity of his story, -and has written a history of its origin as a preface. The internal -evidence is that the book is not the result of literary ambition, but of -a strong desire to instruct and amuse his own children, and the story is -so deftly written that the instruction is a definite part of the -narrative. The art here may be unconscious, but it is a very fine art -nevertheless. - -Dr. Goulding lived a busy life. He had the restless missionary spirit -which he inherited from the Puritans of Dorchester, England, who -established themselves in Dorchester, South Carolina, and in Dorchester, -Georgia, before the Revolutionary War. Devoting his life to good works, -he nevertheless found time to indulge his literary faculty; he also -found time to indulge his taste for mechanical invention. He invented -the first sewing-machine that was ever put in practical use in the -South. His family were using this machine a year before the Howe patents -were issued. In his journal of that date (1845) he writes: "Having -satisfied myself about my machine, I laid it aside that I might attend -to other and weightier duties." He applied for no patent. - -"The Young Marooners" was begun in 1847, continued in a desultory way, -and completed in 1850. Its first title was a quaint one, "Bobbins and -Cruisers Company." It was afterward called "Robert and Harold; or, the -Young Marooners." The history of the manuscript of the book is an -interesting parallel to that of many other successful books. After -having been positively declined in New York, it was for months left in -Philadelphia, where one night, as the gentleman whose duty it was to -pass judgment upon the material offered had begun in a listless way his -task, he became so much absorbed in the story that he did not lay it -down until long after midnight, and hastening to the publishers early -next morning, insisted that it should be immediately put into print. -Three editions were issued in the first year, and it was soon reprinted -in England by Nisbet & Co., of London, followed by five other houses in -England and Scotland at later dates. - -Dr. Goulding was the author of "Little Josephine," published in -Philadelphia (1848); "The Young Marooners" (1852); "Confederate -Soldiers' Hymn-Book," a compilation (1863); "Marooner's Island," an -independent sequel to "Young Marooners" (1868); "Frank Gordon; or, When -I was Little Boy" (1869), and "The Woodruff Stories" (1870). With the -exception of "Little Josephine" and the "Hymn-Book," they have all been -republished abroad. Born near Midway, Liberty County, Georgia, -September 28th, 1810, he died August 21st, 1881, and is buried in the -little churchyard at Roswell, Georgia. - -JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS. - - - - - THE HISTORY OF THIS BOOK - - -In a vine-covered piazza of the sunny South, a company of boys and girls -used to gather round me, of a summer evening, to hear the varied story -of my early years. As these boys and girls grew larger, I found it -necessary to change my plan of instruction. There were many _facts in -nature_ which I wished to communicate, and many _expedients_ in -practical life, which I supposed might be useful. To give this -information, in such shape as to insure its being remembered, required a -story. The result has been a book; and that book is "The Young -Marooners"--or, as my young folks call it, "Robert and Harold." - -Their interest in the story has steadily increased from the beginning to -the end; and sure am I, that if it excites one-half as much abroad, as -it has excited at home, no author need ask for more. - -The story, however, is not all a story; the fiction consists mostly in -the putting together. With very few exceptions, the incidents are real -occurrences; and whoever will visit the regions described, will see that -the pictures correspond to nature. Possibly also, the visitor may meet -even now, with a fearless Harold, an intelligent Robert, a womanly Mary, -and a merry Frank. - -Should my young readers ever go _marooning_, I trust their party may -meet with fewer misfortunes and as happy a termination. - -F. R. G. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER - -I The Company and Their Embarkation - -II Mother Carey's Chickens--Fishing for Trout--Saw-Fish--Frank and the -Shark--Looming--Tom Starboard--The Nautilus--Arrival at Tampa - -III Tampa Bay--Bellevue--Unloading--A Dangerous Cut--How to Stop a -Bleeding Artery--Tom Starboard Again - -IV Confusion--Housekeeping in a Hurry--First Night on Shore--Company to -Dinner--"Blue Eyed Mary"--Robert at Prayer-Meeting--Danger of Descending -an Old Well--Recovering a Knife Dropped in a Well - -V Riley--A Thunderstorm--Ascertaining the Distance of Objects by -Sound--Security Against Lightning--Means of Recovering Life from -Apparent Death by Lightning - -VI The Only Way to Study--Taking Cold--Riley's Family--The Hare -Lip--Fishing for Sheephead--Frank Choked with a Fish Bone--His -Relief--His Story of the Sheep's Head and Dumplings--"Till the Warfare -is Over" - -VII Bug in the Ear--Visit to Fort Brooke--Evading Blood-Hounds--Contest -with Dogs and Means of Defence--Amusing Escape from a Wild Bull and -Conversation on the Subject - -VIII Marooning and the Marooning Party - -IX Embarkation--Abduction Extraordinary--Efforts to Escape--Alternative -Hopes and Fears--Despair--Vessel in the Distance--Renewed Hopes and -Efforts--Water-Spout--Flash of Lightning and its Effects--Making for -Shore--Grateful Acknowledgments - -X Waking Up--Good Resolutions--Alarm--Marooning Breakfast--Search for -Water--Unexpected Gain--Oyster Bank--Fate of a Raccoon--The Plume and -Fan - -XI Discussion Of Plans--Doubts--Differences of Opinion--What Was Agreed -Upon--Baking a Turkey Without an Oven--Flying Signal - -XII Results of the Cookery--Voyage--Appearance of the Country--Orange -Trees--The Bitter Sweet--Rattlesnake--Usual Signs for Distinguishing a -Fanged And Poisonous Serpent--Various Methods of Treating a Snake -Bite--Return - -XIII Disappointment--The Live Oak--Unloading--Fishing -Excursion--Harold's Still Hunt--Disagreeable Means to an Agreeable End - -XIV Frank's Excuses--Curing Venison--Marooning Cookery--Robert's -Vegetable Garden--Plans for Return--Preparation for the Sabbath - -XV Their First Sabbath on the Island, and the Night and Morning that -succeeded - -XVI A Sad Breakfast--Sagacity of Dogs--Search for the Boat--Exciting -Adventure--A Pretty Pet--Unexpected Intelligence - -XVII Mary and Frank--Examination of the Tent--Smoke -Signal--Devices--Brute Messenger--Raft--Blazing the -Trees--Voyage--Disastrous Expedition--News from Home--Return to the Tent - -XVIII Night Landing--Carrying a Wounded Person--Setting One's Own Limbs -when Broken--Splinting a Limb--Rest to the Weary - -XIX The Surprise and Disappointment--Naming the Fawn--Sam's -Story--Depression After Excitement--Great Misfortune - -XX Speculations and Resolves--Fishing--Inventory of Goods and -Chattels--Roasted Fish--Palmetto Cabbage--Tour--Sea-Shells, Their -Uses--The Pelican--Nature of the Country--Still Hunting--Wild Turkeys -Again--Work on the Tent - -XXI Rainy Day--The Kitchen and Fire--Hunting the Opossum - -XXII Frank and His "Pigs"--The Cage--Walk on the Beach--Immense -Crawfish--The Museum--Naming the Island - -XXIII Their Second Sabbath on the Island, and the Way They Spent It - -XXIV Mote in the Eye, and How It Was Removed--Conch Trumpet and -Signals--Tramp--Alarm - -XXV A Hunter's Misfortune--Relief to a Sprain--How to Avoid Being Lost -in the Woods, and to Recover One's Course After being Lost--A Still Hunt - -XXVI Crutches in Demand--Curing Venison--Pemmican--Scalding Off a -Porker's Hair with Leaves and Water--Turkey Trough--Solitary -Watching--Force of Imagination--Fearful Encounter--Different Modes of -Repelling Wild Beasts - -XXVII Turkey-Pen--Sucking Water Through Oozy Sand--Exploring -Tour--Appearance of the Country--"Madame Bruin"--Soldier's Remedy for -Chafed Feet--Night in the Woods--Prairie--Indian Hut--Fruit -Trees--Singular Spring - -XXVIII Plans--Visit to the Prairie--Discoveries--Shoe Making--Waterfowl - -XXIX Removal to the Prairie--Night Robbery--Fold--Dangerous -Trap--Mysterious Signals--Bitter Disappointment - -XXX Best Cure for Unavailing Sorrow--Mary's Adventure with a -Bear--Novel Defence--Protecting the Tent - -XXXI Hard Work--Labour-Saving Device--Discovery as to the Time of the -Year--Schemes For Amusement--Tides on the Florida Coast - -XXXII Christmas Morning--Voyage--Valuable Discovery--Hostile -Invasion--Robbery--Masterly Retreat--Battle at Last--A Quarrel Requires -Two Quarrellers--The Ghost's Visit - -XXXIII The Cubs--Voyage to the Wreck--Stores--Horrid Sights--Trying -Predicament--Prizes--Return--Frank Needs Another Lecture - -XXXIV Second Voyage to the Wreck--Fumigating Again--More Minute -Examination--Return--Accident--Dangers of Helping A Drowning -Person--Recovering a Person Apparently Drowned - -XXXV Household Arrangements--Third Visit to the Wreck--Rainy -Weather--Agreement About Work--Mary in Great Danger--Extinguishing Fire -on One's Dress--Relief to a Burn--Conversation - -XXXVI Successful Work--Excursion--The Fish-Eagle--Different Methods of -Procuring Fire--Woodsman's Shelter Against Rain and Hail--Novel Refuge -from Falling Trees - -XXXVII Launching the Boats--More Work, and Yet More--Eclipse of Feb. -12th, 1831--Healing By "First Intention"--Frank's Birthday--Preparing -for a Voyage--Rain, Rain - -XXXVIII Voyage Round the Island--The Lost Boat--Strange Signals -Again--Hurricane--Night March--Helpless Vessel--Melancholy Fate--The -Rescue--Marooners' Hospitality--Conclusion - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - -"Hallo!" cried Harold, his own voice husky with emotion . . . -_Frontispiece_ - -The company went together to the sea shore and planted the signal - -Deliberately taking aim, he discharged the whole load of bullets between -the creature's eyes - -They were not two hours in reaching the proposed landing place - - - - - THE YOUNG MAROONERS - - - - CHAPTER I - -THE COMPANY AND THEIR EMBARKATION - - -On Saturday, the 21st of August, 1830, a small but beautiful brig left -the harbour of Charleston, South Carolina, bound for Tampa Bay, Florida. -On board were nine passengers; Dr. Gordon, his three children, Robert, -Mary, and Frank; his sister's son, Harold McIntosh, and four servants. - -Dr. Gordon was a wealthy physician, who resided, during the winter, upon -the seaboard of Georgia, and during the summer upon a farm in the -mountains of that beautifully varied and thriving State. His wife was a -Carolinian, from the neighbourhood of Charleston. Anna Gordon, his -sister, married a Col. McIntosh, who, after residing for twelve years -upon a plantation near the city of Montgomery, in Alabama, died, leaving -his widow with three children, and an encumbered estate. Soon after her -widowhood, Dr. Gordon paid her a visit, for the two-fold purpose of -condolence and of aiding in the settlement of her affairs. She was so -greatly pleased with the gentlemanly bearing and the decided -intelligence of Robert, who on this occasion accompanied his father, -that she requested the privilege of placing her son Harold under her -brother's care, until some other arrangement could be made for his -education. Dr. Gordon was equally prepossessed with the frank manners -and manly aspect of his nephew, and it was with peculiar pleasure that -he acceded to the request. Harold had been with his uncle about a month -previous to the period at which this history begins. - -Mrs. Gordon was a woman of warm affections and cultivated mind, but of -feeble constitution. She had been the mother of five children; but, -during the infancy of the last, her health exhibited so many signs of -decay as to convince her husband that the only hope of saving her life -was to seek for her, during the ensuing winter, a climate even more -bland than that in which she had spent her girlhood. - -Tampa Bay is a military post of the United States. Dr. Gordon had -formerly visited it, and was so delighted with its soft Italian climate, -and with the wild beauty of its shores, that he had even then purchased -a choice lot in the vicinity of the fort, and ever after had looked -forward, almost with hope, to the time when he might have some excuse -for removing there. That time had now come. And doubting not that the -restorative powers of the climate would exert a happy influence upon his -wife's health, he left her with her relatives, while he went to Tampa -for the purpose of preparing a dwelling suitable for her reception. - -The accompanying party was larger than he had at first intended. Robert -and Harold were to go of course; they were old enough to be his -companions; and, moreover, Harold had been sent by his mother for the -express purpose of enjoying that excellent _home education_ which had -been so happily exhibited in Robert. But on mature reflection there -appeared to Dr. Gordon special reasons why he should also take his -eldest daughter, Mary, who was about eleven years of age, and his second -son, Frank, who was between seven and eight. The addition of these -younger persons to the party, however, did not cause him any anxiety, or -any addition to the number of his servants; for he and his wife, -although wealthy by inheritance, and accustomed all their lives to the -help of servants, had educated their children to be as independent as -possible of unnecessary help. Indeed, Mary was qualified to be of great -assistance; for though only eleven years of age, she was an excellent -housekeeper, and during the indisposition of her mother had presided -with remarkable ability at her father's table. Little Frank was too -young to be useful, but he was an obedient, merry little fellow, a great -pet with everybody, and promised, by his cheerful good nature, to add -much to the enjoyment of the party; and as to the care which he needed, -Mary had only to continue that motherly attention which she had been -accustomed already to bestow. - -To say a word or two more of the youths; Robert Gordon, now nearly -fourteen years of age, had a great thirst for knowledge. Stimulated -continually by the instructive conversation of his father, who spared no -pains in his education, he drew rapidly from all the sources opened to -him by books, society, and nature. His finely developed mind was -decidedly of a philosophic cast. Partaking, however, of the delicate -constitution of his mother, he was oftentimes averse to those athletic -exercises which became his age, and by which he would have been fitted -for a more vigorous and useful manhood. - -Harold McIntosh, a half year older than his cousin, was, on the -contrary, of a robust constitution and active habit, with but little -inclination for books. Through the inattention of a father, who seemed -to care more for manly daring than for intellectual culture, his -education had been sadly neglected. The advantages afforded him had -been of an exceedingly irregular character, and his only incentive to -study had been the gratification of his mother, whom he tenderly loved. -For years preceding the change of his abode, a large portion of his -leisure time had been spent in visiting an old Indian of the -neighbourhood, by the name of Torgah, and gleaning from him by -conversation and practice, that knowledge of wood-craft, which nothing -but an Indian's experience can furnish, and which usually possesses so -romantic a charm for Southern and Western (perhaps we may say for -American) boys. - -The cousins had become very much attached. Each admired the other's -excellencies, and envied the other's accomplishments; and the parents -had good reason to hope that they would prove of decided benefit to each -other by mutual example. - -Preparing for a winter's residence at such a place as Tampa, where, with -the exception of what was to be obtained at the fort, they would be far -removed from all the comforts and appliances of civilized life, Dr. -Gordon was careful to take with him everything which could be foreseen -as needful. Among these may be mentioned the materials already framed -for a small dwelling-house, kitchen, and stable; ample stores of -provisions, poultry, goats (as being more convenient than cows), a pair -of horses, a buggy, and wagon, a large and beautiful pleasure boat, -books for reading, and for study, together with such furniture as habit -had made necessary to comfort. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - -MOTHER CARY'S CHICKENS--FISHING FOR TROUT--SAW-FISH--FRANK AND THE -SHARK---LOOMING---TOM STARBOARD--THE NAUTILUS--ARRIVAL AT TAMPA - - -Mary and Frank were affected with sea sickness shortly after entering -the rough and rolling water on the bar, and having, in consequence, -retired early to bed, they scarcely rose for six and thirty hours. -Indeed, all the passengers, except Harold, suffered in turn this usual -inconvenience of persons unaccustomed to the sea. - -The only incident of interest that occurred during this part of the -voyage, was a fright received by Mary and Frank. It was as follows: -Having partially recovered from their indisposition, they were engaged -with childish glee in fishing from the stern windows. Directly over -head hung the jolly boat, and beneath them the water foamed and eddied -round the rudder. Mary was fishing for Mother Cary's chickens--a -species of "poultry" well known to those who go to sea. Her apparatus -consisted of a strong thread, twenty or thirty yards long, having divers -loops upon it, and baited at the end with a little tuft of red. She had -not succeeded in taking any; but one, more daring than the rest, had -become entangled in the thread, and Mary eagerly drew it towards her, -exclaiming, "I have caught it! I have caught it!" Ere, however, she -could bring it within arm's length, the struggling bird had escaped. - -Frank had obtained a large fish-hook, which he tied to a piece of twine, -and baited with some raw beef; and he was fishing, he said, for _trout_. -A few minutes after Mary's adventure with the bird, he saw a great fish, -twice as long as himself, having an enormous snout, set on both sides -with a multitude of sharp teeth, following in the vessel's wake. He -drew himself quickly into the window, exclaiming, "Look, sister, look!" -The fish did not continue long to follow them. It seemed to have come -on a voyage of curiosity, and having satisfied itself that this great -swimming monster, the vessel, was neither whale nor kraken, it darted -off and returned no more. - -"I should not like to hook _that_ fellow," said Frank, "for I am sure I -could not draw him in." - -"No," replied Mary, "and I should not like to have such an ugly fellow -on board, if we could get him here." - -"Ugh! what a long ugly nose he has," said Frank. "I wonder what he can -do with such a nose, and with all those teeth on the outside of it--only -see, sister, _teeth on his_ NOSE!" - -"I do not know," she answered, "but we can ask father when we go on -deck." - -"I think his nose must be long to smell things a great way off," -conjectured Frank. - -Thus they chatted until Mary called out, "See, Frank, there is a black -piece of wood sticking out of the water. See how it floats after us! -No, it cannot be a piece of wood, for it swims from side to side. It -must be a fish. It is! Draw in your head, Frank." - -Unsuccessful in his trout fishing, Frank had attached a red silk -handkerchief to his line, and was amusing himself with letting it down -so as to touch along the water. When Mary said "it is a fish," he espied -an enormous creature, much larger than the sawfish, swimming almost -under him, and looking up hungrily to the window where they were. A -moment after it leaped directly towards them. Both screamed with -terror, and Frank's wrist was jerked so violently, and pained him so -much, that he was certain his hand had been bitten off. He was about to -scream again; but looking down, he found his hand was safe, and the next -moment saw the fish swimming away with the end of the handkerchief -hanging from its mouth. The fish was a shark. It had been attracted -probably by the smell of Frank's bait, and by the sight of the red silk. -When he drew his handkerchief from the water, the fish leaped after it, -and jerked the twine which had been wrapped around his wrist. From that -time they ceased all fishing from the cabin windows. - -The history of that fishing, however, was not yet ended. On the day -following the company were much interested in watching a singular -phenomenon, which is sometimes visible at sea, though seldom in a -latitude so low as Florida. The looming of the land had been remarkably -distinct and beautiful; at one time the land looked as if lifted far -above the water; at another the shore was seen doubled, as if the water -were a perfect reflector, and the land and its shadow were united at the -base. But, on the present occasion, the shadow appeared in the wrong -place--united to its substance, not at the base, but at the top. It was -a most singular spectacle to behold trees growing topsy-turvy, from land -in the sky. - -The sailors, as well as passengers, looked on with a curiosity not -unmixed with awe, and an old "salt" was heard to mutter, as he ominously -shook his head, - -"I never seed the likes of that but something was sure to come after. -Yes," he continued, looking sullenly at Mary and Frank, "and yesterday, -when I was at the starn, I saw a chicken flutter in a string." - -"A chicken, Tom?" inquired the captain, looking at the little culprits. -"Ah, have any of my young friends been troubling the sailor's pets?" - -"No, sir," responded Frank, promptly and indignantly. "We did not -trouble anybody's chickens. I only went to the coop, and pulled the old -drake's tail; but I did that to make him look at the bread I brought -him." - -"I do not mean the chickens on board, but the chickens that fly around -us--Mother Cary's chickens," said the captain, trying hard to smother -down a laugh. "Don't you know that they all belong to the sailors; and -that whoever troubles them is sure to bring trouble on the ship?" - -"No, sir," Frank persisted, evidently convinced that the captain was -trying to tease him. "I did not know that they belonged to anybody. I -thought that they were all wild." - -Mary, however, looked guilty. She knew well the sailor's superstition -about the "chickens," but having had at that time nothing to do, she had -been urged on by an irrepressible desire for fun, and until this moment -had imagined that her fishing was unnoticed. She timidly answered, - -"I did not _catch_ it, sir; I only tangled it in the thread, and it got -away before I touched it." - -"Well, Tom," said the captain to the sailor, who seemed to be in doubt -after Frank's defence whether to appear pleased or angry, "I think you -will have to forgive the offence this time, especially as the sharks -took it in hand so soon to revenge the insult, and ran away with the -little fellow's handkerchief." - -Old Tom smiled grimly at the allusion to the shark; for he had been -sitting quietly in the jolly boat picking rope, and had witnessed the -whole adventure. - -The wind, which had continued favourable ever since they left -Charleston, now gradually died away. The boatswain whistled often and -shrilly to bring it back; but it was like "calling spirits from the -vasty deep." The sails hung listlessly down, and moved only as the -vessel rocked sluggishly upon the scarce undulating surface. The only -circumstance which enlivened this scene was the appearance of a -nautilus, or Portuguese man-of-war. Mary was the first to discern it. -She fancied that it was a tiny toy boat, launched by some child on -shore, and wafted by the wind to this distant point. It was certainly a -toy vessel, though one of nature's workmanship; for there was the -floating body corresponding to the hull, there the living passenger, -there the sails spread or furled at will, and there the oars (Mary could -see them move) by which the little adventurer paddled itself along. - -The young people were very anxious to obtain it. Frank went first to old -Tom Starboard (as the sailor was called who had scolded him and Mary, -but who was now on excellent terms with both) to ask whether they might -have the nautilus if they could catch it. - -"Have the man-o'-war!" ejaculated the old man, opening wide his eyes, -"who ever heered of sich a thing? O yes, have it, if you can get it; but -how will you do that?" - -"Brother Robert and cousin Harold will row after it and pick it up, if -the captain will let them have his boat." - -Tom chuckled at the idea, and said he doubted not the captain would let -them have his boat, and be glad, too, to see the fun. Frank then went -to the captain, and told him that old Tom had given him leave to have -the man-of-war if he could get it; and that his brother and cousin would -go out and pick it up, if the captain would let them have his boat. -With a good-natured smile, he answered, - -"You are perfectly welcome to the boat, my little man; but if your -brother and cousin catch that little sailor out there, they will be much -smarter than most folks." - -"Can they not pick it up?" - -"Easily enough, if it will wait till they come. But if they do not wish -to be hurt, they had better take a basket or net for dipping it from the -water." - -Frank went finally to his father to obtain his consent, which after a -moment's hesitation was granted, the doctor well knowing what the -probable result would be, yet pleased to afford them any innocent -amusement by which to enliven their voyage. - -"Tom," said the captain, "lower away the jolly boat, and do you go with -these young gentlemen. Row softly as you can, and give them the best -chance for getting what they want." - -The boat was soon alongside. Old Tom slid down by a rope, but Robert -and Harold were let down more securely. They shoved off from the -vessel's side, and glided so noiselessly along, that the water was -scarcely rippled. Harold stood in the bow, and Robert amidships, one -with a basket, and the other with a scoop net, ready to dip it from the -water. A cat creeping upon a shy bird could not have been more stealthy -in its approach. But somehow the little sensitive thing became aware of -its danger, and ere the boat's prow had come within ten feet, it quickly -drew in its many arms, and sank like lead beyond their sight. - -"Umph!" said old Tom, with an expressive grunt, "I said you might have -it, if you could catch it." - -On the first day of September the voyagers approached some placid -looking islands, tasselled above with lofty palmettoes, and varied -beneath with every hue of green, from the soft colour of the mallow to -the sombre tint of the cedar and the glossy green of the live oak. -Between these islands the vessel passed, so near to one that they could -see a herd of deer peeping at them through the thin growth of the bluff, -and a flock of wild turkeys flying to a distant grove. - -Beyond the islands lay, in perfect repose, the waters of that bay whose -tranquil beauty has been a theme of admiration with every one whose -privilege it has been to look upon it. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - -TAMPA BAY--BELLEVUE--UNLADING--A DANGEROUS CUT--HOW TO STOP A BLEEDING -ARTERY--TOM STARBOARD AGAIN - - -Tampa Bay is a perfect gem of its kind. Running eastward from the gulf -for twelve or fifteen miles, then turning suddenly to the North, it is -so far sheltered from within, that, except in case of severe westerly -gales, its waters are ever quiet and clear as crystal. Its beach is -composed of sand and broken shells of such snowy whiteness as almost to -dazzle the eye, and it slopes so gradually from the land, that, in many -places, a child may wade for a great distance without danger. To those -who bathe in its limpid waters it is a matter of curiosity to see below, -the slow crawling of the conch, while the nimble crab scampers off in -haste, and fish and prawn dart wantonly around. When the tide is down -there is no turnpike in the world better fitted for a pleasure ride than -that smooth hard beach, from which no dust can rise, and which is of -course as level as a floor. - -The spot on which Dr. Gordon proposed to build, was one commanding a -view both of the distant fort and of the open sea, or rather of the -green islands which guarded the mouth of the bay. It already contained -a small house, with two rooms, erected by a white adventurer, and -afterwards sold to an Indian chief of the better class. Dr. Gordon had -been originally attracted by the picturesque beauty of its location, -and, on closer inspection, still more interested by seeing on each side -of the chief's door a large bell pepper, that, having grown for years -untouched by frost, had attained the height of eight or ten feet, and -was covered all the year round with magnificent bells of green and -crimson. The old chief was dead, and the premises had been vacated for -more than a year. - -Early in the afternoon the brig anchored opposite this spot, to which -Dr. Gordon had given the name of Bellevue. All hands were called to -assist the ship carpenter and Sam (Dr. Gordon's negro carpenter), to -build a pier head, or wharf, extending from the shore to the vessel; -this occupied them till nightfall, and the work of unlading continued -through a great part of the night, and past the middle of the next day. - -The work was somewhat delayed by an untoward accident befalling one of -the sailors, and threatening for a time to take his life. Peter, the -brother of Sam, was standing on the gangway, with his ax on his -shoulder, just as two of the sailors were coming out with a heavy box. -Hearing behind him the noise of their trampling, he turned quickly -around to see what it was, at the moment when the sailor, who was -walking backwards, turned his head to see that the gangway was clear. -By these two motions, quickly made, the head was brought towards the ax, -and the ax towards the head, and the consequence was that the sailor's -temple received a terrible gash. The blood gushed out in successive -jets, proving that the cut vessel was an artery. Setting down the box -with all speed, the assisting sailor seized the skin of the wounded -temple and tried with both hands to bring the gaping lips together, so -as to stop the bleeding. His effort was in vain. The blood gushed -through his fingers, and ran down to his elbows. By this time the -captain reached the spot, and seeing that an artery was cut, directed -the sailor to press with his finger on the _heart_ side of the wound. -In a moment the jets ceased; for the arterial blood is driven by the -heart towards the extremities, and therefore moves by jets as the heart -beats, while the _venous_, or black blood, is on its way _from the -extremities_ to the heart; consequently, the pressure, which stops the -flow from a wound in either vein or artery, must correspond to the -direction in which the blood is flowing. [_See note p._ 16.] - -While the sailor was thus stopping the blood by the pressure of his -finger on the side from which the current came, the captain hastily -prepared a ball of soft oakum, about the size of a small apple. This he -laid upon the wound, and bound tightly to the head by means of a -handkerchief. It is probable the flow might have been staunched had the -compress been sufficiently tight, but for some reason the blood forced -itself through all the impediments, saturated the tarred oakum, and -trickled down the sailor's face. During this scene Dr. Gordon was at -his house on the bluff. Hearing through a runner, dispatched by the -captain, that a man was bleeding to death, he pointed to a quantity of -cobwebs that hung in large festoons from the unceiled roof, and directed -him to bring a handful of these to the vessel, remarking, that "_nothing -stopped blood more quickly than cobwebs_." - -The sailor was by this time looking pale and ready to faint. Dr. Gordon -inquired of the captain what had been done, pronounced it all right, and -declared that he should probably have tried the same plan, but further -remarked, - -"This artery in the temple is oftentimes exceedingly difficult to manage -by pressure. You may stop for a time the bleeding of _any_ artery by -pressing with sufficient force upon the right place; or, if necessary to -adopt so summary a mode, you may obliterate it altogether by _burning -with a hot iron_. But in the present case I will show you an easier -plan." - -While speaking he had removed the bandages, and taken out his lancet; -and, to the captain's amazement, in uttering the last words, he cut the -bleeding artery in two, saying, "Now bring me some cold water." - -The captain was almost disposed to stay the doctor's arm, supposing that -he was about to make a fatal mistake; but when he saw the jets of blood -instantly diminish, he exclaimed, "What new wonder is this! Here I have -been trying for half an hour to staunch the blood by _closing_ the -wound, while you have done it in a moment, by making the wound greater." - -"It is one of the secrets of the art," responded the doctor, "but a -secret which I will explain by the fact, that _severed_ arteries always -contract and close more or less perfectly; whereas, if they should be -only _split_ or _partly cut_, the same contraction will keep the orifice -open and bleeding. I advise you never to try it, except when you know -the artery to be small, or when every other expedient has failed. But -here comes the bucket. See what a fine styptic cold water is." - -He washed the wound till it was thoroughly cooled; after which he -brought its lips together by a few stitches made with a bent needle, and -putting on the cobwebs and bandage, pronounced the operation complete. - -"Live and larn!" muttered old Tom Starboard, as he turned away from this -scene of surgery. "I knew it took a smart man to manage a ship; but -I'll be hanged if there a'n't smart people in this world besides -sailors." - - -The main arteries in a man's limbs are _deeply buried and lie in the -same general direction with the inner seams of his coat sleeves and of -his pantaloons_. When one of them is cut--which may be known by the -light red blood flowing in jets, as above described--all the bandages in -the world will be insufficient to staunch it, except imperfectly, and -for a time, it must be tied or cauterized. If any one knows the -position of the wounded artery, the best bandage for effecting a -temporary stoppage of the blood, is the _tourniquet_, which is made to -press like a big strong finger directly upon it on the side from which -the blood is flowing. A good substitute for the tourniquet may be -extemporized out of a handkerchief or other strong bandage, and a piece -of corn-cob two inches long, or a suitable piece of wood or stone. This -last is to be placed so as to press directly over the artery; and the -bandage to be made very tight by means of a stick run through it so as -to twist it up with great power. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - -CONFUSION--HOUSEKEEPING IN A HURRY--FIRST NIGHT ON SHORE--COMPANY TO -DINNER--"BLUE EYED MARY"--ROBERT AT PRAYER-MEETING--DANGER OF DESCENDING -AN OLD WELL--RECOVERING A KNIFE DROPPED IN A WELL - - -It is scarcely possible, for one who has not tried it, to conceive the -utter confusion which ensues on removing, in a hurry, one's goods and -chattels to a place too small for their accommodation. Oh! the -wilderness of boxes, baskets, bundles, heaped in disorder everywhere! -and the perfect bewilderment into which one is thrown, when attempting -the simplest act of household duty. - -"Judy," said Mary to the cook, the evening that they landed, and while -the servants were hurrying to bring under shelter the packages which Dr. -Gordon was unwilling to leave exposed to the night air, "Judy, the sun -is only about an hour high. Make haste and get some tea ready for -supper. Father says you need not _cook_ anything, we can get along on -cheese and crackers." - -Well, surely, it sounded like a trifle to order only a little tea. Mary -thought so, and so did Judy,--it could be got ready in a minute. But -just at that moment of unreadiness, there were some difficulties in the -way which neither cook nor housekeeper anticipated. To have tea for -supper ordinarily requires that one should have fire and water, and a -tea kettle and a tea pot, and the tea itself, and cups and saucers and -spoons, and sugar and milk, and a sugar pot and milk pot, besides a -number of other things. But how these things are to be brought -together, in their proper relation, and in a hurry, when they are all -thrown promiscuously in a heap, is a question more easily asked than -answered. - -The simple order to prepare a little tea threw poor Judy into a fluster. -"Yes, misses," she mechanically replied, "but wey I gwine fin' de tea?" - -Mary was about to say, "In the sideboard of course," knowing that at -home it was always kept there, when suddenly she recollected that the -present sideboard was a new one, packed with table and bed clothes, and -moreover that it was nailed up fast in a long box. Then, where was the -tea? O, now she recalled the fact that the tea for immediate use was -corked up in a tin can and stowed away together with the teapot and -cups, saucers, spoons and other concomitants, in a certain green box. -But where was the green box? She and Judy peered among the confused -piles, and at last spied it under another box, on which was a large -basket that was covered with a pile of bedding. - -Judy obtained the tea and tea-pot and kettle, but until that moment had -neglected to order a fire; so she went to the front door to look for her -husband. - -"Peter!" she called. Peter was nowhere about the house. She saw him -below the bluff on his way to the landing. So, running a little nearer, -and raising her voice to a high musical pitch, she sung out, "Petah-h! -OH-H! Petah! Oh! PEE-tah!" - -Peter came, and learning what was wanted, went to the landing for his -ax, and having brought her a stick of green oak wood on his shoulder, -sallied out once more to find some kindling. - -While he was on this business, Judy prepared to get some water. "Wey my -bucket?" she inquired, looking around. "Who tek my bucket? I sho' -somebody moob um; fuh I put um right down yuh, under my new -calabash."[#] - - -[#] "Where is my bucket? Who has taken my bucket? I am sure somebody -has moved it, for I put it right down here under my new gourd." - - -But nobody had disturbed it. Judy had set it, half full of water, on -the ground outside the door, in the snuggest place she could find; but a -thirsty goat had found it, and another thirsty goat had fought for it, -and between the two, it had been upset, and rolled into a corner where -it lay concealed by a bundle. By the time Judy got another supply of -water ready it was growing dark. Peter had not made the fire because he -was not certain where she preferred to have it built; so he waited, like -a good, obedient husband, until she should direct him. - -In the meantime, Mary was in trouble too. Where was the loaf sugar to -be placed in cracking it, and what should she use for a hammer? Then -the candle box must be opened, and candles and candle-sticks brought -together, and some place contrived for placing them after they were -lighted. - -But perseverance conquers all things. Tea _was_ made, sugar _was_ -cracked, and candles were both lighted and put in position. Bed-time -came soon after, and weary enough with their labour, they all laid down -to enjoy their first sleep at Bellevue. Mary and Frank occupied a -pallet spread behind a pile of boxes in one room, while their father and -the older boys lay upon cloaks, and whatever else they could convert -into a temporary mattress, in the other; and the servants tumbled -themselves upon a pile of their own clothing, which they had thrown -under a shelter erected beside the house. - -Early the next morning, two convenient shelters were hastily -constructed, and the two rooms of the house were so far relieved of -their confused contents, as to allow space for sitting, and almost for -walking about. But ere this was half accomplished, Mary, whose sense of -order and propriety was very keen, was destined to be thrown into quite -an embarrassing situation. - -Major Burke, the commandant of Fort Brooke, was a cousin of Mrs. Gordon, -and an old college friend of the Doctor, and hearing by the captain of -the brig of the arrival of the new comers, he rode over in the forenoon -of the next day to see them. Mary's mind associated so indissolubly the -idea of _company_, with the stately etiquette of Charleston and -Savannah, that the sight of a well-dressed stranger approaching their -door, threw her almost into a fever. - -"Oh! father," she cried, as soon as she could beckon him out of the back -door, "what shall we do?" - -"Do?" he answered, laughing. "Why, nothing at all. What can we do?" - -"But is he not going to dine with us?" enquired she. - -"I presume so," he replied. "I am sure I shall ask him; but what of -that?" - -"What, father, dine with us?" she remonstrated, "when our only table -unboxed is no bigger than a light stand, and we have scarcely room for -that!" - -"Yes," he said, "we will do the best we can for him now, and hope to do -better some other time. Perhaps you will feel less disturbed when you -realize that he is your cousin and a soldier. Come, let me make you -acquainted with him." - -Mary was naturally a neat girl, and although her hands were soiled with -labour, she was soon ready to obey her father's invitation. Slipping -into the back room, by a low window, she washed her hands and face, and -brushed into order the ringlets that clustered around her usually sunny -face, and then came modestly into the apartment where the two gentlemen -were sitting. - -"John, this is my eldest daughter, Mary," said the Doctor, as she -approached; "and Mary this is your cousin, Major Burke, of whom you have -heard your mother and me so often speak." - -The two cousins shook hands very cordially, and appeared to be mutually -pleased. - -"She is my housekeeper for the present," her father continued, "and has -been in some trouble" (here Mary looked reproachfully at him), "that she -could not give you a more fitting reception." - -"Ah, indeed," said the Major, with a merry twinkle of his eye, "I -suspect that when my little cousin learns how often we soldiers are glad -to sit on the bare ground, and to feed, Indian fashion, on Indian fare, -she will feel little trouble about giving us entertainment." - -Mary's embarrassment was now wholly dispelled. Her cousin was fully -apprised of their crowded and confused condition, and was ready to -partake with good humour of whatever they could hastily prepare. - -The dinner passed off far more agreeably than she supposed possible. By -her father's direction, a dining table was unboxed and spread under the -boughs of a magnificent live oak, and Judy, having ascertained where the -stores were to be found, gave them not only a dinner, but a dessert to -boot, which they all enjoyed with evident relish. Ah!--black and ugly -as she was, that Judy was a jewel. - -The Major had come thus hastily upon them for the purpose of insisting -that the whole family should occupy quarters at the Fort as his guests, -until the new house, intended for their future reception, should be -completed. To this Dr. Gordon objected that his presence was necessary -for the progression of the work, but promised that at the earliest -period when he could be spared for a few days, he would accept the -invitation and bring the young people with him. - -The visitor did not take his leave until the shades of evening warned -him of the lapse of time. Mary had become much more interested, in -consequence of her first distress and the pleasant termination, than she -possibly could have been without these experiences; and as the whole -family stood at the front door, watching his rapidly diminishing figure, -she perpetrated a blunder which gave rise to much merriment. - -Her father had remarked, "It will be long after dark before he can reach -the Fort." - -Mary rejoined, "Yes, sir, but," looking with an abstracted air, first at -the table where they had enjoyed their pleasant repast, then at the -darkening form of the soldier, and finally at the full moon which began -to pour its silver radiance over the bay, "it will make no difference -tonight, for it will be blue-eyed Mary." - -All turned their eyes upon her in perplexity, to gather from her -countenance the interpretation of her language; but Mary was still -looking quietly at the moon. Harold thought the girl had become -suddenly deranged. - -Robert, who had observed her abstraction of mind, and who suspected the -truth, began to laugh. Her father turned to her and asked, with a tone -so divided between the ludicrous and the grave, that it was hard to tell -which predominated, "What do you mean by 'blue-eyed Mary'?" - -"Did I say blue-eyed Mary?" she exclaimed, reddening from her temples to -her finger ends, and then giving way to a fit of laughter so hearty and -so prolonged, that she could scarcely reply, "I meant _moonlight_."[#] - - -[#] It is but justice to say that this absurd mistake was _an actual -occurrence_. For many a day afterwards the members of the company -present on that occasion seldom alluded to moonlight among each other, -but by the name of "blue-eyed Mary." - - -There was no resisting the impulse, all laughed with her, and long -afterwards did it furnish a theme for merriment. Robert, however, was -disposed to be so wicked on the occasion, that his father deemed it -necessary to stop his teasing, by turning the laugh against him. - -"It is certainly," said he, "the most ridiculous thing I have witnessed -since Robert's queer prank at the prayer-meeting." - -As soon as the word "prayer-meeting" was uttered, Robert's countenance -fell. - -"What is it, uncle?" inquired Harold. - -"O, do tell it, father," begged Mary, clapping her hands with delight. - -"About a year since," said Dr. Gordon, "I attended a prayer-meeting in -the city of Charleston, where thirty or forty intelligent people were -assembled at the house of their pastor. It was night. Robert occupied -a chair near the table, beside which the minister officiated, and where -he could be seen by every person in the room: Not long after the -minister's address began, Robert's head was seen to nod; and every once -in a while his nods were so expressive, apparently, of assent to the -remarks made, as to bring a smile upon the face of more than one of the -company. But he was not content with nodding. Soon his head fell back -upon the chair, and he snored most musically, with his mouth wide open. -It was then nearly time for another prayer, and I was very much in hopes -that when we moved to kneel, he would be awakened by the noise. But no -such good fortune was in store for me. He slept through the whole -prayer; and then, to make the scene as ridiculous as possible, he awoke -as the people were in the act of rising, and, supposing they were about -to kneel, he deliberately knelt down beside his chair, and kept that -position until he was seen by every person present. There was a slight -pause in the services, I think the clergyman himself was somewhat -disconcerted, and afraid to trust his voice. Poor Robert soon suspected -his mistake. He peeped cautiously around, then arose and took his seat -with a very silly look. I am glad it happened. He has never gone to -sleep in meeting since." - -And from that time forth Mary never heard Robert allude to her -moonlight; indeed he was so much cut down by this story, that for a day -or two he was more than usually quiet. At last, however, an incident -occurred which restored to him the ascendancy he had hitherto held over -his cousin, by illustrating the importance of possessing a proper store -of sound, practical knowledge. - -The two had gone to examine an old well, near the house, and were -speculating upon the possibility of cleansing it from its trash and -other impurities, so as to be fit for use, when Harold's knife slipped -from his hand and fell down the well. It did not fall into the water, -but was caught by a half decayed board that floated on its surface. - -"I cannot afford to lose that knife," said Harold, looking around for -something to aid his descent, "I must go down after it." - -"You had better be careful how you do that," interposed Robert, "it may -not be safe." - -"What," asked Harold, "are you afraid of the well's caving?" - -"Not so much of its caving," replied Robert, "as of the bad air that may -have collected at the bottom." - -Harold snuffed at the well's mouth to detect such ill odours as might be -there, and said, "I perceive no smell." - -"You mistake my meaning," remarked Robert. "In all old wells, vaults -and places under ground, there is apt to collect a kind of air or gas, -like that which comes from burning charcoal, that will quickly suffocate -any one who breathes it. Many a person has lost his life by going into -such a place without testing it beforehand." - -"Can you tell whether there is any of it here?" asked Harold. - -"Very easily, with a little fire," answered Robert. "AIR THAT WILL NOT -SUPPORT FLAME, WILL NOT SUPPORT LIFE." - -They stuck a splinter of rich pine in the cleft end of a pole, and, -lighting it by a match, let it softly down the well. To Harold's -astonishment the flame was extinguished as suddenly as if it had been -dipped in water, before it had gone half way to the bottom. - -"Stop, let us try that experiment again," said he. - -They tried it repeatedly, and with the same result, except that the -heavy poisonous air below being stirred by the pole, had become somewhat -mingled with the pure air above, and the flame was not extinguished -quite so suddenly as at first; it burnt more and more dimly as it -descended, and then went out. - -"I do believe there is something there," said he at last, "and I -certainly shall not go down, as I intended. But how am I to get my -knife?" - -"By using father's magnet, which is a strong one," replied Robert. "Let -us go and ask him for it." - -On relating the circumstances to Dr. Gordon, he said, "You have made a -most fortunate escape, Harold. Had you descended that well, filled as -it is with carbonic acid gas, you would have become suddenly sick and -faint, and would probably have fallen senseless before you could have -called for help. _Make it a rule never to descend such a place without -first trying the purity of its air, as you did just now_." - -"But can we not get that bad air out?" asked Harold. - -"Yes, by various means, and some of them very easy," replied his uncle. -"One is by exploding gunpowder as far down as possible; another is by -lowering down and drawing up many times a thickly leaved bush, so as to -pump out the foul air, or at least to mix it largely with the pure. But -your knife can be obtained without all that trouble. Robert, can you -not put him upon a plan?" - -"I have already mentioned it, and we have come to ask if you will not -let us have your magnet," replied Robert. "But," continued he -smilingly, "I do not think that we shall have any need this time for the -looking-glass." - -Harold looked from one to the other for an explanation, and his uncle -said: - -"Last year Robert dropped his knife down a well, as you did, and -proposed to recover it by means of a strong magnet tied to a string. -But the well was deep and very dark, and after fishing a long time in -vain, he came to me for help. I made him bring a large looking-glass -from the house, and by means of it reflected such a body of sun-light -down the well that we could plainly see his knife at the bottom, stowed -away in a corner. The magnet was strong enough to bring it safely to -the top. You also may try the experiment." - -With thanks, Harold took the offered magnet, tied it to a string, and -soon recovered his knife. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - -RILEY--A THUNDERSTORM--ASCERTAINING THE DISTANCE OF OBJECTS BY -SOUND--SECURITY AGAINST LIGHTNING--MEANS OF RECOVERING LIFE FROM -APPARENT DEATH BY LIGHTNING - - -A few days after this incident another visitor was seen coming from Fort -Brooke. This person was not a horseman, but some one in a boat, who -seemed even from a distance to possess singular dexterity in the use of -the paddle. His boat glided over the smooth surface of the bay as if -propelled less by his exertions than by his will. Dr. Gordon viewed him -through the spy glass, and soon decided him to be an Indian, who was -probably bringing something to sell. - -It so turned out. He was a half-breed, by the name of Riley, who -frequently visited the fort with venison and turkeys to sell, and who on -the present occasion brought with him in addition a fine green turtle. -Major Burke, conceiving that his friends at Bellevue would prize these -delicacies more than they at the fort, to whom they were no longer -rarities, had directed the Indian to bring them, with his compliments, -to Dr. Gordon. - -Riley was a fine looking fellow, of about thirty years of age--tall, -keen-eyed, straight as an arrow, and with a pleasing open countenance. -He brought a note from the fort, recommending him for honesty and -faithfulness. - -Dr. Gordon was so much pleased with his general appearance, that he -engaged him to return the following week with another supply of game, -and prepared to remain several days, in case he should be needed in -raising the timbers of the new house. - -Toward the close of the week, the weather gave indications of a change. -A heavy looking cloud rose slowly from the west, and came towards them, -muttering and growling in great anger. It was a tropical thunderstorm. -The distant growls were soon converted into peals. The flashes -increased rapidly in number and intensity, and became terrific. Mary -and Frank nestled close to their father; and even stout-hearted Harold -looked grave, as though he did not feel quite so comfortable as usual. - -"That flash was uncommonly keen," Robert remarked, with an unsteady -voice. "Do you not think, father, it was very near?" - -Instead of replying, his father appeared to be busy counting; and when -the crash of thunder was heard, jarring their ears, and making the earth -quiver, he replied, - -"Not very. Certainly not within a mile." - -"But, uncle, can you calculate the distance of the lightning?" Harold -asked. - -"Unquestionably, or I should not have spoken with so much confidence. -Robert imagined, as most people do, that a flash is near in proportion -to its brightness; but that is no criterion. You must calculate its -distance by the time which elapses between the flash and the report. -Sound travels at the rate of about a mile in five seconds. Should any -of you like to calculate the distance of the next flash, put your finger -on your pulse, and count the number of beats before you hear the -thunder." - -An opportunity soon occurred. A vivid flash was followed after a few -seconds by a roll, and then by a peal of thunder. All were busy -counting their pulses. Mary ceased when she heard the first roll, -exclaiming "Five!" The others held on until they heard the loud report, -and said "Seven." Dr. Gordon reported only six beats of his own pulse, -remarking, - -"That flash discharged itself just one mile distant. Our pulses are -quicker than seconds; and yours quicker than mine. Sound will travel a -mile during six beats of a person of my age, and during seven of persons -of yours." - -"But, father," argued Mary, "I surely heard the thunder rolling when I -said _five_." - -"So did I," he answered; "and that proves that although the lightning -discharged itself upon the earth at the distance of a mile, it -_commenced_ to flow from a point nearer overhead." - -The young people were so deeply interested in these calculations, that -they felt less keenly than they could have imagined possible the -discomfort of the storm. This was Dr. Gordon's intention. But at last -Mary and Frank winced so uneasily, when flashes of unusual brightness -appeared, that their father remarked, "It is a weakness, my children, to -be afraid of lightning that is seen and of thunder that is heard--_they -are spent and gone_. Persons never see the flash that kills them--it -does its work before they can see, hear, or feel." - -At this instant came a flash so keen, that it seemed to blaze into their -very eyes, and almost simultaneously came a report like the discharge of -a cannon. Dr. Gordon's lecture was in vain; all except him and Harold -started to their feet. Frank ran screaming to his father. Mary rushed -to a pile of bedding, and covered herself with the bed-clothing. Robert -looked at Mary's refuge, with a manifest desire to seek a place beside -her. Harold fixed his eye upon his uncle, with a glance of keen -inquiry. - -"This is becoming serious," said the Doctor anxiously. "Something on the -premises has been struck. Stay here, children, while I look after the -servants. _Your safest place is in the middle of the room_, as far as -possible from the chimney and walls, along which the lightning passes." - -While giving these directions, at the same time that he seized his hat, -cloak, and umbrella, William rushed in to say that the horses had been -struck down and killed. They were stabled under a shelter erected near -a tall palmetto--a tree so seldom struck by lightning, as to be regarded -by the Indians as exempt from danger. The fluid had descended the trunk, -tearing a great hole in the ground, and jarring down a part of the loose -enclosure. - -"Call all hands!" said the Doctor. "Throw off the shelter instantly, to -let the rain pour upon them; and bring also your buckets and pails." - -On his going out, the children crowded to the door, to see, if possible, -the damage that was done; but he waved them all back, with the -information that during a thunder storm an open door or window is one of -the most dangerous places about a house. They quickly retired; Mary and -Frank going to the bed, Robert taking a chair to the middle of the room, -and drawing up his feet from the floor. Harold's remark was -characteristic. "I wish uncle would let me help with the horses. I am -sure that that is the safest place in this neighbourhood; for I never -saw lightning strike twice on the same spot." - -One of the horses was speedily revived by the falling rain. He -staggered to his feet, then moved painfully away, smelling at his hoofs, -to ascertain what ailed them. The other continued for an hour or more, -to all appearance, dead. The servants dipped buckets and pails full of -water from pools made by the rain, and poured them upon the lifeless -body, until it was perfectly drenched. They had given up all hope of a -restoration. William's eyes looked watery (for he was the coachman) and -he heaved a sorrowful sigh over his brute companion. "Poor Tom!" he -said, "what will Jerry do now for a mate?" Another half hour passed -without any sign of returning life; and even William would have ceased -his efforts, had it not been for his master's decided "Pour on water! -Keep pouring!" - -At last there appeared a slight twitching in one of the legs. Poor Tom -was not dead after all. William gave a "Hurra boys! he's coming to," in -which the others joined with unfeigned delight. "Now, William," said -his master, "do you and Sam take the strips of blanket that you rub -with, and see if you cannot start his blood to flowing more rapidly. -Tom will soon open his eyes." - -Two of the servants continued to pour on water, the others to rub -violently the head, neck, legs and body. The reviving brute moved first -one foreleg, then the other, while the hinder legs were yet paralysed. -Then he opened his eyes, raised his head, and made an effort to turn -himself. As soon as he was able to swallow, Dr. Gordon ordered a drench -of camphorated spirit, and left him with directions to the servants. -"Listen all of you. I have shown you how to treat a horse struck down -by lightning. Do you treat a person in the same way. Pour on water by -the bucket full, until he gives some signs of life; then rub him hard, -and give him some heating drink. _Don't give up trying for half a -day_." - -The storm passed over. Tom and Jerry were once more united under the -skilful management of William, who frequently boasted that "they were -the toughest creatures in creation, even lightning could not kill them." - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - -THE ONLY WAY TO STUDY--TAKING COLD--RILEY'S FAMILY--THE HARE -LIP---FISHING FOR SHEEPHEAD---FRANK CHOKED WITH A FISH BONE--HIS -RELIEF--HIS STORY OF THE SHEEP'S HEAD AND DUMPLINGS--"TILL THE WARFARE -IS OVER" - - -Dr. Gordon began to feel dissatisfied that his children were losing so -much valuable time from study; for the house was yet loaded with baggage -which could be put nowhere else, and their time was broken up by -unavoidable interruptions. Until a more favourable opportunity, -therefore, he required only that they should devote one hour every day -to faithful study, and that they should spend the rest of their time as -usefully as possible. - -His theory of education embraced two very simple, but very efficacious -principles. First, to _excite in his children the desire of acquiring -knowledge_; and, secondly, to train them to _give their undivided -attention to the subject in hand_. This last, he said, was the only way -to study; and he told them, in illustration, the story of Sir Isaac -Newton, who, on being asked by a friend, in view of his prodigious -achievements, what was the difference, so far as he was conscious, -between his mind and those of ordinary people, answered simply in the -power of concentration. - -Harold had been greatly discouraged at finding himself so far behind his -cousins in the art of study, but by following the advice of his uncle, -he soon experienced a great and an encouraging change. At first, it is -true, he could scarcely give his whole mind to any study more than five -minutes at a time, without a sense of weariness; but he persevered, and -day by day his powers increased so manifestly that he used frequently to -say to himself, "_concentration is everything--everything in study_." - -But Dr. Gordon's instructions were by no means confined to books and the -school-room; he used every favourable opportunity to give information on -points that promised to be useful. - -"Mary," said he one day, to his daughter, who was sitting absorbed in -study, beside a window through which the sea breeze was pouring freshly -upon her head and shoulders, and who had, in consequence, began to -exhibit symptoms of a cold, "Mary, my daughter, remove your seat. Do -you not know that to allow a current of air like that to blow upon a -part of your person, is almost sure to produce sickness?" - -"I know it, father," she replied, "and I intended some time since to -change my seat, but the sum is so hard that I forgot all about the -wind." - -"I am glad to see you capable of such fixedness of mind," said he, "but -I will take this opportunity to say to you, and to the rest, that there -are two seasons, especially, when you should be on your guard against -these dangerous currents of air,--one is when you are asleep, and the -other is when your mind is absorbed in thought. At these times the -pores of the skin are more than usually open, as may be seen by the flow -of perspiration; and a current of cool air, at such a time, especially -if partial, is almost certain to give cold." - -"But how can we be on our guard, father," asked Mary with a smile, "when -we are too far gone in sleep or in thought, to know what we are about!" - -"We must take the precaution beforehand," he replied. "Make it a rule -never to sleep nor to study in a partial current of air; and also -remember that _the first moment_ you perceive the tingling sensation of -an incipient cold, you must obey the warning which kind nature gives you -or else must bear the consequences." - -Mary's cold was pretty severe. For days she suffered from cough and -pain. But that day's lecture on currents of air, followed by so -impressive an illustration, was probably more useful than her lesson in -arithmetic; certainly it was longer remembered and more frequently acted -upon. - -True to his promise, Riley appeared at the appointed time with his -supply of game. He said, however, that he should remain only a few -days, because he had left his young wife sick. It interested Mary not a -little to perceive that a savage could feel and act so much like a -civilized being; and she was trying to think of something complimentary -to say upon this occasion, when he threw her all aback, by adding, that -this was his _youngest_ and _favourite_ wife. - -"What! have you two wives?" she exclaimed in horror. - -"Yes, only two, now; one dead." - -Her mind was sadly changed at this evidence of heathenism; but ere the -day was over she received a still more impressive proof. - -Dr. Gordon perceiving that he looked sad whenever an allusion was made -to his home, he asked him if his wife was seriously sick, to which he -answered, No. - -"When I go home, last week," said he, "my squaw had a fine boy, big and -fat. My heart glad. But I look and see a big hole in his mouth, from -here to here," pointing from the lip to the nose. - -"That is what we call a hare lip," said Dr. Gordon, "it is not -uncommon." - -"I sorry very much," continued Riley. "Child too ugly." - -"But it can be easily cured," observed Dr. Gordon. - -Riley looked at him inquiringly, and Dr. Gordon added, "O, yes, it can -be easily cured. If you will bring your child here, any time, I will -stop that hole in half an hour; and there will be no sign of it left, -except a little scar, like a cut." - -The Indian shook his head mournfully, "Can't bring him. Too late now." - -"O, the child is dead?" inquired the Doctor. "I am sorry." - -"Dead now," replied Riley. "I look at him one day, two day, tree day. -Child too ugly. I throw him in the water." - -"What!" exclaimed Dr. Gordon, suddenly remembering that it was the -practice of the Indians to destroy all their deformed children. "You -did not drown it?" - -"Child ugly too much," answered Riley, with a softened tone of voice. -"Child good for nothing. I throw him in the water." - -Dr. Gordon was not only shocked, as any man of feeling would have been, -under the circumstances, but he felt as a Christian, whose heart moved -with compassion towards his dark skinned brother. He uttered not one -word of rebuke or of condemnation; his time for speaking to the purpose -had not yet come; and he carefully avoided everything in word and look -which should widen the space which naturally exists between the white -man and the Indian, the Christian and the pagan. - -Poor Mary! She no sooner heard this confession, than she sidled away -from her interesting savage, until wholly beyond his reach, and could -scarcely look at him during his stay that week, without feelings akin to -fear. An Indian, she learned, was an Indian after all. - -While Riley was there the boys often borrowed his boat, and Harold tried -to imitate his dexterity in the use of the paddle. They soon became -great friends. On one of their excursions for fish, they went, by his -direction, around a point of land where the head of a fallen live oak -lay in the water, and its partially decayed limbs were encrusted with -barnacles and young oysters. There they soon caught a large supply of -very fine fish of various sorts, particularly of the sheephead,--a -delicious fish, shaped somewhat like the perch, only stouter and -rounder, beautifully marked with broad alternate bands of black and -white around the body, and varying in weight from half a pound to ten or -fifteen pounds. - -No one was more delighted than Frank, with the result of the excursion; -for he was fond, as a cat, of everything in the shape of fish. But, it -is said, there is no rose without its thorn; and so he found in the -present case. He was enjoying, rather voraciously, the luxury of his -favourite food, when a disorderly bone lodged crossways in the narrow -part of his throat, and gave him excessive pain. Frank was a polite -boy. Avoiding, as far as possible, disturbing the others by his -misfortune, he slipped quietly from the table, and tried every means to -relieve himself. But it was not until he had applied to his father, -and, under his direction, swallowed a piece of hard bread, that he was -able to resume his place.[#] - - -[#] Unwilling to mislead any of my young readers, by describing -expedients and remedies that might not serve them in case of necessity, -I have submitted my manuscript to several persons for inspection, and -among others to a judicious physician and surgeon. It never occurred to -me that in mentioning so simple a thing as swallowing a crust for the -removal of a fish-bone, I could possibly do harm. To my surprise, -however, my medical friend observed, that he supposed Dr. Gordon knew -that the fishbone, which Frank swallowed, was _small_ and _flexible_, or -he would not have used that expedient. - -"If," said he, "the substance which lodges in the throat is so stiff (a -pin for instance) as not to be easily bent, the attempt to force it down -by swallowing a piece of bread may be unsafe; it may lacerate the lining -membrane, or, being stopped by the offending substance, it may cause the -person to be worse choked than before." - -"But, Doctor, what should the poor fellow do in such a case?" he was -asked. - -"I suspect Dr. Gordon would have used a large feather?" - -"Indeed!" - -"Yes, he would have rumpled its plume, so as to reverse the direction of -the feathery part, and would have thrust that down the throat, below the -pin or bone. On withdrawing the feather, the substance would be either -found adhering to its wet sides, or raised on end, so that it could be -easily swallowed." - -With many thanks for this suggestion, the promise was made that the -young readers of Robert and Harold should have the benefit of his -advice. But I think that the best plan is to avoid the fish-bones. - - -Being not quite so humble as he was polite, however, he began to condemn -the fish instead of himself for his accident. His father told him he -had no right to say one word against the fish, which was remarkably free -from bones, and was just preparing to give him a gentle lecture on -gormandizing, when Frank, foreseeing what was to come, was adroit enough -to seize a moment's pause in the conversation, and to divert the -subject, by asking with a very droll air, - -"I wonder, father, if these sheephead are of the same kind with that one -that butted the dumplings?" - -"I do not know what dumplings you mean," said his father. - -"O, did you never hear the story of the sheep's head and the dumplings? -Well, brother Robert can tell you all about it." - -"No, no," returned his father, who saw through the little fellow's -stratagem. "No, no, Frank, it is your own story, and you must go -through with it." - -This was a trial, for Frank had never in his life made so long an -extempore speech in the presence of the assembled family, as he had now -imposed upon himself. But, in the desperation of the moment, he mustered -courage, and thus spoke, - -"There was once an old woman that left her little boy to mind a pot that -had in it a sheep's head and some dumplings boiling for dinner, while -she went to a neighbour's house to attend some sort of preaching. The -little boy did not seem to have much sense; and had never minded a pot -before; so when he saw the water boiling over, and the sheep's head and -the dumplings bobbing about in every direction, he became frightened and -ran for his mother, bawling at the top of his voice, 'Mammy! the -dumplings! run!' She saw him coming in among the people, and tried to -stop his bawling by shaking her head and winking her eyes at him; but he -would not stop. He crowded right up to her, saying, 'Mammy, you needn't -to wink nor to blink, for the sheep's head is butting all the dumplings -out of the pot!'" - -Throughout this story Frank did not make a balk or a blunder. He kept -straight on, as if brimful of fun, and uttered the last sentence with -such an affectation of grave terror, as produced a universal laugh. - -His father had tried hard to keep up his dignity for the intended -lecture, but it also gave way, and he contented himself with saying, - -"Well, master Frank, I see you are at your old tricks again. And since -you show such an aptitude for putting people into good humour, there -will be reason to think you are in fault, if you ever put them out. -Harold, has your aunt ever told you how Frank once _kissed himself out -of a scrape with her_?" - -Harold said she had not, and his uncle went on, - -"It was when he was between three and four years of age. His mother had -taken him on a visit to a friend of hers in the neighbourhood of -Charleston, and he was allowed to sit at the dinner table with the -ladies. But he became so disorderly and perverse that his mother, after -an ineffectual reprimand or two, ordered him to go up stairs, meaning to -her room above. The language was indefinite, and Frank interpreted it -to suit his own pleasure. He went up stairs, it is true, but only half -way, where he seated himself so as to look at the table and the company, -and then began to drum with his feet and to talk loud enough to be -heard, - -"'H-m-n-h! This is a very good place. I love these nice stairs. I'd -rather be here than anywhere else in the world. I don't want any of -that old dinner!' - -"This was very rude language, and more especially when used in a house -where he was a guest. His mother was so much mortified that as soon as -dinner was over she took him to her room, gave him a sound strapping, -and put him in a corner, where he was to stay, until he promised to be a -good boy. Then she lay down on her bed as if to take a nap, but in -reality to meditate what course to pursue towards her rude little child. - -"Frank, you know, is fond of singing. There was a wild religious melody -which he had learnt about that time, and which he was constantly -singing. It had a short chorus at the end of every line, and a long -chorus at the end of each verse, running this way, - -"'Children of the heavenly King, - Till the warfare is over, Hallelujah, -As ye journey sweetly sing, - Till the warfare is over, Hallelujah.' - -I forget the long chorus. - -"Well, your aunt had not been upon the bed more than a few minutes, -before Frank quietly slipped from his corner and stole close to the -bedside to make friends. But his mother would not notice him. He bent -over and gave her a kiss. Still she looked displeased. He tried -another kiss, but she turned away her face. This was a damper. Frank -was disheartened, but not in despair. He leaned over the bed, making a -long reach, to try the effect of a third kiss. - -"'There, Frank,' said his mother, in a displeased tone, 'that is enough. -You need not kiss me any more.' - -"'Yes, mother,' said he, leaning far over, and taking hold of her, 'I -mean to kiss you _till the warfare is over, Hallelujah_.' - -"I need not say that, from that moment, the warfare _was_ over, and -Frank behaved himself well through the remainder of the visit. - -"And now, since he has managed to escape the lecture I was about to give -him on eating too fast, I hope he will hereafter cultivate the -recollection of _today and the fish-bones_." - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - -BUG IN THE BAR--VISIT TO PORT BROOKE--EVADING BLOODHOUNDS--CONTEST WITH -DOGS AND MEANS OF DEFENCE--AMUSING ESCAPE FROM A WILD BULL AND -CONVERSATION ON THE SUBJECT - - -While Riley was at Bellevue the workmen succeeded in raising the frame -of the new house, and in completing the most laborious part of the work. -On the last days of his stay he was dispatched with a message to Fort -Brooke, to say that on the following Tuesday Dr. Gordon and family would -make their promised visit. - -During the interval nothing of special interest occurred, except a -painful accident that happened to Harold. He was awakened in the night -by a sudden tickling in his ear. This was caused by a harvest bug--a -black hard-winged insect, nearly an inch long. When first feeling it, -and uncertain what it was, he sprang up in bed, and struck the ear -violently from behind, in the hope of jarring it out. Failing in this, -he poured his ear full of water; but still not succeeding, he felt along -the wall for a large needle he recollected seeing there the evening -before, and with that endeavoured to pick it out. The frightened bug -finding itself so energetically pursued into its unnatural hiding place, -went deeper, and began to scratch with its clogged feet, and to bite -upon the tender drum of the ear. The pain it caused was excruciating. -Harold, feeling that he must soon go into spasms, unless relieved, -wakened his uncle, and entreated earnestly for help. To his -inexpressible delight Dr. Gordon said he could relieve him in a minute; -and seizing the night lamp he poured the ear full of oil. Scarcely had -this fluid closed around the intruder, before it scrambled out, and -reached the external ear just in time to die. - -Harold could not find words for his gratitude. - -"Uncle," said he, "you may think me extravagant, but I assure you the -pain was so intense, that I was thinking seriously, in case you could -not relieve me, of making Sam chop my ear open with a hatchet. This I -suppose would have killed me; but it must have been death in either -case." - -On the day appointed, they went to Fort Brooke in the pleasure boat, Dr. -Gordon being at the helm, and Robert and Harold taking turns in managing -the sails. The wind was fair, and the light ripple of the water was -barely sufficient to give a graceful dancing to their beautiful craft. -Far below the transparent waves, they could see the glistening of bright -shells upon the bottom, and every now and then the flash of a -silver-sided fish. - -At the fort they were received with the courtesy that so generally marks -gentlemen of the army; and the three days of their stay passed off very -pleasantly. The reveille and tattoo, the daily drill, and the -practising with cannon, were novelties to the young back-woodsmen. Frank -was exceedingly surprised, as well as amused, to see cannon-balls making -"ducks and drakes," as he called them, upon the water. He had often -thrown oyster-shells, and flat stones, so as to skim in this way, but he -had no idea that it could be done with a cannon-ball. - -On the last day of their visit, Harold escaped from an unpleasant -predicament, only by the exercise of cool courage and ready ingenuity. -He had gone with Frank to visit a cannon target, a mile or more distant. -Wandering along the bank of the Hillsborough river, which flows hard by -the fort, and then entering the woods on the other side of the road, he -was suddenly accosted by a man on horseback, who had been concealed -behind a bower of yellow jessamines. - -"Good day, my young friend. Have you been walking much in these woods -today?" - -Harold said that he had not, and inquired why the question was asked. -The man replied, "I am watching for a villainous Indian-negro, who was -seen skulking here this morning. He has been detected in stealing, and -several persons will soon come with blood-hounds to hunt him. If you -see his track" (and he described its peculiarity), "I hope you will let -us know." - -Harold consented to do so, and walked on, unwilling to be the spectator -of the scene. Returning to the road, and walking some distance, the -thought flashed into his mind that possibly the dogs might fall upon his -own trail. It was certain that they would naturally take the freshest -trail, and he was confident that the man did not know which way he went. -The dogs were probably fierce, and it would be exceedingly difficult, in -case of an attack, to defend himself and Frank too. Becoming every -moment more uneasy, he went to the roadside and cut himself a stout -bludgeon. Frank watched the operation, and suspected that something was -wrong, though he could not conjecture what. - -"Cousin," said he, "what did you cut that big stick for?" - -"A walking-stick," he replied: "Is it not a good one?" - -"Yes, pretty good; but I never saw you use a walking-stick before." - -At that moment, Harold heard afar off the deep bay of the blood-hounds, -opening upon a trail. The sound became every moment more distinct. He -could distinguish the cry of four separate dogs. They were evidently -upon his scent. He clutched his club, and looked fiercely back. It was -a full half mile to the place where, having left the man, he emerged -into the road; and there were several curves in it so great that he -could neither see nor be seen for any distance. Necessity is the mother -of invention. A bright thought came into his mind. "Stay here," said -he to Frank, "and don't move one peg till I come back." - -He was at a sharp bend of the road, on the convex side of which lay a -little run of water, skirted by a thick undergrowth. He took a course -straight with the road, and hurrying as fast as possible into the wet -low ground, returned upon his own track; then, taking Frank in his arms, -sprang with all his might, at right angles, to his former course, and -ran with him to a neighbouring knoll, which commanded a view of the -road, where he stopped to reconnoitre. He had _doubled_, as hunters -term this manoeuvre, practised by hares and foxes when pursued by -hounds; and his intention was, if still pursued, to place Frank in a -tree, and with his club to beat off the dogs until the hunters arrived. - -It was soon proved that the hounds were actually upon his track. They -came roaring along the road, with their tails raised, and their noses to -the ground. Arriving at the spot where Frank had stood, they did not -pursue the road, but plunged into the bushes, upon the track which -Harold had doubled, and went floundering into the mire of the stream -beyond, where they soon scattered in every direction, hunting for the -lost trail. The boys did not pursue their walk; having made so narrow -an escape, they turned their steps, without delay, towards the fort. - -"Cousin," inquired Frank, on their way back, "did not those dogs come -upon our track!" Harold replied, "Yes." - -"And did you cut that big stick to fight them?" - -"Yes." - -"And did you intend to cheat them by going into the bushes, and coming -back the same way, and then jumping off, with me in your arms?" Harold -still said, "Yes." - -"Well, now, cousin," inquired Frank, "where did you learn that nice -trick?" - -"From the rabbits and foxes," he answered. "I did not know who could -tell me better than they, how to escape from dogs." - -Frank said he always knew that foxes were very cunning, but he never -before heard of any one's taking a fox for his teacher. - -On returning to the fort, Dr. Gordon applauded the ruse, and -congratulated Harold upon his escape; but, at the same time, informed -him that his plan was not to be relied upon. "A well trained hound," -said he, "is as competent to nose out a doubled track as you are to -devise it. I attribute your escape, partly to the fact that the dogs -are not staunch, and partly to the help afforded you by the miry bottom, -on which your scent could not lie." - -The conversation now turned naturally upon contests with dogs, and -different methods of escape. Dr. Gordon related the story of his having -defended himself and his little brother against three fierce dogs, when -he was about Robert's age, by putting his back against a wall, and -beating off the assailants with a club. - -"But were you ever forced to fight them when you had no stick?" asked -Harold. - -"Fortunately not," his uncle replied. "Though I knew a person once who -was caught as you describe, and who devised at least a show of defence. -He took off his hat and shoved it at the dog, with a fierce look, -whenever it approached. But I presume that his success depended more -upon the expression of his countenance than upon the threatening -appearance of his weapon. A _fearless eye_ and _a quiet resolute -manner_, is the best defence against _any enemy_, human or brute, that -can be devised. - -"I did, however, witness one expedient adopted by a sailor, which goes -to show what can be accomplished in an emergency of the kind, by a cool -head and a steady hand. A large dog rushed at him, without provocation, -on the public wharf. The sailor spoke to him, looked at him, shoved his -hat at him, but in vain. The dog flew at his legs. Quietly drawing his -knife, as a last resource, and holding his hat in his left hand, he -stooped, and allowing the dog to seize his hat, passed his knife -underneath it, into his throat. The dog staggered back, mortally -wounded, not having seen the hand that slew him." - -On Friday, September 24th, the company returned to Bellevue; and on the -week following, had the opportunity of witnessing an act of cool -courage, which Harold declared to evince far more ingenuity and -composure of mind, than his own escape from the blood-hounds. - -Riley had made them another visit, and was engaged at work upon the -house, under the direction of Sam, the carpenter. Dr. Gordon took the -young people in the pleasure boat, to spend an afternoon in the -agreeable occupation of obtaining another supply of fish. After trying -for some time, with poor success, they saw Riley coming along the bluff; -his object being, as was afterwards shown, to point out the reason of -their failure, and to tell them what to do. - -As he approached, a fierce looking bull rushed from a grove of live -oaks, and made furiously at him. Had Riley been near the shore he -might, and probably would, have sprung into the water, and thus escaped; -but the enraged beast was between him and his place of refuge. The -company in the boat felt seriously anxious for his safety, since there -appeared little chance of his escaping without a contest. But Riley -took the matter very coolly. He glided to a little clump of saplings, -and holding to one of them at arm's length, seemed to enjoy the evident -mortification of the bull in being so narrowly dodged. He was very -expert in keeping the small tree between him and it; and as the circle -in which he ran was much smaller than that in which the bull was -compelled to move, his task was easy. The furious animal pushed first -with one horn then with the other; he ran suddenly and violently; he -pawed the earth, and bellowed with rage; his eyes flashed and his mouth -foamed, but it was in vain. Soon Riley watched his opportunity, and -glided nimbly from that tree to one nearer the boat; then to another and -another; the bull following with every demonstration of impotent rage. -This was done merely to teaze. Finally becoming wearied with this -profitless, though amusing sport, he gathered a handful of sand, and -provoking the bull to push at him again, forced a part of the sand into -one eye, and the remainder into the other, and then left him perfectly -blinded for the time, and rushing madly from place to place, while Riley -came laughing to the beach, and delivered his message. - -"Coolly and cleverly done!" said Dr. Gordon, at the end of the contest. -"That is certainly a new idea, in the way of involuntary bull baiting, -which is worth remembering. But I advise you young folks not to try it, -except in case of a similar necessity. It is safer to climb a tree or -fence, or even to plunge into the water." - -"Riley had no other chance," remarked Harold. - -"He had not," Dr. Gordon rejoined, "and therefore I regard his expedient -as valuable. Should you be pursued in an open field, the danger would -be still greater. Then the best plan would be to _detain_ the beast by -something thrown to attract his attention. Cattle are made very quickly -angry by the sight of a red garment. If anything of this colour, such -as a shawl or pocket handkerchief can be dropped when you are pursued by -one, it will be almost certain to catch his eye, and to engage him -awhile in goring it. If nothing red can be dropped, then let him have -something else from your person--a hat, coat, or a spread umbrella--in -fact anything calculated to attract his eye." - -"I have heard," observed Robert, "of jumping upon a bull's back, as he -stooped his head to toss." - -"So have I," his father added, "but spare me if you please, the -necessity; none but a monkey, or a person of a monkey's agility can do -it successfully. I should sooner risk the chance of springing suddenly -behind him, and seizing his tail. At least I should like to administer -that sound belabouring with a stick which he would so richly deserve, -and which might teach him better manners." - -"Or to twist his tail," said Harold merrily. "I believe that will make -a bull bellow, as soon as putting sand into his eyes. And what is -better, you can keep on twisting, until you are sure than his manners -are thoroughly taught." - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - -MAROONING AND THE MAROONING PARTY - - -The work of house-building and improvement now went forward with visible -rapidity. By the first day of October, the new dwelling-house was -sufficiently advanced to allow the family to move into it; and in a -fortnight more, the new kitchen was covered, and such other changes -made, in and about the house, as to give it quite a genteel and -comfortable appearance. As it became necessary about this time for the -workmen to attend to some inside work, which could be more easily -accomplished by having the family out of the way, Dr. Gordon stopped the -young people after school, and said to them: - -"Children, I have a proposition to make. But before doing so, who can -tell me what 'marooning' means?" - -All turned their eyes to Robert, whom they regarded as a sort of walking -dictionary; and he answered with a slight hesitation--"I should say, -living pretty much in the way we have lived most of the time since we -came to Bellevue. A person maroons when he lives in an unsettled -state." - -"You are nearly right; but to be more critical. The word 'maroon' is of -West Indian origin--coming I think from the island of Jamaica. It meant -at first a free negro. But as those who ran away from their masters -became virtually free for the time, it came afterwards to mean a runaway -negro. To maroon therefore means to go from home and live like a -runaway negro. I wish to ask if any one present is in favour of -marooning?" - -All were silent, and Dr. Gordon continued, "To maroon means also to go -to some wild place, where there is plenty of game or fish, and to live -upon what we can obtain by our own skill. Are there any persons now in -favour of marooning?" - -"I am--and I--and I!" was the universal response. "When shall it be? -Where shall it be?" - -"You are too fast," said the Doctor. "I have one of two propositions to -make. We must for a few days give up the house to the workmen. Now the -question to be decided is, Shall we return to Fort Brooke, and spend our -time among the guns and cannons; or shall we go to Riley's Island at the -mouth of the bay, and spend it among the deer and turkeys, the fish and -oysters, of which we have heard so much? There are advantages and -disadvantages on both sides; and my own mind is so perfectly balanced -that I will leave the decision to you." - -Harold's eyes flashed fire at the prospect of his old employment; still -he said nothing; he waited to know what the others preferred. Robert -looked at him, and in a moment caught the contagion. Indeed it seemed -as if a sort of mesmeric influence had swayed the whole party, for they -did nothing more than exchange with each other one hurried glance, and -then unanimously cried out, "Riley's Island! Riley's Island!" - -"Remember," said Dr. Gordon, "that in marooning we must wait upon -ourselves. William is the only servant I can take. His time will be -fully occupied with cooking, and other duties belonging to the tent. We -cannot depend on him for anything more than is absolutely necessary. -Are you still of the same mind?" - -"The same!" they all replied. - -"Still I will not hold you to your promises until you have had further -time for reflection," said he. "You may not have looked at all the -difficulties of the case. I will give you until dinner-time to make up -your minds; and to help your thoughts, I will assign to each of you an -office, and make you responsible for providing all things necessary for -a week's excursion, to begin in the morning. - -"Harold, I appoint you master of the hunting and fishing departments. - -"Robert shall be sailing-master, and provide for the literature of the -party. - -"Mary shall be housekeeper still, and mistress of the stores. - -"And Master Frank shall be--I know not what to make him, unless -_supercargo_." - -"Now I wish you each to sit down at your leisure, and make out a written -list, to be presented to me at dinner-time, of all things needed in your -several departments." - -They responded very heartily, and were about to retire, when Dr. Gordon, -observing a comical expression on Frank's face, said, "What is the -matter, Frank? Are you not willing to be supercargo?" - -"I do not know what supercargo is," answered Frank, "unless it is -somebody to catch rabbits. But I know how to do that. So I mean to -take my dog and hatchet, and a box of matches." - -"Well done, Frank," said his father; "you have the marooning spirit if -you do not know what supercargo is. But where did you learn the art of -catching rabbits?" - -"Oh, I learnt it from cousin Harold," said he. "We got a rabbit into a -hollow tree, and caught him there. _I_ caught him, father, with my own -hand; I know exactly how to catch a rabbit." - -"Very well, Mr. Supercargo, carry what you will. But go along all of -you, and be ready with your lists against dinner-time." - -They retired in great glee to plan out and prepare. Robert and Harold, -having first gone to the beach to think alone, were to be seen, half an -hour afterwards, in their room, busily engaged with pencil in hand. At -this time Frank came in. He had been almost frantic with joy at the -prospect of the change; and after having romped with his dog Fidelle and -the goats in the yard, he had come to romp with any one who would join -him in the house. - -"Brother Robert and cousin Harold," said he, "what are you doing? Are -you writing? are you ciphering? are you studying? Why do you not answer -me?" He was evidently in a frolic. - -"Go to your play, Frank, and do not bother us," returned Robert, -impatiently; "we are thinking." - -"I know you are; for father said we are thinking all the time we are -awake, and sometimes while we are asleep. But I want to know what you -are thinking about so hard." - -"Don't you know," Harold answered, mildly, "that we are going to Riley's -Island tomorrow, and that Robert and I have to make out a list of what -we are to carry? We are making our lists." - -"Ah ha! but I have to carry some things too," said he. "Father is going -to let me catch the rabbits there; and he called me a ----, some kind of -a ----; I forget the name, but it means the person to catch rabbits. -What is the name, brother?" - -"Supercargo?" - -"Yes, that's it--supercargo. Mustn't I think of something too?" - -"Certainly," replied Harold, humouring the joke. "But the way _we_ did, -was first to go off by ourselves, and think of what we were to carry; -then to come in and write off our lists. Do you go now and think over -yours, and when you come in I will write it for you." - -Frank went out, but he was not gone long. He insisted on having his -list made out at once. - -"What do you wish to carry?" Harold asked. Frank told him. - -"Now," said Harold, "I will make a bargain with you. If you do not -trouble us before we have finished our work, I will write your list for -you so that you yourself can read it. Will you stay out now?" - -"That I will. But can you write it so that I can read it?" - -"Yes, and will not print it either." - -"Well, then you must be a very smart teacher, almost as smart as the -foxes; for father has been teaching me this summer to make writing -marks, but I have never made one of the writing marks yet." - -Harold however persisted in his promise, and he and Frank were as good -as their several words. Frank, it is true, did creep on tip-toe, and -peep through the crack of the door, but he disturbed nobody; and when at -last the boys came out, Harold presented him with a folded paper, which -he instructed him to put into his pocket, and not to open till the lists -were called for. - -At the appointed hour they all assembled. The meal passed pleasantly -off; not an allusion had as yet been made to the proposed excursion. It -was a part of Dr. Gordon's training to practise his children in -self-restraint. He could however discern by their looks that their -decisions remained as before. Said he, "I presume you have all made up -your minds to the marooning party; am I correct?" - -"O yes, sir, yes," was the answer, "and we are all ready to report, not -excepting Frank and William." - -"Really, you have done wonders! But let me call upon you each in turn. -Harold McIntosh, you are hunting and fishing-master. Let me hear your -report." - -Harold took from his pocket a piece of paper about as broad as his hand, -and a little longer. Besides the arms, ammunition and appurtenances, -fishing-hooks, lines and nets, he closed his list with reading -"brimstone." - -"And what use," asked his uncle, "do you expect to make of that?" - -"Taking bee-trees," he replied. "Brimstone is used in driving bees from -the honey." - -"Whether we meet with bee-trees or not, the brimstone will be in -nobody's way; let it go. Mr. Hunting-master your list is perfect. Now -Robert, yours." - -His list embraced all that the boat would need for comfort, or for -repair in case of accident. The books selected had reference to the -taste of each. Shakespeare for his father, Goldsmith's Natural History -for Harold, Scott's Napoleon for himself, Robinson Crusoe and Botany for -his sister, and (in a spirit of mischief) Old Mother Hubbard for Frank. - -But Frank was quite indignant at what he knew to be an insinuation -against his childish taste. "I will not have old Mother Hubbard for my -book," he said, as soon as he heard the list read. "I have passed that -long ago; I wanted to carry Jack the Giant Killer." - -"Scratch out Mother Hubbard," said his father to Robert, "and put down -Jack. Your list, Master Robert, is pretty good; but I shall take the -liberty of adding several volumes to the stock, in case of bad weather. -And beside this, I should advise you all to carry your pocket -Testaments, that you may continue your plan of daily reading. I should -be sorry, and almost afraid, to let our sports interfere with our -devotions." - -Up to this time Frank had been listening to what had been read or -spoken. But now, on a sign from Harold, he took a paper from his -pocket, and, looking at its contents, commenced capering round the room, -saying, "I _can_ read it--I can read every word of it!" - -"Read what?" asked his father. - -"My list," replied Frank, "that cousin Harold wrote for me. I can read -it all!" - -"Then let us have it." - -[Illustration: pictures of items on the list] - -"Here," said he, "is my hatchet." - -"And here is my bow and arrows." - -"And here is my dog; only it is not half so pretty as Fidelle." - -"And down here at the bottom--that is--that is--I believe it is--either -a block or a brick-bat. O, now I remember, it is my box of matches." - -"Bravo, Frank," said his father, "you do credit to your teacher. I -doubt whether I could myself have guessed what that last thing was -intended for. Your list may pass also. - -"Now, Miss Mary, let us have yours. You have had more to think of than -all the others put together, and yet I'll warrant you are nearly as -perfect in proportion." - -Mary blushed to hear the commendation bestowed upon her on trust, and -replied, "I doubt it, father. For though it is very long, I am all the -while thinking of something else to be added, and I am pretty sure there -is a great deal yet that I have forgotten." She then read her own list, -containing about thirty-five articles, and William's, embracing half a -dozen more; upon which her father continued to bestow praise for the -house-wifery they showed, and to each of which he made some slight -additions. - -"Now, William," said he, "do you select two moderately sized boxes, and -aid Miss Mary to pack everything in her line so as not to crowd the -boat. Remember, too, to put in for Riley a half bushel of salt, a loaf -of sugar, and a peck of wheat flour. Pack the boat, and have it -complete this evening, however late it should take you, that there may -be no delay in the morning." - -They were no sooner dismissed from table than all went vigorously to -work. Guns were cleaned--hooks and lines examined--boxes packed--all -things being done by classes. Then each person put up an extra suit or -two of clothing, in case of accidents. And so expeditiously did the -work go forward, that by five o'clock that evening the boat was ready -for her trip. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - -EMBARKATION--ABDUCTION EXTRAORDINARY--EFFORTS TO ESCAPE--ALTERNATE HOPES -AND FEARS--DESPAIR--VESSEL IN THE DISTANCE--RENEWED HOPES AND -EFFORTS--WATER-SPOUT--FLASH OF LIGHTNING AND ITS EFFECTS--MAKING FOR -SHORE--GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - - -Many visions that night danced before the young sleepers--prancing deer -with bright eyes and branching horns; turkeys running, flying, -fluttering; white tents, mossy beds, and all the wild scenes of woodland -life. They were up and dressed at daybreak. The wind was fair, and the -day promised to be fine. Frank's little feet were pattering over the -whole house and yard, carrying him into everybody's way, on the pretence -of rendering assistance. There was one useful suggestion which he made. -He had gone to each room and corner in the house, saying "good-bye" to -every person and thing, chairs, tables, and all, when at last he came to -his father's cloak and umbrella, kept in the same corner. - -"Good-bye, umbrella," said he, "but as for you, good Mr. Cloak, father -will want you to sleep on. Poor umbrella! are you not sorry? Don't you -want to go too? But, father!" he cried, running into the next room, -"had we not better carry the umbrella? Maybe we shall need it." - -"That is a good idea, Master Frank," said his father. "Do you take -charge of the umbrella, as a part of your office, and see it put into -the boat." - -Frank ran back to the room he had left, and taking the umbrella from its -corner, he said, "O ho, my little fellow, father says you may go. Are -you not glad I asked for you? But you must be a good boy, and not put -yourself in anybody's way. Come now, spread your wings, and let me see -how glad you look." - -He opened the umbrella, and flapped it several times to make it look -lively, then closed it, and set it beside the cloak where it belonged. -Presently he heard the tinkle of a little silver bell, and knew that it -was the signal for family prayers. He went to the breakfast-room, and -took his seat. - -Dr. Gordon's children were well versed in the Scriptures, and were -remarkably attentive during the reading of them. Perhaps one secret of -this fact was to be found in their father's practice of stopping every -few verses during the family reading to ask them questions on what had -been read, and briefly to explain what they could not otherwise -comprehend. This morning the children observed that the chapter read -was remarkably appropriate to their circumstances, and that the Doctor -prayed particularly that the Lord would preserve them from all sin and -harm during their excursion; that he would preside over their pleasures, -and that he would make their temporary absence the means of their -knowing him better, and loving him more. - -They breakfasted as the sun was rising. While at table no one could -speak of anything but the voyage and the island, and what they expected -to see, do, and enjoy. The boat was at the wharf, which had been -erected for the brig. It was packed, and ready for departure, with the -exception of a few things to be carried by hand. William had -breakfasted at the same time with the family, and now came in, saying, -"All ready, sir." - -"Come, children," said Dr. Gordon, "let us go." - -"Come, umbrella," said Frank, "you are to go with me." - -"O, father," exclaimed Mary, as they approached the shore, "there is -Nanny with her sweet little kids. See how anxiously she looks at the -boat, and tries to say, 'Do let me go too.' Had we not better take her? -She is so tame; and then you are so fond of milk in your coffee." - -"I doubt," he replied, "whether there will be room for dogs, goats, and -ourselves too. But we can easily determine; and as I know that all of -you are as fond of milk as I am, I will let her go if there is room." - -They took their places, Dr. Gordon at the helm, Robert and Harold -amidships, Mary and Frank next to their father, and William in the bow. -Everything had been stowed so snugly away, and the boat was withal so -roomy, that Nanny and her kids were invited to a place. - -"Now, children, for order's sake," said Dr. Gordon, "I will assign the -bow of the boat, where William is, to Nanny and her kids; Fidelle must -lie here by Frank and Mum may go with Harold. Mary, call your pet, and -have her in her place." - -A word about the dogs. Fidelle was a beautiful and high-blooded -spaniel, that might have been taught anything which a dog could learn, -but whose only accomplishments as yet were of a very simple character, -and confined chiefly to such tricks as were a source of amusement to her -little master. Mum was a large, ugly, rough-looking cur, whose value -would never have been suspected from his appearance. He was brave, -faithful, and sagacious; strong, swift-footed, and obedient. But his -chief value consisted in his education. He came from the pine barrens -of Georgia, where Dr. Gordon had first seen and purchased him, and where -he had been trained, according to the custom of the wild woodsmen there, -to hunt silently; and in following the trail of a deer or turkey to keep -just in advance of his master, and to give suitable indications of being -near the object of pursuit. Mum was no common dog; and he proved of -inestimable service to the young adventurers in their coming -difficulties. - -"Draw in the anchor, William, while I cast off at the stern," said Dr. -Gordon. "But hold! let us see what that means." He pointed with his -finger to a horseman, who turned a point on the beach, and seeing them -about to depart, waved his hat to say "stop!" The horseman rode at full -speed, and soon was within speaking distance. He bore a note from the -surgeon at Fort Brooke, requesting the loan of a certain instrument -which Dr. Gordon had promised when on his visit, and for which there was -now a sudden call. - -"Keep your places, children," said the Doctor. "I shall be gone only -five minutes. William, do you take my place, and keep the boat steady -by holding to this frame." - -He ascended the wharf, went with the soldier to the house, and was -absent a very few minutes; but during that interval an event occurred -which separated them for a long, long time and made them oftentimes fear -that they should never more meet in this world. - -The position of the boat at the wharf was peculiar. Her stern had been -lashed to the timbers, for the purpose of keeping it steady, until all -had entered; and the bow was kept to its place by the anchor dropped -into the two and half fathoms water, which "was had" there at high tide. -The fastening to the stern having been cast off, preparatory to leaving, -William was now holding to the wharf, awaiting his master's return. - -This was not long after sunrise, at which moment they had heard the -report of a cannon unusually loud from the fort. Scarcely had Dr. -Gordon disappeared from the bluff, when the young people noticed a heavy -ripple of the water, between them and the fort, indicating that it was -disturbed by a multitude of very large fish, moving with rapidity -towards the sea. - -"What can they be?" was a question which all asked, with a curiosity not -unmixed with fear, as they looked upon the approaching waves. William -held firmly to the pier head, that the boat should not be moved too -roughly by the disturbed water. - -"Mas' Robert," said he, with anxious, dilating eyes, "I do believe it is -a school of dem debbil-fish. Yes," and his eyes grew wild and his lips -became ashy, "dey making right for dis pint."[#] - - -[#] The following is a description of the hideous monster known in our -waters as the Devil Fish. - -It is a flat fish, belonging to the family of Rays, and usually measures -somewhere between ten and twenty feet from tip to tip of its wings. On -each side of its mouth is a flexible arm, with which the animal grasps -and feeds. It appears to be as remarkable for its stupidity as it is -for its size, strength, and ugliness, seldom letting go anything which -it once seizes with its arms. A few years since, one was discovered dead -upon a mud flat near St. Mary's, Georgia, grasping even in death a -strong stake of which it had taken hold during high water. The incident -related in the following pages is in perfect keeping with the habits of -the fish. There are hundreds of persons now living, who recollect a -similar adventure which took place in the bay of Charleston. On every -occasion of serious alarm the fish makes for the deep water of the -ocean, and sometimes so frantically as to run high and dry ashore. - -Whoever wishes to read more on this subject, can do so by referring to a -volume called "Carolina Sports," in which the author (Hon. William -Elliott), sketches with lively and graphic pen some most adventurous -scenes, in which he himself was principal actor. - - -The children sprang to their feet, and made a rush to the stern, in the -effort to get out of the boat, but William put his hand against them, -and exclaimed piteously, "Back! Mas' Robert--Mas' Harrol! All of you! -You habn't time to git out! Here dey come! Down on your seats! For -massy's sake, down! ebery body!" - -They were about to obey, when there was a whirl, and then a jerk of the -boat, that threw them flat on their faces. They heard William's voice -crying hoarsely, "O Lord hab----;" and when they arose and looked -around, they saw that he was missing, and that their boat was rushing -onward with a swiftness that made the water boil. - -"William! William!" Robert called in bewilderment; but no answer came, -and they saw him no more. - -"O mercy! Brother Robert! cousin Harold!" cried Mary, "what is the -matter?" - -Robert looked vacantly towards the receding shore. Harold answered, "One -of these fish has tripped our anchor, and is carrying us out to sea." - -The horrid truth was evident; and it sent a chill like death through -their limbs and veins. Mary screamed and fell back senseless. Robert -started up as though about to spring from the boat. Harold covered his -face with his hands, gave one groan, then with compressed lips and -expanded nostrils hastened to the bow of the boat. As for poor little -Frank, it was not for some moments that he could realize the state of -the case; but when he did, his exhibition of distress was affecting. He -stretched his hands towards home; and as he saw his father running to -the bluff, he called out, "O, father, help us--dear father! O send a -boat after us! O----!" Perceiving his father fall upon his knees and -clasp his hands in prayer, he cried out, "O, yes, father, pray to God to -help us, and he will do it--God can help us!" Then falling upon his own -knees, he began, "O God bless my father and mother, my brothers and -sisters! O God help us!" - -By this time the boat had passed fully half a mile from shore. Harold's -movement forward had been made with the intention of doing something, he -knew not what, to relieve the boat from the deadly grasp of the devil -fish. He first seized his rifle, and standing upon the forward -platform, aimed it at the back of the monster, which could be distinctly -seen at two fathoms' distance, clutching the chain which constituted -their cable. Despairing of reaching him with a ball through the -intervening water, he laid aside the rifle, and seizing William's ax, -aimed several lusty blows at the cable chain. He struck it just on the -edge of the boat where there was the greatest prospect of breaking it; -but the chain was composed of links unusually short and strong, and the -blows of the ax served only to sink it into the soft wood of the boat. - -"Robert," said he, "look for Frank's hatchet, and come here." But -Robert, stupefied with fear, sat staring at him from beside his -prostrate sister and weeping brother, and seemed neither to understand -nor to hear. - -"Robert," he repeated, "get up, and be a man. Bring Frank's hatchet, -and help me break this chain." - -Still he did not come. "It is no use, Harold," he replied. "Do you not -see that sister is dead? William is dead too! We shall all die!" - -"Robert! Robert!" he reiterated, almost with a threat, "do rouse up and -be a man. Mary is not dead, she has only fainted; she will come to -directly. Come here and help me." - -As he said, "She has only fainted," Robert sprang from his seat, took -off his cap, dipped it full of water, poured it on her face, rubbed her -palms and wrists to start the blood into circulation, then blew in her -face, and fanned her with his wet cap. In the course of a minute Mary -began to breathe, and then to sigh. - -"Thank God!" he exclaimed, "she _has_ only fainted! she is coming to! -Frank, do you fan her now and I will help Harold." - -But Harold had helped himself. Going to Frank's parcel, he had taken -out the hatchet, and returned to the bows, where he was now adjusting -the ax, preparatory to his work. "There, Robert," on his coming up, "do -you hold the ax firmly under the chain, while I strike this link with -the hatchet." - -He did so, and Harold struck a blow upon the chain, so heavy that it -rang again. Instantly they staggered, said fell backwards in the boat. -The sharp sound of the hatchet upon the links had been conveyed along -the metal to the fish, and made it dart forward with a sudden jerk. -Harold rose, and looked on a moment. "We can't help his being -frightened, Robert. We must break the chain. Let us try again." - -He struck blow after blow, though the fish seemed to be affected by each -as by an electric shock. Robert held back his arm. "Stop! stop! -Harold, we are sinking!" - -It was even so. The fish, frightened by the sharp repeated sounds, had -gone down so far as to sink the bow of the boat within a few inches of -the water. But Harold was not to be stopped. With an almost frantic -laugh, he looked fiercely at the slimy monster beneath, then at his pale -companions, and raised his arm for another blow. "Robert," said he, "it -must be so. We must break the chain or die." He struck again, again, -and again, until the water began to ripple over the bow, and splash upon -his hand. He stopped, and tears came into his eyes. - -"Look, Harold, at the staple," said Robert. "Let us see if that cannot -be started." They tried it, striking from side to side, but in vain. -The boat was too well made; the staple was too large, and too firmly -imbedded in the timbers to be disturbed; and, moreover, it was guarded -by an iron plate all around. Harold decided it was easier to break the -chain. "Is there not a file, nor even a chisel among the tools?" he -asked. They rummaged among the several boxes and parcels, but no tools -of the kind could be found; and then they sat down pale, panting, and -dispirited. - -By this time the boat had passed out of the bay. The persons on shore, -the houses, indeed the very trees which marked the place of their abode, -had faded successively from sight. They had been running through the -water at a fearful rate, for an hour and a half, and were now in the -broad open gulf, moving as madly as before. The frightened fish, -alarmed at these repeated noises in the boat, and grasping still more -convulsively the chain which was to it an object of terror, had -outstripped its hideous companions, and after passing from the bay had -turned towards the south. - -"There is Riley's Island!" said Robert, pointing sadly to a grove of -tall palmettoes, which they were passing. "And yonder is a boat, near -shore, with a man in it. O, if Riley could see us, and come after us! -And yet what if he did! No boat can be moved by wind or paddle as we -are moving." After a few minutes he resumed: "There is one plan yet -which we have not tried; it is to saw the chain in two with pieces of -crockery. I have read of marble being cut with sand, and of diamonds -being cut with horse hair. And I think that if we work long enough we -can cut the chain in two with a broken plate. Shall we try it?" - -"O, yes, try anything," Harold replied, "But," looking at the flapping -wings and horrible figure of the fish, and grinding his teeth, "if he -would come near enough to the surface, I should try a rifle ball in his -head." - -They broke one of the plates, and commenced to saw. Harold worked for -half an hour, then gave it to Robert, who laboured faithfully. Had they -been able to keep the link perfectly firm, and also to work all the time -precisely on one spot, they might possibly have succeeded. But after -two hours' hard work, the only result was that they had brightened one -of the links by rubbing off the rust and a little of the metal. - -"O, this will never, never do!" exclaimed Harold. "It will take us till -midnight to saw through this chain, and then we shall be upon the broad -sea, without any hope of returning home. Robert, I am done! My hands -are blistered! My limbs are sore! I have done what I could! And now -the Lord have mercy upon us!" - -Up to that moment Harold had been the life and soul of the exertions -made. His courage and energy had inspired the rest with confidence. -But now that his strong spirit gave way, and he sunk upon his seat, and -burst into tears, it seemed that all hope was gone. Robert threw down -his piece of plate, and went to seat himself by Mary, in the hinder part -of the boat. Frank had long since cried himself to sleep, and there he -lay sobbing in his slumbers, with his head in Mary's lap. Mary was still -pale from suffering and anxiety; having recovered by means of the water -and fanning, she had summoned her fortitude and tried to comfort Frank -with the hope that Harold and Robert would succeed in breaking the -chain, and then that they would spread their beautiful sail, and return -home. When Robert took his seat, Frank awakened, and asked for water. - -"Sister Mary," said he, "where is father? I thought he was here." - -"No, buddy," she replied, her eyes filling to think that he had awakened -to so sad a reality, "father is at home." - -"O, sister," said he, "I dreamed that father was with us, that he prayed -to God to help us, and God made the fish let go, and we all went home. -Brother Robert, have you broken that chain?" - -This last appeal was too much for Robert's fortitude, tried already by -repeated disappointments. He covered his face with his cap, and his -whole body shook with emotion. - -"Brother Robert," said Mary, speaking through her own tears, "you ought -not to give up so. The fish is obliged to let go some time or other, -and then may be some ship will pass by, and take us up. Remember how -long people have floated upon broken pieces of a wreck, even without -anything to eat, while we have plenty to eat for a month. Brother -Robert and cousin Harold, do try to be comforted." - -She obtained the water for Frank, and gave him something to eat. -"Brother," she added, "you and cousin Harold have worked hard, and eaten -nothing. Will you not take something? There are some nice cakes." -Both declined. "Well, here is some water. I know you must be thirsty." - -Harold was so much surprised to see a girl of Mary's age and gentle -spirit exercising more self-control than himself, that he was shamed out -of his despair. He did not then know that trait in the female -character, which fits her to comfort when the stronger spirit has been -overwhelmed. He drank a mouthful of the water. She handed it also to -Robert, but he pushed it way, saying, "No, sister, I do not want -anything now. We have done all that we could, and yet--." - -"No, brother," she replied, "not at all. There is one thing more that -you have not even tried to do; and that may help us more than anything -else. It is to pray to God to help us." - -"O, yes, brother," Frank added, "don't you recollect what father read to -us out of the Bible, and talked to us about? What is it, sister?" - -"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me -up," Mary recited. - -"Yes, brother," he continued, "remember that father prayed for us, when -he saw us going off. And sister and I have been praying here, while you -and cousin Harold were working yonder. Brother Robert, God _will_ take -care of us, if we pray to him." - -"What Frank says is true, brother," said Mary. "He and I have been -praying most of the time that you were working. And now see the -difference! when you two have given up everything, he and I are quiet -and hoping. Brother Robert, we all ought to pray." - -"I do pray--I have prayed," replied Robert. - -"That may be," persisted Mary, "but what I mean is, that we all ought to -pray together." - -"I cannot pray aloud," Robert answered; "I never did it. I do not know -how to do it. But we can all kneel down together, and pray silently -that God will have mercy on us. Harold, will you join us in kneeling -down?" - -As they were rising for this purpose, Frank called out, "Brother, what -is that yonder? Isn't it a boat coming to meet us?" - -Their eyes turned in the direction of Frank's finger and it was plain -that a sail had heaved into the offing far away to the south, and almost -in their course. The sun shone upon the snow-white canvas. "God be -praised!" exclaimed Robert; "that is a vessel! Who knows but we may yet -meet her, and be saved! Let us kneel down, and pray God to be merciful -to us." They did so; and when they rose from their knees the vessel was -evidently nearer. - -"Let us try her with the spy glass," said Robert, and drawing it out to -its proper length, he gazed steadily at her for a minute. "That is a -schooner, or rather an hemaphrodite brig. I can see her sails and -masts. She is rigged like a revenue cutter, and seems also to have the -rake of one. She is coming this way, and if she is a cutter, she is -almost certainly bound for Tampa, and can take us home again." - -How rapidly characters appear to shift with shifting circumstances! -Mary and Frank, who but a minute before were the only ones calm and -disposed to speak in tones of energy and hope, now began to weep and -lose all self-control; while Robert and Harold, shaking off their -despondency, sprang to their feet, and with bright eyes and ready limbs, -prepared once more for effort. Harold seized the glass, and looked long -and steadily. "She is coming to us, or we are going to her very fast," -said he. "Perhaps both; and now what shall we do?" - -"Rig up a signal, and load the guns," replied Robert. "Let us attract -their attention as soon as possible. Quick, sister, get me a sheet!" - -In the course of fifteen minutes they had the sheet rigged and floating; -and by the time the guns were loaded, they could clearly discern not -only the hull, but the port holes of the vessel, and her long raking -masts. There was no further doubt that she was a revenue cutter bound -for the bay. Still it became every moment more certain that without -some change in the course of one or the other, they must pass at a -considerable distance. Now what should they do? The sky, which had -been gradually clouding over since they saw the vessel, began to be -rapidly and heavily overcast as they approached. Fearful that rain -might fall, and utterly obscure their signal before it was seen, the -boys resolved to fire their guns, ere there was any reasonable hope that -they could be heard. At the first discharge the fish, which had -probably been frightened in the morning by the cannon at the fort, -jerked so terribly as almost to unseat them. At the discharge of the -remaining guns it seemed less and less alarmed, until finally it ceased -darting altogether; its strength was failing. Soon afterwards they saw -the smoke of two cannon from the vessel, and then a flag run up the -mast. "They see us! They see us!" cried Robert and Mary. - -"But can they help us?" asked Harold. "Here we are running between them -and shore, faster than any vessel can sail except in a storm, and there -is scarcely wind enough to fill their sails, and what there is is -against their coming to our aid. Robert, we must break that chain, or -yet all is lost." - -There was apparently some bustle on board the cutter. Many persons could -be distinguished by the glass looking at them and at the clouds. They -were preparing to lower a boat, yet with manifest hesitation. This was -immediately explained by the singular appearance of the cloud between -the boat and the vessel. It had become exceedingly dark and angry. A -portion in the middle assumed the shape of a trumpet, and descended with -the sharp point toward the water; while a broad column ascended from the -sea to meet it; and then sea and sky roared and tossed in terrible -unison. - -"It is a water-spout!" said Robert, "if it strikes the vessel she is -gone. Look there, Harold, look!" - -The cutter began to give sensible evidence of the whirling eddy. Her -sails flapped and her masts reeled. Soon they heard boom! boom! the roar -of two more cannon. They were for the purpose of breaking the -threatening column. They saw the descending pillar gradually ascend, -and spread itself into a dark mass of cloud, which poured out such a -shower of rain as entirely to hide the vessel from sight. Afterwards -they heard another cannon. "That is for us," Robert said; "let us -answer it as well as we can." - -They fired gun after gun, and heard cannon after cannon in reply, but -each fainter than before. Their last hope of being saved by the vessel -was gone. She was far away, and hidden by the rain which enveloped her. -There had been no rain upon themselves, but it was very dark overhead, -and threatened both rain and wind. They were far enough from home--how -far they could not conceive, and far too from the barely visible shore, -upon the broad wild sea. The boys were relapsing rapidly into that -moody despair which is so natural after strong yet fruitless exertion, -when a sharp flash of lightning struck in the water about one hundred -yards before them. So near was it, and so severe, that they were almost -blinded by the blaze, and stunned by the report. Their boat instantly -relaxed its speed, and was soon motionless upon the water. The boys -rushed to the bow. Their cable hung perpendicularly down, and the fish -was nowhere to be seen. It had darted back from the lightning flash, -and the cable had slipped quietly from its grasp. - -"Thank God we are loose!" burst triumphantly from Robert. Harold looked -on with strong emotion. Once more tears gathered in his eyes. -"Robert," said he, "I never did make pretension to being a Christian, or -a praying person, but if we do not thank God all of us for this when we -get ashore, we do not deserve to live." - -"Amen!" said Robert; and Mary and Frank responded, "Amen!" - -The shore was full seven miles away. It was probably wild and barren. -It might be difficult of approach, and inhospitable after they should -land. But gladly did they draw aboard their anchor, raise their sail, -and make toward it. The sea was smooth, but there was wind enough to -fill their sails, and give promise of their reaching the shore ere -night. Robert took the helm, and Harold managed the sails. Mary once -more brought out her cakes and other eatables. Frank laughed from very -pleasure; and seldom, if ever, was a happier looking company to be seen, -going to a strange and perhaps a hostile coast. - -Far as the eye could reach, to the north and south, there was a bluff of -white sand, varied here and there by a hillock, higher than the rest, -which the winds had blown up from the beach. Before them was an inlet -of some sort--whether a small bay, the mouth of a river, or an arm of -the sea, they could not determine; it was fringed on the south with a -richly coloured forest, and on the north by a growth of rank and -nauseous mangroves. Into this inlet they steered, anxious only for a -safe anchorage during the night. A little before sunset they reached a -pleasant landing-place, on the southern shore, near the forest; and -having been confined all day to the boat, they were glad enough to -relieve themselves from their wearisome inaction, by a few minutes' -exercise on land. Harold first ascended the bluff, and looked in every -direction to see if there was any sign of inhabitants. No house or -smoke was visible; nothing but an apparently untouched forest to the -left, and a sandy, sterile country to the right. - -"Cousins," said he, "I think we may with safety sleep on the beach -tonight. With our dogs to guard, nothing can approach without our -knowledge. I am almost afraid to anchor in the stream, lest we should -be carried off by another devil-fish." - -To this proposal they agreed. The tent was handily contrived, requiring -only a few minutes for its erection; and while Mary and Frank drove down -the tent-pins, Harold and Robert brought into it the cloaks and blankets -for sleeping, together with their guns, and other necessaries for -comfort and safety. - -As the darkness closed around them, its gloom was relieved by the ruddy -blaze of a fire, which Robert and Harold had made with dried branches -from a fallen oak, and kindled by Frank's matches Mary soon had some tea -prepared, which they found delightfully refreshing. Immediately after -it, Harold, whose countenance ever since their escape from the fish had -assumed a peculiarly thoughtful expression, remarked: - -"I have no doubt we all remember what we said in the boat about being -thankful; and I have no doubt that from the bottom of our hearts we do -thank God for our deliverance; but I think we ought to say so aloud -together, and in our prayers, before we go to sleep this night." - -No one answered, and he proceeded: "Robert, if you can speak for us, -please say in our name what you know we ought to say." - -There being still no reply, except a shake of Robert's head, Harold -continued: - -"Then we can at least kneel down together, and I will say, 'Thanks to -the Lord for his mercies, and may we never forget them;' after which we -can unite in the Lord's Prayer." - -They knelt down. Harold did not confine himself to the words just -recorded; he was much more full, and became more at ease with every word -he uttered; and when the others united with him in repeating aloud the -Lord's Prayer, as they had been accustomed to unite with their father in -family worship, it was with an earnestness that they never felt before, -and that was perceptible in every word and tone. That wild coast was -probably for the first time hallowed with the voice of Christian prayer. - -They made the boat secure by drawing the anchor well upon the beach. -They spread their cloaks and blankets upon the dry sand, and lay down to -rest. Their dogs kept watch at the door of their tent; and they slept -soundly, and without the least disturbance, during the whole of this -their first night of exile. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - -WAKING UP--GOOD RESOLUTIONS--ALARM--MAROONING BREAKFAST--SEARCH FOR -WATER--UNEXPECTED GAIN--OYSTER BANK--FATE OF A RACCOON--THE PLUME AND -FAN - - -Shortly after day-light Mary was awaked by feeling Frank put his arm -round her neck. She opened her eyes, and seeing the white canvas -overhead, started in surprise; then the fearful history of the preceding -day rushed into her mind, and her heart beat fast at the recollection. -She put her arm softly round Frank's neck, drew him near to her, and -kissed him. - -"Sister Mary," said he, awaking, "is this you? I thought it was father. -Why, sister--what house is this! O, I remember, it is our tent." - -Frank drew a long breath, nestled close to his sister, and laid his head -on her bosom. He seemed to be thinking painfully. After a minute or -two he sprang to his feet, and began to dress. Peeping through the -curtain that divided the two sleeping apartments, he said, "Brother and -cousin Harold are sleeping yet, shall I wake them?" - -"No, no," she replied. "They must be very weary after all their hard -work and trouble. Let us just say our own prayers, and go out softly to -look at the boat." - -The first thing which greeted their eyes, on coming to the open air, was -Nanny with her kids. The tide had gone down during the night, leaving -the boat aground, and the hungry goat had taken that opportunity to jump -out, with her little ones, and eat some fresh grass and leaves. - -Mary's mind, as housekeeper, turned towards breakfast. She and Frank -renewed the fire, the crackling and roar of which soon roused the -others, who joined them, and then went to the boat to see that all was -safe. - -No change had occurred, other than has been noticed, except that the -fulness of the dogs proved that they had fed heartily upon something -during the night; and of course that they had proved unfaithful -sentinels. The sight of the boat made them sad. It told of their -distance from home, and of the dangers through which they had passed. -For some minutes no one broke the silence; yet each knew instinctively -the other's thoughts. Frank finally came near to Robert, and looking -timidly into his face, said, "Brother, do you not think that father will -send somebody after us?" - -"Yes, indeed; if he only knew where to send," Robert replied in a -soothing tone; "and more than that, I think he would come himself." - -"I think he _will_ send," said Frank; "for I remember that after he -knelt down by the landing and prayed for us, he turned to the man on -horse-back, and pointed to us; and then the man went back where he came -from as hard as he could gallop." - -"Well, buddy," returned Robert, "if father does not come after us, nor -send for us, there is one thing we can do--try to get back to him. So -there now"--he stooped down, and kissed him affectionately. Then he and -Harold walked together on the beach. - -During the whole morning, as on the preceding evening, Harold had been -unusually grave and thoughtful. "Robert," he remarked, when they were -beyond the hearing of the others, "I have been trying ever since we rose -to think what we ought to do today; but my mind cannot fix on anything, -except what we said yesterday about being thankful, and trying to do -better. There is no telling how long it will be before we see Bellevue -again, or what dangers we must meet. One thing, however, seems certain, -that we ought to try and act like good Christian people; and that part -of our duty is to have some kind of worship here, as we have been used -to having at your father's." - -Robert assented, but asked, "How can we do it? I am not accustomed to -conduct these things, nor are you." - -"We can at least do this," replied Harold, whose mind was so deeply -impressed with a sense of his obligations, that he was neither afraid -nor ashamed of doing his duty. "We can read a chapter, verse about, -morning and evening, and repeat the Lord's prayer together." - -This was so easy, so natural, and so proper, that it was without -hesitation agreed to. Mary and Frank were informed of it, and it was -immediately put into practice. They gathered round the fire; and as the -murmur of their prayer ascended from that solitary beach, the -consciousness that this was _their own_ act of worship, without the -intervention of a minister, who is the priest of the sanctuary, or of a -parent, who is the priest of the household, imparted a deep solemnity to -their tones and feelings. - -Scarcely had they risen from their knees, before Nanny and her kids were -seen to run bleating down the bluff, while Mum and Fidelle, having -rapidly ascended at the first alarm, gave signs of more than usual -excitement. The boys hurried up the sandy steep, gun in hand, and looked -in every direction. Nothing was to be seen, but Fidelle's tail was -dropped with fear, and Mum's back was bristling with rage. - -"What can be the matter with the dogs?" asked Robert. - -"I do not know," Harold replied. "But we can soon find out. Here, Mum, -hie on!" - -He gave the sign of pursuit, and the two dogs ran together, and began -barking furiously at something in an immense mossy live oak near at -hand. The boys stood under the tree, and scrutinized every branch and -mossy tuft, without discovering anything except a coal black squirrel, -that lay flat upon a forked limb. "You foolish beasts!" exclaimed -Harold, "did you never see a black squirrel before, that you should be -so badly frightened at the sight of one?" then levelling his rifle at -its head, he brought it down. It was very fat, having fed upon the -sweet acorns of the live oak, and appeared also to be young and tender. -Harold took it back to the tent, as an addition to their dinner, -remarking, "It is the sweetest meat of the woods." All admired its -glossy black skin, and Frank begged for the rich bushy tail, that he -might wear it as a plume. This little diversion, though trifling in -itself, exerted a very cheering effect upon the elastic spirits of the -young people, and made them for a time forget their solitude and -comparative helplessness. Had they known the country as well then as -they had occasion to know it afterwards, they would not have felt so -quiet, or have been so easily satisfied, when they saw the signs of -alarm in their brutes. - -When they sat down to their simple breakfast, it made Frank laugh to see -how awkward everything appeared. There was no table, and of course -there were no chairs. All sat on their heels, except Mary, who being -the lady was dignified with a seat upon a log, covered with a folded -cloak. It was a regular marooning breakfast. - -"I think that our first business this morning is to look for water," -remarked Harold, while they were sitting together. "The goat seems to -be very thirsty, and, as our jug is half empty, it will not be long -before we shall be thirsty too. But how shall we manage our company? -Shall Mary and Frank continue at the tent, or shall we all go together?" - -"O together, by all means," said Mary, speaking quickly. "I do not like -the way those dogs looked before breakfast; they frightened me. There -may not be anything here to hurt us, but if there should be, what could -Frank and I do to help ourselves?" - -"Then together let us go," Robert decided. "And Frank, as you have -nothing else to do, we will make you _dipper master_." - -They ascended the bluff, and looked in every direction, to ascertain if -possible where they might obtain what they wished; but nowhere could -they discern the first sign or promise of water. Far to the south as -the eye could reach, the country looked dry and sandy. Eastward extended -the river, or arm of the sea, but it appeared to have no current, other -than the daily tides, and its shore gave no indication of being indented -by rivulets, or even by the rains. - -"It will put us to great inconvenience if we are not able to obtain -fresh water," remarked Harold. "We shall be compelled to move our -quarters without delay, for our supply cannot last long. However, there -is no such thing as not trying. Which way shall we move?" - -"Towards the sea," replied Robert. "There is one fact about a sandy -coast, that perhaps you have had no occasion to know--that _oftentimes -our best water is found on the open beach, just about high-water mark_. -I have heard father explain this fact by saying that rain water is -lighter than that which is salt; and that the rain probably filters -through the sandy soil of the coast, and finds its vent just above the -ordinary surface of the sea. I think, therefore, our best chance for -finding fresh water is on the seashore, in the sand." - -They had not proceeded far along the bluff before they heard a loud -rushing in the air, and looking up they saw what Mary and Frank supposed -to be a gang of enormously large buzzards, flying rapidly towards the -forest, and passing very near them. "What can they be!" inquired -Robert, in momentary doubt. "Really, Harold, they are turkeys! wild -turkeys!" - -But as he uttered the words "wild turkeys," bang! went Harold's rifle, -and down fluttered a gobler, with his wing broken. "Here, Mum!" he -shouted; but Mum knew his business too well to need exhortation, for by -the time the bird had scrambled to its legs Mum had seized and held it, -until Harold put an end to its struggles by cutting off its head. - -"Here now is a fine dinner," said he, lifting it, "only feel how heavy; -he is rolling fat." - -"Yes, indeed," replied Robert; "and that was a quick shot of yours, Mr. -Harold--with a rifle too. I wonder I did not think sooner of shooting; -but in truth I was in doubt what they were, and also astonished at their -number." - -"What a lovely fan his tail will make!" exclaimed Mary, examining the -rich stripes of black and brown that marked the end of the feathers. -"We must be sure to carry it home for--," she was going to say "mother -when she comes," but the thought of their forlorn condition came over -her, and she added softly--"if we ever get there." - -"Let us leave the turkey, hanging in this tree to bleed, until we -return," said Harold; "we must look for water now." - -They returned to the beach, and walked along the smooth hard sands. The -tide, or rather "half tide" (as it is called on that coast), having an -ebb and flow, each of three hours, was nearly down, and they had a full -opportunity for the proposed search. - -"There is water somewhere here about, you may be sure," said Harold, -pointing to tracks of the dogs, made during the night, and partly -obliterated by the tide. "Our dogs passed here last night before high -water, and they look as if they had had plenty both to eat and to -drink." - -A quarter of a mile's walk brought them to a place, when Robert called -out, "Here is the water! and here are our dogs' tracks, all about and in -it. Get out you Mum!--begone Fidelle!" he added, as the dogs trotted -up, intending to drink again. The water was good, and in great -abundance. They quenched their thirst, and were preparing to return for -the bucket to carry home a supply, when Harold suggested to pursue the -tracks of the dogs a little further, and learn what they had obtained to -eat. "I perceive not far off," said he, "what appears to be an oyster -bank, but do dogs eat oysters?" - -They proceeded to the spot, and found a large bank of uncommonly fine -oysters. It was an easy task for those who knew how to manage it, to -break the mouth of one with another and to cut the binding muscle with a -pocket-knife. Harold shrunk aghast at the idea of eating an oyster -alive; but Robert's example was contagious, and the assurance that this -primitive mode of eating them was the most delicious, sufficed to make -every one adopt it. Engaged in selecting some of the finest specimens -to carry back, the others heard Frank call out, in one of his peculiarly -merry exclamations: - -"Ohdy! dody! Look here! There is a big, black cat's foot in this -oyster's mouth. I wonder if the cat bit off his own foot!" - -They hurried to the spot, Mary and Harold laughing at the odd fancy, as -they esteemed it, of a cat biting off its own foot, and saw, not a cat's -foot indeed, but that of a raccoon, firmly fastened in the oyster's -mouth. - -"What does this mean?" Harold inquired, with wonder. - -"Why, Harold," replied Robert, "did you never hear of a raccoon being -caught by an oyster?" - -"Never," he answered; "but are you in earnest?" - -"Certainly, in earnest as to there being such a report," he replied, -"and this I suppose is proof of its truth. It is said that the raccoon -is very fond of oysters, and that when they open their mouths, at a -certain time of tide, to feed upon the scum of the water, it slips its -paw suddenly between the shells, and snatches out the oyster before it -has time to close. Sometimes, however, the raccoon is not quick enough, -and is consequently caught by the closing shells. Such was probably the -case with this fellow; he came to the bank last night to make a meal of -the oysters, but was held fast until our dogs came up and made a meal of -him." - -"But I doubt," said Harold, "whether dogs ever eat raccoons. They will -hunt and worry them as they do cats and other animals, which they never -eat, at least never except in extremity." - -"Then I suppose," added Robert, "we must account for this by another -story which is told, that a raccoon, when driven to the necessity, will -actually gnaw off its own foot." - -"Really," said Harold, "this is a curiosity. I must take this oyster to -the tent, and examine it more at my leisure." - -The young people gathered as many oysters as they could carry in their -hands, and reaching the tent about ten o'clock, began preparing them, -together with their game, for the table. Robert cut off the squirrel's -tail for Frank; and having drawn out the bone, without breaking the -skin, inserted a tough, slender stick, so that when it was properly -dried, Frank might use it as a plume. The preparation of the turkey's -tail was undertaken by Harold. He cut off the tail-bone, with the -feathers attached, and having removed every particle of flesh and -cartilage not necessary for keeping the feathers together, he stretched -it like a fan, and spread it in the ran to dry. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - -DISCUSSION OF PLANS--DOUBTS--DIFFERENCES OF OPINION--WHAT WAS AGREED -UPON--BAKING A TURKEY WITHOUT AN OVEN--FLYING SIGNAL - - -"Really this is a fine country!" said Robert, referring, with the air of -a feasted epicure, to the abundant marooning dinner from which he had -risen. "Wild turkey, squirrel, and oysters! I doubt whether our old -friend Robinson Crusoe himself fared better than we." - -"It is a fine place indeed," Harold replied; "and so long as our powder -and shot last, we might live like princes. But, Robert," he continued, -"it is time that we begin to determine our plan of operations. What -shall we do?" - -"Do!" echoed Robert, "why return home as soon as possible. What else -have we to do?" - -"To determine how we are to return and in what direction." - -"Then I say," Robert replied, "the same way that we came, only a little -nearer shore." - -"But who can tell me the course?" Harold asked. - -"Yonder," replied Frank, pointing to the sea. - -"No, buddy," said Robert, "that is only our _last_ course; we came in -from sea. Home is yonder," pointing nearly north. - -"Now, I think you are both wrong," said Harold, "for according to my -judgment home is yonder," pointing nearly east. "At least, I recollect -that when I was working at the chain the sun was behind us, for my -shadow fell in the water, and I do not recollect that we have changed -our course since. So far as I know we started west, and kept west." - -"That would have carried us into the open gulf," returned Robert. - -"And that is exactly where I think we are," Harold affirmed. - -"But there are no islands in the gulf," argued Robert, "nor land either, -after you leave Tampa, until you reach Mexico. And we are surely not in -Mexico." - -"I do not know where we are," said his cousin. "I only know that we -left home with our faces to the west, and that the water kept boiling -under our bow for ten long hours. How fast we went, or what land we -have reached, I know no more than Frank does." - -"But we saw islands and points of land to our left," Robert insisted; -"it is _impossible_ for us to be in the gulf." - -"Then where do you suppose we are!" - -"On the coast of Florida, to the south of Tampa. There is no other place -within reach, answering the description." - -"But how do you know we are not on some island?" - -"We may be on an island; but if so, it is still on the Florida coast," -Robert replied, "for there are no islands beside these, nearer than the -West Indies, and we are surely not on any of them." - -Harold shook his head. "I cannot answer your reasoning, for you are a -better scholar than I. We may be where you suppose; and I confess that -without your superior knowledge of geography I should never have -conceived it; but still my impression is, that neither of us know well -enough where we are to warrant our going far from land. A voyage in an -open boat upon a rough sea is no trifle. I am afraid of it. Put me on -land, and I will promise to do as much as any other boy of my age; but -put me on sea, out of sight of land, and I am a coward, because I know -neither where I am, nor what to do." - -"But what shall we do?" Robert inquired; "we cannot stay here for ever." - -"No; but we can remain here, or somewhere else as safe, until we better -understand our case," answered Harold. "And who knows but in the -meantime some vessel may pass and take us home. One passed on -yesterday." - -Robert mused awhile, and replied, "I believe you are right as to the -propriety of our waiting. Father will certainly set all hands to work -to search for us. The vessel we saw yesterday will no doubt carry to him -the news of their seeing us going in a certain direction at a certain -time. He will be sure to search for us somewhere in this neighbourhood; -and we had better on that account not move far away." - -Mary and Frank were attentive, though silent listeners to this colloquy. -Mary's colour went and came with every variation in their prospect of an -immediate return. She was anxious, principally, on her father's account. -Her affectionate heart mourned over the distress which she knew he must -then be feeling; but when she came to reflect on the uncertainty of -their position, and the danger of a voyage, and also that her father had -probably ere this heard of them through the cutter, she was satisfied to -remain. Poor Frank cried bitterly, when he first learnt that they were -not to return immediately; but his cheerful nature soon rebounded, and a -few words of comfort and hope were sufficient to make him picture to -himself a beautiful vessel, with his father on board, sailing into their -quiet river, and come for the purpose of taking them all home. - -"Before we conclude on remaining _here_," said Harold. "I think it will -be best for us to sail around the island, if it is one, and see what -sort of a place it is." - -This precaution was so just that it received their immediate assent. -They fixed upon the next morning as the time for their departure; and -not knowing how far they should go, or how long they might stay, they -concluded to take with them all that they had. - -"But," inquired Mary, "what shall we do with our large fat turkey?" (a -part of it only having been prepared for the table); "shall we cook it -here, or carry it raw?" - -"Let us cook it here," said Harold; "I will show you how to bake it, -Indian fashion, without an oven." - -Among the articles put up by William were a spade and a hoe. With these -Harold dug a hole in the dryest part of the beach; and, at his request, -Robert took Mary and Frank to the tree above, and brought down a supply -of small wood. The hole was two and a-half feet deep and long, and a -foot and a-half wide, looking very much like a baby's grave. Frank -looked archly at his cousin, and asked if he was going to have a -_funeral_, now that he had a grave. "Yes," replied Harold, "a merry -one." The wood was cut quite short, and the hole was heaped full; and -the pile being set to burning at the top, Harold said, - -"There is another little piece of work to be done, which did not occur -to me until digging that hole. It is to set up a signal on the beach to -attract attention from sea." - -"I wonder we did not think of that before," remarked Robert. "It would -certainly have been an unpardonable oversight to have left the coast, as -we expect to do tomorrow, without leaving something to show that we are -here, or in the neighbourhood." - -The boys went to the grove, and cutting a long straight pole, brought it -to the tent, and made fast to it the sheet which before had served them -as a signal; after which the company went together to the sea shore, and -planted the signal under the bluff, so that it could be distinctly seen -from sea, but would be hidden from the land. This place was selected -for the same reason that induced Harold to build his fire under the -bluff--to avoid hostile observation. The young people looked up sadly -yet hopefully to this silent watchman, which was to tell their coming -friends that they were expected; and with many an unuttered wish turned -their faces towards the tent. - -[Illustration: The company went together to the sea shore and planted -the signal] - -The fire in the oven had by this time burnt down, but by reason of the -dampness of the earth the hole was not hot enough. Another supply of -wood was put in, and while it was burning our young marooners went to -the oyster bank for another supply of oysters, then to the spring for -water, and to the tree for wood. The labours of life were coming upon -them. - -A sufficient heat having been produced by the second fire, Harold -requested Robert to clear the hole of all ashes, smoking brands, and -unburnt bits of wood, while he went once more to the grove. He returned -with a clean white stick, about a yard long, which he used as a spit for -the turkey, resting the two ends in holes made at each end of the oven. - -It was now nearly dark. The little company stood around the heated -hole, admiring the simple contrivance by which their wild turkey was to -be so nicely cooked, when, to the surprise of every one, Mary burst into -a hearty laugh. Harold asked what she meant. - -"I was thinking," she replied, almost choking with laughter, "how funny -it will be tomorrow morning when you visit your grave, and come to take -out your nice baked turkey, to find that the dogs had been to the -funeral before you." - -"That is a fact," said Harold, amused at the conceit. "I did not think -of the dogs. But do you all come with me again for a few minutes, and I -will make the oven secure from that danger also." - -He led the way up the bluff, hatchet in hand, and loaded all with small -poles and palmetto leaves. The poles were laid across the oven, and the -palmetto leaves spread thickly above the poles. "I had forgotten this -part of the ceremony," said Harold. "But this cover is put on not so -much to keep the dogs out as to keep the heat in. I will show you at -bed time a surer way to manage them." - -"O, you will tie them up, hey?" asked Harry. - -"Surely," he replied, "that is the cheapest way to keep dogs from -mischief." - -Buried almost hermetically in its heated cell, the turkey seasoned to -their taste, was left to its fate for the night. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - -RESULTS OF THE COOKERY--VOYAGE--APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY--ORANGE -TREES--THE BITTER SWEET--RATTLESNAKE--USUAL SIGNS FOR DISTINGUISHING A -FANGED AND POISONOUS SERPENT--VARIOUS METHODS OF TREATING A SNAKE -BITE--RETURN - - -The morning sun found the young people preparing to carry their -resolution into effect. When Harold opened the oven the turkey was -baked brown as a nut, and from the now tepid hole arose an odour, so -tempting, that their appetites began to clamour for an enjoyment that -was not long delayed. - -After breakfast the first work to be done was packing the boat, during -which time Harold, at the suggestion of Robert, took Frank, and made a -short tour through the surrounding forest, for the purpose of obtaining -a breakfast for the dogs. The bark of the dogs and crack of a rifle -soon announced that the hunters were successful, and in less than half -an hour they returned each with a rabbit, as we Americans call the hare. -"See here, brother Robert! See here, sister Mary!" was the merry -chatter of Frank, the moment he came near. "I caught this myself. -Fidelle ran it into a hollow tree--he is a fine rabbit dog. Mum is good -for nothing; he will not run rabbits at all, but just stood and looked -at us while Fidelle was after it. Cousin Harold would not let me smoke -out the rabbit, but showed me how to get it with a switch. Isn't it a -nice fellow?" - -"It is indeed," replied Robert, "and I think that before we can return -home, you will make an excellent _supercargo_." - -Scarcely a smile followed this allusion; it was too sadly associated -with the painful events of their forced departure from home. The -packing completed, they called in the dogs and goats, pushed from shore, -raised their sails to a favourable breeze, and moved gaily up the river. - -For a mile and a half the water over which they sailed, lay in a -straight reach, due east and west, then turned rapidly round to the -north, where its course could be traced for many a mile by the breaks -among the mangroves. Just where the river made its turn to the north, a -small creek opened into it from the south. The course of this creek was -very serpentine; for a considerable distance hugging the shore in a -close embrace, then running off for a quarter or half a mile, and after -enclosing many hundred acres of marsh, returning to the land, within a -stone's throw of the place which it had left. - -As the object of the voyagers was to explore the land, they turned into -this creek, which seemed to form the eastern boundary of the island. -They observed that the vegetation which was very scant and small near -the sea, increased rapidly in variety and luxuriance as they proceeded -inland. Tall palmettoes, pines, hickories, oaks, tulip trees, -magnolias, gums, bays, and cypresses, reared aloft their gigantic forms, -their bases being concealed by myrtles, scarlet berried cascenas, dwarf -palmettoes, gallberries, and other bushes, intermingled with bowers of -yellow jessamine, grape-vine, and chainy brier; while a rich grass, -dotted with variously coloured flowers, spread like a gorgeous carpet -beneath the magnificent canopy. Some of the flowers that glistened, -even at this late season, above the floor of this great Gothic temple, -were strikingly beautiful. - -For five miles they followed the meanderings of the creek, now rowing, -now sailing, until at last it turned suddenly to the east, and dividing -into a multitude of small innavigable branches became lost in the -marshes beyond. Fortunately, however, for the explorers, the channel -terminated at an excellent landing-place, which was made firm by sand -and shells, and where, securing their boat to a projecting root, they -went ashore to examine the character of the country. To their surprise -they had not proceeded twenty paces before discovering that this piece -of land was only a narrow tongue, not a half furlong wide, and that -beyond it was a river in all respects like the one they had left, coming -also close to the opposite bank, and making a good landing on that side. - -"O, for strength to lift our boat over this portage!" exclaimed Robert. -"The river, no doubt, sweeps far around, and comes back to this point, -making this an island." - -"We can settle that question tomorrow," said Harold. "It is too late to -attempt it now." - -"O, brother," cried Mary, "there is an orange tree--look! look! -look!--full of ripe yellow oranges." - -It was a beautiful tree, and not one only, but a cluster of seven, -scattered in a kind of grove, and loaded with fruit, in that state of -half ripeness in which the dark green of the rind shows in striking -contrast with the rich colour called orange. The young people threshed -down several of the ripest, and began to eat, having first forced their -fingers under the skin, and peeled it off by patches. But scarcely had -they tasted the juicy pulp, before each made an exceeding wry face, and -dashed the deceptive fruits away, as if they had been apples of Sodom, -beautiful without, but ashes within. The orange was of the kind called -the "bitter sweet," having the bitter rind and membranes of the sour, -with the pleasant juice of the sweet. - -"Open the plugs, all of you, and eat it as you do the shaddock, without -touching the skin to your lips," said Robert. "There is nothing bitter -in the _juice_, I recollect now that this kind of orange is said to grow -plentifully in many parts of South Florida, and also that the lime is -apt to be found in its company. This is another proof, Harold, that I -am right as to our whereabouts." - -"Really," said Harold, "this is a splendid country. I have another fact -about it that you will be glad to learn, and that I intended as a -pleasant surprise to you ere long. There are plenty of _deer_ here. I -saw their signs all through the woods this morning, within a quarter of -a mile of the tent." - -They gathered about a bushel of the ripest looking of the fruit, and -deposited them in the boat; then beginning to feel hungry, they seated -themselves on a green mound of velvet-like moss at the foot of a -spreading magnolia, and there dined. Nanny and her kids were already on -shore, cropping the rich grass, and the dogs were made happy with the -remaining rabbit. - -Shortly after dinner, while the boys were cutting a supply of grass for -their goats during the voyage of the following day, they heard the bark -of Fidelle and the growling of Mum, uttered in such decided and angry -tones as to prove that they had something at bay, with which they were -particularly displeased. "One of us ought to go and see what those dogs -are about," remarked Robert; "and since you took your turn this morning, -I presume it is my business now." He had not gone long, before Harold -saw him returning with rapid steps. - -"Do come here, cousin," said he, "there is the largest king-snake I ever -saw, and desperately angry. The dogs have driven him into a thicket of -briers, and he is fighting as if he had the venom of a thousand serpents -in his fangs. His eyes actually flash. I cut a stick and tried to kill -him, but it was too short, and he struck at me so venomously, that I -concluded to cut me a longer one. The most curious part of the business -is, that there is a large grasshopper or locust (if I may judge from the -sound), in the same thicket, making himself very merry with the fight. -There he is now--do you not hear him? singing away as if he would crack -his sides." - -"Locust!" exclaimed Harold, as soon as his quick ear distinguished the -character of the music, "you do not call that a locust. Why, Robert, it -is the rattle of a rattle-snake. Did you never hear one before?" - -"Never in my life," he replied. "I have often seen their skins and -rattles, but never a live rattle-snake. O, Harold," he said, shuddering, -"what a narrow escape I have made. That fellow struck so near me twice, -as barely to miss my clothes." - -The boys obtained each a pole of ten feet in length. They stood on -opposite sides of the narrow thicket in which the venomous reptile was -making its defence, and as it moved, in striking, to the one side or the -other, they aimed their blows, until it was stunned by a fortunate -stroke from Robert, and fell writhing amid the leaves and herbage. The -moment the blow took effect, Mum, whose eyes were lighted with fiery -eagerness, sprang upon the body, seized it by the middle, shook it -violently, then dropped and shook it again. It was now perfectly dead. -They drew it out, and stretched it on the ground. Its body was longer -than either of theirs, and as large around as Robert's leg. The fangs, -which he shuddered to behold, were half as long as his finger, and -crooked, like the nails of a cat, and the rattles were sixteen in -number. - -"This is an old soldier," said Harold; "he is seventeen or eighteen -years of age. Had we not better carry it to the boat that Mary and -Frank may see it? It is well for all to be able to distinguish a -rattle-snake when it is met." - -The precaution was necessary. For though Mary had a salutary fear of -all reptiles, Frank had not; he would as soon have played with a snake, -as with a lizard or a worm; and these last he would oftentimes hold in -his hand, admiring what he considered their beauty. They stretched it -on the earth before the children; put it into its coil ready for -striking; opened its mouth; showed the horrid fangs; and squeezing the -poison bag, forced a drop of the green liquid to the end of the tooth. - -"Frank," said Harold, "if you meet a snake like this, you had better let -him alone. Rattle-snakes never run at people. They are very peaceable -and only trouble those that trouble them. But they will not budge out -of their way for a king; and if you wrong them, they will give you the -point of their fangs, and a drop of their poison, and then you will -swell up and die. Do you think that you will play with snakes any -more!" - -"No, indeed," he replied. - -"Harold," said Robert, "do you know how to distinguish a poisonous snake -from a harmless one?" - -On his replying in the negative, Robert continued, "The poisonous -serpents, I am told, may be usually known by their having broad angular -heads, and short stumpy tails. That rattlesnake answers exactly to the -description, and I wonder at myself for not having put my knowledge to -better use when I met him. The only exception to this rule I know of is -the spreading adder, which is of the same shape, but harmless. -Poisonous serpents must have fangs, and a poison bag. These must be -somewhere in the head, without being part of the jaws themselves. This -addition to the head gives to it a broad corner on each side, different -from that of a snake which has no fangs. But _if ever you see a thick -set snake with a broad head and a short stumpy tail, take care_." - -The conversation now turned upon the subject of snake-bites and their -cure. "My father," said Harold, "had two negroes bitten during one -summer by highland moccasins, and each was cured by a very simple -remedy. In the first case the accident happened near the house, and my -father was in the field. He sent a runner home for a pint bottle of -sweet oil, and made him drink by little and little the whole. Beside -this there was nothing done, and the negro recovered. The other case -was more singular. Father was absent, and there was no oil to be had, -but the overseer cured the fellow _with chickens_." - -"Chickens!" exclaimed Mary, laughing. "Did he make him take them the -same way?" - -"Not exactly," Harold answered; "he used them as a sort of poultice. He -ordered a number of half grown fowls to be split open alive, by cutting -them through the back, and applied them warm to the wound. Before the -first chicken was cold, he applied another, and another, until he had -used a dozen. He said that the warm entrails sucked out the poison. -Whether or not this was the true reason, the negro became immediately -better; and it was surprising to see how green the inside of the first -few chickens looked, after they had lain for a little while on the -wound." - -"_We_ also had a negro bitten by a ground rattle," said Robert, "and -father cured him by using hartshorn and brandy, together with an empty -bottle." - -Harold looked rather surprised to hear of the empty bottle, and Robert -said, "O, that was used only as a cupping-glass. Hot water was poured -in, and then poured out, and as the air within cooled, it made the -bottle suck very strongly on the wound, to which it was applied, and -which father had opened more widely by his lancet. While this operation -was going on, father made the fellow drink brandy enough to intoxicate -him, saying that this was the only occasion in which he thought it was -right to make a person drunk. The hartshorn, by-the-by, was used on -another occasion, when there was neither a bottle nor spirit to be had. -It was applied freely to the wound itself, and also administered by a -quarter of a teaspoonful at a time in water, until the person had taken -six or eight doses. I recollect hearing father say that all animal -poisons are regarded as _intense acids_, for which the best antidotes -are alkalies, such as hartshorn, soda saleratus, and even strong lye." - -"Last year," said Harold, "I was myself bitten by a water-moccasin. I -was far from home, and had no one to help me; but I succeeded in curing -myself, without help." - -"Indeed! how was it?" - -"I had gone to a mill-pond to bathe, and was in the act of leaping into -the water, when I trod upon one that lay asleep at the water's edge. -Although it is more than a year since, I have the feeling under my foot -at this moment as he twisted over and struck me. Fortunately his fangs -did not sink very deep, but there was a gash at the joint of my great -toe, of at least half an inch long. I knew in a moment that I was -bitten, and as quickly recollected hearing old Torgah say, that the -Indian cure for a bite is to lay upon the wound the liver of the snake -that makes it. But I suppose that my snake had no notion of being made -into a poultice for his own bite; for though I chased him, and tried -hard to get his liver, he ran under a log and escaped. Very likely if I -had succeeded in killing him, I might have relied upon the Indian cure -and been disappointed. As it was, I jumped into the water, washed out -the poison as thoroughly as possible, and having made my foot perfectly -clean, I sucked the wound until the blood ceased to flow." - -"And did not the poison make you at all sick?" - -"Not in the least. My foot swelled a little, and at first stung a great -deal. But that was the end of it. I was careful to swallow none of the -blood, and to wash my mouth well after the sucking." - -"Do, if you please, stop talking about snakes," said Mary, "I begin to -see them wherever I look; suppose we return to our old encampment." - -The boys gathered the remainder of the hay, called Nanny and the dogs, -and reached the place which they had left, about five o'clock in the -afternoon--having seen no signs of human habitation, and being -exceedingly pleased with the appearance of their island; they made a -slight alteration, however, in the place of their tent. Instead of -continuing on the beach, they pitched it upon the bluff near the spring, -and under the branches of a large mossy live oak. By the time the -duties of the evening were concluded, they were ready for sleep. They -committed themselves once more to the care of Him who has promised to be -the Father of the fatherless, and laid down in peace, to rest during -their third night upon the island. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - -DISAPPOINTMENT--THE LIVE OAK--UNLOADING--FISHING EXCURSION--HAROLD'S -STILL HUNT--DISAGREEABLE MEANS TO AN AGREEABLE END - - -Before sunrise it was manifest that, without a change in the wind, the -excursion proposed for that day was impossible; a strong breeze was -blowing directly from the east, and brought a ceaseless succession of -mimic billows down the river. Hoping, however, that the wind might -change or moderate, they resolved to employ the interval in transferring -all their articles of value from the boat, to their new home under the -oak. And it was indeed fortunate, as they afterwards had occasion to -know, that they attended to this duty so soon. - -The live oak, under which their tent was pitched, was a magnificent -tree. Its trunk was partially decayed from age, and the signs of -similar decay in many of the larger limbs was no doubt the cause of its -being spared in the universal search along this coast for ship timber; -but it was so large, that the four youngsters by joining hands could -barely reach around it. Ten feet above the root, it divided into three -massive branches, which in turn were subdivided into long pendant boughs -extending about sixty feet in every direction, and showing, at their -ends, a strong disposition to sweep the ground. The height of the tree -did not correspond to its breadth. It is characteristic of the live oak -that, after attaining the moderate height of forty or fifty feet, its -growth is directed laterally; the older trees often covering an area of -more than double their height. Every limb was hung so plentifully with -long gray moss, as to give it a strikingly venerable and patriarchal -aspect, and Harold declared he could scarcely look at it without a -disposition to take off his hat. - -At noon Harold proposed to Robert that, the wind having ceased, they -should spend the afternoon either in hunting or fishing. "If," said he, -"Mary and Frank will allow us to leave them, I propose the first; if -not, I propose the last, in which all can join." - -"O, let us go together, by all means," said Mary. "I do not like to be -left alone in this far off place; something may happen." - -"Then let it be fishing," said Harold; "but what shall we use for bait?" - -"The old bait that our grandfathers used--shrimp," replied Robert. "I -observed on yesterday a multitude of them in a nook of the creek near -the river. We can first catch some of these with our scoop net, and -then try for whatever may bite. At any rate we can take the offals of -the turkey, and fish for crabs." - -However, on ascending the river in their boat, and making the trial, -they found that the shrimp had disappeared, and they were left with only -six or seven caught at a venture. - -"This is a dull prospect," said Harold, whose active nature made him -impatient of fishing as an amusement, unless the success was unusually -good. "If you will allow me to go ashore I will try my luck with the -gun." - -"Certainly, certainly," was the reply; though Robert added, "You must -remember that this is a wild country, Harold, and that we had better -keep within hearing at least of each other's guns." - -Harold promised not to wander beyond the appointed limit; and each -agreed that if help were needed, two guns should be fired in quick -succession. - -"Will you not take my double barrel?" said Robert. "It is loaded with -duck and squirrel shot, but you can easily draw and load for deer." - -"I thank you, no," replied Harold. "It is so long since I have handled -anything but a rifle, that a smooth bore now would be awkward." - -They put him ashore, then dropped anchor, and began to fish. Mary and -Frank had been long initiated into the mysteries of the art. On the -present occasion, Robert reserved to himself the shrimp, and set them to -the easier task of fishing for crabs. For security he tied the lines to -the thowl pins. Crabs, as all upon the seaboard well know, are not -caught with hooks, but with bait either hooked or tied to a lie, and -with a spoon-shaped net. The crab takes hold of the bait with its -claws, and is drawn to the surface, when the net is carefully introduced -below. Robert inserted his own hook through the back of a live silver -fish, and threw it in the water as a bait for drum. Soon Mary was seen -drawing up her line, which she said was very heavy. "There is a crab on -it, brother!" she cried, as it approached the surface; "two crabs! two! -two!" Robert was near her. He inserted the net below, and the two -captives were soon in the boat. "Well done for you, Miss Mary; you have -beat us all!" - -Here Frank called out suddenly, "I have got one too! O, how heavy he is! -Brother, come; he is pulling my line away!" - -It was not a crab. Robert and he pulled together, and after -considerable play, they found that it was an enormous cat-fish or -bull-head. - -"This fellow will make a capital stew for tomorrow's dinner," said -Robert. "But hold to your line, Frank, while I put the net under him -also. I am afraid of these terrible side fins." - -The fish had scarcely been raised over the gunwale of the boat, with the -remark, "that is a bouncer!" when Robert noticed his own line fizzing -through the water at a rapid rate. He quickly loosed it from the place -where it was tied, and payed out yard after yard as the vigorous fish -darted and struggled away; then humouring its motion by giving or taking -the line as seemed to be necessary, he at last drew it towards him, and -took it aboard. It was a drum, the largest he had ever caught, or -indeed ever seen. It was as long as his arm, and strong enough to -require all his art for its capture. - -He loosed the hooks from the floundering fishes, and tried for more. -But they now seemed slow to bite. He took only two others, and they -were small. Mary, however, caught nine crabs, and Frank two. Becoming -weary of the sport, they heard afar off the sharp crack of a rifle. - -"There goes Harold's rifle!" said Robert; "and I warrant something has -seen its last of the sun. Let us put up our lines, and meet him at the -tent." - -The anchor was weighed, the sail spread, and in the course of half an -hour they saw Harold at the landing. - -"What have you brought?" they all asked. - -"O, nothing--nothing at all," he replied, looking at the same time much -pleased. - -"Nothing!" responded Robert. "Why we paid you the compliment of saying, -'There goes Harold's rifle! and you may be sure he has killed -something." - -"If _you_ have not anything, _we have_," boasted Frank. "See what a big -fish I caught! Isn't it a bouncer for a little fellow like me to catch? -Why, sir, he nearly pulled me into the water; but I pulled and pulled, -and brother Robert came to help me, and we both pulled, and got him in. -See, too, what brother Robert caught--a big trout; and sister Mary, she -caught a parcel of crabs; I caught two crabs myself. And you haven't -anything! Why, cousin Harold, are you not ashamed of yourself?" - -"But you have killed something; I see it in your looks," said Mary, -scrutinizing his countenance; "what is it?" - -"That is another question," replied Harold. "You all asked me at first -what I had brought. Now, I _have brought_ nothing; but I have _to -bring_ a deer." - -"Then, indeed, you have beat us," said Robert; "but that is only what I -expected." - -"A deer!" exclaimed the two younger. "O, take us to see it!" - -Mooring the boat safely, they hastened with Harold to the scene of -slaughter. It was about half a mile distant. There lay a large fat -buck, with branching horns, and sleek brown sides. Frank threw himself -upon it in an ecstasy of delight; patted, hugged, and almost kissed it. -Mary hung back, shrinking from the sight of blood. - -"O, cousin Harold," she cried, "what a terrible gash your bullet has -made in the poor thing's throat! Just look there!" - -Harold laughed. "That was not made by my ball, but by my knife. -Hunters always bleed their game, cousin, or it will not look so white, -taste so sweet, nor keep so well." - -The boys prepared to carry it home. Harold, taking from his bosom the -hatchet, cut a long stout pole, and Robert brought some leaves of the -silk grass (the yucca filamentosa, whose long narrow leaves are strong -as cords), with which the legs of the deer were tied together. Swinging -it on the pole between them, they marched homewards. - -By this afternoon's excursion they were provided with a delightful -supply of fish, crabs, and venison. But, alas! they were compelled to -be their own butchers and cooks; and there are certain processes through -which these delicacies must pass before being ready for the mouth that -are not so agreeable. Mary and Frank brought up the fish, and set about -preparing them for supper. They laid each upon a flat root of the tree, -and with a knife scraped off the scales. This was dirty work for a nice -young lady, but it was necessary to the desired end. She pshawed and -pshawed at it as the slimy scales adhered to her fingers, or flew into -her face, but she persevered until all was done. - -In the meantime the fire had been mended, and water poured into their -largest pot. When it began to boil, Mary and Frank dropped in the -crabs. Poor creatures! it was a warm reception they met with from their -native element. Each one gave a kick at the unwelcome sensation, and -then sunk into quiet repose, at the bottom of its iron sepulchre. They -remained boiling until their shells were perfectly red, when they were -taken out, and piled in a dish for supper. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - -FRANK'S EXCUSES--CURING VENISON--MAROONING COOKERY--ROBERT'S VEGETABLE -GARDEN--PLANS FOR RETURN---PREPARATION FOR THE SABBATH - - -When Mary and Frank arose next morning, they saw the small boughs of the -oak hung with divided portions of venison. The boys had so placed them, -after finishing, late at night, for the double purpose of allowing them -to cool and of keeping them out of reach of the dogs. "Come, Frank," -said Mary, "let us make up the fire, and get things ready for -breakfast." The wood was close at hand, ready cut, and nothing more was -needed for a fire than putting the pieces together, with several sticks -of light wood underneath; a bright cracking blaze soon rose cheerfully -before them. - -"Buddy," she said, "can you not go down to the spring, and bring me some -water, while I am preparing these other things?" - -But Frank was lazy that morning, and out of humour, and the fire was so -comfortable (for the air was cool) that he stood before it, warming his -hands, and puffing at the smoke that blew in his face. He replied, "No, -sister, I am afraid"--then he paused, trying hard to think of some -excuse. "I am afraid that if I go the crabs will bite me." - -"Crabs!" Mary exclaimed. "Why how can they bite you, when they are all -cooked?" - -"I do not mean the crabs in the dish," said he, "but the crabs in the -river." - -"Well, if they are in the river," argued Mary, "how can they hurt you, -if you keep on the land?" - -Frank found that his excuse was about to fail. But he was not disposed -to surrender so easily. He therefore devised another. "I am afraid to -go, for if the crabs do not bite me maybe the snakes will. Don't you -remember what cousin Harold told us the other day about snakes." - -Frank said this very seriously, and had not Mary been somewhat provoked -at his unbrotherly refusal, she would have laughed at the ridiculous -contrast between his looks and his language. She said, reproachfully, -"I thought, Frank, you loved me better than to treat me so. I want the -water to make coffee for you, and the rest of us, and yet you will not -help me." - -"I do not wish any of the coffee," he answered. "All that I want for -breakfast is some of that nice fat deer, and some of these fish and -crabs." - -"Very well," she added, in a hurt but independent tone, "I can help -myself." - -She took the bucket, and went to the spring. Frank looked ashamed, but -continued silent. He drew up a billet of wood and sat upon it, pushing -his feet towards the fire, and spreading out his hands, for the want of -something else to do. By the time Mary returned from the spring, Robert -and Harold came from the tent. They had retired late and weary the -night before, and as a natural consequence had overslept their usual -time for rising. "What is that we heard you and Frank talking about?" -Robert asked of Mary. - -"Inquire of Frank," she replied; "I prefer that he should tell you." - -"Well, Frank, what was it?" - -"Nothing," he answered, doggedly, "except that sister wanted me to go to -the spring, and I told her I was afraid that the crabs and snakes would -bite me." - -"What did sister Mary want with the water?" - -"To make coffee, I suppose." - -"And do you not love coffee?" - -"Sometimes; but I do not wish any this morning, for sister never puts in -sugar enough for me." - -"Well, well, we shall see who wants coffee at breakfast. Sister Mary, is -there anything I can do to help you?" - -"Cousin," said Harold, uniting quickly in the effort to shame Frank out -of his strange caprice, "I wish you would let me too help you in some -way. You are always so ready to do everything you can for us, that we -are glad whenever we can do anything for you." - -Mary needed nothing, except to have the kettle lifted to its place upon -the fire. Frank was all this time warming his hands and feet, as if he -was desperately cold. In reading the Scriptures, and repeating the -Lord's Prayer, his voice could scarcely be heard; he knew that he had -done wrong, and was beginning to repent. At breakfast, Mary asked him -in a kind, forgiving tone, if he would not have some coffee; but true to -his resolution he declined. - -The first business of the day was to take care of their venison. Yet -what should they do with it? They had no cool place in which to keep it -fresh, nor salting tub nor barrel in which to corn or pickle what they -could not consume in its green state. Harold's proposal was that they -should cut the hams into thin slices, and jerk them in the smoke, as he -had seen Torgah do; or else to dry them in the sun, which in the middle -of the day was quite hot. Robert said he had heard or read of meat -being saved fresh for several days by burying it under cool running -water, and offered to try it at their spring. Mary said she liked both -plans, but having had such good experience of Harold's baked turkey, she -hoped he would now give them a specimen of baked venison. - -It was finally resolved to give each plan a fair trial. One ham should -be sliced and jerked; another should be baked for the next day's dinner, -as the turkey had been; one shoulder should be cooked for that day's -consumption, and the other put under the drip of the spring to prove -whether it would keep until Monday. - -"There is one advantage at least that we shall gain from these -experiments," said Harold; "a knowledge how to economize our meat." - -For a minute or two Mary had been evidently pondering upon some -difficult problem; and Robert, observing her abstraction, asked in a -jesting tone if she was studying anatomy. - -"Not exactly," she replied; "I was thinking of two things; how to cook -this shoulder, when we have nothing in which to bake or roast it--" - -"O, as for that," Harold interjected, "I will provide you in ten -minutes' time with a roaster wide enough for an ox, or small enough for -a sparrow. Do you just hang it by a string from the pole I will set for -you above the fire; it will roast fast enough, only you will lose all -your gravy." - -"The gipsies' roasting-pole!" said she; "I wonder I did not think of it. -The other thing is, that after you have sliced the steak-pieces from the -bone, the remainder would make an excellent soup, if we had any -vegetables to put with it." - -"And what do you want?" Robert inquired. - -"In beef soup," she replied, "cooks usually put in turnips, onions, -cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and the like." - -"Carrots and potatoes I fear we must do without at this time," said he, -"but the rest I think I can furnish, or something very like them." - -"What! have you a vegetable garden already growing on the island?" asked -Harold. - -"Yes," he answered, "a very large and fine one; an endless supply of the -most beautiful white cabbage, and most delicate asparagus, besides -quantities of spinach, okra, and other vegetables. The palmetto gives -the first, the tender shoots of the bamboo-brier the second; the leaves -of the poke, when young, furnish the third, and those of the wild violet -the last, or rather a substitute in its mucilaginous leaf, for the okra. -Beside these plants (all of which, except the last, need to be boiled in -several waters to free them from their bitter taste), there are -multitudes more growing around us that are perfectly wholesome as -articles of food--the purslain, the thistle, the dandelion, the -lambsquarter, the cresses and pepper-grasses, to say nothing of the -pink-gilled mushrooms, and the fungus that grows from logs of hickory." - -"I will ask no more questions about your garden," said Harold. "I will -confess at once that it is one of the largest and finest in the world; -but will say too that it requires a person of your knowledge to use it -aright." - -"And no great knowledge after all," responded Robert. "I could teach -you in half an hour every one." - -"I will await them here," said Harold, "wishing you all success in -visiting the garden, and cousin Mary all success in preparing the -vegetables for use." - -That afternoon they engaged in another discussion about attempting a -speedy return home. Robert and Mary had become impatient of their stay, -and were despairing of any one's coming soon to their relief. The three -and a half days of separation from their father seemed to them a month. - -"Why not make the effort to return at once?" they contended. "This -place is very good indeed; on some accounts we could not desire a -better; yet it is not home." - -Harold shook his head, and replied, "I am not sure, notwithstanding all -your arguments, that any of us know where home is. One thing I do know, -that this island seems to be a very safe and comfortable place for -people in our condition. Moreover, I am confident that your father will -use every means for finding us; and we can scarcely be in a better place -than this for being found. My opinion still is that we had better -continue here for a fortnight or three weeks in safety, than to risk -what we should, by starting in an open boat, to go upon the broad sea, -we know not where." - -Harold, however, was overruled. Mary and Frank united with Robert in -resolving to attempt their return homewards by coasting; and Harold -yielded with a sigh, remarking that his heart was with them, but his -judgment against them. The moment the question was decided, Frank began -to show the greatest glee. To his hopeful spirit, to try was to -succeed; and he was even then in fancy revelling once more in the scenes -of happy Bellevue. - -But when should they begin their voyage? Not that day, for they were -not ready. Not the next, for that was the Sabbath, which they had been -taught to reverence. Not Monday morning, because there were preparations -to be made, which they could not complete without working on the -Sabbath, They resolved to "remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," by -rest from labour, and by appropriate exercises, and then to start as -soon after as possible; which, probably, could not be before Monday -evening or Tuesday morning. - -They prepared another oven, heated and protected as before, into which -the ham of venison was introduced. They collected and cut a supply of -wood to be used in case of cool weather the following day, and brought -from the bank another basket full of oysters. After spending a pleasant -evening in conversation, they retired to rest, happy in the thought that -they had been trying to live as they should, and that they had resolved, -of their own free will, to reverence the Sabbath, at the sacrifice of -another day from home. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - -THEIR FIRST SABBATH ON THE ISLAND, AND THE NIGHT AND MORNING THAT -SUCCEEDED - - -The morning sun rose with uncommon beauty, and the young people having -retired early to bed, were prepared for early rising. Frank now -volunteered to aid his sister in preparing for breakfast; his repentance -was shown not by words but by deeds; and though it was only an act of -duty performed towards his sister and the company, it was in part a very -proper beginning in the observance of a day belonging to Him who -encourages us to think that he regards whatever we do from a principle -of duty to our fellow men, as being done to himself. - -At the time of worship they gathered with more than usual solemnity -around the accustomed place, and read the portion of Scripture for the -morning. It was a chapter of unusual interest to them all, and -particularly so to Harold. He had become increasingly thoughtful since -their accident. This morning he appeared to be more serious than ever, -and once or twice, when his turn came to read, his voice was so low and -unsteady, that he could scarcely be heard. There was evidently some -cause of distress to that youth of strong mind and pure life which the -others knew not. - -The Sabbath passed, as may be readily conceived, without being enlivened -by any incidents of a particularly interesting character. It can -scarcely be said that they did actually sanctify the Sabbath, for there -was nothing spiritual, nor even hearty in their exercises; and they -themselves felt that there was a great deficiency somewhere. - -Their unmethodical though conscientious effort was useful in teaching -them to look beyond mere externals for any real good to be derived. -They learned they were imperfect even in their best performances, and -without merit when they had done what they could. - -Late in the evening they went to the seashore, and sitting upon a bank -of clean sand near their flag-staff, looked upon the sea from which they -had made so providential an escape, and to which they expected once more -to commit themselves. A light breeze had been blowing from the west all -day, yet light as it was it had been sufficient to raise the waves, and -make them roar and break with ominous violence upon the shore. This -action of the breeze revealed to them another fact, that two or three -miles to the seaward there was a long and apparently endless chain of -breakers extending north and south, as far as the eye could reach. They -could see the large waves gather, and the white tops sparkle with foam. -Here was another cause for thankfulness. Had the present wind been -blowing on the day of their accident, they could not possibly have -crossed that foaming bar; they would have been kept at sea, and been to -a certainty lost in the sudden squall that arose that night. - -But the sight of these breakers was also a source of disquiet, in view -of their intended voyage. It was evident, as they supposed, that they -could not sail with safety, when the wind was blowing with any -freshness, either on or off the shore, on account of the rough swell, -caused by the first, and of the danger of being carried out to sea by -the last. They conversed long and anxiously upon this new feature in -their case; and then, by general consent, kneeled together upon the -sands, in conscious helplessness, and implored Him who is the Lord of -the seas, to care for them and direct their steps. - -When they left the beach, the light of day was fading into the hues of -night; and several faint stars peeped timidly from the yet illuminated -sky. Mary and Frank retired to their room soon after dark. The larger -boys sat for some time, conversing upon their situation and prospects, -when observing the sky to cloud rapidly with the indications of a sudden -change of weather, they went to the landing, made their boat secure as -possible, and then laid down to rest. - -The wind soon began to sigh in the branches of the huge oak above them. -Each puff became stronger than the one before it. They could hear the -roar of the distant surf, bursting angrily over the sandy barrier, and -thundering on the shore. It was the beginning of a hurricane. The boys -sprang from their pallets, and dressing themselves hastily, seized the -ax and hatchet, and drove the tent-pins deeply into the ground. While -thus engaged, Nanny and her kids came up, and showed a strong -disposition to take refuge in the tent. The dogs also gave signs of -uneasiness, following them around with drooping tails, whining and -shivering, as they looked with half shut, winking eyes, in the direction -of the wind. These signs of terror in their dumb companions only made -the boys work faster, and do their work more securely. They did not -content themselves with driving down the tent-pins; they took the logs -cut for firewood, and laid them on the windward edges of the tent, to -prevent the wind from entering below and blowing the canvas from above -their heads. Had they the time they would have laid the sails of their -boat, which they had hastily unrigged, above the canvas of the tent; but -ere they could accomplish this, the wind burst upon them with the fury -of a tornado. The grand old tree quivered to its roots, and groaned in -every limb. The tent fluttered and tugged at the ropes with such force -that the deeply driven pins could scarcely hold it down. It was -fortunate that it had been pitched under the oak, for the long lower -branches, which at ordinary times almost swept the ground, were strained -downwards so far, that with their loads of moss, they formed a valuable -barrier against the wind. - -There was little sleeping for the boys that night. Scarcely had they -entered the tent before the rain commenced. It came in heavy drifts, -and was carried with such force that, notwithstanding the protection -afforded by the oak, it insinuated itself through the close threads of -the canvas, and under the edges of the tent. Mary had been awaked by -the hammering, and Frank was now roused by the dropping of water in his -face. When Robert entered their room to see how they fared, he -discovered them seated on a trunk, wrapped in their father's cloak, and -sheltered by that very umbrella which Frank had been provident enough to -bring. They rolled up their bedding and clothes, and protected as best -they could whatever seemed most in danger from the wet. They sat on -boxes and trunks, and wrapped themselves in cloaks and blankets; but it -was in vain; they could not guard themselves at the same time from the -rain above and the driven water from below. They sat cold and shivering -until three o'clock in the morning, when the rain ceased and the wind -abated. Then they made a fire; and just before day were enabled, by -lying on trunks and boxes, to indulge themselves in a short uneasy -sleep. - -The clear sun shone over the main land before the wearied company awoke. -Harold was the first on his feet, and calling to Robert, they hastened -out to see what damage had been done. Mary also joined them, followed -by Frank; for having dressed themselves during the night, they had no -further toilet to make. - -In every direction were to be seen traces of the storm; prostrate trees, -broken branches, the ground strewed with twigs, and the thickets and -vines loaded with packages of moss, torn from the taller trees. The sea -roared terribly, and thick dirty billows came rolling up the river. - -Harold was about to mend the fire for Mary, who said she wanted to drink -something hot, as the best means of warming her chilled limbs, when -Robert, glancing at the tremendous tide in the river, called to her -quickly--"Do not waste one drop of this water in the bucket; there is -only a quart left, and no one can tell when the tide will be down enough -for us to obtain more." He ran to the bluff, and the others observed -him make a gesture of surprise, look hastily around, and finally leap -down the bank. He was absent only two or three minutes, and then -returned with a pale face and hurrying step. - -"Harold!" said he, scarcely able to articulate, "OUR BOAT IS GONE! -Burst from her moorings!" - -At this terrible announcement, every face whitened, and there was a -general rush for the landing. It was even so. The boat was nowhere to -be seen. The stake which had confined it had also disappeared. Far as -the eye could reach nothing was visible but water--water, with here and -there a patch of mangrove, higher than the rest, and bowing reluctantly -to the rush of the waves. They looked anxiously over the watery waste, -and then into each other's agitated faces. It was clear that their -prospect of speedily returning home was hopeless. - -"But perhaps," said Mary, who was the first to recover speech, "it is -not lost. It may have only drifted up the river; or it may have sunk at -the landing." - -Robert mournfully looked, where he had already looked more than once, -and said, "Well, we can try. But what is the use? something has been -against us ever since we left home. Harold, shall we search the river?" - -Harold seemed lost in thought. His keen eye had glanced in every -direction, where it was possible the boat could have been driven; then -lessening in its fire, it gave evidence of deep abstraction. Robert's -question recalled him, and he slowly answered, "Yes; but it is my -opinion we shall not find it. You know I have all along had the idea -that we ought not to leave this island. It has seemed to me, ever since -the fish let go our anchor, that the hand of God was in this accident, -and that we are not yet at the end of it. I am troubled, like the rest -of you; but I have also been questioning whether it is meant for our -harm or for our good. I do not think it is for harm, or we might have -been left to perish at sea; and if it is for good, I think we ought to -submit with cheerfulness." - -They conversed awhile upon the bluff, in view of the dismal waters, then -slowly turned towards the tent, which was now the only place on earth -they could call their home. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - -A SAD BREAKFAST--SAGACITY OF DOGS--SEARCH FOR THE BOAT--EXCITING -ADVENTURE--A PRETTY PET--UNEXPECTED INTELLIGENCE - - -Once more the young people assembled in their tent; once more they read -the Scriptures, and knelt together in prayer. Their tones were humble -and subdued. They felt more deeply than ever their dependence upon an -arm that is stronger and farther reaching than man's. - -Their simple meal was soon ready, consisting of the most tempting bits -that Mary could select, as an enticement to their reluctant appetites. -They sat down, and endeavoured to appear cheerful, but little was said, -and less was eaten. Harold's face was towards the marsh. Robert -observed him fix his eye steadily upon a distant point of land, where -the opposite bluff of the river terminated on the sea. He looked as if -he saw something unusual, but after a scrutinizing gaze of half a -minute, turned away his eye, and relapsed into thought. - -"Did you observe anything across the marsh?" inquired Robert, willing to -relieve the silence. - -"I thought I saw a little curl of smoke upon the point," he returned; -"but now suppose it was the steam from the bluff, drawn up by the sun. - -"Robert," he continued, "it is possible after all that we may find our -boat. If not sunk at the landing, it is certainly somewhere up the -river, in the direction of the wind. The tide has not yet begun to ebb. -If it has lodged in the marsh, we can best see it while the water is -high, and if it has not lodged, it may float back with the tide. -Suppose we set off at once to search." - -Mary's reluctance to be left alone yielded to the necessity of the case, -and begging them to be careful of themselves, and to return as soon as -possible, she assumed a cheerful air, and tried to prepare them for -their departure. - -The boys promised to return by midday, unless delayed by finding the -boat; and taking their guns and hatchet, together with a luncheon in -case of delay, they set out, accompanied by Mum. Ere proceeding more -than a few steps, however, Robert stopped to say, "Harold, we shall not -need the dogs. Let us leave them for protectors to Mary and Frank. -True, there is no danger; but they will feel safer for having them at -hand. Frank, bring me Mum's chain. Here, Mum! Here, Mum!" - -Mum came rather reluctantly; for dog though he was, he appeared to -apprehend the state of the case. Mary observing this, exclaimed, -"Cousin, I do believe that Mum understands what brother says. Only see -how disappointed he looks!" - -"O, yes," returned Harold; "dogs understand more than most people -suspect. He probably heard Robert use the word 'chain'; and he has -heard it often enough to know what it means. But they gather more from -the eye and tone than from words. Mum, poor fellow, I am sorry to leave -you; for I know you love hunting better than staying at home. But you -know nothing of hunting boats, Mum; so we want you to stay and help -Fidelle to guard your young mistress and master against the squirrels -and opossums. If any of them come you must bite them well; do you hear, -Mum?" - -The poor dog wagged his short tail mournfully, as much as to say he -would do his best; but at the same time cast a wistful look at the guns. -With a charge to Mary not to let Mum loose without necessity, and to -Frank not to approach the bluff except in the company of his sister, the -boys were once more on the move, when Mary inquired, "But what shall we -do if we see the boat coming down the river, or if we need you for any -other reason?" - -"True, true," said Robert; "I am glad you suggested it. We will load -William's gun for you, and you must fire it for your signal. We shall -probably be within hearing." - -Robert well knew that Mary was able to do what he proposed, for her -father had made it a part of his duty to instruct her, or cause her to -be instructed, in every art necessary to preserve and enjoy life. For -this purpose she had learned how to load and use the several varieties -of firearms--to manage a horse in harness and under the saddle--and even -to swim. Compared with most other girls she was qualified to be quite a -heroine. - -With many adieus and kind wishes from both sides, the boys finally set -off. They struck directly through the woods for their old fishing -point, at the junction of the creek with the river. Standing on the -most commanding part of the bluff, they looked in every direction, but -no sign of the boat appeared. Then they turned their steps to the -southeast, following, as closely as they could, the bank of the creek, -though compelled oftentimes to make large circuits in order to avoid the -short creeks and bay-galls that set in from the marsh. These bay-galls -are wet spongy bottoms, shaded with loblolly bays, and tangled with -briers, and the edges are usually fringed with the gall-berry bush--a -shrub closely resembling the whortleberry, and bearing a black fruit of -the same size, but nauseously bitter. Compelled to make great circuits -around these miry bottoms, and interrupted by a close growth of vines -and trees, the boys advanced scarcely a mile and a half to the hour. -They left not a foot of the shore unexplored; still no vestige of the -boat appeared. - -About eleven o'clock they approached the tongue of land on which they -had discovered the orange trees, and where they proposed to quench their -thirst with the pleasant acid of the fruit, and afterwards to return to -the tent. They had just headed a short bay-gall, and were enjoying the -first glimpses of the south river, when they were startled by a -trampling in the bushes before them; and a herd of six deer rushed past -and disappeared in the dark bottom. Soon after a half grown fawn, white -as milk, and bleating piteously, was seen staggering through the bushes, -having a large wildcat seated upon its shoulders, and tearing furiously -at its neck. Robert's gun had been levelled, when the herd appeared, -but they passed too quickly for a shot; he was therefore all ready when -the fawn approached, and aiming not at it, but at the fierce creature -upon its back, both animals rolled together upon the ground. He would -have rushed immediately upon them, had he not been restrained by the -grasp of Harold. - -"Not yet!" said he, "not yet! keep your other barrel ready, a wildcat is -hard to kill, and will fight until he begins to gasp." - -It was fortunate for Robert that he was thus arrested, for the cat was -only wounded, and soon recovered sufficiently to limp away. "Now give -him your second barrel, Robert; give it to him in his shoulder." Before -he could do so, however, the cat slipped into the hollow of a -neighbouring tree. - -"He is safe now," said Harold; "we can kill him at our leisure. But -keep your eye on the hole, and be ready to shoot, while I attend to this -fawn." - -When Harold took hold of the beautiful little creature, he discovered -that the wounds were very slight. The ball had penetrated the back of -the head and stunned it, without touching any vital part, and it was -beginning to recover; the wounds made by the wildcat were only skin -deep, and could easily be healed. - -"Shall I bleed it for venison?" asked Harold, "or save it as a pet for -Mary and Frank?" - -"O, save it by all means," replied Robert, whose sympathies had been -from the first excited by the piteous, childlike tones of the fawn. -"Save it for sister, and let us make haste to finish this beast." - -"Then lend me your handkerchief," said Harold; "mine alone is not -sufficient for both collar and cord." - -Robert approached him for the purpose, when he observed the cat creep -slyly from his hole, and hobble away with all haste. "Quick, Harold," -cried Robert, tossing him the handkerchief, "tie the fawn, and follow -me," then dashed through the bushes in pursuit. - -"Take care, you may get too near," Harold shouted; but Robert was -already lost to sight behind the underwood. By the time the fawn was -secured, Harold heard him hallooing about one hundred paces away, and -going rapidly in that direction, saw him watching the convulsive throes -of the wild creature as it lay gasping on the ground. - -Harold looked on and pleasantly remarked, "You will soon get your name -up for a hunter, if you keep improving at this rate. That is a splendid -cat! What claws and teeth! Let us see how long he is." Putting his -hands together at the thumbs, and spreading them out to span a foot, he -ascertained that it measured two feet nine inches from the nose to the -root of the short tail; and that, standing with its head erect, it must -have been fully two and a half feet high. Its teeth and nails were -savage looking things. - -"I am glad he did not fasten those ugly looking things in my leg," said -Robert; "but I was so excited by the pursuit, that I rushed at one time -almost upon him. He had stopped behind a bush; all at once he sprang at -me with a growl, showing his white teeth, bristling his hair, and -glaring at me with his large fierce eyes. He dodged behind another -bush, and when I next saw him he was gasping and convulsed as when you -came up." - -"It would have been a desperate fight, if he had seized you," remarked -Harold; "you would have borne the marks to the end of your life." - -Returning to the fawn, which struggled violently on their approach, they -soon succeeded in allaying its terror by gentle tones and kind -treatment. It yielded passively to its fate, and consented to be led -wherever they chose. - -The oranges were delicious after their long walk, and now excessive -thirst. A few minutes served to rest their weary limbs, and they had -just begun to discuss the propriety of returning to the tent, when the -fawn pricked up its ears with the signs of renewed alarm, a neighbouring -bush was agitated, and ere they could fully grasp their guns and spring -to their feet, Mum came dashing up at full speed. - -The boys were much surprised, and were afraid some accident had -happened. Mum, however, showed no signs of anything wrong; he came up -wagging his cropped tail, and looking exceedingly pleased. He cast a -hungry look at the fawn, as though his mouth watered for a taste, but he -offered no interference. On close inspection, Harold observed a string -tied round his neck, to which was fastened a little roll of paper. He -hastily took it off, and calling to Robert, they read these lines in -pencil: - -"Come home quickly. I see some one across the river; he is waving a -flag. Mary." - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - -MARY AND FRANK--EXAMINATION OF THE TENT--SMOKE SIGNALS--DEVICES--BRUTE -MESSENGER--RAPT--BLAZING THE TREES--VOYAGE--DISASTROUS EXPEDITION--NEWS -FROM HOME--RETURN TO THE TENT - - -When Robert and Harold left the tent that morning, to look for the lost -boat, Mary and Frank watched with anxious eyes their retiring forms. It -was painful to be left alone in that vast solitude. But the act was -necessary, and Mary resolved to bear it with cheerfulness. In order -therefore to withdraw their minds from their situation, she proposed to -Frank to join her in exposing to the sun those articles in the tent -which had been wet by the rain. - -Among these was a bundle of William's. "Poor William!" said Frank, "I -wonder what became of him. Don't you think, sister, he was drowned?" - -"I do not know, buddy," she answered with a sigh; "though I presume not. -William was a good swimmer, and near shore. O, I do wish we could hear -from our dear father, and he could hear from us! See here, Frank." She -pointed to a valise-trunk. "This is father's, it contains his razors, -and all the little things that he uses every day. I wish I could open -it, and air everything for him; both top and bottom seem to be wet." - -She tried the various keys in her bunch, and to her delight found one -that fitted the lock. Some of its contents were quite damp, and no -doubt they were saved from serious injury by her affectionate care. In -it she spied a morocco case, which proved quite useful in the end; it -was a case of choice medicines. Mary was careful to disturb nothing, -except so far as was needful for its preservation; for, though her -father had no concealments that she knew of, this was his private -property, and she held its privacy sacred. After drying everything in -it, they were replaced as before. - -This work had occupied them about two hours, when Frank, whose eyes were -continually directed towards the sea, with a lingering hope that he -might see his father sailing after them, exclaimed, "Sister, is not that -a smoke across the river?" - -From the bluff where, three miles distant, the opposite bank of the -river overhung the sea, a bluish vapour was curling upward. It was -evidently a smoke. Mary gazed at it with feelings both of hope and -distrust. Who made it? What did it mean? She ran for the spy glass, -drew it to its focus, steadied her trembling hands against a tree, -directed it towards the point, and almost instantly exclaimed, "Some -person is there. I can see a signal flying, like a handkerchief tied to -a pole. But who can it be? If it is one of our people, why does he not -come over? O Frank, how I wish brother and cousin Harold were here." - -"Let us fire off the gun, sister," Frank replied, "that will bring them -back." - -They took the gun, loaded by Robert for the purpose, and fired it -repeatedly. Mary then took another peep through the glass, and cried -out--"He sees us, Frank, whoever it is; he is waving his flag. He must -have heard our guns, or seen their smoke. I wonder I cannot see him. -O, yes, there he is, lying on the ground, or half lying. Now he has put -down the flag, and I can see him dragging himself along the ground by -one arm. What can it mean? O, when will brother Robert and cousin -Harold come back!" - -Mary's impatience made the time seem very long. She employed herself in -every way that she could devise for an hour, and then, turning to Frank -with a bright look, clapped her hands joyfully, and said, "I have it! -I'll bring them back! I mean to send a runner after them. I can do -it--O, yes, I can do it!" - -Frank looked troubled. "How can you?" he inquired. "I am the only one -you have; and I am sure I cannot find the way any more than you can." - -"No, not you, nor myself," she said; "but one that I know can find them, -and can take a note to them too." She opened her trunk, took out a -piece of paper, pencilled upon it the note recorded in the last chapter, -tied it tightly with a string, which she fastened around Mum's neck, and -said, "Here is my messenger! He will find them, I warrant." Then -loosening the chain, she said, "Hie on, Mum! hie on!" - -Mum looked at her inquisitively, and was evidently in doubt what to make -of her command. She called him to the track of the boys, pointed to it, -followed it for a few steps, and encouraged him to proceed, when the -intelligent brute took the meaning, and with a whine of joy sprang away -at a rapid trot. - -The boys reached the tent about one o'clock, leading the fawn by the two -handkerchiefs. They had been strongly tempted more than once to leave -it behind, tied to a bush, or to free it entirely, as it somewhat -retarded their movements; but having already taught it the art of -following, it came after them with rapid strides, and for the latter -half of their journey they had not to pull it in the least. Mary and -Frank heard their distant halloo, and ran to meet them. They were -delighted with the new pet, and spent a moment in patting its snowy -sides; but the interest excited by the person across the river absorbed -every other consideration. As soon as Harold saw the smoke still -faintly rising, he said, "I saw that smoke this morning. It was so -faint I could scarcely discern it darken the sky, and took it for mist. -That person has been there all night." - -Robert had by this time adjusted the glass, and each looked in turn. -They could see nothing more than a little smoke. Mary described the -position in which she saw the person lying, and dragging himself along, -after the guns were fired. "Then," said Harold, "I will let off another -gun; and do you, Robert, place yourself so that you can see whether he -notices it." - -Robert laid himself flat on the sand, rested the glass upon a log of -wood, that both he and it might be steady, and said, "Now fire!" About -a quarter of a minute after the discharge he exclaimed, "I see him! He -is lying upon the sand beneath the shade of a cedar. I see him move. -He rests on one arm, as though he were sick or hurt. Now he drags -himself as you describe, sister. There is his flag flying again. He -uses only one arm. The other hangs down uselessly by his side. Who can -it be? I wish he was in the sunshine, for then I could see his -complexion. But I am sure it is not a white man." - -"O, it is Riley!" said Frank. "I know it is Riley come after us. Now -we can go home again." - -Harold took the glass and used it as Robert had done. The person had by -this time put down the flag, and was reclining languidly against some -support behind him. Harold saw him grasp his left arm with his right -hand, move it gently, and lie back as before. "That person is badly -hurt," he remarked. "Instead of helping us, he wants us to help him. -It must be some one who was cast away in the storm last night. Oh, for -our boat! Robert, we must go over and help him. We can make a raft. It -is not three miles across. We have the oars and paddle of our boat, and -we can surely make that distance and back this evening, by hard work. -Let us see if there is not timber enough near at hand for a raft." - -They looked at a fallen tree not far distant, and wished it were only -near the river bank. "But what do I say?" said Robert. "The palmetto, -which I felled for the cabbage, is sixty or seventy feet long, straight -as an arrow, and what is better, just at the river side." - -Off they went with ax, hatchet, and nails. Mary called after them to -say, that if they would show her the way, she and Frank would follow -them with something to eat. - -"Do, cousin, if you please," said Harold. "I, for one, am hungry -enough. We will blaze a path for you as we pass along. Do follow us -soon." - -"Do you mean that you will chop the trees as you pass?" - -"Yes, yes. We will chop them so as to show the white wood beneath the -bark. That is called a blaze. You cannot mistake your way." - -The work of blazing the path scarcely detained them at all; an -experienced woodsman can do it with a single blow of his ax as he moves, -without stopping. Many of the trees were cut so as to show little more -than the mark of the hatchet. Coming to the fallen palmetto, the boys -cut it into four lengths, one of twenty, two of seventeen, and the -remainder of ten feet long. It was easy work; the palmetto is a soft -wood, and every blow of the ax, after going beneath the hard surface, -made a deep cut. Then with the aid of levers, they rolled the logs to -the water's edge; they pinned them together, sharpened the bow for a -cutwater, and fastened some cross pieces on top for seats, and as -receptacles for the thowl pins. - -While thus engaged, Mary and Frank, guided by the blazed trees, and -attracted by the sound of the ax, came with a basket full of provision, -and setting it before them, remarked, "I am sorry we have no water yet -to offer you, but here are some of the oranges we brought the other -day." - -It is almost incredible what a deal of work can be accomplished in a -limited time, where a person works with real vigour and good will. The -boys were themselves astonished to find that shortly after three o'clock -they were seated on their raft, with Mary and Frank aboard, rowing -rapidly towards the landing at the tent. A glance now at the spring -showed that they could supply themselves with water, and while Harold -scooped out a basin, and dammed it against the occasional overflow of a -wave, Robert went with Mary and Frank to the tent, from which he brought -down the guns, a jug for water, the spy-glass, and the morocco medicine -case, of which Mary had told him, and which he supposed might be needed -by the sick person. - -Once more Robert and Harold embarked, leaving the younger ones on the -shore. "Do not be alarmed," said they, seeing the tears start into -Mary's eyes at the prospect of another separation. "Make a good fire on -shore, and put your trust in God. We will try to return before dark; -and we hope to bring you good news from home. If the person yonder is a -messenger from Tampa, we will let you know by firing two guns; look out, -and listen for them about five minutes after you see us land." With a -silent prayer to God from each party for safety and success, the -voyagers waved adieu to the others, and were soon moving through the -water at the rate of more than two miles the hour. - -However earnest they were to relieve the person apparently in distress, -the boys did not approach the opposite shore without caution. They knew -themselves to be in the land of savages, who were exceedingly ingenious -and patient in their schemes of violence. Each took in turn the glass, -when relieved by the other in rowing, and directed it upon the point to -which they were going. Approaching within a quarter of a mile of shore, -they rested upon their oars, and deliberately surveyed both the person -and the place. They could distinctly see him reclining against the -cedar, and beckoning with his right hand. - -"Harold," said Robert, "that is a negro, and I do believe it is Sam, the -carpenter. O poor fellow! how badly hurt he appears to be. I wonder -what can be the matter!" - -They pulled along very fast, and when within a hundred yards of shore -stopped and looked again. "It is Sam," said Robert. "All's right! Let -us push on now!" - -Running the raft ashore, and making it fast to their ax, sunk in the -sand for a stake, they hurried up the bluff. There indeed lay Sam, -badly hurt and unable to move. They ran to him, and were about to throw -their arms around him, when he beckoned them off imploringly, and said, -"Stop! stop! for marcy sake don't shake me hard. Huddie[#] Mas Robbut! -Huddie Mas Harrol! Bless de Lord to see you once mo'e!" the tears -streaming down the poor fellow's face. - - -[#] Howdye. - - -"Dear old Sam!" said the boys, "we are so glad to see you. But what is -the matter?" - -"O, I am kill!" he replied; "my arm and leg bote got broke las' night. -You got any water?" - -"Plenty--plenty. We brought it for you," and they both ran for the jug, -but Harold was foremost, and Robert returned. - -"Mas Robbut," Sam asked, "wey de children?" - -"We left them at the tent yonder. They were the first to see you; and -they fired the guns that you heard." - -"Bless dey young soul," he said, "I do lub 'em." - -"But how is father?" - -"Berry well--berry well--O Lord my leg!--'sept he in mighty trouble -'bout you all." - -"Here is the water, Sam," said Harold returning, "let me hold the jug -while you drink. There, don't take too much at first--it may hurt you. -How is uncle?" - -Sam told him. While they were conversing, Robert ran to the raft, -brought from it his gun, went to the most conspicuous part of the bluff, -and waving first a white handkerchief, until he received an answering -signal from Mary and Frank, fired the two barrels at the interval of -several seconds. - -"Please mossa, let me hab some mo'e water?" Sam asked; then taking a -hearty draught, he said, "Bless de Lord for dis nice cool water! It is -so good!" - -They inquired of him the nature and occasion of his accident. "It was -de boat las' night--Riley's boat," said he. "It kill him and cripple -me. We come to look for you all. De win' blow and de sea rise; and me -and Riley went to draw the boat higher on sho', w'en a big wave lif' de -boat and pitch it right into Riley's breast. It kill him I s'pose--I -nebber see him no mo'e. W'en I come to my senses, I bin lie right on de -beach, wi' my arm and leg broke, and de water dashin' ober me. I drag -myself up here las' night, by my well arm and leg; but if it hadn't bin -for de win' I nebber bin git here at all--it lif' me up like a fedder." - -"That is talking enough for this time, Sam," said Robert; "you are too -sick and weak, and we have no time to spare. Let us carry you to our -tent, and there you may talk as much as you will. Is there anything we -can do for you before we move?" - -"Only to give me a little mo'e water." He had already drunk a quart. -He also pointed them to a certain spot, where they found Riley's rifle -and its equipments, together with an ax and several gourds. These were -transferred to the raft; and Harold said, "Come, Sam, tell us how we can -help you. The sun is fast going down, and we have a long way to go. -Mary and Frank don't wish to be left in the dark, and are no doubt -looking for us to start." - -"De childun! Bless 'em!" said Sam. "I do want to see dey sweet face -once mo 'e. But I 'fraid it will kill me to move. See how my arm and -leg swell a'ready." - -After much demurring, Sam consented to attempt the removal; and though -he groaned and shuddered at the thought, it was effected with far less -pain than he expected. They spread his blanket beside him, helped him -into the middle of it, lapped and pinned its edges over a strong pole -with splinters of cedar, and taking each an end of the pole, lifted him -gently from the ground, and bore him at full length to the raft, where -they had previously prepared a couch of moss. - -The sun sunk into the waters ere they had gone half a mile; but the boys -pulled with a hearty good will, and moreover with the advantage of a -little wind in their favour. It was dark when they landed, or rather, -dark as it could be with a bright moon nearly at the full. Robert took -occasion while at the helm to re-load his two barrels with powder, and -repeat the signal agreed upon. As the darkness deepened they could see -afar off the figures of Mary and Frank standing upon the beach, before a -fire which they had made as a guide to the voyagers, and listening -apparently to every thump of the oars. Long before words could be -distinguished, Frank's clear voice rang over the waters in a tone of -inquiry. The two boys united their voices at a high musical pitch, and -sung out, "Sam! Sam!" repeating it at intervals until they perceived -from the tones of the children on shore that the name had been heard. -Presently Frank's voice shouted shrilly, "Howdy, Sam?" Poor Sam tried -to answer, but his voice was too weak. Robert and Harold answered for -him. Mary would have called out too; but the truth is she was crying -for joy, and was not able to utter a word. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - -NIGHT LANDING--CARRYING A WOUNDED PERSON--SETTING ONE'S OWN LIMBS WHEN -BROKEN--SPLINTING A LIMB--REST TO THE WEARY - - -It was a picturesque scene as the raft drew near shore. The soft -moonlight upon the bluff--the faint sparkle of the briny water broken by -the oars--the lurid light from the resinous fire--the dark shadows and -excited movements of Mary and Frank--formed altogether a group worthy of -a painter's skill. - -Frank could scarcely be restrained from rushing through the water to -welcome the new comer; but when he heard how weak he was, and in what -bad condition, he waited in quietness. Harold took him in his arms, and -Robert made a stepping place for Mary with the oars, and they both shook -hands with the poor fellow, and told him how sorry they were to see him -so badly hurt. - -Leaving Harold and Frank at the raft, Robert and Mary hastened to the -tent to prepare a place for the invalid, that he need not be disturbed -after being once removed. They lit a candle, piled the trunks in a -corner of the room, and taking most of the moss that constituted their -beds, laid it in another corner, remarking, "We can easily obtain more; -or we can even sleep on the ground tonight, if necessary, for his sake." - -"I wish we had an old door, or even a plank long enough for him to lie -upon, as we bring him from the raft," said Robert, "it would be so much -easier to his broken bones, if they could be kept straight. But the -blanket is next best, and with that we must be content." - -By the time the transfer was completed, the boys were exceedingly weary, -having been disturbed all the preceding night, and engaged in vigorous -and incessant effort ever since they arose from their short sleep. They -sat for half an hour revelling in the luxury of rest. Sam appeared to -suffer so much and to be so weak, that they discouraged him from -talking, and took their own seats outside the tent, that he might be -able to sleep. - -"What have you done with the fawn, sister?" inquired Robert, willing to -divert their minds from the painful thoughts that were beginning to -follow the excitement of hearing from home. - -"O, we fed it with sassafras leaves and grass," said she, "and gave it -water. After that we sewed the torn skin to its place upon the neck, -and it appears to be doing very well." - -"You are quite a surgeon, cousin Mary," Harold remarked. "I think we -shall have to call you our 'Sister of Mercy.' If, however, our -handkerchiefs are still tied to it, I will suggest that it may be best -for it, as well as for us, that you make a soft pad for its neck, and -put on the dog's collar." - -"We have done that already," she replied. "I thought of it as soon as -we returned to the tent and saw the dog's chain. But as for my being a -surgeon, it requires very little skill to know that the sooner a fresh -wound is attended to, and the parts brought to the right place for -healing the better." - -"That is a fact," said Robert, starting, as a deep groan from the tent -reached his ears; "and that reminds me that perhaps Sam is suffering at -this moment for the want of having his bones set. We must attend to -them at once." - -"Set a broken arm and leg!" exclaimed Harold in surprise. "Why, Robert, -do you know how to do it?" - -"Certainly," he replied. "There is no mystery about it; and father, you -know, teaches us children everything of the kind, as soon as we are able -to learn it. I have never set the bones of a _person_, but I did once -of a dog, and succeeded very well." - -Harold asked him to describe the process. Robert replied, "If the bones -appear to have moved from their proper place, all that you have to do is -to pull them apart lengthways by main strength so that they will -naturally slide together, or else can be made to do so by the pressure -of your hand. Then you must bandage the limb with strips of cloth, -beginning at its extremity, so as to keep the parts in place; and over -this you must bind a splint, to keep the bone from being bent or jostled -out of place. That is all." - -They went into the tent, and made inquiry of Sam whether his bones did -not need attention. He replied that maybe his leg was in need of -setting, but that as for his arm he had _sot_ that himself, and that it -was in need only of splintering. - -"You set it yourself! Why, how did you manage that?" inquired Robert. - -"You remember, Mas Robbut, I bin hab my arm broke once befo'e; so I -knowed jes what to do," replied Sam, and then he went on to describe his -process. He said that finding the bones out of place, he had tied the -hand of his broken arm to a root of the cedar, and strained himself back -until the bones were able to pass, when he pressed them into place by -means of his well hand. - -After that he tore some strips from his clothing, and tied the hand over -his breast, at the same time stuffing his bosom full of moss, to keep -the bone straight, and over all passing a bandage, to keep the arm -against his side. He had made a similar attempt to set the bone of his -leg, but it pained him so much that he had given up the attempt. - -On examination, Robert learned that the arm was broken between the elbow -and shoulder, and that the leg was fractured between the knee and ankle. -"The leg," said he, "is safe enough. Below the knee are two bones, and -only one of these is broken. Would you like to have the bandage and -splints put on your arm tonight?" - -Sam replied that he was sure he should sleep better if Mas Robert was -not too tired to attend to it, for he would be "mighty onrestless" while -his bones were in that "fix." - -The wearied boy pondered a moment, and asked his sister to tear one of -the sheets or table-cloths into strips about as wide as her three -fingers, and to sew the ends together, to make a bandage five or six -yards long, while he and Harold prepared the splints. They then went to -the palmetto tree, half a mile distant, and selecting one of the -broadest and straightest of its flat, polished limbs, returned to the -tent, and produced from it a lath about the length of the arm. Having -bandaged the limb from the finger-ends to the shoulder, they bound it to -this splint, which extended from the armpit to the extremity, and Robert -pronounced the operation complete. - -Sam was profuse in his praise of Robert's surgery, bestowing upon it -every conceivable term of laudation, and seeming withal to be truly -grateful. "Tankee, Mas Robert! Tankee, Mas Harold! Tankee, my dear -little misses! Tankee, Mas Frank too! Tankee, ebbery body! I sure I -bin die on dat sand-bank, 'sept you all bin so kind to de poor nigger." - -"No more of that, Sam," said Robert, "you were hurt in trying to help -us; it is but right we should help you." - -At the close of this scene, the young people prepared for bed. It was -past ten o'clock, and they were sadly in need of rest; but so strongly -had their sympathies been excited for their black friend, that even -little Frank kept wide awake, waiting his turn to be useful. When, -however, their work was done, and they had lain down to rest, they -needed no lullaby to hush them into slumber. Within twenty minutes after -the light was extinguished, and during the livelong night, nothing was -to be heard in that tent but the hard breathing of the wearied sleepers. -Thanks to God for sleep! None but the weary know its blessedness. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - -THE SURPRISE AND DISAPPOINTMENT--NAMING THE FAWN--SAM'S -STORY--DEPRESSION AFTER EXCITEMENT--GREAT MISFORTUNE - - -Had there been nothing to excite them the company might have overslept -themselves on the following morning. But shortly after daylight they -were awaked by an incident that hurried them all out of bed. It was -nothing less than hearing Frank exclaim, in a laughing, joyous tone, "O -father, howdy! howdy! I am so glad you have come!" - -The dull ears of the sleepers were caught by these welcome words, and -all sprang to their feet. - -"Father! Father! Is he here?" they asked. "Where, Frank? where!" - -"Yonder," said he, sitting bolt-upright in bed, rubbing his half-opened -eyes with one hand, and with the other pointing to a corner of the tent. -"Isn't that father? I saw him there just now." - -It was only a dream. Frank had been thinking more than usual of home -during the day and night past, and it was natural that his visions of -the night should be of the same character with his dreams of the day. -He fancied that his father had found the lost boat, and having tied it -at the landing, was coming to the tent. Poor fellow! he was sadly -disappointed to learn that it was all a dream. The picture was so -vivid, and his father looked so real, that for a moment he was perfectly -confused. Mary tried to comfort him by saying, "Never mind, buddy; we -_will_ see him coming some of these days. But though father is not -here, you remember that Sam is, and that he is going to tell us about -home, as soon as he is able to talk. Come, let us get up, and see how -he is." The history of the preceding day dawned slowly upon the mind of -the bewildered child, and the sense of disappointment was gradually lost -in the hope of hearing Sam's story. - -The wounded man had spent a night of suffering. His leg pained him so -intensely, that several times he had been on the point of calling for -assistance; but hearing from every one that peculiar breathing which -betokens deep sleep, and remembering that they had undergone immense -fatigue, he stifled his groans, and bore his sufferings in silence. - -While Robert and Harold were occupied with kind offices around the -couch, Mary and Frank went to see after the fawn. Its neck was somewhat -sore to the touch, but otherwise it appeared to be doing well. They -gave it more water, hay and sassafras leaves. Frank offered it also a -piece of bread; but wild deer are not used to cookery, and the fawn -rejected it; though, after becoming thoroughly tamed, it became so fond -of bread of every kind, that it would follow Frank all over the woods -for a piece no bigger than his finger. "What shall we call her?" asked -Frank. - -"We will have a consultation about that," replied Mary, as she saw the -others approaching. "Cousin Harold, what name would you give?" - -"Snow or Lily, I think, would suit her colour very well," he answered. - -"Brother Robert, what is yours?" - -"As she came from among the flowers," he said, "I think Flora would do -very well." - -"Yes," added Mary, "and very pretty names all Frank, what is yours?" - -"Anna," said he, "I would like to talk to her sometimes, and to make -believe that she was Sister Anna." - -"That would sound almost too much like Nannie," Mary objected, and then -asked, "Did you say, brother, that you gave her to me?" He replied, -"Yes." "Then," she added, "I will call her Dora, for I heard father say -that that name means a gift." - -"Dora let it be," said Robert, patting its delicate head. "Miss Dora, I -wish you a speedy cure, and a pleasant captivity." - -About nine o'clock Sam awakened from a refreshing sleep, and the anxious -company assembled at his side to hear what he had to tell about home. -"I a'nt got much to tell," said Sam, "I lef so soon a'ter you all, dat -you know most all sept what happen to me and Riley on de way." - -"Let us hear it all," said Robert. - -"But before you begin," interrupted Mary, "do tell us about William. -Was he drowned or not?" - -(For the sake of the reader who may not be familiar with the lingo of -southern and sea-coast negroes, the narrative will be given in somewhat -better English, retaining, however, the peculiarities of thought and -drapery.) - -"O, no, Misses," he replied to Mary's question. "He only fell backward -into the water, and was a little strangled. He rose directly, and gave -the alarm. I suppose the reason that you did not hear him was that he -was under the wharf, holding tight to a post, for fear some of the fish -might come and take hold of him too. He came with me to Riley's -Island." - -"Now do you begin at the beginning," said Robert, "and tell us one thing -after another, just as it happened. If there is anything of which we -wish to hear more particularly, we will stop you to inquire." - -"Well," said Sam, "you know that when you left I was working in the back -room. I was putting in the window sash, when I heard your father -talking to some one at the door, and saying, 'Stay here, I will be out -in a moment!' He went into his room, came out with something in his -hand, and spoke a word to the man at the door, when we heard William's -voice, crying out, 'Help! help!' as if he was half smothered. Your -father said, 'What can be the matter?' I heard him and the stranger -running towards the bluff, and I ran too. When I reached a place where -I could see you (for the little cedars were between the house and the -water), your father had just fallen upon his knees. He had his two hands -joined together, and was praying very hard; he was pale as a sheet, and -groaned as if his heart was breaking. For a while I could hardly take -my eyes off from him; but I could see you in the boat, going over the -water like a dove through the air, leaving a white streak of foam -behind. Presently your father rose from his knees, and said, 'It is a -devil fish! He cannot hold that gait long. Sam, do you and William (for -William had by this time come up from the water), get the canoe ready in -a minute, and let us pursue them;' then he wrung his hands again, and -said, 'O, my God, have mercy, and spare my children!' - -"William and I ran a few steps toward the canoe, but I came back to tell -master that the canoe could not float--a piece of timber had fallen from -the wharf, and punched a great hole in it. Then the soldier spoke, and -said, 'The Major has a fine sail boat, Doctor. If you can do no better, -I will ride very fast, and ask him to send it.' 'Do, if you please,' -master said. 'Tell the Major he is my only help on earth. Lay your -horse to the ground, good soldier, I will pay all damages.' The soldier -turned short off, clapped his spurs to his horse, and made him lay -himself almost straight to the ground. - -"When your father came to the canoe, he said quickly, 'We can mend that -hole, and set off long before the boat comes from Tampa. Peter, make a -fire here at once--quick! quick! Judy, run to the house, and bring down -a pot, and the cake of wax, and a double handful of oakum. William, do -you go to the house too, and bring the side of harness leather, two -hammers, and a paper of the largest tacks. And Sam,' said he to me, -'let us take hold of the boat, and turn it over ready for mending.' The -hole was big as my head, and there were two long cracks besides; but we -worked very fast, and the boat was ready for the water in less than an -hour. Your father worked as hard as any of us, but every once in a -while he turned to watch you, and looked very sorrowful. At last you -went so far away that we could barely see you, like a little speck, -getting smaller and smaller. When you were entirely out of our sight, -your father took his other spy glass, went on top of the shed, and -watched you till we were ready to go. Then he came to us, and said to -me and William, 'I have concluded to send you off alone; you can row -faster without me. I will wait for the Major's boat. The children are -now passing Riley's Island, and turning down the coast. Make haste to -Riley, and say from me, that if he brings me back my children I will -give him whatever he asks. If he needs either of you, do you, Sam, go -with him, and do you, William, return to me; otherwise do you both keep -on so far as you can with safety, and if you succeed, I will give you -also whatever you ask. If you can hear anything of them from Riley, -make a smoke on the beach; if you learn anything good make two smokes, -about a hundred yards apart; I will watch for them. And now, my good -fellows, good-bye! and may the Lord give you a safe passage and good -success!' Neither I nor William could say one word. We took hold of -master's hands, knelt down, and kissed them. And, somehow, I saw his -hand was very wet; we could not help it, for we love him the same as if -he was our father, and the tears would come. - -"We reached the island about twelve o'clock. Riley was gone. His wife -said he saw the boat pass, knew who was in it, and went after it, -without stopping for more than a calabash of water. When we heard that, -we jumped into our own boat again, and pushed on. Riley's wife brought -down a bag of parched corn, a dried venison ham, and his gun and -ammunition, saying that if he went he would need these things. We -begged her to make two fires on the beach; for we thought that although -it was not the best news in the world to hear that you had been carried -so far away, it was good news to hear that you had not been drowned, and -that Riley had gone after you. - -"In about an hour we met Riley coming back. He had gone to a high -bluff, on an island south of his, and watched you until you had passed -out of sight. He was now returning home, uncertain whether to go after -you in the morning, or to give you up altogether. When we gave him your -father's message, he said he would go, for that the Doctor was a good -man, but that he must return home for a larger boat; that the coast -below was dangerous, and that the boat in which he was was not safe. So -we came to his island, where I staid with him that night, and William -returned to Bellevue. - -"As we left the island at daybreak we saw a vessel sailing towards -Tampa, but too far for us to hail. That day we did not search the coast -at all, more than to keep a sharp look out, for we knew that you had -gone far beyond. But the next three days we went into every cove and -inlet, though not very far into any of them. Riley said that since the -change of Indian Agents, many of his people were hostile to the whites, -and to all Indians who were friendly with them, and that perhaps he -should not be safe. - -"We saw some Indians on the first few days, but the last day we saw none -at all. Riley said that this coast was barren and bad; nobody visited -it. The Caloosa Indians, he said, used to live here, but they had been -starved out. There was only a narrow strip of ten miles wide, between -the sea and the swamps within, and a great fire had swept over it a few -summers before, and burnt up almost all the trees. The Indians supposed -that this part of the coast was cursed by the Great Spirit. - -"All that day we found the coast so full of reefs and shoals, and -covered with breakers, that we could scarcely get along; and we talked -several times of turning back. These breakers that you see from the -bluff, stretch from a great ways above. Riley did not like to pass -them. He said he was afraid we could not stop anywhere, except on an -island, which no Indian dared to visit; for that it was always enchanted -with _white deer_,[#] and the curse of the Great Spirit was so strong -upon it that no Indian could go there and live. - - -[#] It is surprising to learn how widespread is the superstition among -semi-civilized and uncivilized nations that white deer are connected -with enchantment. - - -"We kept on, however, as well as we could, and hoped to find some place -where we could pass the surf upon the shoals, and reach the shore, -before we came to that terrible island. But the wind was against us, -and also blowing on shore; and we made so little headway, that towards -evening we had to force our way through the smoothest place we could -find, and even then were nearly swamped more than once. When we landed -it was dark. We saw a fire afar off, and thinking it might be yours, I -tried to persuade Riley to go to it; but perhaps he thought it was on -_that island_, though he did not say so; he replied only that we were -going to have a storm soon, and that we must be preparing for it. We -drew the boat as high on the beach as possible, and made it fast by his -painter, made of twisted deerskins. - -"After we landed I cut some wood, and tried to make a fire; but before -we could set it a-blazing the wind came and the tide rose. We went to -the boat, and drew it up higher on shore, and then higher still; but -after a while the wind blew so hard, and the waves rolled so high, that -it was not safe to be near the boat at all. Yet we could not afford to -lose it; so we went down for the last time to draw it up, when all at -once a big wave came and pitched it upon us as I told you. - -"I had a terrible night. The water from the beach dashed over me while -lying under the cedar tree to which I had crawled, and the rain poured -down. The wind kept such a roaring that I suppose if a cannon had been -fired a mile off you could not have heard it. - -"The next morning I tried to set my broken bones. Then I dragged myself -to the edge of the bluff to see if Riley's body, or the boat, or -anything was in sight. But nothing was to be seen except the black -water rolling in from sea. As the light became stronger, I saw afar off -your tent and smoke, and I was then sure that the fire we saw the night -before was yours. I tried every way to make you see me. I took Riley's -rifle, and snapped it, but the powder inside was wet. Then I went to a -bush, and with my one hand cut a long switch, to which I tied my -handkerchief, and waved and waved it; but nobody saw me. I could see -_you_ very well (for my sight is good) sitting down, or walking about, -as if you were in trouble about something. Then I tried to raise a -smoke. Everything was wet; but the tree near me had a hollow, and in -the hollow was some dry rotten wood. I spread some powder on the driest -pieces, and by snapping the rifle over it several times, set it on fire; -but it was a long time before I could find anything to burn well. While -I was trying at the fire, you, Mas Robbut and Mas Harrol, went off; but -I kept on throwing into the fire whatever trash and small wood I could -collect by crawling after them, until I was sure Miss Mary and Mas Frank -would see it. At last I heard their guns, and knew by their motions -that they saw me; and for a time I felt safe. But you were so long time -away, and I was in such pain, that it seemed to me I must die before you -could help me, though I saw you come to the tent, and heard your guns. -And when, late in the evening, I saw that you had got a boat, or -something of that sort, and were coming over the river to me, I was so -glad that I--I--" - -Sam did not finish the sentence. The tears were streaming down his -black face, and the young people were weeping with him. There were but -few questions to be asked. Sam's narrative had been so full and -particular, that it anticipated almost every inquiry. - -The severe labours of the day before, together with excitement and loss -of rest, had so far relaxed the energies of the larger boys, that they -did little more that day than hang about the tent, and converse with Sam -and each other about home and their own adventures. Several times Harold -proposed to Robert to join him in visiting the beach, to ascertain -whether their signal had stood the storm, and if not, to replant it; but -Robert ever had some reason ready for not going just then. At last, -late in the afternoon, they took the spade and hoe, and went to the -beach. The flag was prostrate, and lay half buried in the sand; and -what was their dismay, on approaching the bluff, to see a vessel that -had evidently passed the mouth of the river just beyond the shoals, and -was now about four miles distant, sailing to the southward. - -"O, cousin!" exclaimed Robert, "there is our vessel--gone! It is the -cutter! Father is aboard of her! They came as near as they could, -looking for our signal--and there it lies! Oh--h!" said he, wringing -his hands, "why did we not come sooner?" - -"I believe you are correct," replied Harold, looking sadly after the -departing vessel; "we have missed our chance." - -There remained one solitary hope. It was possible, barely possible, -that some one on board might be looking that way with a spy-glass, and -that the signal might yet be seen. The boys eagerly seized the -flag-staff; they set the lower end upon the ground; they waved it to and -fro in the air; they shook their handkerchiefs; they tossed up their -hats and coats, and shouted with all their might (vain shout!), "Brig -ahoy!" They gathered grass, leaves, twigs, everything inflammable, and -raised a smoke, as large as possible, and kept it rising, higher, -higher. They were too late; the vessel kept steadily on her way. She -faded gradually from sight, and disappeared for ever. - -The two boys sat down, and looked sorrowfully over the distant waters. -They were pale with excitement, and for a long time neither said a word. - -"They may return," said Harold; "let us plant our flag-staff." - -They dug a deep hole, set the pole in the middle, threw in the dirt, -packed it tightly with the handle of the hoe, and then returned slowly -to the tent, to inform the others of their sad misfortune. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - -SPECULATIONS AND RESOLVES--FISHING--INVENTORY OF GOODS AND -CHATTELS--ROASTED FISH--PALMETTO CABBAGE--TOUR--SEA-SHELLS, THEIR -USES--THE PELICAN--NATURE OF THE COUNTRY--STILL HUNTING--WILD TURKEYS -AGAIN--WORK ON THE TENT - - -The little company did not retire early that night. Sorrow kept them -awake. They sat for a long time speculating upon the probable -destination of the vessel, and upon their own expectations in the case. -To one it seemed probable that their father had obtained the use of the -cutter, for the purpose of examining the coast; to another, that he had -been brought by it to the place where they had last been seen, and that -he was now not far away; to another, that he would go down as far as the -Florida Keys, and there employ some of the wreckers to join him in the -search. At any rate they were sure that a search was going on, and that -it would not be long before they were discovered, and taken home. - -Ere retiring to rest that night they adopted a series of resolutions, -the substance of which was that they should live every day in the -expectation of being taken off, and yet husband their resources, as -though they were to continue there for months. - -1st. They were to keep their signal always flying. - -2d. To be as much as possible on the lookout. - -3d. To have a pile of wood ready for a smoke near the signal. - -4th. To keep on hand a store of provisions sufficient for several -weeks. - -5th. To examine, and know exactly what stores they possessed. - -6th. To use no more of their permanent stock than was absolutely -necessary, but to live upon the resources of the island. - -7th. To fit up their habitation more securely, that in case of being -assailed by such another storm as that of Sunday night, they should -enjoy a more perfect protection. - -8th. In every possible way to be ready either for departing home, or -continuing there an indefinite length of time. - -In consequence of these resolutions, the first business to which they -attended on the following morning, was the preparation of the pile of -wood for their signal by smoke; and the next, the provision of a stock -of food. As a temporary fulfilment of this last named duty, Harold went -with Frank to obtain a supply of fish, leaving Robert and Mary at the -tent, to make out the proposed inventory of goods. Both parties -fulfilled their contracts, and on coming together, Harold reported eight -large trout, besides a number of crabs, and a small turtle; and Robert -read a list, showing that besides the stores put up by their father for -Riley, and those brought by Sam and Riley in their boat, consisting of -bread and bacon, parched corn and dried venison, there were rations for -a full fortnight or more. - -Of the trout brought by Harold, all except one had been cleaned, and -presented to Mary; the last he reserved for the purpose, he said, of -giving them another specimen of wild-woods' cookery. Before sitting -down to dinner, he took this one without any preparation whatever of -scaling or cleansing, and wrapping it in green leaves, laid it in the -ashes to roast. It was soon done. Then peeling off the skin, he helped -each to the pure white meat in such a way as to leave the skeleton and -its contents untouched. Mary's taste was offended by the sight of a -dish so rudely prepared; but hearing the others speak in surprise of its -peculiarly delicate flavour, she also was tempted to try, and then -partook of it as heartily as any one else. - -While Harold was absent on his fishing excursion, Robert, having -completed his inventory, had obtained another stick of palmetto cabbage. -By Sam's instruction, this was freed from every particle of the green -and hard covering, boiled in three separate waters, in the last of which -was put a little salt. When thoroughly done, it was laid in a dish, and -seasoned with butter. Prepared thus it was a real delicacy, partaking of -the combined flavours of the cauliflower and the artichoke. - -Bent resolutely upon living as real "marooners" on the productions of -the island, the boys felt that it was necessary for them first to know -something more of the country around. It was therefore agreed that they -should devote that day to a combined tour of hunting and exploration. -To this Mary also consented, for she had now become more accustomed to -her situation, and moreover had Sam with her as an adviser. - -Taking an early breakfast, and calling Mum, they departed, leaving -Fidelle as a protector to Mary and Frank. The course which they pursued -was along the coast. For a mile they walked on the smooth hard beach, -and saw it covered with innumerable shells, of all sorts and sizes. -Some were most beautifully fluted; others were encircled with spurs or -sharp knots; some were tinted with an exquisite rose colour; others were -snowy white, and others of a dark mahogany. Conchs of a large size were -abundant, and there were myriads of little rice-shells. - -"I wonder if these shells can be put to no use?" asked Harold. - -"Certainly," Robert responded. "If we need lime we can obtain it by -burning them. These large round shells may be cut so as to make -handsome cups and vases. The long ones are used by many poor people for -spoons. And the conch makes a capital trumpet; our negroes on the -seaboard make a hole in the small end for this purpose. We often hear -the boatmen blowing their conchs at night; and when the sound comes to -us across the water, as an accompaniment to their boat songs, it is -particularly sweet." - -On learning these uses of the conch shell, Harold selected several fine -specimens, and threw them higher on the beach, remarking, that in case -they remained upon the island they would need other signals than those -of the gun or the smoke for calling each other's attention; and that he -intended to try his skill in converting some of these shells into -trumpets. - -Pocketing some of the most delicate varieties for Mary and Frank, they -continued down the coast, attracted by a large white object near the -water-side. At first it appeared to be a great heap of foam thrown -there by the sea, but soon they saw it move, and Robert pronounced it to -be a pelican. "It is a pity that it is not eatable," said he, "for one -bird would furnish more flesh than a larger gobbler. But it is fishy." - -"O, if that be its only fault we can correct it," replied Harold. "I -recollect one day when you were sea-sick, hearing the captain say that -he had eaten every sea-bird that flies, except Mother Cary's chickens; -and that he took off the skin as you would that of a deer or rabbit, and -soaked the flesh in strong brine; or if he was on shore he buried it for -a day or two in the earth, and that then the flesh was pleasant enough. -He said, moreover, that the fishy taste of water-fowl comes mostly from -the skin. Come, let us get that fellow. I cannot help thinking what a -nice shawl, in cold or rainy weather, his skin would make for Mary, if -properly cured with all its feathers on." - -The pelican, however, saved them all future trouble on account of either -its flesh or its skin, for, being a very shy bird, it flew away long -before they came within gunshot. Having ascended the bluff, they stood -upon a bank of sand, and looking far down the coast saw it curve out of -sight, without offering any inducement to pursue it further. -Immediately upon the bluff, and for a quarter of a mile inland, the -country was bare of trees, except here and there a cluster of dwarfish -cedars, overtopped by tall palmettoes; but in the interior the forest -trees appeared rising into loftier magnificence the farther they grew -from the sea. Striking across this barren strip--which, however, was -pleasantly varied by patches of cacti loaded with superb crimson pears, -and by little wildernesses of chincopin (dwarf-chestnut) bushes, whose -open burrs revealed each a shining jet black cone--and entering the kind -of forest where game might be expected, Harold gave Mum the order to -"Hie on"; and he was soon dashing about in every direction. - -"I suppose," said Robert, "that you intend to _still hunt_. But if so, -you must remember that I have the art yet to learn; and if you wish not -to be interrupted by my blunders, you had better describe now, before we -go to work, how it is that still hunters find their game, and then how -they approach it." - -"They find their game by various means," Harold replied, acknowledging, -at the same time, the justice of Robert's remarks. "Some by their own -keen eyes alone in watching or in tracking; others by a dog trained for -the purpose, as we expect to do. This last is the easier if the dog is -good. When Mum has discovered a trail, he will keep directly before us, -and as the trail freshens he will grow more cautious, until at last his -step becomes as stealthy and noiseless as a cat. We must then be -cautious too. If the woods are close so that we cannot see the deer, -nor they see us until we are upon them, our success will depend upon the -quickness of our shots, and the certainty of our aim; but if the woods -are open, so that we can see them afar off, we must use the cover of a -hill or of a thicket to conceal our approach, or else one of us must -leave the dog with the other, and advance upon them in the open woods." - -"But you do not mean to say," Robert argued, in surprise, "that deer -will allow you to come upon them in broad day-light, and shoot them -down?" - -"Yes, I do," he replied; "and it is easy enough if you will pursue the -right plan. When a deer feeds, he directs his eyes to the ground; and -during that time he sees nothing except what is just at his nose. That -is the opportunity you must take to advance. The moment he lifts his -head you must stand stock still; and if you can manage to be of the -colour of a stump, he will be apt to take you for one." - -"But can you stop soon enough to imitate a stump!" - -"Of course you must be quick; but this brings me to speak of another -fact. A deer never puts down nor raises his head without first shaking -his tail. Keep your eye therefore steadily fixed upon him, and guide -your motions by his signs. Old Torgah used to give me an amusing -account of the difference between deer and turkeys in this respect; for, -with all their sagacity, in some things deer are very simple, while the -turkey is so keen and watchful as to be called by hunters 'the wit of -the woods.' Old Torgah's account, given in his broken English is this: -''Ingin,' said he, 'see deer feed, and creep on him when his head down. -Deer shake 'ee tail; Injin stop still. Deer look hard at him, and say -"stump! stump! nothing but stump!" Presently Injin creep close, and -shoot him down. But Injin see turkey feed, and creep on him. Turkey -raise 'ee long neck to look, and Injin stand still like a stump; but -turkey never say "stump!" once; he say, "dat old Injin now!" and he -gone.' But see, Mum has struck the trail of something. Notice how -eager he is, yet how patiently he waits for us. Come, let us follow." - -In Robert's opinion, Mum's reputation for patience was, on the present -occasion, not deserved; for his pace was so rapid that it was difficult -for them to keep within sight, and moreover he soon sprang ahead, and -burst into a full loud cry. "I thought you said that he hunted in -silence," he remarked, almost out of breath with running. - -"I said he was silent on the trail of _deer_," replied Harold, "but -these are turkeys. Do you not see the deep print of their toes in -running! Mum knows what he is about. His racing after them will cause -them to fly into the trees; and then as he stands below and barks, they -will keep their eyes fixed on him, and never notice us. There they are! -See in that oak! Robert, do you advance behind the cover of yonder -mossy tree. I will find some other place. But as my rifle will carry -farther than your smooth bore, do not mind me, except to await my -signal. As soon as you are ready to fire, let me know by a whistle; if -I am ready, I will answer you; and then do you fire about a second after -you hear me. I will take the highest turkey." - -They advanced silently but rapidly. Each came within a fair distance. -Mum kept up a furious barking as the hunters approached. One whistle -was heard, then another; three reports followed in quick succession; and -four turkeys, two of them magnificent gobblers, tumbled heavily from the -tree. - -"Well done for us! Hurra!" shouted the boys, rushing upon their prey. - -It was indeed good shooting, although part of it was accidental. Robert -fairly won the credit of his two shots, having brought down the birds he -aimed at; but the ball from Harold's rifle had passed through the eye of -the one which he had selected, and broken the legs of another unseen by -him beyond, and it now lay floundering upon the ground unhurt, except in -its fractured limbs, but unable to rise. - -The young hunters swung their prizes over a pole, of which each took an -end, and then turned their faces homewards. The distance was not more -than two miles, but burdened as they were with guns and game, and -compelled to cut their way through frequent network of the grape-vine -and yellow jessamine, and dense masses of undergrowth, they were nearly -two hours in making it. Frank spied them from afar, and giving Mary a -call, bounded to meet them. "Whew!" he whistled, on seeing their load, -"what a bundle of turkeys!" He offered to help them carry a part of the -load, but they were too weary to stop and untie. They preferred that -Mary and Frank should show their kindness, by providing them with some -cool water. "We will pay you for your trouble," said they, patting -their pockets, which were stuffed full of something heavy; "make haste, -and let us have it." - -By the time they had wiped their wet brows, and begun to enjoy their -rest, the water came. The boys first emptied their pockets of the -shells and chincopins, found during their ramble, then cooled themselves -by bathing their wrists; after which they drank, and casting themselves -at length upon their couches of moss, they talked across the tent to -Sam, who seemed to be as much elated as any of them with their success. - -It was now past the middle of the day. The afternoon was spent in -working upon their tent. Their object was to make it more impervious to -rain and drift, in case of another storm; and this they effected by -raising the floor, and by spreading the sail of their boat as a sort of -outer awning. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - -RAINY DAY--THE KITCHEN AND FIRE--HUNTING THE OPOSSUM - - -It was fortunate for the young adventurers that they had executed so -promptly their intended work upon the tent, for though they had no heavy -wind, the rain poured down during the whole night; and when they arose -next morning, the sky was full of low scudding clouds, which promised -plenty of rain for all that day, and perhaps for days to come. But, -though the tent was dry as a hay loft, there were several deficiencies. -They had but a meagre supply of wood, and their kitchen fire was without -a shelter. The wind and rain were both chilly; and, it was plain, that -without somebody's getting wet they must content themselves with a cold -breakfast, and a shivering day. - -"Why did we not think of this before?" Robert querulously asked. - -"Simply because we had other things to think of," replied Harold. "For -my part, I am thankful that we have a dry tent." - -"So am I," rejoined Robert, changing his tone. "But I should be still -more thankful if we had a place where we could sit by the fire." - -"Very likely, _now_ since we know from experience, how uncomfortable it -is to be without. But I doubt if any of us would be half so thankful, -were it not for being put to inconvenience. I recollect a case in -point. My mother was once taken sick while we were travelling through -the Indian nation. At that time the Indians were becoming hostile, and -we were every day expecting them to declare war. O, how troubled we all -were! I remember that every morning we made it a point to say how -thankful we were for spending another night, without being scalped. But -afterwards, when we had returned home, and could spend our days and -nights in peace, we forgot to be thankful at all." - -Robert smiled at the naturalness of the description, and remarked, -"Well, I think we shall be thankful now for a fire and shelter. Can we -not devise some way to have them?" - -The result of this conference was, that in the course of an hour they -set up the boat-awning as a sort of kitchen, enclosed on three sides by -the remaining bed-sheets, and having a fire at the windward gable, near -which they sat very cosily on boxes and trunks brought from the tent. - -Contrary to their expectation, the rain began to abate about noon, and -long before sunset the surface of the earth was so much dried, and the -drops left upon the trees and bushes so thoroughly exhaled or shaken off -by a brisk wind, that the boys used the opportunity to bring in a supply -of wood and lightwood. The light-wood was very rich, and split into -such beautiful torch pieces, that Harold was tempted to think of a kind -of sport in which he had often engaged, and in which he was very fond. -"We have been pent up all day," said he to Robert; "suppose we change -the scene by taking a fire-hunt tonight." - -"With all my heart," was the reply; "and I think no one will object to -our having a fat roast pig for our Sunday's dinner." - -"Probably not," Harold rejoined, "and I am still more in favour of the -idea, for the reason that, as we take such game alive, we can keep it as -long as we will." - -Their preparation for the excursion consisted simply in splitting an -armful of lightwood, which Harold tied into a bundle, to be readily -slung over the shoulders by a strap. In the midst of their preparations -Frank came up, and on learning their purpose, almost shouted for joy. -He had so often heard Sam and William speak of the pleasure of their -'possum hunts, that it had long been the height of his ambition, as a -sportsman, to engage in one; but for various reasons the convenient time -had never yet come. - -"O, I am so glad!" he exclaimed, with a face lighted with pleasure; "you -will let me go, won't you?" - -Here now was a dilemma. How could they refuse him? and yet how could -they with propriety leave Mary with no other companion than poor -bed-ridden Sam? The boys saw no alternative but to give up the hunt, -until Robert proposed himself to stay with Mary, on condition that Frank -should carry the torch and light-wood, while Harold bore the ax and gun. -But to their gratification, Frank, perceiving the difficulties of the -case, and ashamed to rob his brother of a place which he himself was -incompetent to fill, set the matter at rest, by saying: - -"No, brother, I will not go tonight; I will wait and go with Cousin -Harold some time when Sam gets well. But you must give me the pigs when -you come back, and let me feed them every day." - -They praised him sincerely for his act of self-denial, and promised that -he should be no loser on account of it. Soon as it was dark they bid -him good-night, and departed. He stood in the tent door, happy in the -thought of their pleasure, and watched the animated motions of boys and -dogs, as the red light flashed upon the trees, and the whole party -became gradually lost from sight in the forest. - -The boys had not proceeded a half mile, before the quick sharp bark, -first of Mum, then of Fidelle, gave indications of their having "treed" -some kind of game. Hastening to the spot, they saw the dogs looking -eagerly up a slender, tall persimmon, and barking incessantly. For a -time they could discover nothing in its branches, or on its body; and -had begun almost to conclude that (in hunter's phrase) their dogs had -_lied_, when Harold took the torch, waved it to and fro behind him, -walking thus around the tree, and keeping his eyes fixed on those places -where he supposed the opossum to be. Presently he cried out, "We have -him! I see his eyes! Mum, poor fellow," patting his head, "you never -lie, do you?" Mum wagged his expressive tail with great emphasis, as -much as to say that he perfectly understood both the slander and the -recantation, and that he now desired nothing but the privilege of giving -that 'possum a good shake. Robert also took the light, and holding it -behind him, saw amid a bunch of moss two small eyes glistening in the -dark. The aim was so fair that the gun might have been used with -certainty, were it not against all hunting rule; an opossum must be -_caught_, not killed. The boys plied their ax upon the yielding wood, -the eyes of the now silent dogs being fixed alternately upon the game -above and the work below. The tree cracked and toppled. Mum's ears -stood perfectly erect; and ere the branches had time to sway back, from -their crash upon the ground, he was among them, growling at something -upon which he had pounced. It was the opossum; and like all the rest of -its tribe when in the presence of an enemy, it seemed to be stone dead. -They took it up by its scaly, rat-like tail, and again went on. - -In the course of a short walk they took a second, and on their way back, -a third. These were quite as many as they could conveniently carry; and -taking their captives home, they made them secure, by tying a forked -stick around the neck of each, on the plan of a pig-yoke. From the -moment that these singular animals found themselves in the power of -their enemies, they put on all the usual appearances of death; not a -muscle twitched, nothing stirred or trembled; each limb was stiff, and -each eye closed; not even the growl or grip of the dogs was sufficient -to disturb their perfect repose. Robert could scarcely persuade himself -that they were not really dead. Harold laughed. - -"They can stand the crash of a tree and the worrying of dogs," he said, -after they were made secure; "but there is one thing which they cannot -stand. See here!" and he poured a cupful of cold water on each. The -shock seemed to be electric. Each dead opossum was galvanized into -life, and pulled stoutly to break away from its wooden fetters. "Now -let us to bed." - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - -FRANK AND HIS "PIGS"--THE CAGE--WALK ON THE BEACH--IMMENSE CRAWFISH--THE -MUSEUM--NAMING THE ISLAND - - -Frank's first words the next morning, as in his night-clothes he ran -from Mary's room, were, "Have you brought my pig?" - -"Yes! yes!" they answered, "three of them; and all yoked to boot, so -that they cannot get either into the garden or the cornfield." - -Frank did not comprehend this enigmatical language; he hastily dressed -and went out. Close to the awning he found the new comers sitting, each -secured by the novel pillory which Harold had contrived. They were ugly -looking creatures, with long, hypocritical faces, coarse, grizzly hair, -and an expression of countenance exceedingly contemptible. Frank had -often seen opossums before, but the fancy name of pigs had caused him -mentally to invest them with the neat and comely aspect of the little -grunters at home. When he hurried from the tent, and saw them in their -native ugliness, writhing their naked, snakey tails, he turned away with -unaffected disgust. - -"They are not very pretty," said Harold, watching the changes that -flitted across the little fellow's face. - -"No, indeed," he replied; "they are the ugliest things I ever saw. You -may keep them and feed them yourself; for I will not have them for -mine." - -The unsightly appearance of the opossum excites in many persons a -prejudice against its use for the table. But when young and tender, or -after having been kept for several days, its flesh is so nearly in taste -like that of a roast pig, that few persons can distinguish the -difference. - -A cage for the captives was soon constructed, of poles several inches in -diameter, notched into each other, and approaching at the top like a -stick trap. The floor was also guarded with poles, to prevent their -burrowing out. - -"Now we need one or two troughs for their water and food," observed -Harold, after the prisoners, loosed from their neck-locks, had been -introduced into the airy saloon erected for their accommodation. "I -propose, therefore, that Mary and Frank shall go with one of us to Shell -Bluff, and bring home a supply of conch shells, to be converted, as we -need them, into troughs, cups, dippers, and trumpets." - -Mary and Frank needed no persuasion to go upon this excursion, after the -glowing description given by the boys on their return from the beach. -Robert preferred to remain with Sam. The others set off--Harold with -his gun, which, for reasons of policy, was an inseparable companion, -Mary with a basket, and Frank with his dog and hatchet. On arriving at -the beach, down which they were to pass for a mile or more, the -youngsters amused themselves for a time with writing names, or making -grotesque figures in the hard smooth sand; then ran to overtake Harold, -who had walked slowly on, watching the sea-gulls plunge after their prey -on the surface of the water; for a short distance they went with him -side by side, chatting through mere excitement; then dashing far ahead, -they picked up shells and other curiosities thrown up from the sea. -Several times was Mary's basket filled with prizes, and afterwards -emptied for others still more beautiful, before they reached the place -which the boys had named "Shell Bluff." - -The beach at that place was lovely indeed. For half a mile or more it -looked like snow, mottled with rose colour here, and with dark brown -there; while, crowning the bluff above, waved a cluster of tropical -palmettoes, around whose bases gathered the dark and fragrant cedar. - -Again Mary replenished her basket, Frank filled every pocket he had, and -his cap besides, and Harold collected his handkerchief full of -fine-looking conch shells. They were about returning, when their -attention was attracted by the shell of an enormous crawfish, whose body -alone was nearly a foot long, and whose claws, extending far in front, -were of hideous dimensions. This last Harold said he must take home for -"Mr. Philosopher Robert," and learn from him what it was. - -Robert was much pleased to see the collections they had made, and -particularly so with the shell. He said that this was another proof, if -he needed any other, to show that they were on the western coast of -South Florida, for he had often heard of the enormous crawfish that -abounded there, and that were almost equal in size to the lobster. - -"Let us be sure, Harold," said he, "to put it beside your oyster, with -the raccoon's foot, as the beginning of a museum gathered from the -island." - -"Yes; and our rattlesnake's skin," Frank added. - -"And our turkey's tail, and Frank's plume," said Mary. "We have the -beginning of a museum already; for there are besides these things about -twenty varieties of shells and sea-weeds in this basket, some of which I -never saw before." - -Harold was as much interested as any in the idea of a museum; for though -he knew nothing of its proper arrangement, he had good sense enough to -perceive that it was a very ready means of acquiring and retaining -knowledge. - -"But the name of this island," said Robert, musing; "I have several -times wished that we had one. And why should we not, for who has a -better right to give it a name than we, its only inhabitants?" - -He expressed the mind of the whole company, and they soon proceeded to -call upon each other for nominations. "The rule in such cases, I have -heard, is to begin with the youngest," said Robert. "So Master Frank, -do you tell us what you would have it called." - -Frank mused a moment, and replied, "I will call it Turkey Island; -because turkeys were the first thing we saw here." - -"My name, I think, will be the Island of Hope," said Mary, as her -brother's eye rested on her. "We have certainly been _hoping_ ever -since we came, and will continue to hope until we get away." - -"Yes, but we sometimes despaired, too," answered Robert, "especially on -the morning after the storm. I have thought of the Caloosa name--the -Enchanted Island." - -"Please, Massa," Sam implored, "don't call um by dat name. I begin to -see ghosts now; and I 'fraid, if you call um so, I will see ghosts and -sperits all de time." - -"I think a more suitable name still," said Harold, "is the Island of -Refuge. It has certainly been to us a refuge from the sea, and from the -storm. And if it is the Enchanted Island, of which Riley spoke, it will -also prove a refuge from the Indians, for none will dare to trouble us -here." - -Sam declined suggesting any name. He said, pointing across the river to -the bluff, where he had met with his accident, "Dat my place, obe' -turrah side;[#] and my name for him is Poor Hope." - - -[#] That is my place, over the other side. - - -The name decided by universal acclamation, was THE ISLAND OF REFUGE. - -"I wish we had a horn of oil," said Robert, "I would anoint it, as -discoverers are said to do. And if any person could suggest an -appropriate speech I would repeat it on the occasion; but the only words -I can think of now are, - -'Isle of Beauty, fare thee well!' - -And much as I admire everything around, I hope ere long to repeat those -words in truth." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - - -THEIR SECOND SABBATH ON THE ISLAND, AND THE WAY THEY SPENT IT - - -On coming together in the morning, Robert proposed that they should add -to their usual religious exercises the singing of a hymn. "It is -father's plan," said he, "to mark the Sabbath with as many pleasant -peculiarities as possible." - -Harold was gratified with the suggestion, but remarked, "As I cannot -sing, you must allow me to join you in my heart, or else to assist the -music with my flute." - -"Oh, the flute, by all means!" Mary replied. "And see here what a -beautiful hymn I have just found!" - -Robert took the book, and read with remarkable appropriateness of tone -and manner that exquisite hymn by Dr. Watts, beginning - -"My God, how endless is thy love!" - - -The music that morning was unusually sweet. The voices of the singers -were rendered plaintive by a consciousness of their helpless situation; -and the rich tones of the flute, together with Sam's African voice, -which was marked by indescribable mellowness, added greatly to the -effect. - -The subject of the chapter was the parable of the prodigal son. Sam, -poor fellow, raised himself on his elbow, and listened attentively; his -remark made afterwards to Mary, showed that, however far beyond his -comprehension a great part of the parable may have been, he had caught -its general drift and meaning. "De Lord is berry kind; he meet de -sinner afore he get home, and forgib him ebbery ting." - -About nine o'clock the young people separated, with the understanding -that they were to re-assemble at eleven, for the purpose of reading the -Scriptures, and of conversation about its teachings. - -Robert went to the beach, and taking his seat upon a log, near the -flag-staff, looked upon the ocean, and engaged in deep reflection upon -their lonely situation, and the waning prospects of their deliverance. -His Testament gradually slipped from his grasp, and his head sunk -between his knees. Such was his absorption of mind, that the big drops -gathered upon his forehead, and he was conscious of nothing except of -his separation from home, and of the necessity for exertion. At last he -heard a voice from the tent. Harold and Mary were beckoning to him; and -looking up to the sun, he saw that eleven o'clock had come and passed. -He sprang to his feet, and in doing so, was rebuked to see lying on the -ground the Testament which he had taken to read, but had not opened. - -Harold, on leaving the tent, took his pocket Bible and strolled up the -river bank, to a pleasant cluster of trees, where he selected a seat -upon the projecting root of a large magnolia. His mind also reverted -naturally to their lonely situation; but he checked the rising thoughts, -by saying to himself, "No. I have time enough during the week for -thoughts like these. The Sabbath is given for another purpose, which it -will not do for me longer to neglect. When the Lord delivered us in -that strange way at sea, I resolved to live like a Christian, but I have -neither lived nor felt as I ought. The Lord forgive me for my neglect, -and help me to do better." He knelt down, and for several minutes was -engaged in endeavouring to realize that he was in the presence of God. -His first words were a hearty confession that, although he had been -early taught to know his duty, he had not done it, nor had the heart to -do it; and, though in the experience of countless blessings, he had -never been grateful for any until the time of that unexpected -deliverance. He thanked God for having taught him by that dreadful -accident to feel that he was a sinner, and that it was a terrible thing -to live and to die such. He said he knew there were promises, many and -great, to all who would repent of sin, and believe in Jesus Christ, and -he prayed that God would enable him so to repent and believe, as to feel -that the promises were made to him. - -Rising from his knees, and sitting upon the root of the tree, he opened -the Bible, and his eye rested upon the fifty-fifth chapter of Isaiah, -"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath -no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come; buy wine and milk, without -money and without price." Here he stopped, for his eyes filled, and the -page became obscured. He put his hands to his face, and thought, "That -passage surely describes _me_. I came to this spot as a thirsty person -goes to a spring. My soul longs for something, I know not what, except -that God only can supply it, and that I have nothing to offer for its -purchase. Now God says that he will _give_ it, 'without money and -without price.' O, what a blessing! O, how merciful! Let me see that -passage again." - -He re-opened the Bible, which had been laid in his lap, but the place -had not been marked, and was not to be found. After searching some -time, he turned to the New Testament, and having opened it at the -Epistle to the Romans, was turning back to the Gospels, when his eye was -caught by these words (contained in the seventh and eighth verses of the -fourth chapter of Romans): "Blessed are they whose iniquities are -forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the -Lord will not impute sin." "Ah, yes!" he exclaimed, "how true that is! -There is no blessing like it." Supposing that something might be said -in the chapter to show how sin may be forgiven and covered, he read the -chapter through, but was disappointed. The only clear idea he gained -was that Abraham was counted righteous, and was saved, not by his works, -but by his faith. This confused him. "I always thought," said he, -"that people were saved because they were good. But this teaches,--let -me see what,"--at this time his eye rested on the words, "Now it was not -written for his sake alone (viz. that Abraham's faith was imputed to him -for righteousness), but FOR US ALSO, _to whom_ it shall be imputed, if -we believe on him that raised up Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, who was -delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." - -"Ah, there comes my case again!" he mentally exclaimed. "It does seem -as if God is opening to me the scriptures. This fact, about Abraham, -was _recorded_ not for his sake, but FOR OUR SAKES _now_. And the -blessing bestowed on him (that is, the forgiveness of sin), shall be -bestowed on us too, 'if we believe on Him (that is, God the Father), -that raised up Jesus from the dead, who was delivered (that is, given up -to death--put to death) for our offences, but raised again for our -justification.' But justification, what does that mean?" - -He glanced his eye over the chapter. It flashed upon him that -justification means nothing more nor less than what Paul had been -speaking of throughout the whole chapter. Abraham was "justified"--that -is, "sin was not imputed to him"--he was "counted righteous," on account -of his faith. Now he understood the passage. It declared that we too -shall be justified, if we believe on God, who gave up Jesus to suffer -for our sins, and who raised him again that we might be counted -righteous. - -As soon as he had conceived this idea, and had certified his mind of its -correctness, by reading the passage over several times, he fell once -more upon his knees, and said, "O Lord, I am a sinner. But thou hast -said, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that -hath no money.' I come as a sinner, thirsting for pardon, but having no -money to offer for its purchase. My only hope is in Thy promise. I -plead it now before Thee. Thou hast promised, that as Abraham was -justified by faith, so shall we be, if we believe on Thee, who didst -raise Jesus from the dead. Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief. -Accept of me as righteous in thy sight, not because I am righteous--for -I am not, but because Jesus Christ was delivered for our offences, and -raised again for our justification. Forgive my iniquities, cover my -sins, and make me all that thou wouldst have me be, for Jesus Christ's -sake. Amen." - -For some minutes he continued kneeling; his eyes were closed, his hands -clasped, and his bowed face marked by strong emotion. It was pleasant -to be thus engaged. He had experienced for the first time the -blessedness of drawing near to God, and now he was listening to that -"still small voice," that spoke peace to his inmost soul. - -Once more he sat upon the rough root of the tree. He opened his Bible to -the same page which had been so instructive, but it was to the next -chapter, where he read: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have -peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." "Yes, yes," he -murmured, as his hand sought his bosom. "Peace indeed! Peace with God! -Peace through our Lord Jesus Christ--and justified by faith." He -continued reading: - -"By whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and -rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in -tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and -patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, -because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost -which is given unto us." - -"Ah! is not this true?" he joyfully soliloquized. "We glory in -tribulations. I used to wonder how people could glory in trouble. But -now, thanks to God for trouble! especially for the trouble that brought -us to this island, and brought me to Jesus Christ! Yes, _thanks to God -for trouble_!" - -Having read the chapter to the end, and found, as is usual with persons -in his state of mind, that although he could not understand it all, -there was scarcely a verse in which he did not discover something -suitable to his case, he knelt down and consecrated himself to God; -praying that the Lord would grant him grace to live as a Christian, and -more particularly so to live, as to be the means of bringing his young -companions to a knowledge of the truth. As he closed his prayer, the -words of the morning hymn rose vividly to his recollection; he did not -indeed use them as any part of his address to a throne of grace, but he -used them as uttering beautifully the language of his own heart in that -sweet communion to which he was now initiated. - -"I yield my powers to thy command, -To thee I consecrate my days; -Perpetual blessings from thy hand -Demand perpetual songs of praise." - - -Looking at his watch he saw that the hour of eleven was at hand. He -turned his face toward the tent, and walked slowly onward, and as he -went his lips continually murmured, - -"Perpetual blessings from thy hand, -Demand perpetual songs of praise." - - -While Robert and Harold were thus engaged, Mary told Frank to amuse -himself not far away, and that after she had looked over her own lessons -she would call for him. In the act of going to her room, she was -arrested by the voice of Sam, who said: - -"Please, misses, Mas Robert and Mas Harold both gone away; and if you -can, read some of the Bible to your poor sick servant--do, misses." - -Touched by his melancholy earnestness, she promised to do so with -pleasure, after having finished Frank's lessons and her own; and indeed, -urged on by his apparent thankfulness, she dispatched her task in -one-half the usual time, and then called for Frank. - -"What! have you learned your lessons already?" he asked, in some -surprise. She replied, "Yes." "Then," said he, "I wish you would make -mine as short, for it took you a very little while." But when she -informed him of the secret of her rapidity, and he heard a plaintive, -half-devotional sigh from Sam's corner, he said, "Get the book, sister; -I will learn as fast as I can, and then we can both go and sit by him, -while you read." Mary patted his cheek, saying that he was a good -fellow, whenever he chose to be; and giving him the book, he stood by -her side, and learnt his lessons very soon, and very well. - -The chapter selected at Sam's request was the third of John. With this -he was so well acquainted as to be able to repeat verse after verse, -while Mary was reading, and he seemed withal to have a very clear idea -of its meaning. Mary was surprised. She knew that her father was in -the habit of calling his plantation negroes together on Sabbath -evenings, and instructing them from the Scriptures, but she had no idea -that the impressions made by his labour had been so deep. - -It was not until half-past eleven that they were all assembled and -composed. They sang several hymns, then conversed freely upon the -subject of the chapter, which had interested them in the morning, and on -which they had promised to reflect. These exercises occupied them so -pleasantly that it was past the usual hour ere any one thought of -dinner. - -A part of Dr. Gordon's custom had been to call upon each of his children -every day at their midday meal, to tell what "new knowledge" they had -gained since that hour of the day preceding. On Sundays the same plan -was pursued, except that the knowledge was required to be suitable to -the day. This practice was on the present occasion resumed by the young -people. Frank's new knowledge consisted of part of his morning lesson; -Mary's, of a new method devised by her for remembering the order of -certain books in the Bible; Robert's, of the aim and object of the -parable just discussed: it was a keen rebuke to the Scribes and -Pharisees, who murmured against Jesus for receiving sinners and eating -with them. When Harold's turn came, he spoke with much emotion, and a -face radiant with pleasure. He said that he had on that day learnt the -most important lesson of his life; how good the Lord is, and how great a -sinner he himself had been; he had learnt how to love Him, and how to -trust Him; how to read the Bible, and how to pray. He was not able to -tell how it happened, but there was now a meaning in the Scriptures, and -a sweetness in prayer, that he had never before suspected, and that he -hoped it would last for ever. He concluded by saying that he could -conceive of no greater blessing than that of being enabled to feel all -his life-long as he felt that morning, after promising to try to live -like a Christian. - -To these remarks of Harold no one made reply. Robert looked down a -moment, then directed his gaze far away, as if disturbed by some painful -recollection. Mary gazed wistfully on her cousin, and covered her face -with both hands. Frank slid from his seat, and coming to Harold's side, -insinuated himself upon his knee, and looked affectionately into his -face. All felt that a great event had happened in their little circle; -and that from that time forth their amiable cousin was in a most -important sense their superior. They separated in silence, Robert going -to the spring, Mary to her room, and Harold to talk with Sam. - -Late in the afternoon they went together to the seashore, and sitting -around their flag-staff, on the clear white sand, looked over the gently -rippling waters, and talked thankfully of their merciful deliverance, -and of their pleasant Island of Refuge. The air became chilly, and the -stars peeped out, before they sought the tent. Again soft music stole -upon the night air, and floated far over the sands and waters. Then all -was hushed. The youthful worshippers had retired. And so softly did -sleep descend upon their eyelids, and so peacefully did the night pass, -that one might almost have fancied angels had become their guardians, -were it not for the still more animating thought that the _God_ of the -angels was there, and that He "gave his beloved sleep." - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - - -MOTE IN THE EYE, AND HOW IT WAS REMOVED--CONCH TRUMPET AND -SIGNALS--TRAMP--ALARM - - -The next morning, while planning together the employments of the day, -Frank came in, holding his hand over his eye, having had a grain of sand -thrown into it by an unfortunate twitch of Dora's tail. It pained him -excessively, and he found it almost impossible to keep from crying. -Mary ran quickly and brought a basin, for the purpose of his washing it -out. He however became frightened at finding his mouth and nose -immersed, and was near being strangled in the attempt. It would have -been better for so young a person, if Mary had made him hold back his -head, and dropped the water under the uplifted lid. She next proposed -to remove it by introducing the smooth head of a large needle to the -painful spot, and moving the mote away; but neither would Frank allow -this. Robert then took the matter in hand, and having in vain blown and -rubbed in various ways, endeavoured to remove the substance by drawing -the irritated lid over the other, in such a way as to make the lash of -one a sort of wiper to the other. But neither did this succeed. By -this time the eye had become much inflamed, and Frank began to whimper. -Harold asked him to bear it for a minute longer, and he would try old -Torgah's plan. With a black filament of moss, the best substitute he -could devise for a horse hair, he made a little loop, which he inserted -under the uplifted lid, so as to enclose the foreign substance; then -letting the lid fall, he drew out the loop, and within it the grain of -sand. Robert observed that an almost infallible remedy is to bandage -the eye and take a nap; and Mary added, that it would be still more -certain if a flaxseed were put into the eye before going to sleep. -Frank, however, needed no further treatment; he bathed his eye with cold -water, wore a bandage for an hour, and then was as well as ever. - -During the conversation that preceded this incident, Harold had brought -out a hammer and large nail, and now occupied himself with making a -smooth hole in the small end of one of the conches. Having succeeded, -he put the conch to his lips, and after several trials brought from it a -loud clear note like that of a bugle. Robert also, finding that the -sound came easily, called aloud, "Come here, sister, let us teach you -how to blow a trumpet." - -It was not until after several attempts that Mary acquired the art. -Frank was much amused to see how she twisted and screwed her mouth to -make it fit the hole; and though he said nothing at the time, Harold had -afterwards reason to remember a lurking expression of sly humour dancing -about the corners of his mouth and eyes. - -"Now, cousin," said Harold, when Mary had succeeded in bringing out the -notes with sufficient clearness, "if ever you wish to call us home when -we are within a mile of you at night, or half a mile during the day, you -have only to use this trumpet. For an ordinary call, sound a long loud -blast, but for _an alarm_, if there should be such a thing, sound two -long blasts, with the interval of a second. When you wish to call for -Frank, sound a short blast, for Robert two, and for me three. - -In his different strolls through the forest, Harold had observed that -the wild turkeys frequented certain oaks, whose acorns were small and -sweet. It was part of his plan to capture a number of these birds in a -trap, and to keep them on hand as poultry, to be killed at pleasure. For -this purpose, it was necessary that the spot where the trap was to be -set should first be baited. He therefore proposed to Robert to spend -part of the forenoon in selecting and baiting several places; and with -this intention they left home, having their pockets filled with corn and -peas. It did not require long to select half a dozen such places, -within a moderate distance of the tent, to bait, and afterwards to mark -them so that they could be found. - -Having completed this work, they were returning to the tent, when they -heard afar off the sound of the conch. It was indistinct and irregular -at first, as if Mary had not been able to adjust her mouth properly to -the hole; but presently a note came to them so clear and emphatic, that -Mum pricked up his ears, and trotted briskly on; and after a second's -pause came another long blast. "Harold! Harold!" Robert said in a -quick and tremulous tone, "that is an alarm! I wonder what can be the -matter. Now there are two short blasts; they are for me; and now three -for you. Come, let us hurry. Something terrible must have happened to -Frank or to Sam." - -They quickened their pace to a run, and were bursting through the bushes -and briers, when they again heard the two long blasts of alarm, followed -by the short ones, that called for each of them. They were seriously -disturbed, and continued their efforts until they came near enough to -see Mary walking about very composedly, and Frank sitting, not far from -the tent, with the conch lying at his feet. These signs of tranquillity -so far relieved their anxiety, that they slackened their pace to a -moderate walk, but their faces were red, and their breath short from -exertion. They began to hope that the alarm was on account of _good_ -news instead of bad--perhaps the sight of a vessel on the coast. Robert -was trembling with excitement. A loud halloo roused the attention of -Frank, and springing lightly to his feet he ran to meet them. - -"What is the matter?" asked Robert; but either Frank did not hear, or -did not choose to reply. He came up with a merry laugh, talking so fast -and loud, as to drown all the questions. - -"Ha! ha!" said he, "I thought I could bring you! That was loud and -strong, wasn't it?" - -"You!" Robert inquired. "What do you mean? Did you blow the conch?" - -"That I did," he replied; "I blew just as cousin Harold said we must, to -bring you all home." - -"But, Frank," remonstrated Harold, "the conch sounded an alarm. It -said, Something is the matter. Now what was the matter?" - -"O, not much," Frank answered, "only I was getting hungry, and thought -it was time for you all to come back. That was something, wasn't it?" - -"You wicked fellow!" said Robert, provoked out of all patience, to think -of their long run. "You have put us to a great deal of trouble. -Sister, how came you to let him frighten us so?" - -"Really, I could not help it," she replied. "When I went to the spring -a little while since, he excused himself from going by saying that he -felt tired; but no sooner had I passed below the bluff, than I heard the -sound of the conch. I supposed at first it must be Sam, who had become -suddenly worse, and was blowing for you to return; so I filled my bucket -only half full, and hurried home; when I ascended the bluff I saw the -little monkey, with the conch in his hand, blowing away with all his -might." - -"And didn't it go well?" asked Frank. - -The young wag looked so innocent of every intent except fun, and seemed -withal to think his trick so clever, that in spite of their discomfort, -the boys laughed heartily at the consternation he had produced, and at -the half comic, half tragic expression which his face assumed on -learning the consequences of his waggery. They gave him a serious -lecture, however, upon the subject, and told him that hereafter he must -not interfere with the signals. But as he seemed to have such an -uncommon aptitude for trumpeting, Harold promised to prepare him a conch -for his own use, on condition that he played them no more tricks. Frank -was delighted at this, and taking up the horn, blew, as he said, "all -sorts of crooked ways," to show what he could do. The boys were -astonished. Frank was the most skilful trumpeter of the company; and on -being questioned how he acquired the art, replied, that when he and his -mother had gone on a visit to one of her friends, during the preceding -summer, he and a negro boy used to go after the cows every evening, and -blow horns for their amusement. - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - - -A HUNTER'S MISFORTUNE--RELIEF TO A SPRAIN--HOW TO AVOID BEING LOST IN -THE WOODS, AND TO RECOVER ONE'S COURSE AFTER BEING LOST--A STILL HUNT - - -It was remarked by Mary the next morning, that if some one did not go -out hunting they should soon be out of provision. "Which for our -character as marooners I hope will not be the case," rejoined Harold. -"Come, Robert, shall we be hunters today?" - -"We cannot do better," Robert languidly replied, "unless we go fishing -instead." - -"O, do let me go with you," begged Frank. "I am so tired of being -cooped up here under this oak tree, and running for ever to the spring -and to the oyster bank. I want to go either hunting or fishing." - -"Perhaps we can do both," said Mary, perceiving from Robert's looks that -he was disinclined to any great exertion. "Cousin Harold can take Frank -and go to the woods, while you and I, brother, can catch a mess of -fish." - -"That will do! O, yes, that is the very plan," Frank exclaimed, -clapping his hands. "Then we can run a race to see who shall do best." - -The company separated; Harold took Frank and disappeared in the forest, -where they were absent several hours, and Robert and Mary went to the -oyster bank, where they supplied themselves with bait, and then -embarking on the raft, began to fish for sheepshead, near a log imbedded -in the mud, and covered with barnacles and young oysters. The success -of the fishing party was very good; they soon had a basket half full of -fish, and the remainder filled with shrimp. - -Not so with the hunters. Robert and Mary were engaged in preparing -their prizes for use, when they heard a sharp halloo, and saw Frank -emerging from a dense growth of bushes, with the rifle upon his -shoulder, followed by Harold, who was limping painfully, and beckoning -them to approach. - -Washing their hands with haste, Robert and Mary ran to meet them. -Harold was seated on a log, looking very pale. Within an hour after -leaving the tent he had sprained his ankle, and ever since had been -slowly and with great suffering attempting to return. Mary was -frightened to see the haggard looks of her cousin, and inquired -anxiously what she could do to help him. - -"Take the gun, sister," said Robert. "Lean on me, cousin, I will -support you to the tent, and then show you the best thing in the world -for a sprain." - -Mary ran to the tent, put the gun in its place, prepared Harold's couch, -and then at Robert's request hurried with Frank to the spring and -brought up a bucket of water, by the time that Harold's shoe and -stocking had been removed. The ankle was much swollen, and the blood -had settled around it in deep blue clouds. - -"Now, sister, bring me the coffee pot and a basin." - -The basin was placed under the foot, and the coffee pot filled with cool -water was used to pour a small stream upon the injured part. This -process was continued for half an hour, by which time the inflammation -and pain were greatly reduced. It was also repeated several times that -day, and once more before retiring to bed, the good effects being -manifest on each occasion. - -This accident not only confined the whole company at home for the rest -of the day, but caused an unpleasant conviction to press heavily upon -the mind of Robert--the whole responsibility of supplying the family -with food and other necessaries would for a time devolve upon himself. -This fact almost made him shudder, for though a willing boy, he was not -robust; labour was painful to him; at times he felt a great -disinclination to bodily effort, but the greatest difficulty in the way -of his success in their present mode of life, was his ignorance of some -of the most necessary arts of a hunter. - -"Harold," said he, with a rueful face, the next morning, when they had -finished talking over the various means for discovering and approaching -game in the forest; "to tell you the truth, I am afraid of _getting -lost_ in these thick and tangled woods. It is a perfect wonder to me -how you can dash on through bush and brier, and turn here and there, as -if you knew every step of the way, when, if I were left alone, I should -never find my way home at all. Now my head is easily turned, and when I -am once lost, I am lost." - -"I know exactly what you mean," replied Harold, "and in former times I -used to feel the same way. But there are two or three rules which -helped me much, and which I will give to you. - -"The first is, _never allow to yourself that you are lost_. Say to -yourself that you are mistaken, or that you have taken the wrong course, -or anything that you will, but never allow the _lost feeling_ to come -over you, so long as you can keep it off. - -"When, however, you ascertain that you have unfortunately missed your -track, your next rule is to sit down _as quietly as possible_ to -determine your course. Most people in such a case become excited, run -here and there, at perfect random, and become worse bewildered than -before. First do you determine the points of the compass, and then -strike for the point you are most certain of reaching. For instance, -you know that anywhere on this island the sea lies to the west, and a -river to the north. You can surely find either of these places; and -when once found you will be no longer in doubt, although you may be far -from home." - -"But how am I to know the points of the compass?" inquired Robert. - -"Easily enough," his cousin replied. "But before speaking of that, let -me give you my third rule, which is, _never get lost_." - -Robert laughed. "That is the only rule I want. Give me that and you -may have the rest." - -"Then," continued Harold, "make it your constant habit to notice the -course you travel, and the time you are travelling. Watch the sun, or -else the shadows of the trees, and the angle at which you cross them. -Early in the morning the shadows are very long, and point west. In the -middle of the forenoon, they are about as long as the trees that make -them, and all point north-west. And at twelve o'clock they are very -short, and point due north. To a woodsman the shadows are both clock -and compass; and by keeping your mind on them, you can easily make what -the captain would call your _dead reckoning_." - -"But," said Robert, "what would you do on such a day as this, when there -is neither sun nor shadow?" - -"You must work by another rule," he replied. "Old Torgah gave me three -signs for telling the points of the compass, by noticing the limbs, the -bark, and the green moss on the trunks of trees _well exposed_ to the -sun. Moss, you know, loves the shade, while the bark and limbs grow all -the faster for having plenty of light. As a general rule, therefore, -you will find the south, or sunny side of a tree marked by large limbs -and thick, rough bark, and the north side covered, more or less, with -whatever green moss there may be on it.[#] Did I ever tell you how -these signs helped me once to find my way home?" - - -[#] Happening not long since to converse with an old and observant -farmer, on the subject of these natural signs, he pointed out another. - -"Notice," said he, "the direction in which those trees _lean_." - -We were in a pine forest, and, almost without exception, the trees that -declined from a perpendicular leaned towards the east. The severe winds -through the up country of South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, which -start our trees and unsettle our fences, usually prevail from the west. -That is the point also from which almost invariably come our thunder -storms. - - -Robert replied that he had not. "I was at my uncle's, where I had never -been before, in a newly settled part of the country. A small stream ran -near his house, and bent considerably around his plantation. Down this -stream I followed one day, in search of ducks, and walked several miles -before thinking of home. My uncle's house lay due east, and instead of -returning the way I went, I determined to take a shorter course through -the woods. I had not gone far, however, before a fat squirrel jumped -upon a log, within good shooting distance, curled his tail over his -back, and sat there barking; he seemed to give me every invitation that -a squirrel possibly could to shoot him, and I did so. But it was really -curious to see the consequence. Such a barking of squirrels I never -heard before in my life. They were all around me, jumping, shaking their -tails, and _quaw-quawing_ at such a rate, that it was almost like -witchcraft. I killed as many as I could carry, and once more set out -for home. But I had completely lost my course; the chase had taken off -my mind, and I could tell neither which way I came into the wood, nor -how I was to go out of it. My uncle's house I knew lay to the east, and -the stream to the north. But which way was east, and which north? The -sun was hidden, and the trees were so close and thick, that the moss -covered their large trunks on every side, and the limbs and bark for the -same reason seemed to be of equal size all round. At last I spied a -small tree, that was pretty well exposed to the sun, and the limbs of -which were evidently larger, and the bark rougher on one side than on -the other; there was also a beautiful tuft of green moss growing at its -root, on the side opposite to the large limbs. These signs satisfied -me; but to make assurance doubly sure, I cut into the tree far enough to -ascertain that the thickest bark was on the roughest side. That one -tree was my guide. I struck a straight course for home, and reached it -without difficulty. Now, if you take these rules, you can guide -yourself anywhere through these woods, in which you will never be more -than three or four miles to the east of the sea-shore." - -"Thank you, cousin," said Robert; "thank you sincerely. You have -relieved my mind from the greatest embarrassment I have felt at the -thought of roaming these dark woods alone. Your rules give me -confidence; for the very trees that before caused my bewilderment shall -now become my guides." - -He took his gun, called his dog, and gave a look to Frank, in the -expectation that he also would come. But Frank had listened quietly to -the preceding conversation, and had as quietly made up his mind not to -go. He sat beside the cage, watching the opossum, and took no notice of -dog, gun, or look. - -"Jump, Frank," said Robert, in a cheering tone; "I am ready to go. Let -us see if we cannot find a deer." - -"No, I thank you," he soberly replied; "I do not love to get lost. It -does not feel pleasant. I had rather stay at home and pour water on -cousin Harold's foot." - -"Then stay," said Robert, in a disappointed tone; "I forgot that you -were a baby." - -Harold, however, who knew that Frank was an uncommon pedestrian, and -that Robert preferred to have company, whispered to him, "He is not -going to lose himself, Frank. I think, too, he will kill some deer, and -who knows but he may find another fawn to keep Dora company." Frank -seized his cap, and calling out, "Brother! brother! I am coming!" -dashed off in pursuit. Fidelle started too, but they returned to tie -her up, and to say to Mary that she must not be uneasy if they did not -return by dinner-time, as they were unwilling to come without game; then -taking some parched corn in their pockets in case of hunger, together -with Frank's hatchet and matches, they again set off. - -The first business was to visit the turkey baits; at one of which the -corn and peas had all disappeared, with evident traces of having been -eaten by turkeys. "What a pity we had not brought some more bait," -remarked Robert; "Harold says that when they have once found food at a -place, they are almost sure to return the next day to look for more. We -must share with them our dinner of parched corn." - -Renewing the bait, they proceeded in a straight course south, having for -their guide the bright clouds that showed the place of the sun to the -south-east. Frank was very anxious for Robert to kill some of the many -squirrels that frolicked around them. "May be," said he, "if you shoot, -they will quaw-quaw for you as they did for Cousin Harold, and then we -can go home loaded." But Robert replied that this would be a useless -waste of ammunition: that it would probably scare off the deer from the -neighbourhood; and that, moreover, his gun was not loaded for such small -game. - -Hardly had the argument closed before Mum began to smell and snort, here -and there, intent upon a confused trail. His motion became soon more -steady, and he started off at a pace that made the hunters run to keep -in sight. Afraid that at this rate Frank would give out, and that he -himself would be too much out of breath to aim surely, or to creep -cautiously upon the deer, Robert called out, "Steady, Mum!" The -well-trained brute instantly slackened his speed, and keeping only about -a rod ahead, went forward at a moderate walk. In this way they followed -for a full quarter of a mile, when Robert observed him take his nose -from the ground, and walk with noiseless step, keeping his eyes keenly -directed forwards. He "steadied" him again by a half whispered command, -and kept close at his heels. Soon he saw a pair of antlers peering -above a distant thicket, and the brown side of a deer between the -branches. Softly ordering Mum to "come in," and noticing that what -little wind there was blew so as not to carry their scent to the deer, -he said to Frank, "Buddy, if you will remain by this large poplar, I -will creep behind yonder thicket, and see if I cannot get a shot. Will -you be afraid?" - -"No," he replied, "if you do not go too far away." - -"I will not go out of hearing," Robert said, "and if you need anything, -whistle for me, but do not call. Hide yourself behind this tree, and -when you hear me shoot, come as soon as you please." - -It was easy to cover his advance behind the dense foliage of a viny -bower, until he was quite near. He paused to listen; the rustle of -leaves and the sound of stamping feet were distinctly heard. A short -but cautious movement gave him a commanding view of the ground. There -were three deer feeding within easy reach of his shot. He sprung both -barrels, and tried to be deliberate, but in spite of all resolution his -heart jumped into his mouth, and his hand shook violently; he had what -hunters call "the buck-ague." Steadying his piece against a stout -branch, he aimed at the shoulders of the largest, and fired. It fell, -with a bound forward. The other deer, instead of darting away, as he -expected, turned in apparent surprise to look at the unusual vision of -smoke and fire, accompanied by such a noise, when he took deliberate aim -with a now steady hand, and fired at the head of the next largest, as it -was in the act of springing away. - -"Come, Frank! come!" he shouted. - -Frank, however, had started at the first report, and was now running at -the top of his speed. Robert rushed forward to dye his hand for the -first time in the blood of so noble a victim; yet it made him almost -shudder to hear the knife grate through the delicate flesh, and to see -the rich blood gurgling upon the ground. Had it not been that such -butchery was necessary to subsistence, he would have resolved at that -moment to repeat it no more. - -But what was next to be done? Here were two large deer lying upon the -earth. Should he skin and cleanse them there, and attempt to carry home -the divided quarters? or should he carry home one deer and return for -the other? He decided upon the last. Before proceeding homewards, -however, he blazed a number of trees, to show afar off the place of his -game; then selecting a tree, as far as he could distinguish in his way, -he went towards it, chopping each bush and sapling with his hatchet; and -making a broad blaze upon this tree, he selected another in the same -line, and proceeded thus until he reached the tent. He had learnt by -one-half day's practice to thread the trackless forest with a steadiness -of course and a confidence of spirit that were surprising to himself. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - - -CRUTCHES IN DEMAND--CURING VENISON--PEMMICAN--SCALDING OFF A PORKER'S -HAIR WITH LEAVES AND WATER--TURKEY TROUGH--SOLITARY WATCHING--FORCE OF -IMAGINATION--FEARFUL RENCOUNTER--DIFFERENT MODES OF REPELLING WILD -BEASTS - - -Harold's ankle continued so painful whenever he attempted to move, that -Sam advised him, the morning after the accident, to construct for -himself a pair of crutches. "Make 'em strong and good, Mas Harol," said -he, with a broad grin of satisfaction. "I hope by time you trow 'em -away, I'll pick 'em up." This work occupied the two invalids, while -Robert and Frank were engaged in their successful deer hunt. - -When the venison was brought home, Harold assisted in various ways in -preparing it for use; and also promised that if he was provided with the -necessary means, he would see that all which was thereafter brought in -should be properly cured. His favourite mode was by the process called -_jerking_. The plan was this: A wig-wam was made, about five feet in -diameter at the base, and five feet high, leaving a hole at the top -about two feet wide. A place for fire was scooped in the middle; and -the pieces of venison were hung in the smoke that poured through the -open top. Pieces an inch thick, when exposed at the same time to smoke -and sunshine were perfectly cured in the course of a day. The hams -required, of course, a longer time, and were all the better for a little -salt. The _salting tub_ was made of a fresh deer's skin, fleshy side -up, supported by stakes so as to sag in the middle. A substitute for a -_pickle barrel_ was also devised in the course of time; this consisted -of a deer's skin, stripped off whole, and rendered water-tight by -stopping the holes; in this the meat was put, covered with a strong -brine, and drawn up into a tree. When the visits of the flesh-fly were -apprehended, the mouth of the sack was secured by a string. But the -most convenient form in which the meat was cured was that known as -_pemmican_. To prepare this the meat was jerked until perfectly dry, -then pounded fine, and mixed with half its own weight of melted grease; -after which it was packed away in skin bags, having the hair outwards. -The pemmican could be eaten, like bologna sausage, either cooked or raw, -and kept perfectly sweet as long as it was needed. - -While describing these several modes of preparing and preserving their -meat, it may not be amiss to mention also a method adopted by Harold for -scalding off an opossum's hair without any of the usual appliances for -heating the water. The opossum had been killed before it was known that -the utensils for boiling were all in use and could not be spared. -Robert was perplexed, for he knew that the hair "sets" as soon as the -carcass is cold, and refuses to be drawn. But Harold replied with a -smile, - -"I have seen hogs scalded by being put into a deep puddle of water -heated with red hot stones. All the water needed for so small an object -as the opossum may be heated in a deer skin, hung like our salting tub -over the fire. But I will show you a still easier plan." - -He gathered a pile of dry leaves, with which he covered the body, and -then poured on water until the pile was quite wet; after which he piled -on a much larger quantity of dry leaves, which he set on fire. When the -mass had burnt down, the hair of the opossum was found so thoroughly -_steamed_ by the surrounding heat, that it yielded as easily as if it -had passed through the most approved process of the pork cleaning art. - -Towards sunset Robert went to the turkey baits; the birds had returned -to the place they had visited before, and eaten all the parched corn -thrown there the second time. He renewed the bait, with this difference -(made on Harold's suggestion)--that whereas he had formerly scattered -the corn broad-cast, he now strewed it in a sort of trough, or shallow -trench, made in the ground. This trench was made on a line proceeding -straight from a place of concealment, selected within good shooting -distance. Turkeys are greedy feeders; and when they find a place baited -as that was, they gather on each side of the trench, with their heads -close together, trying each to obtain his share of the prize; and a -person having a gun loaded with duck or squirrel shot, has been known to -kill six or eight at a time, by firing among their interlocking heads. - -An additional visit enabled Robert to determine that the hour of their -coming was early in the morning; and this being the only other -circumstance wanting to fix the time of his own coming to meet them, he -used that opportunity to arrange to his fancy the place of his -concealment. The trench was on a line with two short hedges of bamboo -brier, diverging from each other in the shape of the letter V, having a -place of egress at the angle. He closed the mouth of the V by planting -a blind of evergreens, high as his head, and very close at the bottom; -and as it was probable that he should be compelled to remain some hours -in concealment, he made a seat, and opened through the blind a hole for -observation. - -On the following morning he was up and moving at the peep of day. Mary -prepared him a cup of coffee, and by the time that there was light -sufficient to follow the blazed track he was on the way. His course lay -eastward, and through the opening branches glowed that beautiful star -which he had often admired, Venus, the gem of the morning, "flaming upon -the forehead of the dawn." - -Frank begged hard to be allowed to go too, his confidence in Robert's -woodsmanship having been greatly increased by the recent success; but -Harold decided against him. He said that in turkey shooting the fewer -persons there were present the better; that Robert himself must keep -still as a mouse, and that well trained as Mum was, it would be better -even for him to be left behind. Robert therefore departed alone, -putting into his pocket a small volume of Shakespeare, to aid in whiling -away the slow hours of his solitary watch. - -On arriving at the spot his first act was to see that the bait was yet -untouched. He took his seat, and continued for a long time peeping -through the port hole, and listening with an attention so acute that he -could hear the rush of his own blood along the throbbing arteries. But -as the minutes passed, and no change occurred, not even the chirp of a -bird or the bark of a squirrel enlivening the grim solitude, his -excitement gradually gave way to weariness. He leaned his gun against -the wall of vines, and drew out his book. It was the first volume, -containing that magnificent drama, "The Tempest." He read rapidly the -familiar scenes describing Ariel, the light, invisible spirit, and -Caliban, the hideous son of the old hag, and Prospero, with his -beautiful daughter, and the dripping refugees from the sea, and became -so deeply absorbed as perfectly to forget where he was, until a slight -rustling behind a briery thicket near the bait aroused his attention. -Whatever the animal might have been, its step was very stealthy, and -evidently approaching. Laying down the book, and grasping his gun, he -peeped cautiously around; nothing was visible. Soon he heard a rattling -upon the ground of falling fragments, as if from some animal climbing a -tree, and a grating sound like that of bark which is grasped and -crushed. - -"I wonder what that can be?" he mentally soliloquized. "Perhaps a large -fox-squirrel climbing after acorns--but no, there is too much bark -falling for that. It must be a squirrel barking a dead limb for worms. -That's it! O, yes, that's it." - -But it was no squirrel, and had Robert been more of a woodsman he would -not have returned so quietly to his reading. Indeed, he had become more -deeply interested in his book than in his business, and was glad of any -excuse that allowed him to return to Prospero and the shipwrecked crew. -He read a few pages more, and stopping to connect in his mind the -disjointed parts of the story, his eye rested upon what appeared to be -the bushy tail of a very large squirrel, lying upon a limb of the tree -that overhung the bait. - -"I knew it was a squirrel," said he to himself; "but he is a bouncer! -How long his tail is! and how it moves from side to side like a cat's, -when it sees a bird or a mouse that it is trying to catch. I wish I -could see his body, but it is hidden by that bunch of leaves." - -His imagination was so powerfully impressed with the graphic scenery of -"The Tempest," that he could scarcely think of anything else. The idea -in his mind at that moment was the ludicrous scene in which the drunken -Stephano comes upon the queer bundle, made up of Caliban and Trinculo, -lying head to head under the same frock, and appearing to his unsteady -eyes like a monster with two pairs of legs at each end. As Robert -looked into the tree, he almost laughed to catch himself fancying that -he saw Caliban's head lying on the same limb on which lay the squirrel's -tail, and staring at him with its two great eyes. Indeed he did see -something. There was a veritable head resting there, and two great -eyeballs were glaring upon him, and nothing but the irresistible -influence of the scenes he had read deceived him for a moment with the -idea that it was Caliban's. - -A second and steady look would probably have revealed the truth; but for -this he had not time. The welcome "twit! twit!" of the expected game -caused him to look through his port hole, and a large turkey cock, -accompanied by four hens, ran directly to the trench, and began to eat -as fast as they could pick up the grains. Robert cautiously slipped his -gun through the port hole, and took deliberate aim, confident that he -could kill the five at one shot. But hesitating a moment whether he -should commit such wholesale destruction, when they were already so well -supplied with fresh meat, his gun made a slight noise against the -leaves, which attracted the attention of the turkeys, and caused the -hens to dart away. The gobbler, being the leader and protector of the -party, stood his ground courageously, stretching his long neck full four -feet high, looking in every direction, and then coming cautiously -towards the blind to reconnoitre. - -Robert had gained experience from his still hunting; and in this -conjuncture stood perfectly motionless, keeping his gun as immovable as -the stiff branch of a dry tree. The bird was deceived. It returned -quietly to the trench, and commenced feeding. Robert waited in the hope -that it would be joined by another; but no other coming, he fired while -it was picking up the last few grains, and killed it. The moment of -pulling the trigger, he heard a rustle of leaves in the tree above the -turkey, and the moment after the report of his gun a heavy fall upon the -ground. As he rushed from his concealment to seize the fallen game, he -was horrified to see an enormous beast of the cat kind, crushing the -head of the bird in its mouth, while its paw pinioned the fluttering -wings. It was a panther. It had crawled into the tree while Robert was -reading. It was _its_ tail he had mistaken for a squirrel's, and _its_ -head he had fancied was Caliban's. For half an hour it had been glaring -upon him with its big eyeballs, waiting until he should pass near enough -to be pounced upon. - -The coming of the turkeys had distracted its attention; and being -hungry, it had ceased to watch for its human victim, and resolved upon -that which was surer. When Robert emerged from his concealment it -turned upon him, dropped the mangled head from its bloody mouth, -reversed the hair on both back and tail, showed its enormous fangs, and -growled. Had he retreated from the field he might have escaped the -terrible conflict that awaited him, for the panther, left to the -peaceable possession of its prize, would probably have snatched it up -and ran away. But his horror at the sight was so great that for a -moment he was paralysed. He convulsively clutched his gun, and was on -the point of firing almost without aim, when another fierce growl from -the panther, that appeared to be gathering itself for a leap, brought -him to his senses. He took deliberate aim between its eyes, and fired. -It was a desperate chance, for the gun was loaded only with duck shot. -The howl of rage and pain with which the panther bounded upon him, and -the grinning horrible teeth that it showed, made his blood run cold. He -clubbed his gun, prepared to aim a heavy blow upon its forehead, but, to -his surprise, instead of leaping upon him, it sprang upon the thicket of -briers, about three feet distant, and began furiously to tear on every -side at perfect random. - -He needed no better chance to escape from so dangerous a neighbourhood; -and, in the moment of leaving, saw that both eyes of the animal had been -shot away, and that the bloody humour was streaming down its face. He -hurried on for a few steps, but fearing that the frantic beast might -pursue him, he slipped behind a tree, and pouring hastily into his gun a -charge of powder, which he rammed down as he ran, put upon that a heavy -load of deer shot, and then made his way homewards. - -Ere he had run one-half the distance, however, his fears began to -subside. The panther, if not mortally wounded, was stone-blind; why -should he not muster courage enough to complete the work, and thus -perform a feat of which he might be proud as long as he lived? In the -midst of this cogitation, he heard before him the tramp of footsteps, -and saw the glimmering of an animal that bounded towards him with rapid -pace. Could this be the panther which had pursued him, and intercepted -his flight! He levelled his piece in readiness for battle, and was -preparing to pull trigger at the first fair sight, when he saw that, -instead of a panther, it was Mum--good faithful Mum, broken loose from -his confinement at home, and come in a moment of need to help his -master. What a relief! Robert called him, patted him, hugged him, and -then said, "Stop, Mum! I'll give you something to do directly. Just -wait a minute, boy, till I load this other barrel; and with you to help -me, I shall not be afraid of any panther, whether his eyes are in or -out." - -Mum had sagacity enough to know that his master was greatly excited, and -he showed his own sympathy by whining, frisking about, and wagging his -short tail. Robert loaded with dispatch, hurried back, keeping Mum -directly before him, and holding his piece ready for instant use; but -the panther had disappeared. - -On reaching the field of battle, Mum's first act was to spring upon the -prostrate bird, but finding it dead he let it lie; then perceiving the -odour of the panther's track, his hair bristled, he followed the trail -for a few steps, and returned, looking wistfully into his master's face. -He evidently understood the dangerous character of the beast that had -been there, and was reluctant to follow. Robert, however, put him upon -the trail, and encouraged him to proceed. Mum undertook the business -very warily. He went first to the brier on which the panther had last -been seen; then in a zigzag course, that seemed to be interrupted by -every bush against which the blinded beast had struck; finally he -bristled up again, and gave signs of extreme caution. A few steps -brought them to a fallen log, between two large branches of which Robert -saw his formidable enemy, crouched and panting. He softly called in his -dog. The panther pricked up its ears, and raised its head, as if trying -to pierce through the impenetrable gloom. Robert came noiselessly nearer -and nearer, until within ten paces, then deliberately taking aim, he -discharged the whole load of bullets between the creature's eyes. It -leaped convulsively forward, and died almost without a struggle. - -[Illustration: Deliberately taking aim, he discharged the whole load of -bullets between the creature's eyes] - -Soon as it was indubitably dead, Robert went forward to examine it. He -turned it over, felt its bony legs and compact body; looked at the -terrible fangs from which he had made so narrow an escape, and, having -satisfied his curiosity, attempted to take it upon his shoulder; but -this was far beyond his strength--the panther was heavy as a large deer. -He marked carefully the spot where it lay, and returning to the tree for -his book and bird, hurried home, to tell the others of his perilous -adventure. - -Hardly had he come within sight, before Frank's quick eyes discerned -him. "What!" said he, with a playful taunt, "only one turkey! I -thought you would have had a house full, you staid so long and fired so -often. Cousin Harold hardly knew what to make of it; he said he supposed -you must have _wounded_ a turkey; so I ran and let Mum loose to help -you." - -"I am glad you did," replied Robert, drawing a long breath, "for never -in my life was I more in need of help." - -"And you didn't get the other after all?" - -"O, yes, all I aimed at. But something came near getting me, too. -Where are Cousin Harold and sister?" - -"In the tent." - -Harold and Mary smiled with pleasure to see the fine bird on his -shoulder, but could not understand the seriousness of countenance with -which he approached. He related the particulars of his adventure, to -which they listened with breathless attention. Mary turned very pale, -Harold's eyes flashed fire, and Sam's white teeth shone in repeated -laughs of admiration. - -"How I wish I could have been with you," said Harold, looking mournfully -at his lame foot. - -"I wish you had been." - -"That was a terrible moment, when you had fired your last barrel, and -the panther was rushing upon you. You must have given up all for lost." - -"No," replied Robert, "I felt myself tremendously excited, but had no -idea of giving up." - -"That is natural," said Harold. "No one ever gives up while there is -anything to do. But do tell me, what did you think of? People can -think so fast, and so powerfully, when brought to the pinch, that I like -to hear all about their plans and thoughts. Tell me everything." - -"From first to last," said Robert, smiling, "I thought of many things, -but of none which I had time to execute, except to fire into his eyes, -and club my gun. I first thought of running away, but not until I had -stood so long that the panther seemed about to spring upon me. Then the -idea occurred to me of trying the power of my eye, as father recommended -about dogs; but I confess there was more power in his eye than mine, for -I was badly frightened. My next thought was to take off my cap and rush -upon him, as if that was some deadly weapon. I heard once of a lady in -India, who saved herself and several others from a Bengal tiger, by -rushing at him with an umbrella which she kept opening and shutting as -she ran. There was another plan still, of a negro in Georgia, who -fought and killed a panther with his knife. But," he continued, "let us -talk a moment of the carcass. What shall I do with it; leave it there -or bring it to the tent?" - -"O, bring it, bring it, by all means," Harold replied; "I doubt not -Cousin Mary and Frank will help you." - -Mary was not at all pleased with the prospect of such unladylike -business, and in consequence gave Harold a look of disapproval, which he -affected not to see. She went, nevertheless, and the panther was soon -lying before the tent-door. The rest of the forenoon was spent in -flaying it, which they did with the claws, tail and ears attached; for -Robert had remarked, that being compelled to imitate Hercules in -destroying wild beasts, he had a fancy to imitate him also in his couch. -While thus engaged, Harold asked for the story of the negro. - -"It is not much of a story," said Robert; "I thought of it merely in -connection with the rest. The negro was going to his wife's house, -which was some miles distant from the plantation, and which made it -necessary for him to pass through a dark, dismal swamp. Usually he -passed it by daylight, for it was infested by wild beasts; but being a -daring fellow, he sometimes went by night, armed only with a long sharp -knife. The last time he made the attempt he did not reach his wife's -house, and his master went in search of him. Deep in the swamp he had -met with a panther, and had a terrible fight. Traces of blood were -plentiful, and deep tracks, where first one and then the other had made -some unusual effort. Near at hand lay the panther, stabbed in nine -places, and a little beyond lay the negro, torn almost to pieces. They -had killed each other." - -"I wonder," said Harold, "that he did not carry a torch; no wild beast -will attack a person bearing fire." - -"Are you sure of that?" Robert inquired. - -"As sure as I can be, from having heard of it often, and tried it -twice." - -Robert begged for the particulars. - -"I went with my father and two other gentlemen, on a hunting excursion -among the mountains, where we camped out, of course. One of the -gentlemen having heard that there were plenty of wolves in that region, -and wishing, as he said, to have some fun that night, had rubbed gum -assafoetida upon the soles of his boots, before leaving the tent for it -is said that wolves are attracted by the smell of this gum, and will -follow it to a great distance. Now, whether it was the smell of the -assafoetida or of our game, I will not pretend to say, but the wolves -came that night in such numbers that we could scarcely rest. They -howled first on this side and then on that, and barked in such short -quick notes, that one sounded like half a dozen. Our horses were -terribly frightened; we could scarcely keep them within bounds; and our -dogs ran slinking into the tent with every sign of fear. The only plan -by which we could sleep with comfort was by building a large fire, and -keeping it burning all night." - -"Did not the gentleman who was so fond of wolves go out after them?" -asked Robert. - -"O, yes, we all went, again and again, but the cunning creatures kept in -the edge of the darkness, and when we approached on one side, they ran -to the other. It was there I heard the other gentleman, who was -esteemed a great hunter, remark, that all wild beasts are afraid of -fire." - -"I wonder why?" - -"Night beasts are afraid I suppose, because they prowl in darkness; and -as for the others, if they once feel the pain of fire they will be apt -to keep out of its way." - -"The other circumstance is this:--Last year I went on a night hunt, with -some boys of my own age; and not only did we meet with very poor -success, but for some hours were completely lost. About an hour before -day I left the company, and returned home; for I had promised my mother -to return by twelve o'clock. Before parting company, we heard a panther -in the woods directly in my way, crying for all the world like a young -child. The boys tried to frighten me out of my intention; but I told -them that if they would only let me have a good torch, I should safely -pass by a dozen panthers. It was full two miles home. The panther -continued his cry until I came within a furlong, and then ceased. As I -passed the piece of woods from which his voice appeared to come, I heard -afar off the stealthy tread of something retiring, and saw two large -eyes shining in the dark. I have always supposed that these were the -eyes and tread of the panther, and that it was driven off by the torch." - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - - -TURKEY-PEN--SUCKING WATER THROUGH OOZY SAND--EXPLORING TOUR--APPEARANCE -OF THE COUNTRY--"MADAME BRUIN"--SOLDIER'S REMEDY FOR CHAFED FEET--NIGHT -IN THE WOODS--PRAIRIE--INDIAN HUT--FRUIT TREES--SINGULAR SPRING - - -It would be useless, and perhaps tedious, to trace thus day by day, and -hour by hour, the history of our young friends. We will now pass over -an interval of nearly three weeks, from Saturday, November sixth, when -Robert's contest with the panther occurred, to Wednesday, November -twenty-fourth, when their affairs received another turn. - -The only incident worth relating that occurred during this period, was -the construction of a pen for entrapping turkeys. It was simply a -covered enclosure, of ten or twelve feet square, with a deep trench -communicating from the outside to the centre. This trench was made deep -enough to allow a feeding turkey to walk under the side of the pen, and -next the wall, inside, it was bridged over, so that the birds in running -around the enclosure, after having entered, might not fall into the -trench, and see their way out. This trap is planned with a knowledge of -the fact, that though a turkey looks down when feeding, it never looks -down when trying to escape. This is equally true of the quail or -southern partridge, and perhaps of most of the gallinaceous birds. By -means of this trap the boys took so many turkeys that they were at last -weary of seeing them. - -In the meantime Harold's ankle had become so nearly well, that for a -week it had been strong enough for all ordinary purposes; and Sam's -bones, though by no means fit to be used, were rapidly knitting, and -gave promise of being all that broken bones can become in the course of -a few weeks. No one had yet come to their rescue. Often had they gone, -singly and together, to the flag-staff, and swept the watery horizon -with their glass, but no helper appeared, and no sign. Robert and Mary -had learned by this time to curb their impatience, and to wait in -calmness the time when they should commence working upon their proposed -boat. - -From the first day that they found themselves shut up upon the island, -Robert and Harold had meditated an exploration of the surrounding -country, but had hitherto been prevented by various causes. Among these -was Mary's excessive nervousness at the idea of being left alone, and -particularly so after Robert's contest with the panther; but now she -said, that with Fidelle to guard, and with Sam to shoot, exclusive of -what she herself might do in case of an emergency, she gave her consent -to the tour. - -The stock of provision laid in by this time was quite respectable. Five -deer had been killed, and their hams were now in the smoke, the company -having in the meantime subsisted upon the other parts of the venison, -turkeys from the pen, oysters, crabs, and fish. There were also fifty -dried fish, two live turkeys, and four fat "pigs" (so called) in the -cage, to say nothing of the stores brought from home. Before starting, -the boys provided Mary with a large supply of wood for the kitchen and -smoke-house, water also, and everything else which they could foresee as -needful. They loaded the remaining guns with heavy shot, and laid them -aside ready for use; and, moreover, offered to build for her a palisade -around the tent, by driving down stakes, and wattling them with grape -vines; but to this last Mary objected, saying she was ashamed to be -considered so great a coward. - -It was broad daylight on the morning of Wednesday, the twenty-fourth day -of November, when they set out upon their tour. Robert carried the -wallet of provision, consisting of parched corn, jerked venison, and a -few hard crackers of Mary's manufacture; in his belt he fastened a flat -powder flask filled with water, being the best substitute he could -devise for a canteen. Harold carried the blanket rolled like a wallet, -and Frank's hatchet stuck in his belt. - -Willing to ascertain the coastwise dimensions of the island, and also -the approaches to it from sea, they directed their course along the hard -smooth beach, occasionally ascending the bluff for the purpose of -observing the adjacent country. Their rate of travelling was at first -intentionally slow, for they were both pedestrians enough to know that -the more slowly a journey is commenced, the more likely it is to be -comfortably continued. - -At the end of six miles they plainly discerned the southern extremity of -the island, lying a mile beyond, and marked by a high bank of sand, -thrown up in such profusion as almost to smother a group of dwarfish, -ill-formed cedars. Beyond the bluff they saw the river setting eastward -from the sea, and bordered on its further side with a dense growth of -mangroves. Satisfied with this discovery, and observing that, after -proceeding inland for a few miles, the river bent suddenly to the north, -they turned their faces eastward, resolved to strike for some point upon -the bank. The sterile soil of the beach, and its overhanging bluff, -which was varied only by an occasional clump of cedars and a patch of -prickly pears, with now and then a tall palmetto, that stood as a -gigantic sentry over its pigmy companions, was exchanged as they receded -from the coast, first for a thick undergrowth of low shrubs and a small -variety of oak, then for trees still larger, which were oftentimes -covered with vines, whose long festoons and pendant branches were loaded -with clusters of blue and purple grapes. About midway of the island the -surface made a sudden ascent, assuming that peculiar character known as -"hammock," and which, to unpractised eyes, looks like a swamp upon an -elevated ridge. - -Before leaving the beach the boys had quenched their thirst at a spring -of cool, fresh water, found by scratching in the sand at high water -mark, but which they would not have been able to enjoy had it not been -for a simple device of Robert's. The sand was so soft and oozy, that -before the basin they had excavated was sufficiently full to dish from, -its sides had fallen in. Harold had tried at several places, but failing -in all, he hallooed to Robert, whom he had left behind, to know what had -been his success. - -"Come and see," was the reply. Harold went, but saw nothing. - -"There is my spring," said Robert, pointing to the end of a reed like -that of a pipe-stem, sticking out of the sand. "Suck at that," he -continued, "and you will get all that you want." - -Harold tried it, and rose delighted. "Capital!" he exclaimed; "but how -do you keep the sand from rising with the water?" - -Robert drew out the reed, and showed him a piece of cloth fastened as a -strainer on its lower end. "I have often thus quenched my thirst when -fishing on our sandy beaches, and have never found it to fail." - -"It is exceedingly simple," remarked Harold. "I wonder I never saw it -nor heard of it before." - -"So do I," rejoined Robert; "and yet I question whether I should ever -have heard of it myself, had it not been for the Hottentots." - -Harold's eyes opened wide at the mention of Hottentots, and Robert went -on to say, "A year or two since, while reading an account of the -suffering of people in South Africa for the want of water, and their -various devices for obtaining it, I was struck with the simplicity of -one of their plans. On coming to a place where the water was near the -surface, but where they could not dig a well, they would make a narrow -hole a yard or more deep, and insert a small reed having a bunch of -grass or moss tied around its lower end. This reed they buried, all -except a short end left above ground, and packed the earth tightly -around it. Then they sucked strongly at the open end, and it is said -that, if the earth was sufficiently moist and if the soil was not too -close, the water would soon run through the reed, cleansed of its mud -and sand by passing through the rude filter attached to its lower end." - -"Whoever may have been its author, it is an excellent device," said -Harold. "I shall not forget it." - -At noon the boys seated themselves under a heavy canopy of vines, and -ate their frugal dinner in sight of a luscious-looking dessert, hanging -in purple clusters above and around them, which in its turn they did not -fail to enjoy. - -Resuming their journey to the east, they proceeded about a mile further, -when Mum, who had trotted along with quite a philosophic air, as if -knowing that his masters were intent upon something other than hunting, -was seen to dash forward a few steps, smell here and there intently, -then with a growl of warning to come beside them for protection. - -"That is a panther, I'll warrant," said Robert. "At least Mum acted -exactly in that way the other day when I put him upon the panther's -track. Had we not better avoid it?" - -"By no means," replied Harold. "Let us see what the creature is. We -are on an exploring tour, you know, and that includes animals as well as -trees. A panther is a cowardly animal, unless it has very greatly the -advantage; and if you could conquer one with a single load of duck-shot -when alone and surprised, surely we two can manage another." - -"Yes," said Robert, "but I assure you, my success was more from accident -than skill; and I would rather not try it again. However, it will do no -harm to push on cautiously, and see what sort of neighbours we have." - -They patted their dog, and gave him a word of encouragement; the brave -fellow looked up, as if to remonstrate against the dangerous -undertaking, but on their persisting went cheerfully upon the trail; he -took good care, however, to move very slowly, and to keep but little in -advance of the guns. The two boys walked abreast, keeping their pieces -ready for instant use, and proceeded thus for about fifteen minutes, -when their dog came to a sudden halt, bristled from head to tail, and -showed his fangs with a fierce growl; while from a thicket, not ten -paces distant, there issued a deep grumbling sound, expressive of -defiance and of deadly hate. Harold stooped quickly behind the dog, and -saw an enormous she bear, accompanied by two cubs that were running -beyond her, while she turned to keep the pursuers at bay. - -"We must be cautious, Robert," said Harold; "a bear with cubs is not to -be trifled with. We must either let her alone, or follow at a -respectful distance. What shall we do? She has a den somewhere near at -hand, and no doubt is making for it." - -Robert was not very anxious for an acquaintance with so rough a -neighbour, but before the fearless eye of his cousin every feeling of -trepidation subsided, and he was influenced only by curiosity, which, it -is well known, becomes powerfully strong when spiced with adventure. -They followed, governing themselves by the cautious movements of their -dog, and able to catch only a casual glimpse of the bear and her cubs, -until they came within thirty paces of a poplar,[#] five feet in -diameter, with a hollow base, into which opened a hole large enough to -admit the fugitives. - - -[#] Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), called poplar at the South. - - -"There, now, is the country residence of Madame Bruin," said Robert, -stopping at a distance to reconnoitre the premises. "Shall we knock at -her door, and ask how the family are?" - -"I think not," replied Harold, "the old lady is rather cross sometimes, -and I suspect from the tones of her voice she is not in the sweetest -humour at the present. Take care, Robert, she is coming! Climb that -sapling! Quick! Quick!" - -The boys each clambered into a small tree, and as soon as they were well -established, Harold remarked, "Now let her come, if she loves shot. A -bear cannot climb a sapling. Her arms are too stiff to grasp it; she -needs a tree large enough to fill her hug." - -But Madame Bruin, like the rest of her kin, was a peaceable old lady, -not at all disposed to trouble those that let her alone, and on the -present occasion she had two sweet little cherubs, whose comfort -depended upon her safety; so she contented herself with going simply to -her front door, and requesting her impertinent visitors to leave the -premises. This request was couched in language which, though not -English, nor remarkably polite, was perfectly intelligible. - -"I suppose we shall have to go now," said Harold; "it will not be civil -to keep prying into the old lady's chamber. But when Sam is able to -join us, we can come prepared to make bacon of her and pets of her -cubs." - -They called off the dog, patted him in praise of his well-doing, and -then retreated, blazing the trees all the way from the poplar to the -river. - -Several of these last miles Robert had walked with increasing -painfulness; his feet were so much chafed as to be almost blistered. - -"Stop, Harold, and let us rest here," he said, on reaching a fallen log. -"I wish to try that soldier's remedy for chafed feet." - -"What soldier's?" Harold inquired. - -"One of those at Tampa," replied Robert. "I heard several of them -relate, one day, how much they had suffered in marching with blistered -feet, when one of the number remarked that whenever the signs of chafing -occurred he had relieved himself by shifting his socks from one foot to -the other, or by turning them inside out. Upon this another stated that -he was generally able to escape all chafing by rubbing the inside of his -socks with a little soap before setting out. And another still added -that he had often _cured_ his blistered feet, in time for the next day's -march, by rubbing them with spirits mixed with tallow dropped from a -candle into the palm of his hand. Before leaving home, today, I took -the precaution to soap the inside of my socks; but now I shall have to -try the efficacy of the other remedy; and sorry shall I be if there -should be need for the third plan, because we have neither the tallow -nor the spirits necessary for the experiment." - -Robert gave the proposed plan a trial, and found, to his delight, that -it saved him from all further discomfort. - -Nothing more of interest occurred that day. On leaving the river, -which, after making a great sweep to the south-east, came so near the -bank on which they stood, as to afford a good landing for boats, they -turned into the woods and kept a northern course parallel with the -shore. About sunset they stopped beside a large log of resinous pine, -which they selected for the place of their encampment that night, -intending to set the log a-fire. Around it they cleared an irregular -ring, which they fired on the inner side, thus providing a place for -their sleeping free from insects, and from which fire could not escape -into the surrounding forest. Next, they made themselves a tent of -bushes, by bending down one sapling, fastening its top to the side of -another, and then piling against it a good supply of evergreens, -inclined sufficiently to allow a narrow space beneath. A neighbouring -tree supplied them with moss for a superb woodland mattress, and while -Robert was preparing that Harold collected a quantity of pine knots, to -be reserved in case their fire should decline. - -By the time these preparations were completed darkness closed around. -Jupiter, at that time the evening star, glowed brightly from the western -sky, while Orion, with his brilliant belt, gleamed cheerily from the -east. The boys sat for some time luxuriating in their rest, listening to -the musical roar of their fire, and watching the red glare which lighted -up the sombre arches of the forest; then uniting in their simple repast, -and giving Mum his share, they lay down to sleep, having committed -themselves to the care of Him who slumbers not, and who is as near his -trustful worshippers in the forest as in the city. - -There is a wild pleasure in sleeping in the deep dark woods. The sense -of solitude, the consciousness of exposure, the eternal rustle of the -leafy canopy, or else its perfect stillness, broken only by the stealthy -tread of some beast of night, or the melancholy hooting of a restless -owl, give a variety which is not usual to civilized men, but which, -being of a sombre character, requires for its enjoyment a bold heart and -a self-relying spirit. - -The boys retired to rest soon after supper, and tried to sleep; but the -novelty of their circumstances kept them awake. They rose from their -mossy couch, sat by the fire, and talked of their past history and of -their future prospects. All around was perfect stillness. Their voices -sounded weak and childlike in that deep forest; and embosomed as they -were in an illuminated circle, beyond whose narrow boundary rose an -impenetrable wall of darkness, they felt as if they were but specks in -the midst of a vast and lonely world. - -At last their nervous excitement passed away. They retired once more to -bed, having their guns within reach, and Mum lying at their feet. The -roar of the blaze and crackle of the wood composed them to sleep; and -when they next awoke, daylight had spread far over the heavens, and the -stars had faded from sight. They sprang lightly to their feet, and -before the sun appeared were once more on their way northward, along the -banks of the river. - -Their march was now slow and toilsome. In the interior a hammock of -rich land, covered with lofty trees, matted with vines, and feathered -with tall grass, impeded their progress; while near the river bay-galls, -stretching from the water's edge to the hammocks, fringed with -gall-berries, myrtles and saw-palmettoes, and crowded internally with -bays, tupeloes, and majestic cypresses (whose singular looking "knees" -peeped above the mud and water like a wilderness of conical stumps), -forced them to the interior. Their average rate of travel was scarcely -a mile to the hour. - -Several herds of deer darted before them as they passed, and once, while -in the hammock, where the growth was very rank, they were almost within -arm's length. - -About noon they emerged into an open space, which Harold pronounced to -be a small prairie; but in the act of stepping into it, rejoiced at a -temporary relief from the viny forest, he grasped the arm of his cousin, -and drew him behind a bush, with a hurried, - -"Back! back! Look yonder!" - -Robert gave one glance, and stepped back into concealment as quickly as -if twenty panthers were guarding the prairie. There stood an Indian -hut. - -The boys gazed at each other in dismay; their hearts beat hard, and -their breath grew short. Were there Indians then upon the island, and -so near them? What might not have happened to Mary and Frank? But a -close scrutiny from their bushy cover enabled them to breathe freely. -There was a hut, but it was evidently untenanted; grass grew rank about -the doorway, and the roof was falling to decay. It had been deserted -for years. - -The boys went boldly to it, and entered. Rain from the decayed and -falling roof had produced tufts of grass in the mud plaster of the -walls. In the centre was a grave, banked with great neatness, and -protected by a beautifully arched pen of slender poles. At the door was -a hominy mortar, made of a cypress block, slightly dished, and having a -narrow, funnel-shaped cavity in its centre. Upon it, with one end -resting in a crack of the wall, lay the pestle, shaped like a maul, and -bearing the marks of use upon that end which white men would ordinarily -regard as the handle. Overhanging the house were three peach trees, and -around it the ground was covered with a profusion of gourds of all -sizes, from that which is used by many as a pocket powder-flask to that -which would hold several gallons. Beyond the house, and on the edge of -the prairie, was a close growth of wild plums. - -"This place," said Harold, musing, "must have belonged to some old -chief. The common people do not live so comfortably. It is likely that -he continued here after all others of his tribe had gone; and when he -died, his children buried him, and they also went away. Poor fellow! -here he lies. He owned a beautiful island, and we are his heirs." - -"Peace to his ashes!" ejaculated Robert. - -They looked sadly upon the signs of ruin and desolation. It always -makes one sad to look upon a spot where our kind have dwelt, and from -which they have passed away; it is symbolic of ourselves, and the grief -we feel is a mourning over our own decay. - -It was now twelve o'clock, and they began to feel the demands of -appetite. Harold proposed to search longer, in hope of finding a spring -of fresh water. "I am sure," said he, "there must be one hereabouts, -and we shall find it exceedingly convenient in our frequent hunts." - -They searched for nearly half an hour in vain; and as they were on the -point of giving up, Harold called out, "I have found it! Come here, -Robert, and see what a beauty!" Robert hastened to the shallow ravine -which terminated the eastern end of the prairie. Not two steps below -its green margin was a real curiosity of its kind--a rill of clear, -cool-looking water, issuing from the hollow base of a large tupelo[#] -tree. It was a freak of nature, combining beauty, utility and -convenience. The water was as sweet as it was clear. - - -[#] The black gum of the swamps, having, like all trees that grow in -water, a spreading, and generally a hollow base. - - -Having quenched their thirst at this beautiful fountain, and prepared to -open their wallet of provisions, Robert's eye was attracted by a glimpse -of a rich golden colour, on the edge of the prairie. They went to it, -and found several varieties of orange trees, bearing in great profusion, -and among them were limes, whose delicate ovals asked only to be tried. -Beneath these trees they dined, and afterwards plucked their fragrant -dessert from the loaded branches. Then they filled their pockets with -the different varieties, and started homewards. - -It was scarcely a mile from these orange trees to the first that they -had discovered; and thence only three miles home. They reached the tent -late in the afternoon. All were rejoiced to see them. Frank made -himself merry, as usual, at their expense--laughing now that two hunters -should be absent two whole days, and bring back only a few wild oranges. -Mary said she had missed them very much, especially when night came on, -but that everything had been smooth and pleasant; she had seen no -panthers, and had not even dreamed of any. - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - -PLANS--VISIT TO THE PRAIRIE--DISCOVERIES--SHOE MAKING--WATERFOWL - - -The severe exercise of the two preceding days was more than Harold's -ankle, in its state of partial recovery, could endure without injury. -For several days afterwards he was compelled to rest it from all -unnecessary labour, and to relieve its pain by frequent and copious -applications of cold water. - -Sam's wounded limbs were rapidly regaining strength, and he insisted -that they were well enough to be used; but Robert refused to indulge -him. - -"We must risk nothing in the case," said he. "It is so important to -have you able to help us build our boat, that I think you had better -continue in bed one week too long than leave it one day too soon. You -must be content to rest your arm for full five weeks, and your leg for -six or seven." - -Mary and Frank had listened with deep interest to the account which the -boys gave of the old Indian settlement, with its open prairie, vine -covered forest, orange grove, and sparkling spring; and begged so -earnestly for the privilege of accompanying them on their next visit, -that they gave their consent. The only difficulty foreseen in the case, -was that of leaving Sam alone; but when this was made known to him, he -removed all objection by saying: - -"Wuddah gwine hu't me?[#] Jes load one gun, and put um by my side. I -take care o' myself." - - -[#] What is going to hurt me? - - -The object of their visit was not one of mere enjoyment. They had waited -for deliverance until they were convinced that it was vain to rely upon -anything except their own exertions. It was now between five and six -weeks since they had landed upon the island. There had been some -strange fatality attending all the efforts that they were sure had been -made on their behalf, and now they must try to help themselves. - -The exploration had resulted in the discovery of beautiful timber, of -every size, fit for boats, and near the water's edge. They well knew it -would be a herculean task for persons of their age and education, and -possessed of so few tools, to dig out, from these trees, a boat large -enough to carry them all home; but they were compelled to do this, or to -remain where they were. Having consulted with Sam, upon whose judgment -in matters of work they relied far more than on their own, they resolved -to build not one large boat but two of moderate dimensions, which might -if necessary be lashed firmly together; and for this purpose to select -near the water two cypresses of three feet diameter, which should be -felled as soon as possible. Their visit to the prairie was for the -purpose of selecting these trees, in the low ground near the river. - -The four set out in fine spirits early on the morning of Tuesday, -November 30th, and continued their walk direct and without incident to -the Indian hut. Notwithstanding the gloomy association of the solitary -grave inside the deserted house, Mary and Frank were captivated with the -wild beauty of the scene. The soft green grass of the prairie--the -magnificent wall of forest trees enclosing the peaceful plain--the peach -trees over the hut--the oranges and the limes glancing through their -dark green leaves--and the bright bubbling spring that flowed so -singularly from its living curb--all combined to enchant them. It was -so delightful a contrast to the bare and sterile sand of their present -encampment, that they plead at once for a removal there. This, of -course, had occurred to the minds of the others also; but there were two -serious objections to it. One was that here they would be out of sight -of vessels passing at sea; and the other (which they kept to themselves) -was that here they should be more in danger from wild beasts. They -replied that they also preferred the prairie, but that they could not -remove until Sam was better able to travel. - -Having enjoyed to their satisfaction the view of the hut and its -premises, Harold took Frank, and, followed by Fidelle, went in one -direction, while Robert and Mary, with Mum, went in another, to search -for trees suitable in size and location for their boats. In the course -of an hour they returned, having marked a large number, and at the same -time having added to their knowledge of the resources of the island. -Harold discovered a fine patch of Coontah or arrowroot, from which a -beautiful flour can be manufactured; and hard by a multitude of plants, -with soft velvet-like leaves, of three feet diameter, having a large -bulbous root resembling a turnip, and which Robert pronounced to be the -tanyah, a vegetable whose taste is somewhat like that of a mealy potato. -The other company went to the river, where Robert discovered an old boat -landing, on one side of which was a large oyster bank, and on the other -a deep eddy of the stream, in which trout and other fish were leaping -about a fallen tree. Mary's discovery was more pleasant than useful. -It was a bed of the fragrant calamus or sweet flag, from which she -gathered a handful of roots, and washing them clean, brought them as a -present to the others. Frank was quite chagrined to see that he had -discovered nothing new or valuable, and he did not recover his -equanimity for some minutes. While the seniors lingered cheerfully -around the remains of their dinner, discussing the merits of their -delightful island and the prospect of their return home, Mary suddenly -inquired: - -"But where is Frank? I have not seen him for half an hour." - -Nor had any one else; for, unsatisfied with only one orange allowed him -for dessert, while there were so many on the trees, and secretly hoping -to find something valuable to announce, he had quietly slipped away, and -had stealthily climbed one of the orange trees, from which he plucked an -orange for each of his four pockets, then with Fidelle at his side he -had strolled a little farther into the forest, eating as he went. - -The boys, startled by Mary's question, sprang instantly to their feet, -realizing vividly the danger to which he was exposed from wild beasts, -but of which they had said nothing to him or to her. Scarcely, however, -had their halloo sounded among the trees, than they saw him and his -faithful companion approaching leisurely through the small thicket of -wild plums. - -"You thoughtless little boy," said Robert, upbraidingly; "why did you go -off by yourself in these dangerous woods? Did you not know they are -full of bears and panthers?" - -"No, I didn't," Frank replied. - -"Well, I now tell you that they are," continued Robert, "and that you -must never again go there unless one of us is with you. But what took -you there this time?" - -"Humph," grunted Frank; "don't you suppose I want to find something new -and good as well as the rest of you? and I have found it, too." - -"Indeed," said Harold; "what is it, Frank?" - -"You must all guess," he answered, looking very proud, "all of you -guess. What is the best thing in the world?" - -"I will say," answered Mary, "that one of the best things in the world -is a little boy who always tries to do right." - -"But it is no boy," Frank continued; "it is something sweet. Guess the -sweetest thing in the world." - -"I think," said Robert, inclined to amuse himself, "that the sweetest -_looking_ things in the world are those pretty little girls we used to -meet on King Street, in Charleston." - -"No, no," said Frank; "it is neither boys nor girls, but something to -eat. What is the sweetest thing in the world to eat?" - -"If we were in town," Harold replied, "I should guess candy and -sugar-plums; but, as we are in the wild woods, I guess honey." - -"Yes, that's it," said Frank, triumphantly; "I have found a bee-tree." - -"And why do you think it is a bee-tree?" asked Mary, incredulously. - -"Because I saw the bees," he replied, in confident tones. - -"Why, Frank," said Robert, laughing, "the bees you saw may have their -hives miles and miles away." - -"No, they have not," Frank stoutly maintained. "I have seen them going -and coming out of their own hole just as they do at home." - -"That sounds very much as if Frank is right, after all," argued Harold; -"let us go and see for ourselves. But how came you to find the tree, -Frank?" - -"While I was eating my orange," he replied, "a bee lit on my hand, and -began to suck the juice there. I was not afraid of him, for I knew that -he would not sting me if I did not hurt him; and more than that, I -always love to look at bees. Well, he sucked till he had got juice -enough, then he flew right up into a tree a little way off, and went -into a hole. While I was looking at that hole, I saw many other bees -going in or coming out; and then I knew that it was a bee-tree, because -I had heard Riley talk about them at Bellevue. And, Cousin Harold, did -you not put up some brimstone for taking bee-trees?" - -"That I did, my dear little cousin," answered Harold, pleased with this -unexpected allusion. "I have no doubt, from what you say, that you have -found a real bee-tree; and, in that case, you have beat us all. Take us -to see it." - -They all went in joyous mood, and sure enough there was a good sized -tree, with a knot-hole about twenty feet above ground, with plenty of -bees passing in and out of it. The smell, too, of honey was decidedly -strong, showing that the hive was old and plentifully stored. - -It may be as well to state here, as elsewhere, that before many days the -tree was felled, and that it supplied them with such an abundance of -honey that a portion of it was, at Harold's suggestion, stowed away in -skin bags, hair side outward. Some of it was beautifully white and -clear. This was kept in the comb. The remainder was strained, and the -wax was moulded into large cakes for future use. The bees, poor -creatures! were all suffocated with the fumes of burning sulphur thrown -into the hollow of the tree before it was opened. A few recovered, and -for days hovered around their ruined home, until finally they all -perished. It made Frank's kind heart very sad to see them, and several -times he was stung while watching their movements and trying to help -them. - -After spending a delightful day, they returned about sunset to the tent. -Sam's white teeth glistened when they approached the door. It had been -a lonely day with him, but their return compensated for his solitude. - -From this time forth the boys had before their minds a fixed object to -be accomplished--the felling of those trees, and converting them into -boats. But what should be the plan of their procedure while engaged in -the work? They could go every morning, and return every evening--a -distance altogether of eight miles; or they could spend several nights -in succession at the prairie, leaving Frank and Mary with Sam; or they -could remove everything to the place of their labour. As to the first -two of these plans, it was so manifestly improper to leave the two -younger ones for hours and days together, in a wild country, infested -with wild beasts, and unprotected, except by a lame, bedridden negro, -who was unable to protect himself, that they did not entertain them for -a moment. It was finally resolved to delay their regular operations -until the next week, by which time they hoped to be able, partly by -water and partly by land, to transport everything, and take up their -permanent abode at the prairie. - -With this conclusion, they set about those little preparations which -they could foresee as being necessary to an undivided use of their time -after entering upon their work. Their clothes, and particularly their -shoes, began to give signs of decay. Frank's shoes had for some time -been gaping incontinently at the toes, looking for all the world, Sam -said, as if they were laughing. - -Harold, foreseeing the necessity before it occurred, had put some -deer-skins in soak, wrapped up in lime made from burnt oyster shells; -and after removing the hair loosened by this means, had stretched them -in the sun, and softened them by frequent applications of suet. The -skins were ready now for use; and as soon as it was determined to delay -their visit to the prairie, he brought one of them to the tent, and -calling to Frank, said, - -"Lend me your foot a minute, Master Frank, and I will give you a pair of -moccasins." - -"Not the _snakes_, I hope," replied Frank. - -"No, but something of the same name," said Harold; "I am going to turn -shoemaker, and make you a pair of Indian shoes. I need a pair myself." - -"And so do I--and I!" echoed Robert and Mary. - -"Indeed, at this rate," said Harold, "we may as well all turn -shoemakers, and fit ourselves out in Indian style." - -Harold planted Frank's foot upon the leather, which he drew up close -around it, and marked at the heel, toe, and instep. He then cut it -according to the measure, and there being but one short seam at the -heel, and another from the toe to the instep, the sewing was soon -finished. Frank tried it on, and for a first attempt the fit was very -good. The fellow to this was barely completed, before two reports of -Robert's gun, following in quick succession, came lumbering down the -river. Fidelle pricked up her ears, and Harold, recalling vividly the -panther scene, gave her the word to "hie on," and seizing his own gun -followed rapidly along the shore. He had not proceeded far before a -turn in the bluff revealed the figure of Robert, moving about the beach, -and throwing at something in the water. He saw, too, that when Fidelle -came up, Robert patted her, and pointing to the river, she plunged in -and brought out a dark looking object, which she laid on a pile already -at his feet. Arriving at the spot, he saw six water-fowl, between the -size of a duck and a goose, of a kind entirely new to him, and which -Robert assured him were brant. - -"O Harold!" Robert exclaimed, "the shore was lined with them. I crept -behind the bluff and killed four at my first shot, and three at my -second, though one of them fell in the marsh and is lost. A little -further up was a large flock of mallards, feeding upon the acorns of the -live oak. I could have killed even more of them than of these, but I -preferred the brant." - -"You startled me," said Harold; "I did not know you had left the tent -until I heard your gun, and then fearing you had got into another -panther scrape, I dispatched Fidelle to your aid." - -"She was exactly what I wanted, though I am thankful to say for a -pleasanter purpose. See how fat these birds are!" - -They gathered up the game, and returned to the tent. All were rejoiced -at the new variety of provisions, for they had begun to weary of the -old. The brant proved quite as pleasant as Robert anticipated, and -alternated occasionally with wild ducks, constituted for a long time an -important addition to their stores. - -For two days they were occupied with their new art of shoe making, and -so expert did they become, that Harold said he doubted whether old -Torgah himself could make much better moccasins than those manufactured -by themselves. There was one improvement, however, which they made upon -the usual Indian mode--a stout sole, made of several thicknesses of the -firmest part of the leather as a defence against thorns and cock-spurs, -so abundant in the sandy soil of the coast. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - - -REMOVAL TO THE PRAIRIE--NIGHT ROBBERY--FOLD--DANGEROUS TRAP--MYSTERIOUS -SIGNALS--BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT - - -On Monday morning, the wind blew so favourably up the river, that even -before the tide began to rise, the young movers had loaded their raft, -prepared a rude sail, and were ready to start. The raft which had been -constructed for the purpose of rescuing Sam, had been originally so -small, and the logs were now so thoroughly soaked with water, that to -make it carry what they wished at their first load they were compelled -to add to its dimensions. But this did not detain them long, and after -all was completed, and the baggage stowed away, Sam, by the help of -Harold's crutches, hobbled to the beach, and seated himself at the helm, -while Harold took the oars, and Robert, Mary and Frank went by their -well marked path through the woods, to meet them at the orange landing. - -The passage by water occupied nearly three hours, and when the clumsy -float slowly approached the shore, Harold could see through the narrow -strip of woodland, that Robert had felled two palmettoes on the edge of -the other river, and was now engaged in cutting them up. - -"Can it be, Robert," he asked, on landing, "that some bird of the air -has carried to you the message I wanted to send? Are you not preparing -another raft?" - -"I am," he replied. "It occurred to me that if we could complete this -raft by the turn of the tide, we might take the load to the _prairie -landing_, and yours might be floated hack to the old encampment for -another cargo." - -The idea was so valuable, that the boys scarcely allowed themselves time -to eat or to rest until it was accomplished; and when at last the tide -was seen moving towards the sea, they separated, Robert, Mary, and Sam -going to the prairie landing, where they soon had the tent spread, and a -fire burning; and Harold and Frank floating back to the place of their -former residence, where they secured the raft, and calling Nanny, Dora, -and the kids, returned overland to join the company at the new home. - -For several days they were occupied with the labour of transporting -their baggage, and fitting up their present abode with comforts and -conveniences. The tent was not established at the landing where it was -pitched the first night, but on the edge of the prairie, a furlong -distant, and within a stone's throw of the spring. - -On the third night after their removal, they experienced a loss which -caused them to feel both sad and anxious. Nanny and her kids, having no -place provided for them, had selected a nice retreat under the shelter -of a mossy oak, and made that their lounging place by day, and their -sleeping place by night. At the time referred to the boys had just -retired to bed, when they heard one of the kids bleating piteously, and -its cry followed by the tramp of the others running to the tent for -protection. Harold and Robert sprang to their guns, and calling the -dogs, seized each a burning brand, and hurried in the direction of the -kid, whose wail of pain and fear became every moment more faint, until -it was lost in the distance. The depredator was without doubt a -panther. Such a circumstance was calculated to dishearten the boys -exceedingly; for it forewarned them that not only were they likely to -lose all their pets, but that there was no safety to themselves, and -particularly none to Frank, if he should incautiously straggle into a -panther's way. They called Nanny to a spot near the tent, fastened her -by the dog's chain to a bush, threw a supply of wood on the fire -sufficient to burn for some hours, and retired to bed sad and uneasy. -Returning from their unsuccessful sally, Harold significantly shook his -head, and said, "I will be ready for him before he has time to be hungry -again." - -There was no other disturbance that night. Frank was asleep at the time -of the accident, and knew nothing of it until the next morning, when -seeing Nanny fastened near the tent, he asked why that was, and where -was the other kid. "Poor Jinny!" he exclaimed, on hearing of its fate -(the kids, being a male and female, had been called Paul and Virginia). -"Poor Jinny! So you are gone!" He went to Nanny, the chief mourner, -and patting her smooth side said, in a pitying tone, "Poor Nanny! Ain't -you sorry for your daughter? Only think, Nanny, that she is eaten up by -a panther!" Nanny looked sorrowful enough, and replied, "Baa!" But -whether that meant, "I am so sorry my daughter is dead," or, "I wish you -would loose my chain, and let me eat some of this nice grass," Frank -could not determine. After a breakfast, by no means the most cheerful, -Harold said, - -"Robert, we must make a picket fence for the protection of these poor -brutes. But as I have a particular reason for wishing some fresh -venison before night, I want to arrange matters so that either you or I -shall go out early enough to be sure of obtaining it." - -Robert urged him to go at once, but disliking the appearance of avoiding -labour, he preferred to remain, and aid them through the most laborious -part of the proposed work. The palisade was made of strong stakes, -eight or ten feet long, sharpened at one end, and driven into a narrow -trench, which marked the dimensions of the enclosure. Harold assisted -to cut and transport to the spot the requisite number of stakes; and -shortly after noon took Frank as his companion, and left Robert and Sam -to complete the work. He had not been gone more than an hour and a -half, before Robert heard the distant report of a heavily loaded gun, in -the direction of the spot where the brant and ducks had been shot. - -"Eh! eh!" said Sam, "Mas Harrol load he gun mighty hebby for a rifle!" - -"Yes," said Robert, "and he has chosen a very poor weapon for shooting -ducks." - -The workmen were too intently engaged to reflect that the report which -they heard could not have proceeded from a rifle. In the course of half -an hour another report, but of a sharper sound, was heard much nearer, -and appearing to proceed from the neighbourhood of the orange-trees, on -the tongue of land. Robert now looked inquiringly at Sam, and was about -to remark, "That gun cannot be Harold's--it has not the crack of a -rifle;" but the doubt was only momentary, and soon passed away. Long -afterwards the familiar sound of Harold's piece was heard in the west, -and a little before sunset Harold and Frank appeared, bearing a fat -young deer between them. - -"That looks nice; but you have been unfortunate, Harold," said Robert, -who having finished the pen, and introduced into it Nanny and the two -young ones, had wiped his brows, and sat down to rest. - -"Why so?" - -"In getting no more." - -Harold looked surprised, but considering the remark as a sort of -compliment to his general character, returned, - -"O, that must be expected sometimes. But come, Robert, if you are not -too weary, I shall be glad of your assistance in a little work before -dark. I wish to post up a notice here, that night robbers had better -keep away." - -By their united efforts they succeeded in constructing a very simple -though dangerous trap, which Harold said he hoped would give them a dead -panther before morning. He laid Riley's rifle upon two forked stakes, -about a foot from the ground, and fastened it so that any movement -forwards would bring the trigger against an immovable pin, and spring -it. He then tied a tempting piece of venison to a small pole, which was -bound to the rifle in a range with the course of the ball. And to make -assurance doubly sure, he drove down a number of stakes around the bait, -so that nothing could take hold of it, except in such direction as to -receive the load from the gun. - -"Now," said he, after having tried the working of his gun, by charging -it simply with powder and pulling at the pole, as he supposed a wild -beast would pull at the bait, then loading it with ball and setting it -ready for deadly use--"Now, if there is in these woods a panther that is -weary of life, I advise him to visit this place to-night." - -The dogs were tied up, and the work was done. So long as the boys were -engaged in making and setting their trap their minds were absorbed in -its details, and they conversed about nothing else. But when that was -finished, Harold referred to Robert's remark about his hunting, and -said, "I was unfortunate, it is true, but it was only in going to the -wrong place; for I got all that I shot at. But what success had you, -for I heard your gun also." - -"My gun!" responded Robert, "no, indeed. I heard two guns up the river, -and supposed you were trying your skill in shooting ducks with a rifle." - -Harold stopped, and stared at him in the dim twilight. "Not your gun, -did you say? Then did Sam go out?" - -"No. He was working steadily with me, until a few minutes before you -returned." - -The boys exchanged with each other looks of trouble and anxiety. "Did -you hear any gun in reply to mine?" Harold asked. Robert replied he had -not. - -"Then," said Harold, in a voice tremulous with emotion, "I am afraid -that our worst trouble is to come; for either there are Indians on the -island, or our friends have come for us, and we have left no notice on -our flag-staff to tell them where we are." - -Robert wrung his hands in agony. "O, what an oversight again! when we -had resolved so faithfully to give every signal we could devise. I'll -get my gun! It may not be too late for an answer." - -He ran with great agitation into the tent, and brought out his gun, but -hesitated. "What if those we heard were fired by enemies, instead of -friends?" - -"In that case," replied Harold, "we must run our risk. If those were -Indian guns, it will be vain to attempt concealment. They have already -seen our traces; and if they are bent on mischief, we shall feel it. -Let us give the signal." - -They fired gun after gun, charging them with powder only, and hearing -the echoes reverberate far away in the surrounding forest; but no sound -except echoes returned. The person who fired those mysterious guns had -either left the island, or was indisposed to reply. - -Many were the speculations they now interchanged upon the subject, and -gravely did the two elder boys hint to each other, in language -intelligible only to themselves, that there was now more to fear than to -hope. They ate their supper in silence, and Mary and Frank went -sorrowfully to bed. Robert, Harold and Sam sat up late, after the -lights were extinguished, watching for the dreaded approach of Indians, -and devising various plans in case of attack. At last they also -retired, taking turns to keep guard during the whole night. All was -quiet until near morning; when, in the midst of Sam's watch, they were -aroused by hearing near at hand the sharp report of a rifle. In an -instant the excited boys were on their feet, and standing beside their -sentry, guns in hand, prepared to repel what they supposed to be an -Indian attack. But Sam sung out in gleeful tone: - -"No Injin! no Injin! but de trap. Only yerry[#] how he growl! I tell -you he got de lead!" - - -[#] Yerry, hear. - - -The boys hastily kindled a torch, loosed the dogs, ran to the trap, and -found, not a panther indeed, but a large wild cat, rolling and growling -in mortal agony. The dogs sprang fiercely upon it, and in less than two -minutes it lay silent and motionless, its keen eye quenched, and its -once spasmed limbs now softly flexible in death. They took it up. It -was nearly as large as Mum, being quite as tall, though not so heavy. -Before they had ceased their examinations the grey streak of dawn -gleamed above the eastern woods, and instead of retiring to rest again, -as their weariness strongly prompted, they prepared for the duties of -the opening day. - -These duties appeared to be so contradictory, that they scarcely knew -what plan to pursue. It was clear that some one or more should go -without delay to the coast, to ascertain whether their friends were or -had been there. But who should go, and who should stay? If there were -Indians abroad, it would be dangerous to divide their little force; and -yet all could not go, for Sam was lame. Harold offered to go alone; but -the others, burning with the hope that their father might yet be on the -island, or within sight, insisted on bearing him company. Sam also -helped to settle the question, by saying: - -"Go, Mas Robbut, and little Missus, and Mas Frank; go all o' you. Don't -be 'fraid for me; s'pose Injin come, he nebber trouble nigger." - -This remark was based upon the well known fact that Indians seldom -interfere with negroes. And encouraged thus to leave him a second time -alone, the young people resolved to go in a body to the coast; agreeing -with him, however, that if he saw any danger he should give them timely -warning by setting on fire a fallen pine-top. - -Carrying what arms they could, and sending their dogs on either side as -scouts, they walked swiftly along their well known path to the seacoast. -No accident happened, no sign of danger appeared; everything was as -usual on the way, and at the place of their old encampment. But -scarcely had they reached the oak, before Harold, pointing to the earth, -softened by a rain two nights before, cried out: - -"Look here, Robert! The tracks of two persons wearing shoes!" - -Robert's unpractised eye would never have detected the signs which -Harold's Indian tuition enabled him so readily to discover; he could -scarcely distinguish, after the closest scrutiny, more than the deep -indentation of a boot-heel. But that was enough; a boot-heel proved the -presence of a boot, and a boot proved the presence of a white man. That -one fact relieved them from all apprehension that the visitors were -Indians. - -They fired their guns, to attract if possible the attention of the -strangers; giving volley after volley, in repeated succession, and -scanning the coast in every direction; but it was without the desired -result--the persons were gone. Their dogs had by this time gone to a -spot near the bluff, where there had been a fire, and were engaged in -eating what the boys discovered, on inspection, to be a ham-bone and -scattered crumbs of bread. On descending the bluff, where footprints -were sharply defined in the yielding sand, Frank exclaimed: - -"Here is _William's_ track! I know it--I know it is William's!" - -The others examined it, and asked how he knew it was William's. - -"I know it," said he, "by that W. When father gave him that pair of -thick boots for bad weather, William drove a great many tacks into the -sole; and when I asked him why he did so, he said it was to make them -last longer, and also to know them again if they should be stolen, for -there was his name. In the middle of one sole he drove nine tacks, -making that W., and in the other he drove seven, so as to make an H.; -for he said his name was William Harper. Yes, look here," pointing to -the other track, "here is the H., too." - -There was now not the shadow of a doubt that the track thus ingeniously -identified was William's. Then whose was that other, formed by a light, -well shaped boot? Every heart responded. The elder boys looked on with -agitated faces; Mary burst into tears, and Frank, casting himself -passionately down, laid his wet cheek upon that loved foot-print, and -kissed it. - -But he was gone now--though he had been so near--gone without a word, or -a sign, to say that he was coming back. Gone? Perhaps not. Perhaps a -smoke might recall him, if the guns did not. Harold silently ascended -the bluff, and with one of Frank's matches fired the grass placed -beneath the heap of wood near the flag-staff. The smoke rose; it -attracted the attention of the others, and soon they heard Harold call -from a distance, "Come here, all of you! Here is something more." - -They ran together, Robert and Mary taking each a hand of Frank; and when -they reached the flag-staff, saw a paper fastened to it by wooden pins -driven into the bark, and on the paper, written in large round -characters: - - "_Five Thousand Dollars Reward_ - -"Will be cheerfully paid to any one who shall restore to me in safety a -boat's company, lost from Tampa Bay on the 26th of October last. They -were dragged to sea by a devil-fish, and when last seen were near this -island. The company consisted of my nephew, Harold McIntosh, aged nearly -fifteen, having black hair and eyes; and my three children, Robert -Gordon, aged fourteen; Mary Gordon, aged eleven; and Frank Gordon, aged -seven years; all having light hair and blue eyes. - -"The above reward will be paid for the aforesaid company, with their -boat and boat's furniture; or one thousand dollars for any one of the -persons, or for such information as shall enable me to know certainly -what has become of them. - -"Information may be sent to me at Tampa Bay, care of Major ----, -commanding officer; or to Messrs. ---- & Co., Charleston, S. C.; or to -R. H----, Esquire, Savannah, Georgia. - -"Dec. 9, 1830. -"CHARLES GORDON, M.D." - - -Underneath was the following postscript in pencil: - - -"P.S. The aforesaid company have evidently been upon this island within -ten days past. I have searched the coast and country here in almost -every direction. They appear to have left, and I trust for home. Should -any fatality attend their voyage, they will probably be heard of between -this island and Tampa Bay. C. G." - - -The young people were overwhelmed. "Poor father!" Mary said with a -choking voice, "how disappointed he will be when he reaches home, and -finds that we are not there! And poor mother! if she is there I know it -will almost kill her." - -"But father _will_ come again--he will come right back--I know he will," -Frank murmured resolutely through his tears. - -"Yes, if mother is not too sick to be left," conjectured Mary. - -"Come, children," said Robert, with an air of sullen resolve, "it is of -no use to stand here idle. Let us go back to the prairie, and build our -boats." - -"But not before we have left word on the flag-staff to tell where we are -to be found," Harold added. A bitter smile played around the corners of -Robert's mouth, as muttering something about "locking the door after the -steed is stolen," he took out his pencil, and wrote in deep black -letters, - - -"The lost company, together with Sam, a servant, are to be found at a -small prairie three or four miles south-east from this point. We have -lost our boat, and are building another. - -"Dec. 10, 1830. ROBERT GORDON." - - -They collected another pile of wood and grass for a fire signal near -their flag-staff, and then with slow, sad steps, turned their faces once -more to the prairie. - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - - -BEST CURE FOR UNAVAILING SORROW--MARY'S ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR--NOVEL -DEFENCE--PROTECTING THE TENT - - -It was natural that the youthful company should be much cast down by -this misfortune. But recent experiences had taught them many valuable -lessons, and had caused them to practise, more fully than they would -have otherwise, those wise maxims which had formed no small part of -their education. While Robert and Mary were yet anguished with their -sense of disappointment, Harold cheerfully remarked: - -"I have often heard your father say, 'There are two kinds of ill that it -is worth no wise man's while to fret about:--Ills that _can be_ helped, -for then why do we not help them? and, Ills that _cannot be_ helped, for -then what is the use of fretting?' I have also heard him say that '_the -best cure for ills that cannot be helped is to set about doing something -useful_.'" - -"But what can we do more than we have already tried to do?" asked -Robert, in a questioning tone. - -"Not much, I confess," was Harold's reply; "yet we can be on the lookout -for something. Yes," he continued, pointing, as they walked, to one of -the turkey pens which they had not visited for several days, "there is -something now. Very likely that trap has caught, and possibly the poor -creature that is in it, is now suffering more in body for want of food -and water, than we are in mind. Let us go and see." - -They turned aside accordingly, and found within the trap a fine young -hen in a half-famished condition. She scarcely noticed them until they -were within a few paces of her, and then ran with feeble steps around -the pen, twitting mournfully, but without strength to fly. Robert -proposed to let her go, saying that there would be no use in carrying -home a starved bird; but to this Mary objected. She was beginning to -believe with Harold that they were destined to stay a long time on the -island. "I think," said she, "we had better take her home, and make a -coop for her, and let her be the beginning of a stock of poultry. We -can get some ducks, too, I have no doubt, and that will be so nice." - -The picture which she drew was so comfortable and pleasant, that they -agreed to put it into instant execution. They would make for her not a -coop merely, but a poultry yard and house, and stock it for her with -turkeys, ducks, and brant; and she and Frank should feed them every -morning on acorns and chopped venison, and then they would live like -princes. The only particular difficulty that suggested itself in the -case was, that wild turkeys cannot be tamed. There is such an innate -love of freedom in their very blood, that even those which are raised -from the egg by tame hens will soon forsake the yard for the forest. - -These little pleasant plans (for after all it is _little things_ that -make life pleasant or unpleasant), occupied their minds, and soon -employed their hands; for immediately on their return home they -commenced upon Mary's poultry house, and marked out also the limits of -the adjoining yard. This occupied them for the two remaining days of -that week, and it was not until the Monday following that they commenced -working upon their boats. - -In the midst of that week, however, another incident occurred, which -threatened to be fearful enough in its consequences, and caused another -interruption to their work. Robert, Harold, and Sam, were engaged upon -the fallen tree; Mary was preparing their dinner, and Frank, having -found a large beetle, was employed in driving down sticks into the -ground, on the plan of the picket fence, "making," as he professed, "a -house for his turkey." He had begun to feel hungry; and as the odour of -the broiling venison floated to his olfactories, he suddenly became -ravenous. He left his beetle half penned, and was on his way to ask his -sister for a mouthful or two before dinner, when directly behind the -tent he saw a great black object approaching the spot where Mary stood. - -He looked a moment, uncertain what it could be, then gave a scream. -"Run, sister! run!" he said. "Come here! Look! look!" She looked, but -saw nothing, for the tent intervened. As Frank said "run!" he set the -example, and reaching a small tree about six inches in diameter, climbed -it as nimbly as a squirrel, crying as he ran, "Come here! Come here!" - -Mary was astonished. She was sure from the tones of his voice that he -was in earnest, yet she saw no danger, and hesitated what to do. -Observing him, however, climb the tree, calling earnestly to her, she -was about to follow, when in a moment it was too late. An enormous bear -came from behind the tent, snuffing the odour of the meat, and looking -very hungry. Almost as soon as it discovered her, it rose upon its hind -legs, seeming surprised to meet a human being, and came forward with a -heavy growl. Had any one been present to help, Mary would probably have -screamed and fainted, but thrown upon her own resources she ran to the -fire and seized a burning brand. Then another and very fortunate -thought came to her mind. The dipper, or water ladle, was in her hand; -and as she drew the brand from the fire, she dipped a ladle full of the -boiling, greasy water, and threw it into the breast, and upon the -fore-paws of the growling beast. - -That expedient saved her life. The bear instantly dropped upon all -fours, and began most piteously to whine and lick its scalded paws. -Mary seeing the success of her experiment, dipped another ladle full, -and threw it in its face. The bear now uttered a perfect yell of pain, -and turning upon its hind legs, ran galloping past the tent, as if -expecting every moment to feel another supply of the hot stuff upon its -back. - -All this time Frank was calling from his tree, "Come here, sister! He -can't get you here! Come! come!" And Mary was about to go; but the -bear was no sooner out of sight, than she felt very sick. Beckoning -Frank to come to her, she ran towards the tent, intending to fire off -one of the guns, as a signal for the large boys to return; but ere -reaching the door her sight failed, her brain reeled, and she fell -prostrate upon the earth. Frank looked all round, and seeing that the -bear was "clear gone," sprang lightly from the tree, and ran to her -assistance. He had once before seen her in a fainting fit, and -recollecting that Robert had poured water in her face, and set him to -fanning her, and chafing her temples and the palms of her hands, he -first poured a dipper full of cold water on her face, then seizing the -conch, blew the signal of alarm, till the woods rang again. - -This soon brought the others. Harold came rushing into the tent, and by -the time that Robert arrived, he had loosened Mary's dress, and was -rubbing her hands and wrists, while Frank fanned her, and told the tale -of her fighting the bear with hot water. The boys were powerfully -excited. Harold's eye turned continually to the woods, and he called -Mum, and patted him with one hand, while he helped Mary with the other. - -"Let me attend to her now," said Robert. "I see by your eye that you -wish to go. But if you will only wait a minute, I think sister will be -sufficiently well for me to go with you." - -"I am well enough now," she faintly replied. "You need not stay on my -account. Do kill him. He can't be far away. Oh, the horrible"--she -covered her eyes with both hands, and shuddered. - -"But will you not be afraid to have us leave you?" asked Robert. - -"No, no; not if you go to kill that terrible creature. Do go, before he -gets away." - -Sam had in the meantime hobbled in, and the boys needed no other -encouragement. Frank showed them the direction taken by the bear, and -they set out instantly in pursuit. Mum had already been smelling -around, and exhibiting signs of rage. Now he started off on a brisk -trot. They followed him to a moist, mossy place, where the bear -appeared to have rolled on the damp ground, and drawn the wet moss -around it to alleviate the pain of the fire; then to another low place, -where he showed by his increasing excitement that the game was near at -hand. Indeed, they could hear every minute a half whine, half growl, -which proved that the troubled beast was there in great pain, and -conscious of their approach. But it did not long remain. Seeming to -know that it had brought upon itself a terrible retribution, by -attacking the quiet settlement, it broke from the cover, and ran to a -large oak, in the edge of the neighbouring hammock, and when the boys -arrived, they found it climbing painfully, a few feet above ground. Its -huge paws convulsively grasped the trunk, and it made desperate efforts -to ascend, as if confident that climbing that tree was its only refuge, -and yet finding this to fail it in its time of need. Both boys prepared -to shoot, but Harold beckoned to Robert. - -"Let me try him in the ear with a rifle ball, while you keep your -barrels ready in case he is not killed." - -He advanced within ten paces, rested his rifle deliberately against a -tree, took aim without the quivering of a muscle. Robert saw him draw a -"bead sight" on his victim, and knew that its fate was sealed. There -was a flash, a sharp report, and the heavy creature fell to the earth, -like a bag of sand, and the dark blood, oozing from ears and nose, -proved that its sufferings and its depredations were ended for ever. - -"He will give us plenty of fresh pork, the monster!" said Harold, -endeavouring to quell his emotions, by taking a utilitarian view of the -case, and, in consequence, making a singular medley of remarks, "What -claws and teeth! I don't wonder that Mary fainted! She is a brave -girl!" - -"Yes, indeed," replied Robert; "there is not one girl in a thousand that -could have stood her ground so well. And that notion of fighting with -hot water--ha! ha! I must ask where she got it. It is capital. Only -see here, Harold, how this fellow's foot is scalded; this is the secret -of his climbing so badly." - -Mary's hot water had done its work effectually. The bear was terribly -scalded on its paws, breast, face, and back of its head. The boys bled -it, as they did their other game, by cutting through the jugular vein -and carotid artery; but wishing to relieve Mary's mind as soon as -possible, they returned to inform her that her enemy was dead. - -"And pray tell me, sister," said Robert merrily, after recounting the -scene just described, "where did you learn your new art of fighting -bears?" - -"From cousin Harold," she replied. - -"From me, cousin!" Harold repeated. "Why, I never heard of such a thing -in my life. How _could_ I have told you?" - -"You said one day," Mary continued, "that wild beasts are afraid of -fire, and that they cannot endure the pain of a burn. Now when I took -up the brand to defend myself, according to your rule, I remembered that -_hot water_ hurts the most, and that moreover I could _throw_ it. But -if you had not mentioned the one, I should not have thought of the -other." - -"I think you deserve a patent," said Harold, patting her pale cheek. -"You have beat the whole of us, not excepting Robert, who was a perfect -hero in his day; for he conquered a panther with duck-shot, but you have -conquered a bear with a ladle. Why, cousin Mary, if ever we return to a -civilized country we shall have to publish you for a heroine." - -She smiled at these compliments, but remarked that she was not heroine -enough to covet another such trial; for that she was a coward after all. - -"And you, Master Frank," said Robert, whose pleasurable feeling excited -a disposition to teaze, "you climbed into a tree." - -"Indeed I did," replied Frank, "as fast as I could, and tried to get -sister Mary there too. But she would stay and fight the bear with hot -water. Sister, why did you not come?" - -"I did not know why you called," she answered. "I did not see anything, -and did not know which way to run." - -"I think, cousin," remarked Harold, "that if you had run when Frank -called, you would have saved yourself the battle. The bear was after -your meat, not after you; and if you had only been willing to give up -that dinner, which you defended so stoutly, he would probably have eaten -it, and let you alone." - -With this lively chatting, Mary was so much cheered, that she joined -them at dinner, and partook slightly of the choice bits that her brother -and cousin pressed upon her. The afternoon was spent in preparing the -flesh of their game. They treated it in every respect as they would -pork, except that the animal was flayed; and they found the flesh well -flavoured and pleasant. The parings and other fatty parts were by -request turned over to Sam, who prepared from them a soft and useful -grease. The skin was stretched in the sun to dry, after which it was -soaked in water, cleansed of all impurities, and rubbed well with salt -and saltpetre (William had put up a quantity), and finally with the -bear's own grease. After it had been nicely cured, Harold made a present -of it to Mary, who used it as a mattress so long as she lived upon the -island. - -Warned so impressively to protect their habitation against wild beasts, -the boys spent the rest of the week in erecting a suitable enclosure. -They planted a double row of stakes around the tent and kitchen, filling -up the interstices with twigs and short poles. The fence was higher -than their heads, and there was a rustic gateway so contrived that at a -little distance it looked like part of the fence itself. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - - -HARD WORK--LABOUR-SAVING DEVICE--DISCOVERY AS TO THE TIME OF THE -YEAR--SCHEMES FOR AMUSEMENT--TIDES ON THE FLORIDA COAST - - -For a fortnight the boys worked very hard, and yet made but little -apparent progress. Previous to this, they had devoted two days to -Mary's convenience, and three more to her protection. The rest had been -spent in hacking, with dull axes, upon an immense tree. The log was -three feet in diameter, and had been rough shaped into the general form -of a boat, eighteen feet long. But having no adze, nor mattock, which -might be used in digging, and receiving from Sam very little assistance -more than the benefit of his advice, they began to feel somewhat -discouraged at the small results of their unpractised labours. This -caused them to cast in their minds for some device by which their work -might be facilitated, and thankful enough were they to Indian ingenuity -for suggesting the plan by fire. They set small logs of pine along the -intended excavation, and guarding the edges with clay, to prevent the -fire from extending beyond the prescribed limits, had the satisfaction -to see, the next morning, that the work accomplished by this new agent -during the night, was quite as great as that accomplished by themselves -during the day. - -For a few days they had been working under the pleasing stimulation -produced by this discovery, when Robert, pausing in the midst of his -work, said, - -"Harold, have you any idea what day of the month this is?" - -"No," replied Harold, "I know that it is Friday, and that we are -somewhere past the middle of December. But why do you ask?" - -"Because, if I am not mistaken, tomorrow is Christmas day. This is the -twenty-fourth of December." - -The announcement made Sam start. He looked at Robert with a half -bewildered, half joyful gaze. The very name of Christmas brought the -fire to his eye. - -"Ki, Mas Robbut," said he, "you tink I remember Christmas? Who ebber -hear o' nigger forget Christmas befo'? But for sure, I nebber say -Christmas to myself once, since I been come to dis island. Eh! eh! I -wonder if ee ent[#] 'cause dis Injin country, whey dey nebber hab no -Christmas at all? Eh! Christmas? Tomorrow Christmas?" - - -[#] If it is not. - - -Robert could have predicted the effect which his discovery would have -upon Sam, but he was excessively amused to observe how unforgiving he -seemed to be to himself for neglecting this part of a negro's privilege. -As soon as it was settled, by a brief calculation, that the next day was -indeed the twenty-fifth of December, another thing was settled, of -course--that no work should be done, and that the day should be spent in -enjoyment. Sam clapped his hands, and would have been guilty of some -antic on the occasion, if his lame leg had not admonished him to be -careful. So he only tossed his cap into the air, and shouted, - -"Merry Christmas to ebbery body here, at Bellevue and at home!" - -"Now comes another question," said Robert; "how shall the day be spent? -We have no neighbours to visit. No Christmas trees grow here, and Frank -may hang up his moccasins in vain, for I doubt whether Santa Claus ever -heard of this island." - -"O, yes, Mas Robbut," Sam merrily interposed. "Dere is one neighbour I -been want to see for long time. I hear say I got a countryman[#] libbin -way yonder in a hollow tree. He is a black nigger, 'sept he is got four -legs and a mighty ugly face." - - -[#] Pronounced long, country ma-an. It usually means a native African. - - -"What does the fellow mean?" said Harold, seriously. - -"O," replied Robert, laughing, "it is only his way of asking us to visit -our friend the bear. What do you think of it?" - -"We have _promised_ to make Mrs. Bruin a visit," said Harold, entering -into the joke; "and perhaps she may think it hard if we do not keep our -word." Just then the conch called them home. "But let us hear what -Mary and Frank have to say. I foresee difficulties all around." - -When the question was discussed in general conclave, Mary looked rather -sober. She had not yet recovered wholly from her former fright; but not -willing to interfere with a frolic, from which the others seemed to -anticipate so much pleasure, although it seemed to her to be one of -needless peril, she replied that she would consent on two -conditions--one was that they should go on the raft, to save the immense -walk to the spot, and the other was that they should either put her and -Frank in some place of safety while they fought the bear, or supply her -with an abundance of hot water. - -"That idea of the raft is capital," said Robert. "The tide will suit -exactly for floating down in the morning and back in the afternoon. I -think we can give sister all she asks, and the hot water too, if she -insists upon it." - -A word here about tides on the western coast of Florida. From Cape -Romano, or Punta Largo, northward to Tampa, and beyond, there is but one -tide in the course of the day, and that with a rise usually of not more -than three feet. But south of Cape Romano, and particularly in the -neighbourhood of Chatham Bay, there are two, as in other parts of the -world, except that they are of unequal lengths, one occupying six, and -the other eighteen hours, with its flood and ebb. People there call -them "the tide and half tide." The plan of the boys was to float down -on the nine hour ebb, and to return on the three hour flood. - -Sam's notions about the observation of Christmas eve, as a part of -Christmas, suited exactly the inclination of the boys; their hands were -blistered, and they were glad of a good excuse for leaving off work, by -an hour or two of the sun. In anticipation of the next day's absence, -and of the Sabbath succeeding, Frank gathered during the afternoon -plenty of acorns for the poultry, and grass for the deer and goats, -which were to be kept in their fold; and the others laid up a supply of -wood for the fire. Mary sliced some nice pieces of venison and bear's -meat, and made some bread and Christmas cakes; all, which she packed -away in a basket, with oranges, limes, and a bottle of transparent -honey. Long before dark everything was ready for the expedition. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - - -CHRISTMAS MORNING--VOYAGE--VALUABLE DISCOVERY--HOSTILE -INVASION--ROBBERY--MASTERLY RETREAT--BATTLE AT LAST--A QUARREL REQUIRES -TWO QUARRELLERS--THE GHOST'S VISIT - - -There may have been many a more noisy Christmas, but never a brighter -one, and few merrier, than that which dawned upon our young marooners; -nor was it entirely without its noise. The boys had requested Sam, in -case he was first awake, to rouse them at the break of day, and he had -promised to do so. A secret whispering had been observed between him -and Frank; and the latter had also begged for a piece of twine, which he -promised to return, but the use of which he refused to tell. -Conjecturing that it was intended for some piece of harmless fun, they -gave it to him, and waited his own time to reveal the purpose. - -On going to bed Mary noticed that Frank fidgetted a great deal with his -toes, and seemed to be much tickled with several remarks made by -himself, but which seemed to her to have nothing in them particularly -witty. He was evidently in a frolic, and wanted excuses to laugh. In -the dead of night, as Mary supposed, though it was really just before -day, she was awakened by feeling him move restlessly, and then put his -hands to his feet with the inquiry: - -"What is the matter with my toe?" - -"Is there anything the matter with it!" she drowsily asked. - -"O, no, nothing at all," he replied. "I dreamed that a rat was gnawing -it off. But it is only a string I tied there myself." - -He then turned over, and lay still, pretending to be asleep; but when he -heard her breathe hard, he slipped out of bed, put on his clothes, and -went softly out of the tent. Sam had agreed to wake him, so that they -two might, according to Christmas custom, "catch" the others, by hailing -them first; and as Sam could not go into the room where Mary slept, he -persuaded Frank to tie a string to one of his toes, and to pass the -other end outside of the tent. It was Sam's pulling at this string that -gave Frank his dream, and finally waked him. For a minute or two they -whispered together in merry mood, and on Sam's saying, "Now, Mas Frank, -now!" the roar of two guns, and then the sound of a conch, broke upon -the ears of the startled sleepers. - -"Good morning, lazy folks!" said Frank, bursting into the tent. "Merry -Christmas to you all!" - -"Merry Christmas, Mas Robbut!" Sam echoed from behind, "Merry Christmas, -Mas Harrol! Merry Christmas, little Missus!" - -"Fairly caught!" answered Robert; "and now, I suppose, we must look out -some presents for you both." - -The company completed their toilet, and came together under the awning, -which was still their kitchen. The day star was "flaming" gloriously, -and the approach of day was marked by a hazy belt of light above the -eastern horizon. They kindled their fire, and prepared for breakfast, -with many jests and kind expressions; then sobering themselves to a -becoming gravity, they sat around the red blaze, and engaged in their -usual morning worship. - -While the sun threw his first slanting beams across the island, Harold -went to the landing, and returned, saying, "Come all. The tide has been -going down for hours, and is now running like a mill-tail!" - -Hastening their preparations, they were in a short time seated upon the -raft, Sam at the helm, and Robert and Harold by turn at the oars. Borne -by the current, and impelled by their own efforts, they were not two -hours in reaching the proposed landing place. - -[Illustration: They were not two hours in reaching the proposed landing -place] - -The river was exceedingly crooked, and so densely bordered with -mangroves, that from the place they left to that which they sought, it -was nowhere possible for them to reach the shore. Once when they -approached nearest land, they saw a herd of deer peep inquisitively at -them through an opening glade, and turn quietly to feed. The tall heron -was a frequent sight, lifting its long blue neck high as their heads, -and then flapping its broad wings to escape too near an approach; and -the dapper kingfisher turning his big head to look at them; and the -"poor jobs," or small white cranes clustering thick upon the dead trees; -and the Spanish curlew sticking forward its long curved bill; and the -grey curlew with its keen note; and the marsh hens, cackling far and -near, to say (such is the report) that the tide is moving; and ducks -rising in clouds from different points of the marsh and reaches of the -river;--these sights were very frequent, and seen with the bright eyes -of young people on a Christmas excursion, imparted a charming vivacity -to the scene. - -Passing a creek which drained the marsh to their left, they made a -discovery, which proved a valuable one indeed. Harold was looking up -the creek with that universal scrutiny that had become in him second -nature, when he suddenly dropped his oars, exclaiming, "What is that?" - -The raft shot so quickly past that no one but Sam had time to look. He, -however, replied instantly, "Starn ob a vessel!" - -"Stern of a vessel, did you say?" inquired Robert. "'Bout ship, Sam. -Come, Harold, let us pull right for it and see." - -They brought the raft into an eddy near shore, and though it required a -prodigious pull to propel so clumsy a thing against the tide from the -creek, they managed to do so, and discovered not the stern of a vessel -only, but the whole of a small brig turned bottom upwards, and lying -across the creek jammed in the mud and mangroves. - -"Well, that is indeed a Christmas gift worth having," said Robert. "Did -I say Santa Claus never heard of this island? I take that back; he has -not forgotten us." - -"He or some One greater," interposed Mary, with seriousness. - -They rowed alongside, and tried to enter; but having no tools for -penetrating the vessel's side, nor candles for lighting them after they -had entered, they concluded to prosecute their voyage, and to delay -their visit to the wreck till Monday. - -With this intention they pushed out of the creek, and descended to the -proposed landing, where they made fast their raft to a crooked root, and -stepped upon a firm beach of mixed mud and sand. The fiddlers (a small -variety of crabs that look at a little distance like enormous black -spiders) were scampering in every direction, with their mouths covered -with foam, and their threatening claws raised in self-defence, until -each one dived into its little hole, and peeped slyly at the strange -intruders. A wild cat sat upon a neighbouring tree, watching their -motions with as much composure as if she were a favourite tabby in her -mistress' parlour. Frank was the first to spy and point it out. It was -within a good rifle shot. - -"Stand still a moment, if you wish to see how far a cat can jump," said -Harold. - -He rested his rifle upon a small tree, and taking steady aim, sent the -ball, from a distance of seventy yards, through both sides of the cat, -directly behind the shoulders. She leaped an immense distance, and fell -dead. Frank seized it, saying it was _his_ cat, and that he intended to -take off its skin, and make it into a cap like cousin Harold's. - -From the landing they followed the mark left by their hatchet upon the -trees in their exploring tour, and it was not long before they -recognized from a distance the poplar or tulip tree, in the hollow base -of which the bear had made her den. - -As yet Mum had given no indications of alarm; but on approaching the -tree the boys selected for Mary and Frank a pretty little oak, with -horizontal branches, in full sight of the den; and having prepared them -a seat made comfortable with moss, and helped them into it, advanced to -the field of battle. - -To their disappointment the old bear was gone. The sun shone full into -the hole, and revealed the two cubs alone, nicely rolled up in the -middle of their bed, and soundly asleep. There was some reason to -suppose that the mother would return before they left the neighbourhood, -and in this expectation Harold prepared to secure the cubs. He placed -Robert and Sam as videttes at a little distance, and also charged Mary -and Frank to keep a sharp look out from their elevated position, while -Mum and Fidelle were set to beating the surrounding bushes as scouts. -But, notwithstanding all his care and skill, he found that the work of -capturing the cubs was very difficult. The cavity being too large to -allow of reaching them with his arms, and afraid to trust himself inside -the hole, lest the old bear should arrive and catch him in the act, he -relied upon throwing a slip noose over their heads, or upon their feet; -but young as they were he found them astonishingly expert in warding off -his traps. The only plan by which he at last succeeded, was with a -hooked pole, by which he drew forth first one, and then the other, to -the mouth of the den, where, after sundry bites and scratches, he seized -their hind legs, passed a cord round their necks, and made it secure by -a fast knot. This done, he tied each to a tree, where they growled and -whined loudly for help. The hunters were now in a momentary expectation -of hearing the bushes burst asunder, and seeing the old bear come -roaring upon them; but she was too far distant, and had no suspicion of -the savage robbery that was going on at her quiet home. - -It was fully an hour before the cubs were taken and secured. By that -time Mary and Frank had become so weary of their unnatural roosting, -that they begged the others to cease their hunt, and return at once to -the raft. But here arose a new and unforeseen difficulty. The distance -to the raft was considerable, and the way was so tangled that they had -made slow progress when they came; what could they now do, encumbered -with two disorderly captives, and in constant danger of attack from the -fiercest beast of the forest, "a bear robbed of her whelps"? It was -easy enough to decide this question, if they would consent to free the -captives and return as they came. But no one, except Mary and Frank, -entertained this idea for a moment; they would have been ashamed to give -up through fear what they had undertaken through choice. - -The plan they at last devised was this--which though appearing to assign -the post of danger to the youngest, was in fact the safest they could -adopt. Mary and Frank led each a cub, but they were instructed to drop -the cord on the first appearance of danger, and run to the safest point. -Sam marched in the van, Harold brought up the rear; Mary and Frank were -in the centre, and while Robert guarded one flank, the dogs were kept as -much as possible on the other. It was with much misgiving that this -plan was adopted, for the boys began to feel that they had engaged in a -foolish scrape, involving a needless exposure of the young people, as -well as of themselves. But they were now _in for it_, and they had no -choice, except to go forward or to give up the project in disgrace. -Formed in retreating column as described, and ready for instant battle, -they turned their faces to the river, and marched with what haste they -could. - -They had not gone many steps, however, before Harold suddenly faced -about, levelled his piece, and called to them to "look out!" He heard a -bush move behind him, and supposed, of course, that it was the bear -coming in pursuit, but it proved to be only a bent twig righting itself -to its natural position. - -Not long after Robert raised a similar alarm on his side, and levelled -his gun at some unseen object that was moving rapidly through the -bushes. Mary and Frank dropped the cords, and Frank clambered up a -small tree near at hand. Mary turned very pale, and ran first to Sam, -but hearing the noise approach that way, she ran back to Harold for -protection. The next moment she saw Sam drop his gun from its aim, and -call out, - -"You Mum! Come in, sah! You git yo' libber shot out o' you, you scary -warment!" - -The alarm was occasioned by Mum, who, unperceived by any, had wandered -to the wrong side. - -The cubs, trained by this time to obey the cord, and either weary with -the walk, or submissive to a fate that seemed so gentle, had not stirred -from the spot where they were left. Frank slipped quietly from his -tree, hoping that nobody had seen him; but Robert caught his eye, and -gave a sly wink, to which Frank doggedly replied, - -"I don't care, sir. I suspect you would like to have been up a tree -too, if you could have got there." - -"That I should, Frank," said Robert; "but it seems that you are the only -one of the crowd who can find trees in time when bears are about." - -They resumed their march to the landing, and were interrupted only once -more. The bushes before them rustled loudly, Fidelle rushed forward in -pursuit, and the ground shook with the heavy trampling of some large -beast. It was on Sam's side; but as he brought his piece to a level, -Harold cried, "Deer! deer! don't shoot!" and again all was quiet. - -A short walk brought them to the landing; where they wiped their moist -brows, and rested, thankful that they had completed their perilous -journey without accident. But their dangers were by no means over. The -tide was down; the raft was aground; it was not possible to leave for -hours; and in the meantime the enraged beast might follow the trace of -her cubs, and perhaps assault them where they were. In view of this -contingency they tied the young bears at a distance from the shore, but -within sight of their own place of repose, confident that if the mother -came she would bestow her first care in breaking their bonds, and taking -them away, in which case they could attack and destroy her. - -With this expectation they sat down to their Christmas dinner, for which -they had by this time a pretty keen appetite. Sam stood sentry while -they ate; then Robert and Harold by turns took his post, and gave him -opportunity to dine. The spice of danger gave great zest to the -enjoyment of all except Mary, who would vastly have preferred being at -their comparatively secure and quiet home upon the prairie. - -The tide finally rose, and floated the raft. They once more embarked. -The young bears were secured, so that they could neither escape nor -annoy. The fastening was cast off. Harold's oar, which he used as a -pole for shoving off, sunk in the yielding sand, and Robert's "Heigh ho -for home!" was hardly uttered, when they heard a tramping on the bluff, -and a moment after saw the bear standing on the spot they had left. She -stared in surprise at the retreating raft, whined affectionately to her -cubs, who whined in answer, and tried to break loose; then seeing their -efforts to be ineffectual, and the raft to be moving away, she raised -such a roar as made every heart tremble, and with a fierce look at the -persons on board plunged into the water. The raft was by this time but -ten yards from shore, and slowly "backing" into the stream. Harold's -rifle was quickly at his shoulder, and in a second more the blood -spouted from the mouth and nose of the terrible beast. But the wound -was not mortal, piercing below the eyes, and entering the nostrils and -throat; and blowing out the blood by successive snorts, she plunged on, -and began to swim. - -"Now, Robert!" shouted Harold, "be steady! Aim between her eyes!" - -Robert fired first one barrel, and then the other; the bear sunk for a -moment, borne down by the heavy shot, but she rose again, streaming with -gore, and roaring till the waters trembled. Sam's gun was the only -remaining chance, and he used it most judiciously. Waiting until the -bear was almost ready to place her feet upon the raft, he coolly -levelled his gun, and putting the muzzle within a few inches of her ear, -poured its contents bodily into her brain. The furious creature had -just time to grasp the side of the raft; she gave one convulsive shake, -and turned on her side, stone dead. - -"It was a desperate fight," said Robert, drawing a long breath. - -"And a very foolish one," rejoined Harold. "I have been thinking for -the last hour that we might have been better employed." - -Robert looked displeased. "Answer for yourself. If it is foolish, you -helped to bring it on." - -"I know that," replied Harold, with mildness, "and that makes me condemn -it the more." - -"Then please, sir, not to blame the rest," said Robert, "for I am sure -everybody behaved as bravely as people could." - -"I have not questioned any one's courage, nor have I quarrelled with any -one except myself," replied Harold. - -"Yes, sir, you have," persisted Robert, "you called us all a parcel of -fools for coming on a Christmas excursion." - -"O! no, brother," mediated Mary, "he only said we might have been better -employed; and I think father would say so too. I am sure if I had known -all before coming, as I know it now, I should not have given my -consent." - -"Please, mossa," said Sam, looking from one to the other, "'tain't any -o' you been de fool. Nobody fool but me. Enty I ax you,[#] please come -see my countryman in de hollow tree; and you come? And now, please, -mossa, don't let my countryman git away. See he floatin' away to de -alligator. Please let me catch 'em. I want him fat to fry my hominy." - - -[#] Did not I ask you. - - -Sam looked so whimsical throughout the whole of this eloquent appeal, -that Robert's face relaxed from its stern and angry expression, and at -the last words he caught Harold's eye, and burst into a laugh. - -"Come, Harold," said he, "let us save his fat; I know his mouth waters -for it." - -The quarrel was over. Indeed it could not properly be called a quarrel, -for it was all on one side, and no one can quarrel alone. They caught -the floating carcass, tied it behind the raft, then pulling into the -current, floated rapidly home, and reached the prairie about the middle -of the afternoon. - -For the rest of the day their hands were full; and it was not until late -at night that they were able to retire. The young bears were first -stowed away in the same pen with the goats and deer, but Harold was -scarcely able to remove them in time to save their lives; for Nanny, -after running from them as far as the limits of the pen allowed, rose -upon her hind legs with a desperate baa! and bringing her stony forehead -against the head of the nearest, laid it senseless on the ground, and -was preparing to serve the other in the same way. - -What to do with them Harold did not know. He dared not put them in the -poultry house, and he was unwilling either to shelter them in the tent -or to tie them outside the palisade. So, until some other arrangement -could be devised, he fastened them to a stake inside the enclosure round -the tent, where he supplied them with water, honey, and a piece of -venison. - -The adventure, however, was not quite over. Late in the night Sam was -awaked by feeling something move upon his bed, and put its cold nose -upon his face. Thinking it was some one walking in his sleep, he called -out, "Who dah?" and putting out his hand, felt to his dismay the rough -head and shaggy skin of a bear. Sam was a firm believer in ghosts, both -human and brute. He gave one groan, and cried out, "O massy!" expecting -the next moment to be overpowered, if not torn to pieces; then jumping -from bed in the greatest hurry, he hunted tremulously for some weapon of -defence, exclaiming all the while, - -"Mas Harrol! Mas Robbut! O massy! Here de ole bear, or else he ghost, -come after us." - -The taper was brought from Mary's room, and disclosed the secret. One -of the cubs feeling in the chill, night air the want of its mother's -warmth, had loosed the insecure fastening, and come to seek more -comfortable quarters in the tent. "It is your countryman's baby, Sam," -said Robert, after the excitement had subsided. "You killed its mother, -and it has come, poor little orphan, to ask that you shall be its daddy -now." - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - -THE CUBS--VOYAGE TO THE WRECK--STORES--HORRID SIGHTS--TRYING -PREDICAMENT--PRIZES--RETURN--FRANK NEEDS ANOTHER LECTURE - - -Early on Monday morning Robert and Harold set out for the wreck, leaving -Sam to guard the young people, and to add another apartment to the fold, -for the accommodation of the cubs. It may be stated here, that the new -pets had eaten little or nothing since they were taken. For several -days Sam was compelled to force the food and water into their mouths; -but after they had acquired the art of feeding in a domestic way, Frank -assumed their whole care, and was indefatigable in attending to their -wants and their education. He taught them to stand on their hind feet -and beg; to make a bow by scraping their feet, like country clowns; and -many a wrestling match did he have with them, in which for a long time -he was invariably the victor. Robert named them, after the twins of -old, Castor and Pollux. - -By Sam's advice, the boys took with them on their voyage an ax, hatchet, -auger, and saw, together with some candles and a rope, and reached the -wreck about nine o'clock. They moored their raft fast to a projecting -bolt, and then, with much difficulty, succeeded in reaching the stern -windows, from which the receding tide flowed gently, bearing on its -bosom an unpleasant odour, like that of animal matter long decayed. -They peeped into the dark cavity, and receiving a full blast of its -sepulchral odours, drew back in disgust. - -"I cannot go into _that_ hole," said Harold, "it is stifling. Let us -cut a passage through the side or bottom." - -Clambering along the sloping side next the rudder, they selected a place -for their scuttle, and commenced to work, but the thick and well -fastened copper was so difficult to remove, that their hatchet was -nearly ruined before they reached the wood. Then, with their auger, -they made an entrance for the saw, and soon opened a hole between two of -the ribs, large enough to admit their bodies. - -Harold descended first, and standing upon a hogshead, which, being on -the top of a confused pile, reached near the hole, lit a candle, and -helped Robert to descend. - -They were in the hold where all the grosser articles were stowed. Some -of the hogsheads visible appeared to contain sugar, others molasses, -rum, &c. Passing towards the stern, they saw half a dozen boxes and -crates, of different sizes, one of which was filled with lemons, and -from the other, on being broken, rolled out a cocoanut. Returning from -this hasty survey towards the forward part of the hold, they discovered -a plentiful supply of flour, ship-bread, rice, hams, and beef, stowed -away in the style appropriate to each. The vessel was evidently -victualled for a long voyage. - -Satisfied with this partial examination, they returned amidships, and -sought the hatchway, through which they might descend into the habitable -part of the vessel. It was choked by such a multitude of boxes and -bags, that they were a long time in finding it, and longer still in -freeing it from encumbrances. Descending by their rope, they found -themselves on the inner side of the inverted deck. The water had by -this time all run off, except a puddle in one corner; and the floor, or -rather that which had been ceiling, was wet and slimy, with deposits -from the muddy river water. - -On entering the cabin the sight which greeted them was horrid. There -lay four skeletons, of a man and woman, a boy and girl, handsomely -dressed; the soiled though costly garments still adhering to the wet and -ghastly bones. The sight was more than Harold could endure; he called -to Robert, and hastened as fast as possible to the open air. - -"O, horrid! horrid!" said he, pale as a sheet. "I don't think I can -ever go back to that dreadful cabin. It made me almost faint." - -"It was horrid, indeed," responded Robert. "But you will soon recover; -the trouble was more in your mind than in your body. I doubt not you -are feeling as father says he felt when going first into a dissecting -room--he fainted outright; and he said that this is no uncommon thing -with beginners, but they soon become used to it." - -"I am willing enough to go through the whole vessel," said Harold, "but -not into that cabin, for a while at least." - -"Poor creatures!" sighed Robert, "they appear to have been passengers; -and unless the cabin filled soon with water, they must have had a -lingering death." - -"Don't speak of it," Harold pleaded. "The bare thought makes me -shudder. And then to think of their being devoured by such slimy things -as eels and catfish, and of being pinched to pieces by crabs, as these -bodies were--it is sickening!" - -Robert perceived that these reflections were exceedingly painful to his -cousin, and had been in fact the cause of his sickness; he therefore -managed adroitly to shift the conversation from point to point, until it -gradually assumed a cheerful character. Pleasant thoughts were the -medicine Harold needed, and in the course of a few minutes he himself -proposed to renew the search. - -Descending between decks, they found in the side of the vessel, contrary -to custom, the cook's room. It contained a stove, with all its -appurtenances complete. This was a real treasure; they rejoiced to -think how much labour and trouble would be saved to Mary, whose patience -and ingenuity were often put to the test for the want of suitable -utensils. - -The steward's room adjoined; and here they found crockery of all sorts, -though most of it was in fragments; knives, forks, spoons, and -candlesticks, none of which they valued, having plenty of their own; two -bottles of olives, and a case of anchovies, sound and good, and a fine -set of castors, partly broken, containing mustard, pepper, catsup and -vinegar. Upon the topmost shelf (or under what _had been_ the lowest) -were two large lockers, which they opened with difficulty, the door -being fast glued with paste, and out of which poured a deluge of musty -flour from an upturned barrel. There were also different kinds of hard -biscuit and ship bread, but they were all spoiled. - -From these two rooms they passed with great difficulty to the -forecastle, having to cut their way through a thick partition. Here the -sight was more appalling than that which they had witnessed in the -cabin. Lying on the floor, partly immersed in a muddy pool, were the -skeletons of eight men and two boys; and in the midst of them they heard -such a splashing of the water that their blood ran cold, and their hair -stood on end. They started back in terror, thinking at first that the -dead had waked from sleep, and were moving before their eyes; in doing -so, Robert, who carried the candle, jostled roughly against Harold, and -instantly they were in darkness. - -"O mercy! mercy!" Robert ejaculated, in an agony of alarm, and falling -upon his knees clasped his hands together, expecting every moment to be -his last. Harold, however, with that presence of mind which is the mark -of true courage, and is the best preservative in time of danger, threw -his arms around him, to prevent him from escaping, and fortunately -recovered the candle, which had dropped in the edge of the wet slime -upon the floor. - -"Nothing but fishes!" said he, divining the state of Robert's mind from -what he knew of his own. "Nothing but fishes! I saw one leap from the -water. Softly, Robert, let us light the candle." - -The quieting effect of a soft, calm voice in a season of excitement is -magical. Robert's excessive fear subsided, and though he trembled -violently, he aided Harold to re-light the candle. Fortunately the wick -was scarcely touched by the water; there was a slight spluttering from a -particle or two of damp mud, but the flame soon rose bright as ever. -Harold's hand now began to tremble; for though in the moment of trial -his nerves had been stretched and steady as a tense wire, the re-action -was so great that he began to feel weak. Robert perceived this, and -pulling his sleeve said, - -"Come, let us go." - -Harold's courage, however, was of that sturdy kind that rises with the -occasion, and he replied, "No, I mean to go through with it now. I was -driven from the cabin by a bad smell, but no one shall say that I was -scared off by a few catfish. Look, do you not see them floundering in -the water?" - -A calm inspection wholly relieved Robert from his fears, and he -continued to examine the room with composure, although while looking he -beheld the startling sight of a skeleton in actual motion through the -water, a large fish having entered its cavity, and become entangled in -the adhering clothes, giving a most lifelike motion to the arms and -legs. - -A glance around this room was sufficient to convince them that the -vessel was of a warlike character. Great numbers of guns, pistols, -cutlasses, and pikes, were visible on the floor, where they had fallen -into the water, or against the walls where they had been fastened. The -boys surveyed these significant appendages, exchanged glances with each -other, and simultaneously exclaimed, "A cutter, or a pirate!" - -"I doubt whether it can be a cutter," said Robert; "my mind misgives me -that it is a vessel of bad character. But we can tell by going to the -captain's room. Let us see." - -They returned to the cabin, and entering the room which appeared to be -the captain's, found it abundantly supplied with arms of various sorts, -and (though mostly injured by the sea-water) of exquisite finish. Of -papers they saw none; these were probably contained in a heavy iron -chest which was fast locked, and the key of which was nowhere to be -found. In the mate's room, however, the evidences were more decisive. -There were flags of all nations; and among them one whose hue was jet -black, except in the middle, where were sewed the snow-white figures of -a skull and cross-bones. From the side-pocket of a coat, which lay in -the berth, they took a pocket-book, containing letters in Spanish, and a -paper signed by forty-two names, the greater part of which were marked -by a cross. These indications were satisfactory, and the boys -afterwards ascertained by circumstantial evidence, which left them no -shadow of a doubt, that not only was the vessel piratical, but that she -was overwhelmed by the same storm that had so nearly proved fatal to -Sam. The prize, therefore, they considered their own by right of first -discovery--stores, arms, magazine, money and all. - -"By rights there ought to be a carpenter's room somewhere," said Robert; -"or if not a room, there must be tools, which will help us greatly in -our work. Let us look for them." - -To Harold's mind the tools were the most valuable part of the prize, -unless indeed they could find a boat ready made. But before proceeding, -they took each a pistol from the captain's room, loaded, and thrust it -into their bosoms, supposing that they should be more calm and -self-possessed, when conscious of having about them the means of -defence. The carpenter's room was found, and in it a chest of splendid -tools, and an excellent grindstone. - -With these discoveries the boys were content to think of returning home; -and now they began to feel hungry. Taking from the steward's room the -bottle of olives and case of anchovies, and breaking open a barrel of -shipbread, from which they filled their pockets, they went to the open -air, taking each a lemon and cocoanut, in lieu of water and dessert. - -It was time to load the raft. Taking some small bags, of which they -found a number, they filled them with sugar, coffee, rice, and flour; -they brought out six hams, and, by opening a barrel, six pieces of -mess-beef. In searching still further, they lit upon a barrel of -mackerel, a firkin of good butter, and a case of English cheese; of each -of which they took a portion, and laid all upon the most level part of -the vessel's bottom, ready for lowering into the raft. The kegs of -biscuit they found on trial to be too large to pass through their -scuttle; they emptied them by parcels into a large bag outside. - -Hitherto they had said nothing and thought little about money; for their -minds had been fixed on supplying themselves with necessaries and -comforts, together with the means of returning home. Indeed, the idea -of enriching themselves at the expense of the dead, even if they were -pirates, savoured rather of robbery, and the delicate sense of the young -explorers was offended by the thought. - -"But let us at least gather whatever of this sort we may find," said -Harold, after exchanging thoughts with his cousin. "We can afterwards -ask your father to decide what use shall be made of it." - -Neither their consciences nor their pockets, however, were very heavily -burdened with this new charge; for they found only a few hundred -dollars' worth of money, chiefly in foreign gold, together with several -rich jewels, the greater part of which was discovered in consequence of -an act of kindness to Mary and Frank. - -Resolving to return the next day, accompanied by the whole party, and -unwilling to have Mary's nerves shocked as theirs had been, they -determined to remove all unsightly objects from the cabin, and to close -them up in the forecastle. A box of sperm candles enabled them to set a -light along the dark passages, and in each room; and taking a small -sail, upon which they carefully drew the skeletons, they carried them to -the forecastle, and laid them decently in one corner. From the person -of the man they took a gold watch and chain, a handsome pencil case, and -pocket-knife, a purse containing several pieces of gold, and a -pocket-book, containing papers, written apparently in Spanish, but -almost perfectly illegible. The name of this man, marked upon the -clothing, and occasionally appearing in the papers, was Manuel De Rosa. -Upon the person of the lady were found a diamond ring, hanging loosely -upon the slender bone of one finger, and on the lace cape over her bosom -a sprig breast-pin, whose leaves were emerald, and its flower of opal. -Her name, and that of the children also, was De Rosa. These valuables -were collected into a parcel, together with a lock of hair from each, as -the means of identifying them, should any clue be obtained to their -history and their home. - -While removing a coarsely clothed skeleton from that corner of the -forecastle in which they wished to deposit the bones of the perished -family, they found it so much heavier than the others, as to induce a -closer examination. They found hid beneath the clothing, and belted to -the bones, a large girdle, containing fifty-four Mexican dollars, a -variety of gold pieces from different nations, and a lump of what -appeared to be gold and silver fused into one mass. The name of this -man could not be ascertained. - -Their next work was to fumigate the cabin. They wrapped a little sugar -in a piece of brown paper, and setting it on fire, walked around the -room, waving it in every direction. The aromatic odour of the burnt -sugar pervaded every crack and cranny, and overwhelmed so entirely the -disgusting effluvium, that Robert snuffed at the pleasant fragrance, and -remarked, "There, now! the cabin is fit for the nose of a king. Let us -close up the forecastle, and return home." - -Beside the provisions, which have been already mentioned as constituting -a part of the intended load for the raft, the boys carried out such -tools as they conceived needful for their work, consisting of adzes, -drawing-knives, augers, gimlets, chisels, planes, saws, square and -compass, and an oil-stone. They also took the box of sperm candles and -a box of soap; three cutlasses and a rapier, four pikes, four pair of -pistols, three rifles, two muskets, and flasks and pouches to suit. -Gunpowder they did not see, except what was in the flasks; they knew -there must be plenty in the magazine, which they supposed to be near the -officers' rooms, but which they did not care then to visit. - -A short but laborious tug against the tide, that set strongly up the -creek, brought them to the river, on which they floated gently home. -When within half a mile of the landing, they fired a gun, as a signal of -their approach; and long before they reached the shore, Mary and Frank -were seen running to meet them, with Mum and Fidelle scampering before, -and Sam hobbling far in the rear. - -"Here, Frank, is your Christmas present," said Robert, when the raft -touched land; "and here, Sam, is yours, at least so long as we stay upon -the island." - -He tossed the one a cocoanut, and handed the other a musket and cutlass. -Harold's presents were still more acceptable; he gave Frank a nice -pocket-knife, somewhat the worse for rust, and gave Sam a large twist of -tobacco. - -Frank's eyes twinkled with pleasure at the sight of the knife; but Sam's -expression of countenance was really ludicrous. He was a great chewer -and smoker of tobacco, and the sight of that big black twist, after so -long a privation, brought the tears to his eyes. He scraped his foot, -and tried to laugh. - -"Tankee, Mas Robbut! Tousand tankee to you, Mas Harrol! Sword, gun, -tobacky! I-ee! I feel like I kin fight all de bear and panter in de -wull!" - -As the work of unloading and transporting to the tent occupied only -about two hours, they had time sufficient, before dark, to construct -another and a larger raft. There was a poplar, fallen and dry, near the -water's edge; this they cut into suitable lengths, and across the long -logs they laid a floor of short ones, so that they doubted not being -able at their next load to bring from the wreck all that they wished. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - -SECOND VOYAGE TO THE WRECK--FUMIGATING AGAIN--MORE MINUTE -EXAMINATION--RETURN--ACCIDENT--DANGERS OF HELPING A DROWNING -PERSON--RECOVERING A PERSON APPARENTLY DROWNED - - -Next morning our young marooners endeavoured to make as early a start as -on the day before; but there being now more persons to go, each of whom -had some preparation to make; and besides that, encumbered by another -clumsy float of logs, their arrival at the wreck was fully an hour -later. Securing the two rafts to the vessel's side, Robert and Harold -clambered to the hole they had cut, by the help of a rope tied there for -the purpose; then making a slipknot at the end, they drew up Sam, Frank, -and finally, Mary. The new comers were so anxious to enter the vessel -that they could scarcely wait for the lighting of a candle, but slid at -once into the hold, and began rummaging by means of the imperfect light -transmitted through the scuttle. - -The examination of the hold on the day before had been so thorough, that -few more discoveries of importance remained to be made; and the new -comers, burning with curiosity, begged to be conducted to the rooms -below. Entering the cabin, Mary and Frank were repelled by the -unpleasant odour that, notwithstanding the former fumigation, still -continued; but the smell was on this occasion mingled more with that of -mud, and Robert managed by a quick allusion to the river slime, and the -nauseous odour of the mangroves, to prevent Mary's suspicion of the real -cause. - -"We burnt some sugar here, on yesterday," said he, "but the tide has -been up since, and we shall have to burn more. Or stay--we can try -something else. I recollect hearing father say that burning coffee is -one of the best fumigators in the world." - -He brought some coffee from the hold, and wrapping it in paper, tried to -burn it, as he did the sugar; but it was not so easily ignited; and -Mary, in her impatience, took some sugar, and setting it on fire while -he was experimenting with the damp coffee, so thoroughly impregnated the -room with its fragrant fumes, that they were ready to begin their -examination. - -The first thing they noticed on entering the cabin, was a handsome sofa -and set of chairs. Overhead, screwed fast to what had been the floor, -was an extension table, capable of seating from four to twelve persons. -Mary clapped her hands at this welcome sight, exclaiming: - -"O, now we can sit and eat like decent people again!" - -To their right was a little room, with its door open. On entering it, -they saw a boy's cap and pair of shoes. Frank pounced upon these, and -tried them on, with several merry jests, to which the others made no -reply, for the larger boys thought immediately of the little skeleton to -which these had belonged. A trunk was there too, perched upon the -upturned bottom of what had been the lowest berth, containing the usual -wardrobe of the boy; and beside it, the trunk and carpet bag of the -girl. These last were locked. On forcing them open, Mary found many of -the articles in a state of perfect preservation; though the linen and -cotton were sadly mildewed, and almost spoiled. She saw at a glance -that the silk dresses, and other parts of attire, were nearly all the -same size with her own. But though greatly in need of clothing, and -fitted almost exactly in what she found, she manifested more sadness -than pleasure at the sight; her mind reverted irresistibly to the former -wearer, who was no doubt as fond of life as herself. - -"Poor thing!" she said, as tears came into her eyes, after turning over -several articles, "and her name was Mary, too. See here, 'Marie De -Rosa,' written so neatly on this white handkerchief. What a beautiful -name! I wish I knew her." - -Fastened to the wall was a neat looking-glass, and beside it a handsome -hair-brush, hung by a blue ribbon to a small brass knob; but the water -had dissolved the glue, and the rosewood veneering had separated from -the brush. On the floor were two ivory combs, and the fragments of -pitcher, bason, and tumblers, lying with the towels. In the berths were -two hair mattresses, whose ticking was mouldy and mildewed, but they -were otherwise good; and in each, with the damp sheets, was a pair of -blankets as good as new. - -Next to this room was another, whose door was jammed and swollen tight. -Forcing it open, they found two trunks and travelling bags, with various -articles of male and female attire--a hat and pair of boots, a bonnet -and rich shawl, the little boy's boots and best cap, and the girl's -parasol and cloak; new evidences these, to the boys, to prove that the -four skeletons belonged to one family. There were also several books, -but they were in Spanish, and so perfectly soaked and blackened as to be -useless, even had they been in their own language. The De Rosas were -evidently a family of wealth and education. - -The other rooms were furnished with the usual appendages of warlike men, -and beside these there was little else to tell who or what they were. -Their papers and valuables were probably locked up in the iron chest, or -left behind where they had concealed their treasures. - -Passing from the cabin, their attention was arrested at the door by a -small closet under the companion-way. Harold stood upon a stool and -examined it. There were silver cups, of various figures, a basket of -champagne wine, and many bottles and decanters, or rather their -fragments, which appeared to have held different kinds of liquors. - -"Bah!" said Harold, "liquor in the hold--liquor in the rooms--liquor in -the closets--there is more liquor than anything else aboard, except guns -and pistols." - -"They naturally go together," responded Robert. "I suspect the poor -fellows needed the liquor to fit them for their wicked works." - -From the cabin they went to the carpenter's room. Sam decided in a -moment that he must have the grindstone, and the rest of the tools--they -were too good to be lost. He also looked wistfully at the work-bench, -with the iron vice attached, and said he thought they could force it -from the wall, and float it behind the rafts. But the boys mistrusted -his partiality for tools, and decided that it was not so important as -some other things. - -Next to the carpenter's room was another, into which they forced an -entrance with the ax. This was the gunner's. Here they found -cartridges in abundance, of all sorts and sizes, bomb-shells, clusters -of grape-shot, canisters of balls, a profusion of cannon shot of several -sizes, and two small cannons of brass, with balls to suit. There were -also several large kegs of powder, but the powder appeared to be spoilt, -for the kegs were damp. - -When the time came to prepare for loading, the boys united with Sam to -enlarge the scuttle. They put upon one raft a keg of rice, and another -of flour, the firkin of butter, two cheeses, six loaves of sugar, the -grindstone, the chest of tools, Sam's box of tobacco, and more of the -hams and beef. On the other, they put the extension-table and leaves, -six chairs, the sofa, the trunks of the De Rosas, five mattresses, with -their clothing, the looking-glass, &c. - -The return voyage was made in all safety until they reached the landing; -but there occurred one of those misadventures that appear to come -oftenest in seasons of greatest security. - -As the rafts neared the shore, Sam hobbled to the hindmost end, to look -after his darling tobacco, and having for some reason stooped as one -raft struck the other in stopping, he lost his balance, and fell -headlong into the water. No one knew of the accident, until hearing a -great splutter, they looked around, and saw him blowing the water from -his nose and mouth, and wearing a most comical expression of surprise -and fear. They ran, of course, to his assistance, but knowing him to be -a good swimmer, they apprehended no serious consequences, and were -rather disposed to jest than to be alarmed. But Sam, who had been -already strangling for a quarter of a minute, so as to be unable to -utter a word, and who discerned at a glance that they did not apprehend -his situation, stretched out his hand imploringly, and gasped. - -"He is drowning!" exclaimed Harold. "Here, Robert, help me!" then ran -to obtain something buoyant, to which Sam might cling. When he -returned, bringing with him a pair of oars (the nearest thing within -reach), he saw his cousin, heedless of danger, and moved only by -sympathy, swimming just over the place where Sam had sunk. - -"Robert! Robert! COME AWAY!" he called in a voice of thunder; "he is -too strong for you, and will drown you!" - -Robert turned at this earnest and even imperative call, and began to -swim back; but it was too late. Sam rose within reach, grasped his arm, -drew him up close, pinioned him firmly, and again sunk out of sight. -Mary and Frank shrieked as they saw their brother go down, and Harold -stood a moment, with clasped hands, exclaiming, "My God! What shall I -do?" - -At this moment an idea occurred to him. Calling to Mary, "Bring me that -hat" (it was De Rosa's, and water-proof), he threw off his coat and -vest, then spreading his handkerchief over the mouth of the hat, so that -he could grasp the corners under the crown, he plunged into the water, -swimming with one hand, and holding the hat as a temporary life -preserver with the other. As he expected, Robert rose to the surface -and grasped him. Harold did nothing at first but hold firmly to the hat -to prevent his own sinking, and in that short interval Robert recovered -sufficiently to know what he was about. - -"Thank God for _you_, Robert!" said Harold. "I was afraid you were -gone; here, take the hat and swim to the raft, while I dive after Sam. -Has he ceased struggling?" Robert replied, "Yes." - -Joining his hands high over his head, Harold rose as far as he could -from the water, and sank perpendicularly with his feet close together. -He succeeded in finding the body, but not in time to seize it, before he -was compelled to rise for the want of breath. He came to the surface, -panted for a quarter of a minute, then descended a second time, and rose -with the body. Robert reached him one of the oars, dragged him to the -raft, and then to the shore. - -And now what was to be done? Robert knew well that when a person has -been under water four minutes and more it is exceedingly difficult to -restore life, and that whosoever would render aid must do it quickly. -His preparations were few and simple. - -Begging Mary and Frank to make a fire as soon as possible, and to heat -one of the blankets, he laid the body with the head lowest, to allow the -water to run from the mouth and throat, while he hastily unloosed the -clothing. Then laying the body with the head highest, as in sleep, he -and Harold rubbed the skin with all their might, for the double purpose -of removing the moisture and restoring the heat. - -This friction was continued for several minutes, when Robert, requesting -Harold to keep on, tried another means. He inserted a reed into one of -Sam's nostrils, which he pressed tightly around it, and closing also the -other nostril and the mouth to prevent the egress of the air, he blew -forcibly until he felt the chest rise, when, by a gentle pressure, he -expelled the air as in natural respiration. - -By this time Mary and Frank had warmed one of the blankets brought from -the vessel. This Robert wrapped closely around the body, and while Mary -and Frank were engaged in warming still another, Harold greatly -increased the effectiveness of his friction by tearing a third blanket -into strips, and using the hot pieces as rubbers. - -Persisting for an hour in these simple means, the anxious company were -at last rewarded by the signs of returning life. Sam's heart began to -beat softly, and shortly after he gave a sigh. The boys were nearly -exhausted by their protracted efforts, but still they kept on; and it -was well they did, for many a person has been lost by neglect after life -seemed to have been restored. When the patient was sufficiently -recovered to swallow, Robert poured down his throat some warm water and -sugar, remarking it was a pity they had brought none of the wines or -spirits which were so abundant on shipboard. - -"There is some in the box of tobacco," observed Frank. "I saw Sam put a -bottle there; and when I asked him what it was, he said it was rum to -rub on his weak leg." - -Robert and Harold exchanged a significant smile; for though Sam might -have intended only what he professed, they knew that he loved rum as -well as tobacco. It was fortunate, however, that the spirits were -there, for it was the best stimulant they could administer. Sam soon -opened his eyes, and began to speak. His first words, after looking -around, were, "Bless de Lord! Poor Sam here again!" - -Leaving him now to recover slowly, the boys brought each a chair from -the raft, and sat down to rest. - -"Why, Robert," said Harold, "you seem to know by heart the whole rule -for restoring a drowned person." - -"And why not? There is nothing mysterious in it?" - -"So it seems, and I wish you would teach it to me." - -"I can do that in half a breath," replied Robert. "In father's words, -all that you have to do, is to _restore the warmth and excite the -respiration_." - -"That, certainly, is simple." - -"Father always said," continued Robert, "that he did not see why boys -should not all be taught how to help one another on such occasions. -'Send for a doctor,' he said to me, 'but don't wait for him. Go to work -at once before life is gone. If you can do nothing else strip off the -wet clothes, and rub, rub, RUB, and blow into the lungs. Start the -breath, and you will start the blood, or start the blood, and that will -start the breath, for each comes with the other. Apply heat -inwardly--outwardly by friction, by clothing, by fire, by hot bottles, -by sand-bags, by any means, and keep trying for hours.' That is the -rule." - -"A good one it is," said Harold. "But it is a pity your father did not -give you some rule also about keeping out of the way of drowning people -so that you might put your knowledge to some use, instead of getting -drowned yourself." - -"He did," replied Robert, laughing, "but I forgot it. It was -exceedingly thoughtless in me to do as I did. However, I tried to make -up for it in another way; for after Sam had pinioned my arms, I made no -effort whatever, except to take a long breath, and retain my presence of -mind. When we were going down, I learned exactly what kind of a grip he -had taken, and by the time we reached bottom, I had drawn up my knees, -and put my feet against the pit of his stomach. When that was done I -felt safe, for I knew that my legs were stronger than his arms, and that -I could break his hold. But what did you intend to do when you called me -to help you?" - -"I had no exact plan," Harold answered, "except to keep you from putting -yourself in danger, and then to throw or reach Sam something by which to -help himself. I had seen drowning people before, and knew very well -that unless you had something to prevent your own sinking, as I had when -you seized me, or unless you were strong enough (as in this case you -were not) to hold him at arm's length, he would be almost sure to drown -you." - -This untoward accident delayed the work of transportation until near -dark, and then it was only the lighter and more necessary articles that -they carried. Sam gradually recovered, and about dusk, supported by the -boys, he staggered slowly to the tent. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV - - -HOUSEHOLD ARRANGEMENTS--THIRD VISIT TO THE WRECK--RAINY -WEATHER--AGREEMENT ABOUT WORK--MARY IN GREAT DANGER--EXTINGUISHING FIRE -ON ONE'S DRESS--RELIEF TO A BURN--CONVERSATION - - -They did not return to the vessel the next day. The work of transporting -the many heavy articles brought, and of giving them accommodation, -occupied the whole day. Indeed, the work of arranging was by no means -easy, for their possessions were now too large for their dwelling. They -were therefore compelled to make a new room for Sam and his tools, by -means of some spare sails brought from the wreck; and this led them to -think of erecting still another wing to the tent, as a place of deposit -for their stores of provision. - -By Thursday the return tide came at so late an hour in the afternoon, -that the boys were loth to go upon the third trip; but there were -several other articles of importance that they needed, and intending to -make a short visit, they did not start until near mid-day. On entering -the vessel their first work was to remove the stove; which being quite -new and recently put up, they had no difficulty in taking to pieces, and -lowering, with its appurtenances, into the raft. The work-bench they -detached, with great labour, from the wall, and tumbled it over the -vessel's side. From the carpenter's room they carried several sails, -two coils of small rope, and a hank of twine. The magazine they did not -care to enter. Most of the powder in the gunner's room was wet, but -there were two large kegs of cannon powder, the outside of which was -caked and ruined, while the central part was perfectly good, and also a -five pound canister of superfine rifle powder, which was so tightly -sealed that not a particle of damp had entered. These they took. And -dragging out one of the small cannon they managed, after hard work, to -lower it, with its appropriate carriage, into the raft, and deposited -along with it several dozen balls, and as many canisters to fit the -bore. These, together with the trunks and clothing of the officers, the -iron vice, a small kit of mackerel, and the box of cocoanuts, -constituted their load. The voyage back was made without accident. - -On landing, their first business was to shelter their powder, for the -sky was clouding fast, with long blue belts, that promised rain before -morning, and the night was rapidly coming on. Unwilling to keep so -dangerous a quantity of powder in the tent, they divided it into several -parcels, and concealed them in hollow trees, which they closed and -marked. - -The cannon carriage proved a great convenience in transporting the -trunks, the disjointed parts of the stove, and other heavy articles to -the tent. But even with this assistance they did not complete their -work before the night set in. - -The next day was wet--wet--wet. The young people continued within -doors, made a particular examination of the trunks, and divided among -themselves the articles that were serviceable. With these employments, -and the fitting up of their stove, they spent all that day, and part of -the next. - -It was during that evening, as they sat listening to the incessant -patter of the rain upon the canvas roof, that the boys conceived and -resolved upon a species of competition, that gave a steady progression -to their work from that time forward. - -"Tomorrow is New Year's Day," observed Harold. "We have been two months -and a half upon the island. Our first boat is not a quarter finished. -Why, Robert, it will be six months before we get away by our own -exertions; and then your father will have left Bellevue." - -"But you forget how many interruptions we have had," replied Robert. -"First, there was Sam's misfortune, then yours; after that, our removal -to the prairie, and securing the tent; then this discovery of the wreck, -which has furnished us with food and tools for continuing our work -without interruption. If I am not mistaken, the end of January will see -us at Bellevue, or on our way there. What do you think, Sam--can we -finish our two boats in a month?" - -"May be so, massa, if we work mighty hard; but it will take a heap o' -work." - -"I doubt if we finish them in two months, work as we may," remarked -Harold. - -Robert was not pleased with this discouraging assertion, though he was -startled to find that the usual prudent Harold entertained such an -opinion. - -"Now, cousin," said he, "I will put this matter to the test. As we boys -used to say, I'll make a bargain with you. We shall all work on the -second boat, until it is as far advanced as the present one. Then we -shall each take a boat and work. Sam shall divide his time between us. -And if at the end of a month we are not ready to return home, I'll give -up that I am mistaken." - -"Give me your hand to that bargain," said Harold. "You shall not beat me -working, if I can help it; but if, with all our efforts, we leave this -island before the last day of February, I will give up that _I_ am -mistaken." - -Faithful to this agreement, the boys went next morning to the landing, -and brought the various parts of the work-bench, which they aided Sam in -fitting up. The grindstone also they set upon its necessary fixtures; -and collecting the various tools that were in need of grinding, they -persisted in relieving each other at the crank, until they had sharpened -two very dull axes, two adzes, three chisels, a broad ax, and a drawing -knife, and stowed them safely under Sam's shelter. - -The history of the day, however, was not concluded without an incident -of a very serious character, in which Mary was the principal, though -unwilling actress; and in which, but for her presence of mind, she would -have met with a painful and terrible death. - -About ten o'clock that night she retired to her room, undressed, and was -laying aside the articles of dress necessary for the next morning, when, -turning around, her night clothes touched the flame of the candle, -which, for the want of a table, she had set upon the floor. The next -instant she extinguished the candle, and was about stepping into bed, -when her attention was excited by a dim light shining behind her, and a -slight roar, that increased as the flame ran up her back. Giving a -scream of terror, she was on the point of rushing into the next room for -help, when recollecting the repeated and earnest injunctions of her -father, she threw herself flat upon the blanket of the bed, and wrapping -it tightly round her, rolled over and over upon the floor, calling for -help. The flame was almost instantly quenched, as it probably would have -been, even without a blanket, had she only sat down instantly on the -floor, and folded the other part of her dress tightly over the flame.[#] - - -[#] _Flame ascends_. All have observed how much more rapidly it -consumes a sheet of paper held with the burning end down, than the same -sheet laid on the table. So with a female's dress; an erect posture -allows the flame to run almost instantly over the whole person. - - -But though the _flame_ was extinguished, the charred ends of the dress -were not; they kept on burning, and coming into contact with the naked -skin, made her scream with pain. The agony was so great, that again she -was almost tempted to throw off the blanket and rush into the open air, -but knowing that this would certainly increase the fire, and perhaps -renew the blaze, she drew the blanket more tightly around her, and -rolled over, calling to Robert, who had by this time come to her -assistance. "Pour on water--_water_--WATER!" Robert did his best--he -fumbled about for the pitcher, then finding it, asked where the water -was to be poured; but now that the water was ready to be thrown upon -her, Mary felt secure; she cast off the blanket, and the remaining fire -was put out by the application of Robert's wet hand. - -The time occupied by this terrifying scene was scarcely a minute and a -half, yet Mary's night dress was consumed nearly to her shoulders, and -her lower limbs were badly scorched. So rapid an agent is fire. -Whoever would escape destruction from a burning dress, must work fast, -with good judgment and a strong resolution. - -Mary's burns were slight in comparison with what they might have been. -The skin was reddened for a foot or more along each limb; but it was -broken only in two places, about as wide and long as her two fingers. -Still the pain was excessive, and she wept and groaned a great deal. -Robert applied cold water for a number of minutes, and would have -continued it longer, but Mary at last said: - -"Bring me a cup full of flour. I have tried it on a burnt finger, and -you can scarcely imagine how cooling it is." - -The flour was brought, and applied by means of handkerchiefs tied over -the raw and blistered parts. Its effect was to form a sort of artificial -cuticle over those spots where the skin had been removed; and the soft -and cool sensation it produced in the other parts was delightful. Still -Mary appeared to suffer so much, that Robert administered an opiate, as -he did in the case of Sam, and after that he heard no more from her -until next morning. - -"What a quick, brave girl she is!" said Harold, after Robert had -described the scene. "Most girls would have rushed into the open air, -and been burned to death." - -"She showed great presence of mind," Robert assented. - -"More than that," said Harold, "she showed great _resolution_. I knew a -beautiful girl at school, who had presence of mind enough to wrap -herself in the hearth rug, but who could not stand the pain of the fire; -she threw off the rug, rushed into the open air, screaming for help, and -was burnt to death in less than two minutes." - -When Mary came from her room next morning her eyes were dull and glassy, -from the effects of the medicine, and she had no appetite for more than -a cup of coffee. The others met her with more than their usual -affection. Her accident had revealed to them how much they loved her; -and her coolness in danger, and fortitude in suffering, had given them a -greater respect for her character. - -"We do sincerely thank God, on your account, cousin," said Harold, as -soon as they were left alone that Sabbath morning. "It is so seldom a -person meets with such an accident, without being seriously injured." - -"I hope I feel thankful, too," returned Mary. "I could not help -thinking last night, before going to sleep, how uncertain life is. O, I -do wish I were a Christian, as I believe you to be, cousin." - -"Indeed, if I am a Christian at all, I wish you were a far better one," -he replied. "I have neither felt nor acted as I desired, or supposed I -should." - -"But still you feel and act very differently from us." - -"My feelings are certainly very different from what they used to be, and -I thank God that they are. Yet the only particular thing which I -recollect of myself, at the time that I began to feel differently, is -that I was troubled on account of my past life, and wished heartily to -serve God. To judge from myself, then, I should say that to _desire to -serve God_, is to be a Christian." - -"O, I do desire," said Mary, weeping. "I do, with all my heart. But I -know I am not what I ought to be. I do not love God; I do not trust -him; I do not feel troubled for sin, as I ought to be; and I have no -reason to think that my sins are forgiven." - -"I am a poor preacher, Mary," Harold said, with strong emotion; "for I -never knew anything of these feelings myself, until lately. But this I -can say, that if you will heartily give yourself to God, to be his -servant for ever, and put your trust in his promises, you will be -accepted. Did not Jesus Christ come into this world to save sinners, -even the chief? Does he not say, 'Him that cometh to me, I will in -nowise cast out'? Now what does the Bible mean, but to encourage all who -feel as you do?" - -Mary did not reply; the tears burst through her fingers, and dropped -into her lap. Harold continued, - -"Ever since we came to the island I felt as you feel, until the Sabbath -when I knelt down in the woods, and gave myself to the Lord. My heart -was very heavy; I knew that I was a sinner needing forgiveness, and that -I had nothing that I could offer as pay; but I read where God offers -salvation 'without money and without price,' and again where he says we -must 'believe on him.' Well, after all that, I could not help -believing; it was sweet to pray--sweet to think of God--sweet to read -the Bible--sweet to do whatever was pleasing to Him. I hope it will be -so always; and I long for the time when I can return to Bellevue to talk -with your father about these things. Now, cousin, I advise you to try -the same plan." - -He marked several passages of Scripture for her to read; then walked -into the woods, where he prayed that the Lord would direct her, so as to -find peace by believing in Jesus Christ. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI - - -SUCCESSFUL WORK--EXCURSION--THE FISH-EAGLE--DIFFERENT METHODS OF -PROCURING FIRE--WOODSMAN'S SHELTER AGAINST RAIN AND HAIL--NOVEL REFUGE -FROM FALLING TREES - - -Monday morning found the labourers moving at the dawn of day. Sam was -cook, and fulfilled his office with unexpected ability. His corn-bread -was delightful; no one but a negro knows how to make it. - -The tools were in excellent order, and the boys commenced work in fine -spirits. At Harold's suggestion they resolved to work very leisurely -that day and the next, as being the surest way to attain expedition in -the end. Said he, - -"My father was a great manager of horses, and sometimes made tremendous -journeys. But his rule was always to begin a long journey very -moderately. He used to say, 'If you strain a horse at the first, he -will move heavily all the way through, but if you spare him at first, he -will become gradually accustomed to the strain, and be able to push on -faster at the end than at the beginning of the journey!' Now, as we are -the horses, I think we had better make very moderate journeys today and -tomorrow." - -Robert was much pleased with the rule. Notwithstanding his boast, he -had shuddered at the idea of blistered hands and weary limbs; but this -plan enabled him to anticipate fresh feelings, and even increasing -labour, so long as they chose to work. - -In the course of four days the second tree was cut, hewed, and excavated -to the exact shape and size of the first. They then drew for choices, -and separated, each working on his own boat, within hearing of the -other's ax and mallet. One reason, perhaps, of the increased rapidity -of their work, was a lesson which they learned of employing every moment -to advantage, and of resting themselves by a mere change of work. For -instance, when weary of the adze they would resort to the mallet and -chisel, the auger, ax, or drawing-knife, and this was to some extent a -real rest, for fresh muscles were brought into play while the wearied -ones were relieved. - -By Friday, however, their whole bodies began to feel the effects of -fatigue; and Harold proposed, that for that day their arms should be -entirely relieved from labour, and that they should search the woods for -timber suitable for masts, yards, and oars. They, therefore, took their -guns and hatchets, and went first to the orange landing, where they saw -their old raft lying as they had left it exactly a month before. -Passing thence to the place which they had dubbed "Duck Point," they -proceeded along the beach towards their old encampment, and thence home. -This was their route; but it was marked by such a variety of useful -expedients, that we must stop to describe them. - -While Robert was engaged for a few minutes in searching a little grove, -Harold saw a fish eagle plunge into the water, and bring out a trout so -large that it could scarcely fly with it to the shore. Harold was -hungry; his appetite at breakfast had not allowed him to eat at all. -Now it began to crave, and the sight of that rich looking fish whetted -it, keenly. He ran towards the eagle, crying out, - -"I'll divide with you, old gentleman, if you please; that is too much -for one." - -The eagle, however, appeared to dissent from the proposal, and tried -hard to carry its prey into a tree, but apprehensive of being itself -caught before it could rise beyond reach, it dropped the fish, and -flying to a neighbouring tree, watched patiently to see what share its -human robber was disposed to leave. - -A fish is easily enough cooked, if a person has fire; but in this case -there was none, and what was worse, no apparent means of producing it, -for their matches were left behind, and the wadding of their guns was -not of a kind to receive and hold fire from the powder. - -"Lend me your watch a minute," said Robert, on learning what was wanted. -"It is possible that I may obtain from it what you wish." - -Had Robert spoken of some chemical combination for producing fire, by -mixing sand and sea-water, Harold could scarcely have been more -surprised than by the proposal to obtain fire from his watch. He handed -it to his cousin with the simple remark, "Please don't hurt it," and -looked on with curiosity. Robert examined the convex surface of the -crystal, which being old fashioned, was almost the section of a sphere, -and said, - -"I think it will do." - -Then obtaining some dry, rotten wood from a decayed tree, he filled the -hollow part of the crystal with water, and setting it upon a support, -for the purpose of keeping the water perfectly steady, showed Harold -that the rays of the sun passing through this temporary lens, were -concentrated as by a sun-glass. The tinder smoked, and seemed almost -ready to ignite, but did not quite--the sun's rays were too much aslant -at that hour of the day, and the sky was moreover covered with a thin -film of mist. - -"It is a failure," said he, "but still there is another plan which I -have seen adopted--a spark of fire _squeezed from the air_ by suddenly -compressing it in a syringe. If we had a dry reed, the size of this gun -barrel, I would try it by using a tight plug of gun wadding as a -piston." - -But Robert had no opportunity for trying his philosophical experiment, -and being mortified by a second disappointment, as he probably would -have been, from the rudeness of the contrivance; for Harold's voice was -soon heard from the bank above, "I have it now!" and when Robert -approached he saw in his hand a white flint arrowhead. With this old -Indian relic he showered a plentiful supply of sparks upon the dry -touch-wood, until a rising smoke proclaimed that the fire had taken. - -During the time occupied by these experiments, and the subsequent -cookery, the thin mist in the sky had given place to several dark -rolling clouds, which promised ere long to give them a shower. The -promise was kept; for the boys had not proceeded half a mile before the -rain poured down in torrents. As there was no lightning, they sought -the shelter of a mossy tree, and for a season were so well protected -that they could not but admire their good fortune. But their admiration -did not last long; the rain soaked through the dense masses over head, -and fell in heavy drops upon their caps and shoulders. - -"This will never do," cried Harold. "Come with me, Robert, and I will -provide a shelter that we can trust." - -Putting upon their heads a thick covering of moss, which hung like a -cape as far down as their elbows, they ran to a fallen pine, and -loosened several pieces of its bark, as long and broad as they could -detach, then placing them upon their heads above the moss, marched back -to the tree, and had the pleasure of seeing the rain drip from their -bark shelters as from the eaves of a house. Robert was much pleased -with the expedient, and remarked, - -"I suppose this is another of old Torgah's notions." - -"O, no," replied Harold. "I have frequently seen it used by negroes in -the field, and by hunters in the woods. But there is another device of -a similar kind, which I will leave you to guess. I was riding once with -a rough backwoodsman across one of our Alabama prairies, when we were -overtaken by a severe hail-storm, that gave us an unmerciful pelting. -Now, how do you suppose he protected himself against the hailstones?" - -"Got under his horse," conjectured Robert. "I once saw a person -sheltering himself under his wagon." - -"He took the _saddle_ from his horse, and placed it upon his head. For -my own part, I preferred the pelting of the stones to the smell of the -saddle." - -The rain ceasing shortly after, they continued their walk to the old -encampment, which they visited for the purpose of ascertaining whether -there were any other signs of visitors. Everything was just as they had -left it, except that it had assumed a desolate and weather-beaten -aspect. Their flag was flying, and the paper, though wet, adhering to -the staff. At sea the weather looked foul, and the surf was rolling -angrily upon the shore. Resting themselves upon the root of the noble -old oak, and visiting the spring for a drink of cool water, they once -more turned their faces to the prairie. - -Whoever will travel extensively through our pine barrens, will see -tracts, varying in extent from a quarter of an acre to many hundreds of -acres, destroyed by the attacks of a worm. The path from the old -encampment led through a "deadening," as it is called, of this sort; in -which the trees, having been attacked some years before, were many of -them prostrate, and others standing only by sufferance of the winds. By -the time our travellers reached the middle of this dangerous tract, a -sudden squall came up from sea, and roared through the forest at a -terrible rate. They heard it from afar, and saw the distant limbs -bending, breaking, and interlocking, while all around them was a -wilderness of slender, brittle trunks, from which they had not time to -escape. Their situation was appalling. Death seemed almost inevitable. -But just as the crash commenced among the pines, a brilliant idea -occurred to the mind of Robert. - -"Here, Harold!" said he. "Run! run! run!" - -Suiting the action to the word, he threw himself flat beside a large -sound log that lay _across the course of the wind_, and crouched closely -beside its curvature; almost too closely, as he afterwards discovered. -Hardly had Harold time to follow his example, before an enormous tree -cracked, crashed, and came with a horrible roar, directly over the place -where they lay. The log by the side of which they had taken refuge, was -buried several inches in the ground; and when Robert tried to move, he -found that his coat had been caught by a projecting knot, and partly -buried. The tree which fell was broken into four parts; two of them -resting with their fractured ends butting each other on the log, while -their other ends rested at ten or twelve feet distance upon the earth. -For five minutes the winds roared, and the trees crashed around them; -and then the squall subsided as quickly as it had arisen. - -"That was awful," said Robert, rising and looking at the enormous tree, -from whose crushing fall they had been so happily protected. - -"It was, indeed," Harold responded; "and we owe our lives, under God, to -that happy thought of yours. Where did you obtain it?" - -Robert pointed to the other end of the log, and said, "There." A small -tree had fallen across it, and was broken, as the larger one had been. -"I saw that," said he, "just as the wind began to crash among these -pines, and thought that if we laid ourselves where we did, we should be -safe from everything, except straggling limbs, or flying splinters." - -"Really," said Harold, "at this rate you are likely to beat me in my own -province. I wonder I never thought of this plan before." - -"I had an adventure somewhat like this last year, only not a quarter so -bad," said Robert. "I was fishing with Frank, on a small stream, when a -whirlwind came roaring along, with such force as to break off limbs from -several of the trees. Afraid that we, and particularly Frank, who was -light, might be taken up and carried away, or else dashed against a tree -and seriously hurt, I made him grasp a sapling, by putting around it -both arms and legs, while I threw my own arms around him and it -together, to hold all tight. I was badly frightened at the noise and -near approach of the whirlwind, but for the life of me could not help -laughing at an act of Frank's. We had taken only a few small catfish -(which he called from their size, _kitten_-fish), and two of these being -the first he had ever caught, he of course thought much of them. When -the wind came nearest, and I called to him, 'Hold fast, Frank!' I saw -him lean his head to one side, looking first at the flying branches, -then at the string of fish, which the wind had slightly moved, and -deliberately letting go his hold of the tree, he grasped his prize, and -held to that with an air and manner, which said as plainly as an act -could say, 'If you get them, you must take me too.'" - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII - - -LAUNCHING THE BOATS--MORE WORK, AND YET MORE--ECLIPSE OF FEB. 12TH, -1831--HEALING BY "FIRST INTENTION"--FRANK'S BIRTHDAY--PREPARING FOR A -VOYAGE--RAIN, RAIN - - -The boats came on swimmingly. By the end of the second week of their -systematic labours they had not only been sufficiently excavated, but -the young shipwrights had trimmed down much of the exterior. They were -two and a half feet wide, by twenty inches deep, and eighteen feet long. -At this stage Robert supposed the work to be nearly done, but Sam shook -his head, and said, "Not half." The most laborious part of the work was -over, but so much more remained, in the way of paring, smoothing, -trimming, and bringing into proper shape, that it was full a fortnight -before they were considered fit for the water. - -They were ready for launching on the same day; and though Robert made -his announcement of the fact some hours in the advance of Harold, it was -agreed, that as Sam had been with him half a day more, the race should -be considered as even. The launching occupied four days. They were -distant from the water respectively an hundred and an hundred and fifty -paces. A thick forest was to be traversed. It was necessary to clear a -road, build bridges, and cut down the river bank. Robert's was launched -on February 1st, and Harold's on February 3d. On each occasion there -was a general rejoicing, and every person, not excepting Mary and Frank, -fired a salute. - -But on being launched the boats did not float to please them. One was -too heavy at the bows, the other leaned too much to one side. Several -days were spent in correcting these irregularities, and thus closed the -fifth week of their labour. - -Another week was spent in making the rudders and a pair of oars, and -fitting in the seats and masts. This caused them to make another voyage -to the wreck, for the purpose of obtaining planks, screws, and other -materials. They went, of course, in their boats, and had the pleasure -of seeing them behave admirably. They were steady, sat well on the -water, and obeyed the oars and helm almost as well as though they had -been built in a shipyard. - -There were two incidents worthy of note occurring about this time. One -was the discovery, made first by Frank, of an interesting astronomical -phenomenon. About a quarter before twelve o'clock he had gone to the -water bucket beside the door for a drink of water, when all at once Mary -heard him call out, - -"Run here, sister, run! The sun has turned into a moon!" - -He had looked into the water, and seeing the reflected image of the sun -like a half moon, sharply horned, had strained his eyes by looking up -until he ascertained that the sun itself was of the same shape. Mary, -who had witnessed an event of the kind before, perceived at a glance -that it was an eclipse. She therefore took a basin, and hurried with -Frank to the landing, to inform the others of the fact. - -"Look in the _water_, brother," said Frank, whose eyes were yet watery -from the severe trial he had given them. "You can't look at the sun -without crying." - -For a time, of course, no work was done; all were engaged in watching -the phenomenon. It was the great annular eclipse of February 12th, -1831, in which the sun appeared at many places like a narrow ring of -light around the dark body of the moon. To our young people there was -no ring. They were too far south. The sun appeared like the moon when -two days old, and the sky and earth were very gloomy. - -The other incident was in itself trivial, and would not be introduced -here but that the fact it illustrates is sometimes of real importance. -It was simply the healing of a wound by what is called "_first -intention_." Mary was engaged in some of her culinary duties, when, by -an unfortunate slip of her hand, the knife which she was using missed -its place, and sliced her finger. The piece was not cut _off_, but there -was a large gash, and it bled profusely. Her first act was to wash the -wound well in tepid water until the blood ceased to flow; then seeing -that all the clots were removed, she brought the lips of the wound -together, and kept them so by a bandage and a little case, like the -finger of a glove made fast to the wrist by a piece of tape. The wound -soon underwent a process similar to that of trees in grafting, only far -more rapid. By the next morning the lips began to adhere, and in the -course of three days the wound was healed--so rapidly will the flesh of -a healthy person recover from a cut if the conditions necessary to -"first intention" are observed, viz., that the parts be _brought quickly -together, and kept without disturbance_. - -The next week was spent in fitting up the sails and rigging, and -preparing the boats, so that in case of rough weather they could be -firmly lashed together. - -Their work was now done. They had been labouring steadily for a month -and a half, and were ready by Friday evening to pack up and start for -home. But they resolved to wait and sanctify the Sabbath. They needed -rest: they were jaded in every limb and muscle. Moreover, the next day -was Frank's birthday. Taking everything into consideration, they -preferred to spend that day in rest and rejoicing, partly in honour of -Frank, but more especially as a sort of thanksgiving for their -successful work. And as the voyage home promised to be long, and -perhaps perilous, they also determined that they would devote Monday to -trying their boats at sea, by an outward voyage round the island. - -After Frank had retired, the rest agreed upon the plans by which to make -the following day pleasant and profitable to him. - -"I," said Mary, "will make him a birth-day cake." - -"And I," said Robert, "will teach him how to shoot a bird." - -"And I," said Harold, "will teach him how to swim." - -"And I," said Sam, "will sing him a corn song." - -They went to bed and slept soundly. It is astonishing how habit can -reconcile us to our necessities! Had these young people been set down -by any accident, a few months before, in the midst of a lonely prairie, -surrounded by a wild forest, full of bears and panthers, afar from their -friends, and without any other protection than that which they had long -enjoyed, they would have been miserable. But they went to sleep that -night, not only free from painful apprehension, but happy--yes, actually -_happy_--when they knew that their nearest neighbours were treacherous -savages, and that they were surrounded nightly by fierce beasts, from -whose devouring jaws they had already escaped more than once, only by -the blessing of God upon brave hearts and steady hands. How came this -change? It was by cheerful habit. _The labours, dangers, and exposure -of men, had given them the hearts of men_. God bless the children! They -slept in the midst of that leafy forest as sweetly as though they were -at home, and the bright stars that rose by turns to measure out the -night, looked down like so many angel eyes, to watch the place of their -habitation. - -Mary and Frank were the first to awake in the morning. The others, -wearied by their long labours, and free from pressing responsibility, -abandoned themselves to a repose as sweet as it was needful. Frank -moved first, and his moving awaked Mary, who, on calling to mind the -nature of the day, and the resolutions of the night before, put her arms -affectionately round his neck, and said, "Good morning, Mr. -Eight-years-old; I wish you many pleasant birthdays." - -Frank put his arms round her neck, also, and kissed her; then both began -to dress. Wishing not to disturb the sleepers, they slipped softly from -the tent. Mary went first to the poultry-pen, which she opened. The -ducks quacked with pleasure at her approach, and she watched them as -they dodged through the narrow hole opened for their passage, and ran in -a long line with shaking tails and patting feet after the leading drake. -Then she raised the portcullis-like gate for the goats and deer; Nanny -bleated, no doubt intending to say "good morning," but the unmannerly -kid and fawn pranced away, mindful of nothing but their expected feast -of grass and leaves. - -While Mary was engaged with these, Frank went to look after his own -particular pets. She heard him at the back of Nanny's pen, where the -cubs were kept, calling out, "Come along, sir!" then he laughed -heartily, but a moment after his voice sounded impatiently, "Quit it, -you Pollux! quit it, sir!" then in a distressed tone, "Sister, sister, -come help me!" Mary ran to his assistance, yet she could scarce -restrain her risibles at the sight which greeted her eyes. Frank had -loosed the cord which confined the cubs, and was leading them out for -the purpose of a romp, when Pollux, who was a saucy fellow, and knew as -well as his young master what was intended, rose, with a playful growl, -upon his hind legs, and walking behind him, pinioned his arms close, and -began trying to throw him down. Frank was much pleased with what he -regarded as a cunning trick in his young scholar; but he soon found that -it was by no means pleasant to be hugged in that way by a bear. He -tried in vain to break loose, and when Mary came to his assistance, the -bear had thrown him down, with his face and nose in the dirt. Frank -rose, looking very much mortified, and more than half angry. - -"You ugly beast," he said to the bear, that seemed amazingly to enjoy -the joke, and was rising for another frolic. "Get out, sir. I have a -great mind to give you a beating." - -"O, no, Frank," said Mary, "don't be angry with your playmate. Remember -who taught him to wrestle, and remember besides that this is your -birthday." - -Frank's wrath instantly subsided, and jerking down Pollux by the cord, -he led both cubs back to the pen, where he secured them, and then washed -from his face the traces of his defeat. - -Sam had by this time come from his shed-room and made the fire for -breakfast, and Robert and Harold, awaked by Frank's call for help, -dressed themselves and made their appearance. They all wished Frank a -pleasant birthday, and hoped he might have as many as would be for his -good. - -"Now, Master Frank," said Harold, while they were sitting together, -"what would you have us do for you today? We are all your humble -servants, and ready to do whatever we can for your pleasure." - -"Then," said Frank, "the first thing I want you to do, is to carry me -right home to father and mother." - -"I wish we could, Buddy," said Robert; "but as we cannot do all that -today, you must try to think of something else." - -Frank could think of nothing. Robert suggested that he might spend part -of his birthday in learning to shoot. - -"But I can shoot now," he replied. "Sister and I have shot many times -already since we came to the island." - -"I mean," said Robert, "that you should learn to use a gun, so as to -kill whatever you wish." - -"O, yes," said Frank, "I should like that very much. For who knows but -some old bear or panther may come after sister or me yet, before we get -away." - -"O, as for bears," Robert maliciously remarked, "I think you will never -need a gun. I think you will always find a tree." - -Frank's face reddened as he returned, "I don't care if I did, sir. -Cousin Harold knows that I did exactly right. Didn't I, cousin?" - -"Pardon me, Frank," Robert implored, "I did not suppose that you felt so -sore about that climbing. I only said it to teaze you. I am sure I -should have done exactly as you did. But I can't help laughing to think -how your feet _twinkled_, as you climbed that tree." - -Robert well knew that this half apology would be satisfactory. Frank -prided himself on his nimbleness, being so lithe and active that his -playmates used to call him "squirrel." The allusion to his "twinkling" -feet restored him to good humour. - -"Now, Frank," said Robert, beginning his lecture with the gun in hand, -"the first lesson I wish to teach you is this, _never let the muzzle of -your gun point to yourself, or to any person_, and never allow any -person to point one towards you. A gun can never kill where it does not -point. Even when you are loading, or walking, be careful to hold it so, -that if it should go off it could hurt nothing." - -He then related several stories, illustrating the fact that almost all -accidents from guns are from careless handling. Frank was a prudent -child. He listened attentively, and then replied, - -"Brother Robert, I think I had better let the gun alone till I am older. -May be, if I begin so early, I shall shoot myself or somebody else." - -Robert was pleased with this mark of caution in his little brother, and -said, "Hold on to that, Frank, it is a remark worthy of your birthday, -and I trust that every return of this day will find you as wise in -proportion to your age." - -The further instructions intended for Frank that day, being of an -out-door character, were interrupted by a rain that commenced about nine -o'clock, and held on steadily all day. They employed themselves -leisurely in packing and preparing, first for the short voyage -contemplated on Monday, and also for the longer voyage home. During the -whole day the tent was strewed and confused with the various bags, -boxes, trunks, and kegs, intended to receive the articles to be carried. -They looked and felt like travellers on the eve of departure. About -sunset the rain ceased. The preparations being now complete, they came -together in the tent, and rested on the sofa. Sam was missing. He had -not been seen for half an hour, and now it was getting dark. Presently -they heard a voice ringing musically through the woods, in the direction -of the boat landing, "Join, oh, join, oh! Come, boys, we're all here! -Join, oh! join, oh!" Frank sprang to his feet, exclaiming, "That is a -corn song!" - -The music was very simple, and of the kind that may be termed -persuasive. It was the song usually sung by the negroes of one -plantation, when inviting those of the neighbourhood to join them in -their "corn-shuckings." This practice is much more common in the up -country of Georgia, where the corn crop is large, than on the seaboard, -where the principal attention is given to cotton. A corn-shucking -frolic among these light hearted people, is a scene worth witnessing; it -is always held at night, and concluded about midnight with a feast, and -is to the negro what a quilting party is to country people. - -When Frank heard the first stave of Sam's song, he recalled vividly the -merry scenes of the corn-shucking, and running towards the landing, met -him, and returned, holding him by the hand, and joining in the chorus. - -It was late ere they retired to rest. They began to realize a tender -nearness to the loved ones at home, such as they had not felt since -parting from them. They talked long and gratefully over past -deliverances and future hopes; then closed the evening as those should -who wish to find the Sabbath a day of blessing. - -The next morning dawned more dark and uncomfortable than the day -preceding. The whole sky was loaded with clouds, and the rain fell -every minute through the day. The young people probably would have -found their time pass away very dismally had it not been for the pious -vivacity of Harold, who laid himself out to make it agreeable. He -frankly avowed that one reason why he wished to have them unite with him -in spending the Sabbath aright, was his desire to succeed in the effort -to see their friends that week; and he referred for authority, to the -story told of Sir Matthew Hale, High Chancellor of England, who advised -that, if there were no higher motive, the Sabbath should be kept sacred -as a matter of _policy_; remarking that, for his own part, he could -almost foretell his success during the week to come, by the way he spent -the Sabbath. - -The others, influenced by a variety of considerations, united with him -in this effort, and the day passed off not only with pleasure, but with -profit. Robert had always thought in his heart that this story of Sir -Matthew Hale smacked strongly of superstition; but when he came to -reflect that if the Bible is true, of which he had no doubt, the God who -speaks to us now is the same who spoke to Moses, and who actually -prospered or hindered the children of Israel according to their -observance of the Sabbath, he changed his opinion so far as this--he -resolved for the present to adopt the advice of that great man, and then -to watch whether the same results were verified in his own case. And -although his reflections upon this point partook of the merely -philosophic character that, to some extent, marked the operations of his -mind, the course upon which he resolved had several good effects; it -made him realize more sensibly his practical relation to God, and caused -him to watch more closely the consequences resulting from the discharge -or neglect not only of this particular duty, but of duty in the general. -That resolution, apparently so trifling, and expressed to no one, -started him on a perfectly new track, and enabled him to learn, from his -own experience, that "_whoever will watch the providence of God, will -never lack a providence to watch_." - -On Monday the weather was worse than before. They did indeed go out, -well protected by thick boots, watercoats, and tarpaulin hats, to see -after their boats; but the day was so chilly, as well as wet, that their -most comfortable place was near the fire. Before sunset, however, the -rain ceased, the clouds rapidly dispersed, and when the sun flung his -last slanting beams across the earth, Robert pointed to Harold a red -spot upon a cloud, which spread so fast, that soon the whole western sky -was blazing with the promise of a fair morrow. With this expectation -they made every preparation, and went to bed. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - - -VOYAGE BOUND THE ISLAND--THE LOST BOAT--STRANGE SIGNALS -AGAIN--HURRICANE--NIGHT MARCH--HELPLESS VESSEL--MELANCHOLY FATE--THE -RESCUE--MAROONERS' HOSPITALITY--CONCLUSION - - -Tuesday morning dawned without a cloud. Before the stars had ceased -shining all hands were called to work, and by the time the sun peeped -over the eastern marsh, they pushed off from their landing, Harold and -Sam, with Mum, being in one boat, and Robert, Mary, and Frank, with -Fidelle, in the other. Rowing slowly down the river, against a light -wind from the south-east, the perfume of yellow jessamines (gelseminum -sempervirens), then in rich bloom, so loaded the air, that the young -people snuffed up the delicious odours, and looked lovingly at the green -island they were preparing to forsake. - -The voyage was made almost without incident. When they had passed out -to sea, the voyagers were rejoiced to find their boats behaving as well -upon the rough water as they had already done upon the smooth--they -danced joyously upon the gentle swell, as if congratulating their young -builders in the happy prospect of a successful voyage. The boys tried -the effect of lashing them together, and thus verified the expectation -of their safety; they rubbed and creaked a good deal, and moved less -rapidly than when separate, but they sat upon the water with a -steadiness which no ordinary commotion could disturb. - -Running the sea length of the island, and now bending their course for -the north river, Sam sang out, "A sail!" Far up the coast a faint white -speck appeared, glancing in the sunbeams, but it soon faded from sight, -and they concluded that either it was a distant sea gull, or else a -vessel passing to the north. They watched it with interest so long as -it was visible, and then turned into the river. Had they suspected what -that white thing was, and that instead of disappearing in the increasing -distance, it was only obscured by a little mist, as it approached, -beating against a head wind, they would have forsaken river, island, -tent, everything, and sailed joyfully to meet it. - -They reached the old encampment at one o'clock, having made the run of -twenty-six miles in six and a half hours. The boats behaved so well, -and the winds, sea, and sky were so inviting, that their only regret -was, that they had not put everything aboard and made a day's voyage -homewards. But doubtless, as Harold remarked, a kind Providence watched -over their path, and would prove its kindness even in this delay. - -Having taken a hasty survey of their old place of rest and of refuge, -and refreshed themselves at the spring, they resolved to divide their -company--Robert's boat to go direct to the orange landing, where it was -to be left, while the passengers went by land to the tent, and prepared -the provisions for next day; and Harold and Sam, in the meantime, to -continue up the river, and ascertain whether there was not an inland -passage round the island, shorter and easier than the route by sea. With -this understanding they sailed together to Duck Point, where Robert -turned into the Creek, and putting Mary at the helm, rowed until they -came to the orange landing, and there moored the boat beside the old -raft. They reached the tent long before sunset, and having completed the -necessary preparations about dark, began to wish for the return of the -others. Several times Robert went to the landing to look for them -before the daylight had entirely ceased; and after dark he went again by -the light of the moon, which, being half full, shed her light at this -time of the evening perpendicularly upon his path. He was becoming -uneasy, when afar off he heard the mellow sounds of a boat song; the -notes grew more and more distinct; the thump of the oars began to be -heard keeping time to the music; finally, the song ceased; a clatter was -heard as the oars were laid in the boat; and soon the whole company were -together once more, enjoying the last supper of which they expected to -partake on the island. - -"What kept you so long?" inquired Robert. "Was the distance great?" - -"No," replied Harold, with a look of pleasure; "we found the distance -only about six miles, but we were detained by missing our way, and more -especially by trying to be sure of a piece of very good news. I think -we have found the old boat." - -"Indeed!" said Robert, starting to his feet, with the keenness of his -delight. "Where? How?" - -"In the marsh, at the far bend of the river. I always thought it had -lodged somewhere in that direction, and therefore kept my eyes open at -every little creek and opening in the marsh. At last I saw, what I -cannot say positively is _our_ boat, but it is a boat of the same -colour, and having a stripe of white and black, like ours. We tried -until sunset to approach it, but did not succeed in getting any nearer -than at first; it is surrounded with soft mud, and a wilderness of -mangroves." - -This was certainly pleasant, though unprofitable, intelligence. There -was no prospect of their being able to extricate the boat, except by the -help of some uncommon tide; and its value, though considerable, was -nothing in comparison with the necessity for returning home. They -resolved not to wait for it; on the contrary, that they would transport -to the portage, by means of Harold's boat, the lading intended for -Robert's; then returning to the prairie, they would take in the second -load, and passing around by the new way, unite at Duck Point, and sail -thence for home. By rising early they were sure that they could leave -the island by eleven or twelve o'clock. - -While engaged in these plans for the morrow, Sam came in to say that he -was afraid the next day also would see them on the island, for never in -his life had he seen clouds gather so rapidly, or fly so fast. The -little company went out, and saw a multitude of low scudding clouds -passing with intense rapidity over the face of the moon. Suddenly each -one started, and looked inquisitively into the others' faces, for at -that moment the sound of a cannon, within five miles, came booming from -the coast. Robert and Mary turned red and pale by turns. Frank clapped -his hands, exclaiming, "It is father! O, I know it is father!" Harold -folded his arms--he had evidently acquired something of the composure of -the Indian. - -"Quick! quick! let us answer it!" cried Robert, and with the word darted -away to the tree where the cannon powder was kept. While he was gone -there came another report. They loaded expeditiously, and in a moment -afterwards the dark woods were illuminated with the flash, and the earth -shaken with the thundering discharge. - -"Now for a march to double quick time!" said Robert, his strong -excitement making him the leader of all that was done. "But, sister, -what shall we do with you and Frank? You cannot keep pace with us. You -had better stay here with Sam, while Harold and I push on to the coast, -and see who is there." - -"Had we not better fire our cannon once more!" suggested Harold. - -"Sam can do it," Robert answered. "Here, Sam, put in so much," showing -him the quantity, "and fire it until you are sure they hear you. But -what is that?" he continued, listening to a loud roar that came from the -coast, and increased like the accumulating rush of waters. - -"It is a hurricane," replied Harold. "There is no use in trying to go -now. Down with the tent pins! deep! deep! or we shall have our house -blown from above us." - -They hastened all to do what could be done for their immediate -protection; but there was little to be done. Gaining wisdom from their -former experience, they had driven down the pins as far as they could go -when the tent was pitched, and moreover had raised the floor and -trenched the premises. They could only make the upper canvas a little -more secure, and having done this, they entered the tent a few seconds -before the storm burst upon them. It was a terrible repetition of what -they had experienced four months before, when Sam was so nearly -destroyed. - -Mary and Frank were in deep distress. The earnest impetuosity of -Robert, combined with their own thoughts, had left in their minds no -doubt that the guns fired were from their father; and now, O what a -storm to meet him on his coming a second time to their truly enchanted -island! Frank cried as if his heart would break. Mary buried her face -in her hands, and prayed to Him who is mighty to deliver, even when the -winds and the waves overwhelm. - -Harold also was strongly convinced that the guns were from his uncle, -but he knew that this was only conjectural, and therefore he kindly -remarked in the hearing of the others. - -"You have no _certain_ reason, Robert, to believe that those guns are -from your father. But suppose that they are, then another thing is -true, he is in a vessel, for boats do not usually carry guns. They were -fired too before the storm came on; therefore they are not signals of -distress, and also they appear to have come from the river. Now, if the -person who fired them is in a vessel, and in the river, what is there to -fear? He cannot get away tonight, and he cannot probably be hurt by the -storm. Let us be quiet until morning, and then go out to see who it -is." - -These thoughts were very comforting. Mary and Frank ceased their -weeping, and united in the conversation. They all huddled together in -the middle of the tent. For hours the wind roared and howled with great -fury, but their tent was protected by the grand wall of forest trees -around, and also by the picket enclosure; and though the wind made the -canvas flutter, it could neither crush it down nor lift it from above -them. Nor did the rain which poured in torrents, and was driven with -great violence across the prairie, give them any particular -inconvenience; it was readily shed by the several thicknesses of canvas -overhead, and carried off by the drainage round the tent. - -In the course of an hour, Mary and Frank fell asleep upon the sofa, and -the others took such naps as they could obtain, while sitting in their -chairs, and listening to a roar of winds so loud, that if twenty cannons -had been fired at the river they could scarcely have been heard. - -About midnight the rain ceased, and the wind began sensibly to abate. -Puff after puff, and roar after roar, still succeeded each other through -the forest; but the fury of the storm was over. An hour before day, -Harold shook Robert by the shoulder, and said, "I think we can start -now. Come and see." - -The sky and woods were pitchy dark, little pools of water covered the -ground, and the prairie was rough with huge branches torn from the -trees, and conveyed to a distance. These were obstacles and -inconveniences, but not impediments; and as the wind had so far lulled -that it was possible for a torch to live, Robert decided to make a -trial. He waked Mary and Sam, and announcing his intention, said to -them: - -"We wish to reach the old encampment by the time there is light enough -to see over the river. If possible, we will return by eight o'clock, -and let you know all. If we are absent longer than that, you may -conclude that we have found something to do; and in that case, you had -better follow us. We shall, of course, be somewhere on the river; but -as we ourselves do not know where, you had better go direct to Duck -Point, from which you can see almost all the way to our old spring. Let -me have a piece of white cloth, sister; I will, if necessary, set up a -signal for you on the beach, to tell you where we are." - -Mary was exceedingly unwilling to have them depart. The darkness looked -horrible; their blind path must now be still more obscured by prostrate -trees and fallen branches; and if they succeeded in reaching the -intended place, they might be called to engage in she knew not what -dangerous enterprise upon water as boisterous as the sea. Quelling her -anxieties, however, in view of the necessities of the case, she said: - -"Go, but do take care of yourselves. Remember that you two are the only -protectors, except Sam, for Frank and me." - -The boys promised to run no unnecessary risks, and to return if possible -by the appointed hour. Taking their guns, the spy-glass, and a bundle -of rich splints of lightwood, they set out. Mary watched their figures -gradually diminishing under the illuminated arches of the forest. She -noticed the dark shadows of the trees turning upon their bases as -pivots, when the torch passed, until they all pointed towards the tent. -Then the light began to be intercepted; it was seen by fitful glares; it -ceased to be seen at all; its course was marked only by a faint -reflection from the tree-tops, or from the misty air; finally every -trace of the torch and of its reflection was lost to sight, and Mary -returned, with a sigh and a prayer, to her seat upon the sofa. - -The boys were compelled to watch very carefully the blazing upon the -trees, and what few signs of their path remained. There were no stars -to guide their course, and the marks upon the earth were so perfectly -obliterated by the storm, that several times they missed their way for a -few steps, and recovered it with the utmost difficulty. It is scarcely -possible for the best woodsman in the world, of a dark night, and after -a storm, to keep a course, or to regain it after it is lost. The boys -were extremely fortunate in being able to reach the river by the break -of day. - -Nothing yet was visible. The river and marsh looked like a dark abyss, -from which rolled hoarse and angry murmurs. They gathered some wet -fragments of pine left by them near the oak, and made a fire, beside -which they sat and talked. Was there any person in the river! Surely -it was time to hear some voice or gun, or to see some answering light. -They would have hallooed, but there was something oppressive and ominous -in the gloom of that storm-beaten solitude; and, for aught they knew, -their call might come only to the wet ears of the drowned and the dead. -They waited in painful and reverential silence. - -Gradually the dark rolling water became visible; then afar off appeared -black, solitary things, that proved to be the tops of mangroves, higher -than the rest, around which had gathered moss and dead twigs of the -marsh. When the light of day more fully developed the scene, they -descried, at the distance of two miles, an object which the glass -revealed to be a small vessel, of the pilot boat class, dismantled, and -on her beam ends. This sight filled them with apprehension. - -There was no person visible on the side or yards; was there any one -living within? The companion-way was closed. Possibly a gun might -cause the persons on board to give some sign of life. - -The boys made ready to shoot, but neither gun could be discharged. The -powder was wet. The only leak in the tent the night before had been -directly over the guns, and the rain had dripped into the barrels. It -was vain to attempt cleansing them for use; and if they succeeded in -producing a discharge, how could that help the persons on board? - -"No, no," said Robert, "what they want is our boat. Let us get that, and -go immediately to their rescue." - -Before leaving the bluff they planted conspicuously a small pole, in the -cleft top of which Robert slipped a piece of paper, on which was -written, "We have gone for our boat; you will see us as we pass. -Robert." - -When they arrived at the orange landing the boat was floating so far -from shore, that without swimming it could scarcely be reached. The -raft, however, to which it was moored, was nearer the bank, and Harold -managed, by climbing a slender sapling near the water's edge, and -throwing his weight upon the proper side, to bend it so that he could -drop upon the raft, and from that to enter the boat. It was ankle deep -with water, and there was no gourd nor even a paddle with which to bale -it. Robert's ingenuity devised a plan; he threw into the boat an armful -of moss, which soaked up the water like a sponge, and lifting this over -the gunwale, he squeezed it into the river. - -After a short delay they pushed from shore. To their delight, the tide -was so high that they could row over the marsh in a straight line for -the river, which was hardly a mile distant. On their way the sun burst -through a cloud, and appeared so high as to prove that the hour of eight -was already passed, and that Mary's company was probably on their way to -the point before them. The water in the river was dark and rough, from -the action of the neighbouring sea, but undisturbed by wind. On -reaching it they paused, and hallooed to know whether the party by land -had reached the point; hearing no answer, they resumed their oars, and -crossed to the other side of the river, where the water was more smooth. - -We will now leave them for awhile, and return to the company at the -tent. Mary reclined on the sofa, but could not sleep. The idea of her -father in danger, perhaps lost in his effort to rescue them, and -thoughts of the perilous night-march of the boys through a dense forest, -and then the nameless adventures into which her daring cousin and -excited brother might be tempted, haunted her mind until the grey light -of morning stole through the white canvas, and admonished her to rise. -Frank was fast asleep upon the sofa, covered with a cloak; and Sam's -snores sounded long and loud from his shed-room. On looking at the -watch, which Harold had left for her convenience, she found that it was -nearly seven o'clock; she did not know that when the sky is densely -covered by clouds, the dawn does not appear until the sun has nearly -reached the horizon. - -It was not long after this before a fire was made, and breakfast ready -for the explorers. Mary employed herself in every useful way she could -devise, until the slow minute hand measured the hour of eight; then -taking a hasty meal, they set out upon their march. Sam led the van -with a gun upon his shoulder, and a gourd of water in his hand. Mary -followed, carrying a basket of provision for the hungry boys, and Frank -went from one to the other, at will, or lagged behind to watch the -motions of the dogs, that looked thoughtful, as if aware that something -unusual was on hand. - -The ground was still quite wet, and they were compelled to pick their -way around little pools and puddles that lay in their path; but with -care they succeeded so well that they would have reached Duck Point in -advance of the boys, had it not been for a circumstance that interested -them much, while it filled them with gloom. - -Nearing the point, the dogs, that had hitherto followed very demurely -behind, pricked up their ears, and trotted briskly towards the water's -side. Sam noticed this, and remarked, "Dey after tukkey I 'speck, but -we a'n't got no time fo' tukkey now." Soon after, their attention was -arrested by hearing a cry from the dogs, which was neither a bark nor a -whine, but a note of distress made up of both. - -"Eh! eh!" said Sam. "Wat dem dog after now? Dah no cry for deer, nor -for tukkey, nor for squirrel. Missus, you and Mas Frank stay here one -minute, till I go see w'at dem dog about. I sho' dey got some'n -strange. Only harkee how dey talk!" - -Sam was in fact fearful that some sad accident had befallen Robert and -Harold, and that the dogs, having scented them by the light wind coming -down the river, had given utterance to this moan of distress. He -therefore walked with hurried steps in the direction from which the -sound proceeded, while Mary and Frank, unwilling to be left alone, -followed slowly behind him. He had not gained more than twenty paces the -advance, when they saw him stop--run a few steps forward--then stop -again, and lift up his hands with an exclamation of surprise. They -hurried to his side, and found him gazing, with looks of horror, into a -little strip of bushes that skirted the margin of the tide water. - -"What is the matter, Sam?" inquired Mary. - -"Look, Missus," he replied, pointing with his finger. "Enty[#] dat some -people drown dey in de ma'sh?" - - -[#] Is not that. - - -Mary and Frank looked, and saw what appeared to be in truth, the bodies -of two persons fast locked in each other's arms, and lodged upon the top -of a submerged mallow, which allowed them to sway back and forth with -the undulations of the water. Sam was hesitating what to do--for -negroes are almost universally superstitious about dead people. Mary -urged him on. - -"You will not leave them there, will you?" she inquired; "you will -surely draw them out, and see who they are. May be, too, they are not -dead. O, get them out, Sam, get them at once." - -Shamed out of his superstitious fear, Sam reluctantly obeyed the -injunction of his mistress. He waded carefully and timidly along, until -he could lay hold of the bodies, and drag them to shore. - -"W'ite man and nigger, Missus," he said, solemnly, as the movement -through the water revealed the pale features of the one, and the woolly -head of the other. "De w'ite man, I dun-know[#] who he is, he look like -sailor; and de nigger--" He had now drawn them ashore, and examined -their features. It would have made any one's heart sad to hear the -groan that came from the poor fellow, when he had looked steadily into -the face of the dead man. He staggered, fell on his knees in the water, -embraced the wet body, and kissed it. - - -[#] Dun-know, don't know. - - -"O my Missus," he cried, "it is Peter! my own brudder Peter! De only -brudder I got in dis wide wull. O Peter--Peter!" and he wept like a -child. - -"Draw them out, Sam," said Mary, energetically; "draw them on high -ground, and let us rub them as we rubbed you. There may be life in them -yet." - -"No, Missus," he replied, pulling the bodies higher ashore. "No life -here. He cold--he stiff--he dead. O Peter, my brudder, I glad to meet -you once mo'. Huddee[#] Peter! Huddee boy!" The poor fellow actually -shook hands with the corpse, and poured out afresh his unaffected -sorrows. - - -[#] Howdye. - - -As soon as the bodies were drawn sufficiently from the water, Mary -proceeded to examine them. The face of the white man was unknown to -her, he appeared to have been a respectable sailor. He and Peter were -evidently stiff dead. She was so certain they were beyond all hope of -recovery, that she did not even require their clothes to be unloosed, or -any means to be used for their restoration. She waited on the mourning -brother until the first burst of his grief was over, then she and Frank -aided him to make a sort of brush wood fence around the bodies, to -protect them until something could be done for their interment. - -It was while they were engaged in this last duty that Robert and Harold -passed the point. Their halloo might, under ordinary circumstances, -have been heard; but with their own occupation of mind, the rustle of -bushes dragged along, and the roar of the distant surf, the voices of -the boatmen sounded in vain. - -From the point the boys proceeded, it was said, to the other side of the -river, to escape the waves that dashed heavily against the island. The -whole marsh, from bluff to bluff, was one flood of water, with the -exception of patches of the more luxuriant herbage that peered above the -rolling surface. The mangroves, though generally immersed, broke so -completely the violence of the waves, that the water above and around -them, was comparatively smooth, while in the channel of the river it was -too rough for safety. - -Picking their way over the tops of the low bushes, and around the -branching summits of the taller, the boys rowed steadily towards the -unfortunate vessel. They had gone not quite half a mile from shore, -when they heard a gun, and looking back, they saw Mary's company -beckoning to them. It was too late to return, without great sacrifice -of time; and Robert pointed with one hand to the distant vessel, and -with the other to the place of the old encampment. These signs were -understood; the company on shore, after looking steadily at the distant -object on the water, disappeared in the woods, and afterwards -re-appeared above the old spring. - -The labour of rowing increased as the boat proceeded. The passage -through the marsh became more intricate, and the swell from sea began to -be more sensibly felt through the irregular openings. But with the -increase of difficulties came also an increase of energy, as they -approached the vessel. They were now about a quarter of a mile distant. -Their hands were sore, and their limbs weary with rowing. They tried -not to exert themselves any more vigorously than before, lest they -should utterly exhaust their strength, but they nevertheless observed, -that as they neared the vessel, their boat did somehow move more rapidly -through the water, and crowd with greater skill through the narrow -opening. - -As the young boatmen came within hail they would have called, had they -not been restrained by the same ominous feeling which they experienced -on the beach. With beating hearts they rowed silently around the bow of -the vessel. The waves dashed heavily against it, and came up the -inclined deck, oftentimes higher than the companion-way. They moored -the boat to the broken mast, and then clambering along the pile of -sea-weed and mangroves, which the vessel had collected in drifting, came -at last to the cabin door. Robert could not say one word; his heart had -risen into his mouth, and he felt almost ready to faint. - -"Hallo!" cried Harold, his own voice husky with emotion. "Is anybody -within?" - -"Thank God!" responded a voice near the cabin door. It was a female -voice, and its familiar tones thrilled to Harold's very soul. "Yes, -yes, there are three of us here. Who is that calling?" - -"Harold," he answered, "Harold Mc----." The name was not finished. He -reeled as he spoke, and leaned pale as a sheet against the -companion-way. That voice was not to be mistaken, little as he expected -to hear it on that dark river. It was the voice first known to him, and -first loved of all earthly voices. He tried again to answer; it was in -vain. He groaned in very anguish of joy, and the big tears rolled down -his face. Robert answered for him. - -"Harold McIntosh and Robert Gordon. Who is in here?" - -The voice from within did not reply. It seemed as if the person to whom -it belonged was also overcome by emotion; for soon after they heard her -speak tremulously, - -"Brother! Sister! Thank God--our boys--are here!" - -Robert did not recognize the voice of his aunt, nor did he understand -the speechless look which his cousin turned upon him, until after two or -three violent sobs, Harold replied to his inquiring look, "My mother! -Robert, mother!" - -Hearing the exclamation from within, Robert had now recovered from his -own torture of suspense, and leaned down to the cabin-door in time to -hear the manly voice of Dr. Gordon, asking in tones that showed he too -was struggling to command himself, - -"My children, are you all well?" - -"Yes, father, all well," Robert replied. He wished to ask also, "Is -mother here?" but his voice again failed; he fell upon the leaning door, -and gave vent to a passionate flood of tears. While leaning there he -heard his aunt call out, "Come, help me, brother. She has fainted." -But that answer was enough; his mother was there. - -The boys tried in vain to open the door; it was secured on the inside, -and it was not until after some delay that Dr. Gordon removed not only -the bolt, but various appliances that he had used to keep the water from -dripping into his sister's berth, and gave each a hearty shake of the -hand as they leaned sideways to enter the door, and clambered in the -dark cabin. Dark, however, as that cabin was, and insecure as was the -footing of the boys, it was not long before each was locked in his -mother's arms. - -Mrs. Gordon was very feeble, and her face much emaciated with suffering. -She said little more at first than to ask after Mary and Frank. This -silence alarmed Robert; he knew that joy is usually loquacious, and he -heard his aunt talking very earnestly with Harold; but he forgot that -his mother was just recovering from a swoon, and that extreme joy -expresses itself differently in different persons. His father, seeing -him look anxiously into her pale, thin face, remarked, "She will recover -fast enough, now. The only medicine she needed was to meet you all." - -"O, yes," she too observed. "Give me now my dear Mary and Frank, and I -think I shall soon get well." - -"We can give them to you in an hour, if you are able to bear removal," -said Robert. "Is she able, father?" - -"Yes, yes, able enough," his father answered. "And, I presume, we had -better go, before the tide recedes, or we may be caught in the marsh. -Come, let us load without delay." - -They removed the trunks, and other things needful, to the boat; the boys -relating all the while to their delighted parents what a beautiful -prairie home they had, and how well it was stocked with every comfort. -"Everything," said Robert, "except father and mother; and now we are -taking them there." - -The boat was brought close to the vessel's side, and held there firmly -by Dr. Gordon, while the ladies were assisted by the boys. And with -what pride those mothers leaned upon those brave and manly sons--grown -far more manly since their exile--may be imagined, but can not be -described. Mrs. Gordon recovered her vivacity, and a great portion of -her strength, before she left the cabin. Joy had inspired her heart, and -energized her muscles. Mrs. McIntosh also seemed to grow happier every -moment, as she discovered the mental and moral developments of her son. -Dr. Gordon, having carefully closed the companion-way, took the helm, -and the boys the oars, while the mothers, with their faces towards the -bow, looked with eyes of love and admiration upon the young labourers, -who were requiting life for life, and love for love, what had been -bestowed on them in their infancy. - -As they were passing through the marsh, Mrs. Gordon spied several human -figures on a distant bluff. They were exceedingly small, but distinctly -marked against the sky. - -"Can they be my dear little Mary and Frank?" she asked. - -The boys replied that they were, and she waved her white handkerchief to -them, in the hope of attracting their attention. - -The water was still so rough in the channel, that, anxious as the -parents were to embrace their long-lost children, Dr. Gordon decided -that instead of attempting the passage directly across, in their heavily -loaded skiff, they must continue up the river, through the irregular -openings of the marsh. - -They came at last near enough to be discovered by Mary and Frank, who, -seeing the boat load of passengers going up the river, needed no -invitation to meet them at Duck Point. The two companies reached the -beach about the same time. Frank rushed right through the water, and -sprang into his mother's lap; Mary was lifted into the boat by Robert, -who waded back and forth to bring her; and Sam, though he was saddened -by the melancholy fate of his brother, came with open lips and shining -teeth, to shake hands with Mossa and Missus, as soon as the children -gave him an opportunity. - -Here they stopped long enough to allow the hungry boys to refresh -themselves from Mary's basket of provisions, and Sam's gourd of water. -They were almost ravenous. Dr. Gordon then went with Robert overland, -to bring the other boat from the prairie to the portage, while Harold -and Sam conducted the company by water to the orange landing. From this -latter place Mrs. McIntosh preferred to walk alone with her son to the -tent, leaving the others to descend the river. - -During this part of the voyage, Dr. Gordon first learnt with certainty -the fate of Peter and the sailor. As soon therefore as Mrs. Gordon had -landed, he left Robert to support her to the tent, and re-entering the -boat with Sam, went to rescue the bodies from their exposure, and to -prepare them for a decent burial. It was late in the afternoon when -they returned; and, as the best they could do with the dead bodies, they -left them all night in the boat, covered with a sail, and pushed a -little distance from the land. - -The young housekeepers laid themselves out to entertain their welcome -guests. Mary provided them with an early and delightful supper, which -was highly seasoned with love and good will. Mrs. Gordon and Mrs. -McIntosh reclined on Mary's sofa, the others gathered round to complete -the circle, and the young people gave snatches of their eventful -history. It was late before any one thought of retiring. Then Dr. -Gordon called for a copy of the Scriptures. He talked of their -separation, their sorrows, dangers, escapes, and now of their joyful -reunion. After that, he read the ninety-first Psalm, which speaks of -the protection that God promises to His people, and kneeling down, he -offered their united thanksgiving for all the past, and their united -prayer that the Lord would be their God, and make them His loving, -grateful people. When they arose from their knees, every eye was wet -with the tears of gratitude and joy. - -The sleeping arrangements for the night were hasty and scant. Mary lay -between her mother and aunt, for whom two of the narrow mattresses of -the vessel had been placed side by side, and covered with the bear-skin. -Frank nestled into the bosom of his father, and close beside him on -another mattress lay Robert. Harold had chosen the sofa. After the -labours and disturbances of the past twenty-four hours, sleep came -without invitation. The moon and stars shone brilliantly overhead, the -air was uncommonly pure, as if washed clean by the preceding rain, and -the leafy forest, which had so often enclosed in its bosom the young but -hopeful exiles, now murmured all night its soft blessings upon a -reunited family. - - * * * * * - -Having extended this history far beyond the limits originally intended, -it is time to close with a few hurried words. - -Poor Peter was buried the next night by torchlight, according to the -romantic custom prevalent among the negroes. Locked indissolubly in -each other's arms, he and the sailor were laid in the same grave, and a -double head and foot-board was sunk to mark the spot. - -After much labour, and many dangers and delays (to recount which would -require almost another volume), they raised and launched their little -vessel, recovered the sail boat, provided suitably for their brute pets, -sailed from the Island of Refuge and arrived safely at Bellevue, where -they had been long expected, and almost given up for lost. - -Before they left, the health of Mrs. Gordon was rapidly and almost -perfectly restored. Fed from her children's stores, drinking from their -tupelo spring, and regaled in every sense by the varied productions of -that land of enchantment, but more especially charmed by her children's -love there was nothing more for her to desire, except the presence of -the dear ones left behind. - -The joy of beginning their return to Bellevue was, however, strangely -dashed with sorrow, at parting from scenes tenderly endeared by a -thousand associations. As they passed down the river, a gentle gale -came from the woods, loaded with the perfume of flowers. Harold pointed -to his mother the tall magnolia on the river bank, which had been to him -a Bethel (Gen. xviii. 16-19); it was now in bloom, and two magnificent -flowers, almost a foot in diameter, set like a pair of brilliant eyes -near the top, looked kindly upon him, and seemed to watch him until he -had passed out of sight. The live oak, under whose immense shade their -tent had been first pitched, was the last tree they passed; a nonpareil, -hidden in the branches, sat whistling plaintively to its mate; a mocking -bird was on the topmost bough, singing with all its might a song of -endless variety; and underneath a herd of shy, peeping deer had -collected, and looked inquisitively at the objects moving upon the -water. It seemed to the young people as if the whole island had centred -itself upon that bluff, to reproach them with ingratitude, and protest -against their departure. But their resolution could not now be changed; -the prow of their vessel held on its way. _The Marooning Party was -Over_. - - - - - THE END - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE YOUNG MAROONERS ON THE -FLORIDA COAST *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42066 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. 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