place! Loop-holes. The weak spot willbe the edge of the cliff up there. If we put a fire there people maysee it--savages--and find us."
"That won't do."
"No: we must fortify the edge somehow, stakes with nails for one thing.Perhaps a train of gunpowder!"
"Ah, yes. Lucky we've got plenty to eat. It won't be nice not to havethe gun loaded. I mean while loading the thing might come."
"We've got plenty to eat."
"And I wanted a lot of shooting to-day," said Mark.
"All that's spoiled."
"Quite spoiled."
Yesterday they had become intoxicated with the savage joy of killing,the savage's cruel but wild and abandoned and unutterable joy: they hadplanned slaughter for to-day. To-day they were themselves environedwith deadly peril. This is the opposite side of wild life: the foresttakes its revenge by filling the mind with ceaseless anxiety.
"The sun!" said Bevis with pleasure as the rays fell aslant into theopen shed. The sun had been above the horizon some little while but hadbeen concealed by the clouds and thick vapour. Now that the full brightlight of day was come there seemed no need of such intense watchfulness.It was hardly likely that they would be attacked in their stockade inbroad daylight; the boldest beasts of prey would not do that unlessdriven very hard by hunger.
But when they began to prepare the breakfast, there was no water to fillthe kettle: Mark generally went down to the shore for water everymorning. Although they had no formal arrangement, in practice it hadgradually come about that one did one thing and one another: Mark gotthe water, Bevis cut up wood for the fire. Mark had usually gone withthe zinc bucket, whistling down to the strand merry enough. Now he tookup the bucket, but hesitated.
"I'll come," said Bevis. "One can't go alone anywhere now."
"The other must always have the matchlock ready."
"Always," said Bevis, "and keep a sharp lookout all round while one doesthe things. Why the gun is only loaded with shot, now I remember!"
"No more it is: how lucky It did not jump over! Shot would have been ofno use."
"I'll shoot it off," said Bevis--"our ramrod won't draw a charge--andload again."
"Yes, do."
Bevis fired the charge in the air, and they heard the pellets presentlyfalling like hail among the trees outside. Then he loaded again withball, blew the match, and looked to the priming; Mark took the axe inone hand and the bucket in the other, and they unlocked the gate.
"We ought to be able to lock it behind us," he said.
"We'll put in another staple presently," said Bevis. "Step carefully tosee if there are any marks on the ground."
They examined the surface attentively, but could distinguish nofootprints: then they went to the fence where the creature had sprungagainst it. The arrow projected, and near it, on close investigation,they saw that a piece of the bark of the interwoven willow had been tornoff as if by a claw. But look as intently as they would they could nottrace it further on such ground, the thin grass and sand would not takean imprint.
"Pads," said Bevis, "else there would have been spoor."
"Tiger, or panther then: we must take care," said Mark. "Pan's allright now, look."
Pan trotted on before them along the well-known path to the shore,swinging his tail and unconcerned. As they walked they kept a watch inevery direction, up in the trees, behind the bushes, where the surfacewas hollow, and avoided the fern. When Mark had dipped, they returnedin the same manner, walking slowly and constantly on the alert.
Volume Three, Chapter XI.
NEW FORMOSA--THE FORTIFICATION.
Entering the stockade, they locked the gate behind them, a thing theyhad never done before in daylight, that they might not be surprised.After breakfast Bevis began to file off the heads of the nails, whichwas slow work, and when he had done five or six, he thought it would behandier to drive them into the posts first, and file them offafterwards, as they could both work then instead of only one. They hadbut one vice to hold the nail and only one could use it at a time. Sothe nails, the longest and largest they had, were driven into the stakesof the stockade about a foot apart--as near as the stakes stood to eachother--and thus, not without much weariness of wrist, for filing istedious, they cut off the heads and sharpened them.
Had these spikes been nearer together it would have been better, butthat they could not manage; the willow-work split if a large nail wasdriven into it. Next they got together materials for barricading thedoor of the hut, or rather the open shed in front of it. To cut thesethey had to go outside, and Mark watched with the matchlock while Bevischopped.
Poles were nailed across the open sides from upright to upright, notmore than six inches asunder right up to the beam on two sides. Thisallowed plenty of space to shoot through, but nothing of any size couldspring in. On the third, the poles were nailed across up to three feethigh, and the rest prepared and left ready to be lashed in position withcords the last thing at night.
When these were put up there would be a complete cage from within whichthey could fire or shoot arrows, and be safe from the spring of thebeast. Lastly, they went up on the cliff to see what could be donethere. The sand was very hard, so that to drive in stakes the wholelength of the cliff edge would have taken a day, if not two days.
They decided to put up some just above the hut so as to prevent thecreature leaping on to the roof, and perhaps tearing a way through it.Bevis held the matchlock this time and watched while Mark hewed out thestakes, taking the labour and the watching in turn. With much trouble,these were driven home and sharpened nails put at the top, so that thebeast approaching from behind would have to leap over these beforedescending the perpendicular cliff on to the hut. The fortification wasnow complete, and they sat down to think if there was anything else.
"One thing," said Mark, "we will take care and fill the kettle and thebucket with water this evening before we go to sleep. Suppose the thingcame and stopped just outside and wouldn't go away?"
"Besieged us--yes, that would be awkward; we will fill all the pots andthings with water, and get in plenty of wood for the fires. Howuncomfortable it is without our bath!"
"I feel horrid."
"I _must_ have a bath," said Bevis. "I _will_ have a swim."
"We can watch in turn, but if the panther sees any one stripped it'smore likely to try and seize him."
"Yes, that's true: I know! Suppose we go out on the raft!"
"Right away."
"Out to Pearl Island and swim there: there are no sedges there."
"Hurrah! If he comes we should see him a long way first."
"Of course, and keep the gun ready."
"Come on."
"First drive in the staple to lock the gate outside."
This was done, and then they went down to the raft, moving cautiouslyand examining every likely place for the beast to lie in ambush beforepassing. The raft was poled round and out to Pearl Island, on which nosedges grew, nor were there any within seventy or eighty yards. Nothingcould approach without being seen.
Yet, when they stood on the brim ready to go into the water the sense ofdefencelessness was almost overpowering. The gun was at hand, and thematch burning, the axe could be snatched up in a moment, the bow wasstrung and the sharp arrows by it.
But without their clothes they felt defenceless. The human skin offersno resistance to thorn or claw or tusk. There is nothing between us andthe enemy, no armour of hide, his tusk can go straight to our lives atonce. Standing on the brink they felt the heat of the sun on the skin:if it could not bear even the sunbeams, how could so sensitive anddelicate a covering endure the tiger's claw?
"It won't do," said Mark. "No."
"Suppose you watch while I swim, and then you swim and I watch?"
"That will be better."
Bevis stopped on board the raft, threw his coat loosely round hisshoulders,--for the sun, if he kept still, would otherwise redden andblister, and cause the skin to peel,--and then took up
the matchlock.So soon as Mark saw he had the gun ready, he ran in, for it was tooshallow to plunge, and then swam round the raft keeping close to it.When he had had his bath, he threw the towel round his shoulders toprotect himself from the heat as Bevis had with his coat and took thegun. Bevis had his swim, and then they dressed.
Poling the raft back to the island, they observed the same precautionsin going through the trees to the hut. Once Mark fancied there wassomething in the fern, but Pan innocently ran there before they couldcall to him, and as nothing moved they went to the spot, and found thattwo fronds had turned yellow and looked at a distance a little like thetawny coat of an animal. Except under excitement and not in a state ofterrorism they
Bevis: The Story of a Boy Page 82
