The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER VI.

  An excursion into the interior, in which we make many valuable andinteresting discoveries--We get a dreadful fright--The bread-fruittree--Wonderful peculiarity of some of the fruit trees--Signs of formerinhabitants.

  Our first care, after breakfast, was to place the few articles wepossessed in the crevice of a rock at the farther end of a small cavewhich we discovered near our encampment. This cave, we hoped, might beuseful to us afterwards as a store-house. Then we cut two large clubsoff a species of very hard tree which grew near at hand. One of thesewas given to Peterkin, the other to me, and Jack armed himself with theaxe. We took these precautions because we purposed to make an excursionto the top of the mountains of the interior, in order to obtain a betterview of our island. Of course we knew not what dangers might befall usby the way, so thought it best to be prepared.

  Having completed our arrangements and carefully extinguished our fire, wesallied forth and walked a short distance along the sea-beach, till wecame to the entrance of a valley, through which flowed the rivulet beforementioned. Here we turned our backs on the sea and struck into theinterior.

  The prospect that burst upon our view on entering the valley was trulysplendid. On either side of us there was a gentle rise in the land,which thus formed two ridges about a mile apart on each side of thevalley. These ridges,--which, as well as the low grounds between them,were covered with trees and shrubs of the most luxuriant kind--continuedto recede inland for about two miles, when they joined the foot of asmall mountain. This hill rose rather abruptly from the head of thevalley, and was likewise entirely covered even to the top with trees,except on one particular spot near the left shoulder, where was a bareand rocky place of a broken and savage character. Beyond this hill wecould not see, and we therefore directed our course up the banks of therivulet towards the foot of it, intending to climb to the top, shouldthat be possible, as, indeed, we had no doubt it was.

  Jack, being the wisest and boldest among us, took the lead, carrying theaxe on his shoulder. Peterkin, with his enormous club, came second, ashe said he should like to be in a position to defend me if any dangershould threaten. I brought up the rear, but, having been more taken upwith the wonderful and curious things I saw at starting than withthoughts of possible danger, I had very foolishly left my club behind me.Although, as I have said the trees and bushes were very luxuriant, theywere not so thickly crowded together as to hinder our progress amongthem. We were able to wind in and out, and to follow the banks of thestream quite easily, although, it is true, the height and thickness ofthe foliage prevented us from seeing far ahead. But sometimes a jutting-out rock on the hill sides afforded us a position whence we could enjoythe romantic view and mark our progress towards the foot of the hill. Iwag particularly struck, during the walk, with the richness of theundergrowth in most places, and recognised many berries and plants thatresembled those of my native land, especially a tall, elegantly-formedfern, which emitted an agreeable perfume. There were several kinds offlowers, too, but I did not see so many of these as I should haveexpected in such a climate. We also saw a great variety of small birdsof bright plumage, and many paroquets similar to the one that awokePeterkin so rudely in the morning.

  Thus we advanced to the foot of the hill without encountering anything toalarm us, except, indeed, once, when we were passing close under a partof the hill which was hidden from our view by the broad leaves of thebanana trees, which grew in great luxuriance in that part. Jack was justpreparing to force his way through this thicket, when we were startledand arrested by a strange pattering or rumbling sound, which appeared tous quite different from any of the sounds we had heard during theprevious part of our walk.

  "Hallo!" cried Peterkin, stopping short and grasping his club with bothhands, "what's that?"

  Neither of us replied; but Jack seized his axe in his right hand, whilewith the other he pushed aside the broad leaves and endeavoured to peeramongst them.

  "I can see nothing," he said, after a short pause.

  "I think it--"

  Again the rumbling sound came, louder than before, and we all sprang backand stood on the defensive. For myself, having forgotten my club, andnot having taken the precaution to cut another, I buttoned my jacket,doubled my fists, and threw myself into a boxing attitude. I must say,however, that I felt somewhat uneasy; and my companions afterwardsconfessed that their thoughts at this moment had been instantly filledwith all they had ever heard or read of wild beasts and savages,torturings at the stake, roastings alive, and such like horrible things.Suddenly the pattering noise increased with tenfold violence. It wasfollowed by a fearful crash among the bushes, which was rapidly repeated,as if some gigantic animal were bounding towards us. In another momentan enormous rock came crashing through the shrubbery, followed by a cloudof dust and small stones, flew close past the spot where we stood,carrying bushes and young trees along with it.

  "Pooh! is that all?" exclaimed Peterkin, wiping the perspiration off hisforehead. "Why, I thought it was all the wild men and beasts in theSouth Sea Islands galloping on in one grand charge to sweep us off theface of the earth, instead of a mere stone tumbling down the mountainside."

  "Nevertheless," remarked Jack, "if that same stone had hit any of us, itwould have rendered the charge you speak of quite unnecessary, Peterkin."

  This was true, and I felt very thankful for our escape. On examining thespot more narrowly, we found that it lay close to the foot of a veryrugged precipice, from which stones of various sizes were always tumblingat intervals. Indeed, the numerous fragments lying scattered all aroundmight have suggested the cause of the sound, had we not been too suddenlyalarmed to think of anything.

  We now resumed our journey, resolving that, in our future excursions intothe interior, we would be careful to avoid this dangerous precipice.

  Soon afterwards we arrived at the foot of the hill and prepared to ascendit. Here Jack made a discovery which caused us all very great joy. Thiswas a tree of a remarkably beautiful appearance, which Jack confidentlydeclared to be the celebrated bread-fruit tree.

  "Is it celebrated?" inquired Peterkin, with a look of great simplicity.

  "It is," replied Jack

  "That's odd, now," rejoined Peterkin; "never heard of it before."

  "Then it's not so celebrated as I thought it was," returned Jack, quietlysqueezing Peterkin's hat over his eyes; "but listen, you ignorant boobie!and hear of it now."

  Peterkin re-adjusted his hat, and was soon listening with as muchinterest as myself, while Jack told us that this tree is one of the mostvaluable in the islands of the south; that it bears two, sometimes three,crops of fruit in the year; that the fruit is very like wheaten bread inappearance, and that it constitutes the principal food of many of theislanders.

  "So," said Peterkin, "we seem to have everything ready prepared to ourhands in this wonderful island,--lemonade ready bottled in nuts, and loaf-bread growing on the trees!"

  Peterkin, as usual, was jesting; nevertheless, it is a curious fact thathe spoke almost the literal truth. "Moreover," continued Jack, "thebread-fruit tree affords a capital gum, which serves the natives forpitching their canoes; the bark of the young branches is made by theminto cloth; and of the wood, which is durable and of a good colour, theybuild their houses. So you see, lads, that we have no lack of materialhere to make us comfortable, if we are only clever enough to use it."

  "But are you sure that that's it?" asked Peterkin.

  "Quite sure," replied Jack; "for I was particularly interested in theaccount I once read of it, and I remember the description well. I amsorry, however, that I have forgotten the descriptions of many othertrees which I am sure we have seen to-day, if we could but recognisethem. So you see, Peterkin, I'm not up to everything yet."

  "Never mind, Jack," said Peterkin, with a grave, patronizing expressionof countenance, patting his tall companion on the shoulder,--"never mind,Jack; you know a good deal for your age. You're a clever boy, sir,--ap
romising young man; and if you only go on as you have begun, sir, youwill--"

  The end of this speech was suddenly cut short by Jack tripping upPeterkin's heels and tumbling him into a mass of thick shrubs, where,finding himself comfortable, he lay still basking in the sunshine, whileJack and I examined the bread-tree.

  We were much struck with the deep, rich green colour of its broad leaves,which were twelve or eighteen inches long, deeply indented, and of aglossy smoothness, like the laurel. The fruit, with which it was loaded,was nearly round, and appeared to be about six inches in diameter, with arough rind, marked with lozenge-shaped divisions. It was of variouscolours, from light pea-green to brown and rich yellow. Jack said thatthe yellow was the ripe fruit. We afterwards found that most of thefruit-trees on the island were evergreens, and that we might, when wewished, pluck the blossom and the ripe fruit from the same tree. Such awonderful difference from the trees of our own country surprised us not alittle. The bark of the tree was rough and light-coloured; the trunk wasabout two feet in diameter, and it appeared to be twenty feet high, beingquite destitute of branches up to that height, where it branched off intoa beautiful and umbrageous head. We noticed that the fruit hung inclusters of twos and threes on the branches; but as we were anxious toget to the top of the hill, we refrained from attempting to pluck any atthat time.

  Our hearts were now very much cheered by our good fortune, and it waswith light and active steps that we clambered up the steep sides of thehill. On reaching the summit, a new, and if possible a grander, prospectmet our gaze. We found that this was not the highest part of the island,but that another hill lay beyond, with a wide valley between it and theone on which we stood. This valley, like the first, was also full ofrich trees, some dark and some light green, some heavy and thick infoliage, and others light, feathery, and graceful, while the beautifulblossoms on many of them threw a sort of rainbow tint over all, and gaveto the valley the appearance of a garden of flowers. Among these werecognised many of the bread-fruit trees, laden with yellow fruit, andalso a great many cocoa-nut palms. After gazing our fill we pushed downthe hill side, crossed the valley, and soon began to ascend the secondmountain. It was clothed with trees nearly to the top, but the summitwas bare, and in some places broken.

  While on our way up we came to an object which filled us with muchinterest. This was the stump of a tree that had evidently been cut downwith an axe! So, then, we were not the first who had viewed thisbeautiful isle. The hand of man had been at work there before us. Itnow began to recur to us again that perhaps the island was inhabited,although we had not seen any traces of man until now; but a second glanceat the stump convinced us that we had not more reason to think so nowthan formerly; for the surface of the wood was quite decayed, and partlycovered with fungus and green matter, so that it must have been cut manyyears ago.

  "Perhaps," said Peterkin, "some ship or other has touched here long agofor wood, and only taken one tree."

  We did not think this likely, however, because, in such circumstances,the crew of a ship would cut wood of small size, and near the shore,whereas this was a large tree and stood near the top of the mountain. Infact it was the highest large tree on the mountain, all above it beingwood of very recent growth.

  "I can't understand it," said Jack, scratching the surface of the stumpwith his axe. "I can only suppose that the savages have been here andcut it for some purpose known only to themselves. But, hallo! what havewe here?"

  As he spoke, Jack began carefully to scrape away the moss and fungus fromthe stump, and soon laid bare three distinct traces of marks, as if someinscription or initials had been cut thereon. But although the traceswere distinct, beyond all doubt, the exact form of the letters could notbe made out. Jack thought they looked like J. S. but we could not becertain. They had apparently been carelessly cut, and long exposure tothe weather had so broken them up that we could not make out what theywere. We were exceedingly perplexed at this discovery, and stayed a longtime at the place conjecturing what these marks could have been, butwithout avail; so, as the day was advancing, we left it and quicklyreached the top of the mountain.

  We found this to be the highest point of the island, and from it we sawour kingdom lying, as it were, like a map around us. As I have alwaysthought it impossible to get a thing properly into one's understandingwithout comprehending it, I shall beg the reader's patience for a littlewhile I describe our island, thus, shortly:--

  It consisted of two mountains; the one we guessed at 500 feet; the other,on which we stood, at 1000. Between these lay a rich, beautiful valley,as already said. This valley crossed the island from one end to theother, being high in the middle and sloping on each side towards the sea.The large mountain sloped, on the side farthest from where we had beenwrecked, gradually towards the sea; but although, when viewed at aglance, it had thus a regular sloping appearance, a more carefulobservation showed that it was broken up into a multitude of very smallvales, or rather dells and glens, intermingled with little rugged spotsand small but abrupt precipices here and there, with rivulets tumblingover their edges and wandering down the slopes in little white streams,sometimes glistening among the broad leaves of the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut trees, or hid altogether beneath the rich underwood. At the base ofthis mountain lay a narrow bright green plain or meadow, which terminatedabruptly at the shore. On the other side of the island, whence we hadcome, stood the smaller hill, at the foot of which diverged threevalleys; one being that which we had ascended, with a smaller vale oneach side of it, and separated from it by the two ridges beforementioned. In these smaller valleys there were no streams, but they wereclothed with the same luxuriant vegetation.

  The diameter of the island seemed to be about ten miles, and, as it wasalmost circular in form, its circumference must have been thirtymiles;--perhaps a little more, if allowance be made for the numerous baysand indentations of the shore. The entire island was belted by a beachof pure white sand, on which laved the gentle ripples of the lagoon. Wenow also observed that the coral reef completely encircled the island;but it varied its distance from it here and there, in some places being amile from the beach, in others, a few hundred yards, but the averagedistance was half a mile. The reef lay very low, and the spray of thesurf broke quite over it in many places. This surf never ceased itsroar, for, however calm the weather might be, there is always a gentleswaying motion in the great Pacific, which, although scarce noticeableout at sea, reaches the shore at last in a huge billow. The water withinthe lagoon, as before said, was perfectly still. There were three narrowopenings in the reef; one opposite each end of the valley which I havedescribed as crossing the island; the other opposite our own valley,which we afterwards named the Valley of the Wreck. At each of theseopenings the reef rose into two small green islets, covered with bushesand having one or two cocoa-nut palms on each. These islets were verysingular, and appeared as if planted expressly for the purpose of markingthe channel into the lagoon. Our captain was making for one of theseopenings the day we were wrecked, and would have reached it too, I doubtnot, had not the rudder been torn away. Within the lagoon were severalpretty, low coral islands, just opposite our encampment; and, immediatelybeyond these, out at sea, lay about a dozen other islands, at variousdistances, from half a mile to ten miles; all of them, as far as we coulddiscern, smaller than ours and apparently uninhabited. They seemed to below coral islands, raised but little above the sea, yet covered withcocoa-nut trees.

  All this we noted, and a great deal more, while we sat on the top of themountain. After we had satisfied ourselves we prepared to return; buthere again we discovered traces of the presence of man. These were apole or staff and one or two pieces of wood which had been squared withan axe. All of these were, however, very much decayed, and they hadevidently not been touched for many years.

  Full of these discoveries we returned to our encampment. On the way wefell in with the traces of some four-footed animal, but whether old or ofrecent date none of u
s were able to guess. This also tended to raise ourhopes of obtaining some animal food on the island, so we reached home ingood spirits, quite prepared for supper, and highly satisfied with ourexcursion.

  After much discussion, in which Peterkin took the lead, we came to theconclusion that the island was uninhabited, and went to bed.