The Coral Island

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  WE EXAMINE INTO OUR PERSONAL PROPERTY, AND MAKE A HAPPY DISCOVERY--OURISLAND DESCRIBED--JACK PROVES HIMSELF TO BE LEARNED AND SAGACIOUS ABOVEHIS FELLOWS--CURIOUS DISCOVERIES--NATURAL LEMONADE!

  We now seated ourselves upon a rock, and began to examine into ourpersonal property. When we reached the shore after being wrecked, mycompanions had taken off part of their clothes and spread them out inthe sun to dry; for although the gale was raging fiercely, there was nota single cloud in the bright sky. They had also stripped off most partof my wet clothes and spread them also on the rocks. Having resumed ourgarments, we now searched all our pockets with the utmost care, and laidtheir contents out on a flat stone before us; and now that our mindswere fully alive to our condition, it was with no little anxiety that weturned our several pockets inside out in order that nothing might escapeus. When all was collected together, we found that our worldly goodsconsisted of the following articles:

  First, a small penknife with a single blade, broken off about the middleand very rusty, besides having two or three notches on its edge.(Peterkin said of this, with his usual pleasantry, that it would do fora saw as well as a knife, which was a great advantage.) Second, an oldGerman-silver pencil-case without any lead in it. Third, a piece ofwhip-cord about six yards long. Fourth, a sailmaker's needle of a smallsize. Fifth, a ship's telescope, which I happened to have in my hand atthe time the ship struck, and which I had clung to firmly all the time Iwas in the water; indeed, it was with difficulty that Jack got it out ofmy grasp when I was lying insensible on the shore. I cannot understandwhy I kept such a firm hold of this telescope. They say that a drowningman will clutch at a straw. Perhaps it may have been some such feelingin me, for I did not know that it was in my hand at the time we werewrecked. However, we felt some pleasure in having it with us now--although we did not see that it could be of much use to us, as the glassat the small end was broken to pieces. Our sixth article was a brassring which Jack always wore on his little finger. I never understoodwhy he wore it; for Jack was not vain of his appearance, and did notseem to care for ornaments of any kind. Peterkin said, "it was inmemory of the girl he left behind him!" But as he never spoke of thisgirl to either of us, I am inclined to think that Peterkin was eitherjesting or mistaken. In addition to these articles, we had a little bitof tinder and the clothes on our backs. These last were as follows:

  Each of us had on a pair of stout canvas trousers and a pair of sailors'thick shoes. Jack wore a red flannel shirt, a blue jacket, and a redKilmarnock bonnet or nightcap, besides a pair of worsted socks, and acotton pocket-handkerchief with sixteen portraits of Lord Nelson printedon it and a union-jack in the middle. Peterkin had on a striped flannelshirt--which he wore outside his trousers and belted round his waist,after the manner of a tunic--and a round black straw hat. He had nojacket, having thrown it off just before we were cast into the sea; butthis was not of much consequence, as the climate of the island proved tobe extremely mild--so much so, indeed, that Jack and I often preferredto go about without our jackets. Peterkin had also a pair of whitecotton socks and a blue handkerchief with white spots all over it. Myown costume consisted of a blue flannel shirt, a blue jacket, a blackcap, and a pair of worsted socks, besides the shoes and canvas trousersalready mentioned. This was all we had, and besides these things we hadnothing else; but when we thought of the danger from which we hadescaped, and how much worse off we might have been had the ship struckon the reef during the night, we felt very thankful that we werepossessed of so much, although, I must confess, we sometimes wished thatwe had had a little more.

  While we were examining these things and talking about them, Jacksuddenly started and exclaimed:

  "The oar! We have forgotten the oar!"

  "What good will that do us?" said Peterkin. "There's wood enough on theisland to make a thousand oars."

  "Ay, lad," replied Jack; "but there's a bit of hoop-iron at the end ofit, and that may be of much use to us."

  "Very true," said I; "let us go fetch it." And with that we all threerose and hastened down to the beach. I still felt a little weak fromloss of blood, so that my companions soon began to leave me behind; butJack perceived this, and, with his usual considerate good-nature, turnedback to help me. This was now the first time that I had looked wellabout me since landing, as the spot where I had been laid was coveredwith thick bushes, which almost hid the country from our view. As wenow emerged from among these and walked down the sandy beach together, Icast my eyes about, and truly my heart glowed within me and my spiritsrose at the beautiful prospect which I beheld on every side. The galehad suddenly died away, just as if it had blown furiously till it dashedour ship upon the rocks, and had nothing more to do after accomplishingthat. The island on which we stood was hilly, and covered almosteverywhere with the most beautiful and richly coloured trees, bushes,and shrubs, none of which I knew the names of at that time--except,indeed, the cocoa-nut palms, which I recognised at once from the manypictures that I had seen of them before I left home. A sandy beach ofdazzling whiteness lined this bright-green shore, and upon it there fella gentle ripple of the sea. This last astonished me much, for Irecollected that at home the sea used to fall in huge billows on theshore long after a storm had subsided. But on casting my glance out tosea the cause became apparent. About a mile distant from the shore Isaw the great billows of the ocean rolling like a green wall, andfalling with a long, loud roar upon a low coral reef, where they weredashed into white foam and flung up in clouds of spray. This spraysometimes flew exceedingly high, and every here and there a beautifulrainbow was formed for a moment among the falling drops. We afterwardsfound that this coral reef extended quite round the island, and formed anatural breakwater to it. Beyond this, the sea rose and tossedviolently from the effects of the storm; but between the reef and theshore it was as calm and as smooth as a pond.

  My heart was filled with more delight than I can express at sight of somany glorious objects, and my thoughts turned suddenly to thecontemplation of the Creator of them all. I mention this the moregladly, because at that time, I am ashamed to say, I very seldom thoughtof my Creator, although I was constantly surrounded by the mostbeautiful and wonderful of His works. I observed, from the expressionof my companion's countenance, that he too derived much joy from thesplendid scenery, which was all the more agreeable to us after our longvoyage on the salt sea. There the breeze was fresh and cold; but hereit was delightfully mild, and when a puff blew off the land it cameladen with the most exquisite perfume that can be imagined. While wethus gazed we were startled by a loud "Huzza!" from Peterkin, and onlooking towards the edge of the sea we saw him capering and jumpingabout like a monkey, and ever and anon tugging with all his might atsomething that lay upon the shore.

  "What an odd fellow he is, to be sure!" said Jack, taking me by the armand hurrying forward. "Come, let us hasten to see what it is."

  "Here it is, boys--hurrah! Come along! Just what we want!" criedPeterkin as we drew near, still tugging with all his power."First-rate; just the very ticket!"

  I need scarcely say to my readers that my companion Peterkin was in thehabit of using very remarkable and peculiar phrases. And I am free toconfess that I did not well understand the meaning of some of them--such, for instance, as "the very ticket;" but I think it my duty torecount everything relating to my adventures with a strict regard totruthfulness in as far as my memory serves me, so I write, as nearly aspossible, the exact words that my companions spoke. I often askedPeterkin to explain what he meant by "ticket," but he always answered meby going into fits of laughter. However, by observing the occasions onwhich he used it, I came to understand that it meant to show thatsomething was remarkably good or fortunate.

  On coming up we found that Peterkin was vainly endeavouring to pull theaxe out of the oar into which, it will be remembered, Jack struck itwhile endeavouring to cut away the cordage among which it had becomeentangled at the bow of the ship. Fortunately for
us, the axe hadremained fast in the oar, and even now all Peterkin's strength could notdraw it out of the cut.

  "Ah, that is capital indeed!" cried Jack, at the same time giving theaxe a wrench that plucked it out of the tough wood. "How fortunate thisis! It will be of more value to us than a hundred knives, and the edgeis quite new and sharp."

  "I'll answer for the toughness of the handle, at any rate!" criedPeterkin; "my arms are nearly pulled out of the sockets. But see here,our luck is great. There is iron on the blade." He pointed to a pieceof hoop-iron as he spoke, which had been nailed round the blade of theoar to prevent it from splitting.

  This also was a fortunate discovery. Jack went down on his knees, andwith the edge of the axe began carefully to force out the nails. But asthey were firmly fixed in, and the operation blunted our axe, we carriedthe oar up with us to the place where we had left the rest of ourthings, intending to burn the wood away from the iron at a moreconvenient time.

  "Now, lads," said Jack after we had laid it on the stone which containedour little all, "I propose that we should go to the tail of the island,where the ship struck, which is only a quarter of a mile off; and see ifanything else has been thrown ashore. I don't expect anything, but itis well to see. When we get back here it will be time to have oursupper and prepare our beds."

  "Agreed!" cried Peterkin and I together, as, indeed, we would haveagreed to any proposal that Jack made; for, besides his being older andmuch stronger and taller than either of us, he was a very clever fellow,and, I think, would have induced people much older than himself tochoose him for their leader, especially if they required to be led on abold enterprise.

  Now as we hastened along the white beach, which shone so brightly in therays of the setting sun that our eyes were quite dazzled by its glare,it suddenly came into Peterkin's head that we had nothing to eat exceptthe wild berries which grew in profusion at our feet.

  "What shall we do, Jack?" said he with a rueful look. "Perhaps they maybe poisonous!"

  "No fear," replied Jack confidently. "I have observed that a few ofthem are not unlike some of the berries that grow wild on our own nativehills. Besides, I saw one or two strange birds eating them just a fewminutes ago, and what won't kill the birds won't kill us. But look upthere, Peterkin," continued Jack, pointing to the branched head of acocoa-nut palm. "There are nuts for us in all stages."

  "So there are!" cried Peterkin, who, being of a very unobservant nature,had been too much taken up with other things to notice anything so highabove his head as the fruit of a palm-tree. But whatever faults myyoung comrade had, he could not be blamed for want of activity or animalspirits. Indeed, the nuts had scarcely been pointed out to him when hebounded up the tall stem of the tree like a squirrel, and in a fewminutes returned with three nuts, each as large as a man's fist.

  "You had better keep them till we return," said Jack. "Let us finishour work before eating."

  "So be it, captain; go ahead!" cried Peterkin, thrusting the nuts intohis trousers pocket. "In fact, I don't want to eat just now; but Iwould give a good deal for a drink. Oh, that I could find a spring! butI don't see the smallest sign of one hereabouts. I say, Jack, how doesit happen that you seem to be up to everything? You have told us thenames of half-a-dozen trees already, and yet you say that you were neverin the South Seas before."

  "I'm not up to everything, Peterkin, as you'll find out ere long,"replied Jack with a smile; "but I have been a great reader of books oftravel and adventure all my life, and that has put me up to a good manythings that you are, perhaps, not acquainted with."

  "Oh, Jack, that's all humbug! If you begin to lay everything to thecredit of books, I'll quite lose my opinion of you," cried Peterkin witha look of contempt. "I've seen a lot o' fellows that were _always_poring over books, and when they came to try to _do_ anything, they wereno better than baboons!"

  "You are quite right," retorted Jack; "and I have seen a lot of fellows,who never looked into books at all, who knew nothing about anythingexcept the things they had actually seen, and very little they knew evenabout these. Indeed, some were so ignorant that they did not know thatcocoa-nuts grew on cocoa-nut trees!"

  I could not refrain from laughing at this rebuke, for there was muchtruth in it as to Peterkin's ignorance.

  "Humph! maybe you're right," answered Peterkin; "but I would not give_tuppence_ for a man of books if he had nothing else in him."

  "Neither would I," said Jack; "but that's no reason why you should runbooks down, or think less of me for having read them. Suppose, now,Peterkin, that you wanted to build a ship, and I were to give you a longand particular account of the way to do it, would not that be veryuseful?"

  "No doubt of it," said Peterkin, laughing.

  "And suppose I were to write the account in a letter instead of tellingyou in words, would that be less useful?"

  "Well--no, perhaps not."

  "Well, suppose I were to print it and send it to you in the form of abook, would it not be as good and useful as ever?"

  "Oh, bother! Jack, you're a philosopher, and that's worse thananything!" cried Peterkin with a look of pretended horror.

  "Very well, Peterkin, we shall see," returned Jack, halting under theshade of a cocoa-nut tree. "You said you were thirsty just a minuteago. Now jump up that tree and bring down a nut--not a ripe one; bringa green, unripe one."

  Peterkin looked surprised, but seeing that Jack was in earnest, heobeyed.

  "Now cut a hole in it with your penknife and clap it to your mouth, oldfellow," said Jack.

  Peterkin did as he was directed, and we both burst into uncontrollablelaughter at the changes that instantly passed over his expressivecountenance. No sooner had he put the nut to his mouth, and thrown backhis head in order to catch what came out of it, than his eyes opened totwice their ordinary size with astonishment, while his throat movedvigorously in the act of swallowing. Then a smile and a look of intensedelight overspread his face, except, indeed, the mouth, which, beingfirmly fixed to the hole in the nut, could not take part in theexpression; but he endeavoured to make up for this by winking at usexcessively with his right eye. At length he stopped, and drawing along breath, exclaimed:

  "Nectar! perfect nectar!--I say, Jack, you're a Briton--the best fellowI ever met in my life--Only taste that!" said he, turning to me andholding the nut to my mouth. I immediately drank, and certainly I wasmuch surprised at the delightful liquid that flowed copiously down mythroat. It was extremely cool, and had a sweet taste, mingled withacid; in fact, it was the likest thing to lemonade I ever tasted, andwas most grateful and refreshing. I handed the nut to Jack, who, aftertasting it, said, "Now, Peterkin, you unbeliever! I never saw or tasteda cocoa-nut in my life before, except those sold in shops at home; but Ionce read that the green nuts contain that stuff; and you see it istrue."

  "And, pray," asked Peterkin, "what sort of `stuff' does the ripe nutcontain?"

  "A hollow kernel," answered Jack, "with a liquid like milk in it; but itdoes not satisfy thirst so well as hunger. It is very wholesome food, Ibelieve."

  "Meat and drink on the same tree!" cried Peterkin; "washing in the sea,lodging on the ground--and all for nothing! My dear boys, we're set upfor life! It must be the ancient Paradise--hurrah!" and Peterkin tossedhis straw hat in the air and ran along the beach, hallooing like amadman with delight.

  We afterwards found, however, that these lovely islands were very unlikeParadise in many things. But more of this in its proper place.

  We had now come to the point of rocks on which the ship had struck, butdid not find a single article, although we searched carefully among thecoral rocks, which at this place jutted out so far as nearly to join thereef that encircled the island. Just as we were about to return,however, we saw something black floating in a little cove that hadescaped our observation. Running forward, we drew it from the water,and found it to be a long, thick, leather boot, such as fishermen athome wear; and a few paces farther on, we picked up its fello
w. We atonce recognised these as having belonged to our captain, for he had wornthem during the whole of the storm in order to guard his legs from thewaves and spray that constantly washed over our decks. My first thoughton seeing them was that our dear captain had been drowned; but Jack soonput my mind more at rest on that point by saying that if the captain hadbeen drowned with the boots on, he would certainly have been washedashore along with them, and that he had no doubt whatever he had kickedthem off while in the sea that he might swim more easily.

  Peterkin immediately put them on; but they were so large that, as Jacksaid, they would have done for boots, trousers, and vest too. I alsotried them; but although I was long enough in the legs for them, theywere much too large in the feet for me. So we handed them to Jack, whowas anxious to make me keep them; but as they fitted his large limbs andfeet as if they had been made for him, I would not hear of it, so heconsented at last to use them. I may remark, however, that Jack did notuse them often, as they were extremely heavy.

  It was beginning to grow dark when we returned to our encampment; so weput off our visit to the top of a hill till next day, and employed thelight that yet remained to us in cutting down a quantity of boughs andthe broad leaves of a tree of which none of us knew the name. Withthese we erected a sort of rustic bower, in which we meant to pass thenight. There was no absolute necessity for this, because the air of ourisland was so genial and balmy that we could have slept quite wellwithout any shelter; but we were so little used to sleeping in the openair that we did not quite relish the idea of lying down without anycovering over us. Besides, our bower would shelter us from thenight-dews or rain, if any should happen to fall. Having strewed thefloor with leaves and dry grass, we bethought ourselves of supper.

  But it now occurred to us, for the first time, that we had no means ofmaking a fire.

  "Now, there's a fix! What shall we do?" said Peterkin, while we bothturned our eyes to Jack, to whom we always looked in our difficulties.Jack seemed not a little perplexed.

  "There are flints enough, no doubt, on the beach," said he; "but theyare of no use at all without a steel. However, we must try." Sosaying, he went to the beach, and soon returned with two flints. On oneof these he placed the tinder, and endeavoured to ignite it; but it waswith great difficulty that a very small spark was struck out of theflints, and the tinder, being a bad, hard piece, would not catch. Hethen tried the bit of hoop-iron, which would not strike fire at all; andafter that the back of the axe, with no better success. During allthese trials Peterkin sat with his hands in his pockets, gazing with amost melancholy visage at our comrade, his face growing longer and moremiserable at each successive failure.

  "Oh dear!" he sighed; "I would not care a button for the cooking of ourvictuals--perhaps they don't need it--but it's so dismal to eat one'ssupper in the dark, and we have had such a capital day that it's a pityto finish off in this glum style. Oh, I have it!" he cried, startingup: "the spy-glass--the big glass at the end is a burning-glass!"

  "You forget that we have no sun," said I.

  Peterkin was silent. In his sudden recollection of the telescope he hadquite overlooked the absence of the sun.

  "Ah, boys, I've got it now!" exclaimed Jack, rising and cutting a branchfrom a neighbouring bush, which he stripped of its leaves. "I recollectseeing this done once at home. Hand me the bit of whip-cord." With thecord and branch Jack soon formed a bow. Then he cut a piece about threeinches long off the end of a dead branch, which he pointed at the twoends. Round this he passed the cord of the bow, and placed one endagainst his chest, which was protected from its point by a chip of wood;the other point he placed against the bit of tinder, and then began tosaw vigorously with the bow, just as a blacksmith does with his drillwhile boring a hole in a piece of iron. In a few seconds the tinderbegan to smoke; in less than a minute it caught fire; and in less than aquarter of an hour we were drinking our lemonade and eating cocoa-nutsround a fire that would have roasted an entire sheep, while the smoke,flames, and sparks flew up among the broad leaves of the overhangingpalm-trees, and cast a warm glow upon our leafy bower.

  That night the starry sky looked down through the gently rustling treesupon our slumbers, and the distant roaring of the surf upon the coralreef was our lullaby.