The Coral Island

by R. M. Ballantyne

  CHAPTER ELEVEN.

  EFFECTS OF OVEREATING, AND REFLECTIONS THEREON--HUMBLE ADVICE REGARDINGCOLD WATER--THE "HORRIBLE CRY" ACCOUNTED FOR--THE CURIOUS BIRDS CALLEDPENGUINS--PECULIARITY OF THE COCOA-NUT PALM--QUESTIONS ON THE FORMATIONOF CORAL ISLANDS--MYSTERIOUS FOOTSTEPS--STRANGE DISCOVERIES AND SADSIGHTS.

  When we awoke on the following morning we found that the sun was alreadya good way above the horizon, so I came to the conclusion that a heavysupper is not conducive to early rising. Never-the-less, we feltremarkably strong and well, and much disposed to have our breakfast.First, however, we had our customary morning bathe, which refreshed usgreatly.

  I have often wondered very much in after years that the inhabitants ofmy own dear land did not make more frequent use of this most charmingelement, water--I mean in the way of cold bathing. Of course, I haveperceived that it is not convenient for them to go into the sea or therivers in winter, as we used to do on the Coral Island; but then I knewfrom experience that a large washing-tub and a sponge do form a mostpleasant substitute. The feelings of freshness, of cleanliness, ofvigour, and extreme hilarity that always followed my bathes in the sea--and even, when in England, my ablutions in the wash-tub--were sodelightful that I would sooner have gone without my breakfast thanwithout my bathe in cold water. My readers will forgive me for askingwhether they are in the habit of bathing thus every morning; and if theyanswer "No", they will pardon me for recommending them to begin at once.Of late years, since retiring from the stirring life of adventure whichI have led so long in foreign climes, I have heard of a system calledthe cold-water cure. Now, I do not know much about that system; so I donot mean to uphold it, neither do I intend to run it down. Perhaps, inreference to it, I may just hint that there may be too much of a goodthing--I know not. But of this I am quite certain, that there may alsobe too little of a good thing; and the great delight I have had in coldbathing during the course of my adventurous career inclines me to thinkthat it is better to risk taking too much than to content one's selfwith too little. Such is my opinion, derived from much experience; butI put it before my readers with the utmost diffidence and with profoundmodesty, knowing that it may possibly jar with their feelings ofconfidence in their own ability to know and judge as to what is best andfittest in reference to their own affairs. But to return from thisdigression, for which I humbly crave forgiveness.

  We had not advanced on our journey much above a mile or so, and werejust beginning to feel the pleasant glow that usually accompaniesvigorous exercise, when, on turning a point that revealed to us a newand beautiful cluster of islands, we were suddenly arrested by theappalling cry which had so alarmed us a few nights before. But thistime we were by no means so much alarmed as on the previous occasion,because, whereas at that time it was night, now it was day; and I havealways found, though I am unable to account for it, that daylightbanishes many of the fears that are apt to assail us in the dark.

  On hearing the sound, Peterkin instantly threw forward his spear.

  "Now, what can it be?" said he, looking round at Jack. "I tell you whatit is: if we are to go on being pulled up in a constant state of horrorand astonishment, as we have been for the last week, the sooner we'reout o' this island the better, notwithstanding the yams and lemonade,and pork and plums!"

  Peterkin's remark was followed by a repetition of the cry, louder thanbefore.

  "It comes from one of these islands," said Jack.

  "It must be the ghost of a jackass, then," said Peterkin, "for I neverheard anything so like."

  We all turned our eyes towards the cluster of islands, where, on thelargest, we observed curious objects moving on the shore.

  "Soldiers they are--that's flat!" cried Peterkin, gazing at them in theutmost amazement.

  And, in truth, Peterkin's remark seemed to me to be correct; for at thedistance from which we saw them, they appeared to be an army ofsoldiers. There they stood, rank and file, in lines and in squares,marching and counter-marching, with blue coats and white trousers.While we were looking at them the dreadful cry came again over thewater, and Peterkin suggested that it must be a regiment sent out tomassacre the natives in cold blood. At this remark Jack laughed andsaid:

  "Why, Peterkin, they are penguins!"

  "Penguins?" repeated Peterkin.

  "Ay, penguins, Peterkin, penguins--nothing more or less than bigsea-birds, as you shall see one of these days when we pay them a visitin our boat, which I mean to set about building the moment we return toour bower."

  "So, then, our dreadful yelling ghosts and our murdering army ofsoldiers," remarked Peterkin, "have dwindled down to penguins--bigsea-birds! Very good. Then I propose that we continue our journey asfast as possible, lest our island should be converted into a dreambefore we get completely round it."

  Now, as we continued on our way, I pondered much over this new discoveryand the singular appearance of these birds, of which Jack could onlygive us a very slight and vague account; and I began to long to commenceour boat, in order that we might go and inspect them more narrowly. Butby degrees these thoughts left me, and I began to be much taken up againwith the interesting peculiarities of the country which we were passingthrough.

  The second night we passed in a manner somewhat similar to the first--atabout two-thirds of the way round the island, as we calculated--and wehoped to sleep on the night following at our bower. I will not herenote so particularly all that we said and saw during the course of thissecond day, as we did not make any further discoveries of greatimportance. The shore along which we travelled, and the various partsof the woods through which we passed, were similar to those which havebeen already treated of. There were one or two observations that wemade, however, and these were as follows:

  We saw that, while many of the large fruit-bearing trees grew only inthe valleys, and some of them only near the banks of the streams, wherethe soil was peculiarly rich, the cocoa-nut palm grew in every placewhatsoever--not only on the hillsides, but also on the seashore, andeven, as has been already stated, on the coral reef itself, where thesoil, if we may use the name, was nothing better than loose sand mingledwith broken shells and coral rock. So near to the sea, too, did thisuseful tree grow, that in many places its roots were washed by the sprayfrom the breakers. Yet we found the trees growing thus on the sands tobe quite as luxuriant as those growing in the valleys, and the fruit asgood and refreshing also. Besides this, I noticed that on the summit ofthe high mountain, which we once more ascended at a different point fromour first ascent, were found abundance of shells and broken coralformations, which, Jack and I agreed, proved either that this islandmust have once been under the sea, or that the sea must once have beenabove the island: in other words, that as shells and coral could notpossibly climb to the mountain-top, they must have been washed upon itwhile the mountain-top was on a level with the sea. We pondered thisvery much; and we put to ourselves the question, "What raised the islandto its present height above the sea?" But to this we could by no meansgive to ourselves a satisfactory reply. Jack thought it might have beenblown up by a volcano; and Peterkin said he thought it must have jumpedup of its own accord! We also noticed, what had escaped us before, thatthe solid rocks of which the island was formed were quite different fromthe live coral rocks on the shore, where, the wonderful little insectswere continually working. They seemed, indeed, to be of the samematerial--a substance like limestone; but while the coral rocks werequite full of minute cells in which the insects lived, the other rocksinland were hard and solid, without the appearance of cells at all. Ourthoughts and conversations on this subject were sometimes so profoundthat Peterkin said we should certainly get drowned in them at last, evenalthough we were such good divers! Nevertheless, we did not allow hispleasantry on this and similar points to deter us from making our notesand observations as we went along.

  We found several more droves of hogs in the woods, but abstained fromkilling any of them, having more than sufficient for our presentnecessities. We saw, also, many
of their footprints in thisneighbourhood. Among these we also observed the footprints of a smalleranimal, which we examined with much care, but could form no certainopinion as to them. Peterkin thought they were those of a little dog,but Jack and I thought differently. We became very curious on thismatter, the more so that we observed these footprints to lie scatteredabout in one locality, as if the animal which had made them waswandering round about in a very irregular manner and without any objectin view. Early in the forenoon of our third day we observed thesefootprints to be much more numerous than ever, and in one particularspot they diverged off into the woods in a regular beaten track, whichwas, however, so closely beset with bushes that we pushed through itwith difficulty. We had now become so anxious to find out what animalthis was, and where it went to, that we determined to follow the trackand, if possible, clear up the mystery. Peterkin said, in a banteringtone, that he was sure it would be cleared up, as usual, in somefrightfully simple way, and prove to be no mystery at all!

  The beaten track seemed much too large to have been formed by the animalitself, and we concluded that some larger animal had made it, and thatthe smaller one made use of it. But everywhere the creeping plants andtangled bushes crossed our path, so that we forced our way along withsome difficulty. Suddenly, as we came upon an open space, we heard afaint cry, and observed a black animal standing in the track before us.

  "A wild cat!" cried Jack, fitting an arrow to his bow, and dischargingit so hastily that he missed the animal, and hit the earth abouthalf-a-foot to one side of it. To our surprise, the wild cat did notfly, but walked slowly towards the arrow and snuffed at it.

  "That's the most comical wild cat I ever saw!" cried Jack.

  "It's a tame wild cat, I think," said Peterkin, levelling his spear tomake a charge.

  "Stop!" cried I, laying my hand on his shoulder. "I do believe the poorbeast is blind. See, it strikes against the branches as it walks along.It must be a very old one;" and I hastened towards it.

  "Only think," said Peterkin with a suppressed laugh, "of a superannuatedwild cat!"

  We now found that the poor cat was not only blind, or nearly so, butextremely deaf, as it did not hear our footsteps until we were quiteclose behind it. Then it sprang round, and, putting up its back andtail, while the black hair stood all on end, uttered a hoarse mew and afuff.

  Poor thing said Peterkin, gently extending his hand and endeavouring topat the cat's head. "Poor pussy! chee, chee, chee! puss, puss, puss!cheetie pussy!"

  No sooner did the cat hear these sounds than all signs of anger fled,and advancing eagerly to Peterkin, it allowed itself to be stroked, andrubbed itself against his legs, purring loudly all the time, and showingevery symptom of the most extreme delight.

  "It's no more a wild cat than I am!" cried Peterkin, taking it in hisarms; "it's quite tame.--Poor pussy! cheetie pussy!"

  We now crowded around Peterkin, and were not a little surprised--and, tosay truth, a good deal affected--by the sight of the poor animal'sexcessive joy. It rubbed its head against Peterkin's cheek, licked hischin, and thrust its head almost violently into his neck, while itpurred more loudly than I ever heard a cat purr before, and appeared tobe so much overpowered by its feelings that it occasionally mewed andpurred almost in the same breath. Such demonstrations of joy andaffection led us at once to conclude that this poor cat must have knownman before, and we conjectured that it had been left either accidentallyor by design on the island many years ago, and was now evincing itsextreme joy at meeting once more with human beings. While we werefondling the cat and talking about it, Jack glanced round the open spacein the midst of which we stood.

  "Hallo!" exclaimed he; "this looks something like a clearing. The axehas been at work here. Just look at these tree-stumps."

  We now turned to examine these, and without doubt we found trees thathad been cut down here and there, also stumps and broken branches--allof which, however, were completely covered over with moss, and boreevidence of having been in this condition for some years. No humanfootprints were to be seen either on the track or among the bushes, butthose of the cat were found everywhere. We now determined to follow upthe track as far as it went, and Peterkin put the cat down; but itseemed to be so weak, and mewed so very pitifully, that he took it upagain and carried it in his arms, where in a few minutes it fell soundasleep.

  About ten yards farther on, the felled trees became more numerous, andthe track, diverging to the right, followed for a short space the banksof a stream. Suddenly we came to a spot where once must have been arude bridge, the stones of which were scattered in the stream, and thoseon each bank entirely covered over with moss. In silent surprise andexpectancy we continued to advance, and a few yards farther on, beheld,under the shelter of some bread-fruit trees, a small hut or cottage. Icannot hope to convey to my readers a very correct idea of the feelingsthat affected us on witnessing this unexpected sight. We stood for along time in silent wonder, for there was a deep and most melancholystillness about the place that quite overpowered us; and when we did atlength speak, it was in subdued whispers, as if we were surrounded bysome awful or supernatural influence. Even Peterkin's voice, usually soquick and lively on all occasions, was hushed now; for there was adreariness about this silent, lonely, uninhabited cottage--so strange inits appearance, so far away from the usual dwellings of man, so old,decayed, and deserted in its aspect that fell upon our spirits like athick cloud, and blotted out as with a pall the cheerful sunshine thathad filled us since the commencement of our tour round the island.

  The hut or cottage was rude and simple in its construction. It was notmore than twelve feet long by ten feet broad, and about seven or eightfeet high. It had one window, or rather a small frame in which a windowmight perhaps once have been, but which was now empty. The door wasexceedingly low, and formed of rough boards, and the roof was coveredwith broad cocoa-nut and plantain leaves. But every part of it was in astate of the utmost decay. Moss and green matter grew in spots all overit. The woodwork was quite perforated with holes; the roof had nearlyfallen in, and appeared to be prevented from doing so altogether by thethick matting of creeping plants and the interlaced branches which yearsof neglect had allowed to cover it almost entirely; while the thick,luxuriant branches of the bread-fruit and other trees spread above it,and flung a deep, sombre shadow over the spot, as if to guard it fromthe heat and the light of day. We conversed long and in whispers aboutthis strange habitation ere we ventured to approach it; and when atlength we did so, it was, at least on my part, with feelings of awe.

  At first Jack endeavoured to peep in at the window; but from the deepshadow of the trees already mentioned, and the gloom within, he couldnot clearly discern objects, so we lifted the latch and pushed open thedoor. We observed that the latch was made of iron, and almost eatenaway with rust. In the like condition were also the hinges, whichcreaked as the door swung back. On entering, we stood still and gazedaround us, while we were much impressed with the dreary stillness of theroom. But what we saw there surprised and shocked us not a little.There was no furniture in the apartment save a little wooden stool andan iron pot, the latter almost eaten through with rust. In the cornerfarthest from the door was a low bedstead, on which lay two skeletons,embedded in a little heap of dry dust. With beating hearts we wentforward to examine them. One was the skeleton of a man; the other thatof a dog, which was extended close beside that of the man, with its headresting on his bosom.

  Now we were very much concerned about this discovery, and could scarcerefrain from tears on beholding these sad remains. After some time webegan to talk about what we had seen, and to examine in and around thehut, in order to discover some clue to the name or history of this poorman, who had thus died in solitude, with none to mourn his loss save hiscat and his faithful dog. But we found nothing--neither a book nor ascrap of paper. We found, however, the decayed remnants of whatappeared to have been clothing, and an old axe. But none of thesethings bore marks of any kind, an
d indeed they were so much decayed asto convince us that they had lain in the condition in which we foundthem for many years.

  This discovery now accounted to us for the tree-stump at the top of themountain with the initials cut on it; also for the patch of sugar-caneand other traces of man which we had met with in the course of ourrambles over the island. And we were much saddened by the reflectionthat the lot of this poor wanderer might possibly be our own, after manyyears' residence on the island, unless we should be rescued by the visitof some vessel or the arrival of natives. Having no clue whatever toaccount for the presence of this poor human being in such a lonely spot,we fell to conjecturing what could have brought him there. I wasinclined to think that he must have been a shipwrecked sailor, whosevessel had been lost here, and all the crew been drowned except himselfand his dog and cat. But Jack thought it more likely that he had runaway from his vessel, and had taken the dog and cat to keep him company.We were also much occupied in our minds with the wonderful differencebetween the cat and the dog. For here we saw that while the oneperished like a loving friend by its master's side, with its headresting on his bosom, the other had sought to sustain itself by prowlingabroad in the forest, and had lived in solitude to a good old age.However, we did not conclude from this that the cat was destitute ofaffection, for we could not forget its emotions on first meeting withus; but we saw from this that the dog had a great deal more of generouslove in its nature than the cat, because it not only found it impossibleto live after the death of its master, but it must needs, when it cameto die, crawl to his side and rest its head upon his lifeless breast.

  While we were thinking on these things, and examining into everythingabout the room, we were attracted by an exclamation from Peterkin.

  "I say, Jack," said he, "here is something that will be of use to us."

  "What is it?" said Jack, hastening across the room.

  "An old pistol," replied Peterkin, holding up the weapon, which he hadjust pulled from under a heap of broken wood and rubbish that lay in acorner.

  "That, indeed, might have been useful," said Jack, examining it, "if wehad any powder; but I suspect the bow and the sling will prove moreserviceable."

  "True, I forgot that," said Peterkin; "but we may as well take it withus, for the flint will serve to strike fire with when the sun does notshine."

  After having spent more than an hour at this place without discoveringanything of further interest, Peterkin took up the old cat, which hadlain very contentedly asleep on the stool whereon he had placed it, andwe prepared to take our departure. In leaving the hut, Jack stumbledheavily against the door-post, which was so much decayed as to breakacross, and the whole fabric of the hut seemed ready to tumble about ourears. This put it into our heads that we might as well pull it down,and so form a mound over the skeleton. Jack, therefore, with his axe,cut down the other door-post, which, when it was done, brought the wholehut in ruins to the ground, and thus formed a grave to the bones of thepoor recluse and his dog. Then we left the spot, having brought awaythe iron pot, the pistol, and the old axe, as they might be of much useto us hereafter.

  During the rest of this day we pursued our journey, and examined theother end of the large valley, which we found to be so much alike to theparts already described that I shall not recount the particulars of whatwe saw in this place. I may, however, remark that we did not quiterecover our former cheerful spirits until we arrived at our bower, whichwe did late in the evening, and found everything just in the samecondition as we had left it three days before.