CHAPTER VIII
"A SAIL!"
For the next five months things went smoothly at McKay's Island.
Taking every advantage of the remaining period of the dry season, thelads worked hard. Almost everything of value was removed from thewreck.
The heavy lengths of railway lines were safely transported to theshore; the motor-car, its mechanism not altogether useless, was storedunder a canvas canopy on the lower terrace.
The ship's dynamos were removed, as well as the lighter portion of themain propelling machinery, while the remaining derricks, practicallythe whole of the wire rigging, and all the woodwork that could be takenaway, had found a safe storage-place on McKay's Island.
Most of the dynamite had been cautiously conveyed ashore and placed insome of the numerous caves at a safe distance from the camp. Theremainder of the explosive had been judiciously used--under Andy'sdirection, for his experiences at San Eugenio had not been thrownaway--in demolishing those portions of the wreck that prevented easyaccess to the precious cargo.
Only the bare hull of the _San Martin_ now remained. No doubt thefirst on-shore hurricane would sweep away every vestige of theill-fated vessel, but the castaways were satisfied with the knowledgethat nothing of value remained on board.
Nor had the work ashore been delayed. Already a substantialthree-roomed building of galvanised iron reared itself proudly upon thesecond terrace. Its furniture--the best that the state-rooms andcabins of the _San Martin_ could provide--would have made many astay-at-home Englishman green with envy.
The lads had contrived to lay a double set of rails from the shore upthe steep path to the lower terrace. Then, by means of a steel hawserattached to two sets of trucks, they were able to draw the bulk oftheir goods to the higher level with little difficulty.
The mode of locomotion, thanks to Andy's ready skill, was comparativelysimple.
At first Terence wished to utilise the motor of the "runabout"; but tothis proposal Andy objected, having another purpose in view for theundelivered consignment for Monsieur Georges Lacroix.
Included in the rolling stock were several iron tip waggons, of thekind generally in use in mining districts. Two of these Andy attachedto each of his "trains." Those on the upper level he filled withearth, till the weight, being greater than the other set of waggons,caused the former to descend the incline, and at the same time raisethe trucks filled with cargo from the beach.
This plan acted very well, but the labour in filling the trucks withsoil was tedious; so Andy conceived the brilliant idea of trapping someof the water from the little stream, and conveying it by means of alength of iron pipe supported on trestles into the empty tip waggons.
From that moment the "McKay's Island Express" was in full workingorder, and the task of hauling the salved cargo up the terrace became amatter of comparative ease.
Those five months had worked wonders in Mr. McKay. Though weak on hisfeet, he was able to walk, and showed promise of soon throwing off allill-effects of his double misfortune.
As a natural result of his prolonged convalescence he had grown stout.This was a source of worry to him, and he longed to be able to getabout again as usual.
Amongst their many undertakings, the lads found time to make use of theremains of the disabled gig.
Realising that the work of replacing the garboards and keel would notrepay the amount of labour expended on the work, they cut the boat intwo, and built transoms to each of the sound ends. Thus they possessedtwo light craft, each about ten feet in length, and easy to haul up anddown the beach.
When occasion served, they could also bolt the two transoms together,and thus form one boat, resembling the original gig with a slice of her'midship section missing.
The craft proved of great service while the cutter was underreconstruction. This was a big task, for not only had the lads givenher a fairly deep keel, to make her more seaworthy, but a cabin,water-tight well, and decked fo'c'sle were added. The rig was alteredto that of a yawl, while Andy hoped at an early date to instal themotor in her.
Hitherto his difficulties lay in the fact that the motor was not watercooled, nor was it adapted to consume kerosene. They had a plentifulsupply of that fuel, but of petrol they had none. Nevertheless, Andyhad firm faith in his capabilities, and trusted to overcome thesedifficulties all right.
In this craft the hopes of the inhabitants of McKay's Island werecentred. Although happy in their little domain, for plenty of work hadproved the greatest factor to their well-being, they yearned at timesfor the society of their fellow-men and civilisation.
Directly the rainy season was over the little party meant to try theirfate upon the broad Pacific. It was to be a risky voyage, but othershad done similar passages under worse conditions. Blythe, of H.M.S._Bounty_, for instance, did he not successfully accomplish a voyage of4000 miles in an open boat in forty-one days?
The advent of the rainy season was heralded by a hurricane of terrificforce.
Giving but little warning, the storm swept over the island, uprootingtrees and turning the tiny rivulets into foaming torrents. The usuallyplacid surface of the lagoon became a seething cauldron, huge breakerssweeping completely over the reef and lashing themselves upon therock-strewn beach.
Well it was that the lads had hauled their craft above the reach ofthose breakers, for on the morning following the commencement of thestorm not a vestige of the hull of the _San Martin_ was to be seen.
Fortunately the house was solidly constructed. The hail pelted on theiron roof, the windows rattled and the doors shook to such an extentthat it became necessary to barricade them, while almost incessantlythe lightning flashed and the thunder rolled in deafening peals.
While the rains lasted there was very little outside work done.Welcome as were the showers at first, they soon became monotonous. Itwas too hot to wear oilskins, the ground was too soft to walk onwithout sinking ankle deep in mire, so that the castaways were thrownupon their own resources to pass the time as well as they were ablewithin doors.
Lack of books had been their greatest discomfort, even the study of theSpanish charts and treatises on navigation became a pleasure; paper andwriting materials they possessed, and Mr. McKay systematically wrote uphis diary.
But the task that gave the lads the greatest pleasure and amusement wastheir efforts to teach Quexo English.
The mulatto was a willing though difficult pupil, and was doublyhandicapped by being unable to write even his own language.Nevertheless, before the rainy season was over, Quexo could understandmost of what was said to him, and was able to reply in weird sentencesand phrases that often set the lads laughing.
At length the "off season"--as Terence termed it--passed, its departurebeing marked by almost as severe a hurricane as the one that precededit.
Then for three days and nights a thick mist overspread the island. Theair resembled that of a hothouse, without the least suspicion of abreeze.
On the morning of the fourth day the sun shone in an unclouded sky, themud disappeared as if by the touch of a magic wand, and the inhabitantsof McKay's Island awoke to their life of outdoor activity.
"I think we will do well to postpone the time of our departure foranother month," remarked Mr. McKay. "We shall then have more chance ofa wind, and the zone of the Trades will extend farther north by then.We shall have plenty to see, too, in a month."
"I want to get the motor fixed up," observed Andy. "I think my planfor making a water-jacket will succeed, and installing the engine andtuning it up will take quite a week."
"If you succeed the motor will prove invaluable, especially if we losethe benefit of the Trades," replied his father.
Andy was hard at work making a propeller. This he did by means of twosheets of steel plating riveted to an iron boss; for, in order toprevent the boat from being unduly kept back while under sail alone, hehad decided to have but two blades, which when at rest were up anddown, in line with the boat's stern-post.
Tere
nce, who was also of an engineering turn of mind, had embarked upona somewhat ambitious programme. He meant to use the dynamo forlighting purposes.
"But," objected Ellerton, "what's the use? We are leaving the islandshortly."
"Possibly; but I am looking beyond then, Hoppy. Provided I could besure of a passage to 'Frisco occasionally I would not mind settlingdown here. No doubt I am indulging in wild day-dreams, but still, myplans may mature, and there's a living to be made out of the island.But to deal with present events; the dynamo will be of great service tous, as we can recharge those accumulators we brought ashore. Then Andywill be able to use electrical ignition for his motor instead of theslower and more uncertain lamp ignition."
"Quite so, Terence," assented Andy. "So carry on, my boy."
Thus encouraged, Terence, assisted by Ellerton and Quexo, dug a deeptrench close to the brink of the lower terrace, the side of which helined with thick planks from the wreck.
Next a water-wheel, twelve feet in diameter, was constructed, thepaddle floats being cut from the iron plates obtained from the samesource. A portion of the ship's piston rods formed the axle of thewheel, a grooved drum being attached to take the driving belt of thedynamo.
At length came the critical test of Terence's work. The stream, oncemore diverted, was conducted into the trench, and as the last barrierto its progress was removed the water rushed through its new channel.Then, with a cascade of silver splashing from its floats, the wheelbegan to gather way, and was soon spinning merrily.
"That's all very fine," exclaimed Andy, who had left his work to viewthe opening ceremony of the McKay Island Power Company. "But how areyou going to stop the wheel? It will soon wear its axle out at thatrate; and, besides, we can't have that noise day and night."
"Never thought of that!" replied Terence. "We must make a hatch totrap the water when we don't require the power."
Two days later the dynamo was in full working order. The lads werehighly delighted, and suggested several schemes for making use of theelectric current.
Then came Andy's triumph. After many difficulties and failures hesucceeded in duly installing the motor in the yawl, and on a trial tripinside the lagoon the boat behaved magnificently under power.
"We'll have a trip round the island to-morrow," he exclaimed, as thecraft was moored for the night. "Let's turn in early so as to make astart immediately after sunrise."
The morning dawned bright and calm, with no wind.
"It will mean running under power," observed Andy, as the lads, ladenwith provisions and tins of kerosene, wended their way to the shore."I mean to----"
He stopped, his eyes fixed seaward.
His companions followed his gaze, and simultaneously there was a shoutof:
"A sail!"