The Wonder Island Boys: Adventures on Strange Islands

  CHAPTER XIII

  A CONVICT COLONY OF NATIVES

  The Chief's son was present. "Did you ever know of a boat load ofcastaways on the island?" asked John.

  "We never knew of anything like that," was his reply.

  Every scrap in that mass of wreckage was gone over. There was nothingelse visible by which they could gain the slightest clue. The skeletonwas minutely examined. It was that of a strong, well-developed man, butfrom all appearances one leg was shorter than the other.

  The bones of the shortened leg were closely investigated. "The bonesshow that this man met with an accident in early life, or before he wasfully grown, or, he may have had some disease before he attained fullgrowth, so that his right leg is shorter because not fully developed,"said John, as he continued the examination.

  "He must have been a soldier or an adventurer, as he has three bulletmarks, one here in the right shoulder, one in the ankle, and the otheron the cheek bone. All of the wounds were healed before he met hisdeath."

  "But there is one thing which is still more remarkable. This man was acaptive. He was tied in the boat and it was set adrift, and was likelyon the open sea and washed ashore during one of the monsoons."

  "Why do you think so?" asked Harry, as soon as he could recover breathafter this announcement.

  "This rope tells the story."

  "But how does it happen that he and the boat were together. It seems tome that if the waves were high enough to bring the boat clear up to thispoint, he would be freed from the boat long before it reached thisplace."

  "He was tied to the boat."

  One mystery was solved, and another more terrible in its aspect cameupon its heels. There was but one thing to do, and that was to bury theskeleton, and John ordered this done, as soon as he had taken thecomplete measurements of the remains.

  "We don't want the box or the things in it now," said Harry.

  "Indeed, I want the hatchet," answered George.

  "Yes, and the rope," added John.

  The boys went back to the camp with thoughtful expressions on theirfaces.

  "This seems to be a Wonder Island, too," said George, more to himselfthan to any one else.

  They descended the incline, and crossed the narrow neck of land thatjoined the two parts of the island. Beyond, as they advanced the groundgrew more uneven and rugged. Occasionally rocks appeared, the first thatthey had noticed except around the place where George was captured.

  Nevertheless, vegetation grew in even greater profusion than on theother branch of the island. There were more berries upon which all thenatives feasted, and the boys were not slow to pick them as they passed.

  In traveling alongside of a hill Harry was the first to call attentionto a peculiar leaf on a plant, which bore rose-shaped flowers. "This issomething new to me. There is nothing like it on Wonder Island. Did younotice it, John?"

  The latter took a branch, and gazed at it for a long time. "I amsurprised to find this growing here. It is a plant well known inPalestine, and is called the Rose of Jericho."

  "What a delightful perfume it has," said Harry.

  _Fig. 12. Rose of Jericho._]

  "It is not noted on that account, however. It is the _resurrection_plant."

  "How singular; and in what way did it get that name?"

  "It may be dried up entirely, and if placed in water it will againappear to revive and raise itself up. This is, of course, due to itspower to absorb a vast amount of water. It is found near the shores ofthe Dead Sea, and I recall that when I was in Jerusalem it was a commonthing to see the plant in its dried-up state, sold to pilgrims who wereinstructed how to resurrect it."

  Here was caught the second and only other animal on the trip. It wassomewhat smaller than Sunny, and the latter danced about the deadanimal, as the "boys" brought it in.

  "And what is this big-eared fellow?" asked George.

  John laughed as he recognized the apt description. "It is a kind ofAustralian kangaroo. It inhabits trees, but is very clumsy in appearanceand in action. It is a kind of sloth, or wombat."

  _Fig. 13. The Koala._]

  "Isn't that a dandy fur?"

  "The fur is not so valuable as its skin. There is nothing to comparewith the softness of the hide when tanned. It feels like the finestvelvet, and is very strong and durable."

  They were now ascending a series of hills, each more difficult than thelast, and the ground became extremely rough and broken. There was a lonepath, in many places nearly obliterated. It was the uninviting road tothe land of sorrow.

  The Chief's son tried to be in the company of the boys at all times, andwhile he could not understand their chatter, Sutoto was a willinginterpreter. He enjoyed the jolly freedom of the two chums, and theiruniform good nature.

  George and Harry were ever on the alert to make him feel at ease and sothey talked with him, and told of the things which John explained, andit was plainly seen that he marveled at things which were described.

  Referring to the exiled people, George asked: "Do those people neverreturn after they are once condemned?"

  "They are never permitted to come back."

  "Do they stay there of their own free will?"

  "No; I am told that they long to be at home again."

  "Well, what would you do if they tried to come back?"

  "We would drive them away. One time they tried to come back, all ofthem, and we had to kill some of them," and he said it in a tone ofregret.

  "Don't you believe in killing?"

  He looked at George for a moment, and then looked up into Sutoto's eyes,as he said: "No; it would do no good. Would that be the right way?" heasked with a sort of innocence that brought a blush to George's cheeks.

  "No; we do not believe in killing, except when we must to protectourselves."

  "But do you have to make such wonderful things as those (pointing tothe guns) to protect yourselves?"

  John threw back his head and tried to prevent a loud laugh, at thisperfectly obvious question, while he looked at the boys to see what sortof an answer would be given.

  George was non-plussed for a minute. John had no business to disconcerthim in that way. He turned and expected Harry to answer, but it seemedas though he had imperfectly understood it. There was no way out of it,and George tried to get his body into a proper position to answer itwith dignity.

  "Well, you see, the guns were not made for the purpose of killingpeople, but for sporting purposes."

  "Do you have many wild animals in your country?" he asked naively.

  "Not many now."

  John laughed a little so as not to be too undignified, and George sawthe humor of the situation. He did not want to pursue the subject anyfurther, and John graciously turned the conversation by announcing thediscovery of the Upas tree.

  "I didn't know the Upas tree was of such immense size," said Harry. "Isit really true that it kills everything that comes near it?"

  "No, that is greatly exaggerated. The only time when it gives forth anyharmful exudations, is when it is cut down, or when the bark is tornaway, or it is wounded in such a way that the sap comes into contactwith the body."

  The illustration shows a flowering branch of the tree, and gives an ideaof the silk-like leaves.

  _Fig. 14. The Flower of the Upas Tree._]

  They were still going upwardly. On both sides, to the east and to thewest could be seen the rolling sea. Ahead was the mountain, if such itmight be called. Rocks began to appear everywhere. John stopped long atsome of those dark gray walls, and chipped off many specimens.

  There were now fewer birds and animals, except very small species, suchas squirrels, and a variety of weasel, quick in its movements andreddish in color.

  "This begins to look promising," remarked John, as he crawled around theledges.

  "Do you think we shall find any caves here?" asked George.

  "I shall be very much surprised if we do not," he answered.

  "Isn't it singular that the natives never knew a
bout them, if there areany here?"

  "No; I do not think that is strange; they do not believe in the witchdoctors, and they have no Krishnos here, so that the caves are of novalue to them."

  "But do you find much that is valuable in the way of ores?"

  "The hills here are full of the most valuable minerals. The littleprospecting I have done is sufficient to satisfy me on that point. I amtrying to make a fair estimate so I can give an accurate report when wereturn."

  It was late in the afternoon when they reached the summit of themountain which they had viewed from the south. It was green to the verysummit, and from the elevation where they stood they could see a longand narrow stretch to the north, the distance in that direction beingmuch farther than they had traveled from the little bight of land on thesouth.

  "It does look inviting in that part of the island," said Harry. "Wereyou ever there, in the bad place?" asked Harry as the Chief's son cameup.

  "No; but I have heard much about it."

  One of the natives who heard the conversation said: "It is a beautifulplace."

  "Have you ever been there?" he was asked.

  "I was a guard on two occasions when we took prisoners there," heanswered.

  "Tell us about it," said George.

  "I have never been in the village, but within an hour's march of it. TheChief warned us never to go into the place itself."

  Aside from the village the place which interested John and the boys mostwas the mountain on which they were now standing. This must be explored.It was now late in the afternoon, and at John's suggestion theyencamped, and only short excursions were made by the boys in the questfor something new.

  It was a delightful night. The elevation gave them the advantage of abeautiful breeze, and the odors wafted to them, from some unknownsource, on the mild trade wind from the north, was almost like anarcotic, so soothing and restful.

  "Did you ever visit a more delightful spot?" asked Harry, as he inhaledthe beautiful perfume.

  "It does not seem to me that the criminal colony is in a very bad place,if this is any indication of it. Isn't that way of dealing with crime astrange thing?" remarked George.

  "Why so?" asked John. "Is it anything peculiar for the wrongdoers to bebanished from a community?"

  "No; but it seems wrong to condemn the innocent women and children. Whyshould they be punished along with the guilty?"

  "Probably, in the majority of cases, the women and children would preferto accompany their husband and father. That does not seem to be socruel, when it is considered that they are left free to live as much soas in their own community."

  "That is what I cannot understand. What is the use of sending them away,if they are not locked up?"

  "Do you not know that among the ancients, banishment from a country wasthe greatest punishment; greater even than death, in the opinion ofmany; and there are many cases where suicide was preferable. The odiumof banishment was so great in those days that only the strongest and thegreatest of men could live it down."

  "It makes me feel, when I smell this delightful perfume, that the homeof the bad people over there must be a beautiful place," said George.

  "To give such an opinion, just because of the fragrance that comes fromthe north is proper for a sentimentalist," said John, as he laughed.

  "Well, that is a pretty big name to give, and I suppose it means havingsome notion that hasn't any sense in it, but just theory?"

  "That is a fairly close description, but I didn't mean it in that way."

  The boys never felt resentful at anything that John might say, as theyknew and appreciated his noble character and disposition too well not tounderstand that his remarks were never born of malice.

  After a restful night preparations were made for a complete survey ofthe mountain, if it might be so dignified. Its greatest altitude did notexceed eight or nine hundred feet, and the width of the island at thispoint did not exceed two miles. It was quite rugged toward the east, buton the western side of the island the descent was sloping, and offeredeasy examination.

  The natives were instructed what to do, and were told that they shouldparticularly hunt for caves, or great holes, or entrances into thehills. Four search parties were thus organized, John being at the headof one, and George, Harry and Sutoto, each being a leader in the others.

  Sutoto was most competent for work of this kind, as he had accompaniedthe boys on many expeditions, and was anxious to be of service in thequest.

  John took a direction to the northeast, and Sutoto to the southeast,thus leaving Harry and George with their parties to explore the regionto the west, and northwest.

  As they were separating George slyly remarked: "John must have had someparticular reason for taking the direction he did."

  Harry smiled. "I hope we shall find the first caves."

  Before separating John told them that he was desirous of finding acavern which had certain peculiar markings therein, and the descriptionshowed it to be Cross-shaped. This must not be forgotten.

  They entered into the undertaking with the greatest enthusiasm.

  The boys simply danced, as they went down the hill, so great was the joyand the freedom of that beautiful spot. What a wonderful sensation isproduced by beautiful odors. It is like a thought which transports you.On the other hand, when the odors are disagreeable how it depresses anddisgusts.

  A great French physician has said that in his observations, the realhappy people are those who delight in beautiful odors; and while it isnot true that criminals are devoid of the elevating influence ofdelightful perfumes, still, they are less influenced thereby.

  In a number of tests made some years ago, a curious fact was observed:Sweet odors were allowed to Teach sleeping patients, which, when theydid excite dreams, made them feel that they were living in a world ofbliss, and surrounded by all the luxuries of life. On the other hand,when exposed to evil smelling odors, they dreamed of miseries, and oftrouble and disgrace.

  It was understood that the different expeditions were to report at thecamp at midday, and that in the event of any accident, or other mishap,the firing of the guns would be sufficient warning to the party at thecamp and to those who were searching.

  George had with him two of his own "boys," and two of the natives, andHarry was also accompanied by several of his particular favorites.Harry, with his party, was the energetic one, as he was exceedingly wiryand a good walker. He did not intend to permit the others to encroach onany of his territory.

  Not a vestige of anything was found which even so much as pointed to acave or to the sign of human occupancy in that section. George, on theother hand, was more fortunate. In his area the shelving rocks weremore numerous, and he also knew that the rocks were limestone, and thatcaves were more likely to exist in limestone formation than in traprock, or either in granite or sandstone formations.

  He was, therefore, fully prepared, when, in the early part of hisinvestigation, to find, what appeared to be entrances, but in all casesthey were blind leads,--that is they led in for short distances only,many of them being mere cleavages of the rocks.

  The real cave is the one where the limestone is eaten out by the erosiveaction of the water attacking the calcium of the rock. Furthermore, hefelt that he must go down nearer sea level to be assured of success, andhe acted on that impulse.