When they had landed and drawn the boat up, they lifted the girl andcarried her among them to the hut. Her eyes opened during the journey,and she shivered; but she did not speak or struggle, and indeed hung solimply in their arms that they feared she was past help.
"On my bed, please," said Tommy, when they reached the hut.
They laid her gently down, and Elizabeth poured a little cocoa-nut milkbetween her lips. She now gave signs of animation, swallowed the juicegreedily, and looked with the eyes of a timid fawn from one to anotherof the three girls. Presently she murmured a few words; her voice wasplaintive and pleading.
"Don't be frightened," said Elizabeth soothingly.
The words seemed to startle the child. She tried to rise, but was tooweak to move.
"She must have been adrift a long time to be in this terrible state,"said Elizabeth. "I wonder how it happened?"
"Poor thing," murmured Tommy. "What a sweet little face she has!"
"Hush!" said Elizabeth, "our voices frighten her. Of course shedoesn't understand what we say. I think you had better leave her to mefor a little while. I'll feed her, and she'll see by and by that wemean her no harm."
Tommy's face wore for an instant a look of defiance, but she got thebetter of her inclination to rebel, and with Mary left the hut.Elizabeth remained with the little stranger, feeding her at frequentintervals, bathing her head, occasionally murmuring a word ofencouragement. Her gentleness was effective. Presently the look offright vanished from the brown girl's eyes--large, liquid eyes thatElizabeth found wonderfully attractive. Once she timidly strokedElizabeth's strong firm hand, and at last, with a faint smile, shedropped off to sleep.
"She's asleep," said Elizabeth, quietly going forth to join hersisters. "What an extraordinary thing to happen!"
"Look here, Bess," said Tommy fiercely, "if you think you're going tokeep her to yourself you are jolly well mistaken. I saw her first; youwouldn't believe me; and now I'm going to look after her, so there!"
"Instead of the parrot?" Mary could not help saying.
Elizabeth frowned at her.
"Very well, dear," she said pleasantly. "She's a little younger thanyou, I should think, but I dare say she will like you to mother her.But what will happen? Won't her friends come and look for her?"
"And if they do, and find we have treated her kindly, they'll just loveus," said Tommy.
The other girls were amazed at Tommy's complete change of attitude.Her fearfulness seemed to have been quite swallowed up in anotheremotion. The discovery that the native of whom she had been soneedlessly frightened was a girl more helpless than herself filled herwith a kind of rapture. She stepped softly into the hut, and seeingthat the child was still asleep, placed a peeled orange beside her mat,where it must be seen as soon as she awoke.
"I wonder if we ought to go to the native hut and try to explain to herpeople that the girl is safe," said Elizabeth, as they sat on the grasseating their dinner.
"Certainly not," said Tommy decisively. "I dare say they were cruel toher, and the poor thing was glad to get away."
"What an imagination you have!" said Elizabeth, smiling. "For all youknow, her mother may be broken-hearted."
"I don't believe it. Anyhow, she's too weak to go home, and we shallsoon see if she wants to. I'll talk to her by and by, and I knowshe'll be quite pleased to stay with us."
Remembering Tommy's ill-success with the parrot, the elder girls wereamused at her confident belief that she would make the child talk, andunderstand what she said. Indeed, when, later in the day, the girlawoke, and Tommy went to attend to her, the first attempt at openingcommunications was a complete failure. By way of putting the littlepatient at her ease, Tommy grinned at her, patted her head, nodded,pointed to herself and said "Me Tommy," with the result that the childshrank away from her as if scared. When she realized that she hadnothing to fear, she gazed upon the white girl with wide-open eyes andthe same wondering look as may be seen on the face of a child watchinga conjurer.
The ravenous way in which she ate the food given to her confirmed thegirls' belief that she was half-starved. She rapidly gained strength,and it became clear that her weakness was due to hunger and not toillness. She began to talk, pouring out her words in liquid tones thatfell pleasantly on the English ears. When she saw how puzzled thegirls were she laughed; then, with a sober look of reflection, pointedto herself and said "Me Tommee" so drolly that the girls screamed withlaughter.
Just before sunset, when the girls came into the hut for the night,they sat eating their supper and talking about their dusky guest. Sheknew by instinct that she was the subject of their conversation, andlooked timidly from one to another, watching their lips, her featuresreflecting every expression on their faces.
Tommy gave her some baked fish for supper, and then prepared to "tuckher up," as she said, with her own wraps; but the girl rejected thecovering and coiled herself up like a dog.
Next morning she got up and followed them when they went down to theshore for their usual bath. She seemed to be astonished at thewhiteness of their skin, and amused them very much by scrubbing herselfwith sand, to see if she could make her brown body resemble theirs.She watched every detail of their toilet with intense interest, andwhen she saw them comb their hair she held out her hand for the comb.
"Don't give it to her, Tommy," said Mary, looking with distaste at thegirl's greasy mop.
"Rubbish!" said Tommy. "We can wash it afterwards."
But even Tommy regretted her generosity when, after being vigorouslytugged through the thick matted hair, the comb was restored to her withseveral of its teeth missing.
"My word!" she exclaimed. "Fancy breaking wooden teeth! My poor oldpony's mane was nothing to her thatch."
After breakfast the girl followed them about like a dog. They noticedthat she looked about her eagerly, as though searching for somerecognizable landmark. But she evinced no desire to leave them, andindeed soon became tired; her strength was not yet equal to muchexertion. The girls all sat on the grass with the child in the midst.
"Let's try to find out her name," suggested Mary.
"Let me try," said Tommy. Pointing to Elizabeth, she said "Bess,"repeating the name several times. Then she touched Mary, pronouncingher name, and lastly herself.
"Me Tommee," said the girl, laughing delightedly.
"Tommy," said her instructor, "not 'me,' just Tommy."
"Me Tommee," repeated the girl; then after a moment pointed to Mary,saying "Mailee," and to Elizabeth, calling her "Bess," with a longsibilant.
"Now you," said Tommy, pointing to the girl herself.
She at once recognized what was required and said, "Fangati."
"What a pretty name!" said Elizabeth.
"I wonder how she spells it," remarked Mary.
At this Tommy shrieked.
"She doesn't spell at all, you goose!" she said; "of course she neverlearnt her letters."
And then the laugh was on Mary's side, for Fangati, as if thoroughlyenjoying the fun, touched Tommy's hand, saying "Me Tommee," over andover again.
"You'll be 'Me Tommee' always now," said Elizabeth. "You should haveused correct English, my dear."
"I don't care," said Tommy philosophically. "Anyhow, she can't sayMary. Try again, Fangati," she added, pointing to her sister.
"Mailee," cried the child, showing her teeth in a pretty smile. "Bess,Mailee, Me Tommee."
To make quite sure that they had her name correctly, Tommy walked to alittle distance until she was out of sight among the trees, and thencalled "Fangati!" in her shrill treble. The girl instantly jumped toher feet, and ran after her.
"Well done," said Tommy, patting her. "You are a perfect dear, and I'mgoing to be very fond of you."
CHAPTER XVIII
ANOTHER BROWN FACE
The girls were much surprised that Fangati seemed perfectly content toremain with them, and showed no disposition to return to her friends.At first they put th
is down to lack of strength, thinking that thechild had the prudence not to attempt to cross the island until therewas no risk of breaking down. But in a few days, when Fangati was asvigorous and lively as a healthy young animal, this explanation was nolonger tenable.
They were almost equally surprised that, so far as they could tell, nosearch had been made for her. For some days they kept pretty close tothe neighbourhood of the hut, in some fear that their possession ofFangati might turn to their disadvantage if the natives discovered her.To be suspected of kidnapping her might bring down upon them the wrathof her friends. But when everything went on as before, they lost theirtimidity, and made longer and longer excursions from the hut.
Fangati accompanied them everywhere. They had taught her a few words,and could make her understand by signs or otherwise what they wantedher to do. Their life was so simple that there were few ways in whichshe could help them. She laughed when she saw their manner of fishing,but did not offer to show them the native method. She was content withthings as they were.
One day when she had gone with them into the woodland to fetch food,she gathered a number of large yellowish-green fruits which they girlshad often looked at longingly but which they had never ventured to eatfor fear of poison. She handed the fruit to them, and made signs tothem to eat. Seeing their hesitation, she dug her strong teeth intothe hard rind, quickly pulled it off, and showing the juicy pulp,bright yellow in colour, began to suck it with enjoyment. At this thegirls followed her example.
"It is delicious," cried Tommy, the juice dripping from her lips."What donkeys we were not to try it before! The bother is, there isn'tenough of it; there's a monstrous big stone in the middle. I wonderwhat it is?"
The fruit was the mango, which they had known hitherto only in thebottles of chutney which their uncle had brought from India. Theirpleasure at the discovery of a new fruit impelled Fangati to makefurther additions to their menu. As they passed through the woodlandon their way home, she stopped among some creepers trailing along theground, seized a stick, and began to dig with it. The girls watchedher curiously. After a little she turned up some tubers that lookedsomething like potatoes, and lifted them, chattering incomprehensibly,and pointing to her mouth.
"I believe they are yams," said Mary; "they are very good to eat."
"Then we'll boil some for dinner," said Elizabeth. "What a usefullittle thing Fangati is turning out!"
They took home a few of the roots, and came back in the afternoon withthe boat-hook, with which, however, they dug up the roots no fasterthan Fangati with the stick.
Another day, when they went for cocoanuts and failed to find any on theground, Fangati pointed to some nuts clustering among the foliage fiftyfeet above the ground, and made signs to them to climb up for them.They shook their heads, whereupon she laughed, ran to one of the trees,clasped her hands about the slender stem, and began, as it seemed tothe girls, to walk up it. They held their breath as she nimblymounted, and were not easy in mind until, after throwing down severalnuts, she slid to the ground again, laughing with glee.
"Her backbone must be made of india-rubber," declared Tommy. "I musttry that way."
"No, I won't allow it," said Elizabeth firmly. "It's not worth whileto risk a broken back. Fangati can get us all we want."
Fangati introduced them to several other edible plants, of which theynever learnt the English names. The greater variety of food was veryacceptable, and though their health had been good, except for Mary'stouch of fever, they all declared that they felt better than ever sinceFangati came. No doubt they owed as much to their new interest in lifeas to their change of food.
They had not of late walked to the ridge. But one day when the orangesnear them had given out, they decided to make an excursion to theorange grove where Tommy had first seen Fangati. When they came nearthe crest a sudden change in Fangati's demeanour astonished them.Hitherto she had been as merry as possible, finding cause for laughterin everything. But all at once she stopped dead, gave a cry, utteredthe word "tapu," and fled away with every sign of terror.
The girls were amazed at her alarm, and looked about for someexplanation of it, half expecting to see some hideous savageapproaching with uplifted club. But all that was in sight were theunvarying features of the landscape, and the row of posts with theirrags of pennants.
They hurried after Fangati, and tried with the little stock of nativewords she had taught them, and the few English words she had learnt, toelicit the explanation of her terror. She explained fluently enough,but the only word they caught, because of its constant repetition, was"tapu."
"That's the same as taboo, I think," said Mary. "It means somethingsacred, but I can't make out what could be sacred there. It's sostrange, too, because we were quite near the orange grove, and she wasnot frightened then--unless she was frightened of you, Tommy."
"I dare say she was," said Tommy; "we were both frightened, but we aregood friends now, aren't we, Fangati?"
"Me Tommee plend," said the girl.
"Are we going back without any oranges?" asked Elizabeth.
"Why should we?" exclaimed Tommy. "Come along, Fangati."
She led the way towards the ridge again, but Fangati stood and wavedher arms, crying "tapu" again and again.
"Evidently she won't cross the ridge," said Elizabeth; "but we can getto the orange grove by going round. Perhaps she will come with usthen."
Striking off at an angle with the ridge, they found that Fangatiaccompanied them willingly. She soon recovered her wonted highspirits. They made their way through the undergrowth, and presentlycame to an open glade, beyond which lay the orange grove.
Here they were again surprised to see signs of great excitement inFangati's face. The girl stood still for a few moments, looking abouther eagerly; then, uttering a little cry, she darted away, and in asecond or two was lost to view.
"Now what's that mean?" cried Mary.
"There's only one explanation," said Elizabeth. "She recognizes theplace as being near her home, and she has run away to her friends."
"Oh! what idiots we are!" cried Tommy. "This was the last place weshould have brought her to. Now we've lost her!"
"Well, dear," said Elizabeth, "I have often wondered whether we wereright in keeping her. She belongs to her own people, you know, and notto us."
"But she didn't want to leave us. And they don't care a dump abouther, or they'd have come for her long before this. I'm sure she wasmuch happier with us than with nasty savages."
"Yet she has left us now," remarked Mary. "They can't be dreadfullyhorrid to her."
"Couldn't you fetch her back, Bess?" asked Tommy.
"I shouldn't much care about it," replied Elizabeth. "After all, wedon't know what trouble we might be running into. Perhaps she willcome back to us herself."
After taking some oranges they returned to their own side of the islandby way of the ridge. Tommy was disconsolate. All the sisters hadbecome fond of Fangati, but there was a special tie between her andTommy, and she was more often with Tommy than with the others.
For the next two days they talked about little else than Fangati'sdefection. They walked up to the orange grove, in the hope that shewould reappear, but returned without a sight of the little brown facethey had learned to love. Her departure had left a strange blank; theyfelt that something had gone out of their life. Until then they hadnot realized how much she had added to their happiness.
On the third morning after breakfast they were "washing-up" outside thehut--so they called the clearing away of banana skins, fish bones, andpieces of shell--when they suddenly caught sight of two figures movingamong the trees some little distance away. They sprang to their feetin alarm. A second glance told them that the figures were those ofnatives; and, struck with the idea, that the savages were stealthilyapproaching to attack them, they began to run up-stream toward a patchof thick undergrowth where they could hide.
But they had only taken a few paces when t
here was a shrill cry of "MeTommee!" They halted hesitatingly, to see Fangati flying towards them,and her companion standing still at the edge of the woodland.
When Fangati was within a few yards, Tommy, able to restrain herself nolonger, rushed forward and clasped the brown girl in her arms, kissingher again and again. Fangati laughed; she laughed at everything; then,hand in hand with Tommy, ran to the other girls, chattering excitedly.She pointed to the solitary native, who had not moved, smiled, pattedher own head, threw herself down and clasped Elizabeth's feet, ran alittle way, and then came back looking behind her.
"I think she wants to know if she may bring this other one," said Mary.
"And she wants to make us understand that we shan't be harmed," saidTommy. "Let her go, Bess."
"We gain nothing by refusing, so she may as well," said Elizabeth.
She waved her hands toward the second native, and Fangati, who had beenwatching her wistfully, bounded off with a gay laugh.
The girls awaited her return with mixed feelings. They were glad tosee Fangati again, but they did not much desire the acquaintance of astrange native. They did not yet know whether it was a man or woman.This doubt, however, was resolved in a few minutes. Scanning theapproaching couple anxiously, they saw that Fangati's companion was agrey, shrunken old man, apparently feeble, for he moved slowly andleant on the girl for support.
"I believe it's the man we saw at the native hut," said Mary.