Between them and the shore a rock stood just above the surface. It wasonly about a hundred yards away, and Fangati, exerting all herstrength, drove the canoe towards it, and reached it in the nick oftime. In another few seconds the canoe must have foundered.
There was not much room on the rock. Tommy scrambled on to it, whileFangati, slipping over into the sea, prepared to help Tommy drag thecanoe up, so that they might tilt the water out of it, and try to stopthe leak with a handkerchief, or a part of Tommy's skirt.
They had just begun to tilt the canoe when Tommy caught sight of asmall dark object on the surface of the sea about thirty or forty yardsaway. It was the fin of a shark.
"Fangati, quick!" she called, holding out her hands to help the girlclamber on to the rock.
Fangati's back was towards the shark and she did not understand whatthe peril was. But the note of terror in Tommy's voice alarmed her.She let go her hold of the canoe, gained the edge of the rock in twostrokes, and with Tommy's help scrambled up just as the shark glidedpast into the deep water beyond.
"Eh! Eh!" exclaimed Fangati, when she saw the reason of Tommy'sfright. "I no aflaid, what fo' aflaid of he? You see, all-same."
She was about to dive into the sea and swim after the canoe, which wasalready drifting away, but Tommy caught her and held her fast. "No,no, you mustn't," she cried anxiously.
"Boat lun kick," cried Fangati in excitement.
The canoe, relieved of the girls' weight, would no doubt float longerthan if they had still been in it, but Tommy realized that it must soonsink.
"Never mind," she cried. "Better lose the canoe than lose you."
Fangati stood beside her for some time, but Tommy soon became aware ofa double danger. The tide was rising. Every moment the ripples washeda little farther over the rock: by and by this would be completelysubmerged and they would have to swim to the shore. The thought ofthis necessity filled Tommy with terror. The shark had disappearedonly for a moment. She could now see it again, circling about therock, as if it knew that it had only to bide its time and the girlswould fall an easy prey. As soon as there was sufficient depth ofwater on the rock they would be absolutely defenceless against themonster's hungry jaws.
Clinging to Fangati, Tommy called aloud for help; then, glancingshorewards, recognized that there was little chance of her voice beingheard through the belt of woodland that separated her from the camp.
The sea now thinly covered the rock. The canoe was rocking on the tideseveral yards away; the fin of the shark could still be seen as itwheeled around. Fangati, as well aware of the danger as Tommy, couldremain inactive no longer.
"Knife!" she cried eagerly, pointing to Tommy's pocket.
"What are you going to do?" asked Tommy.
"You see. Kick! kick!" said the girl.
"Don't leave me," pleaded Tommy, handing her the knife.
Fangati looked around as if in search of something. Suddenly shesnatched Tommy's handkerchief, which was tucked into her belt, anddived off the rock. When she disappeared Tommy saw the handkerchieffloating. In a moment the shark rushed silently through the water,attracted by the splash. As it came beneath the handkerchief, whichFangati had dropped as a decoy, she came up beneath it and plunged theknife deep into its side. Then she dived again and disappeared.
The shark, thrashing the water into foam, dashed about in zigzagfashion. Tommy watched it fascinated, fearing that it might havestruck Fangati. But in a moment she heard the girl's merry laughbehind her. Fangati came up on the farther side of the rock, on towhich she clambered, splashing through the water to Tommy's side. Thegirls watched the gradually weakening movements of the monster, untilat length with a final heave it sank to the bottom.
"S'im! S'im!" cried Fangati, pointing to the shore.
"Oh, I couldn't," said Tommy, clinging to the girl.
The possibility of there being other sharks between her and the shoreunnerved her. Yet if she remained on this rock she must be washed offpresently by the fast-rising tide. She was in a terrible state ofanxiety, aware that she could not keep her footing long, yet unable toface the risk of being caught by a shark. Fangati seemed to guess ather state of mind. Disengaging herself from Tommy's grasp, withoutwaiting for objections, she slipped off the rock and swam rapidly afterthe canoe, which was drifting farther and farther down the coast.Tommy watched her anxiously. Would she reach the canoe safely? Couldshe return with it in time?
The water was now up to Tommy's waist; she could hardly keep herfooting as the tide surged over the rock. The gap between the littleblack head and the canoe was steadily diminishing. Tommy gave a gaspof relief as she saw that Fangati had overtaken the little craft. Butwhat was she doing? She had swum beyond it. In a moment Tommy saw theexplanation: the paddle had drifted beyond the canoe, and the swimmerhad to recover it first. Fangati caught the paddle, turned about, andswimming back to the canoe, climbed over its side.
Tommy was seized with a sickening fear that help would come too late.The waves were tumbling over the rock with increasing force: her feetwere lifted: she had the presence of mind to tread water, but was allthe time in a state of nervous terror, expecting a shark to come up andsnatch her in its horrid jaws. She felt that Fangati in thewater-logged canoe could not reach her in time. Again she screamed forhelp.
"SHE FELT THAT FANGATI COULD NOT REACH HER IN TIME."]
There came an answer from behind her. Turning her head, scarcely ableto keep afloat, she saw Elizabeth in the dinghy sculling towards her.She swam frantically to meet her: to regain a foothold on the rock wasnow impossible. Elizabeth, glancing over her shoulder, called a cheeryword, and pulled so as to meet her sister. A few more strokes broughtthem together. Elizabeth shipped oars, but found that she could notlift Tommy into the dinghy without assistance. Luckily Fangati wasclose at hand in the canoe, now so full of water as to be on the pointof sinking. When she arrived Tommy was got into the boat, and lay downexhausted. Elizabeth pulled her rapidly to land, while Fangati,disdaining sharks, leapt into the sea, and swam, pushing the canoe infront of her.
Tommy was very contrite when Elizabeth lifted her on to dry land. "Iwon't do it again, Bess," she murmured, clinging to her sister. "Ioughtn't to have gone so far. I was nearly drowned."
"Never mind, dear," said Elizabeth. "It's all right now. I was alittle anxious when I got back and found you still away, and I'm soglad I came to look for you. Do you know, when I caught sight ofFangati and couldn't see you I had a most horrible fear. Whathappened? Why didn't you swim ashore?"
Tommy told her the whole story. Elizabeth forbore to reproach her.She saw that the young girl had suffered a terrible fright, and itwould not be necessary to enforce the lesson. She gave Fangati warmpraise for what she had done, and Tommy's fondness for the native girlwas deepened by this adventure they had shared.
CHAPTER XX
THE PRISONER IN THE CAVE
Since their change of residence the girls had used a fresh look-outstation. The precipice which they had noticed when they first caughtsight of Maku's hut was very lofty, and from its summit a moreextensive outlook could be obtained than any they had yet enjoyed. Itsface was unscalable; but Fangati had discovered a means of reaching itstop from the rear. The way was steep and arduous, but the girls madelight of it. Every day one of them climbed to the summit, and cast asearching glance over the sea; but for weeks in succession they saw novessel, large or small.
One afternoon, however, Mary was startled on reaching the summit to seein the distance a small fleet of native canoes approaching the island.She ran down the hillside at full speed with the news. Maku instantlysent Fangati up to examine the vessels, and when by and by she declaredthat they were canoes from her own island the old man shook with fright.
The visit was what he had long expected and dreaded. His people werecoming with their new chief to perform the usual ceremonies in thecave. He knew that if he were discovered he could expect no mercy; themystery men
would seize upon him, and their followers, inflamed withreligious frenzy and palm wine, would tear him to pieces.
The younger girls were beside themselves with terror. But Elizabethrose to the occasion. She saw that Maku, with a kind of fatalism, wasdisposed to await his destiny without stirring a hand to avert it; buta possible means of escape at once occurred to her. The canoes werestill some distance out at sea. The usual landing-place was near thegirls' old settlement on the other side of the island. It wouldprobably be dark before the savages landed, so that twelve or morehours might elapse before the danger became pressing. In that time itwould be possible to demolish the huts, obliterate the most tell-taletraces of habitation, and convey enough food to the pit to last themuntil the unwelcome visitors had completed their rites and taken theirdeparture. The existence of the pit was unknown to them, and though itwas impossible to cover it, there was a chance that, if the savagesshould light upon it, they would imagine it to be an old breadfruitpit, as Maku had done, and never suspect that it communicated with thecave.
She explained her plan rapidly to the others. Maku was inclined to donothing, but the girls were feverishly ready to attempt any means ofescape. Elizabeth sent Fangati to the top of the cliff to watch thecanoes, bidding her be careful to keep out of sight. Then with hersisters she set to work to tear down their light hut and cast itsmaterials into the stream. This would carry them to the sea, and asthe current flowed away from the landing-place they would soon driftbeyond observation. Before long the energy of the girls galvanizedMaku into activity. He demolished his hut in the same way.
They then destroyed their fire-places, covered up the blackened earthwith sand, and threw into the stream all the litter that betokenedoccupation. It was impossible to remove all traces; the vegetationaround the little settlement was trampled, and nothing but time couldundo that.
"What about the boat and canoe?" said Tommy.
"We must drag them up among the trees and hope that they will not bediscovered," replied Elizabeth. "Luckily, there are no fruit-trees inthat clump by the shore, so there's nothing to take the savages there."
The boats were soon hidden among the undergrowth. Then they collectedtheir little belongings, kettle, cups, fishing-line and spears, and allthe food they had at hand. They made their mat-beds into hammocks bystringing them at the corners with creepers, and filled these with allthey wished to carry away. By this time it was nearly dark. Fangati,flying down the hillside, reported that the canoes had entered thelagoon by the gap in the reef and had now passed from sight. It wasclear that they were making for the usual landing-place. Maku saidthat the people would camp for the night on the shore, next day roamthe island in search of food, and in the evening hold a great feast inthe cave.
Having made all their preparations, they set off towards the pit ladenwith the hammocks.
"Oh, we can't take Billy," said Elizabeth, noticing that the parrot wasperched on Tommy's shoulder. "His screaming would ruin us."
Tommy was distressed at the thought of leaving her old pet behind, butthere was clearly no help for it. The bird's wings being clipped itcould not fend for itself very well, and Tommy decided to carry it downto the boat and leave it there with enough food for several days. Shekissed it on parting, fearing that she might never see it again.
They found their ladder where they had left it among the trees. Afterletting down the hammocks they descended one by one, removed theladder, and retreated towards the entrance of the tunnel. Theirpassage had left traces on the ground above, which must betray them ifthe keen-eyed savages came that way; but there was nothing to bringthem in that direction; and the girls hoped that the pit would be asecure hiding-place during the three days the savages might be expectedto spend on the island.
The fruits they had brought with them would supply them with food anddrink for several days. The lack of water, which might have otherwisedistressed them, was partially made up by the juice of oranges andcocoa-nuts.
They found the atmosphere of the pit close and unpleasant, butElizabeth reflected that if nothing happened to alarm them they mightclimb up at dead of night and get a little fresh air while the savageswere sleeping.
The girls had little sleep during the first night. Every few minutesthey would wake and listen, wondering if by some unlucky chance theirhiding-place had been discovered. They were still more uneasy when daybroke. What were the savages doing? Fangati offered to climb up andspy upon them, but Elizabeth would not permit this. While they allremained in the pit they were safe; if the savages should catch sightof any one, they would, almost certainly, never rest until they haddiscovered the whereabouts of the inhabitants.
The hours of daylight dragged slowly away. The girls scarcely dared tospeak. Several times Fangati stole along to the end of the tunnel tosee if the savages had yet entered the cave; but there was no sign ofthem until the afternoon was far advanced. Then the girl ran back toreport that there was a great noise below. She had been much toofrightened to stay any longer; but Maku now said that he would go andlearn who the people were.
He was absent so long that the girls began to be alarmed, and werethinking of going in search of him, when they heard the light rustle ofhis footsteps. On rejoining them he groaned heavily.
"What is the matter?" asked Elizabeth anxiously.
The old chief groaned again. He did not reply to Elizabeth, but spokein a low tone rapidly to Fangati. The girls had picked up a good manynative words, but their knowledge of the language was not sufficientfor them to understand this conversation. From Maku's groans andFangati's exclamations of distress they gathered that the chief hadmade some disagreeable discovery, and Elizabeth at length insisted onhis telling her what troubled him.
The girls were horrified when they heard what he had to say. The cavewas full of his own people. Among them he had seen, by the light oftheir torches of cocoa-nut husks, the new chief, a young man who washigh in favour with the mystery men and had led the revolt againsthimself. But what had distressed him was the sight of a prisoner lyingbound against the wall of the cave. It was a white man, and Maku wasalmost sure it was the "mikinaly." The mystery men could only have oneobject in bringing a white missionary to the scene of their dreadfulorgies: he was to be offered up as a sacrifice to their heathen deities.
At this terrible news the girls' blood ran cold. Dreadful as thehorrors of cannibalism had been to their imagination, the knowledgethat the reality would soon be enacted so near at hand wasoverpowering. The thought of any human creature being tortured andkilled in cold blood was agony to them; and that the victim should be awhite man, a fellow-countryman, within reach of them, and yet beyondtheir help, caused them to shrink and quiver as with actual physicalpain.
For some time they sat in silence, clasping their arms about each other.
Every now and again the old man uttered a groan. They could not seeone another in the darkness, and Tommy's match-lighter was exhausted,so that they could not obtain a light; but the girls were conscious bya sort of electric sympathy that Maku and even gay-hearted littleFangati were scarcely less affected than themselves.
"Will it be to-night?" asked Elizabeth presently, in a whisper.
"No, no," replied Maku; "two days, flee days, den all gone."
This answer only increased the horror of the situation. The victim wasto linger through three days anticipating his cruel death. The savagesknew not so much mercy as to send him early to his doom.
"He no 'flaid; he all-same good man," murmured Maku.
"I can't stand it," cried Elizabeth, springing up; "I must see formyself. Perhaps something can be done for him."
"Don't, Bess!" exclaimed Tommy, clinging to her. "What can you do?They may see you."
"No, they can't do that. I must go. Perhaps if I screamed at themthey would take me for an evil spirit and run away."
"But what then?" said Mary. "You could not go round and release thepoor man; you would be seen."
"Yes; it was
a foolish idea. But something may suggest itself. Oh, Ican't bear to think about the poor man."
"If you go, I go too," said Tommy. "I won't leave you."
The two set off, and felt their way stumblingly through the passage.Presently they were aware of a pungent aromatic smell, that increasedas they went on. This was explained when they reached the opening inthe wall; looking over stealthily, they saw, sixteen or twenty feetbelow them, on the floor of the cave, a strange bewildering sight. Aring of dusky men held aloft great flaring torches which gave out aheavy smoke that penetrated into the tunnel. Without the circle therestood a row of drummers beating a rhythmic music on their instruments;within, a crowd of men were leaping in wild gyrations, utteringfrenzied yells. In the haze nothing could be seen distinctly; all wasa confused whirl. The prisoner was quite invisible.
The dance continued for a long time, the movements becoming ever moreviolent and fantastic, the cries more frantic, the drumming more swiftand vigorous. At last, when the din was at its highest, the drummersgave one tremendous crash and dropped their sticks. The whirling andthe yells ceased as by magic; the performers flung themselves faintingon the ground; and there was a great silence. But only for a fewminutes. Then the men leapt to their feet again, rushed to the side ofthe cave, and returned, bringing the food laid there in readiness, andmany gourds filled with the fermented sap of palm-trees. Thetorch-bearers stuck their torches in crannies on the walls, and thewhole company gave themselves up to feasting. The girls turned sick asthey watched the ravening gluttony of the men, and withdrew their eyes.