The Island of Gold: A Sailor's Yarn
and over again he turned his long neckdownwards, and wonderingly gazed upon the fishing gear and oars.
Then he disappeared.
We must now return to the cave where we left our smaller heroes.
Ransey Tansey's greatest grief was in thinking about his father. Itwould be quite a long time yet before the tide ebbed sufficiently topermit them to leave the cave and scramble along the beach to the top ofthe cove. Well, there was nothing for it but to wait. But this waitinghad a curious ending.
They had returned to the stalactite cave, and Ransey had once more lithis lamp, when suddenly, far at the other end, they heard something thatmade poor Nelda quake with fear and cling to her brother's arm.
"Oh, it is a ghost!" she cried--"an old woman's ghost!"
I cannot otherwise describe the sound than as a weary kind of half sigh,half moan, on a loud falsetto key.
No wonder Nelda thought it emanated from some old lady's ghost; thoughwhat an old lady's ghost could possibly be doing down here, it wouldhave been difficult indeed to guess.
Bob took another view of the matter. He barked loudly and lustily, andrushed forward. It was no angry bark, however.
Next minute he came running back, and when Ransey Tansey turned thelight on him he could see by the commotion among the long, rough hairwhich covered his rump that the fag-end of a tail he possessed was beingviolently but joyfully agitated.
"Come on," he seemed to say; "follow me. You will be surprised!"
Without fear now, the children followed the dog, and, lo! not far off,standing solemnly in a kind of crystalline pulpit, was the Admiralhimself. No wonder they were all astonished, or that the bird himselfseemed pleased. But off the crane hopped now, the dog and the childrentoo following, and there, not thirty yards from the place where they hadbeen all night, was a landward opening into the cave.
It was surrounded with bush, and how the Admiral had found it must everremain a mystery.
Ten minutes after this poor Tandy was clasping his children to hisbreast.
Innocent wee Babs was patting his cheek, and saying, "Never mind,daddy--never mind, dear daddy." Childish consolation certainly, but,oh, so sweet! No wonder his pent-up feelings were relieved by tears atlast.
The crane allayed _his_ feelings by dancing a _pas de joie_ on the coralsand. Bob gave vent to his by rushing about and barking at everythingand everybody, but especially at the boat, which he seemed to regard asthe innocent cause of all the trouble.
"Wowff--wowff--wow! Why did it run away anyhow?"
That is what Bob wanted to know.
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But the tide had ebbed sufficiently to permit of a visit to the cave ofdelight, as Ransey called it.
James and Tandy, with Ransey and Fitz, embarked, the others remaining onshore.
Both men were as much delighted and astonished at what they saw as thechildren themselves had been. A large quantity of withered branches andfoliage had been taken in the boat, to make a fire in the crystallinecave.
"But oh, father," said Ransey, "you should have seen it last night whenwe lit it up with crimson light!"
"We'll come again, lad," replied his father.
They then made their way to the outer opening, and back once more to theinner, where they had left the boat.
It was noticed that James Malone was somewhat silent all the way back tothe wreck. And so he continued during breakfast. After this he slowlyarose. "Brother," he said, laying his hand on Halcott's shoulder, "Ihave something strange to tell you. Come to the cliff-top, and you too,Tandy, and bring your pipes."
Book 3--CHAPTER EIGHT.
ENTOMBED ALIVE.
It was a very lovely day now. The sea all round towards the easternside of the island was deep and blue; but the waters to the west werehere and there more shallow, so that the ocean here was patched withsplendid colouring--tints of opal, tender green, and crimson were setoff by the deep dark-brown of a rocky bottom, whereon masses of sea-weedwaved with the ebb or the flow of the tide.
There was not a breath of wind to-day, not a whisper in the woodlands;scarce a sound was to be heard, save the drowsy hum of the waves as theybroke far below on the beach of snow-white sand, or the occasionalscreaming of the sea-birds sailing round and round the beetling cragswhere their nests were.
In very joy they seemed to scream to-day. Happy birds! There was noone to molest them on this far-off beautiful isle of the ocean. No gunwas ever levelled at them, not a pebble ever thrown even by Fitz; and sotame were they that they often ran about the cliff-top, or even alightedon the ship itself.
But slowly indeed to-day does James Malone walk towards the cliff. Outthrough the inner, out through the great outer gate; for he will notfeel comfortable until he is clear of the encampment, and seated near tothe very brink of that great wall of rocks.
"Gentlemen," he said, when at last he had filled and lit his pipe withall the coolness of a North American Indian--"gentlemen, hitherto allour efforts to find the gold mine have been in vain, but mere chance hasrevealed to us the secret that has been hidden from us so long--"
"James," said Tandy, excitedly, "you don't mean to say--"
"But," interrupted James, "I do mean to say it, Tandy. Halcott thereknows that I seldom make an assertion till I have well-considered thematter on all sides."
"You never do, brother."
"That cave, gentlemen, which in so strange a way the children havefound, is a gold mine--_the_ gold mine!
"The land entrance I can now remember, although it is somewhat changed.Show me the map of the island, brother."
Halcott spread it out before him.
He pointed out Fire Hill, then drew his finger along until it rested onthe spot where the cave was.
"The fault has been all mine, gentlemen; I alone led you astray, forappearances deceived me. But it is not yet too late.
"And so you see, Tandy, that, after all, Providence has changed ourmourning into joy. I do not now despair of anything. God moves in amysterious way, brothers, and you may rest assured we shall yet returnin peace to enjoy the fruits of our labours in the land of our birth."
Halcott was silent; so too was Tandy for a time.
Need I tell you what they were thinking about? If they could but returnwith enough gold to give them an independence, how pleasant would betheir prospects for the future!
Well, this world is not all sorrow, and it is only right we should enjoyit. I think I can honestly go further, reader, and say it is a sin notto make the best of the beautiful world we live in, a sin to look alwaysat the darkest side when clouds surround us. Let us not believe in thepessimism of Burns when he wrote his dirge "Man was made to mourn," averse or two of which run as follows:--
"Look not alone on youthful prime, Or manhood's active might; Man then is useful to his kind, Supported is his right: But see him on the edge of life, With cares and sorrows worn; Then age and want--oh! ill-matched pair!-- Show man was made to mourn.
"A few seem favourites of fate, In pleasure's lap carest; Yet think not all the rich and great Are likewise truly blest. But, oh! what crowds in every land Are wretched and forlorn! Through weary life this lesson learn-- that man was made to mourn."
Tandy had risen to his feet, and was looking somewhat anxiously towardsObservatory Hill.
The seaman who took day and day about with Fitz in watching was at thismoment signalling.
"He wants us to come up," said Tandy.
"Who knows," said James, with far more cheerfulness in his voice thanusual--"who knows but that our deliverance is already at hand? The manmay have seen a ship!"
Halcott and Tandy, about an hour after this, stood beside the man on thebrow of the hill, with their glasses turned towards the far-off island.
They could see the beach with far greater clearness than usual to-day.
It was crowded with savages running to and fro, into th
e bush and out ofit, in a state apparently of great excitement.
At this distance they resembled nothing more than a hive of bees aboutto swarm.
Independent of innumerable dug-outs drawn up here and there were no lessthan five huge war-canoes.
Tandy turned away with a slight sigh.
"Just as the cup of joy," he said, "was being held to our lips,ill-fortune seems to have snatched it away."
"Heigho!" sighed Halcott, "how I envy honest James for the hopefulnessthat he never appears to lose, even in the very darkest hours, the hoursof what we should call despair.
"But look," he continued, pointing towards Fire Hill. "Not a cloud tobe seen!"
"The volcano is dead!" said Tandy, with knitted brows; "and now, indeed,we shall have to fight."
Halcott took Tandy's hand, while he looked calmly into his face.
"My friend," he said, "we have come through many and many a danger sideby side, and here we are alive and well to tell it. If fighting it mustbe with these savages, neither you nor I shall be afraid to face them.But we may succeed in making peace."
"Ah, Halcott, I fear their friendship even more than their enmity. Butfor my dear boy and my little girl, I should care for neither."
And now all haste back to the camp was made.
All hands were summoned, and the case laid plainly before them.
The story of the cave was told to them also, and it did Halcott's heartgood to hear the ringing cheer with which their words were received.
The next thing Halcott ordered was a survey of stores. Alas! this didnot take long; and afterwards the defences were most carefullyinspected.
On the whole, the outlook was a hopeful one, even if the savages didcome in force and place the strange little encampment in a state ofsiege. Their provisions and even their ammunition would last for threeweeks at least.
And--and then?
Ah! no one thought of an answer to that question. They meant to dotheir best, and trust in Providence for everything else.
But the expected arrival of these warlike natives was not going toprevent them from finding gold, if gold there were in the Medicine-man'sCave, as it was now named.
So early next morning the discovery party had reached the landwardopening. They were provided with lamps to light and hang, with tools,and with provisions for the day.
At the mouth of the cave Fitz was stationed with glass in hand, to watchfor a signal to be given from Observatory Hill, in case the boats shouldstart from the distant island.
The lamps were lit at the entrance to the cave, which was gloomy enoughin all conscience.
"Surely," cried Tom Wilson, when they reached the interior and saw thegreat stalactites, the candles and icicles of glass, and the walls allshining with "rubies and rainbows,"--"surely this is the cave ofAladdin. Ah, it is diamonds as well as gold we ought to be able tocollect here, maties!"
And now hours were spent in a fruitless search for the mine. Even thefloor of the seaward cave was dug up and its walls tapped, but all invain.
It was not until they were preparing to leave, that, chancing to hearBob whining and scraping not ten yards from the outer entrance, Halcottturned his attention in that direction.
A ghastly sight met their gaze! For here lay a pile of human bones halfcovered with dust, and half buried in the debris that had fallen fromthe roof.
And near this awful heap, but above it, was a hole about five feet high,and wide enough to admit two men at a time.
The excitement now was intense, but for a time all stood spell-boundwith horror.
"Here," said James, slowly, "is the spot where that fiend, themedicine-man, murdered the boys as an offering to the great fire-fiend.Now we shall find the gold. Come, follow me, men!"
He took a lamp from Tom Wilson's hand as he spoke, and boldly enteredthe cave.
It was far from an inviting place where they now stood.
What did that signify to those determined gold-seekers? For hardly hadthey dug two feet down ere they were rewarded by finding one large,rough nugget of pure gold and several small ones.
They forgot all about the savages now, and nothing could exceed theeagerness with which the men laboured. But fatigue, at last, overcamethem, and they were obliged to retire, carrying with them more of theprecious ore than many an Australian digger has found during a wholelifetime.
It was very dark as they made their way through the bush; but Fitz wasan excellent guide, so they got back in time for supper.
A very happy evening this was, fore and aft, and Tom Wilson seemed thegayest of the gay. The poor fellow had sinned and fallen, it is true,but surely God had already forgiven him. Tom believed so, and it wasthis belief, he told James more than once, that made him forget hissorrow.
"I'll meet my wife and children on the other shore," he said once, witha sad smile, "and they'll forgive me too."
In a week's time the gold fever was at its height. And no wonder, forin whatever direction they dug nuggets were found in this marvellouscave.
The fortune of every man there was made.
But would the gold be of any use to them?
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One day, about a fortnight after the wonderful discovery, something verystartling occurred. Almost every hour while digging they had heardstrange sounds, like the rumbling of heavy artillery along a rough road,with now and then a loud but muffled report, as of a great gun fired inthe distance.
No wonder James had remarked that the heathen minds of the savagesbelieved that a great fire-fiend dwelt deep down here, and must bepropitiated with human sacrifice.
But on this particular day, after a terrible report, the earth shook andquivered, great masses of soil fell crashing down here and there, andthe lamps were all extinguished.
The noise died away like the muttering of a thunderstorm in the fardistance.
"Keep quiet and cool, men; we are all right. We can relight the lamps."It was Halcott who spoke.
Yes, and so they quickly did; but judge of their horror when, on makingtheir way to what had been the entrance to the cave, they found no exitthere!
Then the terrible truth revealed itself to them--they were entombedalive!
At first the horror of the situation rendered them speechless.
Was it the heat of internal fires, or was it terror--I know not which--that made the perspiration stand in great beads on their now pale faces?
"What is to be done?" cried one of the men.
"Never despair, lad!"--and Halcott's manly voice was heard oncemore--"never despair!"
His voice sounded hollow, however--hollow, and far away.
Book 3--CHAPTER NINE.
"ON SWEPT THE WAR-CANOES TOWARDS THE CORAL BEACH."
"It was just here, was it not," said Halcott, "where the entrance was?Keep up your hearts, boys, we shall soon dig ourselves clear."
Cheered by his voice, every one set himself bravely to the task beforehim.
But a whole hour went by, and they were now nearly exhausted.
One or more had thrown themselves on the ground panting.
The heat increased every minute, and the atmosphere became stifling.The thirst, too, was almost unendurable.
Even James himself was yielding at last to despair, and already thelights were burning more dimly.
But hark! the sound of the dog barking. His voice seemed ever so faraway, but every heart was cheered by it.
Again, lads, again! Up with your spades; one more effort.
The men sprang up from the floor of the cave and went to work now with awill.
Nearer and nearer the dog's anxious barking sounded every minute.
At last, with a joyous cry, Bob burst through, and with him came awelcome rush of pure air.
They were saved!
Is it any wonder that when they found themselves once more out in thejungle, with flowers and foliage all around them and the breath ofheaven fanning their faces,
James Malone proposed a prayer ofthankfulness?
They rose from their knees at last.
"We have been taught a lesson," said this honest fellow; "our ambitionwas far too overweening. Our lust for gold all but found us a grave."
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They had arrived early at camp, so Tandy and Halcott determined to makeanother visit to Observatory Hill, for the man had once more signalled.
Extra activity was apparent among the savages in the northern island.It was evident enough now that they would not long delay their coming.
The sun set, and soon afterwards darkness fell, but still the manlingered on the hill-top.
And now they could see a great fire spring up, just a little way fromthe water's edge, and soon the savages were observed dancing wildlyaround it in three or four great circles.
It was evident that some horrible orgie was taking place, and they mighteasily presume that the medicine-man was busy enough, and that a humansacrifice was being offered up to appease the fiends of war, in whichthose benighted beings so firmly believed.
Next day, and just after breakfast, on looking towards the hill-top,behold the red British ensign afloat on the flag-pole!
Shortly after this the signalman himself ran in.
"They are coming!" he cried; "they are coming!"
"And their strength?" asked Halcott calmly.
"Five great war-canoes, and each one of them contains at least thirtyarmed warriors."
"And there may be more to follow. Humph! Well, we shall have to reckonwith between two and three hundred at least. What about makingovertures of peace to them, brother James?"
Now brother James, as has already been said, was a very practical kindof a Christian.
"Well," he said, slowly and thoughtfully, "I think, Charlie Halcott,that in this case