The Coral Island - Robert Michael Ballantyne (little readers txt) 📗

class="calibre2">there was a tone of deep seriousness in his manner, if not in his

words, which made him seem to Jack and me as if he had grown two

years older within a few days. But indeed I was not surprised at

this, when I reflected on the awful realities which we had

witnessed so lately. We could by no means shake off a tendency to

gloom for several weeks afterwards; but, as time wore away, our

usual good spirits returned somewhat, and we began to think of the

visit of the savages with feelings akin to those with which we

recall a terrible dream.

 

One day we were all enjoying ourselves in the Water Garden,

preparatory to going on a fishing excursion; for Peterkin had kept

us in such constant supply of hogs that we had become quite tired

of pork, and desired a change. Peterkin was sunning himself on the

ledge of rock, while we were creeping among the rocks below.

Happening to look up, I observed Peterkin cutting the most

extraordinary capers and making violent gesticulations for us to

come up; so I gave Jack a push, and rose immediately.

 

“A sail! a sail! Ralph, look! Jack, away on the horizon there,

just over the entrance to the lagoon!” cried Peterkin, as we

scrambled up the rocks.

 

“So it is, and a schooner, too!” said Jack, as he proceeded hastily

to dress.

 

Our hearts were thrown into a terrible flutter by this discovery,

for if it should touch at our island we had no doubt the captain

would be happy to give us a passage to some of the civilized

islands, where we could find a ship sailing for England, or some

other part of Europe. Home, with all its associations, rushed in

upon my heart like a flood, and, much though I loved the Coral

Island and the bower which had now been our home so long, I felt

that I could have quitted all at that moment without a sigh. With

joyful anticipations we hastened to the highest point of rock near

our dwelling, and awaited the arrival of the vessel, for we now

perceived that she was making straight for the island, under a

steady breeze.

 

In less than an hour she was close to the reef, where she rounded

to, and backed her topsails in order to survey the coast. Seeing

this, and fearing that they might not perceive us, we all three

waved pieces of cocoa-nut cloth in the air, and soon had the

satisfaction of seeing them beginning to lower a boat and bustle

about the decks as if they meant to land. Suddenly a flag was run

up to the peak, a little cloud of white smoke rose from the

schooner’s side, and, before we could guess their intentions, a

cannon-shot came crashing through the bushes, carried away several

cocoa-nut trees in its passage, and burst in atoms against the

cliff a few yards below the spot on which we stood.

 

With feelings of terror we now observed that the flag at the

schooner’s peak was black, with a Death’s head and cross bones upon

it. As we gazed at each other in blank amazement, the word

“pirate” escaped our lips simultaneously.

 

“What is to be done?” cried Peterkin, as we observed a boat shoot

from the vessel’s side, and make for the entrance of the reef. “If

they take us off the island, it will either be to throw us

overboard for sport, or to make pirates of us.”

 

I did not reply, but looked at Jack, as being our only resource in

this emergency. He stood with folded arms, and his eyes fixed with

a grave, anxious expression on the ground. “There is but one

hope,” said he, turning with a sad expression of countenance to

Peterkin; “perhaps, after all, we may not have to resort to it. If

these villains are anxious to take us, they will soon overrun the

whole island. But come, follow me.”

 

Stopping abruptly in his speech, Jack bounded into the woods, and

led us by a circuitous route to Spouting Cliff. Here he halted,

and, advancing cautiously to the rocks, glanced over their edge.

We were soon by his side, and saw the boat, which was crowded with

armed men, just touching the shore. In an instant the crew landed,

formed line, and rushed up to our bower.

 

In a few seconds we saw them hurrying back to the boat, one of them

swinging the poor cat round his head by the tail. On reaching the

water’s edge, he tossed it far into the sea, and joined his

companions, who appeared to be holding a hasty council.

 

“You see what we may expect,” said Jack bitterly. “The man who

will wantonly kill a poor brute for sport will think little of

murdering a fellow-creature. Now, boys, we have but one chance

left, - the Diamond Cave.”

 

“The Diamond Cave!” cried Peterkin, “then my chance is a poor one,

for I could not dive into it if all the pirates on the Pacific were

at my heels.”

 

“Nay, but,” said I, “we will take you down, Peterkin, if you will

only trust us.”

 

As I spoke, we observed the pirates scatter over the beach, and

radiate, as if from a centre, towards the woods and along shore.

 

“Now, Peterkin,” said Jack, in a solemn tone, “you must make up

your mind to do it, or we must make up our minds to die in your

company.”

 

“Oh, Jack, my dear friend,” cried Peterkin, turning pale, “leave

me; I don’t believe they’ll think it worth while to kill me. Go,

you and Ralph, and dive into the cave.”

 

“That will not I,” answered Jack quietly, while he picked up a

stout cudgel from the ground. “So now, Ralph, we must prepare to

meet these fellows. Their motto is, ‘No quarter.’ If we can

manage to floor those coming in this direction, we may escape into

the woods for a while.”

 

“There are five of them,” said I; “we have no chance.”

 

“Come, then,” cried Peterkin, starting up, and grasping Jack

convulsively by the arm, “let us dive; I will go.”

 

Those who are not naturally expert in the water know well the

feelings of horror that overwhelm them, when in it, at the bare

idea of being held down, even for a few seconds, - that spasmodic,

involuntary recoil from compulsory immersion which has no

connection whatever with cowardice; and they will understand the

amount of resolution that it required in Peterkin to allow himself

to be dragged down to a depth of ten feet, and then, through a

narrow tunnel, into an almost pitch-dark cavern. But there was no

alternative. The pirates had already caught sight of us, and were

now within a short distance of the rocks.

 

Jack and I seized Peterkin by the arms.

 

“Now, keep quite still, no struggling,” said Jack, “or we are

lost.”

 

Peterkin made no reply, but the stern gravity of his marble

features, and the tension of his muscles, satisfied us that he had

fully made up his mind to go through with it. Just as the pirates

gained the foot of the rocks, which hid us for a moment from their

view, we bent over the sea, and plunged down together head

foremost. Peterkin behaved like a hero. He floated passively

between us like a log of wood, and we passed the tunnel and rose

into the cave in a shorter space of time than I had ever done it

before.

 

Peterkin drew a long, deep breath on reaching the surface; and in a

few seconds we were all standing on the ledge of rock in safety.

Jack now searched for the tinder and torch, which always lay in the

cave. He soon found them, and, lighting the torch, revealed to

Peterkin’s wondering gaze the marvels of the place. But we were

too wet to waste much time in looking about us. Our first care was

to take off our clothes, and wring them as dry as we could. This

done, we proceeded to examine into the state of our larder, for, as

Jack truly remarked, there was no knowing how long the pirates

might remain on the island.

 

“Perhaps,” said Peterkin, “they may take it into their heads to

stop here altogether, and so we shall be buried alive in this

place.”

 

“Don’t you think, Peterkin, that it’s the nearest thing to being

drowned alive that you ever felt?” said Jack with a smile. “But

I’ve no fear of that. These villains never stay long on shore.

The sea is their home, so you may depend upon it that they won’t

stay more than a day or two at the furthest.”

 

We now began to make arrangements for spending the night in the

cavern. At various periods Jack and I had conveyed cocoa nuts and

other fruits, besides rolls of cocoa-nut cloth, to this submarine

cave, partly for amusement, and partly from a feeling that we might

possibly be driven one day to take shelter here from the savages.

Little did we imagine that the first savages who would drive us

into it would be white savages, perhaps our own countrymen. We

found the cocoa-nuts in good condition, and the cooked yams, but

the bread-fruits were spoiled. We also found the cloth where we

had left it; and, on opening it out, there proved to be sufficient

to make a bed; which was important, as the rock was damp. Having

collected it all together, we spread out our bed, placed our torch

in the midst of us, and ate our supper. It was indeed a strange

chamber to feast in; and we could not help remarking on the cold,

ghastly appearance of the walls, and the black water at our side,

with the thick darkness beyond, and the sullen sound of the drops

that fell at long intervals from the roof of the cavern into the

still water; and the strong contrast between all this and our bed

and supper, which, with our faces, were lit up with the deep red

flame of the torch.

 

We sat long over our meal, talking together in subdued voices, for

we did not like the dismal echoes that rang through the vault above

when we happened to raise them. At last the faint light that came

through the opening died away, warning us that it was night and

time for rest. We therefore put out our torch and lay down to

sleep.

 

On awaking, it was some time ere we could collect our faculties so

as to remember where we were, and we were in much uncertainty as to

whether it was early or late. We saw by the faint light that it

was day, but could not guess at the hour; so Jack proposed that he

should dive out and reconnoitre.

 

“No, Jack,” said I, “do you rest here. You’ve had enough to do

during the last few days. Rest yourself now, and take care of

Peterkin, while I go out to see what the pirates are about. I’ll

be very careful not to expose myself, and I’ll bring you word again

in a short time.”

 

“Very well, Ralph,” answered Jack, “please yourself, but don’t be

long; and if you’ll take my advice you’ll go in your clothes, for I

would like to have some fresh cocoa nuts, and climbing trees

without clothes is uncomfortable, to say the least of it.”

 

“The pirates will be sure to keep a sharp lookout,” said Peterkin,

“so, pray, be careful.”

 

“No fear,” said I; “good-bye.”

 

“Good-bye,” answered my comrades.

 

And while the words were yet sounding in my ears, I plunged into

the water,