The Boats of the Glen Carrig (12 page)

And so, at last, being wearied with watching, we made it up together to
shout when the bo'sun should give us the signal, by this means making a
good volume of sound which we conceived the wind might carry down to the
vessel. Yet though we raised many shouts, making as it seemed to us a
very great noise, there came no response from the ship, and at last we
were fain to cease from our calling, and ponder some other way of
bringing ourselves to the notice of those within the hulk.

For a while we talked, some proposing one thing, and some another; but
none of them seeming like to achieve our purpose. And after that we fell
to marveling that the fire which we had lit in the valley had not
awakened them to the fact that some of their fellow creatures were upon
the island; for, had it, we could not suppose but that they would have
kept a perpetual watch upon the island until such time as they should
have been able to attract our notice. Nay! more than this, it was scarce
credible that they should not have made an answering fire, or set some of
their bunting above the superstructure, so that our gaze should be
arrested upon the instant we chanced to glance towards the hulk. But so
far from this, there appeared even a purpose to shun our attention; for
that light which we had viewed in the past night was more in the way of
an accident, than of the nature of a purposeful exhibition.

And so, presently, we went to breakfast, eating heartily; our night of
wakefulness having given us mighty appetites; but, for all that, we were
so engrossed by the mystery of the lonesome craft, that I doubt if any of
us knew what manner of food it was with which we filled our bellies. For
first one view of the matter would be raised, and when this had been
combated, another would be broached, and in this wise it came up finally
that some of the men were falling in doubt whether the ship was inhabited
by anything human, saying rather that it might be held by some demoniac
creature of the great weed-continent. At this proposition, there came
among us a very uncomfortable silence; for not only did it chill the
warmth of our hopes; but seemed like to provide us with a fresh terror,
who were already acquainted with too much. Then the bo'sun spoke,
laughing with a hearty contempt at our sudden fears, and pointed out
that it was just as like that they aboard the ship had been put in fear
by the great blaze from the valley, as that they should take it for a
sign that fellow creatures and friends were at hand. For, as he put it to
us, who of us could say what fell brutes and demons the weed-continent
did hold, and if we had reason to know that there were very dread things
among the weed, how much the more must they, who had, for all that we
knew, been many years beset around by such. And so, as he went on to make
clear, we might suppose that they were very well aware there had come
some creatures to the island; yet, maybe, they desired not to make
themselves known until they had been given sight of them, and because of
this, we must wait until they chose to discover themselves to us.

Now when the bo'sun had made an end, we felt each one of us greatly
cheered; for his discourse seemed very reasonable. Yet still there were
many matters that troubled our company; for, as one put it, was it not
mightily strange that we had not had previous sight of their light, or,
in the day, of the smoke from their galley fire? But to this the bo'sun
replied that our camp hitherto had lain in a place where we had not
sight, even of the great world of weed, leaving alone any view of the
derelict. And more, that at such times as we had crossed to the opposite
beach, we had been occupied too sincerely to have much thought to watch
the hulk, which, indeed, from that position showed only her great
superstructure. Further, that, until the preceding day, we had but once
climbed to any height; and that from our present camp the derelict could
not be viewed, and to do so, we had to go near to the leeward edge of
the hill-top.

And so, breakfast being ended, we went all of us to see if there were yet
any signs of life in the hulk; but when an hour had gone, we were no
wiser. Therefore, it being folly to waste further time, the bo'sun left
one man to watch from the brow of the hill, charging him very strictly to
keep in such position that he could be seen by any aboard the silent
craft, and so took the rest down to assist him in the repairing of the
boat. And from thence on, during the day, he gave the men a turn each at
watching, telling them to wave to him should there come any sign from the
hulk. Yet, excepting the watch, he kept every man so busy as might be,
some bringing weed to keep up a fire which he had lit near the boat; one
to help him turn and hold the batten upon which he labored; and two he
sent across to the wreck of the mast, to detach one of the futtock
shrouds, which (as is most rare) were made of iron rods. This, when they
brought it, he bade me heat in the fire, and afterwards beat out straight
at one end, and when this was done, he set me to burn holes with it
through the keel of the boat, at such places as he had marked, these
being for the bolts with which he had determined to fasten on the batten.

In the meanwhile, he continued to shape the batten until it was a very
good and true fit according to his liking. And all the while he cried out
to this man and to that one to do this or that; and so I perceived that,
apart from the necessity of getting the boat into a seaworthy condition,
he was desirous to keep the men busied; for they were become so excited
at the thought of fellow creatures almost within hail, that he could not
hope to keep them sufficiently in hand without some matter upon which to
employ them.

Now, it must not be supposed that the bo'sun had no share of our
excitement; for I noticed that he gave ever and anon a glance to the
crown of the far hill, perchance the watchman had some news for us. Yet
the morning went by, and no signal came to tell us that the people in the
ship had design to show themselves to the man upon watch, and so we came
to dinner. At this meal, as might be supposed, we had a second
discussion upon the strangeness of the behavior of those aboard the hulk;
yet none could give any more reasonable explanation than the bo'sun had
given in the morning, and so we left it at that.

Presently, when we had smoked and rested very comfortably, for the bo'sun
was no tyrant, we rose at his bidding to descend once more to the beach.
But at this moment, one of the men having run to the edge of the hill to
take a short look at the hulk, cried out that a part of the great
superstructure over the quarter had been removed, or pushed back, and
that there was a figure there, seeming, so far as his unaided sight could
tell, to be looking through a spy-glass at the island. Now it would be
difficult to tell of all our excitement at this news, and we ran eagerly
to see for ourselves if it could be as he informed us. And so it was; for
we could see the person very clearly; though remote and small because of
the distance. That he had seen us, we discovered in a moment; for he
began suddenly to wave something, which I judged to be the spy-glass, in
a very wild manner, seeming also to be jumping up and down. Yet, I doubt
not but that we were as much excited; for suddenly I discovered myself to
be shouting with the rest in a most insane fashion, and more-over I was
waving my hands and running to and fro upon the brow of the hill. Then, I
observed that the figure on the hulk had disappeared; but it was for no
more than a moment, and then it was back and there were near a dozen with
it, and it seemed to me that some of them were females; but the distance
was over great for surety. Now these, all of them, seeing us upon the
brow of the hill, where we must have shown up plain against the sky,
began at once to wave in a very frantic way, and we, replying in like
manner, shouted ourselves hoarse with vain greetings. But soon we grew
wearied of the unsatisfactoriness of this method of showing our
excitement, and one took a piece of the square canvas, and let it stream
out into the wind, waving it to them, and another took a second piece and
did likewise, while a third man rolled up a short bit into a cone and
made use of it as a speaking trumpet; though I doubt if his voice carried
any the further because of it. For my part, I had seized one of the long
bamboo-like reeds which were lying about near the fire, and with this I
was making a very brave show. And so it may be seen how very great and
genuine was our exaltation upon our discovery of these poor people shut
off from the world within that lonesome craft.

Then, suddenly, it seemed to come to us to realize that
they
were among
the weed, and
we
upon the hilltop, and that we had no means of bridging
that which lay between. And at this we faced one another to discuss what
we should do to effect the rescue of those within the hulk. Yet it was
little that we could even suggest; for though one spoke of how he had
seen a rope cast by means of a mortar to a ship that lay off shore, yet
this helped us not, for we had no mortar; but here the same man cried out
that they in the ship might have such a thing, so that they would be able
to shoot the rope to us, and at this we thought more upon his saying; for
if they had such a weapon, then might our difficulties be solved. Yet we
were greatly at a loss to know how we should discover whether they were
possessed of one, and further to explain our design to them. But here the
bo'sun came to our help, and bade one man go quickly and char some of the
reeds in the fire, and whilst this was doing he spread out upon the rock
one of the spare lengths of canvas; then he sung out to the man to bring
him one of the pieces of charred reed, and with this he wrote our
question upon the canvas, calling for fresh charcoal as he required it.
Then, having made an end of writing, he bade two of the men take hold of
the canvas by the ends and expose it to the view of those in the ship,
and in this manner we got them to understand our desires. For, presently,
some of them went away, and came back after a little, and held up for us
to see, a very great square of white, and upon it a great "NO," and at
this were we again at our wits' ends to know how it would be possible to
rescue those within the ship; for, suddenly, our whole desire to leave
the island, was changed into a determination to rescue the people in the
hulk, and, indeed, had our intentions not been such we had been veritable
curs; though I am happy to tell that we had no thought at this juncture
but for those who were now looking to us to restore them once more to the
world to which they had been so long strangers.

Now, as I have said, we were again at our wits' ends to know how to come
at those within the hulk, and there we stood all of us, talking together,
perchance we should hit upon some plan, and anon we would turn and wave
to those who watched us so anxiously. Yet, a while passed, and we had
come no nearer to a method of rescue. Then a thought came to me (waked
perchance by the mention of shooting the rope over to the hulk by means
of a mortar) how that I had read once in a book, of a fair maid whose
lover effected her escape from a castle by a similar artifice, only that
in his case he made use of a bow in place of a mortar, and a cord instead
of a rope, his sweetheart hauling up the rope by means of the cord.

Now it seemed to me a possible thing to substitute a bow for the mortar,
if only we could find the material with which to make such a weapon, and
with this in view, I took up one of the lengths of the bamboo-like reed,
and tried the spring of it, which I found to be very good; for this
curious growth, of which I have spoken hitherto as a reed, had no
resemblance to that plant, beyond its appearance; it being
extraordinarily tough and woody, and having considerably more nature
than a bamboo. Now, having tried the spring of it, I went over to the
tent and cut a piece of sampsonline which I found among the gear, and
with this and the reed I contrived a rough bow. Then I looked about until
I came upon a very young and slender reed which had been cut with the
rest, and from this I fashioned some sort of an arrow, feathering it with
a piece of one of the broad, stiff leaves, which grew upon the plant, and
after that I went forth to the crowd about the leeward edge of the hill.
Now when they saw me thus armed, they seemed to think that I intended a
jest, and some of them laughed, conceiving that it was a very odd action
on my part; but when I explained that which was in my mind, they ceased
from laughter, and shook their heads, making that I did but waste time;
for, as they said, nothing save gunpowder could cover so great a
distance. And after that they turned again to the bo'sun with whom some
of them seemed to be in argument. And so for a little space I held my
peace, and listened; thus I discovered that certain of the men advocated
the taking of the boat—so soon as it was sufficiently repaired—and
making a passage through the weed to the ship, which they proposed to do
by cutting a narrow canal. But the bo'sun shook his head, and reminded
them of the great devil-fish and crabs, and the worse things which the
weed concealed, saying that those in the ship would have done it long
since had it been possible, and at that the men were silenced, being
robbed of their unreasoning ardor by his warnings.

Now just at this point there happened a thing which proved the wisdom of
that which the bo'sun contended; for, suddenly, one of the men cried out
to us to look, and at that we turned quickly, and saw that there was a
great commotion among those who were in the open place in the
superstructure; for they were running this way and that, and some were
pushing to the slide which filled the opening. And then, immediately, we
saw the reason for their agitation and haste; for there was a stir in the
weed near to the stem of the ship, and the next instant, monstrous
tentacles were reached up to the place where had been the opening; but
the door was shut, and those aboard the hulk in safety. At this
manifestation, the men about me who had proposed to make use of the boat,
and the others also, cried out their horror of the vast creature, and, I
am convinced, had the rescue depended upon their use of the boat, then
had those in the hulk been forever doomed.