Part 7 (1/2)

”All that tallies exactly with our experience,” remarked George.

”Instead of decreasing the wind grew more furious during the following day, and Tom and myself became very ill and helpless. When I recovered consciousness there was only Tom and another companion in sight, and neither of them knew what happened, or how the others disappeared. We were lashed to the boat, and just before I became unconscious I remembered that the seaman gave me some biscuits and canned meat, as well as a flask of water, and those I found beside me when I awoke.

During the night Tom also awoke and began to rave, and I tried to quiet him, and after making a number of trials found the locker and gave him some stimulating medicines, which you will remember were put up and in the use of which we were instructed. Our other companion died of exposure the fourth day.”

”Weren't the others lashed to the boat?”

”I don't remember. How many days we were washed by the sea I do not know, but it must have been fully a week, and we were both entirely exhausted, when something happened to our boat, and everything appeared motionless, but still I could hear a terrific roaring sound. When I regained my senses, I recognized Tom bending over me, and the first words I remember were: 'I thought you would never come to again.' I learned that we had been cast ash.o.r.e the night before, and we could see the wrecked parts of our lifeboat strewn all about, as the winds had died down, but the sea was still running high.”

Harry looked at him eagerly: ”Didn't you save your boat or any part of it?” And George was almost at the limit of nervous tension as he leaned forward and waited for the reply.

”No; our boat was crushed beyond all hope of recovery. We did not find any of the food stored in it, and when we were able to leave the beach on which we were thrown, we saw that not fifty feet to the left of us was the first of a series of rocky projections running to the west, against which we were no doubt landed when carried up by the immense breaker.”

”Have you any idea where you landed--that is, on what part of the island?” was the Professor's first question.

”I haven't the slightest idea, for reasons which you will now learn.”

”But,” broke in Tom, ”don't forget to relate what we saw the first day, before we had gotten a half mile from the sh.o.r.e.”

”Yes; I was coming to that. We were both hungry, and we wandered first along the seash.o.r.e, and then finding nothing that would answer for food, went inland, and noticed all about us different kinds of vegetables, none of which we recognized, and finally some berries. We were so hungry that we ate and ate as fast as we could gather them, and felt much better for a time; but along in the afternoon, we heard voices, and soon a number of savages came in sight. We were paralyzed with fear.

They were almost entirely naked, and what gave us the greatest fright was the appearance of a captive they were dragging along, with his hands bound behind him.”

”Was it a white man?”

”We did not know it at the time, but we afterwards learned, as I will tell you, that he was a white man, and that he was taken over to the main camp to be offered up as a sacrifice.”

”Did you recognize the particular tribe that had the captive?”

”Not at that time, because we did not know that each tribe had its own distinctive dress. But later on we learned which tribe it was.”

The Professor drew up the mattress and brought out two different articles of headgear that had been taken four days before. ”Do you recognize either of these?”

The boys started. ”Yes; this belongs to the tribe that first captured us. See that row of sh.e.l.ls, and this colored band. That is the princ.i.p.al distinguis.h.i.+ng feature aside from the hair. This hair is a dark brown, and all of the tribe wear that kind because their bitterest enemies have that kind of hair, and they seem to take a delight in slaying an enemy solely for the purpose of getting the hair necessary to make up the head ornament with.”

”I noticed that the hair of the people who are around us now is very black and curly.”

”Yes; this other headdress is made princ.i.p.ally from the hair of our enemies outside. Where did you get it?”

”We captured it,” answered the Professor, ”in one of the fights we had several days ago.”

”At the time you captured the chief here?”

”Yes. And while we are on the subject, I wish you would see if you recognize the headdress of the chief we have here.”

Ralph looked it over, and to the surprise of all announced that he had never seen that kind before.

”How many tribes do you think are on the island?” was George's question.

”Probably a half dozen or more. Our means for learning these things were very limited, although we have had a close acquaintance with them for the past six months.”