Part 5 (2/2)
”I've thought, sir, of a quicker way of finding her than this,” observed Jerry; and taking his axe, he cut a short pole with a sharp point, and ran it down though the sand, along the line which To here, sir,” he cried out at length, and forthwith a hole was dug at the spot Jerry then plunged down his hand ”No doubt about it, sir; there's the boat's side, and if the weight of the sand has not bulged her out, she will be all to rights”
”I have no fear on that score,” observed Tom ”The sand has probably driven up around her, and afforded her sides support I a her up as we did, or I am pretty sure that she would have been rolled over and over, and knocked to pieces”
The party having satisfied themselves as to the safety of the boat, returned to their cae fire in cooking pork chops
”Why, where did these come from?” asked Tom
”Shure, sir, they are from a porker which we found in the bush It's ht He was not quite dead, and showed soht, but we finished hiratulate you on your success,” said Tom
”To tell you the truth,” said Des at the ti whether I had shot anything or not, but I'lad to find that my dream has come true”
The pork chops were found very satisfactory, and it was still more so to know that there was an abundance of ani, there would to a certainty be many more; at the same time, they would have prevented the increase of roots which would otherwise have afforded nourishs live here, there, are probably acorns and nuts of various sorts, so that even should the cocoa-nuts and bananas run short, we need be under no apprehension of wanting vegetable diet,” said Toood reason to be thankful that we have landed on an island so abounding in provisions”
”I e had brought off soar,” said Billy ”I should have enjoyed my breakfast ot,” observed To up of the boat, Toh spades, without which the operation would be a very tedious one They had fortunately brought with the fire-wood, and with these Jerry and Pat h spades They would have finished the ascertained the exact position of the boat, by running down a pointed stick, they commenced operations They werebefore they even reached the gunwale of the boat The digging was easy enough; the labour consisted in heaving the sand to a sufficient distance All hands were getting very hungry Billy, as usual, was the first to cry out
”What do you say to dinner, Rogers?”
Too to the camp and prepare dinner, while the rest continued to work as before It took theunwale, as of course it was necessary to dig a much wider space all round the boat than simply her width The sun, too, had now becos they had for their heads were straw hats
Toe leaves or small branches into the bands, by which means a more effectual shelter could be formed for their heads In spite of the heat, they returned with good appetites to the ca to eat at all,” exclaimed Pat, as they approached ”Just as I ca their noses into the tent; in another ot hold of theI would have turned theet hold of a musket, they had scampered away back into the woods; but we'll be even with the, if the bastes hadn't eaten up their brother, barring the hide, and that they had been quarrelling over, by the way it was torn to pieces” There was an aetables, for that day's dinner Tom had to consider what provision should be et the boat dug out, in case the shi+p should appear, he would not allow his companions to work for a couple of hours orfrom a stroke of the sun, whose fierce rays beat doith terrific force on the sand Pat, ell inured to a far greater heat, under the line itself, in the ame,” he said, ”or one of the porkers which had lately paid him a visit”
The rest of the party lay down in the shade under the rock, to prepare themselves for their afternoon's work Pat had been absent for some time, and a couple of shots had been heard; but lately no sound had reached thereat distance
Presently he was seen sca boar close at his heels
It appeared as if the next instant the creature's tusks would have run into him, when he seized the branch of a free and threw himself up upon it, while the animal ripped off the heave way, or Pat would have been brought to the ground The boar looked up at his late opponent as if he stillthe party under the cliff, he caround in his fury, with his sharp tusks Fortunately the other ht,” cried Torasped the boat-hook, while Des no ar to clie of the rock on one side of the cliff It was a moment of dreadful suspense, for, should Toht, in the next instant, pierce hiht of Billy as he was cli up the cliff This for adirectly at To, however, that Billy had got beyond its reach, it onceout Jerry, as the ot within twelve feet, when he fired The bullet hit the ani on one side to avoid its charge, and then drove his boat-hook into its neck, bearing it to the ground On this Tiain rise, dealt it several heavy strokes with their axes, preventing it fro any further mischief
”Hurrah; you've finished the baste, I hope,” cried Pat, who had been watching the proceedings fro forward
”I'd soht of this big fellow taking a snooze in the sun I was creeping up to him, when he opened his wicked eyes, and if I hadn't taken to h ave him a shot; but he didn't mind it at all, at all, by reason that the bullet flew over his head, and I had again to run for it However, 'All's well that ends well,' and, sure, ill be having hireatest pleasure in the world”
After this specimen of rat's sportsmanlike qualities, Toain, as it was necessary carefully to husband their powder and shot As, however, Pat possessed very good qualifications for a butcher, he was left to cut up the boar, while the rest of the party returned to the boat, he being directed to rejoin the out the boat was severe labour, as to prevent the sand slipping back it had to be thrown several feet on either side of the boat They then had to cut a channel down to the water Toet their boat afloat for another whole day at the soonest Diligently as they worked, the sun was sinking rapidly towards the horizon before the boat was free of sand They exaht have been forced out; but, as far as they could ascertain, she had received no material injury
”We ets dark,”
exclaimed Tom; and he and Desmond set off to ascend the hill, from whence they could obtain an extensive view of the ocean around theht--not a speck appeared above the horizon The sea was rolling in lazy undulations, here and there flecked with foa sun, while the sea-foere onceforth from their rocky ho distance before the gale, and it will take her soive her up yet”