Part 7 (1/2)
”Had we only a good supply of powder, we ht live in luxury on fish, flesh, and foith plenty of vegetables; but without the powder, should we get a continuance of had weather, we etable diet,” said Des round the fire at supper
”As to the hogs, wetheging pitfalls it won't be long before a porker will find his way in”
”Then the sooner you cana pitfall and catch a porker the better,” said To I'll set about to-, with Tireed, and so it was arranged
”I should like to get half a dozen hogs well salted and s bad,” said Toe may last, and it will not do for us to run short of provisions if we can help it We must also catch and cure a supply of fish, and they, with the ya else will be likely to keep, though perhaps we etables at some of the islands we may pass”
”But it won't do to land, sir, unless we know the people who inhabit the they would have knocked any visitors on the head and eaten them up, to a certainty”
”My belief is that the people on this side of the equator are generally well disposed towards strangers,” said Too, and he had been reading soether Tom was persuaded and imbued his coe could be performed without any extraordinary risk, and all hands looked forward to the tiht venture to co on the island--but even the men had no wish to spend their days there, and the midshi+pmen were naturally anxious to be eone as usual to the flag-staff to take a look out, as he was descending, saw several dark objectson the sand of the bay below him Some were far up on the dry sand, others nearer the water ”Those must be turtle,” he said to himself; ”we may catch some of them if we are quick about it, before they return to the water” He hurried back to the camp and told his companions what he had seen They all followed hiot hold of a stick or weapon of so the, those farthest up the beach began totheir fins, towards the water Toet their sticks under a good-sized one, which they turned over without much difficulty, and they then attacked three others in succession, throwing them over on their backs The rest of the party had now come up Jerry and Tim, in the saed Billy, who, being a away at a great rate towards the water
Billy, as as courageous as a lion, seized hold of its fins, and in an instant he was covered over with showers of sand thrown up by its other fin, while the turtle showed no disposition to stop Billy shouted to his coh the last on the field, having just turned a turtle, rushed forward and seized the big fellow by the other fin; but the creature had got good way and was not to be stopped by the united efforts of the midshi+ped into the water It was still too shallow for the turtle to swiainst its two assailants, as to give theh shower-bath
”We o, Pat!”
”That I'll not, shure!” answered Pat, who rim death to the hind flapper ”Tim, me darlin', be quick here, or the baste will be off Jerry, ers, Deset away after all our trouble,” shouted Billy
Thus summoned, the whole party caerness toppling over on his nose in the shalloater He quickly, however, recovered hi one of the fore flappers, and Toress of the unfortunate turtle, though not until they had all been etted
With a heave they turned the turtle over and dragged it up again on the dry beach By this ti fellow had just got into the water, and was paddling off, when Pat in his eagerness threw hi to his companions for help Billy dashed forward, when Pat at the same moment contrived to turn over the turtle, but, unhappily for poor Billy, his foot slipping, down he fell with the turtle on the top of hih his head was above water, the turtle almost smothered hi into his face
”Help, help!” he kept crying out Pat, in his efforts to release the midshi+pman, also slipped down under the turtle, which was all the ti its assailants, who still held on, with it
Tom and Gerald, however, caot into water of sufficient depth to enable it to recover its proper position, and with such good effect did it use its flappers, that, in spite of the exertions of thedrawn into deep water at a risk of being drowned or seized by a lurking shark, or losing their prize, they instinctively let go, and the turtle diving, joined its more fortunate companions who had escaped As, however, ht than the party could possibly eat, they had no cause to co,” cried Billy, as he shook hi out of the water ”We shall live for many a day like alder them up before they turn bad,”
observed Desmond
”You need not fear that, sir,” said Pat; ”ill build a house for them, where they will live as happy as princes till ant to cook them?” His plan was to form an enclosure with a roof over it to protect the turtle from the rays of the sun, and to keep them well supplied et sea-weed
”I wonder I did not at once think about that,” said Tom ”We will do as you propose immediately”
The axes were soon at work, and the enclosure was formed of sufficient size to contain all their turtle, before they returned to breakfast, dragging with them one of the smaller turtle, which was destined to serve them as food for the day They had turtle steaks for, breakfast, turtle soup for dinner, and turtle again at night
”It is a pity we have not some port wine, and cayenne pepper, and some lemons,” cried Billy
”We have no cause to complain, since we have abundance of salt,” said Tom ”For my part, I think we have every reason to be thankful for the ample supply of food hich we have been provided”
As day after day went by the hope that the _Dragon_ would return became fainter and fainter Tom made up his mind that if they were to escape froe in the boat; but as he exa that she was but ill-suited for the undertaking in her present state Whenever they went out fishi+ng they had to keep constantly baling, so that they ran a great risk of going down He had no anxiety about provisions, though there would be a difficulty in preserving them sufficiently to stand the constant exposure to the sun and wet That risk hly salt and smoke the pork and fish
He directed them also to clear out a nu water Pat had succeeded in catching two hogs in his pit-fall, and when the subject of carrying water was discussed, he offered to sew up the skins, so as to for leathern bottles
”Where will you find the needles and thread to sew them up?” asked Tom