Chapter 7

THE ESCAPE IN THE NIGHT

The waiting savages showed no disposition to attack under cover of darkness. Everything was quiet, and with reinforcements no doubt would resume the aggressive in the morning. It was approaching midnight and no one had retired. All were too busy listening and retailing stories to think of sleep.

But they now had to consider the important things connected with their immediate security. Various plans were suggested, but none seemed to meet the conditions, and the Professor suggested that it might be well to make a careful reconnoiter of the enemy before deciding on a course. Harry and the Professor took up the guns, and John, divining the object, grasped one of the guns and held back both. He disappeared from the wagon on the side facing the river, and then slowly worked his way around toward the encircling band.

When he had gone less than a hundred feet toward a point directly abreast of the wagon, so that he was moving at right angles to the shore line, he disappeared, and they could readily understand how his crouching attitude would enable him to approach closely without being recognized.

He was absent more than a half hour, and although the watchers in the wagon kept up a vigilant guard in every direction, John reappeared, and was almost at the wagon before he was noticed. He had returned by way of the north bank of the stream, and entered the wagon on the same side from which he had left.

As stated previously, the extreme height of the wagon bed enabled them to make a small closet-like enclosure, which would not expose any light, and to this place the Professor drew John, and lighting the lamp the latter showed by signs that no savages were in the immediate vicinity.

The Professor by signs motioned that they should take up their flight along the bed of the stream, and to this John gave his immediate approval. The boys were informed of the decision, and all consented. It would certainly take them nearer home, and delay would mean only waste of ammunition, and if a fight was necessary they were as well able to defend themselves by night as by day.

As silently as possible the yaks were put in marching order, and John, without a word, started off ahead, keeping well to the left, and at a considerable distance from the river bed, and thus acted as a scout for the party.

To their astonishment their progress was not opposed, and for more than an hour the quiet movement was kept up. Before them was a mass of undergrowth, which seemed to come nearer the river than at any other place on their route, and John approached the wagon and signaled a halt.

The Professor went forward, and without a word John started for the underbrush, the Professor following. They passed entirely through without any signs of the savages, and as they returned and emerged from the other side, John tried to give the Professor some advice, but the darkness prevented him from grasping his ideas. As a last resort John went up to a small tree and made the motions of cutting it down, and it at once dawned on him that a raft should be built, and this so impressed the Professor as a wise course that they hurriedly returned to the wagon.

"Boys, get the bolos at once, and drive the wagon forward until I tell you to stop. Harry and George follow John, and cut poles for a raft. We must cross the stream. While you are doing this I will examine the river bank and find the best place to launch our raft."

"What," exclaimed Ralph, "are you going to make a raft large enough to float the wagon on?"

"No," said Harry, "but we intend to make the wagon a part of the raft," and he hurriedly told them how they had forded the stream before.

Before they had an opportunity to cut many of the poles the Professor appeared with the welcome information that he had found an immense pile of driftwood not far below, and this was communicated to John as best they could and the Professor took him by the arm and led him to the river bank and sent Harry up to bring down the team.

The accumulated mass was a fortune to them, as the wood was comparatively dry, and singling out the most available pieces, the material was ready within a half hour, and the shallowest shelving part of the beach selected for the launching.

It was singular that during all these proceedings not the least sign was heard of their pursuers. It could not be possible that they had given up the chase, but it seemed so. The party now consisted of six, and Harry had doubts of the sufficiency of the floating timbers to sustain them, but this fear was dispelled as the noble yaks slowly drew the wagon forward, and it was found that it floated.

By repeated urging the stream was soon crossed, and when the wagon had been denuded of the logs, they were in as good condition as before to go on. As on the previous occasion, they pushed out from the river, as fast as the darkness would permit, and soon came to gently ascending land, and finally the underbrush appeared, when the Professor called a halt.

"This will take us far enough from the view of the savages, and we must make camp and get some rest for the morrow may be a trying day."

As nearly as could be determined it was two o'clock in the morning and the watches were appointed so that two would be on guard, for an hour at each watch. The morning came too soon for all of them. It had been a strenuous time for all and a particularly joyous one for the two boys.

An early start was not necessary. They were about a quarter of a mile from the river, and as the light broke were surprised to find that the camp was selected at a peculiarly secluded spot. Their first subject of conversation was concerning the natives. They were nowhere in sight, but shortly afterwards John pointed to the right, and there plainly seen were the entire tribe waiting along the shore of a tributary which flowed into the stream from the west.

"It is now plain to me why they were fooled," and the Professor laughed at the situation. They evidently knew that sooner or later the wagon must make its appearance and attempt to ford the stream, and that would be their opportunity.

"They are certainly smart in some things, and particularly with regard to the character of the streams. That tributary is very deep and they counted on that giving us trouble."

"Why do you know it is a deep and not a shallow stream?"

"The conformation of the shores indicate that. It can generally be determined in this way: If the sides of the ground near the shore are steep, it is pretty sure to make a contracted channel, and that means depth. On the other hand, if the beach is sloping the stream may be wide, but is always shallow at that point. See the steep sides running close down to the mouth?"

The savages did not wait long for the supposed appearance of the wagon, but the scouting parties cautiously spread out and moved up the stream. They passed through the thick undergrowth where John and the Professor had passed the night before and were, apparently, nonplussed at the disappearance.

This recalled the former experience farther up the river, and all had a merry laugh at the discomfiture. They saw the tracks of the wagon, and it ceased at the undergrowth, and this was the puzzling feature to them, but in time the tracks were followed up leading to the river bank, and the evidences of the driftwood all about was sufficient information to them to stop all further pursuit.

"What should we do if they attempt to cross?" was George's inquiry.

"That would be our chance to go for them," responded Harry.

They remained on the bank for two hours, constantly looking across for signs of the retreating wagon, and then slowly filtered back through the woods beyond.

"Isn't this the place we saw the lights during our first trip to the river?" asked Harry.

"No," answered the Professor; "we were fully six or eight miles north of this point, but it might be some tribes are found that far down the river."

Breakfast had been forgotten in the interesting watching of their enemies, and when they had fully disappeared from view the party had an opportunity for the first time in a whole week to get a sample of cooked food.

"I am sorry to say," said George, "that we haven't any fresh meat, and the best we can do is coffee and corned beef."

Harry and John had their guns in an instant, and started out on the quest for food.

"Where did you get the coffee and corned beef?" asked Ralph.

"We put up the beef ourselves, and there is plenty of this kind of coffee on the island."

"But you have sugar, too."

"Yes; we made that and also have plenty of honey."

This was surprising information for the boys.

"But how did you make the guns? Where did you get the iron?"

"We dug it out of the ground and put up our own foundry, and have a water wheel and a machine shop."

All this was said with a show of pardonable pride; and he continued: "Wait until you see where we live and how we have things fixed up."

The shots which were plainly heard indicated something good to eat, and before the hunters arrived the stove was removed from the wagon, and George had a good fire started.

A woodchuck and two pheasants were the trophies. What a feast they made. The chief was now inclined to be more communicative. The neat trick of crossing the river was a most enjoyable spectacle for him, and he tried to exhibit his delight. Ralph and Tom didn't have much use for him; as they were no doubt thinking of the miseries that the islanders had given them, and the Professor smiled as he appreciated their feelings.

The disposition of the warrior was a leading subject of discussion, and some favored letting him go, but he was not in a condition to travel, and they were now fully ten miles or more from the point where he was captured. Humanity prompted them to take him with them rather than set him adrift in his condition, which might mean exposure to his enemies, and as a result the subject was dropped.

Red Angel was a source of wonder to the boys. He had so many attractive ways, and it was the first time that either had been thrown into close association with such an animal, and besides Angel was not an ordinary orang. He had been educated, and it amused the boys to see how much intelligence he exhibited when he was told to do certain things.

After the meal the march was taken up, and Harry, ever solicitous for his team, as he called them, was anxious to get water for them. He was assured that during the day they would without doubt cross some of the streams which they had previously found in that section of the country.

While thus moving along Ralph and Tom were inexpressively happy at their liberty. Weak as they were they frequently got out of the wagon, trudging along, running races with Angel, and jolly as boys out of school.

And this gives the first opportunity to describe them. Ralph was tall, and strongly built, but his emaciated frame did not show his full strength. Tom, on the other hand, was shorter and bulkier, so that the two boys were really the counterparts physically, of Harry and George, respectively. Both were educated fully up to their years like the average youths who had graduated from the high school.

Tom was the most observant of the two, and in that respect resembled George, and as they moved through the forest and over the table land, he would frequently stop and look around, and finally went to the Professor and said: "This part of the island looks very familiar to me." Then calling to Tom, he continued: "Isn't this the place we traveled through after we were wrecked?"

Tom looked about him, and finally answered: "It does look familiar like. We came from that direction." And he pointed to the north.

"If that is the case you landed on the island fifty miles west of our position, and it is a remarkable thing that we never ran across your tracks," answered the Professor.

The wagon was driven forward slowly, because there was now no need for haste. The part of the country through which they were passing was free from savages, so there was no anxiety from that source, and the Professor, as well as the boys, took delight in examining the country through which they passed, and in trying to discover new vegetables and fruit, as well as learning all about the mineral resources of the different sections.

Before night they came to a small stream, which was an admirable camping spot, and the yaks fairly reveled in the sweet, fresh water. There was no hesitancy in building a fire for the evening meal, and the hunting bags showed a good supply of game. That evening sitting under the great southern dome, with its glittering stars, the Professor had a most attentive audience when the various questions were brought up for discussion.

To those who are fairly observant, the heavens in southern latitudes cannot fail to attract attention because of the different arrangement of the stars. People living in the northern hemisphere have never seen the southern cross, nor the great fixed stars, Canopus or Achernar; and those below the equator have never viewed the polar star, and do not know the beauty of the brilliant star Vega.

The most intent listener, on all occasions of this kind, was George. "Tell us, Professor, how the mariner knows the direction of the south pole when there is no south polar star to show him?"

"Practically the same method is used as in the northern hemisphere. The north polar star does not in itself indicate which is north, but it is one of the points used in connection with another star which points out the direction.

"In the northern hemisphere there is a star called Alpheratz and another called Zaph, which are in direct line with the polar star. The two first stars named are exactly on what is called the equinoctial line. But the southern hemisphere of the heavens does not have a polar star to indicate the south, so that if you will now look directly above us you will notice two very bright stars. One of them is the fixed star Sirius, the most brilliant in the heavens; the other is Canopus, and a line along these two stars would go around the celestial sphere and point to the poles."

"But suppose we should be on the sea, and would not have anything else to guide us, what would there be to show which way is north and which direction south?"

"Sirius is easily distinguished, because it is, apparently, the largest of all the fixed stars. It cannot be mistaken. By taking that as a starting point, and following with the eye along past Canopus, you will be looking to the south pole."

"Isn't Sirius called the Dog Star? And hasn't it some connection with the dog days?"

"Yes; in the remote ages of the world, when every man was his own astronomer, the rising and setting of this star was watched with deep solicitude. The astronomers of Egypt determined the length of the year by the number of its risings. It foretold to them the rising of the Nile, which they called Siris, and admonished them when to sow. At that season of the year Sirius rises with the sun, and owing to its intense brilliancy, the ancients supposed that it blended its heat with the sun and thus was the cause of the intense heat; hence during that time were called dog days. At present what are so designated are the days between the 3d of July to the 11th of August."