With Cochrane the Dauntless

hurry, but in three-quarters of an h

ng our footmarks. Though I don't know much about the Malays, I expect they can follow a track like all other savages. The only thing to settle is whether we shall swim across th

r the heat in that wood is enough to roast an ox; besides, it will wash the mud off us. But we must loo

and then, entering the water and pushing it before them, swam over to the opposite side. Then taking the arms again they let the log drift down th

ou think we shall get,

wo hours is as much

g way off by that time. I fee

speaking more briskly t

they fairly set off after us, they will only have a little better than two hours and a half. They are sure to be thrown out for a bit at the mouth of the river. They will see our footsteps at the water side, but won't know whether we have crossed or have ke

n the swamp or on loose sand. Still it was hot work. The sun blazed down upon them, there was not a breath of wind, and they were drenched with [pg 92]p

ourteen; besides, they will have to keep a sharp look-out for footmarks in the sand above water-mark, as we might at any time come up from the water and take to

wards the horizon, and there was an exclamation o

ould keep up the search after dark, and then we could safely take to the forest. The wind is sprin

might under the trees. These sort of chaps are like dogs. I expect they can pretty well follow you by smell, and

e got no boots to pinch our corns, and every time the surf rushes up it cools our feet, so we ought to be able to keep on til

ay a bit further than that. If we only make three knots for the next six hours, we shall have logged over forty by eight bells, and I should say that even the Mal

for the last two hours before the hands of Stephen's watch

t bells now. Let us tread in each other's footsteps as well

ey had not more than a hundred yards to walk to the trees, it seemed to them that they would never get there. At last they reach

et. He went to the edge of the trees and looked across. To his satisfactio

, "that we go a bit further into the wood and camp th

l we come to a grove of them. The trees are never far apart, and we may not have a mile to go. We certainly

owly getting up on to his feet; "but it is hard, after such

first cocoa-nut tree we come to. Now, Tom, as we go along yo

like shooting at a child. We picked them out of the water and put them in the boat, and then paddled on again. We had just got to a turn in the river when two big canoes came round the corner. It was of no use our trying to get away, for they could go six feet to our one. Mr. Towel stood up in the stern and held both his arms up to show that we were friendly, but directly afterwards a shower of spears came whizz

the hut. It was an awful time; first because I knew that sooner or later they would kill me, and in the next place, because I was driven pretty nearly mad by the flies and things that settled on my face. Of course I could not brush them away, and all that I could do was to shake my head, and they did not seem to mind that. It seems ridiculous that, after seeing one's friends killed and knowing that one is going to be killed oneself, one should worry over flies, but I can tell you I went nearly out of my mind with irritation at the tickling of their feet. It seemed to me that I was there for ages, though I knew by the height of the sun that it was only about noon. The thirst,

ain in half an hour. We tried to count the heads, and both of us thought that there were about the same number in each boat. Of course we could not be sure, but we determined to come on to the village and find out for certain. I climbed up a high tree a short distance from it-the one where we came upon the cocoa-nuts-and made you out lying beside a hut. I knew by the white ducks that it was either you or poor Towel. Then w

stiff and so

h consumed the contents of four nuts, then two of them lay down to sleep again, while the other kept watch. The march was not resumed until after sunset. They had another meal of cocoa-nuts before they started, and each too

not bother any more about the Malays of that village. It is quite possible that we passed another last night, t

were walking last night," Joyce said. "We can't ke

is to take one, and put to sea. I don't mean to say that we can get in and push straight away, for we must have some provisions; but when we have found a village we can hide up near it, and get as many cocoa-nuts as we can carry. Besides, there are sure to be bananas and other fruit-trees

been thinking of a village, except as to how to get past it; but, a

had walked but two hours when they found that these ende

our villag

on. Well, the first thing is to go down

her in a hollow some twenty yards beyond hi

little larger than the others, and the wood feels newer and sounder. I expect

nce from the village, get our cocoa-nuts at once, and bring them back and hide them

'clock now, and if we get the cocoa-nuts near here, we can make two or

Tom. What do y

r. Joyce says, we can be off by eight bells easy, and we s

d leaves over there. As I get them I will bring them to this corner, and by the time you have got a store of nuts, I shall have a pile of bananas. I think you had

ake pains to let them drop each time just as there is a

the work was soon done, and indeed he had carried them down to the water's edge before his companions had brought three loads of cocoa-nuts to the point where he had left them. He he

el with us to take her thro

t fortunately it i

difference. Besides, there has been no wind to speak of since we landed, and the waves are nothing to what they were then. Now, gentlemen, as I am more accustomed to this sort of thing than you are, I will take the place in the stern, where I can steer her a

at they had found in her. Two or three waves passed under them,

ox said. "Paddle the moment the surf lifts the

ith a crash, and a torrent of

the white line reached the b

ed upwards, then the canoe seemed to hang in the air, and they wer

the next wave. It rose higher and higher. The canoe reached it, and, as it passed under them,

head again, passed over the next wave, and were safe. They now settled to steady paddling, and before they had gon

lying coast had sunk from their view, and the hills behind were

get him away at once. I did not think that they would kill him straight off. If they had wanted him for the feast they would have cut off his head when they caught him. I expect they would

er; but if we get to a small island on the way, I should think that it would be safest to land there, and wait for a few days anyhow, as

emed to be about a quarter of a mile in diameter, and heade

time that I knew that hill we were pointing to, and, no

ll, now some twelve miles away. It had a flat top that

laimed excitedly, "it is the

m the point where the Tiger lay when we started for shore, but if we row on for a mile or two and then make straight for it, I think we shall just about strike the point wher

miles [pg 102]of land before it begins to be dark. We could not go to a better place. First of all, there are no natives; secondly, we may pick up all sorts of useful things about the shore. We did not see anything but bales and wreckage where we landed, but it was all rock there. Now some of the casks and things may have floated along, and have been cast up

y made a hearty meal of bananas and cocoa-nut milk, and then all lay down in

le on quietly now; the sun will

, and in another hour reached the shore. They had no difficulty in landing, for the side on which

straight for that crack on the hill, and kept it open all the while. I

ore till we get to the spot. We cannot mistake that. We will keep a bit back from the sea. We may light upon somethin

yards away, and they soon came down to the water's edge again, following it

t now. There is no hurry about it, as we are within half a mile of the wreck. We know that everything is pretty well smashed up that went ashore there, so that we are far more likely to find something on the sands, and we shall see the Tiger just as well from where the cano

ely to find another cocoa

have them mostly o

d say it is just because there are none here

ther side of the wreck we are all right, because the Tiger could not come here without our seeing her; but I should not like to be much further away. However, most of th

upon many relics of the wreck: planks, spars, and remains of the cargo. They lay nearly two hundred y

the top of a low sand-hill. They broke into a run, and were

been eating it for a week he wants to get his teeth into something more substantial. This ain't no good," he went on, giving a kick at the next cask, "unless the natives come up and we open trade with the

ond, filled with trade articles

upon water; for that, of course, we must look beyond the line of sand; a river can c

ed far inland, the sailor said: "This is the most likely spot. Any water that c

105]brighter along by the rocks than it does anywhere else,

inty, for there was some growth of verdure. They quickened their steps and r

Wilcox said; "there is wate

s to scrape a hole in it. They had got but a foot down when the soil became

ill soon dig a hole for our well. We can't do better than roll a tub here and sink it in the hole, and bring the canoe to the edge of that ro

their way over to it. "For all the distance that we have gone along by t

we were to climb up we should find there was a crater there. You see we are just in a line with that gap, and this rock goes exactly i

st have been a long time ago anyhow, yo

look among the wreckage, cut off some lengths of rope and coiled them up, and also a sail, which the sailor pronounced to be a top-gallant sail. This they rolled up, fas

sailor said, "it will keep the night mists off better than branches; and we will

o cook our junk in?"

erhaps we can manage it in the native way: they boil things by putting water into a big shell, and dropping hot sto

Wilcox; but how are we g

" the sailor said, in a tone of utter di

d; but tinder is of no use without steel. We shall have to eat our biscuits wi

good. The Almighty has given us a lot of knowledge that he has not given to these black fellows, but he has [pg 107]balanced it up by

"there can't be anything special about a Mala

ut mark my words, you won't be able to do it. It is a pity, too, for with all this wood that ha

got a lot to be thankful for; and

oss that cask of salt junk, then one would never have thought about it; but seeing it

ke up your mind that you are not going to get your teeth

over here, and then set about rigging up

red every convenience for pitching it, and the surface of the rock was fairly flat. A few armfuls of coarse grass sufficed to fill up the inequalities, and render it even enough for sleeping on. Here they had the advantage of getting the sea-breeze, and of [pg 108]having a wide view across

to seeing whether there were any things thrown up on the sand beyond th

before they got thrown up, and it is just as well to see the thing through now, and then we sha'n't have to do it again. We will keep a good look-out for a sail too, for it is like enough that we may be a long way beyond the sound of the gun. You see we can make out from here that a mile further on the trees

her I can't get some junk cooked fo

d some meat cooked for me, I will guarantee that I

g