THE SKELETON BENEATH THE BOAT
The present journey reminded the boys of the time when they began their wanderings in the unknown wilds of their own island. Then they were inexperienced, lacking the most ordinary knowledge of life in the open, afraid of slightest noise when in unknown places, and constantly fearing attack by wild men or beasts.
What a difference now! They had been successful, and had abundant treasures at their command. Something told them that they were to find still greater treasures, and the zest was one beyond expression.
The course was directed due north. The boys knew that they were to investigate the mountains, the hills and the streams. They were to learn what fruits and vegetation might be found in their native state on the island; the kinds and varieties of animals, and the qualities of the minerals, if the geological formations offered them for inspection.
From the first day that they landed, the boys had heard a peculiar guttural sound, impossible to describe. The sound was almost annoying after they had heard it for a time. Passing the limb of a tree during the first hour of the march they heard the same cry.
"I see what it is," remarked George. "It is a bird. See it on that limb?"
John looked, and then turned to George. "Why certainly, that is the Kagu."
"Why its bill and feet are red, while the rest of the body is gray. What a funny feather it has running back from its head!"
Harry laughed, as he remarked: "I wonder if our women took their hat fashions from the Kagu?"
"You have made a correct observation. Some species of the hornbill have feathers which project up into the air like sentinels, and the same feathers are used in exactly the same fashion by makers of millinery. Now, I am not an authority on the fashions, but I have often thought that if the leaders in styles would build those wonderful head decorations something like the patterns furnished by nature they would be more beautiful and becoming."
"I wonder if it has only one leg?"
John laughed. "I imagine it has two. It is the custom of many birds of this species to stand for hours on one leg. It is of the same family as the stork, the heron and the ibis."
"Why don't we see more animals?"
"The island is not, probably, large enough. These small islands have only the smallest kinds. Besides, the larger animals are found where the nature of the country permits them to conceal themselves."
George stopped before a large bush which had rows of yellow flowers growing up all along the stems, and at each flower was a seed.
"Ah! you have found a most valuable plant," said John, as he broke off one of the stems. "Feel the crushed leaves."
"It is just like grease."
"It is an oil. It is one of the products largely used in the United States, as a substitute for olive oil, and for soap making."
"What is it called?"
"The plant is known as Benne. The product is Sesame oil. The peculiarity of the plant is that nearly one-half of the leaf is a pure oil, and it can remain exposed a long time before it turns rancid."
"I wonder if that is what they use in their cooking!"
"Yes; it is absolutely inodorous, and is better than lard for table uses. Look at the seeds. They are classed with the most nutritious in the world."
"The Chief had them, and I tried some of them the first night I dined with him."
The route led to an upper plateau, well wooded, many of the trees being of the palm variety, with plenty of silver-leafed families so common everywhere.
"Do look at the Coffee trees?" exclaimed Harry.
The Chief's son was consulted. He had no knowledge of the use of the berry. "We must take a lot of the berries back with us. This will be a treat at the celebration." John stopped short, and the boys commenced to laugh. He had almost given away the scheme for the wedding feast. Sutoto did not catch the force of the allusion.
George and Harry were now on the quest for new things in every direction, and the natives aided them in carrying out their every wish. After they had reached a small stream flowing to the north it became evident that they had passed the highest point of the plateau, and were now descending.
One of the natives pointed out a peculiarly-shaped tree, tall, with immense leaves, and at each leaf cluster there was an immense white flower.
"Here is a tree with yellow flowers. We must have some of these as specimens," said Harry.
The trees were exceedingly tall. "The men are asking if you want some of the flowers," said Sutoto.
"By all means," answered George. Without a moment's hesitation a young athlete made his way to the top, and gathered a dozen branches, which he dropped to the ground.
The beauty of these flowers is difficult to describe. The tree body is perfectly straight, and the limbs grow out uniformly on three sides, the leaves being very rough.
"This is a species which belongs to the Indicus family," remarked John, as he cut off one of the leaves. "It would be a good tree for carpenters to raise."
"Why so?" asked George.
"You see it is just like sand-paper."
"Well, that is something to know. But will it really smooth down wood?"
"It is frequently used for that purpose, and you might take some along and try it."
At intervals John was observed taking up bits of soil, which he carefully wrapped up and deposited in one of the receptacles.
"I am curious to know what you are taking dirt for?" said Harry.
"I should have told you that a knowledge of the nature of the soil is one of the things that is very important to the agriculturist. Many men have made failures because they planted things which the earth was not adapted to grow."
"It has always been a wonder to me why things really do grow up out of the dirt," said Harry.
"That is not difficult to understand, if you will consider that the ground contains food, and that a plant can grow only where it can get the right kind. Then, there may be plenty of food but not the kind it can digest."
"Well, that is news to me. Do plants digest food?"
"Yes, just the same as what we call living animals. The tree is somewhat different from animals, in the particular that it digests its food first and then consumes it afterwards. In this particular certain larvæ act the same as trees, that is digest it before they consume it."
"What do you mean by larva?"
"The early form of certain living organisms, before they are fully developed. Thus, the tadpole is the larva of the frog. A great many insects are bred from what are called grubs, or caterpillars. All these are called larva."
"What kind of food is found in the earth?"
"Many, many kinds. Carbon, nitrogen, the various salts, such as lime, magnesia, strontia, and the like, and when the little feelers shoot out from the roots, they are in search of something to eat."
At this point they were interrupted by shouting and laughter from one section of the searching party, and the boys ran out across the open to learn its cause. Two of the natives were carrying a dark brown object, about half the size of an ordinary hog.
It was kicking vigorously, but did not appear to be at all vicious.
"Why, it looks just like a little bear," said George as he danced about. "Let us keep it for a pet."
"It is a bear," said John. "It is the Bruang, or the sun-bear of the Malayan peninsula."
"But doesn't it grow any bigger?"
"No; that is a full size specimen; in fact, it is a pretty large specimen, I should judge."
"What beautiful fur, and so soft! Will it bite?"
"I am of the opinion they can bite, but they are easily tamed and make great pets. Hasn't it a fine white spot on its breast?"
The men stood about and allowed it to move about within the circle. It cast its eyes around, as much as to say: "Well, what are you going to do about it?"
George cried out: "Hold it for a minute," and he pounced on one of the provision bags, and brought out a pot of honey. He forced his way in among the watchers, and with a stick dipped into the honey held it up before the animal.
It smelled the honey, and began to lick the stick, and then it darted for the pot. "What a tongue," exclaimed Harry.
"That is what they are noted for. The tongue is made for the very purpose of going into deep holes, and the greatest use is to rob the hives of the wild honey bee."
The antics of George and the bear were most amusing to the watchers, and occasioned roars of laughter. When the pot was emptied he wanted more, and nosed around George until the latter could hardly keep his feet.
"He is getting to be a mighty close friend," said John, when he could find time to stop laughing for a moment.
"Well, don't let him get away," cried George, as he saw the cordon around the animal broken up, leaving plenty of opening for it to get away.
But, of course, the natives didn't understand him, and soon Mr. Bear had all the opportunity in the world to go home. But he didn't. He walked alongside of George, and the latter liked to stroke his soft fur, to which no objection was offered.
The bear followed and was by his side every minute of the time for the next hour, and while they sat down to lunch little Sunny, as George named him, was at the feast. He had samples of everything in sight, and the menu tasted good, from honey at the beginning of the repast, to honey at the end of it.
The progress was necessarily slow, because there were so many things to examine and to make notes of. They went out of the way from the direct route, so as to cover as wide an area as possible. Before camping for the night they had ascended a slight elevation, and there, to the right and to the left they saw the wide stretches of the great ocean.
Directly ahead was a narrow tongue of land, leading to a broadening area, and off in the dim distance was a high point. The Chief's son pointed there and said:
"On the other side of that high place is where the bad people live."
"That must be a long way off," said John. When this was interpreted he answered: "Another day's march."
The gentle breeze from the eastern shore was a great relief.
They had marched during the day mostly through forests, and everywhere the atmosphere was close and still, so that the open space was appreciated.
All slept soundly that night, and morning came only too soon for the wearied boys, but they enjoyed the trip too much to delay moving at the earliest opportunity. While breakfast was being prepared the boys sauntered over to the sloping shore to the west, which was not more than a half mile away.
They enjoyed walking along the pure white sand, and after disrobing had a jolly time in the mildly moving surf. It was not often that they had opportunities to take a sea bath.
The bathing place was a deeply-indented bay, with a long sloping beach,—an ideal spot, with the camp plainly visible to the east. "Why not take a stroll to the southern end of the bay?" remarked Harry, after they were ready to return. "We might be able to see the headland to the south where we first sighted land."
"Well, then, here goes it," and George started on a strong sprint to the south.
Harry was by far the fleeter, and reached the tufted grass ahead of George, and then turned to the right, to gain the elevation. It was while thus moving through the brush and débris, which was far above the normal level of the sea, that they were attracted by an unusual deposit of brush, and other accumulations.
"Stop, Harry; here is something we ought to investigate."
Harry turned and came back. In the early days of their investigation such a mass would have meant diligent search. It was more from a recurrence of the old habit that dictated the idea to George.
It was well they did so, for not far from the top, and covered over with seaweed and leaves, was a boxlike structure, evidently some part of a wreckage. They worked feverishly at the surrounding mass, and uncovered it.
Harry started back. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. George stooped over, and stared.
"It is part of the boat which was taken from South River."
When that boat disappeared, only to be found miles away from its original location, the two boxlike compartments which they had made in it, and the oars used by them, had been taken away, and instead they found entirely different oars, and a rope, of which they knew nothing.
Here was one of the boxes. "Let's open it," said George in the most intense tone. That was easily done, and there they found, to their surprise, one of their original shell hatchets, part of a coarsely-woven cloth, which they recognized as one of their early productions on the first loom, and a dozen or more gourds, in which food had been placed, and all exactly as it had been stored away by them. The food had disappeared, of course, but it had been lost by the action of the sea, and decomposition, as it was[p. 159] evident that the contents had not been disturbed by any one.
"Let us call John," said Harry, and he bounded up the beach, and ran over the crest, waving his arms as he did so. He had not gone half the distance before those at the camp saw Harry running, and John, and most of those in sight started on a run, George meanwhile industriously dragging away the débris.
"We have found it," cried Harry, as John came within hailing distance, and without waiting for them to come up he bolted back.
"Now what have you discovered?" asked John as he came up breathless.
"Part of our old boat."
"We thought George had met with some accident."
"We got this by accident," answered George. "See, here are some more things. This is the oar we had. How can you explain that?"
It was certainly a poser. Why the exchange of oars? John shook his head. For once he had no theory even to offer. "Come, boys, let us take away all this stuff."
All gave a hand, Sutoto wondering why there should be so much ado about a bit of wreckage. George explained the affair, as well as he could.
"What is that board?" exclaimed John. "No, not a board; that is part of a boat," he added as more of the accumulation was torn away.
"It's a boat; it's a boat!" almost shrieked George.
"Come to this end and take away this lot of seaweed," called out Harry.
They soon uncovered a boat with one end embedded in the sand so it was difficult to turn it over, owing to the rotten condition of the wood. Only here and there was any paint visible. The action of the elements had done its work.
"What kind of a boat was this?" asked Harry.
John did not answer, but peered down on the sand where the prow had rested. "Take away the sand carefully here," he said, and when he pointed the boys saw something white protruding an inch or two.
As the sand was scraped away they first saw the thigh bone of a skeleton, and soon the whole frame was laid bare, the interstices filled with sand. A peculiar rope was around the frame, and John grasped it.
The boys eagerly looked at it as John intently examined it. "It is the same," he said.
"The same as what?" asked Harry.
"The same as the rope found on the boat when you discovered it on the beach."
That was the first time that the boys knew that John had any idea about the loss of the boat, or of the strange rope. It was possible, however, that the Professor had told John about it, as they were accustomed to talk over these strange things.
"But the boat?" asked George. "What do you think of the boat?"
"It is the exact counterpart of the Investigator's Life boat No. 3."