Still further signs of the former presence of man now attracted my attention. A great plant, like an immense lily, with broad leaves six or seven feet long was growing near by at the edge of the small clear area surrounding the ruins; and, on going nearer to examine it I quickly recognized it from the great bunch of elongated fruit which hung from the crown of leaves.
Banana trees!
And there were many of them scattered around. Here was a never-ending supply of food, of the most nourishing kind. I walked around to the south side of the clearing, where I found other trees, much resembling, in general appearance, the banana trees; but the fruit was much larger, and curved like a scimitar.
My reading of books of tropical travel stood me in good stead as it aided me in recognizing trees and fruits that proved of great use to me. This latter, I knew to be the plantain. A still further search revealed yams, and several clusters of canes, much larger than the largest cornstalks that I had ever seen.
Here was another valuable discovery--sugar cane! Taking out my knife I cut one of the canes, and was delighted to see that it was full of limpid juice. I tasted it and found it very sweet and very refreshing. I sucked several joints of the sugar cane dry, and then turned to gather some of the bananas. The bunches were rather small, but several appeared to be quite ripe. I also dug some of the yams, and with a sugar cane under one arm, my bow-gun under the other, the yams and bananas in my hands, I started back to the camp. I could not climb the wall, loaded as I was, so I set about to go around the end nearest to my cave-dwelling; when I saw a pigeon, like one I had shot near the coast, fly up and alight on the wall. As quickly as I could I laid down my load, and, adjusting an arrow in the bow-gun, took careful aim and released the string. Again my aim was true, for the arrow pierced the neck close to the body. It must have been killed almost instantly, for it quickly ceased fluttering.
With this addition to my forage, I proceeded slowly to the camp. With food for two days at least, I now began to form plans for making the "cave," as I chose to call it, habitable. I proposed to close the two ends and a portion of the front, by setting bamboo, which I had seen growing plentifully in the valley below, into the ground, and weaving in vines. I only intended to make a temporary shelter against the wind, and had no idea of spending the time and labor that I had on my house on the coast.
It was slow work cutting the bamboos and dragging them up to the cave, and this occupied me several days. These had to be cut into the proper lengths, and set into the ground, so that the upper ends would come firmly up against the overhanging rock. As I worked, my plans for the future matured, so that I foresaw an extended sojourn here. The ultimate outcome was, that the inclosing walls of the cave were, when finished, fully as substantial as those of my house at "Sargent" Bay, as I had resolved to call the place where I had drifted ashore, in honor of my late benefactor. The paling of bamboos was closely interwoven with vines, and I constructed a door for the front. I now had not only a comfortable but a substantial dwelling, which would afford protection from the wind and rain, no matter from which direction they came.
About every other day I went to the old ruins to procure bananas and yams; and, on these trips, I shot several pigeons which proved to be very delicate and tender. I often roasted yams, and found them to be very hearty food; and became very fond of them.
Frequently, of late, there had been showers of rain, which proved to me that the rainy season had set in. I made frequent trips to the top of the mountain, and, each time, I saw that the peculiar serrated line against the sky, which I at first thought must be a cloud, had remained stationary. This convinced me that it was land, and as it was evidently the top of a mountain range, it must be a great distance away.
I speculated as to what land it would be. If my suppositions were correct as to the position of the island on which I was exiled, from the direction it might be one of the Virgin Islands. If so, the Leeward Islands lay beyond, further to the east and south-east.