“This won’t do,” said Slag, on making the discovery. “We’ll have to steer d’rect for the highest land.”
“That’s so, Joe,” said Mitford, “and yonder’s a height away there, right in the wind’s eye, that will act as a beacon to us.”
“I sees it, John—but, I say, what’s the matter wi’ Terrence?”
This question was drawn forth by the action of the Irishman, who had walked on about fifty yards in advance of his comrades. He was standing in the attitude of an ancient Roman about to discharge a javelin. Stooping low as if to render themselves less conspicuous, Mitford muttered, “hallo!” and his comrade whispered, “Sh! he sees suthin’!”
Whatever it was he saw, O’Connor evidently felt too far off to act effectively, for, after standing a moment in the classic position just referred to, he suddenly lowered his spear, dropped on hands and knees, and made a slow, undignified advance of a few yards. Then he rose again, became classic once more and discharged his spear, in a manner that would have done credit to Achilles himself.
The growl that followed, and the “bad luck to ye,” that came faintly back on the breeze, told too plainly that the result was a miss.
“Sure it’s a rabbit I saw,” he said, returning to his companions, “an’ if I’d only sent it two yards more to the left, I’d have hit the baste!”
To the satisfaction of the explorers, it was found that the sandhills were burrowed all over by rabbits, and that there existed there a large colony of them. Cheered by this—in spite of their bad javelin play—they made for the high ground, and soon found themselves threading a belt of wood, after crossing which they reached the foot of the range of hills that bounded the island to the westward.
It was a weird, rugged spot, covered with great boulders that had rolled down the hill-sides, and with gaps and chasms here and there of considerable depth, that suggested the idea of volcanic action having visited the place at some remote period. These chasms or rents in the earth were overgrown with trees or bushes in many places, and obliged the travellers to make wide detours in some places to avoid them.
Thus they were so much delayed that night was upon them before they had reached the higher parts of the hill-range where they had intended to encamp.