Dick Leslie's Luck: A Story of Shipwreck and Adventure by Harry Collingwood
CHAPTER TEN.
A DISCOVERY--AND A CONFESSION.
The statement that Dick Leslie that evening wrote ran as follows:--
"The finder of this document is earnestly requested to communicate itscontents to Lloyds, the British Admiralty, the leading Londonnewspapers, and Sir Ernest Trevor, K.C.M.G., Judge of Her Majesty'sSupreme Court, Bombay.
"On the--day of --, in the year 18--, the ship _Golden Fleece_, CaptainRainhill, sailed from London for Melbourne, having on board, among otherpassengers, Miss Flora Trevor, daughter of the above-named Sir ErnestTrevor, and Mr Richard Leslie.
"On the night of the--day of --, in the same year, the ship's reckoningat noon on that day being Latitude 32 degrees 10 minutes North andLongitude 26 degrees 55 minutes West, the _Golden Fleece_ was run intoand sunk by an unknown steamer during a dense fog. The only knownsurvivors of the wreck consisted of the above-named Flora Trevor,Richard Leslie, and a seaman named George Baker, belonging to the ship.These three persons were picked up and rescued on the following day bythe brig _Mermaid_ of London, James Potter, master, which sailed fromthe last-named port on the --th day of --, bound for Valparaiso.
"On the date of the rescue of the three above-named persons by the brig,Captain Potter met with an accident, from which he died on the --th dayof --; and the mate, Thomas Purchas, succeeded to the command of thevessel. Then Purchas gave way to drink, and on the night of the --thday of -- committed suicide by jumping overboard. Thereupon Mr RichardLeslie, who had at one time been an officer in the British navy, assumedcommand of the brig, with the intention of navigating her to Valparaiso.During the passage of Cape Horn, however, the _Mermaid_ encounteredcontrary winds and very heavy weather, in which she was dismasted, withthe loss of three of her crew. The brig was then put under jury rig, sofar as the resources of the vessel permitted; but it was not of asufficiently efficient character to permit of her being worked towindward, and a persistent succession of contrary winds drove her deepinto the heart of the Pacific Ocean, where, during a gale that sprang upon the night of the --th of --, she was driven ashore, and became atotal wreck on the outlying reef of an unknown island, not marked on thecharts, but situate in Latitude 16 degrees 8 minutes South, Longitude120 degrees 56 minutes West. During this gale the _Mermaid_ was againdismasted, and Mr Leslie, who was at the wheel, was knocked down andinjured on the head by the falling wreckage, in consequence of which hewas conveyed below, where Miss Trevor remained in attendance upon him.He lay insensible for nearly thirty-six hours; and it was during thistime that the brig struck on and was driven nearly the entire width ofthe reef, where she now lies. The only survivors of this disaster areMiss Trevor and Mr Leslie, who undoubtedly owe their lives to the factthat they were below when the brig struck. It is urgently requestedthat help be sent to them as quickly as possible, as the island uponwhich they have been wrecked lies quite out of the usual track ofshipping, and their prospects of rescue by a passing vessel areconsequently small.
"(Signed) Flora Trevor. Richard Leslie.
"Dated this--day of --, 18--."
"There," exclaimed Leslie, as he read over the completed document, "thatought to bring us help if the bottle happens to be picked up. But wemust not count upon it, for it may drift about for years before it isfound. However, we will do what we can to attract attention to it. Amere floating bottle is a very inconspicuous object, and may be passedwithin a hundred feet without being noticed; but I will pack it in agood big packing-case before sending it adrift. A floating case,especially if conspicuously marked, stands a hundred times as good achance of being picked up as does a mere bottle."
Accordingly, on the following day, the bottle, with the documenthermetically sealed within it, was taken on board the brig and carefullypacked away in the centre of a large packing-case filled with fineshavings from other cases; and then the entire exterior of the case waspainted black and white in a bold chequer pattern, with the words"Please open" in bold red letters on each side, and as soon as the paintwas dry Leslie put it on board the catamaran, and, running some threemiles to leeward of the island, launched it overboard. The case, beinglight, floated high, and, with its bold chequer pattern, formed aconspicuous object, calculated to attract attention at any distance notexceeding a mile. Then he returned to the brig, and, with Flora'sassistance, resumed his task of breaking out cargo.
There is no need to state in detail the contents of each case and balethat they hoisted on deck; suffice it to say that the cargo, being whatis known as "general," comprised almost every imaginable thing, much ofit being of a character that would either conduce to their presentcomfort or be possibly useful to them in the future. Only a smallproportion of the whole, therefore, went overboard; and since theremainder would in any case be irretrievably lost to its proper owners,Leslie had no scruples whatever in appropriating it to their own use.
The goods thus appropriated comprised an infinite variety of articles,among which may be enumerated enough lamps to illuminate a smallvillage; a few pictures, with which they adorned the interior of theirtent; household furniture of all kinds, such as bedsteads, with theirbedding, wardrobes, dressing and other tables, chests of drawers,domestic utensils of every kind, cutlery, china and glass, carpets, ahuge pier glass, and, to Flora's infinite delight, a magnificent Kapsgrand piano. Then there was more clothing--enough to last them both forthe remainder of their lives--a case of repeating rifles and revolvers,another case containing ammunition for the same, and a quantity ofvaluable jewellery, watches, etcetera, cases of perfumery, handsomefans, bric-a-brac--in short, a sufficiency of everything to enable themto convert their humble tent into a most comfortable, elegant, andluxurious abode.
This, however, was not all, or even their most valuable find. Therewere cases containing picks, shovels, and other implements, some steelwheelbarrows, a case containing a large assortment of carpenters' andjoiners' tools, cases of assorted nails and screws, and a very longpacking-case, which, upon being opened, was found to contain a handsomeand highly finished set of spars, evidently intended for a yacht ofabout fifteen tons measurement. Close to this was found another case,bearing the same marks as the first, and containing two complete sets ofcotton canvas sails, clearly intended for the same craft. Thesevaluable finds not only filled Leslie's heart with immeasurable delight,but set him eagerly searching for further cases, similarly marked. Norwas he disappointed, for the next day's search resulted in his finding athird case, the contents of which consisted of a complete set ofgun-metal belaying-pins and other fittings, together with a number ofpatent blocks, single, double, and threefold, that he had no difficultyin identifying as intended for the same craft.
"Little woman," he exclaimed, "this find is worth more than all the restof them put together. These spars and sails will save me months ofwork, and shorten our term of imprisonment here by just that much. Theyare intended for a craft of about the size that I had in my mind, andnow, of course, I shall design her of exactly such dimensions as theywill fit. Are you not glad?"
"Of course I am, Dick," she replied; "I am glad of anything that willease your work for you, for indeed you have been making a perfect slaveof yourself ever since we landed here. The discovery of these thingshas, I suppose, relieved your mind of a great deal of anxiety; and Ihope that now you will be able to take matters more easily."
"I am afraid," said Dick, "there still remains a great deal to be donebefore I can think of `taking matters easily.' I must complete myexamination of this cargo, for one thing; and when that is done I mustbegin to pull the poor old brig herself to pieces for the sake of hertimber, that being the only material available out of which to build ourboat."
"But surely there is no such very urgent need for hurry over all thiswork, is there, Dick?" remonstrated Flora.
"Oh yes, there is," insisted Dick; "for the reason that, if another galewere to spring up, the brig would most probably go to pieces, and theneverything in her would be lost, excepting, of course, such matters asmight be w
"I see," assented Flora, thoughtfully. "In that case I suppose we hadbetter go to work again, hadn't we?"
So they resumed operations; Dick descending into the hold and slingingthe cases, one by one, and then coming on deck and taking the tacklefall to the winch, and heaving the package on deck while Flora hung onto the tail-end of the rope to prevent it slipping round the winchbarrel. It was easy work for the girl, and such as she could do withoutbecoming greatly fatigued; but for the man it was hard labour indeed,and such as sent him back to the island at night almost too weary toeat.
But a day or two later he met with a find that more than rewarded himfor all his toil, and rendered a further continuance of it unnecessary.Among the first cases that he came upon was a long and heavy one, markedlike those containing the spars and sails, that, upon being opened, wasfound to contain copper sheathing, already cut to shape and carefullymarked. There was also, in the same case, a small, light, flat box,containing two drawings to scale; one being a sheer, half-deck, and bodyplan of a very smart, handsome, and wholesome-looking cutter,thirty-five feet long on the water-line, and ten feet beam; while theother was a drawing similarly marked to the copper sheathing, showingexactly where and how every sheet ought to be applied. Near this casewas another, similarly marked, a very large case as to length andbreadth, but of no great depth. Wondering what this could possiblycontain, Leslie eagerly opened it and found in it the complete set ofsteel frames for the cutter, packed one inside the other, and eachmarked and figured in accordance with the sheet of plans. And finally,not to dwell at undue length upon this discovery, important though itwas, he also found the keel, stem and stern-posts, rudder and trunk,deck-beams, wales, stringers, skin and deck-planking--in short, everyscrap and item of material and fittings required for the little vessel;so that nothing remained but to put the whole together. A morefortunate find could by no possibility be conceived for two peoplecircumstanced as he and his companion were.
It goes without saying that the whole of this valuable material was mostcarefully and promptly transferred to the beach; and as the last item ofit was unloaded from the catamaran Leslie flung himself down upon thesand and exclaimed, in accents of infinite relief--
"There, that is a good job well done; and I care not now though the oldhooker should go to pieces to-morrow!"
"And now," returned Flora, "you will be able to give yourself a littleholiday, and take some much-needed rest, will you not? Promise me thatyou will, Dick, please. You have been looking very anxious and worriedof late, and have been toiling the whole day through, day after day, inthe hot sun. I am sure such arduous work is not good for you; andindeed I have more than once been tempted to refuse to help you, becauseI knew that, if I did, you would be compelled to desist. But when I sawhow eager you were I thought it would be cruel; and I could not bringmyself to be that, even though I felt that it would be for your good."
"You have been infinitely good to me, Flora," answered Leslie, with deepfeeling--"infinitely good, and infinitely patient; while I have beenimpatient and exacting. In my impatience--I can see it now--I haveworked you cruelly hard--"
The girl put her hand over his mouth. "You shall not say another worduntil you talk sensibly," she declared. "The idea of saying that you`worked me hard'! Why, what _I_ did was child's play; a girl of fifteencould have done it without being distressed. Please do not let me hearyou say such things again!" she insisted, imperiously; immediatelyadding, "Now, you will promise to take a day's rest to-morrow, will younot, Dick?"
"Certainly, if you wish it," assented Leslie. "We will both take aday's holiday, and go fishing along the inner edge of the reef, shallwe?"
"By all means," agreed Flora. "I have often thought that I should likea little fish, as a change of diet; I am getting most horribly tired ofsalt beef and pork and tinned meats. But you have been so feverishlybusy that I did not like to ask you."
"Then," said Leslie, with severity, "please do not do it again. Howmany times must I tell you that you have only to express a wish, to haveit gratified, if I can do it, before you will believe me?"
"I do believe you, Dick; indeed I do," she answered softly. "I knowthat there is nothing I could ask you that you would not willingly andgladly do for me if you could. You are the kindest, most generous, mostchivalrous gentleman that I ever met--"
"Stop, please!" exclaimed Leslie, with a sudden fierceness of energythat frightened the girl; "you must not say such things as that, or Ishall some day forget myself and--But you have not yet heard my story; Imust tell it you some day, Flora; yes, the time is drawing near when itwill be imperatively necessary for me to tell you my story. Then weshall see what your opinion of me will be."
"So you really have a history?" remarked the girl. "The people on boardthe _Golden Fleece_ suspected as much, and freely said so; and as I havewatched you from time to time, and have observed your sudden fits ofmelancholy, I have often thought that they must have been right in theirsurmise. Yes; you shall tell me your story, Dick; I shall be profoundlyinterested in it, I am certain; and if it is a sad one--as I more thanhalf suspect--you shall have my whole-hearted sympathy. But, whateveryou may have to tell me, it will never alter my opinion of you; you mayhave met with misfortune, or suffered grievous wrong, but nothing willever persuade me that such a man as you have shown yourself to be canever have done anything of which you or your friends need be ashamed.Tell it me now, Dick, if you will."
"No," answered Leslie, resolutely, though he longed for her promisedsympathy more intensely than he had ever longed for anything else in hislife; "no; I will not tell you now; the time is not yet ripe. But itwill be ere long; and then I will tell you."
"So be it," agreed Flora. "Until then I can wait. And now let us go todinner, for I see by the appearance of the cooking-stove that it isready, and I am sure you must need it."
On the following morning, in accordance with their over-nightarrangement, they got on board the catamaran after breakfast and,sailing out to the reef, anchored on its inner edge, and started tofish. They appeared, however, to have chanced upon an unfavourable spotto start with, for after about half an hour their efforts were rewardedby the capture of only four fish, so small as to be quite worthless,except for bait; Leslie therefore tripped his anchor and, setting hiscanvas, determined to try his luck somewhat further to thenorth-eastward, and nearer the entrance channel.
They had been under way some ten minutes, slipping along over the veryinner edge of the reef, with the deep-water of the lagoon on their porthand, when Flora, who was peering abstractedly down into this deep,pellucid water, suddenly cried out--
"Oh, look, Dick, look; what is that huge object over there? Is itanother wreck?"
"Where away?" asked Leslie, gazing out over the reef.
"Down there in the water," answered the girl, pointing to a spot overthe port quarter. "I cannot see it now, because of the light on thewater; but I saw it most distinctly a moment ago. We sailed almostdirectly over it."
"And you thought it looked like a sunken wreck?" asked Leslie.
"Yes," answered the girl; "I certainly did. It was as large as a ship,and had somewhat the appearance of one."
"Well, we will go back and have a look at it," said Leslie; and, bearingup for a moment and then putting his helm down, he tacked, bringing thecatamaran round in such a manner as to pass back over practically thesame ground as before. And presently they both sighted the same objectagain--a huge something that certainly bore some resemblance to the hullof a ship, lying submerged upon the sandy bottom of the lagoon, aboutfifty fathoms from the inner edge of the reef. They were too far awayfrom it, however, to distinguish it clearly, the light reflected fromthe surface of the water rendering their view of it indistinct; Leslietherefore this time wore the catamaran round, and, lowering her sails,allow
Leslie now set to work with earnestness and enthusiasm upon his greattask of putting together the cutter, the component parts of which had sofortunately happened to form a part of the _Mermaid's_ cargo. And thefirst thing he did was to name the prospective craft the _Flora_, as acompliment to his companion.
Now, the _Flora_, when completed, would be a craft of very respectabledimensions; far too bulky, indeed, to be launched by the simple processof pushing her off the beach into the water, as one would launch a smallboat. The method of launching, therefore, was a matter requiringconsideration, and would have to be arranged for before a stroke of workwas done upon the boat herself. Leslie thought the matter overcarefully, and at length arrived at the conclusion that there wasnothing for it but to build the boat upon properly constructed launchingways. And for these he would require a considerable quantity of goodstout timber properly squared; the provision of which involved a task ofvery considerable labour and difficulty. Trees there were in plenty onthe island, of ample dimensions for his purpose; but how was he,single-handed, to get them down upon the beach, even after they had beentrimmed and squared? And how was he to square them without a sawpit.The pit-saw itself he had, having found several among the other toolsthat formed part of the brig's cargo; but to work such a toolsingle-handed was an impossibility. Weighing all these difficulties inhis mind, Dick at length came to the conclusion that there was noalternative but to draw upon the brig for the necessary material; and heaccordingly went, rather reluctantly, to work upon the task of breakingup the poor old _Mermaid_. He decided that the deck-beams of the brigwould be the most suitable for his purpose; and to obtain these it wasnecessary to break up the deck--a long and arduous job, only to beaccomplished with hard labour and the assistance of an elaborate systemof tackles.
It was while he was thus employed that the first break occurred in thefine weather that had prevailed ever since their arrival at the island.It began with the gradual dying away of the trade wind, followed by aheavy banking-up of dark thundery-looking clouds along the westernhorizon. With the cessation of the wind the temperature rose to such apitch that work became an impossibility, and Dick was at lengthreluctantly compelled to knock-off and return to the shore, much toFlora's satisfaction--for she was continually in dread lest the untiringand feverish energy with which he laboured should result in hissuffering a serious breakdown.
As it was too hot even to walk about, the pair were perforce compelledto remain inactive all the afternoon; and Flora inwardly decided thatthis would be a good opportunity for Dick to relate to her his promisedstory. It needed a very considerable amount of persuasion and coaxingto induce him to do so; but eventually he yielded and told her the wholemiserable history from beginning to end, winding up with the words--
"And thus you find me here to-day, a disgraced and ruined man, under anassumed name, without prospects or hope of any description, with only ahundred pounds wherewith to begin a new career in an alien land, and nopossibility whatever, so far as I can see, of ever being able toestablish my innocence and so win reconciliation with my poor, proud,heart-broken father. Were it not for the fact that you are here, andmust be restored to your friends with as little delay as may be, I couldbe well content to end my days here on this unknown island, alone andforgotten by all. Indeed, I think it more than likely that as soon as Ihave discharged my duty to you I shall return here."
"My poor Dick," exclaimed Flora, in tones of profound sympathy; "how youmust have suffered! I am no longer surprised at your frequent fits ofdepression and melancholy; the wonder to me is that you did not go mad,or die of shame, in that horrible prison. But now that you have told meall you must put everything that is past behind you, and try to forgetit; _I_ believe your story implicitly; you could not be the man you haveproved yourself to be to me, and be guilty of so mean an act as theft;oh no, nothing save your own admission could ever make me believe thatof you. And you have all the sympathy of my heart, Dick; all mysympathy; all my esteem; all--oh, the thought of what you have beencompelled to endure is terrible--terrible!"
And, to Leslie's unspeakable consternation, the girl suddenly buried herface in her hands and sobbed as though her heart would break. Theexpression of her whole-hearted sympathy and perfect faith in himtouched him profoundly.
"Don't cry, darling, please don't; I cannot bear it--and I am not worthit," he protested. "I ought never to have told you. I was a selfishbrute to extort your sympathy by the miserable recital of my ownmisfortunes; I have basely worked upon your feelings."
"You shall _not_ say it," she answered, laying her hand upon his mouth;"I will not have you abuse yourself, you who have already suffered suchunspeakable cruelty at the hands of others. You are _not_ selfish; youare _not_ base; you are nothing that is bad and everything that is good;you are a very king among men! Oh, Dick," she continued, taking hishand in hers, "do not think me forward or unmaidenly in speaking thus toyou, dear; I am not. But do you think I do not know what your feelingis toward me; do you think I do not _know_ that you love me? You poor,simple-hearted fellow, you are far too honest and straightforward everto be able to deceive a woman, especially in such a matter as that; youmay have thought that you were very successfully concealing yourfeelings from me, but I have known the truth--oh, ever since we havebeen on this island."
"It is true; God help me, it is true!" exclaimed Dick, smiting hisforehead. "But it is also true that I never intended you to know. Forwhat right have I, a disgraced and ruined man, to seek the love of anywoman? And if I may not seek her love in return, why should I tell herthat I love her?"
"You are looking at the matter with jaundiced eyes, Dick," answeredFlora, still retaining his hand in hers. "I cannot wonder that you feelyour humiliation cruelly; but the humiliation is really not yours; it isthat of those who so shamefully plotted to ruin you. You are guiltlessof this horrible charge--I am as sure of that as I am that I am a livingwoman. Besides, who is to know that Richard Leslie is one and the sameman with him who stood in the dock charged with that shameful crime, andwas pronounced guilty upon the strength of cunningly devised andmanufactured evidence? No one, of cou
"Oh, Flora, my love, my heart's darling, are you _sure_ of this?"demanded Dick, laying his hands upon her shoulders and gazing into hereyes as though he would read her very soul. "Are you sure that you arenot mistaking mere gratitude for a warmer feeling?"
"Yes, Dick," she answered, "I am quite, _quite_ sure. My gratitude youwon long ago; it was yours when we first stood on the deck of the_Mermaid_ together, dripping from our long night's immersion in thesea--for had you not, even then, saved my life? And it grew even deeperas I noted day by day your thoughtful care and anxiety for my welfare.But gratitude and love are two very different feelings; and while Ishould of course have always been profoundly grateful to you for yourunceasing care, I am sure that I should never have learned to love youhad I not first seen that you loved me."
"Then God be praised for His unspeakable mercy in bestowing upon me thispricelessly precious gift of your dear love!" exclaimed Dick, fervently."I will accept it, ay and I will moreover prove myself worthy of it.This blessed day marks a turning-point in my life; from this moment Ileave my wretched past behind me; there shall be no more uselessfretting and grieving for me. My work, now, is first to restore you toyour father; next to free myself--by his help, if he will give it me,but anyway, to free myself--from the undeserved stigma that attaches tomy true name; and, finally, to win for you such a home and position asyou deserve. And, God helping me, I will do it!"
This was the second time within a few minutes that Dick Leslie hadspoken the name of the Deity, and nothing could more clearly haveindicated the change wrought in him by the knowledge of Flora's love.Hitherto he had felt himself to be an outcast, cruelly and unjustlydeserted by his Creator; despised and condemned by his fellow-men; butnow everything was different; he firmly believed that God had at lastrelented and had given him this girl's love to comfort and encourage himin his great trouble and humiliation; and he once more took hope intohis heart. If God had relented, everything, he felt convinced, wouldyet be well with him.
And what is to be said of Flora; is any excuse needed for the extremestep that she took in forcing a confession of love from Leslie? Well,possibly there is; it may be that there are people who would assertthat, despite her disclaimer, she was unmaidenly. If such there be, andif excuse for her be needed, then let it be found for her in thefollowing facts. In the first place Leslie, despite his utmost caution,had betrayed his intense love for her in a thousand different ways,until the fact had become clear, unmistakable, and indisputable; a thingnot to be doubted or gainsaid. And, in the next place, she saw that,for some unknown reason, he never intended to declare his love if hecould possibly help it. A dozen times the declaration had trembled onhis lips, yet he had resolutely withheld it. Why? Clearly for somereason that he deemed all-sufficient, and which, she fancied, must beintimately associated with those oft-recurring fits of gloom anddepression from which she could not help seeing that he suffered.Finally, she loved him, and believed that--he also loving her--theknowledge of this fact might go far toward restoring his lost happiness.And when she had heard his story--told with all the bitterness andgrief and indignation that had been eating into his soul and destroyinghis faith in God and man for over seven interminable years ofsuffering--she knew that she was right; that there was but one remedyfor his misery; and, conscious of the nobility of her own motives, shefearlessly administered it. Who can or will blame her?
Meanwhile the brooding storm was slowly gathering its forces togetherfor an outburst; the bank of cloud had piled itself so high above thewestern horizon that it had long ago obscured the sun; a weird twilighthad fallen upon the scene; the stagnant air had grown even moreoppressively hot than at first; not a bird uttered a single note; not aninsect raised a chirp; not a leaf stirred; and in the profound silencethe roar of the surf on the reef became thunderous in its resonance.They dined somewhat earlier than usual that night, and while they satover their meal the darkness fell and they lighted the lamps. ThenLeslie went out to see to the security of the catamaran, making her fastto the shore with additional moorings; and upon his return Florainsisted that he should lie down on the sofa while she sang and playedto him. Then Leslie, in his turn, his heart lightened with returninghope and happiness, lifted up his voice, and for the first time sincethat terrible and memorable day, nearly eight years ago, broke intosong. And finally they began to sing duets together, his clear, rich,mellow tenor blending well with Flora's sweet, sympathetic soprano.
The concert was interrupted by the distant muttering of thunder and thefitful flickering of lightning; and they went out together down to theshore to watch the gathering storm. It was a long time in coming, butby-and-by, as they stood together close to the water's edge, a suddenswishing sound, like that of wind stirring leaves, became audible, andin another moment the blast was upon them and tearing across the glassysurface of the lagoon, darkening its surface and lashing it into foam.Then, a minute or two later, down came the rain in sheets, and they hadto beat a precipitate retreat to the tent, getting a thorough drenchingon the journey, though it occupied them but a minute. The gale ragedall through the night and up to nearly noon on the following day, whenit broke, the sky cleared, and the wind gradually dropped to a moderatebreeze, veering all the time round by north to east until the south-easttrade wind was once more blowing, but very much more gently than usual.Upon going out, the next day, Leslie was delighted to find that the galehad done no damage whatever anywhere, all stores and materials havingbeen effectually protected from the rain, while the direction of thegale had been such that it could not possibly harm the brig.
Although the gale actually broke--as has been said--shortly before noon,it moderated so gradually throughout the afternoon that it was not untilthe next day that the sea had gone down sufficiently to permit of thecatamaran being taken alongside the brig without danger. As soon,however, as this was the case, Leslie went off again, accompanied byFlora, and resumed his task of breaking up the brig's deck. It wasabout the middle of the afternoon when Flora, who had been allowing hergaze to wander out over the sea to the southward and westward, calledher companion's attention to a small object floating at a distance ofabout a mile in the offing. Leslie, ever on the alert, at once broughtthe telescope to bear upon the object, which appeared to be driftinghelplessly before wind and sea toward the surf beating on the weatherside of the reef, and immediately pronounced it to be a small canoe,apparently empty.
"We must have that craft; she will be very useful to us," he exclaimed,dropping the telescope and preparing to cast off the catamaran. "Willyou come with me, sweetheart? You can be useful to me by taking thetiller, when we come alongside her, while I jump aboard and make fast arope. But we must be smart or she will be among the breakers before wecan reach her."
A minute later they were under way and slipping along toward theentrance channel, upon clearing which Leslie at once hauled his wind,standing to the eastward for about a mile, which took him far enough towindward to enable him to fetch the canoe on the next tack. He thenhove about without a moment's delay, for the little craft was by thistime perilously close to the surf, and it was questionable whether theywould reach her in time to save her from being caught and dashed topieces in it. So close, indeed, was she that Leslie began to seriouslyask himself
"Down helm, dear, and put her round!" A moment later he added, underhis breath, "Hillo! here is a complication; a couple of naked savages inher! I wonder whether the beggars are dead!"
That, however, was not the moment in which to enter upon aninvestigation of the matter, for the two craft were on the very edge ofthe surf, and if by any chance the catamaran should miss stays nothingcould save them. So Dick, with lightning-like rapidity, took a turnwith his rope and made it fast to a sort of broad thwart in the centreof the canoe, and then, hauling quickly up alongside again, he regainedthe deck of the catamaran just as she was paying-off on the right tack.
As Leslie took the helm from her, Flora exclaimed--
"Oh, Dick, what does it mean? How came those two men--I suppose they_are_ men?--in the canoe; and where have they come from?"
"From one of those islands, away out there to the westward, that we sawfrom the summit, without a doubt," answered Dick. "I suspect that theywere caught unawares and blown out to sea by that gale of the day beforeyesterday. Once blown fairly away out of the lee of their own islandthey would have no choice but to keep their cockle-shell of a canoe deadbefore the sea, and to paddle for all they were worth, to avoid beingswamped. I take it that they paddled until they were absolutelyexhausted and could do no more, and then flung themselves down in thebottom of the canoe and dropped into a kind of lethargy."
"You think that they are still alive, then?" asked Flora.
"I have very little doubt of it," answered Dick. "These South Seasavages are pretty tough, I believe; and even were they not, it wouldtake something more than, say, forty hours' exposure, in this climate,to kill them. Oh yes; they are alive, all right."
"And how will their presence on our island affect us, Dick?" asked thegirl.
That was precisely the question that was worrying Leslie at that moment.He had no personal knowledge of the native inhabitants of the islandsof the Southern Pacific, but had a vague recollection of having eitherheard or read that, while some of them were very gentle and inoffensive,others were extremely treacherous and ferocious; some of them even beingaddicted to cannibalism. He was not, however, going to alarm hiscompanion unnecessarily, or say anything needlessly to raise herapprehensions; so he answered, with a great show of cheerfulness--
"Why, I hope it will very materially shorten the period of our sojournhere, sweetheart. They have the appearance of being good sturdyfellows; and I shall set them on to help me with my heavy work. It hasgone to my heart to be compelled to ask you to do even the light workthat you have hitherto done for me; although I could not have got on atall without your assistance. Now, however, with their help I shall beable to get on swimmingly, while you can amuse yourself in any way thatyou please. Now I am going to tack; look out for your head, dear; Icannot afford to have you knocked overboard by the main-boom. Helm'sa-lee!"
Instead of returning to the brig, Leslie proceeded direct to the islandwhere, having landed Flora, he proceeded, with some difficulty, to rousethe savages, and supply them with food and drink. They proved to be, asLeslie had said, a pair of fine, well-made men, naked, save for a kindof breech-clout round their loins, of sturdy physique, and apparentlybut little the worse for their adventure. Nor were they especiallyunprepossessing in appearance, although there was a certain character ofruthlessness in the expression of their eyes and about their mouths andchins that caused Leslie to determine that he would keep a very wary eyeupon them, at all events until he had learned a little more about theircharacter and disposition.