Alone on an Island Read online

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  Humphry sat down on his chest, feeling very forlorn. Here he was on adesert island, a mere speck in the ocean, hundreds of miles away perhapsfrom any place inhabited by civilised man. He might perhaps never beable to make his escape, or again hold intercourse with hisfellow-creatures. All alone, without speaking, without exchanging anidea with another human being, he might have to drag out a wearyexistence; and then, should sickness overtake him, have to lie down andbreathe out his life, leaving his bones to whiten in the sun.

  He had read Robinson Crusoe, but then his case was very different tothat of the far-famed voyager. Robinson Crusoe had the companionship ofFriday, and his island was fertile and smiling, and he had goats andfowls and other animals to cheer him or to serve him as food. He wouldhave to go in search of fish and birds for his daily food, and as yetwas uncertain whether any were to be found, though at present he did notfear starvation, as he had the salted beef and pork and biscuits withwhich Ned had supplied him. But then when they were gone, how should helive?

  "It won't do to indulge in these thoughts," he exclaimed to himself,suddenly starting up. "I must think about building a house in the firstplace; and then as soon as I can prepare the ground I will put in theseed, and, as I hope, some may produce good edible vegetables, I shallhave a variety in diet and keep myself in health."

  As he began to examine the articles which had been brought on shore, hefound a large roll of canvas. It was part of an old sail.

  "This Ned must have intended to serve as a tent till I can put up a moresubstantial building. I am much obliged to him, and I need not be inany great hurry about building my house."

  He spoke his thoughts aloud on nearly all occasions. It gave him somerelief to hear his own voice.

  "I must get some poles for the tent, though; and no spars, I see, havebeen brought on shore."

  He looked out an axe, and sticking it in his belt, set out to search forwhat he wanted.

  "I shall not lose my way in this new kingdom of mine, that's oneadvantage in having it of moderate size; and if I climb to the top ofthe hill, I shall be able to sing with Robinson Crusoe, `I am lord ofall I survey,'--ah, ah, ah!" and he laughed for the first time for manya day.

  There was nothing to excite his risibility on board. He felt hisspirits rising.

  "Stay!" he exclaimed suddenly. "What an ungrateful wretch I am! Herehave I been saved from a great danger, and placed in safety, at allevents for the present, and yet I have not uttered one word of thanks toHim who has preserved me."

  He knelt down, and lifted up his heart as well as he could to God.

  "Careless, worthless fellow that I have been! yet God promises to hearall those that come to Him, not trusting to themselves or to their owngood deeds, but to the perfect and complete atonement Jesus Christ madefor their sins on the cross, so I know that He will hear me; and I amsure, though I am unworthy of His care, that He put it into the heartsof those men to bring me on shore instead of throwing me overboard, orwhat would have been worse, keeping me among them."

  He felt his heart much lighter when he rose from his knees.

  He then, carefully observing the appearance of the rocks, that he mightfind his way back without difficulty, proceeded on his expedition.Clambering over them, he came to more level ground covered with variousbushes, and soon reached a hill-side on which grew a number of trees,palms and others, with the names of which he was unacquainted. Helooked in vain for cocoa-nuts, not being aware that the trees are onlygenerally found on the level shore to which the nuts have been borne bythe wind and tides of the ocean from other islands. He cut two stoutpoles for uprights, and a longer one for a ridge-pole, and shoulderingthem, returned to his camp.

  "I shall want a fire, though," he thought, as he got back, and throwingthem down he again set out to get fuel.

  This he had no difficulty in finding among the brushwood, and with theaid of his axe he quickly made up a number of faggots.

  "I shall not be obliged to have a fire burning all night to keep offwild beasts, that is another comfort," he observed. "But it will becheerful to sit by when it grows dark. I shall not find the time hangheavily on my hands for some days to come, that's another comfort."

  His first thought was to do the most necessary work. Having brought thefaggots to his camp, he next put up his tent.

  This accomplished, as soon as he sat down to rest he began to feelhungry. He rummaged in a small cask, which contained a number ofmiscellaneous articles, and discovered a tinder-box. He had soon a fireblazing in front of his tent. He had prudently made it up at asufficient distance to prevent the risk of the flames reaching thecanvas. While he stayed his hunger with some biscuit, he prepared apiece of beef, which he spitted and placed before the fire on two smallsticks, such as he had read of people doing under similar circumstances.He turned the meat on the spit, which grew blacker and blacker.

  "I think it must be done now," he said at length, taking it off.

  When he cut it with his knife, he found it almost as hard as wood. Heattempted to eat a few mouthfuls, but he could scarcely get them down.

  "This won't do," he said. "I must get some water, to enable me toswallow this dry food."

  On searching for something to hold the water, he found a saucepan, andon his way with it to the cascade it occurred to him that he might havecooked his beef much better by boiling. "I must try that way fordinner," he thought.

  A draught of pure water greatly refreshed him. He returned to the campwith his saucepan filled. He put it on at once with a small piece ofmeat in it, recollecting that salted beef requires a long time to boil,and he hoped to have better success in his second attempt at cooking.

  He now made a survey of the articles his shipmates had left with him.There was enough beef and pork to serve him for many months, but heregretted to find that the bread would not last him nearly so long.

  "I must try and find some substitute for it," he said, "and economise itin the meantime. I would rather have had much more bread and less meat,as I hope to catch some fish and kill some birds. However, I need notgo hunting till I have put my home to rights."

  Then he thought of his seeds. He had no spade, however, to dig theground; so going to the wood he shaped one, which he hoped would answerthe purpose, out of the stem of a small tree. It did better thannothing, but he would have been very glad of an iron spade. He at oncebegan to dig up the ground. It was covered thickly with grass with longroots, but the soil was rather sand than earth. "I must dig all thisup," he said, "or they will soon sprout up again, and destroy the seed."So he marked out a small plot, carefully throwing the roots and grassinto a heap. It then struck him that if they were scattered about onthe ground in the sun they would more quickly dry, and he might thenburn them, and the ashes would contribute to fertilise the ground.

  He worked away till he felt quite weary. He then went back to his fireto see how the beef was boiling. As it was not yet done, after restinga short time he returned to his digging. It was a very long operation,but after labouring for four or five hours he found that he had dug upalmost ten square yards of ground. "It is thoroughly done, though thereis not much of it, and that's a satisfaction," he said. He thought,however, even when the ashes of the grass were mixed with it, it wouldscarcely be sufficiently fertile for the seeds. "I will go into thewoods and collect rotten leaves, and with the ashes of my fire I hope intime to make the soil good." This was a wise thought, but the sun wasalready getting low, and he determined to wait till the next day to doso. "It will be better to have a small piece of good ground than to digup the whole plot, and I will only put in a few seeds at first, to seehow they answer; so that if some fail, I may try a different way ofcultivating them. I shall, at all events, have work enough. How sad itwould have been if I had had nothing to do but to sit still and bemoanmy hard fate. I may not, after all, find my life so miserable alone asI had expected, that's another comfort."

  With these reflection
s he went back to his fire, and now, to hissatisfaction, he found that his beef was thoroughly boiled. Ned hadforgotten to put in any salt or mustard, but as the beef was salt initself, that did not signify. It reminded him, however, that if he shotany birds or caught fish, he should require some. That made him resolveto try and look for it amongst the rocks, or to try and manufacture itfrom salt water, as he had read of being done. He had been accustomedto read a good many books of travels before he came to sea, and he nowfound the advantage of having done so, by being reminded of the variousways people, when placed in situations similar to his, had been enabledto support existence. This contributed to keep up his spirits, as itmade him have no doubts of obtaining food. His only dread was that hemight meet with an accident, or might fall ill, when there would be noone to help him.

  "Well, well, I ought not to trouble myself about that either," he said."I must pray to God to preserve me, and do my best not to run anyunnecessary risk."

  He then recollected the dreadful complaint, the scurvy, which hadalready attacked some of the crew of the _Wolf_.

  "That is brought on by people living too exclusively on salt provisions.I must try to find some roots or herbs till the seeds come up: andthen, if they produce vegetables, as I hope they will, I need not beanxious about that."

  Such were his cogitations during his meal. Having finished, he hung upthe remainder of his beef in his tent, to serve as breakfast for thenext morning, and then went back to the fountain to enjoy a draught ofpure water.

  He felt but little inclined to do any more work, and the sun had not setwhen he recollected that he had not yet read from his Testament. Hetook it from the pocket of his jacket, which hung up in his tent, andsat down to read. He read on for some time, feeling his spirits greatlyrefreshed, till, by the increasing darkness, he found that the sun hadgone down, and that it was time to prepare for rest. Ned had thrown abed into the boat and a blanket.

  "Few people left on a desert island as I am have enjoyed so luxurious acouch as this is," thought Humphry, as he laid himself down afteroffering up his prayers, as he had been accustomed to do before he cameto sea. Since then, shame, and the indifference which arises from it,had prevented him ever kneeling in prayer. He now, left all alone as hewas, felt that prayer was his greatest comfort; though he had nofellow-creature to talk to, he had the privilege of speaking to hisMaker. He had not been reading his Testament without gainingenlightenment. He had learned that he must come to God in His appointedway--through Jesus Christ; that he had no right to approach Him in anyother way.

  He had scarcely placed his head on the bundle of clothes which he hadrolled up to make a pillow, and drawn his blanket round him, than hefell fast asleep.