Pauline saw nothing more after that for some time, because her eyes were blinded with tears.
Then Queen Pina cheered up again, for she thought that surely a ship would soon pass the island and take them off. As this last thought became more definite (for Pina was very young and hopeful) her eyes dried and permitted her to observe her kingdom more clearly.
The Prime Minister, she observed, was still busy on the shore, and, from his frequently stooping to pick up something, she argued that the affairs of State in that quarter were prospering.
Presently, from the midst of a mass of reeds not far off, there arose a shout, easily recognisable as that of the army, which was followed by cries of a stupendous, yet extremely familiar, kind. Pauline started up in considerable haste, and a moment later beheld the chief authors of the noise burst from the clump of reeds in the form of a large sow and a troop of little pigs.
They were evidently in a state of wild alarm, for, besides squealing with a degree of intensity possible only to pigs, they ran in such furious haste that they stumbled over sticks and stones in reckless confusion, scrambling to their feet again in such a hurry as to ensure repeated falls, and, generally, twirling themselves and their tails in a manner that was consistent with nothing short of raving madness.
Little wonder that those creatures acted thus, for, close on their heels, gasping and glaring, the army burst forth and fell on themliterally fell on one of them, for Otto in his anxiety to catch the hindmost pig, a remarkably small but active animal, tripped over a root just as he was about to lay hold of its little tail, and fell on the top of it with fearful violence. The mechanical pressure, combining with the creatures spiritual efforts, produced a sudden yell that threw the cries of its companions quite into the shade. It might have sufficed to blow Otto into the air. Indeed, it seemed as if some such result actually followed, for, after turning a complete somersault, the boy was on his feet again as if by magic; but so also was the little pig, which, being thus forcibly separated from its family, turned aside and made for the main thicket. To cut off its retreat, the army made a sudden flank movement, headed the enemy, grasped it by the curly tail, and sought to lift it into his arms, but the curly tail straightened out, and, being exceedingly thin as well as taper, slipped from his hand. Need we say that the little pig came to the ground with a remonstrative squeal? It also rolled over. Otto, unable to check himself, flew past. The pig rose, diverged, and resumed its headlong flight. Otto doubled, came close up again, stooped to conquer, and was on the point of coming off victorious, when, with a final shriek of mingled rage and joy, the enemy rushed through a hole under a prickly bush, while the discomfited army plunged headlong into the same, and stuck fast.
Meanwhile the rest of the porcine family had found refuge in an almost impenetrable part of the thicket.
Pork, your Majesty, said Otto, on returning from the field of battle, may at all events be counted as one of the products of your dominions.
Truly it would seem so, responded the Queen, with a laugh; nevertheless there does not appear to be much hope of its forming a source of supply to the royal larder.
Time will show, said Dominick, coming up at the moment; and see, here are several kinds of shellfish, which will form a pleasant addition to our fare.
Ay, and I saw eggs among the reeds, said Otto, some of which
Not pigs eggs, surely? interrupted Dominick.
They may be so, retorted Otto; the fact that English pigs dont lay eggs, is no argument against South Sea pigs doing so, if they choose. But, as I was about to say, your Majesty, when the Premier interrupted mesome of these eggs I gathered, and would have presented them as an offering from the army, if I had not fallen and crushed them beyond repair.
In corroboration of what he said, Otto opened his coat pocket and revealed in its depths a mass of yellow substance, and broken shells.
Horrible! exclaimed Pauline; how will you ever get it cleaned?
By turning it inside outthus, most gracious Queen.
He reversed the pocket as he spoke, allowing the yellow compound to drip on the ground, and thereafter wiped it with grass.
I wouldnt have minded this loss so much, he continued, if I had not lost that little pig. But I shall know him again when I see him, and you may depend on it that he is destined ere long to be turned into pork chops.
Well, then, on the strength of that hope we will continue the survey of our possessions, said Dominick, leading the party still further into the low grounds.
For some time the trio wandered about without making any further discoveries of importance until they came to a thicket, somewhat similar to the one near which they had been cast on shore, but much smaller. On entering it they were startled by a loud cackling noise, accompanied by the whirring of wings.
Sounds marvellously like domestic fowls, said Dominick, as he pushed forward. And such it turned out to be, for, on reaching an open glade in the thicket, they beheld a large flock of hens running on ahead of them, with a splendid cock bringing up the rear, which turned occasionally to cast an indignant look at the intruders.
That accounts for your eggs, Otto, observed Pauline.
Yes, and here are more of them, said the boy, pointing to a nest with half a dozen eggs in it, which he immediately proceeded to gather.
It is quite evident to me, remarked Dominick, as they continued to advance, that both the pigs and fowls must have been landed from the wreck that lies on the shore, and that, after the death of the poor fellows who escaped the sea, they went wild. Probably they have multiplied, and we may find the land well stocked.
I hope so. Perhaps we may find some more traces of the shipwrecked crew, suggested Pauline.
Their expectations were not disappointed, for, on returning in the evening from their tour of exploration, they came on a partially cleared place in the thicket beside the golden cave, which had evidently been used as a garden. In the midst of a mass of luxuriant undergrowth, which almost smothered them, vegetables of various kinds were found growingamong others the sweet potato.
Gathering some of these, Otto declared joyfully that he meant to have a royal feast that night, but a difficulty which none of them had thought of had to be faced and overcome before that feast could be enjoyed. It was just as they arrived at the golden cave that this difficulty presented itself to their minds.
Dom, said Otto, with a solemn look, how are we to make a fire?
By kindling it, of course.
Yes, but, you stupid Premier, where are we to find a light?
To tell you the truth, my boy, returned Dominick, I never thought of that till this moment, and I cant very well see my way out of the difficulty.
Pauline, to whom the brothers now looked, shook her head. Never before, she said, had she occasion to trouble her brain about a light. When she wanted one in England, all she had to do was to call for one, or strike a match. What was to be done in their present circumstances she had not the smallest conception.
Ill tell you what, said Otto, after several suggestions had been made and rejected, this is how well do it. We will gather a lot of dry grass and dead sticks and build them up into a pile with logs around it, then Pina will sit down and gaze steadily at the heart of the pile for some minutes with her great, brown, sparkling eyes she should be able to kindle a flame in the heart of almost anything in five minutesor, say ten, at the outside, eh?
Ill tell you what, said Otto, after several suggestions had been made and rejected, this is how well do it. We will gather a lot of dry grass and dead sticks and build them up into a pile with logs around it, then Pina will sit down and gaze steadily at the heart of the pile for some minutes with her great, brown, sparkling eyes she should be able to kindle a flame in the heart of almost anything in five minutesor, say ten, at the outside, eh?
I should think, retorted the Queen, that your fiery spirit or flashing wit might accomplish the feat in a shorter time.
It seems to me, remarked Dominick, who had been thinking too hard to pay much regard to these pleasantries, that if we live long here we shall have to begin life over againnot our own lives, exactly, but the worlds life. We shall have to invent everything anew for ourselves; discover new methods of performing old familiar work, and, generally, exercise our ingenuity to the uttermost.
That may be quite true, you philosophic Premier, returned Otto, but it does not light our fire, or roast that old hen which you brought down with a stone so cleverly to-day. Come, now, let us exercise our ingenuity a little more to the purpose, if possible.
If we had only some tinder, said Dominick, we could find flint, I dare say, or some hard kind of stone from which fire could be struck with the back of a clasp-knife, but I have seen nothing like tinder to-day. Ive heard that burnt rag makes capital tinder. If so, a bit of Pinas dress might do, but we cant burn it without fire.
For a considerable time the trio sought to devise some means of procuring fire, but without success, and they were at last fain to content themselves with another cold supper of cocoa-nut and water, after which, being rather tired, they went to rest as on the previous night.
Chapter Four.
Difficulties met and overcome
The next day Pauline and her brothers visited the wreck, and here new difficulties met them, for although the vessel lay hard and fast on the rocks, there was a belt of water between it and the main shore, which was not only broad, but deep.
I can easily swim it, said Dominick, beginning to pull off his coat.
Dom, said Otto, solemnly, sharks!
Thats true, my boy, I wont risk it.
He put his coat on again, and turned to look for some drift-wood with which to make a raft.
Theres sure to be some lying about, you know, he said, for a wreck could hardly take place without something or other in the way of spars or wreckage being washed ashore.
But dont you think, suggested Otto, that the men whose graves we have found may have used it all up?
Otto was right. Not a scrap of timber or cordage of any kind was to be found after a most diligent search, and they were about to give it up in despair, when Pauline remembered the bay where they had been cast ashore, and which we have described as being filled with wreckage.
In truth, this bay and the reef with its group of islands lay right in the track of one of those great ocean currents which, as the reader probably knows, are caused by the constant circulation of all the waters of the sea between the equator and the poles. This grand and continuous flow is caused by difference of temperature and density in sea-water at different places. At the equator the water is warm, at the poles it is cold. This alone would suffice to cause circulationsomewhat as water circulates in a boiling potbut other active agents are at work. The Arctic and Antarctic snows freshen the sea-water as well as cool it, while equatorial heat evaporates as well as warms it, and thus leaves a superabundance of salt and lime behind. The grand ocean current thus caused is broken up into smaller streams, and the courses of these are fixed by the conformation of landjust as a rivers flow is turned right or left, and sometimes backward in eddies, by the form of its banks and bottom. Trade winds, and the earths motion on its axis, still further modify the streams, both as to direction and force.
It was one of those currents, then, which flowed past the reef and sometimes cast vessels and wreckage on its shores.
Hastening to the bay, they accordingly found enough of broken spars and planks, to have made half a dozen rafts, twice the size of that required to go off with to the wreck; so to work they went at once with eager enthusiasm.
Hold on! shouted Dominick, after a few spars had been collected and dragged up on the sand.
Otto and Pauline paused in their labour, and looked anxiously at their brother, for his face wore a perplexed look.
We have forgotten that it is impossible to shove a raft of any size, big or little, through these huge breakers, so as to get it round the point, to where the wreck lies.
Well, then, cried Otto, with the ready assurance of ignorance, well just drag it overland to the wreck, and launch it there.
But, Otto, you have not taken into consideration the fact that our raft must be so large that, when finished, the dragging of it over rough ground would require three or four horses instead of three human beings.
Well, then, returned the boy, well make it small, just big enough to carry one person, and then well be able to drag it overland, and can go off to the wreck one at a time.
Now, just think, brainless one, retorted Dominick; suppose that I were to go off first to the wreck, what then?
Why, then I would go off next of course, and then Pina would follow, and so wed all get on board one at a time, and explore it together.
Yes; but what would you come off on?
The raft, to be sure.
But the raft, I have supposed, is with me at the wreck. It wont go back to the shore of its own accord to fetch you, and we have no ropes with which to haul it to and fro.
Then theres nothing for it, said Otto, after a few moments thought, but to make it big enough for two, or carry over the broken spars and planks piecemeal, and put them together opposite the wreck; so, come along.
This latter plan being adopted, they set to work with energy. To their joy they found not only that a good deal of cordagesomewhat worn, indeed, but still serviceablewas mingled with the wreckage, but that many large protruding bolts and rusty nails formed convenient holdfasts, which facilitated the building up and fastening together of the parts.
At last, after considerable labour, the raft was got ready early in the afternoon, and the brothers, embarking on it with two long poles, pushed off to the wreck while Pauline sat on the shore and watched them.
It was an anxious moment when they drew near enough to observe the vessel more distinctly, for it was just possible that they might find in her hold a supply of food and things they stood so much in need of, while, on the other hand, there was a strong probability that everything had been washed out of her long ago, or that her former crew had taken out all that was worth removing.
What if we should find casks of biscuits and barrels of pork, to say nothing of tea and sugar, and such like? murmured the sanguine Otto, as they poled slowly out.
And what if we should find nothing at all? said Dominick.
O Dom! exclaimed Otto, in a voice so despairing that his companion turned to look at him in surprise. Look! see! the ship has been on fire! It can only be the mere skeleton that is left.
Dominick turned quickly, and saw that his brother had reason for this remark. They had by that time approached so near to the wreck that the charred condition of part of her bulwarks, and specially of her lower spars, became obvious; and when, a few minutes later, they stood on the deck, the scene that presented itself was one of black desolation. Evidently the ill-fated vessel had been enveloped in flames, for everything on board was charred, and it was almost certain that her crew had run her on the rocks as the only method of escaping, her boats having been totally destroyed, as was apparent from the small portions of them that still hung from the davits.