Bob the Castaway Part 32

"Let me shoot some birds--they will make fine eating," said Bob to the captain, and permission being given, the young castaway went on a brief hunt. The birds were so thick that he had little difficulty in bringing down several dozen.

"Now we can have a bird pot-pie for supper," declared Mr. Carr, and he looked greatly pleased, and so did the others.

All realized that the island upon which they had landed was not to be compared to that upon which they had previously been cast. The trees were of small account, none of them bearing fruit fit to eat.

Some of the bushes contained berries, and Ned began to gather a cupful.

"Go slow there, Ned," said the captain. "They may be poisonous."

"They can't be--for I saw the birds feeding on, them," said Bob.

"Oh, well, then it is all right."

But the berries proved rather bitter to the taste and n.o.body felt like eating many of them. Tim started a fire, and over this they broiled and roasted the birds, each fixing the evening meal in the way that best suited him.

"Are there any cannibals here?" asked Mr. Tarbill.

"I don't believe there is a soul on the island besides ourselves,"

answered the captain.

"I can't go to sleep if there are cannibals," groaned the nervous pa.s.senger.

As late as it was, Bob, Ned and the captain took a tramp around the island. It was not over a quarter of a mile long and an eighth of a mile wide. There was fairly good walking close to the sh.o.r.e, but the interior was a ma.s.s of stunted trees, th.o.r.n.y bushes and long trailing vines, to get through which was impossible.

"I haven't seen what I'd like most to see," said the captain, after the walk was ended.

"What is that?" questioned Bob.

"A spring of good, fresh water."

"That's so--we didn't see any spring at all!" exclaimed Ned Scudd.

"Too bad! We need water."

The castaways were thoroughly tired out, and that night all went to bed and slept soundly. Nothing came to disturb them, although at daybreak Mr. Tarbill leaped up in alarm.

"Hark!" he cried. "Somebody is coming! It must be the cannibals!"

"What!" exclaimed Captain Spark, and he jumped up, followed by the others.

Then all listened. From the interior of the little island came a most unearthly screaming.

"Somebody is being murdered!" gasped Mr. Tarbill, and sank on his knees. "Oh, oh, why did I leave home!"

They listened intently, and then Mr. Carr set up a laugh.

"What is it?" asked Bob, curiously.

"Parrots, my boy, nothing but parrots."

"To be sure--I should have knowed it," came from the captain.

"They allers screech like that in the morning."

"Are you sure they are parrots?" asked the nervous pa.s.senger.

"Dead certain," answered Mr. Carr. "If you don't believe it, just go over to yonder trees and shoo them up into the air."

"I--I don't think I care to do that--they might fly at me and peck me."

"Well, they are parrots--and they won't hurt you if you leave 'em alone."

During the morning the search for a spring of water was resumed.

At last they found several pools, the water coming up in them from underground. But the birds used the pools for drinking places and they were consequently far from clean.

"How long are we to stay on this island?" asked Mr. Tarbill, while they were eating a breakfast of broiled birds, fish, and crackers.

"Not very long, I'm thinking," answered the captain. "In a storm it wouldn't be a very safe place. The water must sweep the land pretty well, and our boat would be stove to pieces."

"But where are you going?"

"We'll try to make that big island I spoke about," went on the captain. Then of a sudden, he bent closer to the nervous man.

"What's that on your watch chain?" he demanded.

"My watch chain?"

"Yes. It looks like a tiny compa.s.s to me."

"Why--er--it is a compa.s.s," stammered Mr. Tarbill.

"And you never told us that you had it!" roared the captain.

"I--I forgot it!" stammered the pa.s.senger. "I--I was so upset, you know."

"Let me see it."

Captain Spark took the compa.s.s and examined it with care. It was small, but of good manufacture, and looked as if it might point true.

"Not near as good as the one we lost," he said to Mr. Carr. "But it is better than nothing."

"Indeed it is," was the reply.

"I thought that was a locket," said Bob. "I noticed it on the watch chain several times."

"It was given to me by my uncle, years ago," said Mr. Tarbill.

"Please don't lose it."

"I'll keep it safe, don't fear," answered the captain. "Reckon it is safer in my keepin' than yours," he added.

With the discovery of the tiny compa.s.s the hopes of the castaways revived. All felt that it would be a waste of time to remain on the small island, and accordingly preparations were made to leave on the following morning. To add to their stock of provisions the men and Bob brought down a large quant.i.ty of birds and also caught a lot of fish, and these were broiled and cooked, to keep them from spoiling. They also got what water they could and stored it in a cask, and Bob picked a capful of berries.