The Wonder Island Boys: Adventures on Strange Islands Part 14

"The best indication is," said Uraso, "that the fellow with the big feet does very little walking, and all the other fellows have danced about him."

Harry laughed, and was satisfied. "That was certainly clever," he remarked. "But why shouldn't they be clever. These boys are the finest and bravest in the world," and Uraso and Muro smiled and were happy at this encomium of the boy they all loved so much.

"The last foot I have counted is that little sawed-off sample that has danced all around the edge; see it here, and here!"

Muro walked forward, and, stooping down, pointed to the imprint of a shoe, said: "That is our boy's shoe."

Uraso laughed, as he admitted neglecting George's presence in the crowd of prints. "But I have found something else. George has had an interview with the Chief. He has been making some explanations to the Chief about his revolver."

John smiled, and kept his eye on a tree to the right.

"And how do you know that?" asked Harry.

Uraso walked over to the tree, after picking up something, and pointed to a cut-out in the side of the tree. It was the mark of the bullet, and the circular cut which George had made that John had observed, and which had been noticed by Uraso and Muro.

"The scene here looks very promising to me," said John.

"Yes, it is better and better," remarked Muro.

"But you haven't told us yet, how you know that George was interviewing the Chief."

"Come here and I will show you. Now look closely at the foot prints of George. Then observe the indications as to the att.i.tude of the Chief.

George goes up to the Chief. They turn around. Here is a sh.e.l.l. Beyond is the tree where they had the mark, and here are the tracks of the Chief and George as they go up to the tree."

Harry was now convinced. It must be said, however, that many of the marks made were so illy-defined, that it required extraordinary vision to observe them, and this is what Harry marveled at.

"What you say only proves the value of minute observation," remarked John. "Those who are not accustomed to see these things, can not detect what are very plain markings. Sometimes a slightly torn leaf, under certain conditions, will tell a story in itself,--just such a commonplace and ordinary thing as a ruptured leaf."

The consensus of opinion was that there were fully twenty-five in the party counting George, and it is remarkable that when the matter was afterwards investigated it was found that Uraso's count was right.

There were six in the party which took George, twelve who surrounded the party before the Chief arrived, and five more were with him when he came up.

Another consultation was held. John remarked: "I am of the opinion that the people who have captured George are not at all bad, or vindictive.

Therefore we must exercise care and not needlessly injure any of them. I need not say that it is our purpose here to aid the people, to make friends of them, and not enemies."

"That is in accordance with our wish," said Uraso, with the approval of all present.

"It is perfectly evident that these people, in taking George, did what most people in a savage condition would do. The great and overshadowing trait in humanity is to acquire something. It is just possible that the cartridge belt, or the field gla.s.ses, or the b.u.t.tons on his coat were of more importance to them than George himself."

"Then you mean they had to get George to get the b.u.t.tons," said Harry, laughing in his relief.

"Of course," answered John, and Muro laughed aloud, as he recalled his first experiences with the boys.

"John has. .h.i.t upon the very thing which is at the bottom of the whole business. All we wanted was to get the trinket, and the prisoner belonged to the Chief."

"Or to the Krishnos," remarked Muro.

"Well we might as well go on if we can find the trail," remarked John.

"Yes, it is plain enough now," answered one of them.

"But let us exercise caution," remarked John. "Move along slowly and keep a sharp lookout on our flanks."

Harry was walking by the side of Uraso. There had always been a warm friends.h.i.+p between the two. Lolo, Uraso's favorite son, was Harry's age, and the two were companions, and this was a source of great joy to the Chief, for Uraso was the head man of the Osagas, and one of the most progressive of all the prominent men.

Harry was dangling the chain which had been found in the morning. "I have been wondering why he dropped this!" he asked.

"I have an idea that it was lost in the fight for the possession of the watch."

"The fight? Why did they have a fight?"

"Well, the ground where the chain was found looked very much like it."

"I don't see why the fellows don't agree to divide up things properly when they get them, instead of scrambling for them in that way!"

"You can see it is perfectly natural for them to fight for it under the circ.u.mstances. They do not understand anything but power."

"I should think the loser would be resentful, and try to even it up on the other fellow," remarked Harry.

"On the other hand, the moment the stronger fellow wins, that is the end of the dispute. The best one won. In his creed there is no other argument. That is the savage's religion. You people have told us differently. The Professor has often said: 'There is only this difference between us, with you, might is right; with us right is might.'"

"Well, what do you really think about it now?" asked Harry.

Uraso did not smile, as he remarked somewhat sadly: "It took me a long time to understand that. How could right be might? At first it looked foolish, and Muro and I talked it over many times. Then Oma, and Tastoa and Oroto, the other Chiefs, spoke to me about it. But while I did not understand it I had faith in the Professor.

"Then we went to Unity, and built the town, and the people began to go there, and when we saw the Professor, and the way he treated every one, never doing a wrong to anybody, we could not believe that he was sane.

But everywhere we went we heard people talking about him, and the way he acted, and we saw all the white people do the same as the Professor did, we noticed that no one would dare say a word against the Professor, or John.

"We marveled at that. The Professor went out among the people of all the tribes, and never carried a weapon of any kind. But no one would have dared to injure him. If a man had even attempted to injure him the people would have torn him to pieces. Then I understood. Right was and is _Might_, but it takes a savage a long time to understand it, and he must learn it from something practical that comes to him in every day life; he will never know it in any other way."

Harry walked on in silence.

CHAPTER IX

THE GIANT CHIEF AND HIS "PALACE"

We must now return to George and see how he fared during the first night of his captivity. After the Chief had seated himself, and had begun to examine the articles taken from George, the latter had an opportunity to examine the surroundings more closely.

The Chief made no remarks to him, nor did he ask him to be seated. At the moment he entered the room he noticed the chair. As the Chief did not pay any attention to him after they entered, George walked over and deliberately sat down on it.

The two attendants who carried in the articles, stared at him, and the women and children, particularly the latter, seemed to be paralyzed at his att.i.tude seated in the chair. It was covered with dust, an evidence that it was never used for the purposes of a seat. On reflection, he thought that must be the reason they looked at him so queerly.

The Chief, however, gave no indication that his act was a rude or questionable one. He tried on the cartridge belt, but it was far too short for his corpulent body, and George could hardly repress a laugh, as he noticed the attempt to adjust it.

The field gla.s.ses came in for a share of attention, then the silver match box, and the women craned their heads forward, as it glittered.