Bevis Part 92

"And keep the fire burning. There ought to be a fence along the top of the cliff."

"Yes--that's very awkward: you can't put stakes in hard sand like that."

"We must drive in some--and cut them sharp at the top."

"What a pity the stockade is not sharp at the top!--Nails, that's it: we must drive in long nails and file the tops off!"

"And put some stakes with nails along the cliff--the thing could not get in quite so quick."

"The gate is not very strong: we must barricade it."

"Wish we could lock the door!"

"I should think so!"

Now they realised what is forgotten in the routine of civilised life-- the security of doors and bolts. Their curtain was no defence.

"Barricade the door."

"Yes, but not too close, else we can't shoot--we should be trapped."

"I see! Put the barricade round a little way in front. Why not have two fires, one each side!"

"Capital. We will fortify the place! Loop-holes. The weak spot will be the edge of the cliff up there. If we put a fire there people may see it--savages--and find us."

"That won't do."

"No: we must fortify the edge somehow, stakes with nails for one thing.

Perhaps a train of gunpowder!"

"Ah, yes. Lucky we've got plenty to eat. It won't be nice not to have the gun loaded. I mean while loading the thing might come."

"We've got plenty to eat."

"And I wanted a lot of shooting to-day," said Mark.

"All that's spoiled."

"Quite spoiled."

Yesterday they had become intoxicated with the savage joy of killing, the savage's cruel but wild and abandoned and unutterable joy: they had planned slaughter for to-day. To-day they were themselves environed with deadly peril. This is the opposite side of wild life: the forest takes its revenge by filling the mind with ceaseless anxiety.

"The sun!" said Bevis with pleasure as the rays fell aslant into the open shed. The sun had been above the horizon some little while but had been concealed by the clouds and thick vapour. Now that the full bright light of day was come there seemed no need of such intense watchfulness.

It was hardly likely that they would be attacked in their stockade in broad daylight; the boldest beasts of prey would not do that unless driven very hard by hunger.

But when they began to prepare the breakfast, there was no water to fill the kettle: Mark generally went down to the sh.o.r.e for water every morning. Although they had no formal arrangement, in practice it had gradually come about that one did one thing and one another: Mark got the water, Bevis cut up wood for the fire. Mark had usually gone with the zinc bucket, whistling down to the strand merry enough. Now he took up the bucket, but hesitated.

"I'll come," said Bevis. "One can't go alone anywhere now."

"The other must always have the matchlock ready."

"Always," said Bevis, "and keep a sharp lookout all round while one does the things. Why the gun is only loaded with shot, now I remember!"

"No more it is: how lucky It did not jump over! Shot would have been of no use."

"I'll shoot it off," said Bevis--"our ramrod won't draw a charge--and load again."

"Yes, do."

Bevis fired the charge in the air, and they heard the pellets presently falling like hail among the trees outside. Then he loaded again with ball, blew the match, and looked to the priming; Mark took the axe in one hand and the bucket in the other, and they unlocked the gate.

"We ought to be able to lock it behind us," he said.

"We'll put in another staple presently," said Bevis. "Step carefully to see if there are any marks on the ground."

They examined the surface attentively, but could distinguish no footprints: then they went to the fence where the creature had sprung against it. The arrow projected, and near it, on close investigation, they saw that a piece of the bark of the interwoven willow had been torn off as if by a claw. But look as intently as they would they could not trace it further on such ground, the thin gra.s.s and sand would not take an imprint.

"Pads," said Bevis, "else there would have been spoor."

"Tiger, or panther then: we must take care," said Mark. "Pan's all right now, look."

Pan trotted on before them along the well-known path to the sh.o.r.e, swinging his tail and unconcerned. As they walked they kept a watch in every direction, up in the trees, behind the bushes, where the surface was hollow, and avoided the fern. When Mark had dipped, they returned in the same manner, walking slowly and constantly on the alert.

Volume Three, Chapter XI.

NEW FORMOSA--THE FORTIFICATION.

Entering the stockade, they locked the gate behind them, a thing they had never done before in daylight, that they might not be surprised.

After breakfast Bevis began to file off the heads of the nails, which was slow work, and when he had done five or six, he thought it would be handier to drive them into the posts first, and file them off afterwards, as they could both work then instead of only one. They had but one vice to hold the nail and only one could use it at a time. So the nails, the longest and largest they had, were driven into the stakes of the stockade about a foot apart--as near as the stakes stood to each other--and thus, not without much weariness of wrist, for filing is tedious, they cut off the heads and sharpened them.

Had these spikes been nearer together it would have been better, but that they could not manage; the willow-work split if a large nail was driven into it. Next they got together materials for barricading the door of the hut, or rather the open shed in front of it. To cut these they had to go outside, and Mark watched with the matchlock while Bevis chopped.

Poles were nailed across the open sides from upright to upright, not more than six inches asunder right up to the beam on two sides. This allowed plenty of s.p.a.ce to shoot through, but nothing of any size could spring in. On the third, the poles were nailed across up to three feet high, and the rest prepared and left ready to be lashed in position with cords the last thing at night.

When these were put up there would be a complete cage from within which they could fire or shoot arrows, and be safe from the spring of the beast. Lastly, they went up on the cliff to see what could be done there. The sand was very hard, so that to drive in stakes the whole length of the cliff edge would have taken a day, if not two days.

They decided to put up some just above the hut so as to prevent the creature leaping on to the roof, and perhaps tearing a way through it.

Bevis held the matchlock this time and watched while Mark hewed out the stakes, taking the labour and the watching in turn. With much trouble, these were driven home and sharpened nails put at the top, so that the beast approaching from behind would have to leap over these before descending the perpendicular cliff on to the hut. The fortification was now complete, and they sat down to think if there was anything else.

"One thing," said Mark, "we will take care and fill the kettle and the bucket with water this evening before we go to sleep. Suppose the thing came and stopped just outside and wouldn't go away?"

"Besieged us--yes, that would be awkward; we will fill all the pots and things with water, and get in plenty of wood for the fires. How uncomfortable it is without our bath!"

"I feel horrid."

"I _must_ have a bath," said Bevis. "I _will_ have a swim."

"We can watch in turn, but if the panther sees any one stripped it's more likely to try and seize him."