The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen Part 10

Nothing in the world could have hindered John and the Professor from following up and witnessing the scene. Angel didn't try to run the sawmill, or to turn the lathe, but he did the next best thing, he jumped on the grindstone and sent it spinning while running over the top, a trick he had learned and which was one of the ways he had to help out George and Harry when at work.

If you should argue from now until you get to the end of this book that Angel did not know what he was doing during these exhibitions, and that it was only the act of an animal, it would not have convinced the boys.

From the shop they visited the laboratory, and here the boys got their first real shock, as they saw the skeletons which had been taken from the cave.

It was all so remarkable to them that they did not know what to say or think. Here was intelligence directed from the first. How different had they utilized the intervening time. It was a momentous lesson, they were smart enough to appreciate what they saw and learned.

"I am so happy to know that we have been permitted to become a member of your family," said Ralph, as he grasped the Professor's hand. "All this around here is certainly worth seeing, and it makes me long to take a hand and help, and I know that Tom feels that way, too."

Before the Professor could reply George stepped up and put his arm around the Professor. "If you boys only knew how beautiful he has been, and how patiently he has urged us to carry out this work, you would almost wish, as has been our desire many times, never to leave this place; but--of course, we--we want to see home--and," and the tears came, and Ralph and Harry and Tom broke down and wept, and they turned away from each other to hide their emotions.

When they turned and tried to be very brave again, the Professor, who was not ashamed of the tears which fell, smiled through them, and his voice rang out with a cheer that made every face bright, as he said: "The most satisfying thing in life is appreciation. My boys have been heroes. I have done nothing; it is their work. I have felt ashamed, sometimes, to know how little has been the work of my hands.

Occasionally they have been directed, but it is because they wanted to know so many things and the reasons for everything they started out to do. You can see, therefore, that if they had not possessed the spirit to accomplish these things, the little that I have tried to impart to them would have been of no use. I merely allude to this to show you that it is not knowledge or information that makes the world move or induces men to progress, but it is the spirit which takes hold of and utilizes the intelligence."

The new additions to the family now necessitated an entire rearrangement of their quarters. The house, which had been built up in sections, so to speak, contained three rooms, one, the original portion, being now the store room, to which was added a living room and a kitchen.

Commenting on this, and with all together, to get some understanding of the plans, the Professor outlined his views: "We have been putting up our structures here in the way usually followed in all rural communities, where there is plenty of room, by first erecting a little shanty, and then adding another room to that, and a little lean-to on the other side, and as the family grows, enclosing the lean-to to make another room, and then adding to that, and so on, until the whole ma.s.s makes a more or less picturesque structure, and a fine thing for artists to rave over. But the interior comfort is quite another thing. We should change that in this civilized community, and put up a building that will be not only comfortable and adapted for our necessities, but also artistic, and it will cost us no more than to do it in a slovenly, inartistic way. I imagine we can make good terms with the carpenter and the bricklayer and the decorator so as to reduce the cost as much as possible;" and all enjoyed the Professor's little joke.

It was Harry's turn to offer a few suggestions: "We have about everything we need now, except food. The barley is all gone--"

"What, all that we left in the bin?" asked George.

"Something has gotten into it and carried it all away."

"We shall have to investigate that the first thing," suggested the Professor. "Fortunately we haven't threshed out one of the stacks, and that will give us plenty of exercise for a day."

"What, have you a stack of barley here?" was Tom's eager question.

"Oh, yes," replied George, "and we make the finest kind of bread. I am sorry we can't offer any to-day."

It was so long since they had tasted bread that its name was almost forgotten.

All returned to the house. The Chief was still there, and he looked at the group in a curious way. Everything in sight attracted his curiosity, and the Professor tried to make him feel at home in his new surroundings. His wounds were progressing favorably, and he was now able to stand on one leg without much pain. At the suggestion of the Professor, Harry made a pair of crutches, which were brought in early the next morning, and he took them and imitated the act of walking with one of his legs raised up. This was a novel proceeding for the savage, and after they had been offered to him several times the Professor urged him to try them.

Comprehending what was wanted he struggled to his feet and reached for them. When they were adjusted he leaned forward for the first step, and a look of surprise came over him. It was a revelation to his poor untutored mind. It lighted up into an expression he had never exhibited before, and he thus received the first lesson on the route to civilization.

It was amusing to see him make one attempt after the other, and before night he could travel about fairly well. What must have been his thoughts as he saw the busy workshops and the surroundings of the home to which he had been so unwillingly brought? At every opportunity the Professor cultivated his acquaintance. As time wore on he became communicative in his way, but it was difficult to bring things to his mind and comprehend the language used.

He was first taught to name certain things, such as the different foods; and it did not take long to learn what "Yes" and "No" meant, and when handed anything particularly appetizing it was finally a.s.sociated in his mind with "good." Thus step by step he acquired a small vocabulary of words.

The first task in the morning was the thres.h.i.+ng out of barley. Chief, as he was called, witnessed the task, and picked up and fondled one of the flails, like a child caressing a new toy, but he did not have the remotest idea what the thres.h.i.+ng of the barley meant until the beaten straw had been removed and the golden grain was winnowed out.

And there was another thing that interested him immensely, and that was the grist mill, composed of the two stones, and when the water wheel was set in motion and the upper stone began to whirr, he stood with mouth and eyes open, and watched the meal running from the spout like one entranced. Usually these people are too stolid to pay attention to such things, but his intense interest was so p.r.o.nounced that it attracted all who witnessed it.

He followed every step in the preparation of the flour and in the making of the bread, and when the loaves were finally deposited on the table, it was some time before he could gain sufficient composure to taste it.

When he did so eventually the amount he ate was enough commendation of its quality to satisfy the most egotistic baker.

Tom became the constant companion of Harry in the workshop, as he was a lover of the mechanical arts. Ralph had the spirit of adventure, and was the counterpart of George, who liked to investigate. These two became the animated question marks of the party. On every subject they took a leading part.

The second evening George brought out his home-made violin. This was the occasion for another surprise. Red Angel was at the feet of George in an instant. Tom could not keep his hands still, as he had also learned to play the instrument, and ventured to suggest that he would like to a.s.sist in building a ba.s.s viol, and not to be outdone Ralph offered to construct a flute.

The violin that evening was another link in the chain which was to eventually convert a savage into an instrument of untold value to the people of that island. At first Chief could not understand it. He tried to see where the wailing noise came from and pressed closer and closer to George as he played. When George played another tune in quick time he became animated, and slow, plaintive music seemed to subdue him.

"Do you know," said the Professor, "that what we call music does not appear as such to savages. Noise and sound are not distinguished by them. The beating of their crude tom toms is the only thing that appeals to their ears. That is simply noise. Rhythm and time are recognized, princ.i.p.ally because all their music is a.s.sociated by some act of dancing."

"I have often wondered why it is that dancing is such a universal custom?" ventured Tom.

"Among all ancient peoples it formed the integral part of religious ceremonies, and is even to-day practiced by many of the eastern Christians in that manner. It was the custom of the Jews from their first historical account, as shown in the account given in Exodus, where Miriam the prophetess, sister of Moses, took a timbrel in her hand and went out with the other women with timbrels and dances. The Hebrews had a regular chorus in the Temple, with dancing performers of women; and the dance was adopted as a fitting close to the feast of the Tabernacle, when the rulers of the synagogues, the doctors of the schools, and even the members of the Sanhedrin, accompanied the sacred music with their voices, and leaped and danced with torches in their hands until morning."

"Do you think the savages even in these western islands use the dance as a religious ceremony?"

"All tribes in the Island of the Pacific, and I might say, over the entire world, a.s.sociate these dances with religion, with war, and with some festive commemoration of events. I dare say that you boys have witnessed some of those rites."

Ralph responded to this: "We saw that happen on the occasion the victims were sacrificed by the savages who captured us, as I related in my story the other day. The other tribe also had a dance, but it was so entirely different that we both noticed it at the time."

"Your observation was correct. As in clothing, and in the matter of decorations, so different peoples show their dancing characteristics by different traits. This is true of all civilized people as well. Of these, the best known, which I might mention, are the tarantella of the Neapolitans, the bolero and fandango of the Spaniards, the mazurka and cracovienna of Poland, the cosack of Russia, the redowa of Bohemia, the quadrille and cotillion of France, the waltz, polka and gallopade of Germany, the reel and sword dance of Scotland, the minuet and hornpipe of England, the jig of Ireland, and the last to capture America is the tango."

CHAPTER IX

THE WORK AT THE CATARACT. MAKING WEAPONS

The directing hand of the Professor, a.s.sisted by John, who was present everywhere when work was to be done, was manifested when the hour for retiring came. There was an abundance of clean, sweet straw, and the boys temporarily took up their quarters in the shop, while the Professor, John and Chief occupied the living room.

All this had been arranged for by John, so that when they went to bed that night happy and contented, it was to take a rest that was free from troubles and worries, and it was a welcome relief after two weeks of wandering, coupled with the most exciting adventures.

The boys had hardly quieted themselves for the night, when a peculiar scratching and sc.r.a.ping noise appeared at their door. They intently listened for a while, and George quietly slipped to the door. He heard a familiar sound from without. Red Angel was there, and next morning the Professor laughingly said that it is likely he did not relish the company in the house, as he came down to the door after the boys left, and by his peculiar style of talk said he wanted to get out.

In the morning the Professor called the working force together, and suggested that as good living was a necessity, and could also be made a pleasure, they should so divide the different occupations as to make each feel that he had some special responsibility.

He pointed out four things which were essential to their welfare. First to replenish their store of vegetables; second, to secure game or meat of some kind; third, the cultivation of the garden; and fourth, the manufacture of clothing, of which all stood in need.

When John came to their home he was supplied with practically all of the surplus goods on hand, and a new stock of ramie fiber had not been prepared since that. The boys' clothing had been supplemented by the goods taken from the wagon top, and while heavy garments were not required, it was noticed that the articles first made from the ramie were growing threadbare.

Footwear was really of more immediate necessity than clothing. Ralph and Tom had no shoes whatever, as the only ones they had were taken away when first captured. It is singular how hard the feet can become when deprived of protection. Throughout Africa, where the natives never wear them from the cradle to the grave, the soles of the feet become hard and bony, and thus enable them to travel over any kind of surface without injury.

It was fortunate that they had three tanned hides, and when John looked at the denuded feet of the boys, and at his own condition, the sight of the hides was enough to set him to work. The first thing that engaged his attention was the making of a set of lasts, and then the ramie fiber was twisted for threads; after which he sought out the lumber pile to make pegs, and selected some of the dried sh.e.l.lbark hickory for this purpose. Thus he imposed one very needed duty on himself.

At George's suggestion a new stock of the ramie fiber ought to be supplied, and he, with Ralph, took the yaks, and their guns, in order to do double duty, to bring in a new quant.i.ty, and at the same time supply the table with game. As they were leaving the Professor called out: "If you go near the ledge of iron ore bring in a few hundred pounds, and also some clay. You ought to take the picks and shovels along."

Harry and Tom went across the river to visit the garden, which was now overrun with weeds, and the entire day was spent in putting that in order, as they hoped within a few weeks more to commence gathering supplies from that source. The garden had been started before they sailed away on the voyage which ended so disastrously to their vessel.

While all this was going on it must not be thought that the determination to again visit the enemy's country had been relaxed.

Before going on another trip preparations must be made, and they did not intend to run short of ammunition the second time.

With that object in view, the moment the present need for food and clothing was provided for it was agreed that all efforts should be made in the direction of preparing weapons and ammunition. There was still a good supply of copper at hand, as well as lead, which had been previously extracted.