The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen Part 8

This narrative greatly impressed the boys, and it showed what suffering they had undergone, and they could not help but contrast their lot with that of their unfortunate companions.

The story made clear another thing: That there must have been another boatload of their wrecked s.h.i.+p on the island.

CHAPTER VII

THE ESCAPE IN THE NIGHT

The waiting savages showed no disposition to attack under cover of darkness. Everything was quiet, and with reinforcements no doubt would resume the aggressive in the morning. It was approaching midnight and no one had retired. All were too busy listening and retailing stories to think of sleep.

But they now had to consider the important things connected with their immediate security. Various plans were suggested, but none seemed to meet the conditions, and the Professor suggested that it might be well to make a careful reconnoiter of the enemy before deciding on a course.

Harry and the Professor took up the guns, and John, divining the object, grasped one of the guns and held back both. He disappeared from the wagon on the side facing the river, and then slowly worked his way around toward the encircling band.

When he had gone less than a hundred feet toward a point directly abreast of the wagon, so that he was moving at right angles to the sh.o.r.e line, he disappeared, and they could readily understand how his crouching att.i.tude would enable him to approach closely without being recognized.

He was absent more than a half hour, and although the watchers in the wagon kept up a vigilant guard in every direction, John reappeared, and was almost at the wagon before he was noticed. He had returned by way of the north bank of the stream, and entered the wagon on the same side from which he had left.

As stated previously, the extreme height of the wagon bed enabled them to make a small closet-like enclosure, which would not expose any light, and to this place the Professor drew John, and lighting the lamp the latter showed by signs that no savages were in the immediate vicinity.

The Professor by signs motioned that they should take up their flight along the bed of the stream, and to this John gave his immediate approval. The boys were informed of the decision, and all consented. It would certainly take them nearer home, and delay would mean only waste of ammunition, and if a fight was necessary they were as well able to defend themselves by night as by day.

As silently as possible the yaks were put in marching order, and John, without a word, started off ahead, keeping well to the left, and at a considerable distance from the river bed, and thus acted as a scout for the party.

To their astonishment their progress was not opposed, and for more than an hour the quiet movement was kept up. Before them was a ma.s.s of undergrowth, which seemed to come nearer the river than at any other place on their route, and John approached the wagon and signaled a halt.

The Professor went forward, and without a word John started for the underbrush, the Professor following. They pa.s.sed entirely through without any signs of the savages, and as they returned and emerged from the other side, John tried to give the Professor some advice, but the darkness prevented him from grasping his ideas. As a last resort John went up to a small tree and made the motions of cutting it down, and it at once dawned on him that a raft should be built, and this so impressed the Professor as a wise course that they hurriedly returned to the wagon.

"Boys, get the bolos at once, and drive the wagon forward until I tell you to stop. Harry and George follow John, and cut poles for a raft. We must cross the stream. While you are doing this I will examine the river bank and find the best place to launch our raft."

"What," exclaimed Ralph, "are you going to make a raft large enough to float the wagon on?"

"No," said Harry, "but we intend to make the wagon a part of the raft,"

and he hurriedly told them how they had forded the stream before.

Before they had an opportunity to cut many of the poles the Professor appeared with the welcome information that he had found an immense pile of driftwood not far below, and this was communicated to John as best they could and the Professor took him by the arm and led him to the river bank and sent Harry up to bring down the team.

The acc.u.mulated ma.s.s was a fortune to them, as the wood was comparatively dry, and singling out the most available pieces, the material was ready within a half hour, and the shallowest shelving part of the beach selected for the launching.

It was singular that during all these proceedings not the least sign was heard of their pursuers. It could not be possible that they had given up the chase, but it seemed so. The party now consisted of six, and Harry had doubts of the sufficiency of the floating timbers to sustain them, but this fear was dispelled as the n.o.ble yaks slowly drew the wagon forward, and it was found that it floated.

By repeated urging the stream was soon crossed, and when the wagon had been denuded of the logs, they were in as good condition as before to go on. As on the previous occasion, they pushed out from the river, as fast as the darkness would permit, and soon came to gently ascending land, and finally the underbrush appeared, when the Professor called a halt.

"This will take us far enough from the view of the savages, and we must make camp and get some rest for the morrow may be a trying day."

As nearly as could be determined it was two o'clock in the morning and the watches were appointed so that two would be on guard, for an hour at each watch. The morning came too soon for all of them. It had been a strenuous time for all and a particularly joyous one for the two boys.

An early start was not necessary. They were about a quarter of a mile from the river, and as the light broke were surprised to find that the camp was selected at a peculiarly secluded spot. Their first subject of conversation was concerning the natives. They were nowhere in sight, but shortly afterwards John pointed to the right, and there plainly seen were the entire tribe waiting along the sh.o.r.e of a tributary which flowed into the stream from the west.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 6._]

"It is now plain to me why they were fooled," and the Professor laughed at the situation. They evidently knew that sooner or later the wagon must make its appearance and attempt to ford the stream, and that would be their opportunity.

"They are certainly smart in some things, and particularly with regard to the character of the streams. That tributary is very deep and they counted on that giving us trouble."

"Why do you know it is a deep and not a shallow stream?"

"The conformation of the sh.o.r.es indicate that. It can generally be determined in this way: If the sides of the ground near the sh.o.r.e are steep, it is pretty sure to make a contracted channel, and that means depth. On the other hand, if the beach is sloping the stream may be wide, but is always shallow at that point. See the steep sides running close down to the mouth?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 7. Shallow Stream._]

The savages did not wait long for the supposed appearance of the wagon, but the scouting parties cautiously spread out and moved up the stream.

They pa.s.sed through the thick undergrowth where John and the Professor had pa.s.sed the night before and were, apparently, nonplussed at the disappearance.

This recalled the former experience farther up the river, and all had a merry laugh at the discomfiture. They saw the tracks of the wagon, and it ceased at the undergrowth, and this was the puzzling feature to them, but in time the tracks were followed up leading to the river bank, and the evidences of the driftwood all about was sufficient information to them to stop all further pursuit.

"What should we do if they attempt to cross?" was George's inquiry.

"That would be our chance to go for them," responded Harry.

They remained on the bank for two hours, constantly looking across for signs of the retreating wagon, and then slowly filtered back through the woods beyond.

"Isn't this the place we saw the lights during our first trip to the river?" asked Harry.

"No," answered the Professor; "we were fully six or eight miles north of this point, but it might be some tribes are found that far down the river."

Breakfast had been forgotten in the interesting watching of their enemies, and when they had fully disappeared from view the party had an opportunity for the first time in a whole week to get a sample of cooked food.

"I am sorry to say," said George, "that we haven't any fresh meat, and the best we can do is coffee and corned beef."

Harry and John had their guns in an instant, and started out on the quest for food.

"Where did you get the coffee and corned beef?" asked Ralph.

"We put up the beef ourselves, and there is plenty of this kind of coffee on the island."

"But you have sugar, too."

"Yes; we made that and also have plenty of honey."

This was surprising information for the boys.

"But how did you make the guns? Where did you get the iron?"

"We dug it out of the ground and put up our own foundry, and have a water wheel and a machine shop."

All this was said with a show of pardonable pride; and he continued: "Wait until you see where we live and how we have things fixed up."