The Coral Island by Robert Michael Ballantyne (interesting books to read in english TXT) đź“–
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beasts in the South Sea Islands galloping on in one grand charge to
sweep us off the face of the earth, instead of a mere stone
tumbling down the mountain side.”
“Nevertheless,” remarked Jack, “if that same stone had hit any of
us, it would have rendered the charge you speak of quite
unnecessary, Peterkin.”
This was true, and I felt very thankful for our escape. On
examining the spot more narrowly, we found that it lay close to the
foot of a very rugged precipice, from which stones of various sizes
were always tumbling at intervals. Indeed, the numerous fragments
lying scattered all around might have suggested the cause of the
sound, had we not been too suddenly alarmed to think of anything.
We now resumed our journey, resolving that, in our future
excursions into the interior, we would be careful to avoid this
dangerous precipice.
Soon afterwards we arrived at the foot of the hill and prepared to
ascend it. Here Jack made a discovery which caused us all very
great joy. This was a tree of a remarkably beautiful appearance,
which Jack confidently declared to be the celebrated bread-fruit
tree.
“Is it celebrated?” inquired Peterkin, with a look of great
simplicity.
“It is,” replied Jack
“That’s odd, now,” rejoined Peterkin; “never heard of it before.”
“Then it’s not so celebrated as I thought it was,” returned Jack,
quietly squeezing Peterkin’s hat over his eyes; “but listen, you
ignorant boobie! and hear of it now.”
Peterkin re-adjusted his hat, and was soon listening with as much
interest as myself, while Jack told us that this tree is one of the
most valuable in the islands of the south; that it bears two,
sometimes three, crops of fruit in the year; that the fruit is very
like wheaten bread in appearance, and that it constitutes the
principal food of many of the islanders.
“So,” said Peterkin, “we seem to have everything ready prepared to
our hands in this wonderful island, - lemonade ready bottled in
nuts, and loaf-bread growing on the trees!”
Peterkin, as usual, was jesting; nevertheless, it is a curious fact
that he spoke almost the literal truth. “Moreover,” continued
Jack, “the bread-fruit tree affords a capital gum, which serves the
natives for pitching their canoes; the bark of the young branches
is made by them into cloth; and of the wood, which is durable and
of a good colour, they build their houses. So you see, lads, that
we have no lack of material here to make us comfortable, if we are
only clever enough to use it.”
“But are you sure that that’s it?” asked Peterkin.
“Quite sure,” replied Jack; “for I was particularly interested in
the account I once read of it, and I remember the description well.
I am sorry, however, that I have forgotten the descriptions of many
other trees which I am sure we have seen to-day, if we could but
recognise them. So you see, Peterkin, I’m not up to everything
yet.”
“Never mind, Jack,” said Peterkin, with a grave, patronizing
expression of countenance, patting his tall companion on the
shoulder, - “never mind, Jack; you know a good deal for your age.
You’re a clever boy, sir, - a promising young man; and if you only
go on as you have begun, sir, you will - “
The end of this speech was suddenly cut short by Jack tripping up
Peterkin’s heels and tumbling him into a mass of thick shrubs,
where, finding himself comfortable, he lay still basking in the
sunshine, while Jack and I examined the bread-tree.
We were much struck with the deep, rich green colour of its broad
leaves, which were twelve or eighteen inches long, deeply indented,
and of a glossy smoothness, like the laurel. The fruit, with which
it was loaded, was nearly round, and appeared to be about six
inches in diameter, with a rough rind, marked with lozenge-shaped
divisions. It was of various colours, from light pea-green to
brown and rich yellow. Jack said that the yellow was the ripe
fruit. We afterwards found that most of the fruit-trees on the
island were evergreens, and that we might, when we wished, pluck
the blossom and the ripe fruit from the same tree. Such a
wonderful difference from the trees of our own country surprised us
not a little. The bark of the tree was rough and light-coloured;
the trunk was about two feet in diameter, and it appeared to be
twenty feet high, being quite destitute of branches up to that
height, where it branched off into a beautiful and umbrageous head.
We noticed that the fruit hung in clusters of twos and threes on
the branches; but as we were anxious to get to the top of the hill,
we refrained from attempting to pluck any at that time.
Our hearts were now very much cheered by our good fortune, and it
was with light and active steps that we clambered up the steep
sides of the hill. On reaching the summit, a new, and if possible
a grander, prospect met our gaze. We found that this was not the
highest part of the island, but that another hill lay beyond, with
a wide valley between it and the one on which we stood. This
valley, like the first, was also full of rich trees, some dark and
some light green, some heavy and thick in foliage, and others
light, feathery, and graceful, while the beautiful blossoms on many
of them threw a sort of rainbow tint over all, and gave to the
valley the appearance of a garden of flowers. Among these we
recognised many of the bread-fruit trees, laden with yellow fruit,
and also a great many cocoa-nut palms. After gazing our fill we
pushed down the hill side, crossed the valley, and soon began to
ascend the second mountain. It was clothed with trees nearly to
the top, but the summit was bare, and in some places broken.
While on our way up we came to an object which filled us with much
interest. This was the stump of a tree that had evidently been cut
down with an axe! So, then, we were not the first who had viewed
this beautiful isle. The hand of man had been at work there before
us. It now began to recur to us again that perhaps the island was
inhabited, although we had not seen any traces of man until now;
but a second glance at the stump convinced us that we had not more
reason to think so now than formerly; for the surface of the wood
was quite decayed, and partly covered with fungus and green matter,
so that it must have been cut many years ago.
“Perhaps,” said Peterkin, “some ship or other has touched here long
ago for wood, and only taken one tree.”
We did not think this likely, however, because, in such
circumstances, the crew of a ship would cut wood of small size, and
near the shore, whereas this was a large tree and stood near the
top of the mountain. In fact it was the highest large tree on the
mountain, all above it being wood of very recent growth.
“I can’t understand it,” said Jack, scratching the surface of the
stump with his axe. “I can only suppose that the savages have been
here and cut it for some purpose known only to themselves. But,
hallo! what have we here?”
As he spoke, Jack began carefully to scrape away the moss and
fungus from the stump, and soon laid bare three distinct traces of
marks, as if some inscription or initials had been cut thereon.
But although the traces were distinct, beyond all doubt, the exact
form of the letters could not be made out. Jack thought they
looked like J. S. but we could not be certain. They had apparently
been carelessly cut, and long exposure to the weather had so broken
them up that we could not make out what they were. We were
exceedingly perplexed at this discovery, and stayed a long time at
the place conjecturing what these marks could have been, but
without avail; so, as the day was advancing, we left it and quickly
reached the top of the mountain.
We found this to be the highest point of the island, and from it we
saw our kingdom lying, as it were, like a map around us. As I have
always thought it impossible to get a thing properly into one’s
understanding without comprehending it, I shall beg the reader’s
patience for a little while I describe our island, thus, shortly:-
It consisted of two mountains; the one we guessed at 500 feet; the
other, on which we stood, at 1000. Between these lay a rich,
beautiful valley, as already said. This valley crossed the island
from one end to the other, being high in the middle and sloping on
each side towards the sea. The large mountain sloped, on the side
farthest from where we had been wrecked, gradually towards the sea;
but although, when viewed at a glance, it had thus a regular
sloping appearance, a more careful observation showed that it was
broken up into a multitude of very small vales, or rather dells and
glens, intermingled with little rugged spots and small but abrupt
precipices here and there, with rivulets tumbling over their edges
and wandering down the slopes in little white streams, sometimes
glistening among the broad leaves of the bread-fruit and cocoa-nut
trees, or hid altogether beneath the rich underwood. At the base
of this mountain lay a narrow bright green plain or meadow, which
terminated abruptly at the shore. On the other side of the island,
whence we had come, stood the smaller hill, at the foot of which
diverged three valleys; one being that which we had ascended, with
a smaller vale on each side of it, and separated from it by the two
ridges before mentioned. In these smaller valleys there were no
streams, but they were clothed with the same luxuriant vegetation.
The diameter of the island seemed to be about ten miles, and, as it
was almost circular in form, its circumference must have been
thirty miles; - perhaps a little more, if allowance be made for the
numerous bays and indentations of the shore. The entire island was
belted by a beach of pure white sand, on which laved the gentle
ripples of the lagoon. We now also observed that the coral reef
completely encircled the island; but it varied its distance from it
here and there, in some places being a mile from the beach, in
others, a few hundred yards, but the average distance was half a
mile. The reef lay very low, and the spray of the surf broke quite
over it in many places. This surf never ceased its roar, for,
however calm the weather might be, there is always a gentle swaying
motion in the great Pacific, which, although scarce noticeable out
at sea, reaches the shore at last in a huge billow. The water
within the lagoon, as before said, was perfectly still. There were
three narrow openings in the reef; one opposite each end of the
valley which I have described as crossing the island; the other
opposite our own valley, which we afterwards named the Valley of
the Wreck. At each of these openings the reef rose into two small
green islets, covered with bushes and having one or two cocoa-nut
palms on each. These islets were very singular, and appeared as if
planted expressly for the purpose of marking the channel into the
lagoon. Our captain was making for one of these openings the day
we were wrecked, and would have
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