Nor did they have long to wait,
for the next morning as Clayton
was emerging on deck for his
accustomed walk before breakfast,
a shot rang out, and then another,
and another.
The sight which met his eyes
confirmed his worst fears. Facing
the little knot of officers was
the entire motley crew of the
Fuwalda, and at their head stood
Black Michael.
At the first volley from the
officers the men ran for shelter,
and from points of vantage behind
masts, wheel-house and cabin
they returned the fire of the
five men who represented the
hated authority of the ship.
Two of their number had gone
down before the captain's revolver.
They lay where they had fallen
between the combatants. But then
the first mate lunged forward
upon his face, and at a cry of
command from Black Michael the
mutineers charged the remaining
four. The crew had been able
to muster but six firearms, so
most of them were armed with
boat hooks, axes, hatchets and
crowbars.
The captain had emptied his
revolver and was reloading as
the charge was made. The second
mate's gun had jammed, and so
there were but two weapons opposed
to the mutineers as they bore
down upon the officers, who now
started to give back before the
infuriated rush of their men.
Both sides were cursing and
swearing in a frightful manner,
which, together with the reports
of the firearms and the screams
and groans of the wounded, turned
the deck of the Fuwalda to the
likeness of a madhouse.
Before the officers had taken
a dozen backward steps the men
were upon them. An ax in the
hands of a burly Negro cleft
the captain from forehead to
chin, and an instant later the
others were down: dead or wounded
from dozens of blows and bullet
wounds.
Short and grisly had been the
work of the mutineers of the
Fuwalda, and through it all John
Clayton had stood leaning carelessly
beside the companionway puffing
meditatively upon his pipe as
though he had been but watching
an indifferent cricket match.
As the last officer went down
he thought it was time that he
returned to his wife lest some
members of the crew find her
alone below.
Though outwardly calm and indifferent,
Clayton was inwardly apprehensive
and wrought up, for he feared
for his wife's safety at the
hands of these ignorant, half-brutes
into whose hands fate had so
remorselessly thrown them.
As he turned to descend the
ladder he was surprised to see
his wife standing on the steps
almost at his side.
"How long have
you been here, Alice?"
"Since the beginning," she
replied. "How awful, John. Oh,
how awful! What can we hope for
at the hands of such as those?"
"Breakfast, I hope," he
answered, smiling bravely in
an attempt
to allay her fears.
"At least," he added, "I'm
going to ask them. Come with
me, Alice. We must not let them
think we expect any but courteous
treatment."
The men had by this time surrounded
the dead and wounded officers,
and without either partiality
or compassion proceeded to throw
both living and dead over the
sides of the vessel. With equal
heartlessness they disposed of
their own dead and dying.
Presently one
of the crew spied the approaching
Claytons, and
with a cry of: "Here's two more
for the fishes," rushed toward
them with uplifted ax.
But Black Michael was even
quicker, so that the fellow went
down with a bullet in his back
before he had taken a half dozen
steps.
With a loud roar, Black Michael
attracted the attention of the
others, and, pointing to Lord
and Lady Greystoke, cried:
"These here
are my friends, and they are
to be left alone.
D'ye understand?
"I'm captain of this ship now,
an' what I says goes," he added,
turning to Clayton. "Just keep
to yourselves, and nobody'll
harm ye," and he looked threateningly
on his fellows.
The Claytons heeded Black Michael's
instructions so well that they
saw but little of the crew and
knew nothing of the plans the
men were making.
Occasionally they heard faint
echoes of brawls and quarreling
among the mutineers, and on two
occasions the vicious bark of
firearms rang out on the still
air. But Black Michael was a
fit leader for this band of cutthroats,
and, withal held them in fair
subjection to his rule.
On the fifth day following
the murder of the ship's officers,
land was sighted by the lookout.
Whether island or mainland, Black
Michael did not know, but he
announced to Clayton that if
investigation showed that the
place was habitable he and Lady
Greystoke were to be put ashore
with their belongings.
"You'll be all right there
for a few months," he explained, "and
by that time we'll have been
able to make an inhabited coast
somewhere and scatter a bit.
Then I'll see that yer gover'ment's
notified where you be an' they'll
soon send a man- o'war to fetch
ye off.
"It would be
a hard matter to land you in
civilization without
a lot o' questions being asked,
an' none o' us here has any very
convincin' answers up our sleeves."
Clayton remonstrated against
the inhumanity of landing them
upon an unknown shore to be left
to the mercies of savage beasts,
and, possibly, still more savage
men.
But his words were of no avail,
and only tended to anger Black
Michael, so he was forced to
desist and make the best he could
of a bad situation.
About three o'clock in the
afternoon they came about off
a beautiful wooded shore opposite
the mouth of what appeared to
be a land-locked harbor.
Black Michael sent a small
boat filled with men to sound
the entrance in an effort to
determine if the Fuwalda could
be safely worked through the
entrance.
In about an hour they returned
and reported deep water through
the passage as well as far into
the little basin.
Before dark the barkentine
lay peacefully at anchor upon
the bosom of the still, mirror-like
surface of the harbor.
The surrounding shores were
beautiful with semitropical verdure,
while in the distance the country
rose from the ocean in hill and
tableland, almost uniformly clothed
by primeval forest.
No signs of habitation were
visible, but that the land might
easily support human life was
evidenced by the abundant bird
and animal life of which the
watchers on the Fuwalda's deck
caught occasional glimpses, as
well as by the shimmer of a little
river which emptied into the
harbor, insuring fresh water
in plenitude.
As darkness settled upon the
earth, Clayton and Lady Alice
still stood by the ship's rail
in silent contemplation of their
future abode. From the dark shadows
of the mighty forest came the
wild calls of savage beasts--the
deep roar of the lion, and, occasionally,
the shrill scream of a panther.
The woman shrank closer to
the man in terror-stricken anticipation
of the horrors lying in wait
for them in the awful blackness
of the nights to come, when they
should be alone upon that wild
and lonely shore.
Later in the evening Black
Michael joined them long enough
to instruct them to make their
preparations for landing on the
morrow. They tried to persuade
him to take them to some more
hospitable coast near enough
to civilization so that they
might hope to fall into friendly
hands. But no pleas, or threats,
or promises of reward could move
him.
"I am the only
man aboard who would not rather
see ye both
safely dead, and, while I know
that's the sensible way to make
sure of our own necks, yet Black
Michael's not the man to forget
a favor. Ye saved my life once,
and in return I'm goin' to spare
yours, but that's all I can do.
"The men won't
stand for any more, and if
we don't get ye
landed pretty quick they may
even change their minds about
giving ye that much show. I'll
put all yer stuff ashore with
ye as well as cookin' utensils
an' some old sails for tents,
an' enough grub to last ye until
ye can find fruit and game.
"With yer guns
for protection, ye ought to
be able to live here
easy enough until help comes.
When I get safely hid away I'll
see to it that the British gover'ment
learns about where ye be; for
the life of me I couldn't tell
'em exactly where, for I don't
know myself. But they'll find
ye all right."
After he had left them they
went silently below, each wrapped
in gloomy forebodings.
Clayton did not believe that
Black Michael had the slightest
intention of notifying the British
government of their whereabouts,
nor was he any too sure but that
some treachery was contemplated
for the following day when they
should be on shore with the sailors
who would have to accompany them
with their belongings.
Once out of Black Michael's
sight any of the men might strike
them down, and still leave Black
Michael's conscience clear.
And even should they escape
that fate was it not but to be
faced with far graver dangers?
Alone, he might hope to survive
for years; for he was a strong,
athletic man.
But what of Alice, and that
other little life so soon to
be launched amidst the hardships
and grave dangers of a primeval
world?
The man shuddered as he meditated
upon the awful gravity, the fearful
helplessness, of their situation.
But it was a merciful Providence
which prevented him from foreseeing
the hideous reality which awaited
them in the grim depths of that
gloomy wood.
Early next morning their numerous
chests and boxes were hoisted
on deck and lowered to waiting
small boats for transportation
to shore.
There was a great quantity
and variety of stuff, as the
Claytons had expected a possible
five to eight years' residence
in their new home. Thus, in addition
to the many necessities they
had brought, there were also
many luxuries.
Black Michael was determined
that nothing belonging to the
Claytons should be left on board.
Whether out of compassion for
them, or in furtherance of his
own self-interests, it would
be difficult to say.
There was no question but that
the presence of property of a
missing British official upon
a suspicious vessel would have
been a difficult thing to explain
in any civilized port in the
world.
So zealous was he in his efforts
to carry out his intentions that
he insisted upon the return of
Clayton's revolvers to him by
the sailors in whose possession
they were.
Into the small boats were also
loaded salt meats and biscuit,
with a small supply of potatoes
and beans, matches, and cooking
vessels, a chest of tools, and
the old sails which Black Michael
had promised them.
As though himself fearing the
very thing which Clayton had
suspected, Black Michael accompanied
them to shore, and was the last
to leave them when the small
boats, having filled the ship's
casks with fresh water, were
pushed out toward the waiting
Fuwalda.
As the boats moved slowly over
the smooth waters of the bay,
Clayton and his wife stood silently
watching their departure--in
the breasts of both a feeling
of impending disaster and utter
hopelessness.
And behind them, over the edge
of a low ridge, other eyes watched--close
set, wicked eyes, gleaming beneath
shaggy brows.
As the Fuwalda passed through
the narrow entrance to the harbor
and out of sight behind a projecting
point, Lady Alice threw her arms
about Clayton's neck and burst
into uncontrolled sobs.
Bravely had she faced the dangers
of the mutiny; with heroic fortitude
she had looked into the terrible
future; but now that the horror
of absolute solitude was upon
them, her overwrought nerves
gave way, and the reaction came.
He did not attempt to check
her tears. It were better that
nature have her way in relieving
these long-pent emotions, and
it was many minutes before the
girl--little more than a child
she was--could again gain mastery
of herself.
"Oh, John," she cried at last, "the
horror of it. What are we to
do? What are we to do?"
"There is but one thing to
do, Alice," and he spoke as quietly
as though they were sitting in
their snug living room at home, "and
that is work. Work must be our
salvation. We must not give ourselves
time to think, for in that direction
lies madness.
"We must work
and wait. I am sure that relief
will come, and
come quickly, when once it is
apparent that the Fuwalda has
been lost, even though Black
Michael does not keep his word
to us."
"But John, if it were only
you and I," she sobbed, "we could
endure it I know; but--"
"Yes, dear," he answered, gently, "I
have been thinking of that, also;
but we must face it, as we must
face whatever comes, bravely
and with the utmost confidence
in our ability to cope with circumstances
whatever they may be.
"Hundreds of
thousands of years ago our
ancestors of the dim
and distant past faced the same
problems which we must face,
possibly in these same primeval
forests. That we are here today
evidences their victory.
"What they
did may we not do? And even
better, for are we not
armed with ages of superior knowledge,
and have we not the means of
protection, defense, and sustenance
which science has given us, but
of which they were totally ignorant?
What they accomplished, Alice,
with instruments and weapons
of stone and bone, surely that
may we accomplish also."
"Ah, John,
I wish that I might be a man
with a man's philosophy,
but I am but a woman, seeing
with my heart rather than my
head, and all that I can see
is too horrible, too unthinkable
to put into words.
"I only hope
you are right, John. I will
do my best to be
a brave primeval woman, a fit
mate for the primeval man."
Clayton's first thought was
to arrange a sleeping shelter
for the night; something which
might serve to protect them from
prowling beasts of prey.
He opened the box containing
his rifles and ammunition, that
they might both be armed against
possible attack while at work,
and then together they sought
a location for their first night's
sleeping place.
A hundred yards from the beach
was a little level spot, fairly
free of trees; here they decided
eventually to build a permanent
house, but for the time being
they both thought it best to
construct a little platform in
the trees out of reach of the
larger of the savage beasts in
whose realm they were.
To this end Clayton selected
four trees which formed a rectangle
about eight feet square, and
cutting long branches from other
trees he constructed a framework
around them, about ten feet from
the ground, fastening the ends
of the branches securely to the
trees by means of rope, a quantity
of which Black Michael had furnished
him from the hold of the Fuwalda.
Across this framework Clayton
placed other smaller branches
quite close together. This platform
he paved with the huge fronds
of elephant's ear which grew
in profusion about them, and
over the fronds he laid a great
sail folded into several thicknesses.
Seven feet higher he constructed
a similar, though lighter platform
to serve as roof, and from the
sides of this he suspended the
balance of his sailcloth for
walls.
When completed he had a rather
snug little nest, to which he
carried their blankets and some
of the lighter luggage.
It was now late in the afternoon,
and the balance of the daylight
hours were devoted to the building
of a rude ladder by means of
which Lady Alice could mount
to her new home.
All during the day the forest
about them had been filled with
excited birds of brilliant plumage,
and dancing, chattering monkeys,
who watched these new arrivals
and their wonderful nest building
operations with every mark of
keenest interest and fascination.
Notwithstanding that both Clayton
and his wife kept a sharp lookout
they saw nothing of larger animals,
though on two occasions they
had seen their little simian
neighbors come screaming and
chattering from the near-by ridge,
casting frightened glances back
over their little shoulders,
and evincing as plainly as though
by speech that they were fleeing
some terrible thing which lay
concealed there.
Just before dusk Clayton finished
his ladder, and, filling a great
basin with water from the near-by
stream, the two mounted to the
comparative safety of their aerial
chamber.
As it was quite warm, Clayton
had left the side curtains thrown
back over the roof, and as they
sat, like Turks, upon their blankets,
Lady Alice, straining her eyes
into the darkening shadows of
the wood, suddenly reached out
and grasped Clayton's arms.
"John," she whispered, "look!
What is it, a man?"
As Clayton turned his eyes
in the direction she indicated,
he saw silhouetted dimly against
the shadows beyond, a great figure
standing upright upon the ridge.
For a moment it stood as though
listening and then turned slowly,
and melted into the shadows of
the jungle.
"What is it,
John?"
"I do not know, Alice," he
answered gravely, "it is too
dark to see so far, and it may
have been but a shadow cast by
the rising moon."
"No, John,
if it was not a man it was
some huge and grotesque
mockery of man. Oh, I am afraid."
He gathered her in his arms,
whispering words of courage and
love into her ears.
Soon after, he lowered the
curtain walls, tying them securely
to the trees so that, except
for a little opening toward the
beach, they were entirely enclosed.
As it was now pitch dark within
their tiny aerie they lay down
upon their blankets to try to
gain, through sleep, a brief
respite of forgetfulness.
Clayton lay facing the opening
at the front, a rifle and a brace
of revolvers at his hand.
Scarcely had they closed their
eyes than the terrifying cry
of a panther rang out from the
jungle behind them. Closer and
closer it came until they could
hear the great beast directly
beneath them. For an hour or
more they heard it sniffing and
clawing at the trees which supported
their platform, but at last it
roamed away across the beach,
where Clayton could see it clearly
in the brilliant moonlight--a
great, handsome beast, the largest
he had ever seen.
During the long hours of darkness
they caught but fitful snatches
of sleep, for the night noises
of a great jungle teeming with
myriad animal life kept their
overwrought nerves on edge, so
that a hundred times they were
startled to wakefulness by piercing
screams, or the stealthy moving
of great bodies beneath them.
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