The Wonder Island Boys: Adventures on Strange Islands Part 22

The gentle breeze from the eastern sh.o.r.e was a great relief.

They had marched during the day mostly through forests, and everywhere the atmosphere was close and still, so that the open s.p.a.ce was appreciated.

All slept soundly that night, and morning came only too soon for the wearied boys, but they enjoyed the trip too much to delay moving at the earliest opportunity. While breakfast was being prepared the boys sauntered over to the sloping sh.o.r.e to the west, which was not more than a half mile away.

They enjoyed walking along the pure white sand, and after disrobing had a jolly time in the mildly moving surf. It was not often that they had opportunities to take a sea bath.

The bathing place was a deeply-indented bay, with a long sloping beach,--an ideal spot, with the camp plainly visible to the east. "Why not take a stroll to the southern end of the bay?" remarked Harry, after they were ready to return. "We might be able to see the headland to the south where we first sighted land."

"Well, then, here goes it," and George started on a strong sprint to the south.

Harry was by far the fleeter, and reached the tufted gra.s.s ahead of George, and then turned to the right, to gain the elevation. It was while thus moving through the brush and debris, which was far above the normal level of the sea, that they were attracted by an unusual deposit of brush, and other acc.u.mulations.

"Stop, Harry; here is something we ought to investigate."

Harry turned and came back. In the early days of their investigation such a ma.s.s would have meant diligent search. It was more from a recurrence of the old habit that dictated the idea to George.

It was well they did so, for not far from the top, and covered over with seaweed and leaves, was a boxlike structure, evidently some part of a wreckage. They worked feverishly at the surrounding ma.s.s, and uncovered it.

Harry started back. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. George stooped over, and stared.

"It is part of the boat which was taken from South River."

When that boat disappeared, only to be found miles away from its original location, the two boxlike compartments which they had made in it, and the oars used by them, had been taken away, and instead they found entirely different oars, and a rope, of which they knew nothing.

Here was one of the boxes. "Let's open it," said George in the most intense tone. That was easily done, and there they found, to their surprise, one of their original sh.e.l.l hatchets, part of a coa.r.s.ely-woven cloth, which they recognized as one of their early productions on the first loom, and a dozen or more gourds, in which food had been placed, and all exactly as it had been stored away by them. The food had disappeared, of course, but it had been lost by the action of the sea, and decomposition, as it was evident that the contents had not been disturbed by any one.

"Let us call John," said Harry, and he bounded up the beach, and ran over the crest, waving his arms as he did so. He had not gone half the distance before those at the camp saw Harry running, and John, and most of those in sight started on a run, George meanwhile industriously dragging away the debris.

"We have found it," cried Harry, as John came within hailing distance, and without waiting for them to come up he bolted back.

"Now what have you discovered?" asked John as he came up breathless.

"Part of our old boat."

"We thought George had met with some accident."

"We got this by accident," answered George. "See, here are some more things. This is the oar we had. How can you explain that?"

It was certainly a poser. Why the exchange of oars? John shook his head.

For once he had no theory even to offer. "Come, boys, let us take away all this stuff."

All gave a hand, Sutoto wondering why there should be so much ado about a bit of wreckage. George explained the affair, as well as he could.

"What is that board?" exclaimed John. "No, not a board; that is part of a boat," he added as more of the acc.u.mulation was torn away.

"It's a boat; it's a boat!" almost shrieked George.

"Come to this end and take away this lot of seaweed," called out Harry.

They soon uncovered a boat with one end embedded in the sand so it was difficult to turn it over, owing to the rotten condition of the wood.

Only here and there was any paint visible. The action of the elements had done its work.

"What kind of a boat was this?" asked Harry.

John did not answer, but peered down on the sand where the prow had rested. "Take away the sand carefully here," he said, and when he pointed the boys saw something white protruding an inch or two.

As the sand was sc.r.a.ped away they first saw the thigh bone of a skeleton, and soon the whole frame was laid bare, the interstices filled with sand. A peculiar rope was around the frame, and John grasped it.

The boys eagerly looked at it as John intently examined it. "It is the same," he said.

"The same as what?" asked Harry.

"The same as the rope found on the boat when you discovered it on the beach."

That was the first time that the boys knew that John had any idea about the loss of the boat, or of the strange rope. It was possible, however, that the Professor had told John about it, as they were accustomed to talk over these strange things.

"But the boat?" asked George. "What do you think of the boat?"

"It is the exact counterpart of the _Investigator's_ Life boat No. 3."

CHAPTER XIII

A CONVICT COLONY OF NATIVES

The Chief's son was present. "Did you ever know of a boat load of castaways on the island?" asked John.

"We never knew of anything like that," was his reply.

Every sc.r.a.p in that ma.s.s of wreckage was gone over. There was nothing else visible by which they could gain the slightest clue. The skeleton was minutely examined. It was that of a strong, well-developed man, but from all appearances one leg was shorter than the other.

The bones of the shortened leg were closely investigated. "The bones show that this man met with an accident in early life, or before he was fully grown, or, he may have had some disease before he attained full growth, so that his right leg is shorter because not fully developed,"

said John, as he continued the examination.

"He must have been a soldier or an adventurer, as he has three bullet marks, one here in the right shoulder, one in the ankle, and the other on the cheek bone. All of the wounds were healed before he met his death."

"But there is one thing which is still more remarkable. This man was a captive. He was tied in the boat and it was set adrift, and was likely on the open sea and washed ash.o.r.e during one of the monsoons."

"Why do you think so?" asked Harry, as soon as he could recover breath after this announcement.

"This rope tells the story."

"But how does it happen that he and the boat were together. It seems to me that if the waves were high enough to bring the boat clear up to this point, he would be freed from the boat long before it reached this place."