the house was finished, and the satisfaction which it afforded to the young exiles cannot be expressed in words. noddy had exercised his ingenuity in the construction of a fireplace, a chimney, and a table. the stern-lights of the roebuck furnished the windows of the principal apartment; while single panes of glass, obtained from the assorted cargo of the vessel, admitted the light to the sleeping-rooms. they had knives, forks, spoons, dishes, and cooking utensils in abundance. everything they wanted was at hand; and in this respect they differed from all the crusoes of ancient and modern times.
the miscellaneous cargo of the schooner supplied the house with all the comforts and many of the luxuries of civilization; and if noddy had been familiar with the refinements of social life, he would probably have added the "modern improvements" to the mansion. if the house had been an elegant residence on fifth avenue or blackstone square, the occupants could not have enjoyed it more. day after day[229] noddy added some new feature of comfort, until he was as proud of the dwelling as though he had been the architect of st. peter's.
the work was done, and they had nothing to do but sit down under their "own vine and fig-tree," and enjoy themselves. they had provisions and water enough to last them six months. but noddy had discovered that idleness was the sum of all miseries; and after he had thoroughly explored the island, and amused himself for a few days among the novelties of the place, he realized that work was a positive luxury. even patient, plodding labor, without any excitement, was better than doing nothing.
though there had been a storm, the roebuck still held together; and the most profitable employment that presented itself was bringing off the rest of the cargo from the wreck; and everything which it was possible for him to move was transferred to the shore. he built a storehouse of sail-cloth, in which all the merchandise and provisions were carefully secured, though it was not probable that any considerable portion of it would ever be of any value to the islanders.
noddy had built a fence around the grave of captain mcclintock, and on a smooth board had cut the name and age of the deceased. every day mollie visited the spot, and placed fresh flowers on the green sod. the sharp pangs of her great affliction had passed away, and she was cheerful, and even hopeful[230] of the future, while she fondly cherished the memory of her father.
the islands which were just visible in the distance were a source of interest and anxiety to the sailor-boy and his gentle companion. noddy had carefully examined them through the spy-glass a great many times; and once he had seen a large canoe, under sail, with a ponderous "out-rigger" to keep it from upsetting; but it did not come near the home of the exiles. this proved that the other islands were inhabited, and he was in constant dread of a visit from the savages. he put all the pistols he had found in the cabin in readiness for use, and practised firing at a mark, that he might be able to defend himself and his fair charge if occasion required. they did not come, and there were no signs on the island that they ever visited it, and he hoped to avoid the necessity of fighting them.
there were plenty of fish in the waters which surrounded the island, and noddy had no difficulty in catching as many of them as he wanted. there were no animals to be seen, except a few sea-fowl. he killed one of these, and roasted him for dinner one day; but the flesh was so strong and so fishy that salt pork and corned beef were considered better.
a two months' residence on the island had accustomed both the boy and the girl to the novelties of the situation; and though, as might be reasonably expected, they were anxious to return to the great[231] world from which they had been banished, they were tolerably contented with the life they led. noddy was continually planning some new thing to add to the comfort of their daily life, and to provide supplies for the future. as in many large cities, a supply of pure water was a question, of momentous importance to him, and he early turned his attention to the subject. he made spouts of canvas for the "mansion" and the storehouse, by which the water, when it rained, was conducted to barrels set in the ground, so as to keep it cool. this expedient promised a plentiful supply, for the rains were heavy and frequent, and the quality was much better than that of the water casks.
when all the necessary work had been accomplished, and when the time at last hung heavily on his hands, noddy began to consider the practicability of a garden, to keep up the supply of peas, beans, and potatoes, of which a considerable quantity had been obtained from the wreck. mollie was delighted with the idea of a "farm," as she called it, and the ground was at once marked off. noddy went to work; but the labor of digging up the soil, and preparing it for the seed, was very hard. there was no excitement about this occupation, and the laborer "punished" himself very severely in performing it; but work had become a principle with him, and he persevered until an incident occurred which suspended further opera[232]tions on the garden, and gave him all the excitement his nature craved.
"what's that, noddy?" said mollie, one day, when he was industriously striving to overcome his dislike to plodding labor.
"where?" asked he, dropping his shovel, for the manner of his companion betrayed no little alarm.
"on the water," replied she, pointing in the direction of the islands which had given them so much anxiety.
"it is a native canoe loaded with savages," said noddy, hastening to the house for his spy-glass and pistols.
he examined the canoe long and attentively. it was only four or five miles distant, and looked like quite a large boat.
"they are coming here," said noddy.
"o, what shall we do?" exclaimed the timid maiden, recalling all she knew about cannibals and fierce savages found on the south sea islands.
"perhaps they will not come here," added noddy; but it was more to cheer up his friend, than from any hope he cherished of avoiding the issue.
"i hope they will not. what do you think they will do to us, if they do?"
"i think i can manage them, mollie. don't be alarmed."
"how many are there in the canoe?"[233]
"a dozen or fifteen, i should think," replied he, after he had again examined the object with the glass.
"what can you do with so many as that?" asked she, in despair.
"they are savages, you know; and they are afraid of powder. if i should shoot one of them, the rest would run away."
"can't we hide?"
"that will do no good. they would certainly find us. the best way is to face the music."
"and they will steal all our things, noddy."
"i won't let them steal anything," said he, examining his pistol.
"i hope you won't have to shoot any of them. it would be awful to kill the poor creatures."
"i won't fire if i can help it. they are all looking this way, and i'm sure they can see the house and the tent."
"what shall we do?" cried mollie, who certainly felt that the end of all things had come.
"we can do nothing; and we may as well take it easy. i can't tell what to do now; but i think i will go down and hide the boat, for they may carry that off."
mollie went with him to the inlet, and the boat was moved up among the bushes where the savages would not be likely to find it. the wind was light, and the great canoe advanced but slowly. the men[234] on board of her appeared to be watching the island with as much interest as its occupants regarded the approach of the intruders.
off the reef the big canoe came up into the wind, and the savages appeared to be debating what they should do next. they could see the remains of the wrecked schooner now; and the question appeared to be, whether they should visit that or the shore. but she soon filled away again, and passed through the opening in the reef. noddy had three pistols, all of which he put in his belt, and finished this hostile array by adding a huge butcher-knife to the collection. he looked formidable enough to fight a whole army; but he intended only to make a prudent display of force. mollie thought it was rather ridiculous for a small boy like him to load himself down with so many weapons, which could not avail him, if a conflict became necessary, against sixteen savages, full grown, and accustomed to fighting. but noddy was general-in-chief of the forces, and she did not remonstrate any further than to beg him to be prudent.
the canoe slowly approached the shore. those in her seemed to be familiar with the land, for they steered directly up the little inlet which noddy had chosen as his landing-place. the "lord of the isle," as our sailor-boy felt himself to be, moved down to the shore, followed by mollie. the savages could now be distinctly seen. they were horribly tattooed,[235] and they did not look very friendly. as the canoe touched the shore, they sprang to their feet, and noddy's calculations were set at nought by the discovery that several were armed with guns.
one of them stepped on shore. there was a broad grin on his ugly face, which was intended for a conciliatory smile. the savage walked towards noddy with his hand extended, and with his mouth stretched open from ear to ear, to denote the friendly nature of his mission. the boy took the hand, and tried to look as amiable as the visitor; but as his mouth was not half so large, he probably met with only a partial success.
"americals?" said the savage, in tones so loud that poor mollie was actually frightened by the sound.
he spoke in a nasal voice, as a man does who has a cold in the head; but the lord of the isle was surprised and pleased to hear even a single word of his mother tongue. he pointed impressively to the american flag, which had been hoisted on a pole, as he had seen captain mcclintock do when he had a slight difficulty with a custom-house officer at barbadoes, and politely replied that he and mollie were americans.
"big heap thigs," added the savage, pointing to the tent filled with stores and merchandise.
"they are mine," said noddy.
"americals—yes."[236]
"what do you want?"
"big wreck," said the visitor, pointing over to the schooner. "big lot mel ol the other islal."
"americans?" asked noddy, clearly understanding the speaker, whose enunciation was principally defective in the substitution of l's for n's.
"four americals; big storm; come in boat."
"do you hear that, mollie?" exclaimed noddy. "he says that four americans came to the other island in a boat."
"they must be some of the crew of the roebuck."
"big wreck; log time; fild it low," said the savage, pointing to the schooner again.
they had been looking for the wreck from which the four men had been saved, but had not been able to find it before.
"whale ship over there," added he. "take four mel off."
"is she there now?" asked noddy, breathless with interest.
"go sool—to-morrow—lext week."
this was not very definite; but the way to his native land seemed to be open to him, and he listened with deep emotion to the welcome intelligence.
"can we go over there?" asked noddy, pointing to his companion.
"go with we."
"we will."[237]
"big heap thigs," added the savage, pointing to the storehouse again. "walt to trade?"
"yes; what will you give for the lot?" asked noddy, facetiously.
"big heap thigs," replied the man, not comprehending the wholesale trade.
it was of no use to attempt to bargain with these people; they had no money, and they could help themselves to what they pleased. noddy gave them heavy articles enough to load their boat, for he felt that he had no further use for them, if there was a whale ship at the other island. he questioned the savage very closely in regard to the vessel, and was satisfied that he spoke the truth. the welcome intelligence that a portion of the roebuck's crew had been saved, rendered the exiles the more anxious to visit the island.
the savages all landed and gazed at mollie with the utmost interest and curiosity. probably they had never before seen an american girl. but they were respectful to her, and she soon ceased to be afraid of them. she laughed with them, and soon became quite intimate with the whole party. they treated her like a superior being; and certainly her pretty face and her gentle manners were quite enough to inspire them with such an idea.
the savages had loaded their goods into the canoe, and were ready to return. the man who spoke english offered them a passage in his craft; but[238] noddy decided that it would be better and safer for them to go over in their own boat. he proceeded to secure all his valuables, including all his own money and that he had saved from the state-room of the captain, which he concealed about his clothes. the boat was well loaded with such articles as he thought would be useful to mollie, or would sell best when a chance offered. he had quite a cargo, and the savages began to be impatient before his preparations were completed.
while he was thus employed, mollie gathered fresh flowers, and paid her last visit, as she supposed, to the grave of her father. she wept there, as she thought of leaving him in that far-off, lonely island; but she was consoled by the belief that her father's spirit dwelt in the happy land, where spring eternal ever reigns.
the boat was ready; she wiped away her tears, and stepped on board. both of them felt sad at the thought of leaving the island; but home had hopes which reconciled them to the change.
