Story,- The Boats of the Glen Carrig: Chapter 11

XI
THE SIGNALS FROM THESHIP
NOW SO SOON as it was clearly light, we went all of us to the leeward
brow of the hill to stare upon the derelict, which now we had cause to
believe no derelict, but an inhabited vessel. Yet though we watched
her for upwards of two hours, we could discoverno sign of any living
creature, the which, indeed, had we been in cooler minds, we had not
thought strange, seeing that she was all soshut in by the great
superstructure; but we were hot to see a fellow creature, after so
much lonesomeness and terrorin strange lands and seas, and so could
not byany means contain ourselves in patience until those aboard the
hulk should choose to discover themselves to us.
And so, at last, being wearied with watching, we made it up together
to shout when the bo'sun should give us the signal, by this means
making a good volume of sound which we conceived the wind might carry
down to the vessel. Yet though we raised many shouts, making as it
seemed to us a very great noise, there came no response from the ship,
and at lastwe were fain to cease from our calling, and ponder some
other way of bringing ourselves to the notice of those within the
hulk.
For awhile we talked, some proposing one thing, and some another;but
none of them seeming like to achieve our purpose. And after that we
fell to marvellingthat the fire which we had lit in the valley had not
awakened them to the fact that some of their fellow creatures were
upon the island; for, had it, we could not suppose but that they would
have kept a perpetual watch upon the island until such timeas they
should have beenable to attract our notice. Nay! more than this, it
was scarce credible that they shouldnot have made an answering fire,
or set some of their bunting above the superstructure, so that our
gaze should be arrested upon the instant we chanced to glance towards
the hulk. But so far from this, there appeared even a purpose to shun
our attention; for that light which we had viewed in the past night
was more in the way of an accident, than of the nature of a purposeful
exhibition.
And so, presently, we went to breakfast, eating heartily; our nightof
wakefulness having given us mighty appetites; but, for all that, we
were so engrossed by the mystery of the lonesome craft, that I doubt
if any of us knew what mannerof food it was with which we filled our
bellies. For first one viewof the matter would be raised, and when
this had been combated, another would be broached, and in this wise it
came up finally that some of the men were falling in doubt whether the
ship was inhabited by anything human, saying rather that it might be
held by some demoniac creature of the great weed-continent. At this
proposition, there came among us a very uncomfortable silence; for not
only did it chill the warmth of our hopes; but seemed like to provide
us with a fresh terror, who were already acquainted with too much.
Then the bo'sun spoke, laughing with a hearty contempt at our sudden
fears, and pointed out that it was just as like that they aboard the
ship had been put in fear by the great blaze from the valley, as that
they should take it for a sign that fellow creatures andfriends were
at hand. For, as he put it to us, who of us could say what fell brutes
and demons the weed-continent did hold, and if we had reason to know
that there were very dread things among the weed, how much the more
must they, who had, for all that we knew, been many years beset
aroundby such. And so, as he went on to make clear, we might suppose
that they were very well aware there had come some creatures to the
island; yet, maybe, they desired not to make themselves known until
they had been given sight of them, and because of this, we must wait
until they chose to discover themselves to us.
Now when the bo'sun had made an end, we felt each one of us greatly
cheered; for his discourse seemed very reasonable. Yet still therewere
many matters that troubled our company; for, as one put it, was it not
mightily strange thatwe had not had previoussight of their light, or,
in the day, of the smoke from their galley fire? But to this the
bo'sun replied that our camp hitherto had lain in a place where we had
not sight, even of the great world of weed, leaving alone any view of
the derelict. And more, that at such times as we had crossed to the
opposite beach, we had been occupied too sincerely tohave much thought
to watch the hulk, which, indeed, from that position showed only her
great superstructure.Further, that, until the preceding day, we had
but once climbed to any height; and that from our present camp the
derelict could not be viewed, and to do so, wehad to go near to the
leeward edge of the hill-top.
And so, breakfast being ended, we went all of us to see if there were
yet any signs of life in the hulk; but when an hour had gone, we were
no wiser. Therefore, it being folly to waste further time, the bo'sun
left one man to watch from the brow of the hill,charging him very
strictly to keep in such position that he could beseen by any aboard
the silent craft, and so took the rest down to assist him in the
repairing of the boat. And from thence on, during the day, he gave the
men a turn each at watching, telling them to wave to him should there
come any sign from the hulk. Yet, excepting the watch,he kept every
man so busy as might be, some bringing weed to keep up a fire which he
had litnear the boat; one to help him turn and hold the batten upon
which he laboured; and two he sent across to the wreck of the mast, to
detach one of the futtock shrouds, which (as is most rare) were made
ofiron rods. This, when they brought it, he bade me heat in the fire,
and afterwards beat out straight at one end, and when this was done,
he set me to burn holes with it through the keel of the boat, at such
places as he had marked,these being for the bolts with which he had
determined to fasten on the batten.
In the meanwhile, he continued to shape the batten until it was a
verygood and true fit according to his liking. And all the while he
cried out to this man andto that one to do this or that; and so I
perceived that, apart from the necessity of getting the boat into a
seaworthy condition, he was desirous to keep the men busied; for they
were become so excited at the thought of fellow creatures almost
within hail, that he could not hope to keep them sufficiently in hand
without some matter upon which to employ them.
Now, it must not be supposed that the bo'sunhad no share of our
excitement; for I noticed that he gave ever and anon a glance to the
crown of the far hill, perchance the watchman had some news for us.
Yet the morning went by, and no signal came to tell us that the people
in the ship had design to show themselves to the man upon watch, and
so we came to dinner. At this meal, as might be supposed, we had a
second discussion upon the strangeness of the behaviour of those
aboard the hulk; yet none could give any more reasonable explanation
than the bo'sun had given in the morning, and so we left it at that.
Presently, when we had smoked and rested very comfortably, for the
bo'sun was no tyrant, werose at his bidding to descend once more to
the beach. But at this moment, one of the men having run to the edge
of the hill to take a short look at the hulk, cried out that a part of
the great superstructure over the quarter had been removed, or pushed
back, and that there was a figure there,seeming, so far as his unaided
sight could tell, to be looking through a spy-glass at the island. Now
it would be difficultto tell of all our excitement at this news, and
we ran eagerly to see for ourselves if it could be as he informed us.
And so it was; for we could see the person very clearly; though remote
and small because of the distance. That he had seen us, we discovered
in a moment; for he began suddenly towave something, which Ijudged to
be the spy-glass, in a very wild manner, seeming also to be jumping up
and down. Yet, I doubt not but that we were as much excited; for
suddenly I discovered myself to be shouting with the rest in a most
insane fashion, and moreover I was waving my hands and running toand
fro upon the brow of the hill. Then, I observed that the figure on the
hulk had disappeared; but it was for no more than a moment, and then
it wasback and there were near a dozen with it, andit seemed to me
that some of them were females; but the distancewas over great for
surety. Now these, all of them, seeing us upon thebrow of the hill,
where we must have shown up plain against the sky, began at once to
wave in a very frantic way, and we, replying in like manner, shouted
ourselves hoarse with vain greetings. But soon we grew wearied of the
unsatisfactoriness of this method of showing our excitement, and one
took a piece of the square canvas, and let it stream out into the
wind, waving it to them, and another took a second piece and did
likewise, while a third man rolled up a short bit into a cone and made
use of it as a speaking trumpet; though I doubt if his voice carried
any the further because of it.For my part, I had seized one of the
long bamboo-like reeds which were lying about near the fire,and with
this I was making a very brave show. And so it may be seen how very
great andgenuine was our exaltation upon our discovery of these poor
people shut off from the world within that lonesome craft.
Then, suddenly, it seemed to come to us to realize that they were
among the weed, and we upon the hill-top, andthat we had no means
ofbridging that which lay between. And at this we faced one another to
discuss what we should do to effect the rescue ofthose within the
hulk. Yet it was little that we could even suggest; for though one
spoke of how he had seen a rope cast by means of a mortar to a ship
that lay off shore, yet this helpedus not, for we had no mortar; but
here the same man cried out that they in the ship might have such a
thing, so that they would be able to shoot the rope to us, and at this
we thought more upon his saying; for if they had such a weapon, then
might our difficulties be solved. Yet we were greatly at a lossto know
how we should discover whether they were possessed of one, and further
to explain our design to them. But here the bo'sun came to our help,
and bade one man go quickly and char some of the reeds in the fire,
and whilst this was doing he spread out upon the rock one of thespare
lengths of canvas; then he sung out to the man to bring him one of the
pieces of charred reed, and with this he wrote our question uponthe
canvas, calling for fresh charcoal as he required it. Then, havingmade
an end of writing, he bade two of the men take hold of the canvas by
the ends and expose it to the view of those in the ship, and in this
manner we got them to understand our desires. For, presently, some of
them went away, and came back after a little, and held up for us to
see,a very great square of white, and upon it a great "NO," and at
this were we again at our wits' ends to know how it would be possible
to rescue those within the ship; for, suddenly, our whole desire to
leave theisland, was changed intoa determination to rescue the people
in the hulk, and, indeed, had our intentions not been such we had been
veritable curs; though I am happy to tell that we had no thought at
this juncture but for those who were now looking to us to restore them
once more to the world to which they had been so long strangers.
Now, as I have said, we were again at our wits' ends to know how to
come at those within thehulk, and there we stoodall of us, talking
together, perchance we should hit upon some plan, and anon we would
turn and wave to those who watched us soanxiously. Yet, a while
passed, and we had come no nearer to a method of rescue. Then athought
came to me (waked perchance by the mention of shooting the rope over
to the hulkby means of a mortar) how that I had read oncein a book, of
a fair maid whose lover effected herescape from a castle by asimilar
artifice, only that in his case he made use of a bow in place of a
mortar, and a cord instead of a rope, his sweetheart hauling up the
rope by means of thecord.
Now it seemed to me a possible thing to substitute a bow for the
mortar, if only we could find the material with which to make such a
weapon, and with this inview, I took up one of the lengths of the
bamboo-like reed, and tried the spring of it, which I found to be very
good; for this curious growth, of which I have spoken hitherto as a
reed, had no resemblance to that plant, beyond its appearance; it
being extraordinarily tough and woody, and having considerably more
nature than a bamboo. Now, having tried the spring of it, I went over
to the tent and cut a piece of sampson-line which I found among the
gear, and with this and the reed I contrived a rough bow. Then I
looked about until I came upon a very young and slender reed which had
been cut with the rest, and from this I fashioned some sort of an
arrow, feathering it with a piece of one of the broad, stiff leaves,
which grew upon the plant, and after that I went forth to the crowd
about the leeward edge of the hill. Now when they saw me thus
armed,they seemed to think that I intended a jest, and some of them
laughed, conceiving thatit was a very odd action on my part; but when
I explained that which was in my mind, they ceased from laughter, and
shook their heads, making that I did but waste time; for, as they
said, nothing save gunpowder could cover so great a distance. And
after that they turned again to the bo'sun with whom some of them
seemed to be in argument. And so for a little space I held my peace,
and listened; thus I discovered that certain of the men advocated the
taking of the boat--so soon as it was sufficiently repaired--and
making a passage through the weed to the ship, which they proposed to
do by cutting a narrow canal. But the bo'sun shook his head, and
reminded them of the great devil-fish and crabs, and the worse things
which the weed concealed, saying that those in the ship would have
done it long since had it been possible, and at that the men were
silenced, being robbed of their unreasoning ardour by his warnings.
Now just at this point there happened a thing which proved the wisdom
of that which the bo'sun contended; for, suddenly, one of the men
cried out to us to look, and at that we turned quickly, and saw that
there was a great commotion among thosewho were in the open place in
the superstructure; for they were running this way and that, and some
werepushing to the slide which filled the opening.And then,
immediately, we saw the reason for their agitation and haste; for
there was a stir in the weed near to the stem of the ship, and the
next instant, monstrous tentacles were reached up to the place where
had been the opening; but the door was shut, and thoseaboard the hulk
in safety. At this manifestation, the men about me who had proposed to
make use ofthe boat, and the others also, cried out their horror of
the vast creature, and, I am convinced, had the rescue depended upon
their use of the boat, then had those in the hulk been forever doomed.
Now, conceiving that this was a good point at which to renew my
importunities, I began once again to explain the probabilities of my
plan succeeding, addressing myself more particularly to the bo'sun. I
told how that I had read that the ancients made mighty weapons, some
of whichcould throw a great stone so heavy as two men, over a distance
surpassing a quarter of amile; moreover, that theycompassed huge
catapults which threw a lance, or great arrow, even further. On this,
he expressed much surprise,never having heard of the like; but doubted
greatly that we should be able to construct sucha weapon, Yet, I told
himthat I was prepared; for Ihad the plan of one clearly in my mind,
and further I pointed out to him that we had the wind in our favour,
and that we were a great height up, which would allow the arrow to
travelthe farther before it came so low as the weed.
Then I stepped to the edge of the hill, and, bidding him watch, fitted
my arrow to the string, and, having bent the bow, loosed it,
whereupon, being aidedby the wind and the height on which I stood, the
arrow plunged into the weed at a distance ofnear two hundred yards
from where we stood, that being about a quarter of the distance on the
road to the derelict. At that, the bo'sun was won over to my idea;
though, as he remarked, the arrow hadfallen nearer had it beendrawing
a length of yarnafter it, and to this I assented; but pointed out that
my bow-and-arrow was but a rough affair, and, more, that I was no
archer; yet I promised him, with the bow that I should make, to cast a
shaft clean over the hulk, did he but give me his assistance, and bid
the men to help.
Now, as I have come to regard it in the light of greater knowledge, my
promise was exceeding rash; but I had faith in my conception, and was
very eager to put it to the test; the which, after much discussion at
supper, it was decided I should be allowed to do.