Indeed, there was not much more time for conversation, for the power of the waves was beginning to be felt by the little craft, and the clumsy oar did not act with as much precision or force as was desirable, while Dominick"s weakness rendered the steering difficult. Pauline now began to realise the danger somewhat more clearly from experience, and even Otto showed symptoms of surprise that amounted very nearly to alarm, as the boat at one point made a sudden rush on a wave-top as if it meant to try a race with it, and then as suddenly slipped back into the hollow behind, as if it had been disheartened, feeling that there was no chance.
At last they reached the point of greatest danger. The huge waves, as we have said, commenced out at sea in long, gentle undulations. Nearer the sh.o.r.e they advanced in the shape of gla.s.sy walls, one after another, like successive lines of indomitable infantry in time of war. Further in, the tops of these waves began to gurgle and foam, and gather real, instead of seeming, motion, as they rushed towards their fall. It was here that the boat showed symptoms of becoming unmanageable.
"Why, the water"s beginning to boil!" exclaimed Otto, in some anxiety.
"Hold on, boy, and keep quiet," said his brother.
As he spoke, the water gurgled up, so that it seemed as if about to pour inboard all round. At the same time the boat made a rush sh.o.r.eward as if suddenly endowed with life. Dominick struggled manfully to keep the stern to the sea. He succeeded, but in another moment the boat slipped back. It had not been fairly caught, and the wave pa.s.sed on to fall with a roar like thunder a hundred yards or so ahead.
"The next will do it," said Dominick, with an anxious glance behind, where a crystal wall was coming grandly on--unnaturally high, it seemed to them, owing to their position in the hollow.
No need to tell Otto now to hold on! No need to explain difficulty or danger to Pauline! As her brother stood at the oar, quivering as much from weakness as exertion, she understood it all. But she was brave, and she could swim. This latter fact lent her additional confidence.
Best of all, she had faith in G.o.d, and her spirit was calmed, for, whether life or death lay before her, she knew that her soul was "safe."
As Dominick had prophesied, the next wave took them fairly in its grasp.
For a few moments the water hissed and gurgled round them. The steersman seemed to lose control for a second or two, but quickly recovered. Then there was a bound, as if the boat had been shot from a catapult, and the billow fell. A tremendous roar, tumultuous foam all round, increasing speed! The land appeared to be rushing at them, when Dominick"s oar snapped suddenly, and he went overboard. A shriek from Pauline and a shout from Otto rose high above the din of raging water, as the boat broached-to and hurled its remaining occupants into the sea.
Even in that trying moment Dominick did not lose presence of mind. He could swim and dive like a water-rat. Pushing towards his brother and sister, who were heading bravely for the sh.o.r.e, he shouted, "Dig your fingers and toes deep into the sand, and hold on for life, if--" (he corrected himself) "_when_ you gain the beach."
It was well they were forewarned, and that they were const.i.tutionally obedient. A few minutes later, and they were all swept up high on the beach in a wilderness of foam. The return of that wilderness was like the rushing of a millrace. Sand, stones, sticks, and seaweed went back with it in dire confusion. p.r.o.ne on their knees, with fingers and toes fixed, and heads down, the brothers and sister met the rush. It was almost too much for them. A moment more, and strength as well as breath would have failed; but the danger pa.s.sed, and Dominick sprang to his feet.
"Up, up! and run!" he shouted, as he caught Pauline round the waist and dragged her on. Otto needed no help. They were barely in time. The succeeding wave roared after them as if maddened at having lost its prey, and the foaming water was up with them, and almost round their knees, ere its fury was quite spent.
"Safe!" exclaimed Dominick.
"Thank G.o.d!" murmured Pauline, as she sank exhausted on the sand.
Otto, who had never seen his sister in such a state before, ran to her, and, kneeling down, anxiously seized one of her hands.
"Never fear, lad," said his brother in rea.s.suring tones, "she"ll soon come round. Lend a hand to lift her."
They bore the fainting girl up the beach, and laid her on a gra.s.sy spot under a bush. And now Dominick was glad to find that he had been mistaken in supposing that the coral reef was a mere sandbank, dest.i.tute of vegetation. Indeed, before landing, he had observed that there were a few trees on the highest part of it. He now perceived that there was quite a little grove of cocoa-nut palms, with a thicket of underwood around them, which, if not extensive, was at all events comparatively dense. He pointed out the fact to Otto, who was chafing his sister"s hands.
"Ay," responded Otto, "and the island on the other side must be a goodish big one, for I got a glimpse of it through the trees as we came rushing in on that monstrous wave."
In a short time Pauline recovered, and Dominick returned to the water"s edge with Otto.
"Our first care must be," he said, "to save our little boat if we can, for it is the only means we have of escaping from this island."
"Escaping!" repeated Otto, in surprise. "I don"t want to escape from it, Dom."
"Indeed! why not?"
"Why, because I"ve dreamed about being cast on a desolate island hundreds of times, and I"ve read about Robinson Crusoe, and all the other Crusoes, and I"ve longed to be cast on one, and now I am cast on one, so I don"t want to escape. It"ll be the greatest fun in the world.
I only hope I won"t wake up, as usual, to find that it"s all a dream!"
Dominick laughed (not scornfully, by any means) at the boy"s enthusiasm; nevertheless he had strong sympathy with him, for the period had not pa.s.sed so long ago when he himself entertained a very vivid impression of the romance of such a situation, and he did not trouble his mind about the stern realities.
"I sincerely hope it may come up to your expectations, Otto, my boy; nevertheless we must secure the boat for fishing purposes, even though we don"t try to escape in it."
"For fishing! why, we have neither hooks nor lines."
"True, lad; but we have got fingers and brains. It strikes me that we shall have occasion to use all our powers and possessions if we are not to starve here, for the reef seems to have very little vegetation on it, and there is sure to be a lagoon of water on the other side, separating it from the island beyond."
"I wonder if there is fresh water on the reef," said Otto, with a very sudden look of solemnity and pursing of the mouth.
"You may well ask that. I hope there is. We will go and settle the point the moment we have secured the boat, if--"
He stopped, for he saw at that moment that the sea had taken good care to secure the boat to itself as a plaything. Having dashed it into small pieces, it was by that time busily engaged in tossing these about among the foam, now hurling the splinters high upon the sh.o.r.e, anon sending up long watery tongues to lick them back, and then casting them under the incoming rollers, to be further reduced into what is usually styled matchwood.
There was a small bay close at hand, where the sandy beach was strewn with rocks, in which the sea appeared to play this game with unusual vigour. It was a sort of hospital for marine incurables, into which the sea cast its broken toys when tired of smashing them up, and left them there to rot.
Regarding this spot with a thoughtful look, Dominick remarked that the wreck which lay on the rocks off the tail of the island was by no means the first that had taken place there.
"And won"t be the last, I fancy," said Otto.
"Probably not. Indeed, from the appearance of this bay, and the fact that an ocean current drifted us towards the spot, I should think that the island is a particularly dangerous one for vessels. But come, we"ll go see how Pina gets on, and then proceed to examine our new home."
Returning to the place where Pauline had been left, they found the poor girl wringing the water out of her dress. The news of the fate of the little boat did not seem to affect her much, she did not fully appreciate the loss, and was more taken up with the idea of thankfulness for deliverance from death.
"May I not go with you?" she asked, on hearing that her brothers were going to search for water.
"Certainly. I thought you might perhaps prefer to rest, and dry your clothes in the sun," replied Dominick.
"Walking will dry them better," said Pina. "Besides, I have quite recovered."
"You"re a plucky little woman," said Otto, as they set off. "Isn"t it nice to be here all by ourselves, on a real uninhabited island, quite fit for Robinson himself? Who knows but we may find Friday in the bushes!"
"Wouldn"t that spoil it as an uninhabited isle?"
"A little, but not much."
"The thicket is too small to contain anything with life, I fear," said Dominick, whose anxiety as to food and drink prevented his sympathising much with the small-talk of the other two. "Luckily the weather is warm," he added, "and we won"t require better shelter at present than the bushes afford, unless a storm comes.--Ho what have we here?--a path!"
They had reached the entrance to the thicket, and discovered what appeared to be an opening into it, made apparently by the hand of man.
"Nothing more likely," said Pauline. "If so many wrecks have taken place here--as you seem to think--some of the crews must have landed, and perhaps lived here."
"Ay, and died here," returned Dominick, in a grave, low tone, as he pointed to a skeleton lying on a spot which had once been cleared of bushes, but so long ago that the vegetation had partially grown up again. The man whose bleached bones lay before them had evidently perished many years before. On examination, nothing was found to afford any information about him, but when they had advanced a dozen yards further they came upon six little mounds, which showed that a party-- probably a wrecked crew--had sojourned there for a time, and finally perished: so far their story was clear enough. One by one they must have sunk, until the last man had lain down to die and remain unburied.
Pushing past these sad evidences of former suffering, and feeling that the same fate might await themselves, they came to a sight which tended slightly to restore their spirits. It was a pool of water of considerable size, whether a spring or a rain-pool they could not tell.
Neither did they care at that time, for the sudden feeling of relieved anxiety was so great, that they ran forward, as if under one impulse, and, lying down on their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, took a long refreshing draught. So powerful was the influence of this refreshment and discovery on their spirits that they became totally regardless and forgetful for the moment about food--all the more that, having so recently had a good meal, they were not hungry.
"I was sure we would find water," said Otto, as they continued to explore the thicket, "and I"ve no doubt that we shall find yams and plantains and breadfruits, and--aren"t these the sort of things that grow wild on coral islands, Dom?"
"Yes, but I fear not on such a little sc.r.a.p of reef as this. However, we shall not be quite dest.i.tute, for there are cocoa-nuts, you see-- though not many of them. Come, our prospects are brightening, and as the sun is beginning to sink, we will look out for a suitable camping-ground."
"As far away from the skeleton, please, as possible," said Otto.