CHAPTER XIII

George pondered over this for some time, and asked the Professor the cause of it. In response, he said: "Nature has a very peculiar way of protecting her products. It is the same with nuts, as it is with potatoes and fruit. Have you ever noticed how unripe fruit withers, when taken from the tree, and that potatoes shrivel up when they are dug up before fully matured?"

"That is the trouble with the whole batch of potatoes we now have."

"Unripe fruit and vegetables have an exterior coating which is porous and pervious to water when it is unripe. But when it fully ripens this coating is chemically changed into a thin, impervious coating of a cork-like structure, through which water cannot pass, and as a result potatoes, and fruit, will keep through an entire winter and become mellower and better as time goes on."

The colony was dependent for its supply of eggs on the numerous flocks of prairie chickens which were found in the abounding fields of grain, particularly barley. It was no trick to bag a half dozen of these birds at a shot, on account of their numbers, and, as before related, while Angel never ate any of them, he was the most persistent gatherer because the beautiful oval eggs attracted him, and George's cakes always appealed to his fancy.

The difficulty with Angel was he did not discriminate between the good and the bad eggs, and George was desirous of knowing how to distinguish between the fresh and spoilt ones.

As usual, the Professor was appealed to and he gave a standard rule for determining this: "As Angel brings in the eggs put them in a pail of water, and select only those which fall to the bottom and rest on the side. An egg several weeks old will remain at the bottom, but the large end will be much higher than the small end. If it is several months old the large end will be uppermost, with the small end pointing down; and if it is thoroughly rotten it will float at the top of the water, with the pointed side down."

"That is a very curious way of finding it out. I would like to know why the egg acts in that manner?"

"After an egg is laid, a chemical change begins to take place, and more or less gas is formed. This gas finds its way to the large end, and as the decomposition increases the egg becomes lighter at the heavy end, and finally enough gas is evolved to bring it to the surface."

The most important work on hand was the construction of the addition to their home. After considering the matter in all its details, it was concluded to put up a building entirely separate from the other structures, to contain four rooms, one of them to be large and utilized as a common living room, and the others as sleeping apartments.

The material had been taken out for the building, and the Professor, John, George and Ralph were engaged at this work, while Harry and Tom were engaged in the machine shop and were busy in turning out the barrels for new guns, as well as preparing the ammunition.

The tools in the machine shop were not numerous enough to advantageously utilize more of them there, and the building was now very important to them, as the four boys were compelled to sleep in the shop, for want of room in the house.

The joist had all been laid for the lower floor and the studding now being put up and the upper joist laid on preparatory to erecting the rafters. John was an expert in building, and was really the directing hand at the various steps in the operation. While engaged in the drawing up of the rafters, one of the floor pieces gave way, and John was precipitated to the floor below, striking as he fell one of the lower joist, which cut a terrible gash in his head and rendered him unconscious.

The Professor rushed over to the fallen man, and the boys were on the spot to render assistance. Chief, who was also an interested worker, was the first to grasp him with his powerful arms, and disdaining the assistance of the others, carried him to the house and gently laid him down, as the Professor directed.

Without a word he rushed for the jar of water and brought it to the Professor, who bathed his wounds, but the blow was so severe that he exhibited no signs of returning consciousness.

Harry and Tom rushed over to the house in consternation, and exhibited the greatest grief.

"Do you think he has been badly hurt? Do you think it is fatal?"

"It is still too early to determine that. See this wound? It was a terrible blow. As it is, directly above the ear, it may not be as serious as if he had been struck forward nearer the temples."

During the entire day John lay there, breathing with some degree of regularity, but with a greatly accelerated pulse, and the Professor was constantly watching this phase of the case.

There was little sleep that night. All were too anxious to retire. Chief was on hand without a moment's intermission. George prepared the meals, but the native never left the room even for the purpose of taking refreshment, and it was really pathetic to see this exhibition of sympathy, which was constantly alluded to by the Professor.

"The Chief has in him the making of a man. The surest indication of a real human trait is just what he is showing. The lower man is the less he cares for his fellows."

During the night the fever was close to the danger point, and the Professor never left his side. As the day advanced the fever abated, and his breathing became more normal. Before noon there was a marked change. On the day of the accident, and during the night, John lay there motionless, and, aside from his regular breathing and a few periods of spasmodic twitchings, there was nothing to indicate that he was living.

But he now became restless, and occasionally opened his eyes, and all stood intently watching him. All through this period his face was pale and drawn, but a color began to come, and he turned his head from side to side, and the intervals between the openings of the eyelids became shorter. At first the eyes gave a glassy stare, but now at each recurring stare the eyeballs would turn and search the room, and although he would gaze in the faces of the watchers, the look did not indicate recognition.

Suddenly he opened his eyes wide, and grasping the covers drew himself forward and upward slowly, turning his head around from side to side. The Professor held out his hand, as a warning not to disturb him. He sat up and gazed first at one and then at the other.

What a wonderful difference was exhibited in the eye. It was bright and lustrous, and every glance betokened a question. Not a word was spoken. It was so tense that the boys appeared to be hypnotized. When he had fully taken in his surrounding, he grasped the Professor's hand, and said: "Where am I? Who are you?" Without another word he sank back on the pillow exhausted, and the Professor leaned over him and quietly said: "You are yourself again; and we are your friends."

"Friends; friends," he muttered to himself. "Yes; yes, I remember," and his eyes closed, his limbs relaxed, and he passed off into a quiet sleep.

The boys filed out of the room, and the Professor, with a smile, despite the tears that fell, walked out without saying a word, nor did the boys ask any more questions. The Chief never moved, but kept his eyes on John, and he did not even heed Angel, who came down from the rafters quietly, and passed out the door, and stood beside George, and leaned his head against him, as the boys began to whisper to each other.

The boys had witnessed a scene which it falls to the lot of few to experience. The awakening of the faculty of remembrance is one of the greatest mysteries of human existence.

John slept for three hours, and there was no thought of work or play. Barring the occasional visits of the Professor to see the patient, they were together. It was one of the most remarkable events in their lives.

"Isn't it singular," asked George, "that he has never been able to talk since he has been with us?"

"The medical term applied to the loss of that faculty is called aphasia. The function of speech seems to have its seat in a portion of the left side of the brain, and when that portion is diseased or injured, it affects the speech in many ways. Sometimes the sufferer knows what he wants to say, but cannot utter the word; at other times he will say the wrong thing, knowing that he is doing so, but utterly unable to prevent it; it also shows several other phases where the sentences become disjointed, or meaningless, not due to lack of intelligence."

"Has no way been discovered whereby the diseased part can be cured?"

"Operations have been performed with remarkable results, but not with uniform success. In some cases where the speech center is destroyed, a new brain center has been developed, and the lost power of speech recovered."

"I cannot understand Chief's intense interest in John," said Tom.

"That is a peculiar thing. The savage, no doubt, considers him demented, and it is a singular thing that people of low intellectual order among many people, believe the insane person is exalted, and are sometimes treated as deities."

Before noon the patient began to move about uneasily, and soon thereafter awoke. The moment his eyes opened he looked at the Professor, who said: "You are so much better. Are you hungry?"

In anticipation of this event the Professor had asked the boys to prepare some delicacies for him the moment he awoke.

As he had eaten nothing since the morning of the day before he replied affirmatively, and after he had eaten and the wound in his head was dressed, he began a series of questionings on every conceivable subject.

"We are on an island, and there are a number of tribes here, with incessant tribal warfares between them, and it appears that the principal occasion of the wars is due to the possession of the captives which they take from the toll of the sea. I was one of several unfortunates shipwrecked here over a year ago, during one of the worst storms that I ever saw at sea."

"It was undoubtedly the one which we experienced, although we were the occupants of a ship which had an explosion, and we were left adrift when this storm was brewing. But I must advise you to remain quiet for the day, until you regain your strength, and we can then tell our story, and we shall be glad to learn yours."

It was a joy to all to know that John had recovered his memory, and Harry was anxious to present the match box, to see whether it was his, but the Professor advised against exciting him in the least until the following day.

The Professor had not even asked his name, as he wished all to be present when the revelations were made. During the most of the day John slept. It appeared as though nature had exhausted herself in bringing about the cure. The wound, however, was a most serious one, and the Professor knew that the utmost care must be taken with a fractured skull, to prevent the setting in of complications which might injuriously affect the brain.

"Do not feel any alarm about him now," was the Professor's injunction; "he is not at this time in a serious condition, and I believe his remarkable constitution will pull him through without any further trouble. In the meantime, let us proceed with our work, and give him ample time to recover without any sort of harassment."

All returned to their duties with more cheerful hearts. It seemed as though something had been lifted from their minds. The second day after the event following the restoration of his reason, John would not be left in quiet any longer.

He sat up in his couch, and looked over the boys, as he greeted them heartily.

"Do you remember me?" asked Harry, as he held his hand.

"Yes, I remember all of you, but I cannot remember how you came to me, or how I met you, or where. I know that we went together on a journey, and I saw some things that made me think of things in the past. I don't remember ever having been in this place before."

"Don't you remember the shop, and the water wheel, and the building of the house?" asked the Professor.

He looked around in a bewildered way, before answering: "The shop and the building? Where—when was that?"

"At the time you fell from the building, four days ago?"

"Fell from the building—what building?"

"What do you remember about the trip we made?" continued the Professor.

"I remember that we had a glorious fight, yes, several of them, and I remember some brave boys, the noblest fellows I ever saw—and you are the boys—I can remember you well—I never saw braver men in battle; and I also remember seeing something which you gave me," and he searched his pockets, and looked around to try and remember what it was. "Probably, that was a fancy only—let me see," and he stroked his forehead, as if trying to recall it.

Harry reached down in his pocket and drew forth the match safe and held it before him. "Is this what you mean?"

He grasped it, and eagerly exclaimed: "Yes; that is what I mean."

"Are those the initials of your name, and is your first name John?"

"Yes; John Lewis Varney. But who are you, and how did you come here?"

"My name is Harry Crandall, and this is the Professor who was with us on the schoolship Investigator when she went to the bottom of the sea, following an explosion."

"The Investigator that was to have sailed from New York in September"—and he looked around, "September, last year?" he asked inquiringly.

"Yes," answered the Professor; "and this is George Mayfield, and here are Ralph Wharton and Tom Chambers. Do you remember we rescued them on the trip?"

He looked to the floor for a moment, and then slowly said: "I recall that also, but I do not remember how we got away from the savages."

At that moment his eyes fell on Chief, who had witnessed this remarkable scene, and he started up and leaned forward, and spoke to the Chief in his own language. This effect on the savage was electrical, who rushed up to the couch and clutched John's hand. Then turning to the others, John continued: "Uraso knows me, but I doubt whether he recognized me in this bearded appearance, because when our acquaintance began my face was smoothly shaven, and I had an entirely different attire from what I acquired later on."

"We are all intensely interested in knowing your history, and how you came here; but first tell us what you knew about the Investigator. You seemed to know about the sailing date."

"I was booked to sail in her as one of the instructors, but a serious illness, contracted in Africa, from the previous visit there, prevented me from accepting the berth, and she sailed without me."

"Isn't that a singular coincidence," exclaimed Ralph. "My uncle told me that one of his tutors at college, by the name of Varney, would be on the ship, and that is one of the reasons he so strongly urged me to sign for the trip."

"Your name—what was his name?"

"Stratton; James Stratton?"

"Jim Stratton, the big, healthy, jolly boy! Everybody liked him. And you are his nephew?"

Then turning to Chief the Professor asked: "Do you remember when and how we captured him?" John looked and tried to recall the incident. "No, I do not now think of anything which is familiar, nor do I remember seeing him until a moment ago."

"But if you are not too much exhausted, we would be interested in the history."

"I do not suppose that my history, previous to reaching the island, would be very interesting, but as you have asked it I will briefly relate it."

CHAPTER XIV

"I was a good penman, and before long I was entrusted with the position of recording and entry clerk for the ship, and I took charge of the log, and did things of that kind under his supervision during the long trip to Chinese waters.

"The trip among the western islands occupied two years, and I became an expert skipper as time went on, and many, many hours he and I sat up together and perused the wonderful books he had, and discussed a wide range of subjects which the readings suggested. It was a feast for me, and it was such a pleasure to him, which I know was real and unaffected.

"Three years after my sudden disappearance from New Bedford the ship sailed into the harbor, and the first one to greet us was a beautiful girl, the daughter of the captain, and the first most graceful act of his was to bring her over to me, and I was presented to her.

"I do not know how I ever passed the days of the following two weeks. Everything was a dream to me after I saw her, and I often imagined that the captain knew what my symptoms were. One day he called me to the cabin and said: 'John, how do you feel about signing for another term of three years?' My heart was so full that I answered: 'Why for three years? Make it for as long as I live.' The captain smiled and stroked his beard for a while, and then his countenance changed, and he said, 'John, you know I am blunt and open in all my dealings, and you haven't been treating me in that way.'

"That was the only time in the entire three years he had ever upbraided me, or found any fault, and I was so dumbfounded that I did not know how to answer, and when I recovered and inquired in what manner I had offended him, he replied, 'I did not say you had offended me. But you love Harriet, and I know you do, and you have been trying to hide it from me.'

"How had he learned that she and I loved each other from the moment we first met, and that we saw each other at every opportunity, and made mutual confessions of love? I started to apologize, but he began to smile again, and I knew it was not so serious. 'Yes,' he continued, 'I have charged Harriet with it, and she confessed, so it will not be necessary for you to defend yourself.'

"We were in port for three months, and Harriet told her father that she could not bear to have us both go away, and before the ship sailed we were married, a fine suite of rooms was set aside for our use, and I became the first mate of the ship, as well as the first mate of the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Thus I passed a year of the happiest days that it was ever given man to enjoy. Together we gleaned the library for our recreation, and with music and song, it was one continual revel of bliss. But one day we steamed into a plague-infected port, where quarantine regulations in those days were not the best, and before we could take the proper precautions the captain and my wife were stricken.

"The terrible story that followed, the days of ravings, and finally the death of my wife, are too tragic to repeat in detail. The captain recovered, and, singularly, I escaped, and as soon as he had partially recovered I ordered the ship to sail away from that accursed place.

"When the captain recovered he was a changed man. His daughter was the only thing to him in the world, and her happiness had been the greatest delight and pleasure. But now he rarely appeared at meals, and the handling of the ship devolved on me. I could not rouse him sufficiently to learn what course to take or what disposition to make of much of the cargo.

"Two months after the sad event he called me to his cabin, and he was lying down, weak and emaciated. 'I have asked you to come because there are some things I want to place in your hands. I have no further use for them, as the effect of the plague has never left me, and I am glad of it.

"'You may break the seal of this when I am dead.' This was most heartrending, coming from a man I loved better than any one in the world excepting my wife. He died that night, in silence, and without a soul near him.

"We were then on the broad sea, west of Australia, and before the funeral services were to take place I opened the sealed package, and I learned that the ship and cargo, together with all securities and funds in the hands of his bankers, were willed to me, and I was enjoined to commit his body to the sea.

"I changed the course of the ship to the nearest port, and sought the United States Consul, in order to register the papers, and to establish, by the record there, the new ownership of the vessel.

"When I returned to the ship something seemed to prevent me from going aboard. It was such a weird and ghastly feeling that I did not rebel against the warning. Indeed, I was relieved that the indescribable something, which men sometimes in that condition feel, turned me away. The only thing that remained close to my heart were the things that my loved one wore, and those things she treasured, and the store of books.

"All those I had removed, but I could never go aboard that ship again. I advertised the ship for sale, and it soon found a purchaser, and I was a wanderer on the face of the earth. My parents were both dead, and I had no brothers or sisters living.

"Where should I go, or what pursuit should I follow? I went through India, listlessly, and from a Mediterranean port sailed for England—anywhere. But we landed at Gibraltar. There I saw a troop of smart English on the way to Africa. I was imbued with the spirit of adventure, and I offered to join, but was refused, as I was not a subject of the Queen. But later I knew how to correct that, and I sailed with the next detachment to the south, and for two years I took part in the Matabela campaign, where the fighting was more bitter and relentless than in any colonial contest England had ever engaged in. I was severely wounded, and sent to England at the close of my term of service and received an honorable discharge. In the meantime I learned that all the funds from the proceeds of the ship had been swallowed up in a bank disaster, where they had been deposited, and I was left with nothing but the little I had saved.

"My discharge finally served the purpose of securing me a position as a tutor to a young lord, and through him I later on obtained a berth as instructor in a well-known institution. But this was too tame for me. I went to Greece and entered the army, and fought through two campaigns against the Turks, and when the war ended I took the first ship and sailed for New York.

"Within a day after landing in that city I joined the army and was sent west, where, within six months, it landed me in a campaign under General Crook against the Apaches of the Southwest, and was present at the capture of Geronimo, the most bloodthirsty devil that was ever permitted to live. From there we went to the north, and we had a repetition of the experiences against the most skilled warriors on the American continent, the Siouxs and the Arapahoes.

"When my enlistment expired I had earned a lieutenancy, but I had tired of the turmoil of the past six years, and returned east and then accepted a position as Professor of Philosophy in the college where Jim Stratton was a student.

"I was always fond of tools, and the machine shop on board our vessel was a constant source of enjoyment, and before I sold it I had become so proficient in the use of tools that I could make anything in wood or iron.

"I enjoyed teaching, but the life was not free enough for me, and after five years of that drudging life I sailed for Europe, and again visited India, going to all the great ruins; then to the scenes of the vast exploring fields of the Archeological Societies, in Arabia, on the plains of Babylon, and in Syria. From there I turned to Egypt, the land of the greatest mysteries on earth. I went up the Nile far beyond Khartoum, and tried to interest myself in some of the interesting things that men are constantly bringing to light, and which go to show the great antiquity of men. I joined a caravan to traverse the White and the Blue Nile, and to go over the trails made by Baker and Livingstone and Stanley.

"Here, at last, seemed to be my work. It had enough of the charm in it on account of the hazard which accompanied us on every step, and this for the first time put me on my mettle to learn to dig out the hidden secrets, which caused it to be called the 'Dark Continent.'

"Am I tiring you? Well, then, in company with another adventurous spirit we traversed the most remote parts of that vast interior and met with adventures which may some time interest you. Thus four years were spent, without seeing civilization, and in a region where men hunted men for the pleasure of it.

"I was hunting them, too, but it was not living men, but those who had died thousands and thousands of years ago. But that terrible sickness, the jungle fever, took hold of us, and when we emerged from the forests, and found our way to the nearest settlement my companion died, and I was again thrown back on the world.

"As soon as I could travel I sailed for New York, and the first man I met was dear Jim Stratton, who insisted that I must take a position as archeologist in the college with which I was formerly connected, but this I declined, and seeing me in an emaciated condition suggested that the position of professor of philosophy in the ship training school would be the very place to give me the benefit of sea air and employment—the latter, particularly, because he knew how I had always been a fiend for work, and that I must be busy at something.

"I accepted, but a month before the ship sailed I was taken down with another serious attack, with complications of diseases, and recovered a week after the Investigator sailed. I took the train for the west, expecting to take advantage of the mild climate of California during the winter, and when I reached San Francisco I was greeted at the hotel by an old acquaintance who invited me to his room for a talk on a very important matter.

"It turned out that he and a friend, who had considerable money, were about to purchase either a good, strong sailing vessel, or a small steamer, which was to go in quest of buried treasure which the chart had indicated, this treasure being the freights of many of the Castilian ships of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and in certain places the hoards of the buccaneers that infested the western seas.

"Here was an opportunity to recuperate, and it had plenty of action in it to suit me, and I joined. We sailed from the port in the latter part of December, about the time you were passing through the Straits of Magellan.

"We had a fast sailer and a staunch boat, but my friend was unwise in the choice of the sailing master, but this did not hamper us much during the ordinary course of sailing, but in a short time he with several others of the crew attacked us and attempted to capture the ship. In the battle which followed my friend was killed, and his friend dangerously wounded. This was the condition of affairs when the terrible monsoon struck the vessel.

"That terrible sea and the danger to the ship settled all difficulties. The master was too full of drink to take charge of the ship, and the mate was not much better. I took command, and for four days we maneuvered the ship to keep it from foundering; at the end of that time the master recovered momentarily, and, securing possession of a revolver, cleared the deck and prevented us from handling it.

"He resisted every effort to capture him, and as a last resort I was compelled to shoot him. This was a signal, notwithstanding our perilous condition, for the intimate associates of the master to range themselves against us, for we now had only four men against the seven who were in league.

"I did not want to take human life, and I refrained from this last step, and as the ship was bare of sails and we were in position to control the tiller we passed two days and a night, with only a few crackers for food, and almost exhausted from the strain.

"Night was approaching, and with not a star in sight, and in no condition to take any reckonings, we made up our minds that we must somehow fight our way through one more night before giving up. The mainmast was a wreck; the shrouds on the port side having been torn from the gunwale the second day of the storm, and the entire deck was one mass of debris and wreckage.

"It was a dangerous thing to move along from one part of the deck to the other, as this loose accumulation of material, at each successive lurch, would be tossed first one way and then the other. This was one thing that kept the villains at bay, but it prevented us as well as themselves from getting any food.

"In desperation I took my revolver, and, at the risk of my life, at every step, forced my way to the pantry and found some food. Before I reached the bridge the roar of the breakers fell upon me, but the darkness was now too intense to enable me to see anything, and I knew that our next great catastrophe would be the rocks.

"I never reached the bridge again, for the vessel struck, and with a terrific grating sound it moved toward land, and then a giant hand seemed to lift it upwardly, and I knew no more. When I awoke, which must have been along noon of the following day, I saw one of the sailors dead, not fifty feet away, and the master of the ship was close beside me, with an indescribable mass of wreckage all about.

"When I had recovered sufficiently to judge of my surrounding, I went over to the master and to the sailor, and saw that their pockets had been rifled, and I instinctively put my hand to my pockets, to find that everything, my watch, this match box, which was a present from my wife, my knife and everything in my pockets were gone.

"From this I knew that such of my companions as had been saved had gone off, without making any attempt to ascertain whether I was alive or not, and had taken my things besides.

"I had my clothing, which was still wet, but I was glad to be alive. That seems singular, doesn't it, when I had thrown myself time and again right into the jaws of death! I saw a barren shore, but found plenty to eat as I advanced into the interior. I went to the south and southeast for the first day, and soon saw the first signs of human habitations.

"Then I came across a tribe of savages who were sacrificing some human victims. It dawned on me that it might have been some of my companions, and a spirit of revenge possessed me. But I had no weapons, but relying on my experience in eluding savages, I crawled up to the village, during the height of the orgy, and slew one of the warriors, and took his weapons, as well as his headdress.

"But I was discovered and brought the entire tribe down on me. I avoided them, doubled on my tracks, and ran into another branch of what proved to be the same tribe, as the headdress plainly showed me. I again avoided capture, and in going through the hills discovered a cave, in which I took refuge.

"To my surprise the cave was tenanted by a certain class of savages, and I had reason to believe that it was the abode of the medicine men of the tribe, or the Hoodoos, because the warriors avoided it as they would a pestilence. I found some wonderful things in that cave, in which I secluded myself as best I could to avoid detection from those within.

"But I needed food, and one night stole out, only to learn that they had known of my entrance into the cave, and was driven back again, and making my way into the interior, how far I do not know, lay down exhausted, and, on awakening, not knowing which way to go, heard the voices of the savages, and in going in the opposite direction was surprised to see a streak of light ahead.

"Approaching near the entrance, waiting there for hours, and not seeing or hearing them, cautiously crept out, and found that the sun had risen several hours before, but that the opening was to the western side of the hill and I had entered it on the eastern side."

"Won't you tell us, John, how you knew it was to the west, and that it was morning?" The boys looked at George a little queerly, and so did the Professor, and he quickly divined the reason, and continued: "Pardon me, Mr. Varney, but we have been in habit of calling you John so long that I forgot myself."

"You have been calling me John? How did you find out my name?"

"We simply took that as the most convenient name; but please go on and forgive me for interrupting."

"No apology is necessary. I hope you will know me as John only. But you asked me a question. I examined the moss, which in the southern hemisphere grows more abundantly on the south side of the tree; just as in the north it grows only on the north side. As to the sun, if it had been afternoon it would have been to the west of the hill and not to east of it.

"Having emerged from the cave in the vicinity of the last village another flight was necessary, and I turned to the south, reaching a large stream in my wanderings, and, in order to avoid capture, swam it in the night. I still had the bows and a dozen arrows, together with a crude hatchet, which was taken from the warrior.

"The flight was continued to the south, and thus I lived from day to day for over three months, occasionally seeing the various tribes. Then for a period of two months more I was hunted over the entire southern portion of the island, and finally driven into the mountain. Between six and seven months after the shipwreck, in a moment of carelessness, I was taken by a tribe in the south, and held in confinement for over a month, when I was to be offered up as a sacrifice.

"On the day appointed there was a terrible uproar in camp, and I could see that a neighboring tribe had attacked, and escaped, only to be captured by the successful invaders. This was the tribe that Osaga, here, was a member of. Again escaping I secured one of their spears and a bow with some arrows, and fought my first captors with such determination that Osaga's people became my friends and I was given limited liberty, and began to learn the language.

"Before long the two most powerful tribes united and attacked us, and defeated Osaga's people, and I escaped to the mountains. This was fully eleven or twelve months after being cast ashore, and on the last day they were in sight I can remember going down a steep precipice. The only recollection of my former self came day before yesterday when I awoke from a refreshing sleep."

CHAPTER XV

"They have a great many forms, each designed for some particular purpose, and if you get a rope I will try and give you some of the principal ones. Get a piece long enough so that the knots and hitches can be kept for future reference."

He then proceeded to make the knots, and continued: "The seven knots (Figs. 16 to 22, inclusive) are made at the ends of the rope, as you will notice, and are the forms used to attach the rope to an object. In the next three forms two ropes are attached to each other, and are usually called 'bends' (Figs. 23, 24, 25).

"Then, in addition to that, the sailor has several ways of attaching the rope by a hitch around a standard, or other object. Look at these two forms (Figs. 26, 27). Look at the boat knot, where the hitch is made in the rope itself; and the sheet bend toggle, where the ends of two ropes are attached together to a standard or cleat. And now I am making what are called hitches, and the three forms (Figs. 28, 29, 30) are the best examples."

Thus the conversation drifted from one subject to another, covering a variety of interesting topics. George reminded the Professor that he had not yet explained to them what the spectroscope was, and its uses. He laughingly responded:

"That instrument is one of the most wonderful in all the ranges of human discoveries. By its means the elements of substances are determined, and the composition of the heavenly bodies are ascertained."

"In what way is it done?"

"Simply by using light as the agency."

"Is it like a telescope?"

"No; entirely different. It depends wholly on one thing, and that is the breaking up or dividing the light that comes from an object. Let me make this a little plainer. If a ray of sunlight is allowed to pass through an orifice into a darkened room, and in the transit through the opening it goes through a prism, or three-sided piece of glass, the light produced on the opposite wall will show the seven colors of which sunlight is composed. The drawing (Fig. 31) shows how this is arranged. Now iron shows these colors differently arranged, aluminum in another way, and so on with all different substances, and the light projected from each is called its spectrum, its particular analysis."

John's recital during the day had produced a powerful impression on all, as well it might. It shows what wonderful trials men can endure. Ralph and Tom were frequently affected by it, and at times could not prevent tears from coming. They recalled their own sufferings.

The Professor thanked John that evening for his story, and said: "We must not tax the patient with any more talk to-night. We have learned a lesson of perseverance and trials. The history of man is always profitable, and we are thankful for the news it gives us of the people here but you must be patient and wait a more opportune time to hear our story, and then we can advise with each other as to our future course."

The boys were early in conference with each other after they left John, because there were some interesting things to them in John's story, which needed clearing up.

"Did you hear what he said about that cave?" was Ralph's first question.

"Yes; and I think I know where that cave is?" answered Harry.

"Where?" asked Tom and George in a breath.

"Right at the camp where we found you."

"Oh, you mean that cave we found at the hillside after we started for the river?"

"Don't you recall that John took me around to the mouth of the cave, and when we said that we might use that to hide in, he shook his head, and moved away?"

"I thought the Professor acted queerly about it, too, because he urged us away from the place."

All remembered the circumstance, and they also recalled that the Professor gave a vague reply when they asked him the reason why.

George cast a scrutinizing glance at Harry, who waited for him to speak. "Harry, do you think he found any treasure in that cave?"

Ralph and Tom now opened their eyes in wonder. Was that what he meant when he said there was something wonderful there? Harry looked at the boys for a moment, in the intensity of the situation, and said: "And we have also found a cave." But the eyes of George caught Harry, who suddenly stopped, because he recalled their agreement not to divulge it to the boys until the matter was mentioned to him.

"Where is it?" exclaimed Tom, eagerly.

"Not far from here."

"Will it be much trouble to visit it?"

"No; and we shall probably do so some day."

An island full of bitter and vindictive savages, and a handful of men to meet them. It looked, indeed, like a hopeless task. John's story left many things unsaid; many things that they longed to know. Who were Wright and Walters, whose names were in the note found in the Investigator's lifeboat, and who was Will, the writer of the note?

The Professor was just as anxious as the boys to have those matters cleared up, but he knew it would be unwise to tax his strength with a further recital, and the inevitable questions which would be propounded, and it was well that his injunctions were followed, because he was not yet well by any means, and the further news which they awaited was postponed.

In the evening Ralph had the flute, but the bass viol was not yet ready, so that the two instruments gave a little diversion to the day of excitement and wonder.

John's illness did not now interfere with the work on the house. It was pushed forward with the greatest energy, the roof and sides enclosed, and they were now nearly ready for occupying it, by the time John was again able to be about.

Shortly after they had made the first samples of glass, some months before, the trip to the west had postponed the work in that direction, and the Professor, with the aid of George, turned out the first samples of glass, which they intended to use in the new building.

"Why can't we have a looking-glass? It would be such fun to set up several of them."

"I think we have sufficient mercury for the purpose," answered the Professor; so calling in Ralph they set to work, under the Professor's direction, to make some mirrors.

"The principal thing in mirrors is to get a white reflecting surface. Silver and mercury are metals which lend themselves to that use. If you polish anything bright enough it will serve as a mirror, but the whiter the surface is the better."

"Then why wouldn't white paper be the best?"

"It would if you could get a fine polish on its surface, but the finest surface on the densest paper is not as smooth as the polished surface of the metals."

"What is the best way to make the mirror?"

"The most available plan for us to follow is to make an amalgam of tin and mercury."

"But what do you mean by an amalgam?"

"It means the combination of mercury, or quicksilver, with any other metal."

"Will it be difficult to combine tin and mercury, so as to make an amalgam?"

"That is one of the simplest things in the arts. Tin and mercury unite by merely rubbing them together; see how easily they combine to form just such a surface as you want."

"Isn't that fine? But as that shines so nicely, what is the need of putting a glass over it?"

"Simply to protect the amalgamated surface."

The largest piece of glass thus far made was sixteen by twenty-four inches, and the boys selected the most perfect pane, and in a short time a very good mirror had been turned out.

"It has occurred to me that it would be good policy to make a number of small mirrors, say six inches square. They would be a valuable asset to us in our next expedition."

This opened the eyes of the boys to the commercial utility of the work they were engaged in for the first time. George rushed over and brought Tom and Harry to the laboratory, and exhibited the mirrors, and explained that they intended to make a number of small ones to take with them.

"That is a capital idea. Won't the natives go wild over them?"

They were at work at once, first cutting up some of the glass the requisite size, and before the afternoon closed they had several small ones in addition to the large one.

The large one was carried over to the living room, and when it was brought in and hung against the wall John's face lighted up, when they told him of the work required to turn out the glass, and to make the amalgam.

"What a glorious opportunity you boys are having. How anxious I am to get up and help you. What a splendid mirror that is. You surprise me with the character of your work."

"We are going to have real windows in the new house."

At this instant Chief appeared at the door, and as he moved forward in front of the glass he started back in fright as his own image appeared to him. All of them laughed, and as he was now at one side of the mirror he could not see himself. But Harry mischievously turned it, and then it dawned on the Chief that it was simply a perfect representation of himself.

All savages know of the glistening qualities of surfaces, but few of them, as was the case with Chief, had ever seen any made with the white amalgam, which, of course, made a perfect counterfeit resemblance.

But Harry delighted him beyond measure when he presented one of the small mirrors, and George took a piece of the ramie cloth and folded it around the mirror, a proceeding Chief could not understand until John showed him it was for the purpose of preserving it.