The young Castaways

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21580, 26 August 1933, Page 4 (Supplement)

The young Castaways

The Scampering and screeching woke *Joan and she ran to the boys in terror. Derrick snatched up the gun, and both he and Douglas' sprang to their feet. It was Young Chang who reassured them.

"Monkeys!" he said, waving his hand-at the roof. " They are angry and frightened. It is at the alligator they 6cream." . 4 Immensely relieved, Derrick leaned the gun against the wall. With a shrill yelp the last of the troop dropped from a' branch on the roof and scampered after the others.

"They did give me a fright," he said, wiping the perspiration from his face. I wish Tom would come back." A few minutes later they heard Trousers bark, and Tom and Ismail reappeared. Tom sat down exhausted with the heat and- Ismail squatted against the wall his arms full of Bome strange-looking fruit. " \Ve found no more houses—no one —" B aid Tom dejectedly, " only a skeleton in the jungle."

" A skeleton 1" " Yes —too big to be a native's, bo 1 suppose the white man who owned this hut died here —or was killed." "Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Douglas. "There are beastly alligators in the river, and swarms of monkeyß in the trees." "Yes," said Derrick. " if there are no white people up this river let us get out on to the coast where wo can see round us a bit. I wouldn't like to be here in the night." Tom agreed soberly. " After the worst heat of the day is over we'll go down the river again. There were Borne little rocky islands on the far side of the bay. We could land on one of them." ' " Is that stuff Ismail's got good to eatP" asked Douglas. . " He says it is. We can try some frith our bisouits." v They found 'the fruit palatable, though of strange flavour. It was juicy and refreshing after two days of biscuit and water. • They were all glad to lie still in the enervating heat of mid-day. Tom did not sleep; his heart was too full of anxiety. Perils of all sorts beset his helpless charges, and rescue seemed' so far .off

Trousers, who had kept near him, was restless too: little shudders passed along his body and he constantly lifted his eyelids and wrinkled his forehead

so that he could look at the boy without raising his head. A heavy stagnant odour filled the air, almost like something that could be felt. Ismail seemed to sleep where he squatted by the wall, but it was an alert and wary sleep like that of the little dog. At the very same moment he opened his dark eyes, and Trousers began to growl deep and low in his throat. A shiver of apprehension ran through Tom, and he rose on his elbow. Not one warning sound had reached them from outside, but there was a brown hand gripping the lower edge of the doorway. A second later a stealthy, staring brown face rose into view. Trousers sprang forward barking frantically. Tom snatched up the gun which was the first thing his hand fell on and levelled it tat the face. But as swiftly and as silently as it had come the face disappeared.

They rushed to the doorway, the loaded revolver replacing the gun in Tom's hand, just in time to see a tiny fishing canoe with a man of small stature in it dart out of sight up stream.

Alice A.Kennij

CHAPTER in •

.Ismail Bhouted abuse and threats after him and many imaginative insults.

" Dog of a fisherman; eater of garbage; our vessel, which lies outside the island, shall come up the river and blow your 'dirty village into the water with its great guns." He ceased, and the now invisible visitor sent his answer. With the self same "phit" that they had heard on the night the Boronia was wrecked, a long reed spear stuck quivering in the wall six inches from Ismail's head. "Shoot! Just to show himl" cried Derrick, "just one shot!" Impulsively Tom flung up his arm and fired into the trees, but he regretted his action before the last echo of the report died down. " I was a fool to do that!" he said. " It will bring them all down after us." " It will make no difference," remarked Young Chang moodily, " they know already that we are here, and only boys—and unarmed." He threw out his hand with a hopeless gesture. "Unarmed be hanged!" retorted Derrick. " That bang didn't sound like being unarmed, .and they don't know we've got no cartridges for the gun." " All the same we'll go at once," said Tom. " Here's the revolver. Derrick. Keep a good look out while we get everyone into the boat again." He spoke calmly as he went down the ladder, but he was shaking a little with excitement and Douglas and Joan looked pale with fright. Ismail seemed the least disturbed.

" Carefully with Joan and the PUP," Baid Derrick at the top of the ladder. " We don't want to make any slips now we know what's in this beastly river."

Young Chang muttered with pale lips. " It would bring us good fortune to offer food to the creature, to throw that iat dog to him." " Go in yourself!' said Derrick contemptuously, "Jf you want to please alligators—l don't —you're a lot fatter than Trousers too."

"Right!" said Tom, below, receiving poor little trembling Joan and passing her along to Ismail in the Btern. Come on, quick, Chang, and you Derrick. Let go your end, Ismail." He hastily untied the boat from the piles at his end, and they shipped the oars and Bwung her round facing down river again. There was a Blight breeze blowing outside and the surface of the bay was all broken, gleaming water, a jumble of short waves that made the boat dance about. 1

Tom strained his eyes for any sail or trail of smoke on the horizon, but there was nothing. He steered for the little group of rocky islets that lay off the shore where the island roso into low tree-crowned cliffs. " Wo can watch the open sea from there for a ship," he said. " We can't be far off the course of Australianbound steamers. And we ought to be able to catch fish in the channel between the islands and the cliff. They weue drawing near the rocky islets, a group of trees shaded the nearest and largest, and a flame of bright red flowers rose among them. " Look," gasped Young Chang in a choked voice. A fleet of canoes, long and low like logs had risen into sight as if they had come out of the sea. More were slipuing out from the shore. AH were filled with spearmen and paddlers, little dark men whose naked bodies shone in the afternoon sunshine. Every prow was directed toward the ship's boat, and they sent an exultant yell before them. (To bo continued)