THE ENCHANTED ISLAND

Southland Times, Issue 23840, 10 June 1939, Page 7 (Supplement)

THE ENCHANTED ISLAND

Part II In the waist the men stopped lumping and crowded up the ladler to the poop. Kits father laid i wet hand on the boy’s shoulder. ‘What shore might it be? he asked. •Is it Virginia at last? "Nay,” said the Admiral. By my reckoning it .must be the islands of Bermudez.” ~ .„ "Then all our troubles are over! "Indeed, I fear it is not so, said a gentleman. "These islands, everybody knows, are not the home of either Christian or heathen peoples, but are esteemed a most enchanted place, and in the seas which surround them, five fathoms deep though they be, sea monsters lurk, waiting to crush unwary ships in their iron jaws.” . “The Isles of Devils, this place is called,” said another man. “Since first the Spaniards spied them, any mariners who have passed close by have heard strange unearthly The wind swept his words high, the wind screamed triumphantly through shrouds and topmasts as if boasting that it would still get its victims. The cabin door hurst open, and Dame Abbity sailed forth on billowing skirts. Behind her crowded the other white-faced ladies, outwailing the demon wind. “What shore is this we now see? cried Dame Abbity. “A dreadful place,” answered her little husband, “which every navigator avoids. It offers nothing but gusts, storms, and foul weather.” “Courage!” said Sir ‘ George Somers, sharply. “It is land, and it is better to die fighting devils with our feet on good dry earth

than to give over to the monsters of the deep.” With that Kit’s father rushed to the forefront of the crowd, raised his empty bucket on high, and shouted, “Now, lads, who’s for bail-

ing till we fetch land or go down fighting? Who’s for Bermuda and Sir George Somers?” A cheer answered him, and every man bustled back to work as if he had been given new life. So hard did they work that the water rose no higher in the ship, but remained at the level of the bailers’ waists. If they could only keep it so till land was near! If only the strained timbers did not burst apart, scattering them all like seeds upon the ocean! Hour after hour through the weary day they struggled. By afternoon they eould plainly see the en-

chanted shore, part wooded, part rocky headlands, on which the thundering white foam exploded. Over the islands the purple-black clouds rolled upward, with a yellow murky light beneath them. Dame Abbity burst into loud wailing. , t A small sandy bay was the best apparent landing place, and for this the helmsman pointed. The waves were still so high and the surface of the water so broken that there was no way of telling what lay underneath. Still running before the wind, the Sea Venture edged closer and closer till it was barely half a mile from the green and luscious-appearing shore. Clouds of seabirds rose up screaming and circled overhead with harsh cries. Strange fishes with wings darted from under the bow of the ship, and flew through the air for a space. “Fairies and demons!” said Dame Abbity. Just then the ship struck, and Dame Abbity was thrown to her knees, where she conveniently remained. The Sea Venture quivered, rubbed over the reef, and struck upon a second one. Those on board expected every blow to be the last. But once more she shook herself free. Rising high on the crest of a giant wave, she was carried violently between two new rocks, where she stuck fast and upright

like a model boat in a stand. At the same time the wind suddenly dropped, and the sun sent down a long yellow shaft to light up the little white beach ahead. The Admiral gave orders for the ship's boats to be lowered. Half an hour before, this would have been impossible, but l now the wind had abated. The surf scudded gently before it. All was favourable for landing on an enchanted island. Kit, trying to fit himself into the smallest possible space up in the bow of the heavily overcrowded skiff, gazed at the land they were

approaching with wonder and eagerness. Already he had forgotten the perils and discomforts of the journey. In the late afternoon light the sand was turning rosy with a scalloped edge of mauve. He jumped over the side as soon as the keel grounded into clear warm water, but a shiver ran down his spine as feathery touches brushed by his shins and tickled across his toes. Hundreds of little fishes, peacock blue, striped, and yellow, fluttering like butterflies, chased each other in and out between his legs, those strange columns so suddenly thrust down into their kingdom. “Alas, alas,” cried one of the crew. “Let us make haste to draw the boat up on dry land lest these creatures attack our very flesh! Kit picked up a handful of shining pink ooze ana let it slide slowly through his fingers. “This must be magic sand!” he cried, running to show his mother. “ ’Tis truly pink!” His mother exclaimed in admiration. “Of coral and crystal is it made! Precious stones ground to powder!” Dame Abbity, with a sailor at each elbow, was just being assisted from the skiff. She paused where she stood and looked over severely. “Our salvation is more to be desired than jewels. Let 1 us not be led astray by the false charms of this evil place!” “That which is most to be desired now,” said Sir Thomas Gates, dryly, “is food and water and shelter for the night. Let each of us set out to find what he can, while the boats are returning to the ship for the Admiral and the others who remain. And let there be no more talk of evil spirits for a while. We have work to do and each of us must take upon himself his full share of the burden.”

“I will search for what the wood which surrounds this beach has to offer,” said Kit’s father.

“I’ll go with you.” said one man. “I’ll search to find a spring of fresh water,” said another. “I will see what the shore has to offer,” said another man. ’ “Please, my father,” said Kit, "cannot the womenfolk look after themselves now? I would like to go and search for things, too.” His father laughed. “You have guarded the ladies bravely, my son, and if you wish to have a change of duty, you well deserve it. Be off, but mind you, do not wander far. This is a strange shore in every truth, and there is danger of being lost if one is not watchful.” | (To be concluded)