Chapter 69
"Where's Mr Jack, Lenny?"
"Mr Jack, sir? Arn't seen him lately. 'Long o' Ned, I think. See Mr Jack from where you are, mate?"
"No," came back, and the fresh speaker hailed his nearest companion, and he his. But no one had seen the boy lately. They had all been too much occupied in looking out for rare birds.
"Let's wait a bit," said the doctor. "Give them time to come up. Here, Lenny--and you--let's look at the sport."
He sat down on a block of lava, and became so interested in the specimens he had obtained that he did not notice the lapse of time.
"Here," he cried at last, "they must have knocked up, and are waiting for us to go back. Why, we must have come much farther than ever we came before."
"That's why we've got such good birds, sir," said Lenny.
"Perhaps so. Well, back again now.--Oughtn't to have left him behind like that," muttered the doctor to himself.
He was hot and weary from his exertions, but his anxiety made him hurry back nearly in the path they had made in ascending, but that soon proved to be too difficult, the growth having sprung back after they had pa.s.sed, and as they had gone up the steep slope well separated, the tracks were feebly marked, and not as they would have been had they followed in each other's steps.
The consequence was that first one mark was found, then another, in the shape of a broken twig or crushed-down patch of gra.s.s, but the next minute the steps were lost, and everything looked so different in descent they in a short time found themselves ready to give up the laborious task of trying to follow in the steps taken when going up, and glad to go back wherever the way was easiest.
To make up for this the little party spread out as far as was reasonable, and at every few yards the doctor gave a loud whistle and waited for a reply.
None came, and they hurried on, rarely recognising anything to act as a guide, but steadily going down toward the sh.o.r.e; and as there was no reply to his calls, the doctor soon came to the conclusion that, tired of waiting, Jack had turned back, and in the full expectation of finding the missing ones down by the boat, the party was pressed on, but with their leader getting more annoyed at every step.
The boat was invisible till they were close upon it, lying in the mouth of the little river where the great trees spread their boughs right across, and at the first rustle of the bushes being heard the sailors in charge started up and began to draw her close in sh.o.r.e.
The doctor uttered an e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n full of annoyance, but began clinging directly after to the thought which struck him.
"How long have they gone on board?" he cried as soon as he was well within hearing.
Then his hopes were crushed, for the men addressed replied--
"Gone on board, sir? Who gone on board?"
"Mr Jack and his man."
"Haven't been down here, sir. Arn't lost 'em, have you?"
The doctor made no reply.
"Here," he cried, "take these birds, and you
The other two who had come down from the mountain slope were eager to return, but the doctor ordered them to take charge of the boat, and without pausing a minute shouldered his gun and turned to follow the path they had taken that morning, with better hope of success.
"I dare say we came close by them somewhere," he said to Lenny. "I hardly see though how we could have missed them."
"Strikes me, sir, as I know how it was," said the man.
"You think you know?"
"Yes, sir, but it's only thinking, and mayn't be right."
"Tell me what you think," cried the doctor impatiently.
"It was hot, sir, steamy hot under the trees, and Mr Jack is young and none too strong, and Ned arn't quite got over his trouble."
"Yes, of course. Well, go on."
"Well, sir, they must have trudged after us till they were tired out, and then sat down to wait for us, and went to sleep."
"I hope that's it, Lenny," said the doctor as they struggled on, up and up, amongst tree, bush, and rock, while, to add to their difficulty, a complete change came on with tropic rapidity, a black curtain of clouds swept across the sky, and in an incredibly short time the lightning flickered for a few minutes through the trees, and then came in blinding flashes, accompanied more than followed by peal upon peal of thunder which seemed to shake the island to its foundation.
Worse still was to follow. Just as the lightning was flas.h.i.+ng and quivering among the trees, and the thunder was at its loudest, the rain came down. It had approached from the sea with, a dull hissing sound which grew louder and louder, till with startling force the wind which bore it on its wings flung it as it were with a tremendous force upon the mountain slope, whipping the boughs and tearing the leaves from the twigs, pouring away with terrific violence, and rus.h.i.+ng downward into the gully, which soon became filled with a roaring torrent which swept all before it.
This was the first example the doctor had encountered of the power of a tropical storm, and he was glad to shelter himself and his four companions beneath an overhanging ledge of lava rock--a poor protection, but such as it was it saved them from much of the force of the storm.
The downpour ceased as suddenly as it had commenced, the tempest sweeping over the island to pa.s.s on to the ocean and be dissipated there, so that in little more than an hour the sun was s.h.i.+ning down through the trees again, where the drenched earth was spangled as it were with jewels.
But the task of continuing the search was now made excessively difficult. The ground was slippery in the extreme, save where the lava had been washed bare, and at almost every step the water-laden boughs poured down a fresh shower upon them. The labour was terrible, for now it was as if they were forcing their way through a bath of hot vapour which was enervating in the extreme.
But they struggled on hour after hour, vainly seeking for some trace of the missing ones--a task which would have baffled the keenest-eyed Red Indian, for the rain had swept away every footprint, and when at rare intervals a broken branch or torn-off leaf-covered twig was found, it was as likely to have been the work of the storm as of any one pa.s.sing through.
Faint with an exhaustion he would not own to, the doctor was still urging or cheering his men on, when the dull concussion of a gun and the following echoes announced that those on the yacht were impatient for their return.
"Signal to come back, sir," said Lenny despondently.
"Yes, but we can't go back without finding them first," said the doctor angrily. "Who is to face Sir John Meadows and tell him we have failed in our duty of protecting his son?"
No one answered, and the silence was broken by the dull thud of another gun.
"It is of no use, I can't return while it is light, but the summons must be answered. Here, Lenny, go back and tell Sir John what has happened, and that we are searching in every direction."
"Me, sir?" cried the man with a look of horror; "I couldn't do it, sir."
"You must. You have been out all day, and must be done up."
"Me, sir! My mate's ever so much worse nor me. Send him."
"G'orn with you," cried the other sailor who had been with them since the first start; "why I arn't half so done as he is, sir."
"I want you to go, Lenny," said the doctor sternly. "I dare say you will find another boat waiting. Send the men up to help the search.
But there is no need to send that message, Sir John is sure to have come himself."
"Mean it, sir? I'm to go?" said Lenny.
"Yes, of course."
"Well, sir, I'd sooner keep on hunting for the poor lad all night than face Sir John; but if you say I am to do it, why do it I must."