The Argosy, Volume XLIV — page 203: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE CRUISE OF ship. Now, you notice there is not a speck of land in sight, so, for so heavy a bird, he must have had a long flight, and his exhaustion was natural and must have been complete.” “He may have been treated harshly at home,” observed Ross. “Now, the question is, from which direction did he come?” went on the captain. “It is a great pity the log fails to give that bit of information. With that to guide us, we could begin right. But now we must cruise in widening circles till we find the island.” “It is quite possible that there are several islands,” said the professor. “We may not find the birds on the first one.” : “There are islands on the chart,” ad- mitted the captain. “ They are mostly unimportant, and I have no information concerning them. I know, however, that most of the islands in the Indian Ocean are surrounded by reefs. We can’t get very near one.” “Have to go ashore in a boat,” said Foster. “ Are we sailing in a circle now, cap- tain?” asked Foster later. “Yes, to the westward.” “TI wondered what was making me dizzy,” said Ross. “It must be that,” answered Balfe, “as the circle is only about twelve miles in diameter.” We sailed in more than one circle, each time widening it so that the hori- zon of the new one, inward, touched the old horizon, outward, of the former. “Land ho! ” cried the professor one afternoon, getting excited. He pointed to a distant shadow that the captain declared to be an island. We started directly for’it, and soon were able to make out with our glasses that it was an island of no mean size, with hills and woodlands. The captain studied his chart. “IT make that out to be Wilkes Island,” he said, “ named after the nav- igator who crossed the Indian Ocean, in 1842. I can’t say much about the island itself, but it 1s marked as dangerous to navigators on account of the swift cur- rents and many coral reefs around it.” “Well, we won’t attempt to run the yacht up in the woods,” said Ross. C; OUgle THE HANDICAP. 199 “Get as near as you can, and we'll take the launch.” We were all interested in the island, and the professor was as excited as a boy who was being taken by his father to buy a pony. The crew, by this time familiar with the purpose of the cruise, gathered in the bows to look at the island. “ How large do you make that out to be?” I asked the captain. “Oh, you will find that island at least five miles long,” he answered. “Five miles of kaybees,” said Ross. “Are you going to take Difficulty ashore, professor? ” “I would like to do so, 1f I have your permission.” “Oh, this expedition is under your command. But I say, if you do take him ashore it will be with himself.” “With himself? What do you mean?” “T mean that if you take Difficulty ashore it will be with difficulty.” “T dare go no farther,” said the captain. “I think it is safe for-you to go ashore in the launch. I see no evi- dence that the island is inhabited. But of course you will take the guns.” “Yes, and plenty of ropes. We. may have use for them if we find any more birds.” There was attached to the yacht a tender with a gasoline motor. It was not a large boat, being intended more for scooting to and fro in a smooth har- bor than for safety at sea in case of wreck. The long lfe-boat we concluded would not be needed, and the launch was less work. There was some discussion as to the time we should remain on the island, searching. Of course valleys, rocks, and forests must be explored. We had not thought of purchasing a tent. “I should say at the start,” said the captain, “that it would be safer and better in every way to return to the yacht at night.” “ But,” said the professor, “ this may be a nocturnal bird. I find that the kaybee sleeps as much in the daytime and eats as much at night as vice versa.” “Then by all means remain on the island at night,” declared Ross. GOI OOoO SS (GO) awa