The Argosy, Volume XLIV — page 215: what you’re looking at

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

THE CRUISE OF that some time during the day we go look at them in their lofty rocks.” “The professor’s idea is excellent,” said Ross. “We can’t build a good house in one day, but the shack we put up yesterday will do for Donaldson and Mary for three or four days. We can work several hours, and then seek re- laxation in the tramp to the other end of the island for the kaybees.” “ Now, it seems to me,” said Foster, “that we are simply throwing away every hour we spend building ‘houses. We certainly have no intention of re- maining here. The yacht, if she does not show up to-day, is at the bottom of the sea. Poor Balfe will never come back to take us off. Now, if this is the case, and a few hours will prove whether it is or no, then why not get together and build a boat to leave in.” Ross got up and offered Foster his hand. “My dear boy,” he said, “I have given you credit for many things, but never have I dreamed you were such an enemy to the human race as you have just proven yourself to be. Have you, now, honestly, the least idea that Bayne and I would go to sea in anything we could build here? ” “Yes, unless you wish to spend all your days on this island.” “There are worse places.” “Pshaw! Don’t be a fool. We don’t want to waste any time. Hurricanes like that don’t occur often. We could build a big raft or something like that —something that wouldn’t sink or up- set. We don’t need a fancy thing like the yacht.” “ Of course,” said Ross, “if we don’t do something in that line the professor will never be a fellow of the alphabet society he loves so well. But I am free to confess I’d sooner wait a while than go to sea on a raft.” “There is reason in what you both say,’ I interposed, thinking it was about my turn. “ We certainly do not, as Foster says, wish to remain here for life, or even indefinitely. Our affairs would at once become sadly muddled if we should be missing any great length of time, and especially if news of the wreck of the Siren reaches New York. “At the same time, we do not wish THE HANDICAP. 211 to lose hope too soon for the safety of the yacht. If we started to build a raft now, we could not construct one suff- ciently large and strong to carry us all in less than a’month. On the other hand, a day or two would suffice to erect a couple of houses good enough for tem- porary use. “You must remember that in the building of a raft, or whatever craft we may decide upon, accommodations for a long cruise must be thought of. A house must be built on it. We can build our houses and hunt the kaybees while we plan a craft of a kind that will be of use to us and also safe.” “Bravo!” cried the professor. “I like that. You have settled the point very nicely, Mr. Bayne.” “I guess, after all, there is good sense 1n what you propose,” admitted Ross. “Must seem strange to you if you recognize it,” said Foster. “No, it is not strange to me per- sonally. I was only delighted to find it mm Bayne.” After breakfast, while the professor, whose age was against the hard work of chopping trees, was engaged in clean- _ ing up the camp, a duty he volunteered to perform while on the island, Ross, Ioster, and I got our axes and sallied forth into the forest. It really seemed a pity to chop down some of the trees we sacrificed. Ebony and mahogany I had been accustomed to look upon as valuable things in wood. Here they were plentiful, and no one to forbid the use of our axes on them. But it was tough work cutting them. We worked and worked. By noon we had four trees felled. We did not select large ones, either. : At noon the professor had a substan- tian meal for us, assisted as he had been by Mary Donaldson, who showed him the way they made tea out of certain herbs. The tea tasted very good. The meat was well cooked, and Donaldson lay in- side the hut and watched us enviously as we ate. We told of our task of the morning. “You are making a great mistake,” said the professor, “in trying your strength on hard woods. There must GOI OOoO SS (COL