With a lighter heart and firmer faith, Paul Burns followed his leader, silently thanking God as he went along for thus far, and so opportunely, demonstrating His own faithfulness.
They had to wander some time before a suitable camping spot was found, for that part of the Newfoundland coast on which they had been landed was almost inaccessible. The cliffs in many places rose sheer out of the water to a height of full three hundred feet. Only in a few places little strips of shingly beach lay between the base of the cliffs and the sea, so that the finding of an opening in those stupendous ramparts of rock was no easy matter in a dark night.
At last they came to a place where the cliffs appeared to rise less precipitously. After careful clambering for some minutes they discovered a sort of gap in the rampart, up which they climbed, amid rugged and broken masses, until they reached a somewhat level plateau, or shelf, covered with small bushes. Here they resolved to encamp.
Whether its the top o the cliffs or not, theres no findin out, remarked Trench, as he tried to survey the ground; but whether or not dont matter, for it looks level enough to lie on, an were as like as not to break our necks if we try to go further.
Agreed, said Paul; but now it occurs to me that our pork may be raw, and that we shall want fire to cook it. Have you got flint and steel in your pocket, Master Trench?
Aynever travel without it; but by ill-luck Ive got no tinder. Flint and steel are useless, you know, without that.
If ill-luck troubles you, returned Paul, good luck favours me, for I have got a bit of tinder, and
The porks raw, exclaimed Oliver, who had been hastily investigating the contents of the canvas bag; but, I say, theres more than pork here. Theres a lot o the little flour-cakes our cook was so fond of makin.
Good. Now then let us have a search for wood, said Paul. If we find that, we shall get along well enough till morning. But have a care, Olly, keep from the edge of the cliff. The ledge is not broad. Have an eye too, or rather an ear, for water as you go along.
Success attended their search, for in a few minutes Paul and the captain returned with loads of dry branches, and Olly came back reporting water close at hand, trickling from a crevice in the cliffs.
Your shirt-front tells the tale, Olly. Youve been drinking, said Paul, who was busy striking a light at the time.
Indeed I have; and we shall all be obliged to drink under difficulties, for we have neither cup nor mug with us.
Neither is wanted, boy, as Ill soon show you, said Paul. Why, a bit of birch-bark, even a piece of paper, forms a good drinking vessel if you only know how to use it. Ha! caught at last, he added, referring to some dry grasses and twigs which burst into flame as he spoke.
Another moment and a ruddy glare lit up the spot, giving to things near at hand a cosy, red-hot appearance, and to more distant objects a spectral aspect, while, strangely enough, it seemed to deepen to profounder darkness all else around. Heaping on fresh fuel and pressing it down, for it consisted chiefly of small branches, they soon had a glowing furnace, in front of which the pork ere long sputtered pleasantly, sending up a smell that might have charmed a gourmand.
Now, then, while this is getting ready let us examine our possessions, said the captain, for we shall greatly need all that we have. It is quite clear that we could not return to our shipmates even if we would
No, and I would not even if I could, interrupted Oliver, while busy with the pork chops.
And, continued his father, regardless of the interruption, it is equally clear that we shall have to earn our own livelihood somehow.
Upon careful examination it was found that their entire possessions consisted of two large clasp-knives; a sheath hunting-knife; flint, steel, and tinder; the captains watch; a small axe; a large note-book, belonging to Paul; three pencils; bit of indiarubber; several fish-hooks; a long piece of twine, and three brass buttons, the property of Oliver, besides the manuscript Gospel of John, and Ollys treasured letter from his mother. These articles, with the garments in which they stood, constituted the small fortune of our wanderers, and it became a matter of profound speculation, during the progress of the supper, as to whether it was possible to exist in an unknown wilderness on such very slender means.
Olly thought it wasas a matter of course.
Master Trench doubted, and shook his head with an air of much sagacity, a method of expressing an opinion which is eminently unassailable. Paul Burns condescended on reasons for his beliefwhich, like Ollys, was favourable.
You see, he said, wiping his uncommonly greasy fingers on the grass, we have enough of pork and cakes here for several dayson short allowance. Then it is likely that we shall find some wild fruits, and manage to kill something or other with stones, and it cannot be long till we fall in with natives, who will be sure to be friendlyif not, we will make them soand where they can live, we can live. So I am going to turn in and dream about it. Luckily the weather is warm. Good-night.
Thus did our three adventurers, turning in on that giddy ledge, spend their first night in Newfoundland.
Chapter Six.
Difficulties met and Overcome
The position in which the trio found themselves next morning, when daylight revealed it, was, we might almost say, tremendously romantic.
The ledge on which they had passed the night was much narrower than they had supposed it to be, and their beds, if we may so call them, had been dangerously near to the edge of a frightful precipice which descended sheer down to a strip of sand that looked like a yellow thread two hundred feet below. The cliff behind them rose almost perpendicularly another hundred feet or more, and the narrow path or gully by which they had gained their eyrie was so steep and rugged that their reaching the spot at all in safety seemed little short of a miracle. The sun was brightening with its first beams an absolutely tranquil sea when the sleepers opened their eyes, and beheld what seemed to them a great universe of liquid light. Their ears at the same time drank in the soft sound of murmuring ripples far below, and the occasional cry of sportive sea-birds.
Grand! glorious! exclaimed Trench, as he sat up and gazed with enthusiasm on the scene.
Paul did not speak. His thoughts were too deep for utterance, but his mind reverted irresistibly to some of the verses in that manuscript Gospel which he carried so carefully in his bosom.
As for Oliver, his flushed young face and glittering eyes told their own tale. At first he felt inclined to shout for joy, but his feelings choked him; so he, too, remained speechless. The silence was broken at last by a commonplace remark from Paul, as he pointed to the horizonThe home of our shipmates is further off than I thought it was.
The rascals! exclaimed the captain, thinking of the shipmates, not of the home; the place is too good for em.
But all of them are not equally bad, suggested Paul gently.
Humph! replied Trench, for kind and good-natured though he was he always found it difficult to restrain his indignation at anything that savoured of injustice. In occasionally giving way to this temper, he failed to perceive at first that he was himself sometimes guilty of injustice. It is only fair to add, however, that in his cooler moments our captain freely condemned himself.