第11章 The Buccaneers(1)

Once more the blacks formed a circle around our adventurer, who cooll. drew his tube and said to the chief:

"Tell your people I'm going to walk away through those trees, and i. any one dares to interfere with me I'll paralyze him."The chief understood enough English to catch his meaning, and repeate. the message to his men. Having seen the terrible effect of th. electric tube they wisely fell back and allowed the boy to pass.

He marched through their lines with a fine air of dignity, although h. was fearful lest some of the blacks should stick a spear into him or bum. his head with a war-club. But they were awed by the wonders they had see. and were still inclined to believe him a god, so he was not molested.

When he found himself outside the village he made for the high platea. in the center of the island, where he could be safe from the cannibal. while he collected his thoughts. But when he reached the place h. found the sides so steep he could not climb them, so he adjusted th. indicator to the word "up" and found it had still had enough power t. support his body while he clambered up the rocks to the level. grass-covered space at the top.

Then, reclining upon his back, he gave himself up to thoughts o. how he might escape from his unpleasant predicament.

"Here I am, on a cannibal island, hundreds of miles from civilization. with no way to get back," he reflected. "The family will look for m. every day, and finally decide I've broken my neck. The Demon wil. call upon me when the week is up and won't find me at home; so I'l. miss the next three gifts. I don't mind that so much, for they migh. bring me into worst scrapes than this. But how am I to get away fro. this beastly island. I'll be eaten, after all, if I don't look out!"These and similar thoughts occupied him for some time, yet in spite o. much planning and thinking he could find no practical means of escape.

At the end of an hour he looked over the edge of the plateau and foun. it surrounded by a ring of the black cannibals, who had calmly seate. themselves to watch his movements.

"Perhaps they intend to starve me into surrender," he thought; "bu. they won't succeed so long as my tablets hold out. And if, in time. they should starve me, I'll be too thin and tough to make good eating;so I'll get the best of them, anyhow."

Then he again lay down and began to examine his electrical travelin. machine. He did not dare take it apart, fearing he might not be abl. to get it together again, for he knew nothing at all about it. construction. But he discovered two little dents on the edge, one o. each side, which had evidently been caused by the pressure of the rope.

"If I could get those dents out," he thought, "the machine might work."He first tried to pry out the edges with his pocket knife, but th. attempt resulted in failure. Then, as the sides seemed a littl. bulged outward by the dents, he placed the machine between two fla. stones and pressed them together until the little instrument wa. nearly round again. The dents remained, to be sure, but he hoped h. had removed the pressure upon the works.

There was just one way to discover how well he had succeeded. so he fastened the machine to his wrist and turned the indicato. to the word "up."Slowly he ascended, this time to a height of nearly twenty feet. The. his progress became slower and finally ceased altogether.

"That's a little better," he thought. "Now let's see if it wil. go sidewise."He put the indicator to "north-west,"--the direction of home--and ver. slowly the machine obeyed and carried him away from the plateau an. across the island.

The natives saw him go, and springing to their feet began utterin. excited shouts and throwing their spears at him. But he was alread. so high and so far away that they failed to reach him, and the bo. continued his journey unharmed.

Once the branches of a tall tree caught him and nearly tipped hi. over; but he managed to escape others by drawing up his feet. A. last he was free of the island and traveling over the ocean again. H. was not at all sorry to bid good-by to the cannibal island, but he wa. worried about the machine, which clearly was not in good workin. order. The vast ocean was beneath him, and he moved no faster than a. ordinary walk.

"At this rate I'll get home some time next year,. he grumbled.

"However, I suppose I ought to be glad the machine works at all.. An. he really was glad.

All the afternoon and all the long summer night he moved slowly ove. the water. It was annoying to go at "a reg'lar jog-trot," as Ro. called it, after his former swift flight; but there was no help for it.

Just as dawn was breaking he saw in the distance a small vessel. sailing in the direction he was following, yet scarcely moving fo. lack of wind. He soon caught up with it, but saw no one on deck, an. the craft had a dingy and uncared-for appearance that was no. reassuring. But after hovering over it for some time Rob decided t. board the ship and rest for a while. He alighted near the bow, wher. the deck was highest, and was about to explore the place when a ma. came out of the low cabin and espied him.

This person had a most villainous countenance, and was dark-skinned. black-bearded and dressed in an outlandish, piratical costume. O. seeing the boy he gave a loud shout and was immediately joined by fou. companions, each as disagreeable in appearance as the first.

Rob knew there would be trouble the moment he looked at this evi. crew, and when they drew their daggers and pistols and began fiercel. shouting in an unknown tongue, the boy sighed and took the electric tub. from his coat pocket.

The buccaneers did not notice the movement, but rushed upon him s. quickly that he had to press the button at a lively rate. The tub. made no noise at all, so it was a strange and remarkable sight to se. the pirates suddenly drop to the deck and lie motionless. Indeed, on. was so nearly upon him when the electric current struck him that hi. head, in falling, bumped into Rob's stomach and sent him reelin. against the side of the vessel.