Chapter 2
THE SAVAGE HOME

They didn't have to wait long, for the next morning as Clayton was walking on deck before breakfast as usual, shots rang out.

The sight which met his eyes confirmed his worst fears.

Facing the little group of officers was the entire crew of the Fuwalda, and at their head stood Black Michael.

Before the officers had taken a dozen backward steps, the men were upon them. An ax in the hands of a strong Negro split the captain from forehead to chin, and an instant later the others were down: dead or wounded from dozens of blows and bullet wounds.

As the last officer went down he thought he should returned to his wife until some members of the crew find her alone below.

Clayton feared for his wife's safety at the hands of these ignorant, half-brutes into whose hands fate had thrown them. As he turned to descend the ladder, he was surprised to see his wife standing on the steps almost at his side.

“How long have you been here, Alice?”

“Since the beginning,” she replied. “How awful, John. Oh, how awful! What can we hope for at the hands of such as those?”

“Breakfast, I hope,” he answered, smiling bravely in an attempt to reduce her fears. “At least,” he added, “I'm going to ask them. Come with me, Alice. We must not let them think we expect any but polite treatment.”

The men had by this time surrounded the dead and wounded officers, and without compassion threw both living and dead over the sides of the vessel. With equal heartlessness, they got rid of their own dead and dying.

Soon one of the crew noticed the approaching Claytons, and with a cry of: “Here's two more for the fishes,” rushed toward them with an ax.

But Black Michael was quicker, so that the fellow went down with a bullet in his back before he had taken a half dozen steps.

With a loud roar, Black Michael attracted the attention of the others, and, pointing to Lord and Lady Greystoke, cried:

“These here are my friends, and they are to be left alone. Do you understand?

“I'm captain of this ship now, and what I say goes^[15],” he added, turning to Clayton. “Just keep to yourselves, and nobody'll harm you,” and he looked threateningly on his fellows.

The Claytons followed Black Michael's instructions so well that they saw very little of the crew and knew nothing of the plans the men were making.

On the fifth day following the murder of the ship's officers, land was sighted by the lookout^[16]. Black Michael announced to Clayton that if investigation showed that the place was habitable^[17] he and Lady Greystoke would be put ashore with their belongings.

“You'll be all right there for a few months,” he explained, “then I'll see that your government's notified where you are and they'll soon send somebody to take you out. It would be hard to land you in civilization without a lot of questions.”

About three o'clock in the afternoon they approached a beautiful wooded shore.

No signs of habitation were visible but that the land might easily support human life was evidenced by the abundant bird and animal life of which the watchers on the Fuwalda's deck caught occasional glimpses, as well as by the shimmer of a little river with fresh water.

Clayton and Lady Alice still stood by the ship's rail in silent contemplation of their future abode. From the dark shadows of the mighty forest came the wild calls of savage beasts – the deep roar of the lion, and, occasionally, the shrill scream of a panther.

Clayton was a strong, athletic man, and alone, he might hope to survive for years. But what of Alice, and that other little life within her?

The man shuddered as he meditated upon the fearful helplessness of their situation. But it was a merciful Providence which prevented him from foreseeing the dreadful reality which awaited them in the grim depths of that gloomy wood.

Early next morning their numerous chests and boxes were put into small boats for transportation to shore.

There was a great quantity and variety of stuff, as the Claytons had expected a possible five to eight years' residence in their new home. Thus, in addition to the many necessities they had brought, there were also many luxuries.

Black Michael was determined that nothing belonging to the Claytons should be left on board. He even insisted upon the return of Clayton's revolvers to him by the sailors in whose possession they were.

Into the small boats were also loaded salt meats and biscuit, with a small supply of potatoes and beans, matches, and cooking vessels, some tools, and the old sails which Black Michael had promised them.

Black Michael accompanied them to shore, and was the last to leave them when the small boats, having filled the ship's casks with fresh water, were pushed out toward the waiting Fuwalda.

As the Fuwalda was out of sight, Lady Alice threw her arms about Clayton's neck and burst into uncontrolled sobs.

“Oh, John,” she cried, “What are we to do? What are we to do?”

“There is but one thing to do, Alice,” and he spoke as quietly as though they were sitting in their cozy living room at home, “and that is work. Work must be our salvation. We must not give ourselves time to think, for in that direction lies madness.

“We must work and wait. I am sure that relief will come, and come quickly. Hundreds of thousands of years ago our ancestors of the distant past faced the same problems which we must face, possibly in these same forests. That we are here today evidences their victory.

“What they did may we not do? What they accomplished, Alice, with instruments and weapons of stone and bone, surely that may we accomplish also.”

“I only hope you are right, John. I will do my best to be a brave woman.”

Clayton's first thought was to arrange a sleeping shelter for the night – something which might serve to protect them from beasts of prey.

He opened the box containing his rifles and ammunition, that they might both be armed against possible attack while at work, and then together they sought a location for their first night's sleeping place.

A hundred yards from the beach was a little level spot, free of trees; here they decided eventually to build a permanent house, but now they both thought it best to construct a little platform in the trees out of reach of the larger of the savage beasts in whose realm they were.

Clayton selected four trees which formed a rectangle about eight feet square, and cutting long branches from other trees he constructed a framework around them, about ten feet from the ground, fastening the ends of the branches securely to the trees by means of rope, which Black Michael had left him from the hold of the Fuwalda.

Across this framework, Clayton placed other smaller branches quite close together. This platform he paved with the huge leaves, and over the leaves, he laid a great sail folded into several thicknesses^[18].

Seven feet higher, he constructed a similar, though lighter platform to serve as roof, and from the sides of this he suspended the sailcloth for walls.

So he had a rather cozy little nest, to which he carried their blankets and some of the lighter luggage.

It was now late in the afternoon, and the rest of the daylight hours were devoted to the building of a ladder by means of which Lady Alice could mount to her new home.

During the day, the forest about them had been filled with excited birds of brilliant plumage, and dancing, chattering monkeys, who watched these new arrivals and their wonderful nest building operations with every mark of keenest interest and fascination.

Both Clayton and his wife kept a sharp lookout but they saw nothing of larger animals.

Just before dusk Clayton finished his ladder, and, filling a great basin with water from the near-by stream, the two mounted to the comparative safety of their aerial chamber.

As it was quite warm, Clayton had left the side curtains thrown back over the roof, and as they sat, like Turks^[19], upon their blankets, Lady Alice, straining her eyes into the darkening shadows of the wood, suddenly grasped Clayton's arms.

“John,” she whispered, “look! What is it, a man?”

As Clayton turned his eyes in the direction she indicated, he saw silhouetted dimly against the shadows beyond, a great figure standing upright upon the ridge.

For a moment, it stood as though listening and then turned slowly, and melted into the shadows of the jungle.

“What is it, John?”

“I do not know, Alice,” he answered, “it is too dark to see so far, and maybe it was a shadow cast by the rising moon.”

“No, John, if it was not a man, it was some huge and grotesque mockery^[20] of man. Oh, I am afraid.”

He gathered her in his arms, whispering words of courage and love into her ears.

Soon after, he lowered the curtain walls, tying them securely to the trees so that, except for a little opening toward the beach, they were entirely enclosed.

They lay down upon their blankets to try to sleep.

Clayton lay facing the opening at the front, and a rifle and revolvers were at his hand.

Suddenly the terrifying cry of a panther rang out from the jungle behind them. Closer and closer it came until they could hear the great beast directly beneath them. For an hour or more, they heard it sniffing and clawing at the trees which supported their platform, but at last it roamed away across the beach, where Clayton could see it clearly in the brilliant moonlight – a great, handsome beast, the largest he had ever seen.

During the long hours of darkness they slept very little, for the night noises of a great jungle full of myriad animal life kept their nerves on edge^[21], so that a hundred times they were startled to wakefulness by piercing screams, or the quiet moving of great bodies beneath them.

Chapter 3
LIFE AND DEATH

Morning found them just a little refreshed, though they saw the day dawn with a feeling of intense relief.

As soon as they had made their meager breakfast of salt pork, coffee and biscuit, Clayton started work upon their house.

The task was hard and required the better part of a month, though he built but one small room. He constructed his cabin of small logs about six inches in diameter.

At one end, he built a fireplace of small stones from the beach. These he set in clay and when the house had been entirely completed, he applied a coating of the clay to the entire outside surface.