Chapter 9 No.9

Starts to Explore the Island; Turtles' Eggs.

I followed the narrow line of sand, sometimes having to make a detour inland to get around a rocky point of land which jutted out into the water, or to avoid a dagger-like plant the spike-like leaves of which were armed with spines as sharp as needles. This, I concluded, must be the Spanish bayonet.

The sun shone brightly, and the sea, deep blue and calm, stretched away toward the west, the long, gentle swells causing but a ripple on the beach. As I progressed, the island along the shore became less attractive than it was in the near vicinity of my house; and in some places it had a parched appearance. Once I was obliged to cross a flat area of several acres in extent, bounded by a high bluff, where I had to make my way cautiously among cactus plants of various kinds; some low and spreading over the ground and bearing beautiful, yellow, wax-like blossoms, and others a great size, like trees denuded of the smaller branches and twigs.

The sun had reached the zenith when I came to a small stream and sat down beneath a wide-spreading tree to rest, and to refresh myself from the provisions that I carried. As I ate I gazed up among the branches of the great tree, whose broad leaves furnished such a grateful shade, when I saw that it bore fruit, round and green, five or six inches in diameter. This I believed to be bread-fruit, from the pictures I had seen, and I resolved to carry two or three along with me, only obtaining them by climbing the tree.

Although I did not intend to travel steadily in the heat of the day during my march, I felt anxious to make a good beginning on the first day out, so after getting cool and feeling well rested, I went on.

As I crossed the brook, scores of small brown crabs scudded away along the bank. They were the first I had seen during my sojourn on the island. Spiders, I had seen many of, some of great size with hairy bodies and long legs; but as they showed no ferocity, I had no fear of them. Indeed on account of their great size I did not believe them to be poisonous. As a rule, the natural histories said, poisonous spiders of the tropics are not of great size, and most of them have short legs.

Having made a long detour around a swampy place which extended to the sea, I came out of the bush upon a wide beach shaped like a semi-circle, or half-moon; and as I did so my attention was attracted to several large, glossy, blackish objects scattered over the beach. I approached one, and found it to be a monstrous turtle. There must have been hundreds of them, and, one by one, as I moved about, they started away toward the water. Some of them were very large, and must have weighed three or four hundred pounds. Had I been so disposed I had no means of dispatching one for food, but I felt sure that the turtles had been depositing their eggs in the sand, and I could easily roast the eggs in the fire, which would form a very acceptable adjunct to my larder.

Accordingly, digging into the sand where the turtles had been lying, I found plenty of round white eggs, a quantity of which I gathered to add to my stores.

It was now near the end of the afternoon, as I observed by the sun, and I decided to select a place to camp for the night. I selected a spot near a thicket of thorn bushes, which would form an effectual protection to the rear, and then began collecting dry branches for a fire. The sun was low in the sky, and the heat was greatly moderated, and, by the time I had collected a large pile of fire wood, a sea breeze sprang up, taking the place of the land breeze of the day, making it cool and comfortable.

I had no difficulty this time in starting a fire, and as soon as it had burned down sufficiently I buried a yam and some of the turtles' eggs in the ashes, and, while they were cooking I occupied the time cutting away a part of the smaller thorn bushes, making a cleared place in which I could sleep during the night, the thicket over me furnishing protection from the dampness of the air.

By the time this was accomplished, and a cocoanut shell of water was brought from the brook, I judged that the yam and eggs were sufficiently cooked, which they proved to be when I uncovered them, and I at once proceeded to eat my evening meal. The eggs proved to be of good flavor, but wanted salt. This reminded me that I must provide a supply of salt, which I could do by evaporating some sea-water as soon as I had the opportunity.

It was now past sunset and rapidly growing dark; so I replenished the pile of firewood, and piling a quantity of it upon the fire, I lay down with a bunch of grass for a pillow, and in a short time fell asleep.