me, I discovered the bo'sun to be surveying that part which
looked over towards the weed, and I made across to join him. Here, again,
I saw that the hill fell away very sheer, and after that we went across
to the seaward edge, and there it was near as abrupt as on the weed side.
Then, having by this time thought a little upon the matter, I put it
straight to the bo'sun that here would make indeed a very secure camping
place, with nothing to come at us upon our sides or back; and our front,
where was the slope, could be watched with ease. And this I put to him
with great warmth; for I was mortally in dread of the coming night.
Now when I had made an end of speaking, the bo'sun disclosed to me that
this was, as I had suspicion, his intent, and immediately he called to
the men that we should haste down, and ship our camp to the top of the
hill. At that, the men expressed their approbation, and we made haste
every one of us to the camp, and began straightway to move our gear to
the hilltop.
In the meanwhile, the bo'sun, taking me to assist him, set-to again upon
the boat, being intent to get his batten nicely shaped and fit to the
side of the keel, so that it would bed well to the keel, but more
particularly to the plank which had sprung outward from its place. And at
this he labored the greater part of that afternoon, using the little
hatchet to shape the wood, which he did with surprising skill; yet when
the evening was come, he had not brought it to his liking. But it must
not be thought that he did naught but work at the boat; for he had the
men to direct, and once he had to make his way to the top of the hill to
fix the place for the tent. And after the tent was up, he set them to
carry the dry weed to the new camp, and at this he kept them until near
dusk; for he had vowed never again to be without a sufficiency of fuel.
But two of the men he sent to collect shell-fish—putting two of them to
the task, because he would not have one alone upon the island, not
knowing but that there might be danger, even though it were bright day;
and a most happy ruling it proved; for, a little past the middle of the
afternoon, we heard them shouting at the other end of the valley, and,
not knowing but that they were in need of assistance, we ran with all
haste to discover the reason of their calling, passing along the
right-hand side of the blackened and sodden vale. Upon reaching the
further beach, we saw a most incredible sight; for the two men were
running towards us through the thick masses of the weed, while, no more
than four or five fathoms behind, they were pursued by an enormous crab.
Now I had thought the crab we had tried to capture before coming to the
island, a prodigy unsurpassed; but this creature was more than treble its
size, seeming as though a prodigious table were a-chase of them, and
moreover, spite of its monstrous bulk, it made better way over the weed
than I should have conceived to be possible—running almost sideways, and
with one enormous claw raised near a dozen feet into the air.
Now whether, omitting accidents, the men would have made good their
escape to the firmer ground of the valley, where they could have attained
to a greater speed, I do not know; but suddenly one of them tripped over
a loop of the weed, and the next instant lay helpless upon his face. He
had been dead the following moment, but for the pluck of his companion,
who faced round manfully upon the monster, and ran at it with his
twenty-foot spear. It seemed to me that the spear took it about a foot
below the overhanging armor of the great back shell, and I could see
that it penetrated some distance into the creature, the man having, by
the aid of Providence, stricken it in a vulnerable part. Upon receiving
this thrust, the mighty crab ceased at once its pursuit, and clipped at
the haft of the spear with its great mandible, snapping the weapon more
easily than I had done the same thing to a straw. By the time we had
raced up to the men, the
looked over towards the weed, and I made across to join him. Here, again,
I saw that the hill fell away very sheer, and after that we went across
to the seaward edge, and there it was near as abrupt as on the weed side.
Then, having by this time thought a little upon the matter, I put it
straight to the bo'sun that here would make indeed a very secure camping
place, with nothing to come at us upon our sides or back; and our front,
where was the slope, could be watched with ease. And this I put to him
with great warmth; for I was mortally in dread of the coming night.
Now when I had made an end of speaking, the bo'sun disclosed to me that
this was, as I had suspicion, his intent, and immediately he called to
the men that we should haste down, and ship our camp to the top of the
hill. At that, the men expressed their approbation, and we made haste
every one of us to the camp, and began straightway to move our gear to
the hilltop.
In the meanwhile, the bo'sun, taking me to assist him, set-to again upon
the boat, being intent to get his batten nicely shaped and fit to the
side of the keel, so that it would bed well to the keel, but more
particularly to the plank which had sprung outward from its place. And at
this he labored the greater part of that afternoon, using the little
hatchet to shape the wood, which he did with surprising skill; yet when
the evening was come, he had not brought it to his liking. But it must
not be thought that he did naught but work at the boat; for he had the
men to direct, and once he had to make his way to the top of the hill to
fix the place for the tent. And after the tent was up, he set them to
carry the dry weed to the new camp, and at this he kept them until near
dusk; for he had vowed never again to be without a sufficiency of fuel.
But two of the men he sent to collect shell-fish—putting two of them to
the task, because he would not have one alone upon the island, not
knowing but that there might be danger, even though it were bright day;
and a most happy ruling it proved; for, a little past the middle of the
afternoon, we heard them shouting at the other end of the valley, and,
not knowing but that they were in need of assistance, we ran with all
haste to discover the reason of their calling, passing along the
right-hand side of the blackened and sodden vale. Upon reaching the
further beach, we saw a most incredible sight; for the two men were
running towards us through the thick masses of the weed, while, no more
than four or five fathoms behind, they were pursued by an enormous crab.
Now I had thought the crab we had tried to capture before coming to the
island, a prodigy unsurpassed; but this creature was more than treble its
size, seeming as though a prodigious table were a-chase of them, and
moreover, spite of its monstrous bulk, it made better way over the weed
than I should have conceived to be possible—running almost sideways, and
with one enormous claw raised near a dozen feet into the air.
Now whether, omitting accidents, the men would have made good their
escape to the firmer ground of the valley, where they could have attained
to a greater speed, I do not know; but suddenly one of them tripped over
a loop of the weed, and the next instant lay helpless upon his face. He
had been dead the following moment, but for the pluck of his companion,
who faced round manfully upon the monster, and ran at it with his
twenty-foot spear. It seemed to me that the spear took it about a foot
below the overhanging armor of the great back shell, and I could see
that it penetrated some distance into the creature, the man having, by
the aid of Providence, stricken it in a vulnerable part. Upon receiving
this thrust, the mighty crab ceased at once its pursuit, and clipped at
the haft of the spear with its great mandible, snapping the weapon more
easily than I had done the same thing to a straw. By the time we had
raced up to the men, the
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