"I've missed, after all," cried Jack, darting forward with uplifted axe, while the little pig uttered a loud squeal, tore the arrow from the ground, and ran away with it, along with the whole drove, into the bushes and disappeared, though we heard them screaming long afterwards in the distance.
"That's very provoking, now," said Jack, rubbing the point of his nose.
"Very," I replied, stroking my chin.
"Well, we must make haste and rejoin Peterkin," said Jack."It's getting late." And, without further remark, we threaded our way quickly through the woods towards the shore.
When we reached it, we found wood laid out, the fire lighted and beginning to kindle up, with other signs of preparation for our encampment, but Peterkin was nowhere to be found.We wondered very much at this; but Jack suggested that he might have gone to fetch water; so he gave a shout to let him know that we had arrived, and sat down upon a rock, while I threw off my jacket and seized the axe, intending to split up one or two billets of wood.But I had scarce moved from the spot when, in the distance, we heard a most appalling shriek, which was followed up by a chorus of yells from the hogs, and a loud "hurrah!""I do believe," said I, "that Peterkin has met with the hogs.""When Greek meets Greek," said Jack, soliloquizing, "then comes the tug of - ""Hurrah!" shouted Peterkin in the distance.
We turned hastily towards the direction whence the sound came, and soon descried Peterkin walking along the beach towards us with a little pig transfixed on the end of his long spear!
"Well done, my boy!" exclaimed Jack, slapping him on the shoulder when he came up, "you're the best shot amongst us.""Look here Jack!" cried Peterkin, as he disengaged the animal from his spear."Do you recognise that hole?" said he, pointing to the pig's ear; "and are you familiar with this arrow, eh?""Well, I declare!" said Jack.
"Of course you do," interrupted Peterkin; "but, pray, restrain your declarations at this time, and let's have supper, for I'm uncommonly hungry, I can tell you; and it's no joke to charge a whole herd of swine with their great-grandmother bristling like a giant porcupine at the head of them!"We now set about preparing supper; and, truly, a good display of viands we made, when all was laid out on a flat rock in the light of the blazing fire.There was, first of all, the little pig; then there was the taro-root, and the yam, and the potato, and six plums; and, lastly, the wood-pigeon.To these Peterkin added a bit of sugar-cane, which he had cut from a little patch of that plant which he had found not long after separating from us; "and," said he, "the patch was somewhat in a square form, which convinces me it must have been planted by man.""Very likely," replied Jack."From all we have seen, I'm inclined to think that some of the savages must have dwelt here long ago."We found no small difficulty in making up our minds how we were to cook the pig.None of us had ever cut up one before, and we did not know exactly how to begin; besides, we had nothing but the axe to do it with, our knife having been forgotten.At last Jack started up and said, -"Don't let us waste more time talking about it, boys.Hold it up, Peterkin.There, lay the hind leg on this block of wood, so;" and he cut it off, with a large portion of the haunch, at a single blow of the axe."Now the other, - that's it." And having thus cut off the two hind legs, he made several deep gashes in them, thrust a sharp-pointed stick through each, and stuck them up before the blaze to roast.The wood-pigeon was then split open, quite flat, washed clean in salt water, and treated in a similar manner.While these were cooking, we scraped a hole in the sand and ashes under the fire, into which we put our vegetables, and covered them up.
The taro-root was of an oval shape, about ten inches long and four or five thick.It was of a mottled-gray colour, and had a thick rind.We found it somewhat like an Irish potato, and exceedingly good.The yam was roundish, and had a rough brown skin.It was very sweet and well-flavoured.The potato, we were surprised to find, was quite sweet and exceedingly palatable, as also were the plums; and, indeed, the pork and pigeon too, when we came to taste them.Altogether this was decidedly the most luxurious supper we had enjoyed for many a day; and Jack said it was out-of-sight better than we ever got on board ship; and Peterkin said he feared that if we should remain long on the island he would infallibly become a glutton or an epicure: whereat Jack remarked that he need not fear that, for he was BOTH already! And so, having eaten our fill, not forgetting to finish off with a plum, we laid ourselves comfortably down to sleep upon a couch of branches under the overhanging ledge of a coral rock.
